"Apologies, Master. Lord Han has had a bit too much to drink today. This is a small token of our appreciation. Master, you may be excused."
After a moment of silence, Zong Ying forced a bitter smile and pulled a silver ingot from his sleeve. Without waiting to see if the old monk would accept it, he pressed it into the monk's robes and gestured for him to leave.
"This official is joking. A man of the cloth dare not accept such worldly possessions!"
With a pained expression, the old monk retrieved the silver ingot from his robes and carefully placed it on the table before Zong Ying with both hands.
"What if I insist that you take it?"
Just as the old monk was preparing to excuse himself, Han Mo spoke up again.
"My lord, why must you force the issue?"
"Wolves will eat people, villains will tear down city walls, and yet you people dare not even speak your minds. What if I choose to force the issue?"
Seeing the naked killing intent in Han Mo's eyes, the old monk fell silent once more.
"Thank you for your alms, my lord. This silver will be converted into food. Perhaps when you see it again, it will have become a steamed bun in the hands of a beggar on the street!"
After another moment of silence, the old monk extended his hands, cupped the silver ingot, bowed to Han Mo once more, and turned to leave.
"Wait! If you want to leave, drink this jar of wine first!"
The old monk had barely taken a step when Han Mo called out to him again.
"Yes!"
After meeting Han Mo's gaze for a long time, the old monk suddenly smiled and responded. He then picked up the wine jar on the table and, to Zong Ying's astonishment, drank it down without hesitation in a few large gulps. Only when no more wine flowed from the jar did he set it down with a smile.
"Does my lord have any further instructions?"
Looking at the old monk's smile, Zong Ying couldn't quite understand what was happening between the two of them.
"Hahahaha, a feast is not complete without wine and meat. Why don't you, Master, also sample some of this beef?"
After sizing up the old monk, Han Mo suddenly burst into laughter, a hearty, tear-inducing laugh.
"It does taste rather good..."
Amidst Han Mo's laughter, the old monk bent down, picked up a slice of braised beef with his fingers, and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
"Hahahaha, you've drunk the wine and eaten the meat. Are you still a monk?"
Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Han Mo suddenly asked again.
"If my lord says I am, then I am!"
Despite Han Mo's relentless pressure, the smile never left the old monk's face.
"You have drunk wine and eaten meat. Can you still enter the Grand Hall of Great Strength where the Buddha resides?"
Struggling to his feet, Han Mo struck the bronze bell with a forceful punch. As the resonant sound echoed, he asked with a playful smirk, "You are mistaken, my lord. The Buddha in the Grand Hall of Great Strength is grand and magnificent, but that is not the Buddha I worship. It is merely a statue of clay and wood for devotees to meditate upon."
"And where is the true Buddha?"
"The Buddha is in the heart!"
The old monk said, pointing again to his chest.
"Whoosh—"
Having heard the old monk's answer, Han Mo, already slightly tipsy, exhaled a long breath and staggered to his feet, adjusting his clothing.
Just as Jiang Yan reached out to help him, Han Mo pushed his hand away.
"Well said, 'The Buddha is in the heart.' It seems I have been rather presumptuous today. I beg your pardon, Master!"
As he spoke, Han Mo bowed respectfully to the old monk.
"My lord protects the people of Liangzhe and Fujian, providing countless souls with a means of survival in these chaotic times. This bow is too much for a monk to accept!"
Although Han Mo's actions today were somewhat bewildering, the old monk clearly sensed that Han Mo was alluding to something of great significance. Despite his youth, Han Mo was a prominent official in the court. As an old monk outside the secular world, he could not possibly accept such a profound gesture from Han Mo. He quickly returned the bow.
"Hahahaha, this wine has been truly exhilarating! Exhilarating!"
As Han Mo spoke, he struck the bronze bell with another powerful fist. Possessing natural strength, his punch was nearly full force. The ensuing clang of the bell immediately made Zong Ying feel dizzy and disoriented.
"What are you doing? My ears are going to go deaf..."
Dropping his chopsticks, Zong Ying covered his ears. Only when the bell's ringing stopped did his head finally clear.
"Let's go, let's go. This is a pure land of Buddhism. Drinking and eating meat here is indeed a bit inappropriate!"
Han Mo said, then got up and left with a hearty laugh, leaving Zong Ying utterly speechless.
*Didn't you choose this place?*
*And now you remember it's a pure land of Buddhism?*
*What were you doing before?*
"My apologies, Master. I will return another day to atone."
After cupping his hands towards the old monk, Zong Ying hurried to catch up.
As for Jiang Yan, who was tasked with tidying up, there was no need to elaborate. He hastily cleaned up the leftovers on the ground, nodded to the old monk, and then left.
"I say, what was all that about today..."
Back inside the carriage, Zong Ying looked at Han Mo with a dejected expression.
"Less talk, more action. I'm planning something big. Interested?"
Han Mo pushed aside the carriage window, glanced at the surroundings to confirm they were alone, and then lowered his voice.
"What do you want to do? Don't do anything rash. We absolutely cannot rob or kill the Jin envoys. If they were to die within the borders of the Great Song, the repercussions would be immense!"
Seeing the madness in Han Mo's eyes, Zong Ying trembled all over.
Han Mo's behavior today was extremely abnormal. If this young man were to actually send people to ambush the Jin envoys, the situation would truly spiral out of control!
"What's the point of assassinating a mere envoy? Kill one, and another will come. If we don't remove the root, then whatever we do in the future will be in vain!"
"You, you're going after Cai Jing?"
Hearing him say this, Zong Ying felt a cold sweat break out on his back.
Cai Jing was the current Prime Minister. Moreover, at this moment, Zhang Bangchang, that scoundrel, had defected to Cai Jing, and Tong Guan and Cai You had also temporarily formed an alliance with Cai Jing. To get rid of them would be no easy task.
"Haven't you heard the saying? All things in nature have their opposing forces. Is anything truly invincible in this world? This is the Great Song Dynasty. Ten years ago, I truly had no way to deal with Cai Jing. But now he is old. Since he insists on clinging to his position, let him die in it!"