The seventh year of Hongzhi (1494), May, Great Ming, Ningbo Port.
Green bricks connecting to white tiles, the layered shops and houses stretch along the port, displaying three hundred exquisite shops. The Three Rivers converge at the estuary, the prosperous "Mingzhou" is right by the river and sea, extending thirty miles of bustling life. And at the end of this flourishing era stands the thousand-year-old Ayodhya Temple, quietly situated in the eastern suburb of Ningbo. At this moment, the morning bell echoes through the tranquil woods.
"Dong! Dong!…"
Shi Wende knelt before the Buddha statue, bowing his head in prayer for a moment, muttering something silently. Then, he stood up, and a servant beside him placed the scholar's black gauze hat on his head, while another servant handed the dean a weighty offering of sincerity. Then, amidst the dean's "earnest" chanting, the three left the temple and walked straight toward the wooden stake where the horses were tethered.
