Chapter 23: The Importance of "Prostitution"

Although Huayan Temple only caters to high-ranking officials and wealthy families, nothing in this world is without flaws, and even the most magnificent palace has its side entrances.

Fortunately, all her jewelry was still on her. Le Jin took off a gold armband and handed it to a young novice monk. She then used her status as the daughter of the richest man in Shuzhou to secure a small storage room vacated by the novice monks as her place of residence. She also entrusted him with taking good care of Ru Yunfu.

Before leaving, she suddenly asked, "Little Master, are you acquainted with Young Master Meng?"

The young novice monk clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha. Why does the female benefactor ask me this?"

Le Jin pursed her lips shyly, "I just came from Shuzhou today and have never met him before. I don't know what kind of person he is..."

The young novice monk assumed she was just another person infatuated with Meng Langjun, and his expression softened instantly. He smiled gently, "You're overthinking it, lady. Meng Langjun is very easy to get along with; he's a renowned and kind person in Luojing..."

That's not what I wanted to ask you...

Le Jin gritted her teeth and forced a smile, then pinched the little monk's outer robe between her two fingers and pulled him into the shadows of a nearby tree.

"Young Master, does Young Master Meng often come to pay respects to that eunuch?"

The woman before me was disheveled and weary from her journey, yet she possessed a shy and languid allure that emanated from her smiling eyes.

The young novice monk was momentarily distracted, quickly rubbed his eyes to regain his senses, and deliberately turned his head away to avoid seeing Le Jin.

“Every year we come here to pay our respects to that person, and this has been going on for four years now.”

"I don't understand."

Le Jin smiled, deliberately showing disdain: "That man was just a eunuch..."

"He was the eunuch who saved Meng Langjun's life but lost his own. Meng Langjun treated him as a friend, cherished him, and offered him lamps and copied scriptures every year."

Wow, he doesn't seem to mind getting tired.

Le Jin smirked and rolled her eyes.

So the reason you don't like watching plays is because you're acting every day.

The young novice pointed to his cheek and kindly said, "There is hot water in the meditation room for you to do your makeup. However, there is a hot spring behind the temple where ladies of the capital love to draw water. It is said to be good for beauty and health. You may also try it."

Le Jin was taken aback, and her face instantly flushed after she understood the little monk's instruction.

I can't believe I've been in such a sorry state the whole way!

Overwhelmed with gratitude, I patted his round head covered in a layer of down.

She smiled and said, "Thank you, little master."

The temple sent over colorful dumplings, which Qisheng carried to Mengshutai. The octagonal lotus-shaped food box was placed on the sandalwood table with a clatter.

"My lord, that woman still followed us."

Meng Shutai held a small incense brush, concentrating on smoothing the white ash in the incense burner, ignoring Qi Sheng's words.

Qisheng, however, was furious. He crossed his arms and sat down abruptly on the low couch at the foot of the table, like a ripe fruit falling to the ground.

"A mischievous imp was pulling a young novice monk under a tree, hiding them somewhere, I wonder what they were up to!"

He looked at the composed Meng Shutai, his brows furrowed, his face showing confusion and anger.

How can you sit still, my lord? The demons have come to our doorstep!

He had heard most of the news coming back from Shuzhou.

She spends her days in brothels, gets entangled with wild flowers and weeds, has secret affairs with her childhood sweetheart, elopes and gets pregnant... She has never even spent time with her lover, yet she shouts about being in love at first sight. How can such a dissolute person be worthy of her lover?

His anger reached Meng Shutai, but was met with a gentle smile in return.

"Gossip behind people's backs, is that how I taught you?"

Qisheng lowered his head and asked softly, "Young master, do you think that woman is truly the future wife of our Meng family?"

"I don't know her identity. Perhaps she's someone impersonating me, hoping I'll take a look, but I don't think she's an unforgivable villain."

Meng Shutai put down the incense brush, then started grinding incense powder again, his gaze lingering on the food box on the table.

"What did you give as a gift?"

Qi Sheng opened the food box and took out dumplings to show Meng Shutai, "Five-colored dumplings. There are red bean paste, rose, osmanthus..."

He stammered, his words trailing off, "Oh dear, my lord doesn't like sweets, so why are they all here? I'll have them redo them."

"No need. It just so happens that you like it, eating it will help calm you down."

Qisheng blinked in surprise, then held up the porcelain bowl with a grin: "Thank you for the gift, my lord!"

Meng Shutai curled the corners of his mouth, filled the sleeping powder into the mold, and then gently tapped and lifted it, and the auspicious cloud patterned powder was complete.

"I'm tired and want to rest for a while. I don't need you to stay with me. Go and have some fun by yourself."

Qi Sheng nodded in agreement, then happily withdrew, holding the colorful dumplings.

The incense burner glows crimson, with wisps of bluish-purple smoke winding upwards like flowing rain streaks.

Meng Shutai watched the sound of chess depart through the cigarette smoke, and in the hazy shadows, he seemed to see again that slender figure who came and went in the rain.

He had slept the best at Huayan Temple in recent years. He thought it was thanks to Jiu'an lying there.

Since that fool died, he has unexpectedly missed him often, and even went out of his way to find a chess player who looked similar to him.

The annual worship is not only to maintain his bodhisattva appearance, but also to commemorate that lightning-fast, blood-soaked moment that captivated him.

It seems that the fool did have some merit and deserves some incense offerings.

But today, this inexplicable trouble has arisen...

The sweet, musty scent of camphor in the incense was like a pale golden bird fluttering its wings in Meng Shutai's head.

She looks exactly like that woman.

The setting sun was blazing, and the clouds seemed to burn.

Qisheng leaned against the pillar, holding a spoon and staring longingly at the meatballs, counting them. "Three, four, five... they're gone in five bites! How can that be enough?"

A spoonful of osmanthus honey-infused broth was scooped up from the bottom of the pot, the sound of slurping and chewing filling the air. The person squinted their eyes to savor the broth, then happily shook their head.

"The sound of chess pieces!"

"Cough cough cough..."

Suddenly a woman's voice appeared behind him, startling Qisheng so much that he choked on his soup and kept pounding his chest.

"Did you choke?" Le Jin was chuckling, but seeing Qi Sheng's expression, she immediately changed her expression.

Huayan Temple is a solemn and magnificent temple, and can also be considered a garden shared by high-ranking officials. After entering the temple, distinguished guests do not need to be strictly guarded, and can be treated as if they were at home. Therefore, Le Jin was able to come to Meng Shutai's residence without any hindrance.

"No...no..." Qi Sheng gritted his teeth, refusing to admit defeat, and pounded the chessboard. He hid the colorful dumpling behind his back, and said impatiently, "What are you doing here?"

Le Jin didn't take his rejection seriously and reached behind him to pat him gently.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were eating."

Her sincerity was so genuine that Qisheng's eyes widened silently.

The woman leaned closer, as if whispering to him, "I didn't mean it during the day. I won't call you cat or dog anymore. I'm so sorry."

Is this the same arrogant woman who was just a few hours ago?

Le Jin saw Qi Sheng looking at her with an extremely frightened expression.

As expected.

When the storyline was going on, she had to play the "villainess" Le Jin, but now that the show was over, there was no need to make people uncomfortable. She still wanted to apologize and try to get some useful information out of them.

However, it can be quite confusing.

Qi Sheng swallowed hard, took a step back to create distance between himself and Le Jin. "What are you up to?"

Le Jin smiled, “It’s because I care about your husband.”

The round sun, shining like a golden elixir, falls into the clouds; the evening breeze carries the fragrance of flowers.

She stood amidst the dazzling lights and the fading silence, without makeup or silk flowers, smiling gently, like a quiet flower about to bloom.

The sound of chess pieces stirred a strange feeling in my heart: Why is this person so unpredictable, sometimes good and sometimes bad?

The two were carefully observing each other when the carved gauze window behind them quietly opened a crack.

Meng Shutai couldn't sleep for a long time. Suddenly, he heard laughter and voices outside. He got up, put on his clothes, and peeked through the crack.

The woman said she loved him and was in love with him, but in the blink of an eye, she was all smiles and laughter at the servants beside him.

Despite being far apart, Meng Shutai couldn't hear exactly what Le Jin said, but he could sense her tenderness from her affectionate eyes.

Does she wish she could shower all the men in the world with her charm?

You even look down on a servant?

He withdrew his finger and closed the window tightly.

My heart felt as if it were locked in a tiny box. The more I suppressed and tightened it, the louder and clearer my heartbeat became.

Meng Shutai closed his eyes, leaned against the cool wall, and listened to the woman's sweet, soft words.

The shadows of flowers on the window fell on her handsome face, broken by her brow bone and nose, her posture swaying.

With a sneer, he uttered two words brimming with malice.

"Prostitute."

A note from the author:

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No update tomorrow, will update the day after tomorrow! [Sprinkling flowers]

(I hate online literature [crying][crying][crying])