Chapter 40 Monks

Fu'an's face softened even more. "Is it alright?"

Qingqing's eyes sharpened, and she hurriedly turned her head away. "I... let me think. Fu'an, I have something to do."

"Dai Yun, thank you for your trouble. The medicine must be taken three times a day without fail."

The boy's expression remained unchanged; he simply said "okay."

She left in a hurry, without even closing the door.

The boy's smile turned cold as he got up and closed the door. The medicine on the small stove bubbled gently.

Feng An calmly extinguished the fire and grasped the handle of the jar. As soon as the back window opened, a soft pattering sound filled the air.

The pot of medicine that Qingqing had brewed lay scattered on the snow like a mushy soup.

A series of coughs echoed in the room. Feng An seemed not to hear them, and leisurely put down the pottery jar and lifted the curtain.

Dai Yun, barely awake, raised her finger at him with red eyes and a hoarse voice.

"You...you!" Thief! Thief! You deliberately poisoned him to prevent Dai Xian from visiting him, and fed him the wrong medicine!

He shouldn't have been misled by him, thinking he was a good child like Qingyatou, and took him into the Wende Hall!

Feng An's expression remained unchanged. He lowered the curtain and said gently, "Master, get some more sleep. I won't kill you so soon."

The angry sounds were instantly confined to the small space.

Bi Shu climbed out of the window right on time and whispered something in Feng An's ear.

He listened calmly, and finally wrote a letter:

"Give it to Xiao Yuanjing."

Bi Shu nodded and offered An a cup of tea.

"Can you put my mind at ease?"

Bi Shu tensed up and quickly nodded, "Your subordinate can do it!"

He then smiled and said, "I believe you."

Beijing.

The letter was received by Chen Mian.

"Young Master Feng'an said that the young emperor will take his concubines to the tower to enjoy the scenery at the beginning of the year. He will take a shortcut out of the palace to meet you at that time. The ruffians outside the capital have been waiting for a long time and will riot at the beginning of the year. My lord will surely be able to make another contribution."

Xiao Yuanjing did not stop practicing his swordplay, and said steadily:

"He's confident he can leave the palace without permission."

"The young master replied that he would be traveling with Yang Liuqing, the young emperor's favorite maid."

"Clang—!" Xiao Yuanjing's blade veered slightly as he turned around:

"who?"

Chen Mian: "Yang Liuqing".

Xiao Yuanjing suddenly put down his knife, his strong body striding forward, sidestepping Xue. He was slightly puzzled:

"How could she... maintain such favor with the young emperor for so long?"

Recently, the most talked-about celebrity among the public is Princess Xifang.

Princess Xifang was kind and compassionate, and repeatedly stopped the young emperor's tyranny. She even successfully persuaded him to issue an edict to loosen taxes, which led to a deficit in the national treasury, and now the emperor has begun to extort money from wealthy households.

Many people suspected that there might be some other affair between the siblings, and that the favored maid, Lady Hongzhu, was just a fleeting beauty.

Xiao Yuanjing's hidden agents in the palace were mostly outside, while the inside was controlled by the skilled Yi Fu, making it difficult to infiltrate. He and Chen Mian consistently only believed half of the information relayed by their subordinates.

However, if the clever and resourceful Feng An also said the same thing, then it is something that is very worthy of further investigation.

He put on his coat and said, "The credit for this trip should not go to Li Mingshao. You send a message to the spies and tell them to secretly instruct Yuan Shu not to cause any trouble and just continue eating and sleeping."

Chen Mianle: "The eldest brother is like a father, my lord has it tough. Miss will learn from her mistakes."

Xiao Yuanjing sighed, "I hope so."

In the blink of an eye, it's the day before the new year.

"Princess Medicine accepted it?"

In a residence on the outskirts of Beijing, a soldier presented a letter. Gray pigeons flew away with a whoosh. Inside the house, Li Mingshao saw the message and tossed a thin strip of paper into the brightly burning lamp.

The soldier replied, "Yes."

Li Mingshao looked at the military treatise in his hand and said calmly, "The power of the Divine Immortal Powder is incomparable to that of ordinary Five-Stone Powder; we must be careful with the dosage."

"I have already given instructions." The guard hesitated for a moment. "There is something the princess would like to ask the lord."

Li Mingshao raised his eyebrows slightly. "Speak."

The guard dared not meet his gaze and whispered, "Young Master Feng'an left the palace seven days ago and seems to have had contact with a palace maid who was recently pardoned and allowed to leave. The princess is uneasy. I wonder if Your Highness would like to offer some advice to Young Master Feng'an?"

Li Mingshao lowered his eyes again: "He knows what he's doing and won't do anything to cause trouble. Perhaps it's just part of a scheme he needs in the palace. There's no need to worry about it. The princess is being too cautious."

The guards acknowledged and were about to withdraw when Li Mingshao asked again:

"How is that village girl surnamed Xue doing these days?"

The guard's eyes widened. "She should still be locked up. The nameless nunnery is quiet and heavily guarded. Perhaps she has given up hope."

Li Mingshao scoffed: "Silence? Then why have I been hearing crying lately?"

The guards were stunned. Li Mingshao put away the book.

“I know there are no military prostitutes or brothels here. You only targeted the nuns because you couldn’t resist. But don’t go too far, and don’t reach into places you shouldn’t.”

"This is the capital, after all, and tomorrow is the beginning of the new year. Even if the young emperor favors the Li family because of the princess, it's not foolproof. Xiao Yuanjing is a wolf in sheep's clothing; we mustn't let him find any fault with us. Defiled a nun is not a good crime."

Buddhism and Taoism were prevalent at the time, with temples being particularly numerous. Even imperial relatives were treated with considerable respect. The army, emboldened by the fact that these nuns were unprotected and that they had been charged rent for rations, secretly set their sights on them. Initially, some of the most impoverished nuns succumbed to the lure of money and accepted bribes from the soldiers.

But then... it gradually changed.

Now, quite some time has passed since this incident occurred.

This reprimand made the already guilty soldiers even more uneasy. Li Mingshao then gave him a scrutinizing look, when suddenly a woman's shrill cry came from outside:

"You beasts! Buddha is watching, I will die rather than let you defile me again!"

The guard suddenly stood up. Li Mingshao glared at him fiercely, and then they heard a man shout, "Grab her! Oh no, there's a secret passage there!"

Li Mingshao immediately ordered: "Pursue!"

The soldiers hurriedly ran out with their swords, but the nun quickly disappeared under a moved water vat.

When Li Mingshao arrived, all that remained were the torn monk's robes on the ground and a pool of bottomless water.

Li Mingshao's face was grim. "This tiny temple has a hidden stream! Block it up at every place with water outside! Find the culprit and punish them!"

The group immediately spurred their horses and hurriedly left the temple. Li Mingshao stood in the night, his expression exceptionally grim. The guards beside him, knowing they could no longer conceal the truth, knelt down with a thud.

“My lord,” he took a deep breath. When Li Mingshao turned his head slowly and deliberately to look at him, the soldiers were filled with trepidation.

"That village girl surnamed Xue disappeared more than half a month ago. I suspect... she also escaped through this undercurrent. Young Master Feng'an should not know about this yet."

Li Mingshao's eyes suddenly darkened: "What did you say?"

"...The nuns who were guarding them only told us this in the last two days when they were questioned; it really wasn't..." The guards were terrified.

"I believe that Young Master Feng'an dislikes her anyway, and is only granting her this peaceful life out of gratitude for saving her life. He hasn't even sent a single letter to inquire about her well-being, so he probably doesn't care..."

His attempt to argue was interrupted by Li Mingshao in the sudden downpour.

"Anyone connected to him could be an opportunity to check him in the future. Do you really think he's the kind of person who would care about a life-saving grace? Have you forgotten how he personally killed the old man who was escorting him all the way to see the princess? Wasn't that a life-saving grace?" Li Mingshao gritted his teeth:

You're as stupid as a pig!

With a whoosh, in the blink of an eye, it was as if a hole had been punched in the sky, and all the three thousand weak waters poured into the human world.

"It's raining so hard." Deng Mengnu closed the window and said to Xue Ying'er, who was kneading dough under the lamp behind her:

"You should take a break. Nobody's buying our pancakes anyway. I have money; I can make ends meet for a year or two even if I don't work."

After staying at the inn for a few days, the two found a small courtyard to rent and learned to make a living by selling pancakes and noodles.

Deng Mengnu was a soft-hearted person and was indeed lonely. Xue Ying'er was still upset because of the many deceptions Feng An had made, and when she suddenly received such comfort from someone, she agreed without thinking.

Deng Mengnu was startled: "Aren't you afraid I'll sell you?"

Xue Ying'er gave a bitter laugh: "You're all alone, where can you sell me to?"

There are too many orphaned girls in this world. To be able to grow up peacefully and without incident is considered a blessing.

Xue Ying'er felt that there was some truth to what she said.

Although there was no shortage of food and some charcoal in the nunnery, how was being confined in the room all day any different from being livestock?

She didn't know why those people had captured her, or why they were keeping her like this. Although her place was remote, she could occasionally hear strange cries between men and women.

These nuns aren't exactly respectable nuns. They spend all their time worshipping Buddha, yet they do *that* kind of thing.

Back in Facai Village, the widow Wang next door, who was having an affair, also called him that. At that time, Feng'an was still seriously injured, and she was sleeping next to him when she heard the sound and blushed deeply.

I secretly glanced at him, and from his brow bone to the tip of his nose, there was no change at all. He remained fair and serene.

In a daze, the lewd waves that could easily penetrate one's mind are just insignificant mosquito whimpers.

He was always so composed. It seemed that nothing could make his gentle, handsome face fall.

Xue Ying'er kneaded the dough vigorously, but her mind was filled with thoughts of the prosperous village where she had grown up.

She initially braved the ridicule of the entire village to come to the capital, simply to demand an explanation from him.

But instead of working under Lord Xiao, he went to the palace to become a eunuch.

Xue Ying'er kept a sullen face, still finding the whole thing strangely suspicious.

Now, what should she do?

Should we continue to seek a reply, or simply settle down and live with Sister Deng for the rest of our lives?

Deng Mengnu, unaware of her thoughts, couldn't help but bring up the matter again, thinking of the old woman Wang, who sold rouge at the neighbor's house, who had come to propose marriage for her son earlier that day:

“Ying’er, I think Wang Lao Er is quite good-looking. He has a nose and eyes, is of decent height, and comes from a wealthy family. You’re at the right age to find a good match. You could marry a good one and run the business with them, which would help my business. That wouldn’t be bad at all.”

Here we go again. Xue Ying'er's face fell:

"Sister, I don't want to marry anyone. Please don't ask anymore."

Deng Mengnu pursed her lips. Xue Ying'er said:

"Tomorrow is the beginning of the new year, so let's hurry up and make more cakes tonight, and sell a few more during the lantern market tonight."

She wore a pale yellow dress, and her slender arms deftly lifted the dough and tossed it into the bucket. Clean and efficient.

Deng Mengnu suddenly felt ashamed.

Xue Ying'er shook her head:

"Go to sleep, I'll take care of things. This is nothing compared to the work I did back in my hometown of Jizhou."

Deng Mengnu choked back tears, but couldn't resist the drowsiness, so she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. Xue Ying'er covered her with a blanket, divided the prepared dough and filling into buckets, and then went out to wash her hands.

The moon hangs over the eastern building, and many households have hung red cloth headscarves.

She sat there for a while, unable to sleep no matter what, so she simply picked up two buckets and went to the well at the west end to fetch water, filling all the water vats in the yard.

It was already past dawn when she finished all this. Xue Ying'er rubbed her lower back, finally feeling a little better.

The chaotic noise disrupted this hard-won moment of relaxation.

Xue Ying'er had sharp ears. Upon hearing this, she instinctively became nervous. With a premonition, she turned her head and vaguely saw a person kneeling at the city gate, pleading with the guards. The two guards, growing impatient, were about to draw their swords.

Refugees?

Xue Ying'er was actually used to it. Every day in the capital, many people from other places who came to beg for food were driven away, and they would gather in groups outside the city, staring longingly.

This person who came must be another pitiful soul.

Unfortunately, she couldn't help.

Xue Ying'er felt cold and was about to turn back when she heard a splash, followed by two angry curses, as the refugee threw himself into the moat. The two guards spat in dismay and handed over their shifts, cursing as they went.

The two newcomers brought wine and meat and sat down with them on the ground. Just then, there was a splash in the water.

Xue Ying'er instinctively turned around and saw a bald nun, soaking wet, rushing to the other side, shouting desperately:

"This humble nun wishes to appeal to the Emperor! This humble nun—!"

"Ugh!" The pursuing guard cursed, and the little nun turned around, trembling. When she saw who was covering her mouth, she was completely stunned.

"It's you!"

Xue Ying'er whispered in her ear, "I was startled to see you. Why are you here instead of staying at the nunnery?"

Xue Ying'er recognized this person all too well. Back when she was desperately begging for food by the window, this little nun Yuanyu, who was the abbot's favorite, would always stand by and glare at her, making a scene and nagging her.

Now, she's dressed in rags, having jumped into the river in the heavy snow, her body covered in ice. The nameless nunnery isn't nearby; could it be that she ran all the way here?

What happened?

The two of them huddled together, inching their way to Xue Ying'er's courtyard, avoiding people.

The nun entered the room, wrapped in a thin blanket, and began to cry, pouting.

“Miss Xue, I’m going to sue Li Erlang of Longxi! His men are forcibly... forcing us monks into prostitution! He is defiling Buddhism!”

Xue Ying'er was stunned after hearing all of her stories.

"But he's the princess's stepson! How could that dog of an emperor..."

Seeing Yuanyu crying, Xue Ying'er couldn't bear to continue.

The nun said indignantly, "Everyone says the princess is kind-hearted. I want to see if she really is kind!"

"The year is almost over, and I'm risking everything by escaping like this! I'll beat the drum to appeal for justice! Let the whole capital see!"

She gritted her teeth, completely lacking the arrogance Xue Ying'er remembered. Xue Ying'er didn't know what to say, and silently boiled water for her. In her heart, she thought that Yuan Yu was truly naive, befitting someone who had been a nun since childhood.

She asked, "They didn't blame you after I ran away, did they?"

Yuan Yu sobbed, "Who remembers you?"

Xue Ying'er choked and stopped talking to her.

Thinking of Deng Mengnu who was asleep, she went up to open the door to check on her, but was startled by Deng Mengnu standing at the door.

"elder sister?!"

Deng Mengnu looked at the pitiful little nun with a stern face and said:

"If you go and beat the drum to appeal for justice, you'll probably be beaten to death before you even touch it. That little emperor is a scoundrel who can't distinguish between humans and animals; he won't care what you do."

Yuan Yu was stunned. "How could that be? I'm a monk!"

"Even if you were the Buddha in his golden form, it wouldn't do." Deng Mengnu glanced at her, then looked at the embarrassed Xue Ying'er:

"Don't be afraid, I don't blame you. We're all pitiful people. I never imagined that those powerful clans would be so irresponsible."

"It's so hard to be a good person," she sighed. "If only my Qingqing were here. She's beautiful, smart, and kind-hearted. I think she's better than a princess! She can get her way with the emperor..."

Xue Ying'er remained silent and looked towards the direction of the palace.

Sister Deng often mentioned that young girl, but dared not say much about her. She would curse the palace and the emperor from time to time, but she would keep it a deep secret.

She suddenly clenched her fists.

If Sister Deng's frequently mentioned Qingmei is so capable... could she help Yuanyu and also help her find Feng'an?

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:26:33 on October 7, 2023 and 18:24:07 on October 8, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Lululu and Yuesheng (1 bottle);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!