Taohua Temple

Taohua Temple

There was an endless stream of people coming and going to burn incense. Madam Qin held Yan Xiaowu's hand and dared not let go for a moment, for fear that some beggar would steal her child away.

The vendors on both sides of the road are standing next to each other, it is really lively today.

Yan Xiaowu rarely saw such a lively scene. He looked left and right but couldn't take it all in.

Halfway through the journey, they were really tired, so they found a pavilion to sit down and rest.

It is April now, the time when peach blossoms are in bloom. The Peach Blossom Temple is named after the many peach trees there.

Yan Xiaowu was skipping around the pavilion, and Lanxiang was watching her to prevent her from falling and getting hurt.

Mrs. Qin smiled when she saw this scene, and then called the servants to bring out the food and tea they had brought.

Just as it was set up, a beautiful woman saw it and came over.

"Oh, isn't this the wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?" She joked, waving her fan.

"Songhan!" Mrs. Qin walked towards her in surprise.

The visitor was the wife of the Minister of Rites, Xu Songhan, a close friend of Madam Qin.

"We haven't seen each other for a long time." She said excitedly, holding Song Han's hand.

"We will be able to see each other often in the future. My husband has been transferred to the Ministry of Rites." She patted Mrs. Qin's hand lightly.

"Congratulations, then."

After getting married, Songhan followed her husband, who was still a Hanlin official, to work in the local area. The two had been separated for many years and both had tears in their eyes.

Her husband was a practical man. Because he had been rated as an excellent talent for many years, he was able to be transferred back to the capital to serve as an official. After all, although he passed the imperial examination, his ranking was not high, so he had to be sent to the local area.

Now that the imperial examination has just ended, a group of newly minted scholars have been assigned tasks, and some seniors who want to move up have gone to local areas to accumulate political achievements, which has left some vacancies for her husband to fill.

After all, every man has his place.

If the person in front does not retire, the person behind will not be promoted.

If a few corrupt officials were arrested, there might be more space.

Unfortunately, the current emperor is good at checks and balances and does not intend to touch those parasites easily. Instead, he plans to squeeze out their last bit of value and then kick them away.

Fortunately, their family has taken another small step forward.

At this moment, Yan Xiaowu ran to his mother with a bunch of peach blossoms in his hands. He was so fast that even Lanxiang behind him could hardly catch up with him.

"Awu, this is your eldest son, right? He has grown up so much." Wu is Madam Qin's pen name, and Madam Qin's real name is Qin Wu.

Xu Songhan smiled and covered his mouth with a fan.

Yan Xiaowu was a little confused. She had never seen this person who suddenly appeared before. She looked at her mother and saw that they seemed to have a good relationship, so she greeted her mother: "Auntie, how is I?" After that, she stood obediently beside her mother, handed the peach blossom in her hand to Lanxiang, and stopped moving.

She is always polite in front of outsiders.

When Yan Xiaowu saw that the beautiful woman was staring at her, she suddenly felt like she was being stared at by a wolf, but she still maintained a calm expression.

"The prince is really handsome. I think he looks more like you." She tapped her nose with a round fan and said softly.

This made Qin Wu laugh even more.

"You're trying to cheer me up again, aren't you? My little Wu is good in every way, except for her peach blossom eyes, which are my signature. The rest of her features are all cut from the same mold as her father."

When Yan Xiaowu heard this, he lowered his head, his cheeks flushed, and his fingers behind his back kept entangled.

"If you hadn't been attracted by his face, you could have married someone better with your family background. Luckily, your Lordship worked hard and earned a title." At this point, Xu Songhan paused, "Ah, it's all my fault. I've touched your heart."

She apologized repeatedly.

"It's okay. So many years have passed, and I've let it go. Maybe this is his fate." Her husband is unlucky and has a short life. Swords and knives are merciless on the battlefield. Who can she blame for this?

"Right now, I just hope that Xiaowu grows up safely. I don't want to think about anything else."

Seeing that she was not deeply depressed, Xu Songhan was also happy to see it. He was relieved to see that his sister was so open-minded, for he was afraid that she would commit suicide and follow someone else.

As they chatted, the conversation turned to the children.

"That naughty boy of mine doesn't study hard. He just wants to play with swords and sticks all day long. It worries my husband and me so much. Whose child doesn't study?"

Mrs. Qin couldn't say anything. After all, her family was well-educated. Wouldn't it be a poke in the lungs if she said it out loud? She just said a few words to comfort him. Anyway, Xu Songhan didn't really look for a solution, he just complained a few times.

"By the way, which academy is the prince studying in now? I will send my son there tomorrow." She had just returned to Beijing and had to consider the matter of finding a academy carefully. She had to inquire about the teacher's character and knowledge, consider the distance, and the annual tuition fee to be paid to the teacher.

This is also a big subject.

Madam Qin gave an address and said, "Your son is six years old this year, right? He happens to be one year older than my little five."

"That's great. This way, when we two go to class together, we'll always have company, right?" Xu Songhan held Yan Xiaowu's hand and looked left and right, appearing satisfied no matter how he looked at her.

Alas, thinking of this, she sighed again.

"What's wrong? Why are you sighing for no reason?" Mrs. Qin asked in confusion.

"It's all about my eldest daughter's marriage. I'm worried." Now, she didn't even fan herself, she looked listless.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Didn't your eldest daughter just turn nine?"

"You don't know, a girl's marriage should be arranged early, and it's best to decide early. Those good boys are very popular. If we don't seize the opportunity, there will be no good boys left for us."

"How could I not know? But it's too early. It should be ready in two years."

"Oh," she sighed again. She would have to go out more often if she received an invitation in the future, so that she could visit her son more conveniently. She couldn't stay idle at home anymore.

"But I have two daughters." He was so worried.

"The younger daughter is even less anxious."

"Hey, if we have a childhood sweetheart who grew up with us, we will feel most at ease if we can take care of him." Xu Songhan glanced at Qin Wu and winked at her.

Qin Wu understood what she meant. She wanted to marry into her family, but... Qin Wu glanced at Yan Xiaowu, who was sitting there obediently, and sighed inwardly. After all, they were sisters, so she couldn't let her down, right? "Xiaowu is still young. I just hope she finds someone she likes."

Does this mean it's a polite refusal? Xu Songhan didn't lose heart. "It's always okay for the kids to play together."

......

Mrs. Qin knelt on the mat and prayed sincerely.

The incense in the hand floats into the air, and the sound of the wooden fish makes people's hearts calm.

Xu Songhan knelt beside her, his attitude was extremely pious. Having heard that the Peach Blossom Temple could guarantee marriage, she took advantage of the good weather today to go out for a walk.

After all, there are still endless things, big and small, waiting for her at home.

Suddenly, another lady took the cushion on the right side of Mrs. Qin.

She's a pregnant lady.

But this Peach Blossom Temple is a temple for finding marriages. She doesn't look very old, so it must be her first child. Why did she come to this temple?

Mrs. Qin was just curious for a moment and soon stopped paying attention to this place.

After they knelt down and worshipped, they agreed to take a walk in the peach forest.

The peach blossoms were blown down by the gentle breeze and blended into the soil. As the footprints fell, they completely merged with the soil.

Some playful petals swirled and fell on Yan Xiaowu's head, but she didn't notice them because the petals were too light and too small.

Just like someone you have only met once in many years, it is difficult to remember them.

Lanxiang was careful and picked the petals off Yan Xiaowu's head. Only then did she realize that peach blossoms had fallen on her head.

In the 31st year of Yuanfeng, the emperor passed away and the 38-year-old prince succeeded to the throne and changed the country's name to Dingping.

At that time, Yan Chan was fifteen years old.

As early as two years ago, she resolutely joined the army. Despite her mother's dissuasion, she decided to inherit her father's will and serve the country.

Madam Qin really wanted to keep her by her side. War was such a dangerous thing. Her husband, Yan Chan's father, died that way.

She didn't want her only child to die in battle.

It’s not that she doesn’t believe in Yan Chan’s ability, but what if?

She couldn't afford to take the risk.

Yan Chan sat in the military tent with bandages wrapped around her hands, recalling what happened in the past. She knelt on the ground and begged her mother for support, but was punished by the family law. She did not get out of bed for three whole days.

This was the first time she disobeyed her mother, and also the first time her mother used family rules.

The stick hit Yan Chan's body, but it hurt Mrs. Qin's heart.

She forced herself to turn around and not look at Yan Xiaowu anymore. She was afraid that she would be soft-hearted, and this softness would make Xiaowu leave her and leave this safe and secure home.

Yan Chan lay on the bench. She gritted her teeth and refused to cry out in pain, but she heard her mother sobbing amid the sound of sticks.

Until she fainted and heard her mother's panicked voice a second ago.

She still remembered the scene when she left home that day. Her mother was sitting in the hall. Although Aunt Lanxiang's eyes were full of heartache, she did not dare to disobey her mother. She just kept winking at her.

My mother threatened me that if I left the house today, I would no longer be her mother.

That was the first time Yan Chan cried after growing up.

But she still did not do as her mother wished. Perhaps it was because favored children are always fearless. She did not gamble because she knew her mother would not be so cruel to her.

Perhaps Mrs. Qin had anticipated this. When Yan Chan was no longer in the room, she just sat there blankly with her head down.

The sunlight passed through the hall, stretching her shadow very long.

She walked to the door and gripped the door frame with her fingers. Although the sun was shining brightly outside, she felt that the house was as cold as an ice cellar, and she was so cold that she couldn't breathe.

Lanxiang carefully supported her wife from behind, fearing that she would faint from the blow.

But Mrs. Qin was such a strong person that she just wiped away her tears and continued her life day after day.

But she was still angry.

She even just glanced at the few letters Yan Chan sent home to report her safety and did not reply.

......

"Young Marquis, oh no, it's Young Marshal, there's a letter from your family." Yan Chan also made some good friends in the military camp. Everyone knew that after her coming-of-age ceremony, the decree from above would come down, so no one called her the Crown Princess. But it was too early to call her the Marquis, so they called her the Young Marquis.

Two days ago, His Majesty's imperial edict came down, appointing her as the Young Marshal of the Qibei Army.

Yan Chan hurriedly tied the bandage on his hand, stood up and took the letter. The messenger knew the rules, so he quickly retreated.

Yan Chan took the letter out of the envelope and brushed it open.

It's Aunt Lanxiang's handwriting.

But she could read it, it was her mother's words.

It seemed that my mother was still angry and I didn't want to write to her personally, so I spoke to her through Aunt Lanxiang's handwriting.

Yan Chan smiled in her heart, her mother still cared about her.

The letter first expressed concern for her, and then mentioned a piece of news that shocked and saddened Yan Chan: His Majesty had passed away.

Yes, not long after the imperial edict appointing her as the Young Marshal was issued, His Majesty, the late Emperor, passed away.

She clenched the hand holding the letter gradually.

She had a very good impression of the late emperor. When she was young, she had entered the palace and met the late emperor. Seeing her outstanding appearance, he joked that he wanted to marry his most beloved daughter to her.

This scared Yan Chan greatly at the time, but fortunately the emperor was just talking casually and did not really have this idea.

However, she was still frightened for a while. After all, the prince consort could not hold an office in the court. She was an excellent candidate for a prince consort with only the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. There was no need to worry about the princess rebelling.

Yes, there were cases of princesses rebelling in previous dynasties, so the emperors of later generations were on guard against it and did not dare to marry the princesses to powerful families. They also issued an imperial decree that the prince consort could not hold office.

Yan Chan wiped the non-existent cold sweat from her head. If she was discovered disguised as a man, her entire family would probably be executed.

Fortunately, she was cautious. After her mother told her all this, she repeatedly reminded her not to disclose it easily, because their family had committed a capital crime.

My mother is truly brave! She's no less brave than my father who fought on the battlefield (I've never seen her face)

So she can't be a coward!

So she secretly made up her mind to make a difference in the army. She even told the emperor that she wanted to join the army. Although the emperor loved talents, he also felt sorry for her young age and the fact that she was the only child in the family, so he advised her tactfully.

But she had made up her mind. Seeing this, the emperor no longer tried to stop her, but instead sent people to test her kung fu.

Seeing that she was indeed good, the emperor was moved by her talent and agreed to let her come to the military camp for training early, and also took good care of her family.

Later, my mother also mentioned in the letter that the emperor had sent many rewards to the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and praised the prince for his willingness to serve the court, which was no less than that of his father.

Unfortunately, the Emperor who had been so kind to their mansion passed away. She was in the military camp and could not return to the capital, so she could only kowtow in the direction of the capital.

When the emperor passed away, some were happy while others were sad.

The happy ones were the crown prince and the ministers behind him who had stood on his side early on, but the worried one was Concubine Xu who had just been promoted to the rank of Concubine Dowager. She still had an unmarried daughter who was the favorite of the late emperor. She was not familiar with the current emperor's temper, and the two had not had much contact. Now that foreign tribes were invading, she was really afraid that the current emperor would suddenly have a brainwave and send her daughter to marry.

Because of this, she was so worried that she couldn't sleep for two nights.

Just as Yan Chan was about to put the letter away, a woman in simple clothes opened the military tent and walked in lightly.

She held medicine and bandages in her hands.

He pushed Yan Chan onto the chair and untied the bandages she had wrapped herself around.

"Young Marshal, why are you bandaging him without even applying medicine?" Her tone was full of blame, but also mixed with some heartache.

"It's not a serious wound, it's okay. You're too cautious." Although he said this, he still stretched out his hand obediently and let her apply the medicine.

She was a female doctor in the military tent. Yan Chan had helped her out of some trouble before, and the two became familiar with each other.

But whenever Yan Chan asked her about her background and family history, she kept silent and quickly changed the subject.