Chapter 65: A Glimpse into a Corner

On the way to Yongfo Temple, Lin Chengye and Wei Jingchen talked for a long time, which allowed Lin Chengye to sort out his thoughts again and grasp a clear thread in the affairs of the imperial city surrounded by impenetrable palace walls.

"My mother had three children. The eldest, the Crown Prince, was named Wei Jingrui and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Qin. My second sister, Wei Jingyu, was enfeoffed as the Prince of Luoshui. I was the youngest and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Su when I was eighteen. All three of us were born when my father was still a prince. After that came the 'Universal Uprising,' which everyone kept quiet about. After that, my father ascended the throne, and my mother was made Empress, but she died of illness not long after."

Wei Jingchen took a sip of tea while playing chess, but when she looked up, she noticed that Lin Chengye's expression was a bit strange. She thought about what she had said, but couldn't find anything wrong with it, so she asked in confusion.

"What's wrong? Did you hear some rumors?"

That's not just a rumor, it'll scare you to death if I told you. Lin Chengye raised an eyebrow, twirling the round chess piece between his fingers before resting it thoughtfully on his chin.

She once asked Bian Yi whether she should tell Wei Jingchen her true identity, or at least let Wei Jingchen recognize his real mother, Chen Shudong.

But Bian Yi paused for a moment, shook her head, and said that it was better not to for now. She felt that Wei Jingchen might not want her other identity now. Wei Jingchen was determined to get the throne, and if he told her that her birth was not legitimate, it might disturb her mind.

However, when Bian Yi said this, there was a sense of loss in his eyes, as if frost had fallen.

Lin Chengye's attitude was similar to Bian Yi's at the time, but today, even though she knew the answer, she still spoke with a glimmer of hope.

"Your Majesty, may I ask you a question?"

"...You ask."

Wei Jingchen was really puzzled. She didn't know what kind of trouble she could get out of those three simple questions she had just asked.

"If—and I mean if—you had a choice, would you still choose the surname Wei?"

"...I really didn't expect you to ask such a pointless question. Why not? There's no way that's possible. I can't even imagine myself without the surname Wei, and I have no interest in that at all."

Wei Jingchen frowned deeply. She didn't like Lin Chengye's question, and she disliked this hypothetical scenario even more.

"But what do you mean by asking that?"

"It was just a casual question, Your Majesty. Please take it as my curiosity. After all, I plan to return to the martial world after this matter is over and never get involved in such things again."

Lin Chengye waved his hand.

"Please continue, as if I never said anything."

Wei Jingchen snorted coldly and continued speaking with a flick of his sleeve.

"No one dares to mention the global upheaval, but it was done by my aunt, my father, and that madwoman Qin Ruoliu. It's an unspoken secret in the palace."

Bian Yi had already told Lin Chengye these things, so she wasn't surprised and simply nodded to indicate that she knew.

"But it's still a bit strange. My second sister had no intention of seizing the throne and had a good relationship with me. She once said that in her memory, Aunt Wei Yunmo was born with a weak constitution and was often sick. She spent the whole year recuperating at Yongfo Temple. They had only met her a handful of times, but she felt that she was a gentle person. It's hard to imagine why she would participate in that bloody incident."

Suddenly, Wei Jingchen showed a regretful expression and continued.

"Unfortunately, I fell seriously ill when I was seven years old and have forgotten everything before that. My only impression of my aunt is of her after the Universal Incident, which is of little value."

No wonder……

Lin Chengye pondered for a moment. All her previous doubts had been resolved, and she finally filled in the last piece of the puzzle regarding Wei Jingchen.

Based on the timeline, it was around the 42nd year of Zhenping that Chen Shudong gave birth to Wei Jingchen. During the turmoil in Lai Kingdom in the 49th year of Zhenping, Wei Jingchen was secretly brought back to the palace. Moreover, news of her was intentionally suppressed by His Majesty or someone else, especially keeping Bian Yi unaware of her whereabouts, and this has dragged on until now, the 21st year of Yongjing.

Why did His Majesty hide Wei Jingchen and then release her? Clearly, if Wei Jingchen had been kept trapped in the palace, Bian Yi would have been trapped to death as well. For Wei Jingchen's sake, she would not have entered Lai Kingdom again, making the revelation of the truth even more difficult.

"I have nothing more to ask. It seems that Your Majesty, like me, is not very familiar with this Princess. In that case, we can only go and see why she summoned you back."

Lin Chengye placed the last piece on the chessboard and spoke.

"You flatter me, Your Highness. I am half a son of you."

...

Yongfo Temple and Linsu City face each other across the Sushui River. However, because the river is wide, people can only cross it by small boat in spring, summer and autumn. In winter, when the river freezes, they have to use ice sleds.

Early in the morning of the second day of the twelfth lunar month, the boatwoman, who was dozing under a tree, suddenly felt someone pat her on the shoulder, interrupting her sweet dream as she held an endless string of silver coins in her hand.

Who wants to cross the river so early in the morning?

She clicked her tongue impatiently, and in her still blurry vision, she could only make out that there were two people staring at her, one in black and one in red. But after a while, her vision gradually cleared, and the boatman, looking terrified, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, hurriedly got up, and stammered.

"Two...two lords, please step onto the ice bed. And the lords behind you, come along too. I deserve to die, I deserve to die..."

Just kidding, this fabric, this style, their appearance—they don't look like ordinary people at all. But... how come there are only three people? Did they only bring one guard with them?

Moreover, the guard behind her looked like someone who was not to be trifled with, someone who wished he could chop her up with a single blow.

The boatman dared not ask any questions, his head bowed, shoulders hunched, face buried in his collar, only his nose, red from the cold, showing. He led the three to a bamboo raft with patches on top and bottom. He told them to stand firmly, then picked up a bamboo pole to brace against the ice, and with a powerful push, the raft slid a long distance across the river.

The weather was freezing cold, and far fewer people were crossing the river. Something had happened at Yongfo Temple, causing widespread panic. Even the young ladies and gentlemen in Linsu City, who enjoyed riding ice sleds and composing poems on the Sushui River in winter, dared not venture out anymore.

The boatman, curious about the two women, couldn't help but steal a glance at them. But this slight movement was noticed by the guard, and in a flash, a sharp blade was already pressed against her neck, almost cutting through her skin.

The boatman trembled with fear, repeatedly begging for mercy, saying he couldn't see or hear anything. Finally, the woman in dark red glanced at him indifferently, and the guard snorted coldly, putting down his knife.

...

The vastness of Yongfo Temple far exceeded Lin Chengye's expectations. Having traveled more than halfway across the river, they could already see dense clusters of houses emerging from the heavy snow, among which lay Buddhist temples, resembling a serene and tranquil paradise slumbering in the snow, where one could almost hear the melodious tolling of bells. Compared to this, Jiang Jinmeng's Yunling Temple seemed like a tiny sesame seed.

Even though she didn't believe in gods or Buddhas, she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration at its grandeur.

"What an amazing place."

Wei Jingchen pointed to the nine-story pagoda on the opposite bank of the river, which appeared to be golden under the sunlight.

“That is the main hall of Yongfo Temple, the Hall of Many Treasures. It is the tallest Buddhist pagoda in Lai Kingdom. It is said that the late emperor built it especially for my aunt. The former abbot of Yongfo Temple, who has passed away, said that my aunt was destined to face a calamity. This is to gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for my aunt. If she can overcome this calamity, she will be able to live as long as an ordinary person.”

"Is this entire area occupied by Yongfo Temple?"

Lin Chengye raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, but suddenly touched a cold, hard object. He then remembered that he was wearing a mask and was still getting used to it.

Before disembarking from the carriage, she put on a silver mask that covered most of her face. Her experience at the Hua Rong Lou in Yicheng reminded her that if Ye Jun could discover her true identity, others might too. Many people in the capital had seen her mother; the situation was far more complex. If even the slightest suspicion arose, things would inevitably become complicated. She had to proceed with caution.

“This place is known as the Kingdom of a Thousand Buddhas on Earth. There’s a saying that there’s a Buddha statue every five days and a temple every ten steps. Besides Yongfo Temple, there are also local residents who live here permanently, just like a secondary city of Linsu,” Wei Jingchen explained.

"I... this is all I can do, gentlemen. You... you three can walk the rest of the way yourselves."

Suddenly, the boatman's trembling voice came from behind. She was in a strange state; her pupils trembled, and she was shaking like a sieve, as if there was some ferocious beast ahead.

Lin Chengye frowned, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding. She noticed that when the boatman looked towards the Thousand Buddha Kingdom, he didn't show longing or piety, but rather deep fear.

"What did you say?"

With a snap, Jiang Heng, already impatient with the boatman, drew her knife from her waist once more. She frowned and said coldly, looking at the boatman as if he were a dead man.

The boatman seemed to have known all along that his words would anger them. Her face turned ashen, and she knelt down on the ice with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly until blood seeped through the ice, but she refused to take another step.

"My lord, my lord, you are not from Lin Su City, are you? There are rumors in the city that the Thousand Buddha Kingdom is plagued by a ghostly disease, and that many people have died... Please, please spare me! I have elderly parents and young children to support, and they all depend on me for their livelihood..."

Lin Chengye exchanged a glance with Wei Jingchen, who shook his head, indicating that he was unaware of the matter.

That's strange. If it really is a ghostly illness, why did the Princess summon Wei Jingchen and not mention it at all? Lin Chengye thoughtfully pinched his earlobe.

"It's alright, let's stop here then."

Lin Chengye sighed, then went over and pulled the boatman up, placing a handful of loose silver in his palm. Wei Jingchen raised an eyebrow, as if he had seen something interesting.

The boatman froze, forgetting even to thank her. She stared in disbelief at the silver in her palm—enough to cover her family's expenses for a year—as if she were in a dream. She pinched her face hard, cried out in pain, and then laughed foolishly.

She looked up and realized that the three people had already gone far away. She quickly knelt down and kowtowed several times to their backs.

...

The boatman's words sounded like another kind of somber bell.

This voice lingered in Lin Chengye's mind, causing her to completely lose the initial sense of peace and tranquility as she walked alongside Wei Jingchen in the Thousand Buddha Kingdom. Instead, she felt a sense of unease about the stillness, as if something was reaching out from where she couldn't see, taking root in the shadows.

"Riding horses and using light-footed skills are forbidden in the Thousand Buddha Kingdom. The princess prefers quiet, so everyone can only walk or ride in a palanquin."

Wei Jingchen paused for a moment, then continued.

“My aunt usually lives in the Bodhi House behind the Duobao Hall, which is very quiet.”

The roads in the Thousand Buddha Kingdom were all paved with blue bricks. Lin Chengye followed behind Wei Jingchen, observing the surroundings and memorizing the general route to Yongfo Temple. After entering Yongfo Temple, the monks who occasionally encountered them chanting sutras in the morning were not surprised by their arrival, but simply smiled and bowed to them.

Lin Chengye frowned and unconsciously touched the sword hidden under her black robe. She steadied herself, but the unease in her heart grew stronger.

As they drew closer to the Bodhi Hermitage, a faint, extremely cold fragrance suddenly wafted to Lin Chengye's nose.

As the two of them passed through a long corridor formed by moon gates, a plum blossom forest, as lush and vibrant as floating clouds, suddenly appeared before Lin Chengye's eyes, like an unfolding painting.

But she had no interest in appreciating the beauty of the plum blossom grove. Lin Chengye's entire gaze was forcefully drawn to the octagonal pavilion in the very center of the grove, and he couldn't look away.

Golden gauze curtains cascaded from the pavilion onto the snow, dazzling even more in the sunlight, rippling like golden waves on a lake when stirred by the wind. Behind them, a figure was reflected in the gauze: a person reclining on a couch, body relaxed, right hand holding a broad-bladed, long-handled object. Though their appearance was undeniably relaxed and approachable, it was impossible to look directly at them.

There's no need to say anything more; that figure could only belong to that person.

"Your subject greets Your Highness the Eldest Princess." Lin Chengye knelt down and bowed.

"Get up."

A soft, ethereal call came from behind the gauze. The voice was somewhat hoarse and languid, making the listener feel as if they were drunk, their nerves relaxing completely.

"Jing Chen, come closer. Let me see you. It has been so long since we last met. Your Majesty has gone too far by sending you to that wretched place in Bingzhou for several months."

As Wei Jingchen drew closer, the man sighed and said again.

"Don't blame your father. He was just angry for a moment. I talked to him about it, and he regretted it very much."

"Jingchen wouldn't dare, thank you for speaking up, Aunt."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries through the veil, and Lin Chengye listened respectfully with her head bowed. Suddenly, a chill ran through her, making her tingle from head to toe. She abruptly looked up, seemingly meeting the gaze of the person behind the golden veil.

"Who are you? You look unfamiliar."

Before Lin Chengye could respond, the person behind the golden veil suddenly stood up, and a maid beside her helped her slowly down from the couch. She seemed to be smiling, but she gave off a rather distant feeling. Her slender hand lifted the golden veil, revealing a pair of dark, lifeless eyes through the gap.

"And why...are you wearing a mask?"

Author's note: I made it! I wrote a little too much. [Heartbroken]