Buddha's Birthday begins

“I have a big deal,” Lin Huaiyue said cheerfully, speaking first: “Could you please ask the shopkeeper to come out and discuss the details?”

"Alright, please wait a moment!" The waiter was surprised by the other party's generosity and happily ran to the back.

Almost immediately, a plump shopkeeper resembling Maitreya Buddha came out and waved to Lin Huaiyin from afar—"Honored guest, this way please!"

Lin Huaiyin gladly went.

The two guards outside the door disappeared in an instant and quickly followed her.

Lin Huaiyin glanced at the two of them and asked the fat shopkeeper in a low voice, "Is the shopkeeper's nickname 'Playing Songshan Man'?"

"That's me." The portly shopkeeper bowed, beaming. "May I ask what this big deal you mentioned, Miss?"

“With the Buddha’s Birthday approaching, I would like to ask each of your scribes to copy a scroll of scripture for me,” Lin Huaiyin replied.

"Each person?" Wan Songshan's squinty eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled, sensing that Lin Huaiyin was joking with him. He said, "Miss, you may not know, but my bookstore employs no fewer than three thousand scribes, and their prices are not low. What are you doing here?"

"Three thousand it is fine. Copying Buddhist scriptures is a great merit, the more the better. I'll trouble you, shopkeeper, to take care of it for me."

As they were talking, Lin Huaiyin tapped the table, and Yu Li took out a silver note.

He squinted and looked closely—ten thousand taels of silver.

"Good heavens!" The waiter was bringing over tea when he saw the silver notes. He thought the two young ladies wanted to buy the shop along with him, and he trembled violently, making the teacups rattle.

The man from Songshan stared at the silver note without saying a word, but beneath his smiling Maitreya face, he sensed something amiss:

Ordinary people couldn't produce banknotes of this denomination, and even if they did, they wouldn't use them to buy things, but rather to throw them at people.

The visitor is not friendly.

His reaction was exactly what Lin Huaiyin had expected.

Through the curtain, Lin Huaiyin chuckled softly: "Shopkeeper, you won't take my business?"

"No, no." Wan Songshan smiled and bowed politely: "I have never seen such a gesture from you before, Miss. I am truly astonished. May I ask which Buddhist scripture you wish to copy?"

He asked, but Lin Huaiyin remained silent.

He quickly realized what was happening and asked the waiter to bring him writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Lin Huaiyin picked up her pen and wrote: "The Universal Gate Chapter of the Lotus Sutra"

Finally, she changed the subject and wrote: "Is the real name of the man from Wansongshan Mu Zhanjuan?"

As soon as Mu Zhanjuan uttered the three words, Wan Songshanren slowly stood up, and his right hand accidentally overturned the inkstone, instantly obscuring Lin Huaiyin's handwriting.

"So it was this sutra."

Wan Songshan bowed deeply to Lin Huaiyin, expressing his apologies: "Please forgive my ignorance, I have never heard of such a thing. If you are sincere, Miss, could you please wait for me to invite a gentleman over? He is an expert in Buddhist scriptures and will surely satisfy you."

Lin Huaiyin nodded upon hearing this.

The people who had visited Songshan then left.

As he walked away, Lin Huaiyin's hearing, honed in the imperial prison, began to take effect.

A door slowly opened, accompanied by the sound of wind.

You could tell that the ground beneath this bookstore was dug very deep, where many people were hidden, and the faint metallic smell of weapons wafted through the air.

This is by no means a simple matter of supporting books and providing relief to the poor.

Lin Huaiyin speculated: This place is probably a private army's stockpile. Shen Congyun said that His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince are irreconcilable enemies, and perhaps this is His Highness the Crown Prince's way of dealing with it.

Your Highness, you did indeed have a hidden plan. I wonder if you used this arrangement to turn defeat into victory in your past life.

Lin Huaiyin was secretly pleased, but then she blinked and felt inexplicably guilty.

In her past life, she only cared about confronting Shen Congyun and died by the well, betraying His Highness's trust. What if she ruined His Highness's plans and caused his death...?

No, no, no, no.

Lin Huaiyin covered her chest with her small hand, exclaiming that there was no need to overestimate herself, as this was not a trouble she could easily cause.

Her throat tightened, and she dared not think any further.

Before long, amidst the chaotic sounds, footsteps gradually became clear.

A capable young man, around twenty years old, dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, nine feet tall, elegant and handsome, suddenly appeared in front of Lin Huaiyin.

As soon as he appeared, the two guards from the Shen family felt an inexplicable pressure. Wan Songshan took the waiter to serve tea and block their view.

The young man boldly sat down opposite Lin Huaiyin, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's as he stared at her through the curtain.

Those who practice martial arts have amazing eyesight. If they want to see something, Lin Huaiyin's thin veil can't block anything. Just like her eyes, which have been trained in archery since childhood, she can see the other person clearly through the thin veil.

Very good, it seems this is Mu Zhanjuan.

As expected of His Highness the Crown Prince, he is young, calm and composed, and very reliable.

Lin Huaiyin was very satisfied with him.

She abandoned pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, dipped her fingers in tea, and used them as a brush to write secret codes.

She deliberately imitated the Crown Prince's handwriting for the four characters.

Mu Zhanjuan remained silent, watching Lin Huaiyin move her finger.

He was puzzled. How could a young woman, who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old and was incredibly tender, have obtained His Highness's secret code?

What level of code did His Highness the Crown Prince give her?

Different codes will determine Mu Zhanjuan's attitude towards her and the extent to which he can help her.

Is it seeking asylum, or is there a grievance against the authorities?

How did you meet His Highness? And what did His Highness ask of you?

Mu Zhanjuan was very concerned, his gaze fixed on Lin Huaiyin's right hand.

Lin Huaiyin had been covering the writing with her left hand. The moment she finished writing, she swept her wide sleeve aside, revealing the four characters "Wild Deer Carrying Flowers" in a bright, clear light. They were then quickly erased. Mu Zhanjuan raised his eyelids, his pupils dilated, as if he had heard His Highness the Crown Prince say, "As if I were here in person." He suddenly stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"bye--"

"Please, sir!" Lin Huaiyin raised her voice, stood up and bowed—"This matter is very important to me. You are well-versed in Buddhist scriptures, which is a great fortune for me."

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhanjuan immediately realized that Lin Huaiyin was not in a position to speak.

In his eyes, Lin Huaiyin was no different from Crown Prince Xiao Zhian.

He glanced at the two guards in front of him, thinking she was being coerced, and asked with his eyes whether they should be eliminated. When Lin Huaiyin did not respond, he then said that the scriptures were different from ordinary books. They were made of high-quality paper and were expensive. Lin Huaiyin needed to choose them herself. Unfortunately, the shop was short-staffed and could not move them over in time.

So Lin Huaiyin went along with it and asked two guards for help.

The man from Songshan immediately led the two away.

Mu Zhan swiftly led Lin Huaiyin into the inner room, knelt down, and performed a grand ceremony.

Lin Huaiyin waved her hand, indicating that she didn't have time for formalities, and went straight to the point: "Do you have a way to send eight people away from the capital without anyone knowing?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Zhanjuan narrowed his eyes.

This is nothing at all.

Your Highness established this bookstore for two purposes: first, to provide relief to the poor; second, to inspect the capital; and third, to investigate the White Lotus Rebellion in the past two years. If necessary, the bookstore can be used to mobilize all resources of the Eastern Palace.

He suspected that His Highness had not explained the code clearly when he gave it.

"A wild deer carrying flowers" is equivalent to "as if I were personally present." This girl seems completely unaware that she holds supreme power equivalent to that of a regent.

It seems that His Highness did not give the girl the code because of a specific matter, but rather granted her full authority, allowing her to take charge in His Highness's stead.

Why would Your Highness entrust the Eastern Palace to a young woman when there has been no major upheaval in the capital?

Mu Zhanjuan hesitated for a moment, but still nodded respectfully and said, "Yes," to show respect for the woman His Highness valued.

Lin Huaiyin breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the assurance.

In this way, it's as if we've saved His Highness the Crown Prince from the massacre on Buddha's Birthday.

If His Highness the Crown Prince is safe and sound, then my elder brother will not be punished, and Shen Congyun will not be able to interfere in the court.

Lin Huaiyin's next plan is to use those high-ranking monk assassins to carry out a big operation.

She continued to instruct Mu Zhanjuan: "Remember, on the day of Buddha's Birthday, take skilled men to guard the Dharma Hall of Xiangguo Temple, keep a close eye on the monks inside, and protect His Highness. I will tell you what to do next later."

"Yes," Mu Zhanjuan replied, accepting the order.

Lin Huaiyin thought for a moment, then asked, "Will you tell him about this?"

"Him?" Mu Zhanjuan was slightly taken aback, then realized that "he" referred to His Highness the Crown Prince.

He pondered to himself, on one side was His Highness, and on the other was "as His Highness." His Highness's decree was that seeing the code was as if seeing him in person. Moreover, the activation of this code indicated that the situation was critical and that everyone had to give priority to responding to it.

Therefore, we must listen to both sides, and we must treat the decree of this "Prince Ru" with even greater caution.

Mu Zhanjuan immediately clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "Your subordinate will obey your orders."

"Then let's not talk about it for now."

Without hesitation, Lin Huaiyin replied, and Mu Zhanjuan readily agreed: "Yes."

Seeing him like this, Lin Huaiyin was completely relieved.

She had been agonizing over this problem for a long time. If the Crown Prince found out that she had suddenly used a code to find help, she would never be able to explain the origin of the code. If she talked about past lives or something, she would easily be regarded as a monster.

If you can hide it, then keep it a secret for now.

Once everything was arranged, she didn't delay. After agreeing on the time and place for delivering the scriptures, she took Yu Li and rushed back to the Shen residence.

Mu Zhanjuan was not idle either; he followed Lin Huaiyin all the way after she left the bookstore.

After all, Lin Huaiyin did not issue an order forbidding him from investigating.

He was concerned about the woman His Highness valued, and curious about why this woman, "like His Highness," was favored by His Highness and what made His Highness so devoted to her.

Over the years, His Highness the Crown Prince has never taken a liking to any woman other than Princess Pingyang.

Mu Zhanjuan's desire to explore reached its peak, his eyes glued to Lin Huaiyin, unable to look away for a moment.

So when Lin Huaiyin returned to the Shen residence, took off her veil, went to Old Madam Shen's room to report that she was home, and rubbed her belly and acted coquettishly, saying that she must be carrying a boy, he, hiding in the shadows, almost burst open on the spot.

His Highness has actually taken a fancy to Lord Shen's legal wife.

This is my wife, and she's pregnant.

Is it possible...?

Mu Zhanjuan stared intently at Lin Huaiyin's belly, wondering if it contained His Highness's flesh and blood, otherwise it would be difficult to explain His Highness's strange act of entrusting his family's wealth.

But Your Highness and Madam Shen...

This is terrifying. Mu Zhanjuan felt a chill run down his spine, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

No, I have to go back to the East Palace to check.

He gritted his teeth, vanished like a gust of wind, and nearly went mad.

——

Three days have passed in the blink of an eye; it's the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, the Buddha's Birthday.

This day is the Buddha's birthday, and major temples hold bathing Buddha ceremonies with fragrant water, as well as vegetarian feasts, animal release ceremonies, city god processions, and other activities.

People from all walks of life, regardless of rank or age, flocked to the area to join in the fun and have some fun.

Women were the only ones who entered the temple, and they rarely engaged in recreational activities.

Women pray for marriage, children, and harmonious relationships with their husbands. On this day, they offer incense, listen to stories of cause and effect, give black beans, and even repent with lamps, mostly to wash away the karmic debts of their past lives and seek the Buddha's protection.

Lin Huaiyin sat in the carriage, with Shen Congyun on one side and Shen Lanyan on the other. Today, she was using the ceremonial attire of the Grand Secretary, and the carriage was much more spacious. There was also a basket of black beans that she had cooked herself.

Three horses pulled the carriage on their way, as they had to reach Xiangguo Temple before dawn to participate in the bathing of the Buddha with fragrant water and to pray for the ailing emperor.

Lin Huaiyin picked out a bean and gently rubbed it between her palms. The carriage swayed and rocked, and memories of her past life surfaced between her brows.

On the Buddha's Birthday in her previous life, she had just experienced being caught cheating at a family banquet, losing Yu Li and Xie Ao, and Shen Congyun despised her to the extreme. Her life had hit rock bottom, and she thought that everything was her fault. On the day of Buddha's Birthday, she came to Xiangguo Temple alone, hung a lantern on her wrist, and performed ascetic practices to atone for her sins.

To show her sincerity, she hung fifteen lanterns on each wrist and an incense burner around her neck. She walked barefoot along the riverbank in front of the temple from day to night until her feet were covered in blood. After fainting, she was taken back to the Shen residence.

When she woke up, she heard the news of the Crown Prince's assassination and her elder brother Lin Cuiyue's dereliction of duty and punishment. Meanwhile, Shen Congyun took over the court and held great power because the Crown Prince was recuperating.

All her past lives were sins. The only warmth she felt came when a little girl selling lotus lanterns fed her a bowl of water during her ascetic journey with a lantern.

Lin Huaiyin remembered the kindness of that drop of water. She was a ghost who had crawled back from hell to atone for the sins of her past life, to sever the debts of her past life, and to repay the kindness of her past life.

As his thoughts raced, the carriage stopped, and the newly appointed Chu Jiu announced from outside that it was time to disembark. Upon hearing this, Shen Congyun lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage first.

Shen Lanyan and Lin Huaiyin got off the bus one after the other.

Shen Zaiyuan rode his horse over to join them.

Before dawn, one could vaguely make out that carriages from other families were arriving one after another.

Praying for the Emperor was a major event, and officials of the fifth rank and above in the court would attend solemnly with their families.

Shen Congyun was the Grand Secretary, and the monks from the temple came to greet him specially, leading the way with lanterns.

Yu Li carried Hei Dou on her back and followed behind Lin Huaiyin and the others.

Xiangguo Temple was an imperial temple built by imperial decree, and it was a grand temple. The group hurried along, and it took a full incense stick's time to walk through the temple halls and arrive at the Dharma assembly site under the daylight.

Lin Huaiyin followed behind Shen Congyun and saw in the distance the front courtyard of the Mahavira Hall, where a purple curtain stretched as far as the eye could see. Outside the curtain, candles and incense were lit, and fragrant flowers were displayed, surrounding the chanting monks. Other monks were blowing conch shells and beating drums.

Beneath the purple curtain, in a large golden plate about four feet wide, there is a Buddha child, adorned with a golden heart, one finger pointing to the sky and the other to the earth, which is the scene of the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a woman holding a long-handled gold ladle, ladling fragrant water to bathe the Buddha's disciple.

Lin Huaiyin recognized her at a glance—it was Princess Pingyang.

The imperial son-in-law, Yuan Jie'e, was waiting on the side.

Lin Huaiyin subconsciously looked at Shen Congyun, who indeed walked hurriedly to meet her, completely ignoring Lin Huaiyin and the others who couldn't keep up, and ignoring his colleagues who were standing on either side of him, nodding to him.

After Princess Pingyang completed the bathing Buddha ceremony, it should have been the turn of her husband, Yuan Jiee. However, Shen Congyun, without giving any explanation, took the golden spoon directly from Pingyang's hand and held the lingering warmth of her palm.