After a long while, the princess calmed down. She looked at the emperor and asked:

"How did Father Emperor know Li Ru's identity? Did someone from the Celestial Empire come to search for him?"

"It is quite a coincidence that some time ago, an envoy from the Celestial Empire came to visit, wanting to establish trade relations with the Kingdom of Golden Dian. Of course, I was more than happy to do so, so I discussed the relevant matters with the envoy."

Unexpectedly, at this time, a folk song appeared in the city, saying that a prince had traveled a long way to the Kingdom of Golden Valley, encountered a demon on the way, lost his memory, became a fool, and was sold to a plantation.

After being rescued by the princess, he stayed by her side, and the two eventually fell in love.

However, the royal family did not know that the other party was a prince and did not agree to their marriage, forcing the two to separate.

After that, the two became monks, and although they were close at hand, they could not be together.

The appearance of this folk rhyme suggests a hidden meaning. So I inquired with the envoys of the Celestial Empire whether a prince had come to the Kingdom of Jindian ten years ago.

The envoy confirmed that this was true, and that the prince was the eldest son of the Fourth Prince, named Li Ru.

Among the visiting envoys was a princess named Li Xue, who was Li Ru's younger sister.

The envoy also showed me a portrait, saying that the person in the painting was Li Ru from back then. I took the portrait and examined it carefully; it was indeed true, the person in the painting was the fool from back then.

"Father, did you bring that portrait? Xue'er wants to see it," the princess asked eagerly.

"Of course I brought it, Xue'er, take a good look."

After the emperor finished speaking, he looked at his attendants, and someone immediately handed him a portrait.

The princess took the portrait and looked at it carefully. The handsome face was familiar. The princess stroked the portrait, and tears flowed again.

"Xue'er, hurry back with your father. The abbot said that Xue'er is only practicing with her hair intact and has not been ordained. She is not a true member of the Buddhist community yet, so she can go back and marry the prince."

At this time, Prince Li Ru was still in the temple, longing for Xue'er, each day feeling like a year. He could not be made to wait any longer.

The princess wiped away her tears, glanced at the abbot beside her, and the abbot nodded, saying:

“In the past, a wandering nun passed by this temple and saw the princess. She left a message saying that the princess’s worldly ties were not yet severed and she could not be ordained. Therefore, to this day, the temple has not ordained the princess, because the princess still wants to continue her past life’s karmic connection.”

"This is all fate. Please, Princess, return to the palace with the Emperor to complete your marriage."

The princess pondered for a moment, then walked to the abbot, bowed deeply, and removed a pair of jade bracelets from her wrist, saying:

“During my time here, the abbot has shown me immense kindness and care. I am about to return to the palace with my father, and this bracelet was a gift from my mother. Today, I present it to the temple and ask the abbot to accept it.”

The princess's personal belongings were extremely valuable; how could the temple accept such a lavish gift?

Seeing the abbot hesitate, the emperor said, "This is a small token of the princess's appreciation; please accept it, abbot."

Seeing that the emperor had spoken, the abbot had no choice but to accept it.

Once she decided to return to the palace, the princess was eager to go. She packed her things and set off immediately.

Three days later, the princess returned to the palace, where the empress was chatting with Li Xue.

Upon hearing that the princess had returned, the empress hurried out to greet her, and Li Xue followed the empress out as she wanted to see what her sister-in-law looked like.

The Queen and the Princess finally met, and they embraced and wept. Li Xue carefully observed them from the side. The Princess was quite beautiful. Although she was nearly thirty, she still had an elegant demeanor and was a perfect match for her brother.

After the Empress and Princess finished expressing their longing for each other, she remembered Li Xue. She pulled the Princess to Li Xue's side and introduced her to her.

Li Xue looks very much like the princess from ten years ago, which makes the princess feel very close to her, as she is her future sister-in-law.

“Sister-in-law, my name is Li Xue, and my nickname is Xue’er, the same as yours. We are destined to be together.”

Li Xue addressed her directly as "sister-in-law," which made the princess a little embarrassed, but she was very happy inside.

The princess was in a very good mood. Having been away from the palace for many years, she felt a deep sense of familiarity with every plant and tree here.

After days of travel, the emperor was exhausted. He decided to arrange for someone to go to the temple outside the city the next day to bring Li Ru back to the palace.

A few days ago, Zhao Xian and Li Xue visited Li Ru, and Li Ru started counting the days on his fingers.

Zhao Xian had told him that the emperor would arrange for someone to bring him back to the palace within ten days, and he wanted to see the princess he longed for as soon as possible.

Li Ru woke up just as dawn was breaking. Today was the ninth day, and he wondered if the emperor would send someone over today.

Putting all that aside, he needed to finish his work for the day. With that thought in mind, he immediately got up, picked up a broom, and went to sweep the ground in front of the temple.

Before sweeping each time, Li Ru would gaze towards the direction of the palace for a while.

I got up too early today, everything is still blurry, I can't see anything in the distance, I'd better sweep the floor first.

The temple was very quiet in the morning, and the sound of brooms scraping against the ground could be heard far and wide.

As Li Ru swept the floor, his thoughts drifted far away. Before he knew it, he had swept the open space in front of the door spotless.

As dawn broke, Li Ru stood in the open space and looked once again toward the direction of the palace.

On the main road leading to the temple, a group of people hurried towards them, leaving a trail of dust and chaos in their wake.

These people are clearly from the palace, and it seems they have come for themselves.

At this moment, Li Ru's mood calmed down. He looked at the group of people as they approached from afar and finally stopped at the foot of the mountain.

The group abandoned their horses and began walking up the mountain. Before long, they arrived at the open space in front of the temple.

Li Ru was the only person on the open ground. The group quickly spotted him, and an official-looking man walked towards him.

The man sized up Li Ru and then asked:

Are you a monk who sweeps the floor in the temple?

"Exactly."

"A few years ago, did you work in the palace as a princess's bodyguard?"

“That’s right, why are you asking these questions?” Li Ru said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the official in charge immediately bowed in respect.

"So it's the Prince Consort. We are here by order of the Emperor to invite you back to the palace to marry the Princess."

The inevitable has finally arrived. Although I am excited inside, I remain calm on the surface.

Seeing that he did not react, the official spoke up:

"I also have an imperial edict here. Please come with me into the temple to proclaim it."

Li Ru nodded and led the group into the temple.

At this moment, the monks in the temple all got up and were busy. When they saw so many people from the palace arrive, they stopped what they were doing and looked over here.

"May I ask who the abbot of this temple is? Please come forward and answer," the official said in a loud and clear voice.

Upon hearing this, the abbot quickly came over and said:

"This humble monk is the abbot of the temple. May I ask what brings you here, sir?"