Chapter 16 Someone secretly kissed Guanyin!
Zhang Jinwei slept in the west wing until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Lonely and lonely.
It was not because the princess despised him and angrily called him a "hypocrite who did not keep his word". If he had been more shameless on the first day of the new year, he would probably have been called a "lecher".
He slept in the west wing because he was busy with official duties at court. He left early and returned late every day, fearing that he would disturb the princess's rest! Speaking of court affairs, Zhang Jin was troubled by it.
Last year, 300,000 bolts of silk disappeared from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, leaving tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland barren. This was a massive mess waiting to be cleaned up by the imperial court. But at this critical juncture, the former Governor of Zhejiang, Shen Wen, committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
When this incident happened, the whole world was shocked.
The Emperor was so angry that he could not sleep, and he held court meetings and discussions every day. From the cabinet ministers to the junior Hanlin scholars like Zhang Jin, everyone was trembling with fear, waiting day and night, and dared not take any words from the palace lightly.
They were so busy until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, when the capital was ablaze with lights. But Shen Wen was dead, and the Shen family, those who deserved death, were killed, those who deserved exile were exiled. Suddenly, the monkeys scattered, and even Concubine Shen in the palace was confined to her house.
The only strange thing is His Majesty's attitude towards Prince Yu.
The old man only asked the East Factory to watch over Prince Yu's Mansion and not allow anyone to enter or leave. Apart from this, he did not give any other instructions. No one could guess what the old man was thinking, even though the collusion between Prince Yu and Shen Wen was a foregone conclusion.
During the Lantern Festival, Zhang Jinwei and the princess once again attended a banquet at the palace. Due to the recent events, the atmosphere at the banquet was gloomy. The lifelike lanterns seemed lifeless, standing blankly in the empty Forbidden City. The human-shaped lanterns were particularly eerie, their eyes pitch black, staring unblinkingly at passersby.
Late at night, Zhang Jin finished writing a secret letter to his teacher. On his way back to the west wing, he caught a glimpse of the bedroom light. Unable to resist, he quietly picked up a dim oil lamp and tiptoed to the bedroom door, but his courage, which had just been raised, fell back into his stomach.
He wandered around for a long time when he suddenly saw Yu Xi push the door open and come out. She looked surprised and asked softly, "Why haven't you rested yet, Prince Consort? Is it too cold in the west wing?"
Zhang Jinwei coughed awkwardly and said, "No, I just... wanted to come and see the princess. Is she asleep?"
"She's been asleep for a while." Yu Xi smiled and spoke softly, "If the prince consort goes in, please be careful. If the princess is woken up, it might be difficult to comfort her."
"I know." Zhang Jinwei replied, but he was still hesitant.
"It's cold outside, please go in quickly!" Yu Xi glanced at him with amusement, "Our princess doesn't eat people. If you coax her well, maybe she can go back to her room to sleep tonight."
Zhang Jinwei blushed when he heard this. He quickly waved his hand and sent Yu Xi away. He paced back and forth for a few times before finally making up his mind and pushing open the door.
The room was filled with the incense of tung oil, mixed with the scent of burning charcoal and a hint of the strange fragrance of a woman. The lights had been turned off, and the curtains were heavy. Zhang Jinwei carried the oil lamp and carefully touched the bed, gently sitting on the edge of the bed.
The girl was indeed asleep, her cheeks flushed, her whole body curled up in a ball, her long black hair flowing out from under the quilt, and in the light of the oil lamp, it looked like flowing gold.
Zhang Jinwei couldn't help laughing. He leaned down and looked at the girl carefully. His head was lowered very low, and his gaze went from the girl's closed eyes all the way down, lingering for a moment near her pale red lips, as if if he lowered his head a little more, he would be able to taste the rouge.
Eating rouge, this is both serious and nonsensical.
He laughed at himself and quickly looked away, but his body moved faster than his brain, and his lips just brushed the girl's eyebrows and kissed her temples. The girl's hair was soft, clean, and had a faint scent of rose water. He was still not satisfied and kissed her for a long time, and suddenly he felt the person in his arms tremble.
"cold……"
The girl murmured, shrinking even tighter.
Zhang Jin was startled and reached into the quilt, feeling it was icy cold. The hot water bottle that had been placed there had already gone cold, so he took it out and asked the maid outside to fill it with hot water.
Last month, the girl had fallen seriously ill. He had inquired with the imperial physician, Dr. Li, who had come to see her, and learned that she had a congenital deficiency—a weak constitution, often cold hands and feet, and a high risk of catching colds. She needed years of warming treatment with good medicine, perhaps to live a long life. Unfortunately, the girl was a picky eater, and if the medicine was even slightly bitter, she would act like a spoiled child and refuse to take it, leaving him with no other options.
Thinking of this, he took off his outer coat, fetched a blanket from the bed, and put his arms around the girl, asking in her ear, "Are you cold?"
cold.
Zhou Xian was half asleep when he heard someone ask if he was cold. He subconsciously assumed it was Aunt Yuxi. He struggled in his dream, trying to wake up, but couldn't resist the sleepiness, so he nodded casually.
Then his hand was held by someone and placed against a warm place, and his feet were clamped on his calves, feeling warm. He sighed softly, clung tightly to the person, and his mind became confused again.
The man asked, "Is it still cold?"
Zhou Xian shook his head in confusion and fell into a deep sleep.
When the sun rose, he opened his eyes again, but there was no one around him.
That’s right.
He stretched out, lazily lying on the bed, then turned over and buried himself in the quilt.
Today is the 16th day of the first lunar month, and we are going to Daxinglong Temple to pray to the Buddha.
Daxinglong Temple, not far from the Zhuangyuan Mansion and adjacent to the Forbidden City, boasts twin towers, a solemn and tranquil aura, exuding an imperial majesty. Compared to the other eight major temples, it is more tranquil and does not hold temple fairs during the first lunar month. Unlike Zhenwu Temple and City God Temple, which become bustling with activity during festivals, with crowds scrambling to burn the first incense sticks and pray for good luck, Daxinglong Temple is a place where high-ranking officials and dignitaries burn incense and worship Buddha.
Zhou Shan got down from the sedan chair. He was dressed simply today, with a string of Bodhi flowers on his hand. He lowered his eyes and dressed like a devout believer. When he saw Zhang Jinwei, he shifted his gaze and walked slowly towards his own husband.
He took Zhang Jinwei's arm, leaned close to the man's ear, and whispered, "The prince consort was sneaking around last night, and I thought it was a mouse! This morning, I asked my aunt to find someone to catch a mouse, but when they caught it, they found out it was the prince consort."
Zhang Jinwei: ...
Will the mouse warm the cat's hands and feet?
He pretended to be calm: "Princess, this Buddhist temple is very quiet. Let's go back and talk about this, okay?" The little liar became more and more familiar with him. He was too lazy to retract his cat's tail and deliberately placed it in his palm, guessing that Zhang Jin would not dare to act rashly.
He is simply arrogant because of his favor.
It was rare for Zhou Xian to see this man so flustered, so she felt quite relaxed and even walked a little faster.
The novice monk who came to greet the couple was plump and looked very happy. He ran to Zhou Xian, clasped his hands together, and said in a clear voice, "Amitabha, benefactors, please follow me."
They walked past the main hall and the twin pagodas, the sounds of chanting and the distant sound of Buddhist bells filling their ears. It was nearing spring, and the peach and plum trees in the temple were still withered and leafless, except for the green bamboos.
Zhang Jinwei smiled and said, "Daxinglong Temple is indeed worthy of its name. It is a great place for spiritual practice."
The novice monk lowered his eyes and replied respectfully, "I don't deserve it. It's just that it was renovated by the late emperor in the early years, and it has become what it is today."
The young monk was used to seeing high-ranking officials and nobles, and his words were very clever and his eyes were very sharp. After he finished dealing with Zhang Jinwei, he saw the princess, who had lived in the deep palace for a long time, gazing into the distance, so he asked, "Excuse me, Princess, where are you looking?"
"I look everywhere." Zhou Xian was still in a daze, but was brought back to his senses by the monk's words and answered casually.
"The princess is truly a wonderful person!" the novice monk exclaimed with deep emotion, speaking with a serious tone. "She looks everywhere. At first, it may sound incomprehensible, but in reality, her heart is focused on Mount Sumeru! The Buddha said that with Mount Sumeru as the center, there are seven seas, seven mountains, and thirty-three heavens, making up one world. The princess has the world in her heart, which is a blessing for Daning."
What the hell?
Zhou Xian looked away guiltily. He was just watching cats fighting on the temple wall in the distance. He looked a few more times, but the young monk spoke nonsense to different people and made him look so exaggerated that he felt a little embarrassed.
He said, "Thank you for the compliment, young master. You are a wonderful person. You are so eloquent at such a young age. I am sure you will become a great monk in the future."
Now it was the novice monk's turn to blush. His head, as white as an egg, instantly turned red, as he was praised by the beautiful princess. He stammered, "Little monk... no, no..."
"Little Master, please lead the way quickly." Zhang Jinwei smiled, but his tone was chilling, "Otherwise, the master will be waiting anxiously."
Upon hearing this, the novice monk scratched his head and said awkwardly, "To be honest, not long ago, Prince Jing came to visit. The abbot was talking to Prince Jing and asked me to accompany the princess for a walk. Please wait for a moment."
Prince Jing?
Second Prince Zhou Huang?
When did he become a Buddhist?
Zhou Xian subconsciously glanced at Zhang Jinwei, also seeing his surprise. She gathered herself, leaned forward, and smiled at the novice monk, "It's okay. My brother is here, and as his younger sister, I naturally can't disturb him. But standing here is not an option. Little Master, will you take us to see the Guanyin statue we requested?"
The novice monk then led the two to the Guanyin Hall and asked the monks inside to bring out a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, over a foot tall. This statue was majestic, holding a treasure vase in hand, with kind eyes and benevolent features, and its outline was carefully outlined in gold. Just looking at it could not help but inspire reverence.
"Good, good." Zhou Xian was very satisfied. He covered the Guanyin statue with the red silk in his hand. When he was about to say something else, he saw the novice monk holding out another scroll of portraits.
He asked curiously, "When did I ask someone to buy the Buddha painting?"
The novice monk said, "The princess had previously sent people to request a statue of Avalokitesvara. Among them, a donor who called herself Aunt Cui also requested a portrait of Avalokitesvara, the Goddess of Childbirth, and asked me to give it to the princess and her husband."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Xian's expression froze.
He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly heard someone behind him say, "Aunt Cui is really something. She made the decision without saying a word, so why is she so anxious to invite the 'Guan Yin of Childbirth'?"
yes!
What’s the rush!
But Aunt Cui was good to Zhou Shan, and Zhou Shan didn't want to say anything bad about her. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn't have children, so it was useless to ask the Goddess of Fertility to give him one out of thin air?
Zhou Xian unfolded the scroll in a daze and saw the Guanyin in it holding a child with a kind smile. He raised his eyes in a daze and saw that the man in front of him had red earlobes.
Why are your ears red?!
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