Chapter 28: A Foreign Land But they had not yet consummated their marriage.
In a county on the border of Shaanxi and Shanxi, there is a tavern with few diners. The waiter is bored and sits at the counter with his chin in his hand, staring blankly.
At this moment, two figures, one tall and one short, walked in from outside. The waiter's eyes lit up and he quickly stood up and greeted them, "Two guests, please come in! Would you like to have a drink or a meal?"
When the people walked in, the waiter discovered that it was an ordinary monk and an ordinary boy, one big and one small, walking into the tavern side by side.
It was none other than Monk Yu and Zhou Shan. Monk Yu was dressed as an ascetic monk, his handsome face draped in gray, making it impossible to discern his features. Zhou Shan, wearing a mask and a navy blue robe, looked like a common little scholar, albeit a little shorter.
Zhou Xian lowered his voice, took out half a piece of pure silver, slapped it on the counter, and said calmly, "Let's eat."
"Okay!" The waiter estimated the weight of the silver and smiled a little more sincerely. He led the two to a seat by the window and asked, rubbing his hands, "What would you like to eat?"
Monk Yu asked, "Excuse me, benefactor, is there any dish that doesn't use animal oil?"
The waiter smiled and replied, "Of course we do. We also have some vegetarian dishes. I can ask the kitchen to fry them with vegetable oil and leave out any meaty ingredients like onions and garlic. Is that okay with you, Chef?"
Monk Yu nodded and put his hands together: "Namo Amitabha."
Zhou Xian, who was standing by, said, "Hmm... I want half a pound of braised beef in soy sauce, two large pancakes, no green onions, and a bowl of beef soup... Do you have pork elbow?"
The waiter said, "Yes, yes. Would you like candied pork elbow or braised pork elbow?"
Hearing about candied pork elbow, Zhou Xian suddenly thought of someone. Calculating the days, that person probably knew he had run away by now. He felt bad, and without paying attention, he blurted out, "Candied pork elbow."
"Okay!" the guy smiled.
When Zhou Xian reacted, he slammed the table in frustration. He looked up and found that the waiter had left.
Monk Yu saw this and asked with a smile, "Did you order the wrong thing, benefactor? Don't you like candied pork elbow?"
Zhou Shan said awkwardly, "It's not that I don't like it, it's just..." Suddenly, he thought of Zhang Jinwei, who was far away. Zhou Shan felt uncomfortable. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he would still think of that person from time to time. It was really sad.
Seeing Zhou Xian stuttering, the monk didn't push him any further. Instead, he smiled and changed the subject, saying, "It's all thanks to you, the donor, that I can eat good food every day without having to beg for alms everywhere."
Zhou Xian was upset and was drinking water from a cup to cool down. He almost spit out a mouthful of water in the monk's face when he heard this. He looked at the monk in horror and said, "You've earned so much gold and silver, can't you afford your own food?"
Monk Yu sighed, "To be honest, I feel heartbroken when I think about spending my own money. Now that you are so generous, I am deeply grateful!"
Zhou Xian: ...
He really felt that the bald donkey was seriously ill. He was afraid that even if he searched the whole world, he would hardly find such a stingy person. He couldn't help but recall the first time he saw the bald donkey. The spring was bright and beautiful, the peach and plum blossoms were silent, and the handsome monk carved out of jade stood under the eaves of the monk's house, with an extraordinary and otherworldly temperament.
And what kind of miser is this?
Zhou Xian was tired. In a blink of an eye, the waiters had already started serving the dishes. The soft, chewy and candied pork elbow was placed in the middle. He seemed to be possessed by a ghost. His chopsticks could not help but move there. In another blink of an eye, his tongue tip could taste a thin layer of candied sugar on the pork elbow.
It was sweet, so sweet that he wanted to vomit. The skin and flesh of the elbow were rotten in his mouth and not tasty at all. It was not like the ones cooked by Lao Jiang and Aunt Cui, which were sweet and fragrant, soft and chewy, and he would not feel sick even if he ate a few more bites.
He quickly put down his chopsticks, took a few sips of hot tea, and switched to the braised beef. The braised beef at this restaurant was much better, and the beef soup was also okay. Zhou Xian ate and ate the food casually, refusing to touch the candied pork elbow, not even a chopstick would do.
Monk Yu was absorbed in his vegetarian meal, gulping it down with a clattering din. He didn't forget Zhou Shan, though, and even picked out a small plate of choy sum and pushed it in front of her. Reluctantly, Zhou Shan used her chopsticks to pick out a tiny bit of the choy sum, chewed it for a good few dozen times, and finally swallowed it with tears in her eyes.
"Vegetarianism is good for your health. Donor, you are weak and often sick, so you should develop good eating habits." Monk Yu was full, having finished three plates of vegetarian dishes, his face filled with joy and satisfaction. "Donor, are you going to Jiangnan next?"
Zhou Xian said with a bitter face: "Yes."
Monk Yu asked, "How are you going to get there?"
Zhou Shan thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to the escort agency later and hire someone and a carriage. It shouldn't be a problem." Although he said there was no problem, Zhou Shan was still uneasy. He was alone and had never been involved in the world of mortals before. He had relied on Monk Yu to take care of him these days. When it came to many worldly matters, he was just a child.
Monk Yu said, "That's an idea. I happen to be going to Jiangnan. Would you be willing to give me a ride?"
"You..." Zhou Xian was stunned. He subconsciously thought that this bald donkey was going to take advantage of him again, but then he changed his mind and realized that the bald donkey was helping him. In this way, he could get in touch with practical work without having to worry about anyone having bad intentions towards him. His heart was immediately filled with gratitude.
He confirmed, "Should I give you money?"
"No need, I'm just passing by." Monk Yu smiled.
Zhou Xian also laughed, thinking that the bald donkey was quite a good person.
…
"Master, you are finally back!"
Yu Xi was led out from the main room, with tears still on her face and a sad expression, and she stepped forward to get something for Zhang Jinwei.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Jin rushed back from Yulinwei overnight due to sleepless nights. His official robe was wrinkled, and his handsome face was exhausted, with a faint blue-black tint under his eyes.
Yu Xi knew what he was talking about. Upon hearing this, she shook her head, sighed deeply, and couldn't stop crying: "Still no news. It's been five days. The princess has never left me since she was a child. I really..."
"I have something to ask my aunt." Zhang Jinwei said indifferently.
Yu Xi said respectfully, "What do you want me to do?"
"The princess wants to leave..." Zhang Jinwei touched the letter in his arms. "You've always known this, right? Or perhaps, when the princess said she wanted to go outside the city to distribute porridge on Buddha's birthday in April, she actually wanted to leave, right?"
Yu Xi was stunned for a moment, then immediately regained her humble appearance, lowered her head, and said nothing.
"I understand everything." Zhang Jinwei did not ask any more questions. He smiled calmly and walked towards the main room.
Yu Xi followed behind him, feeling extremely conflicted. Finally, she gritted her teeth and whispered, "I've prepared a lot of money for the princess. He should be fine outside alone. But this incident happened suddenly. I only realized it after he left..."
"Yeah." Zhang Jinwei didn't even turn his head.
Sitting in the main hall were Zeng Wenjun, the prefect of Yan'an Prefecture, several other officials, and the remaining Jinyiwei. Qianshan, Muxue, and the others knelt nearby, silently weeping. Seeing Zhang Jinwei approach, they called out, "Master, the princess..."
Zhang Jinwei raised his hand, gently pressing down with his palm, telling them to calm down. He was too calm, his heart cold, his eyes cold. His usual gentle and easygoing demeanor was gone, and instead, he exuded a certain austerity that made people afraid to approach him.
"Imperial Censor Zhang, we have searched everywhere around Yan'an Prefecture, but have not found any trace of the princess. Thinking about it carefully, I'm afraid someone has secretly taken the princess away." Zeng Wenjun wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief and sat on the chair very uncomfortably.
A Jinyiwei who stayed behind said, "This person must be an exceptional Qinggong master, and he has had contact with the princess before. We have initially concluded that he is most likely the imperial criminal, Jade Monk Kongyuan."
Zhang Jinwei: "Well, it's not surprising if it's him."
The prince consort was too calm. Zeng Wenjun and the Jinyiwei exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with doubt, but they didn't know what to say. Zeng Wenjun thought for a moment and then asked, "The prince consort is with the princess day and night. Perhaps he knows where the princess wants to go? If the prince consort has any ideas, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can send someone to look for her."
"I'll go myself and leave tomorrow." Zhang Jinwei untied the cloak from his neck and hung it on his arm, then walked towards the inner room without stopping. "As for the Yulin Guard, Captain Mu is in charge. I will first write a letter and ask Lord Zeng to send someone to rush the 800-mile express to deliver it to His Majesty. In addition, please ask the brothers of the Jinyiwei to go back and pack their luggage. Captain Mu will assign you to me and you will set out with me tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, the Jinyiwei immediately knelt on one knee: "As you command!"
Zhang Jinwei simply nodded. As he walked out of the main hall, he glanced back at everyone: Prefect Zeng, whose hair had turned gray with anxiety, the well-trained Jinyiwei, and the maids and eunuchs who were working hard together... He suddenly sighed and said, "Qianshan, Muxue, and my aunt, Li Rui, and Guo Shun, all of you wait for me at the door of the inner room."
After saying that, he turned and walked into the backyard.
Entering the inner room, he immediately caught a whiff of Zhou Shan's scent. It was the sandalwood she usually used to fumigate clothes, but it wasn't just any sandalwood. Zhou Shan had found sandalwood too stuffy, so she'd mixed it with dried flowers like roses and jasmine, making it smell much better, more elegant and playful.
He draped his cloak over the kang, rinsed his hands in a silver basin of water, and then wrung out a towel, carefully wiping the dust from his face. Once the dust was washed away, he opened his suitcase, his gaze fixed on silk and satin. Zhou Shan's fragrance immediately enveloped him. He gently stroked the gorgeous dresses, remembering Zhou Shan's preference for bright colors, the pinks of peaches and the greens of willows. Wearing them, she looked not ordinary, but rather like a lively flower fairy.
Zhang Jin's hands sunk into the silk and he began to breathe rapidly. He hadn't been able to sleep for several days and his mind was stretched to the limit. When he saw Zhou Xian's belongings again, the first thing that came to his mind was a kind of cold possessiveness.
Great, it’s that bald donkey again.
Zhang Jinwei rubbed the mandarin ducks embroidered on the bellyband with his fingertips, his thoughts in a mess. He managed to calm down and found that what he was holding was actually a bellyband. The bellyband was quite strange, and it seemed that a lot of cotton was stuffed on the chest.
He didn't care too much about it, or rather, it wasn't very important. He just thought that Zhou Shan wasn't living well in the palace and was developing late, so he didn't really care about those things.
But they haven't consummated their marriage yet.
Zhang Jinwei put his bellyband back, closed his suitcase, and after some thought, he determined where Zhou Xian would go.
Jiangnan.
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