Chapter 22 Buddha's Birthday (Three Chapters in One) An assassination, a drama...
Why did the Jinyiwei come to Daxinglong Temple?
Zhou Xian, holding Qianshan's hand, slowly stepped out of the sedan chair. He forced a smile, his eyes gleaming as he saw a sea of embroidered spring swords in front of the temple gate, and a detachment of silver-armored Jinwu Guards. The once tranquil Buddhist center now had a solemn atmosphere. One might have thought Master Huiming was harboring a Tatar spy, prompting the Jinyiwei to raid the temple.
"I haven't been here for a long time. Daxinglong Temple has become more and more lively." Zhang Jinwei got off the sedan chair in front, stood with his hands behind his back, and a smile on his lips.
Zhou Xian glanced at him, her heart in turmoil.
Several more sedan chairs stopped at the door. As soon as the ladies got out of the sedan chairs and saw the scene in front of them, they all gasped and were about to go home.
It's really bad luck to run into Jinyiwei when going out to worship Buddha.
At this moment, a man with slender arms and a slim waist emerged from the crowd. He was wearing a bright red flying fish-shaped robe and was presumably the leader of the Jinyiwei. He clasped his fists and addressed the group, saying, "Don't worry, my lords and madams. We are only here to protect Prince Jing and have no intention of disturbing the tranquility of the Buddhist temple. If you wish to burn incense and pay respects to the Buddha, please feel free to come in. Don't worry about us."
Prince Jing?
Zhou Xian clenched the handkerchief in her hand and bit her lower lip.
Does this person really believe in Buddhism?
"Captain Mu, good morning." Zhang Jinwei strode forward and greeted "Captain Mu" with a smile.
Mu Guang raised his eyebrows and said calmly, "Prince Consort Zhang."
Mu Guang!
Zhou Xian's eyes suddenly fixed, staring at the leader of the Jinyiwei who was not far away, and he couldn't help cursing inwardly: It turns out that it was you, a useless guy, who forced Sixth Brother to become a Taoist monk to avoid suspicion!
His face immediately turned even worse. He deliberately made noises with his footsteps as he walked to Zhang Jinwei. He grabbed his own son-in-law's hand and tried to pull him away from Mu Guang.
Zhang Jinwei and Mu Guang were staring at each other, trying to figure out how to pry more information out of Captain Mu, but someone got anxious first and grabbed him and was about to leave.
The stern-faced Captain Mu turned his gaze slightly and fell on Zhou Shan. He knelt down and said, "Your Highness greets the Princess!"
It was a loud bang. If I had to describe it, it would probably be something like the sound of a hammer falling to the ground.
Zhou Xian had no choice but to stop and casually said, "Excuse me." He was really anxious and wanted to drag Zhang Jinwei to the temple, but suddenly he remembered something was wrong -
Prince Jing came to Daxinglong Temple to worship Buddha. The capital has been peaceful recently. Is it necessary for them to be protected by the Jinyiwei?
Zhou Xian glanced at Mu Guang and asked curiously, "Prince Jing has his own guards, why does he need you to protect him?"
Mu Guang's eyes flickered when he heard this, as if he wanted to say something. After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Last night, the Empress was unwell, saying that she was possessed by a ghost. His Majesty was distressed and immediately sent me and others to accompany Prince Jing to retrieve the golden Buddha. The golden Buddha is precious, so of course it cannot be neglected."
A very strange statement.
Zhou Xian thought to herself: The Queen worships Buddha, and this is known to the whole court. There is a golden Buddha in Daxinglong Temple, which is also world-famous. What ghost did she encounter or what frightened her that made her so far-fetched as to ask for the golden Buddha?
I'm afraid something big has happened in the palace.
Zhou Xian's mind raced, a thousand speculations flashing through his mind. Zhang Jinwei, standing beside him, looked serious. "I heard the treaty negotiations with the Tatars last month weren't going well. Your Majesty, what's going on..."
"I advise the son-in-law to be careful with his words and actions. It is not easy for you and I to speculate about the emperor's thoughts." Mu Guang lowered his eyelids and stopped talking indifferently. Then he and Zhang Jinwei smiled at each other.
What are you laughing at!
Zhou Xian trembled, realizing that he was ultimately too far from the imperial court, and that many things were like flowers in the fog. He wanted to escape, but it happened to be a day of trouble among the Tatars... Should he leave or not? What if he didn't leave?
After struggling for a while, he gritted his teeth and thought, since he was already here, he might as well go for it!
He stepped into the Red Temple gate, but found he couldn't pull Zhang Jinwei with him. He turned back and saw Zhang Jinwei with his head down, lost in thought. Past Zhang Jinwei, he saw Mu Guang, wielding an embroidered spring sword, standing ready with his colleagues. A few of the dignitaries who had come to pay their respects had gone home, while the rest, hesitant, still entered Daxinglong Temple.
Because of Mu Guang's previous bad deeds, Zhou Shan had no good feelings towards him and looked at him as if he were a mangy dog - who would want to stay with a mad dog that goes crazy at the slightest provocation?
Zhang Jinwei felt the softness of his palm and came back to his senses. He smiled apologetically and said, "I was just thinking about something and got distracted for a moment."
Zhou Xian stared at him, feeling inexplicably irritated. He wanted to pull Zhang Jinwei's clothes and yell that he was about to run away! If you don't stay with me, we won't see each other again!
"Let's go." Zhang Jinwei seemed to sense his wife's anger and took her hand, walking towards the large incense burner. "We agreed to come here to burn incense, and we can't break our promise to the Buddha. Speaking of which, the princess seems to know Captain Mu?"
Zhou Xian replied, "That man..." He wanted to say that the man was disrespectful to the prince and was simply molesting a decent man! But saying it would definitely damage Sixth Brother's reputation. After thinking for a moment, Zhou Xian said vaguely, "That man drank and made mistakes. I heard Sixth Brother say that before."
Their joined palms felt warm and moist, and they reached the incense burner, telling Qianshan and the others to fetch the incense before releasing their hands. Once inside the temple, the Jinyiwei had vanished, their hiding places unknown. Only pilgrims and monks remained.
Qianshan, the accompanying companion, laughed and said, "I just went to ask for incense. Ordinary people who ask for it are given ordinary bamboo sticks, with the saying 'Sincerity is the key to success.' But when it was my turn, I said, 'Princess Jiayi is asking for incense!' The Jade Monk suddenly appeared, personally took out the finest agarwood, and told me to give it to the princess."
After saying this, she distributed the incense in her hand to Zhou Xian and Zhang Jinwei. When it comes to burning incense, quality is more important than quantity. However, if the nobles are willing to donate more money for incense, the bald donkeys will naturally welcome it in their hearts.
Zhou Xian was very generous and donated a lot to Daxinglong Temple. The monks in the temple had a very good impression of him and even gave him the best incense to burn.
"Jade Monk?" Zhang Jinwei pinched the incense and spun it in his palm, a forced smile on his face. "But Master Kongyuan?"
Qianshan said, "That's right. Oh, look, my Lord, if you mention Cao Cao, he will appear!"
A handsome monk approached from a distance. If it weren't for his pair of black eyes, red lips, and the twelve scars on his head from the monk's precepts, one would have thought he was made of jade. The jade monk walked lightly, clasped his hands together, and said calmly, "Namo Amitabha, Princess, hello, Prince Consort, hello, and Miss Qianshan, hello too."
Zhou Xian also clasped his hands together and said, "Hello, Master Kong Yuan."
Monk Yu smiled and said, "Princess, you came early today. After burning incense, the temple will also serve breakfast. It's the best vegetarian noodles. Princess, you won't be disappointed if you try it."
Zhou Xian feigned anger: "Master said the tofu in the vegetarian meal was delicious last time. I tried it, took a few bites, and thought it was just wall paint!"
During his month-long visits to Daxinglong Temple, the person he saw most often was the Jade Monk Kongyuan. The Jade Monk was young, barely thirty years old, and he traveled extensively throughout the country, lecturing on the sutras and gaining a great reputation among the wives of officials. Perhaps because the Jade Monk's temperament resembled that of the Sixth Prince, Zhou Xian took a liking to him, and after much conversation, they became friends.
Monk Yu continued, "Vegetarian food is naturally not as good as the delicacies at the Princess's residence. Eating is just a matter of common sense. If you eat fine food every day, it will only increase your appetite and may harm your practice. However -"
"Hanhan, I remember you often said that you didn't like the vegetarian food in the temple. Before we left, I asked Aunt Cui to pack a vegan breakfast in a lunch box. I'll find a place to use it later, okay?" Zhang Jinwei smiled amiably and interrupted the monk's chatter.
"Yes, I almost forgot about this. Princess, please wait a moment, I'll get it right away!" Qianshan was completely unaware of the strange atmosphere. Upon hearing this, he clasped his hands together and went to get the food box happily.
Zhou Shan was left alone, caught between the monk and the prince consort, with a lot of lawsuits on his mind - who allowed Zhang Jin to call him Shan Shan?
Even my aunt rarely calls me by my nickname anymore...
Zhou Xian was unusually a little embarrassed, but more of annoyance. He looked at Monk Yu on the left, wondering why the monk was so weird today; he looked at Zhang Jinwei on the right, and couldn't figure out what was wrong with this man.
Monk Yu showed no signs of anger, remaining unfazed by praise or criticism. He continued calmly, "My dear Prince Consort, the princess asked me how Suzhou's vegetarian noodles tasted, so I took note. The other day, the temple happened to have purchased some bamboo shoots, a local delicacy from the Jiangnan region, and they're perfect with noodles. I wanted to ask the princess to try them, but since my Prince Consort didn't like them, that's all that's left."
After the monk finished speaking, he bowed gracefully and turned to leave. Zhou Xian hurriedly called out to him, "Master, wait a moment... Where is the abbot?"
Monk Yu: "In the back hall, I am bathing the Buddha with incense together with Prince Jing."
Zhou Xian was worried: "Can we leave on time to distribute porridge outside the city?"
Monk Yu said, "Of course, Princess, please rest assured." The monk raised his eyes. At first glance, they were crystal clear, but then again, they seemed like a bottomless abyss. He stared at Zhou Xian quietly for a moment, then suddenly said, "I'm sorry."
I’m sorry…
Zhou Xian was stunned.
Just as he was about to ask, the monk had already floated away.
"The carriage heading out of the city is about to leave!" Zhang Jinwei said with a smile in his ear.
Zhou Xian turned around abruptly and said dissatisfiedly, "Don't call me..." He felt embarrassed and quickly lowered his voice, "Don't call me Xianxian!"
"Yes, Your Highness." Zhang Jin was eager to follow suit.
Zhou Xian didn't want to pay attention to him.
Together, they lit incense and worshipped before the incense burner in front of the main hall. Zhou Xian was more devout than ever before, praying to the Buddha for a safe ride on the carriage that would take him outside the city to meet his aunt. Then… he would cut his long hair, scar his face, disguise himself as a refugee, and head south.
Namo Amitabha.
On the other side, Zhang Jinwei thought that since he was here, he should be sincere. He first prayed for his wife's health, then prayed for a happy marriage. In the end, he couldn't think of any other wishes to make. He was sure about his future. The only thing that made him embarrassed was Zhou Shan's heart.
He bowed respectfully again and again, briskly burning incense. Turning, he saw his wife kneeling on a cushion, hands clasped before her chest, eyes closed, muttering something. Prayer flags dangled from the sky, and in the center of the hall stood a majestic Buddha statue, its brows gazing benevolently at the passing of all beings. Outside, the sky was filled with morning glow, and a golden-red light filtered through the hall door, illuminating the princess's hair and casting a golden shimmer.
Are you reciting the Heart Sutra or the Diamond Sutra?
Zhang Jinwei's thoughts drifted endlessly. He had an urgent desire to write something down: a raccoon under a bodhi tree, transformed into a human, and ran into the mortal world. Who would he meet, and what would happen?
Just as a dramatic story was about to take shape, the sound of armor rubbing against each other came from the back hall, interrupting Zhang Jinwei's train of thought.
He frowned unhappily and saw a group of Jinwu Guards silently marching out, followed by several Jinyi Guards in silver-white flying fish uniforms. Zhang Jinwei's eyes slid across the group, finally gliding to the princess's face. Her innocent little face seemed very nervous.
Are you scared?
Zhang Jinwei walked forward, helped the princess up, and clapped his hands soothingly.
Zhou Xian was indeed afraid.
The number of Jinwu Guards and Jinyi Guards far exceeded his expectations. What happened in the palace last night that caused Daxinglong Temple to be under such strict security... What chances does his escape plan have?
"Prince Jing, please come this way."
Huiming's aged voice faintly echoed from the back hall, followed by Prince Jing's deep voice: "Well, thank you, Master."
Zhou Xian looked over hurriedly.
I saw four eunuchs from the East Factory carrying a golden Buddha statue, more than a foot tall, placed in a transparent quartz box. It was dazzling and a rare treasure.
Next came Huiming and Prince Jing. Prince Jing tilted his head, exchanged a fleeting glance with Zhou Shan, smiled, and then hurried over. Prince Jing's eyes were dark, his face tired, and his voice hoarse, likely from a busy night. He didn't speak to Zhou Shan, but knelt upright on the mat, bowed several times, and then slowly rose.
Prince Jing nodded slightly to Zhou Xian and said, "Sister, you are sincere. You came to the temple so early in the morning. Are you waiting to go to the city to distribute porridge later?"
Zhou Xian said expressionlessly, "Yes."
Prince Jing smiled and said to Zhang Jinwei, "The area around the capital has been quite unstable lately, with occasional bandits causing chaos. How could your Majesty be so confident in letting your sister go?"
Zhang Jinwei smiled faintly: "With the Jinwu Guards protecting me, why should I worry?"
It's obvious that this is an excuse. The Jinwu Guards are all idiots who live off their ancestors' wealth. Not to mention bandits, they would even scream if a pig was killed.
Prince Jing laughed out loud, "Your Highness is truly generous."
clang clang——
Someone knocked on the wooden door frame, and a gentle and peaceful voice said, "Donors, the dining hall has been set up."
Zhou Xian turned around and saw that it was the Jade Monk Kong Yuan.
The Jade Monk smiled at him, a jade-like figure, a Buddhist child, with curved eyebrows and eyes, but there was an indescribable loneliness. The Jade Monk opened his mouth, as if to speak, but Zhou Xian didn't hear a word, he only heard the sound of "whoosh" breaking through the air.
A silver needle shot out from the mouth that used to utter Buddhist words and headed straight towards Zhou Xian!
...Everything around him became extremely blurry. Zhou Xian was held tightly in someone's arms. He barely avoided the fatal needle. The world was spinning around him, and he finally fell on the mat. He didn't feel any pain, but he felt warm blood dripping on his face.
He stammered, "Zhang Jinwei?"
"Yes, it's me."
Zhang Jinwei gently touched his face and wiped the blood off his porcelain-white cheek with his fingertips.
"Don't be afraid."
Zhou Xian closed his eyes, feeling it was ridiculous.
Everything that happened today was really... beyond his expectations.
Zhou Xian recalled the first time he met Monk Yu, it was a scene of boundless springtime. He saw that Master Huiming had fallen asleep while preaching, so he took the opportunity to sneak out of the monk's quarters and wander around the garden.
Mu Xue was accompanying him that day. The little girl followed him with an air of maturity and could not be driven away. She kept asking him to go back and listen to the lectures, and threatened him, saying that she would make his true face of being gluttonous and lazy known to the world.
How could Zhou Xian be afraid of her? Of course, he continued to laze around in the garden, basking in the sun and spinning around. When he got tired, he would lie down on the stone table covered with peach petals and doze off. When he looked up again, he saw a jade-faced monk smiling shyly at him.
The monk asked, "Excuse me, benefactor, is the abbot here?"
Zhou Xian stood up from the stone table, his hair, shoulders, and clothes covered in petals. He shook them off and said lazily, "Of course he is. Master, when you walk into the monks' quarters, the one dozing on the cushion is the abbot!"
He was feeling proud, but when he looked up, he saw the monk bowing at the door of the monastery. Looking more closely, he found that Master Huiming had been standing at the door for a long time, and his shoulders were covered with peach blossoms.
The jade-faced monk secretly turned his head and gave him a mischievous smile.
There were many strange people around Zhou Xian, including a prince who became a Taoist priest, a very frivolous scholar... including him, who was also a big strange person - a princess who was not a girl.
Now there is another monk who is still attached to the mundane world.
After shedding the outer shell of a hermit monk, Monk Yu has a sense of chivalry inside, very similar to Aunt Cui, an air of freedom. This makes Monk Yu look like a young man pretending to be mature most of the time, even though he is nearly thirty years old.
This was the first time Zhou Xian made friends outside the palace on her own.
A man who is much older than him and has friends who seem to be his same age.
He wanted to escape, to a wider world, just to meet more people.
Monk Yu spoke of the Buddhist scriptures like a highly accomplished monk, but in private he was full of witty remarks, sometimes even shocking. He was worried that no one would listen to his forum, so he specially asked Zhou Xian to come and support him. As for the reward...
He took Zhou Shan to temple fairs and operas, and described in detail the most interesting places in the world. The opera they saw was the famous "Resurrection", which tells the legend of a female ghost who died for love and was reborn for love.
This troupe was hired by Chen Ge Lao's first wife for her seventieth birthday, and they performed for a whole day and night. Monk Yu took Zhou Shan and sneaked out through the back door of Daxinglong Temple. When they finally sat down on the stage, they happened to be performing "Resurrection." It's said that Mrs. Chen would burst into tears every time she watched this play, but the eighty-year-old Chen Ge Lao remained unmoved and continued to keep teenage concubines in his backyard.
When they arrived, the famous tenth act, Awakening from a Dream, was in the process of being performed. Zhou Xian, sitting in the audience, dressed as a servant, was suddenly thinking of Zhang Jinwei as he watched.
It was awkward, as he was currently sitting in the home of Zhang Jinwei's political enemy, watching a play. Chen Ge Lao and his son were a major faction within the court, and they loved to oppose the more upright. Fortunately for Zhou Xian, he was in disguise, so no one should notice.
He thought, Zhang Jinwei also likes "Resurrection", why not hire a troupe to perform it? Then he thought again, oh, their family is poor, and Chen Ge Lao's Kunqu opera troupe is worth 200,000 taels of silver!
He now knew Zhang Jinwei's study very well. The books with the most annotations in it were Kunqu opera, social novels and poems. The only book missing was "Bao Jing Ji". Zhou Xian thought that Zhang Jinwei didn't like to read it.
After all, they sneaked out. Monk Yu took Zhou Shan back to Daxinglong Temple early. Zhou Shan asked him, "Master, you are a monk, why do you like this kind of love music?"
Monk Yu laughed and said that he was from the Huayan Sect. When he was young, he devoted himself to Buddhism and learned the true meaning of "endless dependent origination". Then he threw himself into the world of mortals, traveled everywhere, visited mulberry fields, brothels, and government offices... He observed the rise and fall of millions of causes and conditions in the world, and being able to meet the princess was also a great fate for him.
Zhou Xian guessed that Monk Yu should know about his intention to escape.
At first, Master Huiming did not agree with Zhou Xian's decision to go out of the city to distribute porridge.
Epidemics were frequent in spring, and the suburbs of Beijing were not peaceful, with disputes often occurring. Master Huiming advised Zhou Shan to take care of herself and not to be obsessed with this matter.
Monk Yu, however, persuaded Master Huiming on Zhou Shan's behalf.
Zhou Xian was grateful to him.
If you think about it carefully, they had only known each other for a month, so they couldn't be said to have a deep relationship, but Zhou Shan was still very sad.
He thought they were friends, but the first person he wanted to kill was himself.
The sound of swords clashing was incessant. Zhou Xian struggled to look over Zhang Jinwei's shoulder. He was in a daze and couldn't see the scene outside clearly. He took the trouble to look and muttered, "Are you injured?"
Zhang Jinwei stroked his hair and said with a smile, "It's just a skin injury, nothing serious."
Zhou Shan then retracted his gaze and fell on Zhang Jinwei's shoulder. There was a large gash on it, and blood was constantly gushing out. It looked quite horrifying. Zhou Shan's face turned pale immediately. He hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve and pressed it against Zhang Jinwei's shoulder. The blood soon soaked the handkerchief.
"What should I do..." Zhou Xian was no longer in the mood to be sad about Monk Yu. He just wanted to find someone to stop Zhang Jin's bleeding, but everyone around him seemed to be fighting, and no one noticed them. Zhou Xian struggled in Zhang Jin's arms, trying to get up and call for help, but the man pushed him back down.
"Hush, keep your voice down." Zhang Jinwei looked at him helplessly. "Don't worry, he won't die. I just heard the noise outside. That monk should have brought several warrior monks with him, and he may have even kidnapped Prince Jing... It's relatively safe here. Wait a moment, the bleeding will stop soon. I'm just a scholar. If I were seriously injured, I would probably faint."
Blood oozed from between Zhou Xian's fingers, but it stopped dripping. Just as Zhang Jinwei had said, the bleeding soon stopped, leaving only a bloodstain on his shoulder, which looked quite frightening. He lay in Zhang Jinwei's arms, his hair loose. He raised his eyes and saw the Buddha lowering his brows, looking at the two people hugging at his feet.
Zhou Xian finally regained consciousness and asked, "What's going on with that monk?"
"I don't know either." Zhang Jinwei sighed. "I was just thinking about asking the princess. She was so close to him, going to temple fairs and even going to Chen Ge Lao's house to watch a troupe perform. How could he turn out to be a bad guy?"
"You're unhappy." Zhou Xian asked knowingly, "You sent someone to follow me."
Zhang Jinwei smiled. "Not really. As long as the princess is happy, that's fine. No one was sent to follow her. It was the Imperial Guards who told me. One of them rushed in looking for me that day, saying the princess was at Chen Ge Lao's house. I was really scared, but then I found out she was just watching a play, so that was fine. By the way, what play did you guys watch that day?"
Zhou Xian was silent for a long time: "I'm watching 'Resurrection'."
"'Resurrection'... is a good play." Zhang Jinwei nodded. "Can the princess sing?"
Zhou Xian didn't answer. Seeing that the bleeding had almost stopped, she pushed the man up. Her hands were covered in blood, and she didn't know what to do. In the end, she smeared all the blood on Zhang Jinwei's clothes.
Of course he would, he thought. He could sing a little bit, about things like "Time is Cheap," "Beauty Like a Flower," and "Three Lives." He also thought about a dream he had earlier in which someone said they would be husband and wife for eternity, and asked Zhang Jinwei if she was happy. He thought Zhang Jinwei was being rather corny. With all the fighting outside, why did he have to talk about something so irrelevant at this moment?
But if a scholar and a princess dressed as a woman rushed out, wouldn’t they be courting death?
He couldn't help but resent it again. He had painstakingly planned for half a year, but it was all ruined by that bald donkey! If he had known he couldn't escape, why did he bother to persuade Master Huiming on his behalf?
Let’s talk about a monk. Why should we take him to listen to “Resurrection”?
Do people outside the world also desire "love that comes from nowhere but grows deeper and deeper"?
…
Outside the main hall, Monk Yu's face was solemn. He held Prince Jing's neck with one hand and held the Embroidered Spring Knife with the other. The knife was taken from a Jinyiwei and was now soaked in blood.
"You... mixed poison into... the agarwood... causing my mother to vomit blood last night! Now you want to take my life... What on earth do you want to do?!" Prince Jing's eyes were bulging, and his face turned purple from being pinched by Monk Yu.
Monk Yu laughed, "That poison came from the previous dynasty, a Tatar treasure. I took it to help His Majesty. His Majesty wanted an excuse to strike back at the Tatars, and I acted as their spy. It's a win-win situation, but it will be hard on the Empress and Prince Jing."
"What nonsense!"
Mu Guang, a captain of the Imperial Guard, roared and leaped down from the roof, wielding his embroidered spring sword with immense force, slashing directly at Monk Yu's bald head. Monk Yu sighed, took light steps, and, carrying Prince Jing, they passed by Mu Guang's sword.
Mu Guang nearly hit Prince Jing with his sword, and quickly spun his sword. At this time, several Jinyiwei rushed forward together, with swords and sabers flashing and shadows, but they just couldn't get close to Monk Yu.
Monk Yu treated these Jinyiwei as monkeys.
He was not interested, thinking it was a boring show. This Daning Royal Family was also strange. There were three people who hired him:
The first one asked him to stir up a quarrel between Daning and Tatar.
The second person wanted him to severely injure Prince Jing but not kill him, and at the same time provoke a dispute between Daning and Tatar.
The third person is an old friend, who was specially invited to disrupt the situation, playing the role of the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole is behind, and watching the fight between two tigers from the mountain. His only requirement was that Princess Jiayi should not be hurt.
All three promised to save his life.
Living or not, the Jade Monk doesn't care. He'll get involved in the royal struggle as long as he's paid! On the righteous side, he's the Jade Monk Kong Yuan, but behind the scenes, he's the free-spirited money-grubber Fang Yuan. Now that his monk status is gone, it doesn't matter. At least he's earned three hundred thousand taels of silver and met an interesting kid. It's all worth it!
He lifted his eyelids, his gaze piercing through the layers of knife light, and caught a glimpse of Princess Jiayi, half-supported by her husband, resting on the stone steps. The princess's face was pale, her thin eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and she was bandaging her husband's wound with a handkerchief.
The handkerchief was peach pink, with small magnolia flowers embroidered on the edge. Monk Yu had heard the princess say that it was embroidered by the deceased Concubine Jing herself.
Monk Yu sighed in his heart and said silently: I'm so sorry, please find an opportunity to hire me in the future. I guarantee that you can escape from the capital smoothly and go wherever you want.
But the princess was holding a grudge, so the needle just now was not directed at her at all. Although he just wanted to scare her, judging from the result, it seemed that he had let the prince consort get away with it.
Monk Yu was not discouraged, nor was he jealous. He was a monk after all. Everything was destined to happen. This was the fate between him and the child. If they were destined to meet again, they would see each other again. If not, they would separate. There was nothing to be attached to.
Only money is the greatest fate.
Seeing that more and more Jinyiwei were coming, and the last act of the play was "The Living Buddha was thrown into the Heavenly Prison", Monk Yu turned the Embroidered Spring Knife in his hand, and cut a bloody line on Prince Jing's chest. Blood splattered everywhere, and Prince Jing's body softened and he fell to the ground.
Monk Yu concentrated on taking the beatings, which left him with bruises and a swollen face, but no injuries were done to his vital parts. Finally, he was tied up with iron chains and sat cross-legged on the ground calmly, his eyes closed, his hands turning the Buddhist beads and muttering to himself.
When Zhou Xian left, he quietly opened his eyelids and took a look, then quickly regained his composure.
He chanted, Namo Amitabha, see you again if fate allows.
…
Zhou Xian was depressed all day.
He was escorted home by the Imperial Guards, and wasn't even allowed to leave the city, let alone the outside of the house. As soon as he returned home, Aunt Cui hugged him and cried, asking what had happened to Zhang Jin. Upon hearing that Zhang Jin had been stabbed in the shoulder, she immediately ordered Lao Jiang to stew some pork elbows, and she personally cooked a lot of food for Zhou Shan.
Zhou Xian has no appetite.
Zhang Jinwei's injury was not serious, it was just a big cut. Compared with the Jinyiwei who suffered internal injuries after being beaten by the bald donkey, or Prince Jing who had to recuperate for half a year, Zhang Jinwei was injured in the early morning and had a good conversation with the Dali Temple Minister an hour later. When he returned home in the evening, he saw someone squatting on the rockery in a depressed mood and not moving.
"I heard from Qianshan and the others that the princess spent the entire afternoon on the rockery." Zhang Jin had a bandage wrapped around his right shoulder, making it difficult for him to move freely. He couldn't strike a graceful pose, so he had to squat with Zhou Xian, restrained. "Was she frightened?"
Zhou Xian gave him a cold look and shook her head. "No one's really dead, so why should I be afraid? My aunt went to the porridge stall early this morning and hasn't come home yet. I'm worried."
As he spoke, he suddenly burst into tears.
Zhang Jinwei lowered his head to look at him, and just as he was about to move closer, a hand pressed against his forehead, preventing him from getting any closer. Zhou Xian buried his face between his knees and mumbled, "...It's all your fault!"
"It's all my fault." Zhang Jinwei coaxed Zhou Xian, "I shouldn't have gone to Daxinglong Temple. If I had returned to the Hanlin Academy, none of this would have happened..."
Zhou Xian raised his head again. He was crying so hard that his tears fell one by one, and his eyelashes were also covered with tiny beads. He reached out and gently touched Zhang Jinwei's right shoulder, asking, "Does it still hurt?"
Zhang Jin hesitated for a moment.
According to his observation, the princess was a soft-hearted person. Normally, when the maids acted coquettishly, she would be more agreeable. However, if he tried to control her, she would immediately become stubborn. So Zhang Jinwei decided to be shameless and acted like he was sick, about to lean on Zhou Shan. "It still hurts. It hurts so much."
Zhou Xian pushed him away and cursed, "Shameless."
After saying that, he lifted up his skirt and was about to leave.
Zhang Jinwei smiled helplessly, hugged her from behind, took out a handkerchief, and wiped her tears carefully while comforting her, "Buddha's Birthday is celebrated every year. If it doesn't work out this year, we can go next year. Princess, you should set up ten porridge stalls then, and I fully support you."
"It's not the same thing." Zhou Xian said softly.
Zhang Jin was confused.
Zhou Shan thought he was a fool, broke free from his arms, and slipped away without looking back.
As the saying goes, the more setbacks you face, the more courageous you become, and all things are difficult at the beginning. Besides, the capital city is heavily guarded and patrolled by the Jinyiwei. It would be a joke if he really escaped.
Zhou Xian decided to devise a more elaborate plan, such as "faking death." Since it was a "faked death," he needed a potion that could cause it. The imperial physician couldn't possibly provide that, so how could he find such a folk remedy?
However, before he could find the formula for the fake death drug, a series of events that happened in the next few months proved that there is always a way out.
In April, the evil monk was imprisoned in the Tianlao Prison and escaped from prison and disappeared ten days later.
In May, Da Ning claimed that Tatar spies had poisoned the current queen, and the conflict between the two intensified. Due to the abundant pasture in the summer, the Tatars temporarily held back.
In June, Mei Ziqian of the Qingliu faction contradicted the emperor, saying that the national treasury was empty and it was not appropriate to engage in excessive military spending. The emperor was furious, but Mei Ziqian refused to back down and asked to leave the court.
It was the scorching heat of July and the Tatars were ready to make a move. The emperor urgently ordered all the garrisons to be on standby and sent the Censor-in-Chief to supervise the army. He also promoted Zhang Jin, a compiler from the Hanlin Academy, to the seventh rank Censor of the Censorate and ordered him to reorganize the border towns around Yulinwei. He was given a period of three years during which he could return. Princess Jiayi volunteered to accompany the army.
Princess Jiayi's request was rejected three times. Finally, the emperor personally gave the order, allowing the princess to stay in Yan'an Prefecture under Yulinwei and set off at the end of July.
The weather was still hot in July. Zhou Xian went to Daxinglong Temple to worship Buddha and prayed to the Buddha for a safe journey. On the way back, he suddenly had an idea and went to Xuanbeifang again.
He met the crazy old man again.
The old man was stopping people to sell his aphrodisiac, talking about it in a very exaggerated way, such as how he could have sex with several people at night, and he actually made passers-by look fascinated by his words.
While the old man was doing his thing, Zhou Xian, intrigued, put on her veil and walked into the clinic. A young man was crouched on the counter, scowling over the ledger. A quick glance revealed a scribbled mess; no wonder the young man was scratching his head.
"Hey, sir, do you want to see a doctor or get medicine?" When the young man saw Zhou Shan, he stood up and greeted him in a very mature manner.
Zhou Xian said, "I... just came to take a look."
"Just take a look?" The young man spoke eloquently and introduced a series of prescriptions. Compared with the old man's vulgar and direct words, he used elegant words. He first recommended the one for preventing heatstroke, and then the one for treating intestinal toxins, and laid out a whole wall of them on the old counter.
Zhou Xian coughed lightly and asked, "Is there any way to prevent acclimatization?"
The young man laughed: "Of course there is, but I don't know where you came from or where you went."
Zhou Xian said, "...from Yingtian to Shaanxi, near the Tatar area."
The young man was stunned: "Hiss - let me look for it."
With that, he dove into the pile of papers, rummaging for a long time until the old man came back from outside. He casually twisted a piece of paper and pulled out a tattered piece. He took it to the table beside him, spread out a new piece of paper, and wrote a new one. The old man seemed to be idiotic at times. He wrote the prescription, smiled at Zhou Xian, and said nothing.
The young man couldn't stand it any longer, his teeth itching with anger. He quickly stepped forward to pull the old man away and apologized to Zhou Shan, "This is what happens when you get old. I'm so unclear and rude. I'm so sorry for offending you."
Zhou Xian said, "That's fine."
He looked at the smirking old man and suddenly asked, "Old man, I've seen you before... Do you remember?"
The old man nodded and continued to laugh.
Zhou Xian lied, "Since we've met several times, we must be destined to meet. I'd like to ask for a medicine that will make a person's breathing very weak for a few days, like they're dead. I see you have quite a few prescriptions here, so there must be some hidden talents..."
"What... do you want that thing for?" Sun Yi looked at Zhou Xian, and suddenly seemed to regain consciousness, and asked lightly.
Zhou Xian blurted out, "What if it comes in handy in the future?"
After the bloody lesson on Buddha's birthday, he planned to escape and started to make preparations for both scenarios: faking his death, disappearing... there were only two options. He didn't have the connections to hire a team of martial arts masters to take him away.
Sun Yi shook his head and said, "That thing is not good for your health if you eat it."
Zhou Xian took off a gold hairpin from her head and placed it on the counter: "I'll exchange this for it. Is it enough?"
"Not enough! Not enough!" The old man lost his temper again. He lay on the ground with a thud and cried loudly, attracting passers-by to look in frequently.
"Please go away!" The young man waved at Zhou Shan, wanting to cry but without tears.
Zhou Xian was also startled and hurried back to the sedan chair.
In ten days, he will set off for Yan'an Prefecture. He will be escorted by the Embroidered Uniform Guards along the way, so he will definitely not be able to escape.
But we can't delay any longer.
Zhou Xian was worried. He got a headache every time he thought of Zhang Jinwei recently.
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