Exhortation to Buddha
Lin Xu didn't know how she got back to her room. She was filled with terror. Just now, Zhou Weikan seemed to have gone mad, and that blood-stained smile inexplicably overlapped with the scene in her memory of Zhou Weikan going crazy after the Lin family was wiped out in her previous life.
Even though she was a ghost in her past life, she never had the courage to drift to the Zhou family home for a final look. He had been implicated by her in his past life, his promising life ruined. She couldn't let Zhou Weikan suffer the same fate in this life and end up like that.
She could clearly no longer stay in this place.
But where else can she go now?
Her father must be extremely anxious, but she cannot risk going back before the crisis is over. She escaped from the Dou family under mysterious circumstances, and it is clear that she cannot return.
Judging from the Crown Prince's words, the Dou family has clearly not been implicated yet. However, given the methods of the two powerful ministers, Jiang Heng and Zhao Xiang, Dou Yanzhou's connection will likely be completely exposed soon. At that time, not only will the Dou family be thrown into chaos, but Bai Shi will also hate herself to the bone. It seems that only a final life-or-death struggle remains between the two of them.
What puzzled her at the same time was why Duan Jinru had not yet made a move.
A faint anxiety crept into Lin Xu's heart. Duan Jinru was not stupid; she had clearly seen through her intentions. That day, she had acted hastily, and her fabrication of lies might have revealed many flaws, but there must have been a few that were convincing enough to pass for the truth.
Moreover, Duan Jinru had relentlessly pursued Dou Yanxun for nearly two years based on a single, broken clue, so he certainly wouldn't easily let this matter go. What was he waiting for?
She couldn't help but feel worried.
If Duan Jinru hasn't acted rashly, then he's likely currently plotting and gathering even more fatal clues. What if he doesn't care about her smokescreens and only wants to kill Dou Yanxun?
Prince Mao wielded immense power, and in the past, only the Eldest Princess and the Duke of Xu could rival him. Now, with Kunrou's triumphant return, the Eldest Princess seems to have undergone a change in temperament, gradually fading from the center of power. However, the pursuit and suppression by Zhao Xiang's faction will not cause Prince Mao's accumulated power to be severely weakened in an instant.
The thought of the potential predicament he might face filled her with anguish.
She left without saying goodbye that day, without even giving him an explanation. He must hate himself now...
Lin Xu painfully closed her eyes, trying to hide the tears that were about to spill over. She couldn't cry, and now, so isolated and helpless, she had to think of a way to escape as soon as possible. She had to act.
.
Martial arts training ground.
The sun shone brightly, a rare treat since late spring, and even the sturdy armor gleamed in the morning light. Banners fluttered all around, and dust swirled. Liao Yan, clad in black armor and a silver robe, stood atop a high platform, overseeing the training of over a hundred elite cavalrymen below. The soldiers were all valiant, galloping and tumbling around the battlefield, their swords flashing, exuding a menacing aura.
In one corner of the battlefield, Dou Yanxun straightened the reins and dismounted. He strode through the surging crowd towards Liao Yan on the platform. He had arrived in a hurry, and his official robes were covered in dust, even his usually stern face showed signs of exhaustion.
It has been three days since Lin Xu went missing.
He was extremely anxious day and night, and even sent his loyal bodyguard Yan Ya and the guards he had trained in Laining to search extensively, but they found nothing.
Those were his wife and children, who had vanished from their home in broad daylight. He inquired about every possible place they might have gone, but all he received was disappointment and sadness.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness."
Liao Yan had already heard Dou Yanxun's brisk footsteps, but she didn't turn her head, only frowning as she watched the soldiers below the platform drill again and again. Dou Yanxun then cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Princess."
Liao Yan had already anticipated that Dou Yanxun would come looking for her, so she turned to look at him and sneered:
"Is Imperial Censor Dou's visit not simply to pay his respects to me?"
The man, who was usually carefree and unrestrained, now bowed slightly, displaying an unusual humility.
"Your Highness, please understand. I have come to inquire whether you know where my wife is currently."
Liao Yan had never liked Dou Yanxun's reputation, and she disliked how Lin Xu had always humbled herself to marry him. Besides his outstanding looks, what else did this man have that made her so infatuated?
Now that Lin Xu has disappeared, he has the nerve to come to me asking for her back.
"I never knew Lord Dou was so wise. Your wife has gone missing, and you, as her husband, have no clue whatsoever, yet you come to me demanding her return. If I said I didn't know, would Lord Dou think I was deliberately concealing something?"
In just a few days, Dou Yanxun endured a lot of ridicule and sarcasm. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyelids were lowered, and he cupped his hands and said, "I dare not."
His voice was very hoarse, and he simply said, "I just want to find her."
Princess Kunrou then took a serious look at him.
"What good will finding them do?"
Dou Yanxun did not answer, so Princess Kunrou continued, "Lord Dou is so intelligent, he naturally understands that if the Dou family truly treated her well, how could a pregnant woman be forced to leave home alone?"
Dou Yanxun closed his eyes briefly. "Yes."
When he opened his eyes again, his expression was gloomy. He stood in the wind, his black hair flying wildly, his tall and slender figure appearing desolate. These three short days felt like half a lifetime to him. He neither ate nor drank, and could not sleep at night.
Even just closing his eyes, he could picture the day before she left, her leaning against him, her fingertips gently tracing his arm, his chest, his cheek. How could she not love him? How could she be so heartless, abandoning him without a word?
His family, his so-called relatives, were utterly absurd and laughable; they even tried to threaten him into divorcing his wife. They didn't realize that it was she who didn't want him anymore.
She was willing to risk her life to escape that place, even with a large pregnant belly and limited mobility. He had become accustomed to it, too immersed in those peaceful years, which made him lower his guard and deceive himself into believing that she was as happy as he was.
If I had noticed her emotions sooner...would she have been less distressed?
He couldn't even imagine where she was now. Whenever he closed his eyes, her smiling face would appear in his mind and he couldn't shake it off. She had appeared so briefly and brilliantly in his bleak and tasteless life, saving him from the brink of self-destruction, but left without saying a word, so cruelly.
He was so stupid. He hated her so much.
He missed her madly. This longing was excruciating, almost consuming his entire soul. Yet he didn't care at all, as long as she could come back. As long as she was safe.
Even if she... no longer wants to go back to his side.
...As long as she is safe, that's all that matters.
Liao Yan looked at the man in front of her with a gloomy expression, and she understood perfectly well what was going on. She sighed softly, all her dissatisfaction turning into a light, cold snort.
“I don’t know she’s there. But I’m sure she’s still alive.”
Dou Yanxun raised his eyelids.
Liao Yan crossed his arms and looked down at the soldiers below the stage, who were already drenched in sweat from their drills.
“That day she sent Rongwei to my residence to invite the imperial physician but did not say why. This was an agreement that Lin Xu and I had made long ago. If she encountered danger in the Dou family, she would inform me in this way. The sleeping potion in the ring was also given to her by me, just in case.”
After a pause, Liao Yan continued, "Since she was able to escape from the Dou family that day using sleeping pills, it's clear that Bai Shi is completely muddle-headed. She even dared to poison an imperial consort; I think she's tired of living!"
Dou Yanxun shifted slightly, his eyes blurring like ink spreading across his face. "I know."
He naturally believed she was still alive. She must still be alive.
But if even Liao Yan doesn't know her current whereabouts, and the Lin family hasn't seen her either, and Liang Zhengyuan, who is capable of protecting her, is still in Hecheng, where else could she go? A few absurd thoughts flashed through his mind, but in an instant, he almost stubbornly extinguished them.
He just couldn't think that way.
He was unwilling. He was even somewhat afraid.
Seeing that he was deep in thought, Liao Yan added coldly, "Not the Crown Prince."
“Miao Yiyun is ruthless. Once she discovers that someone is hiding in the Eastern Palace, she will surely cause chaos. The Crown Prince values power the most, so he will not do such a thing.”
It's not the Eastern Palace.
Therefore, the only people who could have kept the elusive Yan Ya and the numerous guards searching for them in Mujing City were the Zhou family.
Dou Yanxun's heart tightened, as if he had been immersed in cold water with floating ice, the chill was bone-chilling, and the pain was unbearable.
She actually... went to see him.
Long, thick, black eyelashes cast a shadow on her jade-like cheeks. Strands of hair at her temples, long blown by the wind, were now scattered. Her pale fingers rested on the jade pendant hanging from her waist.
Amidst a gust of wind, Dou Yanxun pressed his lips together and slowly clenched the jade pendant in his palm.
.
In the stillness of the night, Lin Xu lay on his desk, carefully copying Buddhist scriptures stroke by stroke.
Being alone in the house for a long time was really boring. Fortunately, Zhou Weikan had quite a few Buddhist scriptures, so she asked for a few and started copying them carefully when she was bored. This gradually calmed her mind.
In his previous life, Zhou Weikan was not a Buddhist. Unexpectedly, in this life, he has become quite knowledgeable about Buddhism, and he spends several hours each day diligently chanting scriptures in front of the Buddhist hall. When she doesn't understand some Buddhist teachings, Zhou Weikan will explain them to her with a smile.
"I never expected that Mr. Zhou, a great merchant, would also believe in Buddhism."
After finishing writing the last Buddhist scripture of the day, Lin Xu placed the brush tip on the brush rest. He had been writing for a long time, and even his shoulders were a little sore.
Zhou Weikan stood up and adjusted his sleeves. The room was filled with the faint scent of bamboo, the wisps of fragrance reflecting off his plain clothes like a delicate ink painting.
Despite owning the finest silk shop in the land, with businesses spanning tea, silk weaving, bookstores, and embroidery workshops, and an extensive network of connections, she always wore the simplest of clothes when at home. She was as pure as a gentle breeze, untouched by the slightest dust.
He lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, "Do you think I'm nothing but a calculating, profit-driven scoundrel, unworthy of believing in Buddhism?"
Lin Xu replied seriously, "That's not what I think."
Zhou Weikan looked at her with some doubt, but heard her say gently, "You have managed to maintain a good reputation despite your success in both official and business circles, which shows that you are kind-hearted. I just feel that cooperating with the Crown Prince will not benefit you, but may instead bring you unforeseen disaster. Perhaps the most important thing for you right now is to withdraw completely."
His expression seemed to shake off a mountain, but in the end, he only let out a low laugh.
"Someone like me... is the most ruthless of all. My heart has never been filled with compassion, but rather with calculations of how to make a huge profit. It's just to bow my head and beg for forgiveness from Buddha, to deceive myself and seek a place of peace."
He turned to look at her; the scar on his lip, from where she had injured him, was still not fully healed. It looked striking against his flawless, jade-like face. A bitter smile slowly curved his thin lips.
"You think too highly of me, Lin Xu."
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