Chapter 84 Does the father and mother have paid respects to Heaven and Earth and their parents?
Taihuang Temple, Yongning Hall.
Chen Liangyu hadn't been here for a long time; today she accompanied Xie Wenjun to add incense for Empress Huixian.
He had made a promise to her years ago, saying that if he had free time around the anniversary of Empress Huixian's death, he would accompany Xie Wenjun to stay at Taihuang Temple for a few days.
These past years, it seems I've never had a moment of leisure, and when I do, it's never been the right time, so I've never been able to keep my promise.
Two days ago, Xie Yuan imprisoned Liang Qiuting, the Prince of Nanzhou, in the Dali Temple on the grounds that he "looked up at the emperor with the intention of assassinating him." Liang Qiuting's personal advisor, Liu Mo, and Meng Yuanliang, an envoy from Dongyin disguised as a man, fled to the southern border. Xie Yuan issued a secret edict ordering Heng Miao of the southern border to keep a close watch. No news has yet come from the southern border. After Zhao Xingli's imprisonment, the cases of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works were no longer pursued. The court was temporarily at peace, which gave Xie Yuan a few days of leisure.
Several oil lamps were lit on the offering table in Yongning Hall, and fresh fruits and pastries were laid out. Two futons wrapped in bright yellow silk were placed on the ground.
The inside of the incense burner was filled with incense ash.
Xie Wenjun washed her hands, picked up three incense sticks, and placed them on the candle flame, whereupon blue smoke rose up.
Chen Liangyu glanced at Xie Wenjun, her expression composed and her breath held, afraid of disturbing her. After hesitating for a moment, she stepped forward and, like Xie Wenjun, took three thin incense sticks from the incense box and lit them at the tip of the flame.
If we kneel down together at this moment, does that count as paying respects to our parents and to Heaven and Earth?
After burning incense, Chen Liangyu stepped back to Xie Wenjun's side and stood with her.
Standing side by side.
During royal sacrificial rites, the order and position of officials and the eldest princess in offering incense are strictly governed by court etiquette. According to the rules, Chen Liangyu should wait until Xie Wenjun has lit incense and bowed before she can step forward. If they are to burn incense and bow together, she should consciously stand behind the royal family member to show the difference between the emperor and his subjects.
Chen Liangyu stood beside Xie Wenjun, not retreating any further.
As if she were doing something wrong, Chen Liangyu glanced sideways at the person beside her. Xie Wenjun was also looking at her, and when their eyes met, the two of them simultaneously knelt down on the prayer mats before the memorial tablet of Empress Huixian.
Holding the incense sticks up to their eyebrows, the two beautiful figures bowed deeply.
She bowed three times, then gently inserted the incense stick into the incense burner. The ash fell softly. Chen Liangyu stood quietly before the incense burner, gazing at the wisps of smoke rising gently. The surroundings were silent. She wondered if Empress Huixian's spirit tablet above could hear her heartfelt wishes.
Knowing that Xie Wenjun wouldn't hold it against her for the sake of politeness, Chen Liangyu was secretly delighted that Xie Wenjun had once again indulged her actions.
But then she wondered, was Xie Wenjun deliberately indulging her, or had he simply failed to notice her hidden desires? Many high-ranking officials and nobles had secret fetishes, judging solely by appearance, regardless of gender. Yet, such unusual tastes were only to be enjoyed in private, in secluded places, to satisfy their desires; they would never dare to admit it in public. It was a secret, a taboo, not to be mentioned even once.
She hoped it was the former, yet also felt the latter would be better. Then she thought again, and realized neither was good enough; she needed to find out for sure. A sudden, intense impulse welled up within Chen Liangyu.
The more silent and deserted Yongning Palace became, the more turbulent Chen Liangyu's chest became. She steeled her resolve, deciding to lay everything bare, like undressing herself step by step, revealing her true feelings to Xie Wenjun with utmost honesty. Even in death, she would die cleanly and openly.
Such flowery words seem like pedantry.
Too pretentious!
Too simplistic...
Chen Liangyu's chest heaved twice, the words almost on the tip of her tongue, but she felt that nothing she said would be appropriate. If Xie Wenjun didn't want to make things clear, her rashness would undoubtedly push Xie Wenjun away from her.
“Ah Li.”
Xie Wenjun was calling her.
After being lost in thought for a long time, Chen Liangyu suddenly realized upon hearing Xie Wenjun's voice that compared to the separation and estrangement she might face in the future, she could tolerate this ambiguous and unpleasant relationship with Xie Wenjun.
"Your subject is present."
Chen Liangyu's mind was in complete turmoil, but Xie Wenjun seemed to be enjoying herself. She dismissed the palace maids and Changning Guards who accompanied her, and even left Rong Jun behind. She grabbed Chen Liangyu's hand and, with a light step, pulled her in one direction.
To the east of Yongning Hall is a door leading to a meditation room, which was Xie Wenjun's lodging at Taihuang Temple. The meditation room was still old and simple. The furnishings remained unchanged, with a bamboo couch, a set of pine wood table and chairs, and a Buddhist shrine.
Xie Wenjun gently twisted the shrine, and with a "click," a hidden box popped out from the base.
The box was long and narrow, flat but quite long; Xie Wenjun could easily lift it with one hand, and it didn't seem to contain anything heavy. She carried the long box to the back hall.
Chen Liangyu followed, and couldn't help but become curious about the items in the box.
The things that Xie Wenjun kept hidden beside Empress Huixian and under the Buddhist shrine must have been extremely precious to her.
So what could it be?
She silently measured the box's dimensions in her mind; if it were a scrollless painting, it would fit perfectly when rolled up. Xie Wenjun had once said she had a sweetheart. Could this sweetheart be so secretive?
A narrow path led from the rear hall to a secluded spot, where two young monks in grey robes approached, just in time to meet two female pilgrims. The woman in front had a refined face and an elegant figure; the intricate cloud patterns on her cloak swayed with her steps, revealing a hint of imperial nobility. The woman behind her walked with a much more steady gait, her long, fitted, dark blue robe flowing gracefully with every step.
The monks immediately stopped, slowly raised their hands, clasped them together in front of their chests, and bowed slightly in greeting. After the worshippers had passed, the two young monks slowly lowered their hands, frequently turning back in surprise at the two women who had just brushed past them, whose figures and appearances resembled those of female bodhisattvas.
The secluded path led to an archway guarded by soldiers, and Chen Liangyu suddenly didn't want to go any further. She was afraid that Xie Wenjun's treasured long box might contain something she absolutely didn't want to see.
With that thought in mind, Chen Liangyu began to dawdle, plucking a leaf and a handful of grass, grinding the innocent pebbles on the road with the soles of her shoes.
Xie Wenjun has always been very patient and didn't rush her, letting her dawdle along at a snail's pace.
Chen Liangyu grew increasingly sluggish. Even with her slowed pace, this short road eventually came to an end, and the archway she didn't want to enter was right before her eyes. Chen Liangyu simply squatted down by the roadside and used a leaf she had just torn off to tease the large, fat green caterpillar dozing in the grass.
Seeing that Chen Liangyu had not followed, Xie Wenjun stopped and waited.
The fat caterpillar was tossed and turned, disoriented, under the leaves. Chen Liangyu fiddled with it for a while before putting it back on the grass where it had been dozing. Just as he was engrossed in playing, a sudden chill ran down his back.
This chilling sensation down my spine feels so familiar!
The last time was at Qunfangyuan in Wuzhou.
Looking up, sure enough, Xie Wenjun was staring at her with cold eyes, shaking his head with a hint of helplessness. What kind of trouble is he causing?
Turning to leave, Xie Wenjun saw no sign of Chen Liangyu following, so she had to return to Chen Liangyu's side. There were no eye-catching treasures in the grass, only a worm wriggling to escape.
"Is this insect interesting?" Xie Wenjun frowned slightly.
Chen Liangyu said, "Interesting."
"What's so interesting about it?" Xie Wenjun didn't quite understand and waited for Chen Liangyu to explain it to her.
Chen Liangyu thought to herself that she was still somewhat different in the Princess's heart. Xie Wenjun was a person who never listened to nonsense, and this was even more true after she took over the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau. Officials working under her followed an unspoken but universally accepted rule, whether in official documents or oral reports: when reporting matters, they should only state the facts and not make any redundant statements.
Xie Wenjun was willing to listen to Chen Liangyu, no matter how trivial or boring her words were. She was even willing to waste a moment of her time on a green caterpillar that had caught her eye.
Chen Liangyu couldn't quite put his finger on what was so interesting about a worm, so he quipped, "The interesting thing is that His Highness is here with you."
Xie Wenjun said, "In that case, you will accompany me to do something interesting."
"What's up?"
"Come with me."
Chen Liangyu intended to continue stalling, but was suddenly pulled up. A warm sensation came from her palm, and her fingers immediately slipped between them, interlocking tightly. Xie Wenjun, carrying a box in one hand and holding someone's hand in the other, passed through the archway as usual. Chen Liangyu clearly saw the expressions of the guards standing on both sides suddenly turn strange.
Chen Liangyu was unfamiliar with the rear hall of Taihuang Temple. He had never noticed the archway there before, so he didn't know what it looked like inside.
Stepping inside, I realized it was a small shooting range.
The area was small, the ground carefully leveled, the loess compacted, making it firm to walk on, with a few clumps of wild grass growing stubbornly in the corners. The targets were neatly arranged at the other end of the range, while various bows and arrows were displayed on the weapon racks at their end.
Xie Wenjun placed the box he had been carrying all the way on the table, took out an extremely thin key from his sleeve, and inserted it into the lock cylinder.
Chen Liangyu stared at the box without moving, his gaze intense, as if he wanted to turn the box to ashes.
With a slight "click," the lock opened.
After Xie Wenjun took the contents out, Chen Liangyu craned her neck to look. It wasn't a portrait of her beloved, but a square piece of silk cloth wrapped around a tree branch-shaped object. It looked like a long arrow.
The silk cloth was rolled up. It was indeed an arrow.
A feathered arrow.
The arrow fletching is adorned with white feathers and is exquisitely crafted. These feathers at the tip of the arrow serve as a marker, often used during hunts to distinguish the number of prey each person has caught.
The arrow in Xie Wenjun's hand looked old, as if it had been there for many years, and the white feathers had turned a dark yellow.
It looks very familiar.
Xie Wenjun used this kind of feathered arrow during the spring hunt ten years ago when Empress Huixian passed away.
Xie Wenjun walked to the bow and arrow rack, selected a suitable bow, held the bow in her left hand, nocked an arrow in her right hand, gently tapped the arrow nock onto the string, and pulled the string back slightly.
The bowstring gradually bent. With a crisp "whoosh," the white fletching of the arrow spun rapidly and struck the red bullseye steadily.
Xie Wenjun raised her head slightly. "How is it?"
Chen Liangyu, with a hint of flattery, raised his hand and clapped a few times.
Xie Wenjun asked, "Is it more stable for you to hold the bow now than when you didn't have teeth?"
Chen Liangyu remained silent, only watching her smile. As she smiled, the cold wind reddened her eyes.
Xie Wenjun misunderstood, thinking she was mocking her for being dull-witted in archery. She glared at the bow in her hand, then looked at the fletching of the arrow that had flattened after hitting the bullseye, and said, "Is there anything wrong with it?" Seemingly eager to prove that her archery skills were already very good, she said, "When I went to Zhongwu City to deal with the remnants of the Lin family, the Lin family refused to be executed. I personally shot and killed the leader of the Lin family's rebel army."
The Lin family of Zhongwu City are the relatives of Lin Zhong, the former commander of the Imperial Guards who conspired with Prince Qi, Xie Xuan, to rebel and assassinate Crown Prince Yizhang.
“It’s perfect in every way,” Chen Liangyu said. “Your Highness’s arrows are excellent.”
Xie Wenjun said, "If it's so good, why are you laughing?"
"I laugh at myself. How foolish."
The arrow that once killed two birds with one stone has been treasured by Xie Wenjun for so many years. The name of Xie Wenjun's "beloved," whom she harbored resentment towards, seems unnecessary to ask now.
Many things from the past surfaced. The fortune-telling stall under the lanterns, the sky lanterns by the Xu River, the unexpected kiss at the Shenwang Mansion in Linxia, the row of teeth marks left at the Luping Marquis Mansion in the Southern Border, the jade lion for the Wanhe Festival, the feathered arrow hidden under the Buddhist shrine for ten years...
The willow hairpin she often wore in her black hair, and the many days and nights they slept together.
She asked me twice, "Are you sure you want to marry someone else?"
...
There are many more. Those inconspicuous, unnoticed little things are strung together like stars in a string. She was bothered by the "sweetheart" that Xie Wenjun had only mentioned once, and her jealousy had secretly surged several times because of it. But if she thought about it carefully, she could easily realize that there had never been anyone else by Xie Wenjun's side all these years.
The question Chen Liangyu never asked aloud, Xie Wenjun had actually given the answer to many times before, but Chen Liangyu had never paid attention.
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