Chapter 88 The moon is not full tonight at the mountain temple, but it is full with you here.
As night fell, the wooden door of the meditation room next to Yongning Hall suddenly opened from the inside, a figure swiftly flashed out, closed the door by fastening the door knocker, and strode away.
He walked as if a vengeful ghost was chasing him.
Yuan Rong and Dai Qing were staying in the side room. Hearing the commotion, they quickly put on a robe and came out to see what was happening. Chen Liangyu happened to brush past them.
What happened?
"General..."
The mountain temple was empty and quiet; if you raised your voice even slightly, it could travel very far.
It would have been better if he hadn't called out. But the shout made Chen Liangyu take even bigger strides. Before, she was just walking a little faster, but now it was like she was running for her life. She slipped away as fast as she could.
Her robes disappeared around the corner of Yongning Hall. Chen Liangyu walked around the hall, turned a corner, and went straight to a monk's room. When she entered the temple earlier, the abbot was unaware that the Grand General was accompanying the Princess, and the monk's room was only prepared at noon.
The three rooms were arranged in a row, with Lin Yin and Bu Ping'er on either side. The rooms were lit by candlelight.
Footsteps approached quickly.
Before Chen Liangyu could even push open the door to the middle room, the doors to the two side quarters opened simultaneously, and two heads popped out, their big, blinking eyes wide open.
A keen eye is a good thing, but unfortunately Lin Yin doesn't have one. She blinked, looking Chen Liangyu up and down, "General, we understand."
You know nothing! Bullshit!
Chen Liangyu bent his knuckles, thinking that gouging out their eyeballs seemed like a good option.
Bu Ping'er quickly distanced herself, acting as if she didn't know Lin Yin, "Who says we understand? If you want to understand, you understand yourself. I don't understand."
"If you don't understand, then I don't understand either."
Chen Liangyu curled her index and ring fingers even tighter.
Xie Wenjun's words "quite fair-skinned" during the day were like a thunderclap, shattering the thoughts of everyone present. For the rest of the afternoon, Lin Yin and Bu Ping'er looked at her with bewilderment and disbelief.
Unfortunately, Xie Wenjun invited her into a meditation room and locked her there for an entire afternoon, where she hand-copied Buddhist scriptures to be offered before the memorial tablet of Empress Huixian. After finishing one scroll, night had fallen outside the window. Taihuang Temple was, after all, located in the imperial city, a place of Buddhist tranquility; she dared not spend the night in Xie Wenjun's meditation room. She stormed out.
In the darkness, the person seemed flustered and panicked, looking every bit like a guilty thief fleeing in disarray. This made it even harder to explain.
As expected, Lin Yin and Bu Ping'er looked at her with a hint of pity now.
Lin Yin glanced at Bu Ping'er.
Their eyes met, and Bu Ping'er quickly understood.
That means, "Even being a great general isn't easy!"
Bu Ping'er pursed her lips and nodded.
Lin Yin raised an eyebrow: "I didn't expect the Princess to have this kind of taste. Surely the Princess can't force someone to do something against their will?"
Bu Ping'er winked: "That's right!"
Lin Yin gave her another look: "What can we do? Can she even get back to the Northern Border?"
Bu Ping'er leaned against the door frame and glanced at her ill-fated general: Little did she know that where power reigns supreme, there is even greater power to surpass it.
Chen Liangyu gritted her teeth, her cheeks puffing out, "What kind of riddles are you two playing?"
"This humble general wouldn't dare," Bu Ping'er said, touching the door frame, her words tumbling out without thinking, "Tonight... this door is really white."
Chen Liangyu's ears cannot bear the word "white" today.
She held up three fingers and counted, "Three!"
Before the words were even finished and before the count of "two" and "one" could be uttered, both doors slammed shut simultaneously.
"two!"
The candlelight went out at the same time.
Standing there, darkness suddenly descended. In the mountain temple, lanterns are not lit at night, and people need to carry lamps to illuminate their way. Chen Liangyu suddenly realized that she had walked all the way from the meditation room on the side of Yongning Hall as if it were daytime, without needing to carry a lamp at all. She could even see the veins of the roadside weeds clearly.
She looked up.
A bright moon hangs high in the sky, dazzlingly bright.
The gates of Taihuang Temple were painted vermilion, and under the cool moonlight, they seemed to be coated with a layer of frost. At first glance, the buildings and temples were bathed in the silvery moonlight.
There was still some ink left from copying between Chen Liangyu's fingers; with a flick of his fingers, the ink faded.
She looked toward Yongning Palace and stood there for a moment.
The grand hall seemed to be covered with a thin veil woven from the moonlight, and Chen Liangyu suddenly had a strong urge to turn back.
But then she hesitated.
That's all.
Back in the hut, the door latch clicked shut, and a strong night wind suddenly rose from the mountain, pattering against the door.
Chen Liangyu rested her head on the pillow, the brocade quilt half-covering her, gazing at the ceiling.
My thoughts drifted away.
What Hsieh Wen-Chun said to her at the shooting range during the daytime made sense.
Xie Yuan was a wise and discerning man, yet he was also indecisive. He was not cruel or indiscriminate in killing, nor was he stubborn or self-willed. He did not impose harsh policies or appoint cruel officials. If he had been born in a prosperous era, he would surely have been a wise and capable ruler who maintained the status quo.
But such a person sitting on the throne is also destined to be unable to control the evil spirits and monsters of the chaotic world.
The Great Lin Dynasty appears to be clear-headed and stable, but in reality, it is fraught with danger. Reducing the power of aristocratic families will inevitably lead to rebellion; cutting redundant officials will inevitably destabilize the court; but if neither is done, an empty treasury and financial difficulties are only a matter of time.
The problems are clear, but no matter which link you start from to solve them, it's like getting stuck in a quagmire, sinking deeper with every step.
One wrong move and the whole game falls apart.
The current situation was almost entirely orchestrated by Xie Wenjun. She was the one who supported the new emperor and stabilized the powerful families; she was the one who inspected the fields and replenished the national treasury. Each step was interconnected, and each step held profound significance.
While it would be feasible for Xie Yuan to forcibly send troops to suppress the unrest, a large-scale military campaign would inevitably lead to heavy taxes, causing widespread suffering. The agricultural and sericulture taxes were managed by Xie Wenjun; if she were to withdraw from the matter, Xie Yuan truly would be unable to resolve this chaotic situation.
Return the land to the people.
Xie Wenjun and Yan Nian had both mentioned these four words to her.
To return the land to the common people, it is necessary to suppress the powerful clans with all our might. But now, the powerful clans rely on Xie Wenjun's hereditary official position, and the entire court is full of their cronies, leaving almost no way out for the poor. They have become rampant to the extreme.
Xie Wenjun, having set up the scheme herself, naturally knew best which link to unravel to minimize the disaster.
The moment Xie Wenjun confessed to her, she had no choice. Xie Wenjun understood better than anyone how Chen Liangyu would choose between loyalty to the emperor and saving the people, if the two were mutually exclusive.
Chen Liangyu thought to herself, "When we first met, I was right about you."
He is indeed cunning and scheming, and not someone to be trifled with.
But then she thought, the moonlight tonight is rare, and she really wanted to enjoy it with Xie Wenjun.
The sudden gust of wind dampened the mood, making the door rattle as if someone was knocking on it.
Chen Liangyu turned over and lay on her side. The moon was cool and the wind was strong; a mountain breeze blew in through the crack in the door, and she pulled the corner of the blanket up.
Xie Wenjun's schemes are truly far-reaching; it's not bad to drag her into this mess.
Being used is not a big deal.
So at least in the ancient records passed down through the ages, the names of Chen Liangyu and Xie Wenjun can be together forever.
The howling wind stopped, but the knocking on the door started again.
Chen Liangyu heard it clearly; it wasn't the wind, but someone was really knocking on her door.
Lifting the brocade quilt, Chen Liangyu put on a robe and moved to the door, pulling off the latch, the door hinges making a soft "creak" sound.
The door opened, and Xie Wenjun stood outside.
She wore only a single layer of clothing, her long hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, and a few strands of hair were blown by the wind to her fair cheeks. Her eyes remained deep and unfathomable.
Chen Liangyu pulled Xie Wenjun into the room, hugged her, rolled her into the quilt, and wrapped her tightly in his arms.
Xie Wenjun's thin clothes were chilly, and she huddled in her arms, shivering.
Chen Liangyu said, "Why didn't you put on a cloak before you came?"
"The moon is beautiful tonight."
"It's very good."
"As dusk approached, I glanced out the window and knew the moonlight would be beautiful tonight. I planned to finish copying the Buddhist scriptures and then have them prepare a vegetarian meal at the stone table and benches outside the hall, so that you, Daiqing, and the others could enjoy the moon together." Xie Wenjun no longer referred to herself as "this palace." "But why did you run so fast?"
Chen Liangyu stammered, "I..." She couldn't explain why she ran away. In short, once she put down her pen and left the purification of Buddhist scriptures, it was difficult for her to stay in the same room with Xie Wenjun with a pure mind. "Is the vegetarian meal prepared?"
Xie Wenjun said, "The monks have rested, so we won't trouble them anymore. We didn't eat dinner while copying Buddhist scriptures tonight, are you hungry?"
“I’m not hungry,” Chen Liangyu shook his head and pulled the other person closer, “but I really want to admire the moon with Your Highness.”
Xie Wenjun glanced out the window. The moonlight was clear, and the mountain breeze seemed to have subsided considerably. "It's not too late yet." She jumped off the bed and ran outside barefoot.
Chen Liangyu grabbed her fox fur coat, shoes, and socks and chased after her.
"Ah Li, look."
Xie Wenjun stood barefoot on the grass in front of the dormitory, looked up at the bright moon.
Walking barefoot under the moonlight is a beautiful sight, but it can easily lead to catching a cold.
Chen Liangyu draped the fox fur over Xie Wenjun's shoulders, then knelt down, about to put her shoes and socks on. Just then, the sound of two doors opening behind them pierced the quiet night.
Lin Yin and Bu Ping'er poked their heads out from the crack in the door at the same time once again.
Two pairs of eyes looked down from behind. At that moment, Chen Liangyu was kneeling on one knee on the grass, arranging her shoes and socks neatly.
Lin Yin and Bu Ping'er couldn't see the jade shoes laid out on the grass; they only saw Chen Liangyu kneeling on one knee before the Princess, head bowed, her hands busy with something. They didn't know what she was doing.
Is this some kind of devout prayer ceremony? Or some kind of unusual bedroom romance?
It can't just be weeding, can it?
Chen Liangyu arranged her shoes and socks without looking up: "One!"
The sound of the door closing echoed through the valley, and the mountain temple returned to silence.
"You manage your subordinates well." Xie Wenjun smiled and stepped back.
"You flatter me."
As midnight approaches, the shadow under the moon shrinks to one's feet, accompanying one.
At this time of year, the grassy fields don't freeze at night, but they are still chilly, especially on this hillside, where it feels even colder.
Xie Wenjun seemed oblivious to the chill in her feet. Wrapped in a white fox fur coat, she walked to the fragrant grass under the moonlight, resembling a lotus blooming in the clear moonlight, pure and captivating.
"Ah Li," she called.
"Your subject is present."
"After you left just now, I suddenly became very afraid that you would be gone for a long time again, like many times before, when you left and I wouldn't see you for a year or two. I know you are still in the temple, but I..." Xie Wenjun stopped in her tracks and stopped moving, gazing intently, "I miss you so much."
I miss you so much.
I really want to see you.
Today is not the fifteenth of the month, and the moon is waning.
"The moon is not full tonight, but with you here, I feel complete."
The mountain breeze, which had been still for a long time, suddenly rose again, stirring Xie Wenjun's loose hair. The night was no longer deathly silent, and the branches of the mountain forest rustled.
"Before the Empress Dowager's memorial tablet, I force you to make a choice based on your past promises to her and the well-being of the people and the nation. Perhaps you harbor resentment..."
No complaints.
A look of surprise appeared in Xie Wenjun's eyes. The two words were very ordinary, but they made her pause for a moment.
Thinking she hadn't heard him clearly, Chen Liangyu, in the stillness of the mountain breeze, enunciated with perfect clarity: "Your subject has no resentment."
After a moment, Chen Liangyu continued, "Your Highness's desire to protect you is not solely due to a promise I made to Empress Huixian years ago, but also because of my own..."
This tranquility did not last long, for a disturbance broke out at Yongning Palace.
Chen Liangyu calmly picked up the neatly arranged shoes and socks from the ground. Xie Wenjun's toes had just touched the shoes when the Changning Guards came searching this way with torches in hand.
Amidst the chaotic clashing of soldiers, Chen Liangyu spoke with resounding conviction: "I wish to have my name forever etched in the annals of history. Whether I am remembered for good or ill, I will go with you through it all."
Those of the same rank will be renowned for all time.
May your name forever accompany us in the annals of history, witnessing the long passage of time together.
The moonlight over the mountain temple was even brighter, illuminating every corner of the eaves and casting a white glow on the stone steps and pagoda, so bright it was dazzling, making the torchlight seem dim in comparison.
The moment the fighting started, the monks in the temple were startled. Lin Yin and Bu Ping'er, sword in hand, joined the others outside their quarters.
Yuanrong and Daiqing pushed aside the Changning guards, carrying thick clothes as they ran forward. Seeing that Xie Wenjun was wearing a fox fur coat, they didn't pile any more clothes on him. Yuanrong said, "Your Highness, it gets terribly cold in the mountains at night. Be careful not to catch a chill."
Xie Wenjun looked at the leader of the Changning Guard and said, "Didn't I say that no one needs to follow me? Rong Jun, step down."
Rong Jun bowed and said, "Yes."
Author's note: Thank you so much, my lovely Shenshui!
Don't take me away! I don't want your nutrient solution anymore! (pulls at his pants leg [crying emoji])
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