Chapter 94 Is the competition about waist tokens about to begin?
Just after dawn, Xie Wenjun opened her eyes from her sleep.
The atmosphere was so oppressive that a chill seeped into one's very bones.
Xie Wenjun sat up and, through the shadows filtering in from the doors and windows, noticed that there were more guards at Yongning Palace than yesterday. The usual practice for personal guards on duty was one guard every five steps, but now it was one guard every three steps.
In addition, Xie Wenjun also noticed a plate of cooled sugar cakes on the table.
My heart skipped a beat for no reason.
The plate of cakes sat there quietly. She could guess who had bought it, but when she opened her eyes, that person wasn't there. In an instant, she knew that Chen Liangyu had already left Taihuang Temple and was far away from her.
Xie Wenjun's conjecture was completely unfounded, purely a fleeting, inexplicable feeling. And soon, the facts confirmed her feeling.
Xie Wenjun put on her shoes and got up from the bed. Hearing the noise, the palace maids who were serving outside the meditation room filed in and came forward to help Xie Wenjun wash and change. A palace maid brought a copper basin for washing and walked to the bed, placed it steadily on a carved low stool, knelt down beside it, and wet her face cloth.
Xie Wenjun stepped past the palace maid and said, "Rong Jun."
No one answered.
"A kite-like face with dark green eyebrows."
Yuan Rong rushed over from the side room. As she entered, she glanced down the stone steps and seemed to see something. She suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Your Highness."
Seeing the princess's cold expression, the palace maids silently lowered their heads and waited to the side.
Xie Wenjun pushed open the door to the meditation room. The two doors were wide open, and the Changning Guards were all stationed under the eaves outside Yongning Hall. Rong Jun was not seen.
There were still some people guarding the sixty-four stone steps outside Yongning Hall.
Those who besieged Yongning Palace were not wearing armor, so it was impossible to tell at a glance whether they were from the Northern Imperial Guards or the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Imperial Guards. Although their waist knives were wrapped in coarse cloth, the shape of the horizontal blades was still easy to identify.
It is the sword of the Imperial Guard.
There were just the right number of people, about twenty or thirty, enough to guard all the exits from Yongning Palace to other places.
Something must have happened during that sleep.
Xie Wenjun looked around and asked the guard standing between the two doors, who was holding the hilt of his sword, "Where is Dai Qing? Where are Rong Jun and Chen Liangyu?"
Yuan Rong said, "Your Highness, Dai Qing went outside the temple to buy sweet cakes. I heard that the General went with her. I don't know where Lord Rong went."
Commander Ren cupped his hands in a salute, saying, "Your Highness, please allow me to address you."
"I have something to say."
Commander Ren said, "Half an hour ago, someone came up from the foot of the mountain to report something. Lord Rong spoke a few words with this person and then went to another part of the temple to arrange for the change of guards. I noticed that there were some suspicious people among the worshippers in the temple. Since Lord Rong had not yet returned, I took it upon myself to call the brothers who were off duty to rest to strengthen the guard. Who knew that as soon as the troops were deployed, the Imperial Guards surrounded Yongning Hall."
Having said that, he straightened his clothes and waited for instructions.
"Princess, they don't have many people. It won't be difficult for them to break through."
Xie Wenjun remained silent.
Yongning Palace wasn't heavily guarded by imperial guards, but Taihuang Temple was located halfway up the mountain, and it would take an hour to drive down. Moreover, it was surrounded by hilltops that could easily be used for ambushes, and it was unknown how many people were hiding elsewhere, or whose orders they had given. Xie Wenjun didn't have many troops with him, and if they were to fight, he wouldn't have the upper hand.
"Since it's the Imperial Guard, is this what Your Majesty intends?"
Yuan Rong reminded her from the side, "Your Highness, it may not be the Emperor. Why don't you call someone up and ask him?"
If it's not Xie Yuan, who else could mobilize the Imperial Guards?
Empress Dowager.
Jiang Andong, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was a talented man whose talent was overlooked during the Xuanyuan era. When Prince Qi rebelled, he was in charge of guarding the current Empress Dowager and the families of a group of military generals. At that time, Prince Qi was wary of the elite and powerful troops led by Chen Liangyu, so he spared the lives of these families, intending to use them as hostages to fight against Xie Yuan when the army besieged the city.
But when the time came, the hostages had already been moved out of the city.
After the new emperor ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager strongly promoted Jiang Andong. In gratitude for the Empress Dowager's support, Jiang Andong rose through the ranks to become the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards. In the past two years, there have been rumors in the palace that the relationship between Grand Commander Jiang Andong and the Empress Dowager was not merely one of gratitude and favor, but rather an ambiguous one, and that he had become the Empress Dowager's favorite.
Putting aside the rumors for now, since Jiang Andong was promoted by the Empress Dowager, she could naturally command the Imperial Guards.
Just as Xie Wenjun was about to order Commander Ren to fetch a member of the Imperial Guard from below the stone steps to report back, he saw the abbot of the temple leading a group of martial monks from the Taihuang Temple up the steps from above.
The abbot wore a bright yellow robe with golden lotus patterns, and a long string of sandalwood prayer beads hung around his neck. The warrior monks behind him all wore plain cloth belts around their waists, and their trousers were tucked into black boots, all neatly arranged. Dai Qing was not among the group of warrior monks. She wore a warm outer garment and, although she was not restrained, she was practically being escorted up.
Xie Wenjun's gaze gradually hardened and sharpened.
The abbot led a group of warrior monks up to Yongning Hall. Under Xie Wenjun's increasingly cold and piercing gaze, the abbot made a hand gesture to the group of warrior monks behind him.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Dai Qing escaped from the encirclement of the martial monks. After exchanging greetings, she retreated to Xie Wenjun's side and hurriedly whispered, "Your Highness, Lord Rong..."
The abbot stood under the corridor, interrupting Daiqing's whisper with "This old monk pays his respects to Her Highness the Princess."
Xie Wenjun said, "Daiqing is my lady-in-waiting and also the translator at the Foreign Affairs Office of the Court of State Ceremonies. How can you be allowed to neglect her?"
The abbot clasped his hands together and said, “Your Highness, please forgive me. It was the Emperor who ordered the martial monks to return Lady Daiqing to Your Highness. In addition, the Emperor instructed me to tell Your Highness that General Chen has already descended the mountain.”
The abbot raised his hands, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, this is His Majesty's decree. Please accept the order."
This is the imperial edict issued at this hour!
Yuanrong and Daiqing hurriedly stepped forward to help Xie Wenjun tidy up her clothes and adorn herself. After she had tidied herself up a bit, Xie Wenjun slowly bent her knees and bowed towards the direction from which the imperial decree was being delivered, saying, "Your subject receives the decree."
"Today marks the tenth anniversary of Empress Huixian's passing. The Taihuang Temple is hereby instructed to prepare Buddhist rituals to pray for Empress Huixian's soul. All matters within the temple must prioritize Empress Huixian and the Princess, and all efforts must be made to serve them. Jiang Ning is known for his filial piety. Considering his deep longing for his family, he is specially permitted to stay at the temple for a while longer. He will return to the palace on an auspicious day after all matters are settled."
Xie Wenjun found this imperial edict, ostensibly for a blessing ceremony but actually a ban on movement, extremely suspicious.
Even if the eunuchs delivering imperial edicts ran at their fastest pace to the Taihuang Temple, it would still take them two or three hours. Yet, the edict had already arrived just after dawn, which is illogical. The gates of Yongdu City open at dawn and close at dusk, and the opening of the gates at dawn coincides with the morning court session. If it were only for a funeral service, the edict should have been sent after the morning court session ended, when Xie Yuan had some free time.
If she is not mistaken, the palace court is suspended today, and Xie Yuan is currently at Taihuang Temple.
The abbot bowed slightly, his head lowered, "Your Highness, as the prayers and chanting for Empress Huixian continue for a while, His Majesty has specially ordered the temple's warrior monks to accompany you closely to ensure your safety."
"Abbot, is the Emperor still in the temple?"
"Your Highness, His Majesty is indeed in the temple. He has already given orders that His Majesty's presence must not be publicized or disturb the worshippers in the temple."
Xie Wenjun said, "Your Majesty has come from afar, so I should go and pay my respects."
The abbot pondered for a moment and said, "His Majesty has not summoned him."
"Very well, then I will not disturb Your Majesty any longer." Xie Wenjun bowed with her sleeves folded, "Your Majesty, I accept your decree and thank you for your grace."
"This old monk takes his leave."
"Wait a minute."
The abbot paused. "Is there anything else Your Highness the Princess wish to instruct?"
"As I just said, Daiqing is an official of the Court of State Ceremonial and also someone close to me. The monks of the Imperial Palace Temple are disrespecting her. Is this an insult to the court or a disrespect to me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the abbot and the hundred or so warrior monks behind him knelt down in unison, their straight-collared, wide-sleeved brown robes neatly laid out on dozens of stone steps.
Xie Wenjun flicked his sleeve, turned his back, and made a decision: "From this day forward, the 30 mu of land owned by each person of Taihuang Temple shall be reduced to 15 mu, and their stipends and robes shall be halved. All of these provisions shall be abolished."
"I would like to trouble the abbot to pass on a message to my brother: you and I are not only ruler and subject, but also brother and sister. We can discuss everything together, and there is no need for a major conflict. Rongjun has been with me for many years. Once my brother has finished asking his questions, please call him back. I am very busy with religious ceremonies here for several days in a row and cannot do without him."
After Xie Wenjun finished dressing, she sat down at the dining table. The plate of cakes was still there, untouched.
Looking at the few pieces of steamed sugar cake, Xie Wenjun felt a sense of loss and helplessness. She picked up a piece with her delicate hand, took a small bite, and found it tasteless.
She wondered, "Is this the start of the competition?"
She also thought that the person had broken their promise once again. Just yesterday they said there would be plenty of time in the future, but after only a brief moment of closing their eyes, they quietly left again.
After Chen Liangyu descended the mountain, Daiqing intended to return to Yongning Palace to report to Xie Wenjun under the pretext of delivering cakes, but Xie Yuan summoned her to the Zen Inquiry Platform. Unable to disobey the imperial decree, she had no choice but to go. Just then, Rong Jun was arranging guards inside and outside Taihuang Temple. Upon seeing the imperial carriage, he was immediately restrained by several of Xie Yuan's personal attendants.
The monks finished their morning prayers and walked busily toward this place.
Dai Qing reported to the Emperor: "Your Highness drank wine last night and is feeling unwell. He ordered me to buy some cakes to help you sober up, and I am waiting for them now." After speaking, she stopped a cute-looking little monk and asked him to deliver the cakes to Yongning Palace. When His Highness saw the cakes but did not see her, he naturally realized that something was amiss.
Little did anyone know that the humble monk was an extremely dutiful person. He did whatever task he was assigned, and after delivering the sweet cakes to the palace maid on night duty in Yongning Palace, he politely took his leave and did not say a word to anyone who asked him anything.
Outside the meditation room, the statues of warrior monks from Taihuang Temple are scattered like sesame seeds sprinkled into a pot of porridge.
They claimed to be serving and waiting for orders, but in reality, they were spying.
This religious ceremony was personally ordered by the Emperor, so it must be a grand and extraordinary event. The Yuji ritual plan devised by Taihuang Temple lasts forty-nine days. In addition to chanting scriptures for the deceased, there are also additional roadside sacrifices and ceremonies to appease the spirits.
In previous years, the prayer and chanting of scriptures was only performed for seven days. Such a complex procedure could not have been devised in a single day.
It seems that Xie Yuan came prepared.
While trapped on the mountain for forty-nine days, the outside world has likely witnessed a complete transformation.
Xie Wenjun reached her fingertips toward her heart, where there was a metal object, a gift from Chen Liangyu.
“Daiqing”.
"This servant is here."
"Have you and Xiqing ever exchanged any tokens of affection?"
According to the law, palace maids who had private relations with men outside the palace would be punished for "trespassing into the forbidden palace," and those who had relations with leaders of grassland tribes were punished even more severely, with forty strokes of the cane and two years of penal servitude. Although she did not know why Xie Wenjun had asked about her private affairs, Daiqing did not hide anything from His Highness. She took out an ivory waist token from the purse she wore at her waist.
Xie Wenjun examined the waist tag. It had an ivory base, a gold frame, and was engraved with patterns unique to the Ximano tribe. The handicraft industry on the grasslands was very backward, and the waist tag was not very exquisite, but it was a sacred object symbolizing the tribal chief and his dignified status.
Iron-inlaid letter tube.
Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!
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