Qingyan knew he shouldn't have responded to her statement.
But he was really curious about what she would say.
I glanced at it sideways.
"Why?"
Qi Su smiled sweetly.
"Because I know him. He went through so much trouble to return to Ganjing from Jincheng, surely not just to get himself killed? Don't worry, whatever happens is within your senior brother's expectations."
Qingyan puffed out his cheeks.
"I know that too."
Qi Su feigned surprise.
"Then why doesn't he like you? Maybe it's because—"
She scanned the young novice monk up and down with her eyes.
"Because you're a boy, right?"
Qing Yan…
Clouds without obscure...
.
A fierce storm was brewing outside, and I had thought that Daxiangguo Temple was a peaceful haven.
As night fell, the harbor also became turbulent.
When Qi Su went to the kitchen to retrieve the roasted sweet potatoes she had prepared, she saw Qing Yan standing furtively under the eaves, peeking inside.
She patted the little monk on the head.
The young monk shushed her and dragged her aside.
He secretly pointed inside.
He mouthed a few words, "Princess Anle".
Huh? Princess Anle came to bring warmth late at night.
The news came out pretty quickly.
…
The door to the meditation room was wide open.
The moonlight and gentle breeze can both seep in.
Yun Wuyi sat on one side of the square table, while Princess Anle sat on the other side.
Two cups of tea were placed on the table, with wisps of white steam rising from them.
Even these two cups of tea seem to indicate a greater familiarity between them than the two people sitting at the table.
Qi Su and Qing Yan squatted under the bushes outside the corridor.
Peeling roasted sweet potatoes while watching the scene unfold.
Finally, it was Princess Anle, with red-rimmed eyes, who spoke first.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Yun Wuyi: "It's alright."
That's all.
The Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist seemed more attractive than the young woman opposite him.
Qi Su took a bite of the sweet potato with a crunchy sound.
Why don't you ask how the injury on his shoulder is?
After all, Princess Anle was injured when she came to the Daxiangguo Temple to visit King Qishan.
The cold, two-word reply was clearly hurtful.
Princess Anle's eyes reddened even more.
But she was still trying to comfort him.
"His Majesty has no intention of blaming you, Your Highness need not worry."
Yun Wuyi held his prayer beads and did not respond.
Princess Anle took a deep breath, straightened her back, gripped her handkerchief tightly, and looked at the cold and silent man opposite her.
“Your Highness, I have come today to have an open and frank conversation with you.”
The man's cold, dark eyes finally landed on her face.
"Please speak, Princess."
Princess Anle lowered her head and remained silent for a while.
"I know you have no feelings for me and are unwilling to accept our engagement. I just want to ask, what do I have to do to change your opinion of me?"
Yun Wuyi: "It has nothing to do with the princess. I never wanted to get married in the first place."
Princess Anle: "But this is His Majesty's will. Our identities are special, and we are not in control of our own lives. Your situation is worse than mine. Although I have been granted the title of princess and live in the palace, I must be careful with my words and actions. Your Highness should be able to understand my feelings."
The person opposite him had calm, dark eyes.
His expression was cold, and his words were even more indifferent and ruthless.
"No living being is without hardship."
Princess Anle's eyes glistened with tears.
"The marriage contract is nothing more than a title. If you don't care, you can pretend it doesn't exist. Even after the marriage, I won't interfere with anything Your Highness does. Besides..."
Her voice was soft and murmured.
"Moreover, I do indeed have feelings for Your Highness..."
As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks and landed on her white jade bracelet.
Crystal clear.
Tsk tsk.
Qi Su nudged Qing Yan with her elbow.
The voice in the air asked, "If it were you, would you be willing?"
The little monk ate so much sweet potato that his nose was covered in black ash.
Upon hearing Qi Su's question, he indeed pondered seriously for two seconds.
“Princess Anle is very beautiful, but I am not willing.”
"Why?"
Qingyan rolled his eyes.
"Women always take an inch and then a mile. Once they get a title, they'll start to crave a body. Once they get a body, they'll start to crave a heart. It never ends. Copying scriptures and chanting Buddhist mantras is much more comfortable."
Qi Su listened with deep respect.
Master Qingyan is quite good.
I've been listening to all the gossip from the fortune-telling area at Daxiangguo Temple these past few days, and it wasn't a waste of time.
Inside the room.
The young man, who had gathered his prayer beads, remained unmoved by the tears streaming down his face, his cold, dark eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
He simply said, "I am not a good match for you, Princess. You should find a better marriage."
Princess Anle couldn't hold back any longer after hearing those words.
Tears streamed down her face, both fierce and urgent.
She suddenly stood up, lunged to the other side, and hugged the young man.
"You are my perfect match, and I don't want anyone else but you!"
The sweet potato peel that Qingyan was holding in his mouth fell off.
Yun Wuyi glanced at the shadows of the trees outside the door.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"Princess, please have some self-respect."
He only told her to have self-respect, but he didn't push her.
Princess Anle held the person in front of her tightly.
It's like a drowning fish finding a spring of clear water.
The sandalwood scent emanating from him was faint and distant, just like his personality—always indifferent and detached.
Her tears fell onto the man's clothes.
"I only want you, I don't want anyone else."
She was in this hell, and the only light of salvation was about to descend. How could she possibly miss it?
A young man was fiddling with prayer beads.
"Has the princess considered leaving Ganjing?"
"Leave?" Princess Anle looked at him with eyes full of tears.
His vision was blurry through his tears.
That usually indifferent face seemed to soften.
"How can I leave? My hands and feet are tied; I'm already nailed to this capital city."
"Is that so?" the man asked in return.
Princess Anle slowly loosened her grip on his clothes.
She once had the opportunity to leave.
For example, she goes to Daxiangguo Temple late at night now, and she also occasionally has the opportunity to go to other places.
If she makes up her mind, she might not be unable to leave.
But what if we get caught and brought back?
Where should she go after she escapes?
She knew nothing, like a flower planted in a flowerbed, or a bird kept in a cage.
She will die after leaving here.
No, she can't leave. She will find the light of salvation, she will find her own support.
Princess Anle's eyes were brimming with tears.
"Please have mercy, Your Highness."
The last trace of sympathy in Yun Wuyi's eyes vanished.
All beings suffer; the Buddha cannot save people, only self-salvation is possible.
"It's getting late, Princess, please return."
He told them to leave.
Princess Anle's face was pale.
He rejected her again.
She laid herself bare and revealed everything to him, but he still rejected her.
Her wet eyelashes drooped down.
She left him silently.
I still can't give up.
"Is it because of that girl you used to like?"
“I’ve heard everything. You left the monastic life because of a woman, who was also from Ganjing. She married into Jincheng last year but died unexpectedly. You would rather marry her memorial tablet than marry me.”
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