Chapter 4 If I encounter an affair, can I gouge out my ears...?
There are countless ancient temples and monasteries in Luoyang.
Besides the imperial temples belonging to the imperial family, wealthy families also often built their own temples and shrines to enshrine their ancestors and guardian deities.
Even the poor would pool their money with their neighbors to build a small temple to accumulate good fortune, or send their children to a place of quiet contemplation and spiritual cultivation.
Yu Yang Nunnery is such a nunnery where nuns practice together.
Jiang Si Niangzi is practicing Buddhism here while still keeping her hair.
Before Yuan Jingming and his party even reached the entrance, the abbess greeted them with a beaming smile as she ran to meet them.
The Buddhist realm preaches equality for all beings, and the Three Pure Ones teach that all things are worthless. However, in the human world, there are countless social classes, with people fawning over the rich and hating the poor. Consequently, even the immortals and Buddhas who cultivate in the mortal world compete for a place of honor and despicable status, each keeping to themselves and their own interests.
The Crown Prince of Pingning and the young master of the Meng family in Luoyang visited Yuyang Nunnery together. The abbess was so pleased that she dared not ask, "What brings you here, distinguished guests?" for fear that they might have mistaken the place for something else and would leave as soon as they realized what was going on.
The abbess was a woman in her forties, short in stature, her robe clinging tightly to her body like a square plaster.
"Your Highness's presence is a great honor to our nunnery. Yu Yang Nunnery currently has one Buddha statue, one Guanyin statue, and one each of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Skanda. This humble nun will now show Your Highness around. If there is anything you find unsatisfactory, Your Highness will certainly tell us the truth, and we will make corrections accordingly."
In just a few words, Yuan Jingming was put on hold by her. As long as word got out that her Yuyang Nunnery had received guidance from the Prince of Pingning, it would easily overshadow the scattered nunneries within a ten-mile radius.
The amount of money donated for incense will naturally increase as the tide rises.
There was no escaping this scheme, so Yuan Jingming simply went in with the abbess. After all, the bigger the entourage, the more intimidating it would be, and the more support he could give Jiang Yingyun when they met later.
But if the abbess orders the female disciples to stay away because of the separation of men and women, then he can forget about watching Jiang Si.
So Yuan Jingming and Le Jin split up. He went openly, while she searched secretly, and told him what she found.
Watching him being escorted away, Le Jin asked Meng Shutai beside her, "Young Master Meng, would you like to come in together?"
Meng Shutai shook his head. "Dirty."
“Those who cultivate themselves must have many desires.”
"She said the temple enshrines Buddha and Guanyin, but what I see is clearly a Yaksha and Tai Sui."
These words were utterly rebellious, completely unlike anything Meng Shutai would say. But Le Jin was not surprised at all; instead, she exclaimed with admiration, "How did you know, sir?"
In the original story, Jiang Yingyun's fate was turned upside down in this small nunnery.
She will encounter rampant bandits, be kidnapped and almost lose her virginity, escape but then face the cold-bloodedness of her family, and completely lose everything she already has.
Le Jin's current identity, "Eunuch Jiu'an," also died in this calamity.
She had hoped that Meng Shutai could prevent Jiang Yingyun from being kicked out of the house, but she failed and still came here.
If we want to change the bad ending, the best way now is to get Jiang Yingyun to leave as soon as possible.
The character Meng Shutai in the book possesses such keen insight that he noticed the unusual nature of Yuyang Nunnery at a single glance.
"Since Young Master Meng is not going, this servant will go by himself."
——
Although Yuyang Temple is small, its structure is complex.
One small courtyard leads to another, with arched gates at different locations, obstructing the view and making it impossible to see what lies inside. The winding stone paths branch off in a jumbled mess, with no clue which way leads where.
It is evident that no one planned the construction properly at the time; they simply piled things up without any real planning.
Le Jin looked down at the weeds between the cracks in the stone slabs.
Rural life experience: The less grass there is on a road, the more people walk there.
Following the grass's directions meticulously, she arrived at a long building consisting of a row of small cubicles, which appeared to be the nuns' living quarters.
Le Jin felt as if she had found a paradise, and was overjoyed.
Jiang Yingyun must live here!
However, the doors and windows were tightly closed, making it airtight. She didn't know whether the nuns were there or which room belonged to Jiang Yingyun.
Facing the quiet and elegant house, Le Jin suddenly felt a little guilty.
She clasped her hands together and bowed towards the house, saying, "Ladies, I'm sorry to bother you in my current identity, it's a bit indecent, but I really have no bad intentions."
Le Jin crouched down and peered through the translucent pale yellow window paper.
Three nuns sat quietly on the beds in the first small cubicle, all looking through Buddhist scriptures.
There really are people.
It seems the abbess really did instruct the female disciples to avoid any impropriety.
With that in mind, Le Jin continued searching for the next few cubicles.
Jiang Yingyun is described in the book as an extremely tall girl, with fair skin and a beautiful face, standing gracefully like a swaying lotus flower in a lake in June.
Thinking of her, Le Jin couldn't help but smile.
This feeling is a bit like... meeting up in real life with someone you've hit it off with online?
Le Jin's path to education was cut off early by her family. She worked long hours, and her only hobby was reading novels.
Whenever she sees a female protagonist who is self-reliant, tenacious, and resilient, she thinks of herself.
Countless nights spent soaking in dish soap and vegetable soup were spent with them by her side.
They are in the book, she is outside the book, yet it seems as if they are under the same moon, sharing the same feelings.
Le Jin recalled Jiang Yingyun's appearance and compared her to the girls in each room, but none of them were the same.
Her brows furrowed deeper as her searching gaze slid to the next room. Unexpectedly, just one glance caused her eyebrows to rise sharply in surprise.
This room is not a bedroom, but a prayer hall.
It's perfectly natural for a nunnery to have a prayer hall, but what startled Le Jin was the unusual scenery inside—
There was no one above the central prayer cushion, but the golden and five-colored lace curtains behind the incense and candles were trembling incessantly.
The gentle chirping of orioles and the chatter of swallows stirred the waves of spring passion within the small prayer hall.
"Brother, it hurts me so much!"
"It hurts? Why didn't you cry out in pain when it was [illegible]? Hahaha, it's okay if it hurts, brother will make you feel good right away. Jiaojiao, I've missed you so much!"
Le Jin was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. A cool breeze blew by, and her lips tightened for a moment, slightly pulling at her lips.
She stared wide-eyed in terror, wondering to herself: Could I gouge out my ears...?
The man inside had a rough, hoarse voice and a roguish air about him; he didn't seem like an ordinary worshipper.
Who was he having an affair with? A nun in a nunnery?
It's so sinful to do this in a temple where scriptures are recited and sermons are given...
Le Jin felt like she had been irritated by nettles; her whole body was itchy, painful, and stinging, her cheeks turned red, and her hair stood on end.
Just as she was about to lift her foot and flee this vulgar scene, a pale white female leg suddenly appeared from the trembling golden curtain, forcefully bent and pressed down by a dark arm with muscular muscles.
The curtains moved faster and faster, and the men's and women's breaths became increasingly ecstatic.
Le Jin was only sixteen years old and had never seen such a scene with real guns and ammunition before. She was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes, and she sobbed and screamed.
Before anyone in the hall could react, a hand suddenly grabbed Le Jin's chin and covered her mouth.
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