Zhan Xinjia thought there might have been some unexpected incidents along the way.
For example, she might encounter bandits, be kidnapped, or suffer from landslides or mudslides; after all, she's always been unlucky.
But the carriage stopped right in front of the gate of Hongfu Temple, and nothing happened the entire way.
Outside the temple gate, the crowds were bustling and jostling, mostly elderly people with children coming to worship Buddha. Although there were no major holidays recently, there were still many people offering incense, demonstrating that Hongfu Temple has always been a popular place of worship.
As Zhan Xinjia and Cui Wanzhao climbed the stone steps, she was still pondering the gossip that Yan Xiyue had told her before.
Yan Xiyue's father, the current emperor Yan Changxun, only has two younger brothers still alive. One is Prince Yan Wuju, who is crippled and unable to walk, and the other is Prince Rui, Yan Yuyao, who was born in Hongfu Temple and converted to Buddhism many years ago.
Yan Yuyao was the biological son of the former Empress Dowager, who is now the Empress Dowager. He was the legitimate heir of the Empress Dowager. Moreover, he was intelligent and quick-witted from a young age and was favored by the emperor at the time. Therefore, he served as the crown prince for several years.
For Yan Yuyao, his life can be described as having a perfect start, a chosen one.
He should have been the biggest obstacle on Yan Xiyue's father's path to the throne, but unfortunately, Yan Yuyao may have suffered from oxygen deprivation in the womb due to premature birth, so she has always played with rather abstract ideas...
He went on a hunger strike, claiming he wanted to cultivate immortality through fasting, and nearly starved himself to death. He barely managed to eat eight bowls of rice and come back to life. Then he went off to do business, bringing back ten large buckets of high-quality manure from the Western Regions by camel to sell to farmers for watering their vegetables…
He almost angered his father to death at the time, and during the morning court session, he grabbed his father by the collar and broke his guard.
"You spent half a year traveling that far to buy ten truckloads of shit? Are you out of your mind?! I'll just give it to you right now, do you want some? Here, catch it with your hands! If that's not enough, there are all the civil and military officials here, each of them will give you a handful. Is that enough, kid?"
Everyone turned pale instantly, bowing their heads low, and not a single civil or military official dared to utter a sound.
After being given a beating by her own father, Yan Yuyao, deeply saddened, decided to practice medicine to benefit the local people...
Not only did he practice medicine without a license, but he also called himself a master of traditional Chinese medicine, adopting the name "Miaoyu Zhenjun" and compiling a "Yan Family Old Prescription," and then took on private jobs everywhere.
After wreaking havoc on the surrounding area and successfully killing more than ten strong and healthy men, Yan Changyao, filled with remorse, finally made a decision that went against his ancestors' wishes—
He became a monk.
After hearing this story, Zhan Xinjia even wondered if the prince had ever had his head caught in a door.
Is this correct?
Although Zhan Xinjia was slightly suspicious and still felt that Yan Yuyao was unreliable, Yan Xiyue had assured her before they set off that if anything happened, she could just ask her royal uncle, who could handle anything.
"Wow! This Hongfu Temple is quite grand. I've never been here before."
Standing in front of the main hall, Cui Wanzhao, hands on her hips, looked up at the magnificent hall with a proud and arrogant air, then turned her gaze excitedly to Zhan Xinjia and chuckled.
"Where are your acquaintances?"
"No rush, let's wait for him to come to us himself."
Zhan Xinjia, feigning profound knowledge, led Cui Wan'an straight to the kitchen and ordered ten bowls of vegetarian rice, which they devoured...
Nonsense, she's never even met Yan Yuyao, how could she possibly find her?
However, Zhan Xinjia was not entirely helpless. It is said that "Miaoyu Zhenjun" was very confident in his medical skills. Even after he retired from the medical profession and became a monk, he still could not bear to see others question his superb medical skills.
That means it's safe!
After whispering something to Cui Wanzhao, Zhan Xinjia gave a meaningful smile.
Cui Wanzhao was shocked and took another bite of rice, her eyes darting around as she looked left and right, her face flushed and she seemed hesitant and struggling.
"...Really? Will he really come out to see us if we do this?"
"Just do it!!"
Having received Zhan Xinjia's affirmative answer, Cui Wanzhao, having no other choice, picked up the tea beside her and gulped down a mouthful. Then, her whole body convulsed a few times as if she had turned into a zombie, and she immediately collapsed to the ground.
This scene terrified the elderly people present.
Could there be poison in the food?!
Zhan Xinjia started with zero frames, sliding and kneeling to tackle Cui Wanzhao, then burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Buhou! My cousin has been scalded to death by boiling water!! Quick, get a doctor!!!"
"..."
The pilgrims and young monks fell silent, looking down at the tea in their hands, filled with disbelief.
When Zhan Xinjia yelled like that, someone actually came over.
The leader was a handsome young man with a solemn and serious appearance, who rarely smiled.
Unlike other bald men, he practiced Buddhism while still having hair.
The young man had knee-length black hair, a tall and slender figure, snow-white skin, a dot of vermilion between his eyebrows, and wore a kasaya under a feathered veil. His eyes and brows exuded a cold and aloof air, giving him a kind of sacred and inviolable beauty, like a flower on a high mountain.
"Who is looking for a doctor?"
Zhan Xinjia's eyes lit up.
She knew Yan Yuyao wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to show off.
However, this thing is quite deceptive in appearance; it does look quite respectable and has a certain aloof Buddhist air about it.
What she needed to do was not suitable to be discussed in public. Since Yan Yuyao had already shown up, she needed to find an excuse to speak with him privately.
With her eyes darting around, Zhan Xinjia slid down and tackled Yan Yuyao with a passionate gesture, tears welling in her eyes.
"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding~ To tell you the truth, my cousin was bitten by a five-step snake before she went up the mountain. She stubbornly made her way here by asking someone to lend her a step. Now she has probably run out of steps and fainted."
"Alright, Master, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. I'll lend her five steps, and you lend her five more. Let's get her back first, okay?"
Yan Yuyao:? ? ?
Before he could finish his brainstorming, the girl dressed in gold and silver like a god of wealth suddenly got up from the ground, and without saying a word, walked five steps toward the door under the shocked gazes of everyone.
After taking five steps, she twitched a few times and then collapsed back to her original position...
Zhan Xinjia smiled shyly, fiddling with her fingers: "You see, that's the situation..."
Yan Yuyao:......
Five steps weren't enough; Yan Yuyao borrowed more than six hundred steps from Cui Wanzhao before the three of them finally reached the back room.
He felt stupid for following along like that, as if he'd never seen a five-step snake before...
Sure enough, as soon as they reached a secluded and deserted place, the frail Miss Cui immediately sprang to her feet and stood up with a somersault.
Zhan Xinjia originally wanted to mention Yan Xiyue's name to get closer to Yan Yuyao, since Yan Xiyue was also his niece, and he was Yan Xiyue's good sister, so they were related by blood.
Before she could even speak, Yan Yuyao, who was standing behind her, suddenly struck her with a palm.
This punch was unstoppable, even generating a fierce gust of wind.
Zhan Xinjia was startled and quickly pushed away the unaware Cui Wanzhao, then dodged to the side.
Are you out of your mind? Why did you suddenly start hitting someone?
Yan Xiyue only mentioned that her uncle was a Buddhist monk from the suburbs, but she didn't say that he was a martial monk!
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