Chapter 11 The real show begins... The coming-of-age ceremony was only halfway through...
Before dawn, Wang Yan had already risen to prepare. After bathing, he sat in the east room dressed in a colorful robe, waiting for the ceremony to begin, before he finally came to his senses. It had been a long time since Madam Li had worn a wedding gown. With her long, flowing blue sleeves and lotus-shaped crown, she stood at the foot of the steps, and everyone knew that she was the mistress of the Minister's mansion.
When the auspicious hour arrived, Madam Li went out to greet the guests and led them into the main hall. Wang Yan came to the main hall, bowed to the guests, and then sat down to wash and dress.
Consort Shu received the crown and hairpin from the attendant and gently recited the blessing:
On this auspicious day of the month, you are adorned with hairpins. May you cast aside your childish ambitions and embrace virtuous conduct. May you live a long and blessed life, enjoying boundless happiness.
After the crowning ceremony, Shang Nianyao adjusted Wang Yan's crown and placed her hair ornaments on her, and the music stopped. Wang Yan then returned to her room to change into a plum-red jacket before returning to the main hall. Shang Nianyao held the wine vessel, the attendant poured the wine, and then handed it to Consort Shu to serve, before offering another toast.
Wine was offered, food was served, and people were led to sit down. The hairpin was removed, and a crown was presented. Another toast was offered.
Wearing a long, flowing dress, I wish you well.
He offered the wine, delivered a speech, and then Consort Shu withdrew.
First bow to parents, second bow to teachers, third bow to ancestors.
Consort Shu bestowed upon him the courtesy name Wenxuan, and he bowed again. The ceremony concluded.
After the elaborate ceremony was completed, it was past 3 PM. Only after seeing off most of the guests could Wang Yan finally catch his breath.
Not only did Prince Wei arrive, but he also spoke privately with Wang Yan, further confirming the outsiders' suspicions. Many of those present had come because of this connection. Some of them might look down on the Wang family, but they couldn't afford to offend Consort Shu and Prince Wei.
However, the unmarried sons of the Princess Consort of Ranyi, the fourth son of Minister Lu of the Ministry of Rites, the second son of Minister Cui of the Ministry of War, the eldest son of Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Works, and so on, all came.
Rumors have it that Consort Shu chose the Wang family, but now it seems like the Wang family is choosing a son-in-law. Naturally, these people were among the guests who were sent away.
Many people were taken aback by Li Changling's appearance, and even more surprised when he addressed Li Shi as "aunt." The secrets of the martial arts world were far more interesting than this coming-of-age ceremony. Now that Li Changling's identity was clear, countless eyes were watching, and even the patterns on the wooden box containing the congratulatory gift would be the talk of the town tomorrow.
Shen Minghuai, who arrived halfway through the coming-of-age ceremony, immediately spotted Hua Xin sneaking in to watch. Just as he was about to leave after the ceremony, Shen Minghuai was suddenly detained by Li Changling in the backyard for a game of chess, right in front of everyone. The game was at its most intense when Wang Yan arrived, still dressed in her finest robes, without even changing her clothes.
Today's attire is even more formal than that of the Hundred Flowers Banquet, with pearls adorning her temples and forehead, a floral crown on her head, and her face flushed and lips red, her every step graceful. She has shed the chivalrous spirit of the martial world, and with heaven and earth as her branches, she has condensed into the elegant and graceful Wang family daughter, Wang Yan.
Shen Minghuai paused for a moment, then composed himself and looked back at the chessboard. "Young Master Li, you are too kind to accept this."
Wang Yan strode over, "Senior brother, you lost?!"
Li Changling casually tossed his robes and said, "Since your brother, there have been few rivals, which is fortunate. I'll consider you my friend."
Shen Minghuai clasped his hands in respect, saying, "Brother Lanzhi is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also has such outstanding chess skills. I admire you."
"Senior brother, you don't need to cook noodles for me today."
Taking advantage of his birthday, Wang Yan bossed Li Changling around in an extremely domineering manner. His words were directed at Li Changling, but his eyes were fixed on Shen Minghuai with an ambiguous look.
Li Changling crossed his arms and said, "I have a feeling... someone has ulterior motives."
“I’ve eaten your cooking every year, I want to try something different.” Wang Yan smiled, her eyebrows arching like crescent moons, with a hint of determination in her voice. “I wonder if I could trouble Young Master Shen today?”
The divination date was Grain Rain this year, which also happens to be Wang Yan's birthday.
Li Changling shouted, "What?! You think you can make something out of a bowl of longevity noodles?"
Since entering this courtyard, Shen Minghuai hasn't uttered a single word to her, and today he only arrived halfway through. Wang Yan assumed they were at least friends. So fickle—is this man part of the Zhu Palace?
"If you haven't prepared a gift, making a bowl of longevity noodles shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Wang Yan blinked her round eyes slightly, actually harboring some resentment.
Shen Minghuai then took out a ring-shaped pendant with a dragon pattern from his pocket, carved from mutton-fat white jade. Wang Yan reluctantly accepted it and examined it carefully in his hand.
Li Changling clicked his tongue and said, "It must be quite expensive."
"It's acceptable, but not even a tenth as good as Brother Lanzhi's sword."
Wang Yan was still angry when Shen Minghuai was asked to leave the mansion by Wang Zhen, without saying a word! Today is her birthday!
After the two left, Wang Yan grabbed Li Changling's sleeve and started to act spoiled, "Senior brother, I'm hungry."
Li Changling glanced at her. "Didn't you say that all the time?"
"Senior brother."
Li Changling then noticed that something was wrong with her. "Wait here."
Not long after, Li Changling brought out a delicious and colorful bowl of longevity noodles for her.
"After eating noodles, you need to calm down."
Wang Yan held the bowl and blew on it, saying, "I'm not angry with you."
"I'm not talking about me."
Li Changling's collar was still on, making him look somewhat foolish compared to his swordsmanship. The familiar taste brought Wang Yan considerable comfort. "I could eat this for another ten years! My senior brother is still the best."
"Eat up, eat up. Your senior brother will make it for you every year." Li Changling patted the top of her head.
"A bowl of noodles was all it took to kidnap my sister." Wang Zhen walked in, his back to the darkness.
Li Changling put his hands on his hips and said, "She's my sister too."
Wang Zhen walked straight past, saying, "You don't count."
Li Changling got excited and put his arm around Wang Zhen's shoulder, saying, "How can I not be? Your sister is my sister, and my sister is your sister."
Wang Zhen pulled away from him and sat down opposite Wang Yan, saying, "I only have this one younger sister."
Li Changling unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the table. "Do I have other sisters?"
"Who knows what will happen in the future?" Wang Yan muttered with a smile, clutching the jade pendant as he turned and went back to his room.
Why is the white-haired old man holding my jade pendant?
Wang Yan looked closely and saw that the old man had another jade pendant on his right hand. The two jade pendants were stacked together and fit perfectly, as if they had always been a pair.
Wang Yan was about to chase after him to ask when, in his dazed state, he heard Li Changling's hurried voice.
"Aying, Wang Yan, Wang Wenxuan, Madam Wang, the sun is high in the sky and you're still not up—"
Sang Xing came from elsewhere, greeted him with a deep bow, and said, "Young Master Li, what's the rush? It's just past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), and your wife won't get up for another half an hour. Why don't you wait a bit?"
Li Changling hurriedly replied, "It is indeed urgent, please forgive me—"
"What is it!"
Wang Yan shuffled open the door in a huff, "It's gloomy and it's going to rain soon, what's with the sun so high in the sky?"
Something has happened.
Wang Yan's face darkened, and he immediately went back to his room to change and wash up. He then went to Wang Zhen's study and listened to him briefly explain the reason.
"This morning, Bai Baidao sent me a letter saying that there are rumors circulating that the gift I was supposed to give was a martial arts manual, but it was accidentally lost on the way to the capital and its whereabouts are currently unknown."
Wang Yan was speechless. "People actually believe such a ridiculous rumor? Yesterday, my senior brother gave me a cookbook, and I opened it in front of many people. Because he lost it, he gave me a cookbook instead? That doesn't make any sense."
Li Changling asked, "What secret manual is it?"
The Heart Sutra of Still Water.
Upon hearing these four words, Wang Yan and Li Changling were immediately shocked, exchanged a glance, and were filled with mixed emotions.
How could this be… Wang Yan asked again, confirming, “That lost cultivation manual that has been lost for a hundred years?”
Wang Zhen nodded solemnly.
Wang Yan suddenly remembered the wooden box where the recipes were kept yesterday... and looked at Li Changling with a resentful expression, "Why did you bring that box here out of the blue?"
Only after she pointed it out did Li Changling remember that the box was engraved with the words "Zhi Shui" (止水).
"I... I just grabbed it casually, who would have thought it would be such a coincidence?" Besides, the Still Water Heart Sutra had been destroyed for several years, and since he started practicing the Flowing Fire Sutra, he had long forgotten about it.
"What's going on?" Wang Zhen didn't know martial arts, let alone these martial arts manuals.
Li Changling seemed to freeze, only his lips moved, "The box was engraved with the words 'Zhi Shui' (meaning 'still water')."
Wang Zhen also asked in surprise, "How could it be such a coincidence?"
Li Changling felt annoyed. "Yeah, what a coincidence..."
Wang Yan stared at the teacup, lost in thought for a long while. Regardless of its authenticity, the reappearance of the four characters "Still Water Heart Sutra" was no small matter.
"Could it be that they think Senior Brother achieved mastery of his cultivation technique because of that mental cultivation manual?"
Wang Zhen, however, believed that the public thought Li Changling was using the Wang family to protect the "Still Water Heart Sutra." The martial arts world and the imperial court had a solemn agreement that they would not oppose the court unless absolutely necessary.
Wang Yan suddenly realized, "Senior brother is the white piece. The moment you arrived in the capital, you were already in the game."
Li Changling's thoughts drifted away; in truth, he already knew the answer when he heard the Still Water Heart Sutra. The one the chess player intended to lure into the game was none other than himself. And the Wang family had already become pawns on the chessboard.
Wang Zhen added, "I have instructed Bai Baidao to do his best to suppress the rumors, and we will soon be able to find the person who spread the news."
Three days later, Bai Baidao indeed sent another message.
A young monk at Daxiangguo Temple said that four months ago, when he went to sweep his fellow monk Jingxin's meditation room, he saw a book spread out on his bed, the title of which was the "Heart Sutra of Still Water." He even wrote down the first sentence of the book: "Reflecting on the flowing water, all things cease to cease."
Wang Yan and Li Changling immediately confirmed that it was indeed the lost copy of the "Heart Sutra of Still Water" and hurriedly inquired about the whereabouts of the person who spread the rumor.
Wang Zhen frowned, saying that this matter was quite troublesome. In the past few days, Bai Baidao had searched the entire capital, and everyone said they had heard about it from others. Following each lead, it was like a bottomless pit. After many twists and turns, it eventually returned to the first person they asked.
Wang Yan was also very worried. "This is difficult... Jingxin? I've never heard of such a person."
Wang Zhen then gave a brief account of Jingxin's situation. This person was a direct disciple of Master Jueming, and it was said that he was both a demon and a Buddha, specializing in performing rituals for those who died under mysterious circumstances.
Li Changling astutely seized upon the suspicious point: "The cause of death is unknown?"
Wang Zhen explained, "Some are unwilling to speak because it would be shameful, while others are involved with ghosts and gods. This person's whereabouts are uncertain, so the chances of finding him are probably not high."
Wang Yan originally intended to start by calming his mind, but he didn't expect that the first step would be so difficult.
Li Changling said, "What's so difficult about that? Just go to the Great Xiangguo Temple and ask."
The two of them are now being watched by both the martial arts world and the imperial court. How could Wang Zhen be at ease with them? Yet he also knew he couldn't stop them.
“Master Jueming is extremely protective of this disciple; you’ll probably have to put in some effort.”
Li Changling and Wang Yan immediately set off for the Daxiangguo Temple. No sooner had they left than Wang Zhen was summoned to the study by Wang Fuzhi, who was returning home from court. As soon as the door closed, a light rain began to fall outside, accompanied by thunder, soaking the entire capital. Birds, however, continued to sing in the trees in the spring sunshine.
Today was the day the market was open, and it should have been bustling with activity, but it was completely drenched by a heavy rain. After offering incense in the main hall, Li Changling stopped a young novice monk outside the hall and said he wanted to ask Master Jueming about Buddhism. He was then taken to the guest quarters.
"The abbot is away giving a sermon, so this humble monk will introduce you two benefactors to the supervising abbot."
The person sitting inside was clearly Jueming.
A note from the author:
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The content related to the hairpin ceremony was referenced from the "Book of Rites" and the "Book of Rites", while the congratulatory speech was referenced from the "Scholar's Capping Ceremony".
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