Chapter 35 Seduction
The sun was shining when we left, but it became cloudy when we arrived at the foot of Yuqing Mountain.
Yuqing Temple is a Taoist temple built on a mountaintop. It was originally a small Taoist temple founded by a female Taoist priest. Later, during a plague, the abbess led several female Taoist priests to practice medicine and save lives, treating countless people and helping Bianjing (Kaifeng) overcome the difficult plague. The emperor specially named Yuqing Temple "Imperial Temple", and the female Taoist priest was honored as the Goddess of Salvation.
Yuqing Temple became famous, but Jishi Yuanjun set a rule that she would only accept female disciples. Although she has passed away, the temple still only has female disciples to this day.
Later, some noble ladies who did not want to marry and imperial concubines also became nuns in the temple, including the imperial concubine Wan Susu.
The carriage stopped, and Xie Yushu helped Meng Min down. They then transferred to a sedan chair and traveled for a long time along winding stone steps and mountain paths before finally arriving at the gate of Yuqing Temple.
Before even entering the temple, she could hear children reciting their lessons aloud.
Meng Min held her hand and whispered to her, "Since the time of Jishi Yuanjun, Yuqing Temple has been teaching orphans and girls from the neighborhood to read and write. It doesn't cost money and even provides lunch, so many families in Bianjing send their girls here to study."
Xie Yushu nodded and saw two more sedan chairs approaching from not far away. One of them carried Zhang Youwei, the daughter of the British duke, while her younger brother, Zhang Ling, walked alongside, panting heavily.
The other sedan chair should contain Meng Min's sister-in-law, the widowed Madam Meng, because Meng Tingchun was escorting her outside the sedan chair.
These two good-for-nothings actually showed up too.
Xie Yushu glanced at it, and Meng Min gently patted his hand.
"Don't be afraid, I've already taught Tingchun a lesson, he won't dare to be rude to you again," Meng Min said to her reassuringly.
Xie Yushu looked at Meng Min with some surprise. Meng Min still looked unwell, her eyes full of fatigue. She held Meng Min's hand and smiled at her, saying, "I used to be very harsh on you and your mother. Please don't take it to heart."
A mountain breeze blew, and Xie Yushu's heart was gently stirred like a leaf. She suddenly thought, how bad could a woman be? Meng Min was just driven crazy by her husband and daughter's disappearance. Even at her worst, she never stopped giving Qiao Bao'er her monthly allowance. If she had a choice, she would also be willing to set Qiao Bao'er free. She didn't want to make things difficult for another woman and another mother and daughter.
“It’s all in the past.” Xie Yushu raised his hand and gently tidied her wind-blown hair. “When my mother left the Marquis’s residence yesterday, she told me to take good care of you. You should open your heart and take good care of your health from now on.”
Meng Min looked at her and nodded, her eyes reddening again from the mountain wind.
The sedan chairs stopped a few steps away, one after the other. Inside, Zhang Youwei kept staring at Xie Yushu. It was so strange. How could Xie Yushu, a concubine's daughter, be so close to the Lady of the Marquis? From a distance, she saw the two of them supporting each other intimately and assumed that the Lady of the Marquis was with Jia Ning.
She then saw Meng Tingchun helping his mother through the sedan chair ahead to bow to Meng Min, and even politely apologizing to Xie Yushu, saying, "I have been very rude to my cousin Yushu before, please forgive me."
Even Madam Meng condescended to smile and say to Xie Yushu, "Yushu, don't take it to heart. He got a good beating."
It's actually true that Lady Hou beat Meng Tingchun for Xie Yushu's sake.
Zhang Youwei frowned in surprise.
Zhang Ling reached out to help her down from the sedan chair and said in a low voice, "See? I told you that the Lady Hou whipped Brother Tingchun several times for Xie Yushu, but you wouldn't believe me. I don't know what kind of bewitching potion Xie Yushu used to bewitch the Lady Hou so that she treats her like her own daughter. I heard that the Lady Hou even had a big fight with Lord Xie because of her, which made the Lord Hou stay out all night."
Zhang Youwei glanced at him, "Where did you hear these family gossips from?"
Zhang Ling dared not continue answering, because he had heard it from a friend while drinking. That friend knew the most famous woman in a brothel, and after drinking too much, he told him that Lord Xie and his wife had quarreled and spent the night at the most famous woman's place...
"Stop listening to your gossipy friends." Zhang Youwei despised Zhang Ling's association with those spoiled brats. She helped him over to see Meng Min, deliberately ignoring Xie Yushu, and went to support Meng Min, wanting to leave Xie Yushu out in the cold. She then spoke intimately to Meng Min, saying, "Madam looks much better today. In a little while, we'll go inside and have the nun Yu Miao take your pulse again. A few days ago, I went to the temple and got a dose of medicine from the nun Yu Miao for my father. It's very effective..."
Xie Yushu was pushed aside, falling a few steps behind, and walked alongside Meng Tingchun and Zhang Ling.
Zhang Ling suddenly sniffed and smelled a very special fragrance, like the cool scent of snow lotus mixed with some kind of honey fruit. He couldn't help but follow the scent and found that it seemed to be Xie Yushu's fragrance. He wanted to confirm, but Meng Tingchun's arm blocked his way.
"Brother Ling." Meng Tingchun stopped Zhang Ling, who was secretly sniffing Xie Yushu, frowned slightly, and whispered a reminder to him, "Don't be too rude."
Zhang Ling looked up at him in surprise, almost blurting out: Why is Brother Tingchun starting to protect her too? She's become so cowardly after being beaten up?
Meng Min stopped in her tracks, brushed Zhang Youwei's hand aside, turned around and called out, "Yu Shu." She then extended her hand to her and said, "Come, I'll take you to see the Abbot and the nun Yu Su. We can have the nun Yu Miao prescribe some medicine to help your mother recover."
Xie Yushu smiled and stepped forward to hold Meng Min's hand. "You don't need to worry about me and my mother. If you always worry about others, how can you take good care of your own health?"
Meng Min smiled with relief, took her hand, nodded goodbye to Zhang Youwei, and led Xie Yushu straight into Yuqing Temple.
Zhang Youwei never expected to be outdone by Xie Yushu and to be deliberately left behind by Meng Min. She stood frozen in place, dumbfounded. Had she heard correctly? The Lady of the Marquis was so kind and natural in offering to prescribe medicine for Xie Yushu's mistress? Wasn't the Lady of the Marquis the one who hated that mistress and Xie Yushu the most? How could things have changed so much in just a few days?
Not only was she surprised, but Meng Tingchun was also surprised. His aunt's personality had really changed drastically. He could barely understand why she was protecting Xie Yushu, since Xie Yushu had taken care of her for more than a year. But how could she not even dislike that mistress?
"Brother Tingchun, you really didn't smell it?" Zhang Ling asked in a low voice, still unwilling to give up. "Xie Yushu has a very special fragrance..."
“Lingdi.” Meng Tingchun interrupted him, her face turning cold this time. “You really should watch your words and actions. She is, after all, my cousin.”
Zhang Ling was annoyed by the reprimand and wanted to question him: Did Xie Yushu also bewitch him? Didn't he deny that this illegitimate daughter was his cousin before?
But with so many women around, he couldn't lash out. He simply stormed off in anger and went to Zhang Youwei's side.
Meng Tingchun was annoyed and didn't want to coax this hothead. His gaze couldn't help but drift towards Xie Yushu in front of him. Of course, he could also smell the fragrance on her. He could smell it as soon as he got close to her. The fragrance was really too special. In this quiet place, it was like a white lotus in full bloom...
The phrase "skin as white as ice and bones as jade" inexplicably popped into his mind. This kind of reverie, which he should never have, made his cheeks burn. He didn't dare to look up at her at all, and only dared to glance at her back. The mountain wind blew her plain Taoist robe, outlining her slender waist...
Meng Tingchun's face burned even hotter. It was so strange. Xie Yushu's appearance hadn't changed at all, yet he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, making him impossible to ignore.
He stared blankly, when the tall, thin attendant following Xie Yushu suddenly turned around and stared at him.
That gaze was like an arrow; Meng Tingchun felt a sudden tremor in her heart and hurriedly looked away.
※
nausea.
Xiao Dao withdrew his gaze and used his body to block Xie Yushu's back, but he still felt that these men were all spying on her, which was disgusting.
Xie Yushu didn't notice that; she only noticed a few imperial guards guarding the entrance of Yuqing Temple, who must have been brought by Xiao Zhen.
The Yuqing Temple was built to be very grand. Upon entering, one would find several large halls with wide gates. To the west was a study specifically used for teaching, from which the sound of reading could be heard.
Further inside are the shrines for pilgrims to rest, and at the very back is where the nuns live and rest; men are never allowed to set foot in that place.
Meng Min was in no hurry to take her inside, and said to her in a low voice, "I wonder if the nun Yu Su is giving a lesson today. She is usually responsible for teaching these children to read."
Was it Consort Wan Susu?
Xie Yushu took her hand and followed her to the window of the study. Looking through the window, he saw that the study was full of little children, and the teacher was Xiao Zhen.
Today he was dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, his black hair was half tied up with a white jade hairpin, and the other half hung down behind his shoulder. He sat in front of the table holding a book, and in his arms he was holding a little baby who looked to be only one or two years old. He gently patted the baby's back with his fair fingers. The little baby was leaning against him with tears still on his face.
The sky was overcast, and lamps were lit in the study. Under the dim light, Xiao Zhen appeared exceptionally gentle and kind.
"Fourth Prince." Meng Min was also somewhat surprised.
Xiao Zhen seemed to hear this, raised his eyes and looked at them. When he saw Xie Yushu, his eyes curved gently.
Meng Min pulled Xie Yushu to bow to him from outside the window.
He stood up, holding the baby in his arms, and walked towards them. His smile grew brighter as the candlelight flickered. He stopped by the window, and his voice was as gentle as a spring breeze: "Madam, there's no need for such formalities. Thank you for visiting my mother."
His gaze fell on Xie Yushu again, and the smile on his lips deepened: "Madam Pei, have you lost weight in the few days I haven't seen you?"
They acted as if they were very close.
Xie Yushu looked up at him. The way he was holding the child made him look more like a married man. He looked at you gently and said ambiguous things. He was really good at pretending.
She even suspected that he was deliberately faking it to impress others when he was holding the child.
"No," Xie Yushu replied with a smile. "Perhaps Your Highness is mistaken. I have gained some weight recently."
Xiao Zhen continued to gaze at her, and softly said, "Is that so?" His gaze swept over her face and body as lightly as a feather.
The little baby in his arms blinked at Xie Yushu, pouted, and started crying again for some reason.
He skillfully patted the baby's back gently, coaxing him softly, and then said apologetically to Xie Yushu and Meng Min, "Please don't be offended, he is only one year and two months old and was sent to Yuqing Temple after losing his parents."
Even Meng Min couldn't help but exclaim, "His Highness the Fourth Prince is benevolent and kind."
The little baby cried uncontrollably, squirming in Xiao Zhen's arms, wanting to see Xie Yushu.
Xiao Zhen glanced at Xie Yushu and suddenly asked, "Madam Pei, would you like to hug him? He seems to want you to hug him."
Xie Yushu didn't understand what Xiao Zhen was up to. He had already come out of the gate with the crying baby in his arms, approached Xie Yushu, and leaned down to hand the baby to her.
Xie Yushu smelled a faint scent of ambergris wafting towards her. She couldn't refuse and reached out to take the baby. When she saw that Xiao Zhen's Taoist robe was slightly open, revealing a glimpse of his snow-white chest. Some light red spots remained on the faded rashes.
Seduce her?
Why would a respectable man get so close to a married woman?
Xie Yushu took the baby from her, and as if afraid she might not be holding it properly, he gently supported the back of her hand that was holding the baby.
What a lovely smell, and how warm my fingers are.
Xiao Zhen slowly withdrew his finger, looked at the little baby who was gradually calming down in her arms, and smiled with his eyebrows curving: "Even little children like Madam Pei."
Xie Yushu glanced at him, absolutely certain that he was intensifying his efforts to seduce her.
So, was this invitation to her a deliberate attempt to lure her into becoming a pawn?
She was curious about what methods Xiao Zhen had prepared to seduce people.
"Yes, he actually stopped crying." Meng Min looked at the little baby in amazement.
The little baby, nestled in Xie Yushu's arms, looked at her with teary eyes, tilting her head to rest on her shoulder as if she were her mother. She sniffled and murmured indistinctly, "Xiangxiang...Mother..."
The system popped up in her mind: "Host, one manifestation of your charm value is your fragrance. The higher your charm value, the more fragrant you will smell. Moreover, everyone will smell a different fragrance on you. The fragrance they smell will be the most beautiful, happiest, and most desired scent from their memories. So this baby may have smelled his mother's scent on you."
Is that so?
No wonder Song Jie kept sniffing her all night.
She gently patted the child in her arms, looked up at Xiao Zhen, and wondered what the beautiful fragrance in Xiao Zhen's memory was.
Xiao Zhen's gaze remained fixed on her hand as she gently patted the child, as if he were lost in thought.
Someone called out from not far away, "Minmin, you're here."
Xiao Zhen's absent-minded gaze flickered, but he lowered his eyes and returned to normal, smiling as he turned back to look at her: "Mother."
Mother Consort? Wan Susu?
Xie Yushu looked over curiously and saw a female Taoist priest in Taoist robes walking out from under the shade of a tree with two young female Taoist priests. Her gaze lingered on that face, which was truly otherworldly and ethereal. Even though she was in her thirties or forties, her beauty remained undiminished.
She suddenly heard the knife behind her move, and when she turned around, she found that the knife had turned around and hid behind Jin Ye.
Why?
Xiao Dao... could he possibly know this female Taoist priest, Wan Susu?
"Female Taoist priest." Meng Min greeted the approaching female Taoist priest.
The female Taoist priest Yu Su reached out and supported her, saying in a reproachful tone, "You always have to be so distant with me."
Meng Min looked at her and smiled helplessly: "If we were really estranged, I wouldn't have come to give you a birthday gift today."
While the two were catching up, Xie Yushu turned to Xiaodao and whispered, "Go to the carriage and get me my cloak. You don't need to follow me."
This time, Xiao Dao answered without hesitation and ran out of Yuqing Temple without looking back.
Xie Yushu was certain that Xiao Dao must have some kind of entanglement with Wan Susu.
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A note from the author: I'm feeling a bit unwell today, the first day of my period, so it's even later than usual. Please bear with me. I'll try my best to be on time tomorrow!
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