Chapter 25: Mountain Covered in Rain Could it be that he had deliberately left the candlelight on...
Guanghua Temple is located in the north of Shengjing. Early in the morning, the nobles from various families got ready and set off to accompany the emperor.
The rules for offering incense have always been complicated and strict. They burn incense, offer wine, and burn prayer silk. Everyone is silent and looks down, and kowtows solemnly with the emperor and empress. After half a day, everyone's faces are full of fatigue.
Sutras had to be chanted in the afternoon. After everyone had enjoyed the vegetarian meals in the temple, the queen ordered people to arrange a meditation room in the backyard of the temple for a short rest.
Cui Yiluo, Jiang Zhaoyue and others walked to the backyard. This was the first time Cui Yiluo saw Xie Xiyun since the last banquet at Duke Zheng's Mansion.
Two months ago, because of the sudden uproar with the Chu family, the Xie family, which had always been upright, was embarrassed and worried. They lived in seclusion and politely declined all invitations.
The Xie family once again accompanied the emperor on this Guanghua Temple pilgrimage, indicating that the matter had been resolved. During the pilgrimage, everyone's eyes kept wandering between the Xie and Chu families.
When we were having the vegetarian meal just now, everyone sat separately, so they were able to say a few words now.
Yang Jingling felt Xie Xiyun's pulse and said, "I was worried about you, but now that you look better and your pulse is strong, I'm relieved."
Jiang Zhaoyue said from the side: "Of course, who would want to marry someone they don't like?"
Cui Yiluo just smiled and said nothing.
Yang Jingling asked, "By the way, why didn't I see your half-sister today?"
"Father ordered Yingzhu to stay home and prepare for her wedding."
After the affair between Chu Ke and Xie Yingzhu of Duke Zheng's Mansion was exposed, the Chu family shamelessly wanted the two sisters to share one husband. The next day, they were severely reprimanded by Concubine Qiong. However, although she reprimanded them on the surface, she still wanted Xie Xiyun to be Chu Ke's legal wife. What about Xie Yingzhu?
Unlike other noble families, the Xie family didn't prioritize legitimate and illegitimate children. As a family of loyalty and righteousness, they wouldn't ignore Xie Yingzhu's actions. The two families discussed the matter for over two weeks, and finally, with Madam Xie's intervention, the two families finally reached a settlement. Xie Yingzhu married Chu Ke.
But the previous incident had become a big deal and was shameful, so before the wedding ceremony, Xie Yingzhu was ordered to stay at home.
As they were talking, they arrived at the Zen room in the backyard. The temple was quiet, so everyone stopped talking and went back to their rooms.
The men were all helping to prepare for the afternoon's chanting and sacrificial ceremonies in the front, and only the women were arranged in the backyard. It was already noon, and the women had all returned to the meditation room to rest.
There were people all around, and Jiang Zhaoyue was in the meditation room next door. Cui Yiluo felt relieved that those people would not attack her here, but she didn't dare to touch the tea in the room. She just leaned on the couch with her clothes on and took a nap.
While half asleep and half awake, a pungent smell of smoke grew stronger and the surroundings became scorching hot, as if there was a fire burning.
Cui Yiluo opened her eyes immediately and saw thick smoke spreading in the room. Her vision was blurred and she subconsciously looked towards the door.
Through the window paper, you can vaguely see the raging fire outside.
"The fire is coming! The fire is coming!"
The women's screams and hurried footsteps rang in my ears.
At the same time, Jiang Zhaoyue's voice came into the Zen room through the crackling sound of the burning flames.
"Cousin! Cousin! Come out quickly!"
The flames had squeezed into the cracks between the doors and windows, licking their way upwards. By the time Cui Yiluo reached them from the couch, the flames had nearly engulfed them, making it impossible to get any closer. But before her nap, she had bolted the doors and windows to prevent thieves. She had to unbolt them before she could open the door.
The thick smoke choked Cui Yiluo's nose and throat, causing her to feel a burning pain. She forced herself to speak loudly, "Cousin, I can't open the door."
Jiang Zhaoyue's voice also became panicked: "What should we do? There's a fire outside too. Don't worry, cousin. I'll go get some help."
Jiang Zhaoyue's figure disappeared in front of the door in an instant, and Cui Yiluo immediately went back to get the tea on the table.
The fire had quickly spread into the house. Cui Yiluo covered her mouth and nose with a shawl and poured a full pot of tea onto the flames on the door latch.
Unexpectedly, the fire became even more fierce the next moment.
Something had been added to the tea; the man had anticipated her using it to throw fire. Cui Yiluo's eyes instantly turned cold as she stared at the empty teapot. She tossed it aside, its crackling sound shattering as she drew the dagger from her waist and attempted to cut open the door bolt.
But the dagger was too short. Cui Yiluo rolled up her sleeves to avoid being burned by the fire and endured the burning pain to lift the bolt.
The fire was growing bigger and bigger, and the distance Cui Yiluo could get closer and closer. The fire was almost licking her skin. Cui Yiluo bit her lip to suppress the trembling of her wrist.
"Snap—" The door bolt fell to the ground with a dull sound.
Cui Yiluo was about to open the door, but before the dagger touched the door, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of the door.
Her heart skipped a beat and she gripped the dagger tighter.
With a loud bang, the door was pushed open. Cui Yiluo quickly stepped back and avoided hitting the door that had been engulfed in flames.
Behind him, a raging fire shot up into the sky, engulfing the entire backyard. Behind him, flames filled the sky. A man in black, wearing a soaked robe with cloud patterns, looked stern.
Cui Yiluo was stunned, then frowned.
It wasn't Jiang Yunjin who came, but Yuan Ling. She silently tightened her grip on the dagger.
Yuan Ling naturally saw her actions, sneered, reached out and grabbed Cui Yiluo's wrist, and pulled her out of the raging fire.
Although Cui Yiluo quickly lifted the hem of her skirt, the shawl still got on fire, and the flames immediately licked the shawl and burned upwards.
This set of clothes was newly made. After a moment of regret, Cui Yiluo pulled off the shawl without hesitation and threw it into the fire.
There were many trees planted in the backyard of Guanghua Temple. Once the fire started, the entire backyard was engulfed in flames.
Amidst the thick smoke and flames, the young monks carried buckets of water and rushed back and forth to put out the flames, but the fire spread rapidly, and relying on manpower to carry buckets of water back and forth was of no use. Like Yuan Ling, several Yunyi Guards, wearing outer robes, went to search for the women trapped in the room.
It seems that Yuan Ling saving her was just a coincidence.
Yuan Ling took half of his water-soaked robe and covered Cui Yiluo's head. Perhaps thinking of Cui Yiluo's earlier defensiveness, he said with a half-smile, "Miss Cui, you don't want to die here, do you?"
Cui Yiluo glanced at him but said nothing. She borrowed the half of the outer robe he had given her and ran out of the courtyard.
After running along the path for a while and reaching an open area, the fire gradually dwindled and dissipated. Almost as soon as they reached safety, Cui Yiluo immediately emerged from under Yuan Ling's outer robe.
"Thank you for today, Master Yuan."
It seemed like a thank you, but the tone was flat and emotionless.
Yuan Ling laughed sarcastically and said, "Miss Cui really knows how to get rid of a donkey after it has done its job."
Cui Yiluo didn't want to argue with him, so she turned around and left.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, he saw Jiang Zhaoyue running towards him from not far away, followed by a tall figure.
There was a gloom in the man's eyes, and his face seemed covered with a thin layer of ice, as if a storm was about to come.
Cui Yiluo subconsciously called out, "Husband."
Seeing Cui Yiluo coming out of the fire safely, Jiang Zhaoyue's nervousness immediately disappeared. She then noticed that there was a man standing next to Cui Yiluo.
Jiang Zhaoyue's face showed doubt. Just as he was about to speak, the person behind him suddenly took a step forward.
"Where's your shawl?"
Cui Yiluo was stunned. She and Jiang Yunjin had not spent much time alone together in the past few days. When she woke up this morning, he had already washed and changed his clothes. During breakfast, he adhered to the rule of not talking while eating and refused to say a word.
Unexpectedly, he could tell at a glance that her shawl was missing.
"It just fell into the fire."
Jiang Yunjin's brows relaxed slightly, and he turned sideways and bowed to Yuan Ling, "Thank you, Master Yuan, for saving my wife."
Yuan Ling's smile was inexplicably playful. "You are too polite, Lord. I am also following the orders of Your Majesty to lead the Yunyi Guards to rescue the women."
Jiang Yunjin glanced at the dark robe in Yuan Ling's hand, then looked at Cui Yiluo: "I'll take you to the main hall first. Your aunt is waiting for you."
Jiang Zhaoyue also said: "Yes, let's go quickly. The fire is so big, my mother must be worried to death."
When Lan Hui was mentioned, Cui Yiluo immediately became anxious. She hurried to Jiang Yunjin's side and rubbed her sleeve against his.
"Let's go."
After he finished speaking, Cui Yiluo inexplicably felt that his expression brightened slightly, and he nodded lightly.
The three of them walked towards the main hall together. After taking a few steps, Cui Yiluo remembered Yuan Ling and subconsciously looked back. The place was empty. Yuan Ling had orders and must have returned to the backyard to put out the fire.
As soon as I turned around, I heard a deep male voice beside my ear: "What's wrong?"
As soon as Cui Yiluo raised her eyes, she met his deep gaze, but he looked normal again, as if he was just worried whether she had left something in the meditation room.
Cui Yiluo shook her head: "Nothing."
The man lowered his eyes slightly, nodded gently, and the air pressure around him became heavier.
A fire broke out suddenly, but fortunately it did not spread to the front and only a few female family members were slightly injured. However, such a big thing happened suddenly and everyone was still in shock.
The emperor ordered the cancellation of the afternoon chanting, sent the men and women back home, and gave them many rewards to appease them. He only left Yun Yiwei and several important officials to conduct a thorough investigation in Guanghua Temple, and Jiang Yunjin was naturally among them.
"Has your wife returned home?"
In a quiet and secluded place, Xiao Jing and Jiang Yunjin stood facing each other.
Jiang Yunjin frowned slightly, his expression gloomy, "Yeah."
Xiao Jing's tone turned cold. "I didn't expect Xiao Zheng to dare to take action today. It really kills two birds with one stone. The prelude has begun, and I'm afraid the backlash will come towards me."
He turned to look at Jiang Yunjin again: "You married Miss Cui, and he is even more angry. No wonder he couldn't hold it back today. Miss Cui is really his lifeline. Why not find an opportunity to expose the matter? If Miss Cui makes a mistake, everyone will blame him, and he won't dare to do anything again."
Jiang Yunjin's expression darkened. "Your Highness, this matter is of great importance. I don't think the time is right yet. We made some progress in the case of smuggling military horses a few days ago. Why not start there?"
Xiao Jing pondered for a moment and nodded: "I am worried. You have worked hard these past few days. You have been away from home early and back late since your wedding. But speaking of it, when that matter is revealed in the future, you and your wife..."
Jiang Yunjin said calmly, "I have no plans to marry another woman."
This made Xiao Jing look at him a few more times, his eyes aroused with interest. "This palace sees that Shen Zhi is different from before. Just now you said you couldn't find the right time. Could it be that you were afraid that your wife wouldn't be able to accept it right away?"
Jiang Yunjin said calmly, "Your Highness, you are overthinking it."
Xiao Jing laughed: "Then just think of it as me overthinking it."
-
The news of the fire at Guanghua Temple spread quickly in Shengjing, and suspicions arose. There had been no accidents in Guanghua Temple for a hundred years, but it suddenly caught fire while the emperor was offering incense. This was quite intriguing.
At first, Yun Yiwei found out that the fire was caused by a novice monk who accidentally burned the Buddhist flag while lighting incense in the Buddhist temple in the backyard, but as the sun set, another rumor suddenly spread in the city.
The fire broke out when the emperor was offering incense, which was the gods' dissatisfaction with the emperor's rule.
Rumors spread instantly.
There was a lot of commotion outside, and Cui Yiluo also sensed some of the deeper meaning behind it. It was a strategy that killed two birds with one stone, as if killing her by creating an accident was just a convenient way to do it.
Just as he was thinking about it, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and the dim yellow candlelight cast the man's tall figure on the wall, outlining his handsome profile.
Why did he come home so early tonight? Wasn't he trying to avoid her? And with such a big incident today, shouldn't he be even busier?
Cui Yiluo didn't understand for a moment, but she still smiled gently: "My husband is back."
His eyes seemed somewhat deep in the flickering candlelight. "I'll go take a shower first."
"Shall I call for some water?"
He had been avoiding her these past few days, always coming back to take a shower and rest after she went to bed. She thought it would be the same today, so of course she didn't prepare any water.
"No need, I've already given the order."
He had been busy outside all day, so it was no wonder he was in a hurry to take a bath. Cui Yiluo understood and said with a smile, "Then my husband, please go quickly."
When Jiang Yunjin came out of the shower, most of the candles in the bedroom had been extinguished, leaving only a few small lights in front of the bathroom. Jiang Yunjin stood for a while, lowered his eyes to glance at the candle clippers placed beside him, and walked into the room.
Cui Yiluo, who was sitting on the couch just now, has now got on the couch, with her back facing outside, her long black hair flowing smoothly on the couch.
Cui Yiluo stared at the tent in front of her, deep in thought.
One side of the quilt was slightly lifted, and a person lay down. Warm steam instantly wrapped around the back.
Cui Yiluo glanced at the faint candlelight shining through the tent and was stunned. She used to turn off the lights before going to bed.
She turned sideways, "Husband?"
The man lay flat on his back, still some distance away from her, and hummed softly.
Cui Yiluo was about to ask him if he had forgotten to put out the candle when he said, "Were you scared today?"
She didn't expect him to ask about this suddenly, but when she thought about it, she was his wife now, and he naturally had a responsibility to her.
She answered truthfully: "It was indeed a bit sudden."
Jiang Yunjin's expression turned slightly cold upon hearing this. After a few breaths, he said, "I'm sorry. I was negligent today."
Cui Yiluo didn't seem to care. Instead, she smiled and comforted him, "My husband has important matters to attend to, so naturally he can't spare any time to think about it. Besides, I'm not injured."
Her wrist was burned a few times when she used the dagger to pry the door open, and she had applied medicine when she came back.
Jiang Yunjin's expression did not soften at all, and his thin lips were slightly pursed.
The candle flickered again, and the light in the tent flickered. Having risen early today, and with so much happening all day, Cui Yiluo's eyes were tearing. She quietly urged him, "My husband, you've been tired today. Go to bed early."
The man beside him paused for a moment before speaking softly, "Okay."
After saying this, he stood up and went to put out the candle.
The lights went out one by one, and Cui Yiluo closed her eyes in the darkness.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and turned to look at the man who walked into the tent under the moonlight.
Could it be that he deliberately left the candle light on?
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The author has something to say: [狗头] It’s almost the weekend, I will try to write more, my dears please don’t make me fat.
[Red Heart] Thanks to the babies who irrigated the nutrient solution: Cai Jin x1, 50556140 x2
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