Chapter 13, Chapter 13: Seven Steps to Disrupt the Gods.
Rongrong's words stirred Jiang Fushi's heart, and she immediately thought of someone.
Then, she lowered her voice, "Your Highness, I just smelled the scent of ruby powder on Miss Li..."
Red peony powder is pungent and dry in nature. When combined with other aromatic herbs, it can be used as a sachet. However, if it comes into contact with an open flame, it will ignite instantly.
really……
Given Li Wanru's vengeful nature, she would never let this go easily; it turns out she had this wicked plan.
Lou Bingling gasped, about to say something, but Jiang Fushi pressed her hand down, shook her head slightly, indicating not to alert the enemy, and then secretly instructed Qingdai and Zisu to replace the Panlong Giant Incense.
He found another excuse and said:
"This incense is very powerful and requires a sincere heart to light. Just now, my mind was unsettled and the flame went out. I'm afraid my intention was not sincere enough. Please wait a moment and allow me to calm my mind before offering the incense again."
Abbess Jinghui had no suspicions whatsoever. She put her hands together, nodded to show her understanding, and said, "Amitabha. Sincerity brings results. Your Highness, please make yourself at home."
“In that case, I’ll trouble you to wait a moment, Abbess.” Jiang Fushi curtsied slightly. “My attire is a little disheveled and I need to tidy it up before I go to worship Buddha.”
She took the opportunity to go to a deserted corridor behind the palace, and only stopped after looking around to make sure no one was paying attention.
She removed the silver hairpin from her hair, opened the hollow head, poured out the Seven-Step Chaos Powder which had been crushed into powder, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and then casually returned to the incense table where incense sticks were offered. Pretending to select incense sticks, she actually rubbed the handkerchief containing the powder lightly a few times on the tip of the most ordinary-looking but conspicuous incense stick, allowing the powder to adhere to it.
The pilgrimage begins.
Li Wanru, who had been hiding behind the curtain at the side door of the main hall to observe the situation, was acting very strangely.
The incense sticks were almost half burned, but there wasn't a single sign of a sudden burst.
Shouldn't it explode when it comes into contact with fire?
"How could this happen? Are you sure you put the red sapphire powder on it?"
The maid assured her, "Miss, I sprinkled it myself, there's no mistake."
Li Wanru frowned, both anxious and angry: "No, I have to go and see what's going on."
She emerged from behind the curtain, casually approaching Jiang Fushi. She discreetly examined the burning, yet perfectly normal, coiled dragon incense, then looked at Jiang Fushi with suspicion.
Jiang Fushi pretended not to see her gaze, calmly lit the incense stick, and inserted it into the incense burner. Then, as if she had just noticed her, she asked, "Where did Miss Li go just now? Why did you take so long to offer incense?"
Startled by the question, Li Wanru forced a stiff smile, then unknowingly picked up the tampered incense stick and lit it with the candle beside her: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I was just getting some fresh air. The key to worshiping Buddha is sincerity. It was only a short while, so I'm sure Buddha won't mind."
Jiang Fushi clasped her hands together, lowered her eyes reverently, and bowed deeply to the Buddha statue.
When I looked up again, I met the compassionate yet majestic gaze of the statue.
The faithful woman has resorted to this method today, seeking the Buddha's judgment. It is not out of personal grudge, but truly for self-preservation. If anyone should be blamed, it should be the one who conceived the evil thought first.
Li Wanru let out a sharp scream, and then, for some unknown reason, she staggered backward, waving her hands wildly as if she had gone mad.
"Get away! All of you get away! Help me... bugs! So many bugs are crawling all over me! It's so scary, so scary! Don't come any closer, don't come any closer! Don't bite me, don't bite me!"
She was babbling incoherently while frantically tearing at her clothes and hair, her exquisite hairstyle instantly becoming disheveled and her jewels falling to the ground.
"A bug is biting me! Quick, please help me get rid of it!"
She roared angrily, her hair disheveled. The maids rushed over to hold her down, saying, "Miss, Miss, what's wrong? There are no bugs, there are no bugs on you."
Li Wanru was in tears, bent over and vomited, her makeup was a mess, and she no longer had any of the dignified demeanor of the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Yongjia.
"Itchy, itchy, painful, painful, what are these? Ah, don't touch me!" She suddenly pushed away the maid who was helping her, with such force that she almost knocked the maid to the ground.
"Miss, Miss! Don't tear your clothes!" the maid shouted.
The entire area in front of the Buddha Hall was silent. Everyone was stunned by the sudden and terrifying scene. After the monks in charge of the temple reacted, they quickly helped to restrain the nearly deranged Li Wanru.
But she seemed to be possessed, possessing immense strength. No one could hold her down. She kept talking nonsense, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing.
“I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongjia. You are all lowly people, far inferior to my noble birth. You… are nothing but a wild sparrow that has flown up a branch to become a phoenix. Do you even deserve to worship Buddha in the same hall as me!”
"Three years ago, you made me lose all face. Today, I will make sure you are completely disfigured and become ugly and unattractive!"
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Everyone present was terrified when they heard Li Wanru's veiled insults, and they all knelt down on the ground.
With the princess before them, everyone held their breath, fearing they would be implicated in this catastrophic disaster. The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"What... what's going on? Why are you spewing such foul language?" Lou Bingling covered her mouth in disgust, afraid that Li Wanru would go berserk and attack. She pulled Jiang Fushi back a few steps, unwilling to get involved with Li Wanru.
Jiang Fushi watched coldly.
"Perhaps it was because of his evil intentions that he offended the gods and brought about the backlash of karma."
The Seven-Step Chaotic Powder is not very toxic; it only causes mental confusion and hallucinations. The effects of the medicine will dissipate after an hour, leaving the user feeling exhausted and extremely uncomfortable, but otherwise without any serious harm.
Compared to Li Wanru's malicious intention to disfigure her, this warning was a lenient thing to do.
"Miss, Miss, please stop talking." Li Wanru's maids pleaded, not daring to look at Jiang Fushi at all. They dragged Li Wanru out of the temple gate, and her shrill and frantic screams echoed outside the temple for a long time before gradually fading away.
"Amitabha." Master Jinghui's face was solemn as she chanted the Buddha's name: "Cause and effect are infallible, and retribution is inevitable."
“Benefactor Li is plagued by inner demons and his words and actions are inappropriate. Your Highness has been frightened.”
Jiang Fushi smiled calmly: "The Buddhist temple is a pure land where one can see all kinds of beings; this is also a form of spiritual practice."
After the farce, the temple gradually returned to calm.
When it was time for the meal, a young novice monk came to lead the way: "The vegetarian meal has been prepared in the dining hall. Please follow me, esteemed benefactors. The food is simple and plain, so please do not find it offensive."
"How could that be?" Jiang Fushi said with a smile, "I have long heard of the elegance of your temple's vegetarian cuisine, and I was just about to try it today."
Lou Bingling also smiled and said, "I've been craving your temple's bamboo shoots for a long time, which is why I begged Your Highness to come today."
The young novice smiled shyly: "I'm glad you two are pleased."
The dining hall was quiet, with only Jiang Fushi and her group present.
Because of the princess's visit, today's vegetarian meal is only served to them; the other pilgrims have been led to a side hall for their vegetarian meal.
Although the food was simple, it was prepared with exquisite care and a refreshing touch. Jiang Fushi picked up a piece of braised bamboo shoots with her chopsticks. The taste was tender, savory, and slightly sweet—truly a rustic flavor that was hard to find even in the palace.
"Your Highness, how does it taste? Was it worth the trip?"
"Mmm, fragrant, crisp and tender, truly a delicacy."
"The scenery behind Ci'an Temple is beautiful. If Your Highness is interested, I would like to accompany you for a walk later?"
"That's good, it'll help with digestion."
The back mountain was a vast, secluded bamboo forest, with a stone path winding its way up through it. Jiang Fushi and Lou Bingling walked hand in hand, the only sounds in the forest being the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind and the occasional birdsong, creating an exceptionally ethereal and tranquil atmosphere.
When we reached a pavilion halfway up the mountain, we happened to find Master Jinghui sitting there in meditation.
Jiang Fushi walked lightly past the nun.
Looking down at the magnificent temples and halls below the mountain, and the blurry outline of the imperial city in the distance, she thought of the endless strife and constraints within the red walls and golden tiles, her face showed weariness, and she let out a very soft sigh.
"Your Highness's brows are furrowed, as if your heart is trapped in a cage."
Before anyone knew it, Abbess Jinghui arrived. Jiang Fushi returned the greeting with her palms together, and said with a wry smile, "Where is not a cage?"
Looking into the depths of her eyes, at a sense of constraint that seemed out of place for her age and status, Abbess Jinghui smiled calmly: "Though the cage may be sturdy, the wind can still enter, the rain can still enter, and even birds can fly over. Can you see the birds in the temple? The sky beneath their wings is not limited by these walls."
"In Buddhism, there is the 'wrathful gaze of a Vajra,' and also the 'gentle brow of a Bodhisattva.' There is 'strict adherence to precepts,' and also 'playful interaction with the world.' Is there a fixed rule for transcending the world or engaging in it?"
Jiang Fushi blinked blankly. For a moment, she felt that Abbess Jinghui seemed to see through her thoughts.
She looked away. "However, my body is like a bird in flight, yet I am like a trapped sparrow. My claws and beak are soft, and my feathers are not yet fully grown. Even if I have the ambition to soar to the sky, I cannot escape the golden cage."
Master Jinghui gazed at the birds soaring in the distance: "Their wings are strong enough to withstand wind and rain, and their claws and beaks are sharpened by hardening. Even a golden cage is not a solid block of iron."
"Where your heart leads is your direction. If your heart is free, where can't you soar? My friend, do not ask where you are going, just follow your heart."
After speaking, Abbess Jinghui clasped her hands in prayer, stepped onto the stone path, and left.
Jiang Fushi stared blankly at her retreating figure.
"Your Highness? Your Highness?"
Although Lou Bingling didn't understand the deeper meaning behind the nun's words, she could tell that Jiang Fushi harbored great bitterness and resentment.
She asked, "Your Highness, do you feel that you are not free now?"
Jiang Fushi nodded, then shook her head.
Life is a balance of gains and losses, and it is difficult to easily determine which is more joyful and which is more sorrowful.
Compared to the common people outside the palace who lacked food and clothing, she lived a life of luxury and wealth, and indeed had no reason to complain.
Despite being a princess, she was surrounded by dangers and enemies, as if walking on a knife's edge, not as safe and comfortable as when she was a doctor.
Lou Bingling then asked, "If you could choose, what would Your Highness want to do? How would you want to live your life?"
When asked about this, Jiang Fushi pondered for a moment, a rare and pure longing light shining in her eyes: "I want to travel the world, practice medicine and help the sick, without having to scheme against people's hearts or worry about tomorrow. Gathering herbs in spring, making medical consultations in summer, preparing medicine in autumn, and gathering around the fire in winter, free and carefree."
Lou Bingling paused slightly upon hearing this, then a gentle smile spread across her eyes as she lightly took Jiang Fushi's arm: "Your Highness's thoughts truly represent the most carefree days in the world. Just hearing them makes one feel at ease."
"But... Your Highness."
She paused, her tone tinged with pity and helplessness: "How many women in this world can truly be as unrestrained as birds and fish? Even daughters from ordinary families outside the palace have their own limitations."
"Moreover, given your high status, a single move can have far-reaching consequences, making it even more difficult to act as you please."
"If Your Highness truly wishes to study medicine, you may begin by reading some medical books and pharmacopoeias, or by consulting with female physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau to learn some basic pharmacology. Having something to focus on may alleviate your worries and benefit your mind and body."
Upon hearing this, the longing light in Jiang Fushi's eyes dimmed slightly: "...Hmm."
"Let's go back, it's getting late."
She turned around and realized that Rongrong, who had been quietly following her, was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't help but ask Qingdai beside her, "Where is Rongrong?"
"She said she smelled a strange scent and went into the bamboo forest. I'll go and call her back now."
A peculiar taste?
Just then, Rongrong's voice came from not far away: "Found it!"
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