That night when Ah Fei went to investigate the whereabouts of the empress, Zhou Huaiyan also learned some secrets of the White Horse Temple from his uncle. Just as he expected, it was indeed related to the struggle for the throne during the previous emperor's time.
Emperor Zhou was the fourth son. He was neither good at civil nor military affairs, and his mother's family was mediocre. Apart from his good looks, he was basically lost among the other princes. But he had a good eye for women. The first person he chose was Jiang Min.
Afterwards, the two fell in love under a hundred-year-old plum tree.
Zhou Huaiyan sat on a mahogany square chair in front of the desk, while the little cat stood in front of his knees with its back to him, bent over the table, grinding ink seriously.
Since I asked Master Wei for leave this morning and didn't have to practice martial arts anymore, I had to find something to do. Zhou Huaiyan took a thin paintbrush and began to organize his thoughts.
Since he regarded Ah Fei as his confidant, he naturally had to teach her something.
"My uncle said that my mother should have married him as his principal wife, but later that year, the capital was in turmoil because of the seizure of the heir, and the previous generation of foreign kings took advantage of the situation and led their army south."
Zhou Huaiyan dipped his brush in vermilion paint and continued to casually trace and outline the kitten's lower back. Although his handwriting was not good, his painting skills were superb.
——He was memorizing the distribution map of White Horse Temple in various states of Great Zhou.
At that time, the Jiang family stood up. Duke Wei Jiang Yi went north to fight, while his younger sister Jiang Min went south alone in secret to suppress Prince Jing's rebellion.
"After my uncle pacified the northern border, he led 50,000 elite troops to the south by water to suppress the rebellion of Prince Jing. The Master Jian Kong of the White Horse Temple appeared at that time."
Ah Fei tried hard to remember what his master said, but his cheeks couldn't help getting hot, and he bit his cheeks subconsciously. He didn't know why his master wanted to use red to paint, but he didn't use cinnabar, but instead found a woman's vermilion rouge and asked him to add water and grind it into juice.
Although he was confused, Ah Fei still obeyed and polished the brush seriously. However, every time the boy put pen to paper, his fingertips would tremble slightly. At this time, he saw the beautiful fingers holding the brush and dipping it in the inkstone. Then, the little cat paused for a moment, subconsciously tightened his muscles, and really felt a hint of coolness again. The soft tip of the pure wolf hair brush carried the vermilion rouge and moved freely, but suddenly it paused slightly,
“Tsk.”
Zhou Huaiyan frowned and pinched his waist to show his dissatisfaction.
"Why add so much water? The color is too light."
"Ah... Master, please forgive me."
Ah Fei was so frightened that she immediately made the color darker. The vermilion color spread on the inkstone, and the pleasant scent of rouge immediately spread throughout the room.
Zhou Huaiyan picked up the pen and dipped it again. The rich color looked particularly beautiful on the tip of the pen.
"Um."
The picky Ninth Prince was finally satisfied. He then stopped exerting force and gently rubbed the soft red area a few times, which was considered a soothing action.
"However, the late emperor gave the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Zhenguo, who is now the empress, to the emperor in marriage..."
Zhou Huaiyan spoke slowly, and although he was speaking to Ah Fei, he was actually sorting out the hidden threads one by one.
If everything was a huge puzzle, he had already pieced together the rough outline in his mind, and he only needed to add some details to integrate it into a perfect picture.
Then, catch all the ghosts in the mist and clean them up one by one.
Zhou Huaiyan described the White Horse Temple strongholds one after another, connecting them into a line, and gradually outlining an enormous ambition.
At the same time——
call......
Ah Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief. He carefully adjusted the ratio of rouge and water so as not to displease his master again.
Speaking of unhappiness, Ah Fei thought of that night again, and suddenly felt sad and ashamed. The night before yesterday, he had soiled a lot of the paper that his master used for painting. Xiao Mao secretly asked Hongdou, and found out that the paper was extremely expensive and was specially transported from Jiangnan. He couldn't even buy a few sheets even if he sold them. So he could only use his body to pay off the debt and serve as his master's painting paper. I don't know why Zhou Huaiyan was unwilling to use the more gorgeous cinnabar, but insisted on using rouge as the pigment that was easy to smudge.
I guess after this painting, I won’t be able to use the more expensive and exquisite wolf-hair brush anymore.
Ah Fei felt that she was a real spendthrift. Not only could she not make money for her master, but she also ruined many of his things. Today, tonight, she must be careful and not ruin his things again.
Bang!
——A very crisp sound.
Zhou Huaiyan had a blank expression on his face, and suddenly hit the disobedient cat.
"I have been talking to you for so long, and you are distracted?!"
"Master, please forgive me!"
Ah Fei was startled and immediately knelt down, almost completely hiding under the huge desk. He quietly rubbed his heels on his buttocks that had just been hit, trying to dispel the terrible itching. But before Zhou Huaiyan could open his mouth to teach him a lesson, there was a familiar knock on the door outside -
"Boom, boom."
The boy glanced at the little cat kneeling below and responded casually,
"Come in."
The head maid walked in and saw that only Zhou Huaiyan was sitting at the desk, with no sign of Ah Fei. She immediately showed a look of slight surprise on her face, but she did not dare to ask more about her master, so she just bowed and saluted.
"Your Highness, several monks from the White Horse Temple have come to the Buddhist hall. They said they want to chant sutras and exorcise the evil spirits in your Qiwu Palace. All the princes' palaces must be exorcised, and today it happens to be the turn of Qiwu Palace."
"...White Horse Temple?"
——This is really interesting.
He was missing the last piece of the puzzle.
Zhou Huaiyan thought about it and was going to go out to meet him. After all, the study was his private area. Zhou Huaiyan generally didn't like outsiders to enter, and he mostly met guests in the hall outside.
But when he looked down, he saw the little cat kneeling under the desk with a wronged look on its face. Because the painting was to be done on its body, Ah Fei had no clothes on. In the dim corner, the ice-white skin was covered with a layer of dark light, and a faint rouge color could be seen on the narrow waist. Zhou Huaiyan suddenly had some mischievous thoughts. His finger bones tapped lightly on the table, and the Ninth Prince gave an order.
"Call the leader in. I have something to ask you."
"......yes."
[Why is Your Highness meeting guests in the study today? ]
The eldest palace maid was shocked, but she didn't dare to ask any more questions. Before leaving, Hongdou couldn't help but scan the study room, but still couldn't find any trace of Ah Fei.
[It's really strange...]
Hongdou frowned. She remembered that she had never seen anyone come out.
The head maid was a little confused, but she didn't think much about it. Since she went in with His Highness, His Highness must have known what was going on. She still remembered that last time, she was punished to the Discipline Hall for interfering in the master's affairs.
After learning from her mistakes, the eldest palace maid no longer wants to get involved in Ah Fei's affairs.
Thinking of this, she walked quickly to the main hall to carry out her master's orders. When the door closed, Ah Fei immediately grabbed the edge of the boy's robe, and her chest and abdomen were pressed against his calves, begging for mercy in a low voice.
"I'm wrong... I'm wrong, Master. Ah Fei will never be distracted again next time."
Ah Fei didn't realize that she was becoming more and more unruly in front of Zhou Huaiyan. Not only did she want to hug and pull him, she even broke the iron rule that servants must call themselves slaves.
Similarly, Zhou Huaiyan did not realize that he was giving in and pampering without any bottom line. He played with the thin wolf-hair brush in his hand, his tone was unclear,
"Then tell me, what has got you so absorbed that you don't even listen to what I say?"
"slave......"
Ah Fei tried to think of an excuse for a long time, but he still couldn't come up with one. Actually, he wasn't dumb, and he had practiced the skills needed for fine work during training. But his master was too smart and too sharp, and Ah Fei was very scared.
“Dongdong——”
Hongdou knocked on the door.
"Your Highness, Master Jingchen is here."
"Yes, come in."
Zhou Huaiyan took off his shoes, stepped on the kitten's waist and abdomen, and pushed him to the innermost corner.
"Woo..."
Hongdou frowned and looked around again. She always felt that she seemed to have heard some sound just now. Was it an illusion?
However, since the person had been brought here, the maid immediately bowed and took her leave.
Close the door.
"I have met His Majesty the Ninth Prince."
The monks bowed respectfully.
"Well, no need to be polite."
Zhou Huaiyan frowned, noticing the rouge on his fingertips, and casually threw the wolf-hair paintbrush on the table.
I didn't notice it just now and got my hands dirty.
The boy couldn't help wanting to find a handkerchief to wipe himself, but he wasn't the type to carry one with him, so Hongdou kept all those small things for him.
Zhou Huaiyan loves cleanliness, although he is not obsessed with cleanliness, but it is still uncomfortable to have such slippery rouge on his hands. He couldn't help rubbing his finger bones, and a look of displeasure appeared on his face.
The monk standing at the door thought that he had somehow displeased the Ninth Prince, and suddenly felt a little uneasy. He tried to test him,
"Your Highness, the poor monks and others came here today to recite scriptures to purify your bedroom."
"Yes, Your Highness knows."
Zhou Huaiyan no longer cared about the rouge on his hands, but looked up at Jingchen who was standing at the door.
"Master Jingchen, don't be nervous. I called you here today just to ask... to say hello to Master Jiankong."
Halfway through his words, Zhou Huaiyan suddenly felt a damp heat on his fingertips, as if some small animal had licked them. There was a little cat hiding underneath, and he knew who was behind it without even looking down. He pinched the restless little cat's tongue, then stepped on the other's waist and abdomen, slightly increasing the strength with a hint of warning. However, after just a moment, he felt something pressing against his heel.
“…Tsk.”
Is it because winter is over? On the surface, the boy still looked normal, but his feet were slightly lowered. He looked at Jingchen and continued,
"My uncle built a pavilion called Xuan'an for my mother, and the two characters "Xian'an" on it were written by Master Jiankong. So when I heard that the monk from the White Horse Temple was coming today, my uncle specially asked me to ask about the Master's recent situation."
"so it is!"
Hearing that it was for the most otherworldly Master Jian Kong, with whom he had an old friendship, Jing Chen's mood immediately brightened, and even his words and expressions were somewhat excited.
"In reply to your Highness, Master Jian Kong is currently preparing for the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony in the temple. If everything goes well, I will definitely convey this to Master Jian Kong!"
It was normal for monks to be respectful to the masters of high status in the temple, but such worship and even fanaticism made Zhou Huaiyan somewhat concerned.
He had collected information about the White Horse Temple. This Master Jiankong had saved tens of thousands of displaced people during the rebellion of Prince Jing. Since then, he had achieved the reputation of a Bodhisattva and his reputation among the people was especially high. He was like the reincarnation of a living Buddha.
Later, the White Horse Temple was upgraded to a national temple by the previous emperor, and the status of this Master Jian Kong became even higher.
Zhou Huaiyan remained calm and continued to ask questions.
"Oh, it is indeed the day of offering sacrifices to the heavens. Your Highness remembers that there are many things to prepare for the emperor's offering sacrifices to the heavens. This year, Master Jian Kong is presiding over it, so he must have been busy with this matter a long time ago, so he didn't even show up for the New Year's Eve banquet."
The boy looked distressed.
"Your Highness has specially prepared a small gift, and I want to send it to you during the New Year's Eve banquet, so that I can thank this master who has been so kind to my mother."
The Ninth Prince looked natural with a smile on his face. No one could tell that he was bullying a curled up, shivering kitten. Jingchen had no idea that he was being framed. When he heard that Zhou Huaiyan not only had an old relationship with Master Jian Kong, but also had prepared gifts, his original psychological defenses were completely removed, and even his previous ill feelings towards the Ninth Prince due to the rumors dissipated a lot.
"Your Highness, thank you for your concern. The Heavenly Sacrifice is a matter of great importance. Master Jiankong has been preparing for it since last summer and has never left the temple for a single day. The day of Heavenly Sacrifice is approaching. For the sake of all the people in the world, I have no choice but to decline the palace's New Year's Eve banquet."
For the common people?
If this were said in modern times, Zhou Huaiyan would think that the other party was either a pyramid scheme or a cult. Looking at the monk's red face, he thought it was the latter. He had asked all the questions he needed to ask, and had gotten almost everything he wanted. Zhou Huaiyan wanted to say a few more words, but suddenly he felt something moving under his feet. Then, his socks got wet.
"......"
He immediately realized what had happened, and couldn't help but hold his forehead, and directly opened his mouth to drive the person away.
"I won't bother Master Jingchen with the matter of reciting the sutras to remove evil spirits. Please go back."
"This......?"
Jingchen had never expected that this person would change his expression so suddenly. Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted.
"This time, I will go with my father to offer sacrifices to the heavens. We will then be able to get rid of the bad luck in the White Horse Temple."
Having said that, Jingchen could only take his leave. When the door was closed, Zhou Huaiyan slowly lowered his head to look at the kitten. The kitten was kneeling in a corner, with a beautiful curved back line, trembling like a longbow that had just shot an arrow, and the corners of his lips were still stained with the red of rouge.
Once upon a time, Zhou Huaiyan particularly liked to stick his feet into the cat's belly to keep warm for fun.
Because no matter in his past life or this life, he is afraid of cold.
In winter, the most enjoyable thing to do every day is to suddenly put my cold hands and feet on the cat’s softest and warmest belly.
The cat always gets a sudden chill and then jumps away cursing. But today, it was the first time that his socks got wet.
"Tsk,"
Hearing some suppressed and bitter sobs coming from below, Zhou Huaiyan suddenly felt a headache.
"What are you crying about, huh? What are you crying about again?"
The author has something to say:
Be quiet! Be calm! Mr. Fa is a decent man!