Chapter 308 Marriage Talisman
The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and we had entered early summer. That evening, the first heavy rain of the summer fell.
Dark clouds pressed heavily over the Fourth Prince's residence. The air was filled with a scorching smell, making people feel uncomfortable and depressed.
Xiao Yuan came back from the study holding an oil-paper umbrella and saw the girl sitting on the doorstep, waiting for him with her hands on her cheeks.
Rain flowed down from the eaves, splashing all over the steps and corridors. Most of her dress was soaked, and Mo Xiang's eyes were red from anxiety.
Xiao Yuan quickly walked up the stairs, threw away the oil-paper umbrella and helped her up.
"You're back?"
"Why don't you wait inside? It's cold in the evening, what if you catch a cold?"
He frowned and looked at Mo Xiang who was serving beside him.
"I have been trying to persuade her for a long time, but the princess refused. Fortunately, you are back, uncle."
Shen Anan heard the displeasure in his voice and raised her arms to wrap around his waist, "I'm scared to be alone. I can't sleep without you."
Xiao Yuan gently stroked her back, picked her up by the waist and carried her back to the main house, where he changed her wet clothes and washed her.
Shen An'an didn't move at all, just blinked and stared at Xiao Yuan's eyebrows.
"If you want to see me next time, send someone to the study to inform me, and I will come back to accompany you immediately."
Shen Anan frowned, with a hint of entanglement on her face, "But they all said that you are very busy with government affairs, and I don't want to disturb you,"
Xiao Yuan has been doing his best to advance the progress, so he is naturally very busy these days. Shen Anan can only see him when he goes to bed.
"Nothing is more important than you." He stroked her face gently, suppressing the heartache in his eyes.
"Have you had dinner yet?"
Shen Anan nodded and stretched out his arms, “I’m sleepy.”
Xiao Yuan naturally stood up and lay down with her, holding her in his arms, "Go to sleep, I'll stay with you."
Shen Anan changed into a comfortable position and closed her eyes at ease.
The rain outside still showed no sign of stopping and kept hitting the window frames.
After an unknown amount of time, the person in his arms began to breathe evenly. Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes, carefully put her down, covered her with a quilt, and went to the outer room.
Mo Xiang cried until her eyes were swollen. "Master, the princess's condition has become worse these days. Sometimes I can't even remember her. Can you think of a way to save her? I'm really afraid that one day, she will forget all of us."
She knelt on the ground, sobbing softly.
Her behavior is no longer what a normal adult would do. Lucidity is only an occasional thing. What is even more unacceptable is that she herself is in fear of amnesia and tosses and turns.
"Whenever it is Qingming Festival, the prince's wife will sit in front of the window frame and be in a daze for the whole day. When you come back late, she will not allow me to inform you. She will often go to bed when you are about to come back late at night."
Although the prince's wife never said it, Mo Xiang knew that she was afraid that she would become like an eight or nine-year-old child tomorrow. She felt that as long as she stayed awake and did not sleep, this would not be the case.
Often the scariest thing about a person is not his or her illness, but his or her mental illness. Mo Xiang was afraid that Shen Anan would torture herself to the point of becoming ill.
Xiao Yuan rested his arms on the armrests of the chair, his dark eyes staring blankly at the heavy rain outside the door. He did not speak, but the sadness and loneliness made Mo Xiang slowly stop crying.
Yes, the son-in-law is the one who suffers the most.
She remembered that the day before, when the princess woke up, she suddenly didn't recognize her brother-in-law. Her brother-in-law didn't say anything and didn't break down like she did. He went to the study to handle official business as usual and came back for meals as usual, with an expressionless face as if he didn't care at all.
But that night, he vomited blood and fainted in the study. Qing'an didn't dare to report to Wutongyuan, so she could only make up a lie and deceived the prince's wife and son-in-law that they were busy and could not come back that night.
To this day, even when the princess is awake, she dares not mention this matter.
"You should leave now."
Xiao Yuan finally moved his gaze and spoke slowly.
Mo Xiang responded and left sobbing.
Through the screen, he could still clearly see the figure on the bed. Xiao Yuan sat in a chair, watching quietly, until the cock crowed, then he slowly stood up.
He walked in as usual, covered her with a quilt, and kissed her forehead, "I'm going to the study, dear."
Shen Anan frowned, opened her eyes a little and looked at him, then turned over with the quilt in her arms and continued to sleep.
A faint doting smile appeared on Xiao Yuan's face.
In the study, Qing'an and Qingfeng keenly noticed that their master was in a bad mood today, and they served him cautiously, not daring to say a word, and the atmosphere was a little tense.
Xiao Yuan looked at the documents on the table and did not start to review them. "Qing'an,"
"I am here."
"Go to the government office and ask them to post notices to find talented people from all over the world. As long as they can..."
He suddenly stopped talking.
Qing An already knew what his master meant, and tried to persuade him, "Master, the court is in a tense situation right now. If we advertise our request for medical treatment, someone with ulterior motives might take advantage of us."
Xiao Yuan naturally knew this. He was not afraid of those people playing power games, but An An was his weak spot. He was afraid that those people would take advantage of An An's illness to do something.
He was also in a state of panic just now, but now that he had calmed down, he leaned back in his chair, half-closing his eyes. His weakness made Qing'an feel distressed.
There was a long silence in the study.
Xiao Yuan rubbed his brows, his expression gradually turned cold, and his distinct features became even colder, harder and more gloomy.
An An's condition is getting worse day by day, and he can't be constrained by those people anymore.
Only by sitting in that position can she seek medical treatment openly and no longer be afraid of anyone's means. Only power can protect her.
He couldn't and didn't have time to wait any longer.
"Qing'an, send a message to the palace..."
＊
One day, when Shen Anan woke up, she found Xiao Yuan in the room. He was sitting in front of the bed, staring at her, which scared her a lot.
"Why... didn't you go to the study?" At this hour, he should be in the study handling government affairs.
"It's sunny now. I'll take you out for a walk. It's not good to stay stuck in the room all the time." He picked up the clothes beside her, helped her up and put them on.
Shen Anan was still a little confused, "Where to go?"
"Xiangjue Temple, let's go burn incense."
What happened between them could not be resolved by doctors, so he could only put his hope in the gods and Buddhas, hoping that they would give him some time because of his sincerity.
Shen Anan looks good today.
"Are you going to ask for a marriage talisman?" She looked at him with her clear almond eyes and curled her lips. "I asked you a few days ago, and you said you were busy and didn't have time."
Xiao Yuan paused as he was tying her belt.
"Really? Why don't I remember it?"
Shen Anan pouted again, as if she was sulking and didn't say anything.
Xiao Yuan smiled and helped her out of bed, put on her shoes and socks himself, and called Mo Xiang into the room to help her wash and dress up.
The carriage had been waiting at the gate of the mansion. Xiao Yuan helped Shen Anan get on the carriage and sat beside him. "Are you still angry?"
Shen Anan lowered her eyes and said nothing.
He smiled softly, "Madam, if you want to go, your husband is always free."
"But you clearly didn't say that a few days ago."
Although Xiao Yuan was smiling, there was a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
This happened in a dream, so her memory now remains in the dream, and she has forgotten everything the two of them have experienced now?
Does that mean that one day she will look at me with resentment, just like she did at the beginning?
Just thinking about it, Xiao Yuan felt as if his heart was being pulled in pain.
"An An,"
"Um?"
"I am pleased with you."
Shen Anan seemed stunned for a moment, then slowly smiled, "I know, you say it every day, and I remember it."
"But I still want to tell you."
The weather was still mixed with the smell of earth after it had just rained, but fortunately, Xiangjue Temple was full of pilgrims, and a path up the mountain had already been trampled out.
Xiao Yuan helped Shen Anan get off the carriage and walked up the mountain step by step.
When they reached halfway up the mountain, Shen Anan felt a little tired. Xiao Yuan bent down to carry her on his back. She felt a little embarrassed as all the people coming and going were pilgrims.
"You are a prince, it would be bad for others to see you."
"You're carrying your wife on your back. She's seen, so what are you afraid of?" He carried her on his back without saying anything and continued walking towards the top of the mountain.
"Master," Qing'an said in a low voice, "There is a sedan chair prepared for the wives of officials on the top of the mountain. How about I go and have someone carry it over?"
"No, since you are worshipping Buddha, you must be sincere."
“……” Qing’an responded and took a few steps back.
He felt very unhappy because due to the situation of the prince's wife, his master had begun to place hope even on the theories of ghosts and gods, which he had previously despised the most.
Shen Anan was lying on his back and talking to him. There were many men and women coming down the mountain along the way. Shen Anan would take a look at the things in their hands. If he saw something like a talisman, he would tell Xiao Yuan about the efficacy of the Xiangjue Temple's marriage talisman.
She went up the mountain with great expectations, but when the little monk who received the pilgrims saw the two of them, he acted as if he had seen a ghost and ran towards the main hall.
“…”
"What's wrong with him?" Shen Anan asked Xiao Yuan who was holding her hand with an innocent look on her face.
The latter looked calm, "Maybe he saw us coming and went to inform the abbot to come and greet us."
Shen Anan, “…but didn’t the Buddha say that all living beings are equal?”
The subordinates behind him listened to the words of their own prince's wife, and they didn't know whether to feel sad or look up to the sky in silence.
As Xiao Yuan said, within half an incense stick, the abbot of Xiangjue Temple came hurriedly, with a little sweat on his forehead, "Donor Xiao, Donor Shen."
Shen Anan imitated the pilgrims and put his hands together to bow, which scared the abbot so much that his old face turned slightly pale.
"I wonder what you two are doing here this time?"
“We would like to ask for a marriage talisman from the master of your temple,” Shen Anan said.
The abbot's face turned pale, and he immediately tried to calm down and pretend to be calm, "Donor Shen, you are joking. Junior Brother Wen Yin has passed away."
Pass away on a crane?
Shen Anan looked at the abbot in confusion.
If the abbot had not remembered clearly what happened on those two occasions, he might have been deceived by her innocence.
"But on the way here just now, I saw those marriage symbols in the hands of men and women." Could it be that they are unwilling to give it to her? Shen Anan frowned and looked up to see Xiao Yuan.
Did they offend them? Or do I just look disgusting?
Hearing this, the abbot breathed a sigh of relief, raised his eyes and glanced at Shen Anan calmly, still not believing that she really came for the marriage talisman.
“Those are just some ordinary talismans. If that’s what Donor Shen is talking about, there are some in the main hall. Donor Shen and Donor Xiao can go and ask for them.”
"Are there ordinary and uncommon talismans?" Shen Anan looked puzzled.
Xiao Yuan had been staring at the abbot, and only now did he withdraw his gaze indifferently, holding Shen Anan and saying, "The marriage talisman blessed by the abbot is naturally different from the ordinary ones. Anan likes it, so let's trouble the master to bless it for us, how about it?"
Of course Shen Anan was willing and nodded.
The abbot's eyelids twitched and his heart was in his throat.
"Don't worry, Abbot. My husband and I are just here to burn some incense and ask for a talisman."
The abbot was still skeptical, but he had no other choice but to send the two plague gods away as soon as possible, so he nodded and said, "Old Na is a Buddhist. If you two don't mind, come with Old Na."
Xiao Yuan led Shen Anan and followed the abbot to the main hall.
There were a lot of talisman papers placed in front of the incense table. The little monk handed the two of them the lit incense, and Shen Anan took the initiative to take it, "I can worship it myself."
He is a prince, and may become the emperor in the future. It is inappropriate for him to kneel down and worship gods and Buddhas for marriage.
"It doesn't matter. Since it's a request, we should do it together to show our sincerity." Xiao Yuan helped her kneel down and put his hands together.
Then he stood up and inserted the incense into the incense burner.
However, the incense that was originally burning well suddenly broke in half the moment it was inserted into the incense burner, and fell on the table with a plop.
Shen An'an was stunned for a moment, and Xiao Yuan's dark eyes instantly became cold and gloomy. Even the abbot had never seen such a rare thing.
Seeing that Xiao Yuan's face was getting darker, he quickly relit a few incense sticks and handed them to the two of them, "Maybe the incense has been damp. Please try again, donors."
Xiao Yuan pursed his lips tightly, but under Shen Anan's gaze, he still reached out to take the incense. The two returned to the cushion and repeated the previous action.
Pray, burn incense, and then the incense still breaks into two pieces.
The abbot's face turned pale as paper, and he felt sad that Xiangjue Temple was about to be lost.
"Donor Xiao, there must be something wrong with this batch of incense. How about you two shake the divination sticks and let Lao Na interpret it for you personally?"
Shen Anan pulled the gloomy Xiao Yuan and smiled gently at the abbot, "Then thank you for your help."
The abbot only felt that her smile was a bit weird and sinister.
It is said that monks do not gossip, but for Manshan's life, he had to tell some white lies.
The little monk brought the divination tube and handed it to Shen Anan. She quickly pulled Xiao Yuan to kneel down again and started shaking the divination sticks.
Xiao Yuan cooperated silently, but his dark eyes were fixed on the divination tube without blinking. There was a coldness in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Shen Anan's back of his hands began to feel cold as he stared at her.
A fortune stick fell out and was handed to the abbot by the little monk. Shen Anan put down the fortune stick and looked at Xiao Yuan, "What's wrong with you? Why are you unhappy?"
"No." Xiao Yuan smiled at her and gently stroked her head.
When Shen Anan got up to find the abbot to interpret the hexagram, he looked at the broken incense in the incense burner, and madness and brutality flashed in his eyes.
During those two times of burning incense, he not only prayed for marriage, but also other things. So, their refusal to accept the incense means that they are not allowing it?
Gods and Buddhas don’t allow?
But what if he insists? !
Xiao Yuan stared at the Buddha statue, a fierce aura pouring out, as if carrying the power to destroy everything.
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