Chapter 5 This damned imperial court is clearly making things difficult for people. ...
After a night, they were attacked by thieves and then harassed by the Rouran.
Looking at the clean and tidy courtyard, Yu Nie picked at the bok choy in her hand and couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, thinking how unfortunate her life had been.
Sitting opposite her, Lang Xi, who was also helping to prepare vegetables, heard her sigh softly and asked with concern, "Junior Sister, what's wrong?"
She flicked the few bok choy leaves, "Nothing much, just a little melancholy."
This wasn't just a perfunctory remark.
After what happened last night, she still feels a bit melancholy.
Chaos was imminent, but her gunpowder was not even a half-finished product.
Langxi was unaware of her sorrow, assuming that she was still troubled by witnessing so many deaths and experiencing life-or-death situations for the first time.
"Qiqi, don't worry." She put down the vegetables she was holding, placed her hand on Yu Nie's, and comforted her, "Around dawn, I heard Xie Langjun say that the Rouran people were blocked three miles from the city this time. Their surprise attack failed, and they suffered heavy losses. They shouldn't be coming again for some time."
"Qiqi" was Yu Nie's childhood name, given to her personally by the previous abbot. It originated from the poem "The Yellow Crane Tower" which includes the lines "The clear river reflects the trees of Hanyang, the fragrant grass grows lush on Parrot Island." The old abbot said that she was abandoned in the open in winter, and he hoped that this name would bless her to live a life as vibrant and beautiful as spring grass, blooming year after year.
Seeing Langxi's worry for her, Yu Nie changed to a smiling face: "With my junior sister protecting me, why would I worry about those Rouran people?"
She always knew how to say nice things and give genuine praise: "Speaking of which, I saw my junior sister fighting with a sword last night, and she was so heroic and valiant."
She moved closer and sat down next to Lang Xi: "When you have time, could you teach me a few moves too, Junior Sister? Next time, I can help you and Uncle-Master fight off those demons and monsters."
A barrage of sweet words and compliments made Lang Xi smile gently.
He replied, "Why not? You spend all your free time tinkering with your saltpeter, do you even have time to practice swordsmanship with me?"
"My junior sister taught me, of course."
"Alright, I'll teach you swordsmanship when I have some free time in the next few days."
The midday sun was blazing, making their backs feel hot.
After chatting for a while, Yu Nie selected the vegetables, poured the bitter-smelling medicinal soup from the pot in the kitchen into a porcelain bowl on a wooden tray, and carried it to the front yard.
As she walked through the passageway next to the main hall and reached the front courtyard porch, she saw Ah Hui carrying two lively crucian carp coming in from outside the gate.
The temple hadn't eaten meat in a long time, so the sudden purchase of fish was obviously for the people lying in the pharmacy to replenish their bodies.
Before she could speak to Ah Hui, a soldier clad in black armor strode in quickly, carrying his helmet in one hand, and followed behind Ah Hui.
Their attire immediately revealed them to be members of Xuan Ce's army.
Before the Xuan Ce army withdrew last night, they had swept the temple inside and out, and even washed away the blood on the ground.
If it weren't for the knife marks left on the pillars and door frames, and the blood-stained window paper that had to be removed, no one would know that a fierce battle had just taken place here.
Thinking of this, Yu Nie felt much more favorable toward the Xuan Ce Army.
After all, if they hadn't helped out, she and Langxi alone would have been busy until sunset and still wouldn't have been able to clean it properly, and who knows how long it would have taken to finish.
She saw the soldier walk up to Ah Hui, pat him on the shoulder, and ask, "May I ask, Abbot, is your master here?"
Ah Hui made a series of polite gestures, and naturally, the person started searching again to see if there was anyone else around.
Yu Nie also enjoys helping others.
Just as she was about to step forward, she heard the curtain of the alchemy room being suddenly lifted.
Having changed into casual clothes, Cui Miaochang's eyes were barely open from the sunlight. He called out towards the door, "What business do you have with this humble Taoist priest?"
Upon seeing someone emerge, the soldier ran into the courtyard, clasped his hands in a respectful salute to Cui Miaochang, and said in a humble voice, "Master, please be merciful. My captain has sent me to inquire whether your esteemed temple has any remaining quiet rooms. The captain wishes to borrow this place to stay for a few days."
"You're the first captain to choose to stay in our shabby place instead of in the city," Cui Miaochang said sarcastically. "Do you find the city too comfortable and insist on trying our simple meals?"
"You're joking, Taoist priest. A golden house is a house, and a thatched hut is also a house." The dark-faced, thick-necked soldier scratched the back of his head, clearly not one to use sweet talk.
“You little yamen soldier, you know how to talk.” Cui Miaochang glanced at the man in front of him and saw that he was not a nobleman’s son, so he did not make things difficult for him. “I only have one guest room, but it has already been reserved. Go and tell your captain that if you break the contract without a reason, you will have to compensate the person. But as you can see, my little yamen does not have that much money.”
These words, once spoken, were undoubtedly an excuse.
Yu Zhe understood what was going on; his martial uncle was trying to get rid of him.
To everyone's surprise, the soldier bent down and took out a heavy money bag from his waist. Judging by its weight, it was clear that it contained a considerable amount of silver.
He said, "Master, there is no need to worry. My captain will pay the penalty for breach of contract."
Upon seeing the money bag, Cui Miaochang's face lit up with joy: "Oh dear, how could I possibly accept this?" As she said this, her hands were already busy taking the money bag.
The soldier continued, "Also, at 7 PM today, our master would like to come to the Bao Temple to offer a perpetual lamp. Would that be convenient?"
It's rare to see military generals offering eternal lamps; these men are all living Yama, roaming the world with countless bloody hands, and they always believe in their swords more than in gods. Yu Nie found this very strange, thinking to himself that Huan Zi was truly kind-hearted.
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldier presented a small bag of silver: "This is the incense money that my captain donated to your temple. It's a small token of my respect. I hope the abbot will accept it."
Cui Miaochang's eyes nearly disappeared with laughter, and he hurriedly said, "Of course, of course! Offering the eternal lamp is just a small matter, please come, Captain."
Upon hearing this, the officer saluted again: "In that case, I will inform the captain, and he will come as soon as he finishes his official duties."
"Alright, if your captain needs my help with anything else, just let me know."
Once the matter was settled, the officer said no more and quickly returned to the city.
As soon as the person left, Cui Miaochang didn't waste a moment. She opened her money bag and hummed a little tune, but the smile that had been on her face was gone.
Yu Nie looked at her good uncle and shook her head repeatedly, her expression full of admiration.
They can truly be described as flexible and adaptable.
Only a few of them knew that Cui Miaochang disliked those officials the most.
I hate everything about them, good and bad, without missing a single one.
But we still have to feed these people in the temple. Even immortals don't eat, they still need to drink the wind and dew.
Even if he disliked the government, Cui Miaochang would tolerate it and do business against his will if it made money.
As Yu Nie watched, she suddenly realized that she should learn from her martial uncle how to smile sweetly even when facing people she disliked.
It should be noted that flattery is not always bad; it can even be a lifesaver in critical moments.
“Rong girl,” Cui Miaochang turned around and saw the person under the corridor. She subtly put the money bag into her sleeve. “What are you standing there staring at? Go and take the medicine to Guard Xie.”
Yu Nie carried the tray and walked quickly to Cui Miaochang, his posture like a duckling running on the shore. He smiled and said, "Uncle-Master, I heard everything just now. If we are going to offer lamps tonight, would you like me to do the purifying of the altar?"
Cui Miaochang glanced sideways and immediately saw right through the girl's thoughts. She suddenly flashed an overly kind smile and said in an exceptionally gentle tone, "Of course. It's not just about cleaning the altar and sweeping, dusting the scripture pavilion, and extending your lessons until the end of midnight; your teacher has remembered all of that."
"Huh?" Yu Nie's little face scrunched up. "This disciple has just crawled back from the brink of death, and hasn't even found all of my soul yet. This disciple needs to catch my breath, doesn't he?"
Cui Miaochang flicked the whisk in his hand, smiling broadly: "If you don't want to do any work, you can do other work. If you can find something else to substitute, your uncle will be very generous."
"What is it?" she asked hopefully.
Cui Miaochang didn't answer, leaving only "Think about it yourself" before going into the alchemy room to continue making pills.
Her attempt to slack off failed, and her initial efforts crumbled. She had thought that the tasks she was punished with would be postponed due to the events of the previous night, but little did she know that even if the sky fell, she would still have to work.
Fuming with anger, she turned and went into the pharmacy.
*
After lunch, Yu Nie was busy non-stop. First, she carefully arranged the scriptures in the scripture pavilion, and then she and Lang Xi squatted by the well to wash clothes.
After finally hanging up the clothes to dry, before the water droplets had even dried, we had to go back to the back of the mountain to tidy up the wooden house.
She finally caught her breath after she and Ah Hui and the others gathered together to paste paper on the windows.
The three chatted as they pasted paper on the windows, making the work seem less tiring.
Ah Hui recounted that earlier that morning, on his way to the city, he passed by the county government office and saw Rong Dajia being driven out by county officials.
He followed the crowd and went over to see what was going on. He heard from the onlookers that there was a problem with the peacock blue porcelain ewer that the Rong family supplied to princes and nobles.
Due to internal strife in Tocharian Russia, the ordered peacock blue pigment could not be delivered on time.
However, the porcelain ewer that the royal family wanted had been ordered long ago, and since the pigments couldn't be delivered, the Rong family couldn't make a peacock blue porcelain ewer.
Rong Dajia then went to the government office, hoping to ask the county magistrate to report to the imperial court, but was flatly refused and was told to hand over the goods on time.
After watching Ah Hui finish gesturing, Lang Xi said worriedly, "Isn't this just making things difficult for people?"
“Who says otherwise?” Yu Nie smeared the paste in his hand onto the window frame with such force that it was as if he were holding the magistrate in his hand.
She applied the paste heavily, pressing the window hinges so hard they creaked as if they were about to fall apart. She squeezed out the words through gritted teeth: "Damn the imperial court, I'll just rip it off."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a voice suddenly came from behind her: "Little Taoist priest, who are you trying to overturn?"
Yu Nie's body suddenly stiffened, and he turned around.
The person at the entrance leaned against a pillar, dressed in a white and black robe with gold-embroidered sleeves, his entire body hidden in the shadows of the corridor. A faint smile played on his lips as he gazed at her with eyes as cold as frost.
A note from the author:
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