Chapter 64 It's only been a few days. She only believes—destiny is on her side. ...
Yongxing Temple and Hongzheng Hall are quite far apart.
The wind lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and outside the window, mobile vendors dared to call out their wares as they passed by.
Yu Nie leaned against the car window, propping his elbows up, and listened to Xiao Chengyan talk the whole way.
She didn't find it annoying. In her opinion, Xiao Chengyan was a bit talkative, but his heart was very warm. He had been chattering on and on all the way to give her a detailed introduction to everything about Jian'an City.
As the carriage passed through each street and alley, he would lift the curtain and carefully tell her where the best rice wine dumplings were, which opera troupe sang the most flavorfully, and which street was the fastest to get to Chongyue Tower.
With his detailed explanation, she gained a better understanding of Jian'an City, which was previously completely unfamiliar to her.
As the car wheels turned through the streets and alleys, the number of people dwindled, and the bustling sounds of the once vibrant nightlife were gradually replaced by silence.
The scenery became even more picturesque and poetic. Before long, the plaque of Yongxing Temple was faintly visible behind the thin curtain.
Yu Nie lifted the gauze curtain and looked out the window.
Xiao Chengyan tucked the fan in his hand behind his neck: "Qiqi...we've arrived."
He got out of the car first and casually placed the footstool for her.
When Zhao Yuntuan saw that he was still reaching out to help him, he frowned, grabbed the sleeve of the person next to him, and half-pulled, half-dragged him to the back of the carriage.
The shadow fell on their faces. He lowered his voice, his tone tinged with urgency: "Hey, what are you doing? Have you forgotten you're the Prince of Guangning?"
Xiao Chengyan was completely unconcerned; Zhao Yuntuan's exaggerated reaction seemed utterly unnecessary to him.
“My identity as the Prince of Guangning does not conflict with Fu Qiqi’s, so why are you making such a fuss, Yun Tuan?”
"Tch..." Zhao Yun scoffed. He had seen it all the way without blinking an eye. Xiao Chengyan, standing in front of Zhao Huayan, was so attentive that he felt like a stranger.
He glanced at the beautiful figure getting out of the car out of the corner of his eye and lowered his voice: "Anyway, let me remind you, Shunhe is now the betrothed of the Jie chieftain, she is engaged. Don't let your mind cloud your judgment and have any improper thoughts."
Zhao Yuntuan really didn't want to think about it, but ever since that day when he returned from the visit, Xiao Chengyan had knocked on his door in the middle of the night, wanting to take him to the Imperial Clan Court to see Zhao Huayan's imperial genealogy.
On his way to Hongzheng Pavilion today, he kept muttering about her. He looked at her from every angle, and something seemed off. Xiao Chengyan had seen all kinds of beauties, but he had never acted so strangely before.
Xiao Chengyan wasn't stupid; he could understand the meaning behind his good brother's words.
For a moment, he thought Zhao Yuntuan was worrying unnecessarily, and reassured him, "I've only met Qiqi twice, what thoughts could she possibly have..."
He put his arm around Zhao Yun's shoulder and said, "I was just thinking that Qiqi is still our little sister, so I'm taking extra care of her. Don't get the wrong idea."
Zhao Yuntuan looked at the person in front of him with a suspicious expression, and then said nothing more.
Seeing that Yu Nie had gotten out of the car, Xiao Chengyan patted Zhao Yuntuan's shoulder twice and turned to greet her.
When the group arrived at the temple gate, a round-faced monk was already waiting there.
The monk had a long, white beard, and several bright-eyed young disciples followed behind him.
As they approached, the abbot, with a gentle smile in his eyes, bowed in greeting.
Yu Nie and the others returned the greeting with their palms together. Xiao Chengyan stepped forward, and it was clear that he was quite familiar with the monks of Yongxing Temple.
He explained Yu Nie's identity to the abbot, whose smile remained unchanged, and he nodded in greeting once more.
The group exchanged greetings and the conversation ended.
During a few casual words, Yu Nie learned that the other party's Buddhist name was Hui Ran.
A moment later, Abbot Huiran raised his hand and led them toward the main hall, which was filled with the smoke of incense.
As they walked, somehow, Yu Nie ended up between the abbot and Xiao Chengyan.
As they approached the main hall, Yu Nie noticed several attendants standing before it. Judging from their attire, they must have been serving a nobleman.
A sense of curiosity arose in her heart, and she looked up and asked, "Abbot Huiran, besides us, are there any other worshippers coming to the temple to pay homage to Buddha today?"
Abbot Huiran replied with his palms together, his tone carrying the calm and peaceful quality unique to monks, his eyes revealing kindness: "Your Highness, Minister Wang and his friend were also here to worship Buddha today, and have now moved to the backyard to rest."
"Wang Situ?" Yu Nie was very unfamiliar with this title.
Xiao Chengyan explained gently from the side: "This Minister Wang is the head of the civil officials in the court, holding the positions of Minister of Works and Minister of Personnel. His eldest daughter is the current Empress. His family is very prominent."
Yu Nie nodded, looking like he understood but not quite.
The official system in the imperial court was complex, and to some extent, she was actually "historically illiterate," so it was understandable that she couldn't understand it.
However, she had heard Langxi mention that the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was similar in nature to that of the Prime Minister or Chancellor.
After exchanging them for the same amount, she felt that this Wang Situ was an extremely important person.
When she encounters such important figures, she usually keeps as far away from them as possible.
As they chatted, the abbot led everyone to the foot of the main hall's steps. The vermilion doors were open, and the air inside was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The candles in front of the ten-foot-tall Buddha statue were brightly lit.
Abbot Huiran asked everyone to stop in front of the incense burner, and Yu Nie accepted the three sticks of incense offered by the monk.
She held the incense stick in her hand and lit it over the candle flame. Once the flame touched the tip of the incense, she shook it to extinguish the sparks, leaving only a wisp of smoke rising gently.
She was most familiar with burning incense. Without anyone's guidance, she knelt on the prayer mat, raised the incense to her forehead with both hands, and bowed three times.
After she finished praying, the monk took the sandalwood incense from her hand and placed it in the incense burner.
Another monk stepped forward, carrying a red lacquered divination tube, and handed it to her, saying, "Please, Princess."
Yu Nie took the tube and shook it vigorously a few times.
Seeing how strong he was, Cuiwei couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, secretly glancing at the people around her.
But Xiao Chengyan, who was standing three steps away, kept looking at Yu Nie, his eyes following her every move, and he was smiling as if he were overjoyed.
Cuiwei didn't know what he was laughing at, but she felt that it was good that he wasn't suspicious.
Listening to the bamboo skewers tumbling inside, until one slipped from the opening of the tube, Yu Nie bent down to pick it up.
"What kind of fortune stick did Qiqi shake?" Xiao Chengyan walked to her side, bent down to look, and his gaze fell on the bamboo stick she had spread out.
Zhao Yuntuan, who was observing his every move, leaned against the door frame without moving at all, sighing repeatedly in his heart.
Although Yu Nie came from the Taoist school, she was no stranger to divination and fortune-telling even within Buddhism.
She held the bamboo stick and examined it closely; the ink of the poem unfolded on the plain white surface:
Stagnant water with few waves
A flying goose drops a feather
Deeply worried and in a state of mental turmoil
Idle talk breeds trouble
This situation, inside and out, only proves two words: This is extremely ominous.
Xiao Chengyan didn't understand fortune-telling, but he did understand poetry. He also realized the fortune was bad, so he took the bamboo stick from her hand and then stuffed it back into her hand.
He took the bamboo tube from the monk and presented it to her: "Since you're not skilled the first time, Qiqi, try again?"
From childhood to adulthood, Yu Nie never actually believed in such ethereal and unreal things.
She only believed that destiny was in her hands.
But she was too soft-hearted to resist the kindness of others, so she drew another one.
As expected, it was still an unlucky draw. I drew it five or six times, and it was exactly the same as the previous times.
Even Abbot Huiran seemed a little embarrassed, as Xiao Chengyan seemed determined to make her draw a very auspicious lot and wanted her to continue drawing.
But Yu Nie declined this time, saying only, "The fortune calculated by drawing lots is only for this moment, and it cannot represent one's entire life. One must walk one's own path."
Seeing that Xiao Chengyan remained silent, she said gently, "I know you mean well, cousin, but I don't care about these things. Why are you so insistent?"
She smiled gently, like a willow in spring, her face fragrant with flowers, and said to him, "I'd like to go to the backyard to see the inscription that Lin Weizhi carved himself. Instead of wasting my time looking at this fortune slip, why don't you come with me to take a look, cousin?"
Perhaps swayed by the beautiful and alluring face before him, Xiao Chengyan nodded twice.
Before coming, Xiao Chengyan had mentioned the scale of Yongxing Temple to her, but when she actually stood here and explored it in detail, she was still speechless with amazement at the foundation that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Compared to them, Lingbao Temple is nothing but a small fry. In terms of age and seniority, Lingbao Temple probably doesn't even reach the level of the great-great-grandchildren of Yongxing Temple.
Tsk, this is really... makes my heart ache and my eyes water with envy.
Xiao Chengyan stood with her before the inscription, which carried the scent of the past. She looked up at the words and heard him say:
"This inscription was originally carved by Lin Weizhi to mourn his only daughter who died young. After that, he never touched the carving knife again. Two years later, he finally succumbed to illness caused by grief and died in depression."
Looking at the line "After the frost and snow have destroyed the branches, only the heart of the broken wood remains," Yu Nie suddenly felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
Losing a loved one is like a tree branch broken by frost and snow, leaving only the bare heartwood. When she received the news of her family's death and rushed back to her hometown that night, she felt the same way.
Xiao Chengyan noticed the fleeting sadness in her eyes and recalled the records of her background in the Imperial Genealogy of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, which stated that her mother had passed away less than a year after giving birth to her.
Realizing she had never met her mother, he fell silent.
Yu Nie had been listening to no one for a long time when she turned around and unexpectedly met his gaze, which was calm and had a faint smile on it.
She gathered her sorrowful thoughts and joked with him, "Cousin, why are you staring at me like that? Is there something dirty on my face?"
Xiao Chengyan lowered his eyes, concealing his turbulent emotions.
After a moment, she looked up again and replied, "A beauty is like a flower; even if there are traces, they only enhance her charm."
Realizing his praise was too direct and cheesy, he quickly added, "I've always been clumsy with words and speak without thinking, Qiqi... please don't take it to heart."
Her smile deepened, and her tone became frank and bright: "How could that be? I'm overjoyed when someone praises me."
As if burned by the smile in front of him, Xiao Chengyan lowered his head to avoid her gaze, unconsciously scratching his brow bone, his ear tips turning slightly red.
When Zhao Yuntuan saw this scene, he felt as if the sky was about to fall.
It had only been a few days, and he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
As they were talking, a burst of laughter suddenly came from behind them.
Yu Nie subconsciously turned around and saw the newcomer wearing a black official robe with a red inner sleeve, his gray hair neatly tied up with a plain silver crown. The other person was dressed in exotic attire, his long robe embroidered with intricate animal patterns in gold thread, a curved sword hanging at his waist, his posture upright with a prominent chest and protruding belly.
Just as she was about to take a closer look, Cuiwei leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Princess, this is Minister Wang accompanying the Jie envoy."
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