Concubine Wen never concealed her background from her.
Ever since she could remember, she would ask curiously:
"Mother, why does my eighth brother have a chase, but I don't?"
"Because you are a girl adopted by your mother, baby."
"Then why am I a prince and not a princess?"
"It's all my fault that my mother was young and hot-tempered and refused to admit defeat, and she refused to let Concubine Xin defeat me."
"…"
When she was a child, she would ask about her biological parents, but every time Concubine Wen could not answer or changed the subject.
As she grew older, she stopped asking.
The grace of giving birth is not as great as the grace of raising a child. Regardless of whether she is her biological daughter or not, in this life, she recognizes and respects Concubine Wen as her mother.
But Concubine Wen had already written down what happened that year on paper. As time passed, the paper turned yellow and the handwriting faded, but it did not conceal her frankness and honesty at all.
"My mother said that she was originally going to give birth to a prince, but he was born weak and sick. When he was more than three months old, she took him to Tianling Temple to pray for blessings and for God's protection. However, God had no mercy on him, and the prince fell ill and died in her arms."
Chu Li held the letter paper with tearful eyes.
"She said that after her child died, she lost hope of living and wanted to go with her child, but then she found me thrown in the thorn bushes at the foot of Tianling Temple."
"She took me home to raise. From then on, I became her hope for survival, her sustenance..."
Tears dripped, blurring the words on the paper.
Concubine Wen chattered on and on about everything that concerned her on the letter.
Her life experience, her crying while growing up, her temper and hobbies...
When my mother was talking about these things, her kind face seemed to be right before my eyes, vivid and lifelike.
So gentle, so loving.
No matter how bad her temper gets or how much trouble she gets into, I will cover for her.
Chu Li read every word carefully, as if he was still recalling the tender past with his mother and was reluctant to read it quickly.
Watch it quickly, and when you’re done, it’s gone.
Concubine Xin stood nearby and saw that the wooden box contained some old and faded little bells and hydrangeas, all of which were children's favorite toys and were Chu Li's childhood possessions.
She is also a mother, and she can understand Concubine Wen's maternal love best.
Parents love their children without asking for anything in return.
Aunt Li covered her mouth and cried uncontrollably.
a long time.
For a long, long time.
Chu Licai held the letter tightly against his chest, "Mother..."
She will definitely live well.
It was her mother who gave her a new life. She will live well with her mother's trust and hope.
"Chongfeng."
"Madam?"
"Go prepare some incense and candles as offerings. I want to go to Tianling Temple to burn incense."
That was where she met her mother and it was the beginning of the mother-daughter relationship.
If her mother hadn't picked her up, would she have been taken away by the wolf? Would she still be alive today?
She doesn't know.
Chong Feng acted quickly and quickly bought everything Chu Li needed. He also prepared two lucky bags filled with cash to add to the incense.
Chu Li took Concubine Xin, Aunt Li, Chong Feng and several secret guards and immediately went to Tianling Temple.
She has walked this road many times.
Concubine Wen was a Buddhist. She would go to Tianling Temple to burn incense and worship almost every time there was a festival, and she would often go with them.
Only this time, her mood was completely different from before.
Tianling Temple is a national temple that has stood for more than 300 years. It has a long history and is well-known, loved and worshipped far and wide.
Chu Li did not take the carriage, but just walked slowly.
This road, this noodle shop, this tree, these mountain steps, this ancient well...
Almost everywhere you look, you can see scenes from the past.
She and her mother rested here.
Eat noodles there.
Buy incense and candles here, over there...
She gently stroked the yellowed, old dirt and bricks on the roadside, walking slowly, step by step.
Where was she thrown away back then?
Where did my mother pick her up?
Everyone followed behind her, looking at her desolate back, all with their lips pursed, their expressions sad, and no one said a word.
It took a full hour to walk such a short distance.
Finally, we reached the foot of the mountain and saw the climbing steps in front of us, leading directly to Tianling Temple located halfway up the mountain.
Chu Li raised his head and took a step forward.
“Wow—”
Not far away, there was a sudden cry of a baby:
“Wow—Wow!”
She subconsciously turned her head and saw a stream flowing through the edge of the town. In front of a small thatched house, a swaddling cloth was thrown on the ground.
The baby is crying loudly.
Concubine Xin was shocked: "Whose child is this?"
Why are there no adults around?
At this time, in the dilapidated thatched hut, a blind old woman leaned on a cane and stumbled over, "Child?"
I don't know if it was regret or something else, but I sighed:
"Another poor child..."
Chu Li stepped forward and asked, "Grandma, what do you mean by that?"
again?
The old woman had dull eyes, white hair and a hunched back. She looked particularly pitiful as a poor family. She said:
"You don't know, young lady, but I have lived here all my life and have picked up dozens of abandoned children."
Chu Li was stunned:
"Dozens?"
"Yes, after ten months of pregnancy and one day of birth, I never expected that there are so many cruel mothers in the world who are willing to abandon even their own flesh and blood."
Chu Li's body shook.
She was also an abandoned baby near Tianling Temple!
Perhaps for this reason, she couldn't help but look at the swaddled baby a few more times, only to find that the blood stains on the baby's body had not yet faded. It was obvious that the baby had just been born and had not been washed before being thrown out.
Concubine Xin felt sorry for the crying child, her motherly love overflowing, and she hurriedly said:
"Give me a hug."
He opened the swaddling clothes and exclaimed:
"It's a baby boy!"
If they were superstitious people who favored boys over girls and abandoned their baby girl, it would be understandable, but this baby boy had fair skin, delicate eyebrows and a handsome appearance.
How could you bear to abandon such a beautiful child?
Chu Li looked down and asked the old woman, "Excuse me, grandma, who abandoned these babies?"
"I was born blind and can't see anything. I have no idea who abandoned the baby. I only know that every few months, I would hear a baby crying outside the door, and I knew that another baby was abandoned."
The old woman thought for a moment:
"In the past twenty years, I have probably picked up nearly thirty abandoned babies."
"These babies were both boys and girls. Some were taken away by the rich, some were taken away by officials, and some were raised by couples who had difficulty in giving birth. They believed that this was a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Tianling Temple and a gift from heaven."
That's not a reason.
It's not normal to abandon so many children.
Chu Li glanced at Chong Feng, and Chong Feng understood:
"I will immediately send someone to check the area to see who abandoned the baby."
Concubine Xin held the child in her arms with heartache, but the child was probably very hungry and his voice became hoarse from crying, and no matter what she did, she could not comfort him.
"Li'er, look at this child crying non-stop. If you don't feed him, he will probably starve to death."
"Why don't we take him home and raise him first, and then send him back after we find his biological parents, okay?"
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