Chapter 142 An Lingrong 83
"Okay, now that everyone is here, let's go. Don't miss the time."
After the Queen finished speaking, she stood up and walked out first, followed closely by Lingrong and Jingfei, and then everyone left the palace together in a mighty procession.
When the nuns at Ganlu Temple heard that the distinguished guest had arrived, they all rushed out to greet him cordially. Lingrong immediately spotted two nuns with distinctive looks:
One of them had a mean face and lively eyes, and he was always fawning when looking at them. I think it was Jing Bai; the other one was standing behind the crowd, but was very conspicuous because of his tall stature, with a cold and dull expression. He was Mo Yan.
When they arrived at the main hall, Lingrong immediately saw Zhen Huan's exposed palm. After she knelt down and bowed to the gods and Buddhas in the hall, she heard Concubine Qi shout, "Who is there?!"
At the same time, it was accompanied by Zhen Huan's cries of pain.
When everyone looked, they saw Zhen Huan kneeling down, holding up her red palms, bowing to everyone and calling herself a humble concubine.
"Who did I think it was? It turned out to be the commoner Zhen who was demoted to Ganlu Temple for spiritual practice. She was sneaking around like that and I thought she was a thief from somewhere!" Concubine Qi smiled maliciously and kept saying words to humiliate Zhen Huan.
"Life's circumstances are truly incomprehensible. I still remember how glorious you were back then, but now you look so miserable." Concubine Jin also smiled and said to Zhen Huan, "By the way, Concubine Qi seemed to have accidentally stepped on you just now. Is that okay?"
"It's okay, it's okay. Mochou is used to doing rough work. It's no big deal if she steps on him." Jingbai next to him said in a flattering manner.
"Rough work?"
"Yes, sweeping, washing, chopping wood. She is a nun now, so naturally she is just like the other nuns in Ganlu Temple."
"Having said that, Mo Chou was once a noble in the palace after all. So... isn't it too unfair for her?" The host on the side added cautiously, fearing that it would cause dissatisfaction among the nobles.
The Queen said sternly, "Since you have entered Buddhism, all beings are equal. All past events should be left behind. Even Mo Chou should be no exception."
Mei Zhuang, already agitated, could no longer contain herself. She hurried over, bowed to the Empress, and said, "Mo Chou was ordered to leave the palace for training. Furthermore, she is the princess's biological mother, and she left the palace shortly after giving birth. Just looking at her face, I can tell she's frail. How could she possibly be doing all this rough work with those nuns?"
"What Huipin said is true. The Empress just said that she has entered Buddhism and is now just a nun with the Buddhist name Mochou. If others can do it, why can't she? Moreover, the Emperor has already said that the princess's biological mother is only Concubine Jing. Huipin doesn't even take the Emperor's words to heart?"
Mei Zhuang became more and more angry and immediately walked over to help Zhen Huan up, but was immediately scolded by the Queen.
Just as the Queen was about to explode, she heard Ling Rong, who had remained silent from the moment before, calmly say, "In the main hall, in front of all the gods and Buddhas, we should still express our gratitude for their mercy."
The Empress's gaze, as if tangible, was fixed on her, but Lingrong seemed to feel nothing. Instead, she bowed to the Buddha again, "After all, today, the Emperor has specially ordered Your Majesty to lead the harem in praying for next year's harvest. For such a major event that benefits the country and the people, it's best to accumulate more blessings. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"You have a point, but Huipin's insistence on standing with Mochou is also against the rules. If I don't punish her, I will be letting her off lightly." The Queen said this and was about to change the punishment when Lingrong took the opportunity to speak again:
"If Your Majesty must be upset over such a trivial matter, it would be better to have Concubine Hui copy some Buddhist scriptures and have them enshrined here. This will not only bring blessings to the country, but also show Your Majesty's virtue."
Lingrong said this, smiling and gesturing at the incense they had just lit. "These are all trivial matters, but we've wasted so much time. If this delays the Emperor's important plans, I'm afraid we'll all be in trouble. Empress Dowager, don't you agree?"
Sure enough, the incense sticks were more than half burned.
Now that things have come to this, what else can the Empress say? Could she continue to argue with Concubine Yi about Concubine Hui's punishment? She could only look at Concubine Hui and say, "Since Concubine Yi has said so, Concubine Hui, please copy fifty copies of the Diamond Sutra and give them to Jianqiu."
In the end, she changed the punishment to prevent Huipin from sending someone to take care of Zhen Huan under the pretext of delivering Buddhist scriptures.
Huipin wanted to argue again, but Zhen Huan held her palm tightly, so she could only agree reluctantly.
After everyone had paid their respects in each hall, Mei Zhuang looked at the distant Ganlu Temple reluctantly. Thinking of Huan'er's miserable appearance today, she felt mixed emotions.
Once he returned to the palace, he didn't even care about the grudge he had with Lingrong, and just ran to Chengqian Palace.
As soon as she entered, she realized she had come at the wrong time. Concubine Xiang was actually here with her daughter Wen Yi. The two children were playing on the bed, while Concubine Xiang handed Ling Rong a piece of finely crafted clothing.
"Yesterday, I heard that Sixth Prince seemed to be coughing. Although it's not that cold today, the child should still wear warm clothes when going out. I specially wrapped a circle of wind fur around the collar of my clothes, close to Sixth Prince's throat, to prevent him from being blown by the wind again."
"You're so thoughtful! I'll have the servants wash it and put it on Hua'er tomorrow. He's been clamoring to go out and play these past few days."
Ling Rong handed the clothes in her hand to Bao Yuan as she spoke. She saw Mei Zhuang at the door and said, "Such a rare guest, why don't you come in?"
"I..." Meizhuang subconsciously glanced at Concubine Xiang beside her. Cao Qinmo immediately stood up with a look of understanding: "I remembered that I still have some things to do in the palace, so I took Wen Yi and left first."
"Then I won't keep you here. Ronglu, go get those pieces of fabric the Emperor gave me a while ago." Lingrong didn't wait for her to refuse and directly handed them to Yinxiu. "They are all pretty colors. If I keep them here, they will be perfect for a young lady like Wen Yi. Not only you, I've also sent some to Longyue."
Having said that, Cao Qinmo naturally thanked him repeatedly before taking Wen Yi away from Chengqian Palace.
As soon as she left, the inner room fell silent. Mei Zhuang, standing aside, didn't know where to start.
"Please sit down." Lingrong returned to her seat, and Baojuan also came up with Baoque to change the tea.
Mei Zhuang hesitated for a while, then sat down.
"If you want Zhen Huan, go find the Queen Mother."
Mei Zhuang hesitated for a long time, and just as she was about to speak, she heard Ling Rong speak first as if she had predicted it.
"Looking for the Queen Mother? The Queen is her niece, how could she help me?"
"Is my niece of the same mind?" Ling Rong picked up her son. She seemed distracted by her topic, but she still pointed him in the right direction. "Besides, you are only asking the Queen Mother to help deliver the Buddhist scriptures you copied to those who need the Buddha's protection."
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