Chapter 145 Master Kongkong
The Da Ci'en Temple, located on the outskirts of Beijing, was built by the previous emperor to commemorate his birth mother, Empress Shunde, née Sun, hence the name "Ci'en" (meaning "benevolent grace").
The most famous feature of the temple is undoubtedly the magnificent Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
This pagoda was personally supervised and built by Master Daxuan. It houses precious Buddhist scriptures and Buddha relics that the Master brought back from his studies in India, attracting countless believers and literati to come and pay their respects.
It is precisely for this reason that Da Ci'en Temple is always bustling with worshippers, with a constant stream of believers coming and going. Whether they are royalty or ordinary people, they often come here to burn incense and worship Buddha, praying for peace.
Recently, a high-ranking monk from the Western Regions has come to Da Ci'en Temple to stay.
This Master Kongkong was deeply accomplished in his spiritual practice and possessed boundless Buddhist knowledge. He not only enlightened and resolved doubts for believers, but also performed many good deeds with a compassionate heart. In a short period of time, he won the heartfelt respect of the people of the capital, and long queues formed every day for people to come and see him and listen to his teachings.
Just as the disaster in Hebei Province was severe and the people were displaced, His Majesty was deeply worried and specially ordered Master Kongkong to hold a seven-day prayer ceremony at Da Ci'en Temple to pray for the disaster victims.
As soon as the news broke, people in the capital flocked to the temple with incense and candles to pray for their country and loved ones.
The flow of worshippers was endless, and even the paths were crowded with people.
Su Qingci also came to pray. After paying her respects to Master Kongkong, she followed the secluded corridor to the backyard of the temple.
Far from the hustle and bustle of the main hall, this place is quiet and secluded, with no one coming or going.
Several ancient pine trees were planted in the courtyard, and under the trees was a stone table and two stone benches. A pot of tea was warming on the table, which was obviously prepared in advance.
She had just sat down and taken a sip of tea when she saw a white figure walking from the end of the corridor.
The newcomer was dressed in a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a few delicate orchids embroidered on the hem, and her hair was secured with only a jade hairpin.
Su Qingci looked up and saw her. There was no surprise on her face. Instead, the corners of her lips lifted slightly. She put down her teacup and called out softly, "Li Niangzi."
His tone was familiar, clearly indicating that he had been waiting there for some time.
Liu Liniang looked much better than when they last met.
Previously, a lingering deathly aura always hung between her brows, but now her brows and eyes were relaxed, her complexion had regained some color, and her whole being exuded a calm vitality.
She sat down on the stone bench opposite Su Qingci, her gaze fixed on Su Qingci, her tone carrying a rare hint of amusement.
"Lord Su, it's been a long time. I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on your promotion yet."
"It's just sharing His Highness's burdens, nothing to do with promotion." Su Qingci picked up the teapot on the table and poured Liu Liniang a cup of hot tea.
Liu Liniang picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and then said, "I suppose Your Highness has already arrived in Weizhou?"
Su Qingci had just received a message from His Highness via carrier pigeon, informing her that she had arrived in Weizhou.
However, such confidential information could not be revealed to Liu Liniang.
Therefore, she remained calm, only vaguely saying, "We should be arriving soon, but... I wonder what the situation is like in Weizhou?"
Liu Liniang, however, stated frankly, "The situation in Weizhou is certainly not simple."
Su Qingci looked up at her, her tone knowing: "Lady Li specially arranged for Cui Dalang to go to Weizhou with the Second Prince. I suppose you foresaw this outcome before you even set off?"
When Cui Dalang was mentioned, a hint of coldness flashed in Liu Liniang's eyes, but it was quickly covered up by calmness.
“I’ve been his wife for three years, and I know his personality better than anyone. He’s arrogant and unrealistic. As long as he’s by the Second Prince’s side, he’ll only make things more chaotic and make the situation in Weizhou increasingly uncontrollable.”
Su Qingci nodded. "Li Niangzi is indeed insightful. The current chaos in Weizhou is indeed inseparable from Cui Dalang's efforts. If he hadn't taken it upon himself to send the Cui family's private soldiers to capture so-called mountain bandits and mistakenly killed refugees, the Cui family wouldn't have become the target of everyone's hatred and resentment by all the disaster victims."
She looked up at Liu Liniang and secretly admired her. Liu Liniang's move not only avenged the suffering she had endured in the Cui family, but also indirectly helped His Highness. She was indeed a clever and decisive woman.
"But," she changed the subject, "if Cui Dalang were to die in Weizhou, wouldn't that betray your good intentions?"
Both of them knew perfectly well that Liu Liniang's hatred for Cui Dalang had long since penetrated to the bone, and she wished she could kill him with her own hands to relieve her hatred.
If Cui Dalang were to die in Weizhou now, wouldn't that be too good for him?
Upon hearing this, Liu Liniang's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
"He's dead, so he's lucky; at least he got a quick death."
Her voice was very low, but every word was clear: "But if he doesn't die and can return to the capital alive, then what awaits him is truly a fate worse than death."
Upon hearing this, Su Qingci stopped asking questions and said, "It's good that Lady Li knows what's going on. But for now, we need to patiently wait for news from Weizhou."
Liu Liniang stopped being polite, leaned forward, and reported in a very low voice the news she had recently gathered in the capital.
"Lord Su, I have asked you to meet with me today because I have something important to tell you. The Third Princess has been making a lot of moves lately, and has been contacting many officials in the court in private. It seems that she is working on behalf of Prime Minister Cui."
Su Qingci paused slightly in her teacup, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
This young princess, who had never been involved in court affairs before, has now taken the initiative to protect the Cui family at this crucial moment.
This courage and decisiveness exceeded her expectations.
"As far as I know, the Third Princess met with more than ten officials, including the Minister of Revenue and the Vice Minister of Rites,"
Liu Liniang continued, "Among these people, quite a few have clearly stated that they are willing to speak for Prime Minister Cui in court and plead with His Majesty to consider past relationships and deal leniently with the Cui family. Although the others have not agreed, they have accepted the generous gifts sent by the Third Princess, and their attitude is ambiguous."
Su Qingci's brows gradually furrowed.
Although these officials are not considered important ministers in the court, if they were to speak out in unison for the Cui family in court, it would inevitably influence the attitudes of other officials and might even make His Majesty hesitate in dealing with the Cui family.
“More importantly,” Liu Liniang’s voice deepened, “it seems that even Prime Minister Zheng is trying to speak to His Majesty, urging him to consider the stability of the court and spare the Cui family.”
"Prime Minister Zheng?" Su Qingci was genuinely surprised this time.
Prime Minister Zheng has always been known for his "prudent neutrality." He had remained silent when Prime Minister Cui was fighting with the Princess and the Lin family. It was quite unexpected that he would change his attitude now.
She quickly made a mental calculation.
If Prime Minister Zheng were to intervene, his influence would far surpass that of those officials. At that time, the voices pleading for the Cui family in the court would be even louder, and His Highness's plans might be hindered as a result.
She looked at Liu Liniang and said solemnly, "This matter is of great importance. Your timely notification is invaluable. I will immediately send someone to Weizhou to report to His Highness."
"Don't worry, Lord Su," Liu Liniang nodded, "I will continue to keep an eye on the Cui family and the Third Princess's actions, and I will inform you immediately if anything happens."
Su Qingci agreed, and the two whispered a few more words before leaving one after the other.
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