Chapter 51 Guanyin's Ferry (Part 2)
"Big brother is right."
The next day, Yan Yi came to Dan Yue Xuan and relayed her and Pei Jingyi's analysis to Shen Lingyue.
She clapped her hands in agreement, saying, "No wonder Yao Niang cast her net wide in the capital but didn't hear a single word about Lan Ya'er. I was wondering too, with Lan Ya'er's looks, it's impossible for her to be so unknown."
—What if Lan Ya'er hadn't been in the capital these past few years?
Yan Yi nodded. "Lan Ya'er was chosen to dress up as Guanyin and participate in the procession to make offerings at the Dharma assembly hosted by the Prince An's Mansion. It's not just because of her beauty, but also because she must have a close relationship with the Prince An's Mansion and be a trustworthy person. Or rather, she herself carries a distinct Buddhist label."
Following this line of reasoning, she is most likely someone close to Consort Li, who has been accompanying the Consort on Buddhist pilgrimages at Mount Wutai for the past few years, which is why no one in the capital can find her whereabouts.
Shen Lingyue rested her chin on her hand with a sigh, "Then Yao Niang has been doing all these years of useless work?"
In order to find Lan Ya'er, she went through many hardships to come to the capital, and then had to deal with those nasty men, never having a happy day.
“Fate is cruel,” Yan Yi sighed, then comforted her, “Try to look on the bright side. If Lan Ya’er had stayed by the Dowager’s side to worship Buddha, she wouldn’t have needed to use her looks to please others. Her world might still be simple and pure.”
Shen Lingyue thought about it and realized that made sense, so she smiled again.
"No matter what, this is the best possible outcome for Lan Ya'er, even better than we expected!"
But a new problem arose—
How could they approach Consort Li and tell Lan Ya'er, who was "suspected of amnesia," about her background and that she had an older sister who had been searching for her for five years?
Although this Dharma assembly was held in the name of the Dowager Consort, she herself did not appear; the specific arrangements were handled by Prince An and his wife.
Meng Wanyin also said that the Dowager was devoted to Buddhism and did not like to see people. Not to mention the two of them, even the noble ladies of her generation rarely had the opportunity to visit her.
"We still need to take it one step at a time. Let's ask Sister Zheng for help first, to go to Prince An's residence to pay our respects to the Princess Consort. She's the Dowager Consort's daughter-in-law, so she should know the Dowager Consort's daily preferences and who serves her, right?"
However, they still needed to come up with a suitable reason to subtly establish a connection with the Prince An's mansion.
Although they believed that Zheng Chunyun, with her magnanimity, would not consider it a lowly act to get to know a woman like Yao Niang, they decided to leave some things for later before they could figure out Lan Ya'er's situation.
"To get close to someone, especially someone of higher status, you need to cater to their preferences, address their urgent needs, and pique their interest..."
Shen Lingyue frantically searched for the plots of the novels she had read, and suddenly snapped her fingers.
"Princess An has been childless for many years, perhaps we—"
Yan Yi was both amused and exasperated. "Do you have a secret formula for having a child? But that couple has been praying to gods and Buddhas and consulting famous doctors for so many years. They've tried everything. Don't try to play tricks on me. You might lose your head if you do that."
Shen Lingyue stuck out her tongue. Neither she nor Yan Yi had the magical healing powers of a divine doctor.
Infertility, an age-old problem, is not something they can solve with a few simple ideas.
However, Shen Lingyue's ingenious idea inspired her. Yan Yi pondered and said, "We are both new brides who have married into the Marquis's mansion. Our primary task is to have children and continue the family line."
In this regard, Princess An could probably empathize very well.
*
A few days later, Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi arrived at the Duke of Lingguo's mansion by carriage. After meeting up with Zheng Chunyun, they went to the Prince of An's mansion together.
Since the day of the Guanyin Dharma Assembly, when the heavens sent down sweet rain, there have been several more rains since then, which have greatly alleviated the drought in the Gyeonggi region and made the weather much cooler.
"Now everyone in the capital is talking about the Guanyin at the Dharma assembly. I wonder which family's daughter she is, who is so beautiful and naturally blessed with Buddha-nature."
Zheng Chunyun chatted with the two men in the carriage and then asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to visit Princess An?"
Shen Lingyue gave Yan Yi a look.
Yan Yi lowered her head knowingly, feigning shyness, and gently stroked her lower abdomen. "Our elders have been hoping that we could have a child as soon as possible, but after seeing several doctors, they all said that my husband and I are healthy, but our time has not come yet. So I thought that if we could learn from Princess An and do more good deeds to help the poor and needy, perhaps Heaven would see our sincerity."
Social topics among women in Beijing invariably revolve around marriage and children, and this approach is always effective.
Zheng Chunyun, without any suspicion, nodded in agreement, "You'll see when you meet her later. Princess An is an extremely kind and gentle person, and she will definitely be generous in helping you."
The three arrived at the Prince An's residence. Zheng Chunyun was clearly not visiting for the first time and was very familiar with the place. She took the initiative to introduce the scenery along the way to them.
As the youngest son of the late emperor, and with his mother having been deeply favored, Prince An's palace was located in a prime location carefully chosen by the late emperor. It was not only very close to the palace, but also covered a vast area that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"What a huge garden!" Shen Lingyue exclaimed, then whispered, "It's just a bit empty."
She had visited many wealthy and powerful families, and their gardens were all incredibly beautiful and elegant. They could even tell you the story behind a single Taihu stone, which was considered very precious.
However, despite the large size of the Prince An's mansion, little effort was put into these areas; in fact, it was rather simple for the standards of a prince's mansion.
"That's because Prince An and his wife spent most of their expenses on helping the poor and needy. Prince An even said that if a single peony in the garden could provide a warm winter for a hundred people, he would rather level the entire garden."
Zheng Chunyun explained with a smile, "Later, His Majesty couldn't bear to see his younger brother living in poverty, so he specially ordered many flowers and trees to be moved from the Imperial Garden, which made the garden barely look presentable."
Shen Lingyue exclaimed "Wow!" and whispered to Yan Yi, "Is Prince An going to select the top ten people who moved Daye? He's so selfless!"
This is the first time I've seen a prince reach such a level.
As we walked and talked, a beautifully carved and painted courtyard came into view.
"This is the main courtyard where Princess An lives." Zheng Chunyun added, "Don't you all think this courtyard is too luxurious and out of place with the rest of the Prince's mansion?"
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi nodded.
"Yes, because Prince An said that he had vowed that there would be no more people in the world who would not have enough to eat or wear. But Princess An did not marry him so that she would suffer with him. It is fine for him to be frugal, but the princess's dignity and respect cannot be diminished."
Prince An was a disciple of the late Minister Zheng, and Zheng Chunyun spoke highly of him.
"What an amazing man Prince An is! He's practically perfect except for his inability to have children."
Shen Lingyue quietly gave a thumbs up, but Yan Yi quickly slapped her hand away, saying, "Someone's coming."
Princess An's maid came out and greeted Zheng Chunyun and the others familiarly as they entered the courtyard.
Upon entering the main hall, it became apparent that Princess An's daily necessities were not particularly luxurious; they were simply maintained at the level befitting a princess.
Princess An herself was dressed very casually, looking to be around forty years old. She had a round face, slender eyebrows and eyes, a delicate nose and cherry lips, and was very dignified.
There were two faint marks between his eyebrows, as if they were marks left from frequent frowning.
"Chunyun is here, please have a seat." She warmly took Zheng Chunyun's hand, her gaze lingering briefly on Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi's faces, a subtle scrutiny in her eyes. "And who are these two?"
Zheng Chunyun introduced Shen and Zhou's identities. For some reason, Princess An secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the smile on her face became more genuine. "So it was His Majesty who decided to bestow marriages upon the two brides of the Marquis of Changning. They are truly a fairy descended from heaven and a beautiful flower in the human world."
Princess An, being of noble status and considered an elder to the two, immediately took off a pair of jade bracelets from her wrist and gave them to the two as a greeting gift.
"It is fate that you two married into the same family and became sisters-in-law. These jade bracelets were carved from a single piece of green jade. When put together, they form a pattern of two fish holding a pearl. You each have one. May you live in harmony, love and help each other, and have many children for the Marquis of Changning's family as soon as possible."
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi accepted the jade bracelet and smiled at each other.
Their fate is tied across two lifetimes; they should never be separated.
After they sat down and were served tea, Yan Yi and Shen Lingyue explained their purpose. Princess An looked at them with even more affection.
"Don't worry, you're still young, you'll have children sooner or later."
Shen Lingyue blurted out, "We just want to do more good deeds and accumulate more merit so that Heaven can see our sincerity."
“Actually, sincerity isn’t just about this…” Princess An suddenly gave a slightly self-deprecating smile, then quickly picked up her teacup and took a sip to cover it up.
She put down her teacup and resumed her loving elder demeanor. "But you're right, God will surely bless those who sincerely do good deeds."
Shen Lingyue felt that Princess An was acting a little strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
She and Yan Yi behaved very well from the moment they entered the room, and they didn't give anything away.
Yan Yi spoke up at the opportune moment: "I wonder if we have the opportunity to pay our respects to the Dowager Consort today? If we come to the Prince's residence and do not pay our respects to our elders, it would be considered impolite."
Shen Lingyue immediately sat up straight and looked expectantly at Princess An.
However, Princess An paused for a moment, then shook her head, "You've come at an inopportune time. The Dowager Consort left the palace after the Dharma assembly and went to Lianhua Temple outside the city for quiet meditation."
Is the Imperial Concubine not at Prince An's residence?
Shen Lingyue gave Yan Yi a meaningful look: What do we do now?
Yan Yi wasn't too surprised. She had prepared herself for the possibility that she might not see the Dowager Consort on this trip, but she didn't expect that the Dowager Consort wasn't even in the Prince's residence.
She nodded with a regretful expression, "It seems we are not destined to meet the Empress Dowager."
As he spoke, he secretly made a gesture to Shen Lingyue through his sleeve.
—Execute the second plan.
Upon receiving the signal, Shen Lingyue began chatting with Zheng Chunyun about the Guanyin Dharma Assembly that day. As they talked, she successfully steered the conversation to the girl dressed as Guanyin.
"Oh my, I really don't know whose daughter she is. She has a natural red mole between her eyebrows. She's so beautiful."
She had a naturally endearing and lively face, and her exaggerated expressions never annoyed anyone. Instead, they amused Princess An, who covered her mouth and chuckled, "Then you've come to the right person."
Shen Lingyue clenched her fist excitedly, "Your Highness knows her identity? Please, tell me quickly."
Princess An generously shared, "That girl's name is Miaoshan. She is a maid who serves the Dowager Consort. She is very intelligent, and the masters on Mount Wutai all say that she has a connection with Buddhism."
Yan Yi tried to get information out of her: "So she was personally trained by the Dowager Consort. She must have served the Dowager Consort since she was a child, right?"
“No, not at all.” Princess An shook her head. “It was probably a few years ago? I don’t remember exactly. At that time, the Dowager Consort hadn’t gone to Mount Wutai yet. Once, she went out of the city to offer incense and found Miaoshan, who was on the verge of death, by the roadside. I don’t know where she escaped from, but she looked extremely pitiful…”
The Dowager Consort was kind-hearted; she would send people to treat even injured cats, dogs, and rabbits, let alone a living girl. She took Miaoshan back to the palace and asked a doctor to treat her, but when Miaoshan woke up, she remembered nothing, as innocent and naive as a newborn child.
“Even the name ‘Miaoshan’ was given to her by the Dowager Consort. She took her by her side and helped her grind ink and copy scriptures. Later, she discovered that Miaoshan was very accomplished in Buddhism. The master said that she had wisdom and became a lay Buddhist at a young age. Perhaps in a few years she will be formally ordained and enter the Buddhist order.”
After Princess An finished speaking, Shen Lingyue exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening, "She wants to become a nun?"
"The Dowager Consort was naturally reluctant to part with her. She regarded Miaoshan as half a granddaughter and wanted to find her a good family. However, Miaoshan herself was very resistant to men, did not like to see outsiders, and even made a solemn vow before the Buddha to never marry."
Princess An obviously didn't understand either, but since the Dowager Consort hadn't pressured Miaoshan, she naturally wouldn't say anything more.
...
When she left the Prince An's residence, Shen Lingyue was still a little dazed.
"We finally found Lan Ya'er, but she's lost her memory and wants to become a nun?"
She covered her face and sighed, "How am I supposed to tell Yao Niang this?"
"Although Lan Ya'er has amnesia, she must still have bad memories of growing up in a brothel in her subconscious. That's why she is so resistant to men and would rather devote herself to Buddhist practice."
Yan Yi tried to analyze, "Actually, if she has the protection of the Dowager Consort, it wouldn't matter if she didn't marry. The only fear is..."
"What are you afraid of?"
Yan Yi's gaze drifted into the distance, her tone slightly hardened: "I'm afraid that Lan Ya'er's beauty has already been exposed to the public, which may attract the covetousness of unscrupulous people."
The next day, they went to Bitao Lane to see Yao Niang again.
Yao Niang had been taking medicine for the past two days, and her complexion had improved considerably. She had been eagerly waiting at home all day, and finally the two of them arrived.
"Any news about Lan Ya'er? When will I be able to see her again?"
Shen Lingyue cleared her throat and relayed the information she had learned from Princess An to her.
Yao Niang listened attentively, nodding with a smile, while tears involuntarily streamed down her face.
"Good, very good. Lan Ya'er is luckier than me, she actually gets the protection of the Imperial Concubine..."
Whether it's amnesia or a vow to never marry, as long as Lan Ya'er is still alive and well in this world, Yao Niang has no other desires.
She struggled to get out of bed and suddenly knelt in front of the two of them.
Shen Lingyue was startled and quickly tried to pull her up, "What are you doing? We didn't do anything, it's just that God sent Lan Ya'er back to your side..."
Yao Niang refused to get up, pleading with tears streaming down her face, "I can never repay the kindness of my two sisters in this lifetime. Please forgive my greed, could you, could you let me see Lan Ya'er one more time?"
Yan Yi grasped her hand. "You want to go to Lianhua Temple?"
Yao Niang nodded, "Lan Ya'er is practicing asceticism with the Empress Dowager at Lianhua Temple. It must be heavily guarded there. I can't get close by myself. I can only shamelessly ask my two younger sisters to help me one more time."
"Get up quickly, we promise you," Shen Lingyue said. "We must let Lan Ya'er know that her sister has never given up on her, and that she is not all alone."
Yao Niang chuckled softly but remained silent.
*
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi waited a few more days until Pei Jingyi had a day off. Then they asked Pei Jinghuai to act as their coachman for a day and set off for Lianhua Temple outside the city.
They met Yao Niang at the city gate; she was disguised as their maidservant.
As the carriage arrived at the foot of the mountain, Pei Jinghuai looked at the densely packed long queue ahead, puzzled: "Lianhua Temple wasn't famous before, so where did all these pilgrims come from?"
A man in the queue next to him heard this and replied with a smile, "Young master, you don't know this, we've all come to pay our respects to Guanyin, asking her to bestow holy water to cure all diseases."
Pei Jinghuai looked over and saw that the people queuing up were all carrying buckets or holding wooden basins. Even under the scorching sun, and despite being covered in sweat from queuing, their piety remained undiminished.
Shen Lingyue pulled back the carriage curtain and asked, "Brother, are you talking about the girl who dressed up as Guanyin on the day of the Dharma assembly? But she was just in disguise, not the real Guanyin incarnate."
"Hey, you can't say that, Guanyin will be angry if she hears it."
A frail old man beside him waved his hand and said in a firm voice, "That is the incarnation of Guanyin in the human world, who came down to earth to save all living beings."
He carried a bucket in each hand. "On the day of the Dharma assembly, my neighbor was fortunate enough to receive a bowl of holy water. When he got home, he gave it to his grandson, and the child's lung disease, which had been coughing for more than half a month, was completely cured in an instant!"
"Yes, yes, and there's Aunt Wang who lives behind my house. She gave her mother-in-law, who had been paralyzed for more than ten years, a cup of holy water, and now she can get out of bed."
"Is it really that effective? I only brought one basin, isn't that a bit too little? Husband, hurry home and bring two more buckets!"
The people in line chatted excitedly, talking about how miraculous the Guanyin holy water was.
Shen Lingyue sat back in the carriage, frowning as she said to Yan Yi and Yao Niang, "Something doesn't sound quite right to me."
Yao Niang, unaware of what was going on, simply covered her face and wept with joy, "My Lan Ya'er is so amazing! She must be someone with great fortune. This is wonderful!"
Yan Yi and Shen Lingyue exchanged a worried glance.
They absolutely do not believe in the healing power of holy water. Wasn't the water-sprinkling ceremony on the day of the Dharma assembly essentially just a performance?
While Yao Niang wasn't paying attention, Shen Lingyue secretly whispered in Yan Yi's ear, "Only cults would pull this kind of trick, right?"
Wasn't the Imperial Concubine supposed to be a devout Buddhist? Why would she make such a big fuss? This is very unusual.
"Don't rush, take another look." Yan Yi patted her to indicate that she should calm down.
The group disembarked from the carriage and lined up in the queue without discrimination.
After a while, the Lianhua Temple halfway up the mountain opened its doors, and a group of monks came down carrying several wooden buckets filled with a light brown liquid that emitted a faint, bitter medicinal fragrance.
The middle-aged monk at the head of the group had a kind face and put his hands together in prayer as he addressed the people.
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager took pity on everyone who had been queuing for so long, and specially ordered the temple to brew a soup to relieve the heat for everyone to enjoy."
Pei Jingyi picked up the medicine bowl and smelled it. "Honeysuckle, forsythia, wild chrysanthemum, and mung beans are all common cooling and heat-relieving herbs."
He turned his head and saw Pei Jinghuai had already raised the medicine bowl and drunk it all in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh, "It's quite thirst-quenching."
He drank too quickly, and a few drops of water got on his lips. Shen Lingyue couldn't stand it, so she pulled him over and wiped them with a handkerchief. "Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."
Pei Jinghuai took the opportunity to squeeze her small hand, "Are you hot?"
He then took the silk fan from her hand and fanned himself vigorously.
They chatted and laughed all the way, and the group kept getting shorter until they finally arrived at the mountain gate before the sun was high in the sky.
The monk who was in charge of receiving guests approached them and said, "Please come this way, benefactors."
Pei Jingyi looked at the group beside him, which consisted of ordinary people dressed in plain clothes, while the monk in charge of the reception was clearly leading them in another direction.
He slightly curled his lips. "Does even Buddha discriminate based on who he serves?"
The monk quickly put his hands together and said, "You've misunderstood, benefactor. I just thought you were guests invited by the Empress Dowager because you all have extraordinary status, so I was coming this way."
Shen Lingyue leaned closer curiously, "The Imperial Concubine has invited guests? Isn't she supposed to be in seclusion at your temple, not seeing outsiders?"
The monk bowed his head: "That's how it was originally. But these past two days, a rare spectacle has appeared in our temple, so Her Majesty invited some familiar believers to bathe in the Buddha's light together."
"What wonder?" Pei Jinghuai also came over.
The monk greeted the guests with a proud smile. “In the bamboo forest behind our Lianhua Temple, a Buddha statue has actually grown out of the ground, and it’s growing every day. Would you consider this a wonder?”
"ah?"
Shen Lingyue became even more curious and urged the monk in charge of receiving guests to lead the way quickly.
They bypassed the main hall in front and went directly to the back mountain.
Dozens of rooms and courtyards of various sizes were built here for believers who came to offer incense to stay and rest.
The largest courtyard was guarded by a group of royal guards, presumably where the Imperial Concubine Dowager resided.
Pei Jingyi asked, "Should we go and pay our respects to the Empress Dowager first?"
"At this hour, Her Highness the Imperial Concubine should still be doing her studies. Please make yourselves at home and do not stand on ceremony."
The monk who was in charge of receiving guests led them to the bamboo grove, pointed out the direction in which the Buddha statue was unearthed, and then went back to greet the other believers.
After walking a little further, we saw a two-meter-long square surrounded by red silk in the open space. Half of a stone Buddha head was protruding from the soil in the middle, and a wooden sign with several horizontal lines drawn on it was stuck next to it.
A huge incense burner was placed in front of them, and many richly dressed worshippers were already bowing and praying to the Buddha statue, inserting lit sandalwood incense sticks into the burner, and the smoke was rising.
Shen Lingyue overheard people talking.
"See that wooden sign? The lines drawn on it indicate the height the Buddha statue grows out of the ground each day. I came yesterday too, and it really has grown a bit more today!"
“You say it was done by someone? Impossible. The whole place is surrounded by red silk. Anyone who gets close will leave footprints. Besides, there are monks patrolling the temple regularly. There is no chance to fake it.”
"This is an auspicious sign from heaven! Quickly, bow with me again and pray that my master's career will be successful and my son will pass the imperial examination with flying colors..."
-----------------------
Author's note: I went out this morning and almost fainted from the heat [crying emoji]. I drank some Huoxiang Zhengqi Water this afternoon but I'm still a little dizzy. Everyone, please be careful to prevent heatstroke!
I'll try to finish this part tomorrow; I can't write any more of this now. [laughing and crying emojis]
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