Chapter 58 You really brought this on yourself…
The last time she came here was also for spiritual practice, but it was her own doing, and there was an element of acting involved, so it wasn't really that much hardship.
This is an imperial decree; neither the abbot nor she herself can fake it.
The abbot meant that she should familiarize herself with the environment first, as striking the bell morning and evening for a hundred consecutive days was no small matter, and it could only be done by her alone.
After being shown the route by the young novice monk, Yu'an secretly made up her mind.
That evening, Baozhu rubbed her legs, her heart filled with worry. "Girl, that mountain is hard to climb, so high and so dangerous. What if something happens? I'd better go with you."
"The imperial edict says it's just me, so you shouldn't come along."
With the emperor far away and the emperor in a remote place, what she truly cared about was the Empress Dowager.
She came under the guise of praying for the Empress Dowager to avert disaster and bring blessings; why would she need to fake it? In any case, she was sincere.
When the rooster crowed in the courtyard, Yu'an got up and went to Jiuwan Mountain to strike the rooster's head 108 times. After descending the mountain, he would chant sutras with the novice monks or copy Buddhist scriptures. Before dark, he would climb the mountain again to strike the rooster's head 108 times before dusk.
Fortunately, the abbot of the temple was easy to talk to and understanding of her health, so he tried not to assign her any other tasks.
"The flowers behind the meditation room are beautiful, but watering them is always a hassle. Just this little novice monk has to fetch water from the well all the way from there, back and forth. He must be exhausted."
As Baozhu spoke, she rolled up her sleeves and went forward to help.
Yu'an stood aside and immediately came up with a solution. That night, he copied the Buddhist scriptures that were to be copied the next day in advance, and during the day, he took Baozhu into the mountains.
Cut some bamboo and collect the water from the well; it will save a lot of time and effort.
"Girl, I really didn't expect you to know how to cut bamboo." Baozhu exclaimed in amazement as she watched her skillfully wield the sickle.
Yu An wiped his sweat and said, "When I was a child, I lived in Jiangling and often saw the adults in town working. I could learn by watching them for a few moments. The key is to use skill. Unfortunately, I didn't do much work and didn't get the hang of it, so it was more tiring for me."
"Leave the rest of the girls; call me over. You still have to go ring the bell this afternoon."
Life is good right now, but I'm worried she's not eating well.
I've just managed to recover my health, and I'm afraid that after these past few months, I'll fall back into a deficit.
Deficits are easy to pay off, but difficult to make up for.
Baozhu quickly snatched the sickle from her hand, saying, "Come, come, you sit down, I'll do it."
Seeing that she was eager to do the work, Yu'an went to the side to pile up the cut bamboo and tied it up with rope.
It was a bright and sunny day when I woke up, but by the afternoon the sky had gradually darkened.
I was worried about rain, so I moved a bit faster, but unfortunately, it still started raining halfway there.
The two had no choice but to carry the bamboo and run to a nearby courtyard to take shelter from the rain under the eaves of the gate.
"Girl, it seems like we've been here before."
"Yes, I've been here."
Yu An remembers.
The person living inside was none other than Cui Hu, who called himself "Lianlan Jushi" (orchid hermit) and was the most fond of cultivating orchids among both the government and the public at the time.
She had come here with great enthusiasm, braving the rain to go up the mountain to pick bamboo shoots, all for the sake of getting the best orchid for Ji Jinghe. She never imagined that she and Ji Jinghe would end up in this situation, and she never imagined that Chu Xingjian would leave her.
The changes over time are now too numerous to recount in detail.
Baozhu teased, whispering, "That layman has a bad temper. We'd better hide here from the rain and not let him find out. Otherwise, he might call his servants out and kick us out."
She still clearly remembers how arrogant Cui Hu was, to the point of being utterly detestable.
Yu An smiled, said nothing, and looked up into the distance.
I don't know when it will stop.
Just then, I heard the sound of a door opening behind me.
The master and servant turned around, looking at each other awkwardly. Just as they were wondering how to explain, the servant spoke first, telling them to go inside to take shelter from the rain.
Overjoyed, he obediently took the things and followed them inside.
"This is freshly brewed ginger tea. Ladies, please enjoy."
After shaking off the rain, a sip of warm ginger tea made me feel much better.
Yu An looked up and saw a figure in white approaching from afar.
She quickly stood up and slightly curtsied, "Lord Cui."
Compared to before, her clothes were indeed more ordinary, only slightly better than those of an average peasant woman. Cui Hu looked at the things outside the door and asked in surprise, "Are you here to cut bamboo in the mountains?"
Yu'an said "Oh" and realized what was going on: "Yes, the temple needed some bamboo, so we came to cut some to take back. But the weather is unpredictable, and it started raining unexpectedly."
This wasn't the first time the two had met. After their initial disagreement, Yu-an became more cautious and offered a few more explanations.
"This is how it is after the start of autumn; my wife, you must be more careful from now on."
His answer was natural, as if he had known her situation all along, without the slightest doubt.
Yu An lowered her eyes and inadvertently noticed a shiny sandalwood bead hanging at his waist.
It looks very familiar.
"I must thank you for taking me in, Your Excellency," Yu An said with a slight nod and a smile.
Cui Hu, less sharp than before, nodded politely, "It's nothing."
After the proper etiquette was observed, the people left, and they went home after the rain stopped.
It wasn't until she climbed Jiuwan Mountain again and went to the pavilion halfway up the mountain that she remembered that it was something that both Ji Jinghe and Xu Jingshu had worn.
Since Yu'an went to Tantuo Temple, many people have been thinking about her. Mingjia begged the Empress countless times before he was allowed to come and see her with Ji Shu.
When they arrived, Yu'an happened to be hoeing the ground in the meditation room in the backyard.
Seeing her in coarse cloth clothes, Ji Shu stood beside the vegetable garden and waved to her: "Sister-in-law, we've come to see you."
Looking up and seeing the two people approaching, Yu'an couldn't contain her joy and quickly began to entertain them.
We talked a lot, but since she had to go ring the bell in the afternoon, and they really couldn't get used to the food at the temple, we sent them back in the afternoon.
Sitting in the carriage, Mingjia still held onto Yu'an's hand tightly. "Teacher, don't worry. When the fifteenth comes, it will be the day the Xia family father and son are executed. At that time, the Chu family will be exonerated, and everything will be alright."
Yu'an looked up at her, said "good" several times, gave her several instructions, and only then did the carriage reluctantly leave.
She never felt that anything was wrong, or that things were difficult for her at the moment.
For her, the most difficult time was when the Chu family had their troubles, but she has made it through.
They brought a lot of things, most of which were useless, but they still touched Yu'an deeply.
They waved to the carriage as it drove away, until it disappeared completely at the end of the road, leaving no trace.
"Miss, go and have your meal. You still have to ring the bell later," Baozhu said.
Yu An nodded, a sense of peace welling up inside her.
The two comforted each other in the carriage. After Mingjia returned to the palace, the first place they went was Shou Kang Palace.
"Grandmother, this is what my teacher asked me to bring to you. He said to use it when it's cold, it's very effective."
Mingjia took out one item after another from the package and showed them to her, carefully conveying Yu'an's words to her.
The Empress Dowager watched quietly, her expression unexpectedly calm.
Did she say anything else?
Mingjia shook his head.
"The teacher's life was tough, but she didn't seem to think so. She seemed to quite enjoy staying at Tantuo Temple."
Mingjia sighed: "According to her maid, it seems that she is not in good health... Grandmother, you know that the food in the temple is not good. After a few months, I'm afraid her body will not be able to take it."
Mingjia was not unaware of why Yu'an had fallen to this state, but why did he say such things? Ultimately, it was because he trusted Yu'an, and the Empress Dowager also wanted to know.
Who can truly tell what's real and what's fake?
As the sages have said, a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. Besides, none of the things she did were fake, so it can't be considered deceiving her.
After the grandfather and grandson finished their meal, a eunuch from Shou Kang Palace quickly ran out and summoned Ji Jinghe.
"I heard you two got divorced?"
Ji Jinghe felt ashamed and remained silent, which was considered tacit agreement.
She looked up at him quietly, and still asked the same question: "What you told me before, was it true or false? Is there really such a thing as turning back in this world?"
Ji Jinghe knelt on the ground, bowing but remaining noncommittal.
"Aren't you afraid I'll punish you for deceiving the emperor?" She had never met such a stubborn person before.
I thought that someone as cautious and hesitant as him would come up with such a flawed solution in a crisis.
"I am merely stating the truth; whether you believe it or not is entirely up to the Empress Dowager."
A mocking laugh rang out, exuding an imposing aura without anger.
"Ji Jinghe, you really brought this upon yourself... Ever since I met Yu'an, your relationship with your husband has always been strained. You used such despicable means back then, and now you've ended up in this state."
She threw the items in front of Ji Jinghe, saying, "Don't ever appear before me again. You'd better watch yourself."
Upon returning home, Ji Jinghe realized that the painting in his hand was "Pang Family Carrying Water," which depicted the harmonious relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the family.
In the past, he could have really suppressed Shen Qiulan, but now, he doesn't need those things anymore; they are dispensable to him.
He only remembered one phrase: "He only has himself to blame."
Even outsiders can see it so clearly, yet he himself is the only one who cannot see it clearly.
In a moment of impulse, he had someone alter the information in the Yellow Register, fabricating the story of Yu An changing his birthday, as if he had helped someone, but he knew he hadn't.
She didn't rely on anyone in this matter.
He leaned back in his chair, and without closing his eyes, that voice and that face constantly appeared in his ears and before his eyes.
No matter what he did, it didn't help.
He never knew that losing someone could be such a heart-wrenching torment.
In the past few days, he has ridden his horse to find her countless times.
He shouldn't have let her go so easily that day.
The emperor granted him a month-long leave, but with nowhere to go, he stayed in his study. His mother, unable to bear it any longer, had to come to find him herself.
Seeing her grandson's dejected state, she was truly speechless.
"Jinghe, are you planning to stay cooped up in the study for a whole month?"
Ji Jinghe forced a bitter smile. "Grandmother, what brings you here?"
Ji's mother dodged his outstretched hand, saying with exasperation, "When did you become so timid and cowardly? If you really miss Yu'an, just go to Tantuo Temple to find her. Who can see you in your current state of despair? Can Yu'an see you?"
Ji Jinghe did not respond; the dark circles under his eyes were enough to tell how he had endured these past few days.
“Your sister went to see her yesterday. Yu’an is doing much better than you. She doesn’t even care about you. What are you pretending to be infatuated for? Pack your bags and get married again,” Mother Ji said deliberately, trying to provoke her.
Ji Jinghe: "Grandmother, you know I didn't want to."
"Then let's go back directly. It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Since you sincerely know you're wrong, then show the attitude of admitting your mistake. Don't just talk the talk. Only liars can fool people with words. People are all made of flesh and blood. I don't believe that such a good child as Yu'an can be so cold-blooded and heartless."
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