The death of someone in the palace is always an unlucky thing.
Emperor Kangxi, along with his concubines and children, all went to Tanzhe Temple.
The abbot of Tanzhe Temple was the monk Zhenhuan, a close friend of Emperor Kangxi. He was deeply versed in Buddhism and had the faith of many devout men and women.
In the autumn of the 25th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the emperor visited Tanzhe Temple to offer incense and worship Buddha, staying for several days. He also bestowed upon Tanzhe Temple 10 volumes of the Diamond Sutra and 10 volumes of the Medicine Buddha Sutra written by the emperor, a sandalwood mountain, a Shoushan stone Guanyin statue, and 18 Shoushan stone Arhat statues.
Such favor and patronage were reserved for Tanzhe Temple in the entire Qing Dynasty.
Tanzhe Temple is a popular place of worship, attracting countless pilgrims every day.
Tong Wanyan sat in the sedan chair, looking at the guards who were strictly guarding the road, and was amazed.
Royal dominance!
After finishing his morning prayers, Monk Zhenhuan waited for Emperor Kangxi in front of the temple.
Nearly a hundred noblemen arrived, accompanied by Imperial Guards and Protectors; the number of visitors was no less than usual at Tanzhe Temple.
After getting out of the sedan chair, Tong Wanyan followed beside the First Princess Consort, ignoring the stares and jealousy of the women around her.
"If some rebels come, they'll wipe them all out!" Tong Wanyan thought to herself, clicking her tongue in amazement.
The First Princess looked at Tong Wanyan with suspicion, and Tong Wanyan looked back guiltily.
The two looked at each other, remaining silent for a long time.
Tong Wanyan smiled faintly: "Grand Princess, is there something I've done wrong?"
"No, no. It seems Father Emperor and Master Zhenhuan went into the temple ahead. Let's go too." The First Princess smiled awkwardly.
The way the First Princess Consort acted made her seem strange.
Among her peers, Tong Wanyan could only speak to the First Princess Consort.
It will probably be a few more years before she can chat with her sisters-in-law more often.
Tong Wanyan followed the First Princess with a serene and obedient expression. The Empress Dowager walked ahead and had already ascended the stone steps. She looked down and happened to see Tong Wanyan.
It wasn't that the Empress Dowager had good eyesight; it was simply that Tong Wanyan's appearance and demeanor were so striking that no one could ignore her.
"Empress Dowager?" Kangxi called out in confusion when he saw the Empress Dowager stop in her tracks.
The Empress Dowager smiled lovingly: "When I think back to the last time I came here, I was with your Empress Mother. Tanzhe Temple was not like it is now."
Emperor Kangxi knew that the Empress Dowager was just giving him the runaround, but he didn't point it out.
Unexpectedly, even his close friend, the monk Zhenhuan, was also stunned along with the Empress Dowager.
With the emperor's imposing presence before them, even though everyone present was of noble birth, no one dared to look directly at the emperor's face.
Even though they wondered why they had stopped moving, no one said a word.
The monk Zhenhuan stared intently at Tong Wanyan for a long time before looking away and inviting Kangxi and the Empress Dowager inside.
There are established precedents for burning incense and worshipping Buddha.
Tong Wanyan had never done these things, but with Chunque and Xiazhu by her side, she could do them like a puppet.
It's not easy to live a second life, and it's not easy to find a good match either.
Tong Wanyan knelt and prayed sincerely before the Buddha. Facing the smiling Buddha statue, she felt completely at peace.
"May you be well, may we be well," Tong Wanyan said softly and devoutly as she bowed for the last time.
"Female benefactor, would you like to draw a fortune stick?" The young novice monk stepped forward with a fortune stick container after Tong Wanyan left the prayer mat.
Holding the divination stick container, Tong Wanyan shook it, and one of the sticks fell out of the container.
When the young novice picked up the fortune stick from the ground, he quickly put it into the sleeve of his robe.
"The female benefactor is blessed with both fortune and good luck; this is the best possible outcome." The young novice monk had rosy lips and white teeth, resembling a pageboy under Guanyin, and was very endearing.
Xia Zhu helped Tong Wanyan up, wanting to lean over and ask for an interpretation of the fortune slip.
"Thank you for your kind words, young master," Tong Wanyan said with a smile.
She was alone in the main hall, so no one noticed anything unusual about the scene.
Chunque secretly tugged at Xiazhu's sleeve, signaling her not to ruin things.
Back in her room at the Zen temple, Tong Wanyan sipped her light, bitter tea while holding a delicate pastry in her hand.
"Not only is the vegetarian food at Tanzhe Temple delicious, but their pastries are also quite good." Tong Wanyan munched on her food without a care in the world, showing no curiosity whatsoever.
Xia Zhu blinked her big eyes, glancing at Tong Wanyan for a moment, then hesitated to speak.
Tong Wanyan slowly and carefully finished eating the pastries in her hands, and then wiped the crumbs off her fingertips.
"Since it's a very auspicious fortune, why bother with the meaning of the divination slip?" Tong Wanyan closed her eyes, leaned to the side, and actually fell asleep.
She was woken up before dawn to get dressed and made up, and the sedan chair bounced back and forth the whole way. It's already quite an achievement that she's managed to hold on until now.
Didn't you see the First Princess and the others going back to their rooms to rest early? They said they were resting, but actually they were all catching up on sleep.
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