Chapter 150: The morning bells of the ancient temple welcome the phoenix, and the sleeves are filled with Zen incense waiting to be canonized
Before daybreak, the lanterns of Shufangzhai were already lit one after another, their orange glow piercing the mist, casting warm patches of light across the snow-covered courtyard. Xiaoshao was tiptoeing to tie red silk to the porch pillars, his nose red from the cold, and he kept muttering, "Oh my goodness, this red silk is slipperier than a bug's belt!" Xiaowen squatted on the ground, sweeping snow from the stone steps, his broom making a crunching sound as it hit the ice. "Hurry up! Master Fang and the others should be here soon!"
In the inner warm room, Xiaoyanzi frowned at the bronze mirror while Mingyue and Caixia worked together to put the phoenix corona on her. The pure gold corona was adorned with twelve oriental pearls, and its tassels drooped to her shoulders, weighing down her neck. "Can't this thing be made a little lighter? My neck was sore from trying it on yesterday. And later I have to kowtow to the abbot. Won't I fall on the cushion?"
"Princess, keep your voice down," Caixia said, smiling as she adjusted the laces of the phoenix coronet. "This was made by the Imperial Household Department according to ancestral tradition. Even Empress Xiaoxianchun wore something similar when she was crowned." She brushed her fingertips over the phoenix pattern on the coronet. "Look at the sapphires set into the phoenix eyes. How bright they are."
Ziwei sat on a nearby gilded stool, Jinsuo adjusting the hem of her lake-blue gown. The hem was embroidered with lotus flowers, the silver thread gleaming softly in the morning light. She reached up to press the pearl hairpins at her temples and whispered, "Don't be naughty. The abbot will nag you about your 'stubbornness' again if he sees you like this." She gazed at Xiaoyanzi in the bronze mirror, her eyes brightened by the phoenix crown, and couldn't help but add, "But she's really pretty, like a fairy from a New Year's picture."
"How could a fairy be as tired as I am?" Xiaoyanzi pouted, then suddenly turned around and shouted out the door, "Yongqi! Come in and help me check if this phoenix crown is crooked?"
Yongqi came in. He was wearing a dark blue python robe with a dragon pattern embroidered on the collar. Seeing Xiaoyanzi sticking out her neck and frowning, he couldn't help laughing: "It's not crooked, you just always stick out your neck. Relax a little." He took out a small hand warmer from his sleeve pocket and stuffed it into her hand, "It's a long way to go to Huguo Temple later, keep it warm." His fingertips accidentally touched the back of her hand, and they both blushed and quickly looked away.
"Uncle and aunt are here!" The curtain of the small table was lifted and someone came in, their cotton robes stained with snow foam. "They're waiting in the main hall. They said the abbot is waiting at the gate of Huguo Temple."
When Xiaoyanzi heard the name "Grandpa Abbot," her eyes lit up instantly. She didn't care about the weight of her phoenix crown anymore and grabbed Ziwei and ran out, "Hurry up, hurry up! I brought some vegetarian oil cakes that the temple loves. Chuntao said the Grandpa Abbot has been talking about them a lot lately!"
"Slow down!" Fang's mother saw her running in from the main hall and quickly grabbed her cloak, the white fox fur collar brushing her cheek. "Be careful not to lose the phoenix crown." Fang's mother straightened the buttons on her collar and looked at Ziwei. "Ziwei, don't be nervous. Just follow the instructions of the abbot. The Bodhisattva will bless you."
Fang Zhihang stood aside, a mink cloak over his grayish-blue uniform, clutching a string of red sandalwood Buddhist beads the abbot had given him the previous year. "The bells at Huguo Temple are the most powerful. Be sincere when you pay your respects later." His gaze fell on the two girls, their phoenix coronet and bridal robes catching the morning light. He sighed, "It's been a while since you've grown up."
Chuntao followed behind, carrying a food box containing vegetarian oil cakes for the abbot and sweet-scented osmanthus candies for the young novice monk. She smiled and said, "The princesses look like they've stepped out of a painting today. When the Bodhisattvas in the temple see them later, they will surely bless them."
As the group headed out of the palace, the morning light had already crept over the walls, and the fallen snow shimmered like broken silver in the sunlight. The carriage plowed through the snow, leaving two deep ruts. Inside, Xiaoyanzi secretly showed Ziwei the peach wood wooden fish pendant she had hidden in her sleeve pocket. "This was given to me by the abbot. He said it would calm my mind. I'll give it to you for a while."
Ziwei took the pendant, and as her fingertips touched the warm peach wood, the tension in her heart subsided a little: "You and the abbot have a very good relationship. I heard you talk a lot about your time in Hanshan Temple."
"That's right!" Little Swallow raised her chin proudly. "When I was ten, I lived in Hanshan Temple for half a year. I learned to play chess and 'The Sound of Bells and Chimes' from the abbot. He even called me 'a little Zen chess friend!'" She suddenly lowered her voice. "After we finish worshipping, I'll take you to the plum tree in the temple's backyard. Last year, I carved a little swallow, and the abbot even added cinnabar to it!"
Yongqi sat opposite her, and seeing her beaming with joy, he shook his head helplessly: "We have something important to do later, don't keep thinking about playing." Even so, he reached out to help her adjust the phoenix crown, "When you get to the temple, follow the abbot and don't run around."
Erkang also whispered to Ziwei, "The abbot is well versed in Buddhism. With him presiding over the ceremony, everything will go smoothly." He took out a piece of warm jade from his sleeve pocket and put it in Ziwei's hand, "Hold this, and you won't feel cold."
When the carriage arrived at the Huguo Temple's mountain gate, the morning bell had just struck seven times, its echoes lingering in the valley. The abbot, clad in a scarlet cassock, stood at the foot of the stone steps, his gray beard flowing in the wind. Seeing the carriage stop, he smiled and clasped his hands together, "Ci'er, Ziwei, you're finally here."
"Grandpa Abbot!" Xiaoyanzi jumped out of the car, the tassels on her phoenix crown swaying violently. She rushed over and held the abbot's arm. "Look, I brought some vegetarian oil cakes. Chuntao said you like freshly baked ones the best."
The abbot patted the back of her hand, his eyes fixed on her phoenix crown, his smile deepening. "Girls change a lot when they grow up. Our Zen chess friend has become Princess Huanzhu." He turned to look at Ziwei, his eyes gentle. "Don't be afraid, child. Come into the hall. The Bodhisattva is waiting for you."
The Main Hall was thick with the scent of sandalwood incense. The central Buddha statue bore a benevolent gaze, and three tall incense sticks burned brightly in the incense burner. Fang Zhihang and his wife stood on the left, Chuntao stood beside them, holding the offerings. Yongqi and Erkang stood just inside the hall door, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily—they had received word the previous night that Concubine Gao's followers might tamper with the ceremony.
The abbot held a staff in his hand and said in a resonant voice, "The auspicious time has arrived. The worship begins." He gestured for Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei to kneel on the cushions. "Burn incense and pay respect to the heavens."
Xiaoyanzi took the incense from the young monk and raised it above her head with deft movements. She stole a glance at Ziwei beside her. Seeing her clasped hands and a look of piety, she couldn't help but curl her lips. The curls of sandalwood smoke rose, mingling with the sound of the bells outside the temple, bringing a sense of peace to the heart.
"I bow, wishing the country peace and prosperity, and good weather and good harvests." The abbot's voice echoed in the hall.
The two of them bowed down and kowtowed, and the tassels of the phoenix crown gently swept across the cushion, leaving a faint golden shadow.
"Second bow, may my loved ones be healthy and our friendship last forever."
As Xiaoyanzi kowtowed, she silently chanted in her heart: "May my parents and brother be safe, may Ziwei have a smooth search for her relatives, may Yongqi stop arguing with me all the time..." At the end of the chant, she couldn't help laughing, and the abbot glared at her, so she quickly collected her thoughts.
“Bow three times, wishing a bright future and keeping true to our original aspiration.”
As Ziwei kowtowed, a tear rolled down her eye and fell onto the cushion. In her heart, she said to her mother, "Mother, look, I'm about to find my father. Your wish will come true."
After the worship, the abbot invited everyone to the meditation room for a vegetarian meal. Little Swallow, dragging Ziwei with her, slipped into the backyard. Snow still hung from the branches of a plum tree, and sure enough, a small swallow, painted in cinnabar, was perched on the trunk. Its crooked shape was brimming with life. "Look, look!" she pointed at the swallow. "The abbot said this is called 'Swallows Return Every Year.'"
Ziwei smiled and nodded, her fingertips gently touching Zhusha: "It's really beautiful, as lively as you."
As they were talking, they suddenly caught sight of a figure flashing past the wintersweet in the corner. The figure was wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket, its cuffs stained with ink—the same color as the one they'd seen behind the rockery in the Imperial Gardens. Xiaoyanzi's eyes froze, and she pulled Ziwei back a half step, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Someone's following us."
Ziwei's heart tightened, and she subconsciously clenched the wooden fish pendant on her wrist.
At this time, Yongqi and Erkang came over and saw that the two men looked unhappy. Yongqi asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong?"
Little Swallow nodded towards the back of the wintersweet tree and said, "Someone is there."
Erkang immediately went forward to check, but he only saw a few trampled snowflakes. The corner of the wall was empty, with only a faint scent of powder wafting over - that was the "Xifu Begonia" perfume powder that Concubine Gao often used.
"Don't worry about it." Yongqi held Xiaoyanzi's hand, his palm warm. "Grandpa Abbot is waiting in the meditation room, go back first." He glanced at the disappearing scented powder, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. "I'm here, don't be afraid."
Xiaoyanzi nodded and walked back with Ziwei. The snow on the plum branches blew away in the wind, landing on her phoenix crown like a handful of diamonds. She glanced back at the empty corner, knowing that during this peaceful worship ceremony, the eyes from Jingren Palace were fixed on their backs, never leaving. The hot tea in the Zen room was still steaming, and the abbot was talking to Fang Zhihang. The bell outside the window rang again, steady and long, as if silently reminding us: Even if the road ahead is stormy, a calm mind can guide us on our journey.
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