Xiao Zhu bowed and took his leave. With the year drawing to a close, he needed to speed things up and try to finish all the tasks assigned by the princess before the new year.
After he left, Xiao Guozi stayed by his side. Snowflakes started falling again, and he quickly opened his umbrella to shield Zhao Shu from the snow.
The sky was overcast, and it looked like it would be a long time before the weather cleared up. Zhao Shu pulled her sleeves tighter; it was really cold. But she felt uneasy if she didn't do something.
"Have all the eminent monks been invited?" she asked, her voice very soft, but Xiao Guozi, standing behind her, heard every word.
He considered it carefully. "Princess, please forgive me. Master Miaokong has passed away. The only remaining option is Master Wuye of Canaan Temple in the south. I have already sent someone to invite him. I have also sent people to invite the abbots of other temples. Please put your mind at ease, Princess." Xiao Guozi also felt that Consort Hao had gone too far.
With her arrival, the talk in Guanzhou City was no longer about how the Marquis of Zhongyong and his son were disloyal, unjust, unkind, and cowardly, but about the dragon energy in her belly, as if a divine dragon was about to be born, and how Zhao Shu had mistreated her.
"Endure her, let her be, avoid her, be patient with her, let her do as she pleases, ignore her, and after a few days, slander her, insult her, belittle her, laugh at her, deceive her, and despise her. This is a good way to deal with people."
Zhao Shu's voice was too soft for Xiao Guozi to hear clearly, but he got the gist of it and didn't understand.
When the snow stopped again, the snow on the ground was much thicker. Zhao Shu moved her feet, stepped on the snow, and lifted them up, leaving a small shoe print.
However, the footprints were quickly covered by the large foot. Zhao Shu looked up and saw Huo Baichuan giving her a fake smile. "The eldest princess is so kind and righteous, it's truly touching. It even made the heavens snow."
There was a message from him just a moment ago, and now he's here. Zhao Shu suspects he flew here. "Mr. Huo, what brings you to Guanzhou?"
"I've come to spend New Year's Eve with my elder sister and Xian'er. I didn't expect to see the eldest princess playing the self-harm game here. Tsk tsk tsk, it's really touching, so touching. I just hope that God won't go into hibernation and not see the eldest princess being so affectionate and righteous." After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhao Shu with a smile, reached out and patted a handful of snow on the umbrella he was holding, and rubbed it in his hand.
A ball of snow was thrown at Zhao Shu, who easily dodged it. In that turn, she saw an old monk in a cassock not far away, like an old tree, weathered by wind and rain, yet unmoved by the vicissitudes of life. His tranquility filled her with awe.
Unlike Master Miaokong, the old monk in the kasaya seemed to be in harmony with the heavens and man, giving people an intense feeling of wanting to relax.
"Amitabha." The old monk bowed to Zhao Shuju from afar and said no more. His aged eyes were extremely deep. His gaze fell on the palace door, which was already closed. However, he shook his head as if he were looking at the dying prince inside.
Zhao Shu hurriedly stepped forward, "Master, may I ask if you are Master Wuye?" She couldn't think of anyone else who could give her such a sense of security; it must be Master Wuye of Canaan Temple that Xiao Guozi had just mentioned.
Master Wuye nodded slightly and chanted a Buddhist prayer, “I have heard all about your suffering, benefactor. Rest assured, the Buddha is merciful and will surely restore justice to you and bless the prince with health and safety. Amitabha.”
Zhao Shu choked back tears and clasped her hands together, saying, "I thank you, Master. Please enlighten my Crown Prince brother."
“Amitabha, mind is not mind, thing is not thing, mind is higher than thing. Mind is mind, thing is thing, mind and thing are one, mind and thing are one.” Master Wuye recited the Buddha’s words.
Zhao Shu wanted to say something more, but Huo Baichuan interrupted her, "Your father is about to arrive in Guanzhou. Why don't you go and rest properly, Princess? Look at your face, you look neither human nor ghost. Your father might not even recognize you."
The Huo family had been following Prince Yong closely, so they must know his specific information much more accurately than Xiao Zhu Zi. Zhao Shu asked in surprise, "Is it really true?"
"It really is real, even more real than the snow falling right now." Huo Baichuan looked at her like she was an idiot. "Ugly people should rest more."
Considering the good news he had given her, Zhao Shu decided not to argue with him. She turned and ran into the side hall, where Physician Zhou was guarding the hall, and Li Zhuo was on the roof beam.
Upon seeing Zhao Shu enter, Physician Zhou bowed and stepped aside, leaving the bedside seat for Zhao Shu.
She gently sat on the high stool by the bed and reached out to take the prince's pulse. His condition was improving, albeit slowly, but she was already very happy.
After dismissing Physician Zhou and Li Zhuo, she spoke softly to the Crown Prince.
“Crown Prince, Father is coming back. You must get well soon. Dayong needs you. If you abandon Dayong, it will fall apart like the Zhou Dynasty and be divided up by those treacherous officials. How can we face our ancestors? They risked their lives to build this empire. You are the Crown Prince, you cannot abandon it. Do you know that your fourth brother and eldest brother are colluding with powerful families? These families have oppressed us for generations. Do you want your descendants to be controlled by these officials and have them use the emperor to command the feudal lords?”
"The princes are restless, and the powerful families are unwilling to relinquish power. Crown Prince, our Zhao family descendants might be slaughtered one day, leaving us with no place to bury our dead. You must get better. No matter how bitter or tired you are, you must get better. You have not yet fulfilled your responsibilities as the crown prince and your obligations as a member of the royal family. You cannot be defeated like this. Crown Prince, have you forgotten that you have not avenged your great enemy?"
"He hasn't forgotten, but he's almost forgotten."
Huo Baichuan suddenly walked in and coldly said to the Crown Prince, "How can someone so cowardly and unambitious be a crown prince? Even if you invite a celestial being to assist him, Dayong will not improve. I think you should stop wasting your time. It is others who have wronged him, not you. You treat him like this, yet he is determined to die. Since he is determined to die, let him die. Anyway, the Emperor has plenty of sons. At worst, he can just appoint another crown prince."
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