Chapter 146 Test
Jiang Shuyi ordered the palace servants to place Zhang Miaoxian in the back hall of Chaoyang Palace, where Pei Yu originally lived. They couldn't just drive her to Wenhua Palace as soon as she arrived.
When she turned around, she saw Princess Ning'an looking at the door with red eyes. Jiang Shuyi couldn't help but poke her: "If the princess doesn't want to, just take her daughter back. I don't have to raise her."
Princess Ning'an shook her head, her voice choking, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for condescending to take Miao'er under your name. If Miao'er follows me, it will be hard for her to find a good marriage partner when she grows up. She can only rely on her uncle. It's better for her to follow you so that she can have someone to rely on. Your Majesty, don't worry. I'm not the kind of person who would sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor. From now on, she is your daughter. This is the last time I'll see her today, and it will be the end of our seven-year mother-daughter relationship."
As soon as Jiang Shuyi heard it, she knew that this must have frightened the Grand Princess of Wei. Compared to sending her daughter to the Grand Princess's husband's hometown thousands of miles away, it would definitely be better to stay in the palace. At least they could know that they were both safe.
But she couldn't break the bond between mother and daughter. She was leaving, and Zhang Miaoke had to be returned to Princess Ning'an afterwards.
"If your daughter knew you said that, she would be heartbroken."
Jiang Shuyi lectured her seriously: "It's not that you think being good to her is good. Ask her if she wants a good marriage or wants to be with you. You don't care about her feelings. What's the difference between you and the eldest princess?"
How could Princess Ning'an not understand what the queen said? It's just that an unmarried daughter is a privileged guest in her parents' home, and a daughter who returns to her parents' home after a divorce is like a dog-skin plaster. She herself is still despised, so how can she protect her daughter from growing up happily?
But she would not tell the Empress about these troubles, because the Empress had already helped her enough.
*
Jiang Shuyi did not forget about going to Yanqing Temple.
As soon as Princess Ning'an left the palace, she returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, hugged Pei Yan's arm, and asked coquettishly, "It's not even noon yet, can't we leave the palace today?"
Pei Yan was reading a book and asked with a smile: "Is it so urgent?"
Jiang Shuyi felt uneasy. She was afraid that Taoist Wu would wait too long and run away out of patience. Then Pei Yan would have to wait for the third life: a short life and disappearance into ashes.
Seeing that Jiang Shuyi still insisted, Pei Yan patted her head and said, "Tomorrow, I will accompany you out after I leave the court tomorrow."
After getting the promise, Jiang Shuyi stopped making trouble and snuggled up to him to read the book in his hand.
As luck would have it, the next day Pei Yan suddenly had some important military and political business to attend to, and he did not return for a long time after court dismissal. He sent Cheng Fu to tell him that if Jiang Shuyi still wanted to go out of the palace for fun today, she could take Cheng Shouzhong and the others with her and she didn't have to wait for him.
This was naturally a good thing for Jiang Shuyi. She no longer had to think about how to create an opportunity to meet Taoist Wu alone.
But when she got into the carriage and saw that the seat where Pei Yan was supposed to sit was empty, the relief in her heart disappeared, leaving only a sense of emptiness and disappointment.
The carriage stopped outside Yanqing Temple.
The Taoist priest already recognized Jiang Shuyi as the Empress of the palace. When he heard that she was looking for Taoist Wu, he led her directly over with a respectful attitude.
It was still the same quiet room as last time. Just as they walked onto the path, a little Taoist boy ran out in a hurry and bumped into Jiang Shuyi directly. The palace servants around exclaimed and hurriedly asked if the queen was hurt. Cheng Fu had already forced the little Taoist to kneel down with a cold face.
Jiang Shuyi wasn't seriously injured by the collision, but the little Taoist boy's collision knocked the jade pendant off her waist, and it fell to the ground and broke into two pieces.
It is a jade pendant that Pei Yan often wears recently.
Jiang Shuyi left the palace alone today. Feeling a little uneasy, she took Pei Yan's belongings with her.
Now that she was dead, her heart ached and she glared at the Taoist boy angrily.
The little Taoist boy was forced to his knees on the ground. He was already trembling with fear, his lips shaking, and he couldn't utter a word.
Jiang Shuyi naturally did not calm down because of this, and angrily asked the Taoist priest who was leading the way: "Does he have a master? How can he manage his apprentice? He is so rude to run around here!"
The Taoist priest who led the way was also frightened out of his wits, and hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Highness, this little Taoist boy is the disciple of Taoist Priest Wu. Taoist Priest Wu came here on his own, not as a member of the Taoist temple, so this little Taoist boy is not under the jurisdiction of the Taoist temple."
Jiang Shuyi originally wanted to have someone beat up the little Taoist boy's master to vent her anger, but since it was related to Taoist Wu, she naturally couldn't do that, but she couldn't just swallow her anger.
She wrapped the broken jade pendant in her handkerchief, feeling sad and wanting to cry.
Does this mean that Pei Yan will eventually leave her?
Turning around, she saw that the abominable little Taoist boy showed no remorse but was just afraid. Jiang Shuyi was even more furious and shouted, "Let him kneel here and not eat today. When I leave the Taoist temple, he can get up!"
Cheng Fu responded and left a eunuch to look after the little Taoist boy.
*
In the quiet room, Wu Jianshan was sipping tea.
After Jiang Shuyi came in, she said to Cheng Fu, "I have something to discuss with the Taoist priest. You can take them and wait outside."
Jiang Shuyi thought Cheng Fu would not agree so easily, and she had even thought about how to persuade him. In the end, Cheng Fu just responded and left with the palace servants.
Wu Jianshan raised his eyes to look outside the empty door and asked with a smile, "Is the Empress the only one leaving the palace today?"
Jiang Shuyi sat down opposite Taoist Wu, and for fear of being heard by people outside, she spoke softly, "Your Majesty is busy with government affairs today, and asked me to go out for fun. I want to ask Taoist, do you really have to leave Beijing this year? One or two years of cultivation should not be a big deal. Can I stay with Your Majesty for two more years before leaving?"
Wu Jianshan did not answer this question, but asked gently: "I just heard a noise outside the door, I don't know what happened."
Jiang Shuyi was very dissatisfied with his questioning instead of answering, but after all, she had to ask for help, so she patiently answered: "The Taoist's disciple offended me, and I punished him to kneel there."
Wu Jianshan sighed: "If your majesty wants to cultivate, then you should be kind and compassionate. How can you punish a child for such a small matter?"
"What's wrong with the kid? Can a kid make mistakes without being punished?" Jiang Shuyi was puzzled and angry. She took out the handkerchief wrapped with the jade pendant fragments from her sleeve and put it on the tea table for Wu Jianshan to see: "He broke your majesty's jade pendant. Is this a small matter? He deserves the death penalty! If I hadn't considered him as the grandson of the Taoist priest, I would have had his master beaten up, and then his master would have beaten him up!"
Wu Jianshan looked helpless, rolled up his sleeves and poured a cup of tea for Jiang Shuyi: "Both his parents are dead, so pitiful."
"Who isn't? I lost my mother a long time ago, and my father is almost dead. Now even His Majesty is about to die. Am I not more pitiful than him?"
As she spoke, she felt sad. Jiang Shuyi wanted to cry. She covered her face and choked up, "When I was a child, no one pitied me. When I grew up, I was lucky enough to meet His Majesty, who loved me. But who knew that fate was against my will and I had to leave him. What sin did I commit..."
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