"That Living Buddha Temple is a private temple of the Southern Prince's Mansion and is not open to the public."
"A private temple this big?"
"That's right. I heard it was built by the Southern King to commemorate someone. The temple houses many martial monks, and no one dares to trespass."
Fang Qing looked at the pagoda not far away through the rain, her curiosity growing stronger.
Temples all value a thriving incense offering business.
The Southern King, however, actually turned such a large temple into a private temple.
“I don’t think this rain will stop anytime soon, Your Highness. We have some melons here. I’ll go get them for you to try.”
Before Fang Qing could refuse, he had already gone outside to pick melons.
We ate the melons and drank a lot of tea, and by noon the rain had stopped.
Fang Qing bid farewell to everyone and boarded a carriage to return to the prefectural city.
When he got home, Zhao Shi'an was nowhere to be found.
Fang Qing knew that he had been busy looking for Gao Wancheng lately.
I had just changed my clothes when a servant from the mansion came over and said that the neighbors had sent some snacks.
Next door lived Gao Ren and Gao Ren's mother, Zhao Wuxia.
Fang Qing had visited him once before, but Zhao Wuxia was not in a very clear state at the time. Fang Qing only exchanged a few words with Zhao Shi'an before returning.
Fang Qing had someone bring over the snacks.
It was a snack unique to the Yuzhou region, and Fang Qing tasted it and liked it.
After lunch, Fang Qing took some fruit to the next room without bringing anyone with her.
With Gao Ren absent, the servants brought Fang Qing to Zhao Wuxia.
Fortunately, Zhao Wuxia was conscious. After hearing the servants tell her Fang Qing's identity, she quickly got up to greet her.
"Ren'er told me about you, that you're a good kid."
Having endured so many years of hardship, Zhao Wuxia looked very weathered, but you could still tell that she had a good-looking face; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to give birth to a child as handsome as Gao Ren.
"Hello, the pastries you sent were delicious. I brought back some fruit from outside the city yesterday when I returned to the city. I'm bringing them here for you to try."
Zhao Wuxia looked at her tenderly.
"That's so thoughtful of you. Please sit down."
Zhao Wuxia gestured for Fang Qing to sit down, her gaze never leaving her face.
Fang Qing didn't dislike her gaze, but she felt a little embarrassed being stared at like that.
"I've heard about Shi'an and you from Ren'er. He's also a child with a hard life."
As she spoke, Zhao Wuxia sighed softly.
She thought of the past, her eyes filled with deep weariness and sadness.
“That child is promising, just like the children of our Zhao family. It’s a blessing for him to have you by his side.”
“Unlike his father, my brother… sigh, let’s not talk about him.”
Zhao Wuxia asked someone to pour tea for Fang Qing, who said she needed to get up and go to the room to get something.
Fang Qing waited for a while, and when Zhao Wuxia returned, she was carrying a box.
“Shi’an’s parents are both gone. I am his elder, and I should prepare things for your wedding. But you know my situation. I had Ren’er prepare these for me. If you don’t mind, you can take them.”
Zhao Wuxia opened the small box, inside was a set of jewelry, a simple and elegant silver begonia design.
Fang Qing knew that the set of jewelry wasn't expensive, so she accepted it.
"I really like it, thank you."
"This is something that elders should give to younger generations. I'm glad you like it."
The two then drank tea.
Zhao Wuxia, who had been perfectly normal, suddenly started trembling as she held the teacup, and the teacup fell onto the table.
What's wrong?
Zhao Wuxia's eyes glazed over for a moment, then she stared blankly at Fang Qing.
Who are you?
Fang Qing was stunned for a moment. Looking at the anxious servants beside her, she knew that Zhao Wuxia must have fallen ill.
"I am Fang Qing, Zhao Shi'an's wife."
"And who is Zhao Shi'an?"
"Zhao Shi'an is your nephew."
Zhao Wuxia was stunned for a long time.
"When did I have a nephew? What about my brother? Oh, my brother ran away, he abandoned me and ran away, so what about me?"
Zhao Wuxia looked flustered.
"No, Gao Wancheng betrayed me. He ruined my whole family. He did it all for our precious child..."
“I have a child with him, no, that’s my child, my little one, you can’t take him away from me.”
"Please save the little boy. If Gao Wancheng knew he existed, he would kill him. Please save him."
Zhao Wuxia desperately grabbed Fang Qing's clothes, seeing Fang Qing as her lifeline.
She looked thin, but she was surprisingly strong. Fang Qing was pulled so hard that she almost fell over.
The servants in the mansion rushed forward to try to pull them apart, but Zhao Wuxia only stared at Fang Qing.
You must save him.
"My poor little one, you'll save him, right..."
Zhao Wuxia stared at Fang Qing as if she had gone mad.
Her eyes were bloodshot. Fang Qing calmed down and took her hand in return.
"It's alright, your little one will be fine, no one will hurt him."
"Really?"
"It's true, your little one will be back soon."
Zhao Wuxia held Fang Qing's hand tightly.
"Is my little one alright? Is he cold? Is he hungry?"
"No."
"Thanks to you, thank you for taking him in, thank you for letting him live in your home, thank you for letting him go to school. You are a good person, and I trust you."
Fang Qing was taken aback.
Zhao Wuxia had already confused the affairs of Zhao Shi'an and Gao Ren.
She forcibly attributed Zhao Shi'an's experiences to Gao Ren.
Seeing the servants hurriedly bring over the medicine, Fang Qing comforted Zhao Wuxia.
"You're not feeling well right now, please take your medicine first."
Fang Qing took the bowl from the servant and fed it to Zhao Wuxia.
After feeding Zhao Wuxia a bowl of medicine, Zhao Wuxia calmed down considerably.
Fang Qing had a servant help Zhao Wuxia to bed. When she turned around, she saw Gao Ren standing with his arms crossed, leaning against a pillar. She didn't know how long he had been standing there.
It had just rained outside, and the ground was wet. Gao Ren had disappeared somewhere, and his boots and the hem of his clothes were covered in mud.
"When did you get back?" Fang Qing broke the silence between them.
Gao Ren walked up to her, sat down where Zhao Wuxia had just been sitting, and casually picked up the fruit Fang Qing had brought and put it in his mouth.
"I came over when she grabbed your hand and begged you to save me."
Fang Qing glanced at him helplessly.
"Since you've come so early, why don't you properly comfort your mother?"
"Isn't it because you're here? I think you're much more useful than me."
The items were delivered, and Fang Qing didn't plan to keep them any longer.
"I'm leaving."
She stood up, but before she could take a step, Gao Ren said, "Tell me, if you had been the one who found me before Gao Wancheng back then, what would we be like now?"
Although he didn't want to admit it, he sometimes couldn't help but feel jealous.
Why is it that Zhao Shi'an, who also has a terrible background, has Fang Qing to save him, while he is foolishly used by his own father?
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