Chapter 17: The Immortal
Seeing her staring at him without saying anything, Yan Penglai, who was already used to being stared at, nodded to her. He sat down and looked at Cui Fufeng and Ling Tianshui: "The county lady and Cui Shaoqing summoned you. Is it about the Grand Princess of Gao State?"
Seeing that he already knew about this, Cui Fufeng got straight to the point: "Indeed. Princess Gao passed away yesterday at Qujiang Lake. Yan Bucheng witnessed it. Do you have anything to say about this?"
Yan Penglai looked at them with his deep and hazy eyes, yet it was as if he was looking at something invisible in the void. His low voice was like a sigh: "Life is difficult, and all living beings suffer. Although the princess's experience is unfortunate, it can be regarded as a way to escape from the sea of suffering. May she find great light in her next life and never sink into despair again."
Qiandeng and the other two were already accustomed to his usual eccentric tone. Cui Fufeng followed the instructions and asked, "Where was Yan Bucheng at 5:00 PM and 3:00 PM yesterday?"
"At noon, I arrived at the waterside pavilion and found everyone arranging the flower bouquets and gauze curtains. So I found a clean place and sat quietly to admire the flowers."
"Did you meet anyone?"
Yan Penglai said, "Yes, around the end of the afternoon, Jintang led the masters to find a place to hide the fireworks display. I was sitting at an angle that was not visible from the waterside pavilion, so I gave it to them."
"Then where did Yan Bucheng go?"
"They were banging away at the scaffolding, and I couldn't stand it. I looked around, but there were too many tourists, so I had to come back. By then, the scaffolding was complete, and the masters had left. Jintang gave the scaffolding a final check and also left. Only then was I able to sit in peace until the county lady arrived."
"So, you're basically alone in Qujiang Pond?"
Yan Penglai said calmly: "In life, we are always alone."
Coming from his mouth, these words were particularly appropriate.
This Yan Bu Cheng became famous because of the great sacrifices of the imperial court. Because he was affiliated with the Taibu Office, he observed the stars and interpreted the Book of Changes when on duty. He usually only read a lot of classics, and his personality was cold and aloof. He really didn't even have any friends.
In this case, Cui Fufeng could only ask directly: "Do you have any relationship with Princess Gao?"
Yan Penglai did not hide it and said, "The princess and I did have a relationship before, but later due to some disagreements, we separated a long time ago."
Cui Fufeng asked, "How did you meet the princess, and how was your relationship?"
But everyone knew that there was no handsome man in the capital that Princess Gao didn't know. Since the deaths of her two former husbands, the widowed princess had been feasting day and night, with countless men falling for her.
It was not until recent years that the Empress Dowager advised her that Xiao Fuyu was about to become the Crown Princess and that she should restrain herself for the sake of her daughter. Only then did she resume her princess status and only interact with her lovers in private.
But because of this, it is difficult for them to verify who has a private relationship with the princess.
But Yan Penglai spoke calmly and openly about the embarrassing secret. "That was four years ago. At that time, I came to the capital to be selected as a sacrificial offering. I was dancing the Eight-Legged Dance with everyone in the Guanglu Temple. Princess Gao happened to come over to watch us practice, and somehow she noticed me in the back..."
One hundred and eight handsome young men were selected from across the country, of whom thirty-two were chosen to perform the Eight-Legged Dance with the female musicians from the Imperial Music Bureau.
In the mossy courtyard of the Guanglu Temple, hundreds of people sang in unison, playing sheng, xiao, and pipes. The dazzling hues of feathers mingled with the cold gleam of ganqi (steeds and shields), and amidst the riot of flowing silk garments, a single figure shone brightly in the courtyard.
The sunlight and splendor in the courtyard are just his foil, making his breathtaking beauty come true.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on him. There was an indescribable power that prevented them from moving their eyes even an inch.
After the Eight-Legged Dance was over, Princess Gao stood up, walked through the audience of musicians in the courtyard to his side, and looked him up and down.
Under her intense gaze, Yan Penglai lowered his eyes and raised his hand, bowing to her: "Greetings, Grand Princess."
Princess Gaoguo looked back at the Minister of Imperial Households and asked, "So, the first person to be invited to this grand sacrifice has been chosen?"
The Minister of Imperial Households understood her meaning and pointed at Yan Penglai, saying, "It's not decided yet, but we will soon submit a petition to recommend this young man, Mr. Yan, for the position. He is an outstanding figure in both appearance and demeanor, and I believe he is the best candidate."
Qian Deng listened to Yan Penglai's words and thought, in this way, Princess Gaoguo can also be considered his benefactor...
Although Yan Penglai was bound to stand out with his beauty, it was Princess Gao who first gave him a push, allowing him to become the leader of the team during the national sacrifice, and eventually become a fairy-like man praised by everyone in the world.
"So, you said you had a disagreement with the princess. When was it and why?"
"That was three years ago. At that time, I was copying scriptures for the empress dowager in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The princess came to the temple to burn incense and came to see me, but her words and actions were quite intimate, so I rejected her." Yan Penglai said this, raised his eyes and looked at Qiandeng, hesitating to choose his words, not knowing how to express himself.
But how could Qian Deng not know what this meant? He lowered his eyes, picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and there was some awkwardness in the silence.
Yan Penglai paused for a long time before continuing, "At that time, I told the princess that life is illusory and that appearance and appearance are of little importance. Penglai wishes to uphold the Dao in this life and not be involved in the mundane world."
Seeing that he insisted, Princess Gao stood up angrily and walked away: "Since that's the case, then I want to see how long you can cultivate yourself and improve your character!"
However, not long after, the court was choosing a husband for the Princess of Lingling County, and Yan Penglai's name appeared on the list, which made Princess Gaoguo furious.
A few days later, when the sutra he had copied for the empress dowager was brought into the palace and placed in front of the Buddhist shrine, it was discovered that it was covered in mud and was unsightly.
He was punished to kneel before the Buddha for seven days and seven nights, reciting scriptures and apologizing for his sins day and night. He was not allowed to get up from the blue brick floor except to eat and go to the toilet. Whenever he felt sleepy and dozed off, he would be beaten with a ruler to atone for his disrespect.
By the fifth night, he was on the verge of collapse. His voice was hoarse, and the Buddhist scriptures in his mouth were spit out with blood foam, turning into a mumbling that he himself could not understand.
He fell to the ground, trapped in the darkness before his eyes, and felt that he could not endure it for a moment longer.
The person holding the ruler also needed to rest. The novice monk who came to take over pulled him up from the ground and forced him to kneel. Suddenly, he asked in his ear: "The Grand Princess asks you, do you know you are wrong?"
He raised his unfocused eyes and stared at the other person, his extremely confused brain unable to understand the meaning of the words.
"If you know you're wrong, do you want to live?"
The buzzing ears finally understood what he said and the cause of everything.
After chanting Buddhist scriptures continuously for five days and nights, his throat felt as if it was cut. Pus and blood gushed out of his dry, pale lips. He squeezed out a few broken sounds with great difficulty from his hoarse throat: "So that's how it is..."
Perhaps it was because the world-famous immortal had lost his human appearance, or perhaps it was because the hatred on his face at this moment was like that of an evil spirit, the novice monk was frightened by him, and the ruler in his hand loosened and fell to the ground with his unconscious body.
But he did not admit his mistake, so he was soon awakened by a basin of cold water. He pressed his knees, which had long lost the sense of pain, and continued to kneel in front of the Buddha to repent.
He had a high fever, and his throat was filled with pus and blood, and his mouth and tongue were covered with bloody sores. However, he didn't know whether the fever could allow his soul to leave his body. Instead, he felt dizzy and couldn't remember how he had survived. All he had were vague and chaotic memories.
After seven days and nights, when his merits were complete, he was lifted up from in front of the Buddha, dragged out of the hall, and thrown down at the foot of the stairs.
It was raining heavily in Chang'an that day. His broken knees could not support his body, so he collapsed in the mud and was unable to get up.
Mud mixed with cold rain wrapped around him, and the filthy water poured into his mouth, nose, and ears, seeping into every festering wound on his face and knees, causing him severe pain and humiliation but unable to escape. He could only desperately and in vain crawl towards the eaves.
There was someone holding a red silk umbrella under the eaves. When he crawled in front of her, she stretched out a foot and moved his face, forcing him to look up at her.
In the pouring rain, he saw the eldest princess of Gao State staring down at him.
The red umbrella cast a bloody shadow over her, but her laughter was even colder than the blood. "Tsk tsk, Young Master Yan is truly infatuated. Then I wish you success in marrying the Princess of Lingling County, and may you live in love and be together forever!"
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