Chapter 32 Xianglu Temple
Sun Wei also saw Sima Jun and paused.
"Is the prince back?" she asked, bowing from a distance.
Sima Jun asked, "Madam, have you not rested yet?"
Under the moon, the flowers drooping from the wall blossomed like a waterfall, undulating with the wind. Lu raised her hand and parted the branches. On the ground, the moonlight was like silver frost, and the shadows of people and flowers intertwined.
Sima Jun found that he was really patient and watched her walk all the way to him.
"I was copying scriptures in the Buddhist temple and for a moment I forgot the time."
Sima Jun nodded and turned his gaze away from the white flowers in her hair: "Madam, go and rest."
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard Madam Lu say, "I have something I want to ask the prince."
Sima Jun turned around: "What's the matter?"
Sun Wei asked, "A few days ago, all the concubines of the late king came to pay their respects. Among them was a concubine named He, with whom I had a very pleasant conversation. She invited me to visit the Xianglu Temple in the city tomorrow to pay my respects to the Buddha. I wonder if that would be appropriate?"
He Ji? Sima Jun was confused for a moment.
Cao Song, the palace attendant, whispered, "That's the one sent by the Poyang prefect."
The old Prince of Yuzhang had countless concubines, and Sima Jun had never cared about the affairs of the inner chambers, so he hardly knew any of them.
"The matters concerning the inner quarters will be arranged by Attendant Cao," said Sima Jun.
Cao Song hurriedly agreed.
Sun Wei bowed and said, "Thank you, my Lord."
Sima Jun said nothing more and went back to his residence by the pond.
A'ru stood behind Sun Wei, watching Sima Jun leave, and then came forward.
"Go tell He Ji tomorrow morning," Sun Wei said, "and leave after breakfast."
A'ru agreed and said, "Why did the princess suddenly invite He Ji out? She's not that familiar with you, so why would you let her get so proud for no reason?"
Sun Wei looked at the moon in the sky and suddenly said, "Aru, you come from a military family. Both men and women in your family practice martial arts, right?"
Aju was stunned for a moment and nodded.
"So, you have some skills?"
A'ru said proudly, "More than that. Even if my brothers compete with me, they may not be able to beat me."
Sun Wei nodded and patted her shoulder: "Tomorrow you should wear some cheap clothes for traveling. It would be best if you have something to protect yourself."
——
That night, Sun Wei went to bed earlier than yesterday.
The next day, she still went to the Buddhist temple at dawn to copy scriptures.
Aju yawned and complained, saying that no one was watching, so there was no need to be so nervous.
Sun Wei asked her to go and rest aside, while he sat at the desk and copied the scriptures honestly.
With her past life's experience, she knew the Queen Mother's temper thoroughly. Since the Queen Mother had mentioned the matter of copying the scriptures to her face, there could be no room for deception. In this vast palace, there were so many pairs of eyes half asleep and half awake, and one of them was probably the Queen Mother's.
After daybreak, she gave the copied sutra to Cao Song and had it delivered to the palace.
The carriage and horses are ready.
In her previous life, Sun Wei was the Princess of Yuzhang, and whenever she went out, she was accompanied by the ceremonial guard of a princess.
At the moment, the carriages were simple: two ordinary women's carriages, accompanied by a few servants.
The servant in charge of the carriages and horses came over and bowed, saying, "The mourning period for the late king has not yet ended. These are the only simple items available in the palace. I hope the princess and the lady will forgive me."
Sun Wei knew the rules; even during mourning, the princess' belongings were more than just these. The reason for this was that Sima Jun didn't treat her like a proper princess.
"No problem." Sun Wei said, "Thank you for your help, Master."
As He Ji said, Xianglu Temple is not far from the palace.
The nuns in the temple had already received the news and were waiting at the gate. After the greetings, they led Sun Wei and He Ji inside.
After worshiping the Buddha and performing rituals, the nun led the two to the garden in the temple to rest, drink tea and enjoy the scenery.
It was the hottest time of the year at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, but this temple was cooler than other places because of its high location.
Sun Wei sat in the pavilion, took a sip of tea, and exclaimed, "When I was in Cangwu, I heard for a long time that Jiankang was prosperous and its famous scholars were elegant and refined. Now I see that, not only the palace, but even this nunnery is full of elegance. I feel that what I heard back then was true."
He Ji had been upset these days because Sun Wei, a concubine, had suddenly arrived in the palace. But after all, she was only a concubine, and even though she looked down on Sun Wei privately, she had to be more restrained in front of her than before.
Today, Sun Wei suddenly invited her out, seemingly treating her differently than the other concubines. Sun Wei was polite in everything she said and did, agreeing to whatever He Ji said.
Seeing this, He Ji decided that Sun Wei was easy to control, and her former arrogance returned.
As she listened to Sun Wei's sigh, she felt that this concubine was indeed shallow in knowledge. She couldn't help but smile and glanced at Qing Jue.
"Your Highness, your compliments are too kind," He Ji said. "Jiankang does have many famous gardens and scenic spots. But Xianglu Nunnery, because it's close to the palace, the ladies often visit, so the late king always donated extra money for its repairs. Compared to other scenic spots, Xianglu Nunnery is really nothing."
"I see." Sun Wei thought for a moment, a look of curiosity showing. "I heard from the concubines in the palace that the late king was a master gardener. In addition to the palace, he also built a garden called Tangyuan in Jiankang City. It is quiet and elegant, even more beautiful than the palace."
He Ji said, "There is indeed such a garden, just northwest of Jiankang City. However, it was used by the late King Jian to entertain guests, and it has nothing to do with the palace."
Sun Wei was somewhat disappointed and sighed, "Is that so? I see. The concubines said back then that places like Tang Garden were strictly off-limits to women like us. I had originally thought that since you were the late king's favorite, you might have visited. Now it seems that you are no exception, so it seems we will never see it again."
When He Ji heard this, her eyes changed and she raised her head.
"That's not true," she said. "Other concubines are not allowed to go to Tang Garden, but I am different. To be honest, Princess, I have been to Tang Garden more than once. If I want to go, no one can stop me."
Sun Wei was quite surprised.
"Is that true?" she asked.
"Princess, don't you believe it?" He Ji stood up and said angrily, "I will take you to see it right away."
——
For Yu Sunwei, Tangyuan is a familiar old place.
In her previous life, she and Sima Jun had drifted apart, and only drinking, having fun, and socializing with friends could make her feel that her life was meaningful. Tangyuan was her place of leisure.
It is true that not everyone can enter Tangyuan.
But He Ji was obviously familiar with the place.
When they arrived at the garden gate, He Ji asked Qing Ju to go forward and knock on the door.
A servant came out and saw that it was He Ji, and hurriedly bowed: "Madam."
He Ji responded and went straight in. The servant didn't dare to stop her, but just stood aside and closed the door after they all came in.
Everything in this Tang Garden was exactly as it appeared in Sun Wei's memory. Every detail of the garden, every blade of grass, every tree seemed familiar.
The garden is so big that it would take at least half a day to explore it all.
He Ji was obviously familiar with this place.
Along the way, He Ji pointed out which places were favored by Prince Yuzhang and which places were specially built by Prince Yuzhang to please her. She was quite proud in her words.
"So, the plants and rocks beside the stream were also proposed by He Ji?" She waved her silk fan and pointed to the stream not far away.
"That's right," He Ji said proudly. "This stream flows from an underground spring. The late king built this garden because he was attracted by this water. When I first came here, I saw that the streamside was bare, so I told the late king that I was tired of walking by the stream and there was not even a place to sit. Within a few days, the late king had placed some stones and flowers..."
"The pavilions and towers over there seem quite charming." Before He Ji could finish, Sun Wei suddenly looked into the distance and said, "How about we sit over there?"
He Ji looked at it, but was a little hesitant.
"As for that, let's not go there," she said. "There's a pavilion on the east side too. We can go sit there."
"Oh?" Sun Weidao smiled and stroked his silk fan. "Could it be that there is a place in this garden that even He Ji cannot go to?"
He Ji's expression changed, as if she was a little hesitant, and then returned to normal.
"Your Highness, what are you talking about?" she said. "But because that place is used for receiving guests and outsiders come in from time to time, I never go there. If Your Highness wants to see it, I will accompany you."
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