Chapter 46 In August, the figure gradually drew closer, only then becoming vaguely clear…
The carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate. Fu Sui lifted the curtain, and Xu Zhiyi was standing in front of the gate, bowing to her.
"Turn around and head to the palace," Fu Sui said to the coachman, tapping on the carriage wall.
The emperor wore a robe adorned with paulownia branches, appearing approachable and down-to-earth.
He beckoned Fu Sui forward, making way for half of the desk: "Write two characters so I can see if you've been practicing your calligraphy lately."
Fu Sui took a thinner pen from the pen holder and wrote several characters on the paper, all of which were the characters that the emperor had circled in red last time.
The emperor glanced at it, dipped his brush in vermilion, and corrected a few strokes. After finishing, he put down his brush and said, "There's been some improvement." He neither handed the corrected characters to Fu Sui nor pointed out any shortcomings in Fu Sui's work.
"Some fresh clams and mussels have arrived from Jiangnan East Road. Knowing you like seafood and crabs, I'll invite you to stay for a meal." The emperor smiled gently, as if he had summoned Fu Sui to the palace just for a seafood meal.
Fu Sui smiled and agreed, not forgetting to coax the emperor into giving thanks.
The palace servants served the meal, and a maid washed her hands and peeled shells for Fu Sui. The seafood was delicious, and Fu Sui didn't mind treating this meal as a regular family feast.
"Did you go out for fun today?" the emperor asked casually, dipping a piece of clam meat into a vinegar dish.
The emperor's timing was poor; Fu Sui had just taken a bite of food and couldn't swallow it anytime soon. Unable to spit it out or chew it properly, and not wanting to keep the emperor waiting, Fu Sui could only mumble with food still in his mouth, "Um, I went to find Wang Lingshu."
Every time Fu Sui mentioned the Wang family in front of the emperor, he addressed them by their given names without any respect, and he didn't care how inappropriate it was to mention a woman's given name in front of the emperor, a man.
The emperor did not ask what Fu Sui had said, but only asked how Fu Sui had enjoyed himself: "The Wang family's courtyard is exquisitely built, and its strange rocks and ancient trees are unparalleled in the capital. Several of its rare and precious objects even surpass those in the palace. Have you seen them?"
Fu Sui swallowed hastily, the unchewed food scratching her throat. She paused, secretly swallowing a mouthful of saliva to moisten it, before saying with some annoyance, "Wang Lingshu and I didn't see each other. We were so busy arguing that we didn't even see a blade of grass in the yard, let alone anything else."
"That's a real pity, but it's alright, we can watch it again next time."
Next time? Fu Sui really couldn't figure out what "next time" meant. She could only purse her lips and say, "They almost wouldn't let me in this time, how could there be a next time?"
The emperor gently advised, "You came here so abruptly that it's understandable that you weren't well taken care of at first. If the Wang family were sensible, they wouldn't turn you away in the future."
Seeing Fu Sui's indignant expression, the emperor smiled knowingly and changed the subject: "I heard from the Imperial Pharmacy that you refuse to take your medicine properly again. How are the people around you serving you? You just let yourself run wild like this."
As summer transitioned into autumn, the weather fluctuated between hot and cold. Fearing that Fu Sui might catch a chill and develop a lung ailment, the Shang Pharmacy prescribed some tonics. Fu Sui disliked taking medicine and would delay taking any medication he needed, wanting to secretly stop as soon as he felt slightly better. Naturally, he refused these tonics.
Ever since Wang Yifu's incident, Fu Sui has been most afraid of the emperor mentioning the people serving her. She muttered, "I'm not sick, why do I have to take bitter medicine every day?"
The emperor's eyes revealed disapproval and reproach, but he only said, "It's fine if you don't take the medicine. Medicinal food isn't bitter. Didn't Lü Zheng prepare seasonal medicinal food? Even if you don't like it, you should still eat a few bites. Don't be so willful and unreasonable."
Fu Sui bowed his head and agreed.
After the meal, Xu Zhiyi escorted Fu Sui back to his residence. The residence had already sent various seasonal tributes, including seafood, oranges, and rice. Fu Sui looked at them one by one but did not find the piece of paper.
They complained about her handwriting, but then corrected it without showing it to her. So, is she supposed to practice her handwriting or not? It's all so baffling.
The first day of the eighth lunar month is the day when Longxing Temple holds a Dharma assembly, and the area in front of the temple is filled with carriages and horses from all over the country. During this period, all Dharma assemblies and religious ceremonies that claim to be for praying for blessings during the drought are bustling with activity, and the families of officials of all ranks in the capital come to attend.
However, Wang Lingshu would not be among those burning incense and praying to Buddha. Her wedding was scheduled for the 13th, and she would have to rush off to get married before even having time to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival at home.
Kouyun handed over the two handwritten sutras to the abbot of the temple and donated one hundred taels of incense money.
For the powerful and wealthy in the capital, one hundred taels of silver was rather meager, but the abbot who received the money was flattered. Princess Yong'an had no interest in Buddhism or Taoism, and it was rare for all the temples and Taoist monasteries in the capital to receive fifty taels of silver from the princess in a year. One hundred taels of silver for incense money was truly unprecedented.
Fu Sui didn't even enter the palace gate, but stood outside waiting. Dai Ling took a small woven reed fan with hot-printed patterns and fanned herself from side to side. When they saw Kou Yun come out, the group hurriedly walked outside.
The incense burners in the main hall were so full of incense sticks that you couldn't even insert a needle, and they were filled with swirling smoke. The large incense burners outside the hall were also packed with incense sticks as thick as an arm, turning the once beautiful temple into a shrouded in mist and clouds, like a heavenly palace.
Fu Sui followed the stone path behind the hall into the garden. After walking several dozen steps, he still felt the thick smoke irritating his nose and his chest felt uncomfortable.
It's raining again today. The autumn rain is drizzling, carrying a chill as it hits the umbrella and falls to the ground. Fu Sui's skirt is soaked, and the icy dampness creeps up her feet. Even the air feels heavy, pressing down on her as if to pull her to the ground.
There was a pavilion in the garden. Fu Sui didn't want to go back to the temple or leave now, so he just leaned on the railing and watched the rain idly.
The leaves rustled softly, so quiet it was almost blinding. The lush greenery before me melted into the path, blurring the lines between left and right.
A figure in blue robes emerged from the misty stone path, probably a pilgrim coming to offer incense. Fu Sui felt a little sleepy and leaned against the railing, not wanting to move.
As the figure drew closer, Fu Sui vaguely recognized it as Yue Shanling.
We crossed the mountain ridge here because Madam Zhou has also come to offer incense today.
Upon entering the palace this morning, the emperor was plagued by the incessant chatter of officials who were fixated on the unusual phenomena, and the grand court assembly lasted for less than an hour.
After the court session, Duke Wei, on a whim, went to the Left Guard Garrison to inquire about their duty and training. After reviewing the records of the Left Guard's recent activities for a while, Duke Wei said that Yue Shanling and Li Tan had worked hard and granted them half a day off.
The two, sent away by the old general, went their separate ways. Yue Shanling remembered that Madam Zhou had said the Zheng family would bring their young master to meet A Ling today. After hesitating for a long time, she changed her clothes and went to Longxing Temple.
The Zheng family wanted to tell the Yue family that it was General Zheng's second son, who was a bit older than Yue Lingling. He did not enter officialdom through family connections, but had studied at the Imperial Academy and was said to be studying under a great Confucian scholar.
I asked around in Yue Shanling and found out that although this young man Zheng was not the most talented when he was at the Imperial Academy, he was quite diligent in his studies and I have never heard of him having any gambling or prostitution habits.
Madam Zhou was very satisfied. Young Master Zheng came from a good family and seemed to be of good character. Although he didn't hold any official position, his willingness to study was a good thing.
Families like theirs don't expect their children and grandchildren to bring honor to the family; it would be good enough if they were ambitious and not good-for-nothings.
If possible, Madam Zhou would also be unwilling to cross mountains and fight outside. Although she had not experienced the days when the old Marquis of Yue was away on campaigns for many years, since marrying him and getting to know many military families, she had heard a lot about their worries about their husbands' lives and their loneliness in their empty rooms.
Hearing such things repeatedly, Yue Shanling gradually developed a fear during her time in the border town, afraid that one day she too would be buried in the borderlands.
Therefore, it was exactly what Madam Zhou wanted for Zheng Langjun not to join the army. Whether he passed the imperial examinations or received a family fortune, he could find something to do and live a peaceful and stable life, which was much better than living in fear.
Hearing that the Zheng family intended for their children to meet, Madam Zhou happily agreed. Even if Zheng Langjun was a good man, he still needed A Leng's approval. If they had the opportunity to meet and A Leng liked him, then they could continue discussing things with the Zheng family.
Unlike Madam Zhou, Yue Shanling was not very willing to accept the marriage with the Zheng family.
It's not that Zheng Langjun is bad, but that the Zheng family has a virtuous consort, Zheng Xianfei. The second prince, whom Zheng Xianfei is raising, is about the same age as the eldest prince. The emperor has not yet established an heir or empress, and there is still debate among the princes about who should be the heir. It's hard to say whether the Zheng family will have ambitions to compete for the throne in the future.
Yue Shanling himself had once participated in the struggle for the throne due to youthful impetuosity. At that time, the old Marquis of Yue almost killed Yue Shanling in a fit of anger.
Later, Yue Shanling gradually understood that the so-called struggle for the throne was to gamble one's life on the merit of supporting the emperor. Once one failed, not only would one be in danger, but one's family would also be implicated and even exterminated. His father just did not want to implicate the whole family because of him.
Now that both he and his elder brother can support their families, Ah Ling can live a life of wealth and luxury without having to curry favor with any powerful or influential people. He doesn't want Ah Ling to marry into a family that might be involved in the succession struggle in the future.
But seeing Madam Zhou's enthusiastic appearance, he couldn't bring himself to say such unfounded and discouraging things. After all, nothing was certain yet, so there was no rush.
He came to the temple from the mountains to see Zheng Langjun. When he arrived at Longxing Temple, Madam Zhou was listening to the master preach with Yue Lingling, so he wandered around the back hall to pass the time.
From afar, I saw women in the pavilion ahead. I intended to avoid them, but the people leaning on the railing looked really familiar.
Fu Sui rested one arm on the outside of the railing and the other on the railing, his chin resting on the back of his hand as he stared at Yue Shanling.
The day before yesterday, the eldest son of the Zhou family delivered the finished seal. Fu Sui originally thought it would probably be engraved with phrases like "Contemplating the Dao with a Clear Mind" or "Springtime and Bright Scenery," but when he opened it, it turned out to be a piece of banded agate with a delicate carving of a Qilin soaring through clouds.
The Qilin was surrounded by cloud patterns, its front half emerging from the clouds and its back half hidden within them, with a ginkgo leaf atop its forehead.
Fu Sui carefully examined the patterns on the ginkgo leaves, tracing and dissecting them for a long time before discovering that they seemed to be a combination and transformation of the characters "岁" (sui) and "宁" (ning).
It's one thing to know her given name, but how did he know her nickname? He looks like a gentleman, yet he also knows some flirtatious tricks.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
