Yuan Jie'e adores... Shen Congyun
That scoundrel has gone mad again.
He was not afraid to reveal his true form before the Buddha.
Lin Huaiyin scoffed inwardly, hoping that the prince consort Yuan Jie'e would argue his case and reclaim his golden spoon and dignity.
But Yuan Jie'e simply withdrew his hand awkwardly and stood to the side.
He dared not compete with Shen Congyun; he felt inferior whenever he saw Shen Congyun, but he was not angry at all.
Yuan Jie'e deeply envied Shen Congyun, admiring his erudition, his status as Grand Secretary, and his ability to rise from humble beginnings to become a powerful minister.
To be a man like this is the ultimate achievement, a truly upright and honorable man. Yuan Jie'e was completely convinced.
Yuan Jie'e loved Princess Pingyang. He valued his status as the prince consort, but he would never despise the golden spoon that Shen Congyun had once held.
He liked Shen Congyun's attitude towards him. He felt it was a kind of admonition, a man's reprimand of another man for being too disappointing. In his view, it was a tacit understanding between him and Shen Congyun, between men.
He was willing to be reprimanded by Shen Congyun, happy that Shen Congyun would give him the cold shoulder, and pleased that he seemed to have a special meaning in the heart of the chief minister Shen and was being taken care of by him.
Surrounded by ministers, he felt extremely embarrassed and awkward. He turned to look at Princess Pingyang, hoping for some comfort, but the princess had already left with the monks and showed no intention of protecting him.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yuan Jie'e felt both happy and helpless.
He loved Princess Pingyang, and by choosing the path of becoming her husband, he was destined to betray the deep affection that Grand Secretary Shen had for him.
Lin Huaiyin waited quietly, occasionally glancing at Yuan Jie'e's expression and catching his fiery passion for Shen Congyun. She felt strange, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.
The prince consort is an eccentric.
Lin Huaiyin thought to herself.
It's strange that His Highness the Crown Prince isn't here.
Lin Huaiyin was very clear that Princess Pingyang's act of bathing the Buddha first on this occasion was a blatant act of usurpation.
Princesses are noblewomen and should enter the palace to pray for blessings with the other concubines. However, at Xiangguo Temple, His Highness the Crown Prince is the most respected.
However, Princess Pingyang deliberately came to Xiangguo Temple and openly replaced the Crown Prince. This move was not only to show her face in front of the court officials, but also a test.
Lin Huaiyin couldn't quite understand His Highness the Crown Prince.
Not only was the fact that the Erwang Temple harbored traitors lightly overlooked, but His Highness the Crown Prince actually tacitly allowed her to do such a thing.
With a change of heart, Lin Huaiyin thought of Shen Congyun's even more abnormal behavior and concluded that Princess Pingyang seemed to have a kind of ability to distort the will of those around her.
Princess Pingyang was a winner in her previous life.
She won once.
Perhaps she really is the Empress of Destiny.
Lin Huaiyin gazed at the golden statue of the Buddha, slowly clenching her hand in her sleeve.
Born into the Lin family, she knew that the struggle for the throne would inevitably be accompanied by countless deaths.
However, the Heavenly Emperor Star should protect all living beings and win the hearts of all people, not nurture rebels and oppress the innocent like Princess Pingyang.
In any case, my Lin family will never be a victim of her ambitions.
As the conch shells sang, Lin Huaiyin took the golden spoon and bathed the Buddhist disciple.
After bathing the Buddha, she followed the monks' instructions and went to pray for blessings.
According to their birth rank, officials and their wives had different places to pray for blessings. Lin Huaiyin was a first-rank imperial consort, of noble status, and Shen Lanyan was not qualified to accompany her to the palace she was going to.
But when Lin Huaiyin thought about Princess Pingyang being there, she couldn't help but want to bring Shen Lanyan along.
Lin Huaiyin was fifteen years old, the youngest of the family. The other ladies immediately recognized her as the third daughter of the Lin family and Shen Congyun's wife. They knew the importance of the third young lady of the Lin family, so they tacitly approved of her slightly out-of-line behavior.
Upon arriving at the Buddhist temple, Lin Huaiyin subtly instructed the ladies to give up their seats next to Princess Pingyang to Shen Lanyan, while she herself found a corner and quietly knelt on a prayer mat.
Throughout the entire process, Shen Lanyan remained silent, as if Lin Huaiyin was simply obligated to arrange things for her, and that it was all Lin Huaiyin's duty to do so, which barely satisfied her.
Looking at the two prayer mats at the front, Shen Lanyan knelt down without hesitation.
The ceremony began, and Princess Pingyang arrived late. Shen Lanyan clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and pretended not to see her.
In Shen Lanyan's heart, Princess Pingyang, her future sister-in-law, was extremely hateful, and she would tear her apart one day.
On the day of the family banquet, Princess Pingyang left at the exact moment when she was about to perform her dance, clearly out of jealousy for her dancing skills and for the Crown Prince's favor, deliberately trying to suppress and humiliate her.
The hatred from that day was deeply etched in Shen Lanyan's heart. As she listened to the chanting of sutras and Buddhist prayers, she knelt upright, her mind constantly repeating one sentence: she would depose Pingyang and reduce her to a commoner, imprisoning her until her death.
The high monks chanted sutras, and the wooden fish and bronze chimes struck one after another, while the ladies held the sutras in their hands and recited them line by line.
Lin Huaiyin rubbed her lower abdomen, put down the Buddhist scripture, and quietly withdrew.
These women were in the Amitabha Hall, while the high-ranking officials represented by Shen Congyun were in the Medicine Buddha Hall. Between the two halls, in the very center, was the Dharma Hall.
At this very moment, the sun rises in the east, its rays piercing through the clouds and falling on the glazed tiles of Xiangguo Temple. Incense smoke rises gently, and chanting fills the air, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a Buddhist paradise.
Lin Huaiyin looked towards the Dharma Hall. She knew that His Highness the Crown Prince was inside. The shocking assassination attempt in her previous life had taken place in the Dharma Hall.
The Crown Prince, who was in charge of the country, enjoyed a palace all to himself, unaware that the eminent monks who chanted sutras and offered prayers were secretly sharpening their knives.
Lin Huaiyin's gaze swept around, and Mu Zhanjuan emerged from the shadows, nodding to her.
Very good. Lin Huaiyin nodded slightly, indicating that the rendezvous was successful.
In this way, His Highness the Crown Prince will surely be safe and sound.
Lin Huaiyin decided to hurry up and go talk to the abbot.
The Dharma assembly was grand, with Lin Cuiyue's imperial guards guarding the temple from top to bottom, and all the monks inside were busy.
Lin Huaiyin wandered around for a long time before finally finding a young novice monk to ask for directions.
The young novice monk looked to be seven or eight years old, with bright, innocent eyes. Upon hearing that he could help, he quickly led the way.
——
Abbot's Room.
The young novice monk went in to report.
Lin Huaiyin and others waited at the door.
Behind the Bodhi tree, Xuan Ge recognized her at a glance, and his eyes twitched immediately.
What brings Madam Shen here?
A private meeting with His Highness?
So it really was a secret rendezvous, wasn't it?
What else could it be?
Xuan Ge recalled the day of the family banquet at the Shen residence, when His Highness held Madam Shen's small white hand, kneading it gently, reluctant to let go, and even lowered his head to kiss her after a long while.
Later, upon returning to the Eastern Palace, His Highness summoned the imperial physician to inquire whether Lady Shen had been examined. Upon hearing this, His Highness pondered for a long time while holding a bamboo arrow, appearing quite concerned.
What's even stranger is that a few days ago, Mu Zhanjuan suddenly ran back to the East Palace, seemingly unintentionally but very deliberately inquiring about whether His Highness had a woman.
All signs indicate that there is something more to the relationship between His Highness and Madam Shen than meets the eye.
But Xuan Ge couldn't understand it. He had been by the prince's side every day and had never seen them interact with each other. When did these two get together and how did they agree to meet here in secret? It was really strange.
In the sacred Buddhist site, the crown prince and his wife arranged to meet in the abbot's room. He was hesitant to comment, so he cautiously looked around but couldn't find Shen Congyun. He silently lowered his head and crushed Bodhi leaves.
Before long, the door opened and the young novice came out, saying that the abbot had invited him.
The so-called abbot's room is one zhang square in both directions, and the space is narrow.
Lin Huaiyin went in and, before seeing the abbot, first saw two plain bamboo screens.
She closed the door, and a voice came from behind the screen—"Amitabha, may I ask what business Benefactor Lin has with this humble monk?"
The voice sounded very young; the owner was probably no more than thirty years old.
Lin Huaiyin's eyes lit up, and she thought to herself: Yes, this is the current abbot of Xiangguo Temple - Venerable Sanbao.
As everyone knows, the Venerable Sanbao was selected from among the princes when the prince was born to take his place at Xiangguo Temple for spiritual practice.
This is what is known as "alternate repair".
The karmic reward of the lifetime of cultivation performed by the "substitute cultivator" is dedicated to the prince he replaced.
He was such a special person that he was promoted to abbot of Xiangguo Temple at a young age and wore the only golden kasaya in the empire.
Once Lin Huaiyin confirmed that she had found the right person, she immediately handed over the cloth bag from the side of the screen and said respectfully, "Disciple Lin has a request, and asks Abbot Master to grant it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cloth bag was taken away.
When the abbot Sanbao opened it, he found it filled with silver notes worth tens of thousands of taels each, neatly arranged, probably amounting to several hundred thousand taels.
What's going on? This amount of silver is equivalent to almost half of the national treasury. The Lin family is incredibly wealthy. Is Lin, the benefactor, going to buy Xiangguo Temple?
He suddenly sensed something was amiss and looked at Crown Prince Xiao Zhi'an on the other side of the chessboard.
Xiao Zhian held the white chess piece between two fingers, glancing sideways at the small outline on the screen, remaining noncommittal.
The Venerable Sanbao asked helplessly, "What is the difficulty, Benefactor Lin?"
Lin Huaiyin was delighted to hear this.
The other party is a straightforward person, willing to take money and do things, and very cooperative.
She immediately put her palms together and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your compassion, Abbot. I heard that nine virtuous monks have come to the temple. I wish to make offerings to these eminent monks and invite them to set up an altar for me to pray for blessings."
"I see."
The Venerable Sanbao considered it a small matter and readily agreed: "If Benefactor Lin has such a wish, I will certainly convey it to him after today's Dharma assembly."
“Master, I am deeply grateful for your compassionate acceptance.” Lin Huaiyin bowed and said, “But I am afraid I will not be able to wait until the end of the Dharma assembly. I have asked someone to calculate that today is Buddha’s birthday and the Chen hour is the most auspicious time to pray for a child. I beg Master to let me take the high monk away now, otherwise I will regret it for the rest of my life if I miss the auspicious time.”
Upon hearing this, Abbot Sanbao was displeased.
This unreasonable and absurd young woman is taking advantage of others.
Today's Dharma assembly is to pray for the Emperor's well-being, and should be solemn, quiet, and dignified. How could we allow a high-ranking monk to leave early to pray for a child for a mere woman?
He looked at Xiao Zhian and thought to himself, "Benefactor Lin is lawless and trying to steal someone from you. I'll teach him a lesson."
However, at that very moment, Xiao Zhian casually placed his piece, stretched out his long arm, took out half of the silver notes from his cloth bag and left them in front of the monk, while keeping the rest, along with the cloth bag, to his side.
This action resembles dividing up spoils.
The Venerable Master Sanbao immediately understood: His Highness meant that the transaction was permitted, and that Benefactor Lin was allowed to act recklessly.
Is it really okay to act in this way?
In his view, Lin Huaiyin left the prayer ceremony without permission, and she deserved to be punished. His Highness not only didn't punish her, but actually indulged her.
Is Your Highness after the money, or are you indulging Benefactor Lin?
The identity of the Venerable Master Sanbao is uncertain.
However, in all these years, His Highness has never seen outsiders during a game of chess, but today he is willing to invite Benefactor Lin in. The Venerable Sanbao did not want to think too much about it, but he could not help but think too much. Looking at the screen, he replied to Lin Huaiyin: "May Buddha have mercy. Since that is the case, let's do as Benefactor Lin wishes."
Immediately, he sent a young novice to invite a high-ranking monk over.
The young novice monk opened the door and left with a clattering sound.
Lin Huaiyin was completely dumbfounded when she heard the door creak.
She wasn't there for that reason; she just thought that since she was already there, asking casually would be better than nothing, and she figured the other party wouldn't agree anyway.
What's with this commotion today? Is it to pray for the ailing emperor? How could we possibly agree to that?
But, the Venerable Sanbao agreed.
Lin Huaiyin suddenly felt uneasy, realizing that she had overstepped her bounds and was even more arrogant than Princess Pingyang, who bathed the Buddha on behalf of the Crown Prince.
She felt incredibly guilty, but the thought of getting the assassin away from the Crown Prince made her feel that she had done nothing wrong.
Yes. I did very well.
Lin Huaiyin straightened her chest, took a deep breath, and was full of energy.
The Venerable Master Sanbao overheard this through the screen and inexplicably sensed a murderous aura.
"I have another matter to ask of my Abbot."
Lin Huaiyin, with a strong voice, said directly without waiting for the Venerable Sanbao's reply: "Today, the white-cloaked woman will be chosen by drawing lots from the Pure Bottle. I have prepared three lots, which are already in my cloth bag. I humbly request that Master use these lots as evidence to verify today's white-cloaked woman."
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Zhian picked out three rolls of paper from the cloth bag.
One by one, the sheets were unfolded, each containing a description of a young woman's address, physical characteristics, and birth date.
After reading it, Xiao Zhian moved the scroll toward the Venerable Sanbao and took another half from his pile of silver notes.
The Crown Prince allowed the transaction, but he also took a cut.
The Venerable Sanbao was extremely embarrassed.
Only now did he understand why Lin Huaiyin had given him hundreds of thousands of taels of silver as a form of support upon her arrival.
The Buddha's Birthday is associated with the legend of Guanyin Bodhisattva's birth and worship of Buddha. Therefore, every year on this day, Xiangguo Temple uses a vase to draw lots and selects one of the Bodhisattva's incarnations from among many female worshippers, who is known as the "White-Cloaked Woman".
This is a tradition that Xiangguo Temple has inherited for over a hundred years. Every year, the women selected in white cloaks will dress up as Guanyin Bodhisattva and tour the capital, receiving the homage of the people. They often end up marrying into powerful and wealthy families and living a peaceful and prosperous life.
After all, no one would be so ungrateful as to disrespect the incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
At first, selecting the woman in the white cloak was a proper ritual, but gradually, some people began to have secret dealings with Xiangguo Temple to pave the way for their own daughters.
This year is no different. Xiangguo Temple has already received the money, and the white-cloaked woman has been arranged long ago. Now, suddenly, a benefactor named Lin appears and wants to re-select the white-cloaked woman. Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince's attitude is very clear—to share the money and become an accomplice.
The Venerable Sanbao was extremely helpless. He had a vague feeling that Xiao Zhian and Lin Huaiyin were bullying him.
The two seemed to have some kind of tacit understanding. One was throwing money at him, while the other was putting on airs like a prince and pressuring him down. He was just a monk who had been forced to become a monk. He was all alone and pitiful. How could he bear so much?
The Venerable Master Sanbao was extremely helpless and only wanted to end this quickly. He immediately put away the divination slip and said, "I will do as Benefactor Lin requests."
Upon hearing this, Lin Huaiyin bowed repeatedly, beaming with joy.
Money really can make the devil turn the millstone.
Her benefactor from a past life will begin a new life as a woman in a white cloak.
Lin Huaiyin had already considered that her benefactor's family were just ordinary artisans, and giving them money rashly would only bring trouble upon herself. However, taking them under the protection of the Lin family might draw her into a struggle with Shen Congyun. After much deliberation, Lin Huaiyin decided to give them an unassailable identity.
This is not considered blasphemy. In Lin Huaiyin's heart, the little girl with the lotus lantern is a true embodiment of Guanyin, who hears cries for help and saves people from suffering.
A drop of kindness deserves a spring of gratitude. After finishing her work, Lin Huaiyin still had to rush to see her benefactor dressed as Guanyin in a procession.
Now, there's one last thing left: how to bring it up. Lin Huaiyin is a little embarrassed.
The monk Sanbao, standing behind the screen, saw her standing there motionless and lost in thought, and couldn't help but wonder: Shouldn't she be leaving by now? Why isn't she leaving? Why is she rubbing her hands together? Could something else be wrong?
Lin Huaiyin said rather shyly, "Um, Abbot, I have a small request."
"Speak!" Abbot Sanbao couldn't maintain his monastic demeanor and just wanted to get rid of the person as quickly as possible.
"Disciple, disciple is thinking about the fragrant water used for bathing the Buddha."
Lin Huaiyin stammered, her tone humble yet ingratiating: "If no one else has made the decision, could you please have your temple send the fragrant bath to the Shen residence? Just say, just say, just say that His Highness the Crown Prince is thinking of Miss Shen and has specially bestowed it upon her for a bath."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhian turned his head in response.
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