Chapter 98 Seeing
Xiao Qing insisted on following the path of Buddhism, so Master Jueyan accompanied him, with Zhao Youchen, Ma Hong, Mingxiu, and others following behind.
She knew that her physical strength was not very good, as she lacked exercise and had not been in good condition recently, so she did not boast that she would climb all the way up.
She simply climbed up at a leisurely pace, stopping whenever she felt a little tired to admire the scenery of green trees surrounding the mountains and red-tiled roofs emitting wisps of smoke.
Master Jueyan then introduced the temple buildings and pavilions to her from the side, occasionally telling an interesting Buddhist anecdote, creating a harmonious and warm atmosphere.
Fortunately, there's no rush; all the rituals will begin tomorrow.
Seeing that she was just looking and had no intention of entering any temple, Master Jueyan did not try to persuade her. He simply accompanied her as they slowly walked up the stairs, observing whether the young emperor's body could withstand the pressure and whether he needed to be carried in a sedan chair.
Although the side rooms in the temple, which were exclusively for the royal family, were not on the top of the mountain, they were not far from it. From there, one could see the Tianyin Bell and overlook the entire Tianyin Temple, and even Tianyin Mountain.
When Master Jueyan saw that Xiao Qing was struggling to breathe, he thought to himself, "It's time to get into the sedan chair."
He was about to persuade him when Ma Hong stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, please take the sedan chair."
Xiao Qing turned her head to look at him and saw that his brows were furrowed, as if he could not relax them no matter what. There was a kind of suppressed emotion in his eyes. She suddenly realized that this was the first time she had seen him so closely.
Ma Hong wasn't actually that old. Although he was considered close to leaving the palace, he was just an ordinary teenager of eighteen or nineteen outside the palace.
But he looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, even older than the Grand Tutor.
This is not to say that he was not good-looking; those who were chosen to enter the palace were all considered to be good-looking.
However, he rarely straightened his back and rarely showed any emotion. He was a steady and quiet person, probably someone who liked to keep things to himself.
These days, Ma Hong has been very careful, avoiding getting close to people whenever possible, and doing things quietly. His complexion seems to be getting worse and worse.
Xiao Qing was initially angry with him, but as she saw that he was also having a hard time, her anger gradually subsided.
But she couldn't possibly go up to Ma Hongzhi and say, "I'm not angry with you anymore, don't look so gloomy."
So the status quo remains unchanged.
She felt she wasn't mistaken; Ma Hong's complexion was indeed much worse than before.
Master Jueyan quickly chimed in, “Your Majesty has shown your sincerity. It will still be a long way to the side room. Your Majesty should take care of your strength. The ceremony will begin at dawn tomorrow. You should not overexert yourself today.”
Xiao Qing nodded, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Once everyone was settled, Xiao Qing pulled Mingxiu aside, her brows furrowed into a deep frown.
"Xiu, do you think Ma Hong is a bit off?"
Mingxiu glanced at her. "What's wrong?"
Xiao Qing shook her finger. "You've been studying medical books since you were little, and now you've accumulated some experience. I heard that when the palace servants are sick, they can't get the imperial physicians, so they all come to you for help?"
Mingxiu was startled. "Your Majesty, Mingxiu knows she was wrong."
Xiao Qing was both amused and exasperated. "What's wrong with treating patients and saving lives?"
Mingxiu muttered to herself, "The Grand Tutor will definitely think I'm neglecting my duties and is completely wrong."
Xiao Qing, with her sharp ears, said, "Don't mention him."
He steered the conversation back to the topic, saying, "If I can see it, I don't believe you couldn't."
Mingxiu nodded. "Is Your Majesty satisfied? Don't you think he deserved it?"
Xiao Qing glared at her irritably, "Am I such a petty person? Besides, do you think I don't know my own worth? What happened that day was definitely related to that guy surnamed Fu. What's the use of me being angry with Ma Hong?"
Mingxiu covered her mouth with a grin, "Your Majesty, please don't say that, it wouldn't be good if someone heard."
Seeing that Xiao Qing was more lively and cheerful than when she was in the palace, she couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty really should go out more."
Realizing he had said something inappropriate, he quickly changed the subject, saying mysteriously, "With Ma Hong's appearance, people would believe he had a terminal illness."
Xiao Qing was startled. "What illness?"
Mingxiu shook her head. "He won't let me see."
Xiao Qing slammed his fist on the table. “This won’t do. Go and give him a good look. If he’s unwilling, just say it’s my will.”
Mingxiu smiled again when she saw how well she was doing.
"Alright, he will certainly heed His Majesty's wishes."
Master Jueyan had finally finished his mission of welcoming the young emperor and had just returned to the Zen monastery. He was about to begin his daily meditation practice when, as he approached the meditation room, he saw his junior brother leaning against the door with his arms crossed, his eyes half-closed, sunlight shining on one side of his face and casting a shadow on the other.
His Buddhist name contains the character "音" (yin).
Every Dharma Master whose Dharma name contains the character "音" (yin) is a favorite of Heaven, the only one who can inherit the supreme Dharma.
Jueyan saw him lazily open his eyes and look over with a half-smile. "Senior brother, I saw him."
Jueyan was stunned and before he could say anything, the other person had already slowly walked past him, waving his sleeves.
What...what the hell?
Mingxiu encountered another setback.
"Well, last time I offered to show you, you said it wasn't necessary. Now that this is His Majesty's will, you still refuse?"
Ma Hong hesitated for a moment.
Is this truly His Majesty's will?
Mingxiu raised an eyebrow. "What would be the point of me lying to you?"
Ma Hong was silent for a moment, then said, "Then Steward Ming, please take a look."
He sat there with his body slightly hunched over, his face showing no sign of joy.
Mingxiu looked him up and down for a while, thinking to herself that she hadn't realized Ma Hong was such a strange person.
But after she had carefully looked at it for him three times, her eyebrows were almost furrowed together.
"How could that be?" she muttered to herself.
Ma Hong seemed to sigh, "I already told Steward Ming that I'm fine."
Mingxiu looked at his face; it was as if he had seen a ghost.
Helpless, she had no choice but to go out and find Xiao Qing again.
Ma Hong sat there, finally reaching out to rub his knees, slowly and continuously.
A soft tapping sound suddenly came from the roof beam.
Ma Hong was startled and quickly looked up, his hand rubbing his knee instantly clenching into a fist.
A bald monk was hanging upside down from the roof beam at some unknown time!
Who are you?
What's even more terrifying is that he didn't even realize when the monk touched the roof beam.
The monk smiled, which made him appear extremely handsome, yet his features seemed somewhat indistinct.
Ma Hong knew that Tianyin Temple had always been somewhat strange, so he became even more vigilant.
"A dying man stumbles upon the Buddha, what is he doing?"
Ma Hong frowned. Seeing that he didn't seem to be looking for trouble, he listened to the words repeatedly and actually understood their meaning.
"What I do is none of your business," he sneered.
The monk actually smiled and said, "The Buddha's words are compassionate."
In the blink of an eye, the monk on the beam had vanished without a trace.
Ma Hong stood there with his brows furrowed, feeling uneasy.
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