Chapter 2 "A Short Stay with Li"—Four Such Beautiful Words...
Qin Song took the scroll from Yun Qian's hand and stared intently at the man in the painting.
Wearing a yellow robe and jade crown, she exudes nobility and grandeur, with an extraordinary air. Although the portrait doesn't quite resemble the real person, it still fits the appearance of someone in the imperial harem.
Indeed, some people are born with a certain charisma.
"Whose young master is this?" Qin Song's eyes lit up.
"This is the Crown Prince. Master knows Miss best. I always said you would become the Empress sooner or later. You and His Highness the Crown Prince are a perfect match."
Following the Prime Minister's instructions, Yun Qian recited the words she had practiced dozens of times.
Crown Prince?
That's typical of a regent; he's keeping a close eye on the imperial family. Instead of marrying the Empress Dowager, he's making her marry the Crown Prince.
But getting married is absolutely out of the question.
If she gets married and continues to build her harem, she'll start having affairs. How long would it take her to have affairs with eight people?
Moreover, he is the crown prince.
So she only had two options left: either ruin the marriage.
Either get eight concubines before arranging a marriage.
As she was thinking about this, Qin Daoji suddenly returned. He was the original owner's father, the current Grand Secretary of this dynasty, and the powerful regent.
"Song'er, you're finally awake." Qin Daoji's vigorous and handsome face bore the marks of time. He seemed to be smiling, but there were traces of sorrow between his brows, and he was clearly holding something in his heart.
Qin Song, however, is a female protagonist in a restricted novel with a bottom line; she will never get involved in relationships that cross that line.
So she had no interest in finding out what the old man was worried about, politely called him "Father," and then buried herself in studying her nine men.
Although Qin Daoji loved his daughter dearly, he was often buried in the cabinet and did not pay enough attention to her, so it was normal for his daughter to react this way.
He sighed deeply, found a chair next to her and sat down. He reached out and touched his daughter's forehead, making sure the wound had scabbed over, before asking dryly, "Song'er, you're not planning to join the army, are you?"
"Of course," Qin Song replied decisively.
Qin Daoji was surprised by how quickly his daughter had changed, but he still couldn't be happy, as there was an even more pressing matter at hand.
He forced a smile before saying in a seemingly relaxed tone, "Since Song'er doesn't want to join the army, then let's go to Taixu Temple for a while tomorrow."
Qin Song immediately raised his head. "A Taoist temple? A place for burning incense and worshipping Buddha? Why are you sending me there?"
Is it among monks? She doesn't have that interest for now.
Faced with his daughter's questioning, Qin Daoji's eyes darted away slightly. "You've just gone through such a big thing. Now that you've come to your senses, go to the Taoist temple to burn incense and fast for a while. It won't take long, just two months will do. Consider it a prayer for blessings."
Two months isn't long? At the speed at which she went back to the last world, even the old monk would tremble in fear.
Qin Song, with a long face, asked, "What do you mean by 'just consider it' a blessing'? So you have another purpose for going up the mountain?"
Faced with Qin Song's questioning, Qin Daoji could no longer hide it and could only persuade him, "Song'er, what are you thinking? If you have any grievances, you can tell your father. Your father will do whatever it takes to satisfy you. Why provoke that killing god Lu Youchuan? Now it's all over. I can only ask you to stay at the Taoist temple for a while."
Qin Daoji became increasingly angry as he spoke, and explained the whole story in just a few words.
Unexpectedly, Lu Youchuan submitted a memorial to the emperor, accusing the current chief minister of failing to properly discipline his daughter and allowing her to offend court officials, which was a disgrace to the Great Yu Dynasty.
The Emperor summoned Qin Daoji in private.
Even though Qin Daoji wielded immense power, being impeached in such a way was a huge loss of face. Moreover, for the sake of his daughter's innocence, he couldn't afford to make a scene, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger and accept the punishment.
The Emperor originally intended to punish Qin Song by making him apologize, but considering that he would be involved with Lu Youchuan again, Qin Daoji had no choice but to cut off a piece of his own leg and volunteer to send his daughter to a Taoist temple to reflect on her mistakes.
They were gone for two months.
You bastard Lu Youchuan, if you don't want to sleep with her, then don't sleep with her, why resort to this trick?
That's really ruthless!
This old man doesn't understand his daughter at all. Forget about her coming to apologize, he could have just sent her to his bed. Instead, he heartlessly sent her up the mountain.
This mountain truly makes one feel at peace and free from worldly desires.
It turned out that there was only a group of nuns in the Taoist temple... not even a single monk.
Good heavens, the waters of Little Green River are too deep! What kind of heroine can have more than eight handsome, muscular, and breathing men?!
She got off to a bad start and has to endure two more months of hard training here. When will she be able to pass the assessment?!
Qin Song maintained a blank expression every day, but inwardly he roared: Lu Youchuan, you better not enter my harem, otherwise, I will torture you every day!
"Benefactor, it's time for your morning prayers."
Qin Song was still sitting blankly on the bed cursing Lu Youchuan when the little Taoist nun came to urge her to go through today's procedures.
It's morning prayers again! This is terrible! She's dragged out of bed at 3 AM every day to chant scriptures and pray for blessings. If this keeps going, she'll have to become a nun.
After only five days of cultivation, she was already exhausted. When she arrived at the hall and sat down, her eyelids were drooping.
The chanting, which was completely incomprehensible, was like countless mosquitoes buzzing in Qin Song's ears, quickly making him confused.
She only looked out the window after two clear female voices rang out.
Two ladies, one dressed in blue and the other in crimson, stood before the incense burner, holding incense sticks, and began to talk.
"What a coincidence, I've run into the Duchess again. I heard that the young master passed the imperial examination and the Ministry of Personnel has assigned him a position in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He will be by the Crown Prince's side from now on, so he should have no worries about his future. Is the Duchess here this time for the young master's marriage?" The lady in the crimson dress looked inquiring.
The Duchess smiled, her head bowed as she lit incense. "As a mother, of course I hope everything goes well for my son. I remember that the eldest son of Madam Lin's family is also of marriageable age. I wonder if he is already engaged?"
Madam Lin waved her hand dismissively: "Sigh, my good-for-nothing son is no match for the young master. Wherever the young master is, nobody pays him any attention."
She paused, then looked sharply at the Duchess, "The day after tomorrow is the birthday banquet of the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion. On the surface, it's the Commander-in-Chief celebrating his father's birthday, but in reality, he wants to find a husband for his daughter. The Commander-in-Chief's daughter is beautiful and intelligent, comes from a distinguished family, and is related to the Duke's Mansion by marriage. Is the young master interested?"
The Duchess devoutly lit incense and bowed, reciting two prayers for the Bodhisattva's blessing before opening her eyes and replying, "It's fate, I won't force it. Shuling and my son have known each other since childhood, so naturally I'm fond of her. It all depends on my son's wishes."
After the Duchess finished speaking, she left, and the sound of Lin's wife's abacus breaking was mixed in with the sound of the wind.
Qin Song, who had been eavesdropping unintentionally, dozed off while feeling a pang of regret. The Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army was a high-ranking official, and his banquet must have been quite a lively affair.
It's a pity that Qin Song was confined to the Taoist temple and couldn't join in any of the excitement.
The two female voices disappeared, and Qin Song's world quickly fell silent, sweet and tranquil.
After an unknown amount of time, a new sound rang in my ears.
"Young fellow Daoist, wake up! Morning lessons are over. Young fellow Daoist, young fellow Daoist?"
Who is calling her? That voice is so beautiful, clean and clear, gentle and sincere, like a young man in his early twenties.
Just by listening to his voice, Qin Song was willing to give him a back door and let him into her harem.
But what was going on? She couldn't open her eyes no matter what she did, and the other person was still calling to her, "Don't sleep on the floor, you'll catch a cold."
He's so gentle and cares about her health. How could she let such a good man go?
Qin Song raised his hand slightly, reaching out to hook the other's neck, and muttered, "Let's sleep together, young master."
Although she couldn't see him, she could feel his disheveled shoulders and back, his slender neck, and... his trembling Adam's apple and his slightly hot body temperature.
He's a man, a man with a normal reaction!
Qin Song intended to pull him into her arms, but as she exerted force, he suddenly opened his eyes.
Strong light shone in through the window, suddenly filling his eyes. Qin Song couldn't help but squint, only managing to catch a glimpse of the silhouette of a young man in white robes and a jade crown.
After she adjusted to the light, the person in front of her got up and stepped back, creating distance between them.
Under the golden light of dawn, a handsome young man dressed in a moon-white robe, his hair tied up with a jade crown, exuded nobility and elegance, with a graceful demeanor, like a banished immortal.
His eyebrows and eyes were very light, but his eyes were bright and clear. His lips were rosy and he had a smile on his lips. His expression was lively and gentle, making him unforgettable.
With skin of this caliber, the color index must be quite high; I absolutely must get my hands on him.
Qin Song slowly stood up, his legs numb from the pressure. Just as he was about to speak, a maidservant hurried up behind the young man: "Young master, the madam has arrived at the room. Please come back with me."
The young master mentioned by the servant nodded politely and then cupped his hands in farewell to Qin Song, saying, "Friend, please rest well. Farewell."
Farewell? How can I let go of prey that's delivered to my door so easily?
"Wait," Qin Song called out to him, "Will the young master leave the temple today?"
"How dare you! You don't look like a nun. You must be a female official who is practicing in a temple. How dare you seduce a worshipper in a royal Taoist temple? Aren't you afraid of being gossiped about?"
The young master's maidservant raised her nose and gave Qin Song a rude awakening like a firecracker.
Qin Song ignored her. People like her were all too common in her original world. Their clamor was just part of her progress with the male lead.
Moreover, what she said was true, and she had nothing to refute.
Fortunately, the young master was kind. He dismissed the servants with his eyes and his smile became even warmer: "My name is Li Yu. I am here with my mother to pray for blessings at the temple and will be staying for a few days. I will not be returning for the time being. Please forgive me for my rudeness earlier."
"Stay for a few days"—what a lovely phrase.
It seems that cultivating oneself isn't so bad after all; Heaven actually sent such a handsome young man to her side.
Finally, I can find someone to sleep with.
However, Lu Youchuan said she was "frivolous in broad daylight" and sent her to a Taoist temple. She would never dare to invite someone to sleep during the day again.
Anyway, he won't leave for now; it's not too late to act when the night is dark and the wind is high.
Thinking of this, Qin Song forcibly suppressed the heartfelt invitation that was about to spill out, simply responded with a bright smile, and painfully let him leave.
No sooner had he left than Yun Qian came staggering over, carrying the scriptures. "Miss, these are the scriptures we'll be copying next. Let's go back."
Qin Song glanced at it and thought to himself, "This is so annoying. What is this 'Little Green River'? Making a female protagonist in a restricted novel burn incense and chant sutras is like trying to get close to a deity."
Of course, it would also be acceptable to portray a celestial being like Li Yu.
She didn't reply, but stared at Li Yu's back. Then, a thought struck her, and she pretended to rub her arms: "Yun Qian, it's cold up in the mountains. After dinner, could you go down and get me some warm clothes?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Qian looked at the sky, then at Qin Song, and nodded, saying, "It is indeed time to change into warmer clothes, but if I leave, will Miss be able to manage alone?"
Qin Song was punished to enter a temple for cultivation and could only bring one maid with him. If she left, there would be no one to take care of Qin Song, which made Yun Qian very worried.
Qin Song, however, was incredibly excited. It's easier to have a harem when you're alone. She restricts the female lead in her novels, making sure her bed is wherever she is. She doesn't want to see Yun Qian looking like the sky is falling again.
A note from the author:
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The comments section is open, please make my writing more lively! [Please!]
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The female protagonist is currently in a purely restrictive mindset, only wanting to speed things up. Later on, she will mature and the male protagonists will become her devoted followers.
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