Chapter 16 [16] An autumn rain brings a chill
【16】/First release
The stone tablet carved by a famous artist that Yun Ran had been thinking about was located deep in the bamboo forest. There were many cliff murals on both sides, but they were not clear because of their age and were hidden by trees.
He bowed three times to the statue of Laozi and simply cleared the weeds around him. Seeing that it was getting late, Yun Ran returned the same way.
When they reached the Lingguan Hall, Qingling also climbed up and said, "My dear, I think I saw the young master of the Cui family just now. Did you meet him?"
Yun Ran played dumb: "Really? I didn't see him. Maybe he came to the temple to burn incense as well."
Qingling just mentioned it casually, and seeing that the young lady was not interested in it, she didn't say anything more.
The master and servant returned to the Taiqing Hall on the first floor. The receptionist and the two sisters-in-law were already waiting in the side hall.
As soon as the afternoon arrived, the receptionist led everyone to the library behind the hall.
The ancient path to the library is secluded and peaceful in the bustling city. Sitting behind the desk in the cabinet is the abbot of Xuandu Temple, Taoist Ziqing, with white eyebrows and long beard, and a fluttering purple robe. Against the backdrop of the curling green smoke from the crane-shaped incense burners on both sides, he looks like an immortal and has the temperament of a hermit.
"Master, these three are the nobles of the Marquis of Changxin's Mansion."
The receptionist introduced Yun Ran softly, and when mentioning her, he added, "The young lady of the Yun family has practiced in the Yangzhou Taoist temple for many years and has excellent comprehension."
Yun Ran was delighted by the affirmation from his fellow Taoist, but he remained humble and said, "No, no, you are too kind, Senior Brother."
Taoist Ziqing didn't stand up. He just glanced at the three sisters-in-law, and finally his eyes fell on Yun Ran's face: "Are you the lady who will marry into the Prince Jing's Mansion?"
Yun Ran was stunned for a moment, then straightened his collar and said, "It's me."
Taoist Priest Ziqing: "Why did you come to see me?"
"So that the Taoist priest can know." Li Wanrong said, "We are here to see you today because we want to ask for some evil spirits to ward off evil spirits for my sister..."
"Madam, the old Taoist is asking the young lady a question. Please let the young lady answer it herself."
Taoist Ziqing calmly stopped Li Wanrong from speaking and nodded to the receptionist beside him.
The receptionist immediately understood and stepped forward to talk to Li Wanrong and Qian Sijin, saying, "Since we're here today regarding the young lady's matter, it would be better for you to let the young lady speak to Master herself. Why don't you two ladies go next door and have a cup of tea first?"
Li Wanrong/Qian Sijin: "..."
They looked at each other and then looked at Yun Ran together.
Yun Ran smiled calmly and said, "Go ahead, sisters-in-law. I'll come find you after I finish my work here."
After she said this, the two of them left with Brother Zhike.
Soon, only an old man and a young boy were left in the library, which was filled with the strong scent of ink, making it seem even quieter.
"Little Taoist friend, there's no one else here now. If you have any requests, just tell me."
"Old Senior, I came here today just to take a look around and see the elegance of Chang'an's No. 1 Viewing Hall. I don't ask for anything else."
Yun Ran rubbed his fingers awkwardly. "I got off the carriage and arrived at the door, only then did I realize that my elders had made an appointment to meet you..."
Taoist Ziqing, "So you don't plan to see me."
Yun Ran: "That's not the case. Since we've already made an appointment and I'm here, it would be a great honor to meet you, Senior."
Seeing that she spoke frankly and naturally, completely unlike the increasingly materialistic and corrupt atmosphere in Taoist temples in Chang'an, Taoist Ziqing slowly raised his half-drooped eyelids, revealing two old but clear eyes, looking at the young lady in front of him with a special background.
"Which Taoist temple in Yangzhou did you attend before, and who was your master?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Ran introduced his family background openly.
She knew that Shuiyue Temple was remote and unknown, and she didn't expect the renowned purple-robed Taoist priest before her to know about it. Unexpectedly, after hearing her story, Taoist priest Ziqing muttered, "Shuiyue Temple still exists."
Yun Ran's ears pricked up immediately: "Senior, do you know our Taoist temple?"
Taoist Ziqing came back to his senses and smiled: "Not only do I know that, your grandmaster Xie Miaozhen once gave me a meal."
Xie Miaozhen, the first abbot of Shuiyue Temple, was the daughter of a wealthy businessman who became a nun after becoming a widow.
To Yun Ran, her master was like the ancient people in books, very distant. She never expected that the old senior in front of her actually knew her master and had a connection with him.
She was full of curiosity, and Taoist Ziqing also had some affection for this old friend's disciple: "Go sit by the window and talk."
Yun Ran couldn't wait to walk to the window, and only sat down respectfully after Taoist Ziqing took his seat.
Taoist Master Ziqing calmly recounted the incident that happened seventy years ago.
That year, he had just come down from the mountains to travel. When he reached Taiping Mountain in Yangzhou, he was unfortunately infected with an epidemic. Starving and cold, he fainted at the Earth God Temple. It was Xie Miaozhen who passed by while collecting herbs and gave him a bowl of herbal soup and brown rice porridge, which helped him survive the difficult time.
Because she was a female nun, he could not go to her house to express his gratitude, so he just left a mountain ghost coin at the door as a thank you.
"I never thought that after so many years, I would still be able to meet the grandson of an old friend."
The old Taoist priest, who was already in his 80s, stroked his beard and looked at Yun Ran with great emotion: "Have you seen that mountain ghost coin in your temple?"
Yun Ran thought about it and shook his head: "I haven't seen it. Maybe it was collected by the master, or lost, or taken away by someone..."
After all, they are all objects from seventy years ago.
Taoist Ziqing didn't express any expectations, but Yun Ran asked curiously about what Master Miaozhen looked like.
The old and the young chatted back and forth, reminiscing about the past and then talking about the present. After talking about the present, they talked about the future——
"King Jing has a bad reputation. Aren't you really afraid?" Taoist Ziqing raised his eyebrows and looked at her.
Yun Ran choked and said, "I think he probably offended someone, or some demon is deliberately ruining his reputation, but—"
She suddenly changed the subject and looked at the elder in front of her with a smile: "If you have any magical instruments that you can use, I wouldn't mind taking some back with you."
"You clever monkey."
Taoist Ziqing laughed and pointed at her wrist. "Don't you already have a superb magic weapon to ward off evil spirits? Why worry about anything else?"
Yun Ran glanced at the lightning-struck jujube wood on his wrist and agreed deeply. However, he said, "Since I'm here now, and since you've met my great-grandmaster before, I can call you Grandmaster Uncle. Can you bear to let me go back empty-handed?"
"You, you."
Taoist Ziqing smiled and said, "Well, since you call me Grandmaster Uncle, I will write you a few talismans. You can keep them for safekeeping."
Yun Ran just said it casually, if she can get it, she will take it, if not, it doesn't matter. She never thought that she would really get it!
"Then I would like to thank Grandmaster Uncle!"
There was a ready-made cinnabar and yellow talisman in the study. Taoist Ziqing had promised Yun Ran and immediately picked up his pen to draw the talisman.
"As expected of a senior, the talisman is so well drawn."
Yun Ran watched without blinking, "The lines are smooth and the brushwork is powerful. It's truly a fine piece."
No wonder her senior sisters always laughed at her for drawing talismans before, and her master also gently advised her: "You have enough knowledge of the Eight Characters of Destiny, so you should leave the talisman drawing to your senior sisters."
It’s true that comparing products is a good idea. I was shocked.
After drawing the talisman, it was already late. Yun Ran and Taoist Ziqing said they would visit again when they had time, and then they left with a pile of talismans.
Looking at the back of his little nephew who was leaving contentedly, Taoist Ziqing smiled and shook his head. Then he looked at the dark rain clouds that had accumulated outside the window lattice. He raised his hand and calculated a few times, and his smile gradually faded.
May you be blessed with infinite happiness. I hope this little nephew can turn misfortune into good fortune and have everything go well.
***
Before the heavy rain fell, Yun Ran, her sister-in-law and the other two returned to the Marquis' Mansion.
As soon as he stepped into Tingxiaxuan, the sound of heavy rain could be heard outside the door. Yun Ran turned around and looked at the dark sky, patting his chest and breathing a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, fortunately."
If the talisman gets wet, it will be a big loss!
"My dear, you are back. How was your trip today?"
Nanny Lan Gui stepped out from behind the curtain and looked Yun Ran up and down. Seeing that Yun Ran looked the same except for her slightly disheveled hair, she felt relieved and said, "Come in and have some tea and rest."
Yun Ran smiled and said "OK", then sat down beside the couch, drank two cups of tea, and asked Qing Ling to take out the cakes and pastries bought from Xuandu Temple.
"This is the vegetarian cake from Xuandu Temple. It's made by grinding herbs like Poria cocos, hawthorn, astragalus, and tangerine peel into powder, then kneading it into a dough with wheat flour and steaming it into a cake."
Yun Ran smiled and said to Nanny Lan Gui, "It's filled with rose honey. It's so delicious, and the rose fragrance fills your teeth. It's not only delicious, but it also has the effect of removing dampness, strengthening the spleen, and promoting qi circulation and dispersing blood stasis. Nanny, please try it."
Nanny Lan Gui was moved. "It's hard for the young lady to remember this old servant even when she went out to play."
She took a piece and tasted it, and it tasted really good.
Yun Ran also took a piece of cake and ate while talking to the nanny about the bustle of Xuandu Temple, but she only skimmed over the part about the bamboo forest and the talisman that Taoist Ziqing had drawn for her.
On the way back, her two sisters-in-law repeatedly told her to hide the talisman and not let Aunt Lan Gui know about it.
Yun Ran naturally understood the pros and cons of the matter, and those talismans were hidden well in her arms.
That night, Yun Ran lay in bed, thinking about the whole day.
The Taoist temple was fun to visit, the food was delicious, the scenery was beautiful and the people were kind. I also got a lot of talismans. It was truly a perfect day!
As soon as the thought came to mind, a charming and handsome face flashed through my mind.
The corners of Yun Ran's mouth stiffened slightly.
She is the type of person who remembers good things but not bad things. If she encounters something unhappy in her daily life, she will forget about it after eating two meals.
But the encounter with the green snake man in the bamboo forest in the afternoon flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope. She could even clearly remember every frown, every tone of his voice, including his last look before he left.
The look was indifferent and calm, yet carried a certain meaning that she could not understand.
Yun Ran tried to drive these memories out of his head——
Although he was good-looking, he had a cold and eccentric personality. Meeting him was not a pleasant experience at all.
Bad people and bad things are not worth thinking about, they should be erased from memory.
However, the more she tried not to think about it, the more the man's appearance lingered in front of her, causing Yun Ran to simply sit up from the bed, cross her legs and recite the meditation technique.
I don’t know if it was the effect of the meditation technique or the tiredness from the day, but I somehow fell into a sleep in a daze.
It is said that every autumn rain brings a chill.
Ever since returning from Xuandu Temple that day, the Dragon King seemed to be in a bad mood, with rain falling one after another without stopping.
It was inconvenient to go out on rainy days, and the wedding date was approaching, so Yun Ran had no choice but to stay in the mansion and wait for her wedding.
Previously, Marquis Changxin and Zheng had wanted to hold a welcoming banquet for Yun Ran, but after the marriage was arranged, everyone in Chang'an knew about Lady Yun Wu from the Marquis Changxin's mansion, so the welcoming banquet was cancelled and turned into a family dinner. They invited some close relatives and friends to the mansion and set up two tables for the feast.
Even so, the atmosphere at the banquet was a little heavy. When everyone saw Yun Ran, who was dressed in gorgeous attire, they were not close enough to him, but were more respectful than friendly, and there was also a bit of indescribable pity and avoidance.
The next day, the third sister-in-law whispered to Yun Ran, "After the banquet yesterday, mother cried again."
Yun Ran felt jealous after hearing this and had to spend more time with Zheng every day. He also used the talismans of Taoist Ziqing as reassurances and boasted to her about the power of the ancestor, saying that he would definitely protect her from harm and everything would go well.
As for how much Zheng listened to, that was not something Yun Ran could control.
When the last sycamore leaf fell in the yard, it was November.
The day before the wedding, Yun's Erlang and his wife, who were working in Yuzhou, managed to rush back.
As soon as I got off the carriage, I saw that the front of the marquis's mansion was spotlessly clean. There was a red lantern with a big red wedding character on it hanging on each side, and red silk was hung around the necks of the two majestic stone lions beside the door.
The doorman, however, looked listless and dejected, without showing any joy at the upcoming wedding.
The couple was about to ask when the doorman saw them. His eyes lit up instantly and he ran in happily, reporting the rare good news in months: "Second Young Master and Second Young Master's wife are back!"
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