Chapter 203 A Filial Son Feeds His Father Dirt
When Zhou Congxian arrived, Meng Shilan was in the garden watching Xiaopang happily sitting on the ground playing with mud.
The little guy kept watching the adults' reactions as he grabbed at the objects. If Dan Niang deliberately said he couldn't grab them, he would giggle triumphantly.
The child was so dirty he looked almost like a little beggar.
"How can you leave the child on the ground? It's so dirty."
Meng Shilan said, "If it gets dirty, just wash it. Can't you see they're having a lot of fun right now?"
He stepped forward and squatted down in front of Little Fatty, saying, "This dirty little kid is almost unrecognizable to his father."
Little Fatty blinked his round eyes and stared at his father, then grinned with his little mouth that hadn't even grown in all its teeth.
He grabbed another handful of dirt in front of his father.
"eat!"
Zhou Congxian thought he wanted to eat it, and quickly reached out to stop him, "You can't eat it!"
Instead of eating it himself, the chubby boy very filially stuffed it directly into his father's mouth!
"..."
Meng Shilan and Dan Niang both laughed.
"This kid has been waiting for so long, and finally someone has come to him on their own initiative."
Zhou Congxian grabbed the chubby boy by the armpits and lifted him up.
"Take it to wash quickly."
The chubby boy was taken away.
He dusted off his hands and said, "The weather is nice now, let's go to Baima Temple to relax."
Meng Shilan resolutely refused, "I'm not going."
She spent a considerable amount of time in the capital, but visited the White Horse Temple only a handful of times.
But nothing good ever happened when we went.
Zhou Congxian said, "...rejecting it so decisively."
She picked up her cane and stood up skillfully. "You're not Fu'er, you don't deserve my special company."
"..."
Seeing her turn to leave, the humble Prince Zhou immediately chased after her.
"I heard that Master Huineng is giving a sermon today, so I brought you along specifically."
Meng Shilan didn't even turn her head. "I don't believe in gods or Buddhas. Since I'm not sincere, why waste an opportunity that everyone craves?"
"Miss, this is an invitation from Princess Yalan."
Chuntao came in with the invitation.
Meng Shilan glanced at the post, then looked at Zhou Congxian.
"Did you agree on this? Why do you all insist on going to the White Horse Temple to listen to the sutras?"
Princess Yalan also invited her to go to Baima Temple to listen to Master Huineng preach.
Zhou Congxian said, "About half of the prominent figures in the capital went there."
As he spoke, he turned to Chun Tao, "If your young lady doesn't want to go, she can go and refuse..."
Before he could finish speaking, Meng Shilan interrupted him.
"go!"
Zhou Congxian, “…”
Okay, here comes another one with a higher status than him.
When Meng Shilan got into the carriage, she casually glanced at the carriage behind her.
Princess Yalan's expression was not good at first, but her eyes lit up the moment she saw her.
"Come on up!"
As she spoke, she personally helped the maid by the door to help her up.
Meng Shilan gestured backward with her eyes.
"That one... is going too?"
Princess Yalan scoffed, "Ignore him."
Meng Shilan nodded. This Prince Bucha didn't seem like someone to be trifled with.
He is comparable to Xiao Shu.
The White Horse Temple is unusually crowded today.
Especially in the Arhat Hall, the noble ladies who usually dress in bright and colorful clothes are all dressed simply today.
They all sat comfortably on their prayer cushions, waiting for Master Huineng.
Meng Shilan looked at the donation box, which was almost overflowing.
This business is really easy to do...
Princess Yalan sat down next to her, saying, "The incense at Baima Temple is still so strong."
"Everyone has their own desires, and I wonder if the Bodhisattva is too busy to keep up."
Meng Shilan smiled slightly, pursing her lips.
It turns out that Princess Yalan was also a kindred spirit.
It seems she didn't come to Baima Temple to listen to sutras.
When Master Huineng entered, everyone in the room stood up.
The monk's face was full of kind smiles. "Please come, esteemed benefactors."
Halfway through the story, Princess Yalan finally couldn't sit still any longer and quietly pulled Meng Shilan out of the Arhat Hall.
In front of the Arhat Hall is the main hall, and to the side is a narrow alleyway.
She pulled Meng Shilan and slipped into the alleyway.
The two maids behind him tacitly covered the rear.
He turned around in the alley and went into a small doorway next to him.
Meng Shilan followed her through a maze of twists and turns until they reached a clearing on the back of the mountain.
She couldn't help but marvel at how familiar Princess Yalan was with this place.
If the princess hadn't led the way, she wouldn't have known there was such a road.
"Princess, what are we doing here?"
Princess Yalan winked at her, "Let's watch the show!"
Watching the excitement...
Meng Shilan wanted to refuse.
It's definitely not a good thing...
Besides, she was dragging an injured leg and could barely walk. If she were discovered, she wouldn't be able to escape.
Princess Yalan did not allow her to refuse and pulled her into a small room next door.
There was almost nothing inside, but there were clear voices speaking.
There were also two people inside.
Meng Yushan and Qin Daolin.
But it wasn't the two of them talking; rather, they were eavesdropping on other people in the room.
Meng Shilan felt that her eyes had been opened.
It turned out that there was a hidden side room behind this small house.
The speaker thought he was being discreet enough, but in fact, every word he said was overheard by others.
Two elderly men, both in their sixties, turned around at the same time.
Upon seeing that it was the two of them, they simultaneously put their index fingers to their lips and made a "shh" sound.
The voice that was speaking belonged to none other than himself.
They really didn't understand the Prince and General Cheng.
The two were arguing, both furious that the other had broken their promise.
After the argument, there was silence for a long time.
After confirming that the people over there had left, Qin Daolin slowly spoke.
"What choice does Lord Meng have?"
Meng Yushan stroked his beard. "When dealing with petty people, one should naturally strike with thunder."
Qin Daolin waved his hand, "No, no."
"The villain is treacherous and cunning, full of tricks. He uses the long-term fishing method to catch them all in one fell swoop and eliminate future troubles!"
Meng Yushan's eyes widened. "Stop dawdling! I'll beat him to his doorstep in one go, giving him no time to catch his breath!"
Qin Daolin, "Hey! You old brute, how could you..."
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Meng Shilan interrupted them.
"If you two are going to argue, shouldn't you wait until you get back? What if they turn around and discover you were eavesdropping?!"
Princess Yalan smiled and said, "Don't worry, we can hear what's being said over there, but we can't hear what's being said over there."
As soon as she finished speaking, she stood up. "But we should go out too. If we disappear for too long, people will become suspicious."
Unlike before, Princess Yalan and Meng Shilan walked forward slowly.
Bypassing the vegetarian restaurant, there were already quite a few maids waiting to reserve vegetarian meals for their masters.
One of the maids in green stopped a young woman who was dressed in coarse linen clothes but had a pretty face.
"Miss, thank you for your help again today."
The maidservant slipped her a small piece of silver.
She discovered by chance that the White Horse Temple had an extra servant, and by giving her some silver coins, she could skip the queue.
Song Jiyun put away the silver, saying, "I'll take it from the usual place when we break the fast later."
"Okay, thank you, young lady."
After the maid left, Song Jiyun carried the water bucket and continued walking towards the meditation room.
The vegetarian meals at Baima Temple require reservations, which has led to a hidden business.
She wasn't the one collecting the money; it was the monk in the vegetarian kitchen.
It is a major taboo to accept money in the dining hall; if the abbot finds out, you will be kicked out.
But she left the Duke of England's mansion; she wanted to live.
Only by doing dirty work that earns money can the head monk of the vegetarian kitchen keep her on.
Song Jiyun's face was numb and expressionless.
She casually glanced up and saw an incredibly familiar face.
Her pupils contracted slightly, and her heart leaped into her throat.
A sharp, needle-like pain surged up from my heart.
Jiang Shiyao...
A surge of hatred welled up in her eyes.
The Song family is gone.
My mother died, and my brother died too.
Now she's all alone, barely clinging to life.
Zhou Congxian didn't want him, and neither did the Duke of England's mansion.
Why is Jiang Shiyao still alive?
Why should I?!
"Miss Yun, the head chef is calling for you."
The young novice monk interrupted his thoughts.
Song Jiyun quickly composed himself and turned to continue walking towards the meditation room.
Meng Shilan frowned; she felt a strong gaze upon her.
When she turned around again, she only saw a thin figure carrying a bucket of water, struggling to walk towards the meditation room.
"What's the matter?"
Princess Yalan looked at him.
"fine."
The sermon in the Arhat Hall has ended.
Unaware that the prince had appeared out of nowhere.
He glanced at Meng Shilan, and finally looked at Princess Yalan.
"Where has the Queen gone? Your brother has been searching for her for ages."
Princess Yalan's expression turned slightly cold. "Pray for divine protection for my poor son."
"So that those blind fools won't try to harm him."
"What, Uncle Wang, do you also want to ask for one for your nephew?"
Prince Bucha's expression twitched, then he coldly uttered a word in Ule and turned to leave.
Meng Shilan gazed at his retreating figure, lost in thought.
"He speaks Mandarin very well."
I understood everything except for that one sentence in Ule.
Although he had a heavy accent, it was very clear.
Princess Yalan, "He grew up in that prefecture."
Meng Shilan's eyes widened. "Qizhou?"
That state was General Cheng's territory.
“He is not from Dasheng. His mother was persecuted back then, so he fled to Qizhou with him.”
"His state borders Ulu, and they speak different languages despite having the same pronunciation, so you can understand his Mandarin."
“When he was found, I had just married into the Ule tribe. The Khan deliberately kept it a secret, so no one knew about this Prince Bucha.”
"I never expected that raising a tiger would turn out to be a threat. The Khan had just left when he started stirring up trouble."
Meng Shilan said, "So the other banners of Ule are now making trouble because of this misunderstanding."
Princess Yalan nodded. "He had no supporters in the Royal Banner Alliance, so he instigated conflict with other banners."
"Now he wants to use Chier to threaten me and ask my brother for troops to help him suppress the other allied banners."
Meng Shilan: "What a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone!"
If Dasheng really sends troops, all the allied banners within Wule will only think that Dasheng is sending troops to help Bucha ascend the throne.
"Your Highness."
Princess Yalan's personal maid rushed over, "Someone from the palace has come. Her Majesty the Empress summons you to the palace."
Princess Yalan turned her head and glanced at Meng Shilan, who was still leaning on her cane.
Meng Shilan said, "Your Highness, please go to the palace quickly. My maid is just ahead. It's alright."
After Princess Yalan left, Zhou Congxian came looking for her.
Why are you alone?
"The princess has gone to the palace, let's go back too."
"You're so slow, how long will it take you to get there?"
Zhou Congxian picked her up in one go.
Meng Shilan was startled.
The two of them left through the side gate of Baima Temple amidst bickering and cursing.
Only after the two had walked far away did a figure slowly emerge from the direction of the meditation room.
A flash of hatred crossed Song Jiyun's eyes.
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