Chapter 12 Hidden Dangers: This was the first time in my life that a man praised me for my good smell.
The trip to Tanyin Temple was successfully finalized, and Yu Qing wrote a secret note and sent it to the temple that night, stating that he and the princess would visit in two days.
She found that the princess was always absent-minded at night. Could it be that she had not recovered from the shock of the day?
This inevitably made her a little worried.
The princess is too fragile and can hardly withstand any accidents.
As for the Tanyin Temple… would it be okay? She had to remind them to be more tactful and careful… Anyway, don't let Qingjia get scared.
Princess Qingjia did not like to show off, so Yu Qing did not arrange a big ceremony as she wished, just a team of carriages and a few attendants.
Two days later, early in the morning, Yu Qing was already preparing to leave when another carriage approached and stopped in front of the Marquis's residence. The person in the carriage opened the curtain and said, "Brother Yu? I was just looking for you. Where are you going?"
The person who came was Wen Shuo.
Mr. Wen was the only idle person in his family and had nothing to do every day.
Yu Qing has been on vacation these days because of her wedding. Whenever he couldn't find anyone else, he would come to find her when he knew she was free.
"Why are you here again?" Yu Qing asked, "I was just about to leave the house and go to the outskirts of Beijing."
"Outskirts of Beijing? Isn't it a good time to go hunting yet?" Wen Shuo said, "Don't go. There's a rare beast shop opening in the south of the city today. I know the owner, and he has a lot of interesting things. Brother Yu, come with me to show your support?"
"You go by yourself," Yu Qing refused without hesitation, "I have something important to do."
"Aren't you on leave? What's the matter?"
Yu Qing: "I..."
At this time, the servants in the rear came to announce: "His Highness has arrived."
They turned around together and saw a graceful lady with her face covered with a veil being helped down from a sedan chair by a maid.
Wen Shuo was stunned and looked over there straight. Yu Qing used his elbow to help him stagger and told him not to look around.
"It's a little late," Qing Jia said softly, "Your Highness has been waiting for a long time."
Yu Qing immediately left Wen Shuo and went to the front of the marquis's carriage with Qing Jia.
"Who is this?"
Wen Shuo already knew who this woman was, and he quickly bowed and introduced himself: "My name is Wen Shuo, and I'm honored to meet Princess Qingjia."
"Is he a friend of the Prince Consort?" Qing Jia asked, "Is there anything important?"
Yu Qing said bluntly: "It's okay, Your Highness, don't worry about it. Come, I'll help you get into the carriage."
"..." Wen Shuo politely said to the princess, "I didn't know that Brother Yu and His Highness were out for an outing today. I apologize for disturbing you. I'll take my leave now and visit you again another day."
Yu Qing helped the princess get into the car first. She turned around and saw Wen Shuo winking at her, with obvious mockery in his eyes: After all this time, this is your main job.
"Brother Yu, I never thought that you would get married and forget about your brothers," Wen Shuo said, "When a man has been away for three days, he is looked at with new eyes!"
He dodged another elbow from Yu Qing and slipped into his carriage, still feeling emotional.
On the wedding day, the princess was too far away to see her clearly, but now that she saw her in person, even with the veil covering her face, she knew she was a tall, clear-skinned beauty.
This prince's brother has been old-fashioned since childhood and has never held a girl's hand.
To put it nicely, the marriage granted by the emperor is a great honor from heaven, but to put it bluntly, it is a blind marriage. If the princess is a difficult person to get along with, Wen Shuo is really worried that Yu Qing will have a hard time.
It seemed like he had no reason to worry about this. Yu Qing had clearly fallen in love!
In the carriage, Xie Jing said thoughtfully, "Are the Prince Consort and that Mr. Wen old friends?"
"I guess so. I don't have many old friends in Beijing. I only lived here with my mother for a few years when I was young. She sent me to study at the Wen family's private school. I got to know Wen Shuo because we were of similar age. I'm not familiar with the other people in his family."
The Wen family is one of the prominent families in Beijing. Old Master Wen was a tutor in one dynasty, and the eldest son Wen Xu was appointed as the Minister of Revenue just after he turned 30.
It's not surprising that Yu Qing has dealings with the Wen family, but it's unexpected that he is closer to the little-known second young master.
"Did the Marquis take you to the border areas when you were a child?"
"I was born on the border," Yu Qing explained. "At that time, my father and brother were stationed in the northwest. My mother didn't want to stay in the capital alone, so she asked to join the army."
"I see……"
Xie Jing had heard from Concubine Rong that Yu Qing's brother died young, so he didn't ask any further questions.
The carriage was spacious and stable, and was equipped with snacks and refreshing scented tea, making the journey very comfortable.
Yu Qing glanced outside and said, "We've just left the city. We'll be at Tanyin Temple in half an hour."
"Have you left the city yet?"
Xie Jing also opened the curtain of the car, and the wind blew on his face.
This place is not as prosperous as the capital. There are no densely packed markets and tall mansions. There are only a few restaurants and post stations along the road. In the distance, there are rolling hills, full of greenery, and even the air is very fresh.
“…This is my first time out of the capital.”
Yu Qing heard the princess speak as if she was sighing.
The wind outside the window blew her hair. She stared into the distance for a long time and asked again, "What does the frontier look like?"
"Beyond the Great Wall, the vast expanse of sky and earth is even more expansive. One can gallop freely without any worries. At dusk, the entire Gobi Desert is a crimson gold, and from the towers, one can see the smoke from distant military camps. At night, the Milky Way is so bright that even the stars are clearly visible."
Qing Jia said, "It sounds much better than the capital."
Yu Qing could hear the dejection in her words and added, "It's not that good, actually. I've only gotten used to this kind of life since I was a child. Winters at the border are bitterly cold, with frequent white-haired winds that can freeze livestock to death. There's also a lot of dust and sand, and we always come back from patrols covered in dust. And when there's a drought, food and water are scarce, and we go hungry. If life were comfortable, why would the northern barbarians always want to march south to seize the Central Plains?"
"If I had a choice, I'd rather be outside the Great Wall than in the palace," Qing Jia said. "The palace... is like a cage. And you, you didn't want to return to the capital either, right?"
Yu Qing was stunned. If he said he didn't want to, it would seem like he had some objection to this marriage.
She said, "The capital is rich and stable, so of course I want to come back. Before, it was because the war was not over, so I was eating sand outside the Great Wall. Now I am so relaxed and comfortable in my mansion every day. Your Highness, you must have been bored staying in the palace for a long time before. In the future, I can take Your Highness out for fun more often. You can tell me where you want to go."
Qingjia smiled, not knowing whether he believed what Yu Qing said or not, and continued to look out the window.
Yu Qing also moved closer to the car window, wanting to start a new conversation. She caught a whiff of fragrance and said, "What a nice smell! Are there any flowers blooming outside?"
Looking closely, I saw only trees and weeds painted on the outside of the car. There were some wild flowers, but they didn't look like they had any strong fragrance.
This fragrance... doesn't seem to be coming from outside, but from the direction of the princess opposite.
Yu Qing: “…”
Xie Jing: “…”
Yu Qing said repeatedly: "I'm sorry for being so rude. I thought it was... I didn't expect it to be..."
That's not right, no matter how you put it, it's not right. The more you talk, the more you sound like a scoundrel. Leaning in close and praising someone's fragrance, what else could that be but a scoundrel?
"...It's okay." Xie Jing gritted his teeth.
It was the first time in his life that a man complimented him on his good smell. He was embarrassed and tried his best to suppress his ferocious expression.
Yu Qing only saw a little redness on the tip of the princess's ear.
Is the princess shy again?
But she wasn't exaggerating, it really was fragrant and smelled good.
It is not a luxurious or extravagant scent, but a light and refreshing one.
Like the princess herself, she's easy to like.
"What kind of incense does Your Highness use?" Yu Qing asked curiously, "I have no idea about this. I am sorry for making Your Highness laugh just now."
"...I don't have any incense. I think you're talking about this sachet," Xie Jing said. "It's made with selected herbs and herbs, and it has a calming effect."
"Really? It can calm the mind?" Yu Qing said, "I've used a lot of calming incense before, but none of them worked."
During the years of war, Yu Qing slept very soundly. However, since the Northern Barbarians surrendered, she often had trouble falling asleep.
Xie Jing: "You...can't sleep well at night?"
Yu Qing nodded: "Occasionally."
Now that things have come to this, what else can Xie Jing say? He suspects Yu Qing did it on purpose.
"Then I'll ask Dongli to prepare some for you later, you can try it."
"Hmm? Okay. Will it work if I put it in a sachet?"
Xie Jing said: "...Yeah."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Yu Qing said.
Xie Jing's heart choked. But Yu Qing smiled, looking bright and cheerful, as if he didn't think anything was wrong.
He had no choice but to hold the teacup tightly and take a sip of tea.
The road was a little bumpy when going up the mountain, and Xie Jing felt a little dizzy. After waiting for a long time, he finally arrived at the mountain temple.
Tanyin Temple is very popular and there are many pilgrims today.
Yu Qing was wearing dark brocade clothes, with a beautiful face and a clear temperament. Although Xie Jing only showed her eyes and the vague outline under the veil, it was obvious that she was a graceful girl.
The two of them together were very eye-catching, and Xie Jing subconsciously moved behind Yu Qing.
A monk waiting at the temple gate saw Yu Qing and stepped forward, saying, "You two distinguished guests have arrived. Please follow me. Master Anren has been waiting for a long time."
Xie Jing tilted his head to glance at Yu Qing, who whispered, "I sent someone to pass on the message yesterday. They knew it was His Highness who came in person."
Did Yu Qing know that he didn't like to attract attention, so she made special arrangements?
...is quite dedicated.
Master Anren is a kind-looking monk, of the same generation as the abbot, and is said to be a well-known and accomplished monk.
The two drank tea in his Zen room and listened to him talk about some scriptures. Then they went to the back hall to make a wish, burn incense, and draw lots. When they came back, Master Anren personally interpreted the lots.
Xie Jing originally thought that this was just an ordinary prayer process, but when Master Anren looked at the fortune sticks, his expression became stern.
"This lot..."
"What's wrong?" Yu Qing asked.
Xie Jing was also taken aback. He had assumed that when such a "noble person" came to ask for divination, the monk would simply offer a few nice words and answer their questions. Could it be that he had actually solved something?
The monk's brows were furrowed, as if he was about to speak but hesitated. He felt even more uncertain. Could it be that this venerable monk...had noticed something was wrong with him?
"Please forgive me, my lord. I don't know if I should tell you this..."
Xie Jing almost said it, then don’t say it!
Yu Qing: "That's fine. Master, please explain more clearly."
"I know that the two nobles are relatives granted by the Emperor, and that this marriage should be predestined. However, there is a hidden danger. If it is not resolved, I am afraid it will bring disaster..."
The mage said this, carefully examining the two of them, his brow furrowed in thought. Xie Jing felt uneasy, half believing and half doubting.
...He was able to keep it a secret from so many people in the palace, so he wouldn't be defeated by a monk, right? ...Could he really have seen something? But even if he did, would he dare to speak?
He subconsciously glanced at Yu Qing and asked in a low voice, "What's the hidden danger?"
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