Looking at the peacefully sleeping person in his arms, Jiang Wang's heart felt as if it were being moistened by damp air, and he couldn't help but feel soft and yielding.
So much has happened in the past few years, but no matter what, he is glad that he did not lose the woman he loves most.
Just thinking about the twists and turns involved made Jiang Wang feel a little tired. Jiang Wang stayed in Jiaofang Palace to guard Shen Mingzhuang for a while before getting up and leaving.
Seeing the Emperor standing somewhat bewildered at the entrance of the Jiaofang Palace, Tan Yonglin stood to the side, holding his breath and not daring to make a sound.
"Let's go see the Crown Prince."
Tan Yonglin responded, "Yes!"
Jiang Xuan was practicing calligraphy. He had finished his lessons for the day, and his teacher had already gone home, but he still had a pair of homework to do, so he couldn't just go play now.
When Jiang Wang came over, she saw her son's small figure, slightly bent over the table, writing carefully with his head down. His expression and appearance were five or six parts similar to Shen Mingzhuang. When he was quiet, he looked like her, but when he was noisy, she didn't know who he looked like.
Seeing his son practicing calligraphy quietly, Jiang Wang didn't go inside. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back, watching his son's figure from outside the window, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He stood quietly for a while, then turned around and whispered to Tan Yonglin, "Go back to the Hall of Diligent Governance."
Tan Yonglin was slightly taken aback, but after regaining his senses, he responded with a low "Yes."
Shen Mingzhuang had no idea that Jiang Wang had come while she was asleep. She was preoccupied with finding Master Ciyuan to go to the palace for questioning, and for the past two days she had gone to the Qin Zheng Hall to eat lunch and dinner with Jiang Wang. Jiang Xuan also came to join in the fun, and the family was quite lively. Shen Mingzhuang, Jiang Wang, and Jiang Xuan all enjoyed the atmosphere.
On the third day, Master Ciyuan entered the palace.
Shen Mingzhuang met him in the Jiaofang Palace.
Master Ciyuan looked somewhat familiar to her when she last saw him five years ago, but he had aged considerably.
Master Ciyuan recognized Shen Mingzhuang. He put his hands together and nodded slightly to Shen Mingzhuang as a sign of greeting.
Shen Mingzhuang knew that Master Ciyuan was a Buddhist disciple and did not observe secular etiquette. She also did not want to get bogged down in these formalities, so she skipped over it and said, "Master Ciyuan, please sit down."
Master Ciyuan recited Amitabha: "Her Majesty the Empress is kind and benevolent, and is embraced by all sentient beings."
"What urgent matter does Your Majesty wish to discuss with this old monk?"
He realized that despite his repeated refusals, the little devil persisted, and he knew that his journey to the palace would not be easy.
As expected, Shen Mingzhuang gestured for them to sit down. After they were both seated, Shen Mingzhuang's voice rang out: "Master Ciyuan should be able to guess why I invited you to the palace."
Upon hearing this, Ciyuan knew exactly what was going on; it must be about what happened five years ago.
Thinking of this, Ciyuan raised her eyes and quietly examined the woman sitting on the phoenix throne, dressed in the magnificent robes of an empress, exuding an air of nobility. The past five years had not left a trace on her face, as if she had truly just taken a nap.
Ci Yuan was shocked. The Empress had undergone a cesarean section to remove her child; the situation was critical at the time, and it was already a miracle that she survived. No one had expected that she would wake up five years later, completely unchanged from five years ago. This was truly a fantasy, horrifying.
As he looked at Shen Mingzhuang, Shen Mingzhuang was also looking at him.
If it weren't for Master Ciyuan's reputation, she would have looked like an ordinary monk. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then looked at Master Ciyuan again, "Since Master Ciyuan is already standing in my Jiaofang Hall, you must know what I'm going to ask. I think, since Master Ciyuan is the abbot of Xiangguo Temple, and Xiangguo Temple is the national temple, a place where emperors of past dynasties prayed for the country, Master Ciyuan must also hope for peace in the world and for the people to live and work in peace, right?"
"Of course. Monks are compassionate, and Xiangguo Temple is a national temple. Naturally, we hope to relieve His Majesty's and Your Majesty's worries. Your Majesty, please ask whatever you have to say. This old monk will answer to the best of my knowledge."
Hearing these somewhat formulaic and polite words, Shen Mingzhuang's eyes flickered slightly. He exhaled a breath of stale air and asked, "Who was it that suggested the method of taking heart blood to His Majesty back then?"
As she spoke, she stared intently at Master Ciyuan, not letting any emotion on his face escape Shen Mingzhuang's eyes.
Master Ciyuan lowered his eyes, his face remaining expressionless. "What happened back then was something His Majesty decided to do himself. The method of taking heart blood was something I saw in ancient books."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang's eyes sharpened immediately. She stared at Master Ciyuan with a sharp, probing look in her eyes. "I wonder where Master Ciyuan obtained that ancient book. Has it been verified, and is it true rather than fabricated?"
As Ciyuan listened, fine beads of sweat appeared on his palms.
He remained calm, looked up as if recalling something, and then looked at Shen Mingzhuang with some regret: "Your Majesty, too much time has passed, and I don't know where that ancient book is now. As for whether anyone has verified it, because so much time has passed, I have no way of knowing. At that time, I also advised His Majesty, but His Majesty was so eager to save Your Majesty that he made up his mind to do so."
When the matter from back then was mentioned again, and it was Jiang Wang who made the decision, Shen Mingzhuang's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. This Master Ciyuan, she thought, seemed strange in every way.
"Since that's the case, then so be it. But I remember there's a hundred-year-old ginkgo tree in Xiangguo Temple. It's said to have been destroyed during a thousand-year-old thunderstorm. I wonder if it's survived this spring. I originally planned to leave the palace and come to Xiangguo Temple to see that hundred-year-old ginkgo tree, but unfortunately, I've been delayed by many things in the palace."
As she spoke, she took a small sip of her tea, then looked at Master Ciyuan with a half-smile.
Ciyuan lowered her eyelids, chuckled twice, and then said, "Your Majesty is concerned. That century-old ginkgo tree has sprouted again this year. If Your Majesty has time, you can go to Xiangguo Temple to take a look. Most century-old trees have a spirit."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang's eyes suddenly turned cold. He slammed his teacup down, and immediately a group of people rushed into the hall. Several people also descended from the beams like flying geese. They were clearly experts from the imperial palace. "Ciyuan" was startled and turned to look at Shen Mingzhuang. Shen Mingzhuang curled the corners of his mouth and ordered, "Take this fake for me."
"What Master Ciyuan, the abbot of Xiangguo Temple? You don't even know if there are any century-old ginkgo trees in Xiangguo Temple, yet you dare to call yourself Master Ciyuan. His Majesty said that the heart's blood is your exclusive secret technique, but you said it was obtained from ancient books. When I ask you questions, you stammer and can't answer clearly. Do you think I'm so easy to fool?"
As Shen Mingzhuang spoke, his anger was already rising.
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