After passing through a grove of trees and climbing up the mountain, you will see the Wanfo Temple hidden among the trees.
Upon arriving at Wanfo Temple, the abbot arranged for the group to stay and prepared for the blessing ceremony the following day.
Looking at the kind-faced abbot of Wanfo Temple, Yun Duoduo felt a little guilty.
After all, she used the abbot's name at Wanfo Temple to write a letter to prevent her brother from getting married, and the abbot of Wanfo Temple was completely unaware of this.
"This way, please, benefactor."
The abbot, dressed in a kasaya and wearing prayer beads around his neck, spoke in a kind tone.
Let's go.
Yun Duoduo turned around and looked at the people behind her, and suddenly met Yun Yiqiu's gaze.
She always felt that when her elder brother looked at her, he seemed to be recalling something, as if he saw the shadow of someone else in her. Moreover, there was always a faint sadness in his gaze.
Yun Duoduo shuddered. She wasn't about to die, so why were Consort Li and Yun Yiqiu's people looking at her as if she were someone who was about to pass away?!
Could it be that he saw the shadow of his deceased imperial sister in her?
Yun Duoduo couldn't help but shiver and unconsciously looked down at the ground.
Thankfully, my shadow is still there under the sun.
...
On Chang'an Street in the capital, at the Jinxiu Silk Shop, Liao Ziwan led her men to deliver the first batch of goods.
Yun Yishu and Shi Tou waited at Jixi Pavilion for most of the day, but still received no news, so they returned to Jinxiu Silk Shop.
Upon arriving at the silk shop, they found the manager busy attending to customers.
The manager of the silk shop, dressed in a dark green robe, came out to greet Yun Yishu and his companion as they stood at the door. "Master, you've arrived! Please come in."
"Has Ziwan not returned yet?"
Yun Yishu looked around but did not see Liao Ziwan.
"They're not back yet."
Yun Yishu and Shi Tou walked to the table in the inner room, sat down, ate melon seeds, drank tea, and waited for the others who had gone to the palace to return.
"Boss, nothing can go wrong, right? They should be back by now, shouldn't they?"
The manager of the silk shop asked with some concern.
"Perhaps he's been held up by something. He should be back soon. Don't worry, just wait a little longer."
Yun Yishu comforted him, knowing that the procedures for inspecting goods in the palace were extremely complicated.
If he had known, he would have gone back to the palace. Although he couldn't show his face, he could still have found out some information.
After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yun Yishu and Shi Tou heard shouts outside the door and quickly ran to the door.
"Come quick and help!"
Liao Ziwan's voice came from the doorway.
"Boss, Stone, you're here too!" Liao Ziwan said happily, "It's done!"
"Oh, that's great! Come on, let's go inside."
"Why did you take so long? What happened?"
“We waited at the palace gate for quite a while. Later, we gave the guards and the eunuchs in charge some silver before they let us in.”
"After bringing the clothes to the Imperial Clothing Bureau, I slipped some silver to Manager Liu. Only after the clothes were counted and confirmed to be in good condition was the matter considered closed."
Liao Ziwan took a sip of tea.
"Later, we waited there for a long time."
"Where's the gold? Was the gold given?"
Yun Yishu looked around but didn't see the large box containing the gold. He asked anxiously, as this was his biggest concern.
"It's right here!"
Liao Ziwan pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from her bosom. "The manager of the Imperial Clothing Bureau said that if we were given official silver, it would be difficult to take and difficult to spend among the common people. So, they gave us these silver notes with a smaller value."
"She's really understanding."
The group chatted and laughed, quite pleased with what had happened that day.
"Tomorrow morning, I will deliver the silver notes that each household is entitled to to Wen's Cloth Shop, Pei's Cloth Shop, and several other partner shops." "Then I will tell the shopkeepers that we will be having a banquet at Pinxiangzhai tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), and everyone must come," Yun Yishu added.
"Yes, boss."
Liao Ziwan smiled and nodded.
...
Inside the Wanfo Temple, nestled among the trees, hundreds of monks chant sutras while striking wooden fish drums.
Yun Duoduo, Consort Wan, Consort Li, Yun Yiqiu, and others knelt on the ground, holding prayer beads in their hands.
The abbot chanted incantations, and the crowd followed his example, kneeling and worshipping before the golden Buddha.
The golden Buddha statue gleamed, and the offerings on the table in front of it were all placed there today.
The entire ceremony lasted for nearly three hours.
Everyone knelt on the ground. Consort Li fainted after kneeling for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Yun Yiqiu also got up and left to take care of his mother.
Although Consort Wan and Consort Meng were swaying from kneeling, they still persevered.
After the blessing ceremony was completed, Yun Duoduo returned to her room, rubbing her aching knees and shoulders.
"Aunt Xiang, this is too tiring."
Yun Duoduo's legs ached from kneeling, and she didn't even have the strength to lift her leg to step over the threshold. Several little monks had to support her to get out.
"In a moment, this servant will massage the princess's legs."
In the evening, Yun Duoduo received a secret message from Yun Yishu.
The letter indicated that the first batch of goods from Jinxiu Silk Company had been delivered to the palace on time, and they had received the first payment.
I thought the palace would pay for the goods together.
Unexpectedly, it was a cash-on-delivery transaction; hmm, not bad at all.
Since there are no major problems outside, it means that her strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain was quite effective.
I wonder if my third brother has found out who was behind the Wen family's cloth business.
It seems we can set off back to the capital now. By the time we arrive at the palace, my third brother will have already taken care of everything.
...
After confirming that there were no problems with the silk business, Yun Yishu returned to the palace.
His men investigated and then came to inform him.
After handing a letter to Yun Yishu, the man bowed his head and left.
Yun Yishu opened the letter, looked at the words on it, and fell into deep thought.
Consort Wan's maternal family was the Cheng family from the Yuzhang area. Her ancestors were a scholarly family, and for generations they had served as officials and run private schools.
Such a person probably lacks both the inclination and the ability to do such a thing.
Meng Gui's family practiced medicine. When she was selected as a concubine to enter the palace, it was recommended by a capable imperial physician close to the Empress Dowager that gave her the opportunity to enter the palace.
Consort Meng suffered a traumatic experience in her early years, and she was always in a daze. Of course, it's possible that this was just an act.
Consort Li's maternal family was the Yao clan of Jiangning. Her ancestors had been merchants, but the family later fell into decline. Her father used all of the family's wealth to donate and obtain a minor official position.
【Lebi...】
[From this perspective, Consort Li does seem to have the ability.]
Yun Yishu continued reading the text below the letter.
The eunuch who was missing from Linhua Palace, the one with the oleander tattoo on his shoulder, was the eunuch who served in Linhua Palace.
[Linhua Palace, Linhua Palace is Consort Li's sleeping quarters.]
[It turns out, it was Consort Li who was behind it all!]
"Stone."
"Did you deliver the letter I asked you to to my younger sister?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
