Chapter 91 The Wind Passes 2 Zhao Jingrong
Zhao Jingrong's room was identical to Fang Yan's, except for a faint aroma. Xun Shu glanced around and spotted a small incense burner in the corner. There was only ash in the burner, but no incense sticks, suggesting it must have burned out.
There didn't seem to be an incense burner in Fang Yan's room.
A corner of the bed curtains was lifted, and Zhao Jingrong poked her head out. Her face was thin, her lips pale, and a faint blush etched across her cheeks. She looked even more haggard than the last time Xun Shu had seen her on the street. She gently stroked her chest, coughing uncontrollably, her body trembling like a frail butterfly's wings. She looked up at the people outside and a look of surprise crossed her face. "Miss Xun, Mr. He, long time no see."
The small table beside the bed was pushed to the ground, and the teacup and teapot on it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. Tea was scattered all over the floor, with a few broken tea leaves scattered in it. The tea was of ordinary quality, completely different from what he had just tasted in Fang Yan's room.
Fang Yan stepped forward, helped Zhao Jingrong lie down, and pulled the quilt from the inside of the bed, carefully covering her with it, muttering, "Today I'll go to the broker to buy someone to take care of you. I should have taken your maid with me when I left Chaozhou."
Zhao Jingrong forced a smile. "Their families are all in Chaozhou. How could they leave with me, someone who might never return? I just slipped. I don't need anyone to take care of me. Don't waste your money."
Fang Yan sighed and said no more. He squatted down and picked up the large pieces of porcelain scattered on the ground, putting them aside to avoid accidentally hurting others.
Li Xuanhe watched Fang Yan's actions from the side and said with a smile, "Since you have come to the capital, I should do my best to be a good host. I will send someone over to take care of Miss Zhao Er in a while."
Zhao Jingrong was pleasantly surprised, but Fang Yan smiled and shook his head: "Why bother you, Brother Li? We—"
Li Xuanhe interrupted him, "Second Miss Zhao is a woman after all, and now she's ill. How can Brother Fang stay by her side all the time? Brother Fang, please don't refuse. The maids in the Princess's Mansion are all very good at taking care of people. They will definitely take good care of Second Miss Zhao."
Fang Yan hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing, "Then I'll trouble you, Brother Li."
Xun Shu and Zhao Jingrong hadn't met in Chaozhou, having only met a few times at Zhao's residence, never even speaking. Perhaps because they were both in a foreign land, Xun Shu felt a special warmth towards Zhao Jingrong. She sat down beside Zhao Jingrong's bed, carefully studying her expression. She then took her hand, which was clenched into a fist on the quilt, and pried it open for a closer look.
Her hands felt cold, but she was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and her body was extremely weak.
This gesture was a bit offensive, but Zhao Jingrong didn't mind it. She said softly, "I've heard that Miss Xun is very accurate in fortune-telling. Today I finally have the opportunity to see it for myself. Miss Xun, take a look. Can I still see snow this year?"
Xun Shu stared at the chaotic lines on her palm, his face darkening. After a moment of silence, he said cautiously, "What's so good about snow? The weather has been nice these past few days, and the moon is full at night. Miss Zhao Er can go out and take a look. It will help relieve some of the tension."
Zhao Jingrong sighed, pulled her hand away, and said softly, "It's a cool night. I'm in this state, so I'd better not cause trouble for others."
The doors and windows of the room were tightly shut, and the air was thick with oppression. Xun Shu began to feel sleepy after a while, not to mention Zhao Jingrong, who was still ill. Her spirits were waning, and she leaned against the pillow, forcing her eyes open, as if she had exhausted all her strength.
Seeing her like this, Xun Shu and Li Xuanhe felt it was inconvenient to stay any longer, so they found an excuse to leave. When Fang Yan and Li Xuanhe had already left the room and were standing outside, Zhao Jingrong suddenly called out to Xun Shu, who was the last one to leave the room, "Miss Xun."
Xun Shu stopped and looked back at her.
Wrapped in the quilt, Zhao Jingrong looked even thinner. She looked at Xun Shu and forced a smile. "Miss Xun, if you have time, could you come here to find me and talk to me? I can't leave my room in my current state. It's very boring to stay in bed all day. I would be very happy if you could come. I have a lot to say to you."
Xun Shu was stunned, but didn't think much about it and nodded in agreement.
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After leaving the inn, Li Xuanhe planned to take Xun Shu to the market to buy some clothes and hairpins. Chi Xiao had been waiting by the carriage. Seeing them appear, he stepped forward, handed Li Xuanhe a small note, and said, "Lord Qin is waiting for you at the Dali Temple. Please go there as soon as possible."
Li Xuanhe paused, glanced at the contents of the note, and then looked at Xun Shu with a look of apology in his eyes: "Sorry, Ah Shu, I have to go back to the Dali Temple now. I'll ask someone to pick up Ah Shui, and I'll take you for a walk on the street and buy you something you like, okay?"
Xun Shu didn't like shopping, and she didn't need clothes or jewelry. She just wanted to stay with Li Xuanhe and walk around. Hearing this, she felt not only regret but also fatigue. She shook her head and said in a muffled voice, "You go ahead and do your work. I want to go back and rest."
Li Xuanhe looked at her intently, wanting to accompany her for a while longer and offer her some more words of comfort. However, when the words reached his lips, he felt that these empty words were too hypocritical and vague, and he couldn't say them. He sighed and said softly, "Ah Shu, take a good rest. After the Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Qi is over, I won't be so busy anymore. Then I will take you to visit every street and alley in the capital." Xun Shu glanced at him without saying a word, and silently climbed onto the carriage. It was not until the carriage drove away from the west of the city that the breeze blew in through the window, blowing away the mixed smell in the carriage, and the gloom in his heart finally dissipated a little.
"I'd be a fool to trust you again."
She muttered to herself, but her voice melted into the sound of the wheels and no one heard it.
After that day, Li Xuanhe became busy again, and he was often not seen for several days. When they met occasionally, it was always Li Xuanhe going to the princess's residence and coming and going in a hurry.
Xun Shu didn't know where he was or what he was busy with, so he could only wait for him in the square courtyard, waiting for the unscheduled meeting.
It was also at this time that Xun Shu suddenly realized that she did not understand Li Xuanhe.
She once thought that after spending more than half a year with him day and night, she knew him well enough, but now she realized that all she knew was only a small part of him, and even that was the part he wanted her to know.
She had once asked him what he was busy with, and he had only vaguely replied that it was related to the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Qi. She had no idea how this could possibly be connected to the Dali Temple. Could it be that he had anticipated a murder and was making precautionary arrangements? But since he was unwilling to speak, she didn't ask any more questions.
At the end of July, the weather gradually turned cooler.
Back in Chaozhou, Xun Shu loved staying in the coffin shop, but now she couldn't even find a place to rest. She forced herself to keep busy, investigating not only Jiang Zheng's case but also the case of the Hall of Eternal Life. When she had some free time, she wouldn't sit idle at home waiting for someone. Instead, she would go to the market, armed with a bamboo pole and rags, to set up a stall and tell fortunes.
Generally speaking, Xun Shu is very busy, but all his busyness is like the moon in the mirror and the flowers in the water. They look beautiful, but when you touch them lightly, you will find that they are all illusions.
Not much useful information was found about Changsheng Palace and Jiang Zheng, and I didn't make a single penny from setting up a stall.
She seemed to have started a new round of escape, using busyness to cover up her anxiety.
She missed Jiang Zheng and the coffin shop more and more.
On the first day of August, the weather was crisp and clear. Xun Shu left early in the morning, taking Ah Shui and Yu Chang with him, intending to visit the shrine of Changsheng Palace on the outskirts of the city.
The shrine was located halfway up a mountain on the outskirts of the city. It had three large courtyards, front and back, and two side courtyards on the east and west sides. It was much more impressive than the shrine in Ningyuan Village. Xun Shu had been there a while ago and learned a lot about the Hall of Eternal Life.
For example, unlike the Sitian Pavilion, which has existed for a thousand years, the Changsheng Hall was built only a hundred years ago. The young Taoist priest in the shrine said that the Sitian Pavilion and the Changsheng Hall are from the same clan. A hundred years ago, a disciple of the Sitian Pavilion came down from the mountain and founded the Changsheng Hall, which has grown and expanded step by step since then.
For example, over a decade ago, while seeking the path to immortality, His Majesty stumbled upon Chi Yangzi, the head of the Hall of Eternal Life. They instantly struck up a friendship. A few years ago, after His Majesty ascended the throne, he appointed Chi Yangzi the Imperial Preceptor. Since then, the Hall of Eternal Life has rapidly grown in every prefecture and county of Daliang, gradually surpassing the Sitian Pavilion in prestige. Most of Daliang's citizens have become devotees of the Hall of Eternal Life. Larger cities have also rushed to establish shrines dedicated to the Hall of Eternal Life.
When she came that time, Xun Shu was unable to tour the entire temple inside and out. After she returned, she regretted it very much. She was always worried that Jiang Zheng was imprisoned in a corner she had never been to, so she decided to go again today.
The shrine in the capital city is always full of incense no matter when you come. People kneel down devoutly and chant something. The shrine is filled with smoke and it looks like a fire from a distance.
The courtyard lacked trees, lacking both vitality and freshness. The last time she came, Xun Shubian sensed a strange aura here. She had advised several frail people not to offer sacrifices there, fearing it would bring disaster and serious illness. But they looked at her like a lunatic, cursing and walking away, as if she were a plague and afraid to get even a speck of it.
It was precisely because of this that Xun Shu was unable to tour the entire temple last time.
Xun Shu looked at the crowd in front of him and inexplicably thought of the small Taoist temple at the foot of Sitian Pavilion Mountain.
The Sitian Pavilion did not require offerings from the common people, so it never had a Taoist temple or shrine. A hundred years ago, the location of the Sitian Pavilion accidentally became known to the world. Someone then found a large stone at the foot of the mountain and used it as a statue of the Sitian Pavilion. From time to time, they would place fruits and vegetables on the stone and then insert incense sticks into the soil in front of the stone, using the heaven and earth as a furnace, burning incense to seek the gods' protection.
Afterwards, the then head of the Sitian Pavilion knelt in front of the statue of his ancestor for several days and decided to build the first Sitian Pavilion at the foot of the mountain.
The temple was small, consisting of a single room, which enclosed the large stone. In front of the stone stood a table, upon which sat a single incense burner, for the common people to burn incense. Worshippers left their offerings inside the room, which the Sitian Pavilion would regularly clear. If the food was still edible, it would remain in the small temple, awaiting the arrival of a destined person who needed it. If it was rotten, it would be taken to the mountains and buried, returned to heaven and earth.
Sadly, the Sitian Pavilion had long since declined. For as long as she could remember, the small Taoist temple nestled deep in the mountains had been deserted. Even so, every few years, her master would take her and her fellow practitioners to repair the temple's roof. She once asked her master why, since no one came, he wouldn't just let it fall. But her master said that even if no one came, it would still be a good thing if it could provide some shelter from the rainy weather for the mountain creatures.
After Master left, the Sitian Pavilion also disbanded. The last time I went back to the mountains, I forgot to check on the small Taoist temple. I wonder if the roof is leaking now? Are there still creatures taking shelter in it?
Seeing Xun Shu staring at the eaves for a long time without moving, Ah Shui beside her asked worriedly: "Miss, are you in any trouble?"
Xun Shuru woke up from his dream and said with a smile, "Look at those tiles, they are very beautiful and look very expensive."
Ah Shui followed her gaze for a few seconds and nodded, "Indeed, they look even more beautiful than the tiles in the princess's mansion."
Xun Shu retracted his gaze and said softly, "Let's go."
She took Ah Shui and walked around the temple inside and out, but found nothing. When she was about to leave, she met Fang Yan at the door.
He came alone today, with empty hands and without any offerings, as if he was planning to use his "zhihuzheya" to persuade the gods to bestow blessings.
Xun Shu hadn't expected to run into him here. He waved at him, and after approaching, they exchanged a few pleasantries. Xun Shu lowered his voice and kindly warned, "The aura in this place isn't right. I'm afraid there are evil spirits. If Brother Fang wants to find a place to pray for the gods to bless Miss Zhao Er, you should go to a Taoist temple or a Buddhist temple. After all, we are all celestial beings, and we can help people realize their wishes. There's no difference between Buddha and gods."
Fang Yan's face was solemn, without the slightest smile: "Ah Shu, there are too many people here, let's talk somewhere else."
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