“You live here every day, it’s quite leisurely and carefree, isn’t it?”
Young nun: “Leisurely? Carefree?”
She looked at Ah Wu with an incredulous gaze:
“Our temple has strict rules. It’s a place for spiritual cultivation.”
Ah Wu: “Is that so? Isn’t Zhuangzi a Taoist? Didn’t he mention the land of carefree freedom and ease?”
The young nun looked at Ah Wu with confusion and bewilderment:
“Layperson, you——”
She really had no idea what this layperson was thinking, but she didn’t dare to say anything.
After all, this person was said to be the Crown Prince’s favored concubine and was ordained by the emperor’s decree.
She couldn’t afford to offend her.
So the young nun could only vaguely reply,
“It’s not quite like that.”
Ah Wu stepped over a step and casually asked, “So, how is it different?
The young nun:
“This layperson, our Yan Yang Temple is a place for spiritual cultivation, with many particularities, unlike ordinary Taoist temples.”
Ah Wu: “How so?”
The young nun began to explain, and Ah Wu took the opportunity to ask questions.
As she inquired, she gradually learned a bit about Yan Yang Temple.
It turns out that Yan Yang Temple has been the royal sacred Taoist venue since the Taihe years, responsible for the royal family’s blessing ceremonies, and enshrines the Emperor Yueming Gensheng, as well as the relics of the empresses through the generations.
Since the reign of the previous emperor, on major festivals such as the Emperor’s birthday, the Empress’s birthday, the New Year’s Day, and the Winter Solstice, it was led by the spirit official Song Lingguan of Yan Yang Temple.
Who would take the Taoist followers into the palace to recite scriptures and perform rituals for the inner court concubines, to extend the imperial longevity.
Speaking of this, the young nun’s face was full of longing:
“Our spirit official has several times entered the palace to recite scriptures for the Empress Dowager. The emperor issued an imperial decree, and the Ministry of Rites sent a notice. Our spirit official is of the eighth rank, and also the head of religious affairs!”
Ah Wu naturally didn’t understand what the young nun was saying, but she vaguely grasped:
“She is also an official of the court.”
The young nun nodded vigorously:
“Yes, besides our spirit official, there is also a deputy spirit official, who is of the ninth rank!”
Ah Wu: “That’s great, such a high-ranking official.”
The young nun agreed wholeheartedly:
“We endure here, hoping that one day our luck might turn!”
Ah Wu thought it indeed made sense, but she had no interest in it whatsoever.
If she were to become a nun here, she would probably have to worship those ferocious deities daily, which was truly intimidating.
It would be better to serve the Crown Prince, who at least was warm and could provide some pleasure, and also allowed one to enjoy good food and drink.
However, upon reflecting on the events of the previous day, she felt disheartened again.
It seemed unlikely that she could stay by the Crown Prince’s side.
Not only would the emperor never tolerate her, but she herself was unwilling to endure the Crown Princess’s displeasure and become a lowly concubine or a concubine.
As they were walking, they suddenly heard a scream from ahead, followed by what seemed to be the sound of swords and knives.
Ah Wu and the young nun were both startled.
They exchanged glances and quickly walked towards the main hall.
Upon arriving there, Ah Wu saw Song Lingguan.
She was panting and still recovering from her fright:
“Song Lingguan?”
Song Lingguan scrutinized Ah Wu, only to see her face flushed with a charming beauty, her forehead dotted with fine sweat, making her look even more alluring, like a dew-covered peony!
There was no trace of the demeanor of a Taoist in seclusion.
She said with disgust, “Who allowed you to come here?”
Ah Wu was puzzled.
She looked at the other nuns standing around and asked,
“Aren’t we supposed to perform the ordination ceremony today?”
Song Lingguan: “Layperson, please return to your room immediately.”
Ah Wu: “Why?”
Everyone was shocked that she dared to ask why.
In Yan Yang Temple, Song Lingguan’s rules were strict, and no one would dare to speak to her in such a manner.
Song Lingguan, looking at her stubborn expression, said coldly,
“This is Yan Yang Temple, a pure place of the Taoist door. It is not a place for you to act so freely!”
Ah Wu was particularly righteous:
“The emperor decreed that I should become a nun. How can you dare to defy the imperial order?”
Song Lingguan’s face turned ashen upon hearing this.
Another nun stepped forward and said,
“Who do you think you are? The emperor wants you to become a nun so that you can learn some discipline. You were from the Crown Prince’s mansion.”
“The emperor was displeased with you, which is why he ordered you to become a nun. Now you are acting so arrogant, thinking that having an imperial order means you can act like you have a mandate?”
Ah Wu immediately perked up upon hearing this.
She was good at arguing!
She immediately pointed at the other nun and said,
“What did you say? Having an imperial order means acting like I have a mandate?”
The nun said, “You are acting like you have a mandate!”
Ah Wu: “You dare to say that the emperor’s order is like a chicken feather?? The emperor’s order? A chicken feather? What crime is this?”
Everyone gasped.
Song Lingguan’s face also changed slightly, and she glared at the nun.
The nun, realizing what she had said, turned pale.
Ah Wu magnanimously said,
“Forget it, you said it, but I’ll let it go. We won’t report you. You may step down.”
The nun quickly retreated.
Ah Wu then said to Song Lingguan,
“Spirit Official Song, what exactly happened outside? Please do tell. After all——”
She smiled innocently,
“The emperor decreed that I should become a nun, but the Crown Prince insists on taking me back. I’m really worried. What if the Crown Prince, in a fit of anger for my sake, brings soldiers to surround this place? Tell me, how would you resolve this situation?”
Everyone was left speechless.
This “fit of anger”……………
She really had a lot of nerve!
Song Lingguan took a deep look at Ah Wu and finally endured it, explaining the situation outside.
It turned out that early this morning, the Crown Prince’s personal guards had come, determined to take Ah Wu back.
However, the Imperial Guards from the inner court arrived, bearing the emperor’s order, to stop the Crown Prince’s guards and ordered them to return to the mansion immediately to await further orders.
Song Lingguan said with a stern face and a cold voice,
“Layperson, you should just keep quiet.”
Ah Wu listened and realized that the situation outside had already been resolved?
She thought for a moment,
“Alright, I’ll keep quiet. So, when will we have the ceremony?”
Song Lingguan: “Tomorrow.”
That day, Ah Wu was taken back to the guest room.
She occasionally heard noises outside, seemingly the sounds of carriages and horses, which indicated unrest.
However, by evening, everything finally settled down.
Song Lingguan had once sent the deputy spirit official over, who conveyed a message to Ah Wu:
“The Crown Prince has returned and left a message for you.”
Ah Wu respectfully said,
“What message did he leave? Please tell me, Spirit Official.”
The deputy spirit official said,
“The Crown Prince said that he feels guilty towards you.”
After speaking, the deputy spirit official ordered someone to hand her a wooden box:
“This is what the Crown Prince asked us to give to you.”
Ah Wu stepped forward and took it, opening the box to see a collection of top-grade pearls inside.
Each pearl was as white as jade, round and lustrous, a rare treasure.
The surrounding nuns were all stunned and couldn’t tear their eyes away.
Ah Wu picked up one, held it in her hand, and examined it carefully, feeling somewhat emotional.
Once in bed, the Crown Prince had held her affectionately, reminiscing about the past.
She had mentioned how, as a child, she had seen her neighbors’ brothers go through great hardships to collect pearls, only to have to hand them over to the officials, with only a few left to sell for money to make a living.
She had once longed to have a fine pearl to make jewelry, but that was naturally a luxury for her.
At that time, it was just a casual remark.
After she mentioned it, the Crown Prince didn’t bring it up again, and she herself had forgotten about it.
She never expected that the Crown Prince would send her a whole box of pearls.
She sighed and accepted them.
She acknowledged the affection of her former lover.
That night, lying on the bed, Ah Wu couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
She thought about many things, such as the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, her past, and her future path.
This Yan Yang Temple was not a paradise at all; it was also under the control of the royal family.
If she stayed here for long, her life would probably not be easy.
She thought and thought, and decided that she had to leave, but she didn’t know how.
The emperor’s decree was there, and the Crown Prince couldn’t take her away, nor could anyone else in the world.
She sighed deeply, about to rest, when she faintly heard some noise.
It seemed that someone was tapping on the stone wall, a very light sound.
She was puzzled and listened carefully, but she couldn’t hear it again.
She immediately stopped thinking and lay down to rest again.
However, at that moment, the sound came again.
She knew that she was now in a precarious situation, and it was possible that someone wanted her life.
She didn’t dare to be careless.
She held her breath, tiptoed down from the bed, and carefully listened to the movements outside the wall.
After listening for a while, there was no movement outside.
She was puzzled and was about to go back.
But suddenly, she noticed that a stone brick on the wall seemed to be loose.
The person outside seemed to be trying to push that brick.
She was surprised and quickly covered it with her hand, questioning,
“Who are you, lurking here furtively?”
The person outside stopped moving and said,
“Lady Ah Wu?”
Ah Wu immediately realized:
“Sir Nie?”
Sure enough, it was Nie San outside.
He spoke in a very low voice,
“Lady Ah Wu, I apologize for the intrusion.”
Ah Wu: “Why have you come here?”
Nie San: “I wanted to say something to you.”
Ah Wu: “Men and women should not have physical contact.”
Nie San: “Lady Ah Wu, I——”
Ah Wu directly interrupted him:
” I’m about to become a nun. I need to follow the monastic rules. You are a man. Don’t you dare to tarnish my purity!”
Nie San: He spoke in an even deeper voice,
“Lady Ah Wu, I’ve heard some news that someone might harm you. I wanted to warn you.”
Ah Wu: “Harm me? Who?”
Nie San was somewhat embarrassed:
“I don’t know.”
Ah Wu: “……Then why did you come? Did you come to scare me, to let me know that someone might harm me, so that I can’t sleep or eat in peace?”
Nie San: “Lady Ah Wu……………”
He took a deep breath, suppressing his helplessness, and said,
“Nie San thought that if there’s a chance, he would like to protect Lady Ah Wu, to prevent her from being harmed by villains.”
Ah Wu: “Is that so? You’re so kind-hearted?”
Nie San: “Kind-hearted is not the word. Nie San just can’t bear to see you suffer misfortune.”
Ah Wu: “Why can’t you bear it? There are many beggars on the streets. Why don’t you sympathize with them?”
Nie San: Such a beautiful young lady, with such a bright and clear voice……
Who knew that Ah Wu suddenly softened her voice, smiling and saying,
“Just tell me straight, are you attracted to my beauty?”
Nie San felt as if his heart had been gently touched.
Ah Wu lowered her voice even more, smilingly saying,
“Tell the truth.”
The night was thick, the mountains and forests were quiet, separated by a wall, her voice was charming and alluring, like silk and honey.
Nie San, with his strong and long face, pursed his lips.
At this moment, he remembered the order he had received, as well as the young lady’s innocence and straightforwardness on the way.
Emotion and righteousness, kindness and virtue, all these were mixed together, leaving him in a dilemma.
Just at that moment, he heard the sound of footsteps in the distance.
He immediately lowered his voice and said,
“Someone is coming. Nie San will leave first. I will come to see you again in a few days.”
With that, he got up and left.
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