Chapter 171

Panxiang Temple, Abbess Abbess Xiushan's Zen room.

Sister Miao Yu was chanting scriptures with beads in the Zen room; the afternoon sun shot in from the window lattice, drawing a ray of light where dust danced in the somewhat dim Zen room.

The bright sunlight shone on her, reflecting an unusual light; her face was soft and moist, her nose fine and straight, her lips containing cinnabar, her eyes closed, her black eyelashes curled, and she was as beautiful as Avalokitesvara.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps outside the door; she opened her eyes, and without looking, she knew it was the footsteps of her junior sister Jinghui.

These days, that person was trying every possible way to get close to Jinghui, and Jinghui was also getting closer and closer to him.

The Abbess didn't restrain her either, saying that this was Jinghui's fate; the birth and destruction of fate were all determined by heaven, letting her associate with that Jia man.

Sister Miao Yu sighed slightly and got up to go to Jinghui's room.

Entering the room, she found that the original simple and plain Zen room had completely changed.

On the incense table, besides Buddhist scriptures and wooden fish, there was also a misty green Ru kiln vase, in which a red plum blossom with a beautiful posture was inserted; abandoning sound and color in the Buddha gate, the red plum in the Zen room was somewhat eye-catching.

Sister Miao Yu frowned when she saw this; these were clothes and jewelry of secular girls; how could Jinghui, a person who had left the home, use these things?

It wasn't until her parents died five years ago that the family affection and gratitude in this world were cut off; only after that was it truly accompanying the blue lamp and ancient Buddha.

Beside the vase were two cute clay dolls from Huishan, and in the center of the incense table was an exquisite jewelry box containing hairpins and flowers used by girls.

Although Jinghui didn't use these things.

Contending with longing without restraint, a piece of ice heart reaches the beloved.

But after that, only she was left to accompany the Abbess; thinking of this, Sister Miao Yu felt somewhat lost; the Zhen'er cake that Jinghui stuffed into her mouth should have been sweet and crisp, but it tasted bland.

Jinghui blushed when she heard this.

Sister Miao Yu was sickly when she was young, and she had no choice but to join the nunnery to avoid disaster; at that time, her parents were still alive, and although she lived in the nunnery for a long time, her parents often came to see her, bringing many clothes and food every time.

It must be that the man bought these items and gave them to Jinghui, trying to please her every day, just wanting to stir up trouble and take her away.

Suddenly, she saw a piece of newly written calligraphy on the bedside table, with flowing brushwork, archaic and handsome characters, and a flying spirit—what an outstanding piece of calligraphy.

That man loved Jinghui so much; if the junior sister followed him, it might be a good place to go.

Once worried that too much affection would damage the Buddhist practice, entering the mountain again for fear of parting with the beauty.

But since it was placed so neatly, it could be seen that she was moved.

Entering the mountain to pay respects and seek old feelings, asking the master to explain the cause.

Jinghui's Zen room was almost becoming a girl's boudoir full of rouge and fragrance.

Sister Miao Yu asked curiously: "It looks like it just came out of the old shop in Le Yu Street; how can there be such a thing early in the morning?"

The Abbess didn't restrain her either, saying that this was Jinghui's fate; the birth and destruction of fate were all determined by heaven, letting her associate with that Jia man.

On the stool, there was a snow-blue satin embroidered long jacket, a white cotton embroidered plum and bamboo leaf horse-face skirt, and a pair of water-red embroidered shoes, all very exquisite and refined.

Among them were the Zhen'er cakes she loved to eat since she was a child, so although she had been a nun since she was a child, she still lived the life of a wealthy young lady without worries about food and clothing.

Jinghui saw Sister Miao Yu enter, opened an exquisite food box, and smiled: "Senior Sister, fresh Zhen'er cakes; do you want to taste them? Don't you like them too?"

How can there be a perfect method in the world that doesn't let down the Buddha or the beloved?

Last time Jia Cong saw that Jinghui could read poetry now, he wrote this poem and gave it to her, but this short poem had a lingering meaning, and Jinghui was embarrassed to hang it up, just taking it out to read from time to time.

Sister Miao Yu was in a trance, feeling that every word could strike the heartstrings.

She had a grudge against him because Jia Cong wanted to take Jinghui away; in fact, she was just drifting, with a heart full of obstacles, feeling lost.

The Abbess often said that the birth and destruction of fate are all determined by heaven, and as for her, her anger and obsession have not been exhausted, and her desire for emptiness has not been emptied.

But, heaven is not benevolent; where can there be any perfect method?

In the evening, when Jia Cong returned to his residence, he happened to meet Xing Xing Xiuyan, who lived in the courtyard opposite.

She was a year younger than Zhen Ying Lady Lian, and although her clothes were worn, she was pretty and had a natural, elegant, and pleasant air.

Jia Cong saw her holding a delicate pink silk hairpin flower and smiled: "This silk flower is really beautiful."

Xing Xing Xiuyan smiled: "I bought it from that peddler; he is a good person. I only had seven copper coins, and he was willing to sell it to me."

Jia Cong looked back and saw a peddler wearing a felt hat, carrying a pole and leaving, and his brow frowned slightly.

This kind of pink silk hairpin flower he had bought for Zhi Shao, which cost twenty copper coins each; how could the peddler sell it to Xing Xing Xiuyan for seven coins?

Jia Cong smiled: "This hairpin flower doesn't look cheap."

Xing Xing Xiuyan smiled: "Who says it isn't? Last time my mother and I saw it at a rouge shop in the south of the city, it cost twenty coins; speaking of which, it was thanks to Young Master Jia's good poem."

The Xing family was in dire straits, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to the Love Shenjing to rely on Lady Xing later.

Xing Xing Xiuyan, a young girl, couldn't afford such an expensive hairpin flower, but now she had obtained it inexplicably, which was a pleasant surprise.

Jia Cong was stunned: "What does this have to do with my poem?"

"Just now I was reading in the inner courtyard of the temple, and Zhen Ying Lady Lian was copying your 'River Red'; I was still reciting it when I came back, and I happened to meet that peddler."

"I originally wanted to look at his hairpin flowers, but he said the poem was good and asked me if I knew the person who wrote it, and he sold me this hairpin flower; I told him, so it was thanks to your poem being written well."

Jia Cong was shocked; a peddler also understood the elegance of poetry, and a twenty-coin hairpin flower was sold for seven coins—it was just that the little girl didn't know the depth of it, so she didn't realize it.

That day when he took Zhen Ying Lady Lian to Le Yu Street, he had noticed someone peeking at him; it was a man wearing a felt hat. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, he still recognized the somewhat familiar face, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it for a while.

After returning, he remembered that the day he went to the Zhuojiang Tower for the banquet, this person was sitting beside the Jin Ling Assistant Prefect of the Ministry of Rites, Minister Ruan Minister Ruan Hongcheng; at that time, he was dealing with Minister Ruan Minister Ruan Hongcheng's provocation, so he didn't pay much attention to this person.

After the banquet, Yang Yang Hongbin reminded him that this person was Cui Cui Bowang, an Experience Officer in the Jin Ling Guard, and his brother Cui Cui Boliang was Zou Zou Huaiyi's confidant battalion commander, who had been killed on the spot by him because he resisted arrest at the Zou mansion.

This Cui Cui Bowang had a blood feud with him, and Yang Yang Hongbin had reminded him to pay attention to him.

Now that he had arrived in Gusu, this person also appeared in Gusu; Jia Cong didn't think this was a coincidence.

The major case of the Water Surveillance Division in Jin Ling involved a wide range of people, and many were thrown into prison.

But there were also many who slipped through the net; some people received information through various channels in advance and fled in fear of crime, and the Pushu Academy and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were still searching and sweeping up in various prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River.

This night, Jia Cong was somewhat uneasy; the candle in the room burned for most of the night without going out, and before going to bed, he placed the curved sword he carried with him within reach.

It wasn't until the fifth watch was over and the candle in the room burned out that he was awakened.

Seeing the bamboo charcoal in the fire basin burned out and the room becoming cold, he got up to fill it with bamboo charcoal.

Then he heard a soft, slow sound of footsteps on the snow in the courtyard, which was so light that it was hard to notice even if one didn't listen carefully.

In the past, only Zhi Shao would come to the courtyard at this time, because she was used to getting up early, and many times she came to deliver bamboo charcoal at this time.