In the seventh year of Xiping in Nanqi, in late spring, everything revived.
After more than half a month of continuous rain, the weather finally cleared up. The Canaan Mountains in the southeastern outskirts of Nanqi were full of vegetation, birds were singing and flowers were fragrant, and it looked like spring and bright scenery. The driveway into the mountains collapsed in many places after a heavy rainstorm, and the carriages and horses were still there.
It is impassable, but it cannot stop the devout pilgrims who come here to visit it.
In the procession of offering incense, a girl in red stood out.
Her pace was sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and sometimes she stopped and looked around, without any structure, which added a sense of liveliness and liveliness to the rugged mountain road.
The spring sunshine shines down through the shade of the trees, shining on her red-blond hairpin with rubies in her hair and her red skirt embroidered with golden lotus flowers, reflecting the dazzling light, and her beautiful and delicate face is also reflected.
It gradually became clear, but there was a touch of ridicule and impatience that was different from other pilgrims.
For her, if there is anything more boring in the world than being a coquettish girl locked up in a boudoir, it would be to go to a Buddhist temple to offer incense or to a Taoist temple for spiritual practice.
The maid in green clothes who was following her noticed her gradually deteriorating mood, pretended to help her, and whispered comforting words: "Young lady has always been tenacious, please be patient a little longer. When we get to Huguo Temple, I will definitely make you a bowl of cool food."
Eat turtle jelly."
The girl in red glanced at her, and couldn't help but think of the word "looking at plum blossoms to quench thirst" in her mind. She suddenly felt a fire in her heart, so she glanced at her and said dullly: "Yunxi, Yunxi, if you are willing to deceive yourself, forget it."
, don’t think I’m more stupid than you. How many times have you said this since you entered the mountain? After walking for so long, I didn’t even see the gate of Huguo Temple! Don’t think that a bowl of turtle paste is
You can fool me."
"Then...two bowls?" The maid named Yunxi opened her eyes wide in shock. She thought for a while and looked around. There was no one else within two meters in front and back except the two of them, and then she quietly stretched out her hands.
The two fingers that came out turned into three. She lowered her voice and asked tentatively: "How about...three bowls?" Probably because she was afraid that the other party would regret it, she quickly emphasized, "Three bowls is the limit, no more. This
Although Guiling Gao is nourishing, eating too much is not good, so girls should not be greedy."
"..."
The girl in red was so angry that she couldn't laugh or cry, and rolled her eyes: "Am I being too young?"
Yun Xi looked confused: "Does the girl want to eat something else?"
Then he looked like he was thinking seriously.
"You..." The girl in red was angry, feeling that it was boring to argue with Yun Xi anymore. Then she took a deep breath, tried her best to suppress the unhappiness in her heart, and said with great sadness: "If I had known that this place would be so boring, I would
It's better to be grounded in the house."
Yun Xi couldn't help but frown in embarrassment: "Young lady is talking nonsense again. How can anyone think about being grounded every day in this beautiful spring?"
The girl in red ignored her and continued walking forward with a dark face.
Yunxi smiled coquettishly and said flatteringly: "Huguo Temple is the first Buddhist temple in my dynasty. It has great incense and unique scenery. Today, I just happened to encounter a landslide in the driveway, so I wronged the girl and had to walk up the mountain. The most important thing in worshiping Buddha is sincerity.
, The more sincere your heart is, the more favored the Buddha will be. The girl just needs to be patient a little longer. After this experience, the ban will be lifted, and it will be easier for you to go wherever you want." As she said that, she came closer and reminded in a low voice, "
The princess is watching from behind."
Hearing this, the girl in red suddenly stopped, turned to look at the woman in Chinese clothes who was slowly walking forward not far behind, surrounded by several maids and guards, and sighed silently.
That woman was the "princess" that Yun Xi kept secret, and she was also her mother, the mistress of the Nan Qiyue Duke's Mansion, and the princess of Xuanhe who was personally named by the late emperor.
Princess Xuanhe was born in Prince Gong's palace. Her real name was Zhong Yuqing. She was the only daughter of the late old Prince Gong Zhong Jing and the sister of Prince Gong Zhong Zan. Zhong Yuqing was dignified in appearance and extraordinary in bearing. She was well-known in the capital when she was young. Although she is now over forty,
However, her beauty remains undiminished, and her every move and gesture is filled with the composure and grandeur that have accumulated over time. She is gentle and dignified, but also has a bit of sharpness and open-mindedness that has experienced many battles. After having come so far, most people of her age have
Already out of breath, she was the only one with a calm face and a calm demeanor, as if she was strolling through her back garden.
But for such a dignified and considerate person at all times, he has been worried and unsmiling for some reason in the past month. He even insisted on taking a group of people over the mountains and ridges to offer incense regardless of the bad weather. It is really unbelievable.
Thinking of this, the girl in red squinted her eyes and looked forward. The terrain of Canaan Mountain was steep. There were many figures on the stone steps leading into the mountain, like a long dragon. It was difficult to see the head and tail hidden in the towering trees. The tall and majestic Huguo Temple was hidden in the dense forest.
In the jungle, it seems that it is close at hand, but yet out of reach.
Everyone in the world said that the gods and Buddhas were wise and their destiny was determined by fate, but she felt that these false words were unbelievable. Everyone's destiny should be firmly in their own hands, so that their life would not be in vain.
"My mother just believes in this too much. If she could understand that there are no gods and Buddhas in the world, and that man can conquer heaven, she wouldn't be so melancholy and worried about gains and losses." When the girl in red said this, she couldn't help but think of some past events, and sighed again, her childish face
It revealed a transparency that was inappropriate for his age, "Instead of praying to gods and Buddhas and placing your hopes in useless places, it is better to pray for yourself."
"You can keep your voice down," Yun Xi reminded again.
As a personal maid, Yun Xi knew her girl's temperament best - she just wanted to vent her emotions outright, but she was still very disciplined and concerned about the overall situation. So she listened to the complaints along the way and patiently appeased her.
Along the way, she was afraid that Zhong Yuqing would see the clues. However, after hearing the words of the girl in red, she couldn't help but snicker and joked: "The princess has always paid homage to Buddha. If I heard what you said, I'm afraid she would
Passed out from anger."
"What are you afraid of?" the girl in red said seriously, "I, Xia Houshu, dare to take whatever I say."
Yun Xi believed the latter sentence, because Xia Houshu was born in the noble Xiahou family of Nanqi. She was a truly wealthy and noble woman, and she was inevitably arrogant and fearless when things happened.
The family of Xiahou Zhongming Dingshi has always produced numerous talents and was highly regarded by the imperial court. They have made great contributions to the stability and prosperity of Nanqi, and they can be said to be full of heroes.
Xiahou Guang, the ancestor of the Xiahou family, was the founding hero of Nanqi. He was a hereditary first-class Duke of Yue. He was entitled to enjoy the imperial temple after his death and was honored for generations. The current head of the family, Xiahou Yuan, was courageous, brave and good at fighting. He was a loyal minister of the current imperial court. He was ordered to command the western suburbs of Chiyu Army.
The affairs of the camp have always been prestigious. As the apple of Xia Houyuan and Princess Xuanhe's eye, Xia Houshu is like the proud daughter of heaven. She never looks for trouble, and troubles don't come to her. She rarely has any troubles to settle.
Therefore, I am not interested in praying to gods or worshiping Buddha, and I am even less interested in appreciating the elegance and solemnity of this Buddhist pure land.
But Yunxi is different. She is just a little maid. Her life and death, her honor and disgrace all depend on her daily words and deeds and her master's thoughts. Now in front of her mistress, she must not let Xia Houshu lose everyone with his nonsense.
She must have the demeanor and grace of a lady, otherwise not only the master will be shameless, but her maidservant will also suffer.
Seeing Xia Houshu's unconvinced expression, she couldn't help but look worried, and said half-coaxingly, half-cheating: "I know you are not afraid of anything, but you have also seen that the princess has been in a bad mood recently, and her complexion is not good either.
, you should be filial to your mother, and stop tossing it."
Xia Houshu looked at Yun Xi, thinking about the dilemma she was in between him and his mother as a maid, and thinking about his mother's recent state. He curled his lips and said no more, turned around and walked forward.
But after a few steps, she added: "Speaking of which, my mother's recent behavior is indeed a bit abnormal. She knows that I have no interest in worshiping Buddha and offering incense, but she still wants to bring me here to offer incense. And although this Huguo Temple is well-known,
There is only one driveway up the mountain, a mountain road. When we were at the foot of the mountain, we heard someone say that the driveway up the mountain had collapsed and that the mountain road was rugged and dangerous. They also advised us not to force our way up the mountain. But my mother refused to listen to any advice.
He even insisted on going up the mountain regardless of everyone's safety. I thought about it, but I couldn't figure out why. This is so strange!"
Yunxi also vaguely realized that this trip was not that simple, but she couldn't figure out the reason, so she simply didn't delve into it in depth. However, since Xia Houshu asked, she couldn't pretend not to hear, so she had to guess based on intuition.
: "Maybe the eldest son's birthday is coming soon, and the princess feels sad, so she came to Huguo Temple in advance to pray for blessings."
Xia Houshu was stunned when he heard this and stopped at his feet.
Yes, how could she forget such an important day?
She turned to look at Zhong Yuqing. Over the years, although her mother held on to her dignity and tried her best to let go, she still became more and more haggard every year. On the contrary, she, as a daughter and sister, was so careless that she almost forgot
The sixth day of April is my eldest brother’s birthday.
Counting the days, there are only a few days left.
But when she thought of her eldest brother, whom she had never met a few times and was like the pride of heaven, she felt a bitterness in her heart, and she couldn't even breathe happily.
Xia Houshu has two elder brothers. The eldest brother Xia Houqi has been extremely talented since he was a child. He is good at strategy and martial arts. He is an expert at dancing with a spear. He followed his father in the military camp to hone his skills at a young age.
When the late emperor was still alive, he once praised him as a rare young general, so he paid special attention to him and often announced that he would join the palace to study and practice martial arts with other princes. His second brother, Xia Houyi, was handsome, intelligent, and well-known in the capital.
The beautiful young master, with his noble birth and handsome face, has won the hearts of countless women in the capital. However, he has passed through the flowers without a leaf touching his body, making those women who are obsessed with him seem to be living in a dream.
In the eyes of outsiders, the Duke of Yue was favored by the saints, rich and powerful, and his descendants were all outstanding. Looking at the whole circle of nobles in the capital, it was considered to be very complete.
However, just like everything in the world must follow the law of conservation of mass, the full moon will be waning, and the wisdom will be damaged.
Seventeen years ago, the 17-year-old Xia Houchi went to Beiyuan Kingdom with his father. It was his third time on the battlefield. He was full of ambition and high spirits, but unfortunately he was ambushed by the enemy and was brutally killed without any bones. From then on, he was given to this
The Jiangmen family has been cast into a gloomy cloud.
To this day, people still feel sad every time they mention that painful past.
Xia Houshu slowly brought his thoughts back to reality from that sad memory, sighed secretly, and told Yun Xi with a side face: "When you go back, prepare a pen and paper for me, and I will fry a copy of the Amitabha Sutra myself, and wait.
When the eldest brother became jealous, he burned them all."
Yun Xi looked surprised. It took him a while to react and said, "Didn't the girl say she doesn't believe in gods and Buddhas?"
Xia Houshu raised his eyes and looked at the looming corner of the temple in the distance, and murmured: "Although I don't believe it, if it can help my eldest brother rest in peace, I am willing to do it." This chapter has been completed!