In the early morning, the bluestone road that had rained was wet and cold, with withered yellow leaves covering it. When the carriage wheels ran over it, two shallow ruts were left behind.
A palace carriage stopped outside the gate of the General's Palace in Xingningfang. When Mingluo stepped out of the carriage, a maid carefully supported her arm: "The road is slippery after the rain, so be careful where you step."
Mingluo walked into the Chang Mansion with his maid and two eunuchs without comment.
At this time, Chang Sui Ning Shang was in the martial arts field. He heard a servant coming to deliver a message. When he learned that Min Luo had come to the house, he couldn't help but ask: "Did you tell me why you came here?"
"I only said that I came here based on the sage's instructions, and I didn't elaborate on the rest." The servant said, "Steward Bai is already in the front hall at this time, and I specifically asked the villain to invite the girl over."
After all, the only girl in the house now is the head of the family.
Chang Suining nodded and threw the bow in his hand to A Che: "I'll go back and change first."
The servant nodded hurriedly and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that the girl would be too casual and just wear this robe and muddy boots.
In the front hall, after waiting for more than a quarter of an hour, Chang Sui Ning was not seen. The maid beside Min Luo frowned slightly: "Why is the lady of your house not here for so long? Is Mrs. Chang so negligent in treating the sage's words?"
She still remembered the last time Mingluo lost control of her emotions in the carriage. The maid knew that her daughter, Shi Ning, was not happy to see Chang Sui Ning, so she wanted to find an excuse to blame him.
"This aunt doesn't know something. My daughter has the habit of practicing martial arts every morning. Normally, people are in the martial arts field at this time... Now I heard a saint's words, so I probably threw away my swords and guns in a hurry.
For fear of being rude, I was busy going back to change my clothes." Manager Bai explained.
The maid looked strange for a while. Who was the old man calling his aunt when he was about to be buried?
Steward Bai smiled warmly - I heard that when you meet the female envoys coming out of the palace, it's always right to call them aunt. Isn't it strange that there are so many people?
"Don't be rude." Mingluo scolded the maid: "We paid a surprise visit first, just wait patiently."
"Yes..." The maid lowered her head anxiously.
At this time, Mingluo saw a figure appearing at the hall door in her peripheral vision. She turned around and saw Chang Suining walking in.
The visitor walked into the hall and raised his hand to her: "Mingnu Shi has been waiting for a long time."
Mingluo looked at the girl and saw that there was no strange expression on her face, as if the verbal conflict between the two of them in the carriage that day had not happened.
Mingluo also smiled slightly: "Today, according to the instructions of the saint, I have come to invite Mrs. Chang and Mr. Chang to go to Dayun Temple to pray for General Chang and the rebellious generals."
Pray? Go to Dayun Temple?
Chang Sui Ning's face remained unchanged, but he was already thinking about it subconsciously.
He said: "Unfortunately, my brother was admitted to the Xuance Army not long ago. He is currently training in the Xuance Army Camp and will not be back until two days later."
Xuance's military camp is nearly a hundred miles away from the capital. Even if we want to call people back, it will be tomorrow at the earliest.
Mingluo: "In that case, I will temporarily ask Madam Chang to accompany me to Dayun Temple."
When Chang Sui Ning heard this, a trace of doubt arose in his heart, and he seemed to ask casually: "I wonder how long it will take to get back here?"
Mingluo said slowly: "The saint needs to pray at Dayun Temple for three days."
Three days...
Chang Suining nodded: "In this case, Shi, a working woman, will sit here for a while and let me go back to prepare something."
Since you are going to stay in the temple for three days, you should always prepare clothes and daily necessities.
Mingluo nodded and watched Chang Suining leave the front hall.
On the way back to the hospital, Chang Suining had already thought about it quickly.
It was reasonable to call her, a daughter, to pray for her father who was fighting abroad. She might not have thought much about it before, but recently...
Recently, she always thought of Cui Jing's tone and demeanor when she mentioned the name "Returning Date" when she went to Xuance Mansion to see Lihuo.
Then, she repeatedly thought of the eyes of Master Tianjing staring at her during the Mid-Autumn Festival Flower Banquet, and the extremely strong feeling of being watched and penetrated that she felt at that time...
These two things gave rise to a guess in her mind.
Regarding her rebirth, it was so unbelievable that she had always classified it as "unimaginable by ordinary people". She once thought that if she had not experienced it personally, if a "reborn person" appeared next to her, even if she noticed
No, I would probably only think that the other party is possessed by some evil spirit or is pretending to be a ghost, and it is impossible to think of resurrecting the soul easily...
But the feeling that Cui Jing and the Tianjing Imperial Master gave her made her gradually feel like she had been seen through, or was about to be seen through.
But if it is said that Master Tianjing saw something from her face, then what is the basis for Cui Jing's suspicion?
Is there something "something" that she doesn't know exists somewhere that she can't see?
She felt as if she had walked into a fog, and Ming Hou's sudden summons was like a big hand pushing her deeper into the fog.
Her intuition told her that this trip to Dayun Temple might not be that simple after all.
But she had to go - Empress Ming sent Mingluo to come here in person, leaving no room for her to refuse.
His Majesty, the Emperor, acted like this before, and after becoming the Emperor, it was obviously even worse.
While Xi'er was busy packing her clothes, Chang Suining came to the dressing table, picked up an enamel bracelet and put it on her wrist.
This seemingly ordinary bracelet is actually hollow inside, with a sharp blade hidden inside. When necessary, it can be rotated to use it as a weapon to defeat the enemy.
Chang Sui Ning accidentally heard of this technique from Shen Sanmao. She asked Shen Sanmao to draw a blueprint, and then asked Chang Ren to find someone to make the bracelet.
When Shen Sanmao was drawing the picture, he was still a little embarrassed and ashamed, saying that he used to only think about these crooked ways and it was really not good enough.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, the girl who took the drawings threw him a heavy bag of golden beans and told him to take it and study these crooked things. The more crooked and crooked they are, the more she likes them. If they are not crooked enough, don't go there.
She sent it there.
Shen Sanmao didn't understand, but was shocked and inspired.
Since then, Chang Sui Ning has received some gadgets from him from time to time.
Including a small porcelain bottle she picked up at this time.
Chang Suining hesitated for a moment, but still took the porcelain bottle with him.
Even though she is suspicious, she is prepared for anything.
After Chang Suining had prepared everything, she followed Mingluo into the carriage in the palace - she originally planned to take the carriage at her residence, but Mingluo invited her, so she did not refuse.
This move, which seemed to be under close surveillance, made Chang Suining's suspicions deepen.
But she didn't say anything more to Mingluo. Soon after getting on the carriage, she leaned against the wall of the carriage and closed her eyes to rest her mind.
Mingluo looked at the girl who seemed to have closed her eyes and fell asleep, with a flash of murderous intent in her eyes.
If possible, she really wanted to immediately get rid of the girl in front of her who had brought her countless misfortunes, so as to completely eliminate future troubles.
Even with her eyes closed, Chang Sui Ning caught the trace of murderous intent with her keen awareness forged on the battlefield. There was no disturbance in her heart and her eyelashes did not even move.
At this time, even if the other party dared to attack her, he did not have the ability to kill her. Instead, he would only lose his own life.
But the other party's sudden murderous intention was worthy of her thinking.
Last time in the carriage, she had not noticed that Min Luo had murderous intentions towards her. Could it be that something happened after that, which made Min Luo become more hostile to her and regarded her as someone who needed to be eliminated?
A quick threat?
Will it be related to the current trip to Dayun Temple?
In order to restrain his ups and downs of emotions, Mingluo slightly moved his eyes away and looked at the green curtain that was shaking slightly as the carriage moved.
One of the two internal prisoners accompanying me today is someone close to my aunt.
Her aunt would not express those estranged words to her, but she was full of reminders, which invisibly tightly bound her hands, feet, and mind.
She clearly remembered that her aunt had hinted to her a few years ago. Her aunt was worried that Cui Jing would eventually fall to the nobles despite holding Xuance's army. Her aunt hoped that she and Cui Jing could get together. She helped her aunt control Cui Jing's variable.
Her aunt will help her fulfill her wish to marry Cui Jing...
That was an unspoken agreement between her and her aunt.
But that night at the hibiscus flower banquet, when Cui Jing proposed to marry Chang Sui Ning, she could clearly sense that if Chang Sui Ning had nodded, her aunt would definitely agree to the marriage...
Cui Jing became someone else's, even if that other person made a gesture of refusing to take it!
Yes, of course she knew that her aunt had some last resort, but her aunt clearly knew her thoughts, but after that incident, she never said a word about Cui Jing to her, let alone comforted her with words... It was as if she was just a capable person.
Use the chess pieces when you use them, and throw them aside when they are useless. Naturally, there is no need to give any explanation or comfort to a chess piece.
This made her couldn't help but think, after Cui Jing disappeared, what would be the next thing to disappear from her hands?
A Chang Sui Ning is like this. If this Chang Sui Ning really "becomes" the eldest princess, will her aunt take back everything she has given to her without hesitation?
After all, now, her aunt doesn't even allow her to have the thought of keeping her own things.
This ironic and suffocating feeling made Mingluo feel the urge to break free for the first time.
But she knew clearly at this moment that the more she tried to break free, the tighter the trap would become until it ruthlessly killed her.
Not only was she unable to break away, she even had to suppress all her thoughts to deal with it carefully. Her aunt's reminder this time was also a test. If she had the heart to be disloyal and disobedient, she would be doomed.
Her aunt would not give her a chance to try and make mistakes.
Perhaps, in her aunt's eyes, she is so easy to control.
It is precisely because she is easy to control that her aunt has kept her by her side all these years and chosen her to take care of the affairs of the Goddess Tower - these trivial matters cannot be done by the emperor himself, so it is very important to choose someone who is easy to control.
.
Mingluo was full of sarcasm.
But can the unrealistic dream in the Goddess Tower really be realized?
Now she could only watch.
Then she'll be fine.
Mingluo, who had been awake all night last night and felt suffocated and powerless, looked at the girl with her eyes closed in a somewhat numb mood at this moment.
Although her surname is Ming, she has been bullied and teased by fate since she was born, and has never been favored by God... I wonder who God will favor this time?
Chang Suining seemed to have closed his eyes and rested all the way, but in fact he had imagined all the possibilities he could think of.
And soon, her assumption was confirmed.
There are rules when entering Dayun Temple. No matter who comes for any reason, they must first go to the Main Hall to burn a stick of incense.
Chang Suining entered the main hall, and Mingluo, who had come to offer incense when he left the temple in the morning, was waiting aside.
A young monk handed the incense to Chang Sui Ning. When Chang Sui Ning took it, the monk clasped his hands in front of him and made a Buddhist salute to her.
When Chang Suining returned the gift, his eyes fell on the monk's clasped hands, and he was slightly startled.
The monk's hands appear to be clasped together, and the other fingers are joined together, but only the little finger of his right hand is pointing downwards.
In the past, in the army, when it was inconvenient to speak, they would use gestures to convey messages. Each finger pointed in different directions had different hints... This was the secret code between her and Wu Jue and Chang Kuo.
Did this monk receive endless instructions?
Wujue...already know who she is?!
Chang Sui Ning's heart was shaken, but without revealing anything on his face, he inserted the incense into the incense burner and knelt down on the futon in front of him.
The monk stepped aside.
As Chang Suining knelt down to worship, his hand that touched the ground silently reached under the futon, and soon touched a cold object.
She could see the thing clearly by kowtowing... It was the sky stone ring that Wujue always wore on his body in the past. It was said to be the treasure of his sect. It was taken from flying stones from the sky and contained profound power. It could be worn on the body to block it.
Disasters can overcome difficulties.
The monk's gesture just now hinted her to pay attention to the bottom, and hidden underneath was Wu Jue's ring...
Did Wujue really recognize her?
Why did you give this ring to her secretly? Was it to remind her of something?
Chang Suining slowly straightened his body as his heart surged with turmoil.
"After Mrs. Chang has finished offering the incense, please follow me to the Tiannv Pagoda. The Saint and Master Wujue are already waiting for Mrs. Chang in the pagoda to pray for blessings."
Chang Sui Ning silently clenched the ring, seemingly puzzled: "Temple Tower?"
"Exactly." Mingluo said: "Although the Heavenly Lady Pagoda easily does not allow ordinary people to enter, the saint said that this time of praying is to reverse the great cause, and the matter is very important, so he made an exception and allowed Mrs. Chang to enter to pray."
In an instant, countless thoughts popped into Chang Suining's mind.
Including the strange feeling she had when she accidentally entered the formation after passing by the Heavenly Lady Tower.
The Tiannv Tower, which never allowed outsiders to enter, made an exception just for her. Is it really for the Yangzhou war?
In other words, what is the purpose of the Goddess Tower with strange formations?
Mingluo's voice sounded again: "Ms. Chang, please come with me."
Changsui Ning then gets up.
Before getting up, she put the ring back again under the cover of her cloak and sleeves.
She cannot take this away.
If she takes it, it will be equivalent to admitting that she is Li Shang.
She was not sure who Wujue was doing this, and whether he was testing her on behalf of someone. In short, she did not dare and could not trust anyone until everything was clear.
The more foggy you are, the more cautious and alert you need to be.
At this moment, she only believed in herself.
Fortunately, she has always been responsible and attentive to every step she takes, so she is worthy of my trust.
The girl bit the pill hidden behind her teeth, and a bitter and pungent feeling immediately filled her mouth and nose. She exhaled slowly and looked forward leisurely.
To put it bluntly, my life is really in my own hands. At least she is willing to do it, which is more comfortable than leaving my safety to others.
On the way to the Tiannv Pagoda, Chang Sui Ning felt like she was stepping on a sea of mist with every step she took.
And her intuition told her that the truth is often found at the end of the fog.
Perhaps, as long as she can get out of this fog, she will be able to see the truth.
Outside the pagoda courtyard, Mingluo looked at Chang Suining who paused slightly: "Ms. Chang, please."
