bookcurios Chapter 262 Ganlu Temple 2
Chapter 262 Ganlu Temple 2
An Lingrong had been standing silently by the side, and at this moment she keenly sensed Shen Meiyu's surging emotions. She took a step forward, reached out and gently held Shen Meiyu's slightly trembling hand.
Shen Meizhuang took a deep breath and tried hard to suppress the anger in her heart. Only then did she gradually regain some rationality, but her words were still filled with resentment and resentment: "But Mochou is an honored lady in the palace after all. Even if she is in the Buddhist sect, it is really unfair to treat her like this!"
The Queen, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke slowly, "That's as it should be. Once you enter Buddhism, all the four elements are empty, and all past events should be abandoned. Buddhism teaches that all beings are equal, and Madam Mochou should be no exception."
Gua Liu immediately agreed, "Your Majesty is right!"
Shen Meizhuang bowed slightly, her tone gentle but her words sharp: "Empress, you can tell from her complexion that she is frail, yet the temple still makes her do so much heavy work. If all the sisters-in-law in the temple were to toil despite their sick bodies, it would not only be inconsistent with the Buddhist concept of compassion, but also, since this is a royal temple, wouldn't it offend the emperor and the empress's wise and benevolent hearts?"
When Jing'an heard this, cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She quickly clasped her hands together and said, "No, no, it's really my fault. I didn't know that Madam Mochou was already ill, so I mistakenly let her do these rough jobs. I am guilty.
Shen Meizhuang said, "Since that's the case, let Mo Chou go down and rest, so that Her Majesty can worship Buddha with peace of mind. Don't let such a trivial matter disturb Her Majesty's sincerity."
"Yes!"
Zhen Huan glanced at Shen Meizhuang, then set her eyes on An Lingrong in the corner. An Lingrong lowered her head slightly, avoiding Zhen Huan's sight. Zhen Huan did not stay any longer, turned around and slowly left.
Shen Meizhuang watched her leave and said coldly, "Qi Fei, you have lost the proper manners of a concubine today. I will punish you by making you kneel here for an hour to reflect on your mistakes. You don't have to accompany me on the subsequent worships, lest you continue to embarrass yourself in front of the Buddha!"
Gualiu looked up at the queen. The queen was already holding Jianqiu's hand and walking to the next Buddha statue. She had no choice but to shake off her handkerchief and kneel on the cushion.
After the worship was completed, the abbot had prepared vegetarian meals and a clean room for the masters to rest.
After finishing the meal, Shen Meizhuang took An Lingrong in her arms and said, "Rong'er, I've made arrangements. Let's go together."
Her eyes were full of anticipation.
"Sister, you go, I have more important things to do." After saying this, An Lingrong walked in another direction.
In a very secret room in the corner of the temple, Zhen Huan was waiting anxiously.
The room was dimly lit, with only a few rays of light filtering through the cracks in the window lattice, and dust particles dancing in the air. She kept glancing toward the door, her fingers unconsciously twisting the cuffs of her sleeves. A moment later, a faint sound of footsteps approached from afar. Zhen Huan's heart instantly rose to her throat, and she raised her head anxiously.
The door slowly opened, and a familiar figure came into view. It was indeed the Shen Meizhuang she had been thinking about. However, when she looked back, there was still no sign of An Lingrong.
"Sister Mei..."
Zhen Huan's voice trembled slightly, filled with endless longing and grievance.
This call seemed to open the floodgates of emotion. Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang's eyes instantly turned red, and tears rolled down uncontrollably. They looked at each other in silence, only tears could express their longing for each other for these days.
……
On the other side, An Lingrong came to a corner. Su Ye followed her quietly and whispered, "My Queen, I've found out everything. Xiao Luzi has already gone there with the things!"
"Well, lead the way."
Su Ye led the way hurriedly in front, taking An Lingrong through the winding path and finally arriving at a remote courtyard.
The small courtyard, backed by towering mountains, was filled with a damp air. Moss covered the walls. The three main rooms stood quietly, their doors and windows made of wood, the paper covering the window frames already frayed. A pile of firewood lay haphazardly stacked in the corridor, creating a strong smell of everyday life that only served to accentuate the courtyard's loneliness.
An Lingrong slowly stepped forward and looked inside through the open door. She saw three women in blue-gray nun robes busy arranging various items in the room, and they had no idea that someone had come to the door.
"Liu Zhu!" An Lingrong saw the familiar figure among them at a glance and couldn't help but call out loudly.
Liu Zhu, who was busy in the room, froze when she heard this extremely familiar voice and quickly turned her head to look. When she saw the extremely familiar face, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, then reacted and her eyes instantly reddened.
Without hesitation, she ran out quickly, ran to An Lingrong, and fell to her knees with a plop, her voice choked with sobs: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you're here!"
"Get up, get up, don't kneel anymore." An Lingrong tried her best to hold back the tears in her eyes, and hurriedly reached out to pull Liu Zhu up.
At the same time, Huanbi and Jinxi on the other side also came back to their senses from their shock, hurriedly came to An Lingrong's side, and bowed respectfully.
An Lingrong helped Huanbi and Jinxi up one by one, her eyes full of concern: "How are you doing? Are you okay here?"
"Please come in and sit down, Madam."
Jin Xi led her into the house and sat her down, then she started talking about Zhen Huan's condition.
After hearing this, An Lingrong kept tapping her temple with her index finger.
Jingbai, Jingbai, it’s this Jingbai again.
After a moment, she had an idea.
An Lingrong took out a box and said, "Jinxi, please give this to Sister Zhen in person."
Jinxi took it and said respectfully, "Yes."
On the other side, Xiao Luzi had already moved in all the clothes, bedding, herbs and other items that An Lingrong had brought with her, and arranged them neatly in half of the room.
Looking at these things, Liu Zhu's tears flowed again: "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you for your consideration!"
When they first arrived, if it weren’t for the things prepared by Concubine Wen, they didn’t know how they would have survived that winter!
An Lingrong stood up and asked, "Where's Xiao Yunzi?"
"The slave is here."
Since Zhen Huan left the palace, Xiao Yunzi became a eunuch in her palace. This time when he came to Ganlu Temple, An Lingrong knew that he missed his old master, so she brought him along.
"I have something for you to do."
(PS: I originally planned to update four chapters today and release them all at once. However, I spent the entire night on Douyin listening to the CP of zz and cc and couldn't stop, so I only managed to edit two chapters. I'll edit the remaining two chapters as soon as I wake up. Sisters and brothers, wait for me!)