Meng Fu could see that the Empress Dowager had things hidden in her heart. If this truly was her mother, she would directly open her mouth to ask, but in the end, she was not the real Li Yue.
The Empress Dowager had suddenly learned a heaven-shaking great secret, yet couldn’t speak of it to others. Keeping it in her heart was indeed a bit hard to bear. She glanced at the Emperor with some worry, thinking—what if, in the future, he really wanted to bring that Lady of the Marquis of Xuanping into the palace? Hopefully, before His Majesty takes any action, he can reveal a bit of wind to her, so she can be mentally prepared.
But even if she was mentally prepared here, the court ministers were not. Among them, many were already advanced in age—could they withstand this kind of shock or not?
The Empress Dowager’s thoughts turned round and round, extremely complicated. In the end, she felt that she was worrying too early. As for that Lady of the Marquis of Xuanping’s attitude, she didn’t even know it at all, and the matter between His Majesty and her might not even come to fruition.
Moreover, it wasn’t ruled out that this matter, from beginning to end, was a mistake she had guessed entirely on her own.
But the Empress Dowager understood clearly in her heart—judging by the Emperor’s temperament, if there weren’t something going on, it was absolutely impossible for him to speak soft whispers alone with a young lady in the Imperial Garden.
The Empress Dowager had things in her heart, but the work of her hands did not delay a bit. Meng Fu had just finally managed to finish the vegetables she had picked into her bowl, and now she picked over a whole heap again. Meng Fu had to open her mouth and say:
“Please don’t always pick food for me. You should eat more yourself too.”
The Empress Dowager glanced at the food in her bowl and nodded. Meng Fu changed to a different pair of chopsticks and picked up some of the dishes she had tasted earlier and found good, placing a portion into both the Empress Dowager’s and the Ninth Prince’s bowls.
The Empress Dowager looked at Meng Fu, and her eye sockets suddenly became a little hot. She quickly lowered her head to hide her loss of composure. Ever since the Emperor returned from the Northern Frontier, the two of them as mother and son had rarely had such warm and tender moments. Although the Emperor did not speak of it, she herself also felt awkward. Every time they met, it always felt like there was nothing to say. She had thought she and the Emperor would go on like this in the future.
Yet tonight’s supper let the Empress Dowager see a trace of hopeful change. The two of them brothers sitting here and accompanying her—it was somewhat like an ordinary family.
After the evening meal, Meng Fu said to the Empress Dowager: “Tomorrow, this son wishes to leave the palace for a while.”
“You…” The Empress Dowager glanced at Meng Fu, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
“What does Mother Empress want to ask?” Meng Fu asked.
“It’s nothing,” the Empress Dowager shook her head. She had originally wanted to ask whether the Emperor was leaving the palace to see that Lady of the Marquis of Xuanping. But when the words reached her lips, she felt it was inappropriate. The relationship between the Emperor and herself had finally eased a little. If the Emperor were to find out she was sending people to investigate his matters, he would probably become displeased again. It was better for her to act like she knew nothing about this matter.
Moreover, whatever the Emperor had decided, even if she wanted to stop it, she definitely wouldn’t be able to stop it.
The Empress Dowager simply changed her wording and instructed Meng Fu: “When you leave the palace, remember to bring more people. Protect yourself.”
Meng Fu responded: “This son understands.”
As soon as her voice fell, Gugu Chen entered from outside, carrying a plate of pastries and presenting them in front of Meng Fu. The Empress Dowager said: “The date paste crisps are ready. Quickly, try them.”
Meng Fu had already eaten quite a bit, but the Empress Dowager’s hospitality was hard to refuse. So she picked up a piece, brought it to her lips, and took a bite.
The Empress Dowager quickly asked her: “How is it? Is it still the taste from before?”
Meng Fu had never eaten the Empress Dowager’s date paste crisps before, so naturally, she didn’t know what the taste from before was. She raised her head and, meeting the Empress Dowager’s somewhat nervous yet full-of-expectation gaze, nodded and said: “Just like before. Very delicious.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” The Empress Dowager finally let out a sigh of relief, smiling as she urged,
“Eat more.”
As soon as Meng Fu finished the piece of date paste crisp in her hand, the Empress Dowager picked up another piece and gave it to her. Meng Fu smiled and said: “This son really can’t eat anymore today.”
The Empress Dowager thought about it. Just now during supper, the Emperor had indeed eaten quite a lot. But her painstakingly made date paste crisps—the Emperor only ate one piece. The Empress Dowager still felt a bit disappointed in her heart.
Meng Fu immediately saw what the Empress Dowager was thinking and asked: “Can this son bring these away? I’ll eat them later.”
The moment the Empress Dowager heard this, she broke into a smile. Because the Emperor was not close to her, and her younger son was a bit dull, she hadn’t been this happy in a long time. She immediately turned to Gugu Chen and said: “Why aren’t you quickly packing them up for His Majesty!”
Gugu Chen brought out a food box and packed up the remaining date paste crisps.
Meng Fu glanced at the young prince on the other side and said to the Empress Dowager: “Leave some for imperial younger brother.”
The Empress Dowager was very happy that the Emperor thought of Xiao Jiu, and she did not refuse the Emperor’s kindness toward Xiao Jiu. She had Gugu Chen take two pieces out of the food box and set them aside for Xiao Jiu, then said to the Emperor, “If you like eating it, Mother Empress will make it for you often in the future.”
Meng Fu said, “Many thanks to Mother Empress.”
“What’s with saying thanks to your Mother Empress?” The Empress Dowager said with a smiling face.
Meng Fu kept the Empress Dowager company in Cining Palace for a while longer before leaving. When she left, the Empress Dowager stood reluctantly at the palace gate, watching her for a long while. Because of the matter with the little prince last time, Meng Fu had thought that the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor wasn’t very harmonious. But from today’s events, it seemed that the Empress Dowager actually cared a great deal about the Emperor.
As for the date paste crisps she had taken from the Empress Dowager, since they were something His Majesty liked to eat, Meng Fu planned to save them and bring them with her when visiting Baima Temple tomorrow.
It was also fortunate that what the Empress Dowager had made were date paste crisps—something that wouldn’t spoil even after one or two days. If it had been something soupy or watery, she really wouldn’t know how to bring it to that His Majesty tomorrow.
—
Xuanping Marquis Manor.
Li Yue had been practicing boxing in the rear courtyard for half an hour. Qingping stood to the side, staring with wide eyes. This wasn’t the first time she had seen their Lady practicing boxing, but every time she saw it, she always felt it was incredibly unbelievable. Especially now that their Lady even wanted to pull her along to learn boxing together.
Qingping hadn’t had time to refuse when she was taken by Li Yue as having already agreed.
In the end, she stood behind their Lady, dazedly raising her hands along with Li Yue.
How had things ended up like this?
—
At present, Li Yue was feeling both physically and mentally relaxed in the Marquis Manor. Hua Xiaoling and Sun Yulian acted very affably upon seeing him. Though Qu Hanyan’s attitude still wasn’t too good, at least she wasn’t stirring up trouble anymore. As for the servants, each one was more well-behaved than the last.
Thanks to Xie Wenzhao’s hard efforts, the whole household was now enjoying happiness.
If the late emperor, while alive, had possessed this kind of awareness, the concubines in the rear palace wouldn’t have fought over favor to the point that some died, some were crippled, and in the end, there were hardly any complete people left.
Li Yue had not forgotten the agreement with Meng Fu to go offer incense at Baima Temple the next day. It was just that, for women of the inner residence to leave the house was somewhat troublesome—they always needed to be accompanied by a few maidservants. So he simply handed the whole matter over to Qingping to arrange.
—
The next day, Li Yue got on a carriage heading toward Fengji Mountain. It was past noon when he finally waited for Meng Fu at the teahouse at the mountain’s foot.
Meng Fu wasn’t intentionally late. During this morning’s court, the ministers had argued over the matter of official evaluations for half the day. After finally enduring until court was dismissed, she rushed over.
She did not speak with Li Yue. The two of them pretended not to know each other and ascended the mountain one before the other.
Qingping was confused. Their Lady had come to Fengji Mountain early in the morning, yet only ascended the mountain in the afternoon—was there some particular custom behind this? She herself had never heard of one.
Once they reached Baima Temple, Li Yue left Qingping and the others outside and went in alone. Qingping worried he might encounter danger alone and wanted to follow, but Li Yue’s attitude was firm, so she had to give up. Thinking about it, there shouldn’t be any danger inside a temple.
After getting rid of the maidservants around him, Li Yue immediately joined up with Meng Fu, and the two went together to find the eminent monk, Master Huaiming of Baima Temple.
The little shami [沙弥, novice monk] at the entrance, upon hearing that they were looking for Master Huaiming, showed some difficulty on his face and told them that Master Huaiming was in seclusion and would not come out for another month. However, after seeing Meng Fu—or rather, after seeing Li Yue’s face—he then said he could go ask.
At this point, Meng Fu believed what Li Yue had said earlier: that Master Huaiming perhaps truly did not want to officiate the Ullambana Festival [盂兰盆节, Buddhist festival on the 15th of the seventh lunar month for the deceased].
—
Soon after, the shami returned and led the two of them toward the back mountain.
When they arrived, Master Huaiming was meditating in a stone chamber in the back of Fengji Mountain.
He was only about thirty years old this year, tall in stature, and properly featured—at first glance, he gave people a sense of warmth and closeness.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Huaiming turned around and looked at Li Yue and Meng Fu. Without waiting for Li Yue to speak, this Master—truly worthy of being called an attained monk—suddenly let out a loud laugh. The magical nature of that laugh was such that all the ducks within a hundred li would hang their heads in shame.
Meng Fu had once met this Master before. That was five years ago, when he wore a bright red kasaya [袈裟, Buddhist monastic robe] and sat upon a high platform lecturing on the Dharma to the assembled monks, his expression solemn and unsmiling.
Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would have found it hard to associate this laugh with that Master.
Li Yue, on the other hand, was well aware of what kind of disposition Huaiming had in private—but even he hadn’t expected him to laugh so happily.
Huaiming laughed until he was hiccupping and still didn’t stop.
Li Yue frowned and said: “That’s enough. If you keep laughing like this, don’t blame me for making a move.”
“Alright.”
Huaiming restrained the smile at the corners of his lips, stood up straight, and his gaze became calm as he looked at Li Yue. However, this appearance of a high monk didn’t last long—upon seeing Li Yue in his current state, he couldn’t help but let out another puchi [onomatopoeic sound for stifled laughter] and covered his mouth as he laughed again.
Li Yue took a deep breath, glaring daggers at Huaiming.
Under His Majesty’s murderous stare, Huaiming forced the last duck on Fengji Mountain into hiding in a crack in the ground with his laughter before finally falling silent.
He cleared his throat and said solemnly: “This too is fate.”
Li Yue sneered: “This fate—if it’s given to you, do you want it?”
Huaiming laughed and said: “If it is bestowed by the Buddha, this poor monk shall of course receive it gladly.”
Li Yue gave a cold snort.
Meng Fu tilted her head and glanced at him, feeling a bit curious about seeing such an expression on herself.
Huaiming put his palms together, half-closed his eyes, and chanted: “Amitabha.”
A breeze flowed in through the half-open door, flipping the scriptures on the table. The white monk’s robe on Huaiming’s body swayed with the wind. At this moment, he once again had some appearance of a truly enlightened high monk.
He opened his eyes again and said to Li Yue and Meng Fu: “All dharmas arise from causes and conditions; all dharmas cease due to causes and conditions. All dharmas are impermanent; all dharmas are without self.”
Meng Fu lowered her head, pondering the meaning of this verse. The verse was not difficult to understand—she just didn’t know if it contained deeper implications.
Li Yue, on the other hand, frowned even more deeply. When Meng Fu looked at him, she saw that his brows had already relaxed, as if he had gained some insight.
Meng Fu’s eyes lit up slightly—only to hear him say impatiently: “Speak human language.”
Meng Fu: “……”
Huaiming sighed: “It’s all fate. You should just face reality. If it really won’t do, then come up with a way to disguise yourself. But actually, look at how you appear now—it’s quite good-looking, even better-looking than yourself. There might be unexpected surprises.”
Li Yue said angrily: “You fart!”