Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After waiting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the procession of the eldest princess finally arrived, delayed after much anticipation.

First, the street officers dispatched ten soldiers, who swept the road with brooms, while other personnel followed, sprinkling water on the road surface to keep the dust down.

Ye Dafu stared wide-eyed in astonishment. "Wow, even the water buckets are silver buckets gilded with gold! If I had such an antique, it would be the treasure of my stall!"

Next came a team of warriors from the princess’s mansion, each one tall and strong, wearing elaborate curled hats. Following the guards were the palace maids, each dressed in luxurious garments, adorned with palace-style silk flowers and silk headpieces, wearing red silk brocade robes with golden embroidery, walking gracefully as if they were figures in a painting.

Last came the eldest princess, seated in a royal palanquin adorned with copper gilded cloud and phoenix flower designs. The beaded curtains swayed gently, offering a glimpse of a middle-aged, elegant lady seated inside.

"Tsk tsk, now that's the style of a royal princess!" Mi Fengniang watched, unable to take her eyes off the scene.

The eldest princess’s palanquin entered the Da Xiangguo Temple directly. Many gathered to watch, but few followed inside. After all, in Bianjing, the imperial city, it was no rarity—even a flower-selling granny could witness the empress’s procession several times a year.

Among those who followed inside were Mi Fengniang and her husband. They had heard on the day their daughter returned: the eldest princess was bestowing rewards!

To get more help, Mi Fengniang even pulled Jade Sister and Yin Ge'er from the food stall.

As soon as the religious ceremony began, a servant announced loudly, "To welcome the county princess back home, the eldest princess has bestowed a gift of one hundred silver taels (a unit of currency)!"

Young attendants then moved sandalwood boxes, inside which gleamed golden copper coins under the sunlight. The palace maids scooped out large handfuls of coins and tossed them into the crowd.

One hundred taels! What did that mean? A laborer might barely earn a hundred coins after hard work; one hundred taels would take several years of saving without spending a single wen!

At a glance from Mi Fengniang, the Ye family members immediately jumped into action, competing to grab the money. Jin Ge secured a favorable position, Yin Ge'er covered the rear, and Ye Li squeezed through the gaps to guard the areas where the coins were scattered, leaving no chance for others to grab them.

The advantage of having many family members became clear: Ye Dafu was quick-witted, Jin Ge had fast hands, and Ye Li was agile. In no time, the money bags brought by Mi Fengniang were filled to the brim. Ye Dafu even used his headscarf as a makeshift bag.

Picking and grabbing, they even sifted through the dirt piles twice, leaving no coin behind. Satisfied, Mi Fengniang straightened her clothes and went to find her daughter.

Although she saw that her daughter’s food stall was doing brisk business, Mi Fengniang couldn’t help but mutter, "If I had known there would be this much money, I should have let Zhan Jie join in the money grab." After all, this was free money!

Although she didn’t dare to open the money bag in public to count, she roughly estimated that the family had collected more than ten taels of silver. That was a significant income!

She straightened her clothes and carefully instructed Yin Ge'er to watch over the money bag as she went to present the pastries.

The eldest princess rested in the Baofan Pagoda Courtyard. Mi Fengniang, cautiously approaching the courtyard, saw the grand procession of the noble lady with armored guards stationed at the entrance, making her hesitate to enter.

"What is it?!" a guard shouted sternly.

Mi Fengniang put on a smile, bowed, and handed over a handful of small copper coins. "Respected officer, my daughter and the county princess were both kidnapped by the same human trafficker. Thanks to the eldest princess’s investigation, our family was reunited. Therefore, I made some pastries to thank the eldest princess."

The guard, seeing her smile and good intentions, softened his expression. "Since that's the case, wait here while I report it. I won’t take your copper coins."

Normally, he wouldn’t be accommodating, but since it involved the same human trafficking case, he had to report it. Wasn’t the entire mansion aware that the eldest princess had been preoccupied with this case recently?

The guard reported the matter to the head palace maid by the eldest princess’s side.

Mi Fengniang was quite lucky. The head palace maid thought, "Today, the eldest princess came to the temple to accumulate blessings and do good deeds. This matter is indeed a merit for her good deeds. It’s better to report it to her and let her be pleased."

So, she sent a young maid to question Mi Fengniang, noting her clothing to see that she seemed like a decent person. They asked her which ward and lane she lived in, her name, and then further inquired about her daughter’s name and background.

After confirming these details, a servant was sent to fetch the village elder from Tan Lane to come to the Da Xiangguo Temple and verify the truth of the matter. The village elder arrived, breathless, and confirmed that it was indeed true.

The head palace maid nodded and summoned Mi Fengniang to meet her in the side hall of the outer courtyard. However, she was occupied with tasks and made Mi Fengniang wait further.

"Such a hassle, it’s been a tormenting wait!" Mi Fengniang, sweating under the shade of a tree, finally understood why Ye Zhan hadn’t wanted her to come and present the pastries.

It turns out that nobles act with great caution, using even minor matters to make the village elder, who is regarded as an authority by the common folk, run errands.

Mi Fengniang calculated in her mind that after returning home today, she should bring some pastries to apologize to the village elder. She also needed to exaggerate her relationship with the eldest princess in his presence. After all, as a direct overseer in the marketplace, offending him would not lead to favorable outcomes.

After much effort, she was finally able to enter the side hall and meet the supervising palace maid. The maid inspected the pastries and was quite surprised: "I didn't expect a family from the countryside could make such delicate food. I've never seen anything like this."

Mi Fengniang smiled and said, "My daughter is very skilled with her hands. After she was abducted, she ended up in the Du family, which is also an official household." She then boasted a little about the Du family's official position.

The maid, hearing this, was very kind: "Since you are grateful to the eldest princess, allow me to report this to my superiors." She took the pastries and left, asking Mi Fengniang to wait in the meditation room.

It turned out that this maid was not a close confidante of the eldest princess! Mi Fengniang was taken aback but still had to smile and say, "It’s a bother for you to go through all this trouble."

She looked around and saw that the originally plain meditation room had greatly changed because of the temporary rest of the eldest princess:

A Persian carpet covered the floor, with vines entwined in what appeared to be Western patterns. Ancient landscape and flower-bird paintings hung on the walls. A sandalwood table held a pile of offerings, with Buddha's hand gourds and coral ornaments placed together, emitting a faint fragrance.

She lowered her head and took a sip of tea. It was salty and fragrant, with plenty of nuts and tea ingredients, rich and sweet in taste.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before the maid returned with a message: "The eldest princess was very pleased with the delicate pastries. She said you don't need to worry, that she handled the case as a matter of convenience, and what's rare is your family reunion. She and the county princess share a deep mother-daughter bond and understand the hearts of mothers. Moreover, if you have the heart, in the future, just remember to mention the eldest princess's virtues in front of the Buddha."

The maid also brought a red lacquered food box: "We won't take your pastries for nothing. The eldest princess said this is a plate of palace-made pastries, not particularly delicious, but they are for good luck and decoration. You can place it in your front room as a decoration."

Mi Fengniang agreed repeatedly and nodded, embarrassed to mention that her home didn't have a front room.

She took the food box but didn't leave immediately. First, she bowed to the maid: "I owe this plate of pastries to you as a token of my gratitude for your mediation."

The maid didn't accept but looked at Mi Fengniang with new respect. She had thought Mi Fengniang was just someone looking for freebies, but it turned out she understood social etiquette.

The maid smiled and said, "The eldest princess has given this to you. Please accept it with peace of mind. Besides, we are tired of eating palace-made pastries."

Mi Fengniang bowed again: "When I return home, I will definitely burn incense in front of the Buddha, praying for the eldest princess and the county princess's health and longevity, and also for your longevity and prosperity, Miss."

The maid smiled again, this time getting a little closer. She untied a red silk ribbon from her waist and handed it over: "Since you said that, I can't not give you a token of appreciation."

The red headband was woven from red silk threads, and what was most precious were the four tassels, all made of agate, which could be worth a thousand coins on the market.

Mi Fengniang, having received this unexpected gift, bowed even more respectfully.

As she left the Baofan Tower Courtyard, she walked quickly, carrying a food box: she needed to let her family see her gains as soon as possible!

She was feeling particularly joyful, but as she turned a corner, she was rudely bumped by someone.

"Oh!" Mi Fengniang exclaimed, stumbled but still fell to the ground, using her last bit of strength to protect the food box. "Can't you watch where you're going? Is your back just for show?"

The person, dressed in a green embroidered robe with a strong scent of spices, didn't even apologize before running off quickly.

"This thief is truly contemptible!" Mi Fengniang sat on the ground, pointing at the retreating figure and cursing, "I was unlucky to bump into such a scoundrel!"

But the person didn't look back and soon disappeared from her sight.

Not far away, on a high tower, the officers were intently observing the situation.

"Sir, the suspect seems to have noticed us. He's about to leave the temple," a subordinate said anxiously, sweating as they had just located the suspect with the guidance of Young Master Pei Zhao. They couldn't let him get away.

It would take time for the officers to run over from the east side, by which time he could easily blend into the crowd of worshippers.

With the Grand Xiangguo Temple being so lively today, once he mixed into the crowd, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack, and the officers could only be powerless to act.

Pei Zhao raised an eyebrow and made a decisive decision: "Everyone, seal off the Grand Xiangguo Temple."

The subordinate hesitated. "But… I've heard that the eldest princess is here holding a Buddhist service..."

Although the best way to catch the criminal right now was to seal off the Great Xiangguo Temple, how could they afford to offend such a noble person?

"It's fine." Pei Zhao’s face, cast in shadow, was sharply defined, his features chiseled. "If the eldest princess blames me, I’ll take full responsibility."

The subordinate knew Pei Zhao’s temperament and that he couldn’t be swayed, so he reluctantly agreed, "Yes."

Mi Fengniang had already stood up, brushing the dirt off her clothes while cursing the barbarian’s ancestors in a vulgar manner.

As she cursed, she suddenly remembered that she was in a Buddhist sacred place and immediately covered her mouth, praying sincerely, "Bodhisattva, please forgive me. Please forgive me."

Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a pendant lying in the grass nearby. It was a milky-white, hard material, carved with Buddhist figures, probably ivory, and set with a red tourmaline that sparkled in the sunlight.

"Oh my!" Mi Fengniang stepped on the pendant, bent down as if to adjust her shoe, and quickly slipped it into her hand, tucking it into her waistband. "Which god did I pray to today that I’m finding one treasure after another?"