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Chapter 40 Waiting for someone
On the day of leaving the palace, just after Mao o'clock and it was still dark outside, Rong Jian was woken up by Aunt Zhou.
Woke up too early, and it's cold outside, such a day is the best time to sleep.So after washing up, Rong Jian was still very sleepy, when Aunt Zhou was doing makeup for him, Rong Jian fell headfirst, and his eyebrows were all drawn out.
But time was running out, Empress Dowager was in a hurry, the guards were waiting outside, and it was too late to repaint, so Aunt Zhou had to wipe it, and picked out a few strands of hair, fixed them with flowers, covering the second half of her eyebrows.
Drowsy, Rong Jian was stuffed into the carriage.
There were not many people accompanying Changle Hall, a few court ladies and eunuchs holding Buddhist ceremonies, as well as Four Blessings and Lingsong.Aunt Zhou followed Rong Ning around in the early years, she traveled too many places, her body was not in good shape, and her back always hurt when riding in a carriage, so she didn't let her follow her. She said that Ling Song was also very reliable, and she was cautious in doing things.He is very flexible in dealing with everything, so Aunt Zhou doesn't have to worry.
Before leaving the palace, only Jin Yiwei followed, when they reached the Donghua Gate, most of the accompanying guards were waiting there, surrounded by Rong JIan's guard of honor.
Zhang Sanchuan followed Rong Jian's carriage on horseback, and whispered to him about today's arrangements.
Rong Jian was really sleepy, resting his head on the car wall, listening lazily, occasionally answering, meaning he was listening.
After a while, the surroundings suddenly became noisy.
It was a completely different sound from the Taiping Palace, that very lively atmosphere.
There are not too few people coming and going in the palace every day.But even if there is something to get together, no matter how many people there are, it is quiet.The rules in the palace are like this, for fear of offending the master.
Attracted by the noise, Rong Jian raised his hand to lift the curtain, and the cold wind blew, and he woke up.
Today's weather is bad, there is no sun outside, everything is foggy.But the stalls of the hawkers were also set up, and Rong JIan could see many people.
Zhang Sanchuan glanced around and saw half of the long princess's face.
He was not such a stubborn and old-fashioned person, he asked the princess to abide by the rules, so he rode his horse closer, blocked the window, and asked in a low voice: "Does your Highness want anything? I sent someone to buy it."
Rong Jian shook his head: "I just want to see."
He didn't mean to disturb these, just looking at them, he always felt breathless.
He is indeed living in this world, not confined to a scene in the deep palace.
Driving a car like this always attracts the attention of onlookers.
"Hey, what a big battle, which car is this driving?"
"I just passed by my stall. It has a golden roof and a yellow roof. Is this a royal guard of honor?"
"Royal? I heard from the clerk in the yamen some time ago that the long princess was going to go to the Huguo Temple to offer incense. She had to retreat for four weeks and make way for the road. I was thinking that I would not be able to open that day.No need. Is the princess really out?"
"But the family next door to me didn't hear that Huguo Temple doesn't accept foreign visitors today, and they even said they wanted to pray for their little grandson."
"Oh, that's not the case. Two years ago, the imperial concubine spent a whole day visiting relatives. The alleys next to Xiao's house were not allowed to enter and exit, saying that they were afraid that thieves would disturb the imperial concubine. If it is really a princess, you can stillAre you so lazy?"
"Who knows, it's about the Tian family."
Because was walking on a small road, couldn't go fast, so walked for more than an hour before reached the foot of the mountain.And the road up the mountain is narrower and steeper, even if other cars give way one after another, it is too late for Rong Jian to get off.
The ancient temple is deep and solemn, with centuries-old pines and cypresses covering the sky and the sun. From a distance, the pagoda is solemn and there are many pilgrims.
Rong Jian put on a knee-length mask in advance, and helped Ling Song's hand get out of the car.A dozen guards followed behind him, and the rest of them were scattered around under Qin Shuihuai's command, guarding the main entrance and a few side gates, even the intersections under the mountain were guarded by guards.
Through the tulle, Rong Jian glanced at the sky, and felt that it was not early at all, and according to Empress Dowager, it was not pious enough.But if you want to invite the first pillar incense, you probably have to get up in the middle of the night, and the risk is too great.And Empress Dowager didn't dare to let the princess spend the night outside.Otherwise, Rong Jian would be very willing to invite a stick of incense for Empress Dowager.
Today, there are especially many officials and wealthy families who come to Huguo Temple.
People who are well-informed in the capital know about Rong Jian's visit to Huguo Temple.Seeing that being in the palace is not considered in-depth and simple, you have to go out to go to class every day, and you know many ladies and gentlemen, but there must be a small number of people who can enter the palace, most of them are not qualified.Although they knew it was unlikely, some people felt that it would be good to have a relationship with the long princess, or to watch the excitement, or to see what the long princess looked like, so many people came by coincidence.
Nanny Chen smiled and said, "Your Highness, please ask for a stick of incense for the Empress Dowager."
Zhang Sanchuan, who was accompanying him at the side, immediately made a face, and asked his assistant to empty the incense place.
Rong Jian originally thought it was not good to jump in the queue, but then he thought about it, if he really waited in line here and waited for half an hour, the people who came later might not be able to get in, so his morals were ruined for a while.
Rong Jian respectfully asked the monks for incense, and read a lot of congratulatory speeches. This kind of face should be given to Empress Dowager.
So, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the "sincere and filial piety" long princess Rong JIan finished offering incense for Empress Dowager, and went down to the treasure hall behind surrounded by a group of people.
After all, the excuse for coming this time was to see a doctor for Rong Jian. After the incense was finished, of course he had to see a doctor.
Zhu Quan came in from the outside, Rong Jian looked up at him.
They haven't seen each other for over a month.
Although Zhu Quan is young, he has always been a master and is very good at fooling people.With a pitiful smile on his face, he saluted Rong Jian.
After pretending to make a diagnosis for Rong Jian, Zhu Quan said a few words, saying that the princess is weak and should focus on health preservation. Ling Song was so nervous that he took notes on a side note.
Rong Jian stood up, followed Zhu Quan to the Lotus Hall, waited in front of the door and said, "The Empress Dowager ordered me to chant scriptures and pray for her. If you enter such a place, you may disturb the Bodhisattva."
Because the empress dowager was carried out, there was indeed such a saying. After discussing with the left and right, felt that it was not appropriate to go in, so just guarded behind the door.
The Lotus Hall is extremely spacious and spacious, with a golden body of Buddha enshrined in front, tributes and incense candles, and several futons.
Rong Jian looked around, stood in front of the futon, just stood there, casually looking at the golden statue.
Very disrespectful, he is a person who does not worship Buddha.
Nanny Chen was holding the scriptures, with the Buddhist ceremony beside her, she smiled very attentively: "As for such trivial matters as chanting scriptures, where do you need to bother Your Highness, the old slave will do it together, and I just ask Your Highness to rest for a while."
This kind of thing, originally Empress Dowager was entrusted to Chen Nanny to accompany and supervise, but now Chen Nanny is in the hands of Rong Jian, and she has received a lot of rewards, and things related to Rong Jian are more than turning a blind eye., It is simply a substitute for the body, flattering to the extreme.
Rong Jian nodded noncommittally: "Then I will trouble Mommy."
Nanny Chen originally thought that he would sit down at the side and wait until the return trip before going out, but she didn't expect that Rong Jian only stayed for a short while before going out through a small door at the back.
She quickly lowered her head, pretending not to see it.
Zhu Quan waited outside the door, saw Rong JIan come out and said "Amitabha": "After waiting for Your Highness for so long, I thought His Highness didn't want to come out."
Rong Jian sighed: "Is it because I don't want to go out?"
Prior to this, Zhu Quan had probably arranged everything, there were no idlers on the road, not even a young novice monk.
Across the screen, Rong Jian couldn't see the road clearly, and they were walking on a remote path, not too repaired, and even the little novice who cleaned up did not do their homework here, so the road was quite rough, and there were stone pines falling downIf you accidentally step on it, you will fall down.
Rong Jian held up the corner of her skirt and was very careful with every step.
If Ming Ye was by his side, he probably wouldn't have to do this.
Rong Jian thought about it inexplicably, but soon forgot.
Walking to the new fork in the road, Zhu Quan asked: "Did Your Highness not worship Buddha when we were in the Lotus Hall?"
Rong Jian nodded.
Zhu Quan continued to ask: "I heard from the pilgrims that the Buddha in the Lotus Hall is the most spiritual. Does Your Highness have any wishes?"
Rong Jian's pace slowed down.
For some reason, Rong Jian trusted Zhu Quan very much, and felt that he was a different monk, and also a different person from most of the people here.
Rong Jian said frankly: "I don't believe in Buddha. Since I don't believe in it, there is no need to worship."
Even though Rong JIan traveled from modern society to the novel, and such unscientific things happened, he was not interested in the theory of gods and Buddhas.
Maybe he was born unbelieving.
Zhu Quan was wearing a golden cassock in the temple, after hearing what he said, he smiled and said: "What your Highness does is what you think, it's so wonderful."
Considering that Zhu Quan next to him is a highly cultivated monk, Rong Jian still explained a few more sentences: "It's not that I have any doubts about the Buddha, but I don't think it's foolish to believe."
Zhu Quan seemed to be interested, and asked: "Then what does Your Highness think is foolishness?"
Rong Jian's pace became even slower. He was always afraid that his feet would not be stable, so he thought for a while before answering: "In order to pray for good health, he lit lamps and boiled oil at night to read scriptures and copy books. Killing people and setting fires, but donating incense to pray for forgiveness and blessings from the Bodhisattva."
People like Empress Dowager.
Zhu Quan sighed: "Your Highness is the one who truly has the karma of Buddha."
Rong Jianwen said vigilantly: "I am not a monk."
"Not even a nun."
Zhu Quan froze for a moment, then laughed out loud.
After walking like this for more than a quarter of an hour, Rong Jian's legs were sore from walking, and finally saw the small door.
Ling Song waited in front of the door, walked to Rong Jian's side in two or three steps, and pushed the door open.
A winding stone path winds down, bottomless.
Rong JIan: "?"
He turned his head and said in disbelief: "Didn't you say that if you rent a carriage, I can go wherever I want today?"
Zhu Quan nodded seriously: "Even the guards in the palace came to inspect the path a few days in advance and couldn't find it. Your Highness doesn't think you can walk?"
Rong JIan: "..."
For a moment, Rong Jian wanted to sleep like a salted fish in the Lotus Hall until the afternoon.But thinking about the rare opportunity, don't know what year and month it will be next time go out of the palace, so decided to take a break.
Rong Jian gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll go."
Zhu Quan smiled quite happily.
But before leaving, Zhu Quan finally showed kindness and handed Rong Jian a post.
Rong Jian asked: "What is this?"
Zhu Quan said: "The best restaurant in High Capital is the Clear Sky Workshop. Otherwise, if you go today, you can only stay in the lobby."
Rong Jian hesitated: "Can monks also order restaurants?"
Zhu Quan said "huh": "Then do you think the monk is a breeze in his sleeves, and he goes out to ask for alms?"
Rong Jian nodded honestly.
Zhu Quan laughed angrily at him: "The monk also lives on the monthly payment. This thing is expensive, Your Highness remember to pay back the money."
Ling Song said coldly at the side: "Will our Highness still owe the money? How much money, after I return to the palace, I will send someone to pay it back immediately."
Zhu Quan waved his hand at her: "What a powerful maid."
Then he said to Rong Jian: "I wish Your Highness a happy swim today."
After speaking, he closed the small door.
Ling Song is indeed a very powerful court lady. If someone else would accompany the princess to do such a thing, she would never dare to do such a thing.Deception.
The journey was difficult and difficult, Rong Jian finally reached the foot of the mountain, there was indeed a green shed carriage parked there, the driver was an ordinary man, he didn't know Rong Jian's identity, he only said that he was hired.
Ling Song supported Rong Jian into the carriage, and after the two sat firmly, the driver whipped his whip, and the carriage moved, heading towards Clear Sky Workshop.
Only then did Rong JIan realize how comfortable the car he was riding in was.
The coachman was a middle-aged man who talked a lot, and he asked: "Did Miss hide from the elders at home and sneak out to play?"
Rong Jian responded vaguely.
The coachman said: "The young lady has to pay attention to the time, and don't be discovered by the elders. She will be detained at home, and she will not be able to come out again."
Seeing getting up early to drive, praying to Buddha again, and dealing with the people around me, I am already very tired.He thought going out of the palace was an autumn outing, but it was actually a swearing-in meeting.Rong Jian remembered that when he was in high school, he originally studied in the old campus in the old city, without even a playground.One morning in the third year of high school, the teacher led them to walk three or four kilometers, and the group went to the playground of the new campus to hold an oath meeting.
But Rong Jian didn’t feel much pain at the time, maybe it was because he was still young and had unlimited energy, unlike now when he needed to go on a diet. At that time, there were classmates playing around, so it was not difficult to walk such a long distance.
Maybe there is no one to accompany it.
Rong Jian recalled these, and thought of his previous plan.
He had already planned what he was going to do today.Invite Ming Ye to a meal, because Ming Ye saved his life and helped him a lot.Then go out for a stroll, anywhere, as long as you can kill time, because they are friends, even if there is nothing else, walking on a strange road and seeing different scenery than before seems to be very good.
But Mingye took leave, and all of Rong JIan's plans fell through.But it's not because of illness, but something happened at home, so have to go out of the palace.
Rong Jian remembered that it was mentioned in the book that Ming Ye was adopted by the Sun family, but the relationship was not good.There may be something at home, but Akeno may have to help out of obligation.If I'm done, can I still come out?
When Rong JIan thought so, it was inevitable that he was lucky.He gently knocked on the car door, and said to the driver: "Can I trouble you to deliver a letter for me?"
Fortunately, Ling Song carried a pen and paper with him at all times, and Rong JIan wrote the time and place with a pen, but did not write his name.
After hesitating for a while, he still dipped some sweet-scented osmanthus-scented lipstick with his little finger, and casually stamped it on the signature.
Akeno would know who he was.
The coachman took the letter and thought that the young lady was probably going out to meet her lover privately, but the people living in that alley were all poor families, so it would be a big deal if the elders of his family bumped into her.
But the coachman didn't think he was from the mansion, and this young lady was very generous, and she collected the money herself, so she must get things done.
Immediately, the whip was whipped again, and the old horse drove the cart, and finally entered High Capital.
Ming Ye and Zhou Zhaoqing made an appointment to meet in the Taoist temple.
Zhou Zhaoqing was called here early in the morning, and he didn't seem too happy about it: "Young Master, I'm going to see the shopkeeper. What's the matter with me, I'm going here too?"
If he goes there, he might be assigned something else, but there is still a lot of money waiting for him to earn, so why bother to ask for work there.
Akeno sat on a chair, he was wearing a wide Taoist robe today, from head to toe, it was all white, without any blemish.Her hair is loose on her shoulders, and only a wooden hairpin is tied on her head. She looks quiet and cold, and she seems to be far away from the world.
He made an appointment with the shopkeeper Meng Butuo to meet today.
Ming Ye had a knife in his hand, which looked very inappropriate with his Taoist robe.What's more, you can't carry sharp weapons when you go to see the shopkeeper.
There were no windows in the room, and the lights were not lit. The light was dim. Zhou Zhaoqing couldn't see Ming Ye's face clearly. He lowered his eyes and his voice was as calm and indifferent as ever. He couldn't hear any emotion. He raised his hand and threw the knife into his arms: "There is something wrong, you just wait outside when the time comes."
Up until this moment, Zhou Zhaoqing had never noticed anything unusual, nor had he felt that Mingye was going to do something so impossible.
He shouldn't have followed.
Chu Si of Clear Sky Workshop received a distinguished guest today.
This is a new customer, he has never seen it before, and the other party seems to be very unskilled, and he wandered around in the lobby for a while before he found himself.
The young lady was wearing a plain white dress with a long curtain, and she could vaguely see that she was wearing a persimmon-colored beige of the same color and a cloak over it.It looks very different from ordinary people.
Chu Si asked: "Miss, are you here for dinner?"
The tall and beautiful maid at the side handed over the post in her hand, and he saw that the lady had reserved a private room in advance.
Clear Sky Workshop's private rooms are extremely rare, because it is famous in Beijing, pampered young masters or senior officials of the court and central government often gather here for drinks, not to mention ordinary rich and noble families, even the family members of small officials are hard to book a room.
Who made this Capital? There are countless officials.
Chu Si smiled more respectfully, and led him to the leftmost private room on the second floor according to the words on the post.
Chu Si followed behind, seeing traces of silver threads on the skirt of the young lady, felt a little strange, such a valuable skirt, such a noble lady, was accompanied by only one attendant.
Did this sneak out of the house?
After going up to the second floor and closing the private room, the lady took off the curtain and lowered her eyes slightly, her face was very beautiful and noble.Chu Si considers himself as the sophomore of Clear Sky Workshop, greets and sends him off every day, and receives countless guests, and he has never seen such a good-looking person.
He turned his head, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and asked him to bring the menu.
Chu Si was stunned for a while before he said: "What kind of dishes does Miss like, sweet and salty? What kind of wine? Our signature dishes are all good."
His voice is Lingling: "Don't serve the food yet."
"I'm waiting for someone."
The last one served was a pot of sweet-scented osmanthus wine, which Xiao Er strongly recommended, saying that it was a new wine with a sweet taste and not intoxicating, which was just right for Rong JIan.
There was also charcoal burning in the Clear Sky Workshop, but it was not as good as that in the Hall of Changle. Rong JIan felt choked after staying for a while and opened the window.
Rong JIan rested his cheeks, his curled fingertips touched the flower tinsel on his temples, shivering from the cold.
Through half of the window, Rong JIan saw the scene outside, the clouds were dense and there was no sky.
The small clay stove on the table is warming the new wine, and the tulle covered by the curtain pours down and hangs down to the ground, laying a thin layer, illuminated by the candles beside it, it is a special and quiet mood.
In the evening, the sky is like snow, and there is nothing to drink.
Rong Jian is waiting for someone who doesn't know if he will come.
But will still wait.
The author has something to say:
wait for someone
"It's like snow in the evening, can you drink a cup of nothing" - Bai Juyi's "Ask Liu Nineteen"
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