Zhurou

Chapter 254 Faraway Land

Since the mountain cannot come to me, I have to go to the mountain.

Concubine Li was really anxious. After she returned to Beijing, she felt that the palace was small, the food was simple, and there was no one to flatter her or comfort her. She was very uncomfortable. Since she could not summon the Taoist nuns she was familiar with into the palace, she claimed that she wanted to go to the Sanqing Temple to pray for the retired emperor and his concubines and daughters.

Zhao Mingzhi was only in charge of keeping the palace under control and not allowing random people to come in to avoid chaos. When Concubine Li wanted to leave the palace, she did not interfere too much. Besides, there was no way to interfere with her for such a reason, so she simply agreed and said that she would send people to Sanqing Temple to make arrangements after the weather cleared up in two days.

But as soon as the letter was delivered, Concubine Li sent someone to say that the journey should be simple and that Zhao Mingzhi should not drive away the remaining believers in Sanqing Palace, so as not to disturb the people.

Even Mo Xiang felt strange when hearing such words, and could not help but report to Zhao Mingzhi, saying: "The Concubine is always eager to show off her power, and even one leg needs eight people to lift it. Why did she suddenly change her temper today?"

Zhao Mingzhi had heard a lot about this person in Caizhou. Thinking of the fact that he wanted to summon the Buddhist and Taoist nuns the day before, he thought about it and guessed some of the reasons. He said, "If the Sanqing Temple is closed, not only ordinary people will not be able to enter, but those who often come and go will also naturally not be able to see it."

Sanqing Temple is a royal Taoist temple and not many people go there on ordinary days. Concubine Li came here specifically to give instructions, which only made the matter more obvious.

There were people watching around her. After all, she was the Empress Dowager's Consort. As long as she didn't cause any trouble, she didn't want to control her too much, so she said, "Forget it. If she wants to go, let her go."

Sure enough, two days later, the sky cleared up, and Concubine Li went to Sanqing Temple with several personal maids and a team of guards.

She had sent someone to pass the message out long ago, and just as she entered the hall, she bowed briefly and burned incense. Then, on the pretext of being hungry, she sent a few palace servants to watch the banquet and ask about the food. After the people had left, she said that she had heard that there was a pond of beautiful lotus flowers in the temple, and she wanted to go to the back garden to enjoy them.

The concubine spoke, and the Taoist priests in the temple naturally obeyed and led the way. They arrived at the corner of the back garden, where there was a pond of sparsely blooming lotus flowers. There were already seven or eight people standing beside it, including ordinary people and a Taoist nun.

The Taoist woman looked to be about fifty years old and had a thin figure. Although she was pretending to appreciate the flowers by the lotus pond, her attention was always on the gate to the back garden. When she saw Concubine Li and her entourage coming over, her face showed joy, and when they came closer, she kept calling them "Empress".

She called out like this, naturally attracting everyone to look at her. Some palace guards came forward to interrogate her, but were stopped by Concubine Li, who said, "I met Kundao when I was in Caizhou before. I never thought I would meet her here by chance. It's just right for us to enjoy the flowers and eat together."

As he said this, he ordered everyone to drive away the extra people and go forward to greet the man.

At first, the two of them pointed at the lotus flowers in the pond, pretending to appreciate them. Later, they went to a stone table beside the pond and no longer cared about looking at the lotus flowers or leaves, but just talked.

Concubine Li sat down alone and asked Chunlu to watch from 20 to 30 steps away, so as not to let outsiders get close. She immediately asked the Taoist woman, "Have you brought the things?"

The Taoist woman immediately took out a cloth bag with body temperature from her underwear. Seeing that there was no one around, she secretly handed it to Concubine Li and whispered, "Your Majesty, just think about what you want to ask for, light a fire and burn the yellow talisman. After burning it, tell the person you are asking for something for, and then give the talisman to that person by diluting it with water and letting him eat it..."

When Concubine Li heard this, she became very nervous and asked hurriedly, "Does one talisman only fulfill one wish?"

"That's right. There are three of them here. I went back to the mountain to ask for them from my master. They have been on display in my sect for three hundred and fifty-eight years. There are only three of them in total. If one is used, there will be one less."

Concubine Li hurriedly took the yellow talisman, not caring that the person in front of her was a Taoist. She put her hands together, sandwiched the talisman between two pieces, and chanted "Amitabha".

After she finished chanting "Amitabha", she suddenly thought of something and asked hurriedly, "What if that thing was originally prayed for by someone, but that person is not willing to drink the talisman water?"

When the Taoist priest saw that Concubine Li did not offer any reward, she rolled her eyes and said, "It's best to drink it all. Such a precious thing was obtained with great difficulty, and we can't treat it casually. As the saying goes, sincerity will bring success. If you have distracting thoughts in your mind, I'm afraid it won't come true."

He continued, "Your Highness, you don't know that these three talismans have been enshrined for 358 years. When I went to ask for them, my master scolded me severely. Fortunately, I mentioned your name. My master also knew that your Highness always takes care of this temple and is devoted to the affairs of the royal family. She is a kind-hearted person who is rare in the world, so he allowed me to use them."

"In order to obtain these three yellow talismans, I used all the gold and brass that the goddess gave me last time to buy flowers and fruits, and also bought fragrant oil to offer to the immortals. I also invited all the masters and disciples in the sect to chant scriptures for three days and three nights before the success was achieved. After these three talismans are used up, there will be no new ones in the world."

Concubine Li nodded solemnly and said, "That's right. If it weren't a rare and good thing, how could it be useful!"

She hesitated again, "But maybe that person is far away, or doesn't know what I'm thinking, and doesn't want to believe it. There will always be times when he won't drink. What can I do then?"

Seeing that Concubine Li did not say thank you no matter how she advised, the Taoist woman gritted her teeth and said, "Actually, there is another way, but it will shorten my lifespan..."

"What method?" asked Concubine Li.

"After the talisman is burned, if the person you made the wish for cannot drink the talisman water, you have to ask the person's closest and most intimate person to drink it on his behalf. Then write down the person's birth date and give it to me. I will use my own essence and blood to perform the ritual!"

Concubine Li let out an "ah".

The Taoist woman lowered her head and dropped her hands.

Concubine Li hurriedly asked, "This... I wonder how much of my life span will be reduced?"

The Taoist said, "It depends on what the lady wants and who she is asking for."

Concubine Li said, "I want to make two wishes now. First, I want my daughter Baozhu to return to the capital safely, and second, I want her to marry a good man..."

The Taoist woman was very hesitant and said, "The dragon son and daughter are so noble. If I want to make a wish for them, even the heavens will ask for more. I really can't say for sure - I am not young anymore. If I make a wish, the heavens will take away more of my life..."

Concubine Li begged for a long time, and then promised a hundred taels of silver, two gold bracelets, and a set of fine head ornaments, and the Taoist woman finally agreed reluctantly.

After getting the Taoist nod, Concubine Li asked the Taoist to swear to the sky repeatedly before she made her second wish. Then she leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Second, I want to make Zhao Mingzhi in the palace suffer as much misfortune as possible... it would be best..." When she said this, her eyes flickered and she just looked at the Taoist without saying anything else.

The Taoist priest's face suddenly changed, and she whispered, "My Lady, it's not that I don't want to do anything. Actually, I have already performed the ritual when you instructed me to do so..."

Concubine Li said, "Tell me the truth, were you also going to use your life span to make a trade before, and you were afraid that you would lose too much, so you finally let go?"

"I've been thinking about it. After you cast the spell, she was originally going to be sent to the Northern Di as a bride. I don't know how, but the bandit leader suddenly died. I heard that he was seriously ill..."

It turned out that as early as in Caizhou, Concubine Li had asked the Taoist nun in front of her to help her cast a spell. At that time, the capital was under siege, and Zhao Hong was making a fuss and wanted to return to the capital to rescue it.

In Zhao Mingzhi's absence, Concubine Li was the only one in power in Caizhou and lived comfortably. When she heard that the Di bandits had marched southwards and were heading straight for the capital, and would soon win, she wished she could move south immediately to escape. However, she had no idea that Zhao Hong would retreat instead of advancing, and was determined to save people even at the cost of his own life.

It would have been fine if the two siblings were seeking death themselves, but they didn't even give anyone else a chance to live. They didn't even bother leaving more soldiers in Caizhou so that they could send her south to Suzhou and Hangzhou in the future. Instead, they forced her to stay and wait in Caizhou.

Officials from both governments were helpless against Zhao Hong, and Concubine Li was naturally even more helpless. She could only pray to gods and Buddhas every day, and also found a Taoist priestess with some magical powers. It was said that she could predict the future and guess whether the baby was a boy or a girl by looking at the belly, and could also help to eliminate disasters and misfortunes.

She knew that Zhao Hong was young and the root of the problem was Zhao Mingzhu, so she asked those people to help cast a spell to tell Zhao Mingzhi not to cause trouble again.

After the Taoist priestess cast the spell, there was no response for a long time and she thought it was useless. However, soon after, news came that the princess was going to marry a foreign prince. Later, she also heard that she was seriously ill.

Even though nothing was accomplished in the end, such means were enough to convince Concubine Li that she is now so convinced.

Concubine Li's eyes were frighteningly bright. She just grabbed the Taoist's sleeve tightly and said, "Just do it. If this thing really succeeds, you will definitely benefit from it!"

The Taoist woman was just playing tricks and making far-fetched stories to cheat people out of money. She saw that Concubine Li was becoming more and more anxious. She had heard during her time in Beijing that the princess was very popular among the people and had great means. Naturally, she knew that she would most likely be defeated by the one in front of her.

She wanted to make a quick buck and run away, but was afraid that if she really did something wrong, she would be hard to escape in the future, so she said, "Let your Majesty know that this method can only take care of one person at a time. Even if I am willing to help, it cannot be done immediately. However, what your Majesty wants, I have thought carefully, it is nothing more than that the prince is very annoying..."

Concubine Li nodded rapidly and recounted all the grievances she had suffered. She had thought that after returning to the capital, once the Di people had left, she would be able to enjoy a good life. However, now her food, clothing, shelter and transportation were all in poor condition, and no one cared about her or was filial to her.

The Taoist mother had heard so much of this when she was in Caizhou that she had no idea how many times she had been talking about this. Seeing that she had begun to repeat the same thing over and over again, she hurriedly said, "Of course the princess is very bad, but she is just a girl. As the saying goes, men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. She should have been engaged by now. As an elder, how can the queen not do anything about it?"

Concubine Li paused, then shook her head and said, "Do you think I haven't thought about it? But she never takes me seriously, so how can she listen to my arrangements? Besides, even if she gets married, His Majesty will listen to her in everything. Even if she has a princess's mansion, she may not move out. She will always live in the palace and interfere in everything - then it's the same whether she gets married or not."

The Taoist woman laughed and said, "Let the queen know. Does that mean I have to marry in the capital?"

Concubine Li shook her head again and said, "How could she agree to marry someone else? Don't even think about it!"

The Taoist priest hurriedly said, "Your Highness, think about it again. She wants to interfere in everything in the palace, which makes people feel uncomfortable. Isn't she also interfering in everything in the court, which makes people feel uncomfortable?"

He added, "All the affairs in the court have always been decided by the gentlemen. She relies on herself as the emperor's elder sister and wants to control her affairs. Can those gentlemen tolerate it? I dare to guarantee that as long as the queen can find a suitable candidate and put this word out, there will always be people to help her! When the time comes, those officials will fight with her, and the queen will just watch the show from behind!"

Concubine Li thought about this for a long time, but still hesitated, and said, "If this thing fails, wouldn't it offend her to death?"

The Taoist said, "The Madam's position is such that we cannot afford to offend her. How could she do something unfilial? Besides, the Madam is always careful now, and it is not certain that she will gain any benefit from her!"

When Concubine Li heard this, she felt it made sense and couldn't help asking, "Then what should I say? The Di people are no longer acceptable, so where else in the south can we marry into? I heard that Jiaozhi has never been very stable, and there is a place in the southwest called something..."

The Taoist woman said, "I am a Buddhist nun, so I don't know these things. Your Majesty, you can ask someone to find out. Now, there are places in the court that are far away and out of the control of the court, and they often cause trouble."

He also reminded, "Don't count on Jiaozhi. She will definitely not want to go, and the emperor will not ask her to go. It's best to choose a place that takes at least ten days to get there by horseback. By the time she gets married, it will take more than a month to send a letter back. No matter how long her arms are, how can she get back? I just don't know if there is such a place!"

Concubine Dowager Li thought the idea was feasible, but she had never paid much attention to the political affairs of the court. She had entered the palace at a young age and knew little about the geography of the mountains and rivers. After hearing what the Taoist said, her mind was empty and she had no idea. She had to put the matter aside for the time being.

Seeing that it was getting late, she had no intention of delaying any longer, but the Taoist said, "Since you want to make a wish, you might as well use the talisman here, so as not to bring it back to the palace and be seen by others, which would cause trouble again."

Concubine Li thought that there were many people in her palace and many eyes were watching, so she thought it made sense. She burned the three talisman papers immediately, swallowed one of them with water on the spot, and wrapped the other two handfuls of talisman ashes in a handkerchief and a sachet and kept them close to her body. Then she gave some earnest instructions and reluctantly parted with the Taoist woman.

When she got back to the carriage, she couldn't sit or lie down. She thought about the Taoist's words over and over again, but still couldn't get any inspiration. She had to call Chunlu, her personal maid, to discuss it.

"Even the Majesty doesn't know, how can this servant know..." Chunlu was speaking, and suddenly paused, "Wait, it seems there really is one."

She hurriedly continued, "On our way back to Beijing, we stopped to rest. When I went to the back to get some water, I heard Mr. Sun talking to someone through the wall."

"That person advised Sun Xianggong that after returning to the capital, he must subdue the governor Pei Yong and not let him cause trouble in the Privy Council. Sun Xianggong laughed and said that he was such a person who was worried about the weather. He also said that Pei Yong would definitely return to his Jingzhao Prefecture in early autumn or early winter. However, this person was ambitious and the court could not control him. He would definitely become a big trouble in the future."

"Your Highness, isn't Jingzhao Prefecture a faraway place? When the princess went to Jingzhao Prefecture to ask the governor to send troops, she heard rumors in the palace that it would take an ordinary person ten days to go back and forth, no matter how fast they ran!"

Weird, has the free-for-all rule changed? Why do I need to subscribe after just reading a new chapter?