Aoyama

Chapter 315 Overturning the table
A day in the palace seems longer than outside.

People living in the red walls and gray tiles start looking forward to noon from the moment they wake up in the morning, and start looking forward to night from noon.

The children outside the palace were playing Cuju in the street, and before they knew it, it was dark; the people in the palace watched the sunset fall bit by bit, at an astonishingly slow speed.

The eight hundred drum beats from the bell and drum tower stopped, the gates of the imperial city were locked, and night fell.

All the nuns returned to the back hall. Some sat on the bunk beds, not knowing what they were thinking about, while others were mending their clothes. After sewing, the needles and threads had to be handed back to Xuan Su, who then locked them in a cabinet, without losing a single needle.

Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun were sitting on the edge of the bunk bed, whispering something to each other.

Xuan Su sat on the bunk bed, his eyes wandering back and forth between Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun, and then he said calmly: "Bai Li, go get me a basin of water to wash my feet."

Zhu Lingyun glared at him: "Don't you have hands or feet? Can't you go by yourself?"

Xuan Su smiled and pulled out a ruler from under the pillow: "Then check Bai Li's homework today. If you can recite the forty-nine sentences that Master taught today, you won't punish her."

Zhu Lingyun was startled and turned to look at Bai Li worriedly.

Bai Li looked neither happy nor sad, and whispered: "The Tao can be spoken of, but it is not always the Tao. The name can be named, but it is not always the name. Nothingness is the name of the beginning of all things. Existence is the name of the mother of all things. Therefore, the constant nothingness is the desire to observe its wonders. The constant existence is the desire to observe its boundaries. The two come from the same source, have different names, and the same meaning. Mysterious, and even more mysterious, it is the door to all wonders..."

Xuan Su frowned as she listened to Bai Li reciting the forty-nine sentences he had learned today, word for word. She couldn't bring herself to hit him with the ruler in her hand.

She pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Zhu Lingyun: "You carry it!"

Zhu Lingyun stumbled as she recited: "The Tao can be spoken, but it is not the eternal Tao; the name can be named, but it is not the eternal name..."

Xuan Su suddenly raised his hand, but was stopped by Bai Li when he was about to drop it.

Bai Li held her wrist and said slowly, "I'll go get you some water to wash your feet."

Xuan Su smiled slightly: "Wouldn't it be better if you were so sensible earlier?"

Bai Li got off the common bed and went to the side room to boil water. She sat in front of the small red clay stove in a daze, letting the warm wind blow on her face, not knowing what she was thinking.

She thought of the twentieth sentence of the Taoist scriptures and recited to herself, "Heaven and earth are unkind and treat all things as straw dogs. Sages are unkind and treat the people as straw dogs."

But she felt that this sentence was inappropriate, so she silently recited the 28th sentence of Taoist scriptures, "Live in a good place, have a good heart, be trustworthy, be good at governing, be capable, and act at the right time. Only by not competing can one be free from blame."

As I was daydreaming, the kettle made a harsh sound of steam.

Bai Li stood up, picked up the kettle and poured it into the copper basin, mixed it with some cold water, brought it to the common bed, and calmly placed it at Xuan Su's feet.

Xuan Su took off his shoes and said with a smile, "It is said that the daughter of Prince Jing should be pampered, but why do I see you working so efficiently? But your sister is useless."

Bai Li corrected casually: "She is not completely useless."

Xuan Su sneered: "You are a very competent elder sister, protecting your younger sister everywhere. But why is it that all the people in Jingyang Palace are lonely, and you sisters are the only ones who can depend on each other?"

Bai Li's expression remained unchanged. She finally understood the reason why Xuan Su did evil.

Xuan Su put his feet in the basin and said in a harsh voice: "Wash my feet. You have to wash my feet every day from now on! If you don't want to, I will ask your sister to recite the scriptures. If she can't recite them, she will be punished even if she makes a mistake in one word!"

Zhu Lingyun was so angry that she stood on the bunk bed and cursed: "You witch, my sister is the eldest daughter of Prince Jing, how can you treat her badly?"

Xuan Su glanced at her and said, "Is the eldest daughter of Prince Jing precious? In my Jingyang Palace, I have the final say!"

As she spoke, several Taoist nuns beside her stood up and faced Zhu Lingyun, as if they were ready to pin her down on the bunk and beat her up at any time.

At this time, Bai Li said softly: "It's already in this place, there is no such thing as a precious person, I will wash you. Lingyun, you sleep well."

Zhu Lingyun was so angry that her eyes rolled around in her sockets: "Sister, let's fight them. We won't live any longer!"

Baili repeated: "Lingyun! Sleep!"

Xuan Su laughed out loud: "Sister is still mature and steady!"

She stirred the copper basin with her plump feet and said with a smile, "Wash it, why are you dawdling? Only those who endure the most hardships can become the best. Princess Baili, you still have a lot of hardships to endure, and you will definitely be rich in the future."

Baili silently put his hands into the basin.

……

……

In the early morning, the sound of morning bells from the Bell and Drum Tower rang from the north.

The bell sounds every day as scheduled, and every day is the same, just like the day itself, there is nothing new about it.

Xuan Su stood by the door as usual and shouted in a stern voice: "Everyone, get up and go to class!"

She suddenly pushed open the vermilion lacquered door and let the cold wind pour into the hall.

Bai Li stood up and first tied up Zhu Lingyun's hair, then used a wooden hairpin to tie up Princess Yongchun's hair. She looked at her wrinkled face, as if she saw her future self.

Princess Yongchun smiled innocently and said, "Bodhisattva, you really look like a bodhisattva. You are so beautiful."

Bai Li smiled and said, "Why would a Bodhisattva from Buddhism come to a Taoist temple?"

Princess Yongchun asked crazily, "Where people who do evil are hiding is where good deeds should be done. Why can't the Bodhisattvas of Buddhism come to the Taoist temples?"

Bai Li was stunned.

Before she could think about it, Princess Yongchun jumped off the bed and ran out the door: "Brother Zhuo Yuan must have come to see me today. He promised to come and see me!"

Bai Li felt lost, and slowly gathered his thoughts and walked out the door.

When passing the vermilion palace door, Xuan Su leaned against the door frame and said in a deep voice: "Don't even think about going to Taoist Xuan Zhen to complain to you two. Be honest. If I find out, I will not let you off."

Bai Li did not answer, but led Zhu Lingyun straight to the Jingyang Palace. The futon was already set, and the elegant Xuan Zhen Zhenren sat cross-legged on it, gently waved his whisk, struck the bell, and said loudly: "The Tao can be spoken, but it is not the eternal Tao..."

The Taoist scriptures I learned are exactly the same as yesterday.

In a trance, Bai Li almost thought that he was trapped in a desperate situation, repeating "a certain day" day after day, endlessly, with no way out and no return.

After the Taoist scripture was finished, Taoist Xuanzhen stood up leisurely and led everyone in performing the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows to the Three Pure Ones.

At this moment, Zhu Lingyun climbed up from the futon and rushed towards Xuan Zhen. Bai Li reached out to pull her, but only touched her sleeves.

In front of the statue of the Three Pure Ones, Zhu Lingyun threw herself at Xuan Zhen's feet, crying, "Master, Xuan Su bullies people in the back hall every day. It should be a job for everyone, but she only makes my sister and I do it. At night, she makes us sleep next to the toilet, and we will be woken up when someone gets up to use the toilet. She doesn't even wash her own clothes, but gives them all to my sister and me. My sister's hands are frozen and her mouth is swollen. If you don't believe me, just look..."

Xuan Su's expression changed: "Shut up, I told you to shut up!"

She rushed forward and wanted to grab Zhu Lingyun's hair, but Xuan Zhen just turned his head and glanced at her. She immediately withdrew her hand awkwardly: "Master, I..."

Zhu Lingyun continued to cry and complained: "Master, this Xuan Su even asked my sister to wash her feet."

Xuan Zhen waved his whisk, turned to face Xuan Su, and said softly: "A few days ago it was Princess Yongchun, today it is Princess Lingyun, how many more times do I have to help you take on the foreign demons? If you can't manage them well, I will replace them so that no one will disturb my meditation."

Zhu Lingyun was stunned.

Xuan Su hurriedly said, "Well managed, well managed!"

Xuan Zhen held the whisk in his arms and said softly, "Kneel down."

Xuan Su knelt in front of him and spread his palms upwards.

Xuan Zhen stretched out her hand, and someone handed her a bamboo ruler: "Recite the Mantra to Purify Heaven and Earth."

Xuan Su glanced at Zhu Lingyun viciously and recited: "The naturalness of heaven and earth disperses the foul qi. The mysterious void in the cave shines brightly. The mighty gods of the eight directions make me natural..."

With a snap, the ruler hit her palm hard. Xuan Su's fat face trembled in pain, but he did not dare to stop reciting the divine spell to purify the heaven and earth.

After hitting him 108 times, Xuan Zhen said calmly, "Break away the 108 troubles, and your body will be like glass, clear inside and out. You are better today than you were yesterday."

Xuan Su's left hand was torn and bleeding. She fell to the ground and said respectfully, "Thank you, Master."

Xuan Zhen handed the ruler aside, turned and walked towards the side hall without even looking at the crowd.

When the red lacquered door of the side hall closed, Xuan Su suddenly looked at Zhu Lingyun and said sternly, "I told you not to complain and disturb the immortal's meditation, but you didn't listen! Drag her to the back hall and shut her up!"

Bai Li stepped forward and said urgently: "Don't, she won't do it again!"

Xuan Su glared at him: "And Bai Li, drag her to the back hall!"

Several Taoist nuns dragged the two people away, and the door of the side hall was never opened again.

When they arrived at the back hall, Xuan Su turned around and closed the door, then swung the ruler in his hand and hit Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun on the thighs until their skin was torn and their pants were soaked with blood, only then did he stop.

At noon, the eunuch brought food, and the nuns dispersed to eat in the side hall, leaving Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun lying on the bunk bed. Zhu Lingyun was crying softly, and she almost didn't have the strength to cry.

Princess Yongchun sat on the doorstep, looking at the sky, twirling her loose hair with her fingers, muttering something.

Bai Li slowly sat up and gently wiped Zhu Lingyun's tears: "Does it hurt?"

Zhu Lingyun said aggrievedly: "Sister, it hurts."

Bai Li lifted her robe and looked at his sister's bloody thigh, feeling a sharp pain in his heart.

She touched Zhu Lingyun's cheek and coaxed her in a low voice: "Don't cry, go eat, and the pain will go away after you eat."

Zhu Lingyun buried her head in her arms: "I don't want to eat. When will this day end? Sister, father has never beaten us."

Bai Li whispered: "Yes, even father has never hit you."

She struggled to her feet and limped out.

When she passed by Princess Yongchun, she suddenly stopped twisting her hair and said, "She's wrong."

Bai Li was startled: "What's wrong?"

Princess Yongchun sat on the threshold and looked up at her: "My mother told me that what you eat will replenish what you have, for example, eating fish eyes can improve your eyesight. Therefore, if you can't become a superior person by enduring hardships, you have to eat people."

Baili stood there in a daze.

Princess Yongchun looked at the blue sky outside and whispered, "I always thought that if I waited and endured, it would pass and things would always turn around. But I waited for twenty-two years, and in the end, what I waited for was the news of death. If I had known this, I should have died twenty-two years ago."

Bai Li hesitated: "You..."

As she was talking, a butterfly landed outside and gently landed on the tip of her hair. The butterfly stayed for two breaths, then flapped its wings and flew away to the main hall.

Princess Yongchun stood up and chased after him: "Brother Zhuo Yuan is here to see me! Brother Zhuo Yuan, wait for me!"

Bai Li let out a long breath and walked towards the side hall.

In the side hall, Xuan Su and others were having dinner. When the Taoist nuns saw Bai Li coming in, they immediately moved their bodies to block the gap on the dining table.

Bai Li was silent for a long time, then suddenly walked forward and lifted up the dining table, leaving the food and dishes scattered all over the floor. Xuan Su looked down at the vegetable juice and leaves on his robe, and for a moment he didn't react to what had happened.

Amid the horrified gazes of the crowd, Bai Li picked up two steamed buns from the ground, put them in his arms, and walked to the corner of the side hall.

She squatted down to avoid exposing her vital parts.

Xuan Su finally came to his senses and shouted angrily, "This is outrageous! This is outrageous! Beat her up, beat her up hard, let her know what the rules of Jingyang Palace are!"

(End of this chapter)