Aoyama

Chapter 374 Qingci
In the Ancient Mirror Studio, Zhu Lingyun clutched the Qingci poem and stared at Bai Li.

The female Taoist priests put down their pens and watched from the sidelines. Bai Li's gaze remained unwavering, while Zhu Lingyun's gaze gradually shifted away.

Zhu Lingyun turned her face away, clutching the poem in her hand and stubbornly saying, "Sister, when we had our vegetarian meal before, there were clearly seats available, but she deliberately didn't let us sit. She insisted on waiting until they finished eating before letting us eat. Now that I'm in charge, what's wrong with having her write a poem for me?"

Bai Li gazed at Zhu Lingyun: "Father taught us, 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.'"

Zhu Lingyun was at a loss for words, but the female Taoist priest Du Miao stood up to help her, saying, "Princess Baili, do you know why this female Taoist priest ended up in Jingyang Palace?"

Zhu Lingyun asked in confusion, "Why?"

Du Miao looked at the female Taoist priest whose petition had been taken away: "This person was formerly one of His Majesty's concubines. His Majesty personally bestowed upon her a silver book and a salary of six hundred shi (a unit of grain), making her very prominent. However, because she could not conceive a son for a long time, she took her anger out on the palace servants, beating more than ten people to death every month. The Empress reprimanded her for her immoral behavior and exiled her to Jingyang Palace to cultivate her character. But instead of repenting, she became even more ruthless, robbing us of our property and bullying us."

Zhu Lingyun turned to look at Bai Li: "Sister, you see, this kind of person shouldn't be given a nice look in the first place."

On the other side, Liu Pin'e slammed her hand on the table and pointed at Du Miao's nose: "And what kind of good thing are you? You have the nerve to tell me how you got into Jingyang Palace?"

Du Miao said slowly and deliberately, "I was banished here because I offended Consort Xue, but I don't have so many lives on my hands like you. Liu Pin'e, don't you hear the cries of those wronged souls of the palace servants when you go to bed every day?"

A female Taoist priest next to Liu Pin'e sneered: "Du Miao, do you really want me to reveal the despicable things you've done?"

Bai Li stood in the Ancient Mirror Studio, watching the female Taoist priests argue between two factions. She got up, grabbed Zhu Lingyun's wrist, and led her outside: "Let's go, let's not get involved in their feud."

But when she took a step, she couldn't pull Zhu Lingyun along.

Bai Li turned around and looked back. Zhu Lingyun withdrew her arm and lowered her head guiltily, saying, "Sister, I haven't finished writing the prayers yet... I still need to check their prayers."

Bai Li gazed at Zhu Lingyun for a long time before leaving Gujianzhai alone and heading straight for Jingguanzhai, where Xuanzhen was.

She pushed open the two vermilion doors of Jingguanzhai and barged inside.

Xuanzhen was sitting cross-legged on the embroidered couch, reading Taoist scriptures. Hearing the noise, he looked up at Baili and said, "Princess, you've come to me in such a fierce manner, do you have something to say?"

Bai Li stood at the door, her gaze piercing through the swirling incense smoke, staring directly at Xuanzhen: "Master, you put Lingyun in charge of things because you want to nurture the demon in her heart, so that she will be abandoned by everyone and can only be protected by you?"

Xuanzhen closed the Taoist scripture and said gently, "Princess, you have wronged me. Jingyang Palace is a pure place for cultivating Taoism. How could it be a place to raise demons? I entrusted the management to Xuanyun because I valued her. Look, she has been managing it quite well these days."

Bai Li remained silent for a long time: "If the Master wants me to take over the position, I will accept it. If there is anything, just confront me."

Xuanzhen smiled slightly: "Princess, you have a deep misunderstanding about me. Others would love to be in charge of Jingyang Palace. How is it wrong for me to let Xuanyun take charge?"

She changed the subject: "I previously wanted the county head to handle things because I thought the princess could manage them well. Now that Xuan Yun can manage them well, why change him? Besides, we should also ask Xuan Yun's opinion on this matter, shouldn't we?"

At this moment, Zhu Lingyun, worried about Bai Li, chased after her. She reached the door, tugged at Bai Li's sleeve, and whispered, "Sister, what are you doing? Don't provoke her."

The white carp remained unmoved, continuing to stare straight at Xuanzhen.

Xuanzhen smiled and said, "Xuanyun, your sister said she wants to take over the affairs of Jingyang Palace from you. Are you willing?"

"Huh?" Zhu Lingyun was stunned for a moment. She subconsciously and slowly let go of Bai Li's hand: "I...I'm willing."

Xuanzhen continued with a smile, "Xuanyun, I've noticed that you've managed Jingyang Palace very well lately, and no one is disturbing my peaceful cultivation anymore. I'd like you to continue managing it, would that be alright?"

Zhu Lingyun glanced at Bai Li secretly, and hesitated before saying, "Ah... that's fine too. My manager and my sister's manager are actually the same. Sister, if you need anything, just tell me, and I'll instruct them to do it."

Bai Li turned to look at her, as if she wanted to get to know her all over again: "Take care of yourself."

She turned and left. Zhu Lingyun was about to chase after her to explain when Xuanzhen called out to her, "Xuanyun, come here. I have something to tell you."

Zhu Lingyun was torn, but in the end she lowered her head and walked into Jingguanzhai: "Okay..."

……

……

Bai Li went straight back to the back hall, silently sat on the communal bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, and looked at the sky outside the palace until the evening drum sounded.

Princess Yongchun leaned closer and said with a simple smile, "Bodhisattva, I'm hungry."

The white carp did not answer.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Princess Yongchun jumped off the communal bed barefoot, went outside and took two steamed buns. She ate one herself and handed the other to Baili, saying, "Bodhisattva, eat the steamed bun. It's very sweet."

Bai Li stared at the steamed bun in front of her, and her expression finally changed.

She took the steamed bun, took a bite, and said, "Thank you."

Princess Yongchun tilted her head and looked at her: "Does a Bodhisattva care about the lives of others?"

Bai Li calmly said, "Never mind."

Princess Yongchun then asked, "What is the Bodhisattva thinking?"

Bai Li slowly chewed on her steamed bun: "I'm thinking about how long it will be before I can leave the palace to worship the Silkworm Goddess. I don't want to think about anything else."

Princess Yongchun sat beside her, both staring blankly at the sky: "Bodhisattva, the sky outside the Forbidden City is no different from the sky inside the palace."

Bai Li smiled and turned to look at her: "It's different. No one is waiting for me in the Forbidden City."

Princess Yongchun was taken aback, then smiled and said, "That's wonderful."

Looking at Princess Yongchun, Bai Li felt that she didn't seem to be really crazy, but it didn't seem to matter anymore.

She went to the side room, scooped up some clean water from the large water vat to wash her face, untied her hair and combed it neatly again, making herself clean and tidy.

She returned to the inner palace and reached out to help Princess Yongchun tie her hair back up, revealing her original face and the marks of time: "Don't ruin yourself, your brother Zhuoyuan will definitely be sad if he sees you like this."

Princess Yongchun said in a madman's voice, "Bodhisattva, you used to be a clay Bodhisattva, but now you are a living Bodhisattva."

Bai Li inserted a wooden hairpin into his hair and said to herself, "Fifteen days left... Last time he came, I didn't dare to turn around and look at him properly. I don't know how much effort he put in to get here. He must have been very sad that day. But this time I have another chance. I wonder if I can talk to him, even just say a word."

Princess Yongchun suddenly reached out and touched Bai Li's cheek: "Remember these things, don't forget them."

Bai Li was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Princess Yongchun reverted to her dazed state and stopped answering. Zhu Lingyun returned to the inner palace that night, intending to talk to her sister and share the palace secrets she had heard during the day, only to find that her sister had already fallen asleep on her bed with her back to her.

She hesitated for a moment, then took off her clothes, crawled into bed, and whispered "Sister" twice, but there was no response.

Zhu Lingyun wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, turned over, and went to sleep.

Just as she turned around, Bai Li, with her back to her, gently opened her eyes.

At dawn, the morning bell tolls.

Zhu Lingyun opened her eyes and softly called out, "Sister..."

She instinctively reached out to touch the white carp, but found nothing.

Zhu Lingyun sat up abruptly, only to find that Bai Li had already gotten out of bed, had just finished tying her hair into a bun, and was walking out without looking back.

In the past, Bai Li would have coaxed her out of bed, and if she didn't want to get up, he would have dragged her out of bed. He used to find it annoying, but today, with no one to help her out of bed, he felt a sense of emptiness inside.

Just as she was about to get out of bed to say a few words to Bai Li, Du Miao brought in a basin of hot water, squatted down in front of her bed, wrung out a warm towel and stuffed it into her hand: "Manager Xuan Yun, wipe your face, we'll help you get dressed and comb your hair."

Zhu Lingyun hesitated for a moment before instructing, "Use your rhinoceros horn comb; that comb makes your hair smooth."

Du Miao beamed, "Okay!"

……

……

As the day for the Silkworm Goddess Festival drew closer, the female Taoist priests became increasingly restless.

They would gather together every day to discuss what kind of light makeup to wear, what hairpins to use, and the female Taoist priests would secretly use needles and thread to narrow the waist of their Taoist robes.

Every day, Bai Li performs his morning prayers, eats, and writes Qingci (a type of Buddhist prayer), then hugs his knees and waits for the eight hundred evening drumbeats to end at sunset.

People came and went in the back hall, the sun rose and set, but the white carp seemed to have never moved from its communal bed.

Zhu Lingyun stood outside the hall, secretly glancing at Bai Li with concern: "What's wrong with my sister?"

Du Miao whispered to her, "Princess Yongchun was like this when she first arrived, but she gradually went mad."

Zhu Lingyun suddenly turned her head and glared at her fiercely: "Shut up, my sister wouldn't do that!"

Du Miao quickly changed the subject: "Manager Xuan Yun, we'll be going to worship the Silkworm Goddess in a few days, and you don't have a suitable hairpin yet."

Zhu Lingyun didn't mind: "I think your plain silver hairpin is quite nice, you can lend it to me."

Du Miao was taken aback, then whispered, "I know Liu Ping'e has a kingfisher feather hairpin. Her kingfisher feather hairpin is made from the downy feathers of 1,800 kingfishers' necks. It's a very precious item. Moreover, the color of her kingfisher feather hairpin is elegant and simple, which matches your brand new Taoist robe perfectly."

Zhu Lingyun shook her head: "Kingfisher feather inlay is too extravagant and not suitable for female Taoist priests to wear."

Du Miao covered her mouth and laughed, "On the day of the Silkworm Goddess Festival, all the women in the capital will go. Everyone will be vying to outshine each other, and no one will care how extravagant we are dressed. Moreover, on that day, there will be a majestic Imperial Guard escorting us, and scholars and literati will also go together."

Zhu Lingyun was somewhat tempted, but before she could refuse, Du Miao walked straight into the back hall and stood in front of Liu Pin'e: "Bring out your kingfisher feather ornament."

Liu Ping'e's face twitched: "On what grounds?"

Du Miao smiled and said, "The steward is short of a hairpin. She hasn't been at Jingyang Palace for long and hasn't accumulated much wealth yet. I'll borrow yours for now. Don't worry, I'll return it to you when I return from the silkworm god sacrifice."

Liu Ping'e retorted angrily, "Dream on!"

Du Miao looked at the female Taoist priest beside him: "Put her on the bed, I'll find someone myself!"

The back hall became noisy, and Zhu Lingyun was so frightened that she quickly looked at Bai Li, who was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest. However, Bai Li just stared fixedly at the door and did not pay any attention to the crowd.

Zhu Lingyun felt a pang of grievance; the other party hadn't spoken to her for over ten days.

Just then, a female Taoist priest ran in from outside and whispered in her ear, "Manager Xuanyun, the True Person wants you to take the prayers written by everyone and go over there. She wants to check them."

Zhu Lingyun suppressed her thoughts, took a thick stack of poems from Gujianzhai, and rushed to Jingguanzhai.

As he entered, Xuanzhen took out some dried fruit from the cabinet and placed it on the table with a smile: "Eat up."

Zhu Lingyun sat on the embroidered couch, picked up a candied plum and put it in her mouth, then casually handed the Qingci to Xuanzhen: "Master, the Qingci are all here. I keep an eye on what they write every day, and not a single one is missing."

Xuanzhen stood by the incense burner and hummed in agreement, silently flipping through the Qingci (a type of ancient Chinese text).

She casually pulled out the poems written by Bai Li one by one, then lifted the lid of the incense burner and threw all the poems written by Bai Li into the red charcoal in the incense burner.

It wasn't until Xuanzhen replaced the incense burner that Zhu Lingyun realized what had happened.

She lunged at him like a madwoman, trying to pull the incense paper from the incense burner: "What are you doing? If you burn the incense paper, my sister will be punished by the Director of the Divine Palace. How can she worship the Silkworm Goddess without the incense paper? Are you crazy?"

Xuanzhen gently pressed down on Zhu Lingyun's shoulder with one hand, the hand seemingly possessing immense force, rendering her unable to move.

Xuanzhen smiled and said, "Your sister harbors great evil intentions and seems to have been invaded by evil external forces. How can she leave Jingyang Palace at will? Without the statues of the Three Pure Ones, she won't be able to keep order outside."

Zhu Lingyun's eyes reddened: "You're the demon! Let me go!"

Flames gradually rose in the incense burner, engulfing the written prayers.

Xuanzhen said calmly, "There are still three days before the sacrifice to the Silkworm Goddess. You have two choices. One is to keep your mouth shut and not let her know about this, so you can continue to be your steward. The other choice is to go and tell her about this now. With her talent, she should be able to finish the poem within three days. Then the two of you can leave the palace together."

She released her grip on Zhu Lingyun's hand and took a step back.

Zhu Lingyun got up and ran outside: "I'll go tell her right now!"

Xuanzhen smiled and said, "Go ahead and tell her about this. I will replace her with someone else tomorrow. Who would be a good replacement? I think Liu Pin'e is quite good. She used to be a concubine in the palace and managed over a hundred people. She also killed many more."

Zhu Lingyun slowed her pace and gradually stopped in front of the Jingguanzhai gate. Her body trembled slightly, but she hesitated to open the gate.

Xuanzhen laughed loudly: "Look, whose heart is the demon in all of a person's heart?"

(End of this chapter)