Aoyama

Chapter 375 Breakup
Zhu Lingyun left Jingguanzhai, walking dejectedly into the inner hall. She ignored the female Taoist priests who spoke to her along the way.

The sun is setting in the distance.

The moment the sunlight abandoned the Forbidden City, she suddenly shivered and came to her senses.

Only then did Du Miao's voice reach his ears: "Manager Xuan Yun, what's wrong? You don't look well."

Zhu Lingyun hesitated: "I...I'm fine."

Du Miao leaned closer and sniffed: "Manager Xuan Yun, why do you smell like burning ash?"

She instructed the female Taoist priest beside her, "Go, get a handkerchief and pat Steward Xuanyun's body."

Zhu Lingyun looked at Bai Li and was suddenly startled: Bai Li, who hadn't looked at her properly for several days, turned to look at her at this moment.

Suddenly feeling guilty, she pushed Du Miao away and turned to flee the inner hall: "What nonsense are you talking about? I don't smell at all."

After leaving the rear hall, Zhu Lingyun arrived at the statues of the Three Pure Ones in the main hall, breathing heavily.

She turned her head again and saw Xuanzhen holding a whisk, standing in the shadows deep in the hall, smiling as he said, "It seems you didn't tell the princess about this."

Zhu Lingyun rushed up to her and roared in a low voice, "Are you crazy? What good does this do you? What good does torturing her do you?"

Xuanzhen said calmly, "The princess always appears as if she is untainted by the mud, which makes me feel sorry for her. But no one in Jingyang Palace can remain untainted by the mud. I can't, and neither can she. The Taoist scriptures say, 'Do not welcome, do not resist; respond without hiding; neither welcome nor reject; neither defiled nor pure.'"

She looked up at the statues of the Three Pure Ones in the main hall: "They say that there is no muddy land in this world, and people should not have thoughts of good and evil, beauty and ugliness, purity and defilement. But they are too high and mighty, how can they know the suffering of mortals? Who can remain unstained in this mud? No one can!"

Zhu Lingyun seemed to understand but not quite, only sensing the hatred in Xuanzhen's words.

Xuanzhen chuckled and walked into the depths of the main hall: "Xuanyun, if you don't tell her, she'll just miss the First Silkworm Altar; it won't hurt her. But if you do tell her, just think about what Xuansu looks like now."

She left Zhu Lingyun standing there alone, muttering to herself, "Yes, it's just that we can't go to the Temple of the First Silkworm...it's just that we can't go to the Temple of the First Silkworm..."

Zhu Lingyun suddenly looked up, not daring to meet the gaze of the Three Pure Ones, and hurriedly left.

When they returned to the back hall, the white carp had already fallen asleep.

She crawled into bed, reaching out several times to pat the white carp and tell it the truth, but then withdrew her hand.

Hearing the rustling sound behind her, Bai Li suddenly asked softly without turning around, "What's wrong?"

Zhu Lingyun trembled and said in a panic, "It's nothing."

"Go to sleep."

"Ah."

……

……

Morning classes.

eat.

Write a poem.

Bai Li remained seated on the communal bed, hugging her knees, silently watching the sun set. The orange-red sunset slanted into the rear hall, then gradually shifted outwards, like closing a door.

Princess Yongchun leaned close to her and asked mysteriously, "Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, what are you looking at?"

Bai Li chuckled: "I'm wondering why the days are passing so slowly."

Princess Yongchun chuckled and said, "How could it be slow? Look, I've aged in the blink of an eye."

Bai Li was slightly taken aback. She gently brushed aside the dry hair on Princess Yongchun's forehead and looked at the wrinkles on the other's face, which seemed like ripples on the surface of time.

Princess Yongchun grasped her wrist and said earnestly, “Bodhisattva, hurting others is a kind of power. Whoever you give your affection to has the power to hurt you. Forgetting affection leads to impartiality, gaining affection leads to forgetting affection. Those who gain affection are burdened, and attachment becomes a shackle; those who forget affection are enlightened, and see the beginning of the universe without hindrance. The Tao gives birth to all things, and affection is the root; affection gives birth to all phenomena, and non-attachment is the truth... Bodhisattva, all human emotions can be severed, and each severance opens up a new world.”

Bai Li's pupils suddenly contracted; she had thought that only she knew the meaning of this scripture.

Just as she was about to ask something, Princess Yongchun's expression turned blank again, and she muttered to herself as she shrank back into the corner, pulling the blanket tighter around herself: "It's not the Heavenly Venerable, that's not the Heavenly Venerable..."

It seems that Bai Li's every question is destined to remain unanswered by Princess Yongchun.

March 1st.

Before the morning bell rang, Bai Li got out of bed alone.

She went to the side room, scooped up water from the water vat, washed her face thoroughly, and then carefully wiped her hair with a handkerchief until her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

Bai Li raised her hand and tied her hair up, securing it with her only wooden hairpin. As she looked down, she noticed dust on the hem of her Taoist robe, so she dampened it with water and rubbed the dust away until it was spotless.

After everything was done, the morning bell rang out from afar.

The nuns filed out of the rear hall, each beaming with joy. After decades of imprisonment, nothing could bring them happier than leaving. Outside Jingyang Palace, lively footsteps echoed; the Empress was leaving to offer sacrifices to the Silkworm Goddess, and much more to be done within the palace.

While the female Taoist priests were washing up, Bai Li returned to the back hall to tidy up her bed and pack her belongings.

She looked up at Princess Yongchun and saw that she was sitting with her hair disheveled, so she knelt down on the bed and combed her hair.

Princess Yongchun looked up at her: "Bodhisattva, are you going to see the person in your dream?"

Bai Li smiled and gave a soft "Mmm".

Princess Yongchun clapped her hands with a silly grin: "Go, go!"

When Bai Li arrived at the gate of Jingyang Palace, the Palace Supervisor was gently instructing Xuanzhen: "Remember, keep these female Taoist priests in Jingyang Palace under control. They are not allowed to talk to outsiders or wander around without permission. If I find out, they will definitely be punished with a beating."

Xuanzhen agreed, then turned and looked at Bai Li meaningfully: "The princess looks quite dashing today."

The white carp ignored it.

When the female Taoist priests arrived at the palace gate, the supervisor of the Divine Palace raised his voice: "Bring out all the prayer documents. We need to check them carefully. They are to be offered to the Taoist Ancestor during the Three Offerings Ceremony. People, collect the prayer documents according to the list. Seventeen documents per person, not one less."

Xuanzhen looked at Zhu Lingyun: "Xuanyun, give the Qingci to the eunuch in the Divine Palace."

Zhu Lingyun held a thick stack of official documents, while the young eunuch held a list of names. After verifying a person's identity, he would draw a circle on the list with a vermilion pen.

As he was drawing, the little eunuch suddenly asked, "Where is Zhu Baili's petition?"

Everyone turned to look at Bai Li, who in turn looked at Zhu Lingyun, her posture upright and her gaze sharp as a sword.

The female Taoist priests looked at each other in bewilderment. Everyone knew that Bai Li had gotten up early in the morning to wash and prepare for leaving the palace today, and she usually wrote Qingci (a type of Buddhist prayer) diligently, but now the Qingci was nowhere to be found.

No one spoke.

Silence was like a crack, tearing apart the blue bricks between Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun. Zhu Lingyun looked at Bai Li, but saw in his eyes a pool of black water, deep and sorrowful.

The Imperial Palace Supervisor frowned and urged, "Where is Zhu Baili's petition?"

Zhu Lingyun lowered her head guiltily: "Zhu Baili didn't write it."

Xuanzhen held his whisk in his hand and said in a calm tone, "Didn't I tell you to urge them every day? She's not writing, so why aren't you pushing her? I even promised the Admiral about this before, so wouldn't I be breaking my promise now?"

The Imperial Palace Supervisor glanced at the group and chuckled, "There's always a bad apple in the bunch. This isn't the Immortal's fault; blame the lazy subordinates."

Xuanzhen said earnestly, "Since she didn't write it, let's not ask her to go to the Three Offerings Ceremony today."

The Director of the Divine Palace Administration said slowly and deliberately, "Is it that simple? We've clearly instructed everyone to write a petition, yet some people still haven't. What are you trying to do? Our Divine Palace Administration is a quiet and unassuming department, so we don't usually have many rules, nor do we intend to discipline you. But the petition wasn't written by us; it was His Majesty who ordered it. Guards, give her forty strokes of the cane to teach her a lesson." Several eunuchs stepped forward, and Zhu Lingyun's breathing became rapid.

The Imperial Palace Supervisor said in a deep voice, "Take this Zhu Baili back to Jingyang Palace and give him forty strokes of the cane."

Zhu Lingyun stepped forward: "Wait!"

The Imperial Palace Supervisor glanced at her sideways: "What?"

Xuanzhen casually remarked from the side, "Xuanyun, what is it that you must say now? If you delay the Admiral's business, the blame might fall on you."

Zhu Lingyun shuddered and stepped back, saying, "N-nothing."

The white carp watched her quietly, without saying a word.

The Imperial Palace Supervisor urged, "What are you waiting for? Drag Zhu Baili inside. Don't delay the time; Her Majesty the Empress is about to depart."

Just as Bai Li was about to say something, he heard a commotion coming from afar.

Everyone turned to look and were astonished to see a small black cat moving extremely fast, weaving through the palace servants and guards on the palace path of the Eastern Six Palaces.

When Jie Fanwei bent down to catch it, he caught nothing.

The little black cat ran through the palace corridor of the Eastern Six Palaces into Jingyang Palace, leaped into the arms of the white carp, and the white carp lowered its head to hold it in its arms, murmuring softly, "Dark Cloud? Is that you, Dark Cloud?"

The dark cloud raised its head and touched the white carp's nose with the tip of its nose: "Meow!"

"Where did this little beast come from?" Xuanzhen swept his whisk toward the black cloud in Baili's arms. Baili subconsciously turned his back and held the black cloud tightly in his arms.

A crisp snap echoed through Jingyang Palace, but Xuanzhen's whisk remained motionless for a long time.

Bai Li hesitated and turned around, only to see a middle-aged woman in a purple high-necked dress standing behind her, with a clear red handprint on Xuan Zhen's face.

Xuanzhen staggered back a few steps, feeling his molars loosen, and half of his face quickly swelled up, with blood seeping from his delicate skin.

She tried to dodge, but the woman was too fast; she couldn't escape.

Grand Master of the Seeking Dao Realm!

The woman said calmly, "It has been bestowed the name 'Mountain Lord' by His Majesty, so it is not some little beast."

The Imperial Palace Supervisor hurriedly bowed and greeted her: "Aunt Yuan Jin."

Xuanzhen's face stung with pain, and her facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, but she could only hurriedly bow and say, "Greetings, Aunt Yuanjin."

The female Taoist priests fell silent, for they had all met Yuan Jin before and knew her status. They quickly said in unison, "Greetings, Aunt Yuan Jin."

Yuan Jin looked coldly at Xuanzhen: "Raise your head."

Xuanzhen withdrew his fierce gaze, slowly raised his head, and forced a smile, saying, "Aunt Yuanjin gave the order."

Yuan Jin smiled and said, "You've kept your eyes to yourself, that's good."

Only then did several palace maids, their skirts billowing, chase after them in a disheveled state.

One of them bowed to Aunt Yuanjin and apologized: "Aunt Yuanjin, we usually keep a close watch on things, but just now when you went to inspect the Empress's procession, the Mountain Lord took the opportunity to cross the walls of Kunning Palace, and we couldn't catch up with him at all."

Aunt Yuan Jin glanced at Wu Yun in Bai Li's arms: "Never mind, it's as clever as a devil, it can't do without me watching it, it's normal that you can't keep an eye on it."

After saying that, she reached out to lift Wuyun by the neck, but Wuyun's claws were firmly gripping Baili's clothes.

Aunt Yuan Jin said in a deep voice, "Let go!"

The dark clouds ignored it.

Aunt Yuan Jin took a deep breath: "Please let go, Lord Shan."

The dark clouds remained unmoved.

When Aunt Yuan Jin saw that her trick, which had always worked, was no longer effective, she immediately tried to tear the dark cloud off the white carp.

At that moment, a gentle voice came from the palace path: "What's wrong?"

Upon hearing the sound, everyone turned around to look again.

A dignified woman was seen wearing a dark blue pheasant-patterned robe, woven with twelve rows of pheasant patterns. The collar was embroidered with dragon and cloud patterns, and she wore a crown adorned with twelve golden silkworms, each strung with pearls like a cocoon.

Two female officials from the Bureau of Ceremonial Affairs led the way, each carrying a golden incense burner.

Behind her, an imperial envoy held up the Empress's golden staff, warning everyone not to look directly at the imperial carriage.

Everyone was immediately startled and knelt down on the spot, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."

Aunt Yuan Jin released the dark cloud and stepped forward to bow with her hands clasped: "Your Majesty, the Mountain Lord suddenly ran to Jingyang Palace and jumped into the arms of a female Taoist priest, refusing to let go."

"Oh?" The Empress's gaze swept over the crowd. "What's going on? Why are you all gathered here?"

The Imperial Palace Supervisor hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, this humble servant was ordered by the Grand Chancellor to lead the nuns of Jingyang Palace to the Altar of the Silkworm Goddess to perform the Three Offerings Ceremony. However, His Majesty instructed them to write a prayer every day to show their piety, but this White Carp Maiden has not written a single one. This humble servant is about to punish her..."

The Empress nodded: "Since it was His Majesty's order, you should be punished. You did nothing wrong, there's no need to panic."

Both the Imperial Palace Supervisor and Xuanzhen breathed a sigh of relief.

But before they could even exhale their anger, Bai Li pulled out a stack of green paper from her sleeve: "Your Majesty, I have written a petition, and not a single one is missing. It's just that I was in a hurry just now and haven't yet submitted the petition to the Admiral for review."

Zhu Lingyun was taken aback. Xuanzhen had already burned the Qingci, so why would Baili prepare an extra one?

The Empress glanced at Bai Li, then at Xuanzhen and the others, and smiled knowingly: "Alright, since you've written it, then there's nothing to worry about. It's rare to see the Mountain Lord so fond of someone. What's your name?"

Bai Li, holding Wu Yun, knelt on the blue bricks: "Your Majesty, I am Zhu Bai Li."

The Empress was taken aback: "You are Bai Li?"

Aunt Yuan Jin whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, it's time to go."

The Empress, however, smiled at Bai Li and said, "So it's you. I didn't expect you to have grown so much. I still remember when your father brought you to the palace in the nineteenth year of the Jia Ning era."

Aunt Yuan Jin's voice turned serious: "Your Majesty!"

Bai Li said in a low voice, "I was too young to remember back then."

"Oh?" the Queen said, "That's perfect. Since the Mountain Lord can't bear to part with Miss White Carp, let her carry the Mountain Lord and stay by my side for now, and come with me to the Altar of the First Silkworm."

The Imperial Palace Supervisor was taken aback: "Your Majesty, you mustn't! How can you have the daughter of a disgraced official by your side? If anything goes wrong, even ten lives wouldn't be enough to compensate for it."

The Queen's smile gradually faded: "The mountain king is very clever; it can tell who is good and who is bad."

Aunt Yuan Jin whispered a reminder: "Your Majesty, Prince Jing has been convicted of treason by His Majesty."

The Empress remained silent for a long time: "What crime has his daughter committed?"

Aunt Yuan Jin's expression changed: "Your Majesty, please watch your words!"

The Empress glanced at her, then slowly said, "Then let this White Carp Girl hold the Mountain Lord for now. When the Mountain Lord gets tired of playing with it, Yuan Jin, you can bring it back. And you, why are you always getting angry with this little thing?"

(End of this chapter)