Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 319 Good luck
When Xue Sui stepped into the gate of Shuiyue Temple, the snow in front of the gate had been carefully swept away, revealing the wet bluestone slabs.

Master Huiming led two disciples to personally greet them, showing concern and care.

"You're finally back. Prince Duan... didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

Xue Sui smiled slightly and said calmly, "Master, rest assured, everything is fine."

After she finished speaking, she turned her head and looked at the snow-covered mountain path outside the temple gate.

The carriage had quietly driven away, soon disappearing into the vast wilderness...

Li Zhao did not get out of the carriage, and no one knew that His Highness the Crown Prince had stayed there.

"Amitabha, may the Buddha protect us." Abbess Huiming chanted a Buddhist prayer, then looked into the distance following her gaze. A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, but she ultimately did not ask any further questions.

"Hurry up and come inside. It's cold outside, and you're still injured."

A cold wind swept through the Zen temple, emitting a mournful wail.

The meditation room in the east wing was empty.

Pushing open the wooden door, a cool, refreshing atmosphere wafted out.

Jinshu, Xiaozhao, and Ruyi were all gone. The room was empty and messy, the charcoal brazier was cold, the bookshelves were overturned, and scriptures and clothes were scattered all over the floor, silently telling the story of the brutal calamity that had just occurred.

Master Huiming gestured to the little nun beside her.

“Jingxin, you’ve been staying in the east wing these days, taking care of Sister Miaozhen’s daily life.”

Jingxin timidly replied "Yes," but Xue Sui politely declined.

“Master, there’s no need to trouble yourself. I can manage on my own. The sisters in the nunnery have all been frightened; they should rest properly. Besides…”

She paused, her gaze calmly sweeping across the messy room, her tone carrying a strange certainty.

"Jinshu and the others should be back first thing tomorrow morning."

First thing tomorrow morning?
Master Huiming looked at her profile, half believing and half doubting, but knowing that she was always opinionated, she could only nod.

"Alright. The vegetarian meal has been prepared in the dining hall. Go and eat, then get some rest and don't trouble yourself any further."

"Thank you, Master." Xue Sui clasped his hands together and bowed.
-
The next day, just as dawn broke, the temple gate was struck by a series of restrained knocks.

The air was crisp and cold.

Outside the door, Jinshu and the other three were wrapped in thin old coats, their hair was slightly messy, their lips were purple, and their cheeks were flushed with an unnatural red from the cold wind, but their eyes were surprisingly bright as they stared intently at the tightly closed temple gate.

squeak...

The heavy wooden door was pulled open from the inside.

"Miss!" Ruyi, with her sharp eyes, spotted the familiar monk's robe inside the door at a glance.

Before the words were even finished, she rushed forward, her voice trembling with sobs, and hugged Xue Sui tightly, tears instantly streaming down her face.
"Ruyi misses you so much, Miss! Those damned officials... Waaah... They scared me to death... I thought I'd never see you again..."

She spoke rapidly, recounting her fears and grievances in a jumbled and incoherent manner.

Xue Sui gently patted her back, his voice soft and gentle.

"It's good that you're back. Everything's alright now."

Xiao Zhao stood behind Ruyi, her lips pursed, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"This servant is incompetent and has caused you, young lady, worry."

Pei'er, being the youngest, was still somewhat shaken. She timidly whispered "Miss," and tears streamed down her face...

Jinshu's eyes were red, and she held back her tears as she stepped forward and pulled Ruyi away, scolding her with a smile, "You're all grown up, why are you still crying? Don't make the young lady worry too."

Her gaze swept quickly over Xue Sui, and seeing that she was in relatively good spirits, she breathed a sigh of relief and gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't cry, let's go inside and talk."

The group, reunited after their ordeal, helped each other walk inside.

In the Zen temple, the young nun Jingxin came forward and said in a clear voice, "Senior Sister Miaozhen, Master has already had someone prepare pomelo leaf water, saying it's to ward off bad luck. We'll send it to the meditation room in the east wing right away."

Upon hearing this, Ruyi was so moved that she wiped away her tears with her sleeve again.

She choked back tears and said, "Master... Master is so kind to us... From now on, I will never steal meat again and cause you any trouble..."

Xiao Zhao glanced at her and twitched her lips.

"You'd have to ask your belly for permission first, wouldn't you? I'm afraid you'll get hungry right after wiping away your tears, wishing you could hug the Buddha and take a few bites..."

Ruyi was taken aback by her retort, then burst out laughing, "You're so mean."

That smile dispelled the heavy atmosphere.

The air in the nunnery seemed to carry a sweet fragrance with their return.

Back at my lodging in the east wing, hot water and clean clothes were already prepared.

Xue Sui told them to go wash up and change their clothes, while she silently brewed ginger tea on the small stove by the charcoal brazier.

After they finished washing up and changed into clean clothes, a pungent smell already filled the air.

"Here, have another sip of ginger tea to warm you up, then eat something..."

Xue Sui's voice was calm as he lifted the steaming lid, as if it were just an ordinary day.

Jinshu held the warm ceramic bowl, wanting to ask what she had experienced in Baohua Palace, but in the end she only responded with a soft murmur...

"Young lady, you didn't see it, the officials were terrifying..." Ruyi sipped her scalding ginger tea while gesturing with lingering fear.

“They were all fierce-looking men who rushed in and ransacked the house, turning it upside down. They even chained us up…”

She shivered again as she spoke.

Jinshu added more charcoal to the brazier, filled with self-reproach.

“Miss, it is my fault for being useless. I failed to move the album in time... which almost caused a disaster and implicated you and Shuiyue Nunnery.”

"It's none of your business." Xue Sui shook his head and smiled, feeling the warmth of the bowl with his fingertips, his voice gentle.

“Li Huan is determined to search, so there’s no point in hiding… Since he dared to send troops to forcibly enter the quiet Buddhist temple, he must have made up his mind that even without the picture album, other evidence will come out…”

As he spoke, he glanced at their slightly haggard faces.

"Did they give you any trouble? Did they torture you? Are you injured anywhere?"

Though his tone was understated, his concern was genuine.

Ruyi pouted, glancing at Xiao Zhao out of the corner of her eye.

"Xiao Zhao angered the head constable by burning that picture book and got beaten up a lot... her body was covered in bruises..."

"This is just a minor injury. It'll be gone in a few days."

Xiao Zhao accepted it with a smile, becoming even more relaxed than Ruyi.

She sat on a small stool beside the charcoal brazier, picked up a cloth, and began wiping her knife again. Hearing this, she gave a nonchalant look, her voice as crisp and decisive as ever.

"The leading captain was hit in the face by me with a low stool and took several punches. He didn't gain any advantage."

Xue Sui felt sorry for her and wanted to see her injury, but Xiao Zhao awkwardly avoided him and looked towards the door.

"Speaking of which, Pei'er was quite frightened. She spent the whole night in the cold in the prison and probably caught a chill. This girl usually seems timid, but she didn't cry or make a fuss when it really mattered. She's capable of handling things."

Xue Sui nodded, "Let her rest well and she doesn't need to come and serve you for the next few days."

“Miss…” Xiao Zhao paused in wiping the blade, lowered her head, seemingly unable to meet Xue Sui’s gaze, and her voice carried a rare hint of guilt.

"The entire album was burned. I was in a panic and had no other choice... I ruined your hard work, Miss."

“You did a good job.” Xue Sui nodded. “Burning it means there’s no way to prove anything. No matter how they try to frame us, without concrete evidence, it’s just empty talk. It doesn’t matter if the album is destroyed, as long as the people are still alive…”

She paused and glanced at the crowd.

"The important thing is that you all came back safely."

"Why did Prince Duan suddenly agree to release us?" Jinshu frowned. "When I was imprisoned, those people looked quite unpleasant, as if they were going to torture us severely... But before dawn, people came and politely released us, and even safely escorted us back to Shuiyue Nunnery. It's really strange..."

Xue Sui lowered his eyes, looking at the dark brown ginger tea in the bowl.

"Because he had no choice but to let go."

The steam veiled her calm eyes, and a faint smile played at the corners of her lips.

"He was checkmated by a pawn that had crossed the river. There are some scores he can't afford to settle."

She did not specify why.

But Jinshu's anxiety finally subsided.

The firelight dispelled the chill, and as they ate the vegetarian meal sent from the nunnery, their faces glowed with warmth.
-
For the next few days, Xue Sui rested quietly at Shuiyue Nunnery.

The wound healed quickly, and life became exceptionally peaceful and leisurely.

The turmoil at Baohua Hall seemed to have caused no ripples, and there were few rumors circulating outside.

The huge uproar in the imperial court caused by the military supplies case did not reach this remote place.

The incense in the temple remains light, and the sounds of morning bells and evening drums, along with the chanting of scriptures, continue peacefully and serenely day after day.

Only Li Zhao seemed to know how to time things perfectly.

Every now and then, they would bring back the snowballs that were glossy and smooth.

To casually deliver a message and chat.

Or, along with a few newly acquired miscellaneous books and some scar-reducing ointment "prepared by the imperial physicians," send them to Xue Sui.

There wasn't a single word of concern between the lines, yet every word seemed to be imbued with affection.

February arrived peacefully just like that.

The grass grows tall and the orioles fly; the apricot blossoms are bathed in light rain.

On this day, an uninvited guest arrived at Shuiyue Nunnery.

—A nanny in Empress Xie's palace.

She carried snacks and tea from the palace, and spoke to Xue Sui with courtesy and politeness, as if visiting relatives.

She sat for about half an hour, conveying the Empress's condolences and comfort, but her words were all a test of her relationship with Li Zhao.

Or, as some say, they came to break up the couple in advance.

Xue Sui could understand a mother's thoughts on planning for her son.

She remained calm and composed throughout, speaking politely without being overly enthusiastic or impolite.

When the nanny left, she specially packed some of her own "calming and nourishing soup" for Empress Xie, asking the nanny to take it back to the palace, saying that she was grateful for the Empress's kindness and wanted to express her small token of appreciation.

After that day, the Crown Prince's side suddenly fell silent.

There has been no news of Li Zhaoyou for half a month.

It wasn't until the end of February that a letter arrived.

Princess Ruihe, Li Yuning, was stripped of her title and imprisoned in the imperial estate outside the capital on charges of "poisoning a concubine," and was not allowed to leave without an imperial edict...

Consort Li, of the Xiao clan, was demoted to the rank of Beauty and banished to the Cold Palace, Frosty Garden. Her biological father, Xiao Yuan, who was originally the Director of the Department of Military Affairs in the Ministry of War, was also dismissed from his post, investigated, and imprisoned.

The high-profile military supplies case has finally come to a conclusion.

Several officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue were dismissed and their properties confiscated, and several implicated imperial merchants were investigated. The recovered funds and grain were reportedly urgently allocated to Chishui Pass. Although everyone knew that as long as Prince Duan remained in power and Xiao Song remained prime minister, the Xiao family's foundation could not be shaken, this large-scale purge, though seemingly insignificant, ultimately provided an explanation to the court and the public, and temporarily eased the tense atmosphere.

Meanwhile, something quite noteworthy happened in the imperial court...

Since Ashina was defeated by the Liang army and lost to Amenglahe in the Xiz civil war, the remnants of his forces disintegrated and went to the bitter and cold desert west of Chishui City.

The internal strife in Xiz has been initially quelled. Amonlah has supported the second son of the old Xiz king, Turgutai, to ascend the throne. According to the previous agreement with Daliang, the new king of Xiz will send envoys to Daliang to pay tribute formally and sign a new trade alliance.

For Daliang, which was beset by internal and external troubles, this was a rare "happy event".

Emperor Chongzhao attached great importance to this and issued an edict ordering the Ministry of Rites to make every effort to prepare, ensuring that the ceremony would be held in a grand and benevolent manner.

For a time, everyone inside and outside the court was overjoyed, with a sense of "turning adversity into prosperity".

Meanwhile, there was new news from the Xue family – the wedding ceremony for Xue Yue'e, the ninth daughter of the Xue family, and Prince Wei, Li Yan, would proceed as scheduled.

At the beginning of March, on a spring day when magnolias were just beginning to bloom.

Xue Sui had just finished his morning prayers in the Buddhist hall when he saw a stewardess from the Xue family waiting under the Bodhi tree in the courtyard.

Upon seeing Xue Sui, the old woman's face was filled with an eager smile, and she quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Sixth Miss is well. Third Madam sent me to inform you that in half a month, it will be Ninth Miss's wedding day. The household is so busy that we're constantly on our feet. Third Madam is quite unwell and can hardly manage. She's worried about what might happen to Ninth Miss and also about losing face for the Xue family and Prince Wei. Third Madam said that Miss is very thoughtful and knows how to handle these matters... Third Madam earnestly requests that Miss return to the household for a few days to help her with her opinions and make decisions. Third Madam said that she will listen to Miss in everything."

Xue Jiu married the King of Wei, which was completely different from Xue Ba, who married into the Duke of Zheng's mansion and was not well received by her husband.

Although she was a second wife, she was still entitled to all the pomp and circumstance expected of a prince upon marrying into the royal household.

Madam Qian is now pregnant and busy with wedding preparations, so she is exhausted and worried that something might go wrong. She sent a letter last time asking Xue Sui to go back and help her out.

Since they couldn't find the person in person, they sent their capable stewardess to invite him directly.

After the old woman finished speaking, she looked at Xue Sui with eager eyes and a smile.

Since the old lady returned home during her illness, Xue Sui has not seen the Xue family for a long time.

Jinshu listened from the side, thinking that Xue Sui would, as usual, politely decline on the grounds that it was inappropriate for someone outside the secular world to participate in worldly celebrations.

Unexpectedly, Xue Sui only hesitated for a moment before calmly nodding.

"Understood. Go back and tell Third Aunt that I'll pack my things and return home the day after tomorrow."

　See you tomorrow, sisters!
　　(End of this chapter)