good season

"Do you know anyone over there?" Feng Yalan thought for a moment, then looked at the young Taoist nun beside her.

Without asking, the "over there" she was referring to was the Xihua Residence, where the Dowager Consort lived.

The young nun nodded. Of course she knew him. She was also a member of the imperial family, but her birth chart was unlucky, bringing misfortune to her father and brothers. She was sent here when she was three years old. She grew up in the Zizhu Temple. There was no one in the Zizhu Temple that she didn't know, and nothing that she didn't know.

"If that young lady wanted to ask me about me, could you help me bring her here?" Feng Yalan asked.

The young nun smiled and said, "Of course I can! You wait here, I'm going to Xihua Residence to play right now."

Although she had already become a nun, she was still young. Apart from her daily morning and evening prayers, she was lively and always busy. She was always helping with planting vegetables or watering flowers. She even volunteered to bring white porridge to Feng Yalan. The old concubines in Xihua Residence kept several rabbits, and she often cut grass to feed them. Over time, she became familiar with all the maids and servants in Xihua Residence, and the two old concubines often gave her snacks.

The young nun bid farewell to Feng Yalan and went to cut grass for the rabbit. The place with the most grass in the Zizhu Temple was under the big trees next to the east gate.

She walked over with her basket and saw the two cats she had seen before.

She exclaimed "Huh?" and walked over quickly. A cat dodged away at the right moment, so she had to hug the big orange cat.

"I'm sorry, there's no meat in the Taoist temple, I don't have anything good to offer you." She was a little embarrassed, knowing that the two cats had brought her a big bag of delicious candy last time.

The orange cat meowed twice, and after being petted a couple of times, it scurried out of her arms and ran behind a big tree, not forgetting to turn back and meow at her again.

The young nun, already experienced, had a sudden inspiration. Her eyes lit up, and she jogged over, only to see a basket behind a big tree, inside which was a bag of candy.

There are also cats in Zizhu Temple, and more than one, which the young nun knows all of.

She still remembers the first time she saw this orange cat. It was the white cat from the temple that brought her here. She was startled because she saw not only a cat, but also an eagle.

The eagle had a basket in its beak. It put the basket down, flapped its wings, and flew away.

Besides a bag of candy, there was also a bag of dried fish in the basket. The candy was hers, and the dried fish was, of course, for the white cat that had led the way.

She didn't know who gave her the candy, and she dared not eat it, fearing it might be poisoned. She also knew that one shouldn't accept something for nothing.

She couldn't find the orange cat, but she saw the white cat instead. The white cat walked ahead of her, turning back to look at her every few steps. She followed the white cat and arrived at the small house where Feng Yalan lived.

She knew Feng Yalan, who was a very gentle and kind older sister.

Today, however, Feng Yalan looked unwell, as if she were ill.

The white cat looked at her again, then turned and ran away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

In a flash, the young nun understood: the orange cat was giving her candy and the white cat was leading the way, all to bring her here.

Could it be that she's being asked to help take care of Feng Yalan?

Let her take care of me, she's free anyway.

She ran to the dining hall and traded a few candies for a bowl of steaming hot rice porridge. Although Zizhu Temple was not as austere as Ci'en Temple, not everyone could eat fine rice. The abbot often said that monks should act like monks.

This porridge is made with only high-quality rice, without any other additives, and it has a wonderful aroma.

She brought the bowl of porridge to Feng Yalan, who then offered her candy. The young nun was very happy; she was happy to eat the candy and happy to help someone.

Now she saw a bag of candy and felt a little embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, she said to the orange cat, "Wait for me, I'll be right back."

She wasn't actually sure if the orange cat gave her candy because of Feng Yalan, but it was the only reason she could think of.

She rushed back to her lodgings. She wasn't one of those low-ranking palace servants with nowhere to go; she was a legitimate member of the imperial family. Although she had been sent here, her family donated money to the Taoist temple every year. She was doing well here and wouldn't think about going home. If she didn't go home, she wouldn't bring bad luck to her family. So, to keep her from going home, her family was quite willing to spend money.

Therefore, she had her own room in the temple. Before she was five years old, an old Taoist nun took care of her. As she grew older, she could wash her hair and do her own laundry, so she no longer needed anyone to take care of her.

She took out a piece of paper used for copying scriptures and quickly wrote down what had happened in the past few days.

Blow the ink off the paper, flatten it into a square shape, and then find a small purse used for storing herbs and put the square shape inside.

She returned to the big tree, and the orange cat jumped down from the tree, looking at her with a smile.

She really felt like the cat was smiling at her.

The young nun beamed, patted the orange cat's big head, tied the small purse, still smelling of medicine, around the cat's neck, then picked up the bag of candy with a clear conscience, waved to the orange cat, and skipped away.

Zhao Shiqing was taken aback when she saw the purse that had appeared on the fat man's neck. Could it be that he had actually managed to get this done?

The Purple Bamboo Temple is home to many royal women, and it's not a place that just anyone can enter. Zhao Shiqing never intended to sneak in. She is the only bloodline of the Shi family and her maternal grandfather's beloved granddaughter. She values ​​her life very much and wouldn't risk it so easily.

However, she has a knowledgeable and well-informed younger brother named Zhao Tingluo. Zhao Tingluo has a cousin who was sent to Zizhu Temple when she was young. His cousin is the same age as him, only a few months older, and is the youngest child in Zizhu Temple.

Zhao Shiqing then sent her closest and most charming friend, Da Pang, to handle the matter.

Why not choose Xiao Yao?
Still need to ask?

I'm not someone you can just grope or push down whenever you want. If I don't leave you with a face full of peach blossoms, then I'm not the real me.

But Big Fat is different. Can a cat that can go from being a stray to living a life of luxury be an ordinary cat?

A big fat one, a little cutie, and a bag of candy.

Even if it doesn't work out, it doesn't matter. Big Fatty knows kung fu and can run incredibly fast, Little Darling can fly, and as for that bag of candy, there's not a single word on it. Who cares? It has nothing to do with me anyway.

As for that bag of dried fish, it was Zhao Shiqing's activity fund for Da Pang, and as it turned out, this activity fund was well spent.

The white cat is a native of Zizhu Temple, and its ancestors have lived here for generations. All the other cats in Zizhu Temple are related to it.

Although there are many people in Zizhu Temple, it may not recognize them by name, but if it is asked to find that child, it will definitely not go to the wrong person.

When Da Pang first met the little Taoist nun, he told Zhao Shiqing everything. Zhao Shiqing only knew that she had taken the first step; as for what happened next, it depended on how clever the little Taoist nun was.

Now it seems that the child was not only clever, but also pure and bright-minded. For a little girl like her, who was disliked by her family, living in Zizhu Temple was far better than staying in the inner quarters and being mistreated by her relatives.

After reading the letter, Zhao Shiqing didn't hide the matter from Zhao Tingluo. Of course, she spoke selectively, omitting Yang Shengqiu. Zhao Tingluo was clever enough to immediately tell her that Zhao Shiqing wouldn't help a complete stranger like Feng Yalan without a reason, but since Zhao Shiqing didn't say anything, he wouldn't ask.

Children raised in the palace know better than anyone else what it means for curiosity to kill the cat.

He said to Zhao Shiqing, "Sister, don't worry. If my cousin wants to come back in the future, I will definitely bring her back. If she wants to get married, I will give her a grand wedding procession. If she doesn't want to get married, I will support her for the rest of her life. I can make that decision."

Once his grandfather dies, he will be the most powerful man in the Prince of Fu's mansion. His uncles will have to be subservient to him now, not to mention in the future.

This cousin was his second uncle's daughter. It is said that he originally wanted to kill her, but his second aunt refused and made a scene in front of his grandfather. His grandfather did not want to keep this granddaughter with a strong destiny, but he was also afraid that his second aunt would make a big fuss. So he chose a moderate solution and sent his cousin to Zizhu Temple to become a nun.

Although Prince Fu won't die anytime soon, and the Prince Fu's mansion won't fall into Xiao Luolu's hands for several years, Zhao Shiqing was still very gratified that he could say that.

She wouldn't concern herself with what happened next. She and Feng Yalan were complete strangers, and this was all she could do to help. Whether Feng Yalan would repeat the mistakes of her past life was up to her.

At this moment, Feng Yalan was unaware that outside the Taoist temple, a little girl she had never even met had secretly helped her.

She sat cross-legged in meditation, but she couldn't calm her mind. So she got up, went out of the house, and brought in the Taoist robe that was hanging outside.

As soon as he entered the house, the young Taoist nun's clear and melodious voice rang out from outside the door: "Layman Feng, are you there?"

Upon hearing the voice, Feng Yalan smiled gently, put down the clothes in her hands, and went out to greet it.

The young nun didn't come alone; standing beside her was a girl in a green dress and white skirt. Feng Yalan recognized her at a glance—this was the maid who had spoken with Yang Shengqiu yesterday.

"Master Feng, this is Miss Wenlan. She heard you were ill and insisted on coming to see you." The young nun was still holding a piece of pastry that she hadn't finished eating.

Although the Taoist temple had no shortage of food and drink, there were no snacks. The young nun was still a child, and what child doesn't love snacks?

Miss Wenlan, knowing her preferences, won over the young Taoist nun with a piece of pastry, and before she knew it, a hint of smugness appeared in her eyes.

"Thank you for your kindness, young lady, but I'm almost fully recovered," Feng Yalan said softly.

Wenlan looked her up and down, her smile not reaching her eyes. Is this the daughter of the Grand Secretary? Nothing special.

It is said that this Miss Feng was groped by two servants and has long lost her virginity. It is shameful to even talk about it. The Feng family is really shameless. Why don't they give her a white silk ribbon? Are they going to keep her around to embarrass herself?

Although the Zhou family is not as prestigious as the Feng family, the young ladies in the family are not so shameless. After all, the Zhou family has produced a concubine, so they are different.

Wenlan straightened her back. Although she was about the same height as Feng Yalan, she looked down at Feng Yalan with a condescending gaze. This was something she had learned from her mistress, who looked at the concubines in the family with the same gaze.

"Miss Feng, you've been here for a while now. Has your family come to visit you?"

Feng Yalan lowered her head slightly, concealing the light in her eyes, and hesitated to speak.

In Wenlan's view, it was Feng Yalan who was ashamed to speak up.

As expected, the young nun was right; the Feng family had never been here before.

Her trip was a bit unnecessary, but it would be good to ask in person. Scholar Yang trusted her and that's why he asked her to inquire, so she couldn't let him down.

"Haven't you been here before?" Wenlan asked.

Feng Yalan slowly shook her head: "No."

Wenlan, with an "I knew it" expression, continued to ask, "I heard you were born out of wedlock, and your aunt hasn't come to see you?"

Feng Yalan continued to shake her head. It was she who didn't want her aunt to come, lest her aunt be scolded when she returned. Besides, although her aunt had never visited her, she had given her all her savings. Unfortunately, in her dream, she didn't see her aunt's fate. She was a useless person, and her aunt couldn't rely on her. She could only stay in the Feng family to live out her days.

Seeing her shake her head again, Wenlan breathed a sigh of relief. She had been with her mistress for several days and knew that Princess Jiarou was not someone she could see whenever she wanted.

If anyone could see him, his wife would have seen him long ago.

The lady of the house asked the Dowager Consort for help, inviting Princess Jiarou to Xihua Residence. The Dowager Consort shook her head repeatedly. She was just an old lady with no children and no family to rely on. She did not want to waste the last bit of face the royal family had given her for the sake of those good-for-nothings in her family.

Although Princess Jiarou doesn't concern herself with worldly affairs, as far as she knows, none of these princesses, except for Jiale, are easy to get along with. None of them are kind people, and she doesn't want to provoke them. If her niece-in-law says something that displeases Jiarou and goes to the palace to complain, it will be difficult for her to continue her peaceful life.

Wenlan had heard her mistress's complaints several times and hadn't held out much hope for Feng Yalan. However, she heard that Princess Jiarou had given Feng Yalan medicine, so she felt it was necessary to ask her a few more questions.

"You've been staying at the temple for a while now. Have you gone to pay your respects to Princess Jiarou? Don't tell me you haven't; I don't believe you."

Feng Yalan finally raised her head: "I have been there, of course I have been there. How could I forget the things my father repeatedly told me before I left home? I was sick the other day, and I only recovered after taking the medicine that His Highness sent. Once I am completely cured, I will go to thank His Highness in person."

Wenlan was taken aback. This vile woman actually had a relationship with Princess Jiarou?

You can't find out anything about Princess Jiarou at the Zizhu Temple.

Princess Jiarou is of noble status; how could she be discussed in private?

Therefore, no matter who you ask, the answer is always the same three words—"I don't know" or "I'm not sure."

Feng Yalan implied that she had a relationship with Princess Jiarou, but Wenlan could not verify this.

She raised her chin and looked behind Feng Yalan: "Miss Feng, you have quite the airs. Aren't you going to invite your guests in for a seat?"

Feng Yalan smiled apologetically: "My humble abode is simple, and I'm afraid it will soil your clothes, young lady."

Wenlan waved her hand dismissively: "It's alright, I don't mind."

Helpless, Feng Yalan had no choice but to invite her and the young Taoist nun inside together.

The room was indeed simple. Wenlan sat down in the only chair and her gaze fell on an envelope on the table.

Although she didn't know many characters, she recognized the few words on the envelope.

Dear son, this is for your perusal! (End of Chapter)