Proud Feather

Chapter 18 Witness
At breakfast, the emperor saw the cheese on the table and thought of his daughter, who loved to eat it. "A Ling has been away at the Duke of Anguo's mansion for a few days. I wonder if she's feeling better now. This girl, there's been no news since she left, and she didn't even bother to send a message back."

Concubine Tian Shu smiled and said, "The lack of news proves that the princess is fine. I asked, and the Imperial Physician has been checking her pulse frequently lately. They said that the princess is taking tranquilizers and is in much better spirits."

"That's good." The emperor was pleased, but also showed a bit of hesitation.

Concubine Tian Shu observed his expression and asked, "Your Majesty, are you missing the princess?"

The emperor nodded and said, "I want to ask A Ling to come back, but I'm afraid she'll be bored alone. It would be better for her to be happy in the Anguo Mansion."

Concubine Tian Shu said, "If your Majesty doesn't want to call the princess back, you can go out and take a look. It's a good opportunity for you to relax and unwind. You have been depressed these days since the prince left. The imperial physician said this is not good."

The emperor was moved by her words: "Okay, then I will go and take a look!"

There was no court meeting today. After the emperor and his empress had their meal, they changed into their casual clothes and left the palace in a carriage.

The two went to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion first, but heard that Chu Ling was not there.

The emperor asked curiously, "Where has this girl gone so early in the morning?"

Duke Anguo Feng Xiao quickly looked at his wife, and the Duke's wife replied, "Your Majesty, the princess went to the Dahuai Temple for medical treatment."

The emperor was surprised: "Dahuai Temple? Why did she go there to see a doctor? Doesn't the imperial physician come here every day to take her pulse?"

"Your Majesty, this matter is somewhat mysterious..."

The Duke's wife explained the whole story, and the Emperor became quite interested: "Is that monk really a great monk?"

Feng Xiao replied, "I sent someone to inquire. The monk came from out of town and has been staying at the Dahuai Temple for several months. He has a very good reputation and is said to have cured the abbot's illness. What he said is similar to what the imperial physician said, and the princess's mood improved significantly after visiting him, so I did not stop her."

If Jinghui had dared to approach the princess, he would have been thoroughly investigated, and if there were any problems, he would have been killed.

The emperor was still relieved about his brother-in-law and said with a smile, "So he was the first to discover that A Ling's emotions were damaged. This is a great achievement. If he can be cured, I will reward him handsomely."

Concubine Tian Shu thought of something and said, "Your Majesty, you haven't been sleeping well lately. Can you go and see me?"

"I'm fine, I'll be fine soon." The emperor didn't care.

The old lady also agreed: "Your Majesty, it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look. There are countless doctors in the world. Maybe the monk really has some secret recipe. After all, there are imperial physicians to review it. If it's not suitable, just don't use it."

The emperor thought about it and it made sense, so he went to Dahuai Temple accompanied by Concubine Shu.

Arriving at the Dahuai Temple, the emperor, not wanting to disturb others, asked a random pilgrim, "Auntie, I heard there's a master at the Dahuai Temple who's very accurate in interpreting divinations, but I don't know where he is."

The auntie was quite enthusiastic and replied, "You mean Zen Master Jinghui? I'm afraid he's busy this morning. If you want to see him, come back this afternoon."

The eunuch laughed and said, "Is this master so popular? The whole morning is full."

"That's not the case." The aunt gave a mysterious smile, "It's because the master had a distinguished guest this morning and couldn't spare the time."

Oh, she's talking about the princess, right? The Dahuai Temple is quite nice; outsiders weren't allowed to disturb the princess. The aunt sighed again, "This Zen Master Jinghui is truly remarkable. When he first arrived, I knew he was something special, but I never imagined he would be so blessed. And with his looks and demeanor, even an old woman like me is moved. No wonder he's been able to climb the social ladder."

The eunuch initially thought she was praising Jinghui's profound Buddhist teachings, but as he listened, he felt something was wrong. Just as he was about to speak, the emperor flew into a rage and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about, woman? How dare you slander someone's innocence?"

The woman didn't know the emperor's identity. Seeing that he was dressed in ordinary clothes, she didn't take it seriously. Instead, she was unhappy about being questioned and retorted, "Hey! What do you know, man? It's all spread everywhere now. I didn't make it up!"

"Spread it?" The emperor frowned even more deeply. "Spread what?"

The woman thought he didn't know and lowered her voice, "That nobleman comes to see the Zen master almost every day, and he sends rewards to the Zen temple like water. I heard that he doesn't even allow the Zen master to receive other pilgrims. He's so overbearing... Tsk tsk tsk, he's really worthy of being a nobleman..."

"How dare you!" The emperor couldn't stand it any longer. "How dare you make up such a story! I...I'm going to sue the authorities!"

The woman was startled by him and quickly walked away: "I heard about it too. What do you mean by making it up? You are such an incomprehensible person."

The emperor's chest heaved with anger, and Concubine Tian Shu hurriedly comforted him: "Your Majesty, please don't be angry! I am ignorant and only know what I have heard from others..."

The emperor finally suppressed his anger, but then he felt uneasy again and asked the eunuch to inquire again.

Princesses of the Daxiang Dynasty had a tradition... Decades ago, the emperor's aunts, the daughters of Emperor Taizong, had some absurd affairs. Later, Emperor Xingzong also had daughters who remained unmarried and lived year-round in separate courtyards or Taoist temples.

These stories were widely reported in the early years, and even Princess Shang became a chore. However, due to the turmoil in the imperial power, there had been no adult princesses in the palace for more than 20 years, and many people had forgotten about them.

After a while, the eunuch came back and confirmed that what the woman said was true. The rumor had already spread everywhere.

The emperor became even more angry and wanted to find Jinghui.

"Your Majesty, perhaps it's just a misunderstanding," Consort Tian Shu advised. "The princess was in a bad mood and thought the monk's words were nice. She might have been fooled. After all, she's still a child and can't judge people. She only knows how to judge appearances..."

Her words reminded the emperor, "She's in a bad mood. Yes, her elder brother's body is still warm! She might have been willful in the past, but how could she be so willful now... Even if she was tricked, it's not right! Sun Shouquan, call a monk to lead the way!"

The emperor was furious, but as he walked and thought, his anger gradually subsided.

He knew that his daughter was too spoiled, but she was not the kind of child who didn't know when to advance or retreat. She must have been deceived.

Shufei was right, she was still a child! That monk was used to seeing so many believers, so he would definitely say one thing to one person and another to another. And I heard that she was pretty. Isn't it normal for a little girl to be deceived? She was in a bad mood, so she was taken advantage of!
How could this be possible? How could this evil monk dare to deceive his daughter?
The emperor was furious again, this time directed at Jinghui.

After passing the bamboo forest, they saw the Zen temple and saw Jinghui coming out of it. Her fair and delicate appearance in the sunlight caught the emperor's eye.

This evil monk really looks like a Bodhisattva, no wonder he can deceive people.

Then he saw Chu Ling coming out of the house, pointing at the herbs Jinghui was turning over and asking something. Jinghui answered with a smile and taught her how to distinguish the herbs, with an intimate look!
The emperor's rage soared to the sky, and he shouted, "You evil monk, let the princess go!"

　There's still one chapter left to reveal it, and this paragraph is a bit bland.

　　(End of this chapter)