Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 79
Chapter 79 - Heading to Qing'an Temple
Just as dawn broke, Yunchu woke up.
Xie Shi'an rose early to pay his morning respects before departing to study at Huide Academy.
He would likely study at Huide Academy for a few more months; come September in the autumn, he would be able to enter the Imperial Academy directly, becoming classmates with imperial princes and noble scions.
As he stepped out of Sheng Residence, Yunchu could see the buoyant, high-spirited air radiating from his back.
She gave a soft smile. Xie Shi'an was ultimately still too young; if this were the formidable Grand Secretary Xie from over a decade later, she certainly would be no match for him.
Before long, the concubines, young masters, and young misses of the inner courtyard all arrived. Xie Ping was dressed in vibrant shades of pink and red, wearing golden hairpins on her head, a pair of pearl pendant earrings on her ears, and two crystalline jade bracelets adorning her wrists.
"Isn't Eldest Miss accompanying Madam to Qing'an Temple?" Concubine Tao eyed her up and down. "Will dressing like this to visit a temple be seen as disrespectful to the Buddha?"
Yunchu's expression remained serene. "Many female devotees who come to pray for marital ties dress this way as well, so it is quite harmless. The hairpins are a bit too numerous, though—let's take two of them off."
Xie Ping cast a covert glare of resentment toward Concubine Tao.
She had her maid remove the golden hairpin from her hair, while the jewelry on her ears and wrists was also placed into her maid's hands.
Yunchu stood up. "Since the hour is still early, let us depart."
Xie Ping followed behind her as they walked outward.
Concubine He watched them go with wide, anxious eyes, her heart feeling as though it had been tossed into a pan of boiling oil. Clasping her hands together, she prayed unceasingly in her heart.
The carriage had long since been prepared at the Xie residence gates. Yunchu and Xie Ping boarded the carriage one after the other, and the vehicle slowly rolled toward the city gates.
Upon reaching the city gates, the carriage came to a halt.
Xie Ping asked with some apprehension, "Mother, are we not going to Qing'an Temple?"
"I arranged to go together with Madam Ji," Yunchu said with a smile. "You know Madam Ji as well; you met her last year at the Yun family's spring banquet."
Jealousy welled up within Xie Ping's heart.
Madam Ji was the legitimate eldest daughter of Minister Du of the Ministry of Punishments, and she had married the legitimate eldest son of Grand Councilor Ji of the Palace Secretariat. While such a family standing fell short of royalty, it already ranked among the top-tier aristocratic clans in the capital.
The people Madam knew were presumably all high-ranking noblewomen of this caliber.
If her maternal grandfather's family hadn't met with disaster, she too would have been born into a prominent family, and the people around her would all have been aristocratic daughters...
Even as Xie Ping was lost in these stray thoughts, Tingsheng's voice drifted in from outside: "Madam, Madam Ji has arrived."
Yunchu lifted the carriage curtain and looked toward the opposing carriage. A radiant, beaming face also appeared at that carriage window: "Madam Xie, long time no see."
Yunchu smiled as well. Counting from her past life, she and Du Ling had not seen each other in over a decade.
After exchanging greetings, the carriages finally set off outside the city. Traveling for about half an hour, they at last arrived at Mount Dayanyan outside the city, where Qing'an Temple was built halfway up the mountain slope.
Stepping down from the carriage, Du Ling walked over to Yunchu and let out a light huff: "Ever since you got married, I've invited you countless times, yet you refused every single occasion. Even our last meeting was only because of the Yun family's spring banquet. I am, after all, the Eldest Young Mistress of the Palace Secretariat, yet you, Madam Xie, really don't give me an ounce of face."
Yunchu was quite fond of this vibrant, brimming-with-life demeanor of hers.
Having married into the Xie residence, she had lost her child, lost her fertility, and suffered cold neglect from her husband; her life had gradually lost all anticipation, leaving her entirely without the inclination to visit old friends.
"Lingling, stop using the title 'Madam Xie' to mock me," Yunchu tugged on her hand. "It was my fault in the past; I will change."
The familiar address of Lingling drew their relationship much closer. Du Ling sighed: "Chuchu, the Fertility-Granting Guanyin at Qing'an Temple is exceptionally efficacious. Many women conceive children immediately upon returning home after paying their respects. Let us go inside."
Du Ying stepped up before Yunchu and said, "Elder Sister Yun, you wanted to learn how to tie the pomegranate knot, right? It's very simple; I'll teach you later."
Yunchu smiled and expressed her gratitude.
Du Ying excelled at needlework, and the pomegranate knots she wove were praised even by the Empress. Thus, she had used the pretext of wanting to learn the pomegranate knot to write a letter to Du Ling.
The pomegranate knot symbolized an abundance of sons and blessings. Knowing that Du Ling pitied her childless state, she was certain Du Ling would bring Du Ying along to fulfill the appointment.
Xie Ping followed behind them, the jealousy in her heart growing increasingly intense.
Nowadays, her mother was merely the domestic dependent of a fifth-rank official, yet Madam Ji was still on such intimate terms with her mother. Such a bond made her green with envy.
The aristocratic daughters and young misses she usually associated with were all daughters of fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-rank officials, whom she disdained to cultivate relationships with; consequently, not a single close friend surrounded her.
The group walked inside.
Qing'an Temple was the most heavily patronized and incense-flaming temple in the vicinity of the capital, with an endless stream of pious men and women coming to kneel and pay homage.
Upon reaching the temple gates, queuing was required before one could enter. Yunchu donated two hundred taels of silver in incense money, and a young novice monk directly led them straight in.
Incense smoke curled lazily in the air, and the great Buddha stood in solemn majesty. Yunchu knelt upon the rush mat, bowing her head in sincere prayer.
She was not praying for children, but rather for the Yun family to enjoy smooth sailing throughout this lifetime, and for her two prematurely lost children to be reincarnated into a good family...
Xie Ping silently prayed in her heart for everything to go smoothly. Having lived this long, this was the only daring act she would ever commit; she hoped the Buddha would grant her success...
Once the prostrations concluded, the four of them stood up. Yunchu smiled and said, "Lingling, let us partake of a vegetarian meal here before departing."
Du Ling also had a great deal she wished to discuss with Yunchu, so she naturally nodded eagerly. The group of four followed the young novice monk toward the temple's back courtyard.
Qing'an Temple accommodated pilgrims from numerous aristocratic and prominent families year-round, making the back courtyard quite spacious. However, at a doorway on the eastern side of the long corridor, two guards stood sentinel.
Du Ying asked with mild curiosity, "Those appear to be guards from the imperial palace. Which noble personage has arrived?"
Du Ling shook her head.
Given her status, she naturally knew who resided here, but if her younger sister were to learn that the Prince of Anjing had been banished to stay at Qing'an Temple, her heart would likely shatter.
Xie Ping cast two glances at the spot, silently committing this doorway to memory.
The four of them walked to the guest chambers arranged by the young novice monk. No sooner had they stepped inside than Xie Ping spoke up, "I noticed quite a few peonies blooming in the back courtyard. Second Miss Du, shall we go take a look?"
Du Ying was two years older than Xie Ping and possessed a similarly childish temperament; unable to sit still in the guest chamber, she immediately nodded and accompanied Xie Ping out to the back courtyard to admire the flowers.
"Xiao Ying must be fifteen years old by now, right?" Yunchu inquired. "I wonder if her betrothal has been settled yet?"
Du Ling replied, "Two years ago, the Emperor had my father bring the Prince of Anjing into the Ministry of Punishments to gain practical experience, which resulted in the Prince of Anjing frequently visiting the Du residence. Through this coming and going, Xiao Ying somehow or other took a fancy to the Prince of Anjing... But I have heard that the Crown Prince's severe illness is connected to the Prince of Anjing, which is why he was relegated to Qing'an Temple. Now, even though the Emperor is still in the prime of his life, these political storms are already brewing; there is no telling what kind of troubles await us in the future. A while ago, Consort De probed my mother, wishing for Xiao Ying to marry into the Prince of Anjing's manor, but my mother played the fool and muddled her way past it. We must not let Xiao Ying find out about this, or she will certainly raise a ruckus..."
Yunchu sighed.
They said parents could never prevail over their children, and it was indeed true. No matter how much Madam Du objected, Du Ying had set her heart on marrying him.
Around June or July of this year, Consort De would request an imperial decree of marriage from the Emperor. Yet before Du Ying could even be married off into the Prince of Anjing's manor, the Fourth Prince would meet with disaster during the autumn hunting expedition.
On that day when the Emperor was assassinated, the Fourth Prince—who bore the greatest suspicion—disappeared. When the Fourth Prince was finally found months later, he was already a lifeless corpse...
Du Ying refused to believe that the Fourth Prince would assassinate the Emperor, and she found it even more unacceptable that her betrothed had died in such a manner. She threw herself headfirst against the Fourth Prince's coffin.
Yunchu could not fathom it. How could a mere man cause Du Ying to forsake her parents, forsake her entire family, and throw her life away to follow him in death at such a tender age…