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Chapter 34 The scheme
Xue Yi who was pretending to be asleep on the bed at this moment, felt like that a thousand hairy hands were stroking her heart, causing her blood to almost explode. She had never encountered such a situation before. Who was the person standing at Zhao Zimu’s bedside now? He is Jiu Qiansui!
She felt her breathing became lighter unconsciously and wished that her chest didn’t go up and down.
The quilt on her seemed to be pulled slightly and pulled to her chin. The person pulling the quilt had very gently movements, but Xue Yi’s mood wasn’t very gentle now. It was like ten thousand horses were running!
She kept praying in her heart for Zhao Zimu to come back sooner, so, she could finish her job quickly. Also, she wanted to tell Zhao Zimu that Jiu Qiansui, this old monster had taken a fancy on her (ZZ) and that she had to run away quickly!
Xue Yi had never encountered such a situation before. In the past, it went very smooth when she pretended to be Zhao Zimu, no matter if it was in Zhao residence of Qiansui’s residence. Now, she just wanted to return to Fengya Pavilion and tell aunt Qing everything that happened here. Jiu Qiansui had taken a fancy on miss Zhao. This was very bad!
Xue Yi had followed aunt Qing ever since she was young. Naturally, she knew that aunt Qing and Zhao Zimu had a deep relationship. Aunt Qing would never hope for Jiu Qiansui that old bastard to take a fancy on Zhao Zimu.
Suddenly, she felt that the place next to her on the bed sank. Her body immediately stiffened. Lin Qing sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the stiff figure lying on the bed. His eyes were difficult to understand.
Xue Yi had her back facing him. So, he could only see the side profile of the person on the bed. The fingertips lightly swept across the brocade quilt covering the person. A hint of coldness came from it.
He had served emperor Jinghui for many years. Not only did he develop the ability to weigh one’s word and observe one’s facial expression, he must also pay attention to all of his surroundings. His observation skills were incomparable to ordinary people. Just like now, he could clearly see that the person on the bed was clearly pretending to be asleep.
Could it be that she hated him? Only a few days had passed. Before, she said that she wouldn’t hate him and also said that she would always be by his side. However, now, she was even unwilling to take a glance at him.
Sure enough, it was all fake!
Cold hostility and deep chills exuded from Lin Qing. What did it matter? Lin Qing though. Even if he had to imprison her, he would imprison her at his side.
After Lin Qing finally left, Xue Yi was so frightened that cold sweat flowed down her whole body. For some reason, even if she didn’t open her eyes, the aura on Lin Qing made her feel very cold which also creeped her.
—
A day later, emperor Jinghui and the empress dowager took the group of imperial descendants to Spiritual Temple in the imperial capital to burn incense and pray for blessings. The group that went to burn incense was he and gorgeous. Almost all the members of the imperial family participated. The whole capital was in a sensation. The citizens of Liang hadn’t encountered this kind of event for a long time.
Almost everyone wanted to have a glimpse at the countenance of the imperial household. This was an honor that they wouldn’t be able to get in a few lifetimes. So, they naturally wouldn’t miss it easily. Of course, Jiu Qiansui from the rumors was also their target. They wanted to see if the ruthless and vicious person from the rumors would have a big mouth with fangs like the monsters from the legends that ate children’s hearts. However, they were destined to be disappointed. How could there be a monster that eat humans in the world?
Among the group, Situ Yuanxiao hit the horse, got in front of his third big brother and sneered, “Situ Wenrui, you are very pleased with yourself recently?”
Situ Wenrui was indeed very pleased recently. At this time, he was wearing a brand-new purple brocade robe for traveling. He wore an eight-treasure gold belt on his waist and a jade crown with a dragon on his head. It made his more handsome and noble. His face was full of joy.
Situ Wenrui smiled triumphantly. He was indeed in a good mood recently. So, he didn’t bother with Situ Yuanxiao, “Third big brother is naturally doing well. Fifth little brother might as well pay a visit to third big brother’s residence to deepen our brotherhood. Perhaps, third big brother’s good mood will be passed on to fifth little brother.”
Having said this, a strange light flashed in Situ Wenrui’s eyes and the gaze looking at situ Yuanxiao had a temptation. Situ Yuanxiao humphed disdainfully. A trace of contempt flashed across his young face and he said, “To wallow in mire with that wicked eunuch and flatter him, the method is disgraceful. Do you think you will win?”
Annoyance flashed across Situ Wenrui’s face and said, “Don’t think that it is so great that you are standing on eldest big brother’s side. The heart of eldest big brother is so deep that one couldn’t see the bottom of it. Do you really think that he is really someone with compassion? Emperor father is in the prime of his life. The nation is stable like a mountain and the opportunity belongs to everyone. Don’t you also want to fight for it?”
Situ Wenrui said that in a low voice. He didn’t believe that someone would truly not waver in face of such supreme power. Situ Yuanxiao sneered, “Do you think everyone is just like you? Let me tell you Situ Wenrui, your eldest big brother is wise and brilliant. Even if that castrated official helps you, you won’t be able to win.” As he spoke, he hit the horse and left.
Situ Wenrui looked at Situ Yuanxiao’s back with gloomy eyes and suddenly laughed strangely. His expression was indiscernible and he said, “Who would be different as a son of the imperial household?”
—
The Spiritual Temple was built on a hill on the east of the imperial capital. Not only the high-ranked officials liked to come to this temple to burn an incense, even the ordinary people liked to come here. It was rumored that it was very effective. Hence, the incenses never stopped burning throughout the year.
Spiritual Temple was a hundred-year-old Buddhist temple with a long history. There were many legends about this temple. One of the most famous legend was about a white-dressed female ghost.
The female ghost was originally a daughter from an ordinary family. Ever since young, she had been frail and sickly. She had suffered all kinds of hardships and had experienced a lot of bitterness of this world. At a very young age, the beauty was buried in the yellow sand. She was unreconciled. As a result, she floated around the human world and didn’t want to leave.
“What happened afterwards?” At this time, Situ Ningan was inside her own carriage. With big round eyes, she listened to her personal old maid telling this story. She was young and was most curious about these weird legends. After she heard about this legend, she naturally had to find someone to tell her. The old maid looked at her affectionately and continued as she wishes.
The female ghost inadvertently traveled to Spiritual Temple. She saw that a senior monk was meditating. The smoke from the burning incense rose in spirals under Buddha’s headlight. The back of the senior monk was so peaceful and quiet. The chanting sound resounded lowly throughout the room. The female ghost couldn’t help but be attracted to the sound.
From then on, the female ghost would stop every day at night outside the room when the senior monk was meditating. The senior monk’s spiritual power was outstanding. Naturally, he knew that every night there was a female ghost watching outside when he was meditating.
One day, the senior monk said to the female ghost, “Come in. It’s cold outside.”
The female ghost laughed at him, “How would a ghostly body know about coldness and warmth?”
The senior monk shook his head, “After humans die, if they didn’t have resentment and hatred, and have no cares, they would’ve gone in bliss and wouldn’t stay in the world of the living. Those who have remembrance and unwillingness would retain their awareness of before death, pace back and forth in the human world and suffer the misery of the wind and frost. Until the resentment in the heart is dissipated would their body balance out the feelings and ascend in bliss.”
The female ghost no longer rejected. So, she listened to the senior monk meditate every day in the room. The senior monk was puzzled. Why when he secretly mediated a longitude transformation, the remembrance in the female ghost was still not vanished and would rather stay in the world of the living to suffer hardship? When he finally asked the female ghost this, the female ghost just looked at the golden body of Buddha and didn’t say anything. Finally, she looked at him strangely and said, “Fated with Buddha.”
The two stayed together in this way for a long time. Until the senior monk though that this female ghost would transform into the white lotus that stood in front of Buddha forever, when demons attacked Spiritual Temple.
There were many demons and they came fiercely. Although, the senior monk had outstanding supernatural power and had eliminated many demons, but because the supernatural power consumed a lot of energy, he was in imminent danger. At this time, the female ghost took action. She used her power to repel the remaining demons, but she also ran out of all her power and eventually, her soul turned into ashes and scattered.
The female ghost said to the senior monk before she dissipated, “It was a waste that you recited Buddhist scriptures every day to help my soul find peace, but I fear that the remembrance of this life would be difficult to vanish. I have wasted your kind intentions.” Seeing that the senior monk looked very sad, the female ghost sighed. The senior monk finally heard the female ghost whisper in his ear, “You and I truly had fate…” But couldn’t have destiny.
Seeing the disappearing figure, the senior monk was stunned.
Only the last words of the female ghost remained in his ear.
To commemorate the sacrifice made by the female ghost, the people of Spiritual Temple built a white pagoda for the female ghost and would pray and burn incense every day for her, hoping that she would enter the circle of reincarnation sooner.
It was said that in order to help the female ghost to find peace, the senior monk lived from then on in the white pagoda to recite and no longer came out again.
After listening to the story, Situ Ningan was so moved that her eyes were red. She sighed that the female ghost was so pitiful and didn’t expect that she would end with her soul turned into ashes and scattered. She was too great and was actually willing to sacrifice herself for others. The little maid Wei Er was also so moved that she sobbed.
Outside the carriage, Jia Yi said in a low voice, “Lord Qiansui, we should hurry up and catch up with those in the front.”
Jia Yi felt like something was scratching his heart. Lord Qiansui actually liked to listen to these kinds of stories. This seemed to him like the sinister and cruel Lord Qiansui suddenly was like a pure child who liked to eat sweets. His heart was suddenly full of weirdness.
Lin Qing suddenly said, “If everything was supernatural like an illusion, it should be treated as thus?” After speaking, he rushed forward disdainfully.
After the group of people arrived at Spiritual Temple, the emperor, the empress dowager and the other members of the imperial household would first burn an incense and take a bath. The next day was the day when they would truly meditate and pay homage to the ancestors.
The safety of the emperor when going out must be guaranteed. The place was guarded by the Armed Escort this time. The residences of the members of the imperial household were divided into: one separate place for the emperor, one for the empress dowager and one for every prince. The females of the imperial household were staying together at one place. Lin Qing was staying in a place not far from emperor Jinghui which was convenient for a summoning.
Originally, everything was going well. However, one the evening of the third day, he suddenly heard sounds of killings coming from the courtyard of emperor Jinghui. He immediately rushed over with the people of the Prefecture of Arrest and saw a group of people fighting with the people from the Armed Escort.
Coldness appeared in Lin Qing’s heart. He immediately rushed in with the people from the Prefecture of Arrest because the emperor was still inside.
This group of assassins were very skilled, but because they were in a small number, they were soon controlled by the people of the Prefecture of Arrest and the Armed Escort. However, Lin Qing felt that something was not right and immediately rushed into emperor Jinghui’s room. There was no one inside.
Fell into a trap!
Lin Qing immediately led the people to rush out, but at this moment many people in black suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They were surrounded. A trace of maliciousness appeared in Lin Qing’s eyes. Someone schemed against him.
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