CH 6

The Buddha crosses over to the living and all beings are equal.

These two Buddhist verses had brought hope and peace to the people of Yunxia, who were suffering from war.

The reverence for Buddhism and Taoism has reached an extreme in Yun Xia. For thousands of years, dynasties have risen and fallen, but only Yongning Temple has stood on the northern mountain of Taishan. Its status as a national temple unshakable.

This generation's master, Master Jing Xuan, is highly respected and profound in his Buddhist teachings. Twenty years ago, during the Yunxia Rebellion, he poured out his entire temple's strength to help Tai Zu Han Zi'an settle the war, and in recognition of his great virtue, Tai Zu named Yongning Temple the Great Jingguo Temple.

The mountain behind Yongning Temple has a wonderful view, but few people have set foot in it for decades.

A large maple forest envelops a courtyard, isolated from the rest of the world. In the late autumn, it is clear and depressing.

In the maple forest, Imperial guards hide around the courtyard. From time to time, birds are startled across the sky, making it a bitterly cold place. 

In the courtyard, the door of the room was gently pushed open, the fragrance of ambergris wafted into the air. As far as the eye could see, a golden jade pen was thrown on the edge of Huaidong ink stick on the study table. The silk of Jiangnan from the imperial offerings was casually placed in the corner, and brocade-patterned asbestos carpet covered the entire study.

If anyone had been here, they would have been astonished to see such an elegant and extravagant sight, no less so than the imperial ladies of the Inner Palace.

"Miss." A young girl in purple entered the study quietly and walked towards the woman by the window with a smile: "His Highness has sent something over."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the plain-clothed woman standing by the window turned her head back. Her slightly furrowed brows lifted and her eyes filled with joy: "Xin Yu, bring it to me."

The dark green brocade box fell into her hands, still carrying the coolness of the mountains beyond. She hastily opened it, revealing a yellowed and worn ancient book right inside. The woman in plain clothes sighed, a little disappointed, but still extremely happy. She waved her hand towards the maid: "Bring the box over."

Xin Yu answered. She went into the inner room and carried out a wooden box and placed it in front of the woman.

The woman opened the wooden box and squatted on the floor, stroking the ancient book for a while before placing it preciously in the box and smiling, "He really hasn't forgotten."

"Miss, His Highness remembers you and sends gifts over every three months for how many years now, without fail." Xin Yu spoke with a smile, with a touch of envy under her eyes.

Who could not be envious of the affection of the noble and Crown Prince of Great Jing?

Although the woman in plain clothes did not answer, the tip of brows between her eyebrows were washed away from the slumping.

The dozens of dark green boxes in the box were neatly arranged.Whether it is the person giving the gift, or the person who received the gift, it can be seen that they are both extremely attentive.

The joy in the corner of the plain-clothed woman's eyes has not yet reached the bottom of her eyes. As soon as she raised her head, she Inadvertently caught a glimpse of the room full of luxury, and her eyes dimmed.

Since being imprisoned in Mount Tai ten years ago, although the emperor's reward has never stopped, what if she was more luxurious than a princess?

She will never be able to leave this courtyard. She will never see the man she has longed for, and she will suffer from loneliness and confinement in her youth. Who knows?

The world knows that only one person was imprisoned in the Yongning Temple on Mount Tai ten years ago, and she was the orphaned daughter of the Di family, Di Ziyuan.

Seeing the woman in plain clothes frowning, Xin Yu sighed in her heart and advised, "Miss, don't worry. His Highness will not let Miss wait in the mountains. When His Majesty thinks about it, he will definitely let you return to the capital."

"I hope so." The woman in plain clothes shook her head with a bitter smile and walked towards the inner room, carrying the wooden box.

A guilty daughter of a family of rebellion. So what if she was noble at first. She had long since given up hope when she was sent to Mount Tai ten years ago.

But...her steps slowly stopped. The woman lowered her head, staring at the wooden box in her hands. The gloom in her eyes gradually turning into determination.

If she could be his wife one day, she would be willing to give up everything she had.

It is the custom of the imperial family to hold an annual autumn hunt at Fuling Mountain in the western suburbs, where all the sons and daughters of the imperial family and the noble daughters of the noble families travel together. Since ten years ago, Emperor Jia Ning has handed over the responsibility of coordinating the autumn hunts to the Crown Prince and no longer goes there himself.　

When Ren Anle was so bored at home that she almost made friends with a bird in a tree, Yuan Shu, who had been hanging out in the imperial capital, finally brought back the good news.

On the day of the autumn hunt, Yuan Shu saw her own mountain king, who had changed into her riding clothes early in the morning and was yelling to go to Fuling Mountain. For the life of her, she pulled the pair of ink-printed cloud boots that had set foot on the carriage and wail like ghosts and howl like wolves[1]: "Miss, that was the autumn hunting held by His Highness the Crown Prince on behalf of Heaven. We weren't invited! You offended the Prime Minister just a few days ago, he will give us small shoes! You don't even know what the officials and generals in the capital say about you. ...... The generals say you're soft-boned and have to go to the Da Lisi to be a petty official instead of a general, and the officials say you're a country bumpkin who dares to take charge of the imperial prison... They're all looking forward to seeing your jokes... 　You've been and gone in the fire and wind to save your life in Jinan, don't let it be lost in a few blows!"　

[1]鬼哭狼嚎 - wail like ghosts and howl like wolves (idiom) pinyin: guǐ kū láng háo, meaning to describe a loud cry with a mournful sound. From Ma Ling Dao (馬陵道).

Ren Anle bowed her head and looked down at Yuan Shu, who was snotty and was in tears. With a stern face, she looked towards the dark-faced man standing in the doorway.

Chang qing walked over without changing his face. He grabbed Yuan Shu by the back of her collar and lifted her like a chicken to Ren Anle.

Yuan Shu stopped crying and stared in a daze at Ren Anle.

Yuan Qin took advantage of the gap to enter the carriage and sat comfortably with a chess book, knocking on a melon kernel and watching the drama. 

Ren Anle glanced at Yuan Shu, who was still grasping onto her riding boots. Yuan Shu's hands shook and hurriedly released them.  She doggedly brushed the dust off the boots for Ren Anle.

Ren Anle's eyes showed the look of a child can be taught[2], and then her face changed and she looked towards Yuan Shu with pain: "Barbarian bull, after letting you feel the water in the capital for half a month, how come you have not improved at all? The fourth rank and above the families of courtiers can participate the Great Jing autumn hunting, no need to invite at all. Since the emperor handed over to the prince ten years ago,  the old ministers even more rarely go, mostly young generals and children of aristocratic families.  As for the rumours in the capital ......"

[2]孺子可教 (rú zǐ kě jiào) - If you want to become a great weapon, you must learn to be patient, especially if you have more patience than your elders. More respect and tolerance is an invincible strategy in life.     

Ren Anle snorted lightly, "They don't know a thing about my general's house. If I go there myself, they will know that this general is a very talented woman that she is beyond the reach of others. The rumors will naturally be broken without attack."

After Ren Anle finished speaking, she directly raised her feet to the dumbstruck Yuan Shu and kicked her to the outside edge of the carriage, and told her to drive off towards Fuling Mountain.

Inside the carriage, Yuan Qin put down her chess game and said to Ren Anle, who was lying with her legs crossed, "Miss, the rumours in the capital are so unpleasant.  I'm afraid someone is pushing them."

"It's just that the left minister can't swallow his anger. The old man has a small temperament. Yuan Qin, we are young people, we should be more tolerant, don't lose your temper and make people laugh."

Ren Anle yawned and waved to Yuan Qin nonchalantly.

Yuan Qin held back her laughter for half a second before she gave a crisp 'yes' in return.   

At the foot of Fuling Mountain, a thousand metres above the plain, is the place of the royal autumn hunts. Looking halfway up the mountain, one can see magnificent tents all over the grass. With a group of scholars talking about poetry on the left, and noble women from various houses on the right, laughing and chatting. In the middle, a large tent in bright yellow, in which the Crown Prince Han Ye, who obviously holds the order of the Son of Heaven, is resting.

The wind is high and the air is crisp, a good day for hunting and excursions, Princess Shaohua likes banquets and has been excited to go out a few days earlier. She is afraid that not enough women would attend, so she let the news out in advance. The day of the banquet was attended by most of the noble ladies of the empire in full costume, fearing to disgrace the favoured princess.

At this moment, a group of noble women gathered in Princess Shaohua's brocade tent to talk and laugh. The tent is only covered by a snow-white gauze tent. The view of the young girl smiling lightly was like the sunrise, which was a great distraction for the scholar from the opposite side of the tent.

"Sister Du, you are a little late. If you were half an hour earlier, you would have met His Highness the Crown Prince." Miss Yue Sheng from the Ministry of Justice's Qi Shang Shu's family looked at Du Ting Fang sitting next to Princess Shaohua. Her slightly childish round face deliberately frowned, her eyebrows curved into a line, revealing a derisive and regretful smile.

She is the youngest of the noblewomen and she had a charming temperament, and she was usually lovable. When she said this, everyone followed her gaze and smiled.

The woman being watched is wearing a light yellow pleated dress. Her face is dignified and her demeanour is quiet, and she blushes when she heard the laughter of the women.

There are many noblewomen in the capital who have fallen in love with the Prince, but very few are as persistent as Du Tingfang. She has a reputation for talent at an early age.  After she turned fifteen, there were countless suitors for her hand in marriage, but she fell in love with the Prince at first sight at the autumn hunt three years ago. The Du family is not a lowly family, and the Du family has a young daughter. Thinking that his daughter is qualified to be selected as a concubine of the Eastern Palace, he declined the marriage proposals of many sons of the family and waited for the triennial royal election.

"You girl, don't laugh at Tingfang. In half a year's time there will be a royal election. Why don't my palace pick a good husband for you, Lest you be so discerning and sullen the Old Man Qi's hair" Shaohua saw Du Tingfang blushing and jokingly interjected the topic. 

Qi Yuesheng hurriedly waved her hand and muttered, "Your Highness, I don't want to do that. I'd rather let father worry about his grey hair."

When the women saw Qi Yuesheng being teased, they pursed their lips and laughed lightly. Their silver bell-like laughter spread out of the tent, causing the sons of the families opposite to look at them from time to time.

"I don't know what kind of woman that Ren Anle is. How dare she speak wildly in the courtroom. Your Highness, I heard that Ren Anle entered the palace a few days ago, have you seen her?" The young lady from the Marquis of Anyuan's residence obeyed the princess's wishes and calmly brought the focus to the person who is now the most widely rumoured in the imperial capital.

For half a month, rumours of a female bandit from Jinan had been rife. His Majesty's decree to transfer her to the Da Lisi had not yet been issued.  Ren Anle is carrying the rank of third-ranking military general, so they were not in a position to invite her to the Imperial capital's noblewoman banquet, so they had to ask Princess Shaohua about it.

When she said this, most of the noblewomen stretched their necks to look at the princess. Shaohua saw the curious look of the women, and laughed: "What else could she be? At most, she are just a girl. I don't think she'll turn into a manly man if she's used to being on the battlefield!"

This is because she thinks that Ren Anle is too rude to be on the stage.

The young ladies in the tent were so smart that with a single teasing remark they understood that Ren Anle was not in the eyes of the favoured princess of the dynasty, and they all stopped talking about her.

As the ladies in the tent laughed and talked, a fast horse came from the far side of the paddock, raising the dust in the sky with its powerful aura. The sound of the horse's roar drew the attention of the people in the tents on either side, all of whom raised their eyes to look at the visitor.

The young man on the horse was about fourteen or fifteen years old, handsome and elegant, dressed in light white riding clothes. coming from afar with a seemingly luxurious appearance, causing the young ladies in the tent to stare at him with shame.

He was followed by a dozen horses, most of the young men on them looking downcast.　

" Wen Shuo gong zi[3] is back, and I'm sure it's him again for today's top prize." Qi Yuesheng stretched her neck to look out, her clear voice popping out in one smooth motion.

[3]公子 (gōng zǐ) - son of an official; son of nobility; your son (honorific)

"That's for sure. Since three years ago, no one in the younger generation of the family's children has been able to surpass Wen Shuo gong zi in riding skills." Chiming voices of agreement rose and fell, words of appreciation.

"Wen Shuo is very good. The royal brother rarely values people, but he really love him dearly." Shaohua glanced at the young man who had galloped to the middle of the tent and was about to dismount, and felt a bit emotional.

As the crowd listened, they strongly agreed with Princess Shaohua that the rise of  Wen Shuo gong zi in the imperial capital of Dajing was indeed an insurmountable legend.

For no other reason than the fact that he was raised by the  Crown Prince himself and was the only one of his subjects to have grown up in the Eastern Palace.

Eight years ago, when the Crown Prince was on a trip to the palace, he was ambushed  by assassins from the Northern Qin Dynasty and his whereabouts were unknown. Emperor Jianing was furious and blocked the capital and ordered a search of the city. Three days later, the guard found the crown prince who was seriously injured and unconscious with the toddler who was guarding him in a beggar’s den.  They did not dare to handle them themselves, so they brought the child back with them to await the Emperor's decision.

When the Prince woke up and heard about the incident, he asked for permission to bring the child back to the East Palace to be raised, and the Emperor agreed. The Prince was so grateful for his kindness that he asked the Right Minister to enlighten him and gave him the name Wen Shuo.

The name was given to him by the Prince himself. Rumour has it that he is the meaning of a gentle and graceful crown and bright star of the first day of lunar month. 

It is evident from this that the Prince valued him.

Three years ago, Wen Shuo accompanied the Crown Prince on the autumn hunting expedition, and his stunning talent made the capital's scholars sigh in contempt. The young man's horsemanship skills had even taken the limelight off the young generals. The twelve-year-old boy has emerged from nowhere and became the newest nobleman in the imperial capital in just half a month, and he even attracted the attention of the noble ladies of the Great Jing.

As for his obscure family history ...... who else would mind at this point? He was the savior of the Crown Prince and the future minister of the arm of the emperor. Anyone with a little bit of brains could see that as long as the position in the East Palace was secure. Wen Shuo's future was far more promising than any of the sons of the great families of Dajing.

But they heard that... the Crown Prince thinks highly of  Wen Shuo gong zi and has said that he will choose a proper wife for him, but now that Prince Wen Shuo is still young, no one dares to mention this easily.

As they watched, Wen Shuo had dismounted and entered the tent on a high platform. At once, a look of regret appeared on the faces of all the young girls, most notably Qi Yuesheng.

"Look at your faces. In a moment's time it will be time to count the prey. Royal brother and Wen Shuo will naturally come out, so I will open the tent and let you have a good look." Shao Hua saw the look on the faces of the people and assured them with a smile.

Since women have always had a high status in Yunxia, and they are not constrained by the customs of the people. Besides, they are all the sons of the aristocratic family, it is not harmful to open the gauze tent.

The girls were shy, but their eyes were filled with anticipation. In a few moments the laughter returned to the tent.　

However, no one could see that a few hundred metres away, a carriage was unceremoniously and nonchalantly swinging towards the area as an uninvited guest.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as a tribute to the  frontier mountain king's first enter into the capital of Great Jing, please help yourselves[4]!

[4]自求多福 ( zì qiú duō fú) Chinese idiom meaning that you will get more happiness by asking yourself for help than by asking others; used to admonish people. From "The Book of Songs·Daya·Wen Wang" 诗经-大雅-文王

T/N: Yay! the most awaited moment is near.