Chapter Ninety: Somewhat Similar, and About the Same Time!

The thatched cottage of Master Bright Autumn always seemed to have its door locked, as though to keep others from disturbing her quiet cultivation.

Now that Qin Wanru knew the place well, she removed the lock and pushed the door open.

The room at the center of the cottage was in fact a small Buddhist shrine, where a modest Buddha image was enshrined. It was fashioned as the Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva of Compassion, vivid yet gentle, and carrying an elegance and dignity beyond words. At a glance, it inspired reverence from the depths of the heart.

Only three slender sticks of incense burned in the shrine, and even their fragrance was faint.

On the cushion before the altar, Master Bright Autumn sat with closed eyes, reciting sutras in a low voice, her devoutness unmistakable.

Qin Wanru took another cushion from the side, placed it beside the nun, and bowed respectfully toward the Buddha image in the center. Having been granted a second life, she now held the Buddha in even deeper esteem.

When she had finished her obeisance, she pressed her palms together and quietly listened to the nun’s soft chanting.

After a long while, Master Bright Autumn opened her eyes and smiled at Qin Wanru. “Why have you come so early today?”

Ordinarily, Qin Wanru would rest a little after the meal before coming over.

“I have something I wish to discuss with you, Reverend Mother,” Qin Wanru said solemnly, turning her cushion a little to face her.

“What is it?” Master Bright Autumn asked in surprise.

“Reverend Mother, last time the abbess of Tranquil Mind gave me five stems of July Fragrance. Do you still remember?” Qin Wanru asked.

Master Bright Autumn nodded with a smile.

“I did not accept them then and said they should remain with the abbess. This time I heard that some noble person has come to the capital, so I thought these five stems of July Fragrance could be offered to that person in the name of Tranquil Mind Monastery.” Qin Wanru chose her words carefully.

“To be given to a noble person from the capital?” Master Bright Autumn asked. “Why not deliver them yourself?”

“The July Fragrance originally belongs to Tranquil Mind Monastery. If it is to be presented to a noble visitor from the capital, I still think it would be better to do so in the monastery’s name. On the one hand, I myself could never possess such a precious gift; on the other, it could leave Tranquil Mind Monastery with a good name in the eyes of that noble person, and perhaps even serve as a support for the monastery in the future.”

Her voice remained gentle, but where Master Bright Autumn could not see, her eyes had gone deep and obscure.

She was not trying to be mysterious for its own sake. In her previous life, she had heard that Tranquil Mind Monastery had later been destroyed. By then she was already in the capital, and the news had reached her only by chance, through a conversation between Qin Yuru and Madam Di.

She did not know the particulars. She only heard that fugitives had apparently been hidden in the monastery, that the nuns and everyone else there were arrested, and then exiled.

But later, she heard there had been further trouble, and they were escorted to the capital.

At that time she had been trapped in the rear courtyard, without even a single person she could trust, and so she never learned what happened after that. Yet no matter what, she did not want to see this monastery, which had helped so many people, come to harm; nor did she want the kindly abbess of Tranquil Mind, or Master Bright Autumn, to suffer misfortune.

“A noble person?” Master Bright Autumn frowned, evidently unsure whom she meant.

“A noble patient, I believe,” Qin Wanru said evasively. “Someone from the capital who is now asking the abbess to treat an illness.”

From those few clues, together with the fact that Chu Liuchen had personally sought the abbess out, the matter was all but certain.

“Since you are willing to place this favor in Tranquil Mind Monastery’s hands, this humble nun thanks you.” Master Bright Autumn was not a narrow-minded or overproud woman. She smiled faintly, accepting Qin Wanru’s kindness, and did not press her on how she had learned of the matter.

Afterward, Master Bright Autumn rose and took Qin Wanru next door to teach her.

Chu Liuchen watched with a good mood as Qin Wanru covered her little face and left. Afterward, he even ate a little more. That little bit of food alone was enough to excite Xiao Shunzi, who felt all the more certain that today’s efforts had paid off.

Thankfully Second Miss Qin had come, otherwise how could the prince have eaten so obediently? Every time the prince lost his temper, the whole palace would be thrown into chaos and the entire imperial household would be alarmed. Yet this time, the storm had passed without a sound, and the prince even seemed to be in a good mood.

After the meal, Chu Liuchen lay down in excellent spirits. Thinking of the brown medicinal stain that had been on Qin Wanru’s face just now, he could not help but laugh again. His constitution was poor; after laughing for a while, he grew hazy and truly fell asleep.

He slept for a long time, not rising until evening.

Hearing movement inside, Xiao Shunzi hurried over to lift the bed curtain and reached out to touch his forehead. The temperature was normal, and he let out a breath of relief.

Seeing Chu Liuchen actually sit up on his own, as though he meant to get out of bed, he said anxiously, “My lord, it’s dark already. Where are you still going? Please rest properly first.”

“I am going to see the abbess of Tranquil Mind and ask for those five stems of July Fragrance,” Chu Liuchen said lazily.

“My lord, isn’t it a bit too late for that? Why not wait until tomorrow? The abbess will also be reexamining you tomorrow, and then you can bring it up at just the right time.” Xiao Shunzi glanced at the sky outside and urged him.

Chu Liuchen’s gaze also fell toward the window. He had slept so long that the sky had darkened at this hour.

“Then I’ll go tomorrow,” he said, nodding and leaning back against the cushion Xiao Shunzi handed him, settling into a comfortable position.

“My lord, are you feeling any better?” Xiao Shunzi asked as he handed over a cup of warm water.

Chu Liuchen took it, drank a sip, and then lifted his cold, shadowed eyes. “The medicine is not bad. It has some effect.”

“That is wonderful, truly wonderful. My lord should stay in River State a little longer and let the abbess continue to regulate your condition, and once the person the divine physician mentioned is found, your illness will be cured!” Xiao Shunzi’s eyes brightened, and the stone in his heart finally shifted.

“That is not certain. Until the person is found, nothing can be said for sure.” Chu Liuchen narrowed his eyes slightly and no longer dwelt on the matter, changing the subject instead. “Has there been any news from the capital?”

By his reckoning, the trap he had set should already be ready to spring. This departure from the capital was never going to be as simple as merely leaving.

“I was just about to report, my lord. News has come that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager flew into a rage and even punished Her Majesty the Empress. The empress and many of the imperial consorts knelt outside the Empress Dowager’s Palace of Great Tranquility for two whole hours. Even when the emperor begged on their behalf, the Empress Dowager refused to relent, insisting that they must bring you back, saying that they were the ones who drove you away.”

Xiao Shunzi gathered and reported the news he had just received.

Chu Liuchen leaned back thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on the canopy above, and a trace of viciousness curved silently at his lips. “What did that side say?”

Though he did not say so directly, Xiao Shunzi knew he meant the current emperor, and hurriedly replied, “He only said that he had tried to persuade the Empress Dowager, then rebuked the empress and the consorts as well, and after that said nothing more, only that he would have you returned as soon as possible.”

“It looks as though an imperial decree will arrive any moment now,” Chu Liuchen said coldly.

The realm was his board, the state his game, and he had long since stepped into the match.

Whether he moved the pieces first or second, blood and storm were already beginning to rise.

“What? That family moved away?” Madam Di stood up and paced several circles around the room, her face livid. Was the little lead she had so painstakingly found about to vanish again? It was all Qin Wanru’s fault, that vile girl.

“They did move. This old servant went to inquire, but no one nearby knew where they went. They only said that by the next morning, they were gone overnight. They did not even move their bulky belongings, only took the barest necessities and left,” said Granny Zhou, frowning tightly as well.

She had come from the Yongkang Earl’s Residence, and without her, Madam Di would never have recognized the person. After all, how could a young lady of a noble household recognize a servant?

“And what about that girl Qu Yue?” Madam Di turned back, sat down at the table, and slammed her hand down hard. The teacup on the table could not withstand the force, toppled over, and rolled to the floor with a crisp shattering sound.

Seeing Madam Di’s expression, Granny Zhou did not dare step forward immediately to pick up the shards. She replied at once, “She is still in Tranquil Mind Monastery, together with Second Miss.”

“That wretched girl still keeps that brat around? What is she planning?” Madam Di was somewhat panicked. “Could she know something?”

“Madam, please do not worry. Second Miss could not possibly know anything. She was still young then, just a child who knew nothing. So many years have passed. If not for the old madam mentioning that you were not Second Miss’s birth mother that day, Second Miss would still not know about it now,” Granny Zhou soothed her.

“That old beggar woman can barely save herself and still dares to meddle. But even if she does, so what? She does not know the events from back then.” At the mention of this matter, Madam Di’s teeth itched with hatred, and she ground out the words through clenched teeth. A look of malice flashed in her eyes. How had that old hag been fine? Madam Di had given her such a heavy dose, and yet she had survived.

If that old woman had died, Shui Rulan would never have entered the household at that time. Thinking of this hatred, her eyes bulged with fury, and her once-lovely face twisted into something fierce and hideous.

“Madam, do not be anxious yet. There is no rush in this matter. Besides, even if that person is gone, do you not still have other things in hand that can serve as proof? By then, changing one thing for another would be only a matter of your word. The only question is whether the guess is true,” Granny Zhou said in a lowered voice, but hesitated by the end.

After all, this was only Madam’s speculation. No one knew whether it was true.

“It does look somewhat like it. The timing is about right, and the general described that man before as well. Send someone to search again. If there is any news, report it to me immediately. This time, just take the person away directly to avoid further trouble. As for the rest, we can speak of it later.” Madam Di felt she had been too indecisive before, otherwise the person would not have escaped from her grasp.

If they took him away and interrogated him directly, it would be a splendid thing. Even if the answer proved to be nothing, he was merely a servant who had gone missing in River State; taking his life would cost her nothing.

“Yes, Madam. This old servant understands,” Granny Zhou said knowingly.

Even so, Madam Di still felt indignant. “It was agreed that girl would come to work for me. How dare he send her to that wretched brat instead? Is he deliberately opposing me?”

“Madam, perhaps it was just chance. It was originally meant to be selecting a maid for the eldest miss, but who could have expected that Second Miss would suddenly be the one chosen? So the person was simply sent into Second Miss’s hands.” Granny Zhou felt that was unlikely and shook her head. It was indeed a little too coincidental, but a coincidence with reason.

“Best that it was only coincidence. Otherwise... I will never forgive him,” Madam Di snorted coldly, leaning back against the chair and rubbing her brow with one hand. Then she asked in a cold voice, “How is that side doing?”