Jinyi Spring

The group of people strolled along.

Passing through the winding corridors and along the gravel path, you arrive at the shore of Jinrong Lake.

The warm autumn sun in the afternoon cast shimmering golden light on the lake's surface. The willows along the shore were tinged with yellow, and the withered lotus leaves were not yet completely dead, creating a unique and serene scene.

In the distance, artificial hills are stacked and staggered, with maple leaves just beginning to turn red. A gentle breeze carries the sweet fragrance of osmanthus and the moist scent of water.

The group strolled slowly along the lake shore until they reached a rockery, where they suddenly saw a figure sitting quietly in a wheelchair.

The man's profile somewhat resembled Ming Shanyue, but he had a full beard of uneven length. His hair was hastily tied up on top of his head, with a long lock of hair hanging down from his right temple, swaying slightly in the wind.

He stared blankly at the shimmering water, his face grim, seemingly oblivious to the commotion around him.

It was none other than the Third Master of the Ming Dynasty, Ming Changli.

Granny Li paused, then quickly pulled Feng Chuchen and Shaoyao away quietly.

Once they were a distance away, Peony asked, "Granny Li, who was that person? Why were you so afraid of him?"

"That's my third master. Shh, keep your voice down. If you offend him, he might throw a rock and crack your skull open."

Peony stuck out her tongue.

A quarter of an hour later, Ming Changli slowly turned his head and looked at the weeping willows. The willow branches swayed gently, and there was no one in sight.

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at the lake, his eyes so gloomy they seemed to drip water.

That day, Shan Yue approached him and led him to this secluded place.

Shan Yue said that Doctor Feng had a holy medicine called "Tiger Scorpion" that could cure his hidden ailment.

Tiger scorpion, Dr. Cai also mentioned, saying that if one could obtain this medicine, the disease would be cured instantly.

A thought stirred within him, like a pebble thrown into stagnant water. But before the ripples could spread, they were suppressed by shame.

What if? What if the medicine doesn't work? If people find out he treated an unmarried girl for this kind of illness and it's not even cured, where will he put his face?
This is so embarrassing!

He blushed crimson with embarrassment and retorted, "You two, a lone man and a lone woman, have the nerve to talk about this kind of male disease. That girl is just like you, shameless and brazen!"

Only Ming Shanyue, who had fought with him when they were children, suddenly turned hostile and overturned his wheelchair.

Ming Shanyue looked down at him and cursed, "I won't hold it against you for cursing me, but you can't just curse Miss Feng for no reason. Humph, you can't even lift a finger yourself, yet you act like the whole world owes you something."

Then, he walked away.

Ming Changli was furious and picked up a small stone to throw at Ming Shanyue, but Ming Shanyue dodged it by tilting his head.

It was quiet all around; there wasn't a soul in sight.

He struggled to sit up, and with great effort managed to straighten the wheelchair, but he couldn't get into it.

He sat there, enduring the midday sun until it began to set. During this time, several maids and servants appeared nearby, but he didn't want others to see him in this useless state, so he didn't call out to them.

Until the servant came looking for them.

The servant hurriedly helped him into the wheelchair. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were with you, sir. But you didn't return by the afternoon, so I went looking for you. You said you didn't know where you were either. I searched for almost half an hour before finally finding you here..."

Thinking of that incident, Ming Changli clenched his fists in anger.

When I see that bastard again, I'll teach him a lesson.

-

In the afternoon, Xia was strolling behind the nunnery.

Although the sunlight was still dazzling, it had lost the scorching heat of midsummer, filtering through the branches and scattering dappled gold across the ground.

Looking out, the trees on the mountain are already tinged with autumn colors. A mountain breeze blows by, carrying the rich scent of vegetation.

She walked through the plum grove and could see a small Zen temple in the distance. The gate was tightly closed, and the walls seemed higher and thicker than elsewhere.

A slight smile flickered across Xia's lips.

She was doted on by her parents, indulged by her elder brother, pampered by Ming Changqing, and even became the empress.

So what?

Now he is nothing but a useless person, imprisoned in this small space, isolated from the world, and can only see a corner of the sky.

Although she was an orphan, she was still disliked by that person.

So what?
Living in the Mingfu is a life of luxury; you can go wherever you want and live a leisurely and carefree life.

Thinking about it, Xia couldn't help but cross the small stone bridge and walk in that direction.

Before she could get close, a tall, hairy nun suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked her way.

“Benefactor, you may not move around here at will.”

Xia seemed unaware and quickly smiled apologetically, "Oh, I see. Thank you for the reminder, Master. I'll go over there now."

His voice was filled with barely suppressed laughter.

She did it on purpose. She wanted the people inside to hear and know how well she was doing now.

Qingxin Fagu was sitting under the tree, pretending to doze off, when she heard the sounds outside.

The hand that was turning the prayer beads paused slightly, and he opened his eyes.

The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.

She looked up at the sky—all she could see was this small patch. The outside world, the people outside, except for a few she still remembered, had long been forgotten.

The faces of her father, mother, younger brother's family, son, and daughter-in-law flashed before her eyes. Then, the man's face appeared, still the same as when he was a boy, playing the flute in the wind, the breeze ruffling his robes…

Qingxin blinked quickly and shook her head, "Amitabha..."

The gate to the courtyard rang, and the young nun opened it. Jing'an hurriedly walked in.

Seeing the two unnatural flushes on Qingxin Fagu's thin face, Jing'an's eyes showed a hint of disapproval.

She said softly, "The mountain wind is strong, please go back inside and rest, Master Fa."

As he spoke, he helped Qingxin up and led her into the house.

Jing'an closed the door, looked out the small window, and a smile appeared on her face.

She quickly approached Qingxin's side and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "A message came in through someone outside. Prince Qin has found out that Fa Gu gave birth to a princess. Xue Shi switched the babies. His Highness is trying to find a way to rescue Fa Gu. Please, Fa Gu, take care of your health and wait for the day when you can go out and reunite with your family."

Qingxin's eyes widened, her thin body trembled slightly, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "It really was the Xue family who did evil, harming my daughter, damn them!"

She paused, then pulled Jing'an aside and said, "What if that person is a trap set by the Xue family? I'm already in this state, I can't hold Heng'er back any further..." Jing'an opened her hand, revealing a clear, emerald-green bead in her palm. "Does Aunt Fa recognize this bead?"

Qingxin picked up the beads and exclaimed in surprise, "These are the beads that disappeared on the day I gave birth!"

Cixi smiled and said, "Yes, His Highness Prince Qin specifically asked that person to use this bead to contact me. He will try to inform me if anything happens in the future. Apart from him, you should not listen to anything anyone else says, no matter what it is."

Qingxin clenched the beads tightly, her fingertips turning white, but she still shook her head and said, "Tell him not to interfere with me. If I go out, I'll only attract his hatred. As long as I can avenge my poor little girl, I can die in peace."

Jing'an shook her head disapprovingly, "According to what Guan Gu said, how could His Highness Prince Qin bear to see you get into trouble? He is very capable. He has already investigated that old matter just a few months after leaving the palace. He will definitely be able to come up with a good solution that satisfies both sides. Your good days are yet to come."

Good day!
These three words, like a pebble, gently fell into the deep pool in Qingxin's heart that had been dead for many years.

Since being locked up in this dark and sunless place, she never thought she would have a "future".

Every day was the same: morning bells and evening drums, ancient lamps and Buddhist scriptures, day after day, year after year. She had long forgotten what "good days" looked like, and even forgotten that she herself had once had good days.

She stared blankly at Jing'an, "Do I still have a future?"

"Of course there are."

Jing'an smiled, her eyes sparkling like two small lamps in the dimly lit meditation room. "What the Dharma Nun needs to do now is to recover her health and listen to that person..."

She paused, lowered her voice even further, and almost whispered in Qingxin's ear, "That person specifically instructed that not only should the nun be careful not to be deceived or harmed, but this humble nun should also be cautious. They are afraid that those people will deal with this humble nun first and then harm the nun."

Qingxin's heart tightened, and she grabbed Jing'an's hand. "What should we do?"

Jing'an's voice became even softer, like a whisper carried on the night breeze, "They outside are trying every means to protect us. We must also be careful... If this humble nun ever falls ill or something bad happens, if Master Fa has any problems, she can ask Master Bei for help. Her junior master Nengquan is also trustworthy."

Qingxin looked at her, her eyes almost overflowing with worry.

Jing'an smiled again, a radiant smile. For sixteen years, she had seen no future, but today she finally glimpsed a ray of light. Could anything be more difficult than those hopeless days before?

So be it if she dies. As long as our "daughter" can live and leave, and live a good life with the loyal king.

She said softly, "They've even thought of these things and bribed a few people. They must have already made thorough preparations..."

Familiar footsteps approached from outside the window, and the two quickly stopped talking. Qingxin tucked the jade beads into her sleeve, and Jing'an poured a bowl of warm tea and handed it to her.

Jingci entered with a rare smile on her face. She walked up to Qingxin and said in a light tone, "Reporting to Abbess, guess who this humble nun just met?"

Qingxin glanced at her without saying a word, her gaze as calm as a stagnant pool.

Jingci didn't mind and continued, "This humble nun met the Lord's goddaughter, Xia Achan. Although she's over thirty, she's still so beautiful and always smiling. She calls this humble nun by her secular name 'Qingguo,' so this humble nun just calls her 'Grandma Kong San'—guess what?"

Qingxin didn't respond.

Jing'an, who was listening intently, leaned over and asked, "What's wrong?"

Jingci clicked her tongue twice. "Xia Achan blushed and said that the Kong family had committed a crime more than ten years ago, and some had died or been exiled. She divorced her husband and is now living in the Ming Mansion with her daughter."

Jing'an shook her head and sighed, "Life is truly unpredictable. What good is wealth and status? Ups and downs, separations and reunions... It's good that we stay here, undisturbed by worldly affairs, and live in peace and quiet."

Jingci glanced at Qingxin and said, "She talked a lot about her and Fagu's childhood, and said that she missed Fagu very much, but lamented that she would never see her again."

Qingxin was slightly dazed.

Xia Achan.

Oh, Second Brother Ming does have a god-sister. That girl is very charming and sweet-talking; she's always smiling at everyone, and the old Duke and Duchess dote on her. She loves to follow Second Brother Ming around, calling out "Second Brother, Second Brother" over and over again…

Those years, those people, those events, seem to float up and sink again, as if through layers of mist and water.

Qingxin picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and gazed at the corner of blue sky outside the window, remaining motionless for a long time.

Jingci looked at her expressionless face and felt secretly anxious. The message from the other side was to "gradually arouse the worldly desires of a pure heart," but could this lifeless appearance possibly be aroused?

She thought for a moment, then added seemingly casually, "Oh, by the way, yesterday I overheard some guards whispering that General Ming is going to return to the capital to report on his duties at the end of the year..."

"Jingci!"

Jing An interrupted sharply.

Jingci felt as if she had been stung, and quickly slapped her own mouth, "Oh dear, Dharma Master, please forgive me, I was too talkative."

Qingxin's face was as still as water, the prayer beads in her hand turning slowly. After a long while, she finally looked at her and spoke, her voice as cold as well water in winter:

“If Jingci’s worldly desires are not yet fulfilled and she wishes to return to secular life, this humble nun grants her request.”

Jingci's face turned pale, and she knelt down with a thud, saying, "This humble nun dares not say another word!"

Qingxin didn't look at her, but simply waved her hand gently, signaling her to step back.

Only the two of them remained in the room. Jing'an whispered, "Ci'an is one of their people. I'm afraid she was the one who said those words just now. It seems the power struggle outside is quite intense."

Qingxin nodded and sighed deeply.

-

That night, the study in the Xue family's outer room was brightly lit.

Several men sat around a table, their faces grim.

The secret guards who had been sent out for nearly a month returned to report that they had found out the general direction in which Jian He Niang was taken away. They tracked her all the way to Shaanxi, but the trail went cold, and they could not confirm whether she continued south or west.

Xue Jicheng frowned and said in a deep voice, "They probably went to Xiqing Prefecture, which is Ming Changqing's territory. The emperor is far away, making it the easiest place to hide people."

Minister Xue slowly shook his head. "What if it's a deception set up by the other side, deliberately leading us to the west?"

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let the women go see Madam Xia again and see if she can find out any definite news. I heard that Old Madam Ming is ill, and she and her daughter are praying at Zixia Nunnery."

Xue Jicheng said, "Before going, it's best to submit a petition to the palace to see the Imperial Concubine and ask for a token of sufficient importance. Empty promises won't be enough for someone like Xia, who only cares about profit, to place all their bets on the Xue family. We need to give her something... something she can see and touch, something that can serve as 'proof' in the future."

Minister Xue nodded. "That's right. Give her a visible hook. If you want your daughter to climb the social ladder, she has to listen to us."

Third Master Xue said, "Brother, that Doctor Feng is indeed quite skilled. Princess Zhao was in such a dangerous situation, yet the child was saved. Could you perhaps have her treat Shi'er?"

Xue Shi'er is his illegitimate daughter, now a concubine of the Prince of Zhao. She sent a message saying that Dr. Feng from Tongji Women and Children's Hospital is extremely skilled in treating gynecological diseases, and she wanted Xue Shi'er to help her improve her health.

When Princess Zhao recovered, Master Xue was extremely disappointed. If Princess Zhao had miscarried and developed some other health problem, and her daughter had given birth to the eldest prince, he would have become the emperor's father-in-law. At that time, he would wield immense power like his father, and his elder brothers would have to defer to him.

Moreover, King Zhao was in poor health and was very restrained in his pursuit of women. He only spent the night with his queen twice a month and with a concubine once a month.

Getting pregnant is really not easy...

Minister Xue's face darkened, and he rebuked, "Don't be too hasty, lest you displease the Imperial Concubine and Prince Zhao."

The group discussed the matter until midnight before dispersing. (End of Chapter)