The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

"Have you noticed? Along this journey, it seems there are far more male benefactors than female benefactors!"

Shang Xi thought carefully about what she had seen along the way, "It seems so."

As we continued walking, a nun in a gray robe suddenly appeared and blocked our way. She had a round face, almond-shaped eyes, a small nose, and rosy lips. Although she had shaved her head and was wearing a monk's hat, it was clear that she had been a beautiful girl before she got married.

The nun clasped her hands together and said slowly, "Esteemed benefactors, this is a forbidden area of ​​our temple. No one who is not a nun of this temple is allowed to enter!"

The nun came out to block the road.

The makeup on her face was much thicker than Shang Xi's. Shang Xi stared at her real face for a few more seconds. Although she didn't know what the Buddhist precepts were, it seemed like she shouldn't be wearing makeup!

She really smelled wonderful, I don't know what she used to create that fragrance, the strong, pungent scent made Yu Hua sneeze twice.

Yu Hua pulled out a handkerchief, wiped her nose, and fanned herself before arguing with the nun, "Isn't that the meditation room for resting? What kind of forbidden area is that? And just now, I clearly saw two men walk in through the side door, followed by two servants. They went into the backyard, and it was one of your nuns who led them there. Why can't we go in? Is this discrimination?"

The nun put her hands together and continued in a gentle tone, "You jest, benefactor. The back is a meditation room; how could a man possibly enter there? You must be mistaken!"

"You saw wrong?" Yu Hua, questioned, immediately raised her voice, quite indignant. "How could two living people like us see wrong? That meditation room is a forbidden area, where women are not allowed to enter, yet two men are allowed in. What kind of rule is this? Isn't this a place of pure cultivation? Why were the men brought into the meditation room in the backyard?"

The nun repeated, "You must have misjudged!"

Yu Hua's words were like a punch landing on cotton; she was furious and her good temper had vanished. "You're really good at making excuses. One of the young masters specifically asked for your abbot, Mu Kong. Even if my eyes can be wrong, and my ears can be wrong, it's understandable if one of us makes a mistake, but can both of us both make a mistake? If you're going to stop us here like this, then call your abbot to see us!"

The nun had already sized them up. Clearly, she didn't recognize the two women in front of her. Shang Xi and Yu Hua were dressed rather plainly, but their few gestures were unusual, suggesting that the two, master and servant, had some background, but didn't seem to be of great importance.

So the nun continued to use the same excuse to fob off the two women before her! "I've already said it, you've misunderstood. This is a sacred Buddhist place, don't linger! If you've finished offering incense and fulfilled your wishes, you can leave through either the main gate or the side gate! Amitabha!"

This is an attempt to drive them away, and they're being treated as troublemakers.

"We're bothering you?" Yu Hua was practically furious with the nun in front of her. For years, everyone had treated her with respect, yet today someone was openly trying to drive her away. It was time to set the tone! "Get out of our way, or you'll regret it!"

Yu Hua's voice was loud, and as soon as she got angry, two more nuns came out of the meditation room and stood in front of Shang Xi and Yu Hua. One of the nuns said, "If you two benefactors have something to attend to, please come with me to the side hall for a short rest!"

Yu Hua became anxious and sternly rebuked the people blocking their way: "Can't any of you understand what I'm saying? Get out of the way."

"May I ask which noble family you two come from, daring to cause trouble at my Tingfeng Nunnery?"

The nun spoke slowly and deliberately, as if Shang Xi and Yu Hua were really there to cause trouble!

Yu Hua stopped beating around the bush and said, "We come from the Prince Pang's residence, and the person standing in front of you is the Princess Pang."

Immediately, Shang Xi readily cooperated with Yu Hua by taking out her waist token. "This is an imperial waist token. If you dare to stop me, the Buddhist Registry will send someone to question you within an hour. Don't think I don't understand. The Zen temple is not a forbidden area. Strangers can stay overnight in the Zen temple. Tell this princess what kind of forbidden area the Zen temple is! If you block my way again, not only will your Tingfeng Nunnery be investigated, but the Buddhist Registry will also investigate you thoroughly!"

The three nuns had different expressions. Suddenly, one of them turned and ran back. Shang Xi saw this and knew something was wrong. She strode over to Yu Hua and said, "Let's go! Today, this princess wants to see what's wrong with this ordinary meditation room, that worshippers can't enter!"

The remaining two nuns followed Shang Xi and Yu Hua on either side, their expressions panicked, their words no longer calm and composed, and their posture no longer as straight as before. "Your Highness, you can't go in!"

Shang Xi said, "Even if it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, I, the princess, will go in! I want to see what kind of shady dealings are going on in this meditation room."

Like Yu Hua, Shang Xi was so angry with these nuns that she almost vomited blood.

As soon as Yu Hua stepped into the meditation room, she started sniffing. "The smell of alcohol. Someone's drinking? Looks like that pot of fried yellow croaker in the dining hall is a snack with the alcohol. Shang Xi, listen?"

Shang Xi's face darkened completely. "I heard it. There are women singing and people reciting poems. What refined tastes! The nuns have stopped chanting scriptures and started singing..."

Before Shang Xi could finish speaking, the doors to the three meditation rooms opened, and several men ran out, one of whom was the same man who had bought wine at the door earlier.

What surprised Shang Xi even more was the presence of a familiar figure, "Uncle Ge?"

Ge Dongqing froze, and upon realizing he had been recognized, his old face flushed red. He removed the paper fan covering his face, stepped forward with a sheepish expression, and said awkwardly, "Niece-in-law!"

That address of "niece-in-law" almost sent Shang Xi away. At this moment, she didn't want to get involved with Ge Dongqing. Shang Xi was embarrassed for Ge Dongqing. "Uncle Ge, where are you going to seek pleasure at Jiaomanlou and Xiuxiange? Why do you have to do such shady things here? This is a Buddhist sanctuary, a place for quiet cultivation and meditation!"

After speaking, Shang Xi turned her face away, unwilling to look at Ge Dongqing again.

Ge Dongqing shamelessly explained, "Niece-in-law, listen to me. This is my first time here. I didn't do anything; I just listened to Abbot Mukong preach."

Suddenly, Shang Xi understood everything.

“Uncle Ge, I shouldn’t meddle in your affairs, but I, Shang Xi, have no respect for people who lie all the time! You said it was your first time here, so who wrote the couplets in the main hall?”

Shang Xi said that the handwriting looked very familiar at first glance. She couldn't remember it at all when she was in the main hall, but when she saw Ge Dongqing, she recognized it.

Ge Dongqing was speechless and unable to refute, knowing that Shang Xi was shrewd and not easily fooled. His lie only got more and more tangled, so he had no choice but to admit, "It was written by Uncle Ge. Abbot Mukong said my calligraphy was good and asked me to leave a piece. Uncle Ge couldn't refuse, so he made a fool of himself!"