Light Dance Jiajing

Mrs. Wang was very comfortable with the inner house but she had trouble with the state affairs. She was anxious to find Wang Wei back. Wang Wei was just a half-grown child, and Lord Wang was far away in the south of the Yangtze River. They could only worry at home. Wang Wei thought that he could not just sit and wait for death, so he hurried to visit his father's old friends of the same age. He asked everyone Lord Wang could ask for help. After a round of visits, Wang Wei came back with roughly the same words as what was said in Lord Wang's letter. This matter could be big or small. The best was to be reprimanded and allowed to remain in office, and the worst was to be dismissed from office. Meng'er saw that the mansion was filled with gloom and thought, what was the big deal? The person would not die, so was it that serious?

Wang Qiang, who had always been aloof, had not studied hard these past two days. She had been staying beside Madam Wang every day, with a long face. Both mother and daughter had the same expression, as if they had lost their parents. Meng'er could not help but shake her head, not knowing what to say to comfort the mother and daughter. Then she heard the second aunt comforting her: "Madam, don't worry. Even if the master cannot be an official, our family is well-off and we don't have to worry about anything. Besides, he may be reinstated someday."

Wang Qiang frowned and said unhappily, "What nonsense are you talking about, aunt? Father hasn't been dismissed yet, so don't say discouraging words." Madam Wang also glanced at the second aunt unhappily, and the second aunt quickly lowered her head. She was originally Madam Wang's dowry maid, and later gave her to Lord Wang as a concubine. She had always been afraid of Madam Wang, and now she was disliked again, so she quickly lowered her head and dared not say anything.

The room fell silent again for a while, and everyone was thinking about their own things. At this time, Wang Wei lifted the curtain and walked in. He had gone to a few classmates to find a solution today, but his classmates were also helpless. When everyone saw his expression, they knew that he had wasted another day.

Madam Wang said lazily, "Everyone, go away. Wei'er, stay and have dinner. Meng'er, eat here before you go back." Wang Qiang, of course, stayed with her mother. Madam Wang had no appetite. She ate a few mouthfuls and said she was full. Then she took Meng'er's hand and sighed, "My son, there have been a lot of things going on at home recently. I'm sorry you've been so worried."

Mei'er quickly shook her head and said, "I feel ashamed for not being able to share my aunt's worries."

Mrs. Wang was not from a poor family after all, so she knew that worrying was useless, and the sky would not fall. The government had not panicked in the past two days, but Wang Qiang was very worried. She was now the legitimate daughter of an official. If her father was just an ordinary person, what hope would she have in the future? Wang Qiang said, "Father is far away in Jiangnan, and we don't know what the situation is. Why don't we go to Qingshou Temple to pray for father? It is said that the temple is very effective. Mother can just offer more money for incense."

Mrs. Wang nodded and said, "Qiang'er is right. The whole family should go and pay their respects. Let's go the day after tomorrow, early in the morning."

By this day, the Wang family's carriages had already been prepared. Madam Wang took Wang Qiang and Men'er in a carriage. In fact, Men'er really wanted to go with the two concubines, but since Madam Wang pulled her, she had to follow. They didn't say a word along the way. Fortunately, the journey was not too far, and Men'er arrived after a nap. Qingshou Temple is the most magnificent among all the temples in Kyoto. It was originally the residence of Monk Daoyan, a trusted meritorious minister of Emperor Chengzu. It was built in the Jin Dynasty and was completely intact and majestic after a major renovation by Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. It is the best in the capital. Qingshou Temple is very popular, and there are endless pilgrims coming and going every day.

Meng'er followed Madam Wang inside and saw devout men and women coming in and out. It was a prosperous scene. Wang Wei saw Meng'er's eyes were full of curiosity and knew that this was her first time to burn incense. He explained, "This is nothing. There are even more people who come to burn incense on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. Even the emperor has been here. This is the most prosperous place in the capital."

After passing through the mountain gate and entering the front hall, Meng'er had never been to a temple in this life. When she entered, she saw that the Eighteen Arhats enshrined here were no different from those in later generations. The Wang family had all been here before, and no one paid much attention to these, only Meng'er looked carefully. The group followed Mrs. Wang to the main hall at the back. The monk in charge of receiving guests had seen many officials' families, but Mrs. Wang donated a lot of incense money this time. A middle-aged monk waited for them to burn incense, then politely led the group to the guest room at the back to rest. Meng'er wanted to look around, so she said she wanted to pay her last respects to her mother and brother. Mrs. Wang then took the others and went there first.

Only now did Mei'er take a closer look at the hall. She saw that the caisson in the hall was divided into three layers, upper, middle and lower, and supported by the four bronze heavenly kings. Arhats stood in the colorful clouds; the middle layer was the heavenly palace with jade buildings, and below the heavenly palace were the painted statues of the twenty-eight constellations. There were immortals and goddesses in the palace, and at the top was a star map. Mei'er was fascinated by it and looked up at it for a long time. She didn't know what words to use to describe how the ancients created such a magnificent masterpiece. Suddenly, the star map above her head seemed to come alive. The densely packed millions of stars seemed to have life in an instant, shining a little. Mei'er seemed to be under the dome, and the noise around her seemed to be isolated. She was immersed in it. She was the only one left under the vast night sky. The nebula floated slowly with a sense of weirdness. Mei'er suddenly became afraid. She wanted to escape but couldn't move her feet. Beads of sweat slid down her face.

"Mei'er, what's wrong with you?" A great force seemed to pull her soul back. Mei'er looked blankly at Wang Wei, who was anxiously holding her shoulders and shaking her violently.

"Ahem...cousin, please stop shaking...it hurts so much."

"What happened to you just now? Is it serious?" Wang Wei looked at her worriedly. Meng'er wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and forced a smile. She looked up again, and the star map seemed to be still again without any life. Meng'er couldn't help but feel strange. She looked up again and squinted her eyes. Hey, could this be a giant three-dimensional painting? Thinking about it, she couldn't help but ask, "Cousin, do you think there is anything strange about this star map?"

Wang Wei looked at it for a while and shook his head. "No, this hall was restored during the Jingtai period, and I haven't heard of any anecdotes until today. Did you see anything?"

Meng'er was silent for a while and shook her head, "Nothing, I just felt dizzy."

She shook her head and was about to step out when she saw two figures flashing at the door of the hall. The hall was dark, and there was an endless stream of people burning incense inside. The two people did not notice Meng'er when they first entered the hall. However, Meng'er saw the faces of the two people clearly. She hadn't seen them for two years, but he was still dressed in white, spotless, and his appearance had not changed at all, just as he had seen him in the Hidden Garden. It was the young man in white who she had met once that year, Zhang Yanqi, the 48th generation Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu. The man with him was dressed in black, standing with his hands behind his back, exuding a cold aura. This man was none other than the current emperor, her father the emperor in this life. Meng'er felt like she was struck by lightning, her whole body stiffened, blood rushed to her head, and her eyes couldn't help but become moist.

Zhang Yanqi was looking up at the star map on the ceiling of the palace, as if he was thinking about something. After a long time, he seemed to sigh and shook his head helplessly. The emperor did the same, staring for a long time. After a long while, he still did not give up and stared at it again. After a long time, neither of them could figure out the mystery, and the emperor's eyes showed some frustration.

Zhang Yanqi smiled bitterly and said, "It seems that we have returned empty-handed today."

The emperor was unwilling to give up. He walked around the hall while still concentrating on looking at the ceiling. Zhang Yanqi was not in a hurry. He waited until he gave up and lowered his head before saying, "If you don't feel it at first sight, it will be useless even if you look at it for decades. Let's go." Seeing that the emperor was still unwilling to give up, Zhang Yanqi sighed softly, "My late father only said that there is a mystery in the picture on the dome. Those who can recognize this picture are people who can pass through reincarnation. Besides me, the host here should also know this secret. I thought you could figure out some of the mystery. What a pity!"

Meng'er had already pulled Wang Wei to retreat behind a statue. The emperor happened to stop there, so although the two spoke in low voices, Meng'er heard most of what they said. The emperor was silent for a long time, and after a while he asked, "How is that matter going?"

Zhang Yanqi shook his head to indicate that there was no progress. The emperor snorted and said, "Although I can't trap you, I can still do nothing to you. It's been eight years. My patience is limited. If you can't find anyone, you'd better take care of yourself." As he said that, he flicked his sleeves and walked out of the hall. Zhang Yanqi didn't care much about his threat. There was no emotion on his face when he heard it. When he turned to leave, he only glanced at where Meng'er was, and then followed the emperor.