Spring Courtyard Forbidden Pet

Li Xuan coughed twice. Ye Zhen paused and looked back anxiously.

He was blocked by Meng Qianru, and could only see his left hand clenched into a fist, which was resting on the edge of the table. Ye Zhen felt nervous, but could do nothing about it.

Meng Qianru served him tea and handkerchiefs, and asked about his health. She was so anxious that even Bu Yao above her head kept shaking. The reflected golden light made Ye Zhen unable to open her eyes, and she felt that her eyes were unnecessary.

"Xu'an, let me help you rest."

Meng Qianru's graceful features were filled with anxiety, and her voice was trembling. "I brought the medicine here and asked Taoist Master Yu Chenzi to prepare it. Please bear with it for a while."

Standing in the sun, Ye Zhen felt her throat dry and her heart felt sour and astringent as if it had been scratched by a cat's claws.

She called him "Xu'an".

He did not reject Meng Qianru's approach, and their hair was almost touching.

Meng Qianru held his arm, without even separating his clothes.

Although the Taoists were not there, the door was open, guards and palace maids were standing in the courtyard, and there were Taoist children outside the gate. Li Xuan tacitly approved of Meng Qianru's actions.

Unlike treating Ye Zhen, there is no need to differentiate between being in front of others and being afraid of criticism.

Ye Zhen didn't remember how she walked out. Every step she took felt like she was walking on cotton and she had no real feeling. But she saw the Taoist children laughing with their hands covering their lips and muttering without any hesitation.

"It's no wonder that some people would be so wishful thinking. After all, who doesn't want to be treated differently by the Imperial Master?"

"If you ask me, it's just stupid. The Imperial Master is going to ascend to become an immortal or a saint in the future. How could he treat anyone differently?"

"That's right. It will delay the national teacher's practice."

Ye Zhen calmed down and glared at them fiercely. The Taoist children all lowered their heads and shut up.

After she left, Li Xuan took two sips of tea to suppress the discomfort in his chest, and brushed Meng Qianru away with one hand, "Princess, you know, even mother has never called me Xu'an."

Before Meng Qianru could recover from the surprise of being pushed away, she was suppressed by his cold words with the momentum of thunder.

"I was worried about you and didn't think much about it." Her eyes drooped, her eyelashes seemed a little wet, and she covered her nose with a handkerchief. "Second Master and I have known each other since childhood. Although we have been separated for several years and have experienced different things, we are still more destined than others."

"You are now responsible for the safety of the Great Zhou. You are the almighty imperial master in the hearts of the people. It's tiring enough on a daily basis. There must be someone who knows your well-being."

"You are a human being, not a god. Even if you are a god, you should be sympathized with your hardships."

Her eyes were full of worry, and no one could refuse her.

Seeing that he did not refute, Meng Qianru took a step forward and said, "Your health is more important. You should not take risks for Miss Ye. Even if the Marquis' Mansion owes her a favor, why can't it be repaid? Why do you have to stand up for her again and again, causing people to talk about it outside."

Li Xuan'an glanced over and said, "There are too many county supervisors."

Meng Qianru's eyes turned red. "You're only making her situation more difficult."

Li Xuan walked past her and said to the guards outside, "Let the Jinyiwei Tongzhi come over."

Being ignored, Meng Qianru dug her nails deep into her palms, "What on earth is there about Miss Ye that is worthy of you disregarding your status?"

On the farm, he even held Ye Zhen's hand and shook the lot. When she heard the palace maid mention it, she almost killed the person for slandering and spreading rumors!

"I know that the Second Master is of a clear mind and has no other intentions, but others will not think so."

Li Xuan straightened his clothes and raised his eyes lazily, "Does the other person refer to the princess herself?"

Meng Qianru's emotions suddenly changed, and she frowned slightly, "Will the Second Master care what I think?"

Li Xuan turned the rosary beads, his face calm and expressionless, "No."

Meng Qianru almost cried a second ago, but when she heard the Jinyiwei approaching, she quickly calmed down and sat upright in the main seat. "Practitioners naturally don't care about the thoughts outside their hearts, but since Second Master has chosen to enter the secular world, sometimes he has to follow the rules of the secular world."

"Blindly protecting someone from disasters and difficulties may not be a blessing for her."

These words were sincere, but Li Xuan said, "The mountain road is rugged, please go to the guest room to rest for a while."

No matter how calm Meng Qianru looked, she could not hide the surprise and disappointment in her eyes.

After coming out of the main courtyard, she immediately asked someone to invite the abbot over to talk. She donated a considerable sum of money to Baiyun Temple in her own name, and then asked what Li Xuan and Ye Zhen had done in the past two days. The abbot told her everything.

After hearing that Li Xuan'an had no dealings with Ye Zhen, she looked much better. "So it's really hard for Miss Ye Er to suffer in the temple."

The temple master wasn't sure what she meant by this. Did she blame them for not taking good care of Second Miss Ye?

Just as he was hesitating whether to tell her about the Imperial Master personally serving soup to Miss Ye Er, Meng Qianru smiled and said, "These two days are the end of the month, and I heard from the guards that many people have come down the mountain to pay homage to the Second Master."

The abbot looked forward to these two days every month. Not to mention the poor common people, many young ladies and gentlemen from wealthy families would also come. In order to see the imperial teacher earlier, they would ask them for introductions with incense money. They could earn at least a hundred taels a day, and at most nearly five hundred taels in two days, which was enough to cover the temple's expenses for a month.

"Everyone is suffering, and we hope that the state master can solve their doubts." The master's mind was filled with gold and silver, and he couldn't help grinning.

Meng Qianru's face turned cold, "The Imperial Master is seriously injured and has not recovered yet. He cannot work too hard."

"Go down the mountain and tell the people that I will open a porridge tent outside the temple later. Only poor people are allowed to come up. Others can come back next month."

When the abbot heard that this month's money was going to be gone, he was extremely anxious but did not dare to show it at all. He still had to thank the princess for her mercy.

After coming out, the Taoist boy beside him heard that he was going to drive people away and subconsciously asked, "What about this month's expenses?"

The temple master patted the dust off his robe, and twitched his mouth. "Wait in line for porridge. One bowl of porridge is enough for a month."

Taoist boy: “…”

After all, it was Princess Pingyang who had spoken, so no matter how reluctant the Taoists were, they had to put on a smile and work actively. They set up the porridge tent before the sun went down, and as soon as the hot rice porridge and steamed buns were put out, the people who heard the news lined up consciously.

The maid felt sorry for her because she had been running around without a rest, and said, "You are always thinking about the Imperial Master, but you can't always put yourself in a difficult position."

Meng Qianru rolled up her sleeves and sighed, "I treated him badly in the past, and he blames me. This is to eliminate my karma. You guys should stop talking too much!"

The maid dared not say anything more.

Meng Qianru personally picked up the soup spoon and comforted the people who were rushing over, "Don't worry, everyone will have some, there will be enough."

Everyone knelt on the ground and kowtowed, shouting "Long live the princess" in unison. One voice after another was heard louder than the other, and Ye Zhen could hear it clearly in the west courtyard.

This situation is no less than the whole city’s people paying homage to Li Xuan.

She saw the winding line extending all the way to the foot of the mountain, and the hustle and bustle was even more lively than the apricot blossoms on the mountain.

Meng Qianru's crabapple skirt was very dazzling. She was serving bowl after bowl with her sleeves rolled up. If she met someone with children, she would give two extra steamed buns.

If a person has a kind heart and is a beautiful person, then what else could he be but a Bodhisattva?

Ye Zhen had never envied anything before, and now it was rare for her to experience this feeling. She sighed from the bottom of her heart, "If I were a commoner, it would be hard for me not to like her."

All the women in the capital spent all their money to dress themselves up, hoping to marry a distinguished and ideal husband. Only Princess Pingyang could use her salary and rewards to help the poor.

Only a woman like this is worthy of standing beside the Imperial Master. No wonder he doesn't mind Meng Qianru getting close to him.

"Second Miss, you have been standing for a long time. I have made some apricot honey porridge for you to drink. It will be very effective." Liuxia used a round fan to drive away mosquitoes. "The insects in the mountains are very big."

Before Ye Zhen could speak, she saw the maid Yinxiang beside Meng Qianru running over and said, "Second Miss Ye, there are too many people. The Taoist priests in the temple are about to have their evening classes, and there are not enough people. Would you like to help the princess?"

Liuxia was worried about Ye Zhen's health and was about to decline, "But Second Miss..."

Ye Zhen stopped Liuxia, pursed her lips and smiled softly, "It should be."

The maid smiled happily, "That's great!"

Liuxia was afraid that she would be tired, so she volunteered, "I'll go, you take a rest."

Ye Zhen said, "The princess herself has invited me, if I don't go, I will not only be known as someone with a heart of stone."