Shenghe Temple is the largest temple in Beijing, housing more than 3,000 monks. There is constant incense all year round. There is also a special wing in the backyard to accommodate temporary pilgrims and receive distinguished guests.
This time the prince and the concubine stayed in the backyard of the temple to pay homage to the Buddha and eat vegetarian food.
Ruan Yuyi and Mu Xiang walked up the long steps and took a long time to reach the place.
Walking to the center of the main hall, I saw a huge golden Buddha statue that almost reached the beams. It was shining brightly in the soft morning light and was quite majestic. There were many melons and fruits piled on the tribute platform in front of it.
The pastries are specially changed by monks every two days.
The place was filled with the faint smell of incense, which made the visitors calm down and lower their voices.
It was indeed still early, and there was only a young novice sweeping the hall.
"Muxiang, do you know who is Prince Yu?" Ruan Yuyi whispered in Muxiang's ear, lowering her voice.
Mu Xiang shook her head and replied, "Miss, I'll recognize you wherever you go."
She shook her head, pursed her lips and smiled, "I made a mistake. I should have brought Mu Ling with me. She grew up in the capital, so she probably recognizes her."
However, the place where the prince is located should be guarded, so it is not difficult to find him.
The two of them ignored the young novice and walked towards the side door leading to the backyard. The young novice ignored them, perhaps it was unusual to see such early pilgrims.
After taking a detour, the two finally found a place. The courtyard door here was ajar, and the sound of Buddhist scriptures being recited could be faintly heard from inside, neat and low, and the sound reached their ears.
Ruan Yuyi pursed her lips, and as soon as she took a few steps forward, she was stopped by the guard at the door.
"Who is coming? No one is allowed to enter here."
Ruan Yuyi lowered her eyebrows and lowered her eyes, her voice was soft and sweet, "Brother, I lost a hairpin here a few days ago. I think it was left inside. Can you let me go in and look for it?"
Fortunately, Shenghe Temple upholds the principle that all living beings are equal, and all the rooms in the backyard are open to the common people, regardless of high or low, otherwise this excuse would not hold water.
She looked into the other person's eyes, her eyelashes fluttering shut, her eyes full of pleading, hoping to get a positive answer.
Unexpectedly, the guard remained calm and snorted coldly, "Girl, do you know that your excuse has already been used by others?" These women are accustomed to using such clumsy tricks, and you must know that this one among them will not accept this trick.
Ruan Yuyi's face turned red when her thoughts were broken.
She glanced at the crack in the ajar door and became more and more certain that the person inside was Prince Yu. From what the guard meant, she was probably not the only one who made excuses like her to try to get in touch with the prince.
It was impossible to go in directly, so she had to find another way.
She pretended to walk away, but in fact she was looking for an unguarded low wall, but the wall here was half as high as her, and even if the wooden incense stick could lift her, it would be difficult not to make a sound.
When she was in trouble, she heard Mu Xiang exclaim in a low voice, "Miss, look over there!"
Ruan Yuyi looked in the direction she indicated, and saw a narrow door in front of her. However, she could not see the front through this door, and her sight was blocked by a thick banyan tree.
The branches of this tree extend straight to the outside of the high wall, and there are many red ribbons tied to each branch - it is an old tree used by pilgrims to pray.
The two went to check and found that there was still a gap between the tree and the door that could allow one person to pass, so Ruan Yuyi gathered up her skirt and squeezed in carefully.
The scene in front of him suddenly broadened, and the sound of chanting became clearer. Ruan Yuyi followed the sound and found that the sound was coming from a house not far away. Although there were no monks in sight, there was a young man in black brocade with dark patterns standing at the door.
.
A jade crown tied his dark hair high. He was tall and tall, and had an outstanding temperament. With just one glance, others knew that he was not an ordinary young man.
Ruan Yuyi stood under the banyan tree, thought for a moment, and then with apologies in her heart, she untied a red rope. She hoped that others would not blame her. She had no choice but to borrow this object of prayer.
She raised her hand, and the thin sleeve slipped from her arm, revealing a section of her bright white forearm. She tiptoed and asked Mu Xiang, "Do you think this is possible?"
Muxiang smiled and praised, "If this slave were a man, he would definitely also like the lady like this." As she said that, she moved to a corner so that when the man came over, she would be more shy.
Ruan Yuyi was always uneasy. She was worried that the branches were set too high and her hands were raised too much to appear rude. She was also worried that the tying method was complicated and would make it inconvenient to reply later, so she practiced it over and over again.
Little did she know that her head was slightly raised, and the smooth jade-like appearance of her neck hidden by black hair was so fascinating. The long red rope fell on her hand, making her skin whiter than snow.
It is a bit more stunning than the red trees hanging down.
The chanting over there continued calmly and for a long time.
The early morning in autumn was already a bit cold, and Ruan Yuyi couldn't bear the chill. Her body wrapped in gauze was shivering slightly due to the cool breeze, which made her look particularly pitiful.
But she still stubbornly stood there, waiting for the man to come.
I don’t know how much time passed, but when she felt a little dizzy, her eyelids were heavy, and she could hardly stand, the Buddhist scriptures stopped.
"How did you get in?" A clear and cold voice sounded in her ears.
Ruan Yuyi suddenly looked back, her cheeks were reddish, and she was dotted with tears, looking like she was about to cry. Through her blurred vision, she could barely see the face of Mr. Xuanyi.
This is a young man full of dignity.
He has a pair of slightly pale peach blossom eyes, a straight bridge of nose that looks like a chisel, but a relatively soft face, creating a contradictory sense of beauty.
This makes people think of the gentleness of jade when he smiles, but the expressionless expression under his eyes seems to be filled with a murderous aura. Although he is holding a folding fan in his hand, it is more like holding a long sword that drinks blood.
As soon as her feet moved, the jingling of the bells between her ankles was like fairy music to the ears, as if it had countless tiny hooks, which was breathtaking. Jiang Huaiyang, who had heard the bells inexplicably and followed the sound, was also stunned.
This ringtone came into his dreams every night, and he was very familiar with it.
In front of the Buddha, there was no desire, but he uncontrollably brought the woman in front of him into a dream situation.
He always felt that she should cling to his neck and act coquettishly. The ends of her eyes were not painted with makeup and were unusually flushed. Her temple hair was slightly damp and stuck to her forehead, and her whole body seemed to be as soft as a pool of spring water.
Jiang Huaiyang's mind wandered when he heard this series of faint ringtones, and he suddenly felt a little hot in his body.
But his expression remained unchanged, and there was a subtle restraint in his words, "This is not a place you can stay for a long time, so leave quickly."
The banishment order issued by the other party fell into Ruan Yuyi's ears, and it all became a low hum.
Ignoring the low fever in her body, she wanted to bow and salute, but she didn't want her eyes to darken and her whole body to collapse.
"Miss!"
She did not fall to the ground, but was caught by a pair of rough and strong hands, and fell into a strange embrace, her breath filled with the fragrance of soap locust.