Xie Lingjiang was dressed in red and walked on a path through a plum blossom forest.
She opened a small door and walked into a quiet and empty courtyard.
This road is the forest path behind Meiyingzhai where Guoer lives.
Xie Ling Jiang's pretty face was dazed, and she had somewhat forgotten what Li Xian, Wei Mei, Li Guo'er and others said or gave her before leaving the Su Mansion.
In the field of vision, the swing under the grape trellis in the yard seems to be swaying back and forth. I wonder why the white clouds in the sky and the light and shadow of the grape trellis on the ground are also swaying?
Xie Lingjiang's eyes were in a trance, he lowered his head, used the key that was already warm in his palms, and tried twice before aligning it with the keyhole.
There was a "click" sound.
The door opens.
The sunlight that followed Xie Lingjiang into the house revealed every detail of the dust in the air in the house in front of her.
There is a faint smell of old clothes in the air.
Dressed in red, with his hands hanging by his side, he entered the house alone.
Thousands of dust particles in the sunlight seemed to be squeezed by the visitors who walked into the house and flew around, jumping up and down impatiently.
Xie Ling Jiang stepped to the Eight Immortals table in front of him.
A pure white hand stretches out from under the red sleeves.
The right palm with curved fingers slowly stroked the familiar or unfamiliar things on the table:
Official seal, ribbon.
Two seventh-grade aqua official uniforms.
Jade target white sandalwood skirt knife.
A wax letter with a wax seal.
There is also a pot of clivia and a water ladle with a flipped lid.
Xie Lingjiang raised her fingertips in the air and slowly stroked the things that her senior brother had "left" for her.
The sunlight that slanted in from outside the house only managed to climb up to Xie Lingjiang's slender waist in red, illuminating the relics on the Eight Immortals' table.
She lowered her head.
Standing in the sunshine for a while.
The palm finally fell.
I picked up the envelope first.
Xie Lingjiang silently tore open the wax seal that was stuck on the seal, took out a folded piece of letter paper, and spread it out at the four corners.
She lowered her head, leaned closer to the sun, and took a look.
The familiar Qingyi font comes into view.
But he was talking about something that felt extremely strange to Xie Lingjiang at the moment.
Maybe it was because she was motionless at the table.
The dust floating in the room under the sunlight gradually began to fall, and the air was like a piece of newly fired porcelain that was gradually solidifying.
At a certain moment, Xie Lingjiang put down the letter.
Turning his head to look at the Clivia swaying slowly on the table, he was lost in thought.
After a while, he picked up the letter in his hand again.
Read silently with your head down.
This time, I don’t know how long it took.
The sun slowly sets towards the west.
The sunlight coming in from outside the door slowly faded from her waist to the knees of her long straight legs.
Xie Lingjiang suddenly folded the letter in half, quickly put it in his arms, turned around and went out without looking back.
She came to an empty swing in the yard, lowered her head and sat down.
In the quiet courtyard, there was a man in red slowly swinging on a swing.
The swing is under the grape trellis.
The plump grapes among the vines on the grape trellis had been plucked by a certain senior brother and sent to Yilanxuan.
Only one swing was left.
Xie Lingjiang actually always wanted to play on the swing.
It’s just that I can’t keep my face down every time, my skin is too thin.
She remembered that when she was a child, she lived in an elegant and quiet courtyard in the mountains, which was not the deep and luxurious ancestral home in Wuyi Lane, Jinling.
Although he is a descendant of the Xie family in Chen County, my father has always disliked the hustle and bustle. After rejecting an invitation from the new dynasty, he lived in seclusion in the mountains for a long time.
Xie Lingjiang clearly remembered that in the mountain yard where he studied and grew up as a child, there was also a grape trellis, and under the trellis there was a swing left by the predecessors.
This was one of the few pleasures she had during her childhood when she was immersed in reading.
By the way, there are also lovely grapes on the grape trellis. Xie Lingjiang loves to eat them very much. Every year she stands on tiptoe and looks forward to the ripening season of the grapes. After the spring, summer, autumn and winter, the girl grows taller and taller.
But later on, my mother, who was more strict than my father, felt that playing on the swing all day long was not doing her job properly and affected her studies. This was not the fault of Lady Xie from Zhilan Yushu.
So the people took off the swing and cut down the vines on the wooden frame, so that she could study hard and not be distracted.
Of course I cried, but later Xie Lingjiang did live up to expectations. She was promoted to a Confucian female gentleman at a young age. Now that she is not twenty, she has gone a step further and been promoted to the seventh rank.
The chopped-off vines and swing in his memory became one of the few regrets in Xie Lingjiang's childhood.
But when I grew up, it was clear that my mother had passed away, and my father was not strict in controlling her. He understood and respected her as an only daughter.
But after she grew up and became free, she never went on the swing again.
As for grapes, it is indeed still her favorite fruit, but throughout the year, she is busy studying and practicing, but she eats less. At most, when others ask her what she likes to eat, she just mentions it casually.
Xie Lingjiang occasionally mentioned these things when chatting with his senior brother.
Senior Brother didn't express anything at that time and quickly ignored the topic. Xie Lingjiang only said that he was not interested.
Moreover, during the day during that period, they were busy competing with the Liu family, and she didn't even pay attention.
Just a few days ago, when Xie Lingjiang returned from Gezao Mountain, he suddenly discovered that there was an empty swing under the grape trellis in his yard, swaying in the wind, which made Xie Lingjiang's mind swing with it.
Dang.
But at that time, Xie Lingjiang still couldn't hold back the dignity of playing. Instead, he curled his lips and asked the senior brother on the swing if he was childish. He rejected his invitation with a smile on his face with a straight face.
The main reason is that I can't let go of Xie's noble daughter's reserve.
Are you kidding me? She is still playing on a swing at such an old age. She is a Confucian woman, dignified and independent.
Moreover, after all, the swing is quite large when it swings, and a certain senior brother who is a gentleman once had a criminal record with a bad eye, which is still recorded in the small book. Of course Xie Lingjiang is not embarrassed to sit on it and swing...
…
On the swing under the grape trellis, a man dressed in red gradually stopped and took out the folded letter from his arms.
Lower your head and look closely.
Tap your toes, and the swing continues to swing.
But the next second, the woman on the swing suddenly received the letter and spoke to the empty yard directly in front of her, calling her by her first name:
"Resign and go into seclusion? Ouyang Lianghan, you are so brave, you didn't wait for me to come back to discuss it. Ouyang Lianghan, you... do you deserve a beating?"
In an instant, a man dressed in red flew out of the swing and rushed into the house.
She grabbed the skirt knife, stuck it on her slender waist, and strode out.
Xie Lingjiang did not even look at the official seals, official uniforms and other items on the table that hinted at her help in resigning, as well as the orchids, water gourds and other items that hinted at her watering the flowers.
She clutched the jade handle of her skirt knife tightly and walked out of Meilu Garden without saying a word.
Xie Lingjiang took the lead in going to the government and interrogated the officials such as Diao County Cheng and Yan Liulang who had been in contact with Ouyang Rong one by one to collect information and clues.
She wants to know where the senior brother who resigned and went into seclusion is!
Did he return to his hometown in Nanlong honestly, or was it just a cover-up to avoid her search?
Xie Ling Jiang's red lips pursed into a tight line.
Her figure ran around the county town, asking questions all afternoon, and the answers she got were all surprisingly consistent:
Senior brother took leave and returned to his hometown.
No one Xie Lingjiang came into contact with knew about Ouyang Rong's decision to resign, and she did not say much about it.
At this moment, the sky was dark, Xie Ling Jiang Fu Dao walked out of the county government gate, murmuring:
"You really returned to Nanlong? Don't think I dare not look for you..."
After thinking for a moment, she suddenly raised her head, her eyes suddenly clear, and turned back to Meilu Garden.
"By the way, there's also Liu Ashan! He's usually closest to Senior Brother, and he happens to be on leave."
Xie Lingjiang hurried back to Meiluyuan and found Ah Qing's family who stayed in the house.
"What? You mean, your brother is out of town for something, and it's the same day as the elder brother's request for leave to return to his hometown in Nanlong?"
"Well, is Sister Xie looking for the master? The slave family thinks that brother may have gone back with the master." Ah Qing raised his big spiritual eyes and whispered his guess.
Xie Lingjiang did not answer immediately. He glanced at the water spirit girl and smiled reluctantly.
She just turned her head and walked out of Ah Qing's house, still frowning slightly:
"Elder brother asked me to help him hand over the official seal and official uniform... He resigned from office and said he wanted to go into seclusion, but why did he take Ah Shan out of Longcheng County? Ah Shan has a family and an engaged girl. Is it possible that he can go into seclusion in the countryside with him?
This doesn’t make sense…”
While frowning and thinking carefully, Xie Lingjiang's footsteps were habitual and he turned towards the Meilin courtyard unknowingly.
At this time, night falls.
Walking silently outside the wall of the Meilin courtyard, Xie Ling Jiang turned around and prepared to rush to Penglangdu to take the boat overnight, but the next second, she suddenly turned her head.
There was a slight sound of watering in the courtyard.
"Eldest brother is back?!"
Xie Ling Jiang Ben was admitted to the hospital, but what caught her eyes was a graceful figure in purple clothes, and she was immediately filled with disappointment.
"What are you doing here, sister Li?" Xie Lingjiang asked sternly with a straight face.
Inside the house, Li Guo'er was sitting in front of the Eight Immortals table, holding his chin in one hand and holding a water ladle tilted in the other.
A trickle of water fell from the water ladle and soaked into the soil of the orchid basin.
"Obviously, watering the flowers." Li Bao'er nodded.
Xie Lingjiang stopped talking.
Li Guo'er lowered his head to look at Clivia, and at the same time lightly opened his pink lips:
"Don't worry, he didn't touch anything except watering the flowers. Sister Xie doesn't need to worry too much."
Xie Lingjiang, who had been busy all afternoon but had achieved nothing, felt his shoulders sag slightly. He silently walked to the swing and sat down, dangling his feet in the air and kicking back lightly.
Li Guo'er turned around and looked at the tired and lonely man dressed in male clothes in the yard, with a curious face:
"Don't Sister Xie never play on the swing?"
Xie Lingjiang didn't answer, lowered his head to grab the rope and swayed his calves.
Li Bao'er paused for a moment before speaking, then quickly glanced at the stunning scenery rippling like water somewhere, and nodded:
"No wonder Sister Xie didn't play on the swing before. The scenery there is truly unique and can make other women ashamed."
There was no smile on Xie Lingjiang's face, and Li Bao'er's joke seemed a bit cold.
Li Guo'er, who was wearing a purple Taoist robe, chuckled lightly and didn't care.
She turned her head and glanced at the official seals, official uniforms, ribbons and other items on the table, nodded and asked:
"Is Ouyang Lianghan resigning?"
"Can you please stop talking for now, I'll be quiet."
Li Bao'er nodded slightly and placed the flower pots.
She stood up and slimmed down, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and went out, whispering softly:
"Really resigned? It seems that he must have gone there. Well, it is a bit unexpected. Do Confucian scholars still believe this? It seems that Ouyang Lianghan has dabbled in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and he keeps it hidden."
Xie Lingjiang pricked up his ears and raised his head suddenly: "What did you say!"
Li Guo'er shook his head: "It's nothing. Sister Xie will continue to play, and the slave family will leave first."
"You... don't leave. Sister Li, let me tell you again. Do you know where the senior brother has gone? He didn't go back to his hometown in Nanlong? Did he go somewhere else?"
Xie Lingjiang grabbed Li Guo'er's sleeve and asked a series of anxious questions.
Li Guo'er didn't answer immediately, tilted his head slightly, looked at her, and asked:
"Why does Sister Xie want to find him so much? He should have left a message to say so. It's just a personal choice. Why is Sister Xie so reluctant to let go?"
"I……"
Xie Ling Jiang Qiao's face turned red, she stuttered, nodded quickly and said decisively:
"It's not that I can't bear to part with him, I just want to...want to beat him! He resigned and went into seclusion at such a young age and left without saying goodbye. It's so disrespectful of friendship. Is he worthy of his family and teachers? Yes, I want to teach Aunt Zhen and my father a lesson.
Get rid of him!"
"Oh, really?" Li Baoer narrowed his eyes.
"Stop being so pretentious and tell me!"
Li Guo'er took out the sleeve from her hand and said bluntly: "I should have gone to Donglin Temple, a place called Pure Land Palace."
"how do you know?"
Li Guo'er silently took out a book from his sleeve:
"I accidentally discovered this Buddhist scripture while looking through his bookshelf. It records the story of Master Zhongma of Donglin Temple becoming a Buddha in the physical body and ascending to the Lotus Pure Land.
"The relevant pages were specially folded by him, and there were some bookmarks and notes. Well, he is worthy of a serious scholar. He takes beautiful notes on every Buddhist scripture."
Her three thousand black hair was crowned by a jade lotus crown that transcended regulations. She nodded lightly and expressed her approval of Ouyang Rong's level of seriousness.
"The same is true for several other related Buddhist scriptures. I think he should have read it frequently during this period. He was very concerned about this matter and searched all the recorded documents."
"Donglin Temple? Master Zhongma? Ascension to...the Pure Land?"
Xie Lingjiang murmured, not even paying attention to the fact that Li Guo'er broke into his senior brother's room to look through his bookshelf, or in other words, he ignored it for now.
She immediately took the original copy, lowered her head and flipped through it. After a moment, she stamped her feet angrily, spinning around in circles, and said urgently:
"How could Senior Brother believe this stuff and not tell me? You should have told me earlier.
"Do you still believe in Buddhism? Wait, no wonder when I first met him at Donglin Temple, there were a lot of Buddhist scriptures in the study room. Did you start paying attention to them then? You often go to Donglin Temple on weekdays...
"But the matter of becoming a Buddha in the physical body and ascending to the Pure Land is not reliable at all. It is probably a misunderstanding. My father also mentioned it when we first chatted with me.
"Master Zhongma is not an ordinary person. He was probably a Qi practitioner from the Lotus Sect of Donglin Temple back then. His cultivation was extraordinary. It was only through this that he could have the so-called miracles of immortality after death, and speculations about ascending to the Pure Land and so on are not reliable.
"There is no pure fairyland in this world. Only those evil magicians who believe in fairyland and immortality are crazy!
"My father has also analyzed that the current line of qi practitioners inherited from Donglin Temple has been cut off, and the recent directors have no qi training skills. Maybe it is related to the disappearance and death of Master Zhongma's group of qi practitioners! It appeared!
Fault.
"What's ridiculous is that this matter is still misunderstood by the monks of Donglin Temple today as the founder's physical body becoming a Buddha and ascending to the Pure Land, and they are publicizing it!"
Xie Ling almost bit Jiang Yinya into pieces, someone really deserves a beating:
"How could Senior Brother believe this so easily? How could he ascend as a mortal who has not yet practiced Qi? Wait, two days have passed. Where is he now? Is he still staying at Donglin Temple?"
After saying that, she left Li Bao'er, rushed out the door dressed in red, and left Meiluyuan.
Xie Lingjiang left the city overnight, climbed up the mountain under the stars, and hurried to Donglin Temple before dawn.
In front of the ancient temple, she was so angry that she refused to greet the Zhike monk and went straight to the Beitian Almshouse.
At the entrance of the Beitian Almshouse, a monk was yawning and sweeping the floor in the morning. When he saw the girl in red dress rushing past him like the wind, his face was stunned, and the fallen leaves he had swept up were scattered all over the floor again...
Above her head, in the dark gray dawn sky, there was a ray of light breaking through the dawn, shining brightly.
There is still a chapter in the early morning, so don’t get stuck here. Good friends, it’s better not to wait any longer. I probably won’t be able to survive Xiaorong. I’ll watch it tomorrow...or2