Half a month later, Xiao Yi ascended the throne.
Zhao Pei and the others knelt in the audience, shouting "Long live the emperor". She had never thought that this day, Xiao Yi would become the emperor, and she would become the imperial concubine or even the empress. In front of her eyes appeared the majestic figure of Xiao Yi, with his overwhelming momentum, like clouds breaking through the sky, revealing a brilliant brilliance, and everything in the world pales in comparison to his cold and arrogant gaze.
He... got everything he wanted, but in the end he gave up something.
》》》》
Hanzhen and Miyun headed east. Hanzhen wanted to go to Yangzhou. That was where Xiao Lun had lived for most of his life. She wanted to go and see it again.
Hanzhen leaned against the carriage, squinting her eyes and thinking back to the first time she met Xiao Lun twenty years ago. At that time, she was still a baby, and he was in his prime and full of vigor and vitality. She fell into his warm arms and looked at him infatuatedly, drooling, looking at his smiling eyebrows, handsome and free and easy. He teased Zhaopei, and the few traces of hidden sorrow in his eyebrows were immediately covered by a warm smile. But Hanzhen still saw it.
She silently thought that he was her sixth uncle and could only be her sixth uncle, even though she was actually the same age as him.
As she grew up, her heart could no longer accommodate anyone. I don't know if the rejection in her heart was because she couldn't make the most of it like other time-traveling girls and fall in love across time and space, or because she already had a shadow of someone in her mind.
Zhao Pei often talked about Xiao Lun, and she couldn't help but smile when she talked about him. That kind of peaceful and happy smile that Han Zhen had never seen before made her feel inexplicably flustered.
Later, they went to Yangzhou together and saw him again. Hanzhen's breath was choked. He was still as handsome and elegant as she remembered. Unfortunately, his eyes were always chasing Zhaopei. Hanzhen still remembered that when she woke up in the middle of the night, she saw them hugging each other under the moonlight. Zhaopei looked peaceful and relaxed, and he looked relieved and sad.
The look he gave her was nothing but pity and reminiscence of the past. There was even some sourness in his heart, not just envy but jealousy towards Zhao Pei.
She loved him, the kind of love that could not be expressed in words. She thought that one day she would tell him, no matter what the consequences would be. But... he died.
Now that Hanzhen was on her way to Yangzhou, she wanted to tell him no matter what, so that she could feel at ease...
It was late autumn, and the air was chilly and desolate. They had been traveling for half a month, but had not yet reached their destination. Miyun was exhausted and wanted to find an inn to rest, but there was no village or inn nearby.
Hanzhen looked around and saw a house with eaves in the distance deep in the hills. She quickly told Miyun to speed up and try to get there before lunch. But when they got closer, they realized it was a temple.
Mi Yun pouted: "Alas... I was so excited for nothing. Miss, we have to leave quickly. It will be bad if we can't find the town before dark."
Hanzhen looked up at the plaque shaded by crimson maple leaves, and saw three smooth and elegant characters written on it: Puguang Temple. Hanzhen tilted her head, and felt as if she had seen it before. She tried to think about it, but could not remember where she had seen it. Somehow, she wanted to go in and take a look.
Hanzhen smiled and said to Miyun: "Since you are here, why don't you go and worship the Bodhisattva? The Bodhisattva will bless us and bring us good news." Miyun nodded helplessly.
There was no one guarding the temple gate. After they walked around the iron wall with the word "Quiet*" engraved on it, their view suddenly opened up. The courtyard was deserted but very clean, and it was obvious that someone was cleaning it frequently. In fact, this temple was very large. Hanzhen looked around and saw layers of corridors and eaves. But... there was no one there.
They walked past the Gospel Pond and arrived at the first floor hall, where a golden-bodied Bodhisattva was enshrined. Hanzhen had no knowledge of this and did not know what kind of Bodhisattva it was. But he had a kind face and looked solemn under the light of the ever-burning lamp. Hanzhen could not help but feel respect in her heart and knelt down side by side with Miyun.
Hanzhen closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. She prayed devoutly, "I hope I can be safe and sound on this journey. I hope my mother can achieve her wish and not be hurt by others... I hope... everyone can have a good ending."
She kowtowed three times respectfully, muttered something for a while, and then slowly stood up.
Just as he stood up, a practitioner in monk robes suddenly walked out from the side. He was tall and straight, with gentle and handsome eyebrows, wide sleeves fluttering, and holding a string of blood amber stone Buddhist beads in his hands. He had a fairy-like temperament and a sense of transcendence. Especially his eyes, which were as bright and transparent as the moonlight, flashed with wisdom and calmness.
When Hanzhen saw him, she froze in place.
The monk's eyes fell on the red string on her wrist, which was strung with a small jade stone with a lotus pattern engraved on it. It was the amulet that Hanzhen had worn since she was a child. He stared at the red string closely, and then looked at Hanzhen carefully. His eyes were full of light and color.
With a faint smile on his lips, the monk asked the stunned Hanzhen loudly: "Where are you from, my two donors?" (To be continued)