Jiang Changning held on and followed the empress dowager in kowtowing to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, burning incense and praying devoutly in various halls.
After all the trouble, it was already the early hours of the afternoon. Jiang Changning, who had just eaten something simple in the carriage, was already starving.
"Is there anything to eat?" Princess De approached Jiang Changning and asked in a low voice.
Jiang Changning took out two small pieces of cake from his purse, gave one to her secretly, and quickly stuffed the other into his mouth.
These small cakes were originally made for Xiaobai. When she went out, King Jin asked her to take them with her. Now they come in handy.
It seems that King Jin had anticipated the current situation.
"Monks are prohibited from eating after noon. We are not monks, so why should we starve?" The Crown Princess of Prince Changshan also came over quietly and complained in a low voice.
Jiang Changning took out a small cake and stuffed it into her hand. "I'll have someone find something to eat later. Just bear with it for now."
"Hmmm" the Princess of Changshan hummed while holding a pastry in her mouth.
Led by the Queen Mother, all the female members of the family entered the lecture hall and sat cross-legged.
"Master Xinghe, please preach the Dharma." The Queen Mother said with her hands clasped together.
In front of him sat an old monk with white eyebrows and beard, who looked like a well-read Buddhist monk. "Amitabha, today I will be explaining the Shurangama Sutra to you donors."
"Amitabha, the Buddha's teachings are boundless." The Queen Mother said respectfully.
Master Xinghe said in a loud voice: "Amitabha, when you open your eyes you see light, when you close your eyes you see darkness, what you see is different, but the nature of seeing does not change."
Jiang Changning did not believe in Buddhism, but she had a reverent heart. However, she had no talent for Buddhist philosophy and was confused when she heard it.
If someone asked her, she would answer honestly: "I don't understand."
The lecture lasted for half an hour, and if Jiang Changning hadn't been hungry, he would have probably fallen asleep.
They say it’s better to sleep hungry than to eat, but when you are really hungry, you can’t sleep.
"Amitabha, that's all for today. Thank you all for your support."
The Queen Mother returned the greeting, "Amitabha, thank you very much, Master. I will come to trouble you again during the evening class."
Led by the Queen Mother, all the female members left the lecture hall and went to the lay Buddhist quarters.
There are thirty-six lay Buddhist residences of various sizes in Huangjue Temple.
The largest room is where the Queen Mother lives.
Those who were two generations older than the little emperor did not come to the temple.
Jiang Changning, Princess De and Princess Yu Zhao Xifang lived in the courtyard on the left. The other female family members lived in groups of three or four according to their rank.
Xiaochun had just finished cleaning the room when the Crown Prince's wife of Changshan Prince came over and asked, "Ningning, is there anything to eat?"
Before Jiang Changning could answer, Princess De came in and asked, "Ningning, is there anything to eat?"
Jiang Changning looked up at the sky silently. Does she look like a foodie
Banqin came back at this time, holding a lunch box in her hand.
Princess De and Princess Changshan laughed and said in unison, "I knew you had food here."
"Where did you find it?" Jiang Changning asked.
"I spent some money and asked the monk in the temple to make it." Ban Qin said as he took the food out of the food box.
Jiang Changning, Princess De and Princess Changshan all raised their eyebrows and said the same thing, "Money makes the devil work. With silver, even a monk who doesn't eat after noon can cook."
Of course, there is no meat in the temple. Tofu and cabbage are used to ensure safety, plus two steamed buns per person.
After finishing this simple dinner, Princess De and Princess Changshan said thank you, then stood up and said goodbye, going back to their rooms to rest as they had to attend evening classes soon.
The evening class is after the monks’ evening class in the temple, which is at the beginning of the You hour.
After the monks left one by one, the female relatives entered under the guidance of the Queen Mother and sat down. More than a quarter of an hour had passed.
The one who led them to recite the Amitabha Sutra was a middle-aged monk. "Thus I have heard. Once the Buddha was in the country of Savatthi, in the Jetavana Grove. With the great monks,
A group of people were just reciting the poem when they heard the sound of swords clashing outside.
"What happened?" asked the Queen Mother unhappily.
"Bang" the door was pushed open, and what pushed open the door was a bloody corpse.
"Ah!" The women near the door screamed in fear when they saw this.
"Who are you?" asked the Queen Mother.
Before the two knife-wielding men who broke in could say anything, the Crown Prince's Consort of Prince Qing said, "Princess Jin and Princess De are here, take them out."
Jiang Changning was surprised for a moment when she heard this, but then she realized that Prince Qing had already taken action and was really impatient! They had only been in Huangjue Temple for one day!
Princess De asked with a smile: "Is Prince Qing planning a rebellion?"
"Obviously." Jiang Changning continued with a smile.
"You lured us to Huangjue Temple just to threaten us."
"The mean people are filthy and only target women and children."
The Princess of Prince Qing did not expect that they would not only not be afraid of the man who was coming at them aggressively and holding a bloody sword in his hand, but also dare to speak without restraint. She snorted coldly, "You don't know how to live or die."
However, the two men failed to take Jiang Changning and Princess De away smoothly, so Xiaochun and the others took action.
The Queen Mother retreated to the side of the pillar under the protection of the palace maids. Seeing this scene, she said in hatred, "They all have their own evil intentions."
Jiang Changning and the people around Princess De are all good at martial arts and are obviously not ordinary maids.
They had known something was going to happen, but they hadn't warned her.
The emperor was in a coma, and she expected that there would be chaos, but she didn't expect that this chaos was caused by Prince Qing.
The Empress Dowager suddenly remembered that it was the Grand Empress Dowager who asked her to order all the female family members to be brought to Huangjue Temple to pray for blessings.
Could it be that the Empress Dowager and Prince Qing have joined forces
Deliberately lead them out of the city to allow Prince Qing to cause trouble
But she was already the Empress Dowager. She joined forces with Prince Qing to rebel against her own grandson. What did she want to do
What can she gain by pushing Prince Qing to the throne
It's impossible for Prince Qing to make her the queen, right
Or is she also using Prince Qing, and does she want to emulate Empress Wu and ascend the throne to become an empress
"Ah!" A scream brought the empress dowager back to her senses. She looked carefully and saw that it was a noble lady who did not hide far enough and was affected, with her arm cut.
When the Qing prince's wife saw that the two men had not been able to catch Jiang Changning and Princess De, she angrily cursed, "Useless things."
He then called out to the people who were fighting with the guards at the door, "Come in and help us."
Two people came in, but they rushed in headfirst with arrows dangling from their chests.
The face of the Crown Princess of Prince Qing changed drastically. "You, you have also arranged some personnel?"
Jiang Changning laughed, "Some people think they are a yellow bird, but they don't expect to be a praying mantis."
"Don't be so complacent. The outcome is still unknown." The Crown Prince's wife of Prince Qing sneered.
Outside the house, the man in black waved his knife to block the arrows shot from nowhere.
The arrows were shot indiscriminately, whether they were the Queen Mother's guards or the rebels.
Inside the house, although Xiaochun and her companions had more people, they had no weapons. When fighting against the two men, they could not use their full strength and could not gain the upper hand.
"If we keep fighting like this, we will lose. Ningning, think of a solution." Princess De frowned.
Jiang Changning looked around, wondering if he had to find some weapon that was handy.
(End of this chapter)