In the morning, when Chao Yun was combing the eldest princess' hair, she saw the eldest princess suddenly smile. Her long eyelashes half drooped, covering her clear and bright eyes. Her slender hands nonchalantly played with a strand of hair hanging in front of her chest.
Chao Yun smiled and said, "What good thing did the princess think of?"
When Huayang was first named the Princess, she asked people around her to continue calling her Princess. But a year later, the title of "Princess" gradually replaced "Princess".
Huayang was used to hearing this. He looked up at Yan Chaoyun but did not answer.
Chao Yun said playfully, "I guess it must be related to the prince consort."
Huayang just smiled and said nothing.
She was just thinking, if she really didn't go to Hongfu Temple to keep the appointment today, would Chen Jingzong really become a monk
A man like him who loves wine and has strong sexual desires would certainly be reluctant to leave this world, but Chen Jingzong is also tough enough. He might really dare to shave his long hair, first alarm his parents-in-law to scold and persuade him, and then lead her, the eldest princess, to personally take him back before he will calm down. In the end, he still dared to act recklessly and talk nonsense in her tent under the identity of a fake monk.
Huayang would never give him such an opportunity. He was not afraid of being laughed at. She and the entire Chen family still had to save face.
However, Chen Jingzong would not arrive at Hongfu Temple until the evening, so Huayang did not need to leave home too early.
As a result, when she was having lunch, the light outside suddenly dimmed. Chao Yue ran out to take a look and said in surprise: "Why is the sky cloudy? It's going to rain!"
Huayang frowned.
After she finished her meal, big raindrops began to fall, and the entire cloud layer was black. It was very likely that the rain would continue until night, and it might not be sunny tomorrow.
The four maids all looked at their eldest princess.
Huayang had only two choices: either continue on his way to Hongfu Temple, or send someone to Daxing Zuowei to tell Chen Jingzong to let it go this time.
Two quarters of an hour later, Zhou Ji, wearing a straw raincoat, led fifty guards, also wearing straw raincoats, to mount their horses and escort the eldest princess to her carriage.
The raindrops hit the bamboo roller shutter outside the window, but Huayang's heart was calm.
She wanted to see whether Chen Jingzong would go to Hongfu Temple to keep the appointment on such a rainy day without her deliberately saying hello.
If he went, her trip would not be in vain. If he didn't go, Huayang would have his own way to deal with him.
Hongfu Temple.
Yesterday, Wu Run sent someone to inform Hongfu Temple that the Taoist princess would come to the temple to stay overnight this evening, waiting to burn the first incense stick tomorrow morning. Hongfu Temple arranged the guest house, and the maids and eunuchs sent by the princess were responsible for cleaning. Hongfu Temple did not need to expel other pilgrims, but only needed to be careful not to let strangers of unknown origin enter the temple without permission.
A heavy rain hit the temple in the afternoon, driving away all the pilgrims. They hurried down the mountain, leaving behind a temple that looked even more quiet and otherworldly in the rain.
When Huayang arrived, wisps of green smoke were just beginning to emerge from the chimney of the temple's kitchen.
Because Huayang did not want to mobilize a large army, when the princess arrived in carriage, only the abbot of Hongfu Temple and two highly respected monks came to greet her in person.
Huayang had dealt with many Taoist masters when she was in Wudang Mountain, so she was also very comfortable talking to the monks at this time.
The three monks escorted her to the guesthouse where she was staying and then said goodbye.
Huayang watched the monks walk away and went into the room to change his clothes.
"Princess, if the Prince Consort thought you wouldn't come, then he wouldn't come. How are you going to punish him?"
Chaoyun and Chaoyue who followed over joked.
Huayang: "Wait a minute, we'll talk about it when he really doesn't come."
Chao Yun smiled and together with Chao Yue, took out the clothes of the eldest princess and the prince consort from the boxes and hung them in the closet in the guest room.
It was a gloomy rainy day and it got dark early. After Huayang had his vegetarian meal, he sat by the window and read the Buddhist scriptures sent from the temple in the light of the lamp.
Reading the scriptures can calm one’s mind, and Huayang didn’t even think much about whether Chen Jingzong would come or not.
Hongfu Temple is located halfway up Lingwu Mountain. When night fell with rain, a fast horse suddenly galloped along the official road to the foot of the mountain.
Chen Jingzong reined in his horse and looked up at the hillside, where he could vaguely see a dim light.
He didn't know whether Huayang would come, but he asked Fugui to go back to the city. In case Huayang didn't come, Fugui could tell her his whereabouts and ask her for compensation after Chen Jingzong returned.
There was only one stone staircase leading up the mountain. Chen Jingzong tied his mount under an old tree that could barely provide shelter from the rain, and then climbed up the stairs.
When he arrived outside Hongfu Temple, Chen Jingzong met Zhou Ji who was out on patrol.
Zhou Ji was holding a lantern in his hand. When he saw someone coming in the darkness, he held the hilt of the knife hanging at his waist with one hand and raised the lantern with the other.
Chen Jingzong was wearing a straw raincoat and a straw hat, with his face half-hidden. The first thing Zhou Ji saw was his white teeth revealed when he smiled.
Zhou Ji: …
The prince consort should be happy that the eldest princess came to Hongfu Temple in the rain to keep an appointment!
Letting go of the knife handle, Zhou Ji bowed and saluted: "I greet the Prince Consort."
Chen Jingzong: "Well, when did you arrive?"
The two chatted briefly and confirmed that Huayang had a safe journey. Then Chen Jingzong followed a young eunuch into the room and went straight to the guest house where the couple was staying.
The windows of the guest house were all made of paper, so Huayang couldn't see what was going on in the yard. He could only hear the laughter of Chaoyue and others as they welcomed the prince consort. They were all very happy, but no one knew what they were happy about.
Soon, Chen Jingzong came in. Huayang looked up and saw that his clothes were soaked and tightly attached to his tall and strong body, and rain was still dripping down Chen Jingzong's handsome face. He had been tanned recently, and now after being drenched in the rain and illuminated by the soft light, he looked much whiter, with a kind of jade-like moistness.
Huayang had gone through so much trouble himself, so of course he hoped Chen Jingzong would come. But seeing how soaked he was, he couldn't help but blame him, "It's raining so hard, why don't you come? If you come, why don't you wear a raincoat?"
Chen Jingzong closed the door with his backhand, and while undressing, he looked at her and said, "I put it on, but it's raining hard and the road is long, so it's useless."
Huayang had already turned to the window with his back to him.
There were two buckets of water in the room. Chen Jingzong wet a towel and wiped her up and down, his eyes always on her slender back.
The sound of water was rushing, her slender neck was as white as jade, but her earlobes were flushed.
Chen Jingzong said, "If it were any other woman, she would have been waiting attentively for her husband who was caught in the rain. But you, on the other hand, don't even help."
Huayang: "Buddha, please say less."
Chen Jingzong: "I came to burn incense for him in the rain. I am so pious. How can he still care about this with me? What's more, it's you I dislike, not him."
Hua Yang sneered: "You might as well offend Buddha than offend me. Buddha is merciful and tolerant and will not bother with you. You really pissed me off. I'll ask Zhou Ji and others to shave your head and you'll have nowhere to seek justice."
Chen Jingzong: "The princess is so majestic. I was badly cheated by the old man. If I had known that there was such a marriage waiting for me in the capital, I should not have come back."
Huayang: "It's not too late for you to run back now."
Chen Jingzong said nothing more.
Huayang was flipping through the scriptures absentmindedly. After a while, he heard the wiping sound from his side stop, but there was no other movement.
Huayang was still in shock as she looked at the handsome face he had just washed clean, his long hair tied on top of his head, his dark and bright eyes staring straight at her with ambition.
Huayang turned his face away and scolded, "I brought you some clothes, go inside and change into them first."
Chen Jingzong: "Did you bring a bowl?"
Huayang: "Dream on!"
Chen Jingzong laughed: "Are you afraid that I won't come, and all your preparations are in vain?"
Huayang: "Whether you come or not, I won't make any preparations."
Chen Jingzong thought back to the time on Mount Wudang. She was no different from a real Taoist nun, pure-hearted and with few desires.
Chen Jingzong was just teasing her at this time. After kissing her for a while, he obediently went inside to put on his robe.
There was a small kitchen in the guest house. After Chen Jingzong had cleaned up and came out, Chaoyun and Chaoyue brought up his vegetarian meal.
Chen Jingzong ate quickly, rinsed his mouth, and then went to rest with Huayang.
The bed here is not very new and not very big, but the gauze curtains and bedding were brought from the Princess's Palace, and everything is luxurious.
There was a continuous sound of rain outside the window. A cool breeze blew in through the gauze window. The gauze curtain embroidered with peony flowers swayed gently in the dim light.
Because it was cool, Huayang let Chen Jingzong hug her from behind.
"I thought you wouldn't come." Chen Jingzong spoke in her ear.
Huayang: "If that's the case, why did you come here?"
Chen Jingzong: "If you don't come, I'll just make a wasted trip. If you come and I don't come, you'll be angry and might really divorce me."
Hua Yang: "If I divorce you for such a small matter, people will criticize me for being too domineering if the news gets out."
Chen Jingzong: "Then how are you going to punish me?"
Huayang: "Let's build a Buddhist temple in the Princess's mansion, and punish you to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures for three months."
Chen Jingzong: "Eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures is nothing, just allow me to continue to sleep with you at night."
Huayang: "The Buddhist temple has been built, so of course you have to sleep there."
Chen Jingzong: "You are indeed more cruel than Buddha."
Huayang smiled.
Chen Jingzong touched the corner of her mouth and asked, "If it continues to rain tomorrow, will you regret going out?"
Huayang did not answer.
Chen Jingzong turned her shoulder and kissed her petal-like lips.
The next morning, when Huayang woke up, Chen Jingzong was not by her side. She listened attentively, but outside the window there was only the slight dripping sound of water drops falling from the eaves.
The maids came in and helped her change her clothes.
Huayang: "Where is the prince consort?"
Chao Yun shook his head: "He left early in the morning and didn't tell us where he was going."
Chen Jingzong didn't come back until the vegetarian meal was ready. His upper body was fine, but his clothes and trouser legs were almost completely wet, and the uppers of his shoes were also covered with mud.
The maids retreated tactfully.
Huayang asked him, "Where did you go to beg for food?"
Chen Jingzong: "I'm going to explore the way. I'll take you to the back mountain later, otherwise it would be a waste of time."
Huayang glanced at the mud on his shoes.
Chen Jingzong: "Don't worry, ancestor. I'll carry you there."
Huayang really wanted to throw the teacup in his hand at him.
After breakfast, the two went to burn incense in front of the Buddha.
There were two cushions in front of the altar, and Chen Jingzong knelt down with Huayang.
Chen Jingzong looked at Huayang.
Huayang looked at him, then looked away, made a wish devoutly, and then put the incense into the incense burner with his own hands.
After leaving Hongfu Temple, Chen Jingzong carried Huayang on his back early and walked up the stone steps leading to the back mountain.
Huayang lay on his back and saw white clouds lingering in the distant mountains and crystal water droplets on the branches and leaves on the roadside.
Some wild flowers in the grass were lying on the ground after being washed down by yesterday's rain, but their red and pink petals were still clean and beautiful.
The air is fresh and cool, which is rare in this hot summer.
"What did you ask the Buddha for just now?"
As they walked, Chen Jingzong suddenly asked.
Huayang: "It won't work if you say it out loud."
Chen Jingzong slipped and Huayang was so scared that he quickly hugged his neck. Then he found out that Chen Jingzong was pretending.
She pinched his neck.
Chen Jingzong lowered his head and bit the back of her hand.
The two of them talked and joked for a while, and finally, Chen Jingzong carried Huayang to a valley. Clear water fell from a cliff that was several feet high. The morning sun shone on it, and a short rainbow appeared above the waterfall.
"When the sun gets bigger, we can play in the water here." Chen Jingzong spread a moisture-proof oilcloth on the smooth stone surface and sat down side by side with Huayang.
Huayang: "Who wants to play in the water with you?"
Chen Jingzong looked at her with a smile.
Huayang turned his head and his eyes fell on the stream not far away.
Except for the area below the waterfall, the stream was very shallow, so shallow that she could clearly see the layer of fine sand at the bottom.
(End of this chapter)