Qingyun Temple is the favorite place for the women of many aristocratic families in the capital. On the one hand, it is because it was once the resting place of a royal princess. Although the abbot of Qingyun Temple, who was surrounded by many legends and was said to be the favorite of the empress dowager, has passed away, her reputation and the rumors about her remain.
Even though the rules and traditions of Qingyun Temple are far inferior to those of Dabei Temple, there are still a lot of people coming and going here.
As the weather gets warmer, the back mountain becomes the most popular place for women to enjoy the scenery. There are winding paths, dense trees, and pavilions where people can rest and relax.
Everything here takes the thoughts of the women of the noble families into consideration and is extremely considerate.
Liu Lanxin took two maids and walked slowly among the trees. She had good leg strength and walked very far with the maids beside her, and they were walking upwards. Now they had reached the halfway point of the mountain behind, where there was a pavilion, leaning against the cliff. It was an excellent place to enjoy the scenery.
Because we went deeper and farther and higher, there was no one else around us.
Liu Lanxin walked into the pavilion, and the maid placed the tea set and fruit plate she brought on the table.
Liu Lanxin took the tea handed to her by the maid and took a sip, then put it down and leaned against the fence, lowering her face slightly to face the bamboo forest below.
A large bamboo forest looks like a sea of bamboo. From a distance, a small bamboo building can be seen deep in the forest, but it is vague and unclear.
"That... is the rumored former residence of Princess Hengyang?" Liu Lanxin pointed downwards with her fan, curiously. "I heard that Princess Hengyang later lived in a small house in a bamboo forest, and was rarely seen."
When Hai Hua heard the question, she tilted her head and looked down, then shook her head: "I don't know, but I think it should be here."
"Which one does Your Highness like?" Hai Qing also looked around.
"I want to see what kind of place the once-powerful Princess Hengyang lived in. I heard that when she became a nun, the Queen Mother gave her many rewards, as well as some of her own things, which she brought to Qingyun Temple. Without these things, Qingyun Temple would not have been able to expand to such a large scale."
Liu Lanxin narrowed her eyes slightly and said with a bit of contempt.
Even if she was extremely favored, so what? I heard that even the princesses in the palace were not as good as her, but so what? In the end, she had to become a nun. A princess ended up with nothing but a green lamp and an ancient Buddha.
It can be seen that being favored by the superior does not necessarily mean a promising future. At that time, Princess Hengyang looked down on all the noble ladies from aristocratic families, and she was free to choose the talents in the world. But in the end, she got nothing. Once she was implicated, even if she was protected by the empress dowager, it was already good enough for her to keep her life.
Hai Hua could hear the contempt in Liu Lanxin's words, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is right. No matter how powerful Princess Hengyang was, it's all in the past. It's all in the past. Talking about the grand occasion back then is just making people sad."
Liu Lanxin smiled slightly when she heard this.
"Although the past makes people sad, the past can be recalled and people will still remember it now." A gentle voice came from outside the pavilion.
Liu Lan looked up happily: "Sister."
Outside the pavilion, Tong Yuzhen walked slowly towards them wearing a veil hat. She took off the veil when she got inside, revealing an elegant and beautiful face. Her complexion was slightly pale, and one could tell at a glance that she was not in good health.
The maid behind her took the veil from her hand.
"Greetings, Princess Jing." Tong Yuzhen stepped forward to greet him with a smile. Liu Lanxin had already stood up, took Tong Yuzhen's hand and sat down at the fence beside her, and said affectionately: "Sister and I, why should we be polite? Those insignificant etiquette has nothing to do with us."
"Princess Jing, etiquette cannot be abolished." Tong Yuzhen said softly.
"Sister is still so polite. No matter what time, sister is the most disciplined." Liu Lanxin smiled and said cautiously, "But since arriving in Beijing, sister has not looked for me. I don't know what sister means, and I don't dare to take the initiative to visit her. I can't see her when I want to see her."
When Tong Yuzhen came to their house, she was still young. She learned the rules and etiquette of that time, as well as some etiquette and palace regulations that young ladies from noble families in the capital had to learn, from Tong Yuzhen.
From this point of view, Tong Yuzhen and she have a relationship of both teacher and friend, and she has the credit of educating her. When she first came to Beijing, it was because of Tong Yuzhen's contribution that she was able to quickly catch the eye of the Queen Mother. Today, people still feel that Princess Jing is very well-behaved, and her every word and action has the background of a great family.
She would not deviate too much from the ethics and morals of the capital city just because she was born in the border area.
Tong Yuzhen was expected to become the Princess of England at that time, so she must have been very polite.
"I'm not feeling well. I need to recuperate for a while. Besides, given my status... I shouldn't have too much contact with the princess. This is the capital, not the border."
Tong Yuzhen said softly.
Liu Lanxin's identity determines that her every word and action can easily lead to clues.
"Sister, you have always been so considerate of others." Liu Lanxin said angrily, pulling Tong Yuzhen's sleeves and shaking them, "Sister, you should come and live with me. Our Jingwang Mansion is very large. If I put you in a quiet place in the mansion, no one will find you."
"Not yet. Wait until my sister is rehabilitated, and then I'll come to your house and nag you for a few days. Now I'll end up implicating you." Tong Yuzhen sighed and said helplessly.
"How does sister want to redress her grievances?" Liu Lanxin asked curiously.
"We have to find the old people from that time... to redress our wrongdoings, but... there aren't many people who can stay now, and have power." Tong Yuzhen lowered her head, and her eyes and eyebrows made people feel more pitiful.
Liu Lanxin rolled her eyes and said, "Sister, go find the King of England. I heard that the King of England once wanted to marry you. If you go find him now, it must be feasible."
"King of England..." Tong Yuzhen tasted it and looked a little hesitant.
"Yes, it's the King of England. Others may not be capable, but if it's the King of England, it must be possible. As long as the King of England speaks to the Emperor, the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion will definitely be rehabilitated." Liu Lanxin said, "I heard that the reason why the Duke of Yuguo was rehabilitated was because of the King of England's plea."
She had only vaguely known the origins of this sister before. After arriving in the capital and seeing Tong Yuzhen, she secretly put a lot of effort into investigating and now she has completely figured out Tong Yuzhen's identity.
The eldest daughter of the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion, she was once the most beautiful woman in her time and almost married into the Prince of Ying's Mansion. It is said that Pei Yuanjun delayed his marriage until now because of her.
Liu Lanxin didn't believe this statement at all.
Even if others said so, she didn't believe it.
When she was chasing the King of England, she had never seen the King of England care about any woman, even if it was not herself, it could not be anyone else.
She used to admire this sister Tong very much and liked her teachings, but now she feels mocking when she thinks about it...
When Tong Yuzhen advised me to chase after the King of England, did I laugh at myself in my heart again and again, thinking that I was a fool
"The King of England... is not that easy to meet." Tong Yuzhen sighed, a trace of bitterness in her eyes, very helpless, looking at her with pity, she lowered her head, pinched the handkerchief in her hand, and then put it down uneasily.
"Sister, if you want to see me, now is the best time." Liu Lanxin said.
"What do you mean?" Tong Yuzhen raised her confused face and asked softly.
"Sister, have you heard about the Princess of England?" Liu Lanxin waved the round fan in her hand and said leisurely, "In order to seek an official position for her father, she actually used her stepmother's medicine and almost lost her life. Not only did she lose face, but she also brought shame to the King of England."
"Is there anything else? I've been feeling unwell lately... and I'm afraid people will find out, so I've stayed indoors." Tong Yuzhen turned sideways and coughed twice, then smiled bitterly, "I don't know what's going on. I haven't been feeling well since I returned to Beijing. Maybe... it's because I'm thinking about the old place and I feel uneasy."
The former Duke Jingguo Mansion was well-known in the capital, but now it no longer exists. She, the former eldest daughter of the Duke Jingguo Mansion, can only hide in a small courtyard. Even a man would have many thoughts and worries at this time, let alone a weak girl in the boudoir.
Liu Lanxin was quite disapproving. She didn't think that this "sister" was weak and could not convince her father to keep her in his house. She was wanted at that time.
Why is father
No matter what her father did, she would no longer think that this Tong sister was really weak and helpless, and really pitiful...
The more we believed in it before, the more we are ridiculed now.
But it didn't show on her face, she still looked affectionate, just like the way they first got along. At that time, Liu Lanxin would tell Tong Yuzhen everything. Even when she was pursuing the King of England, many of the ideas were given by Tong Yuzhen. After pursuing him for so long, Tong Yuzhen repeatedly told her that the King of England must like her.
Now thinking about it, I really was a fool, a fool who was fooled.
I also wrote a letter to my father about this, but my father said that Tong Yuzhen had no bad intentions and was wholeheartedly trying to help her and the King of England get together. But in the end the King of England refused to give in, so Tong Yuzhen could not be blamed.
Is it because Tong Yuzhen is not the reason? Is it because I can't look as good as Tong Yuzhen? Is it because Tong Yuzhen's face looks elegant and pitiful that I am good-looking
I don’t know if there is any relationship between my father and Tong Yuzhen!
But regardless of whether they were related or not, she would never let Tong Yuzhen enter the door of her own general. Her father was bent on speaking for her, and he might have been seduced by her.
Everyone in the capital thinks she is beautiful, and even now she is still called the most beautiful woman. Liu Lanxin is very dissatisfied with this...
It was Tong Yuzhen who gave her advice at the beginning, and now she is giving Tong Yuzhen advice, asking her to reconcile with the King of England and stay away from her father.
"Sister, I have an idea. I wonder if you want to listen to it. Now is the perfect opportunity. You can take this opportunity... to ask for an audience with the King of England." Liu Lanxin already had an idea in mind and spoke with great confidence, gently waving her round fan.