ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 69
When Pei Yanchuan was called back to the mansion, he was still unaware of the severity of the situation. Upon entering the flower hall, he saw his mother and sister-in-law sitting together whispering. As they noticed him coming in, both of them stopped talking, turning their heads simultaneously in an almost eerie synchronicity.
Pei Yanchuan hesitated and sat down on a chair. He asked, “Mother, sister-in-law, what’s going on?”
Madam Hou smiled and said, “Went to play polo, did you?”
With her pleasant demeanor, without launching into a barrage of scolding, Pei Yanchuan couldn’t help but lean back and say, “Mother, please don’t be like this; it frightens me.”
Madam Hou got up and approached him, saying, “Oh dear, look at you all sweaty. Must have been a tiring day of play. Come, let Mother wipe it off for you.”
Saying this, she took out a handkerchief and began wiping the sweat from Pei Yanchuan. Startled, he covered his ears and nearly jumped up from the chair, anxiously saying, “Mother, what’s wrong with you? Have you been possessed?”
Madam Hou rolled her eyes and scolded, “A wild boar can’t appreciate fine bran.”
Pei Yanchuan playfully said, “Even if Mother doesn’t like her son, there’s no need to scold yourself. I’m the wild boar; then what does that make you?”
Madam Hou finally couldn’t hold back, angrily raising her hand to slap him. Pei Yanchuan, incredibly agile and skilled, dodged it, and with a relieved smile, said, “That’s more like my mother.”
A servant brought a bowl of sour plum soup. After taking a sip, he heard Madam Hou say, “Just now, the Grand Princess’s mansion sent someone to deliver an invitation, saying it’s for you.”
Pei Yanchuan’s movements paused, and he raised his eyes to look at her. Madam Hou slowly took out a note from her sleeve, swaying it in front of him, saying, “I took a look, and it’s from that Miss Li.”
Catching sight of the note, Pei Yanchuan’s eyes widened suddenly. Due to his excitement, he was caught off guard and choked on the sour plum soup, coughing violently. His handsome face turned red.
Madam Hou looked at her son’s embarra.s.sed state with a mix of anger and amus.e.m.e.nt, saying, “You’re so useless. I haven’t even started reading, and you’re already in such a hurry.”
She ordered someone to pat his back to help him recover. Pei Yanchuan finally regained his composure and hurriedly said, “Mother, what does the note say?”
Just as he finished speaking, he changed his mind and said, “No, let me see it myself.”
As he tried to grab it, Madam Hou raised her hand high, not letting him take it, and looked at him disdainfully, saying, “Want it?”
Pei Yanchuan nodded eagerly. Madam Hou snorted and said, “You can have it, but go to the martial arts field, perform five sets of boxing, and then three sets of spear techniques. Only then will I give you the note.”
Pei Yanchuan exclaimed, “Five sets of boxing and three sets of spear techniques? Mother, isn’t that too harsh?”
“Not going?” Madam Hou raised her eyebrows, tucking the note into her sleeve. She said, “If you don’t want to go, I’ll have someone send the note back to the Grand Princess’s residence, saying that Pei Yanchuan was busy that day and couldn’t make it, apologizing to Miss Li.”
“No, I’ll go!”
Pei Yanchuan became anxious and gritted his teeth, saying, “I’ll go right now!”
Madam Hou revealed a triumphant smile and calmly said, “Such a good boy, go quickly. Your Miss Li is waiting for you.”
Watching Pei Yanchuan’s figure quickly disappear at the entrance of the flower hall, Liu Shi couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Madam, your strategy is truly extraordinary.”
“Competing with me, this kid still has a long way to go,” Madam Hou chuckled and said, “But speaking of it, it seems that this Miss Li really knows how to control him. Did you see it? Just mentioning her name, that foolish boy’s eyes light up. Tsk tsk, such a naive lad.”
Liu Shi covered her mouth and laughed, “Miss Li is indeed good. Madam, should we find a matchmaker to help Little Brother with this matter?”
“Do you think I haven’t thought about it?” Madam Hou sighed and said, “But the situation in her family is quite complicated. Not to mention the distant issues, she currently has two mothers. One is Madam Li, and the other is the Grand Princess. If I approach a matchmaker, which one should I consult? If one agrees and the other disagrees, what should I do?”
Liu Shi suggested, “Certainly, find the one who can make decisions.”
“Are you talking about the Grand Princess?” Madam Hou continued to sigh, “The Grand Princess has such high standards. When she was still in the capital, countless outstanding young men pursued her. Both literary and martial talents were countless. Where would she find our silly boy worthy? If Yanchuan had the abilities of his elder brother, I would dare to go and propose, but just look at him. There’s nowhere to boast about his qualities.”
Regarding this matter, Madam Hou couldn’t contain her anger and said, “Last time, when I had tea with that Miss Li, I racked my brains to speak well of him. There’s nothing else to praise him for except that he is warm-hearted. Otherwise, what can I say? He doesn’t want to study at the National Academy, just engaging in idle activities all day long.”
Mrs. Liu: “Well…”
Madam Hou waved her hand and continued, “Let’s see how his fate unfolds. I can only play it by ear.”
Meanwhile, in the martial arts training ground, Pei Yanchuan was completely unaware of these conversations. He continued to practice punches, unable to contain his smile when he thought of the note his beloved had given him.
…
In the evening, Li Zhizhi returned to the Grand Princess’s residence in a carriage. On the way, she suddenly heard the voice of a guard saying, “Miss, someone has been following us all along.”
Li Zhizhi was startled and asked, “Who?”
She lifted the curtain to look outside, and the guard pointed to the back, saying, “It’s that carriage with the green canopy.”
Li Zhizhi recognized it as the carriage from the Li residence, feeling extremely annoyed. She let down the curtain and asked, “Can we shake them off?”
The guard hesitated a bit and replied, “This is a main road, and there are many pedestrians. The carriage can’t go faster.”
After a brief consideration, Li Zhizhi said, “Let’s not return home for now. Go to the Crown Prince’s residence.”
“Yes.”
Li Zhizhi was very reluctant to see people from the Li family appearing in the princess mansion, as if she had brought trouble to the eldest princess. She would feel guilty and self-blame because of this. The people from the Li family were like annoying flies, difficult to get rid of, buzzing around and disturbing the Grand Princess’s peace.
After much thought, she didn’t have a better solution, so she decided to divert the trouble eastward. Since Madam Li was so afraid of Xiao Yan, she probably wouldn’t dare to follow them to the Crown Prince’s residence. She hoped that the Crown Prince wouldn’t mind her sudden visit.
As it turned out, although she arrived abruptly, the Crown Prince seemed not to mind. A maid respectfully led Li Zhizhi to the flower hall, and she looked around before asking, “Where is A’yang?”
The maid quickly replied, “The seventh princess went out to play in the afternoon and hasn’t returned yet.”
Li Zhizhi nodded. Suddenly feeling a bit inappropriate since Xiao Rulei wasn’t present, she thought it might not be proper for her to stay any longer. Just as she was about to excuse herself, a maid in light blue attire entered from outside and said, “The Crown Prince invites the young lady over.”
Li Zhizhi could only stand up and follow her, saying, “If the Crown Prince is busy, I wouldn’t want to disturb.”
The maid smiled and said, “The Crown Prince is not busy at the moment. Please follow me, young lady.”
She followed the maid through the flowers and corridors, arriving at the garden. In the distance, she saw a small building with white walls and blue tiles, giving it a touch of the charm of the Jiangnan region.
The maid paused and spoke softly, “Ahead is the Little Buddha Hall. His Highness spends an hour inside every day. Please come in, Miss.”
Li Zhizhi was slightly surprised and said, “I’m afraid I might disturb His Highness.”
The maid smiled and replied, “If His Highness has invited you, it won’t be considered a disturbance.”
Upon hearing this, Li Zhizhi had no choice but to agree. As she walked towards the Little Buddha Hall, she couldn’t help but think that this trip was probably a mistake.
Pa.s.sing through the main gate, there was a tall screen, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. The lotus flower patterns on the relief were exceptionally clear, distinct from the rough and gorgeous style of the Northern region, giving Li Zhizhi a reminder of the countryside she had once lived in, which was a ten-day carriage ride away from here.
Beyond the screen was a narrow door, with green branches reaching out diagonally. Li Zhizhi suddenly felt that this Buddha Hall was somewhat incompatible with the Crown Prince’s residence. She recalled the words of the Crown Princess and, inexplicably, memories of the deceased n.o.ble concubine and the young Xiao Yan surfaced in her mind.
It was strange. Although she had never seen them, images naturally appeared in her mind at this moment – a woman with a pale and haggard face kneeling in front of the Buddha statue, accompanied by a seven or eight-year-old child, bowing with a devout posture in prayer.
With a creak, the vermilion door was pushed open. The golden rays of the setting sun filtered through the paper window, dividing the entire Buddha Hall into two parts of light and shadow. Li Zhizhi immediately saw the upright figure sitting on the cushion – it was the Crown Prince, Xiao Yan.
Seated on a mat at the boundary between light and shadow, the sunlight cast long shadows on him, creating a mosaic of golden light and shadows. Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but squint her eyes slightly, and then she noticed the tall Buddha statue.
It’s strange, this scene gradually overlaps with the one she had imagined before, but the difference is that now there is only one person left.
“Your Highness?”
The person lifted his head, turned around, and the sunlight outlined clear lines on his face. He squinted slightly, and his pupils looked transparent, resembling a cat.
Xiao Yan waved at her, and Li Zhizhi walked over. Only then did she notice that there was still a black cat lying at his feet, stretching out comfortably with all four limbs, sleeping like a pancake, and its long tail curved into a soft hook.
Lize thought he was reciting prayers, but he didn’t expect him to be just sitting casually. His robe was scattered on the ground, with a large part of it cushioned under Ah Miao, covered in fine cat fur.
“What are you doing, Your Highness?”
Xiao Yan had one hand on his knee, and the sandalwood beads on his wrist were dyed with a faint golden color by the setting sun. He said, “I am meditating.”
Li Zhizhi, puzzled, asked, “Meditating?”
As she was contemplating the meaning of this meditation, Xiao Yan suddenly revealed a playful smile and said, “I was just pretending, did you believe it?”
Li Zhizhi:…
He said, “I’m just putting on a show.”
Li Zhizhi had an impulse to turn and leave, but then Xiao Yan asked her, “Zhizhi, do you believe in Buddha?”
Li Zhizhi hesitated for a moment. She initially wanted to say no, but suddenly remembered the last time at the Ci’en Temple when she quietly made a wish in front of the Buddha. She wished for a mother like the Grand Princess.
Later, the Grand Princess became her mother.
Li Zhizhi replied, “Yes, I believe.”
She nodded earnestly, emphasizing, “I believe in Bodhisattva.”
It must be that the Bodhisattva heard her wish and granted her a completely different fortune from her previous life.
Xiao Yan just stared at her intently, as if lost in thought. The golden sunlight fell on the girl’s hair and cheeks, making her fair skin appear translucent and clean. He continued to gaze until a hint of confusion appeared in Li Zhizhi’s eyes. Only then did he look away, paused for a moment, and smiled, “I suddenly feel like believing too.”
In this lifetime, Xiao Yan made two wishes to the Buddha: one for his mother’s health to improve and the other for his sister to recover. However, neither wish was fulfilled.
Although he sat in front of the Buddha statue every day, wearing prayer beads, he no longer recited scriptures or believed in Buddha.
Just in that moment, he suddenly had the impulse to make a third wish.
Xiao Yan thought that he might have developed some feelings for Li Zhizhi.