SFS Chapter 112: A Chance Encounter at Hantuo Temple
Chapter 112: A Chance Encounter at Hantuo Temple
Chapter 112 A Chance Encounter at Hantuo Temple
Yinyou: "Brother, you are usually very busy with official duties, so why would I bother you? Besides, I came out to burn incense today and will be returning to the suburbs of the capital, so this won't be considered as delaying palace affairs. Father reminded me a few days ago to sort out the suburbs of the capital so that I can accompany you to Khorchin on the northern tour this year."
Although the two parties met, neither of them had any intention of leaving. He was not like the Third Prince, who had the support of the entire Khorchin behind him. Besides, even if he really had this idea, the emperor would not do anything to him. A prince with an impaired body would never be able to inherit the throne.
The eldest prince Yinzhi also understood this logic, but when he saw the seventh prince appear, he was still rushing to greet the Nianhulu princess, and did not retreat quickly like the third prince when he met him. He still felt uncomfortable.
But he really couldn't do anything to him. Firstly, the Mongols were backing the Seventh Prince. Secondly, the Emperor hadn't arranged a marriage for the Seventh Prince yet, and the identity of the other party's in-laws was still unknown. If he suddenly arranged a marriage for the Seventh Prince with a family like the Prince of An's Mansion, not only would he be unable to do anything to him, but he would also easily get into trouble.
After figuring it out, Yinzhi forced a smile. "Haha, big brother was just joking with you. I know that the seventh cousin is busy on weekdays. Isn't it better to think of saying hello after not seeing each other for a long time? Besides, it's really unkind of you, seventh cousin. You've been here for such a long time and you're just ignoring this princess opposite you. How embarrassing. Why don't you introduce her to big brother? Which cousin of yours is this?"
The Seventh Prince Yinyou's face suddenly became long. "Brother, what do you mean? My cousin is from the Borjigit clan. Even if she came to Beijing at this time, you would know about it. Besides, Princess Niuhulu doesn't look like a Mongolian at all."
Yinzhi: "Oh, look at my memory. It's mainly because I often hear people mention that you often meet with the Daijia clan. I thought you were going to see your cousin."
Then he bowed to Zhen Huan and said, "I just misunderstood Princess Niuhulu. I am sorry for the offense. How about this? I made a mistake today and I should apologize. Why don't I return to the capital today and treat you to a meal. Princess Niuhulu, please do me the honor."
Now it was Zhenhuan's turn to be flustered. What was going on? I hadn't said a word, just a few polite responses, and I was dragged into the middle of your brothers' dispute? What did this have to do with me? You weren't the ones I wanted to meet, so what did it have to do with me?
Since none of them had revealed their identities, Zhen Huan pretended to be unaware and refused without hesitation: "This gentleman is also unaware of what happened just now. As the saying goes, ignorance is innocent, so let's just skip over what happened just now. As for treating me to a meal, that's not necessary. I have to go home soon."
Since you two know each other, I won't bother you any further. I wish you all the best in your stay at Hantuo Temple. I'll take my leave now."
After saying this, without waiting for the two to respond, he took Nanny Wu and quickly left this place of trouble.
The two brothers watched Zhenhuan chatter away and then walk away quickly without caring whether they agreed or not, as if there was a big bad wolf chasing her.
They are not fools. It is obvious that the other party is avoiding them. Combined with the fact that Zhenhuan had said a few words to the seventh brother before, it can be seen that the other party is avoiding Yinzhi.
For a moment, Yinzhi felt a little embarrassed and annoyed. This Nianhulu Gege was really ungrateful. He had taken the initiative to invite her to meet him, but she didn't give him face. However, in front of the Seventh Prince, Yinzhi didn't insist too much. When he saw her leaving quickly, he just winked at the staff beside him. The staff understood and slipped away while the eldest and seventh princes were talking.
Without outsiders around, the eldest prince Yinzhi couldn't control his temper anymore. "Seventh brother, you're incredible! You're registered under the Borjigit clan, a legitimate Mongol descendant, and yet you still miss your maternal family. Just because you frequently leave the palace to meet with the Daijia clan, if I report this to the Emperor, I'll see if the Borjigit clan can back you up."
The Seventh Prince, Yinyou, had never expected that the eldest prince actually knew about his meeting with the Daijia clan. It was his fault for being soft-hearted. His mother had been sent to the cold palace to avenge him. If that crazy woman, Concubine De, hadn't drugged his mother during her pregnancy, he wouldn't have been born with a deformity.
He did not blame his mother or the Daijia clan, but only blamed himself for making a wrong move and the emperor being too ruthless.
The fact that he often met with the Daijia clan could not be revealed. If the emperor got angry and changed his clothes to Yudie or told Khorchin to ignore him, he would suffer even greater losses.
However, if he directly bowed his head to his elder brother, he could not do it. Thinking of this, Yinyou spoke directly to Yinzhi: "Brother, let's be frank. I also want to compete for this Niuhulu Gege. No matter what, this is also my concern. But next time, I will not rush in before you, nor will I trip you up. Let's be open and compete fairly.
"Emperor Father, everyone depends on their own ability. A woman doesn't need to use the tricks of the court. My elder brother is an upright person, and my younger brother is not a treacherous person. From now on, it depends on God's will. As long as the imperial edict comes, we will stop. What do you think, elder brother?"
Yinzhi thought about it and agreed. He himself was not good at these little tricks. He preferred to be straightforward. If the third brother said this, the eldest prince might have retorted on the spot, but these words were said by the seventh brother. Although the seventh brother had little contact with the old man and his personality was awkward, he had been in the military camp after all and had the unique temperament of a soldier who said what he meant.
Therefore, the eldest prince nodded to the seventh prince and said, "Okay, then it's settled. From now on, we will compete fairly and everyone will use their own methods."
Seeing that the eldest prince agreed, the Seventh Prince raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Brother, how many of us brothers do you think will come here today? As far as I know, Fourth Brother is here today too, right?"
The eldest prince, Yinzhi, gave the seventh prince a blank look. "It's unlikely that the fourth prince is here. He comes to Handuo Temple every month, and he's been doing this for many years. Anyone who pays attention in the palace knows this, and the emperor has tacitly agreed to it. Moreover, the process he follows is similar every time he comes. If you want to find the fourth prince, go and ask the monk Yuanzhen where he is now, and you'll definitely run into him."
The Seventh Prince did not expect that his eldest brother trusted the Fourth Prince so much. Thinking of the Fourth Prince's usual behavior, he believed it a little, but being suspicious by nature, he still wanted to confirm it.
Seeing the Seventh Prince's hesitation, Yinzhi sneered: "Since the Seventh Prince doesn't believe it, then I will take you to take a look. You people, you doubt this and that every day, I don't know if you are tired."
Hearing the eldest prince's ridicule, the seventh prince blushed a little, but did not refuse. He would never believe that the fourth brother was innocent unless he saw it with his own eyes.
The eldest prince tutted twice when he saw this, and ordered his attendants to inquire about the location of the fourth prince, then walked out with the seventh prince: "My lord, I think this news may not be true. The third prince just came in front, and that guy is even more timid than you. He is the kind of person who has the desire but not the courage to commit a crime.
"Look, not all of them are here yet. Yinreng hasn't arrived yet, and I don't know if the fifth and eighth brothers will show up."
The Seventh Prince followed silently from behind. He didn't expect that the Third Prince would come today. He came so early but didn't meet him. Could it be that he ran into his eldest brother as soon as he arrived at Handuo Temple?
But from what the eldest brother said, quite a few people knew about Princess Nianhulu's fate, and it seemed that most of the brothers knew about it. So it is unclear whether this information was really found out by his subordinates or leaked deliberately by someone else.
Not long after, a subordinate came to report that the Fourth Prince was playing chess with Master Yuan Zhen in the bamboo forest. The two brothers looked at each other and walked towards the bamboo forest.
At this time, in the bamboo forest, Yuan Zhen was thinking about where to go next while joking with Yin Zhen: "I have read your fortune today. I wonder if you would like to listen to it."
Seeing Yuan Zhen's deliberate mystification, Yin Zhen was annoyed: "Alright, we've been friends for many years, just say whatever you want to say. Although I don't believe this, if you want to give me some advice, I will calm down and listen carefully."
Don’t be fooled by Yuan Zhen’s current appearance as an enlightened monk. In fact, his image when Yinzhen first met him was completely different from what it is now.
At this point, Yinzhen recalled the first time he met Yuanzhen. At that time, Empress Xiaoyi had just passed away, and Yinzhen had not yet recognized Concubine De. He was depressed and had not eaten for seven days. The entire Imperial Hospital was helpless because the Fourth Prince was depressed and could not get over the grief of losing his mother. He was unwilling to eat.
Kangxi couldn't stand it anymore, so he followed Liang Jiugong's advice and found a senior monk from Handuo Temple. The senior monk didn't prescribe any medicine or perform any ritual, but asked the emperor to let the Fourth Prince stay in Handuo Temple for a while.
Seeing that the Fourth Prince was getting thinner and weaker, Kangxi had no choice but to ask the guards to escort Yinzhen to Handuo Temple.
After changing his environment and having Yinzhen do morning prayers with the monks in the temple every day, the Fourth Prince gradually became calmer and calmer. He no longer dwelled on trivial matters every day and kept thinking about the deceased Empress Xiaoyi.
Handuo Temple also opened a small Buddhist hall, which only enshrined the tablet of Empress Xiaoyi and lit a perpetual lamp. Of course, all of this was done after the emperor's approval.
It was from that time that Yinzhen, though he did not like to laugh, slowly got over the grief of his mother's passing. He met Yuanzhen on a sunny afternoon. At that time, Yinzhen had nothing to do so he went for a walk in the back mountain alone. He happened to see the so-called forbidden area of Hantuo Temple, a large cave.
He was thinking of turning around and going back, when he saw a little puppy running past him and into the cave. Then he heard the little puppy barking happily and a cheering man's voice coming from inside.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Yinzhen slowly walked into the cave. The cave was not large, but it was cleverly designed. There was a raised area in the front that blocked the small area inside. After crossing the raised stone, there was an open space inside.
At this time, there was a young monk in the open space who was teasing the puppy in front of him with a roasted chicken butt, causing the puppy to bark non-stop and jump around trying to bite the chicken butt.
Yinzhen's eyes widened. A monk? Roast chicken?
The other party seemed to have noticed something as well. He took the roast chicken off the grill and stuffed it into a box in a flash. Then he wiped his mouth with his sleeves before looking back. When he saw that it was Yinzhen, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The little puppy who had been hiding cleverly with the chicken butt in his mouth also ran over from the shadows after seeing the monk relax.
Seeing the tacit cooperation between the man and the dog, Yinzhen couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The monk was not embarrassed. Seeing this, he beckoned Yinzhen to come forward and sit on the stone opposite. He then took out the unfinished roast chicken from the box and continued to roast it. "I am Yuanzhen. Who are you?"
Yinzhen also gave his name: "I am Yinzhen."
Yuan Zhen: "Oh, I know who you are? You are the fourth prince that Master mentioned. You came to Hantuo Temple because you were sick. Why are you here? This is a forbidden area in the back mountain."
Yinzhen pointed at the puppy beside Yuanzhen and said, "I came here because I saw it."
Yuan Zhen nodded the little puppy's head in annoyance. "You, you have no cleverness at all. Fortunately, this is the Fourth Prince. If you had led the master here, what would we do?"
Seeing the sizzling roast chicken, Yinzhen asked in confusion, "Can monks eat meat?"
Yuan Zhen sighed, "No, that's why I'm greedy. I just shot a pheasant from the back mountain and am secretly roasting it here."
Seeing Yinzhen's disapproving look, Yuanzhen put on a playful smile and said, "Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart. If the world imitates me, it would be like entering the devil's way. I believe in my Buddha and do good deeds, but survival of the fittest, this pheasant was born to be eaten. Besides, human desires are innate. Blindly restraining one's desires will only cause them to explode in silence over time. I have always believed in believing in myself and saving the world. If I can't even save myself, then saving the world is just empty talk."
Although Yinzhen didn't understand, he completely remembered the monk Yuanzhen who stole the roast chicken after this incident.
Later, the two met more often and found that they had many similar views, and slowly became friends. Over the years, the two met almost every month, so it is not an exaggeration to say that they were good friends.
Yuan Zhen, who was standing opposite him, ignored Yin Zhen's thoughts, which were about to run off to the horizon. Instead, he whispered to Yin Zhen, "Misfortune often follows blessing, and blessing often follows misfortune."
Seeing that Yinzhen was confused, Yuanzhen stopped explaining and slowly made another move.