The sound of the wooden fish finally stopped after an unknown amount of time.
Before the Buddha statue, the figure kneeling on the prayer mat slowly rose with the support of the person beside them.
It was a woman in her thirties, with a distinguished face and an air of elegance and grace in her every movement.
This was Princess Yonghe, Qin Yijia, one of the few remaining imperial princesses of the Chengnan Kingdom.
Qin Yijia walked slowly and sat down on the other side of the table, sighing with a hint of emotion. "I never expected that I would have to invite you repeatedly just to see you these days."
Qin Moyuan gently blew on his steaming tea, as leisurely as if he were enjoying a cup in his own courtyard.
After finishing a cup of tea, he slowly opened his mouth. "If you hadn't said that Lebai left something for the children, you could have invited me with eight palanquins, and I wouldn't have bothered to set foot in your meditation room."
Hearing his harsh tone, Qin Yijia pursed her lips, a little disappointed. "I am your elder sister, after all. We haven't seen each other for many years, why are you so distant that you're using a self-address like this?"
"Imperial Sister?" Qin Moyuan's expression was mocking. "Besides Imperial Brother, who in this vast Qin clan has ever acknowledged my identity?"
His retort left Qin Yijia speechless.
Qin Moyuan placed the teacup in his hand heavily on the table, his hostility undisguised. "In the past, for Lebai's sake, I could still call you sister-in-law. But now that you've caused Lebai's death, why do you think I would still hold onto any past affections?"
"I didn't cause Lebai's death!" Qin Yijia tightened her grip on her prayer beads, as if desperate to prove something, her voice rising.
Qin Moyuan glanced at her, his cold gaze devoid of any warmth. "You know in your heart whether it's true or not."
"Boom!"
Qin Yijia felt as if something in her mind suddenly exploded, a wave of panic washing over her.
Did he... did he know something?
Qin Yijia wanted to ask, but Qin Moyuan had already shifted his gaze and poured himself another cup of tea.
Despite being in seclusion for religious practice, she was drinking the finest imperial tea. Truly worthy of Qin Yijia!
Unfortunately, no matter how precious the tea leaves were, they couldn't compare to the fruity floral tea Ah Shu brewed.
Qin Moyuan narrowed his eyes, and the superior tea suddenly seemed bland.
Qin Yijia, completely unaware that the thoughts of the person before her had drifted far away, took a deep breath, suppressing the tension and panic in her heart.
She turned her prayer beads, calming her emotions. "I don't want to mention past events. What about Wen'er and Yi'er?"
Qin Moyuan slowly withdrew his thoughts, his tone indifferent. "If you want to give them what Lebai left behind, I can pass it on for you. But if you want to see them, do you think you are qualified?"
Qin Yijia was about to firmly declare that she was qualified, when Qin Moyuan spoke first. "Back then, you chose power and wealth and abandoned them."
"I..."
Qin Yijia wanted to retort, but she opened her mouth and, after a long pause, found no words to refute him.
It wasn't like that. She actually had her own difficulties, but she couldn't say them yet.
Later... when everything settles, the children will understand her!
Qin Yijia comforted herself this way, secretly suppressing the emotions stirred up by Qin Moyuan's few words.
Qin Moyuan really didn't want to see this woman, but remembering Li Yueshu's instructions, he suppressed the urge to turn and leave.
He looked at Qin Yijia with a cold expression. "Lebai died in my arms. I have no idea what he might have left for the children."
...
While Qin Moyuan was engaging in a war of words with Qin Yijia and trying to extract information from her, Li Yueshu had already visited several meditation rooms.
Whether it was due to the strict security of the imperial temple or Qin Yijia's heightened guard, despite Li Yueshu's excellent skills, she had almost been discovered several times.
Moreover, it was daytime. If not for the cheat that was her space, she would have been discovered long ago.
Just as Li Yueshu was about to head to the next meditation room, she noticed eyes watching her from both obvious and hidden positions, making it impossible for her to proceed in that direction.
She recalled the map Qin Moyuan had drawn for her yesterday and decided to take a detour from another direction.
Li Yueshu moved quickly, but after only a few turns, she saw an old monk meditating under a tree not far away.
Li Yueshu was unfamiliar with temple customs, but judging by the kasaya the old monk was wearing, he wasn't an ordinary monk.
She couldn't help but slow her pace, intending to pass by, but the old monk suddenly spoke. "Amitabha."
Li Yueshu was startled and turned to look. She saw that the old monk had opened his eyes and was looking at her with a benevolent smile.
"Amitabha." The old monk nodded slightly. "The female benefactor looks unfamiliar. May I ask who brought you here?"
Li Yueshu quickly clasped her hands together and bowed to him. "Apologies for disturbing you, Master. I'm here with a friend." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
This was a royal temple, and only royalty could be here. It wasn't surprising that the old monk found her unfamiliar.
However, the old monk's words were a bit strange. "One can only meet and know each other through destiny and connection. Since the female benefactor has traveled thousands of miles, if you are looking for something, you may head southeast."
Li Yueshu was a bit confused. She felt his words held multiple meanings and, after a moment of stunned silence, slowly began to grasp it.
She looked hesitantly at the still figure under the tree and took a few steps forward. "Master, how did you know I traveled thousands of miles or that I am looking for something?"
The old monk clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and simply said, "Amitabha."
His posture of entering meditation suggested he had no intention of saying more, projecting an air of unfathomable wisdom.
Seeing this, Li Yueshu glanced around and then walked in the direction she had intended to go.
However, after taking two steps, she suddenly stopped and turned back to look at the old monk meditating under the tree. "Um... Master, which way is southeast?"
For a moment, Li Yueshu thought she saw the corner of the old monk's mouth twitch, but it was so fast she thought she had imagined it.
The old monk maintained his clasped hands, his eyes still closed, but his right hand pointed in a direction.
Li Yueshu bowed politely. "Thank you."
Then, she quickly headed in the direction the old monk had indicated, deliberately avoiding the eyes watching her from both obvious and hidden spots.
Not long after Li Yueshu left, a monk approached the tree and bowed respectfully to the meditating old monk. "Abbot, Daoist Master Xuancheng is drunk again. I made him some sobering soup, but I can't find him anywhere."
The old monk finally opened his eyes, but his gaze was directed towards the direction Li Yueshu had left, his wise eyes deep and profound.
After a long while, he closed his eyes again. "Amitabha, let him be. Xuancheng is a frequent visitor to our temple; he won't get lost."
Rather, that female benefactor... this royal temple is so vast, one hopes she doesn't get lost.
"Ah-choo!"
Li Yueshu, who was being thought of, couldn't help but sneeze.
At this moment, she wasn't worried about her whereabouts being discovered because she had been entangled by a drunkard and couldn't hide at all.