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墨書 Inktalez
The concubines, feeling stifled in the inner palace, were like fish entering water and birds escaping from a cage after praying for the Empress Dowager. From afternoon until night, they indulged in food, drink, and entertainment, creating a lively atmosphere, yet the Empress was nowhere to be seen.
However, with the Empress absent, the tedious formalities were avoided, allowing the concubines to enjoy themselves even more.
Consort Chen looked at the other concubines' carefree demeanor and coldly remarked, "Instead of thinking about how to please the Emperor, you are here amusing yourselves. I see that your hard days are yet to come!"
Her words made the concubines exchange glances, feeling utterly deflated.
With the Empress absent, Consort Chen held the highest rank. Her cold water dousing their spirits caused the concubines to lose interest and one by one, they took their leave back to their respective quarters.
Earlier that morning, one of the concubines had lost a shoe, and two others found their shoes outside their residences, leaving everyone anxious and devoid of any desire to continue their festivities.
After breakfast and completing their prayers for the Empress Dowager, the concubines returned to the palace in a grand procession led by the Emperor. Along the way, they expressed concern for the whereabouts of the Empress, but no one had any information.
---
When Mei Shuang finally woke up, it was already sunset.
At Dazhao Temple, there was no sign of the Emperor or the concubines. As she stepped outside, she encountered a young novice monk sweeping the courtyard. He informed her that someone would come to pick her up and told her to wait patiently.
The novice looked quite young, probably only in his teens, with an honest face.
After a moment's thought, Mei Shuang struck up a conversation. "Little Master, how long have you been here?"
The novice monk paused his sweeping upon hearing her question. He clasped his hands together and said "Amitabha," then lowered his gaze. "It's been half a year."
"Oh, do they change the offerings in Blessing Hall every day?"
The novice seemed surprised by her sudden inquiry about the offerings in the hall and raised an eyebrow. "Of course they need to be changed."
"Oh, I was just asking because I noticed an apple looked a bit rotten during this morning's prayers," Mei Shuang said earnestly.
"Really?" the young monk exclaimed in surprise. "Then I should hurry back to report to Master."
Seeing the young monk anxiously turning to leave, Mei Shuang quickly called out to him and suggested, "Hey, hey, little master, don't be in such a rush. What if I misread the situation? How about this: let's go take a look together. If things really are bad, you can report back then."
The young monk paused, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright."
His master had always disliked rash actions. If he reported without certainty and got it wrong, it would be quite embarrassing.
Thus, Mei Shuang and the young monk made their way to the main hall together.
Standing at the entrance of the hall, Mei Shuang took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, then smiled at the young monk. "Let's go in and take a look."
The smile made the young monk momentarily dazed; his face turned red as he quickly pressed his palms together and bowed his head before rushing into the hall, heading straight for the offerings in front of the Buddha.
Watching as the young monk carefully examined each offering, Mei Shuang's smile gradually faded.
She truly didn't dare enter alone, but having a companion was certainly better than being by herself.
Everything from last night was definitely not just her imagination; she needed to understand what was going on with the statue in this hall. The vivid drawing of the statue on the note she received and the statue coming to life last night seemed to tell a hidden secret that must be related to her or perhaps her past self.
As the sun gradually set in the west, its rays filtered through the long windows into the hall, casting mottled shadows on the ground where dust danced in the beams of light.
Some rays fell upon the gilded artifacts within the hall, shining brilliantly. Mei Shuang shifted her body to avoid the blinding light and squinted at the familiar statue.
The statue remained unchanged, still bearing that expression of neither joy nor anger. Mei Shuang gazed at it for a long time, but there was no sign of alteration.
It appeared no different from the surrounding statues; despite its grandeur and lifelike quality, it still exuded an air of lifelessness.
"What are you looking at, benefactor?"
A confused voice from the little monk reached her ears, and Mei Shuang regained her focus, shaking her head. "It's nothing."
Turning her gaze, she noticed that the little monk indeed had a plate of offerings in his hand. He gratefully said to Mei Shuang, "Thank you for your keen eye, benefactor. There are indeed a few fruits that have gone bad; it seems they were stolen by that gluttonous old cat. I will go exchange them."
Seeing that Mei Shuang did not move, he found it strange and followed her gaze, asking, "What are you looking at, benefactor?"
Mei Shuang joined her hands together and said calmly, "Little Master, although I am not a person of the Buddhist faith, my heart is devoted to Buddha. While copying the Sutras for the Empress Dowager, I have learned quite a bit. However, you see, I recognize the Medicine Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, and Maitreya Buddha beside the Buddha, but I have never seen this statue before. May I ask what this Buddha is called and what it signifies?"
The little monk looked closely and suddenly blushed, shaking his head. "I don't know... It wasn't here before."
Mei Shuang's heart stirred. "When was it placed here?"
"It's been some time," the little monk suddenly recalled something, his expression changing as he covered up. "Benefactor, I need to go exchange the offerings now; you should return. Someone will come to pick you up shortly."
Mei Shuang wanted to observe a bit longer, but the little monk urged her to leave quickly and insisted on accompanying her back to the Palace.
With no choice, Mei Shuang had to depart. Unfortunately, before leaving, the statue remained completely still.
---
When Mei Shuang returned, there was already someone waiting at her residence, sitting at the table and carefully flipping through the Sutras she had copied for the Empress Dowager.
The setting sun's rays filtered through the long window onto his face, casting a golden glow over his almost enchanting features, making him appear in excellent spirits.
But at that moment, Mei Shuang suddenly found this person extremely detestable.
With a stern expression, she strode over.
At that moment, Nangong Nuo was slightly squinting his eyes, holding a page of fine calligraphy with his long fingers. He was reading softly to himself while completely immersed in his own world.
Until Mei Shuang strode over, snatching the Sutra from his hand with annoyance, it seemed she finally noticed the slight surprise in her peach blossom eyes. "You're back? ... Sick? Why do you look so unwell?"
As she stood up and gently placed her hand on Mei Shuang's forehead, she muttered to herself, "Not hot..."
The saying goes that one should not strike a smiling face, especially when someone is showing such obvious concern.
Mei Shuang was genuinely frustrated by Nangong Nuo's deliberate ignorance, which made it impossible for her to express the anger bubbling inside her. She had to suppress her weakness and replied, "I'm not sick."
She then pushed Nangong Nuo's hand away and moved to the other side of the table, casually starting to tidy up the Sutra that Nangong Nuo had messed up.
Her calm demeanor did not reflect the turmoil within.
At that moment, Mei Shuang felt like there was a volcano about to erupt inside her, desperately searching for an outlet. If this annoying man dared to say another useless word, she would unreservedly unleash her fiery anger upon him.
Well, just a moment ago, she was still guessing who would come to pick her up. Although she first thought of this troublesome man, she quickly dismissed the idea and considered several others, even Consort Yi. She never expected that it would be him in the end.
Doesn't this mean that the Emperor has always thought of her as this troublesome person? He could have just greeted him before coming and immediately informed him to pick her up!
They seemed to be working together, clearly setting a trap for her, treating her like a ball to be tossed around—whoever used her could take her away! Once used, she still belonged to whoever used her!
But what about her? Like a fool wearing a mask as if blindfolded like a donkey, she came to pray for the Empress Dowager without anyone caring or asking about her role in this scheme. She was left to go back and forth foolishly, almost poisoned and nearly scared to death by various surprises...
Sigh, no more words; saying too much only brings tears.
Damn it, now you show up.
Full of spirit and in a good mood, yet throughout this entire process, who cared about what role I played in this scheme or how terrified I was? Just look at this big bruise on my forehead; damn it, I refuse to believe you didn't see it.
Seeing Mei Shuang's displeased expression, Nangong Nuo naturally understood what she was holding back. In fact, he did notice the swelling on Mei Shuang's forehead; hitting it on the threshold at that speed was fortunate enough not to have caused serious harm.
He clearly saw everything that happened that night. The various fears that Mei Shuang experienced were even more heart-wrenching from his perspective outside. However, he wasn't sure if Mei Shuang still remembered what had occurred that night. If she had forgotten, bringing up the bruise on her forehead might only stir up the terror of that evening again, causing her to suffer once more. Moreover, he had witnessed her getting up in a daze from the ground and returning to her original position, maintaining the posture she had before the terrifying incident unfolded.
In fact, it would be best if Mei Shuang had forgotten; after all, it was merely an experiment—an unknown experiment. He personally did not wish for her to be too deeply involved.
Unexpectedly, the bruise on her forehead, which he had deliberately ignored, triggered the first major conflict between them.
Nangong Nuo was completely unaware of the pent-up anger within Mei Shuang that was about to explode due to his feigned ignorance. He walked up to her with a smile at the corner of his lips and said, "The sutra you copied for the Empress Dowager is excellent..."
Damn it! Did you come here just to praise me?
Mei Shuang erupted on the spot. With a cold expression, she slammed the sutra she had been copying onto the table and shrugged off Nangong Nuo's hand resting on her rounded shoulder. She sneered, "Oh really? To receive praise from Zhao Prince is indeed a great honor."
Nangong Nuo was momentarily stunned. He stared at Mei Shuang as his smile slowly faded, and the warmth in his eyes turned cold.
It was clear that Mei Shuang was genuinely angry!
At this moment, although they stood facing each other, she deliberately looked out the window, slightly raising her chin with a frosty expression that did not hide the arrogance in her eyes.
Nangong Nuo had never been treated so coldly before. His innate pride made him instantly reflect on whether he had been too indulgent with this woman in the past.
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