Chapter 1317 - 9: Bodhi
On this day, the weather was fine and cloudless.
Yun Chu took a carriage to the foot of the Great Buddha Temple and walked up the mountain.
There were many people burning incense on the fifteenth, and Yun Chu saw quite a few luxurious carriages.
She found out that the Duchess was also there to offer incense.
She didn’t know many ministers in the court, but she had heard her father mention Duke Zhen.
Someone who could be praised by her father must be a pillar of the court. With nowhere else to turn for help, Yun Chu planned to sneak into the Duke Mansion to ask Duke Zhen for assistance.
She had thought about intercepting someone on the street and pleading on her knees.
But doing so would easily expose herself, especially since she was still a fugitive.
She could sacrifice herself, but only if her sacrifice was worth it; she wouldn’t even flinch if it meant exchanging one life for another.
She couldn’t reveal her identity as the eldest daughter of Uncle’s Mansion, and even if it were exposed, it would be difficult to align herself with the Duke Mansion.
She hadn’t thought of a good plan yet, so she could only come and adapt to the situation first.
From a distance, she saw the Duke Mansion’s carriage stop, and two young ladies got out, the older one was about her age.
They were the targets of her trip.
Yun Chu was waiting for an opportunity, yet she didn’t know that the Buddhist Scripture she copied had already been sent to Lady Ji Bei, and Shen Junshan had seen it.
This Buddhist Scripture was sent by Ciyun Temple, indicating that Yun Chu was indeed at Ciyun Temple.
Shen Junshan brought the Buddhist Scripture to Ciyun Temple.
The nun at Ciyun Temple was startled; she had visited the Jibei Marquis Mansion twice and recognized Shen Junshan.
Such a fearless man suddenly appearing at Ciyun Temple clearly indicated something was up.
Shen Junshan inquired about Yun Chu, and the nun asked anxiously, "Did that lady offend Second Young Master Shen?"
"Offend?" Shen Junshan laughed.
"The nun has exaggerated; she is the one in my heart."
This isn’t wrong at all.
Ever since she stole his brocade robe, she has been on his mind.
It was a hatred that made him gnash his teeth, a yearning that made his teeth itch.
But telling a direct grudge wouldn’t make the kind-hearted nun reveal the truth, so he had to speak ambiguously.
The nun relaxed and smiled, "So it’s Second Young Master Shen’s sweetheart."
"But Miss An left the mountain early; where she went, I, the humble nun, do not know. However, she will return for the vegetarian meal."
The nun truly didn’t know; although Yun Chu lived at Ciyun Temple, she didn’t restrict Yun Chu’s movements.
To stay, she welcomed.
To leave, she didn’t hold back.
However, the nun didn’t know, but the little nun did, "Sister An went to the Great Buddha Temple."
The little nun had cut her hair to become a nun not long ago and hadn’t yet developed the habit of calling everyone "benefactor."
After Yun Chu moved to Ciyun Temple, the little nun accompanied her, and they shared a courtyard.
Great Buddha Temple, huh?
Shen Junshan smiled.
He added an offering of one hundred taels of incense money and rode away.
Galloping all the way to the Great Buddha Temple, Shen Junshan briefly remembered it was the fifteenth today.
His mother had a habit of offering incense and praying for blessings on the fifteenth, especially after his frequent fights, when his mother was always worried he might get killed someday, praying more frequently, pleading for his sins to be forgiven and for his safety.
If he went to the Great Buddha Temple without notifying anyone, he would surely be questioned by his mother.
If...
His mother took a fancy to that female thief; the consequences would be unimaginable.
Shen Junshan had a headache.
He didn’t understand why a female thief who tricked him would be liked so much by his father and mother; what kind of judgment was this?
Thinking of this, his urgent desire to catch the thief dimmed a bit.
Upon reaching the mountain, the servant from Jibei Marquis Mansion came over happily, "Second Young Master is here too."
"Pretend you didn’t see me," Shen Junshan said.
Servant, "...".
They pretended not to see him, and yet Second Young Master got off his horse and walked away.
Not letting them see the person, but letting them see the horse.
The servant resignedly took the horse to tie it up.
Below the Great Buddha Temple was a marketplace, selling all sorts of things; Miss Xie and Miss Xie the Second wandered from stall to stall, enjoying themselves.
Yun Chu thought this was a great opportunity to meet them, so she walked over.
According to her plan, she would accidentally bump into Miss Xie...
Hmm.
The plan was good, but executed too quickly.
As she walked over, before reaching Miss Xie, she was accidentally bumped by someone and stepped on Miss Xie the Second’s embroidered shoe.
Suddenly stepped on, Miss Xie the Second cried out in pain.
She pushed Yun Chu away, bumping into Miss Xie’s maid.
Miss Xie the Second gritted her teeth in pain and scolded, "Do you have eyes or not!"
She was angry, and Yun Chu was even angrier.
A perfectly good plan ruined, and an enmity formed with Miss Xie the Second; she feared she’d never have a chance to visit their mansion in her lifetime.
Yun Chu hurriedly apologized.
Miss Xie the Second’s maid looked at Yun Chu disdainfully, "Do you know who my lady is?!"
"Injuring my lady, can you bear the consequences?!"
All Yun Chu could do was apologize.
Miss Xie walked over to speak up for Yun Chu, "She didn’t do it intentionally; this place is indeed a bit crowded."
Miss Xie the Second was only twelve, and in her anger, she even glared at her own sister, "She stepped on me, and you’re speaking up for her? Just wait until I tell Mother later!"
Miss Xie suddenly had a headache; her younger sister’s tolerance seemed to shrink as she grew older.
Everyone has moments of accidentally stepping on someone else’s toes, and it’s not that serious; a simple apology would suffice, wouldn’t it?
As an older sister, she always keeps her responsibilities in mind. If her younger sister doesn’t listen, there’s nothing more she can do.
Yun Chu repeatedly apologized, but Miss Xie remained relentless.
Yun Chu looked up at Miss Xie, about to speak, when she suddenly caught sight of Shen Junshan.
Shen Junshan was tall and handsome, standing out in the crowd like a crane among chickens; one could spot him at a glance.
Shen Junshan also saw Yun Chu.
Their eyes met.
One was delighted.
One was fearful.
Feet moving swiftly, she was no longer concerned with apologies; if Shen Junshan revealed her theft of the brocade robe, the girls from the Duke Zhen Country Mansion would never befriend her.
Yun Chu bolted away, leaving Miss Xie stunned, while Miss Xie stomped her foot in anger, causing her pain.
The market was crowded, and Yun Chu blended into the crowd; she truly was hard to find.
But escaping wasn’t that easy either.
At this time, Lady Ji Bei was at the Great Buddha Temple praying for her son’s blessings and marriage prospects. Yan Ning, not wanting to disturb her aunt, wandered around with her maid.
The market was bustling, so she headed towards a quieter area to avoid the crowds.
She favored the Bodhi Tree halfway up the Great Buddha Temple, where her parents had met, known each other, and pledged their lives.
Whenever she visited the Great Buddha Temple, she would go there to sit.
She was accustomed to taking the small path.
However, this time was different from before. As she sat there, her maid discovered that an earring was missing.
That was Yan Ning’s favorite earring, and the maid anxiously said, "Miss, how did you lose an earring? Let me go back to find it."
"Miss, please wait here for me; I’ll be right back."
With that, the maid ran off.
She had just seen the earring on Miss a moment ago, so it must have been dropped nearby.
The Great Buddha Temple is a sacred Buddhist site; no one would dare to act recklessly, besides, they’ve come to the Bodhi Tree many times. Apart from them, hardly anyone else visits, so there’s no fear of danger.
But oddly enough, today there were many visitors.
The Third Prince, injured from an assassination attempt, had hidden there.
Yan Ning sat beneath the Bodhi Tree. The Third Prince didn’t disturb her and simply hid in the tree.
From afar, several assassins approached, their footsteps heavy. Yan Ning suddenly turned her head and saw the masked assassins, exuding a murderous aura.
An assassin walked up and asked, "Have you seen a man?"
Yan Ning was just about to shake her head.
Suddenly, a drop of blood fell, coincidentally landing on her neck.
A faint metallic scent permeated the air.
Yan Ning dared not look up; she said, "I’ve been sitting here the whole time and haven’t seen anyone come by."
"However, I did hear footsteps just now, and when I turned around, I vaguely saw a dark figure darting in that direction; I’m not sure if it was..."
Before Yan Ning finished speaking, the assassin headed in the direction she pointed.
Once certain the person had left, Yan Ning used her embroidered handkerchief to wipe the back of her neck, seeing blood on it.
She looked up and met the gaze of the Third Prince in the tree.
The Third Prince had narrowly escaped disaster; just as he sighed in relief, being caught in the eyes of Yan Ning’s innocent gaze, his mind went blank, and he fell from the tree.
Yan Ning was so frightened she kept backing away.
The Third Prince quickly reacted, steadying himself without landing flat.
But Yan Ning, retreating too hastily, accidentally stepped on a stone and slipped backward.
The Third Prince urgently extended his hand to catch her.
Unable to catch her, both of them tumbled down the hill together.
This scene happened to be witnessed by the maid who was returning to report after finding the earring.
The maid’s face turned pale, and she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Help!"
Indeed.
More coincidentally, Yun Chu, escaping Shen Junshan, also ran in that direction.
There were fewer people here, not good for hiding; upon hearing cries for help, she realized there was a small path there and hurried down it.
Shen Junshan was aggravated after losing track of the person he was chasing; then he heard the maid’s cries for help.
That maid’s voice was familiar; she was the maid Chunchun of his cousin.
Below was the Bodhi Tree, where his cousin often stayed.
Afraid something might happen to Yan Ning, Shen Junshan hurriedly descended the hill.
Using Qinggong, he overtook Yun Chu; as the maid saw him, she burst into tears out of urgency, "Second Young Master, quickly rescue Miss!"
Shen Junshan frowned, "What’s happened?"
"Miss encountered a scoundrel and fell down; that scoundrel is down below too," the maid said anxiously.
Turning back, Shen Junshan saw Yun Chu and said, "Block her for me."
Before the words were out of his mouth, he had already jumped down the hill.
Yun Chu wanted to run, but seeing the maid’s anxiety and desire to save someone, she hesitated and couldn’t leave.
Yan Ning and the Third Prince had fallen down the hill together; although the Third Prince was injured, being a martial artist, he was physically strong and mentally resilient. Yan Ning was so frightened she fainted.
When Shen Junshan descended to rescue, the Third Prince was patting Yan Ning’s face to wake her up.
The maid, not recognizing the Third Prince, only saw Yan Ning avoiding someone and then falling down, convinced that the Third Prince was the scoundrel.
Shen Junshan also saw the Third Prince patting his cousin’s face, and with this scene, it was undoubtedly disrespecting his cousin.
Fury surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
Without a word, Shen Junshan went over and grabbed the Third Prince by the collar, hauling him up.
Without even seeing his face clearly, he threw a punch.
Fueled with anger, his strength was greater.
The Third Prince’s eye turned black immediately.