Chapter 18: 18

She was mysteriously and inexorably drawn to this place

For some unknown reason, when Mu Fulan’s eyes swept past the two open mountain gates, a sudden strange feeling came over her. It seemed to be related to her previous life.

Mingtang Hall was situation in the pagoda forest behind the mountain, this was where Xi’er killed himself.

One scene after another, intertwined, flashed through her mind.

She had a feeling.

She was mysteriously and inexorably drawn to this place, and finally came to it today.

Mu Fulan’s heart was beating wildly, she subconsciously closed her eyes and tried to hold onto this feeling. 

But it was fleeting, like lightning and flint, it disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

She quickly opened her eyes and looked at the mountain gate again.

There was nothing. 

As the sun rose, the sky cleared and the mountain gates were wide open.

She stared fixedly in that direction, she felt that her soul had been taken away by that feeling that had left as soon as it arrived, and momentarily was incapable of returning to her position.

“Princess, we have arrived.” 

The maid did not notice her strangeness, and climbed down from the carriage. Seeing that Fulan was still sitting in the carriage looking at the mountain gate and not moving, she gave her a reminder.

Not far away, Xie Changgeng was getting off his horse. When he came down, he turned his head and glanced in her direction.

In a daze, Mu Fulan loosened her fingers and the curtain fell.

She settled her mind and got off the carriage.

Empress Liu was welcomed into the temple by the monks who came down the mountain. All the attendants, including Mu Fulan, also all entered the mountain gate.

In a moment, the bells and chimes rang in the temple and chimed in unison, and Sanskrit was heard in all directions.

The monks showed great respect to Empress Liu. At Xie Changgeng’s request to welcome her arrival, the other visitors have not been allowed to go up the mountain to burn incense for the last three days. In addition, all the preparations for the reception were also in order.

Only the elder monk in the temple, Master Huiji, did not show up.

Master Huiji is an eminent monk who has attained the Dao (become an immortal) and is proficient in Buddhist principles. He was originally the abbot of the temple. A few years ago, after relinquishing his position as the abbot, he no longer involved himself in ordinary affairs.

Empress Liu originally hoped that Master Huiji could recite the scriptures for herself, but the abbot said that the elder had entered the Pagoda Forest to practice meditation, and will not see any ordinary guests. He did not know when he would leave. Knowing that Empress Liu came to pay respects to Buddha today, he only asked to convey, if the mind is sincere, the Buddha is wise.

Although Empress Liu was disappointed, she did not dare to force it and could only give up on the subject.

That morning, Empress Liu was devoutly worshipping Buddha and recited half of the Ksitigarbha Sutra. After eating a vegetarian meal at noon, took a short rest before finishing the other half of the sutra. The merits and virtues will be complete today.

While Empress Liu recited the scriptures in the Buddhist hall, the women who accompanied her naturally also chanted with her. After reciting the scriptures for so long, everyone’s mouth was dry and they ere all tired by noon because they had woken up early today. After sending Empress Liu to rest, they dispersed.

Mu Fulan was about to leave when she suddenly heard someone call out to her. She turned and saw a woman in her 40s with a few servant girls standing by, looking at herself with a smile and she recognised that it was Qi wangfei. She walked over to her with a smile on her face, and said politely, “Thank you very much for your kindness this morning. I should have thanked wangfei then, but it was a little inconvenient at the time, so please don’t blame me for being rude.” 

Qi wangfei took a few steps forward, stretched out her hand to hold Mu Fulan’s hand, and said with a smile, “I only arrived in Shangjing a few days ago. As soon as I arrived, I heard that you were here too, and I was very happy. I remembered that when you were a child, I often saw you in the palace and knew that you were afraid of the cold. It’s just a trivial matter, so why be polite.”

Mu Fulan thanked her again.

This is the place where Empress Liu rested, so it was inappropriate to stay long. The two of them left while talking in a low voice.

Mu Fulan ordered the maid to fetch the fox fur to return it. Qi wangfei declined, saying that it was just a small item, and told her to keep it.

“The item may be small, but it was kindly lent to me by wangfei to protect me from the cold, so how can I not return it? I was thinking of returning it to you personally later.”

Qi wangfei said, “If you are not tired, why don’t you come and sit at my place to talk?”

Mu Fulan nodded. Qi wangfei took Mu Fulan’s arm and led her to her room. After entering and saying a few words, Qi wangfei suddenly asked, “I heard that there is a famous doctor, surnamed Li, known as a medicine man, who travels all over the world. It seems that he has settled in your place these years. I wonder if princess has heard of the name of divine doctor Li?”

Mu Fulan then guessed the purpose of Qi wangfei’s goodwill towards herself.

She wanted to inquire about a doctor for her son, Zhao Xitai, the son of Qi Wang.

Zhao Xitai is a few years older than her. When Mu Fulan lived in the palace as a child, Qi wangfei often brought her son to the palace. Although Qi wang’s heir was frail since childhood, she remembered that he was in good condition at that time. Normally he was forbidden to run and jump like an ordinary child.

Although a long time has passed, Mu Fulan still has an impression of this childhood playmate in the palace.

Probably because he was too restricted since he was a child, he doesn’t like to talk much and is very quiet.

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Mu Fulan remembered that he was very kind to her and often brought her interesting trinkets from outside when he entered the palace.

She was also very willing to play with him. But then one time, she saw him taking a stone and cutting an earthworm on the ground into pieces in the imperial garden. While the earthworm struggled and twisted, he seemed very happy.

This scene left a deep impression on her and she was a little scared. After that, she didn’t follow him much.

Later, when her aunt died, she returned to Changsha and never had contact with her again.

The last news about him was that he was taken hostage by Xie Changgeng and died before she did.

Seeing Qi wangfei look at her, Mu Fulan nodded, “Yaoweng has indeed settled down in Dongting all these years, but he often goes out. When I came to Shangjing, he wasn’t home and I don’t know when he will return.” Qi wangfei’s eyes lit up, and she hurriedly said, “It’s good that the news is accurate. Princess, I heard that this Li Yaoweng has the reputation as a miracle doctor who can cure all kinds of diseases, is it true?”

Mu Fulan met her expectant eyes and shook their heads.

“To be honest with wangfei, I have also learned some medicine from Yaoweng since I was a child. He is my master. Master often said that there is no magic doctor who can cure all diseases. He is not a miracle doctor, but just an ordinary doctor and it ashamed of this false reputation.”

Since Qi wangfei did not mention her son, Mu Fulan didn’t ask. Just thinking that Zhao Xitai, a childhood playmate, in his previous life was not much better than her own, she felt a sense of fate, so she added, “If wangfei has someone who needs medical treatment, when master returns in the future, you might as well look for him to examine. No matter whether the disease can be cured or not, he will do his best.”

A few years ago, seeing her son grow up, but his health was not good, Qi wangfei was anxious to find a wife for her son to start a family. She mistakenly believed in a so-called “Divine Doctor” and used the tiger wolf medicine. The disease did improve at first, but it didn’t take long for him to suddenly relapse, and it became more severe than before. The “divine doctor” ran away overnight when he saw that he was in trouble. Qi wangfei regretted it deeply. These past few years, she could only ask the imperial doctor to slowly recuperate her son’s health.

Some days ago, she heard about the name of the divine doctor Li Yaoweng, and she was a little impressed. After entering the capital, she found out that Mu Fulan, the princess of Changsha, was also here. This morning she deliberately showed her goodwill to ask for more information.

She was originally full of hope, but now she was disappointed when she heard what Mu Fulan said.

The Imperial Doctor could not cure her son’s illness. Over the years, she had seen many “divine doctors”, but in the end, they were useless and made her son’s illness worse and worse.  Most likely, he should be another wandering doctor with a false reputation. He treated some poor people with headaches, and his reputation has been exaggerated.

Since she was disappointed, Qi wangfei was reluctant to mention her son’s illness in front of Mu Fulan, and said vaguely, “I suddenly thought of it and asked you about it in passing. I understand. If there is a need in the future, I will go find him.”

How could Mu Fulan not see the change in Qi wangfeis attitude?

But what she said was the truth.

Yaoweng never claimed to be a divine doctor. One thing he always said to Mu Fulan was that the way of medicine is mysterious. The more he immersed himself in it, the more incompetent he felt. You can spend your whole life trying to solve difficult and miscellaneous diseases.

She did not point it out bluntly, but sat for a while, waiting for the maid to fetch the fox fur, returned it, thanked Qi wangfei again, then got up and said goodbye.

How could Qi wangfei be unaware of Empress Liu’s hostility to the Mu family in Changsha. Although Mu Fulan was married to Xie Changgeng, and it now seemed that she is also favoured by Empress Liu, no one can tell what will happen in the future. The purpose of looking for her today is just to inquire about the divine doctor, but now that she has finished inquiring, she feels disappointed. Seeing that Fulan is leaving, naturally she is no longer compelled to ask her to stay.

She got up with a smile and personally sent her out. Mu Fulan asked Qi wangfei to remain seated, and took the maid back to her room.

There are a lot of women who have followed Empress Liu to worship Buddha. Although there is a special area for visitors to rest in the temple, it could not accommodate so many people so another empty meditation room was vacated.

The place where Mu Fulan rested was separated from Qi wangfei’s by a horizontal wall and had to pass through another door.

She walked along the passage and was about to pass through the door when she suddenly saw Cao Jin standing at the end of the hall, in a corner, with a smile on his face, bowing and talking to Xie Changgeng.

The two of them each had a few attendants behind them. They should have just met here by chance and stopped to talk.

Mu Fulan’s heart moved, and she told the maid to wait behind. She quietly turned behind the door, and stared at the two people through the cover of a bamboo bush planted by the wall.

When she went to the palace several times before, she often ran into Cao Jin, but did not have the opportunity to see these two meet.

There was some distance between them, so she couldn’t hear what the two of them were saying – naturally, even if something really happened, with Xie Changgeng’s cautiousness, it was impossible to pass the news on this occasion. She didn’t want to hear what the two of them were saying either.

Instead, she wanted to observe the eyes and expressions of the two men as they spoke.

Although Xie Changgeng’s back was turned to this side, eunuch Cao Jin was faced towards her and she could see his face clearly.

If her guess was true, Cao Jin’s expression or eyes may reveal clues to secret relationship between the two of them.

Mu Fulan held her breath, opened her eyes wide and she was staring at Cao Jin’s smiling face, when a voice suddenly came from behind, “Princess!”

Mu Fulan was startled, abruptly turned around, and saw a young man in fine clothing standing behind her. He was eighteen or nineteen years old, with a pale face, and he looked like he had been sick for a long time.

Although it had been many years, Mu Fulan recognised him at a glance.

The person in front of her is Zhao Xitai, the heir of Qi wang.

She paused for a moment.

Zhao Xitai looked very happy, and told the two servants following him to stop, and walked towards her, saying, “It’s me, Zhao Xitai! My mother asked the Empress Dowager for permission and brought me here today to ask the great master to pray for my blessings and avoid calamities. I saw you outside the mountain gate this morning, and I recognised you right away! We used to meet often in the palace, princess, do you still remember me…”

His eyes fell on Mu Fulan’s face and shone slightly.

Probably because he was a little excited, a blush suddenly appeared on his bloodless cheeks, and he coughed loudly.

Mu Fulan was aware that something was wrong and when she turned her head, she saw Xie Changgeng suddenly turn his head. His two eyes shot towards this side, she hurriedly left her original position and walked towards Zhao Xitai, pretending to pass by, as if it was a chance encounter.

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