Shen Yun understood why Emperor Xingzhao had looked at him so strangely in the Golden Hall after seeing Prince Ning, Shen Zhongwen.
It was as if everyone else knew the truth, and he was the only one who had been kept in the dark.
"Then, does he know you?" Su Xiaoqi asked softly, noticing that Shen Yun's mood seemed a bit down.
"My lady, you don't need to be so cautious. He and I are merely of the same surname, Shen.
Beyond that, we have no relation whatsoever – we never have, we don't now, and we certainly won't in the future."
Shen Yun had actually tried to probe. He had casually mentioned Mianzhou City and Zhao Family Village.
However, the other man had looked utterly blank.
Perhaps they simply resembled each other.
"Husband, you have me, Mother, Little Sister, Erdan, and many, many people who love and care about you," Su Xiaoqi said. She could tell that Shen Yun wasn't as calm as he appeared.
His heart must have been in immense pain.
What he said about having no connection was definitely true.
At least in his past life, he had indeed had no connection to the Prince Ning's estate.
With their hearts laid bare, the couple's relationship grew even closer.
Su Xiaoqi felt Shen Yun's trust and dependence on her.
Shen Yun, too, suddenly realized that speaking about certain things wasn't as difficult as he had imagined.
At least when facing his little lady, he felt no embarrassment. Instead, he received abundant comfort and a hug that, while not particularly broad, was incredibly warm.
"My lady, I adore you," Shen Yun said, his heart pounding fiercely, each word filled with sincerity.
"Me too," Su Xiaoqi replied, looking up and standing on tiptoe to kiss his chin.
The eighth day of the fourth lunar month was Buddha's Birthday. In the Great Liang Dynasty, ever since the founding emperor, Buddhism had been promoted, and many Buddhist temples had been built. Gan Quan Temple was designated as the national temple of Great Liang.
Every year around Buddha's Birthday, the imperial court would have the Gan Quan Temple hold a grand dharma assembly on the mountain. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, there was also the Bathing of the Buddha festival.
The event invited princes, nobles, and officials' families who were devout Buddhists to attend.
Below the mountain, a folk temple fair was held.
Because it was held punctually every year, regardless of the weather, it had become a major event in the capital, attracting people from all over the country. The scale was unprecedented, and the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.
However, on the seventh day of the fourth lunar month, the nobles of the capital who honored Buddhism had already begun making their way to Gan Quan Temple.
Su Xiaoqi had traveled directly in the Princess Regent's carriage, thus missing some of the excitement but avoiding much of the hassle.
Moreover, she could directly stay with the Princess Regent in the Zen courtyard located halfway up the mountain.
For a seasoned devotee like the Princess Regent, the Luoxia Courtyard was exclusively set aside for her.
It was reserved for her whether she went or not.
Unfortunately, the number of Zen courtyards was limited. The families of officials ranked below the third rank who were attending the assembly had to stay in the bamboo buildings at the foot of the mountain.
Along the way, there were onlookers among the common people, but more guards, ensuring the carriages of the officials and nobles were tightly protected within an impenetrable cordon.
The carriages followed the winding bluestone path up the mountain. Upon reaching the mountain gate, the carriages could even drive directly through the side gate to unload their belongings before exiting through the same side gate.
Everyone passed through smoothly.
However, a carriage from the Prince Ning's estate was stopped at the mountain gate.
The reason the Prince Ning's estate carriage was stopped was due to the Crown Prince of Prince Ning's estate.
There were three carriages from the Prince Ning's estate.
The first carriage carried the Princess of Ning and her two daughters.
The second carriage was that of the Crown Prince of Prince Ning's estate.
The third carriage carried some of the estate's more important maids and governesses.
This in itself was not an issue. The key point was that the Crown Prince of Prince Ning's estate had brought a mistress into his carriage.
If that were all, the monks in charge of welcoming and seeing off guests at Gan Quan Temple would have had nothing to say.
After all, this was the Prince Ning's estate, a powerful entity not to be trifled with lightly.
But the problem was that he acted in such a scandalous manner, still cavorting with his "mistress" in the carriage as they entered the mountain gate.
The noise was so loud that the carriages behind them dared not approach.
How could such depravity be tolerated in the pure land of Buddhism?
Naturally, his carriage was stopped and not allowed to enter.
Even if he were to enter, he would have to descend to the bamboo buildings at the foot of the mountain first to burn incense, bathe, and cleanse himself of all impurities.
Furthermore, he could not bring those women who were tainted with impurity.
Otherwise, who knew what they might do in the Zen rooms.
Prince Ning, being a boorish man, was naturally unwilling to comply. He immediately started to make a scene, creating an unbearable commotion.
"Fu'er, get down." Princess Pingning glared at Shen Fu, whose clothes were disheveled, feeling a throbbing sensation in her temples that made her dizzy.
"Mother, they are going too far! Why are you scolding me?" Shen Fu, who normally wouldn't dare to act out in front of Princess Pingning, who always appeared gentle and loving, dared not cause further trouble. Instead, he wriggled his body and acted spoiled.
"Fu'er, this is Gan Quan Temple, not the back courtyard of Prince Ning's estate," Princess Pingning stated calmly.
"But Mother, it's so far to go down, and, and he won't let me bring Mei Mei and Li Li up..."
Princess Pingning looked at the ever-growing queue of carriages behind them, a frost forming in her eyes. For the first time, she felt that raising this son had been a true mistake.
Coupled with the recent rumors about the new top scholar, her heart sank. She said in a low but irrefutable tone, "Lu Yi, escort the Crown Prince down."
Then, she subtly signaled Lu Yi when no one was paying attention.
Lu Yi, the chief bodyguard of the estate, immediately dismounted the coachman of Shen Fu's carriage.
He took the reins himself, pushed Shen Fu back into the carriage, and without regard for his curses, flicked his whip, driving the carriage down the mountain.
With the commotion over, the Princess Regent's carriage entered the mountain gate. Thinking of Prince Ning's estate gaining the upper hand in the previous conflict, Princess Pingning snorted, "Hmph, born of a concubine is still born of a concubine; they can never truly ascend to prominence."
Su Xiaoqi had no response to this and pretended not to hear, keeping her gaze fixed on her nose and her nose on her heart.
After arriving at the Luoxia Courtyard and settling into their respective accommodations,
Su Xiaoqi beckoned Zhang Yu over and gently instructed her to find out which courtyard the people from Prince Ning's estate were staying in and to send someone to keep an eye on Shen Fu.
As Su Xiaoqi spoke, she kept looking at Ziling, who had accompanied her.
Because of her excellent cooking skills and her talent for making pastries, Bao Ge'er liked her very much. Su Xiaoqi had specially brought her along to make pastries for everyone.
She hadn't expected the situation with the Prince Ning's estate.
Earlier, in the carriage, Ziling must have learned about Shen Fu's incident and was likely terribly frightened.
Even now, she was still somewhat dazed, her gaze unfocused, like a startled bird.
"Ziling, don't be afraid. We are staying in a Zen courtyard of the Princess Regent's estate; Prince Ning's estate wouldn't dare cross us."
Su Xiaoqi reassured her.
Ziling bit her lip and blinked hard, managing to hold back the tears that were about to fall from fright.
However, the thing she had tried so hard to forget had now resurfaced.
Zhang Yu returned quickly. She was very clever. Not only did she find out that Prince Ning's estate was staying in the Luoyan Pavilion,
but she also learned that the Crown Prince of Prince Ning's estate, Shen Fu, unwilling to part with his two delicate mistresses, had sent people to say he wouldn't be staying. He had occupied a bamboo building belonging to someone else and was staying at the foot of the mountain.
Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoqi glanced at Ziling and said, "Now it's fine; you won't encounter him."
Seeing that Zhang Yu's expression was not quite right and that she seemed to have more to say,
Su Xiaoqi asked Guo'er to pour her some tea before continuing.
"When he was snatching the bamboo building, Prince Ning happened to arrive. He caught him, scolded him, and brought the person whose bamboo building was snatched up to the mountainside. Master, guess who that person was?"
Su Xiaoqi hadn't thought much of it initially, just that some unlucky person hadn't consulted their almanac when going out and had run into the deranged Shen Fu.
But hearing Zhang Yu mention it specifically, with her eyes sparkling, she suddenly realized, "Could it be your master?"
Zhang Yu's eyes suddenly stopped sparkling. She stared blankly at Su Xiaoqi, "M-Master, how did you know? Do you have clairvoyance?"
Su Xiaoqi spat at her, "Isn't your expression obvious enough? It's as if you're about to whisper in my ear that it's your master."
Was it that hard to guess?