Early the next morning, while it was still dark, the princess sent someone to wake Song Ran up. He said he was going to Faguang Temple outside the city to pray for blessings.
It turned out that it was normal to march and fight for several days without rest or sleep. But these days in the capital, Song Ran lived too leisurely and lazy every day, and suddenly got up so early, and she was not used to it.
She rubbed her eyes, looking tired.
After dressing up, I walked to the door and watched the servants moving things into the carriage.
She thought she was hallucinating before she woke up, so she softened her eyes and said in confusion: "Mother, are you going to burn incense and worship Buddha or to help the suffering people? Why do you bring so many things?"
"I'm going to ask Yun Qi's mother for a peace charm later, and when I come back, I'll stop by the Liu Mansion."
This seemed to be an opportunity to talk to Liu Yunqi alone.
"What are you doing standing still? You haven't even gotten on the carriage yet!"
Although it was early, there was already an endless stream of pilgrims coming and going, and incense filled the entire front hall.
Song Ran followed the princess and knelt on the futon in front of the Bodhisattva statue.
The golden Buddha statue on the lotus base looks kindly at all the living beings who come to offer incense and pay homage. The centuries-old ancient bell in the temple has a soul-stirring sound, as if it is cutting off the pain in this world.
"I hope everything goes well for the Prince of Nanjun. May Yuan'er and Ranran be safe and happy. I hope Sister Du recovers soon."
The princess shook the bamboo bucket devoutly and said her prayers. Song Ran closed her hands and prayed for blessings from gods and Buddhas.
The princess and the host seemed to be old acquaintances. After exchanging pleasantries, he took them to the inner court.
The princess asked the others to wait in the inner court. She took Song Ran alone and followed the host out of the back door.
The small path out of the back door leads directly to the back mountainside. The pines and cypresses on both sides are swaying, and the stones on the ground are uneven. At the end of the road, there is a nunnery hidden deep in Cangshan Mountain.
There is a good saying, "The winding path leads to a secluded place, and the Zen room is deep with flowers and trees." I'm afraid this is what I'm talking about.
It was a desolate scene all along the road, but at the end, "there is another village with dark flowers and bright flowers".
A eucalyptus tree with its branches and leaves spread out, its mottled shadow imprinted on the red wall and green tiles. The red wall is enchanting with clouds and mist, and exotic flowers and plants are planted outside the wall. Swaying in the wind, the flowers fall, and the fragrance spreads everywhere.
The host led the way to the door and turned back by himself.
Song Ran helped the county princess and walked in. When the two Taoist nuns in their early twenties saw them, they were not surprised and led them to the innermost meditation room with understanding.
In the Zen room, an elderly Taoist nun was sitting cross-legged on a futon with her back to them while chanting sutras.
Song Ran was confused all the way and saw the person they wanted to see in front of them, but the mystery was still not solved.
The princess took Song Ran with her and bowed deeply without saying much.
When she came out, Song Ran still couldn't hold back: "Mother, who was the Taoist nun who was chanting sutras just now?"
The princess looked serious and lowered her voice: "A distinguished person."
"Have I seen him before?" Song Ran continued to ask.
"Ran Ran, don't ask too much about some things. Just remember, don't talk to him about what happened today."
It was the first time that Song Ran saw such a mysterious mother-in-law and a mysterious old friend who was at the feet of the emperor. Her curiosity could not be suppressed: "Is she someone who cannot be known to others?"
The princess of the county did not reply to Song Ran's inquiring questions.
Song Ran became more and more confused, but seeing the attitude of the princess, she couldn't continue to pester her.
The Liu family is located on the southwest side of the long street, only separated by a road from Taifu Jiang's mansion.
Song Ran got off the carriage and looked at the plaque at the door. It was still the word Liufu inscribed by the late emperor, but with the baptism of time and wind, the handwriting became much lighter.
When Mrs. Liu heard their visit, she cried out in pain for someone to help her up and leaned on her side. Her body could no longer sit up comfortably.
When the princess of the county walked into the room, Mrs. Liu was so excited that she almost fell off the bed. Fortunately, the maid next to her had quick eyesight and quick hands to help her.
Her eyes were filled with tears, her sallow face was bloodless, and her pale lips struggled to utter a few words: "A-Ning, An-Ning."
The voice was shaky and hoarse.
Seeing this, the princess hurriedly stepped forward and helped Mrs. Liu's body from the maid's hand. She sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her withered palms with one hand and patting her back with the other.
Looking at her emaciated body, the princess could not help but shed tears.
There was a sound of crying in the house.
I don't know when Liu Yunqi was behind Song Ran. He stood with his hands down and looked at everything in front of him.
"Ran Ran, come here quickly. I've seen your Aunt Liu."
Song Ran approached the bed and leaned over to say hello to Mrs. Liu.
Mrs. Liu wiped her tears with a handkerchief, squeezed out a smile and said, "Get up, get up quickly."
She stared at Song Ran with kind eyes and didn't look away for a long time.
This is the child she watched grow up, and now he is tall and graceful.
The princess took out another blessing of peace from her sleeve and put it in Mrs. Liu's hand: "Sister, I asked for this for you from Faguang Temple this morning."
Then he summoned the servants to move everything in the carriage one by one.
"Princess, my nephew really dare not accept such a great gift from you." Liu Yunqi quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"I found an old man who was good at medicine among the people, and these are all the folk prescriptions he prescribed. When I entered the palace, I asked Dr. Zhao from the Taiyuan Hospital to take a look. These medicinal foods are all good medicines for replenishing qi and blood. I know If I came here with some gold, silver and jewels, you would definitely not accept them. I specially collected these, thinking that your mother could recover as soon as possible.
"Aning, it's too expensive."
"Sister, please feel free to accept it. It's all from the heart of the county prince and I. When you are well, you can return the gift when you come to Nanjun."
"The princess is interested! My mother and I are deeply grateful." Liu Yunqi was modest, filial, meek and polite. As he spoke, he bowed in the direction of the princess.
Madam Liu pulled the sleeve of the county princess, motioning her to come closer, and said cautiously: "Have you seen her?"
"I've seen it before."
"But it's okay."
The princess's voice lowered a little: "I can't stay with my status for a long time, so I took Ran Ran and detained An."
"A few years ago, I was still dragging my body to barely take a few glances. In the past two years, it's no longer possible."
The princess opened her mouth, but hesitated. She swallowed the words that came to her lips deeply, changed her words, and comforted her: "Your health is important. Don't worry about other things."
Mrs. Liu calmed down and said slowly: "You don't know that after the death of the master, the Liu family has lost its backbone. We, the orphans and the widows, only have this house left. The rest of the clan is also guarding the front three points of the house. I can't help A Qi. A Qi has been stumbling all the way up to this point, and it's been really hard. As a mother, I can't do anything for her, and I have to drag her down, so how can I not worry about it."
"Although Nanjun is far away, if sister has something to do, you can send someone to send a letter. If we can help, the prince and I will do our best."
"Aqi said that the situation in Nanjun is difficult, the war is tense, and you are also in difficulty. Please don't cause any more trouble to you."
"What you said is right. I once trusted you with everything, but now I don't know how to speak."
The princess waved to Liu Yunqi and motioned for him to come closer. Then he looked at Song Ran next to him and whispered: "Ranran will marry to Prince Xuan's Mansion in the future. I'm afraid that something will happen to her because of her character. I think A Qi is my elder brother and is also a bachelor now. If something happens to Ran Ran in the future, You must communicate with me in Nanjun as soon as possible."
"Ran Ran is going to be Princess Xuan, An Ning, are you worrying too much?" Mrs. Liu looked at the Princess Princess in confusion and then at her son with a little doubt.
"Princess, don't worry, my nephew will definitely find a way to protect Sister Ran."
When Mrs. Liu heard her son's words, although she didn't understand everything at the moment, she roughly guessed something.
"Ran Ran, you and A Qi go out first. You two haven't seen each other for many years, and you were the closest in the past. Let's go outside to catch up on old times. I still have something to say with your Aunt Liu."
"Yes, concubine."
"Yun Qi will retire first."
The dead trees and flowers in the courtyard were withered, and only half of the lotus flowers in the lotus pond still showed their heads. The long corridor leading to the pavilion in the center of the lake has red wooden pillars that have been in disrepair for a long time and are extremely old.
Song Ran turned around and looked up at the locust tree that once had lush branches and leaves, and felt that the prosperity was like a dream.
Suddenly the wind picked up and dark clouds gathered.
The rainwater shot through the lake like arrows, and the raindrops on the eaves pattered on the stone piers.
Song Ran and Liu Yunqi stood side by side in the viewing pavilion in the lake, quietly looking at the Liu Mansion on the rainy day.
"Today my concubine took me to see a Taoist nun. Brother Qi, do you know who it is?"
Liu Yunqi had not heard this title for a long time. Since Song Ran left Beijing, no one has called him that again.
"I heard Mrs. Liu's tone just now, and I must know who it is." Seeing that Liu Yunqi didn't speak, Song Ran said emphatically.
"Since the princess didn't tell you, I think she has a reason. Why should sister Ran bother with this?"
Song Ran looked sideways at him.
"Brother Qi, please tell me why the emperor insists that I marry into Prince Xuan's palace."
Liu Yunqi closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head helplessly.
"The uncle and the prince have always been at odds with each other, but they surprisingly agree on the issue of Nanjun. They feel that the Nanjun palace had close contacts with the former prince in the early years and held important military power. Now that the new emperor has succeeded to the throne not long ago, his foundation is not stable. Steady, I'm afraid that Prince Nanjun may have other thoughts."
"Our Nanjun Prince's Mansion is loyal and patriotic. We can learn from the sun and the moon, so they have nothing to fear. Now that our old friend is dead, they have nothing to fear. Is it because we are afraid that our Nanjun Prince's Mansion will not be able to establish ourselves as king?"
Song Ran became more and more excited as she spoke. Fortunately, the sound of rain covered up their conversation, otherwise these words would fall into the ears of others and cause trouble.
"Ran Ran, shut up. I will swallow these words forever. You must know that your stay in the capital represents the entire Nanjun Palace, and your every move is under the surveillance of the emperor. Do you know?"
"Hehe-hehe-" Song Ran felt heartbreaking, heart-wrenching pain, despair and pain.
"There is nothing I can do to help you terminate your engagement for the time being. Nor can I persuade you to accept the reality." Liu Yunqi frowned tightly.
He looked at the grief-stricken Song Ran with great pity. He wanted to comfort her and stroke her hair as he did when he was a child, but the hand hanging in the air was returned to his side.
Song Ran shed tears and stood there staring at him blankly.
Time seems to have stopped.
