Mo Sang – CH 292

Chapter 292. A lively New Year

Li Sangrou hurried out of the Hanlin Academy, turned a corner, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief before slowing her pace and heading towards the Daxiangguo Temple.

She circled half of the temple grounds, then, seeing no one around, ran a few steps, grabbed a branch from a tree outside the wall, climbed over it, and jumped over the wall.

The abbot’s courtyard, where Abbot Yuande lived, was empty. Li Sangrou peeked out, looking for someone in the monks’ quarters on either side.

“Esteemed benefactor!” A young monk sweeping the floor rushed forward. “Esteemed lady! The incense offering and prayer area is ahead; please go ahead!”

“I am looking for Abbot Kexin,” Li Sangrou stopped, explaining with a forced smile.

“Eh!” The young monk immediately sneered at Li Sangrou. “Female benefactor, please go forward! Junior Brother Kexin does not receive outsiders! Please go forward!”

“My surname is Li…”

“No matter what your surname is! Please get out of here!”

“Then I will look for your guest monk, Master Keyi…”

“Master Keyi is always in the front during the day! Why would you come here to look for someone? Please get out of here! Please!” The young monk was getting impatient.

“Fine, fine! I will look in the front.” Li Sangrou quickly walked out.

“If you want to find Master Keyi, go to the Medicine King Hall!” Seeing Li Sangrou leave, the young monk breathed a sigh of relief, his attitude immediately softening.

“Thank you, thank you.” Li Sangrou turned back to thank him and headed straight for the Medicine King Hall.

A moment later, the guest monk Keyi of the Daxiangguo Temple accompanied Li Sangrou, politely leading her into the back courtyard.

The young monk, still sweeping, leaned on his broom, frowning as he glanced at Li Sangrou. Li Sangrou smiled and nodded at him.

The monk Keyi led Li Sangrou to a corner of the last courtyard of the monks’ quarters, pointing to two small rooms and smiling. “Junior Brother Kexin prefers quiet; please wait a moment, Boss.”

The monk Keyi took two steps forward. Before he could speak, a slightly thin, tall, and upright young monk emerged from one of the rooms, bowing respectfully with his hands clasped in prayer to Li Sangrou.

Li Sangrou recognized the young monk and could not help but exclaim, “Oh!” followed by a chuckle. “No wonder your temple is so troubled by female benefactors.”

“It’s just a physical appearance; I am sorry to have made you laugh, Boss.” The monk Keyi bowed again.

“In the past year, the entire temple has been filled with female benefactors; it is indeed quite troublesome,” the guest monk Keyi chuckled as well.

“I did come on business; I had not heard of you before meeting you,” Li Sangrou explained earnestly, bowing slightly to Monk Kexin.

Monk Keyi chuckled. “If there’s nothing else, Boss, I will take my leave.”

Monk Keyi took a few steps back, turned, and left. Monk Kexin had already brought out two small stools and a rough, unfinished wooden table. He then lit the red clay stove under the eaves, took out a tea tray and teaware, and prepared to brew tea.

Li Sangrou sat down, watching Monk Kexin go in and out, setting up the teaware and beginning to brew tea.

Monk Kexin finished brewing the tea and pushed a cup towards Li Sangrou.

Li Sangrou looked at the tea, then at Monk Kexin, and sighed. “Your tea is otherworldly, utterly devoid of any earthy flavor.”

“My master also said that since we are born as human beings, even if we become monks, we cannot be without earthy flavors. My cultivation is still lacking,” Monk Kexin said, bowing slightly.

“I always thought the one attending Abbot Yuande was you,” Li Sangrou said, scrutinizing Kexin again.

“That’s Senior Brother Ke’an,” Abbot Kexin replied with a slight bow and smile.

Li Sangrou looked at the smiling Kexin and sighed. “Were you always this beautiful? How old were you when you became a monk? How could your family bear to part with you?”

“I am an orphan. Thirty years ago, my master brought me back to the monastery and ordained me.”

“You are already over thirty? Truly, time never diminishes beauty,” Li Sangrou remarked admiringly.

“Thank you for the compliment, Boss.” Abbot Kexin nodded slightly. “The letter you sent this morning, Boss, I’ve already rewritten and had it delivered to the Evening Post.”

“How many amulets have you prepared this year?” Li Sangrou picked up her cup and took a sip of tea.

“It’s forty percent less than in previous years. Back in the tenth month, I wrote to Master asking if he could preside over this year’s peace and blessing ceremony.

The peace talismans from Daxiangguo Temple are incredibly powerful, half of which come from Master’s compassion,” Monk Kexin said slowly.

“Hmm, too few. Is it too late to add more?” Li Sangrou asked with a smile.

Monk Kexin was somewhat surprised. “We should ask Brother Keyi.”

“I would like to invite your temple and also invite several other major temples, such as Kaibao Temple and Dafo Temple, to hold a memorial service for the fallen soldiers and place those peace talismans before their memorial tablets for prayer.”

“If we invite all the major temples, Daxiangguo Temple might be too small to set up the ceremony. We should discuss this with Brother Keyi.” Monk Kexin was about to stand up.

“How to set up the formation and make arrangements, you can discuss it yourselves. Daxiangguo Temple is too small; you can choose another place. Once you’ve chosen a good location, if it is inconvenient for you to come directly, come find me.

Also, the task of copying the list of fallen soldiers is your responsibility. These lists should ideally be copied by route, prefecture, and county. The sooner the better. Select as many people as possible. Once you’ve selected them, have them come to Shunfeng headquarters to find me.

As for the silver, have Monk Keyi go to Da Chang,” Li Sangrou said, standing up.

“Yes, Boss, do not worry.”

Monk Kexin also stood up, took two steps to see her off, and Li Sangrou waved to him, “No need to see me off; I am leaving.” Saying this, she climbed up a bent branch, then another, and jumped over the wall.

The monk Kexin stared in disbelief for a moment before snapping out of his daze. He hurriedly went to find monk Keyi and gathered the others to discuss this important matter.

………………………………

Li Sangrou emerged from the Daxiangguo Temple, turned the corner, and passed Changqing Tower. She caught a glimpse of A-Zuo standing by the entrance; upon seeing her, she subtly curtsied.

Li Sangrou casually entered Changqing Tower, ordering a dish of braised venison and a portion of rolled pancakes from the tea and wine server who approached her. She instructed them to cook and wrap them up, as she intended to take them home. After giving these instructions, she looked around, glancing at A-Zuo, and headed towards the back courtyard.

A-Zuo entered a private room hidden by a large tree, and Li Sangrou followed.

Upon entering the courtyard, A-Zuo, standing behind the door, quickly closed it. On the steps leading to the private room, Shi Acai hurried down the steps, lifted her skirt, and knelt.

“I dare not accept this! What are you doing?” Li Sangrou exclaimed, startled, and rushed forward to help Shi Acai up.

“The Grand Boss’s kindness is immense,” Shi Acai said, looking at Li Sangrou with a mixture of smiles and tears.

The Boss covered up everything, effectively erasing all her own credit.

“We said we’d never met before, so why are you here?” Li Sangrou gestured around. “Is there an emergency?”

“No, I just wanted to kowtow to the Boss in person,” Shi Acai said, catching her breath.

“It’s nothing. Is everything alright at home?” Li Sangrou scrutinized Shi Acai.

“Everything’s fine. My mother took care of everything. Afterwards, she sent me with the children to Jianle City.”

“How was your meeting with the Emperor? How did it go? How different was it from what you expected?” Li Sangrou asked vaguely.

“Excellent. They gave me a hereditary title of Prince. They originally wanted to give me a King¹ title, but I declined. This was my mother’s instruction before I came: too much power is dangerous.

The Dong soldiers of Jiuxi Shidong are stationed in the southwest, still under the command of the Yang family.”

Shi Acai paused, then smiled and said, “I wrote a letter to Mother and Eldest Brother, promising that all direct descendants of the Yang family must be born and raised in Jianle City, and upon reaching adulthood, the most capable will be chosen to lead the Dong soldiers.”

Li Sangrou patted Shi Acai on the shoulder. “We will talk again when we have another chance to get to know each other. How are Nanxing and the eldest son of the Ye family?”

“They get along quite well,” Shi Acai replied with a smile, knowing what Li Sangrou was going to ask.

“That’s good. I am off.” Li Sangrou took two steps back, waved goodbye to Shi Acai, and left the courtyard. She picked up her food-carrying box and headed back to Chaomi Alley.

Although the Kitchen God Festival was still two days away, the houses in Chaomi Alley were already bustling with activity.

Inside the second gate, several Old Yunmeng Guards, wearing only thin shirts, were pounding rice cakes with wooden mallets.

Li Sangrou stared wide-eyed. Why were they adding rice cakes again?

Dong Chao carried a large wooden basin of steaming glutinous rice, running out and pouring it into another stone mortar. Two Old Yunmeng Guards following behind him took off their coats and began pounding.

“Whose idea was this?” Li Sangrou asked, pointing at the rice cakes.

“Ying Dandan!” Dong Chao replied cheerfully. “There were quite a few others who said they could not do without rice cakes for the New Year. Da Chang said you love rice cakes, so he made extra.”

Li Sangrou swallowed hard. Fine, rice cake it is. Who knows what else might come her way?

Li Sangrou handed the braised venison and the rolled pancakes to Hei Ma, who came out to greet her. Dong Chao sniffed them, then slapped his thigh. “I knew something was missing! No game! Look, even the Boss has gone out to buy venison!”

“No…” Li Sangrou called out weakly. Dong Chao, already carrying a wooden basin in one hand, ran off to find Da Chang, shouting as he ran, “Hey! I just remembered we need to buy a few more deer…”

Amidst the aroma of meat and oil filling the courtyard, Li Sangrou sat under the eaves of the main courtyard, took a pancake, added shredded braised chicken, shredded pork with soy sauce, and shredded pig’s ear, then added shredded scallions and cabbage, spread some sauce, rolled it up, and took a bite.

Hei Ma looked around and clicked his tongue. “I am waiting for the fried pork crackling buns, shredded radish with fried pork cracklings!”

“Where’s Pang’er?” Li Sangrou looked around and asked.

“He’s burying scallions in the backyard with Mazha.” Hei Ma picked up his chopsticks and ate some venison.

Changqing Tower’s braised venison was a specialty of Jianle City!

“Is Master Ma home?” a voice called from outside the courtyard gate.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Hei Ma leaped up and rushed out.

A moment later, Hei Ma trotted along, occasionally turning back and bowing, leading Princess Ninghe, who was wrapped in a thick cloak, into the main courtyard.

Li Sangrou put down her rolled pancake and stood up to greet her. “Why are you here so early? Is everything alright?” Li Sangrou took a few steps closer and carefully examined Princess Ninghe.

“Not exactly alright.” Princess Ninghe lifted her cloak hood, looking quite haggard.

“You two chat! I am taking Qian-Shan to eat! Qian-Shan has not eaten yet!” Hei Ma gave Princess Ninghe some instructions, then led Qian-Shan to the kitchen courtyard next door.

“Sit down. Would you like some tea?” Li Sangrou dragged over a high chair, gesturing for Princess Ninghe to sit down, pouring her a cup of tea.

“Ah Fei and I have been suffering for over a month.” Ninghe took the tea, sipped it, and put it down. “I am not thirsty. I just got back; Ah Fei is sick.”

“What happened?” Li Sangrou sat down, scrutinizing Ninghe again.

“In the tenth month, Father went to his palace, and King Rui fell ill.” Ninghe’s expression was somber.

Hearing Ninghe mention King Rui’s illness, Li Sangrou picked up a rolled pancake and continued eating.

“In the eleventh month, they said King Rui’s condition worsened, so my Eldest Brother sent me, along with Ah Fei’s second and Third Brothers, to the mausoleum to care for him.”

Li Sangrou finished one pancake, then rolled another, adding a few pieces of venison inside.

“King Rui’s illness was not originally that serious,” Princess Ninghe paused, then sighed. “But he stopped taking his medicine, and his condition worsened day by day.

King Rui is not really that bad; he just lies in bed. Most of the time, someone carries him to the corridor, where he just looks at the mountains, rarely speaking. If you talk to him, he acts as if he does not hear you. There’s nothing much to do attending to him; he will not let Ah Fei or the others touch him at all.

But, King’s Consort Shen!” Princess Ninghe took a deep breath. “It’s really…!” Princess Ninghe took another deep breath.

Li Sangrou glanced at her sideways.

Princess Ninghe took four or five breaths before continuing, “The first day we arrived, she greeted us with screams: ‘Where’s the eldest son? Where’s the heir? His father is dying, and he has not even come to see us?’

Ah Yi quickly said, ‘My elder brother is leading troops in battle and cannot come back.’

But King’s Consort Shen kept calling out, saying that if she died, it would be one thing if the eldest son did not even look at her, but that he was his father, and he did not care about face or anything like that. She just kept calling out.

We were there for over a month, and she made a scene every day.

She told Ah Fei that the entire Shen family died at the Boss’s hands, that she and King Rui died at her hands, and that Ah Fei was still with me, even living in the palace. She asked Ah-fei how she could eat or sleep.

When we arrived, my Elder Brother specifically chose Shanggong Song to accompany us. Shanggong Song had always been by Mother’s side, and King’s Consort Shen was quite afraid of her.

Shanggong Song said, ‘The Shen family only lost the Marquis of Yongping and his son. Who does not know how the Marquis of Yongping and his son died?’

Shanggong Song also asked King’s Consort Shen if she had repeatedly tried to kill the Shizi, poisoning him twice and hiring assassins. The Shizi barely escaped death during his mission to Southern Liang.”

Princess Ninghe paused, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Li Sangrou. “I knew nothing about these things, and neither did Ah Fei!”

Li Sangrou, biting into her rolled pancake, nodded.

“Shanggong Song said that King’s Consort Shen simply failed in her attempts. Ah Fei has a clear conscience, so of course she can eat and sleep well. Shanggong Ningbo asked King’s Consort Shen if she could eat and sleep well when she was so intent on harming people.

Shanggong Song also said that now that the situation is settled and even the world is unified, why is she still causing trouble for Ah Fei and Ah Yu? Is she trying to kill them?

That time, King’s Consort Shen was quiet for several days. Then, she went crazy. One minute, she’d tell Ah Fei that she’d accept the loss, and she would not say anything. The next minute, she’d start a scene, cursing King Rui for being spineless and only thinking of suicide and calling Ah Fei shameless. Then, a little while later, she’d calm down and tell Ah Fei to take care of herself, saying she deserved to die if she lost.

For the past month or so, King’s Consort Shen has been causing trouble like this several times a day!

Once, she made a scene at King Rui’s gate. King Rui said that the late Empress Zhang had said that Lady Shen was not even as good as the mud on the sole of Xi’er’s mother’s shoe, and it really was.

At that time, Ah Fei, Ah Yu, and my second cousin were all there. My second cousin’s face turned pale.

Sigh, Ah Fei cried every day because of this, and then she fell ill. Sigh!” Princess Ninghe sighed repeatedly.

“King Rui is gone?” Li Sangrou finished a pancake and clapped her hands.

“Well, before he left, he told me that he was now a recluse and that I should not let any worldly formalities bother him. He should be burned, and his remains scattered at the late Emperor’s mausoleum.

My Elder Brother said it was as he wished. Princess Ninghe sighed.

“What about King’s Consort Shen?” Li Sangrou asked.

“The imperial physician said she’s gone mad and is still at the mausoleum.” Princess Ninghe clearly did not want to say more.

“Well, it is all in the past. Is Ah Fei’s illness not too serious?”

“She’s alright, sigh!”

“Have you eaten? We are steaming pork crackling buns today, and there might be other things too. Would you like to try some?” Li Sangrou suggested.

“I…” Princess Ninghe hesitated.

Logically, she should be too upset to eat.

“Freshly steamed buns! Boss, try some!” Hei Ma came trotting in, carrying a small basket of steaming hot, freshly steamed buns. “Pork cracklings with shredded radish, pork cracklings with cabbage, and these are celery with mutton fat cracklings! Try them quickly; they are delicious!”

Princess Ninghe reached out. “There’s mutton fat crackling too? Let me try some.”

Li Sangrou also took a bun, watching Princess Ninghe eat with great relish.

Gu Fei would probably be ill for a while; Ninghe was just troubled.

In this world, there was no true empathy; no one could take someone else’s place. Everyone must face their own hardships and sorrows alone.