Chapter Fifty: Lu Weijie Arrived

  As they came out of the Guanyin Hall, everyone went east to the White Robe Hut. On the east side was where the nuns lived, and the guest nun led everyone directly to the front of the meditation room where Master Hui Jue of the White Robe Hut resided.

  Luoshi stopped in front of the Zen room of Master Huijue, turned his head to glance at Yuandai and the others, and smiled: "If you are interested in these Buddhist scriptures, you can follow us in to listen. If not, you can also stroll around the backyard with your companions. However, women are not allowed out of this backyard, do you understand?"

  Everyone heard and was overjoyed. Ling Yuexuan hastily responded with a "yes" and then pulled Far Dai to bow and retreat.

  Ling Yuandu and Ling Ting'an were overjoyed to have obtained their freedom, and they quickly ran out, one on the left and one on the right. However, they grabbed onto Ling Yuanqing and refused to let go, insisting that he take them to play in front of the White Robe Temple. In front of the temple's mountain gate, there were many small stalls set up by local villagers selling all sorts of snacks and trinkets that children loved. Ling Yuanqing had always been kind-hearted and was particularly fond of these two children, so he readily agreed and told Mrs. Luo and Mrs. Guo before taking the two children out.

  This White Robe Temple, on the surface, is supported by incense and fire from all over the world, but after all, this temple was built with funds from a palace concubine many years ago. Therefore, over the years, many wealthy families have come to worship here, including those within the palace. During festivals, there are always silver donations sent over. Occasionally, one or two imperial consorts who have received imperial favor but have no children would come to burn incense and pray for a child. Hence, the backyard of the temple is built in a very secluded and elegant manner, suitable for appreciation.

  Ling Yuexuan walked side by side with Yuan Dai, chatting as they strolled: "Ninth Sister, do you think this backyard is better than our family's Chunhui Garden?"

  Yan Dai smiled and said, "Compared to the houses and buildings, Bai Yi An is after all a place for cultivation, so it can't be compared to Chun Hui Garden. However, this White Robe Temple was built leaning on the mountain, with its houses and buildings scattered and hidden among the mountains, giving it a unique flavor!"

  Ling Yuexuan nodded and said: "This is An Tang, but it's already like this. Naturally, the other courtyard of Xiao Jiejie's house will be even more extraordinary!"

  Yan Dai pursed her lips and smiled, saying: "It's always just a matter of a few days before you have to go away for a short stay, at that time everyone will naturally know!"

  Ling Yuexuan thought for a moment and couldn't help but laugh: "I'd love to go today!" As she spoke, she glanced back at the four maids following behind the two of them: "Sister, are you planning on bringing Du Ruo and Wenping along?"

  Yan Dai nodded slightly and said, "That's natural!" If she followed her own heart, she wouldn't have wanted to bring Du Ruo along. But if she didn't bring Du Ruo with her, the old lady would never let them pass, so it was better for her to take the initiative and bring Du Ruo along anyway.

  She was never one to court trouble, but if trouble had to come find her, she also didn't intend to avoid it.

  The two were talking when Baitao suddenly exclaimed: "Ah! So fragrant! There's a plum blossom over there!"

  Everyone followed Baitao's pointing direction and looked over, indeed saw a short wall not far ahead, a sturdy and powerful withered branch stretched out, with dots of plum blossoms on the branch, opening gently, and fragrance overflowing. Ling Yuexian hurriedly walked over quickly, just as she was about to reach the side of the short wall, she lightly exclaimed: "Ah! It turns out that there is such a large patch of plum blossoms here!"

  She stepped back a little and walked up to the low wall, gazing out at the view, and couldn't help but give a silent sigh of admiration.

  That short wall was built with green bricks, and in fact, it didn't look very impressive. However, this short wall was actually the highest point of this place. Below the wall, there was a slope that slanted downwards. The slope was about one zhang high and four zhang long, connecting to a mountain valley. On the slope and in the valley, there were rows and rows of winter plums planted - a large area, a large area of winter plums.

  As the tenth month arrives, it is the time when winter plum blossoms are in full bloom. At a glance, there appears to be an endless sea of flowers. Only five days have passed since the snow stopped falling, and in the city, the snow has almost completely melted away. Even on the mountain in front of Guanyin Mountain, due to the frequent comings and goings of believers, no traces of heavy snow can be seen. But in this slope land valley, it is still a vast expanse of pure white, like a piece of jade. The snow presses down on the plum branches, making the winter plum blossoms even more charming and beautiful, so that one can hardly bear to look away.

  After a long while, Ling Yuexuan finally turned back to look at Yuan Dai with a surprised expression and exclaimed: "I've only heard that the plum blossoms on Green Hill are the most beautiful in the vicinity of Pingjing, but I didn't expect the wax plums on Guanyin Mountain to be so flourishing! However, this slope is a bit steep and very slippery, I'm afraid it's not easy to get down!" As she spoke, she took another step forward, carefully searching for a path, intending to enter the forest to admire the plum blossoms.

  Yuandai saw her intention but didn't respond to her words. Instead, she raised her hand and pointed, saying: "Tenth sister, look over there!"

  Ling Yuexuan looked over at the sound, and saw that what Daimu Jade was pointing to was actually a bamboo building located among the white snow and plum blossoms.

  The bamboo building was only two stories high, with the entire structure made of thick and coarse bamboo. Against the backdrop of the snow, it seemed even more simple and unadorned, yet harmonious with the sea of plum blossoms. Ling Yuanxun couldn't help but let out a sigh of envy: "I wonder who could be living in such a place! Pushing open the window to see the snow, the fragrance of plum blossoms fills the entire building - this is truly elegant!"

  Yan Dai smiled lightly and naturally raised her hand to gently pull the silver fox fur cloak she was wearing. This cloak was actually brought out by Old Lady Xiao after hearing that Yan Dai was coming to Guanyin Mountain to burn incense, specifically for her to keep warm. It was a single color of silver light, smooth and glossy, without any impurities, extremely precious. However, she had always been afraid of the cold, so no matter how many layers she wore, she still felt very chilly.

  She smiled and replied, "It's extremely elegant! However, from afar, I feel a chill run down my spine. It seems that my plebeian nature is not worthy of such elegance!"

  Wenjing, who was standing beside her, couldn't help but burst out laughing at this, and then immediately went to support Yuandai, saying: "This place is quite high up, and with the sun behind us, standing for a long time really does get chilly! Miss, you've just recovered from your illness, it's best not to stand for too long!"

  Ling Yuexuan heard this and suddenly came to her senses, hurriedly laughing: "That's right! I was so busy looking at the flowers that I forgot that sister has always been afraid of the cold!" At this point, everyone left the low wall and continued on their way east towards the White Robe Temple.

  Ling Yuexian couldn't help but think of the plum forest and the bamboo building, and after walking a few steps, she saw a young nun hurrying over. She stretched out her hand to stop the nun and smiled as she called out, "Shifu!" Today, the White Robe Temple had received news that members of the Ling family would be coming to burn incense, so everyone in the temple was aware of it. The young nun saw the group of people and didn't dare show any disrespect, quickly returning a greeting. Ling Yuexian then pointed behind the low wall and asked, "May I ask, Shifu, which master lives in the plum forest behind that wall?"

  Xiao Ni heard the sound, recited a Buddha's name and then shook his head: "Don't be deceived, benefactor, that plum blossom forest is no longer part of my temple! The people living there are naturally not from my temple either!"

  Ling Yu Xuan curiously asked: "If it was in the past, why isn't it now?"

  "That little nun smiled and explained: 'Well, Master, you should know that behind the mountain, there were originally no plum blossoms, only some shrubs. Because the previous master cherished the land's energy and couldn't bear to waste it, he ordered the people in the temple to go and open up the wasteland, reclaiming several hectares of land to plant vegetables and fruits for the temple's daily needs. However, a few years ago, a noble person from the palace came to burn incense and took a liking to this mountain valley. The master saw that she truly liked it, so he agreed to her request. This noble person then planted plum blossoms all over the slope and valley, and after just a few years, they had already grown into a lush forest!'"

  Ling Yuexuan responded with an "oh" before asking again: "Is this noble person present now?"

  Xiao Ni shook her head and said, "That nobleman is busy with many things, although he has this garden, but he rarely comes. Only last year on New Year's Day, he came to stay for three days! But he didn't even step out of the house, nor did he have any contact with the temple!"

  Ling Yuexuan thought for a moment and then asked again: "Can that forest be forbidden from incense guests going there?"

  Xiao Ni heard this and immediately understood, laughing: "Ordinary incense guests can't enter here, naturally they can't see this forest, let alone enter. However, if the donor wants to go sightseeing, that's okay, but they can't get too close to that bamboo building!"

  Ling Yuexuan got the answer she wanted, and was overjoyed. She thanked the little nun and asked for directions. After parting with the little nun, she excitedly pulled Yuandai along, saying: "Let's go appreciate the flowers together after finishing our vegetarian meal!"

  Yan Dai lost her smile, but she couldn't bear to dampen Ling Yuanxuan's enthusiasm after all, so she smiled and responded.

  Two people walked and talked, walking slowly. They had just returned to the east side of Huiyuan Dashi's Zen temple when someone suddenly rushed out and ran straight towards Ling Yuexian, causing her to retreat three or four steps in surprise. "Ah" she cried out after regaining her footing, and with a furious expression, she grabbed the earlobe of the child who had just rushed at her, shouting: "Ling Yuhua, you're at it again!" The delicate and lovely child who had rushed over was none other than Ling Yun and Luo Shi's youngest son, Ling Yuhua.

  Ling Yuahua's ear was pinched by her older sister, but she didn't seem to mind. Apparently, Ling Yuaxian's pinch looked fierce, but in fact, she hadn't used much force. With a mischievous expression, Ling Yuahua made a face at Ling Yuaxian and said with a grin: "Sister, don't blame me for not warning you! Hurry up and let go of my ear, or else... Hehe..."

  He didn't say that, but once he did, Ling Yuexuan really got angry. She raised her jade hand and grabbed Ling Yuanhua's ear, lifting him up. Ling Yuanhua was in pain and no longer dared to be stubborn, only pitifully crying out: "Good sister, spare me!"

  Yan Dai couldn't help but laugh at the sight, and quickly reached out to pull Ling Yuan Hua to safety, saying: "Tenth sister, the White Robe Temple is a place for monks to cultivate their minds in peace, it's not suitable for making noise and causing trouble! Just remember this debt, wait until we return to the manor, then slowly settle accounts with him properly!"

  Because of school, Ling Yuanghua usually doesn't stay in Chunhui Garden. However, he and his sister Ling Yuangxuan are very close, and whenever they have a spare moment, they often run to Xiangfangzhai, so over the past few days, he has also become familiar with Yuan Dai.

  Ling Yu Xuan hummed and glared at Ling Yuan Hua, saying: "Fine! We'll settle the score when we get back!"

  Ling Yuanghua was shocked, covering his small ears and making a bitter face: "Sister, spare me! Actually, I came to find you this time to spread the news!" When he said the last sentence, a sly and mysterious smile appeared on his delicate face.

  Yan Dai couldn't help but think to herself: It's finally here! But her face remained calm and unruffled.

  "You'd better not have gotten some small news again and want to blackmail me for a sum of money!"

  Ling Yuanghua heard this and was extremely displeased, immediately throwing away his previous thoughts of hiding in Java. He raised his chin slightly and said proudly: "This time it's not a small rumor!" As he spoke, he pointed to the Chan house behind him and said with satisfaction: "Lu Weijie has arrived!"