Chapter 61: Chopped Chili Fish Head (Part 12)
Hua Mei leaned weakly against Leng Yue, panting for a moment before shaking her head with a bitter smile. "You certainly know how to pick your timing..."
Leng Yue helped her sit at the table, gazing at the red marks on her neck from being choked, and said irritably, "If I hadn't come now, should I wait until you've reincarnated to show up?"
After saying this, Leng Yue suddenly remembered the terminal illness afflicting Hua Mei and felt a pang of guilt, her handsome features clouded with remorse. Hua Mei, however, merely smiled gracefully. "Then while I haven't reincarnated yet, say what you need to say quickly."
Leng Yue glanced down at Xiao Zhao Ye, who lay crumpled on the floor, and asked in a low voice with a furrowed brow, "What was he doing here?"
Hua Mei let out a derisive laugh, but it came too quickly, making her choke and cough. Her cheeks flushed with an unhealthy redness, and her frail body trembled uncontrollably.
After that severe illness—brought on by dousing herself with ice-cold water to evade syphilis inspection—Hua Mei's already delicate frame had grown even thinner, so gaunt it seemed as if another coughing fit might shatter her bones at any moment.
Leng Yue turned to pour her some tea. As the liquid streamed from the spout, an unusual fragrance wafted through the air. Leng Yue frowned, stopping mid-pour.
It was that aphrodisiac again...
Seeing Leng Yue's stern expression, Hua Mei waved a hand dismissively. Once she caught her breath, she leaned half her body against the table, looked at the half-filled cup of tea, and smiled with curved eyes. "What else would a man come here for... Could they all be like Young Master Jing, coming here to have a girl accompany him while he gnaws on pork knuckles?"
"...Gnaws on pork knuckles?"
Hua Mei propped herself up on the table, her laughter weak yet intimate. "Why the dark look? Not the girls' elbows—pork knuckles... It's an old chef's family recipe. They say it's quite troublesome to make, and he rarely honors us with it. I've only had the chance to taste it once or twice, thanks to a few distinguished guests. It's truly delicious. Young Master Jing's influence here is quite substantial. Would you like to try some?"
As she spoke, Hua Mei slowly stepped around Xiao Zhao Ye, who lay sprawled on the floor, and was about to head for the door when Leng Yue raised a hand to stop her.
"I don't want to."
Leng Yue had raised her left hand, and blocking Hua Mei's path was the sheathed long sword gripped in it. Though Leng Yue's expression wasn't cold, there was no trace of amiability in her features, which gave Hua Mei a start.
"I'll ask again—what was he doing here?" Before Hua Mei could respond, Leng Yue added, "I know he wasn't here for pleasure."
Hua Mei stared blankly for a moment, then coughed weakly a few more times. With a faint, elusive smile, she took half a step back, but the sword at her chest followed suit.
Resigned, Hua Mei stood still, gazing at the sword pressed against her chest as if in a dreamlike murmur. "It's dirty... Don't let it soil your scabbard..."
Hua Mei's voice was filled with profound sorrow, but Leng Yue raised an eyebrow, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly as a chill intensified around her. "If you keep beating around the bush and wasting time, we'll go see Imperial Physician Jing and discuss this matter of 'dirt.'"
"Xiao Yue..."
Leng Yue held the sword steady, showing no sign of relenting.
When she left An Wang's residence, she had speculated that the separation between Hua Mei and Xiao Zhao Ye was due to the fickleness of human relationships—that Xiao Zhao Ye had fallen for Hua Mei in his grief over his mother's death, then neglected her as that grief faded, ultimately driving Hua Mei out of the splendid manor because of her background, forcing her to seek refuge in this pleasure quarter.After all, the Wise Prince Manor was still a prince's residence, heavily guarded. If not for Xiao Zhao Ye's consent, Hua Mei, a delicate woman without any backing, would never have been able to leave as she pleased, let alone settle securely in the capital's most bustling pleasure quarter and thrive there.
Thus, from the very beginning, Leng Yue had never regarded that elegant and dignified Wise Prince as a decent person.
When Xiao Zhao Ye had grabbed her earlier, she initially thought there might still be some unresolved entanglement between them, feeling indignant on Hua Mei's behalf. She casually asked a question, but seeing Hua Mei skillfully evade by bringing up Jing Yi, she realized the situation was likely more complicated than she had imagined.
Had this person been anyone else related to Xiao Zhao, Leng Yue wouldn't have bothered inquiring further. But this was Xiao Zhao Ye - the very same Xiao Zhao Ye whom Prince An had just ordered her to investigate regarding his past affairs with Hua Mei.
Hua Mei stood silently for a long while, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears that would have made any passerby's heart ache with sympathy. Leng Yue simply watched coldly, unmoving.
Finally, Hua Mei's eyes curved slightly as she revealed a bitter smile, saying mournfully, "I'll go with you to see Imperial Physician Jing."
Leng Yue was taken aback for a moment before moving her sword away from Hua Mei's chest and grabbing Hua Mei's slender wrist.
"Let's go then."
When Jing Yi drifted back to Anguo Temple holding the brocade box, the monks were methodically making final preparations for today's Buddhist ritual. Incense smoke curled everywhere, and no one noticed a gray shadow passing overhead before landing in the abbot's chamber.
The abbot was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, eyes closed, fingering prayer beads while continuously cursing the ancestors of the Goryeo royal family in the measured tone of scripture chanting.
With each bead he touched, he uttered a curse, creating such a pleasant rhythm that one would be reluctant to interrupt.
"Master..." Jing Yi approached quietly, wearing an obedient smile as he carefully said, "I've found what you asked for."
The abbot stopped his muttering, lifted one eyelid to glance at Jing Yi, spotted the brocade box in Jing Yi's arms, then closed his eye again. He solemnly chanted a Buddhist invocation before saying leisurely, "Did you truly only bring back part of Benefactor Zhang's body?"
Jing Yi sat down on the spot with the box, nodding somewhat helplessly. "Master, didn't I explain earlier? Prince An has been extremely busy recently and hasn't had time to respond to the Capital Prefecture. Zhang Lao Wu's corpse is still being held at the yamen. Without Prince An's official approval, no one can bring out the complete body..."
As he spoke, Jing Yi meaningfully stroked the box lid embroidered with gold and silver threads. "This contains the most important part of Zhang Lao Wu. It was already quite difficult for me to bring this much. Master, with your profound cultivation and boundless spiritual power, even if I only brought back a single strand of hair, you could certainly perform this ritual, right?"
The abbot pressed his palms together and chanted "Amitabha." Jing Yi automatically interpreted this as "correct" in his mind, then presented the brocade box to the abbot with a smiling expression. "Please examine it, Master."
The abbot slowly opened his eyes, silently estimating the box's dimensions, but ultimately didn't separate his joined hands.
"You say this is the most important part of Benefactor Zhang's body. So what's inside is... Benefactor Zhang's head?"
Jing Yi shook his head.
"His heart?"Jing Yi shook his head again.
The abbot stared at the box lid for a moment longer before solemnly raising his head and looking deeply at Jing Yi. "You didn't... cut off that yang-essence object from Benefactor Zhang, did you?"
"......"
For a moment, Jing Yi felt grateful that his intention to become a monk here was fake.
"Master, you worry too much..."
Stabilizing his twitching lips, Jing Yi put on an obedient and charming smile. Holding the brocade box steady with one hand, he slowly lifted the lid with the other.
Watching the lid gradually open, the abbot held his breath tightly, mentally cursing the Jing family ancestors several times before his gaze finally fell upon the elegant and simple porcelain vase inside.
"This is..." The abbot nearly choked on his own breath. After silently composing himself for a long while, he stared at the beautiful yet clearly aged vase and asked, "Which part of Benefactor Zhang is this?"
Jing Yi carefully touched the box and said seriously, "This contains Benefactor Zhang's essential spirit."
"......"
Seeing the abbot close his eyes and start counting his prayer beads again, Jing Yi hurriedly added, "Master, Zhang Lao Wu was the renowned Porcelain King of the capital during his lifetime. He did nothing else his entire life but study porcelain-making. Even his own grandson died in the kiln. Don't you think his handmade porcelain must contain his soul?"
The abbot chanted "Amitabha" but still didn't open his eyes.
Jing Yi moved closer to the abbot, nudged his soft belly with an elbow, and lowered his voice. "Master... just tell Wang Tuo that when you perform rites for Zhang Lao Wu, you're ultimately liberating his soul. Bringing back a physical remains wouldn't be as effective as this. Wang Tuo definitely won't object."
As soon as Jing Yi finished speaking, the abbot slowly opened his eyes.
"Hmm... leave it here."
Jing Yi let out a long sigh of relief, carefully closed the lid, and placed the box properly. Then he put on an even more obedient face, rubbing his hands together and speaking as softly as possible, "Then... Master, since I've brought you the item, could you exempt me from the morning beating for oversleeping?"
"Exempted..."
"Thank you, Master!"
"Along with lunch exemption."
"......"
Jing Yi had been selected by Wang Tuo as one of the forty-nine scripture copyists. Scripture copying was scheduled for after noon, and before that, the copyists needed to bathe and burn incense. After leaving the abbot's room, Jing Yi went directly back to Shenxiu's room.
Before Jing Yi left, Shenxiu had said he would help with matters in the front hall and return after lunch to bathe. So Jing Yi assumed the room was empty and planned to throw himself onto the bed for a rest first. After pushing the door open, he began loosening his monk's robes while walking toward the inner room.
As he stepped over the threshold into the inner room, Jing Yi's hands paused while unfastening his inner garments.
Two people were sitting by the table in the inner room - two women, sitting like clay bodhisattvas, silently gazing at each other without uttering a word.
The one facing the door was his wife, her face frosty.
The other woman had her back to the door, so her face couldn't be seen, but her colorful dress and overly seductive sitting posture suggested she was a woman of pleasure.
His wife brought a courtesan to the temple to see him?
Jing Yi felt an ominous premonition growing. Subconsciously, he changed from undressing to dressing instead. As he walked further in, he spoke with the gentle and generous tone of a family head, "Xiao Yue, this lady..."Before he could finish speaking, he felt Leng Yue's gaze burning into him, intense enough to feel like it might scorch him alive.
"What have you been up to?"
Seeing that the woman of questionable background hadn't turned around, making it impossible to determine her origins, Jing Yi obediently stood still. While fastening his belt, he mumbled somewhat evasively, "I just got back and delivered the items to the abbot..."
Leng Yue narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at Jing Yi's hands moving unhurriedly at his waist.
"You had to take your clothes off to deliver something to the abbot?"
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