Mo Xuetong’s eyes fell on the person in front of her. Judging from his clothes, he did not look like those doing the hard work. His hands were thin but clean with his fingernails trimmed smoothly. And his long blue robe, no matter from the clothing material or the embroidered lines and buttons on the neckline, were very exquisite, unlike an ordinary one.
Obviously, the man was either from a wealthy or a noble family. But how could such a person appear on the road alone and push on the trip the Puguang Temple with his sick body? A hint of suspicion flashed in Mo Xuetong’s eyes.
Mo Xuetong took two steps back and asked with a calm smile, “Sir, where are your family members?”
“In the early morning, I didn’t wait for the servants and set off ahead. But unexpectedly, when I walked here, it was too hot for me to hold on, and shocked the lady. But for you, as I suffered a relapse, I would have died. Thank you for saving my life.” The young man put down the coachman’s holding arms with difficulty and held his fists with hands, trying to give a salute to Mo Xuetong. But such a small movement almost exhausted him.
“Sir, you’re welcome. We are also going to the Puguang Temple. Since we are going the same way and I happen to have an empty carriage with some sundries behind, would you mind making do with it?”
Although the carriage did not hit the person, he did fall in front of the carriage. If Mo Xuetong just left him behind, the man would have nothing but a road that led nowhere. Judging from his relapse, although it was hard to tell what the disease was, his condition looked rather critical. If he did not take a good rest, something terrible would happen to him.
His good manners showed that he came from a great family. Even if there was anything else happening to him, it was out of Mo Xuetong’s charge.
“Well… Thank you so much, lady.” The young man apparently knew that he was in poor condition, so he hesitated for a moment and did not refuse, and saluted to Mo Xuetong respectfully to express his gratitude.
Mo Lan called two nannies from behind, helped the young man to the last carriage, and let a clever nanny take care of him. Mo Xuetong, along with Mo Ye and Mo Lan, got on the carriage again. They hurried to the Puguang Temple.
It was getting hotter. But since they were on the main road, there were many carriages coming and going. Hot as it was, not a few people went to the Puguang Temple to offer incense to Buddha under the burning sun. A few carriages were seen to pass through them from time to time.
Several strangely dressed people hid behind the trees, and a man looking like a leader asked impatiently, “What? Haven’t found him?” Under such a scorching sun, no one would be in a good mood. Looking at the passing carriages, he found nothing unusual.
“No. We saw clearly and found no one rushed out.”
The leader looked at the sun rising to the sky and thought that they could not wait any longer. He stood up and said, “Don’t wait. Let’s go back first.”
“Don’t wait?”
“Don’t wait. It is so hot, and he has a relapse. Maybe he has died in a ditch already.” The leader replied with frustration and went back alone to the road where they had come. The people behind him looked at each other, and followed him without saying more words.
The resonant bell of the temple startled birds in the forest, as well as the drowsy Mo Xuetong. She rubbed her bleary eyes and held Mo Lan’s hand to get off the carriage. A monk usher had been waiting in front of the temple. When seeing two carriages coming, he knew it must be the noble guests to offer incense, so he made a bow respectfully.
Mo Lan came to greet with the monk usher, and Mo Xuetong stood on the side wearing a veiled hat and quietly looked at the trees and mountains.
Located in the middle of the mountain, the Puguang Temple was surrounded by trees and shades, which could diminish the summer heat and refresh the air. When one took a fresh breath, it would be refreshing and drive away the drowsiness.
On the ground outside the temple had parked dozens of carriages. Among them, seven or eight were placed together, and obviously, they were from the same family. On the corner of the carriages were marked with King Yan’s Manor. Mo Xueqiong had come indeed.
Mo Ye came closer to Mo Xuetong, helped her and whispered in her ear, “Master, someone is prying on the side door.”
Following the direction that Mo Ye pointed, Mo Xuetong threw a glance impassively. Sure enough, a person dressed as a maidservant peeked at her, and hurriedly ran back. Although Mo Xuetong just had a glimpse of the person, she still observantly found the person was Mo Xueqiong’s maidservant, Mo Yan.
Mo Xueqiong was worried about whether Mo Xuetong would come or not, so she asked her maidservant to watch at the side door. Mo Xuetong had never thought that Mo Xueqiong became so thoughtful now.
On the other side, Mo Lan finished the dealings with the monk usher, and then, she handed the thick balm envelope to the monk usher. He put it into his sleeve and gave a salute to Mo Xuetong with a benign countenance. Then, he came to pull a single blue carriage, which was actually the third carriage brought by Mo Xuetong.
Mo Xuetong brought the carriage for a certain purpose, so no matter the style or the color of the carriage was slightly different from those of the other two carriages. But unless seen carefully, the difference was hard to tell. Besides, there was a man in the third carriage. Mo Xuetong, a woman, took a carriage with a young man in it. If it spread afterward, Mo Xuetong would be hard to vindicate herself.
So she just left the last carriage behind and asked a nanny to take care of the gentleman alone. Given the man’s condition, he had to convalesce in the temple for days. And it happened that the carriage was available.
Mo Xuetong didn’t look at the carriage anymore. The nanny she left was a clever woman, and Mo Lan had told her matters needing attention. Therefore, Mo Xuetong just held Mo Ye’s hand and led the rest of the maidservants and nannies into the temple.
After entering the Puguang Temple, another young monk about 10 years old came to receive them. It was common to have such little monks in all the major temples in the capital. For the young madams and ladies, such little monks were always arranged to lead the way. Now, the little clever monk led them into the main hall.
Mo Xuetong prayed to the splendid Buddha and asked Mo Lan to tell the little monk that she wanted to hang around, so that he did not have to be with them any longer.
The little monk answered and retreated.
The sunlight outside was rather dazzling, but in the mountain was less glaring. Mo Xuetong walked along the path through the woods to the back of the mountain. Some noble madams and ladies were seen in the main hall, but the deeper they went into the mountain, the seldom ladies they would see. Mo Xuetong took off her veiled hat and felt comfortable at the oncoming mountain breeze.
When Mo Xuetong worshipped the Buddha, Mo Ye walked around to see the man, and now reported to Mo Xuetong in detail. “My Lady, the gentleman seemed to be a reasonable person. He just said he came to the temple to worship the Buddha, but suffered a relapse on the halfway, so he wanted to stay in the temple for a few days. He didn’t mention anything about you, My Lady.”
A young king’s consort being with a young gentleman sounded rather ridiculous. So the young man’s statement was the best explanation.
Mo Xuetong nodded and smiled. “That gentleman looks like from a great family, and he knows well to avoid arousing any suspicion. We took him this way, but put him in the last car, and deliberately asked the coachman to drive far away from us. Obviously, we did not want to provoke any gossip. And his statement showed that he understood my intention.”
Mo Ye replied carefully, “My Lady, I saw the young gentleman being helped to get off the carriage, and I came to set the time with the coachman.”
Mo Xuetong thought for a moment and asked suddenly, “It is best, and have you given some taels to the nanny?” Based on the gentleman’s appearance, Mo Xuetong thought the man might not have money on him. But if he wanted to live in the temple, he should donate some money.
Mo Ye said, “I’ve thought about it, so I gave some taels of silver to the nanny. Judging from the young gentleman’s appearance, I guess he’s very sick. But lucky that he said his servants would come soon and asked My Lady not to worry about him. And he also said that when his servants came, he would send his people to express his gratitude to My Lady.”
“Since everything is settled, and the young gentleman does not look like those without any good plan, we don’t have to worry about him any longer. Have you seen Mo Feng?” Mo Xuetong was not surprised by the young gentleman’s proper reaction. Anyone from a great family should know the truth that even if a person was kind to him/her, the two should not meet more in private.
“My Lady, would you please walk deeper into the mountain? Afraid of encountering too many people outside and is not easy to avoid, Mo Feng went to the back of the mountain first.” Since Mo Ye and Mo Feng had their own way to contact, Mo Ye looked at the scenery and answered with a smile.
During the talk, a strange rustle of leaves sounded suddenly from the bamboo forest behind Mo Xuetong.
She couldn’t help but look back.
Only to see a string of red silk flashing through the bamboo forest.
Mo Ye stepped forward in front of Mo Xuetong to protect her and shouted with a stern look, “Who?”
The people in the bamboo forest didn’t seem to expect Mo Xuetong to be so vigilant, and did not know how to react, but fell to silence.
Mo Ye’s face became grim. And now among the servants around Mo Xuetong, only Mo Ye could do kung fu, so she was supposed to do utmost to protect Mo Xuetong. Then, she said to Mo Lan, “Mo Lan, you protect the Lady, and I’ll go up and see.”
Mo Lan nodded, and also stepped forward to protect in front of Mo Xuetong nervously.
Mo Ye was about to raise the feet when a timid voice came, “Is the King Xuan’s Consort in front?” The leaves shook, and a woman wearing green and red sleeves came out. The woman lowered her head with cowardice in her voice.
It was not a dangerous person. Mo Ye let out a sigh of relief, and the expressions of the other maidservants eased a lot.
Mo Xuetong looked at the woman in front of her, but couldn’t remember who she was at that moment. “Who are you?”
The woman’s dark hair was pinned up by a silver hair clasp, and two rubies earrings were on her ears, which looked valuable. Her clothing material was rather good as well in the trendiest style. If she had some accessories on her head, she did look like a lady from a great family.
But she had no maidservant or nanny to serve her around.
Mo Xuetong thought she had never seen such a woman, so she asked puzzled, “Do you know me?”
Hearing the words, the woman raised her head, and her clear eyes were rather prominent. She had a comely appearance, especially her big eyes, pure and fascinating. She was very thin, making her more delicate and touching.
Mo Xuetong looked at her carefully, but still felt that she had never seen such a woman before.
The woman was about 17 or 18 years old, and she raised her timid eyes to look at Mo Xuetong and said, “My Lady, you haven’t seen me before, but I have seen you several times in the distance.”
Mo Xuetong blinked and asked confused. “What… What’s the matter with you?” Mo Xuetong thought, the woman had seen her before and known her identity as the King Xuan’s consort, and the woman’s clothing and appearance both showed that the woman did not come from a humble family, but it had nothing to do with Mo Xuetong herself, and the woman did not seem to fawn upon her intentionally.
The woman raised her head with red eyes and looked at Mo Xuetong with a pleading look. “My Lady, could I… I have a word with you? Just a few words?”
Her look made Mo Xuetong hesitate.
Mo Yu stepped forward and said coldly, “This lady, My Lady has something to do at the back of the mountain, and it is inconvenient to talk to outsiders.” Although the woman did not look dangerous, Mo Yu thought she could not take it lightly. Today, the people of King Yan’s Manor would come to the mountain as well. No one knew whether the people of King Yan’s Manor would stir up some kind of trouble.
The woman seemed not to understand Mo Ye’s words. Seeing Mo Xuetong was leaving with her people, the woman hurried forward and called with tears dropping, “My Lady, I know you’re a blessed person. I… I really have something to talk with you about. Please, please…”
The woman was quite incoherent with tears in her eyes. Looking at Mo Xuetong, she almost fell on her knees.
