Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 280
Chapter 280 Start Over
In front of the Black Tortoise Gate in the Great Ming Palace.
A group of Thousand Bull Guards stood at the gate and stopped Qin Mubai, Princess Gaoyang, and the others.
“Your Highness, General Qin, please forgive me for being rude.” The leader, Qianniu Bei, was expressionless and said in a business tone, “I will follow orders and come here to wait for Princess Hou and the general.”
“Looks like Li Ji has already sent someone to inform His Majesty.” After Qin Mubai and Princess Gaoyang exchanged a look, they walked forward and said, “Tell me, what is His Majesty’s intention?”
“Your Majesty has instructed Princess Gaoyang and Qin Mubai to take the coffin to the Great Horn Monastery.” The Thousand Bull Guard replied.
“I see.” Qin Mubai nodded and returned to Princess Gaoyang’s side. He looked at her worriedly, “Did you hear that, Big Horn Temple?”
“Mm” Princess Gaoyang’s reaction was surprisingly calm. She nodded lightly and said, “Then let’s go!”
“Seeing His Majesty and Concubine De later …”
“Mubai, don’t worry.” Princess Gaoyang interrupted him and took a deep breath. “Let’s go!”
“Alright.” Qin Mubai nodded, and the appearance of Concubine Yin De couldn’t help but appear in her heart.
Now that the matter was over, Princess Gaoyang’s knot had been untied. Li Shimin, there was no need for him to worry about this. The only thing that made people worried was that Yin De Fei, who might have already been cut short in the Great Horn Temple.
What would this pitiful woman do when she saw her only son’s corpse?
…
The Qianniu Guards led the way. Qin Mubai and the others guarded Li You’s coffin and walked into the imperial city, heading towards the big corner of the Great Ming Palace’s harem.
Today’s palace was exceptionally deserted. Almost no one was encountered along the way. Perhaps the Emperor had already sent someone to make the arrangements. As a result, all the way there was a lonely look.
Princess Gaoyang remained silent. Her expression was a little grave, but her eyes had always revealed a faint expression of determination. It was as if she had made some important decisions, and it was as if she was constantly cheering herself on.
Big Horn saw it. Qin Mubai knew a few Hundred Cavalry Guards standing at the entrance.
At this point, the Thousand Bull Guards retreated. A group of Baiji walked out of the temple and greeted Princess Gaoyang and Qin Mubai. Then, they began to move, wanting to carry the coffin into the temple.
Qin Mubai called a familiar Hundred Cavalry and asked, “Is His Majesty watching?”
“Yes.” Baiqi replied in a low voice. Then, he looked around vigilantly and whispered, “General, be careful. His Majesty’s dragon face is unhappy today. From time to time, his old man’s roar comes from the room.”
“Scold Imperial Concubine Yin De?”
“Then I don’t know … In short, the general must be careful.”
“I see. You can go now!”
At this moment, a few monks walked out of the Taoist temple. He clasped his hands together and walked out of the Taoist temple without looking sideways. He did not greet anyone.
“Strange, where did the monks come from in the Taoist temple? Furthermore, these big-headed monks seem to be quite powerful. They don’t seem to take Gaoyang and this general seriously. They don’t even bow when they meet.” Qin Mubai whispered to himself.
Princess Gao Yang stood beside Qin Mubai and quietly watched as the hundred cavalry moved their coffins. At this moment, she whispered, “It’s the monks from the royal temple, the Famen Temple. These monks treat themselves as outsiders and are considered high-ranking Dao monks. Seeing His Majesty the Emperor refuse to kneel, they have always been deeply loved by the Saint.”
“Famen Temple?” Qin Mubai muttered curiously, “Is that the famous Ashoka Temple?”
“Yes.” Princess Gaoyang nodded and said, “Famen Temple is located a hundred miles west of Chang’an. Its original name is Ashoka Temple. There are more than 5,000 monks in the temple.” A few years ago, my royal grandfather, Emperor Wude, changed his name to Famen Temple. I once heard father Emperor mention this temple. It seems to be hundreds of years old and was built at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. There was a Buddhist pagoda in the temple that worshipped the relic of Buddha Shijamuni. Hundreds of years ago, there was an Ashoka who unified India and divided the Buddha’s relics into 84,000 pieces, which were sent to various Buddhist sacred sites to build pagodas and worship. It was said that the word’tower ‘was created at that time. Before this, I, the Central Plains, had never had such a word. ”
“Gao Yang, I didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable.” Qin Mubai also intentionally distracted Princess Gao Yang and told her not to be too nervous. Thus, he smiled and said, “I’ve heard of Famen Temple for a long time, but I’ve never seen it before. When we’re free another day, let’s go take a look together.”
Princess Gao Yang smiled sweetly and nodded, but her smile was somewhat pale and powerless.
At this time, the spirit pivot had been removed from the carriage, and more than a dozen Baiji lifted their coffins and slowly entered the Taoist temple. In order to make it easier for the spirit pivot to enter, the doors of the Taoist temple were torn down. It seemed that the Emperor had indeed made preparations long ago.
“Your Highness, General Qin, Your Majesty,” one of the Hundred Cavalry Cavalry clasped his fists and bowed, “Your Highness.”
“En, lead the way.” Qin Mubai grabbed Princess Gao Yang’s hand and gently patted it on the palm, smiling.
Princess Gao Yang smiled as well. The two of them walked in from their front shoulders and followed the Hundred Cavalry into the Taoist temple.
The Taoist nuns in the temple were all gone, and they passed through several corridors along the way. Only the Emperor’s close bodyguards, the Baiji soldiers, were on guard. After a while, Qin Mubai and Princess Gaoyang arrived at a small courtyard and stood in front of a room door.
Baiji brought the two of them here and clasped his fists to retreat from Xu Yuan. The spirit pivot was also quickly carried over.
Just as Qin Mubai and Princess Gaoyang were about to ask for an audience, the door was pulled open from the inside. Li Shimin stood in front of the two of them and expressionlessly swept his gaze over them. He calmly said, “You guys come in-bring in the spirit pivot!”
“Yes.”
Everyone agreed, and Qin Mubai and Princess Gaoyang entered the room. The Baiji guards carried the coffin in and quietly retreated.
Within a hundred steps of the small courtyard, there were no idle people waiting.
This room was the Zen room that Imperial Concubine Yin De normally rested in quietly. At this moment, her head was covered in snow and white hair. She was still kneeling on the prayer mat. She lowered her head and nodded, silently facing the bronze statue of the old man, Qing Niu.
Li Shimin personally closed the door and walked to the coffin with his hands cut off.
He knitted his eyebrows and gritted his teeth, his cheeks slightly bulging. He stared at the coffin but didn’t say anything. The meaning in his eyes was very complicated.
The room was quiet, and the sound of candles burning could be clearly heard.
After a while, Li Shimin cleared his throat and said, “Your son is back.”
Imperial Concubine Yin De, who was kneeling on the prayer mat, quietly stood up and turned around.
In an instant, Qin Mubai’s heart twitched … Concubine Yin De, it’s only been a year since I last saw her, yet she seems to have aged ten years? !
Princess Gao Yang was obviously even more shocked and saddened. She looked at Concubine Yin De in shock, and her eyes turned red. Her voice trembled as she called out, “Mother Concubine …”
“Be good” Concubine Yin De smiled faintly. She walked forward and gently stroked Princess Gaoyang’s hair bun. Then, she reached out to caress the coffin and stroked the newly painted shiny coffin as if she was stroking Princess Gaoyang. She muttered, “Son, you’re back …”
None of them said anything.
At this moment, it was as if it was inappropriate to say anything.
Li Shimin maintained that expression. He was silent, solemn, and his eyes were sharp and complicated. He didn’t know what he was thinking.
“Open the coffin. Let me take a look at him.” Imperial Concubine Yin De did not cry. Her expression and eyes were exceptionally calm as she said indifferently.
Qin Mubai turned to Li Shimin and asked for his opinion.
“Don’t look at me.” Li Shimin said indifferently.
Qin Mubai nodded and thought, If it weren’t for the monarch’s reserved attitude, Li Shimin would have already lifted the coffin lid by himself. Ah … after all, blood is thicker than water, so why doesn’t he want to see his unworthy son one last time?
Thus, Qin Mubai stepped forward, untied the rope from the coffin, and slid the coffin open.
The corpse had already been preserved, and there was no strange smell in the coffin. Moreover, Li You pretended to be well restrained. At this moment, it was as if he was asleep. There was a smile on his face, but his face was as white as paper.
Li Shimin, Imperial Concubine Yin De, and Princess Gaoyang all quietly looked at Li You’s corpse and fell silent at the same time.
There was no unexpected loss of tears or emotions. At this moment, the three of them were actually so tacitly quiet, surprisingly quiet.
Princess Gaoyang had been supporting Imperial Concubine Yin De for fear that her mother would faint or something. At this time, Concubine Yin De gently put aside Princess Gaoyang’s hand and put her hand into the coffin, stroking Li You’s face.
“You’er, you’er …” She whispered, as if Li You had fallen asleep early in the morning when he was young, and she was waking him up.
Li Shimin took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He cut his hands on his back and knitted his brows even tighter.
“Mother, you can cry …” Princess Gaoyang looked at her mother like this, her heart burning with worry. Her voice trembled as she muttered softly, “Crying will make you feel better.”
“Mother doesn’t cry. Why is Mother crying?” Imperial Concubine Yin De instead smiled and kindly stroked Li You’s face, the corners of her eyes revealing a few clear crow’s tails.
For a moment, Princess Gaoyang did not know what to say. Instead, she began to cry.
At this moment, Li Shimin muttered to himself, “I’m going to have his corpse plated with gold and chromium and be placed in the Ashoka Tower Sacred Tomb.”
“Oh?” Qin Mubai couldn’t help but be surprised.
“What, do you think it’s inappropriate?” Li Shimin asked.
“No. I just don’t understand.” Qin Mubai said truthfully.
Imperial Concubine Yin De chuckled and said, “The Li Clan respects me as its ancestor and Taoism as its pride. It is no wonder General Qin is puzzled that His Majesty’s son is buried in the Ashoka Pagoda in Famen Temple.”
The implication was that he wanted to repay Li You for his injustice. According to the royal custom, after the prince and princess died, they would be buried in the tomb of the previous emperor, even if they were concubines. Right now, Empress Changsun had been buried in Zhaoling Mausoleum, which was the tomb of Li Shimin a hundred years later. Normally, Li You would be buried in Zhaoling. Even if he did not have the right to be buried in the mausoleum, he should still be buried in the countryside as a prince. Now, it was no wonder that Concubine Yin De was so angry that she did not allow him to “bury himself in peace”.
Li Shimin’s reaction was very calm. He said, “I knew you would be unhappy.” I have done this with good intentions. Taoism advocates cultivation and attainment of the Dao while Buddhism emphasizes reincarnation and karma. You’er has yet to get rid of the sinful heart demons in this life. I hope that he can purify the heart demons under the Buddhist dharma’s transformation and live happily in the afterlife so that he can become a peaceful and good person in the next life. “What’s wrong with this?”
Qin Mubai nodded without saying anything. He guessed that Li Shimin had been touched by Li You’s incident this time. Ever since his own Black Tortoise Transformation ascended to the throne, his heart had probably left behind a shadow. He hated it so much that it could be said that he was afraid that his son would imitate him and do such a thing. Day and night defenses, this kind of thing still happened in the end. Right now, he wanted to put Li You’s corpse in Famen Temple and not bury it. To put it nicely, it was to let him enjoy the rebirth of Buddha Dharma. However, did the deeper meaning imply that Li You’s corpse was “hanging on guard”?
He hoped that his other sons would follow Li You’s example.
“What a ruthless father.” Imperial Concubine Yin De shook her head with a smile on her face, but it was extremely bitter.
Princess Gaoyang didn’t know if she had thought of this level, but she only cried and didn’t say anything.
“Ah … whatever you say!” Li Shimin sighed again, shook his head, and said, “Things have come to this point, and there is no turning back. I only hope that Li You will not make the same mistake again in his next life!”
“Heh! He’s already dead, yet you don’t forgive him.” Imperial Concubine Yin De shook her head repeatedly, staring at Li You’s face, her eyes revealing bottomless despair and sorrow. She muttered, “You’er, thank your good father! If there is a next life, it would be the greatest blessing for you not to be born in the Imperial Clan!”
Li Shimin glanced at Imperial Concubine Yin with resentment and turned to Qin Mubai, “Mubai, close the coffin!”
“Yes.” Qin Mubai cupped his hands and was about to step forward when Imperial Concubine Yin De suddenly said, “Slow down!”
“What are you doing?” Li Shimin’s voice was a bit heavy and dignified.
“Don’t do anything.”
Imperial Concubine Yin De took out a pair of scissors that she had prepared long ago, scaring Princess Gaoyang and Li Shimin into shouting, “Stop!”
Imperial Concubine Yin De smiled faintly. She cut off a bunch of her white hair and threw it into the coffin.
“You’er, remember the smell of mother. In the next life, you will still be my child.”
“You!” Li Shimin glared at Imperial Concubine Yin with anger, not knowing what to say.
“What? Could it be that this has offended His Majesty’s dragon might?” Imperial Concubine Yin De casually threw the scissors and smashed them into the ground with a sudden jingling sound.
Then, she turned around and walked to the bronze statue calmly. She knelt down and sat down like before.
“Mother” Princess Gao Yang also seemed to feel that something was wrong. She hurriedly walked to Concubine Yin De’s side and crouched down. She whispered, “Do you really want to … become a monk?”
“What’s the difference between having a family and not having a family? What’s the difference between being a monk and not being a monk?” Imperial Concubine Yin De said indifferently, “Cut off the silk of worry and cut off the fate of this life. Since His Majesty said that Buddhism can cultivate in the next world, then I will also become a monk. I will use the rest of my life to hope that I can renew my mother-son relationship with You’er in the next world. Gaoyang, do your best. Don’t think I will read it again.”
“Mother, don’t … I don’t want you to become a monk! Mother, do you know that when a nun wants to shave off all her hair, it’s ugly!” Princess Gaoyang hurriedly whispered, “Royal Father, hurry up and persuade Imperial Concubine De! She is the grand Concubine De. If she really becomes a nun after becoming a monk, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for the royal family to spread the news?”
“Let her go!” Li Shimin gave off a tinge of indifference.
Qin Mubai silently closed the coffin. His heart was filled with mixed feelings.
Li Shimin and Imperial Concubine Yin De were truly a pair of deadly enemies. When their son died, it was obvious that both of them were very sad, but it was as if neither of them would let the other go. It was as if all the sins of his son’s life had been attributed to the other party.
“Mubai, you will be in charge of King Qi’s funeral.” Li Shimin suddenly said, “I have already issued a decree to the abbot of Famen Temple, Master Huiye. In addition, I will also appoint officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs, Taichang Temple, and the Imperial Temple to assist you from the side. If you don’t understand anything, just discuss it with them.”
“Yes, this lowly official obeys the decree.” Qin Mubai cupped his hands and agreed.
Li Shimin nodded, his expression still solemn. He glanced sideways at Princess Gaoyang, seemingly saying that she was still resting. In the end, he couldn’t help but call out, “Gaoyang.”
Princess Gaoyang replied and wiped away her tears. She walked over to Li Shimin and bowed, “Huang’er is here.”
Li Shimin stretched out his hand and caressed her head with pity, saying, “Later, come to Penglai Palace to see Father Emperor.”
“Yes …”
“I’m leaving first.” Li Shimin turned around and prepared to walk out, but his footsteps paused. He turned around to look at Li You’s coffin, raised his eyebrows slightly, and finally strode away.
Qin Mubai and Princess Gaoyang watched as the Emperor walked away. At this moment, they both felt that no matter how quiet his expression was, it was difficult to conceal the indescribable sorrow in the depths of their hearts.
Concubine Yin De, on the other hand, was supposed to cry bitterly, and even fainting was not surprising at all. On the contrary, she didn’t even shed tears.
That–“Mother doesn’t cry. Why does Mother cry?” However, each word was like a needle that could pierce through a person’s heart.
Perhaps she also felt that Li Youzhi’s death was not a relief. Or perhaps, her tears had long dried up because she was so sad that she died in her heart.
…
Shortly after, a few officials from the Zongzheng Temple, the Household Department, and the Imperial Temple came together to ask Qin Mubai if he could first move King Qi’s coffin to the Imperial Temple to offer sacrifices to his ancestors and perform some simple royal funeral ceremonies.
Just as Qin Mubai was about to ask Concubine Yin De, she turned her back to Qin Mubai and said, “Mubai, let them go! It’s just a leather bag, there’s nothing to miss. You’er’s soul will accompany me.”
‘”Yes” Qin Mubai felt awkward and didn’t know what to say. Thus, he called those people in and carefully carried Li You’s coffin out, loading it into the carriage and transporting it to the Imperial Temple.
“All of you, leave!” Imperial Concubine Yin De said.
“Mother … just let me accompany you, okay?” Princess Gaoyang pleaded worriedly.
“Not good.” Imperial Concubine Yin De gently shook her head, but she said firmly, “Just leave me alone with your brother for a while! You go see your father, Mubai, do you have a lot of things to do? Go all of you, don’t worry about me.”
Seeing that she was so resolute, Princess Gao Yang and Qin Mubai couldn’t hold on any longer, so they had no choice but to bid farewell and leave.
“Mubai, I’m so worried about my mother. Do you think she’ll … find a suicide?” After leaving, Princess Gaoyang said worriedly.
“No.” Qin Mubai replied without hesitation.
“Really? Why are you so sure?” Princess Gaoyang was surprised.
“I don’t know either.” Qin Mubai frowned and raised his eyes to look at the tall, golden palace. He sighed and said, “It’s just … a feeling.”
Princess Gaoyang muttered to herself and shook her head blankly, “I’m still worried. Why don’t we tell the nuns to pay more attention to her and send more soldiers to protect her?”
“Alright!”
After the two left the Great Horn Temple, Princess Gaoyang went to Penglai Hall to meet Li Shimin, while Qin Mubai went to the Imperial Temple.
Some of the great monks were building some land and water dao halls, and the Buddhist sound was filled with incense. Li You’s corpse was carried out, washed and dressed to prepare for the chrome-plated golden body. Qin Mubai specifically reminded her and stuffed the bunch of white hair of Concubine Yin De into Li You’s mouth along with a large luminous pearl.
If there really is an afterlife, with the guidance of the Night Pearl and white hair as a letter, Li You should be able to find her mother in this life and continue this unfinished mother-son relationship.
At this moment, Qin Mubai hoped that Li You could travel to another world like him. Just like him, he could meet a mother who looked the same as Concubine Yin De. Or better yet, he had traveled years ago to become himself.
There was his beloved mother and sister.
He could … start over!
