Chapter 612 Small Jingâan Temple; Who Are You?
The Small Jingâan Temple was as quiet and peaceful as ever. Tucked behind trees, the out-of-view prayer hall seemed even more serene.
Ning Xueyan lit three incense sticks in front of the Buddha statue and knelt on a prayer mat. She put her palms together in prayer and closed her eyes.
Lanning stepped out of the hall.
âPrincess Yi!â The sound of the door opening shattered the serenity of the prayer hall. Then came the sound of someone entering the hall and addressing Ning Xueyan in a soft voice.
When Ning Xueyan opened her eyes, she saw Senior Nun Jing Kong standing in front of her with a kind smile.
Still kneeling, she put on a nonchalant smile. âSenior Nun Jing Kong!â
Senior Nun Jing Kong nodded. After respectfully saluting the statue of Buddha, she settled down on a prayer mat beside Ning Xueyan. She looked at her without wavering. âPrincess Yi, have you come here for me?â
Her expression was amiable as if she expected no other answer from Ning Xueyan. The mirth in her gentle gaze could easily elicit the feeling of intimacy from another. She seemed completely different from how she looked in front of Honored Consort Xia before.
Ning Xueyan nodded. After a brief pause, she asked, âSenior Nun, do you know who I am?â
Instead of replying, Senior Nun Jing Kong asked, âHave you found out who you are, Princess Yi?â
This time, Ning Xueyan nodded as a reply.
âSince you have found out who you are, you should also understand why I told you about Ning Ziyingâs origins. I only told you because I knew you have found out about it.â Senior Nun Jing Kong sighed. She looked at the empty ground outside, fleeting grief crossing her eyes.
When Ning Xueyan came here to ask about Ning Ziyingâs origins in the past, Senior Nun Jing Kong gave her very little trouble and answered nearly every question she had about Ning Ziyingâs life. This was at a time where everyone in the country was looking for the former Grand Elder Princess, who possessed the military medallion and treasures of the previous dynasty. Even the Emperor was desperate to find her.
However, after Ning Ziying was discovered, she was placed in the capital for three years without anyone ever realizing it. This was an enormous secret and yet, Senior Nun Jing Kong honestly answered every one of Ning Xueyanâs questions. This was strangeâunless she thought Ning Xueyan was trustworthy.
And the reason for this trust was her identity as Ning Ziyingâs biological sister and daughter of the former Empress, the other princess.
This meant that Senior Nun Jing Kong not only knew about Ning Ziyingâs identity, but she was also aware of Ning Xueyanâs origins.
âWho are you?â Ning Xueyan raised her head and sized up the nun in front of her quietly. The nunâs face was unremarkable but it gave off a feeling of peacefulness.
âI once served the previous dynasty as a palace maid. I was one of the people who escaped the palace with the Empress, but I eventually left her and entered a monastery.â Senior Nun Jing Kongâs reluctance to discuss this was apparent. âLet the past stay in the past. Youâre Princess Yi now.â
âWas Honored Consort Xia an imperial consort from the previous dynasty?â Ning Xueyan changed the topics. This was what Heng Yuqing had told her, and also what other people were saying.
âShe was selected as a consort candidate but she never slept with the Emperor. The Emperor treated the Empress very well, so the triennial draft of new consorts was never held during his reign. The so-called consort candidates were the doing of ministers forcefully sending their daughters to the harem. They claimed that they would rather have their daughters serve the Empress, than have the harem look empty.â
Senior Nun Jing Kong replied in a low voice.
Those ministers would rather send their daughtersâyoung ladies of aristocracyâinto the harem as palace maids serving the Empress than have the harem look empty. This made Ning Xueyan sneer. What a perfectly irrefutable excuse. They made it seem like they were being considerate to the Emperor and Empress when they were merely greedy for wealth. Only shameless, immoral people could bring themselves to say such things.
What did they mean, the harem looking empty? Did they forget about the palace maids in the harem that they had to send aristocratic young ladies who didnât know how to serve anyone to the palace? Their intention was as clear as day. Sure enough, Honored Consort Xiaâs origin wasnât so simple. Even so, Ning Xueyan didnât think this was the reason why Honored Consort Xia was able to stay in the palace for so long.
After hearing about Honored Consort Xiaâs origin, she was certain that a woman like her wouldnât be satisfied with being a mysterious favored consort who couldnât flaunt herself in front of everyone.
The changing of dynasties often saw virgin consort candidates becoming imperial consorts of the new Emperor. The ministers wouldnât be concerned, for many of them would also become aristocrats of the new dynasty. Neither of their pasts was clean, so they didnât care whether each other came from.
Everything could be explained away as history.
âHonored Consort Xia keeps to herself in the palace, but sheâll summon me now and then. Sheâll take me to the former Empressâ burnt palace and even weep in front of it,â Senior Nun Jing Kong said.
âShe weeps in front of the former Empressâ burnt palace?â Recalling the weeping she heard back at the drafting of new consorts, a strange look appeared on Ning Xueyanâs face. Honored Consort Xia didnât seem to be close to the former Empress. Considering what she entered the manor for, she couldnât have had a good relationship with the former Empress.
âEveryone in the palace says that Honored Consort Xia is a nostalgic and gentle person who would pay her respects to the former Empress, whom she doesnât even know. She would also make herself look pious by summoning me to discuss Buddhaâs teachings with her.â Senior Nun Jing Kong sneered. âEven if barely anyone in the palace has seen her, they have nothing but praise for her.â
She was angling for fame! Ning Xueyan was sure that Honored Consort Xia was trying to establish a good reputation for herself.
To think that a mysterious imperial consort, seemingly untouched by worldly affairs, would seek fame for so many years! She seemed to have grand ambitions. Perhaps this was why the Empress, Honored Consort Ya, and Honored Consort Shu worked together to force her out of the shadows this time. Such an ambitious and tricky imperial consort would threaten everyone in the harem.
Ning Xueyan didnât chat with Senior Nun Jing Kong for very long. The latter respectfully stepped out of the hall through the side door after giving her several pointers. Though Ning Xueyan still had questions, the nun shook her head at her with a smile. Still, when Senior Nun Jing Kong reached the side door, she warned Ning Xueyan, âBe careful of Honored Consort Xia.â
She left it at that.
Be careful of Honored Consort Xia? The warning was clear even in Senior Nun Jing Kongâs words and yet she still chose to voice it at the end. Ning Xueyan was grateful to her. To her, Senior Nun Jing Kong was a trustworthy person. Had Senior Nun Jing Kong revealed the origin of her and Ning Ziying, they would have been discovered a long time ago.
Yet, Senior Nun Jing Kong didnât say anything. This proved that she was an aide of the former Empress, an aide worthy of trust at that. That was why she not only knew about Ning Ziyingâs existence but Ning Xueyanâs existence as well.
Ning Xueyan walked slowly along the path paved with cobblestones outside the hall, her brows knitted. When she reached a crossroad, she stopped. To her surprise, Ao Mingyu was walking toward her from the other path.
Why would he show up at the palace at this time?
âWhy are you here, Princess Yi?â Ao Mingyu seemed surprised to see her here as well. He stopped walking in astonishment before walking toward her again, a strange gleam crossing his eyes.
Ning Xueyan turned her body sideways to salute him before replying, âI just finished offering my prayers at Small Jingâan Temple.â She moved out of his way. âAre you going to Small Jingâan Temple as well, Your Highness?â
Small Jingâan Temple was the only place that this path led to. Even though she didnât think a man like Ao Mingyu would pray at Small Jingâan Temple in the palace, she still gave way politely.
âI was on my way to Small Jingâan Temple. Since you came out from there, you must have seen Shanâer. When we entered the palace earlier, she said she wanted to offer her prayers here. I told her to come here first.â
Ao Mingyuâs gentle gaze fell on Ning Xueyanâs face. Like always, she was dressed simply but elegantly. This simplicity would have looked plain on other women but lent an otherworldly air to her instead. Her thin and weak body had fleshed out after bouts of recuperation and looked slender and beautiful. Coupled with her slight coldness, she appeared quiet and aloof.
Her small face was as fair as jade, and her facial features were beautifully delicate. Under her long, jet-black lashes, her eyes were positively gleaming. To Ao Mingyu, no part of her wasnât beautiful and attractive. The desire that he could never control burned in his pupils. Compared to Ning Xueyan, the lame Ning Qingshan not only incurred his resentment but disgust as well.
Before he knew it, he was already leaning toward Ning Xueyan.
Ning Xueyan blinked, having not expected him to do so. She took a step backward and said, with absolute politeness, âYour Highness, I didnât see Third Sister inside. I donât think sheâs here yet. Maybe she went the wrong way. If you donât believe me, you can take a look inside yourself.â
She didnât notice anyone in the Small Jingâan Temple earlier, but even if someone was eavesdropping on them, Senior Nun Jing Kongâs voice was quiet. They didnât say anything concrete either; at most, they were just gossiping about Honored Consort Xia. Besides, she didnât think Ning Qingshan would have the luxury of mind to enter the palace at this time.
âThatâs possible. Do you know where she could have gone, Princess Yi? Iâm not familiar with the area around Small Jingâan Temple. Why donât you take me around and find Shanâer?â Ao Mingyu suggested, smiling.
âI wonât be able to go with you, Your Highness. Prince Yi told me to wait for him outside the imperial study. Iâm afraid heâll punish me if I make him wait.â Ning Xueyan was smiling too, but her smile was very cold. She shook her head and took another two steps back, leaving the path wide open for Ao Mingyu.
Ao Mingyu seemed not to notice Ning Xueyanâs coldness. He looked at her with a frown. Just as a trace of gentleness crossed his eyes, he gently asked, âDoes⊠Does he punish you often?â
Ning Xueyan was so taken aback that she nearly laughed out loud. Did Ao Mingyu truly not know or was he playing the fool? How could a prince ask such a thing? If anyone heard him, they would have thought something fishy was going on between them. Besides, she didnât think they were close enough for him to ask something so personal.
Why was he refusing to let her leave? What was he up to?!
If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.