CH 142

She touched her round stomach, “Alright, I’m full.”

She swallowed her saliva and suddenly asked, “Your Highness, in this temple, where did you get the fish ah?”

Zhao Zhi said, “I had the guards go to the clear spring at the back of the mountain to catch them.”

“But would the monks allow them to kill?”

The most taboo thing in Buddhism was to kill, since they were here to pray to the Buddha for blessings, doing things like that did not seem too good.

Zhao Zhi said calmly: “They killed the fish outside of the temple and washed it before delivering it here.”

Ming Zhu nodded and said “oh”, she burped and then raised her eyes cautiously looked at Zhao Zhi, asking, “Your Highness, won’t the Bodhisattva think that we are not pious enough ah?”

Zhao Zhi’s expression did not change, and said to her indifferently, “No.”

Ming Zhu only thought about these concerns now, obviously it was already too late, the fish was almost finished.

She foolishly said “oh” twice, as she placed her two hands on her belly, while feeling even more uneasy in the bottom of her heart.

***

Zhao Zhi and Ming Zhu stayed in the temple for three days, he would go to the main hall every day to listen to the sutras and worship the Buddha, and even asked a peace talisman made with gold foil from the hands of Master Liaochen master, which he obtained. It was said to have the ability to ward off evil spirits and drive away evil luck.

When Ming Zhu got the gold foil card, she looked at it carefully, there were four verses of poetry written on it that she couldn’t understand.

She put the gold foil card away in her pouch for safekeeping. She had heard her mother say that these charms from the temple should be hidden in a place where they cannot see light.

The morning they were leaving the Buddhist temple, Ming Zhu met Miss Gu again in front of the temple gate.

It was raining outside, and she was standing under the eaves with an umbrella, her face full of embarrassment.

Ming Zhu’s gaze turned towards the other side, it turned out that her carriage had some problems, the wheels were stuck in the mud, and the coachman was unable to move it in the rain.

The coachman, who was wearing a hat, ran up to Gu Shuyi with his waist bent, “Miss, I really can’t move it.”

Gu Shuyi was standing alone in the rain and fog, the look of her back appeared a little pitiful.

When Ming Zhu inclined her face to take a look, she found that Zhao Zhi’s gaze seemed to also be looking at Miss Gu as well. Very tactful, she poked the man’s arm as she said, “Your Highness, shouldn’t we have someone help Miss Gu?”

On a rainy day that was so unbearably humid, being trapped here, was quite miserable.

Zhao Zhi coldly glanced at her, so she knew how to show concern for the girl.

(TL’s note : implying that she’s showing concern for the girl but not for him lol)

After a long time, Zhao Zhi told to the attendant behind him, in a condescending manner, “Go help Miss Gu.”

“Yes.”

Once there were more people, there was more strength. The wheels that were originally stuck in the mud and wet soil were very soon able to move out of there.

Gu Shuyi looked at the man not far away, suppressing the joy on her face, and was about to walk over to say thank you. However, the crown prince had already got into the carriage with his concubine.

After returning from the Fuyuan Temple, it could be said that Zhao Zhi had resolved his heart’s concern.

It was already the eight month, and in less than two months’ time, it would be the wedding date of the crown prince and the legitimate miss of the Ming family.

The crown prince’s residence was busy all over, especially the intendant, he was so busy his feet never rested, he had to be mindful of every small detail.

He had to personally prepare even the red candles that would be in the newlywed bedroom, on the day of the wedding, in order to rest assured.

This was the wedding of the crown prince, there was no room for any fault, nor could there be a single mistake. Everything, big matters and small details, had to be the best.

The red silk fabric, coming from the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, that was going to be hung on the day of the wedding had been delivered earlier, but when the intendant took the fabric in his hand and touched it, after carefully looking at it, he was not satisfied at all.

“This silk is not good enough, you go and look again to see if there is a better one.”

“Yes.”

“And those red candles also need to be replaced, the light is not bright enough, there’s also a strange smell when it’s lit.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“That’s all for now, you go and get to work.”

The always sluggish Ming Zhu had noticed that the residence was bustling with activity, the servants were so busy, their feet were not touching the ground.

Biying would not talk to her about these things, for fear that she would feel uncomfortable in her heart.

One was the respected and proper side consort who would be carried inside the residence with full fanfare, in a palanquin, to be married, while miss Ming Zhu could only be, by compromise, a concubine.

Back then, when they stayed at the Ming residence, Biying was able to see, within the first ten days, that Miss Ming Ru was not someone easily defeated, and that she would definitely use her status as a side consort to pressure miss Ming Zhu in the future.