Chapter 113 : The Compassionate Heart of a Bodhisattva

A middle-aged man in gray robes was meticulously tossing spring onions, ginger, orange peel, mint, cinnamon, salt… into a teapot, making sure nothing was missing.

All of these would be boiled with the tea leaves.

The first cup was discarded.

As for the second cup, the middle-aged man respectfully handed it over.

“Please, Ning Gong (Mr. Ning), drink.”

Sitting across from the middle-aged man was a younger man, around thirty years old. Calling him “Gong” seemed a bit exaggerated.

This Ning Gong wore white robes, his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, dressed like a Taoist, with a handsome face exuding the refined, gentle demeanor of a scholar.

He reached out to accept the cup, a faint smile on his face.

Before he could lower his head to drink, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.

“Master, there is a guest outside.” A servant bowed and handed him a message. “It’s a letter from the Eastern Palace.”

The middle-aged man, Master Lin, changed his expression slightly. “Quick, bring them to the flower hall.”

He turned and said, “Ning Gong, please excuse my departure.”

The man sitting across from him was named Ning Que, an official with the title of Governor of Bianzhou. After returning to the capital for a work report, he had not yet gone back to Bianzhou.

There were rumors that his position might be elevated soon.

Master Lin did not dare delay and had someone bring a chessboard for Ning Que to pass the time with while he went to greet the new guest.

Xue Qingyin and Lady Xue were then escorted in.

As they neared the flower hall, Xue Qingyin paused and said, “Mother, please wait for me here.”

Lady Xue didn’t know what her daughter was planning but understood that Xue Qingyin had grown up and was capable of handling many things on her own, so she nodded.

The servant leading them was quite surprised, but guests came and went frequently, so he had become quite sharp in his observations.

“Madam Xue, if you’re not comfortable standing here, perhaps you’d like to take a stroll in the garden, enjoy the rockeries, the flowing water, and the breeze?” he suggested.

Lady Xue naturally agreed.

Xue Qingyin smiled at the servant and rewarded him with a few pieces of gold and silver.

The servant expressed his gratitude without showing any greed, clearly indicating that the master’s family was well-educated.

As Xue Qingyin entered the flower hall, a middle-aged man swiftly approached, his beard swaying in the wind.

The man had already opened the letter on his way, so he knew who had sent it and who had come to visit.

Upon entering, he bowed and said, “I am Lin Bo, greeting the side Concubine.”

“No need for such formalities.”

Master Lin stood up but didn’t dare look directly at Xue Qingyin. He quickly said, “Cen Yong and Ping Nanzi are both in Weinan, not far from the capital. I will send someone with the invitation to them today.”

Xue Qingyin opened her palm, and a delicate, hollowed-out scent pouch dropped from her hand.

“This is from someone who entrusted me to deliver it to you.”

Master Lin cautiously accepted it, opened the pouch, and took out a piece of paper wrapped in wax. Naturally, he saw the two crossed-out characters.

“Save me.”

Master Lin’s expression changed dramatically. “Who gave this to the side Concubine?”

Xue Qingyin asked, “Didn’t the messenger tell you?”

Master Lin quickly realized, his voice lowering, “…It’s from the Eastern Palace.” He added, “Is the crown princess in trouble? Since the side Concubine received this personal letter from the crown princess, she must have met her in person. Please, side Concubine, tell me, what is the crown princess’s current situation?”

Xue Qingyin sighed and said, “I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with the Xiao family from Huainan, but I only met the crown princess once. Since she trusts you, I’ll tell you what happened.”

She first explained how the scent pouch had come into her hands.

When she described the palace maid barking like a dog, Master Lin’s face turned pale, and he trembled, “That maid was the crown princess’s close attendant, but now she’s in such a miserable state. It shows that the crown princess is indeed in a dire situation…”

Xue Qingyin then went on to tell of her visit to the Eastern Palace.

Master Lin’s hands trembled uncontrollably, but his expression grew even calmer.

“To go through so much effort just to send this message, it’s not something a maid named ‘Jiang Hua’ could have done alone. The master of the Eastern Palace is the crown prince. There must be something involved from the crown prince himself. They were once a perfect couple… How could it have come to this?!”

Xue Qingyin remained silent.

“Had the crown princess’s parents known, they would be heartbroken,” Master Lin muttered, holding onto his chair. “This matter… it’s not that simple…”

He wiped his face, forced down the rising emotions, and knelt before Xue Qingyin. “Thank you, thank you, side Concubine , for risking yourself to inform us today.”

“It was nothing,” Xue Qingyin paused and then asked, “Master Lin, do you have a plan to rescue the crown princess?”

Master Lin shook his head, forcing a bitter smile. “This needs careful planning. I can’t handle it alone. I need to send someone back to Yangzhou to deliver the message quickly.”

Without delay, he had someone fetch paper and ink and immediately wrote a letter, handing it to the servant. “Find a fast horse… travel by water route! Deliver this to Master Xiao in Yangzhou.”

Xue Qingyin suddenly said, “Wait.”

Master Lin, feeling grateful, was eager to hear her out. He stopped his action and quickly turned to her.

“Do you know the crown prince’s character?” Xue Qingyin asked.

Master Lin was stunned. “A person like me would have no chance to meet the crown prince…”

Xue Qingyin said, “If he wants to cut off all chances, he’ll surely station people near the Xiao family to intercept any messages coming from the capital.”

She thought for a moment, realizing that if the crown prince dared to act in such a ruthless manner, he would undoubtedly sever her ability to seek help from her family.

Master Lin trembled more severely, nodding. “Yes, yes, side Concubine ’s foresight is indeed thorough. I was too careless. If the message is intercepted halfway, the crown princess might not survive till tomorrow.”

Xue Qingyin originally intended to simply deliver the message to Master Lin.

But now it seemed…

“My family has some property in Huainan, so it would be completely normal to send two stewards to inspect the place,” Xue Qingyin said.

Master Lin hesitated for a moment and said, “Just now, the side Concubine said it was nothing but a simple favor, but I know that in such a dire situation at the Eastern Palace, the side Concubine  is willing to deliver a message for someone she’s only met once. The effort involved cannot be underestimated. The crown princess… she has grown up under my watch. I know her kind heart, and I fear she doesn’t want to drag the side Concubine too deeply into this and cause trouble. Sending just this message may still keep a distance, but if I send someone to Huainan, the entanglements will be unbreakable.”

This matter likely requires the shameless assistance of Lord Ning. Lord Ning is a man of integrity and careful thought.

He has countless friends, but when it comes to this matter, he dares not involve them lightly. After all, it involves a major royal affair… Master Lin sighed in his heart.

But hearing Master Lin speak like this, Xue Qingyin became somewhat interested.

She said, “You should still send a message back to the Xiao family, but not with this letter. Give me this one, and in the letter you send back, write that the Crown Princess and I are good friends. Ask the Xiao family to introduce my maternal grandfather, the Xu family, to the prominent families of Huainan, and to show more support to my maternal grandfather. Also, ask the Xiao family to find two teachers for the Xu family, provided they don’t mind that they come from a merchant background.”

Master Lin understood: “If we act like this, even if my letter is intercepted, the subsequent actions will still appear reasonable. But those in higher positions are often suspicious. I fear that if the Crown Prince finds out what the concubine has been involved in… Even His Highness Prince Xuan may be forced into this. If Prince Xuan begins to doubt the concubine’s actions…”

Outsiders only know that the late Empress had raised Prince Xuan for some time, and naturally, they also believe that Prince Xuan and the Crown Prince share a deep bond.

The more Master Lin thought about it, the more he felt that the concubine of Prince Xuan truly had a compassionate heart.

She risked everything to save others.

“I will make proper arrangements for this matter, so I won’t stay longer,” Xue Qingyin said, not elaborating further.

Master Lin knew that this matter could not be delayed. He quickly handed the letter to Xue Qingyin and wrote another one himself.

Then, he knelt and bowed deeply, thanking Xue Qingyin with great respect.

“My Lin family was once a family of scholars, but unfortunately, we fell on hard times. It is thanks to the Xiao family’s help that I have survived to this day and built such a family business. You have saved the Crown Princess with great righteousness, which is as if you saved my life. In the past, to repay the Xiao family’s kindness, I was willing to serve them. From now on, I am ready to serve the concubine with the same loyalty.”

Xue Qingyin smiled, “Let’s talk once the Crown Princess is safe.”

“Yes, yes,” Master Lin got up and wiped his face.

Only then did Xue Qingyin notice that he was drenched in cold sweat.

She couldn’t help but admire him in her heart.

No wonder this person has so many friends—he truly values loyalty and righteousness above all else.

Xue Qingyin walked out of the flower hall and ran into Nong Xia.

Nong Xia, puzzled, asked, “Miss, what are you doing here?”

Xue Qingyin quickly replied, “I’m helping my maternal family secure a good future.”

Nong Xia, not understanding, still happily said, “Miss, you’re amazing!”

Xue Qingyin tilted her head and smiled, “Nong Xia, after I send Mother back to the Xu family, you should go to the Xue family to find my brother and tell him I want to see him.”

Nong Xia was even more confused. “Ah? When will we return to the Wang mansion?”

Xue Qingyin replied, “Later.”

Nong Xia didn’t understand what she was up to but obediently nodded in agreement.

Xue Qingyin then looked at the Lin family servant and asked, “Could you please guide me? I need to find the lady who came with me earlier.”

The servant responded.

Meanwhile, Master Lin was returning to search for Lord Ning.

The chessboard was still there, but Lord Ning was nowhere to be seen.

Master Lin paused and asked, “Has Lord Ning left?”

Lord Ning, however, was being led by a servant into the garden to admire the flowers.

“This is the lotus orchid planted by the master. Please, Lord Ning, have a look.”

Lord Ning, though smelling the fragrance of the orchids, could not see the flowers at first.

He saw, instead, a figure dressed in crimson.

She turned around, her profile strikingly beautiful.

Lord Ning, who was well-read, did not enjoy reading romantic poetry. But his memory was exceptionally sharp, and even a fleeting glance would be engraved in his mind.

At this moment, a line naturally surfaced in his mind:

“Her beauty, with elegant grace and fragrant scent, fills the path.”

“Lord Ning?” The servant’s voice brought him back to his senses.

Only then did Lord Ning realize that the woman had her hair styled in a traditional bun.