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Abbess Liao Chen continued, “…I always found Dabao familiar, but couldn’t recall where I’d seen him before. It wasn’t until today that I remembered he resembles Ninth Prince. Thinking about his grandmother, Wang, who was the woman who found the child in the grove. If I hadn’t hurt my foot, I would have taken the child to Tangyuan to raise him… It’s such a remarkable coincidence!”
Chu Lingxuan added, “Yes, initially, the Emperor feared Ninth Prince’s leg wouldn’t heal, so he had Concubine Shan Lingling/Yuan Lin, conceive again. When she bears a child, he truly had another prince. Fearing a repeat incident, my father had him fostered in the common world. Dad surely placed him in the most secure location, considering Mother felt lonely, he thought to have her find and raise him in Tangyuan. It was a safe choice where he could frequently be by your side to keep you company and alleviate your loneliness. When I returned from the border, I would acknowledge him as my son, ensuring he received a good education. Unexpectedly…” He chuckled, “Fate had its way, and he became my foster son.”
Tears welled up in Abbess Liao Chen’s eyes as she said, “Men may undertake great tasks, but the greatest burden often falls on women. Shan Lingling first witnessed her son’s suffering and later endured the pain of separation from him. And the poor…”
Understanding her mother’s emotional state, Chu Lingxuan knows his mother used the term “poor nun” to describe herself, which Abbess Liao Chen typically avoided saying in front of him. Feeling anxious, he quickly interjected, “Mother, once Ninth Prince successfully ascends the throne, maybe even before his coronation, if we can dismantle the Second Prince’s faction and the Ma family’s influence, we can bring you back home.”
Tearfully, Abbess Liao Chen expressed, “I’ve been a nun for eleven years, accustomed to a life of prayer and solitude. In the past two years, I couldn’t fully immerse myself in spiritual matters due to my concerns for you and Hanyan. Now, with Feng’s child on the way, I hope she has a son. Once that wish is fulfilled, I can let go of worldly worries…” Tears streamed down her face.
Chu Lingxuan, feeling sorrowful, said, “Mother, we’re doing our best to bring you out sooner.”
Abbess Liao Chen shook her head and asked, “Is the man who spoke with you really him?”
Chu Lingxuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded, saying, “Yes, it was my father. He’s staying at Lingyin Temple for three days. He… he feels it’s not the right time yet and doesn’t want to upset you, so he can’t come to see you for now. Perhaps in the future…”
Unable to contain her emotions, Abbess Liao Chen burst into tears. After weeping for a while, she wiped her eyes, clasped her hands together, and said, “Amitabha.”
Chu Lingxuan understood that his mother was dismissing him. He rose and left the small meditation room, the sound of a wooden fish echoing behind him.
Sitting in the pavilion, Chu Lingxuan gazed at the starry sky, pondering whether his father’s dreams and his own wishes could come true.
At this moment, his father stayed at Lingyin Temple at the foot of the mountain, while his mother resided at Yingshuan Monastery halfway up the mountain, a mere two miles apart, yet it felt like they were separated by a galaxy…
The sound of the wooden fish resonated into the late night as Chu Lingxuan retired to his meditation room for rest, the sound persisting until he drifted into slumber.
Meanwhile, Chen Feng helplessly watched as the golden swallow cried in the space. When she told the bird that she needed a green swallow’s nest the size of a fingernail to save the Chu family, the golden swallow immediately burst into tears.
It couldn’t refuse due to the severity of the request, but it was reluctant to comply.
Chen Feng felt immense guilt, deeply sorry for causing the bird such distress. It had helped eliminate the evil stepmother, and now she was making it suffer.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she said, “Baby, I’m sorry, Mommy has no other choice. What can we do, Baby? Mommy has no one else to turn to… Mommy is also upset with that old monk, greedy for things and not telling the truth…”
This time, she harbored deep resentment towards the old monk. His words were severe and vague, leaving her unable to decipher his intentions. Such behavior was clearly a threat meant to intimidate them. This demeanor wasn’t befitting of a venerable monk!
While crying, the golden swallow spoke between sobs, “That old bald donkey is so bad and greedy. He already took so many treasures from others, yet he’s never satisfied, always demanding more, using threats against Mommy and her family… It takes a lot of time and effort to weave such a large swallow’s nest. Does he think a fingernail-sized portion is small? The unit of measurement for a green swallow’s nest is as thin as a hair and as small as eye gunk… The previous owner never asked for so much in a lifetime. But that old bald donkey demands a piece the size of a fingernail. If they don’t follow Mommy here, he can’t get those things, and the world would end? I don’t believe it! He’s too wicked, too greedy, waaah… My head hurts, my wings hurt, my mouth hurts, my tongue hurts, my paws hurt, everything hurts, it’s so painful, waaah… Ah… Ah…”
Chen Feng felt even more remorseful. In the time she had spent in this other world, this adorable creature had helped solve many problems, bringing her endless joy. Yet she kept causing it trouble. However, she couldn’t find any words of comfort, as everything felt inadequate—only tears could accompany the golden swallow.
The little creature neither agreed nor refused. It cried and sobbed for a long time, its small eyes swelling shut, eventually drifting off to sleep with tear-stained cheeks. Despite its love for flaunting wealth, it didn’t retreat to a golden house but lay down on the ground in a fit of anger.
Chen Feng sighed, wiped away her tears, and had to leave the space to rest, realizing it wasn’t the right time to bring up the matter of the tricolor ball. She decided to discuss it with the creature once its emotions had settled.
The next day, the sound of the wooden fish continued in Abbess Liao Chen’s meditation room, where she remained inside.
The young nun attending to her informed, “The Abbess requests that all benefactors come down the mountain after having their meal.”
Observing Chu Lingxuan’s serious expression, Chen Feng suspected that perhaps there had been unpleasantness between mother and son the previous night. Sensing the tension, she didn’t delve further, instead focusing on comforting the two children during breakfast.
Dabao asked, “Where’s the golden swallow? I haven’t seen it since early morning.”
Chen Feng replied, “It might have gone to play in the grove.”
After breakfast, the family of four descended the mountain.
Upon reaching Tangyuan around midday, Chen Feng and Chu Lingxuan freshened up in the Yanxiang Pavilion. When Chu Lingxuan expressed his intention to go to the front courtyard to find the old Marquis, Chen Feng stopped him and dismissed the attendants.
She shared her encounter with Master Wuzhi and the business they conducted, she only hid the details about the swallow’s nest and only mentioning a condition involving the golden swallow finding the tricolor ball.
Both Chen Feng and Chu Lingxuan knew that the golden swallow had discovered the tricolor ball previously. Understanding the bird’s uniqueness, they saw no harm in sharing this information with them.