At Baideng Temple, Lord Yan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, once again brought his colleagues for a visit.
However, unlike their last visit, Lord Yan and his n had brought a number of gifts this ti, and their faces were all tinged with embarrassnt.
"This humble official, Yan Zhen, greets Master Wangxin."
In the front hall of Baideng Temple, Yan Zhen and his n bowed to Wangxin.
Wangxin blinked. She looked at Yan Zhen and his n, assuming they were there about the prayer ceremony. She spoke slowly, "I will be heading to the Sacrificial Altar shortly to pray for Your Majesty. There will be no delay."
"Well..."
The embarrassed look on Yan Zhen’s face deepened, now tinged with apology.
"Master Wangxin, we are deeply grateful for your prayers for His Majesty these past days. However, as of today, we will no longer need to trouble you. You need not go to the Sacrificial Altar."
"Is it no longer needed?" Wangxin asked calmly.
"Yes."
Yan Zhen sighed. ’Master Wangxin had journeyed all the way to the Zhou Kingdom and had agreed to pray for His Majesty and my own daughter, but now it’s all co to nothing.’
"To be frank, Master Wangxin, the grand ceremony has been postponed. The ceremony to instate the new empress likely won’t be held for at least another year. We do not wish to trouble you for so long."
Yan Zhen straightened up and gestured with his hand. The officials at his side stepped forward, holding several gift boxes.
Opening the gift boxes, they revealed gold and jewels, a golden silk Kasaya, bolts of Snow Cicada Silk, and other expensive items.
Yan Zhen bowed respectfully. "Although the ceremony is postponed, you have worked tirelessly these past days, Master Wangxin. We of the Zhou Kingdom have prepared these gifts as a token of our gratitude. We hope you will accept them."
Wangxin gazed at the treasures and blinked. She neither refused nor accepted them all. Instead, she stepped forward, picked out a single small gold ingot, and said, "This is enough."
"Please, Master Wangxin, take all of it," Yan Zhen said, looking troubled. "There is no need to be so courteous with us."
"I have no need for that much money." Wangxin shook her head. "This small gold ingot I’ve taken is already more than enough. Besides, I will be staying in the Zhou Imperial City for a ti. If I am still here in a year, I can continue to pray for Your Majesty."
Yan Zhen seed to want to say more, but one look at the woman’s resolute yet clear expression told him that further words would be useless. In the end, Yan Zhen simply bowed.
"In that case, allow to thank you on behalf of His Majesty, Master Wangxin. If you should ever require my assistance, please feel free to co to the Minister’s Mansion to find . So long as it is within my power, I will do everything I can to help."
"Very well," Wangxin nodded.
"Then I will no longer disturb your tranquility, Master Wangxin. I shall take my leave."
"Travel safely."
After bowing to each other one last ti, Yan Zhen and his n descended the mountain.
W. Little Chaos, perched on Wangxin’s shoulder, looked up at her.
"Co on, it’s ti for us to go down the mountain, too." Wangxin gently rubbed Little Chaos’s tiny head and tucked the small gold ingot into the little pouch on its back.
To avoid drawing undue attention, Wangxin changed into a commoner’s simple linen shirt and trousers, then made her way to the Zhou Imperial City.
Even after trading her Kasaya for the simplest linen clothes imaginable, Wangxin’s beauty was so striking that everyone who passed her on the street, be they man or woman, old or young, couldn’t help but turn their heads for a second look.
However, the saintly aura she exuded kept people from getting too close. Even the street thugs only dared to watch from a distance, a sliver of fear taking root in their hearts.
It was a feeling as if all their wrongdoings would be laid bare before her. They could only hide from a distance, like rats in the darkness, afraid to be exposed to the sun.
anwhile, from inside Wangxin’s bundle, Little Chaos peeked out with a pair of eyes, curiously observing the bustling town.
When they passed a candied fruit stall, Little Chaos poked its head out and, while the old vendor wasn’t looking, took a big bite out of a skewer, eating half of it.
Each ti, Wangxin would pout, gently tap Little Chaos on its small head, and then buy the skewer.
Before long, Wangxin found a brokerage.
The clerk at the brokerage was taken aback for a mont to see such a beautiful woman walk in.
And when he heard she wanted to buy a courtyard ho, the clerk grew even more enthusiastic.
The brokerage clerk asked Wangxin for her requirents and then showed her several different hos around the city.
Ultimately, Wangxin took a liking to a private courtyard in the western part of the city.
The courtyard wasn’t in too remote of a location, and it was also rather quiet.
Looking at this seemingly harmless woman, the brokerage clerk thought she would be easy to cheat. He was originally planning to inflate the price.
But as the words reached the tip of his tongue, he looked into her eyes. For so reason, he felt a pang of guilt and ended up telling her the real price.
Wangxin thought the price was fair, so she bought the private courtyard.
The courtyard’s furniture was all there; it only lacked bedding.
Wangxin bought so daily necessities in the city and then started cleaning the courtyard.
She was busy until evening. Only when the courtyard was finally clean did she have a free mont to sit down in it.
"Starting today, we’ll be living here for a while. Maybe we’ll actually find him here," Wangxin said to Little Chaos. "And when we do, we’ll take him back to the Western Regions with us."
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