Nie San somehow found an ox cart.
Although it was just a simple black-painted peasant cart, Ah Wu and the two maids felt relieved.
They got on the cart and followed Nie San towards the direction of Nan Qiongzi.
Along the way, the maids chattered a bit, and Ah Wu gradually learned about Nan Qiongzi.
Nan Qiongzi is not just a simple villa, but a nickname for a large area of mountainous land to the south of the imperial capital.
This place is located at the intersection of the north-south mountain ranges and is also where the Yonghui River flows through.
The tributaries of the Yonghui River form rivers and lakes, which in turn nourish a vast expanse of mountainous grasslands.
In the previous dynasty, the court designated this area as a royal hunting park, constructing palaces, Taoist temples, altars, hunting grounds, and training fields, and breeding rare birds and exotic animals.
By the time of the current dynasty, the original hunting park was expanded by twice its size, with a wall over a hundred miles long built to prevent the rare animals from escaping.
A special “Qionghu” was also established here, responsible for herding, breeding, and guarding the park.
Thus, the area inside the wall is called “Inside Qiongzǐ,” and the area outside is called “Outside Qiongzǐ.”
Such a vast royal hunting park naturally also has a Taoist temple specifically set up for the royal family’s use, and Yan Yang Temple is such a nunnery.
Ah Wu understood as she listened that Nan Qiongzi is actually another palace, a larger one, and the Qionghu, Taoist temples, and nunneries inside are all people employed by the court.
That is to say, it is not the carefree life of being a nun as she had imagined, but rather a lifetime of being unable to leave Nan Qiongzi.
Ah Wu felt a bit heavy-hearted, but she also thought, take one step at a time.
Anyway, she hasn’t completely offended the Crown Prince here.
Now the Crown Prince only feels guilty towards her.
If it really comes to that, she could only swallow her pride and ask for his help.
Thinking of the Crown Prince, she remembered his last words about Nie San.
The cart was drafty all around, and she could easily see Nie San through the gaps.
Nie San’s sharp, elongated face was taut, as if he had a lot on his mind.
What was he thinking about?
Nie San, Nie Qianpei, he originally belonged to the British Duke’s mansion, that is, the Crown Princess’s natal family.
As she was looking, Nie San’s gaze suddenly shot over.
For a martial artist, his eyes were too piercing and fierce.
Ah Wu’s heart raced, and she instinctively withdrew her gaze and looked away.
For the rest of the journey, Ah Wu naturally felt quite anxious.
She was afraid that Nie San would rob her.
He might take her gold, rape and then kill her.
By that time, no matter how powerful the Crown Prince was in avenging her, she would be dead.
She was so worried and apprehensive all the way, and finally arrived at Nan Qiongzi at night, and went up the mountain and reached Yan Yang Temple.
The one who came out to greet from Yan Yang Temple was an old nun, who greeted the group with
“May the blessings of the boundless heavens be upon us.”
Nie San handed over the official letter from the Crown Prince’s mansion.
The old nun took it and opened it.
It was late at night, and Ah Wu couldn’t see clearly, but she knew that there seemed to be the Crown Princess’s red seal on the letter.
After checking, the old nun said,
“Thank you, sir. We will take this kind-hearted person up the mountain. Once the kind-hearted person officially enters our Taoist order, there will be a reply. Please wait for two days.”
Nie San: “Two days? Please hurry up with the ceremony to avoid any unexpected trouble.”
The old nun glanced at Nie San, her expression arrogant:
“Yan Yang Temple has its own rules.”
Hearing this, Nie San said nothing more and just looked at Ah Wu.
Then Ah Wu followed the old nun into the temple.
As the temple door slowly closed, Ah Wu didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or to be on guard.
The old nun, with a stern face, led Ah Wu into the temple, taking her to pay respects to the temple’s spirit official.
This Taoist temple is located deep in the mountains.
The strange rocks and forests in the distance are already eerie in shape at night.
The temple’s houses are ancient, the trees are lush, and the lanterns are dim, exuding an even more sinister atmosphere.
Ah Wu followed the old nun forward, the more she walked, the more anxious she became, as if she were walking towards some ghost town.
She even began to miss Nie San.
Although Nie San might have ulterior motives, he was, after all, a decent person, not a ghost.
Fortunately, after passing through a corridor, they arrived at the main hall.
The main hall was brightly lit, and there were several nuns waiting there.
Upon seeing her, they took her to pay respects to the temple’s spirit official.
The spirit official is the head of the Taoist temple, a title bestowed by the royal family, with the surname Song.
His oily, shiny hair was tied up high, and his long face was slightly drooping as he looked at Ah Wu.
Ah Wu regretted more and more, regretting so much that she felt sick to her stomach.
This Song Spirit Official clearly looked strict.
She would rather be bullied by the Crown Princess than fall into the hands of this nun!
Is it still possible for her to run away now……
Song Spirit Official asked Ah Wu a few questions, and Ah Wu listlessly answered.
Song Spirit Official frowned at Ah Wu and said,
“Do you have any questions?”
Ah Wu thought of her personal belongings and asked,
“Spirit Official Song, where are my personal items? Those items are still in the hands of Sir Nie, and I need to get them back. Spirit Official Song, wait a moment, I’ll go out and call Sir Nie.”
Song Spirit Official:
“Go out?”
Ah Wu cautiously looked at Song Spirit Official and said,
“Is it not allowed?”
The surrounding nuns were all taken aback by this.
Wasn’t this person from the Crown Prince’s mansion?
How could she have no sense of propriety at all??
Song Spirit Official’s face was tight and expressionless as she said,
“Kind-hearted person, your personal items will be kept by Sir Nie. After you have undergone the ceremony, they will be handed back to you.”
Ah Wu listened, feeling extremely reluctant.
On one hand, she knew she couldn’t leave now, and on the other hand, her items were being kept by Nie San.
What if he peeked at them?
What if he stole all the gold she had hidden?
The gold she had was originally secretly taken from the Crown Prince, and it was not something she could openly talk about.
If he really stole it, could she just shout about it?
She felt extremely frustrated, feeling as if she had swallowed a loss without being able to speak up.
At this time, Song Spirit Official ordered someone to take Ah Wu to the backyard quarters to rest first.
Ah Wu had no other choice but to follow Song Spirit Official inside listlessly, observing the surroundings carefully as she walked.
In front of her seemed to be a hall, which looked quite solemn and somewhat oppressive in the dark night.
The group continued to move forward, passing through a stone-built three-arched gate, and then through a corridor.
The corridor had lights on, and through the hollow stone murals on the side, she could vaguely see the situation inside the hall.
Upon seeing it, she almost lost her soul and screamed.
In the middle of the night, with the lights off, the hall had lanterns on, and the lanterns just happened to shine on the statue!
The statue was clad in golden armor and a red robe, with a red face and a beard, and three eyes glaring fiercely.
It was truly ferocious and terrifying!
It was like a ghost!
Her scream caused the old nun’s face, which was already stern, to crack.
She slowly furrowed her brows and looked at Ah Wu,
“Do you know where this is?”
Ah Wu cautiously pointed in the direction of the hall,
“Ghost, there’s a ghost………………”
The old nun’s face turned pale:
“That is the guardian and mountain god general, Wang Lingguan.”
Ah Wu didn’t quite believe it and said,
“Wang Lingguan? Spirit Official?”
The old nun coldly said,
“Is this the way things are done in your Crown Prince’s mansion? You are ordained as a Taoist nun by imperial decree, and yet you scream and shout. What kind of decorum is this?”
“Do you have any respect for the spirit officials in the temple?”
Ah Wu, upon hearing this, was surprised and said,
“Daoist, as you said, I was ordained by imperial decree. Since it was not my own wish, I will do whatever you ask. As for respect. what does this have to do with respect?”
“The spirit official himself has a ferocious appearance. Should I be blamed for that?”
The old nun gasped and raised her eyebrows in anger,
“You!”
Ah Wu was frightened and shrank back, taking a step backward.
However, even so, she still mustered up the courage and loudly said,
“What are you doing? I am from the Crown Prince’s mansion, and the Crown Prince dotes on me. He will send someone to check on me tomorrow. If a single hair of mine is missing, he will hold you accountable!”
The old nun was taken aback.
Ah Wu thought that since this time it was the emperor’s decree for her to become a nun, the Crown Prince might not be of much help.
So she simply brought up the emperor as well:
“I was ordained by the emperor’s decree. Since it was the emperor’s decree, if anything happens to me, see how you will explain it to the emperor!”
After saying this, she threatened with a resolute expression,
“I have a strong personality. If I suffer even the slightest grievance, I will bite my tongue and commit suicide. When the emperor and the Crown Prince investigate, you will all be implicated!”
The old nun: The other nuns were all stunned and looked at each other in disbelief.
They were all nuns, and the temple had strict rules.
New nuns had to learn the rules properly and would inevitably face a lot of hardships.
But this one
So beautiful in appearance, yet so eccentric in character!
Everyone was speechless for a moment.
After a while, a cool breeze passed by.
That night, Ah Wu was settled in a guest room, which faced the distant mountain peaks.
The night was dark, and she could only see layers of dark clouds that seemed to have no end.
In a daze, she seemed to hear the roars of wild beasts in the distance, which was quite eerie.
She quickly closed the window, lay down in her clothes, and fell asleep.
In fact, she was very troubled and had a lot on her mind, but she was too tired and soon fell asleep.
The next day, while she was sleeping soundly, she was suddenly awakened.
She was confused and opened her sleepy eyes to see a young nun.
She was really sleepy:
“What for?”
The young nun said irritably,
“Look at you, what time is it now? Aren’t you supposed to undergo the ceremony?”
Ah Wu then remembered:
“Did I become a nun?”
Young nun: “You should go see our spirit official first. She has something to tell you.”
Ah Wu got up and dressed: “Okay.”
The young nun watched Ah Wu, who was in a flurry, and couldn’t help but stare.
Yan Yang Temple usually had many royal relatives and concubines coming to burn incense.
The young nun naturally had some experience, but even so, Ah Wu still stood out among these women.
As pure as snow and jade, flawless, it was hard for people to look away.
However—
Seeing Ah Wu clumsily climb down from the bed, looking so disheveled……
The young nun couldn’t bear to look and sighed inwardly.
No wonder she had such a good appearance but was still ordered to become a nun.
Ah Wu didn’t care what the nun thought.
She got dressed and got down from the bed.
With the help of the young nun, she washed up and prepared to see Song Lingguan.
On the way, she looked around curiously.
Last night, when she first arrived, it was night and she couldn’t see clearly.
It just felt strange and bizarre.
Now, in broad daylight, upon closer inspection, the courtyards and houses were orderly, with the Xieshan and Wudian pavilions arranged in a picturesque disorder.
As she walked along, she passed by sky wells and fish ponds, and there were pine, cypress, and Phoebe trees along the road.
Although it was already autumn, the place was still lush with greenery.
It was indeed a leisurely spot.
Walking on the mossy path, Ah Wu curiously asked the young nun,