“Mother, what are those soldiers looking for?”
Shen Chengfeng jumped down from his horse and said, “The rebel’s son, Jiang Lin, escaped on his way back to the capital. The Yulin Army is searching for the whereabouts of the Jiang family’s sixth son. Don’t be afraid, little sister. With your second brother accompanying you and Mother, nothing will happen.”
“Stay with Mother and don’t wander off.” Jing Miaoyi instinctively took Shen Wan’s hand and led her into Puhua Temple.
The Yulin Army now took orders from the Crown Prince. Deputy General Jiang Xin Gui and the leader Wang Dequan were both trusted confidants of the Crown Prince. Since the Crown Prince was related to the Shen family, and Shen Chengfeng held a sixth-rank military position under the Crown Prince’s command, the Yulin Army would not trouble the Shen family.
They smoothly entered the Bodhisattva Hall of Puhua Temple.
Jing Miaoyi knelt on the prayer mat, closed her eyes, and held the divination stick tube in both hands, devoutly expressing her wishes to the Bodhisattva.
Shen Wan and Shen Chengfeng knelt behind Jing Miaoyi.
Shen Wan also closed her eyes. With a “snap,” a divination stick fell from the tube onto the ground. Both Shen Wan and Jing Miaoyi opened their eyes at the same time.
Jing Miaoyi reached out and picked up the stick from the floor. She first looked at the inscription: “Two flowers on the other shore, one becomes a Buddha, the other a demon. Holding the ledger of ten thousand souls, with a stroke of the brush, the entire family withers.”
She slowly moved her thumb away from the character pressed beneath it: “Misfortune!”
Jing Miaoyi abruptly tucked away the divination stick, turned to Shen Chengfeng, and said, “Second son, take your sister to the Blessing Pond to pray. I will go find the master to interpret this divination.”
Shen Wan stepped forward to help Jing Miaoyi up.
Jing Miaoyi took hold of Shen Wan’s hand and said, “Remember, don’t leave your second brother’s side.”
“I understand, Mother.” Shen Wan turned and smiled at Shen Chengfeng. “Second brother, let’s go.”
Jing Miaoyi watched the two leave. A monk nearby approached and said, “Amitabha. This humble monk will take the benefactor to Master Wujin to interpret the divination.”
When Jing Miaoyi handed the divination stick to Master Wujin, the master remained expressionless and said, “This divination indicates great misfortune.”
Jing Miaoyi’s face paled.
She had never encountered such a result from a divination before. “Please, Master, interpret it for me.”
“The flower of the other shore, also known as the flower that grows on the Road to the Underworld, lies at the boundary between yin and yang. The departed can look back upon the mortal world, but moving forward leads to the abyss of purgatory. Now that Buddha and demon have descended, great calamity is inevitable.”
Master Wujin’s words caused Jing Miaoyi to stagger back two steps as if her soul had left her. Nanny Song quickly supported Jing Miaoyi and asked on her behalf, “Master Wujin, is there any way to resolve this divination? No matter how much merit is required, the lady is willing to resolve it.”
Master Wujin sighed. “This is a rope tied in a dead knot. It is difficult to undo.”
“What if… we cut this dead knot?” Jing Miaoyi thought of Shen Lian.
Her appearance now had thrown the entire Shen residence into turmoil. While Master Wujin was interpreting the divination, Jing Miaoyi’s mind was filled with the image of Shen Lian’s face—as ugly as a yaksha—when she first saw her.
If Shen Lian were to enter the imperial harem and the Crown Prince, the Empress, or even the Emperor were to see her hideous appearance, would the Shen family be ruined?
She now deeply regretted ever keeping Shen Lian in the Shen residence.
“Amitabha, benefactor. Everything has cause and effect. Even if you cut it, the cause remains, and the result will be the same.”
Master Wujin pressed his palms together in prayer, bowed, and said no more to Jing Miaoyi.
But Jing Miaoyi blocked Master Wujin’s path. “Master, there must be a way to resolve this. Tell me what I must do, even if it only changes the situation slightly.”
“Then this humble monk shall offer one more piece of advice: all evil breeds enmity, while goodness leads to enlightenment—all things return to their source.”
“Second Young Master Shen, the Crown Prince is looking for you.” Deputy General Jiang Xin Gui approached the Blessing Pond and spoke to Shen Chengfeng.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll first escort my younger sister back to our mother.”
“Second Brother.” Shen Wan held a string of copper coins in her hand. “If the Crown Prince is looking for you, it must be for something important. After I toss these coins, I’ll return to find Mother. There’s no need for you to escort me.”
“But Mother instructed me to protect you without leaving your side. Since thieves have entered Puhua Monastery, I can’t rest easy leaving you alone,” Shen Chengfeng said.
Shen Wan glanced at Hua Rong and Hua Jing beside her. “Fine, then I’ll return to find Mother now. There’s no need for you to escort me—I’m not a child anymore. The sooner you catch that thief, the sooner peace can be restored to Puhua Monastery. Hua Rong, Hua Jing, let’s go.”
Without waiting for Shen Chengfeng’s reply, Shen Wan left via the steps on the left.
Shen Chengfeng watched her enter the Bodhisattva Hall before turning to ask Jiang Xin Gui, “Are you certain the person fled into the monastery?”
“Absolutely. But today is the fifteenth, and there are more worshippers at Puhua Monastery than usual, including noble ladies from the capital. The Crown Prince doesn’t wish to offend the noble families, and we’re short on manpower. You must return to the capital immediately and bring the imperial guards. This is the summoning token from the Crown Prince. Second Young Master, don’t waste any time—hurry.”
…
After entering the Bodhisattva Hall, Shen Wan soon emerged again.
Hua Rong and Hua Jing were her confidantes, people she could trust. She instructed them to stay close to her and not leave her side.
Neither dared to ask questions, silently following Shen Wan instead.
Along the way, they encountered many worshippers. In the corridor, Shen Wan met Master Wujin and deliberately approached him to offer incense and inquire, “Master, where is the lady who was having her fortune told earlier?”
Master Wujin glanced at her, then turned and pointed toward the direction of the back hall, where a long corridor led directly to the Sutra Repository.
He merely pointed the way without specifying where Jing Miaoyi was.
Shen Wan clasped her hands together in a respectful bow and hurried along the path indicated by Master Wujin.
A young monk asked in confusion, “Master, wasn’t that lady just now in the meditation hall listening to Uncle Wuming recite scriptures?”
“The person she seeks is not there.”
The door to the Sutra Repository creaked open, revealing a scene of utter chaos.
Bookshelves and scriptures were overturned, and messy footprints, both shallow and deep, were imprinted on the pristine paper.
Clearly, the Yulin Army had already searched the area.
The vast Sutra Repository had been ransacked by the Crown Prince’s lackeys, indicating that the sole surviving legitimate young son of the Jiang family was of great importance to the Crown Prince.
“Hua Rong, Hua Jing, guard the entrance to the Sutra Repository. I’m going inside to find a few scriptures to copy for the Old Madam. Don’t let anyone disturb me.”
Shen Wan entered the Sutra Repository, closed the door herself, and bolted it before turning to survey her surroundings.
Puhua Monastery’s Sutra Repository housed 17,045 volumes of scriptures, making it the monastery with the largest collection in the capital’s vicinity. Now, more than half of them had been trampled by the Yulin Army or sliced in two by sharp weapons, scattered across the floor.
Shen Wan walked while picking up scriptures, continuing until she reached the far end.
Before her stood an altar dedicated to the Bodhisattva Akashagarbha, but it too had been split in two. The upper half lay on the ground, while the lower half remained upright on the altar.
Shen Wan straightened a round table, picked up paper, ink, and brushes, and found a thick copy of the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra. She neatly arranged the paper, ink, brushes, inkstone, and the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra on the round table.
Only then did she turn back and walk to the altar. She picked up the upper half of the bodhisattva statue from the floor, then reached out to touch the grid-like wall behind the altar. Counting eighteen grids horizontally and eighteen grids vertically, she took the bodhisattva statue in her hand and forcefully pushed its lotus-shaped crown into the grid she had pinpointed.
The grid recessed inward, perfectly fitting with the bodhisattva’s head and body.
The wall in front of her opened to both sides, revealing a narrow, hidden chamber.
A young man, covered in grime, leaned against the wall. He held a sword in one hand while clutching the spot where an arrow had struck him with the other, his face full of vigilance as he pointed the sword at her.
At the same time, a cold, sharp weapon was pressed against her neck from behind.
Shen Wan’s heart trembled. She glanced sideways at the man holding the sword to her throat…