The young monk simply smiled faintly and did not answer her question. “My master also asked me to convey that Prime Minister Su will surely live a long life. You need not worry.”
This only deepened Gu Nanyin’s confusion. As far as she knew, Xuankong had long resided within the Buddhist order, and her grandfather had never visited Baohua Temple. The two had never even met—how could Master Xuankong possibly know her grandfather’s lifespan?
The young monk placed the prayer beads into Gu Nanyin’s hands, clasped his palms together, and bowed lightly. “Benefactor, the message has been delivered. There are matters to attend to at the temple, so I shall take my leave.”
“Young Master,” Gu Nanyin quickly called out to him, stepping forward herself to return the bow. “Please convey my gratitude to Master Xuankong.”
Hearing this, the young monk smiled. “Rest assured, Benefactor. I will certainly deliver your words.”
“Baishao, please see the young master out,” Gu Nanyin instructed.
After Baishao escorted the young monk out and returned to the front hall, she saw Gu Nanyin quietly gazing at the prayer beads in her hand, lost in thought.
Qin Xue leaned over for a look and immediately her expression changed dramatically. “Miss, I have seen this kind of prayer beads before. They are said to be extremely precious. I once heard of someone who offered ten thousand taels of silver to purchase another person’s prayer beads.”
“Ten thousand taels of silver?” Gu Nanyin and Baishao exchanged a glance, disbelief in their eyes. “They are truly that valuable?”
Qin Xue nodded. “Having traveled north and south with the Prince for many years, I have indeed seen them. They are said to be made of star and moon bodhi seeds. After being worn for a long time, the surface develops beautiful cracks like ceramic glaze, and the beads become semi-transparent, resembling blood amber. But what makes them valuable is not just the beads themselves—it is also the Buddhist essence they absorb from being worn. Judging by their color, I believe they have been worn for many years.”
Gu Nanyin turned the beads in her hand and saw that they were indeed as Qin Xue had described. She grew even more puzzled. Even if she and Xuankong had some affinity, how could she accept such a precious gift—one that Master Xuankong himself might have worn for years? Yet the young monk had not even mentioned the beads’ value, as if he did not care at all. Could it be that he feared she would refuse to accept them if she knew?
A hundred thoughts raced through Gu Nanyin’s mind. She did not understand why Xuankong was so kind to her. They had only met once. He did not seem to mind her rebirth and even appeared to offer her protection in his words. Could this simply be fate?
After a long silence, Gu Nanyin finally instructed, “Qiuzhi, take some silver from my room and go to Baohua Temple to donate it as incense money. From now on, go there once a month. Besides silver, bring some warm clothing for the cold weather, and have the kitchen prepare some light vegetarian dishes to take along.” Regardless of Xuankong’s intentions, she could not accept such kindness without reciprocation. When it came to gifts, there should always be give and take.
Master Xuankong’s gift had given Gu Nanyin an idea. Her grandfather lacked nothing material now. What she gave him did not need to be expensive—it just needed to be heartfelt.
As soon as the master and servants returned to the courtyard, Gu Nanyin spoke up. “Qiuzhi, where did you put the sutra from last time?”
“Miss, I was afraid it would gather dust if left out, so I stored it in the warehouse. If you need it, I can fetch it for you now.”Gu Nanyin nodded. Last time at Baohua Temple, Monk Xuankong had given her a sutra. Although she had read a few pages, she was completely unfamiliar with Buddhist teachings. That sutra was too obscure and difficult for her to understand, so she rarely opened it again.
When Qiuzhi brought the sutra in, Gu Nanyin explained to them, “I’ve already decided on my gift for Grandfather. I plan to personally copy a sutra for him.”
The maids instantly widened their eyes. Qiuzhi said, “Miss, copying sutras involves many rules. Not only must one purify the mouth and body, abstain from meat and pungent vegetables, but if even a single character is written incorrectly on a page, the entire page must be rewritten. Such a thick Buddhist sutra—who knows how many days it would take to copy. Wouldn’t that be too exhausting?”
Gu Nanyin smiled and waved her hand, knowing the maids meant well. “Since it’s a birthday gift for Grandfather, I must be sincere. If it were something easily accomplished, how could it reflect my affection for him? Moreover, copying the sutra can help bring blessings to Grandfather, and for me, it’s also a great merit, as well as a way to temper my character. Something with so many benefits—why not do it?”
Seeing that their young lady seemed determined, Qiuzhi and the others stopped trying to dissuade her. They simply informed the kitchen that from that day on, only light vegetarian dishes would be served to the young lady’s room. They also prepared brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, ensuring that the young lady could copy the sutra without any worries.
Even with thorough preparations, Gu Nanyin still underestimated the difficulty of copying a sutra. It took her a full month, finishing only the day before her grandfather’s birthday, to completely copy the entire sutra.
Gu Nanyin slumped into a chair, rubbing her sore arm, and sighed deeply. “Copying a sutra truly isn’t easy. Ordinary people can barely manage a few pages. It’s remarkable how monks face sutras day after day, copying and reciting them—I don’t know how they persist.”
The maids smiled as they watched their young lady. Having stayed by her side every day, just watching her devoutly copy each character word by word had already felt exhausting.
Qiuzhi comforted her, “Now it’s finally done. When Prime Minister Su sees your gift tomorrow, he will surely be deeply moved.”
Whether he was moved or not didn’t matter to Gu Nanyin. As long as it could bring blessings to her grandfather, she was already satisfied.
Early the next morning, while Gu Nanyin was still dreaming, Qiuzhi came to wake her up.
After several urgings, Gu Nanyin managed to force her eyes open a slit. She glanced toward the window—the sky was just beginning to brighten—and mumbled to Qiuzhi, “Isn’t it too early to get up now? I think even ordinary roosters haven’t woken up yet.” With that, she closed her eyes again.
Hearing her young lady’s words, Qiuzhi couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. “Miss, roosters don’t need to get up and dress up. Today we’re going to celebrate Prime Minister Su’s birthday. There will be countless high-ranking officials, noble sons, and young ladies from prominent families. As family, we can’t let them steal the spotlight. You’ve never liked attending such gatherings, and people in the capital are almost forgetting about you, the eldest young lady.” This was an exaggeration, of course, as not long ago, her name and Gu Qinglian’s had just become the talk of the capital.Qiuzhi saw that after all her talking, the young lady showed no sign of getting up, and couldn’t help but go over and shake Gu Nanyin’s body a couple of times. This jolted Gu Nanyin fully awake. She patted Qiuzhi’s head and said, “You all are getting more and more unruly these days. I have no authority left as your young lady. Qiuzhi, if you’re this fierce, how will you ever find a husband in the future?”