Although the Beginning of Autumn had passed, the sun still blazed fiercely in August.
There were many pilgrims coming and going at Lan Shan Temple. Wei Dongling couldn't help sighing that if they could set up a milk tea stall near the temple, the business would probably be booming.
Cu Huan raised her eyebrows and asked, "Why don't we discuss it with Master Hongming?"
Wei Dongling smiled and said, "Let's wait until Tingfeng Tower stabilizes before discussing it."
The group of them successively offered incense and knelt in worship, sincerely making their wishes.
Yu Zixi took Wei Dongling's hand and knelt in front of the Buddha. The two looked at each other and smiled, then made their wishes at the same time.
May I win the heart of my beloved, and stay together till the end of our lives.
This was the only thing Wei Dongling wanted after praying for the safety and good health of Old Su.
As for what Yu Zixi was planning, whether it would succeed or not, she only hoped that this person could hold her hand and accompany her to the end. That would be the most beautiful thing in the world!
Seeing Yu Zixi reaching out his hand with sincere eyes, palm up, and with an extremely gentle expression, Wei Dongling was filled with joy and gently touched his fingertips. Their fingers intertwined tightly, and they walked slowly towards the door hand in hand.
May I win the heart of my beloved, and stay together till the end of our lives.
A large wave of pilgrims was coming towards them at the entrance of the main hall. Two familiar figures came into view. Wei Dongling took a closer look and found that it was Qi Jinxuan and Lv Kou! She immediately stopped in her tracks.
Qi Jinxuan, who had come to offer incense, was wearing a plain dress and only simply inserted a plain hairpin in her bun. Although she deliberately dressed in a low - key way, she couldn't hide her beautiful appearance. She had been full of piety at first, but the moment she saw Wei Dongling, her expression instantly froze. Especially when she caught a glimpse of the hands tightly held by Yu Zixi and Wei Dongling, her eyes were filled with disdain and disgust. She gave a soft snort and impatiently looked away.
Lv Kou saw Wei Dongling's figure from afar. At first, she was both surprised and delighted and wanted to come up and chat for a while. But seeing that her young lady's face was as cold as ice, she didn't dare to act rashly. She could only secretly take a few glances and silently follow Miss Qi away.
Wei Dongling felt a sense of loss in her heart. Just two months ago, the scene of her and Qi Jinxuan strolling hand in hand in Lan Shan Temple and helping her young lady make a match was still vivid in her mind. But in just two months, they had really become so estranged.
The sisterly affection that had lasted for eight years was over, and they had really become strangers.
Yu Zixi led Wei Dongling's hand to a quiet place. He traced something on her palm with his fingertips and whispered, "I heard that General Qi is going back to the capital to report on his duties and set off on his way back a few days ago."
Wei Dongling was feeling sad and replied softly, "Really?"
Yu Zixi knew she was sad but didn't know how to comfort her. He could only change the topic and say, "The epidemic in Xingshan has subsided, and the Crown Prince returned to the capital yesterday. You must be extremely careful in your actions from now on! As for Tingfeng Tower, try not to show up if you can."
Wei Dongling nodded absent - mindedly. Thinking of all the conflicts with the Crown Prince in Xingshan, she was afraid that she had already become a thorn in his side. She would have to be more vigilant in the future.
Yu Zixi grabbed her hand and gently rubbed it. "Dongling, I received a letter from my master. I have to leave the capital for a while."
Wei Dongling's hand trembled suddenly. Her beautiful eyes were full of worry, and she asked in a low voice, "Do you have to go back to Yan Gu Mountain again?"
Yu Zixi shook his head and said, "The war in the northwest is urgent. Master ordered me to go there quickly with Tian Qi."
Wei Dongling's face showed a look of shock. She quickly asked, "Why is that?"
Yu Zixi smiled gently and said, "Do you know why the current emperor, although knowing what the Crown Prince did during the epidemic in Xingshan, still didn't want to touch him?"
It turned out that the emperor believed in the authenticity of that ledger and also knew the dirty things the Crown Prince had done secretly. He just had no choice but to indulge the Crown Prince?
Yu Zixi sneered and said, "Because the 80,000 soldiers in the northwest are under the command of the Xue family and secretly support the Crown Prince and Concubine Xue. So even though the emperor knows what the Crown Prince has done, he can only turn a blind eye."
Wei Dongling was secretly shocked. After hesitating for a while, she said in a deep voice, "What does your master mean by asking you to go to the northwest?"
A cold look flashed in Yu Zixi's eyes. He sighed softly and said, "I'll explain it to you in detail later. Tian Qi is waiting for me up ahead. Dongling, take good care of yourself. I'll be back in a month." With that, he gently hugged her and then turned around and strode away.
Wei Dongling stood alone under the tree for a long, long time. It was not until Cu Huan and Ruan Niang met the abbot that they still saw her standing there in a daze. Then they pulled her back.
The milk tea in Tingfeng Tower became extremely popular and quickly set off a wave in the capital. The situation was very good.
Seeing the endless stream of people queuing up to buy, everyone was overjoyed. Only Wei Dongling was uninterested. She ate and slept every day and hardly even wanted to leave her room. She lay in a daze for a full three days. The night wind blew in through the window, making her shiver with cold.
It was not until Lin Baiwan came up with a money - filled box and asked her to count the money that Wei Dongling looked at the silver piled up on the table, then got up, put on her clothes, and got out of bed.
Old Su heard that Wei Dongling had been in a bad mood recently. He knocked on the door several times and came in to chat with her. He told some interesting stories about Uncle Li and Wei Jiang working in Prime Minister Su's mansion in the early years, which made Wei Dongling burst into laughter.
The relationship between Cu Huan and Luo Xunlong gradually deepened. Ruan Niang caught them leaning on the patio in the middle of the night, holding hands and pouring out their hearts to each other several times. When they were caught, they blushed and ran away in a hurry.
Lord Shen returned from Xingshan and personally came to thank them. He was grateful to the people in Tingfeng Tower for stepping forward and saving people selflessly during the epidemic. He also set a family banquet the next day and invited everyone to come.
So the next day, everyone closed the shop early and took two carriages straight to Lord Shen's mansion.
Unexpectedly, the guests also included the Ninth Prince and the Heir of the Shangguan Family.
When the Ninth Prince, Murong Yuchen, saw everyone coming, he stepped forward and bowed his hands to express his gratitude for the rescue at the Xingshan Post Station.
Murong Yuchen looked at Wei Dongling's almost fully recovered leg in surprise and said, "So you're not lame?"
His words made everyone burst into laughter.
On the surface, Wei Dongling smiled calmly, but in her heart, she cursed secretly: You're the lame one! Your whole family is lame!
Shangguan Yun stood behind the Ninth Prince, his eager eyes fixed on Wei Dongling, smiling gracefully.
During the banquet, Lord Shen personally accompanied the guests and drank to their hearts' content.
Wei Dongling was shocked to find that Shangguan Yun's capacity for alcohol was simply incredible. Even though all the uncles from the borderlands were good drinkers and took turns to toast the Heir Yun, none of them could defeat him. In the end, they were all drunk.
Uncle Li's face was flushed. He staggered forward, put his arm around Shangguan Yun's shoulder, and sighed, "Good boy, you really suit my taste!"
Shangguan Yun smiled elegantly and said, "I'd like to toast Brother Lang another glass. I'll drink it all, and Brother Lang can drink as you like." With that, he raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. After that, he didn't forget to turn his head and look at Wei Dongling. The doting look in his eyes made Wei Dongling shiver. She secretly went crazy and thought: Now my seniority is completely gone!
Uncle Li laughed loudly, drank up the wine in his glass in one go, and then fell backwards in a drunken stupor.