The next day, when Song Yihuan woke up again, there was no one beside her. She reached out and felt the quilt. It had already turned cold.
It was as if Ji Lingchuan had never been there.
Feixue heard the sound, pushed the door open, and saw her sitting up. She lowered her voice and said, "The heir left for the court at dawn. He asked this servant to tell you, Miss."
Song Yihuan nodded without saying much. She got up and groomed herself as usual.
After breakfast, she set off with two maids.
The place she was going to today was Changyue Nunnery.
The carriage was lined with felt. Song Yihuan was holding a warming stove and twirling the silk thread in her hand.
Chunxing looked out of the window at the scenery and said, "This servant has never seen such a snow scene before."
"It would be great if Fuling were here too. She could also broaden her horizons." Chunxing sighed.
Song Yihuan's movements paused.
Yes, it would be great if Fuling were here.
She hadn't told Chunxing that Fuling was still alive. She was still lying unconscious in Brother Jiang's place.
There was a big fire in Qiongliban, and "Cui Taizhu" was buried in the fire. But they hadn't found out whether he had escaped by this opportunity. At such a critical moment, she couldn't visit Fuling rashly.
Fuling knew many secrets of the eldest sister. She mustn't let them find out that Fuling was still alive.
Changyue Nunnery was not close to the capital. It was winter, and there was snow on the road. It took Song Yihuan and the others an hour and a half to reach the outside of Changyue Nunnery.
The weather was cold, and the temple was very deserted. There was only a young nun sweeping the snow outside the door.
Song Yihuan got out of the carriage with the support of Chunxing and Feixue. The young nun who was sweeping the snow stepped forward, put her hands together, and said, "Amitabha. You, esteemed donor, have come through the snow. May I ask what brings you here?"
Song Yihuan also put her hands together and bowed slightly to the young nun.
"I've heard that it's very effective to pray to the gods and make wishes in Changyue Nunnery. I've come today to pray and make wishes for my parents. I wonder if your temple can receive pilgrims today?"
"Of course. Please come in, esteemed donors."
Changyue Nunnery was much smaller than the Avalokitesvara Temple. Maybe because there were only nuns inside, it seemed more secluded and clean. With white walls, green tiles, and ever - green pines, it had a unique charm.
The young nun led Song Yihuan up the steps. As she walked, she asked, "You're really filial, esteemed donor. You still come out on such a snowy day to pray for your parents. The Buddha will surely be touched by your filial piety when he knows. I wonder what difficulties your parents have encountered?"
Song Yihuan detected the probing in the other's words and sighed, "I don't know what's going on. My parents have fallen ill one after another in the past two days. The doctor has been invited, but there's no improvement. I'm very worried, so I thought of coming to pray to the Buddha and ask him to bless my parents to recover soon."
After hearing this, the young nun's eyes fluttered and she said, "They fell ill for no reason?"
Song Yihuan looked worried. "Yes. First, it was my mother and the maid beside her, and then it was my father. It's really worrying."
As they were talking, they had arrived at the entrance of the Mahavira Hall. The young nun put her hands together and said, "The hall has arrived. Please enter, esteemed donor."
Chunxing and Feixue were holding incense candles and offerings in their hands. Song Yihuan entered the hall and lit the incense and prayed to the Buddha on her own. The young nun looked at her back as she prayed seriously, nodded, and then quietly left from the side.
Song Yihuan knelt piously on the cushion, put her hands together, and made a wish to the Buddha in front of her. However, she was not praying for Marquis Ding'an and Mrs. Meng, but for herself, Song Yixuan, Qi Lei, and the unconscious Fuling.
She kowtowed three respectful and loud knocks, then got up and inserted the incense candles into the incense burner.
Just as she finished all this, there came a sound of footsteps behind her, followed by a Buddhist chant:
"Amitabha. The Buddha had a dream with this poor nun last night, saying that a distinguished guest would come to the nunnery today. Now that I see, it's really so."
Song Yihuan turned around and saw a female nun in her thirties and the young nun standing behind her, smiling kindly at her.
When Chunxing beside Song Yihuan saw the face of the female nun, her heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously held Feixue's hand and looked at Song Yihuan.
Song Yihuan knew that Chunxing had recognized the appearance of the nun who had once appeared in the Ding'an Marquis Mansion. She asked curiously:
"Who is this...?"
The young nun immediately stepped forward to introduce, "This is the abbot of our Changyue Nunnery, Abbess Ming. The abbess has been a nun for many years and is highly proficient in Buddhist Dharma. She can communicate with the Buddha in dreams and glimpse the secrets of heaven. Any evil thing will retreat three steps when it sees the abbess."
Song Yihuan looked surprised after hearing this, and then stepped forward eagerly, "Really? Is the abbess really that amazing?"
Her appearance made Abbess Ming and the young nun think there was something to gain.
Abbess Ming said gently, "Don't be anxious, esteemed donor. A Buddhist nun never tells lies. If you have any difficulties, as long as it's within this poor nun's ability, I will surely do my best to solve it for you."
"That's great!" Song Yihuan glanced at Chunxing. "It seems that I've come to the right place and found the right person today! My relatives at home have really encountered difficulties in the past two days. Please help me, Abbess!"
In the quiet room of Changyue Nunnery, Song Yihuan and Abbess Ming were sitting opposite each other. Sandalwood was burning in the room, making it very quiet.
Song Yihuan exaggeratedly told what had happened in the marquis mansion in the past two days. As expected, Abbess Ming said she had a way to solve it.
Song Yihuan immediately invited Abbess Ming to go back to the mansion with her later. She said that she would give Abbess Ming a hundred taels of silver as a reward after the matter was done. Abbess Ming naturally couldn't ask for more.
Song Yihuan paused for a moment, and then suddenly said, "I wonder if the abbess can tell fortunes? I also want to ask the abbess to take a look at my younger brother's birth date to see if he can be an official in the future."
Abbess Ming said, "Of course. Please write down his birth date."
Song Yihuan took out the pre - prepared birth date and handed it over, staring intently at Abbess Ming's expression.
Abbess Ming held the birth date given by Song Yihuan in her hand and pinched her fingers with a mysterious look. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked at Song Yihuan in surprise:
"Oh, your younger brother's fortune is really extraordinary!"
Song Yihuan sneered in her heart but didn't show it on her face. "Please explain it to me, Abbess."
"Look, your younger brother was born on the Jiashen day and at the Guiyou hour. This birth time is extremely important. Gui represents yin, and You represents metal. The Wenqu star is in the hour column. Just as the saying goes, one will achieve fame gracefully in one's region. A conflict and a combination are very unusual. This shows that your younger brother will eventually soar to great heights, gain fame and fortune, and live a life without worry."
"Really?" Song Yihuan's tone became much colder. She took out another birth date and handed it forward. "What about this birth date?"
Abbess Ming took it and looked at it, then shook her head. "This birth date is in conflict with the parents. One will have a rough life and may die young. Not good, not good."