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  The horse carriage went down to the foot of Qingliang Mountain and then took a winding path up the back mountain, not on the road that leads to Qingliang Temple.

  Ming Xuan slightly rolled up one corner of the carriage curtain, and vaguely saw a team of guards in armor patrolling in the dense forest. She was slightly surprised and turned to ask Yan Niangniang, "I heard that Yu Zhen Shitai was once a princess of the Zhou Dynasty's royal family, but now she has cut off her worldly ties and is practicing asceticism, why are there still government soldiers guarding her?"

  Miss, don't you remember? Yu Zhen Shifu was originally the youngest daughter of Qingyang Emperor, Princess Chengfu. When she was eight years old, her father fell seriously ill and thought that since the princess had been overly pampered, others would be jealous of her after his death, so he abandoned the most promising prince at the time and instead established the princess's older brother as the heir, who became Emperor Hui Cheng.

  Emperor Hui of Chen ascended to the throne for less than two years before he passed away, passing the throne to Emperor Xuan. After his predecessor took the throne, he showed great respect to this paternal aunt, and her title as Grand Princess was promoted three times. However, it is not known why she remained unmarried all her life, living in the mountains for a long time, and later became a nun and converted to Buddhism.

  Madam Yan continued, "The Zhou imperial family has been declining since the last two generations. The few remaining princes and dukes are all descendants of Emperor Hui Cheng, in fact, they are all younger generations of Yu Zhen Shifu. Even though Shifu is already a person outside the secular world, the imperial clan still respects her. In order not to disturb the tranquility of Baiyun An, only guards were set up here for protection."

  She paused, smiling. "Shi Tai is in retreat here, and not many people know her true identity. As for the rumors about that collateral branch's daughter, most of them are just misheard and misinterpreted, but no one wants to pay attention anyway."

  Ming Xuan was somewhat stunned, never expecting that Yu Zhen Shitai's background would be so impressive.

  But at the same time, a warm current flowed from the bottom of her heart, gradually spreading throughout her body. Her eyes stung, and she almost shed tears. Her grandmother had spared no effort to seek the protection of Yu Zhen Shitai for her sake, and it was truly a heartfelt kindness that moved her deeply.

  She made up her mind. She decided not to back down on the issue of Han Xiu, and if he didn't give himself a chance to live, then she would spend her whole life in these mountains and forests, what's wrong with that?

  All the way bumpy to the hermitage, Ming Xuan jumped off the horse cart, only to see a simple and unadorned flat house nestled among the lush green mountains and forests. The door of the hermitage was slightly ajar, and from inside came the sound of chanting, like the low murmur of Buddhist monks, clear and melodious.

  Yan's aunt went forward and lightly knocked on the door. Unbeknownst to her, either the knocking sound was too small or the chanting voice inside was too loud, but after a long time, no one came to respond. Her face changed slightly as she thought to herself: could it be that Master Yu Zhen had suddenly changed her mind and was no longer willing to accept Seventh Miss into the nunnery? But she didn't dare to force her way in either - the person inside was after all the emperor's paternal grandmother, a woman of extremely noble status. If she were to startle her, it would be a capital offense.

  She turned her head in some confusion and asked, "Miss, what should...".

  It stands to reason that with a guest coming from afar, even if it were the pure land of the nine heavens and the Buddhist gods, there should at least be a small nun to greet them. Now, however, there wasn't one. But in this mountainous area, the gate was not locked, only slightly ajar, which didn't seem like they were refusing anyone entry either. Ming Xuan looked around and indeed saw a set of neatly stacked apricot-colored nun's robes on top of the firewood pile at the entrance.

  Her eyes flickered, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled up slightly. She slowly took over the garment to examine it, and saw that the fabric was very good, obviously newly made. Then she gently comforted Yan Qiniang, "Qiniang, don't worry, the door is open, and clothes have been left here for me. Presumably Shifu's intention is for me to change into these clothes outside before entering on my own."

  Yan's mother didn't dare to be slow and hurriedly welcomed Ming Xuan back onto the carriage.

  Ming Xuan changed her clothes, and then asked Dan Hong to help her undo her hair bun and re-braid it into a small bun. She hid all her hair under an apricot-yellow hat. After she finished getting ready, she looked like a delicate and elegant little nun.

  She comforted Dan Hong with a couple of words, then picked up the package that had been packed with her personal clothes and smiled at Yan Niangniang, waving her hand. "Shifu likes quietness and may not want to see too many outsiders, so don't ask her to pay respects again, just take Dan Hong back directly."

  Yan's nanny hesitated for a moment, "The old lady has ordered that Miss must be handed over to Shifu personally. Moreover, this mountain wilderness is getting late in the sky, if Shifu doesn't want to take in Miss, what can we do?"

  Ming Xuan let out a "heh" and smiled, as lovely as a summer flower swaying on its stem. "If you're not at ease, you can wait here for a moment. If I'm not chased out by Shifu, we can return to the manor and report back to Grandmother, how about that?"

  She finished speaking and waved her hand, then quickly stepped forward with a package in her arms and pushed open the door to enter.

  After a while, the sound of chanting stopped inside, and the door of the nunnery was locked without anyone noticing. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief, smiling as she patted the tear-stained shoulder of Dan Hong. "Miss, it's all right now, let's go back."

  Ming Xuan walked cautiously into the courtyard, the wooden door of the front hall was open, and the sound of wooden fish chanting came from inside. She looked up at the sky, which was overcast and somewhat gloomy. It was actually just around noon, but she had read in a miscellaneous note that some Zen practitioners had transcended to the point where they didn't care about time, doing their morning lessons when the sky brightened and their evening lessons when it darkened.

  She stood at the gate and looked inside, only to see that on the Buddhist altar in the house was a white jade carving of Guanyin Bodhisattva sitting on a lotus throne, with a sheep fat white jade vase in her hand, and a turquoise carved willow branch sweeping across, just about to sprinkle nectar onto the world.

  The first seat on the Buddhist platform was a slender nun, who looked to be in her fifties. She knelt with her legs crossed, holding a wooden fish and beating it rhythmically, her lips moving slightly as she recited the Clear Mind and Universal Goodness Mantra. Her dignified appearance commanded respect, and just by sitting there, she exuded an air of nobility that inspired reverence. This must be Master Yu Zhen.

  Next were two elderly bhikkhunis leading five or six samaneris in chanting sutras.

  Ming Xuan didn't dare to be slow, so she quietly entered the house, found an empty spot, sat down cross-legged, and imitated the Shami's gesture with her hands clasped together, reciting in a low voice. In these three years, she had not been idle in copying scriptures, and the familiar Buddhist scriptures were all memorized by heart, so it was not difficult for her to recite this one. Wearing an apricot-yellow nun's robe, she hid all her black hair, and at first glance, she seemed to blend in with the scene quite harmoniously, without feeling out of place at all.

  After about half a time, Yu Zhen Shitai slowly opened her eyes and cast her gaze on Ming Xuan. Her face was calm and peaceful, but her eyes were filled with a hint of satisfaction, "She's here."

  This tone is not even a bit unfamiliar, but rather seems like it was expected all along.

  Ming Xuan took a step forward and knelt down to pay her respects, saying in a clear and melodious voice, "Disciple Ming Xuan pays her respects to Shifu."

  Yu Zhen's eyes moved slightly, and she nodded gently to ask her to get up. "When you came, did your grandmother tell you about the rules of Baiyun An? I don't raise idle people here. Usually, everything is done by oneself, chopping firewood, fetching water, cooking, and sweeping the temple are all taken turns. In addition to attending morning and evening classes, we also need to clean the temple, farm, plant vegetables, and sometimes go up the mountain to pick fruits and herbs."

  She paused, her tone slightly serious, "Born into a noble family, considered precious and refined, dressed in silk and fed with jade from childhood, these rough tasks must have never been done before. If you feel that you can't bear the hardship, then don't force it, leave early."

  Ming Xuan shook her head and said respectfully, "If I couldn't do these things, I wouldn't have come to this place."

  She lifted her head, and in her bright eyes was written firmness and persistence, "I beg of you, Master, to take me in."

  Yu Zhen raised an eyebrow, and in a low voice instructed the Bhikkhuni standing at her right side, "Yuan Hui, she has been handed over." After finishing speaking, she lightly swept her sleeve and led the Samaneris to leave from the back hall, returning to the quiet room.

  Yuan Hui was about thirty-seven or eight years old, slightly plump, and looked very kind and gentle. She smiled at Ming Xuan and said, "It's been a long time since we've had a young girl come to the temple for New Year's. You're so clever and understand Shifu's intentions, Shifu is very pleased in her heart. Don't think she's cold-shouldering you, that's just Shifu's personality."

  Her eyes shone with a bright light, her tone somewhat excited, looking very curious about Ming Xuan, and also somewhat pleased and delighted. "I heard you're called Xuan Jie? Is it the 'Xuan' character from Xuan Cao? The Empress Dowager has mentioned it several times, indeed a good child. Come, follow me to the back of the Chan Fang, after cleaning up, I'll take you to the dining hall."

  Ming Xuan felt a strange sensation in her heart, thinking that Yuan Hui was too enthusiastic when they first met. But she wasn't someone who didn't know good from bad, and Yuan Hui's enthusiasm was filled with kindness, which she could sense. For the time being, she could only suppress her doubts and smiled as she bowed to her, "Then thank you."

  Yuan Hui led Ming Xuan into the backyard, stopping in front of a small cottage at the west end. She pushed open the door and said with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes, "This used to be where Shifu's beloved disciple lived. Since she passed away, no one has lived here again. But Shifu allowed me to clean up this room, which shows how much she liked it."

  She paused for a moment, and a smile reappeared on her face. "Go in and tidy up, my house is just next door, if you're done, come find me."

  Ming Xuan joined his hands together and nodded at her, seeing her off as she left. The astonishment and doubt in his heart grew even stronger.

  The house is very small, and the furnishings are simple. A four-foot-wide bed was placed by the window, with a dressing table at the head of the bed that looked like a simple vanity. Against the back wall stood a small cabinet, and that was all it took to fill this narrow room.

  Did Shifu's beloved disciple used to live here?

  Ming Xuan walked down the stairs and suddenly caught a glimpse of a painting hanging in the corner. She walked closer to take a look, the scroll was slightly yellowed with age, but the paper had been well-maintained, the colors were still rich and vibrant, the lines flowing like clouds and water, it was clearly a painting of a court lady adorning flowers. The woman in the painting smiled faintly, her eyebrows and eyes seemed familiar, about 70-80% recognizable.

  She was taken aback, and a face that she couldn't bear to forget suddenly appeared in her mind.

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