Wei Hong ignored him and just looked at the old Taoist priest.
The booklet that was found on Liancheng a few months ago contained his farewell letter to Yao Youqing, which included the line: "In the next life, I wish to repay your kindness by repaying your kindness with kindness."
In Wei Hong's view, this meant that he knew he had no hope with Yao Youqing in this life, so he would cling to her in the next.
He later burned the booklet, thinking that if there really was an afterlife, Ning'er would surely still be his, for all eternity, and no one could covet her!
Just then, the old Taoist priest asked him what he wanted to know, and he casually said this.
The old Taoist shook his head: "I can't calculate it, I can't calculate it. The cycle of reincarnation is governed by cause and effect. What you will be like in your next life is closely related to this life. Your Highness hasn't even finished living this life yet, how can I know what your next life will be like?"
Wei Hong pondered for a moment: "Then... what should I do to meet my love in the next life?"
The old Taoist priest was taken aback, and Guo Sheng was also stunned. He hadn't expected that the prince wanted to divine this.
After a moment, the old Taoist priest came to his senses, stroked his beard, and said, "Well... I can say a little about this."
As he spoke, he took out several large bowls from somewhere, placed them on the table, and handed a water bag to Wei Hong.
"Young master, pour some water into these bowls."
Wei Hong didn't understand why, but he did as instructed anyway.
After pouring, the old Taoist priest pushed out one of the bowls of water and pointed to it, saying, "Everyone has a spirit, and this bowl of water is just like your spirit."
After saying that, he brought out another bowl: "This bowl is like the person you love, young master."
Then he poured the two bowls of water together: "When you are in perfect harmony with the one you love, your souls will naturally be connected. Even if you drink the Meng Po soup, you will have a greater chance of recognizing each other when you meet again in the next life."
Wei Hong roughly understood what he meant and was about to nod when he saw him pour the other bowls of water in and ask him, "Young master, could you please separate the water in this bowl as you did before, and pour it back into the bowl that was originally in it?"
"Isn't that obvious?!"
Guo Sheng stared wide-eyed from the side.
Wei Hong seemed to be deep in thought before slowly speaking.
"I understand... Of all the waters in the world, I only need to drink from one."
In this way, he and his loved one will only remember each other, and will not be confused by others.
Wei Hong had no intention of establishing any more concubines in the future, so he didn't care about this matter. However, he suddenly remembered the concubine he had taken in before, and his face stiffened.
"What if... you'd already drunk from another ladle before?"
He asked hesitantly.
The old Taoist priest, not wanting to waste anything, was picking up the bowl of water to drink when he heard his words and his hand wobbled, almost spilling the water.
Wei Hong lowered his eyes: "I was too young and naive, and I hadn't met the person I love now..."
The old Taoist priest sighed and put the water down: "Just that one ladleful?"
"Just that one ladleful."
"...Well, we can still think of a way to deal with that, but we won't be able to handle anything else."
"What method?"
The old Taoist priest whispered to Wei Hong about things like purifying one's mind and reducing desires, and cleansing one's soul, and so on.
Guo Sheng, standing to the side, was almost dumbfounded. He thought to himself, "Isn't this just telling the prince to go to bed early and get up early, exercise diligently, and abstain from sex for a year? Why is it being said in such a mystical way?"
Normally, this would be a difficult situation for Wei Hong. Other things would be fine, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to have sex with Yao Youqing.
But now that Yao Youqing is pregnant, he is afraid of hurting her and the baby, so he doesn't dare to do anything, and there's nothing to worry about.
After saying this, he left ten taels of silver and prepared to leave. Guo Sheng saw this and grabbed him, saying, "Your Highness, this man is definitely a fraud. If he could really help you meet the Princess in your next life, why not just make you immortal in this life? Then you could stay with the Princess forever!"
The old Taoist priest laughed heartily and pointed to himself.
Do I look old to you?
Guo Sheng disliked him and bluntly replied, "Old!"
The old Taoist priest asked again, "Is it ugly?"
Guo Sheng wanted to say something, but he was afraid of upsetting Wei Hong, so he opened his mouth but didn't dare to speak.
But even without being told, the old Taoist knew his answer, and then laughed and said, "If there really were a way to live forever, how could I be so old and ugly?"
Guo Sheng was taken aback, and for a moment he vaguely felt that what he said made a lot of sense.
As the old Taoist packed his things, he said, "The cycle of reincarnation is ordained by Heaven. Anyone who tells you about immortality is definitely a fraud!"
Then he picked up his own flag, left the table behind, and walked away, shaking his head.
Only after he had walked away did Guo Sheng realize what was happening and shout, "You're not a god, of course you'll get old and ugly!"
Chapter 126 Nickname
Back in Cangcheng, Wei Hong put the amulet he had personally obtained into his purse and hung it on Yao Youqing, telling her to carry it with her at all times.
Yao Youqing gently touched the purse and whispered, "Your Highness shouldn't have gone."
Wei Hong is no longer just a vassal king of Daliang and a general guarding the border.
He will soon ascend the throne, and his every word and action may be distorted and exaggerated by others.
The temples he visited will surely become very popular in the future, and may even inspire others to follow suit and promote Buddhism extensively.
Several years ago, the late emperor sought immortality and sought the Dao, and was very devout in Taoism. This caused many people in the Great Liang to be deceived by both genuine and fake Taoist priests, and many of them lost their fortunes and even their lives as a result.
When Yao Yuzhi was at the Yao residence, she casually mentioned to Yao Youqing that someone had been deceived and harmed by a fake Taoist priest. Therefore, she knew that if the monarch started to promote such things, it could very likely have some terrible consequences.
Wei Hong smiled and pulled her into his arms.
"Don't worry, I changed my clothes and went secretly. Nobody saw me."
"The monks in the temple were also instructed not to talk about it with others."
These Buddhist temples needed the support of the imperial court to promote Buddhism.
In the past, the imperial court promoted Taoism because of the late emperor's favor, which led to the marginalization of Buddhism.
Although the late emperor dealt swiftly with the Taoist priests in the palace who had concocted elixirs for him, many people among the common people still firmly believed in this religion, and Buddhism faced a very difficult situation.
Shuozhou is much better in this respect than other places. The government has always been very strict in its supervision, and Buddhism here has not been as obviously marginalized as it has been in other places.
However, it is impossible for them to expect Wei Hong to support and indulge them like Emperor Gaozong did. Spreading the news of today's events and recruiting believers under Wei Hong's name would only backfire.
As for the old Taoist priest who recognized him halfway up the mountain, he probably wouldn't be so kind as to help a Buddhist temple promote its reputation.
Yao Youqing breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
She glanced at her purse again, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
On the other side, Guo Sheng held the peace charm he had obtained, looking at it from left to right.
The prince had already gotten one for the princess, so he didn't need his own. However, he wasn't used to carrying such things, and for a moment he didn't know what to do with it.
Just then, Cui Hao came to visit him for drinks and saw the situation. He casually asked, "Didn't you ask for this for the Princess? Why haven't you given it to her yet?"
Guo Sheng's eyes lit up: "The princess doesn't need it anymore, you can have this!"
"Not needed?"
Cui Hao frowned: "How could it not be needed?"
Although the princess has never liked Guo Sheng, this amulet was a kind gesture from Guo Sheng, and given her personality, she shouldn't refuse it.
Guo Sheng stammered, "Anyway... anyway, we won't need it anymore, so you can keep it."
Seeing his hesitant expression, Cui Hao thought of something and asked, "You and the Prince didn't go to a Buddhist temple today, did you? Did he personally ask for another one for the Princess?"
Wei Hong didn't tell Cui Hao because he knew he would object, so yesterday he told Cui Hao that he wanted to inspect the military camp outside the city today, and to prevent anyone from finding out in advance, he would only take Guo Sheng with him.
He was afraid that Cui Hao would find out, so he specifically told Guo Sheng to keep it a secret from him and not to let it slip. Who knew that he would guess it after only saying two sentences.
Guo Sheng still wanted to hide it, and stubbornly said, "No...no, we just went to patrol the camp. If you don't believe me, go and ask around. Lots of people saw us!"
Cui Hao: "...Going to the Buddhist temple and going to the camp are on the same route, so it won't cause any delay."
After saying that, seeing that Guo Sheng still wanted to argue, he sighed.
"Alright, Ziyi, you've all gone, what else can I say? The princess is carrying the prince's first child, and he cares a lot about it, which I understand. You don't need to make up any more lies to fool me. I won't say anything to the prince."
Upon hearing this, Guo Sheng's tense shoulders relaxed.
"It's not that I wanted to keep it from you, it's that the Prince said you're not allowed to tell you, saying that if you found out..."
"Did he really go?"
Cui Hao's brows furrowed, and his voice suddenly became stern.
"You're so foolish! You went there the day before yesterday, and the Prince went there in person the next day. What will people think if they find out?"
"With the Prince about to ascend the throne soon, how many eyes are on him? If everyone follows suit, won't the disasters caused by the late Emperor be repeated?"
"As the prince's subordinate, you knew his actions were inappropriate and should have advised him against it. But not only did you not advise him, you also helped him keep it from me? What were you thinking?!"
Guo Sheng: "...You tricked me!"
"I'm bluffing you? I'd rather hit you!"
Cui Hao gave Guo Sheng a severe dressing-down before leaving in a huff, planning to discuss the seriousness of the matter with Wei Hong the next day.
If it weren't for the fact that it was already late and Wei Hong was with Yao Youqing in the main courtyard, he probably would have gone right now!
After he left, the stern and noisy scolding finally stopped in the room, and Guo Shengcai collapsed onto the bed.
No matter how much you try to guard against it, you can't stop Cui Ziqian!
What a big liar!
...
As Yao Youqing's due date approached, choosing a name became something Wei Hong would do every day.
He thought of many names for both the boy and the girl, writing down each good one he came up with, and then thinking of an even better one a few days later. He could never settle on a name.
Yao Youqing, heavily pregnant, sat beside him, looking at the stack of papers on the table with countless names written on them, feeling both amused and exasperated.
She casually flipped through a few pages and said, "I think these names are all quite good, why did Your Highness reject them all?"