In terms of its structure, Yunwu Temple is very similar to Xixin Temple in Chu Xiyin's hometown.
Besides the main gate hall (also known as the Three Gates Hall, the main gate of the temple. It usually has three gates, symbolizing the Buddhist "Three Gates of Liberation," namely the Gate of Emptiness, the Gate of Formlessness, and the Gate of Non-Action. Inside the hall are two Vajra warrior statues holding vajras, guarding the temple gate.), and now the Heavenly King Hall (also known as the Maitreya Hall, the first hall inside the temple gate. In the center of the hall is a statue of Maitreya Buddha, with statues of the Four Heavenly Kings on the east and west sides. Behind the Maitreya Buddha statue is the temple's guardian deity, Weituo Bodhisattva.), then the Mahavira Hall (also known as the Main Hall or Great Hall, in the center of the Great Hall is a statue of the Three Bodies of Buddha, namely the three different forms of Shakyamuni Buddha. On both sides of the Great Hall are statues of the Eighteen Arhats. Behind the Buddha statue in the center of the Great Hall is a statue of Guanyin of the South Sea.), and finally through the Sutra Repository behind the Mahavira Hall, they arrived at the back mountain.
As soon as they entered the back mountain, the three of them were greeted by a strong scent of sandalwood.
As Chu Xiyin looked around, the withered yellow landscape filled her eyes, and this desolate autumn inexplicably stirred a sense of sadness in her heart.
That night, haunted by nightmares, those fragmented and painful memories cut open her heart like sharp glass, gushing out blood.
"Xiyin, what's wrong?" Yichuan held her hand, feeling a chilling coldness emanating from her palm.
Chu Xiyin shook her head and said, "I'm fine."
She didn't dare tell him about that dream.
"How about we go down the mountain first and come back another day?" Yi Chuan looked at her with concern.
This place was so similar to the scene in her dream; those sorrowful moments flashed vividly through her mind, suffocating her. She wanted to escape. But when she saw Mo Tong's pure eyes, she couldn't bear to refuse her kindness.
Chu Xiyin smiled and shook her head, forcing herself not to recall that dream.
“Xiyin, look, that’s the thousand-year-old sandalwood I mentioned to you.” Mo Tong pointed to the mountaintop.
Following Mo Tong's direction, Chu Xiyin looked towards the mountaintop. The sandalwood tree there was incredibly strange; its trunk was as thick as a giant basin, from which countless branches of varying sizes radiated outwards. These branches then branched further into countless more, their dense twigs resembling bizarre arms reaching towards the sky, menacing and terrifying. Fortunately, it wasn't nighttime.
As Chu Xiyin approached the thousand-year-old sandalwood tree, she discovered that it was covered with numerous strangely shaped symbols.
"Tongtong, what are those carved on it?" Chu Xiyin asked, pointing to the twisted and strange symbols.
"I don't know, but they were already there when I first saw this sandalwood tree," Mo Tong shrugged.
"Didn't you ask your father?" Chu Xiyin asked, staring at Mo Tong's profile.
She always felt that Mo Yun was unfathomable. Why would a prime minister choose to live in such a remote and impoverished place? Yes, he was a Buddhist and preferred tranquility, so why didn't he just resign and convert to Buddhism instead of helping that tyrannical emperor Yi Yang to poison the people?
"I asked him, and he said it was a divine oracle. Because the words on this tree have remained the same for years, if they were carved by a person, they should have gradually changed shape."
"A divine oracle?" Chu Xiyin had already seen ghosts. If someone told her now that there were gods in this world, she would have no reason not to believe it.
However, she always felt that things weren't that simple.
Yi Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly. These symbols were indeed strange, like a child's prank, randomly arranged in a chaotic manner. Upon closer inspection, however, it seemed that some kind of mystery was hidden within them.
"Never mind that, Xiyin, what's your wish? Tell it. It's very effective!" Mo Tong shook Chu Xiyin's arm and said.
Chu Xiyin snapped out of her daze. A wish?
She glanced at Yichuan beside her; he was currently praying with his eyes closed, very devoutly. She hadn't expected that someone like the Fourth Prince would be so superstitious.
"What did you wish for?" Chu Xiyin asked gossipily as Yi Chuan opened his eyes.
Yi Chuan didn't tell her.
He hoped that the people of the world would no longer suffer from the pain of war.
He wished she would always be by his side, in this life, the next life, and the life after that… for all eternity.
"Tongtong, what did you wish for?" Unable to dig up any gossip about Yichuan, Chu Xiyin turned to Mo Tong.
"I...I...Who speaks their wishes out loud? They won't come true if you say them out loud." Tongtong's face flushed red.
"Could it be that you're praying that Hua Shao will marry you soon?" Chu Xiyin teased.
"What?!" Mo Tong was about to throw her little fist at Chu Xiyin, but after glancing at the Fourth Prince, she obediently withdrew her fist and changed the subject, saying, "Hurry up and make a wish!"
Chu Xiyin glanced at Mo Tong, then at Yi Chuan. She closed her eyes helplessly. This was the first time she had ever made a wish upon a tree.
Yi Chuan and Mo Tong watched Chu Xi Yin's facial expressions closely. First, she was serious, then she frowned and sighed, and finally she grinned foolishly.
"What did you wish for?" Yi Chuan and Mo Tong asked in unison as Chu Xiyin opened her eyes.
Turns out, she wasn't the only one who was gossiping!
"It's a secret!" Chu Xiyin said with a smile.
Actually, her first wish was, "Big tree, if you really can grant my wish, please send me back right away!"
She paused, then suddenly felt a pang of reluctance to part with the Fourth Prince, Mo Tong, Qi Yu, Hua Shao, and Chun Hua…
So she made a second wish: "I'm sorry, big tree, I want to cancel my first wish."
Two wishes were voided, leaving only one. After thinking for a long time, she finally wished, "I hope that the people I love and the people who love me can be safe and happy, whether in this world or the other."
"Xiyin, I have something I want to tell you." Yichuan's words suddenly pulled Chu Xiyin, who was grinning foolishly, back to reality.
"Ah! I'm so hungry, I'm going down the mountain first." Mo Tong wisely made up an excuse and ran down the mountain in a flash.
"Speak!" Chu Xiyin urged him with a smile. Mo Tong's figure had already disappeared into a black dot in her sight.
"Do you...love me?" The shadow of the tree branch fell on his face, and his eyes remained melancholy.
Why are you suddenly asking this?
What a fool! If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have let him kiss her. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have argued with Consort Zheng. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have risked everything to shield him from the poisoned dart. If she didn't love him, even if he were a high-ranking prince, she would have found a way to leave him…
"Do you...love me?" he repeated.
"What do you think?" she countered.
He shook his head, his eyes filled with a deep melancholy. He always felt that, without warning, she would suddenly disappear from his side. He always felt that she didn't belong to this world, much less to him.
"Then listen carefully, I'll only say it once. I..." Chu Xiyin then realized that she was incredibly thin-skinned. The moment she met Yi Chuan's eyes, she swallowed back the word "love" that she had been brewing for so long.
"You go first!" she said, resorting to blatant deception.
His handsome face flushed crimson, and his melancholy eyes filled with tenderness. "I...love you."
He pulled her into his arms, preventing her from staring into his eyes any longer.
She paused, then gently wrapped her arms around his waist and said, "Me too!"
The withered yellow leaves under the sun transformed into a golden hue, which swirled and danced in the autumn wind before settling peacefully.
"What will you do if I leave someday?" she murmured, resting her head on his strong shoulder.
"I will do everything I can to find you!" He forcefully pushed her into his body.
"What if you forget me in the next life?" She closed her eyes and gently inhaled the scent of sandalwood.
"Then ask me, 'Do you remember what happened before the sandalwood flower?'" he said calmly.
"Then how can I know if that person is you?" She opened her eyes.
“If that person answers ‘I will never forget you for all eternity,’ then it is me.” He sucked on her hair, wanting to remember the scent of her body forever.
The autumn wind once again swept up the golden foliage on the ground, causing the thousand-year-old sandalwood to tremble violently, as if a ghost were trying to break free of its restraints.
A low sigh echoed, repeating the vow of eternal love: "Do you remember before the sandalwood flowers? I will never forget you, life after life..."
Chapter 34 The Wedding Night
Time flies, and before we know it, it's the fifteenth of August.
On this day, the entire city of Ziling was immersed in a strange and peaceful atmosphere.
Men, women, young and old were all discussing who this Fourth Princess Consort was.
The men said with envy that the fourth princess was an absolute beauty, a woman of unparalleled beauty.
The women said jealously, "This fourth princess was only married to the prince because the emperor bestowed her upon him! She's not necessarily that beautiful!"
The men lamented that the Fourth Princess almost lost her life to save the Fourth Prince; such a loyal and devoted woman is a rare find in this world!
The women said dismissively that if it were them, they would be willing to die a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand times for the Fourth Prince.
...
Suddenly, a woman screamed from the crowd!
"Fourth Prince, Fourth Prince..."
Then, even louder screams surged towards the oncoming convoy.
Wherever the convoy went, the people automatically dispersed to both sides and knelt down to welcome it.
Mo Cong, dressed in purple, led the way at the head of the convoy.
Qi Yu and Hua Shao stood guard at the rear of the convoy.
In the center of the convoy, inside a luxurious carriage, the Fourth Prince sat upright, his melancholy expression perfectly highlighting his innate nobility.
Chu Xiyin had never seen such a scene before, and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
The Fourth Prince took her hand and placed it on his lap, comforting her, "You'll get used to it gradually!"
Chu Xiyin nodded and looked out through the lifted carriage curtain.
Standing guard on the left side of the carriage was Xiao west. He gripped the reins tightly with one hand and protected the sapphire-encrusted dagger at his waist with the other. His cold, sword-like eyes warily surveyed the surroundings.
Standing guard on the right side of the carriage was Xiao Dong. He glanced around furtively, and finding no one paying attention to him, he took out a piece of pastry from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth with lightning speed.
Seeing Xiao Dong's series of sneaky actions, Chu Xiyin secretly found it amusing, and couldn't help but think of the gluttonous Chunhua again.
When Xiao Dong noticed that Chu Xiyin was laughing at him, he squinted and blushed with embarrassment.
Just then, a green light flashed through the crowd. Chu Xiyin was startled; this green light… was the same as last time…
Yi Chuan saw it too, and as if he had expected it, a smile of unknown meaning flashed across his eyes.
The convoy circled Ziling City and returned to the Prince's Mansion at dusk.
Chu Xiyin sat in the Fourth Prince's room, waiting anxiously.
Tonight, the Fourth Prince was busy with social engagements, as court officials, dignitaries, and prominent merchants came in droves to offer their congratulations...
Bang--
The door was flung open. Consort Zheng stormed up to Chu Xiyin, pointing a vicious finger at her and yelling, "You! Get out of the Prince's mansion! Now!"
Chu Xiyin ignored her.