"In March, the peach blossoms are ten miles, and in April, the roses support the short wall."

In a flash, it was the best time of the year, when the flowers were in full bloom, and there was a scene full of life everywhere inside and outside the palace walls.

At this time of year, the Queen Mother has to personally go to the Great Xiangguo Temple to pray for the blessing of the country, worship the Buddha and listen to the scriptures.

Because at the beginning of this year, everything in the palace was not going well, and there were many disasters. Therefore, the queen mother attaches great importance to this blessing trip, the palace is headed by Queen Su, Concubine Ning Murong Qiao, Zheng Zhaoyi, Li Jieyu, and several new beauties are going to go together.

Meng Xilan and Zhou Youning are also on the list, although Zhou Youning doesn't like to worship Buddha, but as long as there is an opportunity to leave the palace, she doesn't want to miss it. As for Meng Xilan's trip, she must go, and she has to take care of Meng Xiqiao's marriage.

On the first day of the fourth month, all the ladies in the palace set off from the palace and went to the Great Xiangguo Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings. The day is a good day, how can it be, the sky is not beautiful, in the early morning, suddenly there was a light rain, the rain was not strong, not to delay much effort, but slowed down everyone's pace.

Meng Xilan and Zhou Youning took the same car, Buddhism is a quiet place, it is not suitable for many people, noisy and noisy, the two did not bring a large group of palace people to serve, only Zhulu Zhuqing and Yuxi Yumei followed to serve, Gao Fuli followed outside the car, and walked for more than half a year to walk a foot of mud.

Outside the gate of the Great Xiangguo Temple, it has already been strictly guarded by the guards of the inner court, and the common people are not allowed to enter the temple.

The palace that leaves early in the morning does not arrive until the evening. After sitting in the carriage all the way, Meng Xilan was a little uncomfortable, and the queen mother was even more sore and had back pain, the abbot and the Zen monks in the temple had already taken care of everything, waiting outside the door, waiting for the arrival of the masters.

Monks do not need to bow down, but they are still careful in their words and deeds, without losing due rules and respect.

Meng Xilan and Zhou Youning went in and out together, and the two lived in the same room, and the furnishings in the room were old, but they were cleaned up. Today is the first night of living in the temple, Zhou Youning can't get used to sleeping on the bed outside the palace, so he only leans on the head of the bed, looking at Meng Xilan, who is sitting at the table and copying scriptures.

"Isn't my sister tired?"

Meng Xilan shook her head: "Copying scriptures can calm the mind and make people sleep better." ”

"Can't my sister sleep too?" Zhou Youning lay back slightly, sighed and muttered, "There's nothing fun here, but the tea is delicious." ”

Meng Xilan took a meal in his hand: "The tea here is actually just some ordinary coarse tea, and it is not as expensive as the tea leaves in the palace." ”

Zhou Youning wondered, "Really? But I think it's better than the one in the palace. ”

"That's because the water for making tea is good, and the mountain spring water used here is sweet, so it is naturally better to drink."

Although, every day, there are waterwheels into the palace to deliver water, but the place of water is too far away, all the way down bumpy, no matter how good the water is, it is not fresh.

Zhou Youning suddenly smiled when he heard this: "Life in the temple is hard, it is rare for them to have this clear spring water as a companion, and it is not too bitter." ”

"Yes, cultivating and studying the Fa is a chore. Fortunately, the mountains and rivers here are beautiful, which can comfort people's hearts. Meng Xilan echoed her words.

Suddenly, Zhou Youning suddenly let out another light sigh.

Meng Xilan raised her eyes and asked, "What's wrong with the princess today?" Why is it so melancholy? ”

Zhou Youning looked at her: "Sister, I just think it's a little strange. Why do those monks and Zen masters have to choose such a hard life? ”

Meng Xilan couldn't help but stop writing when she heard this, and was silent for a while, before she said: "In life, unsatisfactory things often happen, everyone should have their own way of living, decades of time, in a flash, only the word freedom is the most difficult to find." ”

"Sister...... If I had to stay here permanently, I wouldn't have been able to survive even a year. ”

Meng Xilan smiled again: "The princess is a golden branch and jade leaf, and in the future, she will only be at ease, and there will be no hardship." ”

Accompanying the ancient Buddha with the green lantern is a kind of practice, but also a kind of courage, and not everyone can do it.

In the early morning of the next day, just after the end of the day, Meng Xilan got up, she cleaned up a little, and went to the front hall to do morning class.

Although Li Jieyu was pregnant, she got up as early as her, and no talking was allowed in the hall, and the two only looked at each other and communicated a little.

Meng Xilan sat cross-legged like the monks, silently reciting a few scriptures she was familiar with.

Sandalwood, Buddha sound, wooden fish sound, one after another, lingering in the ears, but it does not make people feel bored, but the heart is very quiet.

After the morning class, Meng Xilan was about to leave, but saw Li Jieyu standing outside the door, staring at herself quietly.

After being slightly stunned, Meng Xilan walked over slowly, smiled at Li Jieyu and said, "Say hello to Niangniang." ”

Li Jieyu raised her hand and smiled lightly: "The princess doesn't have to be polite." I haven't seen her for a long time, but Her Royal Highness the princess has lost a lot. ”

Meng Xilan nodded, her gaze slowly moved down, and landed on her bulging belly, her child was almost five months old. "Jieyu's body is a lot plump, it seems that the child in her womb is growing just right."

Li Jieyu also looked down at her stomach when she heard this, her eyes flashed slightly, and she didn't speak.

It's hard for her to come here without fear of bumps in the carriage with such a heavy body, presumably for the sake of the child in her womb.

However, even Meng Xilan couldn't guess what the future of this child would be...... Because in her memory, Zhou Shixian only had nine sons and one daughter until he died.

It's just that too many things have happened recently, all of which have never happened in her memory, and now, even Meng Xilan has to start doubting how much of the various memories accumulated in her previous life can be relied on and used.

Li Jieyu has a weak temperament and doesn't like to talk to people, but today she invited Meng Xilan to enjoy flowers and tea together, which is really a bit surprising.

Meng Xilan walked side by side with her, and a trace of aroma could be faintly smelled on the tip of her nose, not the fragrance of fat powder, nor the smell of sandalwood, or the fragrance she had smelled last time.

The trees in Xiangguo Temple are lush and densely covered with green pines, but there are no colorful flowers and plants.

The two were walking together, and they vaguely saw a person walking outside the temple gate.

Meng Xilan's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly beckoned to him and said, "Master Jiao." ”

Jiao Changqing served the emperor's will in the palace this morning, and came to regulate the body of the queen mother, as for the pregnancy of the crown princess Chu Jingwen, her father Jiao Nianping was responsible for taking care of it.

Jiao Changqing hurriedly walked over and saluted the two, Li Jieyu's gaze turned around his face a few times, only to feel that he was a little familiar.

Meng Xilan said to him: "My lord came just in time, the Queen Mother said last night that she had a headache and was uncomfortable." ”

Jiao Changqing arched his hand: "Weichen will go over." After speaking, he bowed down and passed by the two of them, who knows, as soon as he walked by, his footsteps suddenly stagnated, as if he had found something, turned around suddenly, and looked at the backs of Meng Xilan and Li Jieyu.

Where did that scent come from? Something strange.

Meng Xilan didn't notice Jiao Changqing's stop, she and Li Jieyu went all the way back to the wing room in the backyard, Li Jieyu lived very close to Concubine Ning Murong Qiao, and the palace maids who came and went saw the two of them walking together, and hurriedly went back to pass the word to Murong Qiao.

For the sake of the epidemic, Murong Qiao was originally very grateful to Meng Xilan, but because of her, her son Zhou Youlin was disturbed, which made her heart uncomfortable, and even had some resentment towards Meng Xilan. However, she and Li Jieyu live so close, as an elder, she should show her face in the past.

Li Jieyu's tea had just been brewed, and Murong Qiao came with a smile, "This temple is clean, it is best to drink tea, and this palace is also here to join in the fun with you." ”

"Say hello to Concubine Ning." Li Jieyu is blessed with a blessed body, but she behaves very calmly.

Meng Xilan's face changed slightly, and she suddenly remembered Zhou Youlin's face in her heart, and she was inexplicably awkward.

After Murong Qiao sat down, Meng Xilan said even less, and the three of them sat facing each other, relatively speechless for a while, but a little embarrassed.

After a while, Meng Xilan couldn't sit still a little and found an excuse to get up and go back.

Who knows, Murong Qiao followed her words and said, "The Queen Mother's health is not very good, and I don't know if I slept peacefully last night, so this palace will go over with you to take a look." ”

Meng Xilan's heart sank slightly.

Murong Qiao saw that she didn't take the initiative to talk to herself, but just opened her mouth with a smile: "It's so decent, why did you suddenly break up with Bengong Sheng?" ”

Meng Xilan turned her head and said politely: "No, my mother treats me kindly, how can I have a relationship with you." ”

Murong Qiao slowly stood still when he heard this, looked at her with a pair of crystal eyes, smiled and thoughtfully at her, and said, "Actually, the palace knows everything about you and Lin'er. ”

Meng Xilan saw that she mentioned it first, and hurriedly said: "Thank you for the prince's wrong love, but the prince and I have always treated each other politely, and nothing will happen." ”

She has already said what should be said and what should not be said, if Zhou Youlin is still unwilling to give up, then she has only one way.

When Murong Qiao heard this, the smile on his face remained unchanged, but his eyes became deeper and deeper: "This palace knows that you have a delicate heart. Lin'er and you are not suitable in the first place, you can see it at a young age, and it can be seen that you will also be a person who can do great things in the future. During the epidemic, Lin'er's side was thanks to you for being thoughtful everywhere. This good of yours has always been remembered in my heart and has not been forgotten. Now, this palace has treated you as its own person, so you don't have to be polite with this palace, just say what you have to say, and just mention something. ”

Speaking of this, Meng Xilan had an idea in her heart, and she simply said happily: "Niangniang, in fact, I really have something to ask for." ”

Murong Qiao didn't expect her to be so direct, first stunned, and then smiled. "Oh? You say it'......"

"I want the Meng family and the Weiyuan Hou family to form a family, I want my cousin Meng Xiqiao to marry the second son of the Weiyuan Hou, this marriage, I hope the mother can come forward to help me."

Meng Xilan has one thing to say, and she does not shy away from it. Murong Qiao is a very shrewd woman, and there is no need for her to play with her eyes.

Murong Qiao was surprised again, he didn't expect the Meng family's appetite to be so big?! However, she also understands what Meng Xilan's intention is to bother this time? As the saying goes, a strong alliance, she just wants the Meng family to gain a firm foothold in the capital.

Murong Qiao stared at Meng Xilan's face for a while, and then nodded and said, "Okay, this matter will be handled by this palace." ”

Meng Xilan secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this. "Thank you, ...... girl"

Favor debts have to be repaid by favors, so it's best, two people, you help me once, I'll help you once, it's happy, it's two clear, and you can have less to do with it in the future.