Chapter 108: Chapter 108: A Missed Opportunity

A light “clang” echoed, and Prince Li was utterly shocked in his heart. Did Father Emperor ever consider passing the position of Crown Prince to him? This sudden revelation caused his chopsticks to hit the bowl, and he coughed lightly, showing a trace of sorrow: “Father Emperor, Jinglun had a short life…”

It was initially an emotional lapse, but it appeared as though hearing his beloved child’s name reminded him that he was no longer alive, leading to the sorrow in his heart.

The Emperor gently patted the back of his hand in comfort and also sighed: “Unexpected events are unavoidable, so don’t be too sad.”

Prince Li sobbed quietly: “Father Emperor, your son knows! Your son was discourteous!”

The Emperor sighed again: “Jinglun is gone, and you have no interest in the throne, uninterested in the power struggle, and have repeatedly praised your Third Brother in front of me. After much contemplation, I chose your Third Brother as the Crown Prince! I hope Nanxia will see less fragmentation; I truly don’t want to witness those disturbances again.”

Prince Li’s heart trembled furiously, no, things weren’t like that!

Doesn’t this mean that Prince Zhuang became the Crown Prince, and he became the supporting force instead?

Ridiculous!

He was a joke!

Sitting in the carriage, Prince Li clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into the flesh, piercing his palms with blood.

Now that the major decisions have been made, what else can he do?

To avoid courtiers petitioning against him, to remain in the Capital City, he had to cultivate this persona. After all, his position was already awkward, and if anyone found any slight error or leverage against him, certainly a flurry of memorials would be sent to Father Emperor, asking him to return to his fief. At that point, even if Father Emperor’s heart ached for him, Father Emperor, being the Emperor, could not ignore the sentiments of the courtiers.

So, he became more adept at acting, that poetic and gallant Prince Li, that leisurely and elegant Prince Li, that carefree and uninvolved with mundane things Prince Li, gained an excellent reputation in the Capital City!

As a Prince who had already been enfeoffed and was summoned back by the Emperor, not a single Imperial Censor impeached him, not one courtier found his presence in the Capital inappropriate, and no one suspected he harbored grand ambitions for that supreme position.

He was once very pleased and proud.

He had managed his image too successfully, so much so that even Father Emperor believed he was uninterested in power and the throne!

Damn the persona!

He was indeed outsmarted by his own cleverness!

Upstream of the Heavenly God River.

The further they went, the clearer the path became, almost as if moving from a remote area to a bustling one.

Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin picked a direction at random; since they had no clues, they might as well try their luck. After walking for half an hour, they saw another village, about five li straight from River Mouth Village, but the countryside was vast and sparsely populated, not as densely inhabited as River Mouth Village.

Upon inquiry, no women were missing in this village.

After discussing, Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin thought this place should not be the buyer of the few Mountain Goat Beard’s men either.

As the sky darkened, the two originally intended to spend the night in the village, but seeing the villagers preparing something enthusiastically, they inquired and found out that tomorrow was Shian Temple’s day for drawing lots!

Xia Wenjin, with a sweet tongue, always wore a friendly smile, and was pleasant in conversation, managed to gather quite a bit of information from the villagers.

They learned what the so-called day for drawing lots entailed only after asking.

It turns out that Shian Temple is not a place where one can pray and ask for divination anytime; it is permissible only twice a month, on the first and fifteenth. Normally, one cannot ask for or interpret lots.

The temple is most effective for praying for a child, as long as the one praying is sincere, reciting scriptures overnight in the Zen Room with utmost devotion, there’s an eighty to ninety percent chance of their wish being fulfilled.

Thus, the temple was bustling with incense offerings, attracting people from even the Commandery.

Tomorrow happened to be the first of the month.

Those preparing to draw lots or make wishes had been abstaining from meat, bathing, and changing clothes since yesterday. They first prayed at home with incense and would go to the temple to present their wishes before the Buddha the next day.

Even those without specific prayers would behave properly.

The closer to Shian Temple, the more fervent the belief in Buddha appeared among the villagers.

Xia Wenjin smiled at Huangfu Jingchen and said, “River Mouth Village is only a few li from this village, yet they are quite different; their belief in Buddha over there doesn’t seem as strong!” Over there, they hadn’t heard about a day for drawing lots, of course, it might also be because the matter of missing women had made them anxious, and they had not thought about such things at all.

Someone passing by chuckled, “You two young nobles must have come from afar. As long as you are sincere, Shian Temple’s Bodhisattva responds to every prayer! I’ve heard of River Mouth Village too; they are in a remote area, hunting, and show no respect to the Bodhisattva, causing the Bodhisattva’s displeasure, which is why they are punished!”

“Punished? Punished in what way?”

“The River God goes to their village to marry brides, which also accumulates merit for their village!”

Xia Wenjin laughed, “Uncle, you know about the River God marrying brides too?”

The villager laughed, “Know it? Not far at all, after all, if the River God marries, it’s a manifestation of an immortal, how could we not know? Not to mention, River Mouth Village indeed has mountains and water, their girls do look more charming than those from elsewhere, that’s why the River God favors their girls!”

The sorcerer’s claim that the River God was marrying came just days ago, yet this village has heard of it; it really spread fast.

However, it was not the River God marrying, but a human act.

Exchanging a glance, Xia Wenjin and Huangfu Jingchen had no intention of revealing the truth with words.

The people of this village were so devoted to praying to Buddha for wishes, believing it to be the work of the River God, that they likely wouldn’t change their views with a few words from outsiders.

Only by finding those unfortunate women and unveiling the truth, can the people come to know the whole story.

They asked about the location of Shian Temple, not far from here, just on the mountain over there.

After some consideration, the two decided that instead of borrowing a place to stay in the villagers’ homes, they might as well go to Shian Temple directly; firstly, monks are compassionate, making it more convenient to stay at the temple; secondly, they could find that poet-leaving diviner to see what his true intentions were.

As dusk fell, they arrived at the temple gate.

The temple gate was already closed.

Standing outside, looking at the majestic mountain temple, Xia Wenjin laughed, “It seems there’s nothing false about the sincere devotion of the surrounding villages to Buddha; look at how grand this temple is built?”

For a mere temple in the mountains, it was built so magnificently, with continuous structures, clearly supported by ample incense money.

It was the generous donations from numerous devout followers and guests that expanded the temple. The followers were generous because they believed the Bodhisattva here was efficacious.

With an open and widespread reputation, even people from the Commandery were drawn to it by name.

Xia Wenjin turned his head and asked, “What did the people in the village say was the most efficacious thing about Shian Temple?”

After thinking for a while, Huangfu Jingchen said, “Praying for children!”

Xia Wenjin tilted his head and said, “The Bodhisattva here is quite interesting; even though it’s a monk’s temple, the most efficacious practice is praying for children. Isn’t that taking business from the nunneries?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep