Chapter 178: Hello Chang’an
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**Chapter 178: Waiting for the Next Time Curiosity Strikes**
In the two meditation rooms behind the Tower, Ming Luo frowned upon hearing the news. "He came?"
"Yes."
"Did he come to see Chang Suining?" Ming Luo asked, though her tone was already certain.
"Indeed," the monk lowered his voice in the dim light. "The tower doors were closed, and the young lady of the Chang family didn’t alert us. She jumped out the window to meet General Cui."
Ming Luo's voice turned cool. "Holy Emperor commanded her to pray here, yet in the dead of night, she meets with someone in secret. It shows she has neither sincerity nor shame."
But of course, the person seeking her out was Cui Jing. Even if this matter reached Holy Emperor's ears, she wouldn't say much. Moreover, it wasn’t something that could be used for gossip or political maneuvering.
It was always like this...
Whenever Chang Suining made a mistake, Ming Luo always felt helpless, unable to take action. She was forced to watch her act with impunity, never bearing the consequences. This was one of the reasons Ming Luo had grown increasingly disgusted with her.
Suppressing her bitterness, Ming Luo asked the monk seriously, "What did they talk about?"
Based on her understanding of Cui Jing, no matter how much he liked Chang Suining, he shouldn’t be visiting her at such a late hour... Could this have something to do with her aunt’s guess?
Ming Luo wasn’t someone to let emotions cloud her judgment. Regarding her aunt’s speculation, she was cautious both in public and private.
The monk spoke again, "General Cui seemed to be here to say goodbye to the young lady of the Chang family."
"Goodbye?" Ming Luo was taken aback.
"Yes," the monk lowered his voice even more, "General Cui claimed he had received a secret order from Holy Emperor and would be leaving the capital soon."
Ming Luo was a bit surprised. A secret order? She thought back to the way Cui Jing had come out of Holy Emperor's study room earlier that evening, alone.
"Miss Ming... did you not know about this?" the monk asked hesitantly.
Ming Luo's expression tightened. "I didn’t expect General Cui to casually disclose the secret order from Holy Emperor."
The monk nodded but didn't elaborate further.
He worked for Holy Emperor, not for Ming Luo. If she didn’t know about the secret order, he would keep it to himself.
Ming Luo didn’t show any reaction on the surface, but inwardly, she began to reflect.
She hadn’t known about the secret order. Her aunt had provided her with so little, and the little that was given could be taken away at any time.
That trivial thing, so easily revoked, had no impact on her aunt, but it was all she had to rely on.
This was the source of her constant unease.
She didn’t reveal her feelings but instead asked, "Was there anything in their conversation worth noting?"
The monk briefly recounted what he had overheard. "I didn’t dare to get too close, fearing I’d be noticed by General Cui. But from what I could hear, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual."
Ming Luo coldly smiled inwardly.
Nothing unusual?
But there were plenty of signs that Chang Suining’s words didn’t match her actions...
She claimed to refuse, yet met with him late at night, spoke for a long time, and even saw him off... Wasn’t this classic 'cat and mouse' behavior?
She couldn’t help but think of Cui Jing's words: "She only uses me, fools me, and I don’t care."
Chang Suining’s thoughts were so shallow, she didn’t even bother to hide them. But Cui Jing could see through it all and still didn’t care...
Her aunt seemed to be the same, clearly seeing through Chang Suining’s many flaws, but still wanted to believe that she and Princess Chongyue were the same person.
Was her aunt so adamant simply because Chang Suining could imitate Princess Chongyue's handwriting and because of the words from the National Master of Tianjing?
This question lingered in her mind, and her intuition told her the answer was hidden in a secret she didn’t know.
Her desire to uncover the truth behind that secret was growing stronger.
Ming Luo then thought about the transaction Chang Suining had mentioned earlier that day—Chang Suining had offered to exchange a secret she wanted to know for the one hidden in Tower.
For a moment, Ming Luo had been moved.
But then again, whether or not Chang Suining had other motives, if she revealed the secret of Tower, it would be considered a betrayal to her aunt, and the consequences would be severe...
Should she take the risk and agree to Chang Suining’s offer?
---
The next morning, Chang Suining woke up at dawn to attend the early morning prayer and listened to the monks chant scriptures in the tower.
Hearing that Chang Suining was staying in the tower for three days, yesterday, Xi'er had brought her bundle and entrusted it to the monks. Today, Chang Suining had changed into a light misty blue embroidered white dress and sat quietly on the meditation mat with her eyes closed. She appeared calm and serene.
Ming Luo observed her for a moment, then instinctively glanced up at the statue of the Celestial Lady, unconsciously comparing the two.
But for some reason, perhaps because of her thoughts, she actually began to feel a strange resemblance between them... Was it just her illusion?
Ming Luo’s heart tightened, and her gaze returned to the young woman’s face.
Noticing the probing gaze, Chang Suining yawned, allowing herself to cover her mouth.
Ming Luo felt her thoughts being interrupted, and the strange feeling of resemblance quickly dissipated.
After the prayer, the vegetarian meals for both Chang Suining and Ming Luo were placed together, and they sat across from each other to eat.
As Chang Suining picked up her chopsticks, she suddenly heard a cold voice from across the table, "Prayers require sincerity and focus. Miss Chang is tired and yawning throughout the morning session. It's inappropriate and disrespectful."
Chang Suining didn’t lift her head but continued picking up her bamboo chopsticks and casually replied, "Fatigue is uncontrollable. But since sincerity and focus are important, Miss Ming has been staring at me the whole time. Isn’t that more disrespectful?"
Ming Luo frowned.
"Or do you mean—" Chang Suining, holding a bamboo chopstick, finally looked up at the person across from her. "That the role of Lady Ming is not to offer blessings, but to keep watch over me?"
Ming Luo's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Did Chang Suining guess something...?
She maintained a calm expression, not betraying any emotion. "Since I have been ordered by Holy Emperor to oversee the blessings at the tower, I must keep an eye on everything related to the blessing and those involved in it."
Chang Suining, indifferent, nodded and sent a piece of bamboo shoots into her mouth.
Ming Luo frowned again when she saw this.
Chang Suining did not wait for her, quickly finishing her portion of vegetarian food with no leftovers.
Her appetite had always been large, and years of military life had accustomed her to such habits—she couldn't bear to waste food.
Ming Luo watched this, feeling that the action had a crude, unrefined air, as if the person sitting across from her was not a noble lady from the capital, but someone used to hunger.
Perhaps it was because her bloodline traced back to poverty and hardship, and raised in a rough military family, such behavior could be understood—
This "clear distinction" between high and low, however, eased Ming Luo's mood. She set down her chopsticks gracefully, and as Chang Suining stood up to leave, she softly spoke, "Does Lady Chang still wish to make a deal with me?"
Chang Suining, hearing this, seemed to recall the matter and only then realized what Ming Luo meant by a "deal."
After remembering, she simply replied, "No longer interested."
Ming Luo raised an eyebrow.
It was impossible for her to be naïve enough to think that she was genuinely trying to exchange secrets. At this moment, she spoke only to probe whether Chang Suining knew something. But the other party's straightforward response—"No longer interested?"—caught her off guard.
Before she could speak further, the young woman had already risen and casually said, "I'm not curious today. If I am curious another day, I will come seek you out, Lady Ming."
Ming Luo let out a muffled laugh.
What was that supposed to mean?
Did she think she was someone who could be summoned at will, coming and going as she pleased?
Did she truly think that everyone should revolve around her?
Chang Suining did not care at all how Ming Luo felt.
Putting aside the fact that she had proposed a trade for secrets merely to make it easier to set a fire, even if she were curious about the secrets within the Heavenly Maiden Tower, she would never be foolish enough to try to trade with Ming Luo. Ming Luo was too wary and distrustful of her, afraid of the pressure from the Holy Emperor; it would be ridiculous to expect her to speak honestly.
The remaining answers, undoubtedly, would be known more thoroughly by Wu Jue.
Speaking of Wu Jue...
"Why is Master Zhushi not here today?" Chang Suining casually asked the monk guarding outside the dining room after finishing her meal.
"Amitabha, returning to you, Miss Chang, the Abbot Zhushi has been commanded by Holy Emperor to stay in the Spirit Hall for the next two days, overseeing the ceremonies for the spirits," the monk replied.
Chang Suining nodded in understanding.
It turned out the Holy Emperor had sent him away.
Without the Holy Emperor present at the Heavenly Maiden Tower, Wu Jue would not be able to leave either.
The ceremony for the spirits...
Dayun Temple had a Spirit Hall, where the memorial tablets of soldiers who had died in battle were enshrined and constantly worshipped.
This was indeed a good excuse for offering blessings for the soldiers fighting abroad, in line with the current situation.
However, now that the core had been destroyed and Wu Jue was absent, it was actually better. All she had to do was stay quietly at the tower for the next three days, and after leaving, she would plan further.
When Ming Luo came out, she saw Chang Suining had already gone behind the screen to copy scriptures.
At this moment, a eunuch approached her, offering a bow. "The wife of Marquis Ying is outside and requests to meet with Lady Ming."
Chang Shi was looking for her?
Ming Luo showed no emotion, merely nodding slightly. "Have her wait for a moment."
The eunuch went out to relay the message.
Ming Luo, neither hasty nor slow, arranged for all the minor details before going out to meet with Chang Shi.
She did not explain, only greeting her mother. "Apologies for keeping you waiting, Mother."
Chang Shi smiled warmly, showing no sign of impatience or reproach. "You’ve been busy with Holy Emperor’s work, so it was inappropriate of me to come uninvited."
This little concubine’s daughter, who should have been easily controlled like the other two, had somehow caught a bit of luck, and with her cleverness, had flown away to a higher place...
Now, she needed to be all smiles, even in front of her own stepdaughter.
When speaking to her now, Ming Luo no longer showed the timidity and eagerness to please she once had. There was even a hint of aloof indifference. "I wonder, Mother, why you’ve come personally?"
Chang Shi hesitated slightly, then gestured for Ming Luo to come aside to speak privately.
Ming Luo followed her, walking slowly to the bodhi tree.
"I came to see you... because of Ah Shen’s injury," Chang Shi finally spoke in a low voice. "Although the physicians have done their best, there are still some lingering issues..."
Ming Luo couldn’t help but scoff inwardly.
"Some hindrances..."
That was quite an understated way of putting it.
Her tone carried a faint hint of sympathy. "Ah Shen is my younger brother. Seeing him like this, I also feel heartache. But I'm no physician, so I can't help much... I wonder, what does Mother wish for me to do?"
"The palace physicians have already examined him, but there is no good remedy..." Chang Shi sighed, then added, "I’ve heard there is a renowned physician in the Western Regions who is said to have the ability to make withered wood grow again..."
In these past few days, Chang Shi had secretly been seeking out many physicians, and this news had come from one of them. She had heard that this physician could even make eunuchs regain their manhood. If such a person really existed, then her Ah Shen might still have hope.
But searching the vast Western Regions for such a person was like looking for a needle in a haystack. If Holy Emperor could intervene, that would be the best solution.
Ming Luo couldn’t help but find this amusing.
At this point, Chang Shi actually believed such rumors. It seemed that the mother and son’s situation in Marquis Ying’s estate wasn’t looking too good.
"Why doesn’t Mother go directly to speak with Holy Emperor herself?"
Had she failed to get an audience with her?
Chang Shi smiled slightly at this seemingly rhetorical question. There was no trace of anger in her expression. In fact, her tone became even more gentle. "Holy Emperor has been busy with state affairs recently, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to disturb her. But you are different. You serve at His Majesty’s side every day, so you will naturally find the right opportunity to speak with her."
She continued, "Besides, among the younger generation of the Ming family, Holy Emperor has always favored you the most. If you were to speak on behalf of Ah Shen, Holy Emperor would surely pay more attention."
Ming Luo smiled faintly.
Her stepmother was truly skilled in adjusting her approach. In order to persuade her, she was willing to flatter her this much.
If she didn’t have a good memory, she might actually believe that the warm, loving woman before her had always been the same one who once looked down on her like an insignificant insect with cold, stern eyes.
Although Ming Luo knew the current affection and flattery were all fake, she didn’t mind. Fakeness could be just as good, if not better, than the real thing.
She quite enjoyed watching her stepmother try so hard to please her.
It was one of the reasons she didn’t want to go back to the past.
The more this happened, the more she couldn’t go back.
"Ah Shen’s matter is my responsibility," she said softly. "Mother can rest assured."
Since Chang Shi had already asked her so earnestly, she would show a bit more generosity.
After all, it was just a matter of speaking a few words. She wasn’t a divine being, and her foolish younger brother wouldn’t be cured just because she said something.
"Then I leave this matter to you," Chang Shi said, gently holding Ming Luo’s hand. "I know it’s not easy for you to walk through the palace halls alone. Once Ah Shen recovers, he will surely thank you for your help... After that, you two siblings will be united, and Marquis Ying’s estate will be your support."
Ming Luo nodded with a smile. "That’s the idea."
Now she was already making promises to her, as if she feared she wouldn’t be wholehearted enough in her efforts.
It was clear just how anxious her stepmother was—anxious about her son, and even more so about her position in Marquis Ying’s estate.
...
On the way back, Chang Shi’s confidante hesitantly asked, "Madam, do you think the county Princess will really be willing to help?"
"I know her thoughts well enough," Chang Shi replied, "but whether she’s willing or not, I must try everything I can. The more I try, the more hope there is..." Her brow furrowed. "Ah Shen needs treatment as soon as possible if he is to recover. We cannot afford to slack off in finding this Western physician."
The maidservant responded with an "understood."
Chang Shi added, "Let’s go see him first."
Her intention had been to comfort and reassure her son, but when she arrived at Ming Jin’s temporary quarters and saw the condition inside, her expression immediately darkened.
*End of Chapter*
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