tallest building

Chapter 346 Shinto Priest

On this day, Lady Liu, the wife of the Marquis of Yunyang, came to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress. She was the niece of Princess Zhao, because Princess Zhao had been raised by her maternal grandfather since childhood.

She had a close relationship with Wen Mingqian when they were outside the palace. It was she who introduced Wen Mingqian to Princess Zhao.

"Your Majesty, I really don't have anything of value to offer at home. Fortunately, a hermit from Zhongnan Mountain has come to the capital these days, and his prayers are quite effective. I specifically asked him for this piece of jade, saying that placing it in the house will bring peace of mind and good fortune." This time, Lady Liu brought a very large jade mountain with her to the palace. It was over a foot tall, pure white and flawless, and carved with the image of Liu Ruan entering the Heavenly Terrace.

“Oh my, this is top-quality Hetian jade.” Yu Lu chimed in, “The Taoist priests of Zhongnan Mountain are the most efficacious, but they rarely come down the mountain.”

Liu was a shrewd and sociable person, so how could she not protect Yu Lu? She would send him gifts every now and then when there was nothing else to do.

"Hmm, it's a good thing," the Queen said lazily. "You've put a lot of thought into it."

"Your Majesty is the mother of the world. If I can do anything that is beneficial to you, I will consider it as accumulating blessings for myself," Liu said hastily.

"Mingqian, a lot of things have been sent as tribute from various places these days. Please select some for Lady Yunyang to take with her. I am feeling rather tired and lack energy." Wen Mingqian served the Empress well, and gradually the Empress trusted her more and more, so she entrusted her with some matters.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave now." Lady Liu quickly rose.

Wen Mingqian accompanied her out and said with a smile, "If Madam doesn't mind, you might as well sit in my room. We still need to ask them to bring out the things that Her Majesty the Empress has bestowed upon us. We'll have to search for them in the storeroom and register them, which will take quite a bit of work."

“I haven’t seen you much since you entered the palace, and I’ve been missing you terribly. It would be wonderful if I could talk to you alone,” Liu said quickly.

Wen Mingqian is now a favorite of the Empress, not much less so than Yu Lu. But she is not arrogant at all and treats people the same as before.

Liu knew that this kind of person was suitable for long-term friendship, and there was no need to put on a show of politeness; one had to be sincere with them.

"Speaking of which, Madam is my benefactor, and I have never properly thanked you," Wen Mingqian said with a smile.

"Don't say that. Even after you entered the palace, you didn't forget me. You often made incense and had it delivered to me. It's rare that you're so busy in the palace, yet you still think of me." As she spoke, Madam Liu affectionately took Wen Mingqian's hand. "Everyone who has worked with you remembers your kindness."

As the two talked, they arrived at Wen Mingqian's room. Xiaoyue brought tea, and Liu praised her a few times before giving her a purse.

Xiaoyue blushed and refused to accept it no matter what.

In the end, Wen Mingqian said, "Just take what Madam gave you! Everyone knows Madam loves to reward people."

After Xiaoyue left, Liu said to Wen Mingqian, "What we say between the two of us will never reach the ears of a third person. I see that Her Majesty the Empress has become terribly haggard lately, which is heartbreaking."

"I don't visit the palace often, and those of you who serve her constantly must be anxious every day." "Who can argue with that? Even though everyone is doing their best, Her Majesty is always lacking in food and sleep. We've tried almost everything we can think of, and we really don't know what else to do."

"It is I who volunteered. The immortal I mentioned earlier is truly very capable. Many families have asked him for help and it has been effective. Everyone says it is miraculous." Liu lowered her voice as she said this. "Not to mention anything else, just take the Zhou family of the Marquis of Yongqing—wasn't his wife on good terms with you before?"

Their young master was seriously ill a few days ago, and they had no other choice but to seek help from this Taoist priest. He performed a ritual at the priest's house, and guess what? The child was soon lively and energetic again.

"Cuiyi's child is sick? I'm completely unaware of what's happening outside while I'm in the palace. May God protect the child and let him grow up safely," Wen Mingqian said.

“Who can argue with that? This widow and her child are so pitiful. They only have this one son left, yet he still manages to keep their family's title intact,” said Madam Liu. “To be honest, our family has also had some bad luck lately. I thought I should give it a try, no matter how effective it was. And it really worked, like by some divine intervention.”

“Since you, Madam, have personally tried it, it must be truly effective. No wonder you specially came to the palace today to deliver that jade mountain to Her Majesty. But may I ask what the Taoist priest’s name is?” Wen Mingqian seemed very interested as well.

"This Taoist priest's Buddhist name is Qingxuzi. He has white hair and a youthful face. He's practically a living immortal." Liu now has complete faith in Qingxuzi.

In fact, it wasn't just her; many people in the capital regarded Qingxuzi as a living deity.

"But to be honest, the Taoist priest also said that this jade mountain alone won't do much good," Liu said. "The best thing is to have a face-to-face consultation and prescribe the right remedy."

You said that although I had this intention, I dared not speak it rashly to Her Majesty the Empress. You know Her Majesty's temper; if I do something wrong, she will blame me, and how could we bear that?"

"Madam means well and is genuinely concerned for Her Majesty, but she is afraid that her good intentions might backfire." Wen Mingqian understood what Madam Liu meant; she wanted to make a contribution, but she was not confident.

That's why I keep talking to myself about these things.

"That's why I say you're the most understanding person! You hit the nail on the head with just one sentence." Madam Liu took Wen Mingqian's hand again. "That's why I say Her Majesty the Empress values ​​you so much! I originally wanted to ask Steward Yu, but he seemed quite busy, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise. Now I'd like to ask you to help me think about this. This matter is something that can't be done right or wrong. What should I do?"

Wen Mingqian was silent for a moment, then said, "In my opinion, if you, Madam, were to directly recommend Her Majesty the Empress, she probably wouldn't pay any attention. It would be better to introduce this Taoist priest to the Imperial Uncle's family first. The Imperial Uncle's family has been having some troubles lately, so they must need him. If it works with them, even without you saying so, would the Imperial Uncle not think of Her Majesty the Empress?"

“That’s right, that’s right, that’s exactly how it should be done!” Madam Liu nodded. “In this way, I not only fulfilled my duty to Her Majesty the Empress, but also solved the problem for the Imperial Uncle’s family.”

The Empress was inherently suspicious and unwilling to easily trust others. However, she instinctively trusted her own family.

Moreover, after Liu does this, the Dong family will surely remember her kindness and will speak on her behalf to the Empress.

Even if it doesn't work with the Empress, it's not her fault, because it was recommended by the Empress's family.

In this way, she can only have merits, not demerits. It's a win-win situation from all sides.