The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 116 Taking Advantage and Acting Innocent
It sounds like an accusation.

Zhao Yungui frowned slightly. He wore a veil over his eyes, but Eunuch Sun could still feel the gaze of those eyes falling on him.

Silent and unassuming, yet exuding an inherent authority.

Grandpa Sun bent down even lower and remained silent.

“Eunuch Sun, I have some urgent matters to attend to with the scriptures, so I will take His Highness away first.”

As he spoke, Zhao Yungui turned his head towards Jiang Jinshuang, put his middle and index fingers together, and beckoned to her.

Although Jiang Jinshuang couldn't see Zhao Yungui's eyes, she reacted instantly, raised her eyebrows slightly, jumped over the threshold, and hid behind Zhao Yungui.

The man wore a black and white ink-wash robe; his tall stature easily concealed the girl's petite figure.

Seeing this, Eunuch Sun frowned disapprovingly and said, "Please forgive me, Grand Preceptor, but Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has decreed that Princess Zhaoming must kneel in the main hall for a full hour before she can leave."

Zhao Yungui lowered his eyes slightly and glanced at Jiang Jinshuang, who was pretending to be innocent beside him.

He sighed and then turned to Eunuch Sun: "If the Empress Dowager is angry, Eunuch Sun, just have her summon me."

After saying that, he ignored Eunuch Sun's obstruction and said to Jiang Jinshuang, "Alright, let's go."

"Okay~"

Jiang Jinshuang gave Sun Zhang a provocative look before turning her back and following Zhao Yungui away.

Zhao Yungui did not take her to the dining hall.

"The breakfast service at Huguo Temple is only open for half an hour, and the dining hall will be closed by then."

Zhao Yungui explained to Jiang Jinshuang as he walked.

He led Jiang Jinshuang toward his meditation room on the back mountain.

Jiang Jinshuang asked curiously, "Grand Preceptor, how did you know that I was being harassed by the Empress Dowager?"

Zhao Yungui's expression remained unchanged: "It's more likely that His Highness won't cause trouble."

Jiang Jinshuang: "..."

Somewhat guilty, she retorted, "No way! It was clearly the Empress Dowager who made me uncomfortable; I only snapped at her a couple of times."

Zhao Yun did not respond.

The two arrived at the Zen temple, and Zhao Yungui said, "Please sit here for a while, and I will have someone prepare some vegetarian food for you."

Jiang Jinshuang didn't stand on ceremony: "Okay."

Zhao Yungui's meditation room was located on the back mountain of Huguo Temple.

There are few meditation rooms here, and even fewer people come and go, making it very quiet.

Looking back, one sees peach blossoms covering the entire mountain.

After waiting a short while, Zhao Yungui brought some vegetarian dishes and rice and placed them on the low table under the tree in the Zen temple.

"come over."

Jiang Jinshuang readily agreed, sat down at the low table, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat.

Jiang Jinshuang eats quickly, but not in a wolfing-down way.

Instead, she chews and swallows slowly and deliberately, spending very little time on her meals, as she has become accustomed to it.

"Didn't they say the dining hall was closed? Where did the Imperial Preceptor get all this food from?" Jiang Jinshuang asked him with a smile.

Zhao Yungui stood aside and said, "My meals are prepared by Zhengze and are not shared with anyone else."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang's eyes lit up even more: "Did Zhengze make this? It tastes good."

Zhao Yungui sat down at the stone table to the side.

There was a scripture on the stone table. As he flipped through it, he said calmly, "Zhengze heard that the food was made for you, and in front of me, he said he was going to poison your food."

Jiang Jinshuang feigned fear and shrank back: "Such a strong desire for revenge! Grand Preceptor, do you even know how to raise children?"

Zhao Yungui corrected him somewhat helplessly: "I am his master, and I teach his disciple. He is not a child."

Stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside.

Although he said that, it was clear that the child had been taught by Zhao Yun to be well-mannered and reasonable, and was upright and composed.

"So Zhengze wanted to poison me, and you, Grand Preceptor, didn't you say anything to stop him?" Zhao Yungui lowered his eyes and twitched his lips slightly upon hearing this: "I told him that she is, after all, a princess of a country, so just add two more spoonfuls of coarse salt to her food."

No one is good!
Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Didn't the Imperial Preceptor ask me to annotate some scriptures? Where are the scriptures?"

Zhao Yungui turned another page of scripture, his tone indifferent: "He's getting a good deal and acting innocent."

There are no scriptures or Buddhist texts here.

I just wanted her to come out for dinner sooner.

After having breakfast at Zhao Yungui's residence, Jiang Jinshuang returned to her meditation room.

Staying at Huguo Temple for three days, besides chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha every morning and evening, also required fasting, bathing, burning incense, and copying scriptures, which was quite boring.

She knew that Xia Yurong must have some ulterior motive for coming to Huguo Temple.

Jiang Jinshuang wasn't too worried; she would meet force with force and water with earth.

She had originally thought that since she had disobeyed the Empress Dowager's orders this morning and had not stayed in the main hall for a full hour, the Empress Dowager would cause her trouble.

But to everyone's surprise, there was still no movement from the Empress Dowager's side until evening.

That night.

Jiang Jinshuang changed into a thicker set of clothes and went to the temple hall again to chant sutras and worship Buddha.

This time she was smarter and arrived at the palace right on time.

After finding a spot, Jiang Jinshuang recited the scriptures at hand, offering prayers and blessings.

Half an hour later, the Empress Dowager slowly rose and glanced at Jiang Jinshuang.

Although dissatisfied, they ultimately did not retaliate.

Instead, he smiled and waved to Xia Yurong, "Yurong, come here."

"Yes, Queen Mother."

Xia Yurong obediently walked to the Empress Dowager's side. The Empress Dowager took Xia Yurong's hand and looked at her with loving eyes: "This matter should not have been told to you in advance, but you are not an outsider, so it is fine to tell you."

After a pause, the Empress Dowager slowly spoke: "Today, the Emperor sent word to me that the Grand Secretary will come to Huguo Temple tomorrow to inquire about national affairs and celestial phenomena from the Imperial Preceptor."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yurong's eyes lit up with joy.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "It's not a big deal, but since you two have come to Huguo Temple together, I thought it would be best to go to the Yue Lao Temple to pray for a good match."

Like a loving elder giving earnest advice to a younger generation, the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "You and Lord Pei are of marriageable age. Once we return to Huguo Temple, I will find an opportunity to bestow a marriage upon you two."

Upon hearing this, a hint of excitement flashed in Xia Yurong's eyes.

But as if she were wary of something, she spoke softly, "Thank you for your kindness, Empress Dowager, but my father once asked His Majesty for a marriage proposal, and His Majesty... refused."

Despite this, everyone knows that His Majesty refused the marriage because Princess Zhaoming risked her life to stop it, refusing to let the two get married even at the cost of her own life.

They wouldn't let go of Lord Pei Du.

The Empress Dowager was naturally aware of this matter.

Her expression turned slightly cold, and she squinted at Jiang Jinshuang, who was leisurely strolling not far away.

She snorted coldly: "The two of you are in love and cannot be separated by any underhanded tricks from others. Rest assured, I have high hopes for this marriage."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yurong happily curtsied in gratitude.

The two spoke at a moderate volume, showing no intention of avoiding her.

Jiang Jinshuang heard every word and found it all amusing.

—It seems that the Empress Dowager also felt that as long as she controlled this marriage, she could control Jiang Jinshuang.

This marriage isn't a matter of whether she agrees or not; it's a matter of whether the man on the dragon throne will agree.

Xia Yurong always felt that as long as she and Pei Du were in love, they could get married and smoothly enter into the Wenshan Pavilion.

Ignorance as always.

Jiang Jinshuang was too lazy to argue with them. After taking her leave from the Empress Dowager, she returned to her meditation room.

As soon as Jiang Jinshuang entered the meditation room, her eyes turned cold.

There is someone in the room.