Young widow in her boudoir

As soon as Pei Zhiheng arrived at the Shen residence, he heard that Xie Rutang had gone to Qingyin Mountain and would be staying there for two days.

There is a Daoan Temple on Qingyin Mountain, which is said to be very efficacious. Many men and women from the city, as long as they have something to ask for, will travel a long way to the mountain to worship Buddha.

After Shen Yuan's death, Xie Rutang frequently visited Dao'an Temple to worship Buddha and accumulate merit for her deceased husband. She visited many times, and the abbot and all the novices in the temple recognized her. Sometimes she would stay in the mountains for a couple of days to clear her mind.

The road up the mountain is winding and twisting, with ancient trees reaching for the sky on both sides. The higher you go, the thicker the clouds and mist become, and the pine peaks stand tall.

Xie Rutang got out of the sedan chair, but the mountain road ahead was too narrow for the sedan chair to pass through. For the rest of the journey, she and Jinyue had to climb up.

As she was climbing the steps, she accidentally stepped on the hem of her skirt and nearly stumbled.

Fortunately, the person who was climbing the mountain with her reacted quickly and reached out to steady her.

What came into view was a strong, slender hand with distinct knuckles supporting her arm.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Madam?"

The man's palm, calloused from years of martial arts practice, brushed against her skin through her thin shirt, causing Xie Rutang to be slightly startled, her heart to race, and her wrist to tremble involuntarily.

The man keenly noticed her overreaction; the woman's slender figure gradually tensed under his indifferent gaze.

The mountain path was deep and secluded in the woods. The man's gaze swept lightly over her; she wore a slightly worn white dress, and her hair was devoid of any jewelry, clearly indicating she was a widow. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from his touch earlier.

Her lips were a moist, bright red, exuding charm even without makeup, gentle yet profound.

Realizing his rudeness, he gracefully withdrew his hand.

Xie Rutang steadied herself in time, curtsied to the other party in a woman's manner, and said, "Thank you for your help, sir."

But when she looked up, she couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

The other person was handsome and dashing, dressed in a blue robe with auspicious cloud patterns, with jade at his waist, and exuded an aura of unapproachability.

His long eyes held a distant yet polite smile, as if seen through a thin mist, making it impossible to discern whether it was genuine or merely a polite gesture.

Xie Rutang noticed the man's drooping sleeves; the fabric was fine brocade, something no ordinary family could afford, yet he remained very low-key.

The person traveling was accompanied by several guards standing at attention behind them.

Xie Rutang secretly judged that this person must be either rich or noble.

As she was a widow, she should have been careful to avoid suspicion with men outside the marriage, so she dared not linger and bid him farewell before leaving in haste.

When we arrived at Dao'an Temple to worship Buddha, it started raining heavily on the mountain less than an hour later.

Left with no other choice, Xie Rutang decided to stay at the temple for the night.

At this moment, the abbot said, "Unfortunately, Madam Shen, the temple's guest rooms are full, and there is no room left."

Xie Rutang's delicate eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, as she had intended to find another place to stay outside the temple.

Coincidentally, the man in the blue robe she had met on the mountain path not long ago put away his umbrella and entered the main hall. He overheard her conversation with the abbot behind the lotus-shaped curtain.

Looking at the slender and dignified figure of the woman beneath the golden Buddha statue.

The man hesitated for a moment, then turned to his brown-clad attendant beside him and whispered a few instructions.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fu's expression changed, and he exclaimed, "That room was the meditation room where His Highness stayed and rested while praying for the Empress..."

Dao'an Temple was reserved specifically for him; how could we just let that young widow move in?!

She saw that the man had not changed his mind.

Chen Fu whispered to the young novice monk for a moment, and the novice monk relayed the message to the abbot.

Upon hearing this, the abbot's eyes flickered slightly before he spoke to the woman in front of him, saying that there was still one empty room left in the temple.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Xie Rutang was then led by a young novice monk to the meditation room.

After the woman left, the old novice monk in the temple sighed softly, "How pitiful. After her husband passed away, Madam Shen came to worship Buddha and chant sutras without fail, rain or shine. Her sincerity is evident. May Buddha have mercy and protect her, granting her peace and well-being..."

Li Guan remained silent until Xie Rutang's figure disappeared from the main hall before descending the mountain.

……

After a cup of tea.

"Female benefactor, this is the place."

After seeing the novice monk off, Jin Yue closed the wooden door, and Xie Rutang then sat down to observe the meditation room.

As she walked along, a vague suspicion had been growing in her mind. The meditation room was secluded deep within a bamboo grove, far removed from the other guest rooms, rarely visited by people, and possessed a tranquil and secluded atmosphere, almost like a world apart.

The walls inside the room are plain and simple, with only a few ink landscape paintings hanging on the walls. The brushstrokes are light and distant, and the artistic conception is serene.

A rosewood desk sits by the window, reflecting the refined taste of an elegant person. A cool fragrance wafts through the room, with dragon-shaped incense burning in a golden beast-shaped incense burner.

Open the window, and you can see the misty scenery below the mountain.

Xie Rutang observed the house for a while, but couldn't see anything unusual about it, so he simply gave up.

She stretched and smiled, a rare sight for her: "What luck! I never expected there would still be such an elegant guest room left."

A short while later, Jin Yue opened the bundle, took out the bedding, and made the bed for her.

Xie Rutang then lived in Qingyin Mountain to avoid the secular world, devoting himself to burning incense, worshipping Buddha, and reciting scriptures.

She left two days later.