latelenovela Chapter 15 Destiny
Chapter 15 Destiny
Since the carriages couldn't go up Mount Huaqing, the guards used sedan chairs to carry their masters up. Shen Qing thought to himself, "What a corrupt noble family."
Ascending the mountain path, one sees towering peaks and jagged rocks. Although the path is steep, the guards are well-trained and carry the load more smoothly than a carriage ride, so Shen Qing doesn't feel any bumps. The swaying motion even makes Shen Qing feel sleepy.
While enjoying the scenery, we unknowingly arrived at the main gate of the front mountain temple, above which were inscribed the words "Anguo Temple" in gilded characters.
The temple was bustling with worshippers, and many distinguished guests had come to the Dharma assembly today. Shen Shi said he was going to catch up with an old friend. Qin Zhen, a devout Buddhist, invited Shen Qing to listen to the chanting. Shen Qing politely declined, but Qin Zhen then took Shen Che to receive the baptism of Buddhism.
Shen Che's resistance was futile. Before leaving, he instructed his guards to protect the young lady and prevent any further incidents from happening on the way.
Shen Qing led Wen Yingfangyu on a tour of the ancient temple, with several guards following behind them. Originally, he was a staunch atheist, but now that such an unbelievable thing as time travel had happened, he had to believe in some metaphysics.
If Monk Huiyan is a fraud, then it's better not to see him. But if he really has some skills, then we should shout "Demon!" and then immediately perform a ritual to help him pass on to the afterlife. He doesn't want to see Buddha.
But that's life; what you fear most often comes to pass.
Under the banyan tree, a man in a white robe and with a bald head exuded an aura of wisdom, looking like a high-ranking monk at first glance.
Logically speaking, Master Huiyan should be giving a sermon in the main hall at this time, but Shen Qing inexplicably felt that the monk in front of him was the legendary Huiyan.
"Where does the benefactor come from?"
"From where it came from".
Where do you intend to go?
"Go where you're going."
Anyone can engage in witty banter, right? Seeing that the monk didn't respond, Shen Qing politely bowed and walked around to leave.
After Shen Qing's figure disappeared, a person emerged from behind the banyan tree; it was Shen Shi, who was meeting an old friend.
"So, Qingxi, she..."
"Amitabha, the benefactor's time has come."
Shen Shi's expression was complicated, his gaze deep as he recalled the distant past, "Back then, it was right here."
……
Fifteen years ago, the Shen family was forced to migrate north due to the political situation. Yunyang was far from Xuandu, and at that time, war was raging. For safety and to establish themselves in Xuandu together in the future, they joined forces with several other families to move north, such as his wife's family, the Xie family.
Master Huiyan accompanied them at the time, and he anticipated the enemy's moves and helped resolve several crises along the way. Nevertheless, the Shen family's eight hundred private soldiers were reduced to less than three hundred when they arrived in Xuandu.
His first wife, Xie, also fell ill on the way and could not bear the hardships of the journey. She passed away before reaching Xuandu, leaving behind two children. At that time, Chengming was only eight years old and Yunxi was only five.
Although the clan had planned ahead and sent the second uncle to Xuandu to manage the business, the Shen family was ultimately an outsider and inevitably faced exclusion and suppression, making their progress difficult.
Feeling depressed, he went to Anguo Temple, where Master Huiyan was staying, to relieve his distress and hoped that Master Huiyan could give him some guidance.
It was here that he met the Li family lady. At the time, he only saw Li Su offering incense and praying for blessings from afar. He wanted to avoid her, but Huiyan pointed at Li Su and said, "The destiny is in this woman's womb."
He was utterly shocked. Putting aside the so-called "fate," just looking at Li Su's attire, one could tell that she was still unmarried. Wouldn't that mean she was secretly pregnant?
He said the senior monk was unkind, revealing people's privacy at will. If he were a despicable person, wouldn't he have harmed the young woman?
Huiyan chuckled and said that he was someone who could protect the destiny for a while.
At the time, I didn't understand why, and I secretly cursed the monk for using esoteric language and not speaking human language.
Not long after, Li Su arranged to meet him under the banyan tree, saying that she was willing to marry him as her second wife, so that the two families could unite through marriage. Li would definitely help Shen establish himself in Xuandu, on the condition that she would ensure the safety of the child in her womb for the rest of her life.
He remained silent for a long time. Was this what the great monk meant by protecting the "destiny" for a while?
Seeing that he didn't speak, Li Su assumed that he was aloof and unwilling, so she went on and on analyzing the pros and cons and making many promises.
What he was really thinking was whether Huiyan had conspired with Li Su and how much money they had received in donations to use the "fate" rhetoric to trick him into taking over the business.
However, the conditions offered by Li Su were too good. He already had Chengming and Yunxi, who held the titles of eldest son and eldest daughter, so he could just raise the other concubines and second daughters properly. They wouldn't take up much resources anyway.
Having reached a consensus, he quickly went to the Li family to propose marriage. Li Su was the eldest daughter of the main wife, more than qualified to be the matriarch of any prominent family, but marrying him, a widower with two children, naturally attracted a lot of gossip.
His father-in-law even went to great lengths to weave romantic stories about talented men and beautiful women for them. In order to demonstrate Li Su's discerning eye for talent, he provided him with a lot of help, both overt and covert, helping him rise rapidly in his career.
Parents always worry about their children, but he didn't want to worry about that, so he strictly disciplined Yunxi from a young age, so that she would grow into a standard noblewoman and successfully become the matriarch of the Lu family.
Li Sucheng gave birth in July, claiming that she accidentally fell and went into premature labor, but it is true that Li Su was injured. They did not have any more children after that.
Why didn't he take a concubine? He should have been prepared to accept being a kept man.
When Qingxi was born, he was more skeptical of the "destiny" theory because she was a girl. However, considering that there were figures like the Phoenix Lord in the world, he dared not make a definitive judgment and even had some expectations.
He was relatively lenient in his education of Qingxi, after all, being a stepfather is also difficult. In this way, Qingxi grew up peacefully until she was 14 years old, no different from an ordinary noblewoman. She had no interest in the official gazette that he had specially placed in the library, which made him increasingly disbelieve in "destiny". If "destiny" is like this, then the world is truly doomed.
Until that day, he discovered that Qing had been reading the official gazette. Could it be that she had finally come to her senses? However, this sudden and inexplicable change was too strange. Out of caution, he asked Xin Yi to investigate her past. He felt as if she had been possessed. It was only when he saw her unreserved use of the character "Su" that he truly confirmed it.
Bringing her to Anguo Temple was also to let Master Huiyan see whether she was "destined" to stay or a demon to be exorcised.
With his thoughts returning to normal, Shen Shi's eyes filled with sorrow as he said to Hui Yan, "Was Qing Xi's birth just to wait for this 'destiny'?"
“Amitabha Buddha, the benefactor has been reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Well done, well done.”
This monk is really infuriating. Shen Shi clenched his fist, exhaled, and walked towards the side hall.
They happened to meet Shen Qing, who was looking at the memorial tablets in the hall.
"Was my father also here to have a memorial tablet erected for his passing?"
Shen Shi glanced at Shen Qing's face, then looked away. "Yes~"
"Whom is the memorial erected by the father?"
Shen Shi remained silent, his gaze lingering.
He's a man with a story, Shen Qing thought. Middle-aged men also need time alone, so she thoughtfully made room for him and excused herself.
After Shen Qing had walked away, a deep sigh echoed from the Buddhist hall.
"My good-for-nothing daughter!"