The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Chapter 202 A Fleeting Year

Yongfu Palace.

Rain dripped from the eaves, and a cool breeze brought comfort.

Jing Anle spent half a day copying birthday wishes before finally putting down his brush, washing his hands, and calling for Afang.

"How's the New Year's gift I asked you to prepare for your grandmother?"

Afang cleverly handed over a handkerchief, "Princess, rest assured, everything is being done according to your instructions."

Jing Anle nodded. "That's good then."

Tomorrow is the birthday banquet of Madam Qin of the General's Mansion. In my previous life, I didn't remember this at all. Now that I've been given a second chance, I want to make up for it and show my filial piety.

"By the way, how is Consort Lin doing?"

Afang then took a bowl of white fungus soup from the plate and handed it to Jing Anle, saying, "Now Consort Lin no longer needs to kneel and worship Guanyin every day, but instead copies Buddhist scriptures for the Empress Dowager in Xuanyang Palace."

Jing Anle paused in his soup-drinking motion. "Copying Buddhist scriptures?"

"Indeed, because Master Jiquan said that Consort Lin is a person with wisdom, and she generously provides medicinal herbs, bestows favors upon the six palaces, has a compassionate heart, and holds the rank of consort, making her the best candidate to pray for the Empress Dowager's well-being."

She had clearly instructed Jiang Qing to have Ji Quan find a reason not to make Consort Lin kneel as punishment, but she never expected it to turn out like this.

Afang noticed Jing Anle's doubt and quickly said, "Princess, don't worry. Apart from the palace servants guarding the gate, not many people go to Xuanyang Palace on weekdays. We can also send some things over there."

"You were quick-witted this time, so it's good that you didn't have to kneel as punishment. But the weather is getting colder, so you should send over more warming items. As for the Buddhist scriptures..."

Jing Anle knew Lin Fei's handwriting, so he instructed Afang to find out which books Lin Fei had copied, and to find a few scribes to copy some and send them over.

But Jing Anle felt something was off. This Master Jiquan was also strange. Suddenly, she thought of Xiao Heng.

……

Xuanyang Hall.

Inside the hall is a large Buddha statue with compassionate eyes that show mercy to all living beings.

The rain was still falling, and the candlelight flickered in the breeze, making the whole hall feel cool. Fortunately, the fragrance of incense and the rising smoke made it feel less lonely and desolate.

"Your Majesty may copy it here." The speaker was Ji Quan, whose eyes were solemn and expressionless.

Consort Lin followed Ji Quan's gaze to the couch, where scriptures and writing materials were already laid out on the table, along with a soft futon and a brazier of charcoal fire not far away.

Xuanyang Palace was not a place with many visitors, and now the guards had all been called away to help with preparations for a sermon in a few days. Therefore, only Ji Quan and Consort Lin were in the palace.

If Ji Quan was avoiding suspicion yesterday, then today he is deliberately pretending not to know Consort Lin.

Looking at that familiar face, Lin Fei knew she couldn't possibly be mistaken.

But she didn't say anything at the moment. She went directly to the prepared couch and sat down before saying, "I heard that Master Jiquan is a highly accomplished monk of Wanfo Temple. May I ask when he shaved his head and became a monk?"

Ji Quan did not turn around, but simply gazed at the rain falling like a beaded curtain outside the door, and calmly said, "I only became a monk when I had an epiphany."

His reply was vague, but it was still a reply.

Consort Lin couldn't help but sneer, and then said, "Since you are a self-taught monk, I wonder if Master Jiquan is married?"

There was a moment of silence in the air.

Consort Lin stared at Ji Quan's retreating figure, waiting for his reply.

“Amitabha Buddha, having taken refuge in the Buddha, I should naturally sever my ties with the mortal world.”

"What a fine way to sever ties with the mortal world! But if a person who has become a nun leaves on a whim, what will become of those they abandon?" Consort Lin's eyes were filled with emotion, unlike her usual aloofness and indifference.

Ji Quan's throat felt like it was filled with beads, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Master Jiquan is a highly accomplished monk. Please enlighten me!" Consort Lin pressed.

Ji Quan suddenly turned around. The sky was dark. Lin Fei looked up and could only see his outline. She heard him say, "Amitabha. A person who has left home is free from worldly desires. Everything is like passing clouds and smoke, dissipating."

Consort Lin paused, her previous demeanor immediately relaxing, and whispered, "You've lost weight."

The rain outside was pouring down harder, almost as if it were about to break.

Ji Quan stood in the shadows, yet he could clearly see Consort Lin. She wore the finest silks from Suzhou, her hair styled in the traditional palace lady's bun, and her skin was fair; she was clearly someone who had lived a life of luxury.

"Your Majesty remains as elegant as ever, but I am no longer myself."

After saying that, he turned to leave, but was stopped by Consort Lin.

"Tang Yu!"

Ji Quan felt a jolt run through his body. So many years... so many years since anyone had called him that name.

At that time, he was still a handsome young man in the army camp.

Ten years ago, in Lanzhou, at the Lin family residence.

"Tang Yu, if you dare to bully me again, I'll tell Father." The speaker was a young girl with bright eyes and white teeth, and a charming smile. It was none other than Lin Zhaoruo in her youth.

They had just returned to the Lin residence and were playfully bickering with each other.

"Little girl, go ahead and see if Uncle Lin believes me or you." Tang Yu still had the arrogance of a young boy back then.

The Tang and Lin families were old friends, but fate is unpredictable. Many years ago, Tang Yu's family was brutally murdered by robbers, leaving only Tang Yu alive. He was taken to the Lin family to be raised, and he and Lin Zhaoruo grew up together.

For seventeen years, they studied and wrote together. When Tang Yu practiced martial arts, Lin Zhaoruo accompanied him. When Lin Zhaoruo studied medicine, Tang Yu also picked medicinal herbs for her.

Youthful beauty, how wonderful!

Just when Lin Zhaoruo thought these wonderful days would continue, she received news that she was to enter the palace for a selection of concubines.

At that time, the two were deeply in love and naturally did not want to be separated. They knelt before Lin's father, begging for his blessing.

Lin's father naturally disagreed. His official position was not high to begin with, and he naturally hoped that his daughter would gain favor, rise step by step, and bring glory to the family.

Lin Fei only remembered that it rained heavily that night, and Tang Yu solemnly told her that he would kneel down and beg Lin's father to grant her wish and ask for a future for her.

She waited from dusk till dawn, only to receive news that Tang Yu had already left.

"No, I don't believe it!"

But everyone told her that Tang Yu was really gone.

Mr. Lin was furious. "He's gone, so what? Did he think he could take my daughter with him?"

After that day, Consort Lin fell ill and was bedridden for half a month, unable to eat or drink.

She thought that Tang Yu would definitely come back.

Month after month passed without any sign of Tang Yu, but instead, an imperial edict summoning him to the palace arrived.

She refused to go, preferring death to submission.

But when her mother knelt before her, threatening suicide and pleading with her to think of her parents and brothers, she eventually entered the palace and became the Consort Lin she is today.

Ten years have passed in a flash. Ten years have gone by, and she has finally met the boy from her past.