Meditating on Zen

The Main Buddha Hall has two doors, one behind Lin Yunwan and one behind her. The door behind her is closed, while the other door is only slightly ajar.

Qi Lingheng came in through that door.

Lin Yunwan mistook Qi Lingheng for a pilgrim of the day and curtsied, saying, "Your Prince."

Since he was a man from outside the family, she felt it inappropriate to speak too much with Prince Huan in private, so she took a step back.

She was still a little resentful towards the Abbot of Red Elephant Temple. How could they have arranged it like that, letting a man bump into her?

Qi Lingheng nodded slightly and said to her, "I just came from the Abbot. A young boy went there; he seems to be from your household?"

It seemed like he was trying to strike up a conversation with her, but his tone was somewhat distant.

But this aloofness did not stem from his status. On the contrary, because of his noble status, his appearance was gentle and profound, like that of a refined gentleman. That aloofness was due to his own personality.

No matter how kind and friendly he is, he's not someone you can easily become close to.

Lin Yunwan nodded and said, "That is my Legitimate Son."

Qi Lingheng hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions.

Lin Yunwan should have taken the opportunity to thank him.

However, Qi Lingheng had already looked at the Buddha statue in the Main Buddha Hall. Before he arrived, Lin Yunwan had been kneeling in front of this Buddha statue to pray.

I wonder what Prince Huan was looking at; he was probably there to offer incense as well.

Lin Yunwan wanted to leave the place to Qi Lingheng and avoid it herself.

But before she could say she was leaving, Qi Lingheng said, "Abbot meditating with the abbot of Red Elephant Temple just now, and I heard a very interesting story. The abbot and I have different opinions on Abbot."

He looked into her eyes and said, "I remember that for a time before you passed away, you also became interested in Buddhism."

When the topic of her father reading Buddhist scriptures came up, Lin Yunwan's eyes lost their luster.

Her father did not die suddenly from illness, but rather suffered from illness for many years before gradually passing away.

"Your Prince remembers correctly. My father was studying Buddhist scriptures for several years before he died."

Lin Yunwan heartache, "Father is in so much pain, so he wants to find a way to relieve his suffering."

But it was all in vain.

She clutched the handkerchief in her sleeve. "Buddha blesses all people to be reincarnated in the next life, so that they will no longer suffer in this world, but he cannot relieve my father's physical pain in this life."

A dull ache has already begun to linger in my heart.

Not wanting to lose her composure in front of Prince Huan, Lin Yunwan composed herself and asked, "I wonder what interesting stories Your Prince heard from the Abbot?"

Prince Huan withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and said, "Your wife is as wise as my teacher; I was just about to ask you for your guidance."

Lin Yunwan indicated that she was all ears.

Looking at the Buddha statue, Qi Lingheng told a short story, "Before Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, he practiced meditation near the Niranjana River. One day, while meditating under a tree, he opened his eyes and saw a large spider and a gecko walking side by side on the tree trunk."

"It turns out that the two spiders and the gecko all had their eyes on a fat worm on the tree."

"But none of them could catch the fat worm alone, so they went to catch it together."

"But spiders are enormous, much larger than a gecko. The giant spider weaves a web, creating a protective barrier around the gecko to prevent it from falling in."

"When it was halfway up, the spider was almost exhausted, so the gecko broke off its own tail and fed it to the spider."

Lin Yunwan chuckled and questioned, "Is that really true? Why can't a gecko catch fat worms alone? Why does it have to go with a spider? And how does the spider weave its web around the gecko?"

She simply couldn't picture that scene.

Qi Lingheng smiled faintly, "So, Shakyamuni has awakened."

He had fallen asleep while meditating!

Lin Yunwan smiled gently, "Even Buddha had moments of dozing off before he attained enlightenment."

Qi Lingheng continued, "Although it was just a dream, after Shakyamuni woke up, he still thought about that dream. What was the purpose of the gecko cutting off its tail?"

For what?

Lin Yunwan frowned and said, "At first glance, this story seems to suggest that the gecko painfully shaved off its tail to catch that fat worm, so that it could enjoy more benefits with the spider later."

Qi Lingheng nodded. "That's what the Abbot told me. What does Madam think?"

Lin Yunwan's expression darkened.

Her eyes were somewhat cold, but her tone remained calm. "A gecko can certainly find food on its own. And if it and the spider were truly living in harmony, why would the spider imprison it with a web?"

"The gecko sheds its tail not to catch any fat worms, but because it's afraid a spider will eat it too, so it had no choice but to sever its tail!"

Just like how she wanted to divorce Lu Zhengliu, it wasn't to drive away Ge Bao'er and get rid of Qing as the mistress of the house; she genuinely wanted to escape the Marquis's Residence!

However, the final result was not as expected.

She had heard rumors circulating recently that she was ruthless and used every means to deal with her Concubines and Concubine-born Sons.

But she cut off her tail only to survive, not to secure her position as the matriarch of the Lu family!

"Your Prince, do you think geckos shed their tails to catch fat worms?"

We were talking about the story of Buddha, how did her mind wander and start thinking about herself?

Lin Yunwan quickly brought up the matter of Zen meditation.

Qi Lingheng looked directly into her eyes and said, "I think she wants to leave, not to get the fat worm."

He knew she had no attachment to the Wuding Marquis Residence.

She genuinely wanted a divorce.

Lin Yunwan felt a sense of camaraderie, but she couldn't be friends with men. She smiled, curtsied, and took her leave. "Please, Your Prince."

He opened the door and went out.

The Novice Monk wasn't outside; Tao Ye had gone with Lu Chang'gong, and Ping Ye, who was supposed to stay outside, was also nowhere to be seen.

Lin Yunwan guessed some things.

She walked towards the Side Room, and before she had gone a few steps, she saw Ping Ye carrying something, running over anxiously. She said to her, "Young Madam, why did you come out so soon? I thought you were going to pray for a while longer. The novice monk told me to go and have a cup of hot soup to warm myself up, saying it's a nourishing soup that's only available this winter."

"I was thinking of giving you some to try, so I went with you."

What a silly girl!

They didn't even realize they'd been sent away by the novice monk.

Helpless, Lin Yunwan could only ask her, "What kind of soup?"

Ping Ye opened the porcelain cup with a smile and said proudly, "Smell this! It's good stuff! It really warms your hands and feet after drinking it. I've tried it."

Lin Yunwan leaned closer and smelled a faint medicinal fragrance; it wasn't an ordinary tonic soup.

Ping Ye covered the soup with the lid and said, "You can drink it when you get home."

She glanced at the entrance to the Main Buddha Hall and asked, "Did you finish speaking with Buddha so quickly?"

Lin Yunwan also turned around and glanced back, Qi Lingheng was no longer inside.

"That's all."

Lin Yunwan took Ping Ye to find Chang Gong. On the way, they passed the place where they had bumped into Qi Lingheng last time. Thinking of the fragrance on him... she immediately guessed what kind of fragrance he was wearing.

Emperor Jingshun favored Prince Huan, and Empress Zhao loved using incense, so it was not surprising that the emperor's ambergris was given to Prince Huan.

That day, she smelled a delicate and gentle ambergris on him.