It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and eateries everywhere offered seasonal treats. Among them was a sweet porridge made from lotus seeds, chestnuts, lotus-root starch, and glutinous rice, known as "Moon-Viewing Soup." It was a Mid-Autumn delicacy enjoyed by everyone from royalty and nobles to ordinary commoners, though its ingredients varied according to the diner's means.
The Moon-Viewing Soup at this little roadside shop contained only lotus-root starch and a few plump, old lotus seeds. The bitter cores had not been removed, and the shop had begrudged even a little honey. It was decidedly unappetizing.
Baozhu gently stirred the soup in her bowl and told Yang Xingjian of her doubts about the Guanyin statue at Changqiu Temple.
Yang Xingjian pondered for a moment, then said respectfully, "At the time, I was a man of little standing or influence, unable to enter the palace. It is a great regret that I never had the good fortune to behold the Noble Consort's splendor while she lived. But her peerless beauty captivated all who saw her. Countless people wrote poems and lyrics about her from imagination alone to curry favor with His Majesty. Perhaps someone also painted her portrait or made a statue in her memory. Since it is a Guanyin statue, that would hardly be disrespectful."
Baozhu frowned. "I can understand the mural at Chan'guang Temple, but the Guanyin at Changqiu Temple ought to bear my ancestor's likeness. How could a statue from a hundred years ago look so much like Mother? Could it really be mere coincidence?"
Wei Xun reached out and caught a waiter, pressed a few copper coins into his hand, and asked him about the Guanyin at Changqiu Temple.
Hearing their foreign accents, the waiter smiled. "You must have come to Luoyang especially to watch the city procession, honored