Chapter 57. South Temple

South Temple

I turned around and saw Qiao Ti standing a few steps away, with two maids following behind.
Encountering her here was unexpected, and I'm quite surprised. However, I can't say I'm entirely happy about it.
Qiao Ti seemed to hesitate for a moment, but after a brief pause, she came forward and bowed to me.
"Biaomei." I returned the courtesy with a polite smile on my face, glancing at the people behind her. "Why is BiaoMei here? Where are Jiumu and Biaoxiong?"
"They didn't come." Qiao Ti pursed her lips. "Today, I intended to go to the market to buy some goods. Passing by this place, I decided to pay my respects and unexpectedly encountered Biaozi."
With a pleasant expression, I replied, "One has heard that Jiumu and Biaoxiong have arrived in the capital city. I haven't had the chance to visit them yet. Is everything well at home?"
"Everything's good." Qiao Ti's voice was soft and gentle. In her words, I caught a glimpse of her discreetly scanning my entire attire and the attendants behind me.
"Has Biaomei just arrived?" I didn't show much interest in continuing the familiarity with her and asked directly.
"One has been here for quite some time, And just finished the ritual." Qiao Ti replied.
"I see." I smiled gently, "The temple can be quite crowded and chaotic. Since Biaomei is new here, it's better to return home early." After saying that, I instructed one of my servants to accompany Qiao Ti and conveyed some greetings to Jiumu and Biaoxiong. Then, I bowed and took my leave.
Many people came to the South Temple to worship. The servants asked if I wanted to greet the Miaozhu to make things easier. After some consideration, I declined. It's just paying respects to a deity, and causing a scene would be undesirable. The most important thing is to meet Zhao Jun discreetly, so it's best to avoid unnecessary attention.
I followed the crowd into the temple, lined up, and quickly paid my respects to the deity's statue. As I stood up, I caught a glimpse of Zhao Jun's familiar face under the colorful banners on one side of the temple. I understood, and left the offerings with the servants, as I took Ah Yuan and followed that figure outside the hall.
Inside the temple, there wasn't much to see, and the weather was cold. Behind the main hall, there were only a few idlers basking in the sun.
Zhao Jun was dressed in ordinary man's attire, and he walked to a spot under the eaves. He turned around and bowed to me, saying, "Furen."
I signaled to Ah Yuan with a glance, and she understood, walking out of the corridor to keep watch.
"Zhao Gong," with no one around, I returned the courtesy to him and gazed at him. "Zhao Gong wants to meet Qie, One wonders why?"
Being straightforward seemed to catch Zhao Jun off guard, and a hint of hesitation flickered across his usually serious face.
"Furen," he said, "Was Furen present during the incident with the White Wolf at Mount Mang a few days ago?"
I felt a sinking feeling in my heart. Before this, I had a premonition that I couldn't escape the connection to that day's incident, and it turned out to be true.
"Yes," I said.
"What does Furen think about the incident?" Zhao Jun asked.
I looked at him and said, "Zhao Gong has something to say, better to speak it out directly."
Zhao Jun looked at me and suddenly bowed deeply.
I was surprised and quickly supported him, asking, "Why is Zhao Gong doing this?"
Zhao Jun's eyes welled up with tears, and his voice tightened. "The Emperor is humiliated, and the traitors are domineering. Furen, please save the country from this peril!"
My hand froze. I understood what was going on. Zhao Jun's grand gesture was not for nothing.
"What does Zhao Gong mean by these words?" I calmed my emotions and said, "Qie is just an ordinary woman. When would it be One's turn to save the country in such important matters?"
"Remove Wei Jue, and the country will be safe," Zhao Jun said.
I involuntarily took a cold breath. The corridor was silent, while in the distance, people basked in the sun, chatting and laughing, creating a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere on this side.
"Is Zhao Gong joking?" I was both shocked and doubtful, trying to maintain a relaxed tone, I softly said, "Chengxiang is Qie's father-in-law."
"That's precisely because Furen resides together with the traitor Wei (Wei zei), the most suitable to take action."
I sneered, looking around. "Has Zhao Gong had too much to drink today? Qie will pretend to haven't heard anything about today's matter. If Zhao Gong speaks like this again, Qie will report it to Chengxiang," I said and turned to leave.
"Furen won't do that." I heard Zhao Jun say in a calm tone, "Furen once said, 'To eat the lord's salary is to be loyal to the lord.' When Fu Situ was alive, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the state. The Fu family has received honors and privileges for generations. Furen, the Son of Heaven is a product of Fu Situ's support. Can you bear to see Situ's efforts destroyed overnight?"
I stood still, turning to look at Zhao Jun.
He held his head high, with his eyes keen.
Undeniably, despite being pedantic, he knew what mattered most to me. He had a knack for hitting where it hurt the most.
"Is this the Emperor's intention?" I faced the outside of the corridor, as if appreciating the snowscape.
"It is, and it isn't," Zhao Jun replied.
I looked at him and asked, "What does it mean?"
Zhao Jun's expression became more cautious. He looked around and soon took out a piece of white silk from his sleeve, handing it to me.
I took it skeptically, but as I unfolded it, my breath nearly stopped. The paper was filled with neatly written characters, and I recognized the handwriting from my childhood - it was the Emperor's handwriting. What struck me was that all the words were tinged with dried dark red, written in blood. At the end, the imprint of the Imperial Seal was clearly stamped on it.
"This is the Emperor's blood-written decree," Zhao Jun's voice trembled with excitement. "Once it's revealed, it can serve as a rallying call. Furen, with villains blocking the path within the court, and the Emperor trapped in captivity, how can we stand idly by?"
I stared at the blood-written decree, remaining silent for a while. Then, I carefully folded it back and handed it to Zhao Jun.
"Furen?"
"Zhao Gong, let me ask you one thing," I looked at him, "If Chengxiang dies, what will Zhao Gong do next? The court's military forces are all under the Wei family's control. Even if Chengxiang is gone, his two sons are outstanding individuals. Facing a million troops, how will Zhao Gong handle it?"
"A group of dragons without a leader is nothing to fear," Zhao Jun replied calmly. "Furen, Jun might not be talented, but One knows that the Wei family's two sons have a deceptive relationship. Once Wei Jue is gone, they will inevitably engage in internal strife. At that time, we just need to watch their power struggle, much like we did with the Tan family. The Emperor can take advantage of the situation."
"Oh?" I said, "If war breaks out at that time, peace in the north will be lost. The warlords in the south will be watching closely like tigers. How can Zhao Gong be certain that the Emperor will be the fisherman in this situation?"
"The Jing, the Xiang, and Liang Chong are all from the royal family. Jun has already gained their support. Once an armed struggle starts, they can serve as a restraint in the south."
"Liang Chong?" I sneered, "When he was at war with Southern Yue, he allowed his son to massacre a city. Does Zhao Gong really think we can trust such a person? Zhao Gong, still remember what happened with Gao Wei and Zhang Yun? After He Kui's death, these two fought for control of the army, vying for the throne, leading to various regional lords using 'loyalty to the Emperor' as a pretext to attack the Central Plains. The entire country fell into chaos, and countless innocent lives were lost. Even the Emperor struggled to survive. Zhao Gong, are you suggesting that history will repeat itself?"
Zhao Jun stared at me, his cold and stern face showing a gradually deepening gaze.
"Is Furen unwilling?" he asked.
I didn't deny it. After a moment, I said, "If Zhao Gong thinks I am unfaithful, it doesn't matter to me."
Zhao Jun's expression became uncertain, and the atmosphere turned chilly.
Suddenly, from not far away, came the sound of Ah Yuan performing a salutation, "Da Gongzi."
I was taken aback and quickly turned to look. Ah Yuan was still bowing with her back towards us. Soon after, Wei Tan's figure appeared at the corner of the roof.
How could he come here? I didn't have time to dwell on it and went to greet Wei Tan.
"Fujun," I tried to appear at ease, with a smile on my face. As the words left my lips, I suddenly noticed that behind Wei Tan, there was Qiao Tí following closely.
"Furen," Wei Tan looked at me, then glanced at Zhao Jun with a smile, "Zhao Gong is here too."
Zhao Jun bowed to Wei Tan, appearing calm and composed as he said, "Jun came to worship at the temple today, unexpectedly encountered Furen."
I glanced at Zhao Jun and smiled at Wei Tan, "Zhao Gong presented some preserved sweets, and Qie hasn't had a chance to thank him yet. Today's rare encounter is an excellent opportunity to show appreciation and reminisce about old times in Chang'an."
"Oh?" Wei Tan looked at Zhao Jun, "I've been thinking about it too. I wanted to personally thank Zhao Gong if One were to run into him."
Zhao Jun's expression was humble, "It's just a small token of goodwill. It's not worth troubling Da Gongzi."
After exchanging pleasantries, I noticed the conversation was coming to an end and changed the topic, asking, "How did Fujun end up coming here?"
"Today, there was nothing major, so I decided to come back after a round and, knowing Furen was going to worship the gods, One might as well come to the South Temple," he explained with a smile. Then, he turned his head to look at Qiáo Tí, "One has just arrived at the temple front and encountered Nujun."
I looked at Qiáo Tí. It was obvious that she must have eagerly informed Wei Tan of my whereabouts and even guided him here herself. While speaking earlier, I intentionally kept her at a distance. Now that it was brought up, I smiled and said, "Qie also encountered Biaomei earlier. One was worried she might feel uncomfortable in an unfamiliar place, hence leaving some servants with her."
Qiáo Tí looked at me and also smiled, speaking gently, "Qie saw Zifu earlier, and knew that he was looking for Biaozi. I was afraid the temple would be crowded, and Zifu wouldn't be able to find you, so One got off the carriage and came to look for you together."
She is indeed enthusiastic. Ignoring her, I turned to Wei Tan and asked, "Does Fujun wish to worship at the temple?"
"Have Furen already worshipped?" Wei Tan asked.
"Yes, I have."
"Then let's head back to the mansion," Wei Tan said and then turned to Zhao Jun, "I have some new tea at home. Would Zhao Gong like to enjoy it?"
Zhao Jun declined, saying, "Jun has other matters to attend to today. One will visit another day for sure."
Wei Tan smiled, "So it is like that, I will await your visit at home."
Zhao Jun bid farewell with another bow and left. Wei Tan and I walked back to the front of the temple, where the servants offering the sacrifices had already come out. We followed the crowd and left the temple premises.
Qiao Tí followed behind us, and as I casually glanced back, I noticed her staring at something behind Wei Tan. When our eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze.
I also turned my head back, took a few steps, and then leaned towards Wei Tan to whisper, "Ai…"
Wei Tan grasped my arm, concerned, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just stepped on a pebble," I replied softly.
"Be careful," Wei Tan looked down at the ground and pointed to the other side of the road, "Let's walk over there." He then held my hand and guided me through the crowd.
I followed him, and when I looked back, I saw that Qiao Tí was now separated by the crowd, with a look of unwillingness in her eyes.
My mood suddenly improved, and I slightly curved my lips into a smile.
Finally, we returned to the ox carriage. I straightened out the wrinkles on my clothes while waiting for a while until Qiao Tí and the others appeared.
There was no trace of her previous displeasure on her face. She walked up to us and smiled at me, saying, "Muqin misses Biaozi so much. Biaozi mentioned visiting our home earlier, please don't forget."
I responded with a polite tone, "When One has some free time, One will definitely come to visit."
Qiao Ti looked at Wei Tan and smiled, "Will Zifu come as well?"
Wei Tan smiled back, "I will accompany Furen."
Qiao Ti gazed at him for a moment, then glanced at me, and with a smile, she bid farewell, "Qie takes One's leave." After that, she left gracefully.
Sitting back in the cart, I leaned against the wall and looked at Ah Yuan face-to-face.
"Furen, how could Da Gongzi suddenly come?" she whispered nervously, "Could he know something?"
I shook my head, reassuring her, "No, he wouldn't."
It was indeed unexpected, but I had been cautious from the beginning, making sure not to be seen by anyone, and when talking to Zhao Jun, I kept my voice low. Even when Wei Tan arrived, I didn't show any signs of a slip-up, and the reasons I gave were plausible.
"Then there's Qiao Nujun, why did she come back?" Ah Yuan frowned.
I glanced at her and said calmly, "It was just a coincidence, nothing more."
Even Ah Yuan sensed something strange; it seems I'm not being overly suspicious.
However, she wasn't enough to make me stay on high alert. Right now, I was still thinking about my conversation with Zhao Jun.
If Father were still alive, I wonder how he would have reacted to my responses - approval or anger?
Those words did have an element of avoiding trouble, but they were also my true feelings.
Zhao Jun probably mentioned loyalty between sovereign and subject because of my reputation for filial piety. I had used those words on him when persuading him to surrender, but it wouldn't work if he wanted to use them on me.
The Emperor and I had a childhood friendship, and if I were to extend a helping hand one day, it would be out of friendship, not as a subject to a ruler. However, the methods Zhao Jun suggested were not appropriate. One small mistake, and not only he and the Emperor but I too would be implicated. Even commoners knew to be cautious in business, so why would we gamble with our lives?
The royal family gave prosperity to the Fu family, but it was also taken away overnight. In my view, on that snowy day when I sent my father and brothers to their execution, all debts of grace were already paid in full. My last trace of sentiment also turned to ashes in the great fire of Chang'an.
Thinking about all this, I closed my slightly swollen eyes.
The bustling sounds of the street market came through the cart's curtains, along with the sound of hooves treading on the snowy mud. Without looking, I knew Wei Tan was riding on his horse, letting the northern wind redden his face and nose.
Thinking of him, it felt as if something gently brushed against my heart.
If, one day, the Wei family really made a move against the Emperor, would Wei Tan be the one leading the charge?