Yue Jian's sudden voice interrupted Rong Yue before she could speak. Rong Yue immediately fell silent and turned to see the elderly Abbot Xindeng approaching.
The night was deep, and the area outside the Great Hero Hall was pitch black. The young novice beside Abbot Xindeng carried a lantern, while the abbot himself had a solemn and compassionate expression. When he reached them, he pressed his palms together and chanted, "Amitabha."
Rong Yue was puzzled. "Abbot, why have you come?"
Abbot Xindeng looked at Tangning. "This old monk has some words to speak with the County Princess alone. Would that be possible?"
Rong Yue’s heart tightened, and she instinctively glanced at Tangning beside her.
But Tangning gave her a reassuring look. "Aunt, go back first. I happen to have some questions about Buddhist teachings I’d like to discuss with Abbot Xindeng."
Rong Yue hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Then be careful. Have Yue Jian and Hang Li stay with you. I’ll wait for you to return."
Tangning nodded, and Rong Yue bowed slightly to Abbot Xindeng before leaving.
Once she was gone, Tangning turned to the abbot. "What did you wish to speak to me about, Abbot?"
"Little Benefactor, you knew I would come looking for you."
The young girl before him showed no surprise or shock, her calmness suggested she had anticipated this meeting.
Tangning wasn’t surprised. From the moment she first saw Abbot Xindeng, she had a feeling they would meet again. Her expression softened. "I didn’t know, but I feel a connection with you, Abbot."
Abbot Xindeng smiled faintly at this. "Since there is a connection, this old monk invites the Little Benefactor to share a cup of tea."
Tangning did not refuse.
The young novice led the way with the lantern as Tangning followed Abbot Xindeng to the rear temple. The back temple was not as spacious as the front, with scattered halls and meditation rooms. After walking along stone steps and passing an unusually towering pine tree, they arrived at a quiet chamber. The young novice and Yue Jian were left outside.
Inside, the scent of tea and faint sandalwood incense filled the air. Tangning watched as Abbot Xindeng poured tea.
The simple cup rippled with water, and the old monk’s gaze was gentle. Suddenly, she spoke. "Tonight’s events involved your temple. I apologize for that."
Abbot Xindeng regarded her. "Is the Little Benefactor apologizing for framing the Second Prince, or for those lives lost?"
"So the Abbot truly knows."
Tangning’s brow twitched slightly. She had only vaguely suspected it before, but it turned out he was fully aware. She studied him quietly. "Since the Abbot knew the truth from the start, why didn’t you intervene?"
Abbot Xindeng countered, "Why should I?"
Tangning was taken aback by his question. After a long pause, she said, "Isn’t the Buddha supposed to be compassionate…?"
Abbot Xindeng’s expression remained serene. "Though the Buddha is compassionate, he also has wrathful manifestations. Otherwise, there would be no hell or cycle of rebirth to restrain sentient beings. Moreover, all beings are equal before the Buddha. Life and death are their own responsibility. Those who commit evil will face retribution, why should I intervene?"
His eyes were still peaceful and merciful, but the indifference beneath that mercy left Tangning momentarily stunned. She had never imagined that a revered monk, praised by all, would be like this, his detachment from human life was chilling.
Tangning frowned. "If that’s the case, why did the Abbot seek me out?"
Abbot Xindeng stared at her intently. "This old monk sees chaos in you."
"Chaos?" Tangning couldn’t help but laugh. "Abbot, are you saying I’m some kind of femme fatale destined to bring down the empire?"
Master Xin Deng shook his head and said, "The young benefactor was destined to die, but now she is alive and well. Your fate lines seem to be intertwined and rebellious. I don't know why this is so, but you have both great merits and great sins. I have only seen one person like you in my life."
"Who?"
"Emperor Taizu."
Tangning froze.
Abbot Xindeng continued, "Before I took monastic vows, I once met Emperor Taizu in his youth. At that time, his fate was noble but untainted. The world was in chaos, nations warring, and the people suffered. Only after Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, pacified the nations, and strengthened Great Wei did I see him again, his body entwined with merit and sin."
"Emperor Taizu had the merit of founding a nation and the sin of countless battlefield deaths. Such a duality is understandable. But why does the Little Benefactor bear the same? Such overwhelming merit and sin do not belong to ordinary people, let alone someone who should already be dead."
Tangning listened, her expression dazed.
After her rebirth, she knew the world was not without extraordinary individuals. It wasn’t surprising that Abbot Xindeng could see through her fate and declare her a dead woman walking. But his talk of "merit" and "sin" left her bewildered.
In both her past and present life, she had never done anything earth-shattering.
How could she possibly resemble the legendary Emperor Taizu?
Abbot Xindeng studied her dazed expression. "The Little Benefactor has deviated from your destined fate. This old monk sees the shadow of chaos in you, yet Great Wei’s fortune remains unbroken. For a time, even I could not comprehend it, which is why I sought you for answers."
But the confusion on the young woman’s face was too deep, the doubt in her eyes too genuine.
Abbot Xindeng sighed softly. "It seems this old monk will find no answers here either."
Suppressing her bewilderment, Tangning looked up. "What does the Abbot seek these answers for? To prevent chaos?"
Abbot Xindeng shook his head. "Curiosity."
Tangning raised an eyebrow. "Curiosity?"
"This old monk is still human."
In that moment, the aura of the exalted monk faded, and the old man’s face took on a more mundane expression. "I feel as though you and I should have some connection, yet I have never met you before. How could I not be curious?"
Tangning suddenly laughed, finding Abbot Xindeng unexpectedly amusing. She tilted her head with a smile. "Then I’m afraid I must disappoint the Abbot."
There was no interrogation, no probing—Abbot Xindeng seemed to have sought her out in the dead of night purely out of curiosity. The quiet chamber held no tension, and their interaction felt more like a reunion between old friends.
Yue Jian stood outside, her nerves taut, until nearly an hour later when Tangning finally emerged. She let out a sigh of relief.
On the way back, Tangning carried several Buddhist scriptures in her arms.
Yue Jian walked beside her and asked quietly, "My lady, what did Abbot Xindeng want?"
Tangning smiled. "Nothing much. He just gave me some scriptures."
The old monk had insisted that life and death were each person’s own responsibility, yet he had also given her scriptures urging kindness and the cessation of evil.
Yue Jian stared blankly at the books in Tangning’s hands. Had Abbot Xindeng gone to such lengths just to gift her scriptures? She had thought something else had been exposed… Could it be that her lady had exceptional spiritual aptitude…?
Tangning walked ahead, holding the scriptures. "Is everything arranged?"
Yue Jian hurriedly replied, "All is arranged. The Governor was so furious upon hearing of tonight’s events that his injuries flared up. Yue Fengcheng will witness it personally."
Tangning glanced at the night sky. "Let’s go back. There will be plenty of noise when we return to the capital tomorrow."
After a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
"My lady?"
Tangning’s expression turned inscrutable as she touched the twin lotus hairpin in her hair. Wait- could the so-called "shadow of chaos," the merit and sin the abbot spoke of, actually be…
Her brother?
"My lady?" Yue Jian was puzzled. "What’s wrong?"
Tangning’s face shifted through several emotions before finally settling. "It’s nothing. Let’s go."
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T/N: *Taizu is the founding emperor. Is he implying that the founding emperor was also reborn?============
You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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