Chapter 55: The Goddess Statue

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Chapter 55: The Goddess Statue

Xi'er nodded and whispered, "The eyes of the Qiao family’s daughter were injured five years ago."

Five years ago? 

That would have been when she was eleven.

 

Chang Suining frowned and asked, "How was she injured?"

"She fell from her horse and injured her head, nearly losing her life. She was unconscious for several days before waking up... Because of the injury to her brain, the physician had to use harsh medicine to save her, and when she awoke, she could no longer see."

Xi'er said sadly, "Young Miss and the Qiao family’s daughter grew up together. For those two years, she must have cried countless times day and night because of this..."

At this point, she couldn't help but feel emotional: "There was one time when Young Miss wanted to hold the Qiao family’s daughter and cry together, saying that if she cried so much that her own eyes were ruined, it would be good to be blind alongside the Qiao family’s daughter."

She still remembered that the Qiao family’s daughter held back her tears and said, "Sister, I appreciate your kind intentions, but the physician said I can’t cry anymore; it’s truly not fair to you. You can cry as you like, don’t hold back."

Young Miss sniffled; crying aloThis is the template text that will be pasted at your cursor location.ne felt pointless, and she couldn't help but feel constrained, so she slowly stopped.

Chang Suining couldn’t help but ask, "Is there really no way to recover?"

Xi'er sighed, "The medical officials in the palace have looked at her, as well as many physicians, but they are all at a loss."

And when it came to the matter of recovery—

Xi'er couldn’t help but ask quietly, "Young lady, have you felt any improvement recently?"

Chang Suining replied, "Not at all."

Xi'er wrung her fingers, "But it’s been half a month already..."

Chang Suining reacted and finally remembered what she had said when she first met Xi'er—

"Oh, I was just talking nonsense about that half-month period."

She had been wondering why Xi'er was always counting on her fingers.

Xi'er's eyes widened in surprise, "Young lady, why is that?"

Chang Suining took a sip of tea, "I was afraid you might be involved in the matter with Zhou Ding, so I didn’t dare to believe it, and I just said it casually to scare you off, so you wouldn’t tell me lies."

Xi'er: "……"

Young Miss was truly very honest!

And thinking about it, since Young Miss chose to be frank with her at this moment, didn’t that mean that after Young Miss's amnesia, she had regained her trust once again?

Well done, Xi'er, you deserve it!

If asked what the secret was, it was simply three words—be sincere.

Xi'er clenched her fist, self-affirming, and then couldn’t help but ask, "What about Young Miss’s mind..."

Chang Suining decisively replied, "It’s hopeless."

Hearing her young lady's tone, which conveyed "no chance for rescue" and "completely gave up on treatment," Xi'er hesitated for a moment before ultimately accepting this cruel reality.

…

Inside the Goddess Tower, there was a jade pool made of white marble, and in the center of the pool stood a white jade statue, crystal clear and lustrous, seeming both real and illusory.

That statue was the "Goddess" worshipped in this tower.

"The Buddha speaks of the mysteries of reincarnation, and I find it hard to comprehend. Even if I cannot be clearly shown, can the gods and Buddhas offer me some guidance... What must I do..."

Emperor Shengce, with graying hair, tilted his head back slightly, gazing at the colorful images of deities painted on the tower's walls, murmuring, "When will my child return..."

The tower was silent, with only the gentle sound of flowing water in the pool; no one, not even the gods or Buddhas, responded to the Holy Emperor's prayer.

the Holy Emperor's gaze slowly fell, landing back on the goddess statue.

Originally flawless and transparent, the white jade statue now bore a prominent crack at its neck.

Cui Jing looked at that crack, hearing Master Jue not far away chant, "Amitabha."

Ming Luo's gaze remained fixed on the face of the goddess statue. Although it was clearly a jade carving, it appeared vivid and lifelike. The craftsmanship was so detailed that even each strand of hair was finely carved. After years of offerings, it seemed to possess a spirit of its own, making one feel as if they were truly gazing upon a young woman of unparalleled beauty and noble demeanor, standing proudly and indifferently, looking down upon the mortal beings below with neither sadness nor joy.

How much better can it be?

In the end, it is merely a cold jade statue.

Ming Luo calmly lowered her gaze, looking at her reflection in the pool.

As she had countless times before while facing a mirror, she slightly raised her cold eyebrows and silently pressed her lips to flatten them, making her expression appear even more calm and indifferent.

The water rippled gently, distorting her reflection, and she raised her eyes once more.

Half an hour later, the Holy Emperor finally emerged from the Celestial Maiden Tower.

Officials waiting outside stepped forward to pay their respects.

The Holy Emperor, who had just come out of the tower, showed no trace of the slight emotion he had earlier. Only the majesty of an emperor remained as he led his ministers to the back hall for a meeting.

Ming Luo received an order to find the officials from the Ministry of Rites to arrange and confirm the matters for tomorrow’s blessing ceremony, so she stayed behind to pay her respects and see the Holy Emperor off.

As she straightened up and unconsciously glanced to her side, she found that Cui Jing was no longer there.

“Miss, do you think... the formation in the Celestial Maiden Tower is really effective?” a trusted female servant who had followed Ming Luo for many years asked quietly.

Ming Luo frowned slightly. “Don’t speak carelessly about this matter.”  

The servant hurriedly composed herself. “I understand my mistake.”

Ming Luo took a step forward and heard the sound of the bronze bell ringing high above the tower, a hint of faint irony flashing in her eyes.

Years after death, the body has long turned to bones; what talk of resurrection is there?  

Her aunt is so wise; how could she not know that this so-called formation is merely a fleeting illusion... Ultimately, it is just to make up for the debts in her heart.

This tower was not built for the “Celestial Maiden,” but for the entangled barriers in her aunt’s heart that she could not break free from.

What if one holds the highest power? Her aunt has grown old, and even the highest position is ultimately isolating. That is why she clings to the past, holding onto that thread of affection she once willingly cast aside.

This is a good thing—

Ming Luo looked ahead.

At least for her, it couldn’t be better.

...

After a chaotic half-day settling in at the temple, most officials’ families were exhausted by the afternoon and chose to rest in the meditation room to prepare for tomorrow’s blessing ceremony.

With that, few were seen wandering around the temple aside from monks and officials preparing for the ceremony.

However, in a bamboo grove behind a meditation courtyard, cold and sarcastic words from a woman could be heard.

“The lord has not returned home for a long time. If it weren’t for accompanying the Holy Emperor here, I’d hardly have seen him… If I didn’t know better, I’d think he has another family outside.” 

The man replied with restraint, “Regarding the death of the Qin family yesterday, we both have our accounts to settle. Why does the lady still put on such a victimized appearance as if my Yao family has harmed her?”

“The death of the Qin family has nothing to do with me! In these past years, how many physicians has she hired? After countless medicines and treatments failed, she only died of a long-term illness… If you must blame someone, blame her for her lack of fortune!” 

Pei Shi trembled with excitement. “You want to make me accountable for her, while I, the legitimate daughter of the Pei family, live in such a way, and those illegitimate daughters in the family are living ten times more dignified than I am! Who am I supposed to collect this debt from?” 

Their eyes locked. Yao Yi’s jaw tightened, and after a moment, he said slowly, “From start to finish, the only thing undignified here is your heart. Pei Shi, it was not I who forced you to ‘marry down’ into the Yao family.” 

Hearing his words, Pei Shi’s eyes turned red with anger. “Yao Yi, you have been supported by my Pei family, and I sacrificed my body and can no longer have children... What right do you have to criticize me?” 

Yao Yi stared at her. “Not long after you gave birth to Ran’er, you let your excessive suspicion lead you to think I was having an affair with a maid. Ignoring that you had just given birth, you barged into my study and imposed punishment on that maid to establish your authority among the maids... It was your jealousy and anger, compounded by postpartum illness, that led to your lasting condition. You cannot blame others for this!” 

“You use this to shift all the responsibility onto me and repeatedly mention it in front of Ran’er, insisting it’s because of her that I’ve fallen to such a state, making her feel guilty and uneasy all the time—” 

“In these years, you have taken advantage of being a Pei family girl and have acted with complete arrogance in the house, and everyone has bowed to you and endured you, yet you still do not know satisfaction... You must understand that my Yao family has never owed you a thing!” 

At this point, Yao Yi took a deep breath and calmed his tone. “After all these years of marriage, I believe I have never wronged you. Today, I have said all I need to say. If you still cling to your views and regard my Yao family as an enemy, it would be better for us to part ways amicably. You can return to your Pei family and be the legitimate daughter of the Pei family again.” 

Pei Shi trembled, staring at him in disbelief. “What are you saying?” 

He wants to divorce her?!  

He wants to cast her aside?!

She gritted her teeth in anger. “Yao Yi, you ungrateful, bridge-burning villain! What right do you have... I am a Pei family girl, my father is the head of the Pei family. How dare you!” 

Yao Yi closed his eyes and, no longer able to endure, turned to leave.

Seeing his figure disappear into the bamboo grove, a servant hurriedly approached to support the trembling Pei Shi. “Madam, you shouldn’t have clashed with the lord again right after the death of the Qin family...”

“Did you not hear?” Pei Shi’s eyes were icy. “He actually wants to divorce me... As expected, he plans to bring that illegitimate daughter back! He’s afraid that I might treat him and his beloved’s daughter poorly!” 

“Don’t even think about it... He will not get his wish!” 

“Fine, he thinks he’s so important now... I’ll just have to see how capable he really is, whether he can protect that little brat!” 

...

Yao Yi exited the bamboo path, calming his expression. Just as he stepped onto the cobblestone path, he saw a man in military attire approaching from a distance.

He recognized the person and straightened his demeanor, stepping forward. “General Chang.” 

“Yao Tingtai.” Chang Kuo was somewhat surprised to encounter him here. He raised his hand in greeting, maintaining a calm expression, while inwardly cursing—

If he can't even manage his own wife, what kind of a high official in the court is he? What kind of case is he even investigating? He should just go home and clean the latrines!  

He took another look at Yao Yi's typical scholar’s physique—couldn't even win at that!

“I presume this is your lord’s son?” Yao Tingtai glanced at Chang Kuo’s side where Chang Sui’an stood.

Chang Kuo nodded. “Indeed, my son.” 

Yao Yi pondered for a moment and casually asked, “For this blessing ceremony, is your son the only one accompanying you?” 

“Not at all. I have a daughter as well, who has also come along.” Chang Kuo replied, looking at the forked path ahead, smiling. “What a coincidence; here she comes—” 

Chang Sui’an hurriedly waved, “Sister, over here!” 

Yao Yi immediately looked over.

Three thousand words in this chapter, praise me for being diligent!  

(I saw everyone’s comments from the last chapter, and though I couldn’t reply to each one in my rush to write, don’t worry, I’m not sick, I just slept all day out of laziness!) 

(End of this chapter) 

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