Outside, snow fell abundantly and the north wind howled. Inside the Reception Hall, however, a brazier was lit, making it very warm. The Reception Hall, one of Baoxiang Temple’s main halls, had not a single visitor, as it was heavily guarded by soldiers, preventing anyone from entering.

The new silver frost charcoal had only just been lit and hadn’t yet burned to its core.

“Miss Gu, please sit here.” Wang Chun folded the umbrella and left, while Jiang Yan invited Gu Jinchao to sit on a stool beside the brazier.

Soon, a servant brought hot tea.

Gu Jinchao held the tea, staring at the brazier for a moment before looking up.

The Reception Hall was supported by eight large red-lacquered pillars. In the center was an elevated lotus throne with a gilded Buddha statue over ten feet tall, head bowed with fingers forming a mudra. Candelabras on both sides cast flickering light, bathing the room in golden radiance. Below the lotus throne lay cushions embroidered with gold lotus patterns and a long table. Third Master Chen was standing opposite an elderly monk, some distance from her. She could only hear the monk softly chanting Buddhist scriptures, his voice steady and peaceful.

Buddhist scriptures calm one’s mind.

After the old monk finished reciting, he spoke with Chen Yanyun. The monk was so old his age was indiscernible, but his snow-white kasaya was exceptionally soft. Chen Yanyun asked him quietly, “Buddha told Subhuti, ‘All phenomena are illusory; if you see that all appearances are non-appearances, then you see the Tathagata.’ How does the Abbot interpret this?”

The old monk replied, “Buddha has three bodies, and the Dharmakaya Buddha represents the Dharma nature where Buddha, mind, and sentient beings are without difference. All things gather through causation, arising and ceasing, all are decaying, illusory appearances. Tathagata is the Dharma nature. Dharma nature cannot be seen through appearances; it neither arises nor ceases, is neither defiled nor pure, neither comes nor goes, neither increases nor decreases. As Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai said, ‘Spiritual light shines alone, transcending sense and cognition; the essence reveals true constancy, unrestricted by words. The mind’s nature is undefiled, inherently perfect—just depart from illusory conditions and you are a Buddha.’ This is Dharma nature. If one can detach from appearances while amidst appearances, then one can see…”

The old monk continued, “The benefactor turns to Buddha as Dharmakaya Buddha, not our ancestral Shakyamuni.” He recited a Buddhist phrase, “Different paths lead to the same destination, all are Buddha.”

Gu Jinchao couldn’t understand, but Third Master Chen lowered his head with a smile, his left hand fingering a string of beads.

After the monk finished explaining the Buddha’s nature, he performed a prayer gesture and withdrew. Third Master Chen also pressed his hands together in return.

When the abbot had left the Reception Hall, Third Master Chen walked toward her and asked her to follow him: “…The inner chamber has a heated kang bed, warmer than here.” Her small face was flushed again, just like the last time he saw her. This time was worse—both she and her maid were soaking wet.

Gu Jinchao looked up at him, momentarily unable to react. Third Master Chen thought her gaze seemed both bewildered and pitiful, like an abandoned animal.

Third Master Chen walked ahead, and Gu Jinchao could only rise and follow. Over a dozen guards hidden in the dark corners of the Reception Hall revealed themselves.

…This was the proper display of power for a second-rank official in action.

Gu Jinchao thought silently.

Shakyamuni Buddha was flanked by Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva on the left and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva on the right. The lattice door to the inner chamber opened on Mahasthamaprapta’s right side, where there was a heated kang bed with a kang table on it, arranged simply and cleanly.

Third Master Chen sat on one side of the kang table and gestured for her to sit on the other side: “…No need to be formal, this is a peaceful Buddhist place. The snow won’t stop for a while, don’t catch cold.”

He called Jiang Yan in and instructed him: “…The temple ground fresh soy milk today, go bring a pot.”

Jiang Yan acknowledged and left. Chen Yanyun picked up a scroll of Buddhist scripture from the table. The lattice doors were covered with Korean paper which, though translucent, didn’t let in much light as the snow outside was too heavy and the sky was dim and dark. A guard brought in a pine oil lamp.

Gu Jinchao was at a loss for words, as he had said everything. She beckoned Qingpu to sit down. Though their clothes were wet, it wasn’t appropriate to change at such a time, and she didn’t dare remove her cloak. She wanted to see how heavy the snow was outside—if she didn’t return, Lady Feng would surely send someone to look for her… but the situation was simply inexplicable!

Though Third Master Chen was reading, he noticed her movements.

She seemed restless, constantly looking outside with a hesitant expression.

He closed his book and said gently, “If you brave the snow now, wet clothes are the least of your worries. We’re halfway up the mountain—what if you slip and fall? Don’t worry about who you came with; I can have the guest master inform them.”

Gu Jinchao spoke softly, and soon the guest master went out with an umbrella.

“The guest master knows the paths well, it’s better than a little maid wandering about,” said Third Master Chen.

Gu Jinchao could only remain silent.

Jiang Yan brought in a pot of soy milk and set up a brazier in the inner chamber. He warmed the soy milk until it was steaming, then poured it into a bowl and handed it to Gu Jinchao first, then invited Qingpu to come warm herself by the fire and gave her a bowl as well.

Qingpu was indeed uncomfortable being soaked through, so she sat by the fire taking small sips of soy milk.

The soy milk had only a little sugar added but was exceptionally rich and fragrant.

Gu Jinchao asked softly, “Won’t Third Master have a bowl?”

Third Master Chen looked up at her and said, “I don’t like sweet foods.”

Gu Jinchao frowned, feeling puzzled. How could he not like sweet foods? In her previous life, shortly after marrying him, she only knew how to make one dish—caramelized bananas—and he would eat it completely clean every time.

If he didn’t like it, why would he eat it?

Gu Jinchao recalled what Cao Ziheng had said about Minister Wen. She gripped her bowl tightly and suddenly asked him, “…Sir, have you seen me before?”

Third Master Chen made an affirmative sound: “I saw you once at your cousin’s wedding at the Ji family.”

Gu Jinchao shook her head: “Before that? You asked me last time if I truly didn’t remember. I don’t remember childhood things clearly… it’s possible we met before, but I have no impression of it.”

Chen Yanyun was silent, then smiled faintly.

“I’ve seen you twice. The first time you were picking lotus pods by a pond, and you threatened your maid that you would sell her to the deep mountains as a child bride. But you probably didn’t see me then…”

The second time was half a year later, on a snowy day like this. She sat alone under a corridor, hugging her arms and crying incessantly, without a single maid attending her. He had gone to discuss the construction of a new temple in Baoding with Ji’s family’s eldest master and happened to see her. He didn’t know why she was crying so bitterly, and he didn’t go over to ask.

At that time, Gu Jinchao’s cloak was soaking wet, looking as pitiful as now, lonely as if unwanted.

He watched until Gu Jinchao wiped her tears and walked back, then slowly turned to leave.

If he hadn’t seen her again this time, he would surely have forgotten about saving such a young girl. But now her memory was exceptionally clear in his mind—she tugged at his sleeve, saying she would sell him as a child bride. She wore a light pink-and-red front-opening jacket and a deep red crepe eight-panel skirt, with one corner of the skirt trailing in the water, completely disregarded by its owner.

He felt he had inexplicably developed compassion.

Gu Jinchao remembered this incident. Every summer, she would visit her maternal grandmother’s home and liked to pick lotus pods from that pond. Once she even fell into the water. The little maid who served her was punished and sent to work in the kitchen.

She stood up and opened the lattice door. Sure enough, the sky outside was still gloomy, with endless snow covering everything.

In her previous life, he had known her before marrying her. Even if his marriage to her had an ulterior motive, it was undeniable that initially, Third Master Chen had been good to her—unobtrusively good. If one wasn’t paying attention, one wouldn’t notice it at all.

Just like when she first entered the Reception Hall, a new brazier had been lit at the entrance.

So when he married her, he also wanted to be good to her.

Gu Jinchao closed her eyes, feeling deeply distressed. No wonder… no wonder he ceased interacting with her a month after their marriage. Third Master Chen must have discovered her affair with Chen Xuanqing. Being so intelligent, he certainly noticed something amiss. That’s why he stopped associating with her, his expression was always cool when seeing her, not saying an extra word. The Third Master, who had maneuvered through court politics all his life, ended up being burdened by her.

When she turned to look, Third Master Chen was still reading the Buddhist scripture, turning a page as he said to her, “Staring at the snow won’t make it stop. Come back and sit down.”

She said flatly, “Third Master, Minister Wen died four years ago.”

Third Master Chen finally looked up at her, his gaze gentle and profound, still wearing his scholarly smile. He made an affirmative sound and lowered his head to continue reading.

Gu Jinchao felt there was no need to ask him why he had helped her. Third Master Chen was so calm and unruffled—he wasn’t surprised at all and didn’t care whether she found out or not. She felt somewhat annoyed and murmured, “…You deliberately let me discover it!”

Chen Yanyun didn’t understand why she was upset. He looked at her for a while, put down the scroll, and beckoned her over.

“It’s not a big deal, I just wanted to help you… If I simply said I wanted to help you, you would certainly be suspicious. What’s wrong with acting in someone else’s name? Don’t be afraid, just consider it my daily good deed.”

Gu Jinchao didn’t quite believe it. She felt Third Master Chen seemed somewhat different toward her; otherwise, he wouldn’t have tolerated her in so many ways in her previous life. Had she married someone other than Third Master Chen, a normal husband’s family would have certainly sent her back to her maiden home with a divorce letter. Not only that, they would have used the seven grounds for divorce to utterly ruin her reputation.

If one were to count, she still couldn’t repay what she owed Third Master Chen in her previous life. He was decisive in the official circles, and when she first arrived at the Chen family, knowing nothing and making many mistakes, Third Master Chen never reproached her even once, silently tolerating everything.

She said, “Your daily good deed? I think you’re not a soft-hearted person… Do you believe in Buddhism?”

He certainly wasn’t soft-hearted—a soft-hearted person couldn’t reach his current position. Instead, he needed to be countless times harder than others. Third Master Chen pondered for a moment, then told her, “Of course, I believe in Buddhism… The Dharmakaya Buddha is in my heart. By believing in myself, I am believing in Buddha.”

Gu Jinchao was speechless. Religion was just a pretext—like making a deal with a tiger. If Lord Chen wanted to protect himself, he could only conceal his brilliance and bide his time. And he had an extremely powerful and firm sense of self; he didn’t need to believe in Buddha, believing in himself was enough.