“Staring until vermillion becomes azure, thoughts in endless disarray. Gaunt and broken, pining for you. If you don’t believe I constantly shed tears, open the chest and examine the pomegranate skirt.” When following Zhangsun into Ganye Temple, Yun Ye couldn’t help but recite this poem “Ruyi Niang” by Wu Zhao. This was a poem he had learned back in elementary school at Ganye. He had heard that even Li Bai sang its praises and acknowledged it was beyond him.
Zhangsun turned around and glared at Yun Ye in annoyance. Xiao Wu’s eyes were filled with infinite admiration. Di Renjie was already looking for paper and brush to record it. Yun Ye gave Zhangsun an apologetic smile, then glanced strangely at Xiao Wu. This silly girl still didn’t know that this poem actually came from her own hand. However, it didn’t matter—Xiao Wu now shouldn’t have such a desolate state of mind to write such a poem.
“This is a pure Buddhist sanctuary. No vulgar or profane speech is permitted!” A nun with barely two ounces of flesh on her face wore a corpse-like expression and issued an icy warning to Yun Ye.
“Look, Xiao Wu, this is that type of person who has trained herself to become stone. No, they can no longer be called people. You can call them Buddhas, immortals, or even stones—that’s all fine. Just don’t treat them as people. Without sorrow, without joy, without desire, without seeking, without hatred, without love. If you ever become this kind of person, don’t blame me for expelling you from my tutelage.”
Xiao Wu thought for a moment, shivered all over, and said quietly to Yun Ye, “Master, if I really became like that, wouldn’t it be better to die cleanly? Just arriving at this place makes Xiao Wu cold all over. Let’s finish our business quickly and leave as soon as we’re done. I’m extremely afraid of this place.”
The old nun was called Wu Se and was the abbess of Ganye Temple. Her cunning appearance with no flesh on her cheeks made Yun Ye’s anger rise, yet someone like this still glared fiercely at the master and disciple.
There were many nuns at Ganye Temple, each wearing loose monastic robes. Many of the bald female nuns suddenly discovered that men had entered and immediately scattered in commotion. Yun Ye knew they were going inside to wear hats to cover their ugliness. He immediately put away his irreverent smile and transformed back into General Yun who commanded the battlefield. His icy gaze made even Wu Se feel uncomfortable all over. Only Zhangsun and Xiao Wu didn’t care. Even Di Renjie seemed a bit unaccustomed to it.
Zhangsun snorted and said, “I thought you weren’t serious anywhere. This is more fitting of your undefeated reputation as General Yun. All right, put away your imposing manner. The female nuns here aren’t the generals and commanders under your command—they can’t bear it.”
Hearing that this not-very-old man in green robes was the famous General Yun, Wu Se’s face tried hard to form a trace of a smile as she bowed to Yun Ye, saying, “This poor nun did not know General Yun had arrived. I pray for your magnanimous understanding.”
He magnanimously waved his sleeve to indicate it was no matter, and the group proceeded along the winding stone path straight toward Huifeng Pavilion. Passing through the Buddha hall, Yun Ye made a funny face at the nuns hiding in their meditation rooms peeking out, eliciting a chorus of startled cries. Xiao Wu laughed so hard she nearly fell over. Unable to make a sound, she could only grip Di Renjie’s arm tightly without letting go.
Seeing Yun Ye behave this way, Zhangsun actually didn’t rebuke him. This was the behavior of someone with a clear conscience. If he had forced himself to put on an appearance of looking straight ahead without glancing sideways, then Zhangsun would have been suspicious, because Yun Ye behaved exactly this way in the imperial palace—as long as they weren’t consorts, he acted very naturally.
They say winding paths lead to secluded places. After walking the stone path, a rockery mountain suddenly appeared ahead. This was an excessively large artificial mountain, fully as large as two rooms. If there wasn’t a secret chamber inside, you couldn’t convince Yun Ye even if you beat him to death.
Huifeng Pavilion was empty and bare. Aside from many calligraphies and paintings on the walls, there was nothing else. Several meditation cushions were scattered carelessly on the floor, but the entire pavilion was extremely clean. “Not a speck of dust” was insufficient to describe its cleanliness. The red-lacquered floor was polished bright as a mirror. Yun Ye’s brow furrowed once again. He leaned against the window and looked out at the sun—it wasn’t yet the quarter after noon. According to Tang custom, after the quarter past noon, the host would no longer wait for guests who hadn’t arrived and could do as they pleased.
“Lofty, lofty Mount Tai rises high, its beauty piercing the azure sky. Between its rocks lies an empty space, lonely, secluded and mysterious. Neither crafted nor built by artisans, its cloud-like structure arose naturally. What manner of thing are you objects, that cause me to move repeatedly? I will depart to dwell in this place, where I can live out my natural years.”
“Your Majesty, why are all of these Xie Daoyun’s poems? This one here is ‘Chant of Mount Tai,’ and on the north wall hangs ‘Imitating Ji Zhongsan’s Poem Praising Pines.’ Though her poetry is ‘elegant and transcendent,’ with ‘a scattered and bright spirit, possessing the manner of forest recluses,’ why would they be hung in a meditation room in such an incongruous manner?”
Zhangsun played with the jade plaque in her hands and said unhurriedly, “In a place where women stay, naturally women’s poetry must be hung. Could it be that General Yun feels some disappointment that your famous lines ‘The north wind rolls up the earth, white grass breaks, and Tartar sky in eighth month flies with snow’ aren’t hung up there?”
“You said someone made an appointment to meet you here. Now it’s almost the quarter past noon—even at the Western Market, executions could begin. Where is your guest?”
Yun Ye chuckled and said, “Probably saw Your Majesty arrive and was too frightened to come out. How about we go dig them out? I just don’t know if the mouths of these people Your Majesty brought are tight-lipped or not.”
Zhangsun put away the jade plaque, and the playful expression disappeared from her face. Looking at Yun Ye, she said, “What have you discovered? Those I brought today are all old hands from the palace. They naturally know what should and shouldn’t be said. The Thousand Bull Guards are outside, and those who came in are all imperial guards. If even they cannot be trusted, this palace doesn’t know who else can be trusted.”
Yun Ye nodded and turned to ask Wu Se, whose expression was uncertain, “When my disciple got married, an old farmer came to offer congratulations. When he left, he left me a few seeds. Now I’ve grown the seeds and discovered this type of flower likes to eat meat. At that time, the old farmer told my disciple that as long as I grew this flower, he would speak with me. You see, I’ve brought the flower. I don’t know whether Abbess Wu Se will speak with me or whether that simple country farmer will speak with me. I’m extremely surprised and very curious to know where you obtained these seeds that should be impossible to get. I’m quite interested in going to that place now. There’s a plant called a rubber tree that I very much want to bring back to plant in our Great Tang!”
As Yun Ye spoke, Di Renjie took out that pot of Venus flytrap from the basket he was carrying and placed it on the ground. Zhangsun stood up from her cushion and examined it carefully, finding nothing strange about it. This was just a rather unusual potted plant. The world was vast—there were many rare flowers and plants she hadn’t seen. One more wouldn’t be strange.
Wu Se looked bitterly at Yun Ye and said, “Lord Yun, why must you involve such a noble person as Her Majesty in worldly affairs? Would it sound good if your identities as Guest of Binmei or Fox Charmer were spoken of publicly?”
Hearing Wu Se say this, Zhangsun’s interest was immediately piqued. She sat back down on her cushion and said to Wu Se, “I didn’t expect there would be worldly masters in an imperial temple. Zhangsun has been remiss. No matter—this palace is extremely curious. You talk, and just pretend this palace doesn’t exist.”
Yun Ye also found a cushion to sit on and said with a smile, “I knew Your Majesty would be curious, which is why I invited you here to listen to the story. Your subject can guarantee that this branch’s story will absolutely be spectacular. Towering ocean waves, a small boat like a withered leaf in wind and waves—though I, Yun Ye, am also a fierce general who has traversed the four seas, I still have the will but lack the strength regarding the place you reached. So I’m extremely curious how you reached that place. Tell us about it. If it’s feasible, I’ll immediately request Your Majesty to recall the Lingnan Naval Forces to search with full force for the place you reached.”
Seeing matters had come to this point, Wu Se simply sat down and said, “You clearly also reached the Land of the Sun God. Why do you say you don’t know? Your Yun family’s chili peppers, corn, and potatoes all came from that place. Since you’ve already obtained these three things, how could you not know how to get to that place?”
Yun Ye grimaced and rubbed his nose, saying, “My things were all left behind by my teacher. Look at my age—do I look like I’ve been to this Land of the Sun God you speak of? I only know that the place you mention is on the other side of the great ocean, tens of thousands of miles away. Without a sea chart, who do you think can easily reach that place?”
Seeing her master rub his nose, Xiao Wu was laughing so hard inside she nearly fainted. Whenever Master started rubbing his nose, he was definitely talking nonsense. She had followed by her master’s side since childhood and was all too familiar with this. Seeing her husband Di Renjie listening without even blinking, she desperately wanted to burst out laughing.
“You also know that journey has nine chances of death out of ten? You also know that road requires human lives to fill it? This is such important information—do you think I would tell you easily?” Wu Se became angrier as she spoke. She really hadn’t expected Yun Ye would be such a despicable and shameless person, actually using the imperial family’s power to leave her with no way to retreat.
“Exchange! I won’t ask you for it for nothing. I’ll trade you with divine light. We pursue different things. Divine light is very useful to you. An old man in my household, even a eunuch—it was precisely because he was illuminated by divine light that he was able to extend his life and longevity. Now even his fallen teeth have grown back two of them. I’ll trade you divine light for it!”
Zhangsun looked at the jade plaque in her hands, then at Wu Se. After thinking for a moment, she decisively handed the jade plaque to Yun Ye. Between Wu Se and Yun Ye, she decisively chose to trust Yun Ye.
Yun Ye took the jade plaque and installed it piece by piece on the stand, saying quietly, “Let you also witness our White Jade Capital’s treasure. After seeing the divine light, you’ll know how worthwhile this exchange is.”
Wu Se looked at Yun Ye doubtfully. Suddenly, a dazzling white light illuminated the entire dim Huifeng Pavilion as if it were broad daylight. Several jade plaques emitted light like the sun. This caused her mind to immediately lose its composure, and she prostrated herself on the ground, kowtowing with great ceremony to this room full of divine light.
The regretful expression on Zhangsun’s face could not be concealed no matter what. This was divine light that could grant people longevity! Yet this spendthrift had traded it without even thinking for some broken sea chart. She had already decided that as soon as Yun Ye’s transaction was complete, she would immediately reclaim these four jade plaques. This was simply outrageous—could just anyone compete with her, the dignified Empress, for treasures?