Chapter 673: Cleansing Water Nunnery
Editor: Atlas Studios

The tenants did not expect to receive silver if their kids failed to make the selection. Initially, they were a little sad, but now, they were ecstatic.

Five taels of silver—that was more money than their entire family could make in a year. Hence, they brought their children back in high spirits.

The servants in the residence, however, didn’t fancy the five taels of silver. What they wanted more was a future by the little prince’s side. However, seeing that the Princess Consort valued the three children very much, they didn’t dare to use any devious schemes.

Meanwhile, Little Bear and the three children became familiar with them after playing for two days. Every day, they spent most of their time together, playing, listening to stories, flipping through picture books, and recognizing words.

Mu Yangling specially looked for Zhuzi and Brother Gui, asking them to be more patient with Little Bear and lead him to recognize some objects.

In this way, although Little Bear could yet speak clearly, he could express his thoughts. Even without gesturing, the few of them knew what he meant.

Now that he had playmates, Little Bear’s mischievousness increased exponentially.

After Little Madam Xia had recovered from her morning sickness, Mu Yangling planned to go to the most famous White Cloud Temple in Ju Prefecture City to offer incense and pray. When Little Bear heard that he could go out to play, he happily flipped two times in the courtyard and waved his hand for his companions to come along.

Eggy followed behind Little Bear obediently, while Zhuzi and Brother Gui looked at Mu Yangling hesitantly. She said with a smile, “You guys can come with us. Your things have already been packed, so you just need to follow us in a carriage.”

The two children immediately followed excitedly. Nanny Xia rushed over and said, “Your Highness, our Madam asked you to ask for a safety talisman for her in front of the Buddha.”

Mu Yangling knew that Little Madam Xia wanted to ask for a son, so she agreed with a smile.

As White Cloud Temple was outside Ju Prefecture City, it would take half a day to go back and forth. Coupled with the fact that they were going up the mountain, there was not enough time. Therefore, Mu Yangling decided to stay on the mountain for a day.

The White Cloud Temple would not allow female guests to stay overnight, so they could only stay in the Cleansing Water Nunnery not far from the White Cloud Temple.

As White Cloud Temple was deep in the mountains and located at the top of the mountain, gazing from below, it looked like it was above the fluffy white clouds. Therefore, it was called White Cloud Temple. Because the mountain path was rugged, one could not reach the temple in a carriage. They could only ride in a carriage until the middle of the mountain. There was a stop there, and the carriage could stay where it was. Although the horses could go up the mountain, in order to show their sincerity, everyone who came to pay their respects to Buddha would personally walk up.

Mu Yangling was no exception. Leaving the carriage and coachman behind, she carried Little Bear up the stairs. The maidservants behind also carried the younger Eggy and Brother Gui.

Having long received the notice, the abbot of the White Cloud Temple welcomed Mu Yangling in front of the temple. Mu Yangling said with a smile, “Abbot, you’re too polite.”

“Benefactor, it’s our temple’s honor to have you here. The guest room has been prepared. Benefactor, why don’t you go and rest first? Vegetarian food will be ready soon.” It being past noon already, the group was indeed tired and hungry. Mu Yangling thanked the abbot for his considerate service.

When it came time for his usual afternoon nap, Little Bear was a little sleepy. Thus after eating vegetarian food, he lay on the bed and soon fell asleep. Mu Yangling only brought him to pray to Buddha when he woke up.

Little Bear knelt on the praying mat and bowed three times before looking at his mother. Looking up at the benevolent Buddha above, Mu Yangling sighed slightly. She prayed in her heart, ‘If there are really gods in this world, please bless my child with good health and longevity. May he start to speak soon. Should my prayers come true, I’m willing to eat vegetarian food and do good deeds for a long time. Even if it means reducing my lifespan, I have no complaints.’

After respectfully kowtowing three times, she stood up with Little Bear. She looked at the people behind her and said with a smile, “You guys can go and pray too. Don’t make a din in front of the Buddha.”

The servant girls and maidservants agreed and quietly went to pay their respects to the Buddha.

The abbot hurriedly led Mu Yangling to write in the merit book. Qiannan was remote, and the highest-ranked official here was only a Grade 2B Governor. However, the previous Governor’s Residence was not in Ju Prefecture, so very few Governors would visit the White Cloud Temple. Mu Yangling could be considered the most esteemed guest to ever visit.

Mu Yangling didn’t donate much money, only 200 taels, which was less than the 400 to 500 taels that some rich families in Ju Prefecture City donated. Nonetheless, the reception monk was still very happy. With her donation recorded in the merit book, they could attract many believers.

The scenery of the White Cloud Temple was even more gorgeous than that of the Temple of Eternal Blessings. Mu Yangling brought Little Bear around for a while before bringing them down to Cleansing Water Nunnery halfway up the mountain in the evening.

Cleansing Water Nunnery was docked slightly higher. Its size was half that of White Cloud Temple, but the guest rooms were well decorated. As the female guests who went up the mountain typically stayed at Cleansing Water Nunnery, this was a factor that brought them considerable donations. Therefore, Cleansing Water Nunnery was very clean and wasn’t filthy like some ordinary nunneries were.

The moment Mu Yangling and the others arrived, the best guest room was arranged for them. The male attendants were locked outside the door. Mu Yangling made some arrangements to determine who would sleep on the floor and who would patrol.

Having investigated prior to coming, they knew that Cleansing Water Nunnery had martial nuns and White Cloud Temple also had martial monks. The two groups got along very well, so nothing bad had ever happened on the mountain. Therefore, Mu Yangling was very assured to be staying here. However, she slept until the latter half of the night when she heard a commotion in the east courtyard.

Since they were outside after all, Mu Yangling was very vigilant. She sat up instantly and asked, “Spring, what’s going on outside?”

Spring hurriedly held the lamp and went out to take a look. There was a weak light in the east courtyard, and the commotion quickly quietened down. At this moment, only the sound of insects in the forest could be heard. It was so quiet that it was as if the commotion just now was an illusion. However, precisely because of this, Spring did not dare to relax. She called over a maidservant who was skilled in martial arts and instructed, “Bring someone over to ask what happened.”

The maidservant agreed and came back very quickly. “A young nun in the nunnery is sick and wants to see the abbot, so they quarreled. Because Your Highness is staying in the west courtyard, they were afraid of disturbing you, so they quietened down again.”

Frowning, Mu Yangling asked, “Is the east courtyard the residence of the nuns in the nunnery? Why am I under the impression that they live in the back rooms?”

“Your Highness, the east courtyard is where the abbot and the nuns live. The young nuns do live in the back rooms. The sick nun might be the one of the nuns who serve the abbot and the senior nuns.”

Mu Yangling lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before asking, “Are there any new nuns in the nunnery, or are there noblewomen there practicing with their hair still unshaven?”

Just as the maidservant was at a loss for words, Rain hurriedly said, “Your Highness, I’ve asked before. There are no new nuns, nor are there any noblewomen practicing with their hair still unshaven.”

The maidservant heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Miss Rain knew about this.

Closely serving by the Princess Consort’s side, Spring was in charge of inner matters whereas Rain was in charge of the matters outside.

Mu Yangling narrowed her eyes and waved her hand. “Alright, since it’s not a big deal, go down and rest.”

The servants in the room retreated one after another, but Spring and Rain stayed behind. Mu Yangling said in a low voice, “Tell Xiaoting to get the guards to explore the east courtyard. As Cleansing Water Nunnery has good incense offerings, it rarely involves itself in matters relating to the earthly world. Most of them are people who cultivate Buddhism. Since the abbot and the nuns are all cultivators, why would they let a junior nun serve them?”

Spring and Rain’s expressions changed.