Shen Ying looked at the woman before her with surprise.
She didn't know much about Hua Yao, but she had interacted with her somewhat since her arrival in Jincheng. She was a somewhat clumsy and occasionally troublesome young girl, so when had she become so eloquent and composed in handling matters?
Zhong Li knew the principle of "too much talk leads to mistakes" and didn't intend to argue with Shen Ying any further. She glanced around and saw that most of the noble ladies had taken their seats. She chose the most secluded spot and sat down.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the presiding monk Ji Yuan appeared with the disciples. After saying a few words, he began chanting scriptures and praying to Buddha.
Zhong Li roughly estimated the time required based on the booklet previously given to her by General Hua. As she calculated, she noticed no one around was paying attention to her. She quietly stood up and slipped out of the prayer hall.
Shen Ying had been inattentive all along. Just as she was finding the scripture chanting boring and wanted to find some entertainment, she saw a familiar figure slip away. Her eyes darted back and forth as she whispered a few words to the young maid accompanying her.
The young maid received the order and followed Zhong Li out of the prayer hall.
Following her memory from yesterday, Zhong Li walked alone in Baolin Temple and soon arrived at the moon gate.
Perhaps it was because it was close to noon and the shift change for guards, but there were no guards at the moon gate.
Zhong Li knew this was a good opportunity. Crouching down to avoid passing monks, she slipped to the moon gate.
If she remembered correctly, yesterday, after the small maid carrying a bag of fried pastries had them knocked over by Xu Qing, one of the pastries rolled into the surrounding grass. What she needed to do was find this pastry.
The grass in front of the moon gate was tall, but because it was autumn, the grass had withered and turned yellow. It was not only messy but also a bit prickly.
Zhong Li searched inch by inch according to her memory. Before long, her eyes lit up. She quickly picked up the pastry, which was stained with a lot of mud, blew off the dirt, and sniffed it.
As soon as she smelled it, her expression turned serious. She finally understood why Xu Qing had been so angry yesterday when she smelled the pastry. It turned out that the pastry was coated with a layer of carp powder.
It seemed that the master of that little maid was pregnant.
Having thoroughly investigated this far, Zhong Li had a general understanding. What remained was how to sneak into this garden. Just slipping in would not be proper. Hiding and concealing her identity was one thing. More importantly, if she were caught before investigating much, who would save Lu Wu Xie? She couldn't afford any mistakes now.
Thinking this, she peered into the courtyard and listened, then pondered for a while before turning to leave.
Because Zhong Li's mind was focused on the pastry, she didn't notice that a figure had been following her.
When she returned to the prayer hall, the scripture chanting had just ended. All the noble ladies were about to offer incense to the Buddha again. Under the cover of Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li, she slipped into the line, thus completing the tasks Hua Yao was supposed to do.
Afterward, she used the lunch break to leave a message for Lin Jin. She didn't have much time left. It would be best if Lin Jin could have everything prepared before dinner.
There was nothing to do in the afternoon. Zhong Li politely declined the invitation from Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li to tour Baolin Temple and went to the monks' quarters to catch up on sleep.
Then came dinner time. Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li had not returned. As she was worrying about how Lin Jin's matter was progressing, an unfamiliar young monk knocked on her door.
Zhong Li thought it was someone delivering dinner and was about to thank him. However, the young monk did not leave and closed the door, saying, "Lord Zhong, I am here to fetch you on General Hua's orders."
Zhong Li looked up in surprise and saw the young monk take out a piece of clothing from his怀 and place it on the table.
"Please change into this garment, Lord. We must leave now."
Zhong Li took the garment, examined it, and found it was a servant's attire. She then sniffed it and faintly smelled the odor of rotten vegetables. She already knew what she needed to do next.
She nodded and walked behind the screen. When she came out, her hair was pulled up, her face was smeared with dirt, and her hands were coated with the vegetable juice the young monk had brought in. At first glance, she looked exactly like a peasant woman selling vegetables.
The young monk hadn't expected Zhong Li to be so meticulous. After a moment of surprise, he nodded, said, "Lord Zhong, please follow me," and quickly walked outside.
The young monk walked fast, but fortunately, Zhong Li was full of energy. She also walked fast, even mimicking the walking posture of a servant, crouching down with her hands clasped in front. No one who passed by her suspected anything.
Zhong Li circumvented the courtyard she was staying in, turned behind the Great Hall, walked through the corridors, and arrived at a secluded grove outside Baolin Temple. Lin Jin and others were already waiting for her there. Beside them was a cart piled high with all sorts of vegetables.
"Miss Zhong." Lin Jin, also dressed as a peasant, stepped forward a few paces and cupped his hands. "After receiving your letter, I immediately made arrangements. I learned that farmers deliver vegetables to Beitian Nunnery every three days.
It happened that we were able to catch up today, so we decided to help you sneak into Beitian Nunnery in this manner."
Zhong Li knew that Lin Jin had always been thorough. His concise explanation meant that everything was in order. She had nothing to refute, so she nodded and walked to the side of the cart, following a few vegetable farmers towards the back door of Baolin Temple.
It took about half a mountain to get to Beitian Nunnery. Seeing that it would take several more hours, Lin Jin took out some fried cakes prepared for the road and explained the entire plan to Zhong Li.
"Miss Zhong, it's like this." He walked up to Zhong Li, took out a garment from the wooden bucket beside him, and handed it to her. "Beitian Nunnery is full of nuns, and men are not allowed to stay overnight. All we can do is to escort you safely inside. Afterward, to avoid being discovered, you will change into this dress."
Zhong Li took the garment and looked at it. "This is a Haiqing robe. You mean for me to impersonate a nun from Beitian Nunnery? Won't they find out?"
Lin Jin shook his head. "Since the North River Gang incident, Beitian Nunnery has admitted many nuns in the past year. Just yesterday, a few new ones arrived. No matter how diligent the supervisor is, she wouldn't remember them so clearly. I found out that their current nun seniority reaches the Chang generation. You can just give yourself a name from that generation.
As for other matters, the abbess of Beitian Nunnery is named Miaohui, and her most trusted supervisor is Miaoyun. For the rest, just act as if you are a newcomer, knowing nothing and asking about everything."
Zhong Li nodded in agreement. Although she felt it might be a bit reckless, the thought that newcomers should know nothing made her feel much more at ease, as Lin Jin was likely trying to prevent her from revealing herself by knowing too much.
The cart was delivered to the back door of Baolin Temple as the sun was about to set.
The young monk who had led Zhong Li to Lin Jin went to call out. After a while, when the door was opened and she saw the person inside, her eyebrows slightly raised. It was Ji Kong. It seemed he wasn't as simple as she had thought.