Zhong Li's interest in the secrets hidden within Baolin Temple grew after hearing Madam Li's words. When did a Buddhist temple begin accepting pregnant women?
She watched Madam Zhang and Madam Li, who were still engrossed in conversation. After a moment's thought, she walked to the window, removed the pearl from her earlobe, and placed it in the gap of the window frame. She then returned to bed.
The night brought a cool breeze, making the somewhat brittle oiled paper window rustle. The hermitage was utterly silent, save for the sound of breaths rising and falling.
"Knock, knock."
Two knocks echoed on the wooden window frame.
Zhong Li opened her eyes and sat up from the bed.
"Knock, knock." Two more knocks.
She could hear clearly now. She got out of bed, put on her embroidered shoes, and opened the window.
Lin Jin, still in the women's attire from earlier, stood outside the window. Upon seeing Zhong Li, he nervously peered into the room.
"Don't worry. When I adjusted the oil lamp's brightness earlier, I sprinkled some sleeping powder. Madam Zhang and Madam Li are sleeping soundly now; they won't hear anything."
Zhong Li's words eased Lin Jin's concern.
After returning the pearl he had picked up from the window frame to Zhong Li, he leaped through the window and said, "Miss Zhong, the elites from the Hua family have brought news."
"What is it?" Zhong Li asked.
Lin Jin said, "Miss Zhong, do you remember the courtyard with the moon gate you mentioned seeing during the day behind the Great Hall, in a secluded spot?"
Zhong Li nodded. She had told Lin Jin that Xu Qing was there.
"That's a path leading to Beitian Nunnery."
"Beitian Nunnery?" Zhong Li had been in Jincheng for so long and had never heard of such a nunnery. Moreover, the existence of a nunnery within Baolin Temple, what was going on?
Lin Jin poured a cup of tea and cleared his throat before continuing, "It's like this: Beitian Nunnery is recorded by the Ministry of Works. It existed before Baolin Temple was built. Originally, it took in abandoned children. During the previous emperor's reign, Beitian Nunnery received financial support.
Later, Emperor Jing wanted to build a temple near Jincheng. Initially, Beitian Nunnery was excluded, but when the geomancer was selecting the site, they discovered that only Beitian Nunnery had the most auspicious feng shui, which was best for the nation's fortune.
Emperor Jing then decided to build Baolin Temple here. Since Beitian Nunnery could not be demolished, after deliberation, it was designated as part of Baolin Temple.
The two temples occupy a mountainside and do not interfere with each other; that's how it is."
"Beitian Nunnery, abandoned children..." Zhong Li murmured, recalling the Buddhist scriptures' mention of "beitian," which meant bestowing charity on the poor with compassion to gain immeasurable merit. During the Lin Dynasty, Beitian Temple was renamed White Horse Temple, which was largely a welfare institution in the modern sense.
"Did you find anything else?" she asked.
Lin Jin coughed lightly and said, "They also found something extremely strange."
"How so?" Zhong Li inquired.
"Miss Zhong, you've handled many cases at the Dali Temple, so you know that even with the laws of Nanyue, it's still possible for some women to engage in acts considered indecent by others.
If discovered early, they would induce abortion with medication. If the woman concealed it intentionally and it was discovered late, it became a dilemma. Poor families might abandon the child to preserve the daughter's reputation, but even so, such an act is considered killing, and it greatly affects the woman's health.
Wealthy families are different; they always find ways to help women resolve such matters.
They found that many women with bad reputations, or unmarried and pregnant women, were sent to Beitian Nunnery. After some time, these women would get married as planned, and their reputations would not be affected at all. Even the rumors that had circulated in Jincheng were completely gone," Lin Jin said.
Isn't this referring to Zhu Jie?
As Zhong Li heard Lin Jin speak, she recalled what Madam Li had said earlier. It seemed that Beitian Temple had performed quite a few 'good deeds.'
"It's just that..." Lin Jin frowned, as if he had gotten into character playing a woman, and pouted, "Ever since Baolin Temple was built, Beitian Temple seemed to have disappeared. The common people have never seen it again."
"It hasn't disappeared," Zhong Li said. " Didn't you hear me say so during the day?"
"Miss Zhong means the moon gate?" Lin Jin asked.
Zhong Li nodded and explained her thoughts.
After Zhong Li finished speaking, Lin Jin asked, "Miss Zhong suspects that the concubine daughter of the Wang family, Wang Mei, is also pregnant?"
"Yes. During the day, her maid looked furtive and was holding an expensive bracelet, preparing to give it to that young attendant. It seemed the Wang family wanted to bribe them.
Unexpectedly, Xu Qing intercepted them, and the Wang family's little scheme ultimately failed," Zhong Li said.
"Then how do we confirm our guess is correct?" Lin Jin asked.
Zhong Li pondered for a moment, a thought crossing her mind. She told Lin Jin her subsequent plans. After Lin Jin left, she glanced at Madam Zhang and Madam Li, who were still sleeping soundly on the bed, and then took off her own shoes and lay down on the bed.
As the rooster crowed and dawn broke, Baolin Temple began to bustle.
Zhong Li, disguised as Hua Yao, claimed to be there for blessings. No matter how late she stayed up last night, she couldn't sleep in during the day.
She took a pill to stay alert and, under Ji Kong's arrangement, finished breakfast and walked towards the Buddhist chanting hall with several other noble ladies.
Zhong Li roughly counted. There were a hundred noble ladies who had come to Baolin Temple this time, indicating that the female relatives of officials and dignitaries from all over Jincheng had arrived.
"Hua Yao, long time no see." As Zhong Li was preparing to find a cushion to sit on and listen to the chanting, a voice called out from behind her.
Zhong Li turned her head and saw a familiar face. It looked like Tian Lianxue, but her demeanor was more refined and elegant. Therefore, it must be Shen Ying.
"Miss Shen." Zhong Li curtsied. Regardless, Shen Ying was someone connected to the Empress, and she didn't want anyone to find fault with Hua Yao over matters of etiquette later.
Shen Ying smiled and said, "I actually wanted to look for you yesterday, as I occupied your hermitage. I didn't expect to not find you. I'll tell you today, I slept in your room. You won't be angry, will you?"
Zhong Li, who was about to leave after the greeting, paused when she heard Shen Ying speak. She turned to look at the woman whose gentle smile hid an inherent pride.
Sometimes, Zhong Li wondered where Shen Ying got her confidence to make decisions for her.
"No." Zhong Li waved her hand, mimicking Hua Yao's manner. "It's all just living quarters; it doesn't matter where I stay. I'm glad I had someone to chat with last night."
"Chat?" Upon hearing this, Shen Ying's gaze shifted behind Zhong Li. She saw two plain-looking young girls following her like tagalongs and said, "As expected, Miss Hua doesn't have many friends and can only play with country bumpkins. If I remember correctly, the Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple was also brought from some county by the Crown Prince, birds of a feather."
"Hey, what did you say?" Ever since Zhong Li had chatted with Madam Zhang and Madam Li last night, Madam Zhang considered her a good girl who didn't look down on the poor. Now that her sister, whom she truly recognized, was being insulted, and being as bold as she was, she naturally couldn't help but want to seek justice for her.
Madam Li, being clever, saw it was Shen Ying and pulled Madam Zhang closer, warning her with her eyes.
Seeing the two of them like this, Shen Ying smiled and looked them up and down, about to start mocking them again.
Zhong Li stepped in front of them and said to Shen Ying, "Miss Shen, actually, I'm quite curious. Those who come here are all noble daughters from influential families, and they are all principal heirs, like Miss Zhang and Miss Li.
Although you, Miss Shen, are a member of the Shen family, you are from a collateral branch, not to mention that you are a concubine daughter. I'm curious to ask, are you here to pray for blessings, or do you have another motive?"