0p0 Chapter 456 What a pity
Chapter 456 What a pity
As these words came out, the five little ones sat down one by one, looking a little stiff.
Soon, tea cups were placed in front of everyone one by one. The lingering aroma of tea filled the hall, and the atmosphere did not ease at all.
Princess Anping gently picked up the teacup, took a sip, and slowly swept her eyes over the crowd, as if she was examining and considering, or brewing words to liven up the atmosphere. After a while, she turned the topic to the woman beside her.
"Jing'an, you haven't seen these children for a long time, so you must have a lot to say." Princess Anping said with a smile.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes turned to the woman named Jing'an, whose former name was Luo Lezhi.
She raised her eyes slightly, her eyes swept over the five children calmly, and then she clasped her hands and said, "Your Highness, although the young donors have a connection with Jing'an in the past, Jing'an has now converted to Buddhism. The earthly connection is nothing but a passing cloud to me, and it is really not worth mentioning."
Jing'an's voice was cold and plain, drawing a clear line of distance.
Hearing this, the two little girls couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment on their faces.
Yan Ke quickly spoke nicely: "Aunt Luo, we all remember your painstaking teachings in the past, and we have never forgotten them. We are all grateful to you."
Chen Jiaoyi also echoed: "Yes, Aunt Luo, in fact, we all miss you very much."
However, after hearing this, Luo Lezhi was not moved at all. She just moved her lips slightly and recited scriptures silently. The Buddhist beads in her hand kept turning, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her and she was in a world of her own.
Seeing that this person did not respond, the two older sisters hinted to Xiao Yining to say something as well to save her face.
At this moment, Xiao Yining was looking at Luo Lezhi carefully. It must be said that after not seeing him for several months, the changes in this man were truly amazing.
His face was dull, his body was thin, his eyes were filled with a vicissitude and depth that was extremely inconsistent with his age, and his whole body exuded a sense of bitterness and loneliness.
But so what? She had just said one sentence, and the little kid realized that her words were not what she meant. Her motive for coming here was not pure at all. She was just pretending to be an ascetic who had seen through the world.
Xiao Yining's eyes fell on the gauze wrapped around Luo Lezhi's palm. After a moment's pause, she asked in confusion, "Aunt Luo, when did you leave Yanjing? Sister Liu went to visit you last time, and I wanted to see you too, but you were gone."
This time, Luo Lezhi had some reaction. Her hand, which was originally turning the Buddhist beads at a constant speed, suddenly stopped, as if it was held by something, and then returned to normal without a trace.
She slowly raised her head and explained to the little kid in a soft voice, "A month ago, my master took me on a journey of begging for alms, so we left Yanjing."
The little kid's chubby face showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, and then he pretended to be innocent and asked, "Did Aunt Luo and your master ask my uncle for alms? My uncle is the emperor, the master of this palace."
As soon as these words fell, Princess Anping, who was sitting at the head of the table, chuckled and explained on behalf of Jing'an, "Lin Yining, Jing'an doesn't need to beg for alms now. She just needs to concentrate on her cultivation. As for her master, he unfortunately passed away due to being a refugee."
Such a coincidence?
Xiao Yining's suspicious eyes moved between the two of them, then he withdrew his gaze depressedly and said "oh" softly.
Princess Anping looked at the child's innocent appearance, shook her head gently, turned sideways and said to Jing'an in a gentle and soothing tone: "Jing'an, the child is still innocent, don't mind it."
Jing'an nodded slightly and said only one sentence: "Princess, you are too polite." Then he immersed himself in his own world again.
The little kid watched the interaction between the two and thought to himself: Could it be that this person saved Aunt Anping's life, and they are so close?
At this moment, Xiao Yining didn't know that she had already discovered the truth. After she muttered to herself, she looked up at her fellow villager, hoping that he could get some useful information out of her.
Pei Yi did what the little kid expected. Seeing that the little kid was talking to death, he changed the subject and said, "Madam Xue, I didn't expect to see you here after we parted last time. I'm just curious about why you became a nun. Could it be that you wanted to prove your innocence because I said you were her lover?"
Jing'an's heart was shaken, and her reaction was stronger than before. Although she tried her best to maintain her composure and stared at the boy in front of her expressionlessly, her fingers that were pinching the Buddhist beads turned white due to excessive force.
This scene fell into the eyes of Xiao Yining who was standing by, and immediately made her feel curious.
However, Pei Yi seemed to be completely unaware of the impact of his words and continued talking to himself like a fool.
He looked regretful and said, "If you want to become a monk to avoid disaster because of me, it is actually unnecessary. I don't care about my reputation. I will definitely prove your innocence and save you from the pain of rumors."
Then, he said with a hint of pity: "The life of a monk is really too hard. You are in your prime years, how can you bear it?"
The young man revealed his secrets without any scruples, which stunned those who were not in the know, and the two young girls with poor self-control could not help but exclaim in surprise.
Yan Ke's face was full of disbelief: "Uncle Pei, yes, yes..."
"Why has my uncle become my lover?" Chen Jiaoyi was stunned as if she had been struck by lightning.
Princess Anping, who was sitting at the top, looked at Jing'an in surprise; she was also completely unaware of this matter.
Everyone's eyes fell on Jing'an. Unlike her calmness just now, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.
However, just when the hall was in an awkward situation, a sudden voice instantly broke the atmosphere barrier and saved Jing'an.
A familiar figure ran in quickly from outside and shouted loudly: "Cousin, why didn't you see me when you came back, but instead saw strangers? Don't you like me?"
"Azhu!" Princess Anping came to her senses and quickly reached out to catch the kid who rushed in. She frowned and said in a soft voice, "Why are you still so reckless? If you fall, you will be the one who gets hurt."
Sheng Hongtong waved his hand nonchalantly: "I'm not a three-year-old kid, how could I fall?"
Before he finished speaking, the naughty kid felt a burning sensation at the back of his head. He quickly turned around and saw Xiao Yining glaring at him.
He suddenly became furious and glared back.
Xiao Yining was so angry at this moment. The atmosphere that his fellow villagers had worked so hard to create was ruined by the arrival of this naughty child. Seeing that Luo Lezhi was showing emotional fluctuations, he was about to reveal his true colors.
She glanced at Luo Lezhi again out of the corner of her eye, and sure enough, this man had returned to normal, looking detached from the world and indifferent to worldly affairs.