"Who are you?"
Lady Ji squinted at the old monk before her, a flicker of recognition in her eyes.
"Amitabha! I am Monk Liao Kong!"
Upon hearing the monk’s name, Lady Ji’s eyes widened. "Master Liao Kong!" she exclaimed, then added in astonishment, "You’re still alive?"
Liao Kong was speechless.
Huo Xing’Er frowned slightly.
The Ji brothers interjected, "Mother! Don’t forget he wants Suisui to be ordained into Buddhism!"
They were reminding their mother not to get nostalgic; this was the man who wanted to shave her granddaughter’s head and make her a nun!
Lady Ji raised a hand to silence them, her gaze fixed on the old monk with renewed surprise.
"Thirty years ago, when I was just a young girl, Master, you already looked as you do now. Who would have thought that after all these years, you still look the same? In fact, I’d say you appear even more like an immortal sage than you did thirty years ago!"
Monk Liao Kong clasped his hands together and intoned, "Amitabha. Benefactress, you are blessed with profound good fortune; great rewards will surely come to you in the future!"
Lady Ji chuckled softly. "You intend to take my granddaughter as your disciple. What reward is there in that for me?"
Liao Kong replied, "Amitabha. Benefactress, this child is destined to be my disciple. She possesses an unparalleled talent for understanding the Buddhist Dharma. If she can take refuge in Buddha, she will undoubtedly achieve great things!"
"My Suisui doesn’t need your ’great things’—perhaps, Master, you should keep them for yourself!" Ji Youzhi stepped forward and retorted.
"Whether you consent to her taking refuge in Buddha or not, this child is already a disciple of our Buddhist order. For the sake of the world, from this day forward, she cannot leave Qixia Temple!"
Seeing the Ji Family’s firm stance, Monk Liao Kong knew he couldn’t persuade them with his words alone. Thus, he quickly presented a reason concerning the welfare of all people, intending to forcibly keep the child there.
"’For the sake of the world?’ Master, that’s quite a heavy accusation you’re leveling against our Ji Family. Are you aware that this child is the Eldest Princess of the Great Han’s imperial family? You want a princess to shave her head and become a nun? To make the imperial family a laughingstock for the world? Do you think His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress Dowager will consent to this?"
Ji Youze, unlike the martial-tempered Ji Youzhi, was a scholar and an imperial study companion to His Majesty. Though he held no official post in Officialdom, he had secretly witnessed countless bloody struggles within the Imperial Court.
As soon as he said this, Liao Kong’s usually serene and imperturbable face twitched, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"She’s the Eldest Princess?"
"Indeed. Although Suisui is a child of our Ji Family, she is also a Princess of the Great Han’s imperial family! Her title is ’Chang Rongshun Shunhe.’ Master Liao Kong, I suggest you reconsider this matter!"
"’Chang Rongshun Shunhe?’ So, His Majesty hopes this young benefactress will bring prosperity and flourishing to the Great Han. Am I correct?" Master Liao Kong responded.
Ji Youze nodded. "Naturally. His Majesty places such high expectations on the Princess, hoping she can bring good fortune to the Great Han."
And indeed, she herself is a bearer of great fortune.
"Then the Princess has even more reason not to leave my Qixia Temple."
"What did you say?"
The expressions of everyone in the Ji Family changed, including the usually impassive Ji Youze!
"Is the Master attempting to provoke the imperial family?" Ji Youze’s voice deepened ominously.
"Amitabha! Not at all, Benefactor. Are you aware that the Princess is exceptionally gifted and has already begun to grasp the profound mysteries of heaven and earth? She possesses the ability to summon all creation and to speak on matters of life and death, fortune and calamity?"