Insufficient balance
Later, a poet wrote two lines of poetry: Good rain knows the timing, when spring occurs. With the wind secretly entering the night, moistening things finely without sound. It is written about spring rain, but the spring rain in the poem should occur on the Jian Nan Road.
The spring rain in Chang'an is not "silently nourishing things" but rather pattering and dripping, the sound of water flowing from the eaves to the gutter can be heard under the roof "gurgling...", outside the window, it's a hazy scene, the sound isn't loud, but the rain fills the entire world.
Xue Chongxun walked to the Daqin Temple and felt that this scene was a bit similar: still going to see his mother, still a little early. Then he came to a temple, and here he also met a woman.
This time, it's not to Qianfo Temple, but to Daqin Temple, which is not far away. Daqin Temple is located in Yiningfang, next to Kaiyuan Gate, and it's a Nestorian church, also known as the Church of the East. When it was first introduced to Tang Dynasty, people didn't understand it and thought it was a Persian religion, so they called it Bosi Temple. Later, when they found out it wasn't a Persian religion, they changed the name to Daqin Temple, but the official documents still kept the old name.
Xue Chongxun and his servant took shelter from the rain under a temple tower, and the servant put away the umbrella. At this point, they saw a woman running towards them without an umbrella, her hands barely covering her head as she ran straight to the eaves of the building, obviously seeking refuge from the rain.
This woman, Xue Chongxun, was unfamiliar to him, but he soon found himself drawn in by her elegant appearance.
She was wearing a light-colored skirt, a common Tang-style skirt: a short underskirt on top and a long skirt below, with a silk scarf draped over her shoulders and half an arm. This elegant outfit looked soft and elegant on her. All that could be seen was a delicate face with a hint of makeup, exceptionally beautiful, her hair was wet from the rain, a strand of hair stuck to the corner of her mouth, with a few sparkling water droplets on top.
This scene, the ancient temple's stone pagoda, a classical beauty, is like a dream. She has a slender figure and a beautiful face, with a hint of melancholy, and a poetic charm.
She glanced unintentionally at Xue Chongxun, who was also standing under the eaves, and then ignored him, only occasionally looking up at the sky, as if praying for the gods in heaven to stop the rain soon.
Perhaps it was the beautiful things that affected Xue Chongxun's mood, or perhaps it was because of this hazy little rain, Xue Chongxun's mood also became calm. For a moment, he felt good and took the umbrella from his servant's hand and handed it over: "Use mine."
The woman only took a closer look at Xue Chongxun now, with a shy expression and said: "You only have one umbrella, how can I be so presumptuous..." She showed such an innocent expression, looking like she had a bit of childishness, probably not very old, only about 15 or 16 years old.
Xue Chongxun said calmly: "I came by horse-drawn carriage and didn't need an umbrella. Take this, who knows when the rain will stop."
The young woman hesitated for a moment, slowly reached out to take the oil-paper umbrella, and smiled slightly: "Thank you, sir. You're really a kind-hearted person. How can I return the umbrella to you?"
Xue Chongxun couldn't help but smile when he heard her say so about herself.
At this time, the opportunity came, and when returning the umbrella, they could meet again, and it would be easy to get familiar with each other. However, Xue Chongxun still said in that calm tone: "It's not something important, no need to return it."
The woman looked down at the oil-paper umbrella in her hand, thought for a moment, then raised her head and revealed a smile. Her red lips parted slightly: "Then I won't be polite anymore... By the way, have you ever been to Daqin Temple before? There's a Repentance Hall inside where you can tell your troubles to the priest behind the small window. I see that you seem worried, telling the priest might make you feel better."
She finished speaking, lightly pursed her lips, opened the oil-paper umbrella and walked into the rain. The ancient-costumed woman holding an oil-paper umbrella, in the hazy smoke and rain, Xue Chongxun looked at her figure under the eaves, thinking of the small good deed he had just done, his mood suddenly became a little lighter. At this moment, he thought of Yuwen Ji helping refugees at the City God Temple last time, and suddenly seemed to have some feelings.
"It's about time, let's go." Xue Chongxun said to his servant beside him.
……
The magnificent Zhen Guo Taiping Princess Mansion, whether it's sunny or rainy, the scenery is very good. The weeping willows by the lake are even more elegant in the light rain, and the majestic palace is hazy as if in the clouds.
"Two chancellors are already waiting in the front hall, let's go see them first, and tonight you stay behind to have dinner with me." Taiping Princess only said this simple sentence after seeing Xue Chongxun, but this sentence was actually not that simple.
Xue Chongxun had just committed a capital offense, but instead of scolding him, Princess Taiping not only showed no intention of blaming him, but also let him go with her to see the prime minister, which shows that Xue Chongxun gained not only his mother's trust, but also a position in her heart.
But he instead felt a bit heartbroken, that was his own biological mother, in order to say something to make her believe, actually needed to spend so much effort, and even did a few bad things.
As they walked into the front hall, two middle-aged men wearing purple official robes with large buttons stood up to pay their respects to Princess Taiping. They were both prime ministers, one was Xiao Zhizhong, who was stout and looked very steady in his words and deeds; the other was Dou Huaijian, who was tall and had a heroic air about him, although he was already over forty, but still had a elegant demeanor... When Xue Chongxun saw Dou Huaijian, he felt it was unbelievable. Two years ago, he had married off Wei Empress's old nurse, an old woman with almost no teeth left, and the scene of the two of them getting married in the palace must have been hilarious.
The princess's eldest son, Xue Chongxun, was also behind them. The two of them were a little surprised at first, but soon returned to normal. Because it was Xue Chongxun's first time appearing in such a situation, Dou Huai didn't want to ignore him, so she deliberately exchanged greetings with Xue Chongxun and then casually said: "That thing the other day, Mr. Xue doesn't have to worry about it, it's not a big deal."
At this time, Xiao Zhizhong took over the conversation and said: "However, Li Shouyi has been boasting that he wants to intervene and take charge. This person is a bit difficult to deal with, so Mr. Xue still needs to be on guard against him." Xiao Zhizhong was always cautious and meticulous, which is why he said this.
Dong Huai Zhen shook her head and said: "I'm still unclear about Li Shouyi's background, his foundation is too shallow, what kind of waves can he stir up?"
The Princess Taiping's eyes had no blame, but her mouth scolded: "You're a useless kid who only knows how to fight and compete every day! Now that something has happened, you still want me, your mother, to clean up the mess for you."
Xue Chongxun bowed and said: "I know I was wrong."
Dong Huai Zhen smiled and said, "Young people should be decisive and bold when doing things, it's rare, but... to get Feng Yuan Jun off the stage, you don't need to do this. This way, the one who loses face is actually Xue Lang, and it doesn't give a good impression to everyone."
Xue Chongxun thought to himself: Now, in the imperial court, four chancellors who were inclined towards the crown prince have all been dismissed by the empress dowager. What about a minor figure like Feng Yuanjun? If it was just for the power of the Taichang Temple, it wasn't worth killing someone over.
