The widow should have begun cooking by then. The monk put away his Buddhist scripture with the intention of going to the kitchen to have a look. The widow said that she would be making a vegetarian dish that tasted like meat today. But he did not expect that when he went into the kitchen, he would not see her.
"She's not here?" the monk asked.
Yingda appeared. "She might have been delayed."
The monk waited for thirty minutes, but the widow did not come.
"Go and take a look."
The monk felt that something major had to have happened. The widow was usually very punctual. She was never late, because she was worried that she would bother his spiritual practice. That was why she always came on time.
Something major had to have happened for her to not show up.
As he expected, Yingda soon returned with a report. The widow was about to be forced to her death by Shangqing Temple.
"What's going on?" The monk stood up from his seat.
Yingda did not expect that his master would react in such an exaggerated fashion. He was shocked, but he did not dare to hide anything. "Shangqing Temple learned about her coming here to cook for you, and they said that she and… and…"
"And what?! Speak!" The monk scowled.
"Shangqing Temple said that she has an ambiguous relationship with the monks in Longan Temple and ruined the good reputation of Shangqing Temple. They want to chase her away, and she fainted because of grief," Yingda said.
Even though the fierce-looking nun said that she was only pretending, Yingda did not care about that. He just told the monk what he had heard truthfully.
The monk's usually gentle face was now dark. "Bring my waist plate and let them see just who she is serving!"
Yingda knelt down on one knee and quickly said, "Master, we are not to make this public. Should I go and look for the abbess instead?"
The monk had indeed flown into a rage just now. The widow had always known the rules were and obeyed them. Even though she cooked and served him, she never did anything out of bounds, so he did not expect that she would be treated so unjustly.
She was already a widow, and the people in the world did not tolerate her. Yet she had finally found a place to stay, but these nuns still smeared her name. Were they really only going to be satisfied when they forced her to her death?!
Once Yingda persuaded him, the monk calmed down. He sucked in a deep breath and said, "Go over and give a reminder to the abbess."
"Understood," Yingda quickly agreed to it.
He sighed in relief when he left the room. Honestly, he did not expect that his master would lose his temper for a widow. This was something that had never happened over the years!
Even if Yingda was always a little slow on the uptake, now, even he felt that the widow was really great!
When Chu Yue woke up, she found that she still had a roof over her head and sighed in relief. She was worried that Hupo would not be able to stop the nuns from chasing them out.
She had actually tapped her own acupressure point to make herself faint just now.
Chu Yue got up and said, "Hupo."
After sleeping, she felt much better.
Hupo was brewing medicine nearby. When she heard her name, she immediately came over. When Chu Yue saw that her maid's eyes were swollen because of all the crying, she felt guilty. She had not told the maid of her plan beforehand, which must have terrified her.
When Hupo saw her mistress, she wanted to cry again. Chu Yue quickly said, "Don't cry. I'm fine."
"How could you be fine? Milady, you were so depressed that you fainted. The physician just left," Hupo said.
"A physician came?" Chu Yue was surprised.
"Yes. Longan Temple asked him to come over," Hupo said with a nod.
Chu Yue believed that the physician should be the one Yingda managed to hire last time, so she could not help but ask, "And Shangqing Temple agreed to it?"
"Longan Temple belongs to the royal family, while Shangqing Temple is nothing. They're slightly older, but they can't compare to Longan Temple in any way. How would then they dare to say anything when Longan Temple sends a physician over?
"Besides, you woke up at the perfect time, Milady, Longan Temple has sent someone over to explain matters. The abbess said that once you wake up, they will personally come over to apologize to you."
When Hupo said this, she looked as if she had vented her anger.
"Then tell them that I'm awake," Chu Yue said once she saw that Hupo was on her side and would face her enemies together with her.
Hupo went off to speak to the abbess. Then, the abbess brought Grandmaster Jingmian, Young Nun Yumei, and the other nuns who had spoken behind her back.
Even Grandmaster Jingmian had to bear with the shame and apologize to Chu Yue.
"This is nothing. I just hope that you will not sully my name like this in the future. My body is weak, and I cannot bear with you accusing me of such things."
Chu Yue did not target anyone besides Grandmaster Jingmian. She kept her attacks strictly on her.
Grandmaster Jingmian was livid. Even though Longan Temple had come over to explain things, she still felt that the widow had an ambiguous relationship with that side. There was no reason for it, but she trusted her instincts!
But that side had already sent a person over, and she did not dare to go up against them. She could only say, "I hope that you will be magnanimous enough and will not fuss over this with me. I was not trying to target you, I was just thinking about the reputation of Shangqing Temple."
"I know that you are loyal to Shangqing Temple, but you shouldn't be so aggressive. Fortunately, Hupo managed to hold me back, or else, after I ran into the pillar, my blood would have been on your hands," Chu Yue said faintly.
'If you really wanted to die, who would have been able to stop you? You were just putting on a show!' Grandmaster Jingmian thought.
But she could only admit to her wrongdoings and say, "Female Patron, you were also in the wrong. We were just going to talk about things that mattered, but you kept seeking death, and even after a long time had passed, you never mentioned what you did when you went to Longan Temple. That is why we misunderstood things."
Chu Yue used a handkerchief to dab at the corners of her eyes and said, "You would not have believed me, considering my status. Even if I told you that I just went there to cook, you would have thought that I was trying to defend myself. It would not have been enough to prove my innocence."
"This is a mistake from Shangqing Temple. I only listened to one side of the story and believed in it," the abbess said.
As she spoke, she bowed to Chu Yue.
Chu Yue got up to help her up. She was still respectful to the abbess. "Abbess, you are too polite. It's good that we have managed to resolve this misunderstanding. Ever since I came here, Shangqing Temple has taken care of me.
"I love how Shangqing Temple holds itself aloof from the ways of the world and hope that I will be able to continue staying in this place. Would you be so kind as to allow me to do so?"
"Female Patron, you may stay here as long as you like," the abbess said gently.
And with that, the matter came to an end.
Then, the abbess left with Grandmaster Jingmian and the others, who still remained loathful.
Chu Yue was in a good mood. She poured herself a cup of ginger and jujube soup.
Even if she did not ask what happened, she already knew it.
As expected, the abbot of the temple had great power. He could really apply pressure on Shangqing Temple.
Otherwise, there was no way Shangqing Temple would have become so kind.
Since the matter was finished, Chu Yue had to go over and thank the monk.
"Milady, you can't go out. Your body is still not well enough," Hupo quickly said.
"Young Hupo, let me tell you this in secret. I was pretending just now," Chu Yue whispered. She cocked her eyebrows as she said these words.
Hupo was stunned and looked at her mistress in surprise. "You were pretending?"
"My life is precious, and I haven't enjoyed many of the blessings in life. How can I seek death for something as stupid as this?"
"Milady, you truly scared me to death just now!"
Hupo finally understood what had happened and berated her.