After bidding farewell to Xiao Cui in the West Market, Princess Ankang left with the Eighth Prince and Princess Yuan'an.
Today was their last day out of the palace, and they had no idea what kind of activities the Eighth Prince had arranged, as he was so confident, even saying he would definitely make Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an happy.
Following the Eighth Prince, Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an arrived at their first destination for the day.
Dayun Jing Temple.
This was a very majestic temple located very close to the West Market, clearly built with considerable effort.
"Old Eight, why did you bring us to a temple?"
Princess Yuan'an asked, puzzled.
She had originally thought the Eighth Prince would take them to some fun place, but unexpectedly, he had brought them to a temple.
The temple certainly looked good, but what fun could there be here?
The Eighth Prince did not rush to answer Princess Yuan'an's confusion.
"Yuan'an, don't be so anxious."
"As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Just follow me today and relax."
The Eighth Prince said this, leading the way for them.
He seemed very familiar with the place, and the monks of Dayun Jing Temple also showed him great respect.
From the looks of it, the Eighth Prince was probably not visiting here for the first time; he was at least a regular.
The Eighth Prince led Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an on a tour of the temple.
It must be said, the scenery here was indeed beautiful, and no matter where they walked, faint chanting of Buddhist scriptures could be heard, making one feel a sense of peace.
Li Xuan curiously looked around from Princess Ankang's arms.
He could sense that the atmosphere within the temple was subtly different from the outside world.
But exactly where it was different, he couldn't quite articulate.
It was a mysterious and profound feeling.
"Look, this place is called the Thousand Buddha Pavilion, and it's considered a sight in the capital."
The Eighth Prince introduced it to them.
Everyone stepped into the Thousand Buddha Pavilion and saw that the massive space was densely filled with various Buddha statues. Even the beams and roof were carved with various Buddhist sculptures, looking magnificent.
"Wow—"
Even Princess Yuan'an, who had been expressing her dissatisfaction, couldn't help but open her mouth wide and widen her eyes.
What the Eighth Prince said was indeed true; this Thousand Buddha Pavilion was certainly a sight in the capital.
Speaking of which, the Three Little Ones hadn't had a good look at the scenery of the capital during their outings these past few days.
Especially famous attractions like the Thousand Buddha Pavilion, they hadn't visited a single one.
Of course, if the Flower Street counted as a famous attraction in the capital, then they had at least checked one off their list.
The Eighth Prince led them on a tour of the Thousand Buddha Pavilion, occasionally introducing which Buddha statue was which, and sometimes even quoting scriptures to tell them a few small Buddhist stories.
It seemed the Eighth Prince had a good understanding of Buddhist lore.
"Is this guy going to become a monk later?"
Li Xuan looked at the endlessly talking Eighth Prince and couldn't help but wonder.
"Eighth Imperial Brother, I see many places in the temple decorated with lanterns and streamers. Is today a special day, are there any activities planned?"
Princess Ankang asked curiously.
"Haha, Ankang is still the most observant."
The Eighth Prince praised her, causing Princess Yuan'an to roll her eyes.
Then, the Eighth Prince continued to explain:
"Today is the Mid-Seventh Month. Buddhism calls it the Ullambana Festival, and Taoism calls it the Zhongyuan Festival."
"It is one of the three major Ghost Festivals of the year."
Princess Yuan'an couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Three major Ghost Festivals?"
"They are the Qingming Festival, the Mid-Seventh Month, and the Cold Clothes Festival," the Eighth Prince patiently explained.
Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an had heard of the Qingming Festival, but the latter two festivals sounded somewhat unfamiliar to them.
But actually, this was not Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an's fault, because in the palace, sacrificial activities were mainly held only on the Qingming Festival.
The other two festivals were not specially celebrated.
And for Princess Ankang to even know about the Qingming Festival was already quite good.
After all, she had lived in the Cold Palace for a long time and was even less aware of palace affairs.
In the past, her only contact with the outside world was basically through the monthly Imperial Garden gatherings.
The Eighth Prince was not surprised that Princess Yuan'an didn't know about the three major Ghost Festivals.
However, seeing Princess Ankang also looking confused, a hint of pity flashed in his eyes.
But it was quickly hidden by the Eighth Prince.
"During the day, I'll take you around the nearby temples and Taoist temples, and then we'll choose a satisfactory place to participate in the Mid-Seventh Month activities tonight."
"At that time, the local people will also come to participate; it will be very lively."
So, this was the program the Eighth Prince had arranged for today.
If it weren't for him, the two princesses wouldn't even know today was the Mid-Seventh Month.
Next, the Eighth Prince took Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an to visit all the nearby temples and Taoist temples.
Dayun Jing Temple, Ximing Temple, Chongcheng Temple, Jianfu Temple, Xuandu Temple, Daxingshan Temple, Chongji Temple, Cien Temple... and they still hadn't visited all the temples and Taoist temples.
They no longer had time to visit the more distant temples.
At noon, they casually found a temple for a vegetarian meal.
And surprisingly, even though it was just plain, watery food with no oil or meat, it was still flavorful.
Li Xuan, accustomed to eating rich meals, found the occasional vegetarian meal a pleasant surprise.
There were indeed many temples and Taoist temples in the capital, each with its own unique characteristics.
According to the Eighth Prince's introduction, only temples with profound foundations could build pagodas.
As they looked around, they indeed only saw two or three temples with pagodas, and all of them were built very tall.
More importantly, Li Xuan detected the aura of many experts in these temples and Taoist temples.
"Sure enough, there are always many experts hidden within the Buddhist and Taoist schools."
These people spent their entire lives cultivating, and compared to secular people, they had fewer distracting thoughts, allowing them to focus more on their cultivation.
After a day of visiting temples and Taoist temples, the sun quickly set.
But the Mid-Seventh Month activities had only just begun.
Finally, they chose to participate in the Mid-Seventh Month activities at Cien Temple.
According to the Eighth Prince, Cien Temple was the most famous and magnificent Buddhist temple in the capital.
Therefore, it was also the liveliest place in the capital for the Mid-Seventh Month festival tonight.
"This Cien Temple was built by Emperor Daxing Shengzu to pray for blessings for his birth mother and to repay his mother's kindness, hence the name Cien Temple."
As the Eighth Prince gave this introduction, he gazed blankly at the plaque above the temple gate, his expression complex.
Even Princess Yuan'an, who had been bickering the whole way, listened quietly, not interrupting the Eighth Prince's introduction.
"Let's go in."
The Eighth Prince beckoned the two of them to enter together, and the group grandly walked into Cien Temple.
At this time, dusk had just fallen, but Cien Temple was already packed with people.
People were eagerly competing to offer incense to their ancestors at Cien Temple.
It was said that the incense at Cien Temple was very efficacious, and honoring ancestors could protect future generations, ensuring their peace, health, and freedom from disaster.
The temple arranged various small activities: offering incense and praying for blessings, ancestor worship and burning paper money, and releasing river lanterns for the lonely souls.
Cien Temple also held a grand Buddhist ritual to offer sacrifices to the spirits of heaven and earth.
Although the Mid-Seventh Month was a Ghost Festival, the atmosphere was very joyful.
The streets outside the temple were even livelier, with not only dragon and lion dance parades but also various street performers, making it as bustling as the New Year.
Originally, the Three Little Ones had thought the atmosphere of the Ghost Festival would be rather somber, but it was completely different from what they had imagined.
Perhaps, this was a lively performance put on by the living for the deceased.
The purpose was to let the departed no longer worry about them.
Led by the Eighth Prince, the group moved through the crowd.
Thanks to the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs clearing the way, they did not suffer from the 擠 crowd and easily participated in many Mid-Seventh Month activities.
Finally, they arrived at a pond in the backyard of Cien Temple.
This was a designated area for releasing river lanterns.
The river lanterns were shaped like lotus flowers, and after being placed in the pond, they would slowly drift with the current.
The pond at Cien Temple connected to the outside world, flowing all the way to the city moat outside the city, and then along the moat to more distant places.
According to the Eighth Prince's introduction, the purpose of releasing river lanterns was for universal salvation and prayer.
Legend has it that the path from the underworld to the human world is very dark, and without light, one cannot see the way, so releasing lanterns is a good deed.
In this way, the wronged souls entangled in hell, suffering and unable to reincarnate, can carry a river lantern, find a path, and finally achieve reincarnation.
The human race is always so romantic about death.
Li Xuan could perceive this through these customs, which were largely similar to those of his previous life.
Princess Ankang held a beautiful lotus lantern, then closed her eyes and prayed silently, finally carefully placing it into the pond.
Watching the lotus lantern slowly drifting away with the ripples in the pond, Princess Ankang's eyes slowly became misty.
For so many years, this was the first time she had released a river lantern for Consort Xiao.
This made Princess Ankang feel somewhat unfilial.
And as she watched the river lantern drifting further and further away, she thought of Consort Xiao on her sickbed that day.
Suddenly, her previously blurry memories began to sharpen, piercing Princess Ankang fiercely.
"Your Highness."
Yu'er gently placed her hand on Princess Ankang's shoulder, calling out with some concern.
Princess Ankang shook her head and smiled slightly, but the tears in her eyes also fell.
"It's nothing, I just..."
"Meow~"
Li Xuan stood up from Princess Ankang's arms, extended his tongue, and gently licked away the tears on Princess Ankang's cheek.
Princess Ankang felt a tickle on her face, and seeing Li Xuan and Yu'er's worried expressions, her smile became a little brighter.
"I just miss my Imperial Consort."
The Three Little Ones silently turned their heads, looking at the gradually receding river lantern, and all thought of Consort Xiao's appearance.
Speaking of which, Consort Xiao was truly a very special person.
When Li Xuan was still a kitten, Consort Xiao often held him, saying incomprehensible things.
She was a mother, but in daily life, she was like a young girl.
But when Consort Xiao occasionally became serious, she looked very reliable.
It was just that later her illness became more and more severe, so severe that she didn't even have the strength to talk to Li Xuan anymore.
Princess Ankang's habit of always talking to Li Xuan was also learned from Consort Xiao.
Initially, they didn't even know Li Xuan could understand human speech.
Even so, they had endless things to say to Li Xuan every day.
The Eighth Prince and Princess Yuan'an did not disturb the Three Little Ones, but each released their own river lanterns.
The Eighth Prince, like Princess Ankang, closed his eyes deeply before sending off the river lantern, and only after a long time did he reluctantly push the river lantern into the pond.
Princess Yuan'an simply placed the river lantern into the water, completing the ritual simply.
At this moment, the vast pond of Cien Temple was covered with scattered, dim yellow lights, like a brilliant galaxy fallen upon the water's surface.
Many people released river lanterns, but even when the lanterns were out of sight, many could clearly distinguish their own lantern among the myriad lights.
The Three Little Ones silently retracted their gaze; the river lantern Princess Ankang had released earlier had already flowed out of the pond.
However, looking at the scene before them, no one was willing to leave just yet.
Even for Princess Yuan'an, this was a rare and beautiful sight.
Countless lotus lanterns gently floated on the water, gradually drifting away, none able to remain.
They watched for a long time, until the Eighth Prince said:
"Let's go, it's time to head back."
Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an were about to agree when suddenly another disturbance came from nearby.
A long dark shadow stood in the direction from which the disturbance came.
"It seems to be in the direction of the Great Wild Goose Pagoda. Let's go take a look."
The Eighth Prince frowned and said.
The Great Wild Goose Pagoda was the pagoda within Cien Temple, a square cone shape with seven stories.
Even in the capital, it was a very conspicuous building.
"This place is not open to the public on normal days, and it should be the same today."
"Let's go see what happened."
When the Eighth Prince said this, Li Xuan also became interested.
"A place not usually open to the public, huh?"
"Interesting."
"Could there be some treasure hidden there?"
Li Xuan's eyes immediately lit up.
The group hurried towards the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, only to find that the area beneath the Great Wild Goose Pagoda was brightly lit, with many people gathered there.
These people could be clearly seen as two distinct factions.
One side consisted of warrior monks dressed in monastic robes and wielding wooden staffs, presumably from Cien Temple.
These warrior monks were all muscular and robust, with an extraordinary aura, clearly all experts with cultivation.
The other group confronting the warrior monks looked somewhat familiar.
Their attire and demeanor were surprisingly identical to Xu Lang and others.
"Hmm? Are those Flower-Clothed Eunuchs?"
Li Xuan recognized them at a glance and immediately felt strange.
"Why are the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs in conflict with the monks of Cien Temple?"
"Could it be some prince or princess?"
During this period, only the princes and princesses participating in the Imperial Garden trials were wandering around the capital with Flower-Clothed Eunuchs.
Aside from that, Li Xuan couldn't think of any other possibilities.
At this moment, the warrior monks of Cien Temple shouted in unison:
"Cien Temple is a forbidden area; outsiders are not allowed to trespass!"
This was directed at the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs who were already confronting them, and also at Princess Ankang and the others who had just arrived.
Princess Ankang, the Eighth Prince, and Princess Yuan'an immediately halted their steps, not easily advancing.
It was best not to casually get involved in a dispute before understanding the situation.