Green Mountain
Chapter 388 - 314, Flip the table

Chapter 388: 314, Flip the table

A day within the palace restrictions seems longer than outside.

The people within the red walls and grey tiles start hoping for noon as soon as they wake up in the morning, and start hoping for the evening after noon.

The children outside the palace kick football on the streets, losing track of time until it’s suddenly dark; while those inside the palace watch the sunset fall bit by bit, surprisingly slow.

The eight hundred drum beats of the bell and drum tower cease, the Imperial City gate is locked, and night falls.

All the Daoist nuns return to the rear hall; some sit in a daze on the shared bed, lost in thought, while others mend their own clothes, handing back the needle and thread to Xuan Su afterwards, pieces not missing.

Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun sit at the edge of the shared bed, whispering about something unknown.

Xuan Su sits on the shared bed, her gaze wandering between Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun, then calmly says: "Bai Li, bring me a basin of foot-washing water."

Zhu Lingyun glares: "Don’t you have hands and feet? Can’t you go yourself?"

Xuan Su smiles, pulling out a ruler from under her pillow: "Then let’s check Bai Li’s homework for today. The Master taught forty-nine sentences today—if you can recite them, she won’t be punished."

Zhu Lingyun is taken aback, turning to look at Bai Li worriedly.

Bai Li shows no joy or sorrow, and softly begins: "The Dao that can be said is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things. Hence, constant non-being gives one insight into its wonders; constant being gives one insight into its manifestations. These two emerge from the same source yet differ in name; both are called mysteries. The mystery of mysteries, the gate to all wonders..."

Xuan Su frowns, hearing Bai Li recite all forty-nine sentences learned today without missing a word, unable to wield the ruler.

She contemplates momentarily, turns to Zhu Lingyun: "You recite!"

Zhu Lingyun stumbles through: "The Dao that can be said... is not the eternal Dao...the name that can be named, is not the eternal name..."

Xuan Su abruptly raises her hand, but Bai Li intervenes before she can strike.

Bai Li, holding her wrist, calmly says: "I’ll fetch the water for you instead."

Xuan Su chuckles slightly: "Had you understood sooner, wouldn’t everything be better?"

Bai Li gets off the shared bed to the side room to boil water, sitting absent-mindedly in front of the small red clay stove, the warm air blowing on her face, lost in thought.

She recalls the twentieth sentence of the Taoist scripture, silently reciting, "Heaven and earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs; the sage too is unkind, treating the people as straw dogs."

Feeling it inappropriate, she then silently recites the twenty-eighth sentence, "In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be truthworthy. In leadership, be just. In’ handling matters, be competent. In action, choose the right timing. Because they do not contend, there is no resentment."

While lost in random thoughts, the kettle emits a piercing steam sound.

Bai Li rises, pouring the kettle into a copper basin, mixing in some cold water, and calmly places it before Xuan Su.

Xuan Su removes her shoes, smiling cheerfully: "As Prince Jing’s daughter, you ought to be living leisurely. Yet, I see you work so swiftly. Unlike your sister, who is utterly useless."

Bai Li casually corrects her: "She is not entirely useless."

Xuan Su sneers: "You’re quite the competent elder sister, always defending your sister. But why, in Jingyang Palace, is everyone isolated yet you sisters can rely on each other?"

Bai Li remains expressionless, finally understanding the root of Xuan Su’s malice.

Xuan Su places her feet into the basin, speaking harshly: "Wash my feet. You will wash my feet every day from now on! If you refuse, I’ll make your sister recite the scriptures. A single mistake will earn her punishment!"

Zhu Lingyun, incensed, shouts from the shared bed: "You witch, my sister is Prince Jing’s eldest daughter! Not someone you can mishandle!"

Xuan Su glances at her sidelong: "Is Prince Jing’s eldest daughter so precious? Here in Jingyang Palace, I make the rules!"

Saying this, several Daoist nuns beside her stand facing Zhu Lingyun, seemingly ready to pin her down for a beating any time.

At this moment, Bai Li softly says: "We’ve reached this point, who still counts as precious? I’ll wash it. Lingyun, you should sleep."

Zhu Lingyun’s eyes whirl in anger: "Sister, let’s fight them to death!"

Bai Li repeats: "Lingyun! Sleep!"

Xuan Su laughs heartily: "Still, the elder sister is mature and steady!"

She swirls her chubby feet in the copper basin, smiling: "Wash them. What’s taking so long? Suffer through hardships to become a superior person; Princess Bai Li, you have much more suffering ahead, but great fortune awaits."

Bai Li silently dips her hands into the basin.

...

...

At dawn, the morning bell from the bell and drum tower echoes from the north.

This bell rings punctually every day, similar to each day itself, seemingly without freshness.

As usual, Xuan Su stands by the door, raising her voice sharply: "Everyone get up for morning classes!"

She suddenly throws open the vermilion lacquered door, allowing the cold wind to flood into the hall.

Bai Li gets up, first arranging Zhu Lingyun’s hair, then pinning Princess Yongchun’s hair with a wooden hairpin, looking at her wrinkle-laden face, as if seeing her own future.

Princess Yongchun clumsily laughs: "Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, you truly resemble a Bodhisattva, so beautiful."

Bai Li smiles: "How could Buddha’s Bodhisattva come to a Dao Court’s temple?"

Princess Yongchun responds crazily: "A place meant for doing good hides those doing evil. Why shouldn’t Buddha’s Bodhisattva visit a Dao Court’s temple?"

Bai Li is taken aback.

Before she can think further, Princess Yongchun jumps out of bed, running outdoors: "Brother Zhuoyuan will definitely come to see me today. He promised to visit!"

Bai Li, feeling a mix of emotions, slowly composes herself to walk outside.

As she passes the vermilion palace door, Xuan Su leans against the door frame, speaking in a low voice: "Don’t think of complaining to Daoist Xuanzhen, behave well, should I catch you, you won’t escape punishment."

Bai Li did not answer but led Zhu Lingyun straight towards the Jingyang Palace.

The mat was already laid out, and the graceful and elegant Master Xuanzhen sat cross-legged on it, lightly waved the horsetail whisk, struck the bell and chime, and said aloud: "The way that can be spoken of is not the eternal way..."

The teachings of the Taoist Scripture were just the same as yesterday.

In a trance, Bai Li almost felt as if she was trapped in some desperate situation, repeating "one day" after another, endlessly, unable to escape, with no end in sight.

After the Taoist Scripture was finished, Master Xuanzhen leisurely got up and led everyone to perform the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony to the Three Pure Ancestors.

At this moment, Zhu Lingyun got up from the mat and rushed towards Xuanzhen. Bai Li reached out to pull her back but only brushed against her sleeve.

In front of the statue of the Three Pure Ancestors, Zhu Lingyun threw herself at Xuanzhen’s feet, sobbing: "Temple master, that Xuan Su flaunts her power every day in the rear hall, clearly with work that everyone should do together, yet she insists on making only me and my sister do it. At night, she even makes us sleep beside the chamber pots, so that we are woken whenever someone gets up to use it. She doesn’t even wash her own clothes, leaving it all to me and my sister. My sister’s hands are so frozen they are cracked open, if you don’t believe me, look..."

Xuan Su’s face changed: "Shut up, I told you to shut up!"

She rushed forward, trying to grab Zhu Lingyun by the hair, but Xuanzhen merely glanced back slightly, and she immediately withdrew her hand awkwardly: "Temple master, I..."

Zhu Lingyun continued to sob: "Temple master, this Xuan Su even makes my sister wash her feet."

Xuanzhen waved the horsetail whisk, turned to Xuan Su, and said softly: "A few days ago it was Princess Yongchun, today it’s Princess Lingyun. How many times do I have to help you deal with outside troubles? If you can’t manage them well, I’ll find someone else to manage, so that no one disturbs my quiet cultivation."

Zhu Lingyun froze.

Xuan Su hastily replied: "I can manage them well, I can!"

Xuanzhen, holding the horsetail whisk, softly said: "Kneel."

Xuan Su knelt in front of her, spreading her palms upward.

Xuanzhen reached out, and someone handed her a bamboo ruler: "Recite the Purifying Heaven and Earth Spell."

Xuan Su gave Zhu Lingyun a venomous look and began to recite: "Heaven and Earth by nature, foul energies disperse. Within the cave of metaphysical emptiness, the bright primordial origin. The gods of the eight directions empower me naturally..."

With a crisp sound, the ruler struck hard on her palm. Xuan Su’s face quivered with pain, but her recitation of the Purifying Heaven and Earth Spell did not dare to pause for a moment.

After exactly one hundred and eight strokes, Xuanzhen, with an indifferent expression, said: "Dispel the hundred and eight troubles, body like crystal, both inside and out, clear as glass. Today you surpass who you were yesterday."

Xuan Su, her left hand bloody and torn, bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Master."

Xuanzhen handed the ruler to someone beside her, turned and walked towards the side hall, not sparing another glance at anyone present.

As the vermillion doors of the side hall closed, Xuan Su suddenly looked at Zhu Lingyun and shouted harshly: "I told you early on not to lodge complaints, not to disturb the master’s cultivation, but you just wouldn’t listen! Drag her to the rear hall for me and gag her!"

Bai Li hurried forward and said anxiously: "No, she won’t do it again!"

Xuan Su glared at her with anger: "And Bai Li, drag her to the rear hall as well!"

A number of Daoist nuns dragged the two away, and the doors of the side hall never reopened.

In the rear hall, Xuan Su turned back to close the door and swung the ruler in her hand onto Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun’s thighs until their flesh was torn and blood soaked through their pants before stopping.

At noon, the little eunuch brought food, and the Daoist nuns scattered to the side hall to eat, leaving only Bai Li and Zhu Lingyun lying on the shared bed. Zhu Lingyun was crying softly, nearly out of strength to cry.

Princess Yongchun sat on the threshold looking at the sky, twirling a strand of her own loose hair around her finger, murmuring something to herself.

Bai Li slowly sat up, gently wiping Zhu Lingyun’s tears: "Does it hurt?"

Zhu Lingyun said aggrievedly: "Sister, it hurts so much."

Bai Li lifted her robe, looking at her younger sister’s mangled thighs, feeling a pain that pierced the heart.

She stroked Zhu Lingyun’s cheek and coaxed softly: "Don’t cry, let’s go eat, it won’t hurt after eating."

Zhu Lingyun buried her head in her arms: "I don’t want to eat. When will this life end, sister? Even father never hit us."

Bai Li whispered: "Yes, even father never hit you."

She struggled to get up, limping towards the outside.

As she passed by Princess Yongchun, the princess suddenly stopped twirling her hair: "She was wrong."

Bai Li was taken aback: "What was wrong?"

Princess Yongchun sat on the threshold, looked up at her: "Mother told me that eating something replenishes that same part, like eating fish eyes brightens the eyes. So, if you want to be superior to others, you must eat people instead."

Bai Li was stunned on the spot.

Princess Yongchun looked at the blue sky outside, and said softly: "I kept thinking if I endured a bit longer, things would turn around. But after waiting for twenty-two years, all I got was news of death. If I had known, I should have died twenty-two years ago instead."

Bai Li hesitated: "You..."

As she spoke, a butterfly fell outside, lightly landing on her hair. After pausing for two seconds, it flapped its wings and flew towards the main hall.

Princess Yongchun stood up and chased it: "Brother Zhuoyuan has come to find me! Brother Zhuoyuan, wait for me!"

Bai Li let out a long sigh and walked towards the side hall.

Inside the side hall, Xuan Su and others were eating. One of the Daoist nuns saw Bai Li enter and immediately moved to block the gap in the table.

Bai Li was silent for a long time, then suddenly stepped forward and overturned the table, letting the food and dishes scatter all over the floor. Xuan Su looked down at the food stains and leaves on her Daoist robe, not reacting immediately to what had happened.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone, Bai Li picked up two buns from the ground and stuffed them into her bosom, heading to the corner of the side hall.

She crouched down, avoiding exposing her vulnerable spots.

Finally coming to her senses, Xuan Su shouted in fury: "This is outrageous, outrageous! Someone beat her, beat her hard, let her learn the rules inside Jingyang Palace!"