He didn’t elaborate, just turned to leave. In the span of a blink, he’d completely vanished from Shen Qiao’s sight.
Shen Qiao stood in place for a while, watching as Yan Wushi disappeared into the crowd. He smiled despite himself, then also took his leave.
He hadn’t walked far when a large troop of men on horseback marched toward him. Soldiers led the way as they drove the pedestrians aside, and everyone quickly scattered off the road. No one wanted to bump into the noble behind those soldiers, lest they bring trouble onto themselves.
Shen Qiao had dodged to the side too when he heard someone behind him say curiously, “Which prince or princess is it this time?”
Another person laughed as he replied, “You’re wrong. Look at the insignia! That’s the Prince of Chenyang Commandery!”
“Ah!” Understanding dawned on the first man. “The Prince of Chenyang Commandery who’s greatly favored by the emperor?”
“Correct,” said the second in a meaningful tone. “That’s him.”
The Prince of Chenyang Commandery, Mu Tipo, was greatly renowned—almost everyone had heard of him. However, his fame came from the emperor, not from his own achievements or abilities.
There was also some deeply unpleasant history between Shen Qiao and this Prince of Chenyang Commandery. Because of him, Mu Tipo would never be able to have relations ever again—his loathing for Shen Qiao was probably long-standing and bone-deep. Shen Qiao wasn’t afraid of him, but he was here to find someone, not cause more trouble. After hearing who it was, he backed deeper into the crowd, preparing to hide himself in a nearby shop for the time being.
But then he heard someone’s surprised voice. “That’s not the Prince of Chenyang Commandery?”
Shen Qiao looked back. In an unfortunate coincidence, the person riding high astride the horse was just then looking in his direction.
Their gazes met. Shen Qiao calmly turned his head away, unruffled, but the other party started slightly.
“Oh, it’s not the Prince of Chenyang Commandery! He’s the new favorite of the emperor. I heard that he was recommended by the Prince of Chenyang Commandery. His Majesty is very fond of him right now, even Consort Feng has to take a backseat to him!”
“Consort Feng? She’s the one who…right?”
“Hehe, right! The emperor stripped her naked then let the officials pay to look at her—one thousand gold per view! That Consort Feng!”
The surrounding crowd followed up with a stint of knowing laughter.
With an emperor and officials like that, what hope was there for the country?
Shen Qiao thought of Yuwen Yong, who he’d met, then shook his head. He quickly dove back into the crowd and left.
Northern Qi esteemed Buddhism; therefore, as Yecheng was also a Buddhist city, there were practically no Daoist monasteries. Shen Qiao asked several passersby, but none of them knew of any in the city. It wasn’t until he asked an old man that he received an answer: “There’s Bailong Monastery in the west of the city, but there’s only one abbot and two young priests. Normally it’s fairly lonely—few people go there.”
Shen Qiao thanked the old man, and after some searching, he quickly found Bailong Monastery. From the outside, only the words “Bailong Monastery” on the wooden plaque were still crisp and legible. The rest of the building was scarred over with moss, and the roof tiles were decayed. It’d probably been many years since the place had been last cleaned and repaired.
The old man had said two young priests, but the gates were unlatched. As Shen Qiao walked all the way into the courtyard, he saw nary a shadow. He raised his voice and called out a few times. Finally, a boy priest came out, yawning.
“Why has this gentleman come?”
Shen Qiao bowed and cupped his hands. “May I ask this young Daoist priest if a group of people have come to stay in the past few days? Their leader is a young man, and following him should be a young woman and two old men. Perhaps a number of disciples as well. The young man has a red mole beneath his ear, and they may or may not be wearing Daoist robes.”
The boy priest shook his head. “No, our monastery has always been cold and lonely, day and night. It’s been a long time since anyone’s come here!”
Shen Qiao was a little disappointed. Seeing that the sky was growing dark, he asked, “Then, are there any empty guest rooms available? This one wishes to stay the night.”
“There are,” said the boy priest, “but they haven’t been cleaned in a while. You’d have to clean them yourself.”
“Many thanks,” said Shen Qiao. “As long as there’s somewhere I can stay. May I ask if the abbot is here, young priest? As I’m borrowing a room from the host, I must at least thank him.”
“No need,” said the boy. “My master doesn’t meet with outsiders, and in the end, you’re only borrowing a room, not money. Whether or not you see him doesn’t matter.”
He led Shen Qiao through the monastery’s main hall, bringing him to one of the rooms in the back courtyard. When he pushed open the doors, they were greeted with a face-full of musty air, age-old and thick with dust. The boy himself began coughing incessantly, his hand fanning hard before his nose.
“Look, it’s so dirty. You really wanna sleep here?” He looked at Shen Qiao askance.
Shen Qiao gave it a brief scan. The bed was a little dirty, but there was a broom and dustcloth, along with a well right outside. It would be good enough with a quick cleaning. His lodgings hadn’t been that luxurious or comfortable back when he’d been honored as the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain either.
“I’ll be fine. Thank you, young priest.”
Since he’d said so, the boy let him be. “We don’t eat after noontime, so the stove isn’t burning. If you want to eat, you’ll have to cook something yourself. The kitchen has kettles and cups, but no rice or flour. If you want to buy something to eat, there’s a market right across the street outside. You should go quickly though, since they’ll be closing soon.”
With this kind of hospitality, no wonder the monastery drew few pilgrims to stay, even though they were located in the capital. Beyond the residents simply esteeming Buddhism, it seemed that the host’s attitude itself was a problem.
But Shen Qiao didn’t complain: he only smiled, giving a positive reply to everything the boy said. Once the child had left, he began cleaning—spraying water, sweeping, and scrubbing the cot.
Not much later, the boy returned, excitement shining on his face. “Sir, quickly, come and look! There are so many carriages outside, all carrying so many things! They said it’s all for you!”