Extra 3 - Night-blooming Cereus.

<b>Extra 3: Night-blooming Cereus</b> ¹ <b>.</b>

Since the Emperor was personally paying a visit to Huainan, Su Jingmo, as the Crown Prince, as well as Ling Qing, the Crown Princess, naturally had to accompany the Emperor. However, the procession also included King Yu, Su Jingyan.

Although it was the beginning of the Summer season, the weather in Chuzhou differed from the dry climate of the Capital. Here the days were often rainy, while cold winds blew at night. As a result of this sudden change in weather, the Crown Princess ended up catching a cold, which even after a few days, didn’t seem to get better.

“The physician said that the Crown Princess is feeling homesick and is a bit anxious. Hence why the cold persists.”

Quietly sipping on the pre-Qingming Longjing tea offered by Southern Zhejiang, Su Jingmo smiled: “I’m afraid the homesickness is false. It would be more accurate to say it is love sickness.”

This time, Su Jingyan had also joined the procession. Although Su Jingmo and Lin Qing had been married for more than a year, neither of them had met even once. Now, despite the fact that the person whom the Crown Princess loved was so close to her, he hadn’t spoken to her even once in the past month, so how could she not feel lovesick? Besides, in a few days they would be heading back to the Capital, so it would become even harder for Lin Qing to see Su Jingyan again. How could she not feel anxious?

Putting the teacup down on the table, Su Jingmo’s eyes curved into a smile: “Chenghe.”

“Yes!”

“Is there a pleasant place in Chuzhou where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery?”

“Well…. um…. this subordinate heard that at Fenglai Tower, the actresses and young ladies of Chu are exceptionally beautiful….”

Upon hearing these words, Su Jingmo, who was rarely taken by surprise, froze for a few moments. But right after, he began to burst out laughing: “I meant a serene place where you can appreciate the beauty of the flowers and the moon, not that kind of ‘pleasure’ ² .”

“This subordinate deserves to die!”

“Enough.” Su Jingmo looked at the Imperial Guard kneeling in front of him and shook his head. In fact, Su Jingmo would often go visit such places of revelry often, so he couldn’t blame the Imperial Guard for having misunderstood him.

After noticing that his Master hadn’t blamed him, Chenghe sighed in relief before continuing: “I know of a place, the Tanhua Temple. Although it’s a Buddhist Temple, it’s a pretty quiet and good place to visit.”

“Tanhua Temple?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Although this subordinate isn’t from Chuzhou, but from Northern Zhejiang, I have heard of the Tanhua Temple. It is located on Cangfeng Mountain, where a hundred years ago, various flowers said to radiate Buddha’s light were planted. The people of Chuzhou donated money to build the Tanhua Temple, named for the numerous Cereus flowers that fill the temple and bloom only at night.”

“Then let’s go have a look.”

“Yes! But, what about the Crown Princess ….?”

“Let her recuperate in the courtyard. If His Majesty the Emperor asks for me, let him know that due to my ill health, I will not be able to accompany him in the procession for the next few days.” Su Jingmo got up and left the room. “Prepare the horses!”

Accompanied by a single Imperial Guard who knew the way, Su Jingmo rode on horseback towards Tanhua Temple.

Although the temple was on the outskirts of Chuzhou, Su Jingmo started the journey quite late, so as they rode away, the sun gradually faded to the west. Fortunately, the road wasn’t muddy thanks to the dry weather over the past few days, so they were able to ride fast and arrive just before sunset.

The Tanhua Temple was located at the highest point of Cangfeng Mountain, and since it wasn’t too big, it was hidden among the lush green trees. Nevertheless, plenty of people went there to offer incense and meditate. As dusk approached, the worshippers would descend the mountain, leaving the temple relatively empty. Yet the aroma of incense lingered, creating an atmosphere of solemn tranquility surrounded by the towering pines and cypress trees.

After stepping into the Main Hall, lighting incense and paying his respects to the Buddha, Su Jingmo donated a large amount of incense money ³ . Su Jingmo then placed his palms together and said to a young monk standing nearby: “Young monk, my servant and I are passing through this place and would like to spend the night in the temple. Is that possible?”

When the young monk saw the remarkably handsome man in front of him, dressed in exquisite robes, he replied: “If the benefactor has no other place to go, there are some rooms available in the courtyard behind the temple for the worshippers to rest. However, the rooms are rather plain, the tea and food are modest. I don’t know if the benefactor would be bothered by it.”

“Finding a place to rest is a blessing enough, how could I mind?”

“In that case, wait a moment, benefactor. This monk will go and report to the Head Monk.”

“Thank you, young monk.”

The Main Hall of the Tanhua Temple wasn’t too big, but the courtyard at the back was relatively spacious. The walls were apricot yellow and the eaves were greenish-gray, while in the surroundings, the well-kept flowers could be seen.

After crossing a corridor through the central courtyard, they arrived at the guest rooms. Once the young monk had arranged the accommodations for Su Jingmo and his Guard, he left after bringing them some vegetarian food ⁴ .

The room contained only a simple table, chair and bed. Although the furnishing was basic, compared to the barren and gritty conditions of the battlefield, it was rather good. After eating some of the food, and sending his Imperial Guard to go get some hot water to wash up, Su Jingmo opened the window at the back of the room to look towards the Temple courtyard.

The courtyard consisted of only a small, shabby meditation area, while the rest was covered by the night-blooming cereus flowers.

However, even though Su Jingmo had originally come to this place expecting to see the flowers that bloomed only at night, he ended up coming across a sudden heavy rain that didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon. The raindrops were hitting the eaves, creating a rhythmic sound accompanied by the howling of the wind.

Shaking his head with a slight smile, Su Jingmo muttered: “Looks like these night-blooming cereus won’t be blooming tonight.”

Right when Su Jingmo was about to close the window, he heard muffled coughing coming from the next room.

“ Cough , cough . Even if it pours with rain, the night-blooming cereus will eventually bloom in this courtyard. We’ll just have to wait a bit to see it.”

The rain was too heavy, so the voice coming from the next room couldn’t be heard clearly, while the window blocked the view, making it impossible for Su Jingmo to see who it was. He could only vaguely make out what the person was saying.

‘ So there’s someone else waiting for the night-blooming cereus to bloom next door? ’

With this thought, Su Jingmo’s lips curved into a faint smile. Raising his voice a little, he said: “It seems that the young man next door is determined to wait until the flower blooms tonight.”

“The night-blooming cereus at Tanhua Temple are related to Buddha, so I wanted to come here to see them while I was traveling around the area.”

“Oh? You mean the Buddha light that was seen on this mountain a hundred years ago?”

“Not exactly.”

Upon hearing this, Su Jingmo became curious and asked: “Then what is it?”

“Did you know that the night-blooming cereus is also known as the Weitou flower?”

Su Jingmo shook his head: “No.”

“According to legend, the night-blooming cereus was originally a Flower Goddess who bloomed every day, blossoming throughout the four seasons. One year, however, a young man came to the mountain where she lived. The young man loved flowers and plants, so he watered her during dry weather, protecting her from rain in times of flood. Eventually, the Goddess fell in love with him and took a human form in order to be with her beloved. When the Jade Emperor learned of this, he captured the Flower Goddess and turned her into the night-blooming cereus, condemning her to only being able to bloom for a brief moment each year. As for the young man, he was sent to Ling Mountain to become a monk, bestowing upon him the name Weitou, where he was asked to forget his past and devote himself to the study of Buddhism. Gradually, the young man forgot, but the Flower Goddess could never do so. She knew that every year, in early summer, Weitou would go down the mountain to collect the morning dew and prepare tea for Buddha. The Goddess, then, released all the qi she had accumulated a whole year at that time, waiting for Weitou to look at her and remember her….”

“And what happened next? Did he remember her?” When Su Jingmo failed to hear the voice next to him, he asked aloud.

“No. Several centuries passed, and Weitou went down the mountain year after year to collect the morning dew, while the night-blooming cereus bloomed year after year, completely alone. Weitou never remembered the Goddess. Some time later, a temple was built at the place where the night-blooming cereus bloomed, and a mortal monk was able to see her. The monk asked the Goddess why she was sad, but she simply shook her head and remained silent. Every ten years, at the same hour, he would come to visit her and ask her the same question. Eighty years later, when the night-blooming cereus saw that the monk was already too old, she finally told him the reason. After listening to her story, the old monk closed his eyes and sat down. As time passed, the sun went down, and the old man said: ‘The cereus blooms for a brief moment just for Weitou…. What’s so wrong about this love? I will open the eyes of the Heavens. If Heaven wants to punish me, so be it.’ After saying this, the old monk passed away, taking the Flower Goddess with him to the land of Buddha. In the land of Buddha, the Flower Goddess met Weitou. At that moment Weitou finally remembered the karma of his past life, and after Buddha learned that Weitou possessed some unresolved karma in the Mortal World, he allowed him to descend to earth in order to resolve his unfinished destiny.”

“The cereus blooms for a brief moment just for Weitou. What’s so wrong about this love? I will open the eyes of the Heavens. If Heaven wants to punish me, so be it.” Su Jingmo repeated, laughing: “But why is it that a mere mortal can see the Flower Goddess, while the accomplished Weitou cannot? Perhaps it is because his heart no longer desires to see her.”

After Su Jingmo said these words, he no longer heard the person next to him. After waiting for a while, a laugh came from the next room.

“Hahahahahahah, my friend, you have great insight. I’ve never thought of it that way before. What you say makes a lot of sense.”

Su Jingmo, however, detected a hint of sadness in that laughter. But he refrained from commenting on it. The man, who was only separated from him by a window and a wall, didn’t seem to mind either.

Su Jingmo simply heard the man mutter to himself, almost as if in a whisper: “You’re right, how is it possible that he didn’t see it? Maybe he’s just pretending not to see those eyes loving him…. Oh well….”

The sad sigh pierced through the cool summer night, seeping into Su Jingmo’s heart. He slightly wrinkled his brow and unconsciously clenched his fist.

For some reason, Su Jingmo’s heart felt uneasy.

As he contemplated the raindrops falling from the eaves, Su Jingmo lightly tapped the window frame with his fingers: “My friend, you also seem to be a devoted lover.”

“I’ve never shared it with anyone.”

“You mentioned that this temple is related to Buddha. Could it be that this is the one mentioned in the legend? I heard that this temple was built recently, about a hundred years ago.”

“It is true that this temple was built just a hundred years ago, but I heard this legend from the West. The legend mentions that the location of the night-blooming cereus is to the east of Huainan, so I followed the location indicated by the legend and found this place. I thought, ‘this is most likely the place’. Besides, look at that small meditation hall in the courtyard. Upon arrival, I asked a Chuzhou Historian about it and he told me that this meditation hall existed prior to the construction of the temple. However, the year from which that small meditation hall dates is unknown.”

“If you came here because you believed this place was connected with Buddha, it must be because you came to ask him for something. My friend, I am curious, what did you come here for?”

“… There is someone I want to see….”

“…. Who?”

“That someone is…. the one I love.”

The night had turned deep, and despite the fact that neither had seen each other’s faces or exchanged names, these two strangers had talked for a long while.

“The flower has bloomed!”

It wasn’t until he heard the whisper at his side, that Su Jingmo realized that a night-blooming cereus in the corner of the room had quietly bloomed open. The flower was as white as bone, adorned with a few raindrops that made it look incredibly charming.

“While I sleep in the middle of the night, this beauty blooms only under the moonlight. This night-blooming cereus is truly heartbreakingly beautiful.” Su Jingmo commented, then joked: “It is rare to be able to see it even under such rain. It looks like it will be possible for you to see the person you want to see, my friend.”

“Haha, maybe I won’t yet.”

“Hmm? Why is that?”

“Compared to seeing him, I’d rather he be happy and safe.”

As the rain subsided, the voice of the person in the next room became clearer. For some reason, Su Jingmo felt a sense of familiarity, but no matter what, he didn’t seem to be able to decipher where he had heard that voice before.

Unconsciously, Su Jingmo wanted to see the person on the other side of the wall. But as soon as that idea arose inside him, Su Jingmo shook his head with a smile: ‘ How could I want to meet some stranger in the middle of the night? ’

“It’s already late, and the night-blooming cereus has already bloomed. We’d better go get some rest.”

The voice spoke again. Su Jingmo simply smiled and replied in agreement: “Sure.”

‘ Tomorrow…. tomorrow I will go to meet this lovesick man who waits for the night-blooming cereus to bloom. ’

When morning came, however, the next room was empty. The traveling Scholar had left at the first light of dawn.

“Before he left at dawn, the Scholar asked me to deliver this letter to you.”

Su Jingmo took the letter and read it: “I will have to leave without bidding farewell to you, my friend, for my journey of learning is long and cannot be delayed. Thinking of the legend I told you last night, I remembered that when the mortal monk passed away, he said a phrase to the Flower Goddess: ‘Karma arises, karma fades, then karma ends. Flowers bloom, flowers fall, and in the end, flowers also die.’ I don’t know why, but at the time I didn’t want to say this phrase to you. Perhaps, because your voice sounded somewhat similar to his, which made me confused and prevented me from saying it. For this, my friend, I apologize. I hope you can find peace and happiness.”

Su Jingmo placed the unsigned letter on the table, closed his eyes, and remembered that the man last night wanted to see someone. He also remembered the familiar voice.

“Chenghe, let’s go back to the city.”

“Yes!”

The cereus blooms for a brief moment just for Weitou….

—

Upon seeing that the man lying in his arms had woken up and was looking at him with a slightly perplexed expression on his face, Qin Cheng leaned forward to kiss his lips: “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing much, I just suddenly dreamed about something from the past.”

“It’s still early, why don’t you go back to sleep a bit?”

Su Jingmo’s eyes curved with a smile as he wrapped his arms around Qin Cheng’s neck: “You always wake up before me.”

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Footnotes

<ol><b>昙花</b> <b>tán huā</b> ; A type of flower that blooms briefly during the night. Due to this, it’s often used metaphorically to describe something or someone that’s ephemeral or short-lived, just like the flowers that bloom for a very brief period, often only for a single night. Looks like <b>THIS</b> . Su Jingmo referred to <b>风月</b> <b>fēng yuè</b> , which literally translates to: “wind and moon/a beautiful scenery”. However, it can also be understood as: “romantic scenery/atmosphere”, as it’s a term often used in a poetical way to depict a romantic or beautiful atmosphere, symbolizing a romantic encounter. <b>香油钱</b> <b>xiāng yóu qián</b> ; In ancient times, worshippers often donated incense sticks, candles, lamp oil, or paper money to temples and monasteries for worship. However, these physical offerings were gradually replaced by monetary donations. Therefore referred to as: sesame oil money, incense money, etc. <b>斋饭</b> <b>zhāi fàn</b> ; It specifically refers to the meals that are prepared without meat or any animal products. Since this term originally meant ‘neatness and cleanliness’, it’s often served to monks, nuns, and worshippers during ceremonies such as fasting and prayer, or as part of the monastic lifestyle in Buddhist and Taoist traditions.</ol>