Chapter 59: Hard Times at Ganye Temple

The seemingly secluded sanctuary of Ganye Temple felt nothing less than a cold prison to Wu Meiniang.

The elderly nuns, former consorts of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, acted like prison wardens, subjecting her to endless bullying. Every single day felt like walking a tightrope across a blade, and the bitter agony of it all was something only she truly knew.

The morning chanting sessions filled the Buddha hall with curling wisps of incense smoke, an atmosphere that should have felt peaceful and serene, but to Wu Meiniang, it was suffocating.

She forced herself to gather her wits, trying her best to focus on the scriptures. However, having just arrived, she was still unfamiliar with the tongue-twisting and obscure texts, and occasionally mispronouncing a line was inevitable.

At that moment, an elderly nun sitting in the front row immediately pulled a long face. Her wrinkled visage was plastered with disgust and dissatisfaction as she barked in a shrill, piercing voice, "You girl, you used to read books back in the palace. How is it that you can't even chant these scriptures properly? Could it be that you're still yearning for the wealth and glory of the palace, and your heart isn't pure!"

The voice rang out abruptly in the silent Buddha hall like a thunderclap, startling Wu Zetian so badly that her body shuddered and she almost dropped the wooden fish mallet in her hand.

A wave of grievance and resentment instantly surged in her heart.

She had only come to this place because of the Emperor’s passing, and her heart was already filled with sorrow. How could they justify such harsh criticism over a mere slip of the tongue?

Yet she knew painfully well that she was weak and unsupported at the moment. If she talked back, it would likely invite even more trouble, so she could only bite her lip and lower her head.

Suppressing the tumultuous emotions threatening to spill over, she continued chanting the scriptures.

Only this time, her voice carried a tremor and a choked sob, and her eyes turned slightly red. She fought back the tears to keep them from falling, while her heart churned in bitter turmoil.

Sweeping and cleaning the courtyard proved to be an even better opportunity for those old nuns to pick a fight.

Armed with a coarse broom, Wu Meiniang meticulously swept every corner of the temple, leaving not a single fallen leaf or speck of dust behind. She broke out in a heavy sweat, and the clothes on her back were drenched with moisture.

Just as she finally finished cleaning the courtyard and thought she could catch a breather, those old nuns, as if deliberately looking for trouble, managed to find fault in everything.

An old nun strolled over leisurely, her eyes as sharp as an eagle's. After scanning the courtyard, she shrieked, "Hah! What kind of cleaning do you call this? There is still dust in this corner, and the steps aren't wiped clean either. Doing such a perfunctory job—are you trying to slack off and be lazy?"

Hearing this, Wu Meiniang felt a burst of fiery anger flare up instantly. She thought about how hard she had worked, giving it her all, only to be subjected to such groundless accusations. It was simply too unjust.

She could not help defending herself a little. "I've been very thorough. I swept every area several times, and there really is no dust left."

Upon hearing this, the old nun's expression turned even uglier. She directly hurled the broom in her hand at Wu Zetian.

"You impudent wretch, how dare you talk back here! The rules of this temple do not allow for your insolence!"

Though the broom did not hurt much when it struck her, Wu Zetian felt a profound sense of humiliation. Tears swirled in her eyes as she clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails nearly dug into her flesh.

This gang of bullies was merely pulling rank based on seniority. What right did they have to torment her like this? When had she ever feared anyone, yet now she was forced to swallow such cowardly insults here?

Yet reason ultimately prevailed. She knew that in this temple, she was utterly isolated. Acting on impulse would likely cost her even this meager refuge.

She could only hold back her tears, pick up the broom, and plunge back into her grueling labor, secretly vowing in her heart that the humiliation she suffered today would be repaid twofold in the future.

Mealtime was supposed to be a rare moment of respite during the day, but for Wu Zetian, it remained an ordeal.

In the dilapidated dining hall, everyone sat clustered together. The food was extremely basic to begin with—watery, thin rice porridge paired with a pitifully small helping of salted vegetables—which looked thoroughly unappetizing.

And yet, those old nuns would deliberately make things difficult by allotting the worst portions to Wu Zetian.

An old nun held her bowl, a look of triumph and mockery in her eyes. Glancing at the pathetic amount of food in Wu Zetian's bowl, she said with sarcastic malice, "Hmph, you might as well eat this. Consider yourself lucky to have anything at all; stop dreaming about the delicacies of the past."

Looking at the watery porridge in her bowl and listening to the caustic remarks, Wu Zetian felt a pang of sorrow.

Back in the palace, when she enjoyed the Emperor's favor, which meal was not a spread of exquisite delicacies?

Yet now she had fallen to such a state, subjected to such indignities. She was so angry that her hands trembled; she truly wanted to smash the bowl on the ground and argue with them.

Deep down, however, she understood that bickering with these people would only bring her more embarrassment. Thus, she could only swallow her pride in silence, take her unpalatable meal, and find a lonely corner to eat by herself.

Every bite felt like swallowing bitter tears. As she ate, she wondered when she would ever escape this predicament and stop taking abuse from these people.

When farm labor time arrived, Wu Zetian followed the others out to the temple's vegetable plot.

Holding the farming tools with her delicate hands, she was naturally unaccustomed to the work and lagged behind the others.

Those old nuns stood off to the side with their arms crossed, unendingly hurling cold sarcasm her way.

"Look at that pampered body, far too used to living in luxury back in the palace! Well, you've come to our place now, and you don't have the fortune to live like that anymore. Hurry up and get to work!"

An old nun curled her lip in utter disdain.

Her words pierced Wu Zetian's heart like daggers. Anxious and angry, her movements grew increasingly frantic, but the more flustered she became, the worse she performed.

Before long, blisters formed on her hands. As a stabbing pain flared through her palms, she could not help drawing a sharp breath.

Gazing at her hands covered in blood blisters, a wave of desolate sorrow washed over Wu Zetian. She thought of how proud and ambitious she once was; when had she ever suffered such hardships?

Now, her dignity was being trampled upon in a place like this. But what could she do?

Clenching her teeth, she told herself she could not be defeated so easily. She would engrave today's disgrace in her memory. When the day came that she finally rose to power, she would make them pay dearly for everything they did today.

Enduring the pain, she resumed her labor with a stubborn, unyielding look in her eyes. Even as sweat mingled with tears rolling down her cheeks, she refused to stop for even a second.

The sun gradually slanted westward, its blood-red afterglow dyeing every corner of Ganye Temple in a dusky hue, draping the already desolate temple in an extra layer of mournful gauze.

Wu Meiniang dragged her weary, exhausted body forward with heavy, faltering steps, making her way inch by inch toward her bedroom.

Her silhouette appeared paper-thin under the sunset, and every step she took seemed to drain the last ounce of her strength.

Finally back inside the humble bedroom, physically and mentally drained, she slowly sat down beside the crude little bed, her gaze hollow and her mind blank.

The humiliation and hardship she had suffered throughout the day flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

A stinging sensation rushed toward her eyes, and tears welled up, but she forcibly checked her emotions, biting down hard on her lower lip to keep her vulnerability from showing.

She knew very well in her heart that she was nothing like those old hags.

In this oppressive and impoverished Ganye Temple, Wu Meiniang was like a delicate flower blooming amidst a thicket of thorns—starkly out of place, yet breathtakingly mesmerizing.

She understood the reason she was being targeted: it was none other than her beautiful face.

The enchanting allure of her brows and eyes, her delicate facial features, and her fair skin—

Even within this sacred Buddhist sanctuary, her radiant youth and beauty could not be concealed. Youthful and pretty, this should have been a capital for pride.

Yet here, it seemed to have become a sin, the root cause of the old nuns' jealousy and hatred.

Still, Wu Meiniang understood that unlike them, who possessed zero hope, she still had hope.

She thought of Prince Jin, Li Zhi. That youthful figure held a unique weight in her heart.

Even though Prince Jin was still young, she could always read a deep affection for her within Li Zhi's clear eyes.

Whenever she recalled it, the corners of her mouth would involuntarily lift slightly. She was confident that her peerless face was enough to captivate any man.

As long as she firmly grasped Li Zhi's heart, there would be a turning point for her future.

Li Zhi was someone she could never give up on! At the very least, once Li Zhi came of age, the weight of an imperial prince would certainly be enough to secure her release from Ganye Temple!

Furthermore, if she ever got the chance to cross paths with the reigning Emperor, she would not let slip even the slightest possibility; she would pull out all the stops to advance her position.

She was by no means willing to spend her entire life trapped in this lightless place, at the mercy of others' bullying.

She silently cheered herself on, as though she could already envision herself breaking free from her current predicament.

That mental image shone like a beam of light piercing into her gloomy life, reigniting a spark of fighting spirit within her exhausted heart.

Just as she intended to fetch some water to wash up and recover a little spirit from her disheveled state, an old nun strode aggressively into the room.

The old nun wore plain Buddhist robes, but the garments failed entirely to mask her petty, mean-spirited nature. Instead, her furrowed brow and fierce glare made her look all the more formidable.

Her background was extraordinary; even among this group of old nuns, she was considered of noble status. She was a beloved consort of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, having once enjoyed boundless favor and supreme luxury within the palace.

Precisely because of this, the other nuns treated her as their leader, obeying her every word. In Ganye Temple, she reigned supreme as an unquestioned overlord.

The moment she stepped through the door, her gaze shot toward Wu Meiniang like a sharp arrow. Seeing that alluring face only fueled her rage further.

Her wrinkles distorted with anger, and her small eyes widened into copper bells, brimming with jealousy and malice.

She shrieked in her shrill, piercing voice, "What time do you think it is? The sun hasn't even set yet, and you're already thinking about resting?"

"Hmph, you certainly know how to slack off! Do you really take Ganye Temple for some paradise where you can live in luxury?"

With that, she viciously hurled a dirty rag right into Wu Meiniang's face. The cloth carried an unpleasant odor.

It brushed across Wu Meiniang's cheek, leaving a streak of grime and adding an unkempt air to her otherwise fine features.

"Get water and scrub the gates of our Ganye Temple until they're spotless!"

With her arms crossed, the old nun issued her imperious command, leaving no room for negotiation, treating Wu Meiniang as though she were a mere slave at her beck and call.

Standing there with triumph written all over her eyes, she seemed to derive deep satisfaction from watching Wu Meiniang suffer.

That ugly expression appeared exceptionally vicious within the dimly lit meditation room.