Chapter 1018 - 1020: Journey to Jingxin Temple_1
Bai Ruozhu chuckled to herself, the Emperor had finally run out of patience with the Yang Family.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth, the day she had agreed to visit Jingxin Temple with Gu Xue’an. Bai Ruozhu took Dengdeng with her, and had Jianqi arrange for covert protection before she boarded the horse carriage to pick up Gu Xue’an.
Gu Xue’an was surprised as soon as she got on the horse carriage, and looking at the special baby play area that had been set aside, her eyes lit up as she said, "You’ve thought of everything so meticulously!"
Not only had they sectioned off nearly half the space inside the carriage as a play area for Dengdeng, but there was also a wooden gate on the outer side, wrapped with padded cloth, and the interior walls of the carriage were lined with soft cushioning so that even if the child accidentally fell and bumped into the walls, they wouldn’t get hurt.
Dengdeng was sitting inside, playing with various toys. Seeing Gu Xue’an, he even raised his hands to smile at her.
Gu Xue’an leaned in to stroke his head, saying to Bai Ruozhu, "Your son really is handsome, he looks just like a little version of you."
"You think he looks like me too, huh? But his dad is shameless and insists he looks like him," Bai Ruozhu said.
Gu Xue’an laughed. She couldn’t recall what the somewhat fierce Officer Jiang looked like.
The two chatted all the way, with Dengdeng quietly playing with his toys beside them, endearingly well-behaved and adorable.
"Qizhi wrote to me, but she still doesn’t know you’ve arrived in the Capital City. I told her in my reply, and also mentioned that we’d visit Jingxin Temple together. She’s probably going to be annoyed for a while," said Gu Xue’an with a smile that lit up her entire countenance, making her ordinarily plain features come alive.
Seeing her like this, Bai Ruozhu figured that this had probably been her true self all along; it was this side of her that Lin Xufei loved.
"Are you trying to make Qizhi jealous? I’m also worried whether she gets bullied often in Jiangnan," Bai Ruozhu said, thinking about Xu Panrui with considerable concern.
"Fortunately, after the previous commotion, the Emperor even sent an envoy there. Things have quieted down in Jiangnan. Qizhi mentioned in her letter that Xu Panrui hasn’t gone out for a while now. Her family probably blames her for causing trouble everywhere and is thinking of marrying her off soon," Gu Xue’an said.
Bai Ruozhu perked up at this news, "To which family is she getting married? Is it a local family in Jiangnan?"
Gu Xue’an shook her head, "It’s not clear yet, but it definitely won’t be in the region of Xuanlang City. Her bad temper has caused so much trouble that the entire region knows about it. What family there would dare to take her as a daughter-in-law?"
Bai Ruozhu was quite pleased to hear this, laughing as she said, "It’s her own doing, she deserves it."
As they chatted and laughed, they soon arrived at Jingxin Temple. Along the way, Gu Xue’an had explained that Jingxin Temple was a favored place among the ladies in the Capital, but many people preferred other temples, so Jingxin Temple was relatively quiet and peaceful.
Bai Ruozhu got off the carriage holding Dengdeng, the little guy curious about the new surroundings, insisting on walking by himself. Bai Ruozhu had no choice but to let him down and carefully held his tiny hand.
Gu Xue’an, fond of Dengdeng’s plump little hands, wanted to hold them, but Dengdeng would not cooperate. After all, having one hand held by his mother already felt restrictive enough for him.
Seeing Gu Xue’an’s reaction, Bai Ruozhu knew she liked children and teased her, "Once you and Lin Xufei are married, you should get to having your own babies to play with."
Gu Xue’an’s face turned as red as a fiery sunset. She indignantly accused Bai Ruozhu of picking on her, yet overlooked the implication that she should "have babies to play with."
Just then, the abbess of Jingxin Temple came out to greet them, and their banter ceased.
"I am Master Jingyuan, welcoming both benefactors to our humble temple. Please, come this way," Master Jingyuan gestured.
Bai Ruozhu and Gu Xue’an also nodded and gave a salute before following into the temple.
It was Bai Ruozhu’s first time at the Jingxin Temple. She couldn’t help but look around more than a few times. The place wasn’t very large, but it was clean and elegant, simple with a hint of Zen, and without pretentious sophistication. It was no wonder that some women of Capital City liked to come here.
Of course, Gu Xue’an said she preferred the maple leaves on the back mountain of Jingxin Temple. It was also nice to rest at the temple and enjoy a vegetarian meal.
The two followed Master Jingyuan to offer incense and kneel before the Buddha, and they also gave Master Jingyuan some ritual money. Bai Ruozhu just did as Gu Xue’an did, giving as much money as she did without any increase or decrease. Master Jingyuan seemed accustomed to this, standing beside them without sorrow or joy, looking every bit the detached and otherworldly nun.
At that moment, a young nun came to deliver a message, saying, "Master, there are more guests who have arrived. Will you go to welcome them?"
Master Jingyuan, with no airs about her, personally welcomed every visitor despite her status as master.
She smiled apologetically at Gu Xue’an and Bai Ruozhu and said, "Today is busy, and this poor nun must go to greet them, so I will take my leave for now."
Gu Xue’an quickly said, "Master, please go ahead with your duties; we’ll be fine exploring on our own."
Grateful, Master Jingyuan smiled at Gu Xue’an and then instructed the young nun who had come with the message, "Ming Wu, take the guests to the back to see if they need rooms or vegetarian meals, and do not neglect them."
"Yes, Master," Ming Wu saluted Master Jingyuan, who then nodded to Gu Xue’an and Bai Ruozhu before turning to head for the Main Gate.
Ming Wu led the two to the backyard. Gu Xue’an said that she would definitely need to rest after a while, and even baby Dengdeng would need a nap, so she simply asked for two small rooms. She added that they would also have their vegetarian meals in the temple, which Ming Wu noted down everything.
Later, out of curiosity, Gu Xue’an casually asked about the new arrivals, wondering if she knew the family.
"It’s Marquis Jingping’s wife from the Bo Family and her second daughter. I don’t know if Miss Gu is acquainted with them?" Ming Wu didn’t seem as austere as Master Jingyuan, instead appearing like a lively young girl.
Gu Xue’an shook her head. "I don’t have much contact with them, so I won’t disturb them." After saying this, she felt something might be amiss and asked Bai Ruozhu urgently, "Ruozhu, do you know the Bo Family?"
Bai Ruozhu was initially surprised to run into the Bo Family’s lady; what a coincidence! However, she was somewhat reluctant to involve herself with the Bo Family, especially after the Old Master had publicly scolded them, claiming how they were one family and shouldn’t ignore familial bonds and not save Bai Yibo. Even if the Old Master of the Bo Family had been misled by Bai Fu, he hadn’t taken the effort to understand the situation before believing Bai Fu. Moreover, his excessive doting on Bai Fu made it impossible for Bai Ruozhu to warm up to him.
No wonder the Old Master of the Bo Family hadn’t made a name for himself all his life. Not only had he failed to clear the Bo Family’s name, but even the day-to-day life at home wasn’t remarkable, largely thanks to his good son who entered the Military Camp at a young age and started to pave his own way from scratch.
Even though Bai Ruozhu had never met Bo Qun, her impression of him was better than that of the Old Master.
"I’m not familiar with them either, there’s no need to tell them we’re here," Bai Ruozhu instructed.
Understanding, Ming Wu pondered internally. If they were not acquainted, why avoid mentioning their presence? Perhaps this lady did not wish to see the Bo Family. Could there be some enmity between them? She decided she should remind Master Jingyuan later on, to prevent any issues from arising.
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Mouka is on a group tour in South Korea with the baby, and since there’s no more saved drafts, the update was a bit late, so I apologize to everyone. But I’ll be back home tomorrow night, and after that, updates will stabilize and I’ll try to write more~