Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 137 Guangci Temple - First Encounter with Prince Jin 2

Madam Yun slowly twirled the prayer beads. "Madam Su recently cast a divination for Wan'er, which reads, 'Mingqian, Zhenji.' Before the imperial decree is issued, it's best to let things take their natural course."

There is one more thing that Madam Yun did not mention: the Second Miss should be able to become a concubine of Prince Jin without any problems. If she were to try to get close to her at this time, it would inevitably cause complications and be a bad move.

After the carriage had traveled for about an hour and a half, they finally heard the bustling sounds of people, and the Tang family had successfully arrived at the foot of Luojia Mountain.

The side of Longshou Canal closest to the foot of the mountain was teeming with people, their cries of vendors rising and falling incessantly, blending with the sounds of carts and horses, creating a truly bustling scene.

The head monk and several young novices of Guangci Temple maintained order not far from Longshou Canal. The carriage of the Tang family arrived at the gate of Guangci Temple under the guidance of the young novices.

Further inside, the temple split into two gates. The women entered the temple via the steps on the right, with Madam Yun leading the second, fifth, and sixth young ladies. Tang Xian and his son Tang Lin entered from the left, agreeing to meet in the meditation room behind the Guanyin Hall.

The eldest young lady did not come along, while the third and fourth young ladies were kept at the mansion by the old lady under some pretext.

A mountain gate seems to separate two worlds.

On one side is the bustling world, full of hustle and bustle; on the other side is the secluded ancient temple, with its resounding bells.

Hidden among the verdant pines and cypresses, the Zen temple appeared and disappeared. Madam Yun, along with her young ladies, followed the guest monk on foot to the Guanyin Hall halfway up the mountain.

There were quite a few believers along the way, but they all walked slowly and quietly.

Two rough-looking old women flanked her, while Hua Yan and three others closely guarded the second young lady. Dong Gua, accompanied by two second-class maids carrying simple tea sets and luggage, followed behind. Two other second-class maids stayed behind at the carriage.

The entourage was quite grand, and with Aunt Mei absent, Hua Yan had to be even more cautious. Fortunately, she was always careful and meticulous, and Meng Zhu and the others, influenced by her, also became more cautious whenever they went out.

Upon arriving at the Guanyin Hall, we walked along the bluestone path past the bamboo grove and happened to encounter the wife of Imperial Censor He with her young lady. The He family and the Tang family lived on the same street in front of the mansion. Madam He had always been warm towards Madam Yun, and she struck up a conversation with her as if they were old friends.

Miss He stood there gracefully, looking at the Second Miss's outfit with a hint of envy in her eyes.

The second young lady met the other's gaze and simply nodded slightly. Hua Yan had said that the He family was not a place to get too close, and the second young lady had kept that in mind.

In just a short while, Hua Yan also quietly observed Miss He and her group, and gradually began to notice something amiss.

As the daughter of an imperial censor, Miss He always presented herself with an elegant appearance, and her daily clothing and headdresses were all intentionally old-fashioned styles, but today she was quite eye-catching.

She wore a peach-pink cross-collar ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) made of precious brocade, and her hair was styled in a light and flowing cloud-like bun. A white jade lotus-patterned hairpin was inserted diagonally into her temple. It was a new style that Yongbaolou was selling in September.

Even the embroidered shoes were each adorned with a pearl the size of a lotus seed.

The makeup was too deliberate; it didn't look like someone coming to offer incense, but rather like someone who had dressed up specifically to meet someone...

After looking her over, Madam Yun smiled slightly, offered a few casual compliments, and invited Madam He to go up the mountain together.

While the masters were on their way, Hua Yan whispered a few words to Rui Zhu. Rui Zhu nodded slightly after listening and deliberately slowed down. Soon she was with the maids of the He family. By the time they were almost at the Guanyin Hall, they were already calling each other sisters and talking about everything from clothing and jewelry to their upcoming Buddhist worship and incense offering.

The monk who was in charge of receiving guests led everyone to a meditation room, put his hands together, and said, "Please wait here, everyone. We have a distinguished guest visiting today. The Guanyin Hall will be open before 9:00 AM."

Madam He and her daughter showed joy on their faces, but quickly concealed it. A young novice monk brought in fragrant tea from outside the door, and the guest monk took his leave, saying that a monk would come to guide them before 9:00 AM.

Guangci Temple has many halls, with the Guanyin Hall being the most popular. This meditation room belongs to a Zen monastery, and officials' families are also waiting in several other rooms.

Hua Yan knew perfectly well that it was probably Prince Jin who had come. She glanced cautiously at Madam Yun, noticing her composed expression. After a moment's thought, she immediately understood.

Guanyin Hall.

The hall was quiet and peaceful. A slender man was bathed in light, making him appear indistinct.

A moment later, a young man dressed as a servant silently entered the hall, bowed and whispered, "Master, I have instructed the vegetarian kitchen that the young novice monk will bring us the prepared vegetarian meal when we leave."

The man had just finished offering incense and turned around without responding. Through the wide gate of the Guanyin Hall, his gaze passed through the marble railing in front of the hall and looked towards the direction of the imperial city.

The sunlight was not yet strong, and the glazed tiles in the far distance were faintly visible.

The man stepped over the high threshold, walked slowly for a dozen steps, and stood with his back turned. His figure was like an evergreen pine or cypress, and he exuded an air of grandeur.

He wore a moon-white brocade robe, which was stained with sandalwood. A gentle breeze rose and swept away some incense ash from his shoulders.

The white jade belt around his waist cast a circular shadow in the sunlight onto the roof of the meditation room, which was dozens of feet away.

Jingming bowed and stepped forward, feeling that he would not know where to put his hands if he did not carry a whisk with him when he went out. He lowered his voice and said ingratiatingly, "Master, there are more than a dozen officials' wives waiting downstairs. Many of them are hoping to see you."

Prince Jin stroked a lotus-shaped sculpture on the railing, while the figures of several women could be seen in the distance outside the meditation room.

Prince Jin looked away, his eyes dark and unfathomable, and said coldly, "Mother's actions have only attracted some sycophants."

Jingming looked distressed. "If the Empress hadn't sent the news beforehand, your marriage would probably have been put on the list by the Emperor through the Imperial Clan Court. If he had just randomly chosen a girl from a particular family, how could we have any support in the future?"

"Tell Wei Ying to take his men back first. I've heard that the back mountain of Guangci Temple is secluded and remote. I'll go and take a look. I'll return to the palace before noon."

Jingming: "......"

This job is becoming increasingly difficult. Ever since the master changed his route from Jiangnan to Jinzhou, everything seems to have changed.

From the meditation room, Hua Yan saw several young ladies walking or standing in the courtyard through a door. Occasionally, one or two of them, unable to contain themselves, would crane their necks to look towards the Guanyin Hall, disregarding the rules. Miss He was among them.

Mingyue said in a low voice, "If you stand in front of the railing of the Guanyin Hall, you can see this scene." Mingyue had come to Guangci Temple in disguise with Huanyun to survey the terrain beforehand.

"Not far from the meditation room, there are two gardens open for quiet meditation and contemplation, one of which is exclusively for women to rest and enjoy the scenery. However, the scenery on the back mountain is even more beautiful, and the mountain spring is sweet and refreshing, perfect for brewing tea."

"Guangci Temple's vegetarian food is famous in the capital because all the vegetables used are irrigated by mountain springs."

Donggua and the second young lady's eyes lit up at the same time. The second young lady said, "Manager Lu just sent someone to deliver a few catties of rock tea. It would be an elegant thing to take some spring water back to brew tea."

As soon as she finished speaking, Hua Yan gently shook her head, and the second young lady sighed softly, losing her interest in chatting.

In fact, the second young lady had a vague guess in her heart that it was Prince Jin who was coming to Guangci Temple. If she didn't want to see his face, it would be against her conscience.

A young girl's heart is always filled with poetry, and it's inevitable that she'll be curious about the person she'll marry in the future, but she also knows the importance of not overstepping boundaries.

Mingyue, unaware of the situation, saw that the Second Miss was intrigued and secretly admired Huayan for being well-prepared. No wonder she had been sent to scout the place beforehand. She said considerately, "Miss, I know a place that few people go to. Just walk through the vegetable garden behind the study, and then walk about a hundred paces further, and you'll see a spring..."

Hua Yan: "......" Is it too late to shut Mingyue up now?