Huangjue Temple was a renowned aristocratic temple in the capital. Ordinary people dared not come here to burn incense and worship Buddha. Firstly, the starting price for incense offerings was very high—one tael of silver, enough for an average family's expenses for more than half a month. Secondly, the emperor, his concubines, and princes and grandsons frequently visited, and to avoid offending such dignitaries, ordinary people dared not come. Thirdly, the temple operated on a VIP system; one had to present a visiting card before entering. Ordinary people struggled to even afford food and clothing, let alone visiting cards. In short, it only received high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants.

The sedan chair stopped at the temple gate. A servant stepped forward and handed the name card to the gatekeeper monk. After a while, the temple gate opened. With the help of Granny Wang, Anjia stepped out of the sedan chair.

Lanqin had already lifted the "small window" next to the sedan chair. Seeing that her mother had come out, she lifted the sedan curtain herself and came out without waiting for Xue'er to help her.

Wow, what a peaceful place! Great! What a rustic temple!

Although the location was nice, the overall architecture didn't feel as grand and imposing as I had imagined for a noble temple! The gatehouse was quite small, the courtyard wasn't very tall, and the buildings were rather dilapidated. Lanqin thought to herself.

Huangjue Temple is situated on a small hill in the suburbs of the capital. Built against the mountain and relying on the natural hillside, it gives people a sense of lofty majesty. Looking up, one can see glazed eaves and wisps of incense smoke hidden in the lush green forest, truly giving one the feeling of a fairyland.

Lanqin couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She had been to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou before, but this genuine Huangjue Temple really seemed like a small fry compared to it.

Lanqin looked up and around, momentarily forgetting her mother and nanny's teachings in the mansion: a young lady should not look around when she is out in public; she should keep her head down and not look or speak anything improper.

With the help of Granny Wang, Anjia stepped onto the steps at the entrance of the temple.

At this moment, the gatekeeper monks had already opened the temple gates wide and lined up in two rows at the entrance, bowing their heads and putting their palms together.

Xue'er quickly went over, took Lanqin's left hand, and said softly, "Princess, let's go inside."

Upon entering the temple gate, one sees a large plaque bearing the inscription "Mahavira Hall" hanging amidst a three-story, flying-eave structure made of earthen and wooden piles. To be honest, this is quite different from the Mahavira Hall that Lin Mengyao saw at Lingyin Temple. After all, the architectural skills and sturdiness of ancient materials are not as advanced as those of modern times.

Lanqin smiled, as if she had seen far better places and found this unexpected sight rather amusing. The monk leading the group, walking to the side, seemed to have caught a glimpse of her smile and gave this "Manchu woman" who was not dignified and respectful upon arriving at the temple.

Is this a warning? I just think your temple doesn't deserve the title of "Royal VIP"!

Lanqin stopped smiling, lowered her head, looked at her mother's skirt in front of her, and thought to herself.

The mother and daughter were led to the main hall by the monks. Anjia was helped by Wang Mama to the kneeling position, where she lifted her skirt and knelt down.

Lanqin was helped by Xue'er to a seat next to Anjia. Xue'er immediately pulled the kneeling cushion on the ground, and Lanqin knelt down somewhat reluctantly.

Okay, Lin Mengyao is an atheist. Although she goes to temples, she never burns incense or worships Buddha. She just goes there for the novelty and to watch the excitement.

Now that she's transmigrated to this ancient era, she often sees servants kneeling before Ling Zhu's father and mother in the Ling family mansion. She doesn't see the other concubines often, and she's never seen any of Ling Zhu's concubines.

Now, suddenly being asked to kneel down immediately, even though it was before the revered Buddha, still made her feel uneasy. However, seeing that if she didn't kneel, she would attract her mother's attention, she had no choice but to steel herself and kneel down.

Then, she heard several thuds, and the others knelt behind Anjia and Lanqin.

Lanqin glanced sideways at her mother, who had her hands clasped together, about eight centimeters from her mouth, her eyes closed, and was muttering something unintelligible.

So she had no choice but to follow suit, clasping her hands together, closing her eyes, and opening and closing her mouth, silently reciting in her heart, "Amitabha, protect my parents who are healthy and safe two or three hundred years from now!"

It's unclear how much Anjia wanted to say to the Bodhisattva, but after kneeling for a quarter of an hour, she opened her eyes and was helped up by Granny Wang to light three incense sticks.

Only then did the others dare to get up.

Although there was a cushion, Lin Mengyao's knees were already a bit numb from kneeling before. When Xue'er helped her up, she still wanted to rub her knees, but she had to hold back because of the other people around.

After finishing her prayers, Granny Wang took out a bundle from her left sleeve, which was probably full of gold and silver. She handed it to the incense-serving monk beside her.

At this point, an elderly monk, probably the one in charge, came out.

“Abbot, your wife has brought her daughter Lanqin to burn incense and fulfill her vow today. We would also like to ask you to look at my daughter’s marriage prospects.” Anjia then personally took out an envelope from her sleeve and handed it to a little Sani standing next to the Abbot.

Wow, Huangjue Temple is really making money! That bag of silver from earlier must be filled with countless silver notes now. In just a short time, it must have made at least a hundred taels of silver.

Lanqin glanced at the old monk who maintained a humble smile throughout, and thought to herself: He takes money without any hesitation.

"Benefactor, please come with me to the side room." After saying this, the abbot turned around, and Anjia gave a few instructions before leading Niohuru Lanqin, Granny Wang, and Xue'er to the side room with the old monk, while the others were left outside the main hall.

This is a special service! Those who can afford to have the abbot's fortune told are definitely not ordinary people.

Upon arriving at the side room, the abbot and Lady Anjia took their seats as host and guest, respectively. Niohuru Lanqin, however, had no seat and had to stand behind Lady Anjia with Granny Wang and the others.

“Abbot, please take a look at my daughter’s birth date and time.” Anjia took out another piece of paper from her sleeve and handed it to Xiao Sani, who came to receive her.

How much could those ancient people possibly hide in their sleeves? It felt like magic. Lanqin, standing to the side, suddenly felt bored.

The abbot took Lanqin's birth date and time and looked at it again and again. Then he asked her to step forward so that he could open his "wise eyes".

Lanqin pursed her lips, walked out from behind Anjia, and stood in front of the old monk.

The abbot looked at her, then closed his eyes to concentrate, then opened them again, scrutinizing Lanqin from all angles until he felt goosebumps.

The abbot waved his hand, and Lanqin, supported by Xue'er, walked back behind Anjia.

"How is it, Master?" Madam Anjia asked anxiously. She was truly heartbroken. She only had one daughter, and Lingzhu was determined to get her into the imperial concubine selection. He must have spent money, pulled strings, and found people to help. But she was unwilling. She wanted to see if her daughter was destined for it first.