Chapter 184 First Encounter, Understanding Wei Ting

In front of Hanshan Temple.

Ancient trees reach for the sky, with evergreen pines and cypresses intertwined and reflected in each other's glory.

As soon as Ji Qingwu stepped down from the carriage, he attracted the attention of many pilgrims.

The long, crimson begonia dress was completely ruined by Emperor Wu Su, so she changed into a bright red peony brocade dress.

This outfit is even more alluring than yesterday's; as she stands there, her gauze skirt seems to float like mist.

Ji Qingwu was dressed in a bright and alluring manner, yet her expression was not frivolous. She walked into the temple step by step as if she were treading on dense red clouds.

Compared to yesterday's streets, most of those offering incense here are women, dressed in simple and elegant attire.

Suddenly, a bright spot appeared in the crowd, drawing everyone's attention. Among them, the ladies and young women from noble families looked down on Ji Qingwu's behavior.

Lanzhi felt uncomfortable under the contemptuous looks of this group of people.

The maid was worried that Ji Qingwu couldn't stand such stares, so she whispered to comfort her, "Fifth Miss, they must be so disrespectful because of your outstanding appearance."

Ji Qingwu's eyes darted around, taking in the people scrutinizing him, before a generous and natural smile appeared on his face.

She said, "It's okay, let them think what they want, I won't lose anything."

Ji Qingwu walked to the majestic stone lion at the entrance and looked at the winding path below the mountain: "Besides, this is exactly the effect I wanted. I was afraid they wouldn't watch it."

Along the way, you can see several dark purple carriages coming this way.

Ji Qingwu smiled and said, "Lanzhi, let's go inside first."

The two arrived at the main hall, where Lanzhi laid out a prayer mat for her. Looking at the gods and Buddhas filling the hall, Ji Qingwu knelt down and clasped her hands together.

She silently prayed: May she have a safe journey and achieve her goals.

Not long after, the abbot personally led a group of people into the room. At the head of the group was an elderly lady in a dark purple robe. She was nearly seventy years old, but she still stood tall and exuded an imposing presence.

Behind him followed the women of the household, as well as the maids and servants, numbering about twenty.

When Madam Wei entered the main hall, she saw this beautiful figure and frowned uncomfortably.

The old lady had a very sharp eye; just by looking at her back, she knew that this girl had an extraordinary air about her and didn't seem like a courtesan from a brothel.

But I was displeased. I wondered whose daughter she was, dressed so seductively and so unruly, showing no respect for gods or Buddhas.

If she had free time, Old Madam Wei might have given him a few words of advice, but she was so overwhelmed by her wicked grandson that she had no desire to meddle.

Inside the hall, one could hear the woman softly murmuring to herself.

"I pray to Buddha to bless me so that my lover and I can get married soon, and that his elders will give their approval soon."

It turns out he was someone seeking a marriage partner.

But with such an unrefined appearance, what upright family would want to marry a woman like that?

The young woman following behind Madam Wei gossiped with those around her: "What decent girl would have a lover? Maybe he's just trying to climb the social ladder and has ulterior motives."

Old Lady Wei should pretend she can't hear anything and calm down.

Granny Pan had already arranged all the prayer cushions and offerings, and was about to hand the incense in her hand to Old Madam Wei.

Just then, Ji Qingwu slowly stood up, inserted the incense stick in his hand into the burner, bent over and raised his hand with elegant movements, and the slender smoke rose up.

As she turned around, she met Old Madam Wei's gaze.

Ji Qingwu smiled faintly at the old lady, but after seeing her face clearly, displeasure appeared on the other woman's calm face.

Qiao had told her that this old lady Wei had a lot of rules.

In recent years, Wei Ting has been away from Lin'an for a long time, and the old lady has to make decisions on all matters, big and small, at home.

Madam Wei disliked nothing more than frivolous and dissolute women.

Ji Qingwu made a special effort to create a scene on the street yesterday, all for the sake of meeting this old lady, Madam Wei, at this very moment.

Wei Ting could disregard her wishes.

But how could he dare disobey his seventy-something-year-old grandmother, whose word was law?

A dark glint flashed in Ji Qingwu's eyes, but her smile became even brighter. Through the wisps of incense smoke, her beautiful features resembled a flower fairy in a painting.

She curled her alluring red lips into a smile, deliberately using a high-pitched, sweet voice to say, "Greetings, Madam Wei."

Granny Pan, who was standing beside Madam Wei, stepped forward and said, "Young lady, my lady still needs to worship Buddha. If you have nothing else to do, please step aside."

That was a relatively polite way of putting her; it meant that she was an eyesore and a nuisance.

Ji Qingwu stepped aside and didn't linger.

She glanced at the maid beside her, and Lanzhi nodded to her.

Ji Qingwu beckoned with his finger, and the two of them exchanged a silent signal.

Lanzhi went out of the palace first, and Ji Qingwu walked slowly behind her, her waist swaying gracefully, almost like a beautiful and alluring water snake.

The unmarried girls of the Wei family blushed with embarrassment at her behavior and secretly cursed her for being indecent.

Besides, how can a maid leave the house before her mistress? It seems she's not a lady from a well-mannered family.

Just as Ji Qingwu reached the door, several men ran towards him.

Each of these individuals has their own strengths.

There was a charming young man with peach blossom eyes holding wildflowers picked at the temple gate, and a rustic villager holding a heart-shaped stone.

There was also a seemingly frail scholar, holding a handful of pedantic love poems, reciting classical Chinese phrases to her...

"Miss Ji, do you like these flowers? They were all picked by me personally, so they're guaranteed to be fresh. It's this freshness that's worthy of your beauty."

The dark-skinned, oily-skinned villager said, "Miss Ji, look at me! This stone of mine has a very special history; it's my family heirloom, and its heart shape perfectly represents my heart."

The young man with peach blossom eyes spat and said, "What's with this sour and smelly stone of yours? Don't make the young lady sick. Take it away!"

The villager reluctantly moved the stone he had just taken out of the pickling jar further away.

The pale-faced scholar gazed at her with deep affection.

"There is a beautiful woman, whom I cannot forget once I have seen her. If I do not see her for a day, I am driven mad with longing for her. Since I first saw you yesterday, I have been deeply in love with you."

......

Ji Qingwu quickly beckoned Lanzhi over.

Lanzhi, who was watching with great interest, came over and asked, "What's wrong, Fifth Miss? Is their acting bad?"

Ji Qingwu whispered, "Later, deduct some money from that big, dark guy over there holding the stone. Who gave him permission to act so freely?"

Her eyes stung from the smell of the stone, and she felt nauseous.

Lanzhi suppressed a laugh and stepped aside.

Outside the palace gates, it was incredibly lively.

Inside the main hall, no one dared to utter a sound.

As if she hadn't heard the commotion outside, Old Madam Wei closed her eyes, her face serene, and spoke to the gods and Buddhas about what she desired in her heart.

Then, Granny Pan carefully helped her up, and Old Madam Wei straightened the wrinkles in her clothes before slowly walking to the palace gate.

Ji Qingwu held a bunch of wildflowers in both hands, listening to the scholar reciting verses he had copied from somewhere, and his lips twitched.

For a moment, she understood Weiting...

Behind Ji Qingwu came the voice of Old Madam Wei asking a question.