Chapter 46: Thank you for your trouble, greedy girl
The Du mother and daughter set out for Tianyi Temple early the next morning. Axuan, the bandit leader, had never been to a Taoist temple. When he heard that his mother and sister were going out, he also insisted on going.
Mrs. Du despised her because she was too young to walk far alone, but Ah Xuan was confident in herself: "You don't need to carry me, I can climb up by myself."
"Next time, when you are older, I will take you with me." Mrs. Du said casually.
"Mom~" A Xuan looked at Mrs. Du pitifully and rubbed her head against hers.
Gu Youan held his sister's hand and said to Mrs. Du, "Mother, if she wants to go, take her. If she can't walk, I'll carry her."
Ah Xuan nodded in agreement: "That's right, take me with you."
Seeing how good the two sisters were, Mrs. Du stopped objecting and couldn't help but pinch her cheeks and said, "Be good when you go to worship the gods. Don't cry or make a fuss, okay?"
"Oh, I know." After Ah Xuan was happy, she said unconvincedly, "I'm a big kid now. I won't cry or make a fuss."
Mrs. Du sneered, "Not crying? Which little greedy pig was crying yesterday over a piece of chestnut cake?"
"Hmph! Mom is so mean. I won't talk to her anymore." A Xuan felt embarrassed and ran away pretending to be stupid.
Mrs. Du turned around and told Wang Quan, "Call your wife and go."
Afraid that Axuan would be unable to walk halfway, Mrs. Du took Wang Quan and his wife with her. If the girl acted stubborn and refused to walk, they could still carry her up the mountain.
Wang Quan: "Hey, I'll follow Madam's orders."
Mrs. Du looked at her little daughter running away and couldn't help but mutter, "Time flies by so fast."
A few years ago when she was exiled, she could still carry Axuan all the way here. Now the child has grown up and she is old, and she can hardly carry her anymore.
Time passed like water, An An was old enough to get married, and A Xuan was not young either.
On the way to the mountain, Mrs. Du said to her eldest daughter, "Last year, your father and I wanted to hire a female teacher for her to teach her how to read and write. She should be sensible and reasonable by then."
"In addition to studying and learning the rules, she should also learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If she doesn't like it, then forget it, just treat it as an eye-opener. If she likes it, no matter which one it is, she can study hard with the teacher for a few years, and she will have her own skills in the future."
As Ah Xuan climbed the mountain, she interrupted, "Mom, I like riding horses and archery."
"I didn't say you can't learn horse riding and archery, I just want you to learn some other skills."
"oh."
After sending away her talkative younger daughter, Madam Du said to her eldest daughter, "It's hard to find a female tutor in Songjiang City. If you could go to Luoyang and ask around, it would be great if you could find a suitable one to work for our family."
Gu Youan took it to heart: "I understand."
Speaking of female teachers, Mrs. Du said, "A female teacher's knowledge is naturally important, but her character is also of paramount importance. When you are looking for someone, you must find out if she has ever done anything inappropriate."
"Well, we only look for knowledge and character. As for whether the lady is unmarried, divorced, or a widow, we don't care."
Children of Axuan's age are only half-knowledgeable. It takes a lot of effort to teach her well, but it is easy to teach her badly. Axuan has such a personality, so Mrs. Du can't help but worry.
"Speaking of which, if your Aunt Bai and Aunt Liu are free, you could ask them to be Axuan's teachers. Your Aunt Bai is the daughter of a successful candidate in a juren exam. I heard she's well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, so she's more than qualified to teach Axuan. And your Aunt Liu was also a talented woman when she was still a boudoir student."
After a while, Mrs. Du continued, "Think about it carefully. Your Aunt Bai and your Aunt Liu, after they got married and became wives and mothers, it seems that those skills they had in the boudoir were no longer needed. They became ordinary women who took care of household affairs."
Gu Youan said: "Mom, the skills you have learned are of course useful, and having many skills is always useful."
Mrs. Du also thought so, but she couldn't help but feel sad.
A Xuan was impatient to listen to her mother's nagging, but the little girl was very nimble and ran to the front in a short while.
Seeing her running away, Mrs. Du hurriedly called out to her, "Keep running! Be careful! We might lose sight of you and get wolves and take you away."
"They are just words to scare children. I'm not afraid." A Xuan made a slight face, laughed and ran away.
Mrs. Du stamped her feet and said to her eldest daughter, "Your father is busy, you are busy too, and I am not free either. Without anyone to discipline her, Axuan has become even more naughty."
Gu Youan smiled and comforted her: "Don't worry, I will definitely find her a great female teacher when I come back from Luoyang."
Gu Youan quickened his pace to catch up with Axuan. Following the steps up the mountain and around a cliff, Gu Youan saw a piece of lush green clothes hidden among the green trees at the wooden pavilion in front.
"A Xuan?"
A Xuan leaned back, revealing half of her little face, and was eating something with her little mouth. When she saw it was her sister, she waved and called her sister over.
After she swallowed the snack in her mouth, she shouted, "Sister, come here quickly, come and have some snacks."
This girl dares to eat other people's food when she meets strangers outside. She needs to be taught a lesson.
Gu Youan walked over and was thinking about how to thank the host when he got closer and walked outside the pavilion. He saw that the owner of the dim sum was a familiar face.
King Qi?
He looked up at her for just a moment and then looked away.
Ah Xuan jumped up and down and called to her sister: "This, this is called a cake, it's delicious, sister, come and try it."
As they were talking, the snack was already passed to Gu Youan's mouth, but Gu Youan quickly dodged it: "Eat it yourself."
"Hehe, I love eating it."
Seeing that her sister didn't want it, A Xuan fed the snack into her own mouth. The corners of her mouth moved, and her plump cheeks were like a little hamster in the woods in the mountains.
Gu Youan bowed his head slightly and said, "Thank you for the hospitality, Axuan, please forgive me for the inconvenience."
The man sitting there didn't say anything. The attendant beside him, Xu Zhi, smiled and said, "Young lady, you don't have to be polite. Your sister Yuxue is lovely. Our master is also happy to talk to her."
Gu Youan doubted what he heard. Would Axuan talk to him?
Or, is he the kind of person who would gossip with a little girl like Axuan?
Gu Youan glanced at her greedy sister, then looked at him... Coincidentally, he was also looking at her with heavy eyes.
He looked at her without moving, and Gu Youan naturally would not move his eyes away first. The two of them just looked at each other.
Xu Zhi was shocked. This presumptuous girl became bolder as she grew older. Compared with before, she was even more presumptuous!
The master didn't say anything. Xu Zhi felt that Manager Gu had offended the master, but he didn't scold Manager Gu. He just watched the fun from the side.
"An An, A Xuan."
Mrs. Du is here.
Gu Youan blinked, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and he was the first to look away, turning around and responding: "Mom, we are here."
Mrs. Du stood at the bend of the cliff, resting with her hands on her hips. She wiped the sweat off her face and said, "Call Ah Xuan. This girl is running too fast."
Ah Xuan chuckled and quickly ate another piece of dessert. Afraid her mother would scold her, she wiped her mouth and her little paws, turned around and waved to the person sitting there: "Thank you for the dessert, it's delicious, I like it very much."
Mrs. Du heard Ah Xuan talking, and when she got closer, she saw that there were other people in the pavilion. She hurriedly thanked him on her daughter's behalf. Only then did Prince Qi speak respectfully, "Madam, there's no need to be so polite."
Xu Zhi coughed lightly and said, "Master, it's getting late. We should leave."
"The scenery here is nice. Madam, please sit down and have a rest." Prince Qi stood up, nodded to Mrs. Du, and left with his men.
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "These teas are all untouched, and your young lady is the only one who used two pieces of snacks. Madam, please don't hesitate to try my cook's cooking skills."
The familiar purple robe fluttered, and the robe disappeared along the mountain path with its owner. Only then did Gu Youan retract his gaze.
Ah Xuan clapped her hands happily and jumped up and down: "The snacks are still there."
Not only were the snacks still there, but two servants from Prince Qi's mansion were also left here to serve.
Since the host was not at home, Mrs. Du didn't feel comfortable eating their tea and snacks. She just sat down to rest for a while and then hurried up the mountain.
Ah Xuan didn't care. Since she was invited to eat, the maid brought the snacks to her mouth, so she naturally took a big bite.
Gu Youan looked at his sister's greedy look and didn't know who she looked like.
After resting enough, they continued to climb the mountain. Gu Youan said to the people who stayed to serve him, "Thank your master for us."
The girl bowed and said, "Madam, take care."
After they had walked quite a distance, Madam Du whispered to her daughter, "Whose young master was that just now? He clearly comes from a distinguished family. I didn't expect him to be so well-mannered, and his servants are also well-trained."
"Mom, don't you remember him?"
"Have we met before?"
"Three years ago, you and Aunt Bai took me to Tianyi Temple. It snowed that day." Gu Youan helped her mother recall.
Mrs. Du slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have thought it was him! I didn't expect to run into him again. What a fate!"
Gu Youan thought that his family did not have the ability to establish a relationship with Prince Qi through fate.
Mrs. Du said, "They are so polite, we can't lose our manners. When we meet at the Taoist temple later, remember to thank them."
Mrs. Du knew Prince Qi and that his mother, Queen Meng, was buried on a mountain near the Taoist temple, but she did not associate the man just now with Prince Qi.
Gu Youan didn't say anything, and A Xuan nodded quickly: "Mom, his dim sum is delicious, ask Grandma Yang to make some too."
"You little greedy girl, even Grandma Yang might not be able to make such a delicate snack."
After walking for another half an hour, the family arrived at the Taoist temple.
Gu Youan looked around. The spacious courtyard, the familiar plaque, and the lounge chairs under the eaves were all there. Tianyi Temple was the same as usual.
Ah Xuan raised her face, put her hands on her hips and exclaimed, "Wow, it feels so good."
Walking from the dark dense forest and mountains to the spacious courtyard, the sunlight poured down on my body, making me feel warm.
Gu Youan smiled and said, "If you like, just stand here."
Mrs. Du was tired from walking, so she went to sit under the eaves to rest. After a short rest, Mrs. Du called Axuan over and said, "You and Sister Wei, go ask the Taoist priests for a place to change your sweaty clothes. Don't catch a cold."
"OK."
After Axuan changed her clothes and came back, Mrs. Du took her daughter to the main hall to burn incense.
Wang Quan placed various offerings to the gods and quietly left.
Mrs. Du performed the ritual by kneeling three times and kowtow nine times, muttering something to herself. One was to pray for the safety and well-being of her family, and the other was to pray for good weather, peace and prosperity in Songjiang City.
Finally, Mrs. Du had to say a few more words, asking the gods to grant her An An a good marriage. She did not ask for a dragon or phoenix among men, but only wanted to know An An and accompany her for the rest of her life.
"An An, come here and kowtow to Master Sanqing."
Gu Youan obediently went over and kowtowed. After she finished, the young Taoist priest Li Xuanyue arrived.
Mrs. Du hurriedly greeted the young Taoist priest and asked, "Young Taoist priest, is your master here?"
The eight-year-old Taoist priest shook his head in a mature manner and said, "My master has gone on a long journey. What can I do for you, kindhearted person?"
"It's nothing serious. I just want to ask the old Taoist priest to help my An An look at his horoscope and see where his marriage fate lies."
Taoist Priest Xiao Li said seriously: "Marriage is destined by heaven. It will come naturally when it is time. Good people don't need to worry."
Such words of comfort were useless to Mrs. Du. Unfortunately, the old Taoist priest was not there, so Mrs. Du could only ask, "When will your master come back?"
"I don't know when I'll return."
"Well, I'll come back and ask after autumn."
After paying respects to the gods, Mrs. Du took her daughter to have a vegetarian meal. Ah Xuan couldn't sit still, so she ran off to play after finishing her meal. Gu Youan asked her mother to sit down and rest while she went to look after Ah Xuan.
"Sister, there is a road here!"
"Axuan, don't run. Come back."
There was a small door on the right wall of the courtyard, with three steps inside and outside the door. Gu Youan walked up and saw someone coming from the woods opposite.
"Oh, it's you again. Have you eaten?" A Xuan greeted people enthusiastically.
Gu Youan held his forehead with his hand, thinking that Axuan was such a very outgoing person.
Xu Zhi spoke to the little girl with a smile and asked her what delicious food the temple had made today. A Xuan said there were tofu, cabbage, scrambled eggs and so on.
The little girl concluded: "It tastes pretty good."
Prince Qi walked to the steps in front of the door. Gu Youan was standing on the steps at the same height as him. Gu Youan walked down the steps to make way for others and almost fell down accidentally. Fortunately, she held on to the wall.
Xu Zhimiao saw his master's hand stretching out and then retracting. He opened and closed his mouth in shock several times before he uttered a single sentence: "Manager Gu is quite skilled."
Gu Youan didn't respond, but only said, "Thank you for the dim sum. My sister likes it very much."
Xu Zhi hurriedly said, "Manager Gu, you're welcome."
Prince Qi stepped onto the steps, passed through the door, and walked down the steps.
Suddenly, Prince Qi turned around, looked at Gu Youan, and said, "Manager Gu, your caravan can transport food on the way back. No one in Shanhaiguan will stop you."
Prince Qi pointed out her identity, and Gu Youan naturally obeyed.
Prince Qi raised the corner of his mouth slightly and walked away.
King Qi did not have the vegetarian meal. He went to the main hall to burn three incense sticks, then led his men down the mountain and left.
The study of Prince Qi's mansion.
On Prince Qi's desk was a thick stack of documents containing the details of the noble ladies in Songjiang City. Prince Qi picked up the top sheet, folded it, and placed it between the books he had been reading recently.
Prince Qi called Xu Zhi over and pointed at the remaining stack on the table: "Throw these out and burn them. They're in the way."
"yes."
Xu Zhi held the neatly folded document without even a wrinkle, and couldn't help but feel sorry for Zhou Changshi. It was a pity that Zhou Changshi had put so much effort into it, but his master didn't even take a look at it.
Xu Zhi threw these documents into the kitchen and burned them. Zhou Chen knew about it a long time ago.
Zhou Chen came to find Xu Zhi and asked, "The noble ladies of the Meng and Yuan families are not favored by the mistresses, and none of the young ladies from the other families in Songjiang City are interested in her? Even if the list I carefully selected is not qualified to be a princess, it can be a concubine, right?"
Xu Zhi naturally wouldn't tell him that his master had left one behind. He just pointed to the kitchen and said, "The ones you carefully selected are all in the stove."
Zhou Chen sighed. It was not easy for him to be the chief historian. He couldn't interfere in his master's marriage, but he couldn't do nothing either. Even if he did his best, it would still not be appreciated.
Xu Zhi laughed when he saw Zhou Chen sighing, and walked away feeling proud.
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