Chapter 66 Jingjue Temple
After a while, Pei Zhao stood up and bowed, "Thank you, second uncle."
Pei Tingyou paused holding the teacup, and lowered his lips to suppress his smile.
This guy really likes the girl from the Song family. It's not easy for him to be so frank.
Looking at his nephew's handsome face, Pei Tingyou nodded: "What are you thanking me for? The old lady of the Lu family likes this granddaughter very much. It's not our family that has the final say on matters of marriage. Everything depends on what the young lady wants."
Pei Zhao felt completely at ease after hearing his uncle's words. He bowed again and said, "Nephew, I understand."
…
Perhaps it was because once bitten by a snake, one becomes afraid of ropes for ten years. For a period of time afterwards, no matter which official in Kyoto invited her to a banquet, Song Lingyi declined to attend one by one, for fear of meeting Xiao Mingyi.
But hiding in the backyard all the time was not a solution. In early August, the weather was cool and the old lady's health was getting better, so she thought of going to Jingjue Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha and stay there for a few days.
Jingjue Temple was located in Jueshui County, far from Kyoto, and Song Lingyi offered to accompany the old lady. It was a perfect opportunity to get some fresh air without running into Xiao Mingyi, the best of both worlds.
The day was sunny and bright, with clear skies.
A luxurious carriage with the flag of the Duke's Mansion rumbled out of the west city gate and headed towards Jueshui County.
Jingjue Temple is located on the top of a mountain. The road is steep and difficult to pass by. We set out in the morning and arrived at 3:30 pm.
By the time the Duke's group settled down in the temple, it was already dark.
A thin mist rose between the mountains and fields, and dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the thick clouds seemed to be about to crush this magnificent and ancient temple.
Song Lingyi lived in the right wing. Hongqi made her bed for her. She looked out the window at the gloomy sky and frowned, saying, "It looks like it's going to rain. The mountaintop temple is not like the city. It's much colder at night. Miss, you must cover yourself with a blanket to avoid catching a cold."
The girl leaning against the door frame hummed lazily. She actually loved rainy days. This kind of weather was perfect for lying in bed and sleeping, or sitting in front of the TV, having a bowl of snail noodles, and watching a favorite TV series...
"Cousin."
The nanny's gentle call shattered all the girl's reverie: "The old lady is calling you to the Buddhist temple. Come with me quickly."
The girl sighed softly, said "coming", and walked towards the courtyard gate.
When we first came up the mountain, there were quite a lot of pilgrims in Jingjue Temple, and the incense was very strong. Now that the weather was bad, the pilgrims took the carriages down the mountain before the rain fell.
The ancient temple is quiet and the scent of sandalwood is lingering.
The girl followed the nanny to the Buddhist temple. A group of monks were kneeling in the temple listening to the old monk with white eyebrows preaching Buddhism. The old lady was among them.
The Buddha statue in the hall was solemn and its golden body was shining. The girl consciously restrained her temper and knelt down beside the old lady.
The candlelight in the Buddhist temple is dim.
Song Lingyi clasped her hands together, resting her head on a cushion under her knees, the old monk's low and hoarse voice lingered in her ears, which was even more drowsy than the math class. As she listened, she began to tilt her body, and her eyelids seemed to be sticky with rice paste and she couldn't open them. After struggling for several rounds, her consciousness gradually became blurred.
"Lingyi."
The old lady's voice rang softly, and the girl's shoulders trembled, and she immediately woke up: "Hmm?"
"Grandma, what's wrong?"
"It's raining. Please get me a coat. And put on some more clothes for yourself so you don't catch a cold." The old lady had a kind look in her eyes and a faint smile on her lips.
At some point, the sound of rain began to hit the window frames and eaves, and the candlelight in the hall flickered.
"Okay." The girl blushed slightly. It wasn't her turn to take the clothes. The old lady must have seen her eyelids fighting, so she gave her a chance to leave the hall and wake up.
Song Lingyi walked out of the Buddhist temple, took a breath of the cool autumn wind, and felt much more alert.
The flowers on the steps are cool and beautiful, the surroundings are quiet, and walking slowly accompanied by the sound of rain is a unique experience.
When she returned to the backyard room, she happened to meet Hongqiu going out. She was holding a cloak in her hand and put it on Song Lingyi.
"Why are you back, young lady? I thought you were still in the Buddhist temple, and was just about to give you the cloak."
"I really don't have that kind of intelligence. I get sleepy after listening for a while." Song Lingyi muttered while leaning against the pillar.
Hong Qi smiled and said soothingly, "I once listened to the host's Buddhist lecture. I was young then and almost fell asleep myself. You have no desires now, so listening to the Buddhist scriptures is like listening to heavenly books. Naturally, you will feel sleepy. When you have something to worry about in the future, you won't feel sleepy anymore."
That’s true.
Only when you have something in your heart will you worship Buddha.
The master and servant took the old lady's cloak and sent her to the Buddhist temple. By then, it had become completely dark and the rainy night was a little chilly, so the old lady did not let Song Lingyi continue to listen to the abbot's Buddhist lectures.
…
The next day.
The morning light is dim and there is a thin mist in the mountains.
Song Lingyi had a bland vegetarian meal in the dining hall and was walking towards the Buddhist temple when she caught a glimpse of pilgrims coming to the temple gate. She turned around and saw a familiar face.
The girl, dressed in a lilac-colored silk gown and with delicate features, was none other than Pei Ling, the young lady from the Pei family whom I hadn't seen for many days. Besides her, there were two other noble ladies, who, judging by their ages, must be the two wives of the Pei family.
The three of them were surrounded by maids, and a young monk was leading the way.
"Miss, they seem to be the two ladies of the Pei family. Should we go and pay our respects to them?" Hongqi asked.
Song Lingyi leaned against the pillar, observed silently for a while, and shook her head.
She is not good at dealing with unfamiliar elders, so to avoid an awkward atmosphere, it is better for her to meet people with the old lady.
"Has your Highness ever met Miss Song?"
The woman who was speaking was dignified and beautiful. She was none other than Pei Zhao's mother, Guan. The woman next to her, though plain in appearance, had a scholarly air and a cold and noble temperament. She was Xiang, the wife of the head of the Pei family.
"I met her briefly at a family banquet last time and didn't have a deep impression of her." Xiang said lightly.
"Ling'er should have seen her. What is Miss Song's character like?" Guan asked again.
Her own Erlang was a man of his own ideas, he had been reluctant to consider marriage, and even when he had a crush on a girl, he hadn't even discussed it with her. It was only the head of the household who told her. She was shocked to learn that Erlang was attracted to the Lu family's cousin. Fortunately, the old lady hadn't objected, otherwise the marriage would have been difficult to achieve.
Pei Ling, like Xiang Shi, said calmly, "I've seen her at the family dinner, but we've never spoken. I don't know her character, but she's certainly beautiful."
While they were talking, the group had already arrived outside the Buddhist temple.
The nanny came to the old lady, whispered a few words of reminder, then helped the old lady to get up and walked out of the Buddhist temple.
"How are you, old lady?" Guan smiled and stepped forward to greet him. "I haven't seen you for a long time. You look better than before."
Xiang and Pei Ling also bowed and exchanged a few warm words.
Seeing that the time was right, Song Lingyi walked out from the corner, bowed, and then retreated behind the old lady.
Just when the girl thought her social life for the day was over and she was secretly relieved, Guan suddenly came over, took her hand, and looked her up and down: "Oh, this must be the old lady's granddaughter Lingyi, she is really pretty."
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