The old lady and Gu Yuanfang had a simple trip and arrived at Xiangguo Temple half an hour before the Fourth Prince and Concubine Shu.
Gu Yuanfang, who followed the old lady to the main hall to burn incense, worship Buddha and pray for blessings, was always worried about the situation outside and felt uneasy.
The old lady glanced at Gu Yuanfang and said, "Don't be afraid, Fang'er. Imperial Concubine Shu and the Fourth Prince are very considerate. Even if they come, they won't make things difficult for us. We just need to do our duty, pay our respects, and leave."
Gu Yuanfang pretended to be worried and said, "Fang'er doesn't have much experience, I'm afraid of offending you."
She looked around, and what a coincidence, most of the people who came to Xiangguo Temple to worship Buddha today were the famous ladies and young ladies in the capital. It seemed that they all wanted to make themselves familiar to Concubine Shu and leave a good impression.
Gu Yuanfang also realized that they were all illegitimate daughters of wealthy families, and their only ambition was to become concubines.
Compared with them, their status was lower, but with the old lady of Anchang Marquis present, they just gave Gu Yuanfang a disdainful look and looked away.
The old lady patted Gu Yuanfang's hand and led her out, "Remember, we don't have that intention, so don't worry about what others think."
Even though the old lady was confused sometimes, she knew in her heart that she should not have anything to do with the princes. The old marquis meant that the two governments should remain neutral and not support anyone.
She didn't dare to act rashly. If anything went wrong, the old marquis would divorce her.
The first person the old lady fears in this world is the old marquis, and the second is the emperor. She is afraid of being beheaded.
As soon as they walked out of the main hall, Concubine Shu and the Fourth Prince arrived. The host master and others and the ladies who came to burn incense and worship Buddha hurried out to greet them. The old lady held Gu Yuanfang's hand and stood in the most inconspicuous place.
The Fourth Prince helped the graceful and elegant Concubine Shu out of the sedan chair. After seeing Concubine Shu's beauty, he understood why the Fourth Prince had such a handsome appearance and why the mother and son were particularly favored by the emperor.
Who wouldn’t want to take a few more glances at a good-looking person? They are so pleasing to the eyes.
Concubine Shu smiled gently and raised her hand, saying, "Masters, please excuse your formalities. Ladies and young ladies, please stand up quickly. I am sorry to trouble you all by coming out to pay my respects to the Buddha."
Everyone quickly said, "Where are you going?" Noble Concubine Shu told everyone to disperse and go about their business. Then, the presiding master and several eminent monks led Noble Concubine Shu and the Fourth Prince to the Great Hall.
Gu Yuanfang was stunned by the Fourth Prince's appearance. Even after he walked away, he couldn't take his eyes off him. He was handsome and even his back was so attractive.
In order not to attract the attention of other ladies and young ladies, the old lady took Gu Yuanfang away and said, "Fang'er, it's all just appearance. Becoming a prince is not something we can dream of."
At this moment, the old lady regretted arranging to come to Xiangguo Temple to burn incense today. Thinking about the rumor that Gu Yuanfang had fallen into the lake in order to watch the Fourth Prince, it seemed that it was true.
It's normal for a young girl to look at a handsome man a few more times, but Gu Yuanfang blushed like this, which means she likes him.
When they arrived at their guest house, the old lady told Aunt Wu, "Watch Fang'er and don't let her get close to that side."
Nanny Wu nodded, "I understand."
It's really hard to watch over a living person, so I can only try my best.
Chunhua and Qiushi were bought by the old lady, so Nanny Wu could only scold them and could not just watch them make mistakes.
The two girls agreed verbally, but the advice went in one ear and out the other. They even thought that Nanny Wu was meddling in their affairs. Their young lady wanted to become a successful woman, so they should help her. How could they object?
Xiao Cui had never seen the royal family before, and her legs were still shaking at this moment. They were the prince and the imperial concubine, so majestic. She was so lucky to have the chance to see them in this lifetime.
Chunhua Qiushi turned around and told Gu Yuanfang what Nanny Wu had said, "Miss, it seems that the old lady doesn't want you to have any contact with the Fourth Prince."
"Of course she doesn't want to. In her eyes, I'm just like a parrot under her eaves. How can she let me go away?"
Gu Yuanfang was furious. "Go and find out the Fourth Prince's whereabouts secretly, and tell me when you come back. After the old lady takes a nap, we can sneak out."
After a short break, the old lady took Gu Yuanfang to draw lots. Neither of them had good luck, with all the lots being bad. This made their appetites for the vegetarian lunch very poor, so they only ate a few bites before being dismissed.
The old lady was in a bad mood. After dinner, she walked in the yard to digest the food and then went to take a nap.
Gu Yuanfang returned to her room and picked up the fortune stick. She believed that everything depended on human effort and that the bad fortune sticks were all superstition.
Soon, Chunhua came back and said, "Miss, I heard that Concubine Shu is taking a nap right now, and the Fourth Prince is going to make a wish at the wishing well."
The wishing well is very spacious, with a circular pool in the middle. Water lilies are planted in the pool, and many turtles released by pilgrims are raised in the pool.
When visiting Xiangguo Temple, many people would go to the wishing pond to make a wish and then feed the turtles. Unexpectedly, the Fourth Prince would also be there, so she certainly couldn't miss it.
"Go buy some turtle food, and then we'll go to the wishing fountain and make a wish."
"Miss, I will go right away."
After buying the turtle food, Gu Yuanfang asked Xiao Cui to stay in the guest house while she took Chunhua Qiushi with her. Before leaving, she looked in the bronze mirror and was very satisfied with herself before leaving.
As soon as she went out, she ran into Aunt Wu. "Miss Fang'er, why aren't you taking a rest now? Where are you going?"
"Mammy, there aren't many people at the wishing well right now. I want to make a wish. The fortune I just saw was so auspicious. I hope making a wish will bring better luck later on."
Gu Yuanfang said pitifully, "I even bought some turtle food and fed it more, hoping that my wish would come true."
At this moment, most of the pilgrims were resting in the guest house, and there were indeed few people at the wishing fountain. Madam Wu instructed, "Miss Fang'er, please go and come back quickly to avoid offending the distinguished guests."
"Don't worry, Ma'am. I'll be back soon." Gu Yuanfang left with the two maids. She spat in her heart. He was using chicken feathers as a token of authority. A mere servant dared to lecture someone in front of her.
This made Gu Yuanfang even more determined to leave a deep impression on the Fourth Prince and become a member of his household. Then, who would dare to give her a hard time?
Gu Yuanfang was still too young and took many things for granted. He was also fascinated by the Fourth Prince's appearance and stubbornly went his own way.
When she came to the wishing well, there was no one else there, so she pretended to close her eyes and began to make a wish, looking very pious.
The fourth prince came over from another direction and saw the person standing by the wishing well. He already understood in his heart that some women just like to have a chance encounter with him.
There was nothing fun to do on the mountain, so he reluctantly accompanied the young lady to play for a while.
The Fourth Prince raised the corner of his lips, revealing a contemptuous smile. He asked his followers to retreat and walked towards Gu Yuanfang by the wishing well.
When Chunhua Qiushi saw the Fourth Prince walking towards them, she was so excited that she couldn't speak. The Fourth Prince was so handsome and elegant, and he had captured the hearts of all the girls.
The two of them watched him walk towards them and forgot to remind Gu Yuanfang. The Fourth Prince winked at them and made a gesture to silence them. The two of them felt confused and dizzy.
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