Chapter 568 Peace and Joy
The guards beside the two exchanged glances, feeling a sense of helplessness. Listen to what the Duke was saying; if the Marquis really wanted to kneel, who could stop him?
You are all fierce warriors who can withstand a hundred men on the battlefield. These people are used to following you. If the Marquis doesn't give the order, who would dare to lay a hand on him?
Can't just be tired of living?
However, they should not disobey the Duke's orders. Upon hearing Qi Rong's words, four or five guards stepped forward to lift Lin Changning off the ground.
Lin Changning only needed to give them a look to cower in fear.
"Who dares to touch me!"
A cold glance to the side, and a group of guards, unsure whether to move or not.
Lin Changning turned to look at Qi Rong standing beside him, his voice pleading, "Second Brother, I've never asked you for anything. Don't stop me, please..."
Qi Rong looked at the brokenness in Lin Changning's eyes, closed his eyes to hide his emotions, sighed softly, and slowly released his hand.
Watching the rain pelt Lin Changning, she silently opened her umbrella and watched Lin Changning kowtow with each step as he headed towards the mountain gate. She quietly followed behind him, holding her umbrella to shield him from the rain.
Many people around watched this scene from a distance.
After the rain, some pilgrims returned to their carriages, while others hurried past Lin Changning and headed towards the temple.
Many people seemed to have never seen such a spectacle before, and they blocked the mountain gate, watching Lin Changning come up the mountain step by step, bowing repeatedly.
Some well-informed aristocratic families in the capital have already learned that the Princess's carriage is parked at Jingling Temple, and many ladies or young women from these families are heading towards Jingling Temple today.
At the foot of the mountain, carriages were parked one after another. One of the carriages lifted its curtain, revealing three or four beautiful young women inside. They had been instructed by their elders to come to the temple to offer incense today, hoping to make an impression on the Princess and the Duke. Qi Rong was currently a very popular marriage prospect in the capital.
A young girl in the carriage looked at Lin Changning, who was bowing with each step halfway up the mountain, and then looked at Qi Rong, who was wearing a black cloak, and sighed, "No wonder the officials' wives from Taiyuan all say that Marquis Wu'an and the Princess are a loving couple. Such a man is truly rare."
Another girl nodded to the girl who had just spoken, cupped her chubby little face and said, "Fifth Sister is right. Marquis Wu'an is truly affectionate. I've only ever heard of poor families who have no money and can only kowtow one step at a time to reach the mountain gate. I've never heard of any young man in the capital with a slightly flat head and a full face who would be willing to make such a plea for his seriously ill wife. I wish I could have such a husband in the future."
Another girl, who was slightly prettier, sighed: "It is indeed affectionate, but doing this is somewhat beneath him. In the future, this Marquis of Wu'an will probably be laughed at by those playboys in the capital."
The girl who had spoken first chuckled softly: "I don't think so. If this Marquis of Wu'an isn't marrying a princess, it's actually a good match."
The pretty young girl asked curiously, "Fifth Sister, why do you say that? Didn't you say that the Marquis of Wu'an's family were all farmers? They only became wealthy because they helped the emperor rise to power."
The girl shook her head: "You only know one side of the story. This Marquis is not yet of age, only seventeen at most, making him the youngest Marquis in our Great Xuan. Moreover, I heard from my aunt that this Marquis possesses divine strength and is invincible on the battlefield, capable of taking on a hundred enemies single-handedly. He not only saved the Duke of Qi, but also the current Crown Prince. Furthermore, he is a close friend of the current Prince Sheng. Before even arriving in the capital, His Majesty bestowed upon him a powerful official position. My aunt said that this Marquis has unlimited potential. If those playboys in the capital are smart, they wouldn't dare to point fingers or gossip about such a powerful and promising Marquis."
The round-faced girl pouted: "A promising future, a high position of power, and deep affection for the princess—I'm afraid I won't find a husband like that. Sigh."
The girl, referred to as Fifth Sister, glanced at the maid who opened the carriage door and said, "Alright, don't forget the important business we came here for today. Go upstairs and greet the Duke."
With that, he led the two girls off the carriage, and the old woman beside Liu, holding an umbrella, walked towards the mountain gate.
After reaching the halfway point of the mountain, the girl leading the group called out to Qi Rong, "Cousin."
Qi Rong, holding his umbrella, glanced back and saw that the three elegantly dressed girls turned away and ignored him.
The girl who had spoken hesitated for a moment, then led the remaining two forward. After stopping beside Qi Rong and his companion, she bowed and said, "Greetings, Cousin Marquis. It has been many years since we last met. How is your health, Cousin?"
Qi Rong glanced at the girl indifferently: "Hmm, if there's nothing else, you may leave."
The girl hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something more, but seeing Qi Rong's unfriendly expression, she was so frightened that she didn't know what to say. The round-faced girl looked at Lin Changning, who was kowtowing, with some curiosity. When she saw Lin Changning raise his head, a look of amazement flashed in her eyes.
After being pulled by Fifth Sister, he led the group toward the mountain gate.
"I know the Duke is handsome, but I didn't expect the Marquis of Wu'an to be so good-looking."
After the beautiful young woman climbed the steps, she turned to look at Qi Rong, who was holding an umbrella with Lin Changning below: "Alright, let's hurry up and go. We still have to pay our respects to the Princess later."
The girl, known as Fifth Sister, gently shook her head: "There's no need to pay respects to the Princess. She probably won't have time to see us today. Alright, let's go to the main hall to pay our respects and then head back."
Or he led the remaining two girls into the main hall.
Lin Changning's red robe was soaked by the rain, his knees ached, and the robe slowly became dirty. A few drops of blood seeped from his forehead. Qi Rong's face was gloomy. The people around him who were initially watching the commotion all kept their distance when they saw the coldness on Qi Rong's handsome face.
It was already completely dark, and Lin Changning and Qi Rong were soaked with rain. Lin Changning tried to persuade Qi Rong to go back several times, but Qi Rong refused.
The two of them stood and knelt together in the rain, walking step by step towards the main hall. Gradually, the crowd dispersed, and in the end, only the abbot and the novice monks of the temple remained guarding the mountain gate.
As soon as they arrived at the mountain gate, two young monks brought several bowls of ginger soup to Qi Rong and Lin Changning.
Lin Changning tilted his head back and drank the bowl of ginger soup in one gulp. He stood up unsteadily, almost falling, but Qi Rong helped him up. After regaining his balance, he thanked Qi Rong and knelt down again.
When Lin Changning arrived at the main hall, the dim candlelight illuminated the compassionate Buddha statue. Lin Changning was soaked to the bone, covered in mud, and looked utterly disheveled, with a few strands of hair clinging messily to his cheeks.
He rose shakily, knelt down on the prayer mat in front of him, clasped his hands together, and slowly closed his eyes as he looked at the Buddha statue.
After kowtowing three times, he silently prayed, "May Buddha bless Li Mingshu, may her chronic illness be cured, may she be free from calamities, and may she enjoy peace and good health from now on..."
At that moment, Li Mingshu was standing outside the main hall with tears in her eyes, and I felt a sharp, throbbing pain in my chest.
The maid beside her said with some concern, "Princess, you've been standing here for quite a while now. The Marquis will be worried."
Li Mingshu nodded, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, nodded to the maid, and was helped by the maid to slowly walk towards the side room in the backyard.
As Li Mingshu passed by that century-old tree, she paused for a moment. The rain had soaked the prayer plaque on it, and a gust of wind made a tinkling sound as it blew by.
The delicate prayer plaques hanging on the topmost branches swayed gently in the breeze, their tassels swaying softly with the wind.
The ink characters on the paper had blurred slightly with water, but the words were still faintly visible: "May Aning have a peaceful and prosperous life, and may Yue'er enjoy good fortune, longevity, and health in the years to come..."
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