We arrived at Famen Temple.
The Jiang family had been waiting in the carriage for a while. When Jiang Sheng jumped off the carriage, Tan Yue timed it perfectly and helped Old Madam Jiang down.
"Grandma!" she exclaimed, rushing over with a joyful laugh. "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Not long, not long." Old Madam Jiang patted her head. "Where is Father?"
Jiang Sheng suppressed a laugh and pointed to the pale-faced middle-aged man who was lifting the carriage curtain. It turned out that not only she would mistake him, but also the old lady Jiang, who was a mother, would mistake her son.
"This..." Old Madam Jiang stared in disbelief.
Tan Yue's eyes widened.
Liao Shi, Jiang Chenghuan, and the four members of the second wife's family, all stood there dumbfounded.
Who would have thought that General Jiang, with his full beard, would one day be white-faced and beardless? Not only did his original imposing and intimidating aura disappear, but he also gained a more refined and scholarly air, bearing a resemblance of up to 60% to Jiang Jizong.
“Uncle looks just as handsome as Father after shaving,” Jiang Chengyu exclaimed from the side, seemingly flattering him.
The Jiang family members all suppressed their laughter, but Liao's feelings were indescribable.
When the two first got married, Jiang Jizu was also so refined and handsome that he deeply captured her heart.
After several defeats, his fair and youthful appearance aroused doubts in the army and brought shame to the Jiang family's reputation. Out of resentment and to cover up his youthful appearance, he grew a full beard and did not shave it for twenty years.
Although Madam Liao didn't say anything, who doesn't hope for a handsome and dashing husband, and who doesn't like a pale-faced scholar? It's just a pity that the Liao family was of low status at the time, so she didn't say anything more.
She never imagined that, after twenty years, she would still see her husband's fair-skinned and refined appearance.
"Big brother complains that having a full beard makes eating troublesome," Jiang Jizong joked, "He has to wash his face after every meal."
Jiang Jizu chuckled and touched his cheek. "Nannan doesn't like it."
So it was for his daughter.
Jiang Jizong nodded knowingly, and the others smiled slightly.
Only Liao clenched her fists, stared coldly at Jiang Sheng, and then lowered her eyelashes.
The maid behind her followed her mistress's lead and let out a disdainful snort.
Jiang Sheng's smile vanished, and she unconsciously nestled close to Old Madam Jinjiang.
"Alright, alright, let's go offer incense." A cold glint flashed in Madam Jiang's eyes as she put one arm around her granddaughter. "Our little girl wants to meet her grandfather too."
“Young lady, you probably don’t know what kind of person the old general is. Although I haven’t met him many times, I’ve often heard the old lady talk about him, so I can tell you about him.” Tan Yue cleverly changed the subject, “Let me tell you…”
A group of people slowly walked up the stairs, and even the oldest lady did not call for a sedan chair.
They climbed the steps, trudged through the mud, and finally reached the temple halfway up the mountain.
Unlike the small temple where Prince Gong's son kept a mistress, Famen Temple was the most frequently visited temple by the aristocratic families of Fengjing. It contained the memorial tablets of hundreds of elders of the aristocratic families, and dozens of monks chanted sutras and prayed for blessings.
The prominent families would donate money for incense offerings and come to remember their deceased relatives during festivals and Qingming Festival.
Today, since it's neither a holiday nor a festival, there are almost no worshippers, and the entire Famen Temple seems to be open only to the Jiang family.
"Amitabha, the benefactor has arrived." The young novice monk, who was serving the guest, put his hands together in prayer.
"You've arrived," Madam Jiang greeted him. "How is the young master?"
"All is well." The young novice monk bowed his head. "Everyone who was supposed to come has come."
"That's good, that's good." Madam Jiang nodded. "Then let's go in. It's been a long time since we've seen the host."
The young novice monk chanted the Buddha's name again, leading the way.
Jiang Jizu followed without expression, occasionally glancing at Jiang Sheng. Seeing that she was only concerned with her curiosity, shaking her little head left and right, he felt relieved.
The group walked along the bluestone path, crossed the dense bamboo forest, and climbed three steps before finally arriving at the main hall of the temple.
The white-haired abbot opened his eyes and said, "Congratulations, Madam, congratulations, General, on the return of your daughter and the restoration of your bloodline."
He glanced at Jiang Sheng again and smiled slightly, "You are a blessed person."
With a face as round as the full moon and limbs plump, one couldn't possibly eat like that without good fortune.
The older brothers behind them muttered to themselves.
"The host can read faces?" Jiang Chengyu, who was also quite round, became interested and rushed to the front. "Look at me, don't I look very lucky?"
The old host really looked him over and nodded seriously, "A round face indicates good fortune, while protruding teeth suggest a tendency to talk too much."
Jiang Chengyu quickly shut his mouth, covering his crooked teeth.
"What about me? What about me?" Jiang Chengfeng also came over.
The old host chuckled, “A broad forehead and square face indicate a long and prosperous life.”
Now that we've already seen so many, a few more won't make a difference.
The old host's gaze swept over Jiang Chenghuan, noticing her slender figure and thin chin, and he gently shook his head and sighed, "Too thin to bear good fortune."
Liao was somewhat displeased, but before she could say anything, Zheng Ruqian, full of enthusiasm, pulled his younger brothers forward.
“Look at us.” The four boys raised their chins.
The host then proceeded to comment on each person, saying, "A broad face and a big mouth indicate wealth coming from all directions."
This is Zheng Ruqian.
"His eyebrows are raised in a heroic manner; he was born to be a military general."
This is Fang Heng.
"A man with the body of a woman, with a mind as meticulous as a hair."
This is Wen Zhiyun.
When the old host saw the long banquet, he was clearly stunned. He looked at it several times, his expression changing from solemn to slightly different, and then to sighing.
"Host, host, what happened to my brother?" Jiang Sheng rushed over worriedly. "Is he alright?"
After careful consideration, the presiding official said, "His life is not in danger."
But at least their lives were not in danger.
Jiang Sheng didn't catch the hidden meaning in his words and was overjoyed. "As long as I'm alive, why worry about so much?"
"If I could live and have enough to eat, that would be even better."
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