As soon as Yan Qingqing stepped off the carriage, a young novice monk came to greet her.
After ascertaining who it was, the young novice monk respectfully said, "So it is Lady Mingzhao. Madam Pei from the Zhenguo General's Mansion has been waiting for you in the main hall for a long time. Lady Mingzhao, please follow me."
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing led Mu Xi and Yuan Huiniang straight to the main hall.
Jiyun Temple is very large; they passed through several Buddhist halls before entering the main hall.
Madam Pei spotted Yan Qingqing from afar and waved to her, saying, "Sister, over here!"
Although Madam Pei was nearly forty years old, her enthusiasm made her look like a girl in her twenties.
Yan Qingqing quickened her pace and walked to Madam Pei's side, saying, "Madam Pei, am I late?"
Madam Pei was immediately displeased upon hearing this form of address. She looked at Yan Qingqing and said, "I call you sister, but you call me madam. It seems you don't consider me a good sister at all."
After saying that, he turned his head to the side.
Seeing this, Yan Qingqing quickly said, "Oh, it's just a form of address. I was just afraid of making you sound old, sister."
Besides, if I didn't consider you a sister, why would I have come all the way to Jiyun Temple to keep my appointment with you? Do you know anyone in the entire capital who has such influence that they would let me travel out of the capital?
Upon hearing this, Madam Pei immediately became happy again.
Yan Qingqing's words were indeed true. Many people in the capital had sent her invitations to enjoy flowers, go on spring outings, and drink tea, but Yan Qingqing had never been to any of them. Yet, she was willing to come to Jiyun Temple to accompany her to burn incense, which showed that they were giving her a lot of face.
Upon thinking this, Madam Pei immediately became happy again, and then pulled Yan Qingqing aside, calling her "good sister" this and "good sister" that, and began to apologize.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Yuan Huiniang and Mu Xi greeted Madam Pei.
Madam Pei had met Mu Xi before, and she always felt that Mu Xi was not like a child from an ordinary family, because there was not a single fault in her every move.
Today, upon meeting Yuan Huiniang, although she is not particularly beautiful, she has a gentle and kind demeanor, and is well-mannered, showing the demeanor of a matriarch.
This place doesn't look like a typical peasant family at all.
Madam Pei had no idea that Yan Qingqing had spent three whole years training Yuan Huiniang. If she still couldn't be presentable, then all of Yan Qingqing's time and effort in teaching her would have been wasted.
After everyone had exchanged pleasantries, Yan Qingqing finally asked, "Sister, aren't you going to perform a ritual? When does it start?"
Madam Pei replied with a smile, "No rush, it won't start until 9:00 AM."
"Did you have breakfast when you arrived, sister? The vegetarian food at Jiyun Temple is exceptional. If you haven't eaten, I'll take you to the back hall for a meal."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "I've already eaten, there's no need to trouble the monks at the temple."
"But since my sister says it sounds so good, we really should try it at lunchtime."
Upon hearing this, Madam Pei clapped her hands and repeatedly said "good".
Yan Qingqing glanced at the sun; there was still some time before 9 AM, so she suggested going to the main hall to offer her prayers first.
Madam Pei readily agreed. She was a frequent visitor to Jiyun Temple and knew it very well. She personally led Yan Qingqing and the others into the main hall.
She also told Yan Qingqing, "There is a Master Wuxiang at Jiyun Temple who is a highly accomplished monk. He is very accurate in reading faces. If I were to meet him, I would really like to ask him to tell my fortune."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "In that case, let him tell my sister's fortune."
Madam Pei explained in a low voice, "My sister doesn't know, but this Master Wuxiang is a high-ranking monk who doesn't even respect the Emperor. He once said that he only reads the fortunes of those who are destined to be told."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Then you should go and find Master Wuxiang openly. Buddhism emphasizes the absence of self, others, and sentient beings. Since he is called Master Wuxiang, he is also an enlightened monk."
"I only read fortunes for those with a karmic connection; perhaps my sister is one of those destined by Buddhism."
Before Yan Qingqing could finish speaking, a loud Buddhist chant rang out: "Amitabha! I never expected you to be so knowledgeable about Buddhism. You are truly a person with affinity to our Buddhist community."
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing and Madam Pei quickly turned around, and only an old monk with white hair, beard, and eyebrows, wearing a kasaya and a Buddhist hat, walked in.
Mu Xi immediately became wary; how could this old monk walk so silently?
Madam Pei was pleased to see the visitor and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master Wuxiang."
The old monk returned the greeting and said, "Greetings, female benefactor."
Then Master Wuxiang looked at Yan Qingqing and said, "I find this female benefactor's appearance somewhat peculiar. How about I perform a divination for her?"
Yan Qingqing quickly smiled and said, "Thank you, Master, but there's no need. Everything is predestined, and nothing is up to us."
The past cannot be changed, and no one can predict the future. We just need to live well in the present.
Master Wuxiang was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed and said, "What you say is right, benefactor. I was just being superficial."
As long as one's heart is set on doing good, why bother whether one is human or ghost, or whether it's a past life or this one?
Upon hearing Master Wuxiang's words, Yan Qingqing immediately got goosebumps.
The reason she didn't let the old monk see her was because she was afraid he would discover her background.
Does Master Wuxiang know her background or not, based on what he said?
Then Master Wuxiang said, “I see from your face that although your past life was bitter, your later life is one of great wealth and honor. I hope you will not forget your original intention.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing quickly thanked Master Wuxiang.
When Yan Qingqing looked up again, she found that Master Wuxiang was gone.
He was greatly alarmed. Could it be that Master Wuxiang had vanished into thin air?
However, Yan Qingqing did not ask any further questions. After all, she knew her own background and felt guilty when facing Master Wuxiang.
Madam Pei quickly led the group to pay homage to the Buddha in the main hall.
Later, several more ladies arrived one after another. They were very familiar with Madam Pei and were clearly from military families.
They had all heard of Yan Qingqing's reputation and were particularly curious about her.
At first, they surrounded Yan Qingqing like they were watching a monkey, but fortunately, Yan Qingqing was a socialite and knew they didn't have any bad intentions.
She quickly became friends with the ladies, who chattered incessantly around Yan Qingqing.
At the hour of Si (9-11 AM), the ritual officially began.
In fact, Yan Qingqing and the others didn't need to do anything. They just needed to watch from the sidelines and then donate some money for incense oil after the ritual was completed.
The ritual lasted for half an hour before it ended.
Since she had already agreed to stay for a vegetarian meal with Madam Pei, Yan Qingqing definitely wouldn't be going back before noon.
Madam Pei said to Yan Qingqing, "Sister, the scenery in the backyard of Jiyun Temple is quite nice. Would you like your older sister to show you around?"
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Sister, you go ahead and do your work. I'll just take these two girls for a stroll."
Given the size of the temple, Madam Pei indeed had other matters to attend to, so she did not insist on staying with Yan Qingqing any longer.
Yan Qingqing led Mu Xi and Yuan Huiniang to the backyard.
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