The carriage arrived at Shenghe Temple in a short time. Ruan Yuyi sat safely in the carriage and waited until everyone else got off before getting up.
"Miss, watch your steps carefully."
Ruan Yuyi took her extended hand and hummed softly.
In front of them was the familiar long staircase, and a group of people were walking sparsely. Cheng Rui was so happy when he came out that he ran at the front with joy, while Cheng Xingqiu and Zhao Rong followed Cheng Zhu.
Behind him, Ruan Yuyi walked slowly.
Mu Xiang was walking on the side of her injured ear. She saw that her earlobe was red and swollen, and there was still a small streak of blood, which had dried up. "Miss, if you don't intercede with the prince, don't wear those earrings anymore."
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"No need, just apply some medicine and it will be fine." Ruan Yuyi shook her head gently. The prince didn't look like he would feel sorry for others. If he took it off without permission, I don't know if it would make him angry.
"But your injury seems to be in really bad condition..." Mu Xiang frowned, following her injury with his eyes, her tone worried.
If the young master of the Ruan family were still alive, how could he let the young lady suffer such injustice?
Ruan Yuyi touched her earlobe and found a small sunken wound. Her intention was to confirm how well it was healing, but she accidentally hurt herself and turned pale from the pain.
Mu Xiang quickly moved her hand away.
When they arrived in front of the main hall, Zhaorong, who had already complained that he was tired, simply rested on the bench under the camphor tree in front of the temple. Cheng Xingqiu settled the eldest princess and glanced sideways at Ruan Yuyi, feeling strange.
He remembered that in the past, when he went out to wander around the house, she would always complain that she was tired, but now her expression was as usual.
The Holy River Temple is built on the mountainside, and there are stairs. No carriages or sedans can get up. Even the royal family and nobles can only walk, so the trip is indeed difficult.
She was also a little tired, but she only opened her mouth slightly and kept her breath in her throat without showing it.
The little novice monk who was sweeping noticed the person coming, stopped his broom, tilted his head to look at her, and said uncertainly, "Donor? You are here too today."
Ruan Yuyi saw that he looked familiar, but couldn't remember it for a while.
"I have been responsible for the cleaning of the main hall and the front of the hall. I have seen you coming here recently, and you look familiar." He smiled.
After saying this, she remembered that no matter whether she came early or late, he seemed to be the only one cleaning here these days.
Zhao Rong saw Ruan Yuyi talking to the young novice monk in the temple from a distance, nodding from time to time, and there was doubt in her eyes. She was a woman, and she was not a person who worshiped Buddha. How could she know the novice monk in the temple?
She couldn't sit still anymore, so she got up and walked forward, asking, "Have you often come here before?"
"This benefactor..."
The little novice monk who was sweeping was a talkative person. It was precisely because of his talkativeness that he was arranged here by the abbot to clean the area for one person, thereby tempering his temper. At this moment, someone came up to question him, but he was still able to intervene.
If you blurt out the topic of conversation, you will have to pick it up.
Ruan Yuyi was afraid that he would reveal something that the eldest princess should not know, so she interrupted, "I have been in a bad mood recently, so I often come here to relax."
She knew very well what Zhao Rong wanted to hear. As soon as these words came out, the suspicion in Zhao Rong's eyes disappeared. She thought that she was depressed because she was betrayed by Cheng Xingqiu, so she naturally felt that she was one step ahead of her.
However, she usually went to the garden or the stream to relax, but she was unconventional and came to the temple.
Zhaorong snorted coldly. Under his contemptuous expression, he couldn't hide his pride, "Come to Shenghe Temple to relax and unwind?"
"The Buddha is here," Ruan Yuyi glanced at the golden Buddha in the hall from a distance, as if she was really touched by the atmosphere here, "how can I not be comforted."
Zhaorong had been pampered for a long time and didn't care about anyone. She didn't understand how there was any respect for the Buddha, so she walked away bored.
The little novice monk didn't feel the tension between the two, but he felt that the benefactor, who applied light makeup and powder, was kind-hearted, and the conversation became more enthusiastic.
After Cheng Zhu regained his breath, he let everyone in and told the temple that they wanted to stay here for a day or two. Seeing that there were so many of them, the people in the temple arranged an independent private room with several wings for them.
Small courtyard.
So Mu Xiang and others were led by a novice monk and went to place things first.
In the main hall, Mrs. Cheng and Zhu asked everyone to kneel down and worship on the soft cushions, while she muttered something in her mouth. She was probably praying for the health of her unborn grandson, and for the smooth career of her eldest son.
Even Cheng Rui was ignorantly asked to follow the instructions. Only Zhaorong, who was physically handicapped, stood alone with a merit book in his hand and flipped through it at will.
The booklet is filled with records of the incense donated by visitors, how much or how little. Most people want peace of mind. There are also big families in the capital and even from all over the country who regularly donate incense to the temple. There is a hint of comparison in it, so just say no.
Cleared.
Zhaorong fiddled with it for a while, then waved, and a novice came over.
"Remember a thousand taels of silver, it will be delivered to the eldest princess's house the next day." She raised her chin and stared at the novice monk in front of her, who was looking down at the ground.
Hearing this, the novice monk smiled politely and said slowly, "Amitabha, 'On the road between man and heaven, the first thing to do is to do good deeds.' I, the Buddha, will definitely know the sincerity of the donor." He was neither humble nor arrogant, and perhaps he was used to such generosity.
Zhao Rong turned to Ruan Yuyi and said, "Where are you, sister?"
She was called unexpectedly, and she looked into the eyes of the novice monk and the eldest princess. She was speechless for a moment and her face turned slightly red.
The decline of her mother's family was unable to support her. Even the two boxes of dowry she brought with her were mostly taken away by the Cheng Zhu family for public use in the house. It is unknown where they were spent. The money she had was only for her own food and clothing.
Why don't you have spare money to donate to the temple?
The novice monk had just followed Zhao Rong's gaze, but now he realized her predicament and took the initiative to come to the rescue and said, "Money is something external to the body, and it is enough to have the donor's heart."
How could Zhao Rong let her go, "Sister, you can't take it out. No wonder she was so jealous when she saw my bracelet a few days ago that she smashed it."
This is to say that white is black.
She waited for Ruan Yuyi's embarrassed look, but unexpectedly Ruan Yuyi nodded and admitted directly, "Unlike the eldest princess who is rich, I really don't have much spare money on hand, so I will add twenty taels for the time being. Buddha saves all sentient beings, and he will not blame anyone even if he thinks about it.
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The novice smiled and said thanks as before.
"Twenty taels?" Zhao Rong raised his voice and sneered, "It's even worse than you to be a beggar! If my sister can't afford to donate, there's no need to force myself to do so. I'll just donate on your behalf."
A random comparison, this remark is really disrespectful. The novice on the side frowned and reminded in a deep voice, "In front of the Buddha, the donor must not speak nonsense."
Unexpectedly, Zhaorong ignored him at all. He approached Ruan Yuyi with a merit book and pointed out the contents to her, "Look, sister, no one has as little as you."
I remember that most of the people on this page were rich and well-known, and the amount of money they received for incense was indeed quite large. I just don't know how much of the generous donations these people gave to the temple were actually spent on relief work.
Seeing Ruan Yuyi approaching without warning, Zhaorong suddenly let go of his hand, letting the thick merit book fall down and cover it on the ground.
She herself seemed to be frightened, her face turned pale, she protected her abdomen and exclaimed.
This sound attracted the other pilgrims in the hall to look over.
Ruan Yuyi pursed her lips and took a step back silently.
No one saw it. In the corner where no one was paying attention, a middle-aged man without a beard had a panoramic view of the whole farce.