dognovel Chapter 339 It’s her!
Chapter 339 It’s her!
A faint scent of sandalwood and incense smoke mingled and permeated the entire temple, giving people a sense of piety and holiness.
Inside the main hall, the golden statues of the Bodhisattvas stand solemnly, and in front of the offering table are incense burners, lanterns, and offerings such as fruits.
Xiao Han, Prince Qi, Prince Xuan, and Princess Ruoyang each lit three sticks of incense and walked into the hall.
Noticing that the person behind him hadn't followed, Xiao Han suddenly stopped on the steps and turned to look at Long Chuqing, who was standing there: "Chuqing, aren't you going in?"
Long Chuqing only intended to wander around and did not plan to go in with them to pray for blessings.
"I won't go in; I'll wait for you outside."
Xiao Han looked down at the three incense sticks in his hand, hesitating whether or not to go inside.
Chu Qing wasn't going, and he didn't want to go either.
He didn't actually believe in these things; he just came and went through the motions with everyone else.
Seeing his hesitation, Long Chuqing smiled and said, "Don't worry about me, go in quickly! Pray for peace."
Xiao Han nodded: "Okay, then don't go too far."
Long Chuqing waved his hand at him: "You won't lose it, go!"
Princess Ruoyang knelt gracefully on the prayer mat and whispered devoutly, "May Father Emperor and Mother Emperor be healthy, and may every year be as peaceful and prosperous as this morning."
Prince Qi, Prince Xuan, and Xiao Han all closed their eyes for a moment, silently praying: May the world be at peace, may the people live and work in contentment, and may the seas be calm and the rivers clear...
Before the incense burner, Princess Ruoyang put some silver into the donation box: "Brother, I would also like to draw a fortune stick."
"Of course." Prince Qi took the divination tube and handed it to Princess Ruoyang: "Here you go."
Princess Ruoyang took the divination sticks and knelt on the prayer mat, gently shaking them with reverence.
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The sandalwood incense, like silk threads, swirls and curls.
In a quiet room of Guanghua Temple, the Prime Minister's wife, Madam Wen, knelt on a prayer mat. She wore a dark blue brocade dress with auspicious cloud and ruyi patterns, and her silver-white hair was neatly combed. Since she came to the temple to chant sutras, she did not wear too much jewelry, but only a sandalwood hairpin.
She closed her eyes slightly, her thin lips touched lightly, and she kept chanting Buddhist mantras.
"Tap—tap—tap—"
The hand, marked by the passage of time, gripped the wooden fish mallet tightly, striking it again and again. The serene sound of the wooden fish seemed particularly distant in the quiet room.
A sliver of pale sunlight pierced through the carved window lattice, illuminating the face of Guanyin Bodhisattva on her lotus throne. The Bodhisattva's countenance always conveyed gentleness and compassion.
Madam Ye's two daughters-in-law stood beside her, while her granddaughters Ye Lingwei and Ye Lingya knelt on the prayer mat behind her.
After a long while, the "tap-tap" sound of the wooden fish stopped.
Old Madam Ye slowly lowered the wooden mallet. As the heavy mallet hit the ground with its last soft thud, she took a deep breath and then exhaled deeply, her breath seemingly carrying an unresolved knot.
She moved her body slightly; her back was somewhat stiff from kneeling for so long.
“Mother.” The eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Liang, immediately stood up from the prayer mat and stepped forward to carefully support Madam Ye’s arm.
"You've been kneeling for so long, you should sit down and rest so your back and knees don't give way."
"It's alright." Old Madam Ye slowly stood up with the help of the weight.
She patted Madam Liang's hand: "My health is still quite good. I only hope that this scripture can help Han'er ward off bad luck and have a smooth life in the future. I also hope that his injury can heal as soon as possible."
Madam Ye sighed softly: "It is Han'er's fault for being unfilial, causing his mother so much worry."
"Grandmother!" Ye Lingwei walked a few steps to the old lady Ye and said gently, "I believe the Bodhisattva will hear your chanting and will surely bless my elder brother to recover soon and be safe and sound."
The second daughter-in-law, Yuan, stepped forward and looked at her mother-in-law with earnest eyes: "Mother, the Bodhisattva must be moved by your devout chanting of the sutras."
Old Madam Ye's gaze swept over the kind-faced Guanyin statue again, then she turned and, supported by her eldest daughter-in-law, walked outside. "Let's go!"
Madam Ye, Madam Ye the First, Madam Ye the Second, along with Ye Lingwei and Ye Lingya, walked through Guanghua Temple surrounded by numerous maids, servants, and guards. Their grand procession was quite impressive, making the procession of Xiao Han and the other princes and princesses seem rather shabby in comparison.
As they passed the square in front of the temple, Madam Ye's gaze fell on the figure to her right.
At this moment, Long Chuqing was standing under a tree covered with red prayer ribbons, browsing with great interest the wishes that others had written on it.
"I pray that my son will excel in the imperial examination next year."
"I pray that my parents will be healthy and live a long life."
"May the Bodhisattva bless my wife so that she can give birth to a boy this time."
May the believer find a good match soon.
May Buddha bless our whole family with peace, health, and happiness.
Long Chuqing whispered, "These are quite interesting."
"I want to get rich and eat meat every day." Upon seeing this wish, Long Chuqing smiled and couldn't help but read it aloud: "This person's wish is quite realistic."
After releasing the prayer ribbon, she reached for the prayer ribbon next to it.
Madam Ye narrowed her eyes slightly, carefully examining Long Chuqing's profile, a thought rising in her mind: That girl's figure looks so familiar, as if I've seen her somewhere before...
As Madam Ye helped Old Madam Ye forward, she looked at Long Chuqing, trying hard to recall this familiar figure.
She definitely saw it.
As I got closer, the person's profile completely overlapped with the face in my memory.
She remembered.
"It's her, it really is her."
Madam Ye frowned, and her originally calm and gentle face suddenly showed disgust and anger.
"Mother." Madam Ye stopped and called out to Old Madam Ye beside her.
"What's the matter?"
Madam Ye also stopped, and the people following behind her also stopped.
Madam Ye pointed to Long Chuqing standing under the tree ahead, "That woman is the culprit who beat Han'er back then. She's the one who beat Han'er so badly that he was covered in bruises."
Upon hearing Madam Ye's words, everyone turned to look in Long Chuqing's direction.
After two months of recuperation, Ye Linghan's injuries had healed considerably. However, on the day before New Year's Eve, he went out to meet with friends and was beaten up again on his way back by someone who put a sack over his head.
I spent New Year's Eve in bed.
Madam Ye said through gritted teeth, "Han'er was beaten a few days ago, and she might have been the one who did it. This woman is truly vicious."
The thought of her son, who was still bedridden, filled Madam Ye with rage. She wanted nothing more than to tear the person in front of her to pieces. Back then, she had Prince Qin backing her up in the government office, but now that she was all alone, she could teach her a lesson to vent her anger.
This time, Madam Ye and the others came to pray for Ye Linghan's well-being. He had been beaten twice in three months, and seriously injured both times. Apart from human factors, it's hard not to believe that he was also experiencing some bad luck.
Firstly, it was to pray for Ye Linghan's well-being, and secondly, to wish him peace.