Chapter 108: An Outing with Beauties to Jinshan Temple, the White Snake Undergoes Tribulation

The next day.

Just as the sky brightened, a knocking sound came from outside the courtyard gate.

After Ziyuan entered, she said, "Young Master, Third Miss asked this maid to come and ask you if you have any free time today to go out of the city to Jinshan Temple to worship Buddha?"

Luo Zijun said, "I have free time."

Ziyuan smiled and said, "Mm, then this maid will go notify Third Miss; I expect they will be setting off in a moment."

Having said this, she hurried away.

Luo Zijun watched her back, secretly pondering matters in his heart.

He had thought about it carefully last night.

Blindly avoiding it was not a long-term strategy.

If it were truly fated that he had this tribulation involving Fahai, then he should take the initiative to go see that great monk.

Only by first understanding the other party could he calmly deal with it in the future.

"Xiaohuan, you go to Su Guo Fu today and keep Sister company. When I return tonight, you can come back."

He gave these instructions to Xiaohuan.

The Young Maid answered, then obediently went into the room to fetch her needlework.

Before long.

Bai Qingtong's personal maid Doukou came over with Ziyuan to notify him to wait outside the main gate, as they would be setting off shortly.

Luo Zijun followed behind the two Young Maids, exited through the side gate, and arrived outside the main gate.

The main gate of Anguo Mansion was built with exceptional might and dominance.

The two stone lions crouching at the entrance had feet treading on fire, eyes wide with rage, and looked majestic, as if they were about to take flight.

On that thick and tall gate were rows of massive golden door studs, appearing exceptionally sturdy and dignified, presenting an atmosphere of grandeur that made people feel awestruck.

At this moment, the side gate opened.

The servants and the guards of the mansion came out first.

Five carriages were also already waiting outside the gate.

The stable boys led out tall and sturdy steeds from the back gate and handed them over to those steady-looking guards.

They waited for another moment.

Third Miss Bai Qingtong and the group of young ladies, surrounded by a crowd of maids and nannies, walked out from the side gate while chatting and laughing.

Bai Qingtong was still wearing a green dress; she was tall and slim, with a spirited look between her brows, and she appeared poised and graceful.

Upon seeing Luo Zijun, she hurried over to greet him and said with a smile, "I was afraid that you, sir, might be tired of staying in the mansion, so I invited you out today to relax. We are going to the Jia Family later to meet up with the young ladies of the Jia Family, and then we will go out of the city together to Jinshan Temple to worship Buddha. There might be quite a lot of people then; if there is any lack of care on my part, I hope you will forgive me, sir."

Luo Zijun cupped his hands and said, "Third Miss, please do not worry about me; I will just follow behind and stroll around as I please."

He naturally knew his own status.

No matter how much this Third Miss appreciated him within the mansion, outside, they certainly could not walk too closely.

Moreover, the people from the Jia Family were present this time.

As an unmarried young lady, it was naturally inappropriate for her to keep chatting with him, or it would invite gossip.

Bai Qingtong smiled and said, "If you have any needs, sir, just tell Ziyuan and the other maids; do not be formal."

Luo Zijun nodded and thanked her.

Only then did Bai Qingtong lead the young ladies of the Bai Family and board the first carriage.

Ziyuan hurried over and said, "Young Master, would you like to sit in the second carriage or the third? The second carriage is full of nannies, and the third carriage is full of maids."

The few Young Maids nearby all looked at him somewhat shyly.

Luo Zijun said, "The third one, then."

The Young Maids were fresh, tender, and innocent, which was naturally better than the old nannies who loved to gossip and put on airs.

Ziyuan smiled and said, "Mm, let's go sit in the third one."

Luo Zijun followed behind and arrived in front of the third carriage.

Ziyuan hopped onto the carriage with light movements, then turned around, reached out her small hand, and smiled, "Young Master, be careful, take this maid's hand. If you trip, we won't be able to go out of the city to play today."

Luo Zijun did not shy away; he reached out and took her soft little hand and was pulled up by her.

This Young Maid really thought he was just a frail scholar who was so weak he couldn't even climb into a carriage.

The other Young Maids also followed and boarded the carriage.

Luo Zijun sat in the carriage, parted the curtain, looked outside, and counted carefully.

For this outing, besides those seven or eight noble young ladies, there were nearly a hundred people including maids, nannies, and guards.

There were also several personal maids and nannies whose footsteps were steady and gazes sharp; they were clearly trained in martial arts and possessed no low level of strength.

They waited for another moment.

Once everyone had arrived, the carriages began to set off.

The guards rode on tall horses, protecting both sides and the rear; they were all tall and fierce, with sabers at their waists, looking majestic.

Luo Zijun thought to himself: I wonder if my brother-in-law is guarding Su Guo Fu today or if he has gone out with some noble.

There were guards on horseback clearing the path in front.

Pedestrians on the road saw this grand display and immediately moved to the side, secretly guessing which noble was traveling today.

Of course, some people saw the three-white-cloud emblem on the carriages and recognized it as the Bai Family of the Duke's mansion.

There was no shortage of noble young masters and ladies in the Inner City, but upon seeing such an emblem, none dared to provoke them lightly.

The group traveled in a grand procession for about a quarter of an hour before turning into a quiet street.

Then, the carriages came to a stop.

In the carriage, Luo Zijun suddenly heard the sounds of women's voices, like orioles and swallows.

He pushed aside the curtain to take a look; there were several other carriages parked in front.

Those carriages all had flags planted on them, with a large "Jia" character written on each flag.

Surrounding the carriages were guards riding tall, sturdy horses.

Judging by the display, it was not the slightest bit weaker than the Bai Family; the other side even brought more maids, matrons, and guards than the Bai Family.

Besides these, the other side also brought many male servants.

The Bai Family was a group of female relatives going out, bringing only guards, maids, and matrons, and had not brought any male servants.

It seemed the Jia Family even had men going out.

Luo Zijun observed the display, and a person suddenly came to his mind.

At this moment, Zhiyuan stretched her head over, looked out the window with him, and whispered in explanation: "This trip out of the city to worship Buddha at Jinshan Temple was invited by the Jia Family. The eldest young lady of the Jia Family has been promoted to Imperial Concubine in the palace, so they are taking this opportunity to go to Jinshan Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha; besides giving thanks, they also want to pray for the King."

Luo Zijun said in a low voice: "Is the King's illness still not better?"

This general amnesty was precisely to pray for that Liang King; he heard from his brother-in-law that the Liang King was only in his twenties this year, yet he was already bedridden.

Being able to use a national amnesty to pray for blessings, it was clear that the Liang King's condition was not optimistic.

When people in ancient times fell ill, even a small cold could very likely be fatal.

Zhiyuan whispered: "This servant does not know either."

At this time, the carriages began to start up again, first circling the open space inside once, then beginning to turn around.

The Jia Family's carriage procession took the lead.

After all, this trip was invited by the Jia Family, and what the other side brought on this trip was not just a few young ladies; for these young ladies of the Bai Family, they were all elders, so it was only right to walk in front.

The Four Great Families all had intermarriages with each other; speaking of it, they were all relatives.

Luo Zijun let down the curtain. He had just heard the laughter of those noble young ladies, but had not seen anyone.

He wondered if there were any names he was familiar with.

Inside the carriage, besides Zhiyuan, there were nine other young maids sitting, making it slightly crowded.

As the carriage began to move, it jolted and swayed.

Zhiyuan, who was sitting next to Luo Zijun, soon pressed against his body.

This young maid would move to the side from time to time, but would soon be jostled by the maids next to her and pressed back onto Luo Zijun.

The other young maids usually gathered together and would chatter incessantly.

But today, seeing a man sitting in the carriage—and a handsome, talented young man at that—everyone felt a bit shy and reserved; they all lowered their heads, kept their legs together, sat upright, and were too embarrassed to speak, though they would steal a glance at him from time to time.

The road was still long.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Luo Zijun had to take the initiative to break the silence: "What are all your names, young ladies?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the young maids all "puffed" and covered their mouths to giggle.

!

Each of their little faces turned red, and they turned their heads away, pressing against each other to laugh.

Zhiyuan also laughed from the side: "Young Master, why do you call them 'young ladies'? This form of address... is a bit funny."

In fact, this form of address was a bit frivolous and did not quite fit the serious impression this Young Master had given her.

This handsome Young Master had been at the Anguo Mansion for a few days, and she interacted with him every day; he was usually very serious, so she was naturally a bit surprised and taken aback by him being like this now.

Luo Zijun said: "Then what should I call you?"

Zhiyuan laughed: "Just call them by their names."

As she spoke, she began to introduce them: "This one is called Tao'er, this one is called Zi'er, this one is called Yun'er..."

She stated the names of all nine young maids one by one.

Whenever she read a name, that young maid would lower her head with a blushing face and respectfully whisper, "Young Master Luo."

After Zhiyuan finished the introductions, Luo Zijun said: "Sitting with so many beautiful girls for the first time, to tell you the truth, I am a bit nervous."

Once these words were out, the young maids all covered their mouths and laughed, pressing against each other, their faces turning even redder.

Zhiyuan laughed from the side: "So the Young Master is so good at coaxing people."

Luo Zijun smiled and said: "Since everyone is so happy today and the road is still long, why don't I tell everyone a few stories?"

Upon hearing this, the maids' eyes lit up instantly.

Everyone naturally knew that this Young Master Luo was very good at telling stories; the stories he told in class were all very interesting.

Zhiyuan also happily said: "That's great, we were still worrying about how to pass the time on this journey; fortunately, the Young Master is here."

Luo Zijun cleared his throat and began to tell the story.

"Once upon a time, there was a man who grew up in a wealthy family. After growing up, he spent money to buy a fifth-rank official position, but he did not know the hardships of the common people. One winter, he went out for an inspection and saw a beggar shivering in the cold wind. He found it very strange, so he asked his attendant: 'Why is this person's body always moving?'"

"The attendant immediately flattered him: 'Perhaps he is excited to see you, sir.' Upon hearing this, the man was very happy. He walked forward a bit further and saw another beggar, who had died of hunger and cold because he had not eaten for a long time and had no quilt to cover himself. The man frowned and asked the attendant: 'Why is this person not excited to see this official?'"

"The attendant replied: 'I guess he is asleep; when he wakes up, he will definitely be excited.' The man immediately ordered the attendant to wake the beggar up, but no matter how the attendant called, the beggar just kept his eyes closed."

"The man was furious: 'He doesn't kneel or get excited when he sees this official, and he's even pretending to sleep! Beat him! Beat him hard!' When the attendants heard this, they immediately stepped forward and punched and kicked the beggar, but no matter how they beat him, the other person would not wake up."

"The man was even angrier: 'He must have drunk too much alcohol; beat his stomach and beat the wine out of his stomach for me!'"

Speaking to this point, the story came to an abrupt end.

The maids all couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.

"That man is so stupid; the person was clearly already dead, yet he still thought the other person was being disrespectful to him."

"He was clearly starved to death, yet he said he died from drinking alcohol; he really is so stupid, hee hee hee hee..."

A faint smile hung on Luo Zijun's face, and he did not speak again.

Zhiyuan, who was on the side, glanced at him and immediately said to the other maids: "What is there to laugh about? He is clearly a muddled official who doesn't know the hardships of the world. Those two beggars were so pitiful, yet he didn't know it and even punched and kicked them. I don't know how many people such an official would harm if he were in charge."

Seeing that her expression was wrong, the maids were stunned for a moment and stopped laughing.

At this time, Luo Zijun smiled again: "The story is indeed funny. That muddled official was probably used to a life of luxury and rarely went out, so he didn't even know the hardships of the world. Even beating a dead person—thinking about it, he is also quite pitiful."

Zhiyuan glanced at him again and smiled, "Young Master, could you tell another story?"

Luo Zijun nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he told another story titled "The Maid: The Wealthy Young Master Fell in Love with Me."

This time, the carriage immediately became quiet.

At the same time.

In a certain place within the Inner City, inside a grand hall.

A noble woman dressed in a luxurious purple dress was kneeling before a Buddha statue in the hall, her eyes closed, whispering scriptures.

On the altar table in front, red candles were burning, and sandalwood incense curled in the air.

In the grand hall, it was silent and soundless.

After a long while.

The woman slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of charming, watery peach-blossom eyes, and asked in a dignified tone, "Is there any news?"

From behind a pillar nearby, a maid walked out and said with her head lowered, "That person entered the Bai Mansion and is currently heading to Jinshan Temple outside the city with Bai Third Miss and the people from the Jia Mansion."

"Jinshan Temple..."

The woman was stunned for a moment, then turned her head to look outside.

Outside, the sun hid behind the clouds, the sky began to turn gloomy, and the wind picked up; it looked like it was going to rain.

The woman did not speak for a long time.

After another long while.

She murmured, "Forget it, the child is no longer needed, and it has no meaning anymore."

Having finished speaking, she closed her eyes again and continued to recite the scriptures silently.

The maid behind the pillar retreated silently.

After another moment.

The woman opened her eyes again, looked at the Buddha statue above, was silent for a while, and said, "Qing'er, prepare yourself; we are going to Jinshan Temple."

The maid was taken aback upon hearing this: "My Lady, didn't you just say..."

The expression on the woman's face was indifferent as she said softly, "I said I didn't want the child, but I never said I didn't want him."

The maid's eyebrows twitched; she dared not say more, immediately acknowledged the order, lowered her head, and withdrew.

At this time, the wind outside the house grew stronger.

The sky was gloomy, and it looked like a storm was about to arrive.

After the carriage processions of the Jia Family and the Bai Family left the city, they discovered the sudden change in weather; it was already too late to turn back.

"Strange, how could the weather change just like that?"

Luo Zijun looked out the window and frowned slightly.

At this slow pace, if it rains, he wondered if they would be able to return to the city tonight.

At the same time.

Deep in Cangyun Mountain, in the middle of a huge lake, there was a sudden "splash," and water sprayed everywhere.

A White Snake broke through the water and soared into the sky.

In the sky, black clouds gathered, and lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.

(End of this chapter)