Chapter 69

After they set off, they quickly arrived at Yue Lao Temple.

Before getting out of the car, the King of Chu gave Ji Yanming a look that said, “This time, it’s all for you.” Ji Yanming nodded, understanding the message.

However, Tao Sheng found it odd. It wasn’t a holiday like the Lantern Festival or Chinese Valentine’s Day, so why visit Yue Lao Temple now?

In response, the King of Chu coughed softly and said, “It was the princess who wanted to come.”

Princess:…… 

Okay, that was her.

In feudal society, important life matters include “cultivating oneself, managing the family, governing the country, and pacifying the world.” Marriage is one of the biggest concerns. Many people visit Yue Lao Temple to pray for marriage, and there are always many pilgrims.

The King of Chu initially wanted the Chief Secretary to come to the temple to greet them and set up a separate area for incense burning and enjoying the scenery, but the Queen of Chu stopped him.

“Your Highness, don’t you want to help newlyweds? You should let them be with others seeking marriage to influence each other positively.”

The King of Chu agreed: “You are right.”

Compared to other temples, Yue Lao Temple in Beijing is not very big and has few attractions. Besides worshiping Yue Lao, the main activity is hanging red ropes on trees to symbolize marriage.

While hanging a red rope, Tao Sheng made a small mistake and got it tangled. Ji Yanming stood behind her, helped untangle it, and handed it back to her.

Tao Sheng noticed that Ji Yanming seemed taller than when they first met. She wasn’t short among women in the capital, yet Ji Yanming was half a head taller, giving her a sense of security.

Thinking of Ji Yanming’s ending in the original text, she told him to be sincere when praying at Yue Lao Temple in the future.

Ji Yanming smiled and said, “Hmm, I am very sincere.”

As he prepared for a mission to Ling Kingdom, he worried about Tao Sheng. He wouldn’t feel at ease without visiting Yue Lao to pray, so he was especially sincere this time.

At that moment, the King of Chu remembered: “Last time I asked a senior monk about my future, I also asked him to read Xiao Ji’s fortune. The monk said Xiao Ji has good fortune and can achieve success, but his love life is weak.”

Although the monk said it gently, he heard that if Ji Yanming did not pay more attention to marriage, he would likely live alone for the rest of his life.

Tao Sheng was right; we must work hard in our daily lives and be devoted when worshiping God.

Tao Sheng felt sad as she listened to King Chu.

Ji Yanming didn’t believe in ghost stories, so he didn’t ask King Chu about fortune-telling. Instead, he turned to Tao Sheng and said, “I see that you are very devoted in the palace. What are you thinking about?”

Tao Sheng knew that Ji Yanming was going out, and what he was about to do was difficult. She wanted to reassure him.

“I heard from my aunt that she once asked a Taoist priest to read your fortune. He said your Red Luan star would have a hard time moving. So, I’m not just praying for myself; in case these predictions are true, cousin, don’t worry. I’ll have the children take care of you.”

King Chu and his wife sat far away, so Tao Sheng’s voice got softer, and they couldn’t hear her last sentence clearly, but Ji Yanming did.

Tao Sheng meant that even if she lived alone as the sages said, she would still have her children care for her in her old age.

Ji Yanming choked on his tea and started coughing loudly after hearing her words.

King Chu shook his head helplessly at Ji Yanming’s reaction.

Although this season’s top scholar looked intimidating, he was still young and not steady around the person he liked. In contrast, King Chu had been calm even on his wedding night and didn’t lose his composure like Ji Yanming.

Ji Zhuangyuan was still inferior to him in many ways.

According to King Chu’s plan, after visiting Yue Lao Temple, he would go to his farm to eat some farm food.

Tao Sheng had heard of the noble farm dishes in the capital. They were called farm dishes but used local ingredients like chicken, duck, fish, meat, and vegetables. The chef was still the family chef, using ordinary home seasonings.

The former delicacies from land and sea were now side dishes, and their names changed.

For example, wild pheasant, scallop, abalone, and shark fin were used to make soup, with fresh spring bamboo shoots added to make porridge, but it was called spring bamboo shoot porridge. Another example is noodles made with shark fin, crab roe, and soaked sea cucumber in the soup base, garnished with freshly harvested green vegetables, and served as refreshing noodles.

The hot spring King Chu took from Prince Li was not far from the farm. With the weather warming, he thought it would be nice to go there for a moonlit night walk.

Princess Chu and Tao Sheng had just drunk some wine and felt tired, so they chose to take the sedan chair.

This wasn’t Princess Chu’s first time soaking in the hot springs with King Chu. She was well-prepared and even brought clothes for Tao Sheng.

Tao Sheng tried on the gauze dress given by the princess. It fit well, but the waist was much too big, making it look baggy on her.

Princess Chu had not expected the dress to fit this way.

“I thought these hot spring clothes didn’t need to be tailored, so I was a bit careless. The embroiderer in our house is an older woman in the palace. The last time you visited, you wore official clothes, and she made the dress according to that.”

She really didn’t expect that Miss Luo’s waist was so thin.

“With such a good figure, it would be a shame not to wear nice clothes. After we bathe in the hot spring, I’ll ask the seamstress to measure your size and make you some fitted summer clothes.”

After saying this, Princess Chu gently pinched Tao Sheng’s waist with her slender hand.

Princess Chu’s hands were well cared for and smooth. When her cool fingers touched her skin, Tao Sheng shuddered.