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Chapter 97: Incense Offering (1)

The Biyun Temple is located to the west of the capital, and it takes about an hour by carriage to reach.

On the carriage, Tong Mingyu and Li Jiaoying each held a sleeping child in their arms.

“These two children are sleeping like little pigs today.” Li Jiaoying looked at one, then the other, and sighed in boredom. “Why is it that none of them will wake up and keep me company to pass the time?”

Tong Mingyu gently adjusted her daughter’s position to make her more comfortable as she gazed at her daughter’s rosy little face, long, curved eyelashes, and small lips like flower petals. Her heart swelled with pride and happiness. No wonder her father-in-law and husband pampered her so much—just watching her made Tong Mingyu feel her heart melt.

“Ah, having a daughter is truly a blessing!” Li Jiaoying remarked, feeling envious. “Big sister, at least consider how I feel, having no daughter of my own.”

Tong Mingyu nodded toward her younger sister-in-law, who was also holding her child. “Aren’t you holding one too? Why be jealous of us?”

“This little one doesn’t feel very heavy in my arms, but I can tell she’s gaining weight.” Li Jiaoying caressed her niece’s face and hands, enjoying the soft, chubby feel.

“Be careful, don’t wake her up,” Tong Mingyu scolded her gently. Her younger sister-in-law didn’t seem to have the manners of a proper aunt. Their current posture resembled that of a plump little rabbit caught in the claws of a big, hungry wolf.

“Sister-in-law, do you think if I wanted to get Ruyi to stay at Qingyuan tonight, would she agree?” Li Jiaoying asked with a playful smile.

“Ah Qi isn’t as thin as Ruyi, is he?”

“Who likes hugging a little boy to sleep? Little girls are so much better—soft, tender, and sweet-smelling.”

“Ah Qi is well-behaved and steady. You really don’t know how good you have it.”

“Did Ah Qi come with you today?” From the carriage, Xiao Yao stirred groggily, hearing the conversation. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, asking with a sleepy, soft voice.

“Your fifth brother and sixth brother went to school today.” It was clear that Xiao Yao hadn’t fully woken up yet.

Tong Mingyu answered her daughter’s question while skillfully tidying her hair and adjusting her clothes. She took out a small plate of snacks and poured half a cup of milk from the food box they had brought.

“Has the vegetarian meal started? Why hasn’t anyone called me?” As soon as she caught the scent of the snacks and milk, Xiao Yuan immediately sat up, her eyes sparkling as she looked around.

“If I’d known a plate of snacks would wake you up, I wouldn’t have worried for so long!” Li Jiaoying regretted not having thought of that sooner.

Unable to find the so-called vegetarian meal, Xiao Yuan reluctantly ate most of the plate of snacks before curling back into Li Jiaoying’s arms, saying pitifully, “I haven’t eaten well for several days, all to pray for Fourth Uncle. I need to make up for it at lunch today. Grandpa said I’ve lost weight.”

“Alright, we’ll make up for it.” Tong Mingyu replied cheerfully.

Li Jiaoying was about to say something but hesitated and nodded. She believed Xiao Yuan wasn’t lying because only her father-in-law could look at a granddaughter with this build and still say she was too thin.

As they chatted and laughed, the carriage came to a stop.

After steadying herself, Xiao Yao looked ahead and saw a mountain covered in pine trees and cypress. The winding stone steps were just ahead.

As was customary, the womenfolk were usually carried up the mountain in a sedan chair, but today, in order to pray for her youngest son and to show sincerity, Qin Shi had declined that suggestion.

Since the elders did not take the sedan, the others had to walk up themselves, though the temple was located halfway up the mountain, not at the peak.

“Ping’an and Ruyi are still small. You two brothers carry them up the mountain,” Qin Shi instructed, turning to Xiao Jingtai and Xiao Jingyan, who were assigned the escort duty today.

Xiao Jingyan quickly stepped forward and picked up Xiao Yao, leaving his niece Xiao Yuan for his second brother.

“Second Uncle, Ruyi loves being carried by you. Do you like it?” Xiao Yuan, still excited and oblivious to being slightly rejected earlier, called out cheerfully.

“Don’t you feel ashamed?” Xiao Jingtai asked disdainfully, glancing at his younger brother. “How heavy can a child be? And you call yourself an uncle!”

“Second Brother’s hands are steady and stronger than mine. I’m just doing this for Ruyi’s sake,” Xiao Jingyan defended himself.

Everyone, except for Qin Shi and Xiao Yuan, all thought the same thing: this was an excuse.

“Second Uncle also likes Ruyi. Let’s go, we’re going up the mountain,” Xiao Jingtai said lightly as he carried his little niece and led the way.

“Excuse me, please stop,” a man dressed as a guard stopped the group.

Xiao Yao glanced at the man’s attire and pondered. Anyone bold enough to block Second Uncle wasn’t just an ordinary servant. Could there be an important guest at Biyun Temple today? Would they even be able to offer incense?

“This officer, we’ve come to offer incense and pray for blessings. Could you make an exception?” Qin Shi spoke before Tong Mingyu, hoping to resolve the situation. If today’s visit went smoothly, she would feel better about her son’s journey. If something unexpected happened, she would feel uneasy and assume it was a bad omen.

“Sorry, please go to another temple. Biyun Temple is not receiving outsiders today.” The guard spoke more politely than usual, realizing the family was not ordinary commoners.

“May I ask, which household are you from?” Xiao Jingtai inquired.

“We…”

“Are you family members of General Xiao?” Just as she came out to retrieve something for the Princess of Jing, Qiu Ying saw the group talking with the guards. Upon noticing several familiar faces, she was sure she wasn’t mistaken when she saw Xiao Jingyan holding a little girl in his arms.

“Are you from the Jing Prince’s residence?” Tong Mingyu also recognized Qiu Ying, who was always by the Princess’s side. Tong Mingyu had met her at the Yuan family banquet. So, the noble guest at the temple must be the Princess of Jing.

“Is the Princess of Jing at the temple?” Qin Shi asked, somewhat discouraged. If it had been anyone else, she could have shamelessly begged, but in front of the Princess, she felt she had no right to ask.

“Yes, our Princess and the heir are here. Please wait for a moment while I go inform them.” Qiu Ying, being just a maid, didn’t have the authority to let people into the temple on her own. She would normally ignore such matters, but the Xiao family had deep ties with the royal residence, and she believed the Princess would allow them entry once she knew.

“Thank you,” Tong Mingyu said politely. If her mother-in-law couldn’t offer incense today, she would surely be upset. For the sake of her mother-in-law’s health, she had no choice but to ask the maid to convey the message. Whether it was successful or not, she couldn’t say.

After a while, Qiu Ying returned with a smile, signaling the guards to step aside and welcoming the Xiao family women into the temple warmly.

Xiao Jingtai and Xiao Jingyan certainly couldn’t enter Biyun Temple, so they turned around and planned to return later to pick up their family.

“Our Princess said, please go back. The Xiao family women will be escorted back by the royal residence after offering incense,” Qiu Ying said.

“Thank you, Princess.” Xiao Jingtai bowed respectfully.

“No need for formalities, General Xiao,” Qiu Ying replied before pausing and adding, “The Princess has invited your family to enter the main hall.”

Qin Shi thanked Qiu Ying before turning to walk into the temple, seemingly anxious that if she didn’t hurry, she might be denied entry.

Xiao Yao was once again deeply impressed by her grandmother, marveling at how great motherly love could be. For the sake of her son, her grandmother could soften her voice to ask, and even when facing someone as important as the Princess, she showed no sign of hesitation.

Everything she did was motivated by a pure love for her son!

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