A Cutie Spoiled by Her Seven Uncles-Chapter 473: The Old Monk Reads The Marriage Destiny
Chapter 473: Chapter 473: The Old Monk Reads The Marriage Destiny
Zhu Xiuxiu sipped her tea as the Abbot questioned her.
"You arrived with the Ji Family’s family members. May I ask what your relationship is with the Ji Family?"
As he observed Zhu Xiuxiu’s married woman’s hairstyle and her extraordinary attire, alongside their accompaniment of servants dressed in the Ji Family livery, the Abbot speculated whether her husband might be from the Ji Family.
However, he remembered that the Zhu Family were merchants and the Ji Family held influential positions within the court. It was unlikely that they would take a merchant’s daughter as their daughter-in-law.
Unless the Ji Family had been attracted by the Zhu Family’s wealth and taken Zhu Xiuxiu as a concubine. If that were true, this young lady from the Zhu Family would be terribly pitiful.
The Abbot, after much thought, cautiously inquired further.
Zhu Xiuxiu nodded in response and said, "Old Lady Ji is my mother-in-law!"
Upon hearing this, the Abbot promptly chanted "Amitabha" and immediately addressed Zhu Xiuxiu as "Lady Ji."
Zhu Xiuxiu corrected him, "Call me Third Lady! My husband is the third son of the Ji Family."
The third son of the Ji Family, who was eavesdropping on the roof, felt his heart tremble.
She... she had actually admitted it... She showed no signs of hesitation or discomfort—it all came so naturally.
"Th...Third Lady!"
The Abbot paused.
This implied that she was not a concubine, but the rightful wife.
"We’ll have to trouble you with the arrangements, Abbot. We plan to stay for two days and would need your help in organizing two religious rites—one for my mother-in-law to pray for blessings, and the other for my sister-in-law’s unborn child, hoping for her to deliver a son safely!"
"Amitabha! Third Lady, rest assured, I will make the arrangements!"
The Abbot reflected on how the original Qixia Temple had sheltered countless homeless monks and offered refuge to numerous displaced people, granting them a chance at survival.
The heavens must have witnessed the Zhu Family’s virtuous deeds to bless their sole heir with such an auspicious marriage into the Ji Family.
Deeply versed in Buddhist Dharma, he could perceive Zhu Xiuxiu’s profound good fortune.
Yet, this particular marital connection was something he couldn’t quite see through; it seemed inauspicious, but was tightly bound by some unseen force. That was why he had been troubled, wondering if she had married into the Ji Family due to her immense wealth, with the Ji Family scheming for her assets and taking her as a concubine.
Now that he had received accurate information, he was relieved.
The Abbot discussed some other practical matters with Zhu Xiuxiu and then left with a group of monks.
For lunch, the temple kitchen delivered specially prepared vegetarian dishes to their courtyard.
Old Lady Ji knew that Qixia Temple was built by the Zhu Family’s ancestors, so receiving such treatment wasn’t surprising.
Ji Youcheng, however, was inwardly in turmoil.
He had thought he knew Zhu Xiuxiu well, but he hadn’t expected to be the one who understood nothing at all.
Ji Youcheng wore a stern expression all day long, stealing occasional, sharp glances at Zhu Xiuxiu.
Zhu Xiuxiu, noticing him, often responded by rolling her eyes.
After lunch, Zhang Nanny, Zhu Xiuxiu, and Xie Pan’Er accompanied Old Lady Ji to offer incense and pay respects to the Bodhisattvas enshrined in the Grand Hall.
Huo Xing’Er, being a practitioner of Taoist arts, chose not to get involved.
Considering that Xiaosuisui was prohibited from kneeling to the emperor, they inferred that she was probably not allowed to kneel to the Bodhisattvas in the Grand Hall either. Therefore, Huo Xing’Er took Xiaosuisui to play on the back mountain.
At autumn’s end, Qixia Temple’s back mountain, apart from some withered wild chrysanthemums, really had nothing else.
Nonetheless, Xiaosuisui had a grand time, energetically darting about, sometimes climbing trees to search for bird nests, other times yanking out wild grass from the ground.
"It’s a pity I didn’t bring Xiaobai out. Otherwise, I could find a lot of earthworms for it to eat!"
On hearing this, the corners of Huo Xing’Er’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. "Xiaobai would certainly be thankful you didn’t bring it out."
Xiaosuisui chatted with Huo Xing’Er, unaware that an old lady and a young girl, a grandmother and granddaughter, were watching them from a distance.
This pair was none other than Old Lady Li and Li Yanyan. In Li Yanyan’s hand was something, her eyes filled with ruthless malice as she stared at the girl with a scar on her face.
Chapter 473: The Old Monk Reads The Marriage Destiny
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