Chapter 221: Praying for Blessings at Qingxu Temple
Before arriving at the mountain gate, Jia Cong looked at the couplets on the left and right of the gate and started laughing.
'Profits and fame have won over many heroes. Morning bells and evening drums have awakened countless fools!'
It can be said that this couple is extraordinary, but one look at how the great immortal grovels before the queen will show you that under the influence of imperial power, even gods and Buddhas have to adapt to local customs!
They walked all the way until they stopped in the main hall. The Queen was praying for blessings, so there were naturally many rules. However, Jia Cong did not need to take care of them, as they had their own maids, eunuchs, deacons and old Taoist priests to lead the way. Jia Cong and Shang Yan stood on the left and right at the door of the hall, waiting and talking to each other about military matters.
I don’t know how long I waited before the old Taoist priest came out.
"It will take another quarter of an hour for the queen to come out!"
After saying that, he looked at Jia Cong and said, "Is this young man the son of Rongguo Mansion, Marquis Jia Cong?"
"Jia Cong greets the old man!" Jia Cong bowed and said with a smile.
Actually, it wouldn't be excessive for Jia Cong to call him "Grandpa". However, Jia Cong had no likes or dislikes towards this old Taoist, nor did he have any desire to curry favor with him, so he felt at ease.
Taoist Zhang once again looked at Jia Cong for a long while, as if he had a great interest in Jia Cong. "I received a letter from your family before, saying that a unicorn child was born. I felt a little regretful that I had never met him, but I never thought I would meet him today!"
"It's well-deserved!" The old Taoist priest pulled Jia Cong closer, "The Jia family has such descendants, the dukes should be satisfied!"
"Thank you for your kind words, old man!" The old Taoist priest smiled and shook his head, but did not say anything else.
Soon, the Queen came out, and the old Taoist priest came to greet her and said, "Queen, I have prepared some vegetarian food, please come and have a look! "
The queen agreed with a smile, then asked Shang Yan and others to make their own arrangements, and she took Jia Cong to the back hall.
It must be said that the vegetarian food at Qingxu Temple tasted really good. Jia Cong, who had been standing for a long time and was already hungry, ate most of the meal before he put down his bowl and chopsticks in satisfaction.
"Child, why are you so careless when eating? What if you can't digest it?" the queen said angrily.
Jia Cong grinned and said, "I am used to it. When I was stationed at the border in Lanzhou, I was hungry and full. Now I want to eat more when I have food."
"Ah, you have suffered too!" said the queen distressedly.
Perhaps it was the closeness shown by the Queen that made Jia Cong often ignore the Queen's identity and behave very casually, which even he himself did not realize.
However, Taoist Zhang, who was standing by, sensed something odd in the conversation between the Queen and Jia Cong, and couldn't help but become suspicious.
After eating and resting for a while, the queen then set out to return!
Taoist Zhang breathed a sigh of relief after sending off the Queen's phoenix sedan chair, but his brows were still frowned, and he was making hand seals with a look of confusion on his face.
"This is not right. Cong is just a bastard. Even if he has been awarded the title of Marquis of Guanjun, how can he have such a noble fate? Moreover, he is like a dragon transformed by the wind. How strange, how strange! Moreover, the fortune of the entire Jia family has also changed greatly. What happened?"
After a while, he dispersed the seal and said to himself, "Forget it, I am just a mortal, how can I really see through a person's fate? Fate is impermanent, the world is impermanent, and the Tao is impermanent..."
The queen's phoenix sedan returned to the city in a grand manner. After arriving at the north city, it turned to Ningrong Street and headed towards the Jia Mansion.
Outside the Jia Mansion, Jia's mother was waiting respectfully with the imperial edicts from the two mansions. When they saw the imperial carriage coming, they all bowed down and said, "We respectfully welcome the Queen!"
The phoenix sedan chair did not stop, but went directly into the East Palace through the wide-open main gate. Inside the East Palace, both sides were surrounded by brocade cloth, forming a long corridor. As for the bluestone floor underfoot, it had been wiped clean by someone.
After the imperial carriage entered the palace, Chief Steward Zhou stepped forward and said, "The Queen has ordered that the ceremonial guards go directly to the main hall, and the Jia family's imperial edicts accompany them."
Everyone hurriedly responded and followed the ceremonial procession towards the inner house.
The ceremonial procession moved forward, passing the ceremonial gate, front hall, inner hall and the three inner gates, before finally stopping in front of the inner ceremonial gate!
A female official came forward and helped the queen get off the phoenix sedan chair, and then continued to move forward and entered the Ningzheng Hall directly.
The Queen came straight to the front and sat in the center, while Jia Cong and Chief Steward Zhou stood on her left and right.
"Announce, the Jia family's imperial edict to come in!"
Jia Mu, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, and Lady You who were outside the door entered one after another and knelt down again to pay their respects. "Greetings to the Queen!"
"Old Lord, please get up quickly. The rest of you don't have to stay here with me. Please leave first! Give the old Lord a seat!" the queen said slowly.
After Mrs. Xing kowtowed several times, she left the main hall. After thanking her, Lady Jia sat on a brocade cushion brought by a eunuch.
"I came to your house to rest on the way, and I am sorry to disturb your peace."
Grandmother Jia stood up quickly and said, "It is a great honor for us to have the Queen come to our house."
"Old Lord, please sit down and let's talk. Why are you so polite? If you keep going like this, won't the child blame me? Jia Cong, you should sit down too. This is in your house. If even you, the master, don't sit down, then I won't dare to come here again!"
After Jia Cong expressed his gratitude, he asked someone to bring a brocade cushion and sat next to the old lady.
However, the Queen's closeness to Jia Cong surprised Grandmother Jia! Although she had heard before that the Queen's grandson was very favored by the Queen, it was the first time she saw such a scene.
"The old Lord Feng has raised a good grandson! This child is my favorite. He is not only talented in both literature and martial arts, but also very well-behaved. What's more, he is also very filial!"
"Your Majesty, you are too kind!" Grandmother Jia stood up and replied, "My grandson is quite capable, but it is also because of the love of Your Majesty and Your Majesty that he has become so respectable now. Fortunately, although my grandson is a bit reckless, he knows how to be loyal to the emperor."
The two chatted for a while, and the Queen took the initiative to ask, "I heard from this child that all the girls in your house are smart and beautiful. Yuanchun is serving me and I am the closest to her. I wonder where the other girls in your house are."
"Your Majesty, the concubines in the palace are not allowed to enter without being summoned!"
"Hurry up and let them come over so I can have a look."
Jia Cong hurriedly got up and went out to give Xia Zhong an instruction.
Just after a cup of tea, the eunuch outside the door came to report that the girls from the mansion had arrived. The Queen had someone call them in. A moment later, a female official led Baochai, Daiyu and the others into Ningzheng Hall.
When the ladies saw Jia Cong sitting down, they were all very happy, but this was not the time to talk, so they could only gather their minds and pay their respects to the Queen.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen!"
