Like Pearl and Jade

Chapter 30

While Five Estate Temple were professionals at receiving important imperial family members as guests, no matter how simplified the empress dowager and the emperor's procession was, they could not be very simple.

The next morning, before Gu Ru Jiu boarded the county mistress regulation carriage, she couldn't help but turn to look at the large group of people ahead of the golden and bejewelled carriage ahead. At first glance, she saw her second brother on horseback.

Gu Ru Jiu gave a small wave towards Gu Cun Jing. Gu Cun Jing coughed and grinned at his younger sister.

Some of the colleagues familiar with him saw this, and teased him, admiring him for having such a lovable little sister.

Hu Yun Qi was an older male cousin of Gu Cun Jing's wife, and of similar age to Gu Cun Jing. The two were also both dragon guards, and they were close to each other. As a result, when they joked, they did not have so many restraints. He looked in the direction of Gu Ru Jiu's carriage and said with a smile, "Second Sister is more and more outstanding. I wonder which boy is going to benefit?"

Gu Cun Jing's smile immediately froze. A beat later, he gritted his teeth and said, "My sister is still young."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Hu Yun Qi laughed, swaying his head. But he knew how much the Gu Family loved their second miss, so he only said a few teasing words before stopping.

"What are you laughing about?" Sitting in the gold dragon carriage, Jin Yang lifted the curtain and said with a smile, "You are so happy?"

Hu Yun Qi glanced at Gu Cun Jing, and dismounted his horse to bow to Jin Yang. "Your Majesty, this subject is praising Brother Gu."

"Oh?" Jin Yang turned to look at Gu Cun Jing and laughed. "Cun Jin, tell me, what are they praising you for?"

Gu Cun Jing readjusted his expression, dismounted his horse and said honestly, "Brother Hu admires me for having such a good younger sister."

After hearing this, Jin Yang nodded and said in agreement, "These are true words." Then he put down the curtain after speaking. Hu Yun Qi, who had heard the words, was dumbstruck. He turned to look at Gu Cun Jing and whispered, "What did His Majesty mean?"

Gu Cun Jing shook his head in silence, and felt slightly anxious inside.

The carriages did not move quickly. Gu Ru Jiu lifted the curtain and could only see the guards, palace attendants, and eunuchs on both sides of the carriage. She could not see any passerby.

The Five Estate Temple was on the Treasure Deer Mountain in the Jing suburbs. Supposedly, a white deer had ascended into immortality on this mountain a thousand years ago, and so the mountain was named after it. While no one knew the truth of this, the scenery of this mountain was pleasing and quiet.

Because important people frequently went to the temple to pray, there were carriage roads that headed straight towards the gates of the temple from the base of the mountain. Gu Ru Jiu discovered guards had been stationed long ago along the way.

In order to show respect towards the gods, the phoenix carriage of the empress dowager stopped a distance away from the gates of the temple. Gu Ru Jiu went down from the carriage, and saw the empress dowager was standing on the ground, holding the hand of a palace attendant. She sped up her steps and walked next to the empress dowager.

Seeing her arrive, the empress dowager turned to pat her hand, the intimacy clear.

The leader of Five Estate Temple was the famed Spiritual Master Chu Yun. This Spiritual Master Chu Yun usually could not be seen, not even when the Sima or Li families invited him. Spiritual Master Chu Yun was standing at the gates and personally welcoming the empress dowager and the emperor's arrival. This was really giving the imperial house face.