Fahua Temple was no longer the same as before, with many palaces permitting only the Former Emperor’s concubines to enter; even monks like them were restricted from wandering freely.
Even they were limited, so outsiders like Bai Junjun and Li Wenli couldn’t simply wander, for what would they do if they accidentally offended or collided with nobles?
Therefore, the Reception Master dared not agree.
"We hope the two benefactors can understand, we also have our difficulties."
"Fine then," Li Wenli nodded in understanding and, taking Bai Junjun, started walking out.
The Reception Monk, seeing how compliant they were, felt for a moment that he had been somewhat excessive. Clearly... there were some places that were still accessible, yet he had chosen not to take them out of fear of responsibility.
The Reception Master secretly promised in his heart that next time, if they suggested a visit, he would definitely take them.
Meanwhile, led by a novice Buddhist monk, Li Wenli and Bai Junjun came out from the guest hall, and just beyond was Maitreya Hall.
At the back of Maitreya Hall was the shrine to the protective deity Vedanta Bodhisattva, who, clad in armor and wielding a sword, radiated righteousness; seeing him, one knew this was the way down the mountain.
In Buddhism, it was customary before descending the mountain to tell Vedanta Bodhisattva that one was leaving, to ask for his protection and so forth.
At that moment, the novice monk was leading them towards the hall of Vedanta Bodhisattva.
Glancing around, Li Wenli said, "We came with the Princess Consort, and she hasn’t left. It’s only proper for us not to leave before her, so why don’t we wait here for the Princess Consort?"
Li Wenli was aware that the Reception Master, skilled in handling guests, had let him leave out of tactfulness.
The moment they came out, he took advantage of the inexperienced novice monk.
Indeed, the novice monk paused briefly before nodding knowingly; they had come together, and it seemed improper for these two to leave before the Princess Consort had.
Just as he hesitated whether to let them wait there, Dian Hong’s partner Dian Lv hurried over.
Dian Lv had once helped Bai Junjun with her hairstyle and was considered an old friend.
Seeing Dian Lv running towards them, Bai Junjun rarely showed warmth, "Miss Dian Lv, are you here to take us to the Princess Consort?"
Dian Lv shook her head, "Miss Junjun, you misunderstand. The Princess Consort is still accompanying the Dowager Consorts in copying the Buddhist scriptures. She was worried you might wait too long, so she specifically sent me out to let you know not everyone needs to wait, you can go ahead."
The two exchanged glances, wishing that Dian Lv had never appeared.
Seeing this, the novice monk sincerely smiled, as this turned out to be a happy resolution for everyone.
"I will take you down the mountain, benefactors."
Saying this, he led them out, and they had to follow along whether they liked it or not.
The novice monk was very diligent, only resting after he had escorted them down the mountain.
Once forced down the mountain, they could only thank the novice monk, promising to disturb him again in seven days.
The coachman drove them back to the Bai Residence.
This was a coachman from the Prince’s Mansion, and they dared not create any trouble on the road, but once they were back at Bai Residence, it was a different story.
Once the coachman had left, the two ventured out again.
However, on this venture, they distinctly felt unseen corners, pair after pair of eyes, covertly watching them.
The banquet the previous day had surely made the whole town’s public aware of who was residing in the Bai Residence.
It was possible that other powers were also covertly keeping an eye on them.
The two originally planned to return to Fahua Temple, but now realizing they were being watched, they couldn’t go there and simply wandered around before heading home.
By then, Ah Dao had returned with firewood.
The group was enthusiastically discussing the design and construction methods of bee boxes.