Some even thought that if they could receive a word of advice or a blessing from Master Jinghui, they would be at peace for the rest of their lives.
Song Ci, in fact, was not particularly keen on listening to sermons and had no interest whatsoever in meeting Master Jinghui.
Everyone said that Master Jinghui was a renowned high monk. What if he saw through her and discovered she was a foreign soul and decided to exorcise her as a demon?
It’s not that Song Ci considered herself a demon or evil spirit, but some high monks did fancy themselves as heavenly enforcers and took to extremism.
What, you say she’s wrong? Haven’t you heard the legend of the White Snake?
Lady White did nothing wrong, she just fell in love, but still ended up being suppressed under Leifeng Tower by Fa Hai.
Ahem, drifting off-topic.
In any case, Song Ci didn’t have the same eagerness as others to meet Master Jinghui and would avoid it if she could. She came to the temple just to experience the hustle and bustle, and to accompany the old sister of the Wei Family, while checking if that young man of Wang Qiuman’s looked spirited.
Besides that, she wanted to observe how people actually went about matchmaking, so that she could have experience when it was her little Bao Yu’s turn in the future.
Songshan Temple had nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. The devout could climb to the top on foot. For those who didn’t want to walk, there were porters at the foot of the mountain who would carry you up for Silver.
Besides the porters, there were many vendors selling incense, joss paper, various foods, wild mountain products, and even local children acting as small guides. They would approach strangers and offer guided tours around Songshan Temple, providing explanations and earning some Silver Coins to help with household expenses.
That was really considerate.
At the foot of the mountain, aside from the steps for the commoners, there was another road wide enough for carriages, leading straight to a side courtyard gate of Songshan Temple, saving the trouble of walking and squeezing with others.
And this road was guarded by soldiers, not allowing ordinary people to pass, which meant those who could travel this road were surely dignitaries and nobles.
Song Ci wanted to go via the steps, but she was getting on in years, and just a couple of months ago, she had been seriously ill. No one dared let her have her way out of fear that in a crowd, she might get hurt.
Moreover, Song Ci herself couldn’t climb those steps and needed to be carried by porters. What if they didn’t carry her steadily and dropped her?
Besides, there were guards following her, which also disturbed others.
Considering everything, Song Ci could only obediently take the carriage up the official road, listening to the distant lively noises from the carriage window.
"Wonder if those young lads will run around wildly; they better not get snatched by child-kidnappers," Song Ci said sluggishly, putting down the carriage curtain.
The boys at home took the steps, and Song Ci was pleased. Seeing more of the mortal world and understanding the complexities of human nature couldn’t hurt.
Moreover, it was lively and fun on that side. If she was the age of her grandsons, she wouldn’t take the official road at all.
There was no fun in it.
Alas, she was just an old woman with crippled legs, what a bummer!
Nanny Gong laughed and said, "Madam, rest assured, the guards are following closely."
"I just worry these lads will run so fast, if you take your eyes off them for a second, they might disappear."
Nanny Gong thought, if that happened, then there’d be no point in keeping the guards around.