Chapter 401: Chapter 224: The Emperor Meets Lu Yuan; The Empress Meets Su Liyan’s Mother
At Le Shen Temple, Lu Yuan and his party were treated with great hospitality by the temple’s Daoists.
The Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple even presented some Taoist School artifacts as gifts, mostly small items for personal protection.
After accepting them, Lu Yuan chatted with the temple’s Daoists for a long time, even discussing their respective accomplishments in Daoist Skills.
Su Liyan’s mother sat with them the whole time but rarely spoke.
The Techniques Su Liyan’s mother knew weren’t Daoist Skills, but rather something like inherited Talent Skills.
After a vegetarian lunch at Le Shen Temple.
Lu Yuan and Su Liyan’s mother toured Le Shen Temple, opting not to have one of the Daoist Children act as a guide.
It was the first time Su Liyan’s mother had seen such a solemn and majestic Daoist Temple. Her eyes filled with delight as she took in everything around her.
The lush trees and brilliant golden roof tiles all bespoke of its immense wealth.
Su Liyan’s mother said to Lu Yuan, "Son-in-law, the Daoists here all have such an ethereal, sage-like air. There must be fifty or sixty Grand Celestial Masters, right?"
Lu Yuan touched the wall and said, "Mother, I’m afraid there are more. That’s just the ones we can see. If you include those out on missions, there are probably over a hundred."
"Over a hundred?" Su Liyan’s mother found it hard to believe.
What kind of powerful entity was this?
One had to know that Guyang Temple, the largest temple in Qilu Province, only had a dozen or so Grand Celestial Masters.
Lu Yuan said nonchalantly, "It’s perfectly normal. As the Divine Ling Empire’s Royal Daoist Temples, Celestial Dynasty Palace and Le Shen Temple don’t just serve the Royal Family during rituals for heaven and the ancestors. They’re also responsible for defending against foreign invasions and expelling evil spirits within our borders."
The fact that Celestial Dynasty Palace and Le Shen Temple could maintain such a large contingent of Grand Celestial Masters was also thanks to the Emperor’s control.
The Emperor would never allow an uncontrollable power to exist, which was why Lu Yuan had chosen to obey the decree and become an official.
A man with nothing to lose fears nothing. If Lu Yuan were alone, he certainly wouldn’t have become an official; saving his own skin would be more important.
But now, with a whole family to think about, if the Emperor tells you to be an official, who would dare defy the edict?
Liu Ji was formidable, wasn’t he? And even he was recalled.
Having come from the countryside, Su Liyan’s mother had never considered matters of the Court to be the concern of a simple woman like herself; they were far too remote.
Su Liyan’s mother asked, "What about the Jinyi Guard?"
The omnipresent Jinyi Guard had already appeared before Lu Yuan and his companions multiple times.
"The Jinyi Guard? They handle internal affairs. The ones who monitor all the officials aren’t just the Inspector Generals. There’s also the Emperor’s Eagle Claw Jinyi Guard," Lu Yuan explained.
"Oh," Su Liyan’s mother replied.
Lu Yuan only said these few extra words to his mother-in-law because there was no one else around.
Lu Yuan stretched and said with a grin, "Alright, it’s about time we headed back to the Post House. You’re not mad I didn’t take you for a stroll down Imperial City Street today, are you, Mother?"
Su Liyan’s mother said, "Listen to you, Son-in-law. Isn’t visiting a Daoist Temple better? It cleanses the soul. I even prayed for blessings for you and my daughter."
"Oh? What did you pray for?" Lu Yuan asked curiously.
Covering her mouth with her hand, Su Liyan’s mother said with a laugh, "For you to have a second child soon, of course."
Lu Yuan scratched his head and said, "There’s no rush, is there? We just had Bengbeng."
His mother-in-law said, "Son-in-law, you’re still young. You don’t understand the blessing of having many children. Life is only perfect with both a son and a daughter. Besides, Bengbeng is still little. You can raise a few kids together!"
Lu Yuan pursed his lips and said, "Then how come you only had two, Mother? Not thinking of giving me a few more beautiful sisters-in-law?"
Hearing this, his mother-in-law tugged on Lu Yuan’s clothes, laughing shyly. She lightly slapped his back and said, "Oh, you! Son-in-law, teasing your mother-in-law at my age, are you?"
Lu Yuan chuckled. "Mother, you’re still young. If you wanted to, having a third or fourth child would be no problem at all, right?"
"Stop making fun of me. As for your father-in-law... sigh, it’s better not to talk about it," Su Liyan’s mother said, shaking her head.
Lu Yuan screamed internally, ’Don’t stop! Tell me! Satisfy my gossipy heart! What’s wrong with my father-in-law?’
’If my father-in-law has some... problem, my medical skills could probably fix it. I can’t let my mother-in-law live like a widow.’
Though Lu Yuan thought this, he didn’t say it out loud.
This was a Daoist Holy Land. How could he speak of such scandalous things here?
Lu Yuan chose to drop the subject and change it, saying, "Mother, since we accepted their gifts, shouldn’t we say goodbye before we leave?"
His mother-in-law said, "Of course. The Daoists have been so good to you."
Lu Yuan said dismissively, "They’re just giving face to the Sect Ancestor Zhang Daoling."
Lu Yuan took his mother-in-law to bid farewell to the Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple.
After a Daoist Child announced them, the Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple came out with several of his junior brothers to see them off. He said very politely, "Elder, we will see you to the temple gate."
Lu Yuan felt a little embarrassed. He was only in his early twenties, yet he was being seen off by several white-bearded old men. It was quite an honor.
The Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple supported Lu Yuan’s arm with his left hand and gestured forward with his right. "Elder, you’re being too formal, aren’t you? We had Rituals at the temple today, so our hospitality was somewhat lacking."
Lu Yuan replied, "Not at all. We’re the ones who’ve troubled everyone, aren’t we?"
Lu Yuan and his companions walked to the entrance of Le Shen Temple.
A contingent of twenty men came jogging toward them from a distance.
Seeing the all-too-familiar Flying Fish Suits, Lu Yuan began to wonder.
’The sun is about to set. What are the Jinyi Guard doing here?’
The Jinyi Guard uniformly split into two rows, stopping before Lu Yuan and his group.
The Grand Elder of Le Shen Temple had seen much of the world and remained unfazed.
As the Emperor’s trusted agents, the Jinyi Guard often came to Le Shen Temple. They probably had a new mission.
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