Chapter 857: Chapter 857: Satisfied or Not
Thus, an amusing scene unfolded on the steps of Songye Temple.
Ye Jiu and Prince Jing were walking effortlessly in front, even the tall steps felt like walking on flat ground.
But behind them, Qin Zhou was panting heavily, occasionally having to jog a bit to catch up with them, accompanied by his frequent loud shouts, “Dad, Big Sister, wait for me…”
Seeing Qin Zhou’s adorable appearance, Ye Jiu laughed happily.
Prince Jing, however, shot her a glare, and after waiting for Qin Zhou to catch up, he opened his mouth to scold, “I kept telling you to practice martial arts more, but you wouldn’t listen. Look at you, all this fat, even at a young age, your stamina is worse than mine. You’re a total waste…”
Qin Zhou, seeing Prince Jing was in the mood for scolding and was just sitting on a step panting heavily, used the opportunity to rest his feet.
Prince Jing saw that scolding him didn’t provoke a reaction, and thought to himself that this son was truly a failure.
Angrily, he kicked him lightly with his foot and said, “Get up quickly, keep moving, if you miss the vegetarian lunch at noon, do you want to go hungry?”
If it weren’t for having to drag this fool along, he would have used Qinggong to go up directly. It’s quite pitiful that, at his age, he still has to bear the hardship of walking for his son’s sake.
After speaking, Prince Jing walked on, and Ye Jiu followed him easily, even turning back to give Qin Zhou a gloating smile.
Qin Zhou, helpless, let out a wail behind them, but could only stand up and continue following.
Thankfully, the steps weren’t too long, and it wasn’t as exaggerated as Prince Jing made it out to be. Considering the time they spent in the carriage on the way, they managed to arrive at Songye Temple just in time for lunch.
The closer they got, the more apprehensive they felt.
Ye Jiu was fine, since she had long treated the Princess Consort as a stranger.
Qin Zhou, on the other hand, felt even less burdened. Although Prince Jing and Ye Jiu hadn’t visited here for several years, Qin Zhou nonetheless made frequent trips. After all, she was the mother who raised him by hand. Even after learning the truth, it was not easy to sever those emotional ties quickly.
The only one unaffected was Prince Jing.
When he first discovered that the Princess Consort had bravely switched the children, he was truly angry and genuinely blameful.
But as time passed, that anger and blame gradually got replaced by guilt within him.
On many deep nights, recalling their early days of marriage, Prince Jing couldn’t help but think to himself that if he had been less hot-tempered back then, and given the Princess Consort more love and care, then perhaps they wouldn’t be in this situation today.
Entering the temple naturally involved worshiping Buddha. In her past life, Ye Jiu didn’t believe in any of this. But after reincarnating into ancient times, along with possessing the Plane Space, while she couldn’t say she now believed or didn’t believe, she did develop a bit more reverence, no longer entirely dismissive as she used to be.
Rising from the worship mat, Ye Jiu turned back to look at Prince Jing, “Let’s go.”
When she first proposed to come for worship, Prince Jing was unwilling, because he too was someone who fundamentally didn’t believe in such things.
However, Ye Jiu dragged him in by sheer force, so he had no choice but to follow.
Once they exited the main hall, Prince Jing finally spoke. “Most people who beseech gods and Buddha do so because they are dissatisfied in their hearts, you…”
Halfway through his sentence, Prince Jing suddenly paused.
Ye Jiu, understanding why he stopped, nonetheless replied, “Whether one is satisfied or not is not reflected by how well-dressed they are. Look at all those people worshiping, how many are truly poor? Most of them are those with an impressive facade.”