The Ming Dynasty: Reshaping the Land

Chapter 38 Jiming Temple

Jiming Temple is located on Jilong Mountain in the north of the city, near Xuanwu Lake, and not too far from the Imperial College.

Since they hadn't left the city, Li Jinglong and Fu Wanqing didn't come out too early.

Li Jinglong only brought Li Er, a servant, and four guards, while Fu Wanqing's side was equally impressive, with two maids and four guards from the Duke of Ying's mansion.

They set off at 3:45 AM, and it was nearly 9:00 AM when Li Jinglong led Fu Wanqing to the eastern foot of Jiming Mountain. At this time, the outline of Jiming Temple had already come into view.

Many of Nanjing's Buddhist temples originated during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. During that time, with the widespread worship of Buddhism, even Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, became a monk.

In addition, the Nanjing area did not experience much warfare and did not suffer major damage, so there are many ancient temples remaining around Nanjing.

Jiming Temple is one of the most famous Buddhist temples among them, and together with Qixia Temple and Dingshan Temple, it became the center of Chinese Buddhism during the Southern Dynasties.

"There are quite a few people here today!" Li Jinglong said to Fu Wanqing beside him, glancing at the endless stream of people.

"Many people in the capital are devout Buddhists!" Fu Wanqing nodded and waved, "Let's go in soon!"

"Okay!" Li Jinglong nodded, and then led everyone up the steps.

Upon entering the temple, Li Jinglong followed Fu Wanqing's example and offered incense in the main hall. Then, he and Fu Wanqing strolled around the temple grounds.

Fu Wanqing's light green dress swayed with her steps, while Li Jinglong wore a white brocade robe. One was tall and aloof, the other elegant and charming, attracting many pilgrims to turn their heads.

"I remember you used to really like coming here!" Li Jinglong said as they walked side by side.

"Yes!" Fu Wanqing nodded. "At that time, Father and my brothers were all fighting on the front lines. All I could do was pray for them and wish them safety!"

"It seems to work very well!" Li Jinglong echoed with a smile.

"It's a pity that my second brother and the others stayed there after Father pacified Yunnan!" Fu Wanqing said sadly, thinking of her brothers who were far away.

Li Jinglong suddenly remembered that at the end of the Hongwu reign, after Fu Youde committed suicide, several of Fu's brothers, who were far away in Yunnan, lived in hiding with Mu Ying's tacit approval.

However, with his marriage to Fu Wanqing, the Fu family will lose the opportunity to form a marriage alliance with the royal family. He wonders if this will change the Fu family's fate.

It seems I need to find an opportunity to persuade my future father-in-law to learn from Tang He and enjoy a peaceful and carefree life!

"What are you thinking about?" Li Jinglong's deep thought caught Fu Wanqing's attention.

"No...I wasn't thinking about anything!" Li Jinglong snapped out of his reverie. "There's a stone table over there, let's go sit down!"

"good!"

The moment the two sat down, Li Jinglong's eyes involuntarily glanced at Fu Wanqing, and he was shocked by the curve of her body as she bent over.

I thought I would just get long legs, but I didn't expect that my slender legs would bear such a fruitful result.

Alas! Do not look at what is improper!

Fu Wanqing also noticed Li Jinglong's gaze, and her face instantly turned bright red.

"Li Jiujiang, you... lecherous scoundrel!" Fu Wanqing glared angrily.

"What's wrong?" Li Jinglong began to pretend he was deaf and dumb.

"Where...where are you looking?" Fu Wanqing's voice became even softer than a mosquito's buzz.

"Where? What? Where?" Li Jinglong made up his mind and decided to play the fool to the end.

"Fine! I'm ignoring you!" Fu Wanqing turned her head to the side, leaving Li Jinglong with only her profile.

"Wanqing, when do you think would be a good time for our wedding?" Li Jinglong decided to change the subject.

"When?" Fu Wanqing's face, which had just returned to normal, turned bright red again.

"It's the end of June now, what do you think of November?" Li Jinglong asked with a smile.

"Who sets their own date!" Fu Wanqing replied in a low voice, her head almost drooping to her chest.

"What's the big deal? We'll just ask His Majesty to set a time later!" Li Jinglong said nonchalantly.

After Li Jinglong finished speaking, Fu Wanqing, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head and looked at Li Jinglong with a suspicious gaze: "Why are you in such a hurry? Why did you reject me in the first place?"

"This..." Li Jinglong's mind raced, thinking: I can't very well say that this was the original owner's idea, can I?

However, judging from Fu Wanqing's demeanor, if she doesn't answer this question well, the two of them will probably remain in a state of mutual respect from now on!

"Isn't this all their fault?" Li Jinglong decided to shift the blame, saying, "Sorry, brothers, I'll have to sell you out first at this crucial moment."

"Who?" Fu Wanqing pressed.

"I'm from our elite circle!" Li Jinglong boasted shamelessly. "I only did it because I heard them say that it's not good for women to be too tall..."

Seeing Fu Wanqing's expression darken, Li Jinglong hurriedly said, "But then I realized, why should I listen to them when choosing a wife? Being tall has its advantages. Putting aside everything else, among those average-sized women, none of them have legs as long as yours!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Fu Wanqing covered her face with her hands and said coquettishly.

"I'm not making this up! It's just the truth!" Li Jinglong continued to explain, "Look, I'm already so tall. If I were to find someone shorter, it wouldn't look right when we drink the nuptial wine!"

"Stop talking! Aren't you ashamed!" Fu Wanqing covered her face with her hands and turned her back.

A triumphant smile appeared on Li Jinglong's face. It is said that even a virtuous woman can be swayed by a persistent suitor. If this were in later generations, let alone saying these words, the other party might say something even more explicit than you.

"Haha! Okay, I won't say anything more!" Li Jinglong said with a doting smile.

"Li Jiujiang, how did you become so frivolous?" Fu Wanqing glanced at Li Jinglong. "And that club of yours, do you know what people in Beijing are saying about you?"

"What do you mean by me?" Li Jinglong asked, intrigued.

"Everyone says your club is a den of iniquity, and the reason you opened it is to satisfy your personal fetishes!" Fu Wanqing said with a frown.

"Huh?" Li Jinglong's eyes widened. "I haven't been to the club much since it opened!"

"That's how I heard it anyway!" Fu Wanqing glared at her and continued, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​getting into that kind of business?"

"What's wrong with that?" Li Jinglong retorted. "This is just a place to listen to music; it's fundamentally different from a brothel, alright!"

"So you don't care about your reputation?" Fu Wanqing frowned.

"They haven't even gone in, they're just spreading rumors outside. What can I do?" Li Jinglong smiled bitterly. It would be better if they went in to verify, and he could also get five hundred strings of cash as a bonus.

"You're supposed to be a Duke!" Fu Wanqing said, somewhat exasperated.

"So what if I'm a Duke? Just because I'm a Duke doesn't mean I can't enjoy my own hobbies!" Li Jinglong said dismissively.

"You..." Fu Wanqing glared at Li Jinglong, about to accuse him, but a bright light flashed in her eyes, and her gaze towards Li Jinglong changed.