The Little King

32 | The Practice In The Temple

Translator: PastTimer

Editor: PastTimer
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The temple was within Yudu. It was about an hour's ride away from the  Palace, built on a fertile grassland. Xia Xi had never been there. The temple didn't allow for people to loiter because it was a very sacred place for the Barbarians. Almost all major prayers or sacrifices were held in that temple.

Xia Xi never thought that there would be so many people in his entourage. There were twelve maids alone, and more than a hundred guards who looked very jaded, each with a curved blade hanging on their waist and all riding on tall horses. It made him a bit doubtful; if his team of guards met even his father's thousand personal guards, they would be able to stand their ground. He couldn't figure out why so many guards had to follow a Queen who was sent to the 'cold palace'¹.

Their journey was very smooth. The closer they were to the temple, the fewer people they meet. When they were about to approach the temple, there was basically no living person nearby. Sitting inside the carriage, Xia Xi couldn't help but be curious about the temple. When Lan Duo'er told him that the temple was in sight, he slowly lifted the corner of the curtain and looked towards the place where he was going to stay.

The appearance of the temple was completely different from what he imagined. There were many temples in the Kingdom of Xia. The current Emperor believed in Buddhism, there were even several temples built inside the Palace. He thought that the temples of the Barbarians would be similar to those in Xia, so he didn't expect to see a magnificent stone house. The temple itself was huge, it was even more majestic than the Palace of Yudu. Its design was very special; parts of it didn't even look like it was created by man, but by God instead.

The Barbarians were very proud of the temple, and Lan Duo'er was no exception. When she saw the astonishment on Xia Xi's face, her mouth which had never loved words couldn't help but say: "The temple is our most beautiful place. I heard it was built here by a deity. Us Barbarians were originally nomads. When my ancestors saw this temple, they settled down here and formed the tribes one by one. Later, our country was born."

Xia Xi said: "So that's why," While they were talking, the convoy had already reached the temple. They could see the magnificent building even more clearly. Taking a closer look, Xia Xi could see that this temple was indeed built by humans. There were many traces of man, but the temple's skeleton looked whole. It looked like it was originally a large rock, excavated to become what it was now.

It must've taken tremendous manpower and financial resources to achieve this.

Xia Xi was a foreigner visiting the temple, he was only greeted by a low-ranked priest. The great witch doctor didn't even show his face. The residence arranged for him by the priest was also the furthest from the main hall. It was a rather large courtyard. It's just that the yard was lonely and bleak, with almost nothing. There were many people with Xia Xi, so someone would naturally take care of it for him. The first thing Xia Xi did after arriving was greet Chu Lan's mother, Yue Ling'er.

The Barbarians were different from the Xia. In the kingdom of Xia, the Queen Mother² was a very majestic existence. Although she was also situated inside the harem and the things she does outside would mostly be ignored, she was still deeply respected in all festivals. The weight of her words was no less than that of an Emperor's Imperial edict. The Emperor had so many wives, even a spoiled concubine was replaceable. After all, pampering was a temporary thing, and the Emperor had a steady stream of women. No matter how old he was, there would be many beautiful girls to choose from. Women were different; once old age faded their beauty, it would be almost impossible to regain favour. Only when you become a Queen Mother can your position be stabilized. The Emperor could have many wives, but there'll always be just one mother, the difference was really incomparable. (T/N: In case you're lost, Xia Xi meant that their son, rarely daughter, being the next Emperor)