Madam An and the others caught up and saw the child being held in someone's arms. They were stunned at first but when they saw the appearance of the person clearly, they were so shocked that they could not speak.
Gu Chen glanced over lightly, skipped Ye Chonghui, and nodded slightly towards Madam An, who was standing in the centre. Madam An was flattered and quickly returned the greeting but did not dare to say hello. His Royal Highness was wearing plain clothes and obviously did not want to reveal his identity. She was not stupid enough to expose the Crown Prince in front of the bustling Jinguang Temple.
Ye Ruoyao and Ye Yunzhe had met him before. They only knew that he was a certain prince but his specific identity was not clear. However, they had lived in the Prime Minister's Mansion for a long time and had heard some rumours, such as the little cat raised in the Young Master's yard. It is said that the Crown Prince in the palace also raised a white tiger. Not every family has such a rare thing so there is no guarantee that it is not the same one.
Although people in Funing Yuan are tight-lipped and the news cannot spread, people outside are neither blind nor deaf so even if they don't know the inside story, they can still guess a little bit.
The person in front of them is undoubtedly the Fourth Prince of the Emperor, His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Daegu.
The two siblings hurriedly winked at their mother. Madam Ye was very alert and upon seeing this, said: "Sister, I will take Yao'er and Yunzhe in first. Nephew Chongjin used to live in the back courtyard and he has not seen so many people before. Maybe he is scared, please comfort him."
Madam An said quickly: "Okay, Sister-in-law, go in first."
When they left, Madam An hesitated and did not dare to come forward. Although she wanted to get her son back, she was too frightened by Gu Chen's power to dare to speak.
Ye Chonghui said in a cold voice: "I always meet noble people when I go out of the house. Someone has planted spies in the Prime Minister's house."
Madam An was startled and scolded: "Hui'er, don't be rude."
Gu Chen has long been accustomed to his sarcasm. He just curled his lips and smiled, saying meaningfully: "It is unknown if it is predestined fate."
The frost on Ye Chonghui's face added another layer.
The child in his arms was slightly startled, was it destined...?
A dazed look flashed across those moist eyes. Gu Chen happened to catch a glimpse of it and felt a pain in his heart. He put a little force on his arms and held the child in his arms in a completely protective manner, saying: "People are coming and going here. A-Jin is scared when he sees them so he might as well go to the Zen room in the backyard to rest. I have some friendship with Master Kongchen, the abbot of this temple, so it shouldn't be difficult to ask for two cups of tea."
Madam An was initially wary of his identity but seeing how thoughtful he was, she sincerely said, "In that case, thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency."
But Ye Chongjin suddenly grabbed his sleeves and his face turned pale. He didn't want to take even one step into this temple.
Gu Chen squeezed his soft little hand and brought it close to his ear. His voice was low and comforting: "What should A-Jin be afraid of when you are not alone?"
Ye Chongjin lowered his eyebrows and looked at his hand which lying on Gu Chen's broad palm and being tightly held by him. This sight made him relaxed.
Gu Chen smiled softly and raised his eyes to look at the Buddha statue in the hall. In an instant, a deep anger flashed in his black eyes. He murmured: "It's just a clay statue of a golden Buddha. If it dares to be rampant and offends gu, it will only end up destroying the temple and killing the monks."
Gods are no longer gods without people who believe in them. Without the incense for worship, the Buddha is naturally just a clay doll. If he dares to drive A-Jin away, he would expel all the gods and Buddhas in the sky from the nine states of the Central Plains. There will be no more Buddhist temples or monks in the land of the Daegu Dynasty.
"You..."
Gu Chen smiled at him and returned to his harmless appearance. He held the child's hand and stepped into the hall step by step.
All the original panic seemed to disappear in an instant. Ye Chongjin raised his head and looked at the golden Buddha statue again. It was not as scary as before. As Gu Chen said, it was just a clay statue of the golden Buddha with a compassionate smile on his face and it will not change at all.
He was wrong. Because he feels guilty, he is afraid.
When Madam An saw that her son was fine, she knelt on the futon with her hands clasped and thanked the Buddha: "Thank you Buddha, for protecting my son. I am a believer in my heart."
Ye Chonghui stood there and took a look at the Buddha statues in the main hall. Confusion flashed in his eyes. What is so unusual about Jinguang Temple?
=========
The side door at the back of the main hall leads to the backyard. Several young monks saw Gu Chen, and seemed as if they already know him well. They chanted amitabha and led them to the meditation room.
Jinguang Temple is full of incense and the interior layout is naturally good. The pavilions, waterside pavilions, peach trees and streams, and the landscape are all first-class.
Ye Chongjin couldn't help but look around, feeling a little curious.
Seeing that he had recovered, Gu Chen joked with a low smile: "Is it possible that gu's A-Jin is a transformed spirit so he is afraid of Buddhist temples?"
This is called the pot that cannot be opened yet the lid was lifted. The gratitude that had just accumulated in Ye Chongjin's heart was replaced with shame and annoyance. The child muttered softly: "If A-Jin is a spirit, what would His Highness, the Crown Prince do? Will you send an eminent monk to collect me?"
The lively eyebrows, delicate face, and every frown or smile that makes people reluctant to look away. Gu Chen secretly thought, what kind of spirit is this? He has made everyone worried at just a few years old. When he grows up, he will become a spirit that brings disaster to the country and the people.
He said: "If A-Jin is a spirit, I would collect it myself and not leave it to others."
This person was always shameless. Ye Chongjin was so depressed that he didn't bother to pay attention to him. He turned around to look for his mother and brother but saw that no one was there. There was no figure.
"Where is my mother and brother?"
Gu Chen said, "Perhaps someone stopped them. Not everyone can enter Master Kongchen's Zen room."
He said it matter-of-factly. Only then did Ye Chongjin realize that he had fallen into a trap. He tried to get away but the strength of the two was so different that he couldn't break away. The child was so angry that he wanted to scratch him.
"What do you want?"
"I just want to be alone with A-Jin for a while. It won't be long, okay?"
Ye Chongjin turned his head. This man never gave him a chance to refuse so why ask hypocritically.
Gu Chen bent down and looked into his bright eyes. He said softly: "The last time gu was at the Duke's Mansion, gu's injury was not healed at that time. Gu spent a lot of effort to get out of the palace to see you but you only said a few words in a hurry. How can gu be willing to resign myself?"
It was okay not to mention that matter but when it was mentioned, he felt a little uncomfortable. Ye Chongjin was silent for a moment but smiled slightly and asked: "Is my Cousin good-looking?"
Gu Chen's eyes flashed with displeasure and said: "It's just so-so."
You look at so-so so enthusiastically. Men are all duplicitous.
Ye Chongjin couldn't free his hand so he simply sat on the carved railing aside with the spring of water behind him. Gu Chen stood beside him, protecting his back with his arms to prevent him from falling.
"Do you think she's pretty?" Gu Chen asked.
Ye Chongjin said: "Of course she looks good. In a few years, she will look even better." If she didn't look good, could she be included in your harem and be given the title of concubine?
Gu Chen became more and more depressed. After a long time, he sneered and said, "No matter how good-looking she is, it has nothing to do with A-Jin."
"..." Ye Chongjin was slightly startled. "What do you mean by saying this?"
"It means that when An Lingwei reaches age, I will give her a good family. No matter how you like it, she can't enter the gate of the Ye's house."
"You don't, you don't think..." The child raised his other free hand, extended his index finger and pointed at himself, "You think I like Cousin Lingwei?"
His stupid look made Gu Chen curl up his lips and say: "Of course not." He was just afraid that An Lingwei would provoke A-Jin. The Ye family was afraid that A-Jin would get involved with him so they would inevitably use An Lingwei as a shield then things will be much more complicated.
He couldn't say these words to the child so he only said: "Gu also knows that A-Jin doesn't like her but gu doesn't like it when A-Jin praises other women." Especially women with ulterior motives.
Ye Chongjin finally turned around, thought for a while and asked: "Brother Prince will get married in a few years. Haven't you ever thought about my Cousin?"
Gu Chen was stunned. He had been abused by this woman in his previous life. Naturally, he will not cause trouble for himself again in this life so he shook his head. He raised his hand and stroked a strand of curly hair on the child's forehead and chuckled: "We have to wait a few more years before it's time for marriage. Why does A-Jin always talk about An Lingwei? There should be something else to say between you and me."
Ye Chongjin said: "Last time at the Duke's Mansion, Brother Prince looked at Cousin Lingwei and almost lost his mind. A-Jin thought you liked her very much."
Gu Chen curled his lips and stared at the child. He laughed until Ye Chongjin couldn't stand it anymore. He glared at him before restraining himself but saw His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince calmly take out a light green brocade handkerchief from his sleeve.