Aunt Chen is back from the world of cultivation

"Master, Zheng Yuannai came back today and brought offerings worth a thousand taels, saying that he wanted to thank you for saving his father's life."

Huiyun had a smile on her face as she reported to Chen Qingzhu the new developments in the temple today.

"Seeing you look so happy, I guess there's more to it than that." Chen Qingzhu raised his eyebrows slightly and said in a teasing tone.

Huiyun unconsciously reached out and touched her face:

"Is it so obvious?"

Then he said calmly:

"Well, I am very happy! Master, do you know that Zheng Yuannai said that on the first day of next month, Duke Dingguo and his wife will come to burn incense in person!"

By the end, his tone was full of excitement.

Seeing that Chen Qingzhu just nodded slightly and said "I understand", Huiyun felt a little depressed.

"The master of the temple is indeed a real master, unlike me, who looks like I have never seen the world."

Even though she came from a family of officials in the capital and was a first-rank Duke Dingguo, she was still an important figure who needed to be treated with great respect by her family elders.

What's more, now this super first-rank Duke Dingguo still has to come to Cihang Temple to become a believer and respect her like other believers.

Chen Qingzhu laughed:

"What's the big deal? Laugh if you want to. Is there anything wrong with being happy about the expansion of the influence of Cihang Temple?"

Huiyun said sullenly:

"I feel that I am not as well-mannered as the master, as I am able to be so happy for a super first-rank Duke Dingguo."

Chen Qingzhu comforted:

"No one can achieve success overnight. You will get used to it after seeing it more often."

The reason why she could be so calm was naturally because she had long been accustomed to being superior to all mortals in the world of cultivation.

In that vast world where one can ascend to heaven after reaching the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul, many emperors of mortal kingdoms are merely cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining.

In front of her, a genius from a big sect who was able to reach the great perfection of foundation building in just seventy or eighty years, one could only be respectful.

Therefore, a super first-rank duke is really nothing to her.

Of course, you can be contemptuous in your mentality, but you must take it seriously in your behavior.

After all, she is no longer in the world of cultivation, and she has no sect to rely on. Her cultivation is only at the third level of Qi Refining, so she needs to be extremely cautious.

"As I said before, treat all pilgrims equally, be gentle and polite, but don't flatter anyone. If there are disrespectful people, don't care about their identities, and suppress them if necessary."

"If you can't do anything, I will personally take action."

she warned.

Huiyun nodded carefully:

"I will keep this in mind and work with Hui'an to train everyone in advance."

Not only her, the head of the Reception Hall, but other female Taoists in Cihang Temple must also follow suit in mentality, so as not to tarnish the reputation of Cihang Temple.

The temple master's words, "You'll see more in the future," made her full of energy.

What does this mean?

This means that in the future there will be many dignitaries of similar status as Duke Dingguo who will become devout believers of Cihang Temple.

Although there are many nobles in Nandu City, there is no one who can truly compare with Duke Dingguo in terms of power and influence.

Only in the capital can you find such people.

This shows that the master will definitely go to the capital city in the future, and has already made plans to create glory in the capital city that is no less glorious than that of the southern capital city.

By then, I wonder what expressions those people who don't want her to stay in that family will have when they see her become the most trusted subordinate of such a big shot.

She believed in the master's ability and was looking forward to that day!

*

The first day of July is an extraordinary day for the believers of Cihang Temple.

As people were already used to traffic jams, everyone arrived early and prepared sedan chairs so that they could save energy when walking.

Even though it has been raining for days, it has not stopped the believers from burning incense on the first day of the new year.

When Duke Dingguo and his wife arrived, their way was blocked a mile away from the Taoist temple.

Looking at the muddy road under his feet, Duke Dingguo, who had specially put on a brocade robe to look more stylish, could not help but complain to his wife:

"I told you that Yuan Nai said you should come earlier, but you were dawdling at home. Now you have to walk such a long way!"

He was old, and the roads were slippery on rainy days, so he didn't dare sit in the sedan chair, for fear that the people below might slip and fall.

At his age, falling and breaking bones is no joke.

So he didn't bring a sedan chair with him. His original plan was to come early, park the car at the bottom of the stairs, and go up directly without having to worry about getting his clothes dirty.

Lady Dingguo was also dumbfounded when she saw the endless procession of carriages and horses ahead. She couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved when she heard this:

"We set out before dawn. Isn't that early enough? In the past, going to Yulong Temple to burn incense was considered very early... Who would have thought that the pilgrims to Cihang Temple would all come so early!"

Duke Dingguo snorted coldly:

"You have been burning incense and praying to Buddha for decades, but it was all in vain!"

Lady Dingguo did not dare to refute this.

On the one hand, Duke Dingguo had a bad temper and didn't like others talking back.

On the other hand, she had been burning incense for decades, but she had no idea that there was such an effective place in Nandu City.

It was Duke Dingguo who told her in a letter.

All those decades of burning incense were just burned in vain.

With the help of servants, it took the two of them a full moment to climb up to the Cihang Temple.

His feet and the edges of his robes were covered in mud.

In order to avoid appearing disrespectful, he asked the servants to bring water and wash his face before entering the Cihang Temple.

After worshipping the statues along the way, we walked outside the main hall and saw many pilgrims standing under the corridor between the main hall and the front hall, talking in groups of three or four.

Duke Dingguo saw Zheng Yuannai among them.

The two sides just nodded in greeting from a distance.

Because everyone knows that it is not good to chat before paying homage to all the statues.

Entering the main hall, even though Lady Dingguo had been to many temples, she was still stunned by the luxurious offering table.

It's not like other temples, where things like incense, oil, or fruit snacks are displayed.

In each tray, there must be one thing of gold or jade that is worth more than one hundred taels.

In addition, the tea and wine used as accompaniment are also high-end tea and wine sold in the city.

It seems that these pilgrims not only come early, but are also generous.

In comparison, her family's offering of more than three hundred taels, let alone being outstanding, was directly ranked among the last few.

The wife of Duke Dingguo was worried.

The Duke wrote to her asking her to prepare precious offerings of the five elements. Based on her experience of going to Yulong Temple, she generously prepared offerings of more than three hundred taels.

In theory, this is equivalent to the annual salary of the Prime Minister. As an offering for burning incense, it is already very luxurious and eye-catching.

Any more would seem too high-profile.

Who could have imagined that the situation would be like this.

Fortunately, the receptionist in the temple, Kun Dao, did not look at them strangely because their offerings were not good enough. Instead, she was very gentle and polite.

Otherwise, she couldn't bear to think about how the Duke would blame her when he returned.

After the two of them had paid homage to all the statues, Duke Dingguo spoke:

"Let's go outside the main hall."

Just now he saw a very beautiful female Taoist priest surrounded by pilgrims. She must be the Taoist priest Huiyun who was deeply trusted by the temple master as Yuannai mentioned.

As newcomers like them, it is definitely not possible for them to meet the master of the temple.

But at least I have to show my face in front of Taoist Master Huiyun.

As the two approached, Zheng Yuannai came forward to greet them from afar.

"My lord! Madam my lord!"

This directly shocked the other pilgrims.

Among all the people present, except for Madam Yuan and Madam Yan, two wives of officials of high status, no one had expected that this old couple in gorgeous clothes were actually the Duke and his wife.

Even the two who knew the wife of Duke Dingguo were extremely surprised.

Who is Duke Dingguo?

He is a first-rank duke and a first-rank governor-general of the Yangtze River, a veteran of two dynasties who is highly trusted by Your Majesty!

He actually came to Cihang Temple in person to offer sacrifices and burn incense!

"Who are these two?"

The other wives of wealthy businessmen present did not recognize the two and could not help but ask.

Madam Yan immediately introduced:

"This is Duke Dingguo and his wife!"

The rest of the people were all merchants, and they were even more shocked when they heard this.

Duke Dingguo!

He is the most important figure in Nandu City and even the entire Jiangdong area.

Merchants like them could not even enter the Duke Dingguo's Mansion even if they held gold, silver and treasures, let alone meet him in person!

Everyone hurriedly bowed and paid homage.

"We are all followers of Cihang Temple, there is no need to be so formal!"

Duke Dingguo was amiable and authentic.

The merchants and believers were excited again.

The dignified Duke Dingguo was actually so polite to merchants like them.

If they had not become believers of Cihang Temple, they would not have received such good treatment.

To put it bluntly, it was all thanks to the master of the temple.

Of course, the one who is even more enviable is Qin Dafu.

Duke Dingguo glanced at the crowd and saw that Taoist Master Huiyun was no longer there, so he said:

"Who is Qin Dafu?"

Qin Dafu quickly stood up.

On important days like the first day of the new year, he would come in person unless there was an emergency.

"My humble servant Qin Dafu pays homage to Duke Dingguo!"

Duke Dingguo immediately helped him up:

"No need to be polite!"

Then, he looked at Qin Dafu and praised:

"As expected of a role model follower of the temple master, looking at his appearance, he is really capable and can do great things!"

Qin Dafu blushed at the praise and could only mumble for a moment:

"Your Excellency, the Duke, thank you for your praise!"

Duke Dingguo asked again:

"What business does your family run?"

Qin Dafu bowed and said:

"My Lord, I'm going back to the country. I run a dyeing and cloth shop!"

Duke Dingguo nodded, then turned around and told his wife:

"From now on, all the fabrics for our Duke's Mansion will be purchased from his fabric shop!"

All the wealthy businessmen immediately looked at Qin Dafu with envy.

Qin Dafu was flattered and said quickly:

"No, no, no, the Duke's house needs cloth, how can we talk about buying and selling? In the future, if your family needs anything, just tell me!"

Duke Dingguo said sternly:

"I asked you to come buy cloth just to take care of your business. It's not right to not pay! It's settled. If you don't accept the money, you're not giving me face!"

Qin Dafu had no choice but to thank him.

I was also very excited.

The Duke of Dingguo actually came to take care of his family's business! What an honor!

But after the excitement, he quickly realized that everything was because of the temple master.

If it weren't for the fact that his Qin family was deeply favored by the temple master, who once praised them as role models for believers, Lord Dingguo would not have recognized Qin Dafu as a real person.

Not to mention taking the initiative to make friends with the Qin family!

Qin Dafu's admiration for the master of the temple once again reached a new peak.

I just feel that no matter what happens in the future, I must follow the master's footsteps.

In this world, there is no one more extraordinary than the master!

Thinking of this, his bent back straightened up.

He is a model follower of the temple master, and he cannot bow down to a powerful person, otherwise he will bring shame to the temple master's reputation as a model follower!

His neither humble nor arrogant attitude made Duke Dingguo look at him with even higher regard, and he treated him even more cordially.

The other wealthy businessmen and ladies present were so envious that they were numb.

Today, when burning incense, the Qin family became the biggest winner.