I dress up as a poor noblewoman, and I bring my whole family home with my literary talent.

Chapter 96 Marriage Tree

Lu Jing didn't respond. He turned his head to look at his subordinates who were carrying heavy objects in an orderly manner, "Are your highness's elite soldiers still guarding the temple?"

Jiying nodded.
At this time, the sound of rain gradually stopped, and Lu Jing walked down the mountain.
……

Song Lingyi, riding a black horse, returned to Lingjing Temple with her third and fourth sisters. She dismounted the horse in advance and tied it to the back door of the temple to avoid being seen and questioned by Madam Song and the others. She also told her third and fourth sisters not to tell anyone what happened in the cave or that they had encountered those ghost-faced men.

During the more than one hour that the three sisters were missing, Madam Song and Madam Zhou were extremely anxious and restless in the temple. Azhu wanted to go to the back mountain to look for them, but suddenly a group of elite soldiers broke into the temple, surrounded the temple, and captured several monks, including the abbot Baimei.

It was said that An's crime was murder and robbery, which frightened all the pilgrims.

When the three sisters returned to the temple, the Liu family asked them if they had seen the Liu family girl. The three sisters hesitated and didn't know how to tell the Liu family the news.

It was not until Miss Liu's body was carried into the temple by elite soldiers that the old lady of the Liu family fainted and the maids cried and wailed.

Mrs. Song was thankful that the three sisters were safe and sound, otherwise she really didn't know how to explain to her ancestors, "Weren't you packing your luggage in the meditation room? How did you suddenly disappear?"

Song Changling remembered Song Lingyi's instructions in his heart, and changed his tone when the words came to his lips, "We were packing our luggage, but Fifth Sister noticed that something was wrong with the temple. When she mentioned it to us, someone heard us. A woman blocked our way and said that you and Xiao Niang were waiting for us in the Heavenly King Hall. We followed her, but we were taken to the back mountain."

"However, fortunately, the elite soldiers arrived in time, and my fourth sister and I were not injured. I just accidentally hit my knee."

Madam Song did not doubt her words. "I heard that there is a group of bandits here, disguised as monks from the temple. They probably arrested you to silence you. I hope you are alright..."

Song Changling threw himself into Zhou Xiaoniang's arms, "Xiaoniang, when are we going back to the city?"

Zhou Xiaoniang patted her back soothingly. "We've been going on for so long. It'll be dark by the time we get back. Let's have a vegetarian meal in the temple before we leave."

The family chatted as they walked towards the canteen

Ah Zhu felt guilty and fell behind. He knew that the monks in the temple were not good and did not keep an eye on the three girls. Fortunately, nothing happened to them.

Song Lingyi turned around and saw Ah Zhu lost in thought. She smiled and greeted him, "Ah Zhu, what are you thinking about?"

Azhu was stunned for a moment and stammered, "Nothing."

Song Lingyi thought for a moment and said to him, "You should have informed the soldiers about our disappearance and the cave in the back mountain in time, right? Thanks to you, otherwise the three of us would have been in great danger..."

"Girl, don't you blame me for not protecting you?"

"Why should I blame you? You are not a god, so how can you take care of everything? Besides, it was my negligence that led to me being caught by the thieves. It has nothing to do with you." Song Lingyi said.

Song Lingwan looked at the two people who were lagging behind and said gently, "Hurry up and catch up. We will set off after dinner."

"Oh!"

Song Lingyi lifted her skirt and took two quick steps to catch up with Song Lingwan.

While eating, I happened to hear a pilgrim at the next table say that there was a century-old sycamore tree in Lingjing Temple that was very accurate in finding a love partner.

When Song Changling heard this, he forgot all about what happened before. After dinner, he took his fourth and fifth sisters to go and take a look.

……

Lu Jing saw the black horse tied to the back door, and he untied the reins and let it go to find grass to eat.

The elite soldiers in the temple have been withdrawn
When they were going down the mountain, he heard Jiying say that there was a hundred-year-old marriage tree in Lingjing Temple, so he left them and came here for some unknown reason.

This tree looks like it is more than a hundred years old. Its trunk is as thick as a man's outstretched arm and it is so tall that you can't see the top. It looks like a towering tree between heaven and earth. Its branches and leaves are lush, like a huge umbrella, covered with wooden signs with names, which convey endless longing at a glance. The phoenix tree is planted in a wide courtyard in the temple. A young monk is assigned to the Zen room in the courtyard to look after the marriage tree. There is a wooden table under the eaves of the room, and there are wooden signs with pens and ink on the table, which are probably provided for pilgrims.

Lu Jing walked into the yard and stood quietly under the tree, looking at the few remaining green leaves on the branches of the phoenix tree, which looked like a quiet ink painting.

After standing there for a long time, he finally picked out a wooden sign from the neatly stacked wooden box on the table. Just as he was about to pick up the pen to write his name, he heard a noise coming from the gate of the yard, and he immediately dodged and hid in the dark.

Almost as soon as he left the marriage tree, Song Changling came in with his two sisters. It was a bit shy for a girl who was waiting to be married to come and ask for a marriage. Song Changling carefully observed that there was no one in the yard, so he went forward and picked a wooden sign.

"Third sister, do you have a lover?" Song Lingwan asked.

This wooden sign is used to write your name.

Song Changling blushed and said shyly, "No, can I only write my name and not my wish? I want to write down my ideal future husband so that the tree god can help me find a match!"

When Song Lingwan heard this, she thought it made sense and also picked up a wooden sign.

Only Song Lingyi just looked at them quietly.

"Well, now that you're here, why don't you write?"

Lu Jing, hiding in the dark, stared at the beautiful figure under the marriage tree with his black eyes, holding the wooden sign tightly in his hand.

Song Lingyi was confused. She didn't know what to write. It was hard to imagine that she was on the verge of death not long ago, but now she was standing under the marriage tree, ready to pray for marriage. Thinking of Miss Liu who had suddenly suffered a disaster, she felt depressed.

Song Changling directly handed her a wooden sign and said, "Just write whatever you want!"

“……”Is there any reason to write casually?

Since I don’t know what to write, I’ll just write about my wish at the moment.

Song Lingyi picked up the pen and wrote on the wooden sign
The three sisters each tied a wooden sign to a branch of the paulownia tree and left hand in hand.

Lu Jing walked out from the darkness, went to the marriage tree, and with one easy jump, he took down Song Lingyi's wooden sign. There was no word about marriage written on it, only a sentence "May everything go smoothly and all your wishes come true."

Lu Jing suddenly felt relieved and hung the wooden sign to the highest point.

……

The Song family's carriage set off soon

With elite soldiers clearing the way, there is no need to worry about any more bad guys jumping out.

Lu Jing and Jiying rode on horseback to cover the rear, keeping a certain distance from the Song family's carriage.

Song Lingyi was afraid of the cold, so she was wearing a snow-white thin velvet cloak while sitting in the carriage. The tips of her pair of light green embroidered shoes were visible from under her skirt. She was wrapped tightly and had a hand warmer in her arms.

Seems to sense something

She opened the curtain and looked back, but saw only the empty, cold mountain road and bare branches.

As the day gradually darkened, the rain stopped when they reached the foot of the mountain.

Only after seeing the Song family’s carriage enter the city gate with their own eyes did Lu Jing and Ji Ying drive their horses back to the south of the city.