The cold wind made Chu Qing's face turn slightly pale, and Wei Yutang subconsciously stood in the wind to shield him from it.
Wei Yutang was unwilling to believe in these ethereal gods before; for him, it was better to believe in himself than to pray to the gods.
He got to where he is today entirely through his own efforts, and it has nothing to do with gods or Buddhas.
As for the so-called prayer for favorable weather this year, Wei Yutang was not very willing to believe it. If there was a disaster, the court would provide disaster relief, and if floods were troublesome, they would work hard to build dikes.
Either of these methods is far more effective than praying for divine protection.
But this year, when Wei Yutang held incense and knelt on the prayer mat, he was more devout than ever before.
The peace and prosperity of a nation depend on the abilities of its ruler. Wei Yutang was confident that he could govern the country well without relying on gods or Buddhas; he could do it solely through his own efforts.
He didn't ask for favorable weather or divine protection for the people; he only wished for the safety and health of his beloved.
Chapter 83
No matter how many times the imperial physicians told him that Chu Qing's health would be fine as long as she was well cared for, Wei Yutang was still afraid.
I'm afraid he'll leave too soon, afraid he'll leave me all alone in this world.
At that moment, smelling the sandalwood fragrance in the hall, Wei Yutang suddenly understood why some people would place their hopes on a vague and ethereal faith.
Perhaps because they know they can't change these things, they can only pray to gods and Buddhas.
Perhaps it's not true trust, but simply an unwillingness to give up on a hope that may never even exist.
The air in the mountains was quite humid, and many stone slabs in the temple were covered with moss. Xiaxia really liked the newly blooming flowers, but unfortunately, he didn't have much time for himself each day.
According to the rules of the temple, even a crown prince should pray for blessings. In fact, since His Majesty was praying for the Queen in another Buddhist hall, the responsibility of praying for the country and its people fell on the young crown prince.
Chu Qing only went out for a stroll on the day she arrived, and afterwards she spent all her time copying Buddhist scriptures in the hall.
He wasn't sure if these things would be useful, but he was willing to respect everyone's beliefs, and now that he was in this place, he wouldn't forget what needed to be done.
As luck would have it, one day when Chu Qing finished copying a scroll of scripture and was about to instruct Xiao Zhu to deliver it to the abbot, he suddenly heard the system reminding him in his mind.
"Host, please note that the female lead has appeared inside the temple."
"Huh? Prince An died so far away, how come the female lead can still come back?"
The fiefdom His Majesty granted to Prince An was near the border, a journey that would take several months even by horseback.
In this dynasty where transportation was not very convenient, Chu Qing always thought that they might never meet again in this lifetime.
Unexpectedly, not long after that, the female protagonist reappeared in a temple outside the capital.
"Yes, they were brought back by the miracle doctor, and they're in the temple now..."
The system stumbled twice at this point, and then it started to lag. A long time passed and the self-repair system still couldn't fix it.
It was only then that the system realized that this was probably a program that the master had installed while upgrading it.
From the perspective of the system's age, it is still a minor system. It can know these things, but it absolutely cannot go too far.
What are you doing in the temple?
Chu Qing waited for a long time but didn't receive a reply from the system, and inexplicably began to feel somewhat confused.
Even inside the temple, it was no problem. Wei Yutang found many suitable people to guard them. Even Prince An might not be able to get close, let alone others.
After finally getting its system back to normal operation, having learned from the previous lesson, the system didn't answer directly this time, but instead said something very mysterious.
"Please comprehend this on your own, host."
"Um."
When Chu Qing instructed someone to deliver the scriptures, he felt quite tired after copying them for so long, so he decided to go for a walk.
Before even reaching the courtyard, I heard a commotion outside.
Chu Qing was all too familiar with Xia Xia's crying, and he instinctively rushed over immediately.
Xiaxia admitted that she was naughty and playful, and when she heard the host say that it was time to pray for blessings, she wanted to run out and play for a while.
Upon arriving at a new place, Xiaxia didn't want those annoying guards to stay with her, so she quietly ran behind a tree to hide.
Avoiding the guards following her, Xiaxia turned her head and saw a man and a woman kissing inside the cave, which frightened her so much that she turned and ran away.
The little girl was so flustered that her footsteps were too heavy, attracting the man's attention. This time, Xiaxia was so frightened that she burst into tears.
The guards accompanying His Highness the Crown Prince were also personally selected by His Majesty; they were all top-notch and rushed over immediately upon hearing the young prince's cries.
Just then, they saw that the men who had chased after them were disheveled. One of the guards, quick-witted, pulled out another woman from Shandong who was also in disarray.
Such a big matter was reported to His Majesty at the time. When Wei Yutang rushed over, he saw the woman kneeling on the ground with a profile that resembled Chu Qing's, and he subconsciously frowned.
On the way here, Wei Yutang had already learned the general situation, and now he looked at the man and woman with murderous intent.
Even people like Wei Yutang and Chu Qing, who don't believe in gods or Buddhas, only eat vegetarian food and abide by all the rules of the temple after arriving there.
Although His Majesty and Empress were not very willing to believe it, most of the rest of the people still believed that Buddha existed.
If it weren't for the fact that they were still in the temple, these people would definitely want to kill the man and woman immediately. If these two people affected the prayer, they wouldn't be able to afford to lose even a few more heads.
The host also rushed over at this time, and the usually good-tempered person now looked very unhappy.
Chu Qing stood beside Wei Yutang. Wei Yutang glanced at him absentmindedly, then turned and ordered Xiaozhu to bring over the Empress's cloak. He then instructed his guards to temporarily escort the man and woman back to the capital.
"We'll deal with this matter after we return to the capital following the prayer ceremony."
The abbot understood His Majesty's meaning, nodded slightly, and chanted a Buddhist prayer. How could anyone not be angry at such a thing being done in the pure and sacred Buddhist sanctuary?
Wei Yutang led Xiaxia and Chu Qing back together. Xiaxia was still nestled in the nanny's arms, sobbing occasionally, looking incredibly pitiful.
If it weren't for his mischievousness, which caused him to shake off the guards who were following him, this incident wouldn't have happened.
Wei Yutang had already said those words when he realized that Chu Qing was holding his hand. He was slightly startled and turned to look at him, only to see Chu Qing gently shaking his head at him.
"Your Majesty, Xiaxia is feeling wronged right now."
If you don't comfort someone when they're feeling wronged, their grievances will only intensify.
After hearing her father's words, Xiaxia sniffed again, hummed softly, and reached out her hands, wanting her father to hug her. But then, remembering that her father still needed to take good care of his health, she turned to look at her father.
After a brief decision between her father and her nanny, she decisively leaned on her nanny's shoulder.
Forget it, without Father holding me, Father Emperor is not as good as the nanny.
"Go back and let Daddy hug you."
"good."
After returning to their room, Chu Qing reached out and hugged Xia Xia, carefully wiping away his tears with a handkerchief and comforting him for a while.
Meat is forbidden in temples, but fortunately the cooks are absolutely amazing at making certain vegetarian dishes.
When Xiaxia cried herself out, her stomach started rumbling. The nanny brought out a plate of pastries, and Xiaxia sat in her father's lap, taking small bites.
The system finally stopped its anti-addiction activities for minors and could now report the situation to the host.
"Host, based on the current situation in this world, the female protagonist's luck has almost dissipated."
When Chu Qing heard this, she paused in comforting Xia Xia, wondering what had happened and how things had suddenly turned out this way.
Why?
After a brief analysis, the system stared at the various data displayed on the data panel, stunned for a long while.
Having been a system for so many years, it has seen many of its peers' operations, but it never imagined that there would be such a strange way to complete a task.
"Host... According to the data, it's because all of the female lead's suitors in the original storyline fell in love with other men."
In these different dimensions, the male and female protagonists, as well as the supporting characters who stand on the protagonist's side, complement each other.
The male protagonist became the male protagonist because of the female protagonist's choice. Similarly, the female protagonist is the protagonist of this world because of her own strength, her constantly rising status, and the suitors she has.
Their destinies are intertwined, and the female protagonist is the strongest among them.
Unfortunately, the protagonist's luck has almost completely disappeared. Those suitors who originally fell in love with the protagonist because of her special qualities and talents have all found other people they like.
Before Chu Qing could ask for details, Wei Yutang pushed a cup of tea in front of him and gently reminded him:
"Look at your lips, they're all chapped."
The little prince, who was quietly eating his pastries, immediately sat up upon hearing this, stared at his father carefully, and nodded in agreement.
"It's true, Daddy, the skin is peeling. Did you not drink water properly?"
Chu Qing had been copying that Buddhist scripture all day and hadn't wanted to stop halfway through, so she hadn't drunk much water.
Watched by the two people, one big and one small, after finishing a cup of tea, Xiaozhu next to me brought out a new cup of tea.
"This cup of tea is still a bit hot, let's drink it later."
"good."
Chu Qing had one hand on Xia Xia's shoulder, while Wei Yutang held her other hand. The sunlight outside was perfect, falling on the newly blooming flowers.
A gust of wind blew by, and some small animal outside made a sound.
Chu Qing's gaze fell on the window, and soon a rather plump-looking raccoon cat was lying on the stone slab sunbathing, its posture exceptionally lazy.
The system listed all the women who were pursued by the female protagonist and later fell in love with them. Without exception, they were all women who had gone to school or become teachers.
The second male lead, who is deeply in love, actually falls for Chu Qing's cousin, and their wedding date has already been set.
After the tea cooled down, Chu Qing took a sip. She wasn't sure whether these people liked the female protagonist or a woman who was educated, talented, had her own independent personality and thinking ability, and exuded personal charm.
However, as things stand, none of these characters are indispensable to the female lead.
Chapter 84
The female lead's halo was completely erased. Chu Qing originally thought that there would be no more female leads in this world, but unexpectedly, the system in her mind suddenly spoke up again.
"Host, there is still one."
Will there be a new female lead?
"Thousands upon thousands of women who have attended school, are literate and knowledgeable, and can stand on their own two feet, living passionately and freely in the sunshine, are all protagonists."