The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 317: Don’t Let Second Brother Interfere

Chapter 317: Don’t Let Second Brother Interfere

After the Taoist priests buried Ming Hao, they packed their belongings and returned to the capital with Ye Siheng and the others.

Qing Feng wrote up the roster and handed it to Nanli. She glanced at it and noted that the three Taoist priests were named Ming Chong, Ming Qin, and Ming Pei. As for the junior Daoists, all of them had names beginning with "Yu." Since there were too many of them, she decided to match their names to their faces when she taught them later.

Establishing Xuanzheng Temple was no simple matter. The court had just allocated funds for military training, and the treasury was strained. Asking the Ministry of Revenue for additional funds would be incredibly difficult. Moreover, the Mu Nation had the Astrology Observatory, so the ministers would likely argue that establishing the Xuanzheng Temple would be a waste of resources.

Ye Siheng had already thought of a solution and said, "The daily expenses of the Xuanzheng Temple will be covered by the royal mansion."

The Astrology Observatory was dedicated to serving the imperial family and nobility and didn’t have much expertise in exorcising ghosts or demons, so Ye Siheng fully supported Nanli’s plan to establish Xuanzheng Temple. After all, he could easily afford the expense.

Nanli blinked at him playfully, "The Prince is indeed generous."

Ye Siheng’s expression softened, but he soon frowned again. "The issue is where to set up this Xuanzheng Temple. I have many estates and properties, but they’re either too quiet or too bustling, none quite suitable."

"You needn’t worry about choosing the location," Nanli said. "Leave that to Second Brother. He has the most properties and will surely find a suitable one."

Ye Siheng couldn’t help but laugh. "That’s true."

Nanli lifted the curtain of the carriage and instructed Qing Feng to return to the capital first and inform Chu Shuo to make arrangements. She added a specific instruction, "Remember, have Second Brother pick a place, but don’t let him handle anything else."

"Yes!" Qing Feng acknowledged and immediately rode back to the capital.

Initially, he thought that the people from Sanqing Temple would have to sleep on the floor tonight. But as soon as Chu Shuo heard his sixth sister’s request, he immediately became alert and excited.

You see, he was already engaged to Lu Yanyan. As a prospective son-in-law and brother-in-law, he had sent many fine gifts to the Prime Minister’s mansion, but his future parents-in-law and future brother-in-law were all rather stern.

Minister Lu was also quite blunt, saying, "As my future son-in-law, you must not be extravagant or invite criticism! Chu Shuo, if you continue like this, the engagement will be canceled."

Afraid of jeopardizing the engagement, Chu Shuo naturally toned down his behavior.

With the storage rooms at the marquis’s residence nearly filled, he had been feeling restless with nothing to do. Now that there was something to be done, how could he not be pleased?

Thus, he and Madam Qian gathered the shopkeepers from various businesses. In just two hours, they completed the tasks of selecting a location, renovating it, and furnishing it.

Qing Feng was dumbfounded because Chu Shuo even had a signboard made, and it was gilded!

Inside the house, the front courtyard was lavish and opulent, the back courtyard exquisite and luxurious. Although it was supposed to be a place for the Taoists to work and cultivate, the furniture was made of precious rosewood, and the bedding was fine silk!

Qing Feng finally understood why the princess had specifically instructed him. He broke out in a cold sweat, knowing he would definitely get scolded for this. But since the person involved was the princess’s brother, he could only tactfully say, "Second Young Master, the signboard doesn’t need to be gilded."

Chu Shuo, standing proudly at the entrance, rubbed his hands together with satisfaction, "Gilded looks better. Otherwise, it would be plain and lack... what’s the word... right, grandeur!"

Qing Feng’s heart skipped a beat. "This Xuanzheng Temple is meant for the Taoists from Sanqing Temple. They will be worshipping their ancestors here, so it doesn’t need to be..."

"The statue should also be gilded! Only then will it show our sincerity!" Chu Shuo said excitedly. "It’s a pity that this place is being used for the Xuanzheng Temple. Otherwise, I would have added even more decorations. Right now, it looks rather bare."

Qing Feng’s lips twitched slightly. "Second Young Master, the Xuanzheng Temple doesn’t need to be luxurious."

"This isn’t luxury; it’s dignified and solemn. Anyone who comes in will know how impressive the Xuanzheng Temple is!" Chu Shuo tilted his chin up, clearly pleased with his own taste.

Qing Feng, staring at the gold-plated and gilded decorations in the front hall, fell into silence.

As evening approached, Ye Siheng and the others finally arrived.

Chu Shuo, eager to show off, pushed Qing Feng aside and rushed to help Nanli out of the carriage, saying, "Sixth Sister, how is this place?"

The surrounding area was full of common folk, with wide streets that were easy to access.

However, when Nanli looked up at the gilded signboard, she sighed and said, "Second Brother, the Xuanzheng Temple is meant to protect the people of the Capital and the entire nation. With all this gold, people might think they need to spend a lot of money to seek help here. Who would dare to come?"

She massaged her temples and shot a glare at Qing Feng.

—Didn’t I tell you not to let him interfere?

—It’s not my fault, Your Highness, I had no idea things would turn out this way!

Qing Feng was already breaking out in a cold sweat. He would definitely be more careful next time!

"Gilding it lets the commoners know how powerful Xuanzheng Temple is. Don’t worry, I’ll also gild the statue of their founder to show sincerity," Chu Shuo said confidently, hands on his hips.

"Second Brother, that’s really not necessary..." Nanli said.

Madam Qian, standing nearby, waved her hand dismissively. "Your Highness, there’s no need to be polite. Gilding costs very little."

Nanli: "..."

This isn’t about the money at all.

Ye Siheng spoke up, "Madam Qian and Second Brother, you’ve worked hard. Qing Feng, please escort them back."

"But we haven’t even—" Chu Shuo started to protest, but a cold glance from Ye Siheng, whose face had turned icy, made him swallow his words.

Madam Qian gulped nervously and quickly tugged her son’s sleeve, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Chu Shuo finally realized he had messed things up.

Feeling deflated, he said, "Sixth Sister, Your Highness, I’ll leave now. The people I brought will be at your disposal. If you need anything changed, just tell them, and they’ll arrange it."

"Second Brother," Nanli called, "you’ve already helped me a lot. Thank you."

Chu Shuo pouted, "As long as you don’t blame me for messing up."

Nanli smiled warmly, "Of course not. The things you’ve prepared are wonderful, but these Taoists are here to atone and cultivate. They don’t need to live so lavishly."

Chu Shuo’s eyes lit up, and he said, "Sixth Sister, you also think gold looks nice? Then let’s move these items to Prince Yu Mansion. That way, you can admire them every day and night!"

Nanli felt like she had brought this upon herself. Not wanting to hurt her brother’s feelings, she could only smile and agree, "Alright."

The mess she created, she would deal with herself.

Madam Qian, worried that it wasn’t enough, started considering whether they should select even more items to send.

Chu Shuo nodded, "Madam Qian always thinks of everything. Shall we go choose some more?"

"Yes, I heard Treasure House got some new goods. Let’s hurry over before they close."

"Yes, yes, let’s go," Chu Shuo agreed immediately, wasting no time when it came to spending money, and promptly left with Madam Qian.