The abbot of Xuandu Temple was not meeting Zhou Man for the first time, but at this moment, Zhou Man seemed particularly pleasing to his eye. He was not aware of Zhou Man's recent compelling speech in the court; he only knew that because Zhou Man had given the Empress and the Princess a string of prayer beads that had been consecrated in front of the statue of Laozi, which seemed to benefit their health, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had decided to come to Xuandu Temple to pay homage to Laozi.
Although the abbot found Zhou Man very agreeable at the moment, he dared not engage in eye contact with Zhou Man in the presence of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, lest they misunderstand.
Heaven is my witness; he had no secret dealings with Zhou Man; their relationship was purely that of an abbot and a devotee.
It was simply because her master was knowledgeable that they had discussed the Tao and shared tea together.
