Chapter 25 Only old women and weak girls remain.

Upon entering the temple gate, one is immediately greeted by the sound of steady and melodious chanting, and the air is filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, instantly making one feel as if they have entered a sacred place and experiencing a profound sense of peace.

Today, the Ningyuan General's Mansion is holding a memorial service for two generals who died young. They have specially booked a large hall in the backyard of Taijue Temple to minimize the disturbance from other worshippers.

"I wonder if the old lady of General Ningyuan's mansion has arrived yet?"

When Madam Qiao inquired about the visiting monk, the monk put his hands together, murmured "Amitabha," and replied, "The old lady of the General's Mansion has arrived and is chanting sutras and lighting eternal lamps for the two generals in the main hall behind. Please follow me, all benefactors."

The group followed the monks around the first few main halls and soon arrived at the rear hall where the ritual was being performed.

The rear hall is as spacious as the front halls. Upon entering, one sees rows of monks in robes sitting neatly on both sides, chanting sutras in unison. The entire hall is filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. In front of the central Bodhisattva statue, several women are kneeling devoutly on prayer cushions, kowtowing.

Qiao led the three Yu sisters forward without making a sound to disturb them, and knelt behind the women to kowtow and offer incense.

After everyone stood up, the old lady of the Ningyuan General's Mansion, Madam Ning, turned around with her daughter's help and saw Madam Qiao standing behind her with several girls. She murmured a few times but did not make a sound.

Yu Qingci looked up and saw that Old Madam Ning was dressed in a light-colored dress with a sorrowful expression. The girl standing next to her looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old and looked at them with a more inquisitive gaze. These two were none other than her elder sister's mother-in-law and sister-in-law from her previous life.

At the same time as the good news came, bad news followed. Madam Ning lost her husband and son, her two closest relatives, overnight. The once illustrious general's mansion was now only supported by an old woman and a weak girl. Even with the honor bestowed upon her by the court, how long could this honor last as time passed?

Therefore, the General's Mansion insisted on marrying his daughter to the Marquis of Nanping, which also meant that they wanted to seek long-term protection.

Qiao stepped forward and comforted Old Madam Ning for a few words, then called her daughters forward to pay their respects.

Yu Qingyan stepped forward first and bowed gracefully. Madam Ning hurriedly stepped forward to help her up, but avoided eye contact with Yu Qingyan.

Her son was gone, yet with the encouragement of her clan, she demanded that a young woman in the prime of her life marry into her family and remain a widow for life. Madam Ning knew she was ashamed.

Qiao's expression was gentle, but with a hint of coldness, she enjoyed watching Old Madam Ning's guilty and uneasy appearance in front of them.

After Qingyan finished her greetings, she said to Old Madam Ning, "Old Madam, please accept my condolences. The dead cannot be brought back to life. You still have to make plans for the future of the General's Mansion, so please take care of your health."

Upon receiving the invitation from your household, I brought Qingyan and my daughters here. Besides offering incense and prayers for the Young General and the Great General, I also wanted to see you all. Once Qingyan marries into the family, we'll be one family, and naturally, we'll take care of each other.”

Deeply moved, Madam Ning said in a hoarse voice, "It is a blessing for our Lu family to have such a good daughter-in-law as Qingyan. Don't worry, after Qingyan marries into the family, I will love her as much as I love my own daughter and never let her suffer any grievances."

Mrs. Qiao sneered inwardly: "They forced my daughter to marry into that family and become a widow. How dare they say they won't let my daughter suffer?"

On the surface, she still maintained a gentle demeanor and comforted Madam Ning for a few words, then called Qingying and Qingci to come and pay their respects.

Madam Ning had never seen celadon before, but these days, rumors were circulating among the noble families that two concubines of the Nanping Marquis's family, who had been raised outside the mansion, had returned to the mansion to acknowledge their ancestors. Presumably, this girl was one of them.

Most of the rumors in the capital were spread by the Qiao family, so they couldn't clarify the true identities of Yu Qingci and her brother. Therefore, many people believe that they were born to the concubine of the Earl of Nanping.

Madam Ning was heartbroken and had no time to pay attention to anything else, so she only glanced at the two girls a few times, offered a few polite compliments, and then stopped. But she didn't forget to take off a jade bracelet from her wrist and put it into Yu Qingci's hand.

"Here's a little gift, take it and have some fun."

Yu Qingci looked up at Madam Qiao, and only after seeing her nod did she thank her and accept the gift.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the monks in the main hall had already made preparations for today's ceremony. A monk wearing a kasaya and with a half-white beard appeared before them; he was none other than Master Yuankong, who would preside over the ceremony today.

Qiao stepped forward and bowed deeply to Master Yuankong: "Master, my daughter specially copied some scriptures by hand, intending to burn them for the two generals today. Thank you for your trouble."

He gestured for Yu Qingyan to step forward.

Yu Qingyan placed a thick stack of scriptures in front of the incense table. Master Yuankong nodded and said, "Amitabha, female benefactor, you are so sincere. This old monk will do his best."

As the ritual began, Master Yuankong sat cross-legged at the top, closed his eyes and concentrated, and began to softly chant scriptures. As his voice gradually rose, the monks on both sides also began to chant loudly.

Yu Qingci quietly moved to the spot closest to the temple door and knelt behind the crowd. She knew that this ritual would last for a long time, so she did not intend to stay kneeling there indefinitely.

She gave a wink to Tong'er, who was kneeling behind her, and the two of them quietly moved their legs and retreated outside. They didn't get up until they were almost at the gate, and then they quietly left the palace.

Yu Qingying knelt behind Qiao Shi, looking quite impatient; she simply couldn't stand this kind of situation.

Bored, he looked around and saw Yu Qingci sneaking out. He opened his eyes wide and, without thinking, followed suit and sneaked out as well.

Unfortunately, she was still a step too late. By the time she slipped out of the main hall, Yu Qingci was already gone. She stomped her foot in frustration.

"That little slut dared to sneak out! I'll catch her and give her a good scolding!"

Yu Qingying said through gritted teeth.

The maid who was following closely behind her advised, "But the Third Miss can no longer see. Why don't we go in and tell Madam, and then we can ridicule her properly after Madam sends someone to bring the Third Miss back?"

Yu Qingying glared at the maid: "Didn't you see they're busy performing rituals inside? How are we supposed to tell Mother? Besides, we might as well go find her ourselves."

"Hmph, just now Old Madam Ning was praising her for being virtuous and gentle, but she slipped away before the ceremony even started. Who knows where she's gone? If she gets bumped into by those rude and boorish people outside, it'll be a disgrace to our Nanping Marquis's mansion."

Yu Qingying looked around and figured that Yu Qingci had probably gone to the main hall where there were many worshippers to watch the excitement, so she decided to go ahead and look for her.

The maid dared not disobey her young master, so she could only follow closely behind him.

Yu Qingci led Tong'er out of the main hall and immediately headed towards the back of the temple along the path she remembered.