This is precisely why the Duke of Qi's Mansion is so dependent on the Marquis of Xiangyang's Mansion. The Duke of Qi's second son has little chance of inheriting the title, so there are many considerations when choosing a marriage.

If he were to marry another legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion who was equally matched, it would be better to marry Xin Jie'er, who might inherit the title in the next life. But now, the situation is still lingering, and the Duke of Qi's Mansion is not sure whether the Marquis of Xiangyang will have a son.

However, the second son of Duke Qi can wait, but Xin Jie'er is too old to wait any longer.

Three days later, mother and daughter rode together in a horse-drawn carriage to Yuqing Temple. The carriage reached the foot of the mountain in less than an hour, but it couldn't go any higher. Some women chose to ride on a slide, while most opted to walk as a sign of their sincerity.

Xin Jie'er and the Marquis slowly ascended the steps, arriving within two quarters of an hour. Led by the abbot, mother and daughter entered the main hall and kowtowed. Before closing her eyes, Xin Jie'er stole a glance at the Marquis, then closed her eyes and prayed inwardly, "If the Shangqing spirits are still alive, please allow me not to marry into the Duke of Qi's mansion. If this is granted, I will burn three incense sticks daily to fulfill my vow."

She repeated it three times in her mind, Xin Jie'er only thinking that it must work. Lan'er, waiting outside the door, looked at the main hall of Yuqing Temple and thought of her previous life. Actually, being a Chun concubine wasn't bad either. She could raise Sheng Wan well and wait for Sheng Wan to ask for an imperial decree for her in the future.

But I met two difficult people, one was Li and the other was Xu. It was bad luck to meet them. It was unlucky just thinking about it.

By the time the mother and daughter left the hall, half an hour had passed. They rested for a while in the side room before enjoying the vegetarian meal at Yuqing Temple. On their way back home, they ran into the wife of the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture at the entrance to Yuqing Temple. The Marquis exchanged a few pleasantries with the prefect's wife, Zhou, before taking their leave.

The wife of the prefect, Zhou, brought two girls with her: one was her own daughter and the other was her niece. The daughter was a delicate and innocent person, while her niece, Zhou Qian, stared at Xin Jie'er's outfit with envy in her eyes.

The next time I met Zhou Qian was at a farewell banquet hosted by the prefect of Dengzhou. Zhou Qian was two years younger than Xin Jie'er, but she acted like an adult and persuaded Xin Jie'er to drink.

Xin Jie'er ignored her completely. Instead, she started to sound disgusting: "Miss Gu is the daughter of a marquis, so naturally she looks down on people of my background. But this is Dengzhou Prefecture, so you have to give face to my uncle, the prefect."

Xin Jie'er, with a calm expression, asked in confusion: "Are we a few girls having fun together, or are we going to start a drinking contest? I don't know when there was such a fun thing at a banquet, forcing the guests to drink." After she finished speaking, Xin Jie'er looked straight at Zhou Qian, waiting for her answer.

The prefect's legitimate daughter hurriedly and carefully apologized: "Miss Gu, I'm here to apologize to you. My cousin is a little tongue-tied, I hope you can understand." After saying this, she bowed.

Zhou Qian said dissatisfiedly: "What do you mean? How am I not good at speaking?"

The two officials' daughters beside them awkwardly picked up their handkerchiefs. The prefect's legitimate daughter pulled Zhou Qian and said, "Cousin, please accompany me to change clothes."

Zhou Qian, who was pulled to her feet, wanted to say something but was forcefully pulled away by the prefect's daughter.

Seeing Zhou Qian being dragged away, Xin Jieer felt that it was meaningless and said goodbye to the two officials' daughters.