Chen Mianmian also pretended to be very surprised, and she and Bai Qingzhou hurriedly got up and ran to greet them.
Granny Li glanced at the young master with concern, while Madam Ding ignored the two who were paying their respects and went straight to the table to look at what they had written.
Upon seeing it, anger immediately froze on his face—how could this be?
According to her previous thinking, since the Crown Prince stayed up all night with Consort Shen to copy scriptures, he should have helped her copy the Great Compassion Mantra. But why did he write the Heart Sutra instead?
Seeing his mother's expression, Bai Qingzhou felt a cold sweat break out on his back—if Mianmian hadn't persuaded him to rewrite the Heart Sutra yesterday, the consequences of being caught red-handed by his mother today would have been unimaginable!
Putting aside whether Mother will punish them severely and take her anger out on Mianmian, just the fact that they've made Mother angry so many times could make her sick!
He... definitely acted impulsively!
Whether it was previously going to the main courtyard to fight for a concubine for Mianmian regardless of the consequences, or insisting on staying to help Mianmian copy scriptures.
Ding asked, "Qingzhou, what are you doing copying the Heart Sutra?"
Bai Qingzhou quickly composed himself and stood ready for battle. "Replying to Mother, yesterday I acted impulsively and argued with you in the main courtyard. I regretted it deeply afterwards. For so many years, Mother has managed the Marquis's mansion and taken care of me, yet I have acted so willfully and recklessly... I am ashamed."
Yesterday, it was Mianmian who suggested that her son copy the Heart Sutra to pray for his mother, hoping that she would calm down and take care of her health.
Ding and Granny Li were surprised.
Granny Li quickly spoke up for the young master, "Our young master took the initiative to copy the Heart Sutra to pray for the lady's well-being. He is so filial! In all my years, I have never seen any young master in the capital be so respectful!"
Ding knew that Li Mama was exaggerating a bit to make her happy.
But one thing Li Mama was right about: those young noblemen were either thinking about traveling or pursuing fame and fortune, and none of them took the initiative to help their mother copy the Heart Sutra.
Even if there were, they were all for the mother's birthday or some other holiday.
Of course, Qingzhou didn't copy the Heart Sutra for her for no reason; it was partly a form of self-punishment. But upon closer reflection, she was also unfair in this matter: it was Qingzhou who came to ask for a promotion to concubine, and it was Yinjin who instigated Qingzhou, yet she vented her anger on Aunt Shen.
It is truly remarkable that Aunt Shen was able to persuade the willful Qingzhou to write the Heart Sutra.
Ding raised her eyes and, for the first time, looked directly at Aunt Shen without any disdain.
But the woman kept her head down, not taking advantage of her beauty to become arrogant. On the contrary, she was honest, upright, and clear-headed, which improved my impression of her.
Ding looked at the table where the woman was writing the Great Compassion Mantra.
Objectively speaking, the woman's handwriting was not good, but it was neat and earnest.
On the corner of the table, Ding saw another stack of used papers. He picked them up and looked through them, and was surprised to find that the handwriting on them was even worse, as if a child had just picked up a pen to practice writing.
Looking at what Aunt Shen had just written, which was still unfinished, I was amazed at how quickly she had progressed.
Ding nodded in satisfaction, then said to the woman, "Shen, I'm punishing you to write the Great Compassion Mantra. Do you have any resentment?"
Chen Mianmian replied respectfully, "Madam, I not only have no resentment, but I also want to thank you. Ever since I wrote the Great Compassion Mantra, my mood has been inexplicably calm, and my mind has been inexplicably open. I thank you for your guidance, Madam."
Ding was satisfied. "It's best that you think this way. Li Mama, pass on the message in a moment: reward Shen with three bolts of fabric and fifty taels of silver."
"Yes, Madam." Seeing this happy scene, Li Mama was also pleased.
Madam Ding added, “Madam Shen, I’m not in a hurry to have this Great Compassion Mantra. You can copy some when you’re free, and rest when you’re tired. You don’t need to copy it anymore.”
Chen Mianmian replied respectfully again, "This servant thanks Madam for her consideration. This servant will do what is within my ability."
Ding nodded again, "Qingzhou, come out."
"yes."
Afterwards, Bai Qingzhou went out with her mother.
After everyone left, Chen Mianmian didn't even look up. She turned around, sat down, and continued to write calligraphy with great relish.
Outside the gate, in the courtyard.
Granny Li dismissed the servants, leaving only the Madam and the Prince in the courtyard.
Madam Ding sighed and said, "I know you like Madam Shen, and I won't stop you. But... you should also take better care of Yin Jin, after all, she's your wife."
Bai Qingzhou knew that his mother's use of "taking care of" meant "sharing a room," and he remained silent.
He knew he had wronged Jiang Yinjin, but Jiang Yinjin was a victim, and so was he. He was forced into marriage because his mother threatened to kill herself.
Actually, he brought Shen Mianmian back with a small selfish motive: to persuade the Jiang family to withdraw.
He brought the skinny horse back to his mansion and deliberately spread rumors to tarnish his own reputation, hoping that the Jiang family would take the initiative to annul the engagement... Of course, even so, he still believed that he had to take responsibility, so he respected Jiang Yinjin and would never stop her from doing whatever she wanted.
After Ding lectured him for a while, Bai Qingzhou listened silently, nodding quietly without saying a word.
Finally, Ding was tired of scolding and felt sorry for them. After giving them a few more instructions, she left with the group.
...
This matter quickly reached the Peony Courtyard.
When Jiang Yinjin heard that the Crown Prince had copied the Heart Sutra instead of the Great Compassion Mantra for Aunt Shen, she was completely stunned.
"Why is this happening? It shouldn't be like this! Bai Qingzhou and Shen Mianmian are clearly simple-minded and crude, how could they have foreseen Madam's actions? Why?"
Chu Xue and Chu Yu nervously stayed by the young mistress's side.
The two had doubts in their hearts—the young mistress had not been in contact with the young master before her marriage, and had only met him a handful of times after the marriage, so why were they so sure about the young master and Aunt Shen's personalities?
Where did the young mistress get this information? Did she send someone to investigate?
The problem is, even though the two of them are always by the young mistress's side, she never seems to inquire about anything.
Or was the young mistress just saying things out of anger?
Chu Xue winked at Chu Yu—you're smarter than me, go and coax the young mistress.
Chu Yu could only bite the bullet and whisper, "Young Madam, please calm down. Perhaps...it was just a coincidence? Maybe they didn't expect Madam's past, it was just...a coincidence..."
Chu Yu could barely continue making things up.
Jiang Yinjin snapped out of her thoughts, looked at the two anxious people, and chuckled, "Are you worried about me? There's no need for that. I'm just a little surprised. I didn't expect anything from them anyway. After all, I've already started to get what I want."
Today, the lady entrusted the management of the three shops of the Marquis's residence to Jiang Yinjin. Although the delegation of power was not much, it was the first step.
Chu Xue hurriedly said, "Young Madam is right! Young Madam will succeed immediately."
Chu Yu also said, "When the young mistress was still at her maternal home, the wife of the Vice Minister often praised her for her talent. As long as the young mistress manages these shops well, the wife of the Marquis of Anning will definitely continue to delegate authority! After all, no one turns down money!"
The two then began to exchange pleasantries and flattery.
Jiang Yinjin said calmly, "That's right, one must be strong to succeed."
Despite saying it, I still felt depressed and couldn't find any relief.
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Main courtyard.
When Li Mama entered the room, she saw that the lady was checking the account books.
When Madam Ding saw Li Mama return, she asked, "Did you send any news?"
Granny Li smiled broadly and nodded repeatedly. "It's been reported that the young master has been staying at Mingyue Courtyard for the past three days. The two of them work at sunrise and rest at sunset, maintaining a very regular schedule."
After having breakfast early in the morning, he went out to digest. Upon returning, he began writing scriptures. After his midday rest, he would either read or continue writing scriptures. For the past three days, the Crown Prince's appetite had been excellent; he could eat two bowls of rice at each meal.
Ding looked over in astonishment, "Two bowls?"
The Crown Prince was frail and had a poor appetite from childhood, which was always a worry for Lady Ding.
.
noon.
Meigetsuin.
The boy stared at the rice bowl in front of him, his brows furrowed and his face pale. "Mianmian, I... I really can't eat anymore."
While enjoying her food, Chen Mianmian casually said, "Whatever. Anyway, the rules are already set: if you can't finish two bowls of rice, you can't stay at Mingyue Residence."
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