It was a beautiful spring day, and the roadsides at the foot of Mount Taibai were lined with carriages and sedan chairs belonging to wealthy nobles.
White clouds lingered among the green mountains, and the winding mountain roads were filled with young girls and ladies in bright and beautiful clothes.
The sound of monks chanting in the temple can be heard one after another.
Jiang Yuyao walked out of the palace as usual and reported to the old lady, "Grandma, the abbot has arranged a meditation room for me. Qianqian and I will be in the temple praying for Grandma and my parents for the next few days."
[Humph, the parents Jiang Yuyao mentioned were nothing more than Hao Ren and Liao. The mention of praying for blessings clearly indicates she's trying to seize the opportunity to plot with her mother about how to frame the Yongding Marquisate.]
Jiang Songyi stood quietly by the side without saying a word.
She had more important things to deal with in her mind, and the old lady had actually been waiting for today.
Although she had heard from Jiang Songyi many times that Jiang Yuyao had betrayed the Marquisate and had long been in collusion with her biological mother, the old lady still wanted to see the truth with her own eyes. Today was the best opportunity!
She stared at Jiang Yuyao deeply, her tone gentle but firm: "Okay, since you have done this so many times, I will not give you any more instructions. Grandmother and your cousins will return to the mansion first."
Jiang Yuyao smiled and respectfully saw the old lady and her group out of the temple.
However, just as they stepped out of the temple's threshold, the old lady turned around and said, "The crabapple blossoms on the hill behind Rong'en Temple are in full bloom. Qingzhi, Songyi, you guys should take Songyi to enjoy the flowers. Nanny Xi and I are old and have difficulty walking, so we will return home first."
After sending Hao Qingzhi, Jiang Songyi and others away, the old lady and Aunt Xi quietly returned to Rong'en Temple.
"Madam Xi, how are things going?"
Nanny Xi nodded slightly and whispered, "Everything has been properly arranged. The meditation room has been reserved in the name of this old slave's niece's wife. It's right next to Miss Yuyao's meditation room. The old lady can enter and exit through the back door without anyone noticing. The monks in the temple have also been informed."
Nanny Xi led the old lady away from the noisy pilgrims and quietly walked into the pre-arranged meditation room through the back door.
The Zen room is quiet and peaceful, free from dust. Although it is not as luxurious as the marquis's mansion, it has a unique elegance of retreat.
Nanny Xi guided the old lady to the wall, where there was a finger-sized hole, through which she could just glimpse every move in the Zen room next door. This was Nanny Xi's clever arrangement.
The old lady put her ear lightly against the wall and immediately heard the conversation between Jiang Yuyao and Liao Qianqian next door.
"Yuyao, you told me before that the hairpin you gave me was given by the Imperial Concubine?" Liao Qianqian endured for a long time along the way, and only dared to ask boldly when they were the only two in the Zen room.
Jiang Yuyao glanced at her with a hint of disdain in her eyes, "That was given by the Imperial Concubine. The so-called imperial gift can only be called an imperial gift if it is bestowed by the Emperor himself. If you talk nonsense outside, be careful not to lose your head."
Liao Qianqian touched her neck in fear and said tremblingly, "I, I really don't know."
Jiang Yuyao glanced at her impatiently, "I've reminded you so many times, if you can't say anything, just shut up. If you dare to say the wrong thing again, I'll send you back to the brothel."
If it weren't for the fact that the meeting with her mother shouldn't be known to other maids, she wouldn't have brought this stupid cousin along.
Liao Qianqian nodded timidly.
She suddenly felt that she seemed more comfortable around Jiang Songyi. At least Jiang Songyi generously shared everything with her, unlike Jiang Yuyao who imposed many restrictions on her and treated her like a maid.
Old Madam Jiang witnessed Jiang Yuyao's true appearance in private through the secret hole in the wall, and a sense of depression welled up in her heart.
This granddaughter had always been gentle and modest, and every servant in the mansion praised her virtues. Yet, who would have thought that in private, she was a completely different person? Neither she nor Mrs. Xu were the type to say one thing and mean another, so one really wondered from whom she had learned this disguise.
Jiang Yuyao sat quietly in the Zen room, concentrating on copying the scriptures. Suddenly, she called Liao Qianqian, who was beating the wooden fish next to her, to come over and say, "Come here and help me copy. The handwriting should be neat."
Liao Qianqian seemed uneasy, not even daring to touch the brush. "Yuyao, how could I possibly know how to write? Only a man of talent like my cousin can master that kind of elegant art. Country girls like us can only take care of poultry."
Jiang Yuyao glanced at her with undisguised contempt, "All the maids around me are literate. Qianqian, you really humiliate me."
Liao Qianqian hung her head in shame, but a spark of unyielding spirit quietly sprouted in her heart. Jiang Yuyao was obviously from a similar background to hers, originally just a country girl, but her fate was unfortunate. She was switched by her aunt and became the daughter of a marquis.
Jiang Yuyao's brows suddenly raised, "So, Jiang Songyi doesn't know how to write either?"
"Jiang Songyi, of course, knew nothing. Her status in the Liao family was even lower than mine. She did all the rough work, like chopping wood, fetching water, and washing clothes. If she hadn't accidentally discovered her true identity and returned to the Marquis' Mansion, she would have been sold by my aunt to that old merchant as a concubine for fifty taels of silver. How could my father have been forced to sell me to a brothel to pay off his gambling debts?"
Even though Jiang Songyi rescued her from the brothel, Liao Qianqian always felt resentful towards Jiang Songyi every time she thought about it. Why did she willingly become a concubine, while the old businessman refused to take her in as a concubine?
Jiang Yuyao chuckled softly, covering her lips with her hands as she smiled. "No wonder she can only be a concubine. The wife of a wealthy family must be well-educated and good at managing finances. Jiang Songyi can't even read a single word, yet she still wants to marry the Fourth Prince as his consort. What a foolish dream!"
Next door, the old lady listened to Liao Qianqian talking about Jiang Songyi's miserable situation in the Liao family and Jiang Yuyao's unscrupulous ridicule and contempt for her. Her hands pressed against the wall couldn't help but clench.
She, the legitimate daughter of the Yongding Marquisate, had actually been treated like this! Jiang Yuyao always acted so gentle and refined in front of her, but it turned out that it was all a facade!
Just then, there were several rapid knocks on the door next door.
"Mother, you are finally here!"
Jiang Yuyao hugged the woman who had just stepped into the threshold tightly.
The woman was dressed simply and elegantly, and it was not difficult to tell that she was a widow, but she was well maintained and still graceful and charming, retaining her former charm.
Liao Qianqian saw the person coming and called out meekly, "Auntie."
Liao glanced at Liao Qianqian coldly and said indifferently, "Yuyao, hasn't she always been by Jiang Songyi's side?"
She recalled that it was she who had deliberately leaked the news of Liao Qianqian being trafficked to a brothel to Jiang Songyi. She knew that Jiang Songyi was kind-hearted and would definitely help her. This way, she could place a pawn next to Jiang Songyi.
"Aunt, Jiang Songyi has no status in the mansion and can't even protect me. On the other hand, Sister Yuyao is very capable. Even when the Marquis's wife planned to sell me, she managed to keep me." There was a hint of flattery in Liao Qianqian's tone.
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