Chapter 444: Xiangshan

In September, the Xiangshan Mountains are covered with lush green trees. From a distance, Ganlu Temple seems to be wandering in a sea of ​​green.

Dou Zhao and others changed to a sedan chair at the foot of Xiangshan Mountain and walked up the wide bluestone steps to Ganlu Temple.

Jiang Yan lifted the curtain and greedily breathed in the cool mountain air, feeling as if he had come alive again.

She heard Ruotong, who was sitting next to the sedan chair in front of her, say to Ganlu with a smile: "Sister, this Zen temple has the same name as you. Who gave you this name? It's really nice!"

Ganlu snorted at her and said proudly, "My name was given by Aunt Cui from Zhending. Aunt Cui said that I should be like a drop of water in the bottle in the hand of Guanyin, not only having a pure heart, but also being able to moisten others."

Ruotong asked curiously, "Who is Aunt Cui?"

"Yes..." Ganlu paused for a moment before saying, "She is Madam's step-grandmother."

Ruotong couldn't help but stick out her tongue and asked hurriedly, "What about Sister Sujun? What does her name mean?"

"It's the same as mine." Ganlu said with a smile, "Let's avoid trouble, keep our minds clear, and not be blinded by glory and wealth and forget who we are."

Ruotong shouted in dissatisfaction, "Why did everything turn red when it was my and Ruozhu's turn?"

"Is red not good?" Ganlu said with a smile, "Red is the most dignified and generous color. You are Madam's close servants, so this name is just right."

Dou Zhao, who was in the sedan chair, couldn't help laughing when he heard this.

The names of the maids changed just as she had experienced.

When she first came to Kyoto, her grandmother was afraid that she would be bullied, and hoped that the maids and servants around her would be loyal to her. By the time Ganlu and the others were old enough to leave the palace, she had already established herself in the Duke of Ying's Mansion, and what she sought was no longer loyalty and obedience, but the bearing of a mistress of the house. Later, the maids who came in were all named with the word "Fu", and maids and servants were no longer the only people she could rely on.

What names will she give to her maids in the future?

While I was thinking, we arrived at Ganlu Temple.

When they got off the sedan chair, the abbot and the monk in charge of reception were already waiting at the gate.

After the formalities, the abbot, who was over 40 years old, stepped aside and the monk in charge of reception, who was over 50 years old, took them to visit Ganlu Temple.

The two Cotinus coggygria trees in front of the main hall are as thick as a man's embrace. Although they are a hundred years old, they are still lush and bright.

Jiang Yan and others praised it highly.

The monk in charge of reception started to talk about the history of the two trees - how Ganlu Temple was destroyed in the war and how it was rebuilt, but the two cotinus coggygria trees remained standing...

The story was tortuous and interesting, and Jiang Yan and others listened to it with great interest.

This is the story that the monk in charge of reception would tell every time a visitor first visited Ganlu Temple. Dou Zhao had heard it several times in her previous life. As soon as the monk in charge of reception opened his mouth, she knew what he would say next. However, she felt very happy when she saw the expressions of surprise and astonishment on the faces of Jiang Yan and others.

They played around in Ganlu Temple for a while, and then stayed there to have lunch and take a nap.

Dou Zhao felt a little tired, so he walked around the yard twice to digest his food and then rested.

Jiang Yan, however, felt very energetic and took Jiang Lizhu to the release pond next door to see black turtles and koi carp.

Although the Miao family was in financial difficulty, they still brought up their children in a very orderly manner. Miao Ansu seldom went out before she got married, and now that she finally got out, she really wanted to take a walk with Jiang Yan and the others, but seeing that Dou Zhao had gone to bed, she was afraid that the maids would think her behavior was frivolous and look down on her, so after thinking for a while, she smiled and said goodbye to Jiang Yan and returned to the chamber arranged for her.

It was quiet all around. Miao Ansu closed his eyes, but he couldn't fall asleep.

At this time, the ears become particularly sensitive.

She heard the light footsteps of a maid passing under the corridor in front of her room, and someone called out in a low voice, "Sister Fuye," and asked, "What do you want to do?"

At this time, the masters had all gone to bed, and Fu Ye lowered her voice and said, "Did you bring needles and thread? Sister Ruotong's sleeve was torn just now."

The one who spoke was Miao Ansu's maid named Liu Hong. She smiled and said, "I brought some needle and thread with me, but the Second Madam has gone to bed, so I have to ask Sister Fuye to wait here for a while."

"It's okay." Fu Ye was very polite, "Thank you for your help."

Liu Hong said a few polite words, tiptoed into the house, and after a while, came out with a sewing kit.

Miao Ansu curled his lips.

It is said that the Dou family is good at ruling the country, but when she goes out, her maid doesn't even bring a sewing kit. How can this be called ruling the country? It is true that when there is no tiger in the mountain, the monkey will become the king! If the mother-in-law was still alive, Song Mo would not have been made the crown prince so early. Even if the Song family had more brothers, it might not be possible for her Dou family to become the king.

This is truly a gift of wealth and has no influence on human beings!

Just like Fu Ye, she was only about ten years old and hadn't combed her hair yet. Because she served Dou Zhao, even her maid had to call her "sister" respectfully when she saw her. Just thinking about it made people speechless.

She was lost in thought.

Blowing leaves to return the sewing bag.

Liu Hong smiled and said, "Sister, you finished sewing it so quickly?"

"My hands and feet are quick." Fu Ye smiled and said with emotion, "You are really considerate. We all remembered to bring a sewing kit when we went out, but we found that we forgot it after we went out." She giggled, "Sister Ganlu just taught me a lesson, saying that if I am still so careless next time, I will be transferred to the front yard to clean the toilet."

She spoke in a brisk tone, and it was obvious that she did not take Ganlu's words to heart. It can be seen that Dou Zhao was very kind to others.

"Sister, you are too kind." Liu Hong was quite envious and polite to her, "I have been working in the Second Madam's room since I was a child. This is also because of our Second Madam's good teaching."

Miao Ansu was very pleased to hear this.

Fu Ye nodded repeatedly and agreed: "The Second Wife looks like a good person, it's a pity that she married the Second Master..." Before she finished speaking, she realized that she had said something wrong and quickly covered her mouth.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Liu Hong's face was filled with shock.

Fu Ye waved his hands in panic: "I, I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything!"

She turned and ran.

Liu Hong was stunned.

Miao Ansu in the room felt as if his heart was turned upside down.

She sat up suddenly, calling out "Liu Hong" loudly, and asked Ji Hong to give Liu Hong a few pieces of silver: "Use this money to buy some snacks and flowers, and try to find out what the second master did in the past."

Liu Hong agreed and took the silver.

But this is Ganlu Temple. Even if we have money, who can we ask to go down the mountain to buy it?

If you want to trick Fu Ye, you have to wait until you return to the Duke of England's mansion.

Miao Ansu felt as if his heart was being scratched by a cat and he couldn't rest for a moment.

Jiang Yan and Jiang Lizhu, however, were having a great time.

The monk in charge of reception in the temple saw that they were interested in the things in the pond, so he sent two little nuns to serve them. He also brought a few dried buns to feed them, which attracted a group of fish to rush to the water surface in front of them.

The two of them sat in the pavilion next to the release pond and fed the fish.

Jiang Yan looked up by chance and saw a familiar figure standing outside the courtyard gate from a distance.

She was startled and pointed at the gate and told Yinghong: "Go and see what's going on."

Yinghong left in response, but quickly came back and said, "It's Master Chen from the Jinyiwei Zhenfusi. I heard that Madam was climbing the mountain here, so I came to pay my respects to Madam. Wuyi said that Madam was taking a nap, so Master Chen decided to wait a while..."

Jiang Yan was startled and asked, "Why is Lord Chen here too?"

Yinghong didn't know, so she went to ask again. When she came back, she said, "Master Chen was out of town on official business and passed by Xiangshan."

Jiang Yan's expression was somewhat complicated.

Jiang Lizhu touched her shoulder and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Yan thought for a moment, whispered something to Jiang Lizhu, and said hesitantly, "I want him to help me find out about my uncle... No, about Li Liang... At least I want Li Liang to know that I am living well in the Song family."

Jiang Lizhu could understand Jiang Yan's feelings very well.

She thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go with you to ask!"

Jiang Yan was overjoyed and thanked Jiang Lizhu again and again, repeatedly reminding her: "Don't tell my sister-in-law, I'm afraid they will be sad."

"Your sister-in-law is not such a stingy person." Jiang Lizhu smiled, "But I think your cousin is very stingy. You should be careful not to let your cousin know."

Jiang Yan defended his brother: "He was angry that I was bullied but still grateful to others. But if it weren't for Li Liang, I don't know how much suffering I would have endured as a child! Just for this reason, I can't hate him."

"You're doing well this way." Jiang Lizhu said with a smile, "If you always have hatred in your heart, you will inevitably be affected and gradually become hateful."

She thought about how some sisters felt aggrieved and always complained after the family changes, but as a result, they seemed like different people, so she reminded herself from time to time.

Jiang Yan finally found someone who didn't scold him, and he immediately felt like he had met a close friend.

While she was talking to Chen Jia, Jiang Lizhu was standing on the steps not far from them.

Facing the expectation in Jiang Yan's eyes, Chen Jia forced himself not to show any strange expression.

Song Mo has tortured Wei Quan, He Hao and He Qingyuan beyond recognition, so how could he let Li Liang go?

Li Liang's family is now a military household, living in a 100-household residence under Tianjin Wei. If they don't farm, they have nothing to eat. Even if the whole family works hard for a year, they may not earn one-third of what Li Liang earned as an accountant. What's more, the 100-household residence is also ordered to monitor Li Liang's family. Li Liang can't make a penny through other means. The studies of several children have been interrupted, and Li Liang can only teach them to read and write by himself. Others may be able to leave the Wei through amnesty or other opportunities, but Li Liang was forced by Song Mo to voluntarily join the military household. Unlike others, his descendants will never be able to become good citizens in the future... Is this good or bad?

Chen Jia looked into Jiang Yan's eyes as clear as water and felt a headache.

Tell her the truth?

Given her personality, I'm afraid she would hide under the quilt and cry secretly.

Don't tell her?

If one day she finds out that I have lied to her, she will definitely hate me.

Chen Jia felt very regretful and thought he shouldn't have come to pay his respects to Madam Dou this time.

I just wanted to say hello so that Mrs. Dou would be impressed by me. When Mrs. Dou returns to the city, I can "meet" her by chance on the road. Why do I have to wait here for Mrs. Dou to wake up?

He weighed the pros and cons again and again, and finally had to bite the bullet and smile: "Li Liang is doing well in Tianjin. Now that the Li family has joined the military, all his descendants will be able to eat imperial food in the future. There is just one downside, that is, you have to farm the few acres of land you have been allocated, which is not as good as being an accountant for someone else, where it is easier and you earn more."