Chapter 2 Qingxiu Temple
They were really good at pushing the blame. If it weren't for their gossip, it would have been difficult for her Cui family to cancel the engagement. Even if her Cui family didn't want to, it was likely that they were the cause of Miss Wen's situation.
The mistress thought so and slowly sat down on the chair in the corridor. Suddenly, a gleam of light flashed in her eyes: "You said a young lady knocked over a cup. Whose girl is this?"
The maid was confused: "She is the second daughter of the Xie family."
Everything made sense now. Ever since the Xie family produced that female scholar, every generation of daughters has been striving to be known as a talented woman. Before, the second Miss Xie had always been overshadowed by Wen Youqing. Accidentally knocking over the cup was more like adding insult to injury.
The Xie family is inevitably trying to shift the blame to someone else, it's really...
Wang immediately said: "Send the scroll of Xie's daughter back to the official media and tell them that she has bad luck and will not have children." If her son doesn't live a good life, the Xie family will never live in peace.
Not long after, Wang, who was sitting in the corridor, welcomed her son back from the palace. The young man's approach, his loose belt and light fur coat, his graceful demeanor, livened up the atmosphere.
He had been given the best since childhood and raised to perfection. He absolutely could not have a flawed engagement, and his hands must not be soiled. Wang secretly clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
Cui Junji had good eyesight. When he came close to his mother, he bowed politely and said, "Mother, may you be blessed. Why are you sitting outside? Your son will help you in."
Wang stood up and let her son support her. She said, "Zihe, the anniversary of the death of the deceased is coming soon. You should spend more time with the prince these days. You don't have to come back so often."
The Cui family was less like family and more like teacher and student, ruler and subject. If it weren't for the morning and evening visits, Cui Junji wouldn't have wanted to stay home all the time, so he agreed.
It was clearly lunchtime, and the mother and son exchanged a few words before running out of things to say. Wang said she was tired and asked Cui Junji to return to her own residence.
After Cui Junji left, lunch was ready. Wang Shi ate while thinking about a plan. By the end of the meal, she had come up with a plan. She calmly rinsed her mouth and washed her hands, saying, "Go get some fifty-year-old ginseng and some herbs. I'll deliver them myself."
Wang Shi didn't want Cui Junji to know, but Cui Junji was already sixteen, no longer a child. He listened to his servant recounting the events of today's banquet and frowned slightly: "Did he vomit blood after stumbling?"
Thinking about the lively girl in the previous few times, who would occasionally show off her energy in the crowd, it was hard not to be suspicious.
The servant boy didn't tell whether it was true or not, but simply said, "The Third Miss was also there. She came back so frightened that her face turned pale, and she was mumbling something like it had nothing to do with me."
Cui Junji still frowned. His third cousin was a gossipmonger, and she was so frightened by her mere gossip. It seemed that this situation would be very difficult to resolve. However, these minor matters would be handled cleanly at home. The first thing he had to do was to gain the Crown Prince's trust. So he opened the late Queen's collection of poems and said as he read, "Pack some clothes and go to the palace."
"Sir, why don't you finish your meal before leaving? It's so late now, and going into the palace might be..." Before he could finish his words, Cui Junji glared at him.
The servant slapped his own presumptuous mouth, immediately ordered his men to pack up, and went to arrange a carriage himself.
The words in the book didn't quite register with Cui Junji, and his brows remained furrowed. He was still pondering every possibility. He knew all the gossip from before, but since it didn't touch him, he never cared. If this was a setup by Miss Wen to force him into submission, he truly admired her.
But it would also make her plans go awry.
A woman like that is indeed eye-catching, but her family background is not good enough to make her his wife.
In the autumn of the ninth year of Changle, Wen Youqing had already been staying in the nunnery on Guyi Mountain outside Beijing for more than half a year.
There is a peach tree in the yard. The peaches are juicy and more pleasing to the eye than the peach blossoms in spring.
Wen Youqing finished cleaning the courtyard, stretched, and pulled the little nun who had brought her candles, saying, "Can you climb trees?"
The little nun was quiet in nature and quickly shook her head: "If the donor wants to eat it, just ask someone to pick it. Don't climb up by yourself." The little nun knew that the young lady's grandparents had donated a lot of incense money, and it was just a peach, so don't hurt the body of the big Buddha.
Wen Youqing was not that interested in climbing trees, she just came here specifically to find people. It was inevitable that others would tell others about it. Then she would know that she was not here to practice meditation, but to enjoy herself.
Fortunately, the tree was not tall, so Wen Youqing asked the little nun to find a net bag and a pole, and she reached the tree herself.
When the first peach came down, Wen Youqing didn't catch it and heard a "hiss" sound from behind the wall.
It’s over, it hit someone.
Si Shi hurried out and brought back a handsome young man in green clothes. There were no injuries on his face, and it seemed that he was not hit in the face.
The young man stood at the doorway politely after entering, looking up at the peaches on the tree, a light sweat on his forehead and a look of envy. Judging from his attire, he must be a nobleman who came to pay homage, and he was exhausted.
Wen Youqing knew most of the young men, but this one looked unfamiliar.
Either the family background is too prominent or too humble.
Could it be that the Cui family was so bored that they specifically hired someone to test her?
Wen Youqing bowed graciously, asked Sishi to wash the peaches, and said, "I'm truly sorry to have caused you this unforeseen misfortune. I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. The True Person Hall is on the mountainside, and this is the Pure Cultivation Temple."
Upon hearing this, the man immediately stepped back several steps, bowed, and said, "I was just strolling here with my family. I didn't realize this was your house. I'm really sorry, I'll be leaving now."
Wen Youqing stopped him and said, "We still have some distance to go to the mountainside. Why don't you grab a peach to quench your thirst?"
The man was about to take a step forward when he seemed to remember something and bowed respectfully again. He took the two peaches from Si Shi's hand and said, "Thank you, young lady. I am Shen Zijie and I am not a bad person."
The last bit of doubt was dispelled. Shen Zijie was a notorious playboy in the capital. No one from a noble family who valued their reputation and face would ask him to inquire about their current situation.
Wen Youqing had heard about Shen Zijie's story before. He was just saving prostitutes and helping the poor. To be honest, it was all good things. But he chose to save these powerless women, which inevitably gave him a bad reputation.
Wen Youqing thought it was just the male chauvinism of patriarchal oppression, not someone of bad character. So she also respectfully returned the greeting: "I am the daughter of the Wen family, the second in line."
Of course, Shen Zijie had heard about the affairs of the Wen and Cui families, but he just treated them as stories at the time. After all, he felt that both families were not good people. One was trying to curry favor with the rich and powerful, and the other was breaking contracts and being hypocritical.
But now, the peach in his hand was juicy, and the girl before him was standing quietly without makeup, which actually made him feel a little blasphemous. He was a little stunned for a moment. It really is not possible to judge people casually.
Before leaving, Shen Zijie stuffed the jade pendant he had just taken off back into his sleeve and said, "Miss Wen, if there's anything I can help you with, you can go to Liuting in the suburbs of Beijing and find a bearded uncle. You don't need a token, just tell me my name."
Wen Youqing looked at his cautious expression and couldn't help laughing: "Is it said outside that I'm having a miserable life?"
Chen Zijie glanced at Wen Youqing's expression. Seeing that the other person's expression was just a little curious, he felt relieved and told the truth: "Yes, they said that you have to do everything yourself and you can't even eat enough. But the Cui family really didn't keep their promise, and the kid from the Cui family didn't find a wife..."
Wen Youqing understood what was going on and said, "Thank you very much. See you again if we're lucky."
"Miss, you gave me the peaches. Are they enough for me to eat?" Shen Zijie turned back after walking a few steps and asked worriedly.
"There are vegetarian meals in the nunnery, don't worry, young master," Wen Youqing said with a smile, thinking that this was nonsense. Her grandmother was afraid that she would be mistreated, so she had people disguised as pilgrims to bring her food every day. Wen Youqing raised her eyes and added, "I'll ask young master to help with the affairs here..."
"I understand." Shen Zijie made a gesture to keep quiet, bowed again and left.
After everyone left, Si Shi asked, "Young lady, why are you so polite to a playboy like that? What if he gets on her mind?"
"Don't worry, he's not that kind of person." Wen Youqing wasn't sure why, having only just met once. Her attention returned to the peach tree, and she recalled what the aloof, aristocratic mistress had said to her mother and herself behind the screen that day.
"The little boy in our family is still young and ignorant. He was probably instigated by others to believe some nonsense. I think we should wait until he grows up for another three or four years and he will be fine. Don't you think so, Madam Wen?" Although she was a guest, she was more like the host than Mrs. Wen. She touched the fan woven with her peacock feathers and smiled kindly.
Such a fan is made by taking the finest down from the brightest feathers of a peacock feather and twisting it together with bamboo threads as fine as silk. Needless to say, the material is in great demand. The work itself is very grueling. It takes twenty-six female workers six months to make just one.
The things brought were all valuable items for the Wen family, including ginseng, ganoderma lucidum, and winter peaches.
But it is far inferior to that fan.
To greet the guests, Wen's mother had brought out a shabby Sichuan embroidery fan, tucked under her sleeve. Wen Youqing was almost 20 now, so how could she possibly wait another three or four years? Even if the Cui family had no choice but to marry her, after this incident, it would be difficult for her to stay in the Cui family.
Thinking of this, Wen's mother put on an impeccable smile and spoke bluntly: "Mr. Cui is sensible and will definitely not gossip like those outsiders. Those outsiders who gossip are ultimately not worthy of being in public. Thank you, Madam, for making a special trip today and bringing these things to my unfortunate family. It's time for lunch, so why not keep some for us?"
Wang looked at Wen's mother's enthusiastic but aggressive demeanor and realized that her goal had been achieved. She did not stay any longer and simply said goodbye and left.
As soon as Wang left, Wen Youqing came out. Wen's mother sneered, "Look at how cunning she is. If it weren't for the Cui family's reputation, her son would be nothing. He's so sarcastic."
Wen Youqing knew her mother's temper and said, "Mother, the Cui family is being unjust and wants us to be branded as clinging to the rich and powerful. We can't just let this go so lightly."
She cursed, but even though there were a few poor students now, the officials were no match for the aristocratic families. Wen's mother frowned, then resumed her bodhisattva demeanor, saying, "You can't get away with it. If you insist on fighting for this, you'll probably end up getting burned."
Wen Youqing smiled dignifiedly and said, "This is a simple matter. It's enough for my mother and I to know about it. There's no need to tell my father."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
