Chapter 23 Let's do it tomorrow
As the sun set, Kaibao Temple was still crowded with carriages and horses.
When the team from the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion arrived, there were monks waiting there. The Jiang family also arranged people to wait here. When they saw Jiang getting off the carriage, they came forward to greet them.
"Aunt, now you are here. Madam has been waiting for you." Mother Kang walked forward and said with a smile.
Jiang smiled and said, "I was delayed when I went out, but luckily I arrived before dark."
"Then go in quickly." Mother Kang said, looking in the direction of Jiang's side, and saw Xie Rongying who appeared in luxurious brocade clothes. Even though she had met nobles in the palace, a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes when she saw Xie Rongying, but it quickly turned into pity.
"I guess this must be the young lady." Mother Kang bowed to Xie Rongying while speaking. She had only glanced at her briefly the last time at the Marquis' Mansion and didn't look at her carefully.
Jiang's gaze fell on Xie Rongying and she introduced her, "This is your aunt's sidekick, Mrs. Kang. She was doing some work for your aunt at the last family dinner, so she didn't show up."
"Mother Kang." Xie Rongying nodded in response.
Mother Kang's smile widened as she said, "Hurry up and meet up with Madam. It's time for lunch." As she spoke, Mother Kang walked over to the monk and said, "Young Master, please take them and move their belongings to the courtyard Madam has arranged in advance."
"Yes," said the monk.
"Aunt, Madam, please come this way." Mother Kang made a 'please' gesture.
Kaibao Temple is located in the northeast corner of Bianjing City, surrounded by mountains and forests. The wind at night still has a chill of spring, and there is an endless stream of people coming to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha.
Mother Kang led Jiang and his group into the temple from the west corner gate.
After entering from the corner gate, there are stairs, a total of 108 steps.
The courtyard arranged by Jiang Wangshi was located to the west of Kaibao Temple, with a forest of fragrant trees behind it.
After going up the steps and crossing the courtyard, you will arrive at the back of the temple. The courtyard with black tiles and white walls stands in front of a lush bamboo forest.
After entering the courtyard, Madam Kang pointed to the other side of the courtyard and said, "My dear, your courtyard with the young mistress is over there. After I take you to meet the mistress, I'll go see if the young master and the people from the Marquis' Mansion have arrived."
"Sister, let me go with you." Mother Yuan walked closer to Mother Kang and said.
Mother Kang glanced at Jiang.
Jiang said, "Let Madam Yuan come along. We can't bother Madam Kang."
"You're too polite, my lady. It's my duty." Mother Kang said with a smile.
As they were talking, they arrived at the main house of the courtyard. Mother Kang saw that there was no movement in the main house and said, "Maybe Madam is tired from the car and is taking a nap. I will go and check it out."
After Kang's mother entered the main house, she came out after about a cup of tea and said with a hint of apology, "Auntie, please."
Jiang smiled and just as she entered the main house, she saw Jiang Wangshi coming to greet her: "My dear sister, I was really too tired just now, so I took a light nap. I didn't keep you waiting for long."
When Jiang saw that Jiang Wang had redressed her makeup, she smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? I am bothering you."
"Alright, alright." Jiang Wangshi pulled Jiang Shi down and sat down, saying, "Mother Kang, tell them to set up the vegetarian meal."
"Yes." After Mother Kang left, Mother Yuan followed.
Jiang Wangshi's gaze fell on Xie Rongying, who had been silent all the time, and the amazement in her eyes was not concealed at all. Xie Rongying's appearance was one of the best in Bianjing, otherwise Jiang Wangshi would not have taken a fancy to her.
"Rongying, please sit down. Don't be so obedient when you are out." Jiang Wangshi said with a gentle smile.
Xie Rongying bowed and said, "Yes."
After Xie Rongying sat down, Jiang Wangshi said to Jiang Shi: "I haven't been out for a long time. My back and waist ache every time I go out. I have to rest well tonight."
"Didn't sister-in-law bring Hua'er and Shu'er with her? Why are they nowhere to be seen?" asked Jiang.
Jiang Wangshi's eyebrows twitched slightly as she said, "You also know that our family has good relations with the Duke of Yingguo's mansion. The two sisters followed the Duke of Yingguo's eldest daughter and their aunt to pay a visit to the Princess."
"The eldest princess?" Jiang's expression became more serious. She had forgotten that the eldest princess, who was born to the same mother as the current emperor, was in Kaibao Temple. She asked again, "The aunt my sister-in-law mentioned is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Yingguo, and that Madam Xue?"
Jiang Wangshi nodded and said, "The eldest daughter of the Duke of Yingguo and the eldest princess are somewhat acquainted, and even their experiences are similar. The eldest princess's birthday is in a few days, so Madam Xue will take the younger generation to pay her respects to the eldest princess."
Hearing this, Jiang chuckled, "That's great. Hua'er and Shu'er have already met the eldest princess. Who wouldn't look up to them from now on?"
Mrs. Jiang Wang was also satisfied: "At first, I was a little hesitant to come to the temple with Madam Xue, but fortunately Hua'er is good friends with the Duke of Yingguo's eldest granddaughter, so we came together."
"I thought Mrs. Xue was invited by my sister-in-law." Jiang said jokingly.
Jiang Wangshi shook her head: "Mrs. Xue has a very strange personality."
Xie Rongying listened to the conversation between the two people in the main seat with a slight smile on her lips. Sure enough, things would only become more and more interesting. It was obvious that the Jiang family and the Jiang family came to Kaibao Temple with bad intentions, and they even brought Madam Xue with them.
"Fortunately, he is kind to me." Jiang Wang said with a smile.
Jiang chuckled: "After all, the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion has some dealings with our Earl of Yongqin's Mansion. Now that the younger generations have also become friends, it can be considered a good thing."
"That's right." Jiang Wangshi was also in a good mood. She glanced at Xie Rongying casually and jokingly asked, "Rongying, are you used to living in the Marquis' Mansion?"
Xie Rongying responded gently: "I'm used to living here. After all, it's my own home."
"Rongying is right. How can you not be used to it in your own home?" Jiang Wangshi said, holding Jiang's hand again. "My little sister is so lucky to have such a good wife like Rongying. I don't know when my boy will be able to get married."
Just as Jiang was about to respond, Mother Kang came in and said, "Madam, you can go to dinner now."
Jiang Wangshi stood up and said, "Let's eat first."
There are two places for vegetarian meals in Kaibao Temple. One is where monks eat vegetarian meals, which is in Wuguan Hall, and the other is where pilgrims eat vegetarian meals, which is called the dining hall.
The courtyard where the families of the Earl of Yongqin and the Marquis of Yongyi lived had a small kitchen, but they had just arrived today and the small kitchen had not been cleaned up yet, so they could only go to the dining hall.
About a quarter of an hour later, the group arrived at the dining hall.
Perhaps because of the noble family, only people from the Yongyi Marquis Mansion and the Yongqin Earl Mansion were in the dining hall.
Xie Rongying was always the last one to come. Just before the group arrived at the dining hall, she welcomed a few more people from the curved corridor.
It was none other than the strange Madam Xue and the eldest daughter of the Zhang family that Jiang Wangshi had just mentioned, as well as Jiang Wangshi’s two daughters.
"Mother." Jiang Shu'er walked forward and took Jiang Wang's arm.
Jiang Hua bowed politely: "Mother."
Jiang Wangshi nodded gently. When she looked up, she saw Madam Xue, who was dressed in a plain white brocade dress and had an extraordinary aura. She nodded and said, "Madam Xue."
"Mrs. Jiang." Mrs. Xue's gaze fell on Jiang again, and she nodded in greeting, "Mrs. Qin."
Jiang nodded and responded, "Mrs. Xue."
Madam Xue said to the girl beside her, "Why don't you quickly pay your respects to Madam Qin and Madam Jiang?"
Upon hearing this, the girl saluted politely: "Greetings to Madam Jiang and Madam Qin."
"Miss Zhang, you're so polite. You're so polite." Jiang stepped forward and helped her up.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Jiang Wangshi said to Madam Xue, "Now that you're here, let's have a vegetarian meal together."
"I hope I won't disturb your family's vegetarian meal." Mrs. Xue said politely.
"No, no, please." Jiang Wangshi made a 'please' gesture.
Xie Rongying watched the courtesy of these people throughout the whole process, but she lingered on Mrs. Xue for a few more times, and she was curious about Mrs. Xue.
In the previous life, I only heard that Mrs. Xue and her husband were very loving after marrying into the Xue family. However, just one month after the marriage, the Xue family was slaughtered.
I heard that there was a sea of blood and corpses in the Xue Mansion, and even the cats and dogs in the backyard were not spared.
When the government officials arrived at the Xue Mansion, they were also terrified. They thought that no one in the Xue Mansion was alive, but they found Mrs. Xue in the backyard with a blank look in her eyes and no harm at all.
The only living person in the entire Xue family.
The Duke of England took his daughter back home at that time. She became mentally retarded for a while and no matter how many doctors and imperial physicians he consulted, it was of no use.
The imperial court also investigated the affairs of the Xue Mansion, but after half a year, they still had no clues and it eventually became an unsolved case. When the government tried to find Mrs. Xue to inquire about the situation many times, the Duke of Yingguo refused on the grounds that Mrs. Xue was stupid.
By the time Mrs. Xue reappeared in the public eye, many years had passed since the Xue family case. Many people, believing that less is more, would not mention the Xue family's affairs again.
Later, Mrs. Xue lived in seclusion in the Duke of Ying's mansion. Because of her status, many officials and their wives in Bianliang were very polite to her.
I'm afraid that Mrs. Xue is the only one in the world who knows the truth about the Xue family being massacred.
After everyone was seated, the maids began to serve food to their masters.
Next to Mrs. Xue were Jiang Wangshi's granddaughter Zhang Ruru, Jiang Huaer, and Jiang Shuer.
Sitting on the other side were Jiang and Xie Rongying.
"I think this is the young lady of the Marquis' Mansion." Madam Xue just noticed Xie Rongying's gaze and asked.
Jiang smiled and responded, "Yes, Xie."
Xie Rongying nodded in response.
"So you are Xie. I heard that you caused chaos in the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion right after your marriage. Are the girls from your Xie family so fierce?" It was Zhang Ruru who spoke, with a provocative look in her eyes as she looked at Xie Rongying.
Xie Rongying's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she stared at Zhang Ruru with a somewhat distracted look in her eyes. She chuckled softly, "Miss Zhang, where did you hear that? Are all the girls in your Zhang family so fond of gossiping?"
"You!" Zhang Ruruo didn't expect Xie Rongying to retort without regard for her dignity. Just as she was about to speak, Madam Xue interrupted her, "Young Madam, please don't bother with this little girl. She's always believing everything she hears. Who knows? She might have heard someone gossiping about her and wants to verify it."
Xie Rongying snorted and laughed, "Madam Xue, Miss Zhang is about the same age as me. Isn't it a bit far-fetched to say that she believes everything she hears? Moreover, I don't think she has ever had any personal relationship with Miss Zhang. What's her intention in slandering me so bluntly?"
What she meant was that Zhang Ruru was targeting Xie Rongying, and you, Madam Xue, just let it go with a single sentence: "The little girl believes everything she hears"?
Mrs. Xue stared at Xie Rongying dimly. She didn't know much about the Xie family. She only knew that the Xie family was very wealthy, but since they took root in Bian Jing, they gradually shed their identity as merchants.
I thought that the daughter of the Xie family, who started out as merchants, would be submissive in front of the nobles in Bian Jing, but I didn't expect her to be so arrogant.
"Madam Qin, why are you being so aggressive under the Buddha's watchful eyes?" Madam Xue said calmly with a smile, "I will teach Ruru well, too. Let's eat first."
Mrs. Xue's last words clearly meant to bring this episode to a close, but Xie Rongying had no intention of letting it go. "So Mrs. Xue also knew this was under the Buddha's watchful eyes. Then Mrs. Xue, do you know that those who spread rumors and gossip will be condemned to the hell of tongue-pulling? As the saying goes, there are gods above your head."
After Xie Rongying finished speaking, she looked at Madam Xue with a nonchalant smile.
Mrs. Xue's face darkened and she glanced at Jiang.
Jiang finally spoke: "Rongying, be merciful when you can. You should be careful with your words under the Buddha's watchful eyes."
"Yes, mother." After Xie Rongying said this, she no longer looked in the direction of Mrs. Xue.
Jiang Wang, her daughter and her two children were also quite shocked by Xie Rongying's reaction. Just as Jiang said, Xie Rongying was not someone to be trifled with.
It is best to make such a person unable to recover in one go, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.
Perhaps because of the recent incident, the atmosphere became a little weird, and Jiang and Jiang Wang looked at each other from time to time.
Mrs. Xue was concentrating on eating the vegetarian meal in front of her.
The remaining three girls, except Jiang Hua, looked in Xie Rongying's direction from time to time.
About a quarter of an hour later, Jiang Wangshi and Jiang Shi put down their bamboo chopsticks, followed by Madam Xue.
It was already dark at this time. Mrs. Xue said goodbye to her sister-in-law Jiang Wang and left with Zhang Ruru.
Jiang Wangshi said goodbye to Jiang and went to the courtyard with her two daughters.
After leaving Jiang and Xie Rongying, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, in front of the dining hall, Jiang asked gently, "It's a bit cold in the mountains. Let's go back to the courtyard and rest. We are tired today."
"Mother too, take a good rest." Xie Rongying responded in the same gentle voice.
Jiang smiled faintly, "Rongying, please don't bother with the eldest daughter of the Zhang family. People are bound to be criticized throughout their lives. If you bother with it, life will be so tiring."
"Mother is wrong." Xie Rongying retorted with a smile, "You only have one life to live. If you just take it easy, you'll only be bullied. I won't let anyone bully you."
I don't want to swallow a single breath of anger!
When Jiang heard this, the smile on her face slowly disappeared. She did not respond to Xie Rongying's words, but walked towards the courtyard.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law didn't speak again along the way.
Xie Rongying like this made Jiang feel very uneasy. She suddenly said, "Rongying, go back first. I haven't talked to your aunt for a long time. Go and talk to her."
"Yes, mother." Xie Rongying said respectfully.
Jiang was a little afraid to look directly at Xie Rongying's face. How could the Xie Rongying today be the same Xie Rongying she knew before?
Xie Rongying stared at Jiang's receding back, sneered, and walked to the other side.
Jiang Wangshi was a little surprised that Jiang came again.
When Jiang entered the wing where Jiang Wangshi was, she walked up and sat down next to Jiang Wangshi: "Sister-in-law, it has to be done as soon as possible. I am very uneasy."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wang glanced at Mother Kang.
Mother Kang understood, left the room, and closed the door behind her.
"What's wrong?" asked Jiang Wangshi.
Jiang said coldly: "Let's do it tomorrow, sister-in-law, and solve this problem as soon as possible!"
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