Chapter 180 I am naturally generous, Miss Meng knows that.
Early spring isn't as cold as winter, but you still need to wear a padded jacket when you're outside.
The carriage swayed and rocked along the official road.
Shuang'er was arranging the incense and candles in the basket when Green Willow looked at her basket, puzzled.
"Miss Yao, we're going to admire the flowers, why are we bringing so many incense sticks and candles?"
Shuang'er didn't even look up. "What's so interesting about flowers? I've heard that the God of Wealth's Hall at Baima Temple is very efficacious. I need to go and pray there more often!"
She had never known what buying and selling was before, having lived in the British Duke's mansion.
Since leaving the capital with my sister, I've seen a different world. The tens of thousands of taels of silver I spent through her have been earned back by nearly a hundred thousand taels!
Her current savings are more than she ever dared to dream of before.
Why look at flowers? Of course, we want to make money!
She just hadn't expected that the shop assistants and managers would be so difficult to manage!
Back when I worked at the grain depot, the work was much harder, but the workers were still paid by the bag. Who would be as troublesome as these guys!
Meng Shilan smiled, "Then you should donate more money for incense oil later."
"I'm still waiting to count my money at the end of the year!"
Green Willow felt a sense of disdain in her heart.
No wonder she agreed so readily the other day when she said she could come to Baima Temple to see the flowers.
It turns out they wanted to worship the God of Wealth.
As expected, he came from the countryside, and now he guards the mansion's gold and silver mountains, as well as Meng Gong's overwhelming power.
But all they think about is money.
Could someone like this become an asset to the Crown Prince in the future...?
She thought about it again.
However, it is precisely these vulgar people who are only after money who are the easiest to manipulate.
At that time, Meng Shilan and the Crown Prince's wife will fight.
She is the ultimate winner.
Meng Shilan glanced at Green Willow, who seemed to be lost in her own imagination.
A faint smile flickered in her eyes.
The carriage arrived at the foot of the mountain where Baima Temple is located.
The White Horse Temple remains unchanged.
There are still many people coming to burn incense; the incense here is always the most abundant.
Green Willow glanced at the peach blossoms blooming on the mountain.
"Miss, you're so beautiful!"
Many people came to see the flowers. There is a boardwalk leading up the mountain from the side gate of the temple.
The area where the peach blossoms are most abundant also has a long corridor, which is the best place to admire the peach blossoms.
I heard that talented people come here every year at this time to admire the flowers, write poems, and paint.
Meng Shilan had heard of Baima Temple before and had visited it many times.
I've never come to admire the flowers.
As you ascend the steps from the side gate's walkway, you'll find young men and women everywhere.
As you slowly ascend and enter the deeper forest, the air is filled with the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms.
Soon I started sweating, so I took off my cloak, and now my light spring shirt was just right.
Meng Shilan turned her head and praised Green Willow, "You're so thoughtful."
"It was cold when I went out, but these clothes are light and comfortable now."
Green Willow, clutching her cloak, also took off her vest. "When I was at the Marquis of Xingyang's residence, I accompanied the eldest mistress and... and the fourth young lady here twice."
"So I know that this mountain isn't very high, but you'll still break a sweat after climbing it for a while."
Meng Shilan looked towards the direction of Baima Temple and found that layers of flower forests blocked her view.
"I wonder if Shuang'er has managed to get the God of Wealth she was praying to yet."
Green Willow pointed to the long corridor on the mountain, "Miss, you can see the White Horse Temple from up there."
"And the view from up there is even better."
Meng Shilan stood under the tree for a moment, then turned to her and said, "I think this place is quite nice too."
Green Willow's lips trembled slightly. "...Yes, yes."
She smiled, then saw a figure bending over and darting in and out of the bushes.
Let's go!
Meng Shilan turned around and continued walking up the mountain, her pace much faster than before.
Green Willow was caught off guard and almost failed to catch up.
The scenery on the mountain is indeed even better!
The mountain is covered in the fragrance of peach blossoms, and two winding corridors lead up to an octagonal pavilion.
There seemed to be someone in the pavilion, but she didn't look closely.
Standing at the edge of the long corridor, gazing at the peach blossoms covering the mountains, it felt as if my heart had calmed down at that moment.
Green Willow followed behind, panting, clutching her cloak and glancing around every now and then.
Meng Shilan had already discovered it, but she didn't expose it.
Gao Zhian stood guard halfway up the mountain, and Green Willow said she would give Meng Shilan a peach blossom jade pendant to wear around her waist.
He can just take out the jade pendant as soon as he sees it.
I didn't expect it to be so difficult to walk under this tree! By the time he crawled out, there was no one left.
His hair bun was also snagged by the tree branch.
After finally getting myself ready, I climbed up the corridor.
Gao Zhian spotted Green Willow at a glance, but Green Willow was looking at him with a strange expression.
What does this mean?
He had only taken a few steps forward when he saw Zhou Congxian standing with Meng Shilan not far ahead.
Zhou Congxian originally didn't want to come to Baima Temple, but his older sister Zhou Wanyan and younger sister Zhou Wanqing dragged him here.
He never expected to run into Meng Shilan here.
"Did you come alone?"
As far as he knew, she was more interested in counting money than appreciating flowers.
Meng Shilan glanced at him. "You only allow Prince Zhou to admire the flowers, but I'm not allowed to come and see them?"
Zhou Congxian touched his nose and saw that there was only one maid behind her. "Eldest sister and Wanqing brought some snacks. Would you like to go and have some?"
Meng Shilan glanced in the direction of the octagonal pavilion.
I then discovered that Zhou Wanyan and her husband, as well as Zhou Wanqing and her husband, were all there.
"Forget it, I don't know anyone here. I can neither write poetry nor paint, so why should I ruin the atmosphere?"
She gestured towards the direction of the White Horse Temple, saying, "Shuang'er is praying to the God of Wealth. I'll be going down the mountain soon too."
Zhou Congxian laughed, "I knew it. You clearly prefer silver."
Meng Shilan snorted softly, "So you knew."
“I was so short of money before, how come you never gave me any money on your own initiative?”
She caught a glimpse of Gao Zhian out of the corner of her eye, then smiled and looked at Zhou Congxian.
"It's never too late for the money to come, even if I don't need it right now."
“You are Fu’er and Pang Xi’s biological father, and I have never seen you contribute a single penny.”
Zhou Congxian was taken aback at first, then nodded vigorously, "Deliver it! Deliver it now!"
He tore off his purse and gave it to her, saying, "You can have as much as you want!"
“I also own shops…”
"Stop!" Meng Shilan glared at him.
"You couldn't bribe me in Ding County, so it's even less likely now."
Zhou Congxian smiled and said, "Back in Ding County, you said I would return to Beijing sooner or later, so it's impossible."
"But I'm back, and you're back too."
"Nothing is impossible; with enough effort, you can overcome any challenge."
Meng Shilan turned and left, saying, "Is that so? Then I'll see what kind of skills you have."
Gao Zhian watched the two turn around before hastily turning around himself.
Meng Shilan walked past him, and Zhou Congxian's eyes were full of her; he didn't even see Gao Zhian.
Gao Zhian climbed the mountain for nothing today and waited in the woods for a long time.
He gritted his teeth, and just as he turned his head, he saw Zhou Congxian return.
His expression froze instantly.
Zhou Congxian was surprised. "Brother Zhian? When did you arrive?"
He had been up here for almost half an hour, and he still hadn't seen Gao Zhian.
Gao Zhian's lips twitched slightly, "Just now..."
"Oh, I'm looking for something."
Zhou Congxian's gaze fell on the ground not far away, on the jade pendant that Meng Shilan had dropped.
He was stunned as soon as he picked it up; the jade pendant was exactly the same as the one on Gao Zhian's waist.
He held it in his palm and slightly tightened his grip.
With a "snap," the jade pendant broke in two.
Zhou Congxian calmly stood up and turned around to see the ambiguous smile in Gao Zhian's eyes.
At this moment, Meng Shilan also walked over, "Didn't find it?"
"Found it, it's just broken."
"Well, if it's broken, it's broken. Green Willow said to bring this along to fit the occasion."
Meng Shilan had an indifferent expression on her face.
Zhou Congxian glanced at the demure green willows behind him.
"I have a piece of fine Hetian jade here, I'll send it to you tomorrow."
Meng Shilan smiled and said, "Sure, it's worth it to exchange it for a piece of fine Hetian jade."
They were both men, and Gao Zhian could already see hostility in Zhou Congxian's eyes.
He had already noticed that there were two identical jade pendants.
Gao Zhian said, "Brother Congxian is quite generous. He spent a fortune at Yilan Courtyard a month ago, and now he's offering Hetian jade."
Zhou Congxian glanced at Meng Shilan subconsciously and found that her expression was completely calm, as if whatever he did had nothing to do with her.
"Of course I'm generous, Miss Meng knows that."
Meng Shilan, “…?” You’re so generous, what a load of crap.
"How should I know? You've asked the wrong person."
Gao Zhian was about to make a sarcastic remark when Zhou Congxian interrupted him.
"Hey, where is my sister-in-law?"
"Such a beautiful spring day, Brother Zhi'an, are you planning to enjoy it all by yourself?"
Zhou Congxian is now almost certain that Gao Zhian has ill intentions.
His eyes turned cold. "I heard that your wife hasn't been feeling well lately. Brother Zhi'an, you should drink less wine and women and spend more time with her."
After Gao Zhian fell from the high platform, no one in the mansion dared to provoke him.
But outsiders don't care about his opinion.
If you can't climb to the top by your own efforts, don't be afraid of what others say.
Gao Zhian's expression changed immediately upon hearing this.
His knuckles were being squeezed so hard they made a cracking sound.
Zhou Congxian raised his chin slightly. It wasn't that he looked down on Gao Zhian; he looked down on a man who could be knocked down with a single punch.
He spent so many years on the sidelines back then, what does all he has now amount to?
"Big brother?"
The people inside the octagonal pavilion noticed the two men's confrontation.
Gao Zhilin felt the man looked familiar, and when he came out, he found that it was indeed his older brother.
"Brother, didn't you say you were going to visit our mentor?"
In the morning, when Gao Zhilin and Zhou Wanqing went out, he asked casually without thinking.
Gao Zhian then said he wanted to visit his mentor.
Now, however, he appears at the White Horse Temple dressed in a glamorous and elegant manner.
Gao Zhian looked at his third brother and sister-in-law who had suddenly appeared.
"I came to Baima Temple to offer incense and just happened to be here."
He stumbled and then fabricated a reason.
Zhou Wanqing frowned and said, "Brother, last time Sister-in-law clearly said she wanted to come to Baima Temple to offer incense, but you said you didn't have time."
"Now that you're here, why didn't you bring your sister-in-law? She loves coming to Baima Temple to see the flowers."
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