Lady Song cleared her throat and said: "Since your eldest sister has pleaded for you, I will agree to this. Get your things ready tomorrow morning, and go directly to Qing Shui Temple."
Overjoyed, Song Ya Lan responded: "Thank you, Auntie!"
Before Song Ya Lan could finish, Lady Sun rushed in, overhearing what was said. She was shocked and incredulously asked, "Sending her to Qing Shui Temple!? Have you gone mad?!"
Lady Song innocently pointed at Song Ya Lan: "It was Lan Lan herself who asked for this. If I didn’t approve, it would seem as if I were being unreasonable."
Lady Sun glared fiercely at Song Ya Lan, her hand trembling in accusation: "What on earth are you up to?! Do you even know what kind of place the temple is?!"
Once sent there, it would be impossible to return for at least a year or two. Song Ya Lan was now fifteen, the perfect age for betrothal. If she were to reside in the ancestral temple and then return, her reputation would be ruined. She would miss the best opportunity for a good match, and her life would be over!
What was this foolish girl thinking?!
Lady Sun felt she was about to die of anger.
But Song Ya Lan was stubborn and said, "It was my request. I want to go to the temple for purification. Why are you always trying to stop me, Mother? Since Auntie agreed, there is nothing you can say."
"You!" Furious, Lady Sun was about to slap her.
Lady Song quickly stepped in to make peace: "Oh stop it now, how can you hit a young girl’s face so readily? What if you ruin her appearance? Let her have her wish if she insists on going. It would be uncomfortable for her to stay here against her will."
Lady Sun shot a hateful glance at Lady Song, feeling that her words sounded more like schadenfreude. Yet, there was nothing she could complain about. With her daughter’s obstinate look, she had to swallow her fury in the end.
——
"Madam, it seems that the person secretly aiding Song Ya Lan must be Yi Ling." Xiaoyu said.
Ji Xinhe, who was checking an account book, glanced up upon hearing this: "Hmm? Any news from the Song family?"
Xiaoyu nodded: "No more than half an hour had passed after Yi Ling entered the Song family when suddenly Song Ya Lan insisted on going to the temple for purification. She wanted to go to Qing Shui Temple in Lian’an Town, claiming that the Buddha’s statue there was particularly efficacious. Naturally, Lady Song was more than happy to send her away. Lady Sun tried to protest, but she could not prevail. It was Song Ya Lan’s insistence after all, and Lady Song eventually gave her consent, leaving Lady Sun no ground to complain."
Ji Xinhe laughed coldly: "Purification? She’s just looking for an excuse to go to Lian’an Town, isn’t she?"
Xiaoyu thought to herself: Isn’t her lover...you, Madam?
But she said with a straight face: "This plan was definitely conjured by Yi Ling. She’s Song Ya Lan’s advisor and gave her an opportunity to leave the Song family and escape to Lian’an Town. It seems Song Ya Lan is quite desperate to be near her lover. She is willing to undergo hardship in a temple, as long as it means being closer to him and seeing him more frequently."
Like Xiaoyu, Shulan also referred to him as the ’lover’, because neither of them dared to utter his real name.
Ji Xinhe lifted an eyebrow at her, her lips curled into a mocking smile: "Do you really think Yi Ling told Song Ya Lan to practice austerity in Lian’an Town’s temple just so she can be closer to her lover?"
"What else could it be?"
"Given Song Ya Lan’s aversion to suffering and feeling wronged, do you really think she could bear the hardship of temple life for a man? She must have received a promise from Yi Ling. What can Yi Ling promise her? Nothing else but marrying into the Mu family as quickly as possible to take over my position as Lady Mu!"
Xiaoyu’s expression turned grave: "She’s indeed harboring ill intentions."
"She has more than just ill intentions. Perhaps she also has the most malicious mind." sneered Xinhe:
"With her intelligence, how could she fail to see that Song Ya Lan’s lover is clearly stringing her along? Yet she insisted on leading Song Ya Lan to Lian’an Town. She didn’t just aim for Song Ya Lan to meet her lover, possibly even marrying him. She wanted to use this incident to stimulate me. She must have already pictured me in a miserable state in her mind, given my six months of pregnancy."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu’s expression turned solemn: "Her cleverness will be her downfall. As always, she is overly confident and can’t beat you."
Shulan added: "If she knew that everything now is part of your grand scheme, and that she, however intelligent she thinks she is, is nothing more than a pawn on your chessboard, she would die of rage."
Shulan felt delighted just thinking about it.
Ji Xinhe laughed lightly: "It’s good that Song Ya Lan is coming. I was afraid she wouldn’t."
Shulan cautiously said: "Madam, after Song Ya Lan arrives, the first thing she’ll definitely want to do is see... um... her lover. Who should meet her then?"
Let her husband meet her? Is that seeking death?
Let the madam meet her? Has she gone mad?
Could it be... they’re going to let Xiaochaihu meet her?
In a moment, Shulan had conjured up quite the dramatic scenario, and she became anxious.
Ji Xinhe looked at her coldly: "Clear out the nonsense in your head!"
She could tell from her look that she hadn’t thought about anything good.
Quickly shaking her head, Shulan protested: "I honestly didn’t think of asking Xiaochaihu to go!"
Xiaoyu: "······"
Ji Xinhe rubbed her temple. How did she end up with such a naïve maid by her side? Was it to constantly remind herself to stay innocent?
Feeling wronged, Shulan touched her nose and stood quietly on one side.
Ji Xinhe finally said, "There’s no need to meet."
"Huh?" Shulan was chagrined.
Xiaoyu, on the other hand, nodded with a smile: "True. Madam, you just want to keep Song Ya Lan hanging, there’s no need to meet her. By not meeting her, you will keep her in greater suspense and place more pressure on her. Only when she has nowhere else to turn to, will she make a rash move."
Ji Xinhe laughed softly: "Originally, I hadn’t decided how to continue this game. But now that I know the person advising Song Ya Lan is Yi Ling, I have a few thoughts."
Indignant, Shulan said: "Madam, you warned her early on. Yet Yi Ling stubbornly sought her own destruction. It’s time she got what she deserves!"
With a profound look in her eyes, Ji Xinhe lightly tapped a slender finger on the desk. A chilling glint appeared on her icy face: "Is she helping Song Ya Lan so she can gain the support of the Song family? Well, let’s see whether Song Ya Lan will be her savior, or her worst nightmare."
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