The hexagram of Loss (损卦) is the lowest of the lowest.
Chapter 41 The Loss Hexagram (Lower-Lower-Lower Hexagram) - A Sacrifice
The air carried a lingering sense of heaviness, a feeling of lingering chill in the air. Although the matter seemed to have been resolved, everyone still felt uneasy.
After watching such a long show, not only Rong Yan, but everyone else was a bit exhausted.
Rong Yan's palms still felt a little sore; she had hit Fang's mother too hard earlier.
Grandmother coughed coldly, "Mama Fang, I think you're getting senile. Whatever your purpose was in framing Madam, do you know your crime?"
With tears streaming down her face, Madam Fang offered no rebuttal, saying, "This old servant knows her sins and voluntarily accepts punishment."
Xie Qisheng and Du Chunhong clapped their hands and laughed, a restrained laugh that dared not be too blatant.
"Considering that you are Daoheng's wet nurse and have served in the manor for many years, we will spare you the trouble of handing you over to the slave trader. You may leave today and return to where you came from."
After a few soft sobs, Madam Fang finally couldn't hold back and began to cry loudly in the hall. Madam Wang also sobbed. Xie Chengzhi, however, was quite heartless; his wet nurse was about to be driven away, and he didn't react at all.
He sighed softly, without offering any words of comfort to his mother or even saying goodbye to the Marquis, and turned to leave the house.
The Marquis snorted coldly, "Hmph, what a fine son and servant you've raised!"
"That's none of your business!"
The old lady had been listening all day, and her cries were still echoing. The Marquis was getting annoyed, seeing that he was about to argue with Madam Wang. He waved his hand and said, "Go back, everyone. Don't spread what happened today. After all, family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. Just announce to the outside world that Concubine Zhou ate something wrong, miscarried, and lost her life. Qishan, don't investigate the matter of the offspring. I'll decide."
Rong Yan knew that the old lady didn't want him to investigate in order to save face for him.
For some reason, now that the truth has come out, the Marquis and Lady Wang do not look good, and Lady Wang looks particularly preoccupied.
"Alright, everyone go down now, I'm tired."
“Mother, I want to have the musicians from the music bureau perform a memorial service for Zhou Shi and the child in her womb tomorrow, so that the servants won’t think that our Marquis’s mansion doesn’t know the rules.”
The Marquis still cared about his reputation; even though the dead fetus wasn't his child, he still had to hold a funeral for outsiders to see.
The old lady shook her head. "It's up to you. It's just a small matter. You can decide. I won't go. Also, instead of leaving the memorial service to outsiders, you should let Rong Yan handle it. It'll be more reassuring for family members to do it."
“Wang Lan, some things should be let go, and some things will only cause trouble if you keep them. It’s better to cut off your thoughts as soon as possible. This is for your own good and for the good of the Marquis’s mansion.”
Wang paused, her face turning deathly pale, and she nodded silently, her body trembling.
On his way back to his room, Rong Yan passed by the west wing and heard Qingzhu complaining, "Young Master, where did you get this? Your palms are all red, and look, your little finger is bruised... Oh, I'm sorry, I misspoke, please forgive me, Young Master."
"Take these medicines to the lady's maid and say that your grandmother sent them to her for applying to her hands."
Rong Yan immediately stopped in his tracks. He did know how to repay kindness, probably because she had saved Wang's reputation today.
She dared not move any further and stood there for a while. But then she noticed that Xie Chengzhi seemed to have something on his mind, so she didn't want to disturb him. She waited until he got up and left before she came out.
After a day of commotion, Rong Yan didn't even eat her afternoon meal. After washing up, she went to bed to rest.
She was exhausted these past few days. From the anxiety she felt when she entered the palace to taking care of Xie Chengzhi after his injury, it was a rare moment when she could relax. Normally, she could still think about decorating the Taoist temple, but this time, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
As dawn broke and the morning dew slowly descended, the servants of the Marquis's mansion gradually began to get busy.
Rong Yan was somewhat disappointed after having breakfast. Ever since Chef Gan was dismissed, she hadn't been able to find a decent meal at the Marquis's residence. Even when she personally went to the kitchen to provide guidance, the new chefs weren't as quick to learn as Chef Gan.
The Marquis sent someone early in the morning to say that Zhou Xiaoniang's funeral arrangements would be handled by her.
She thought for a moment and realized that it wouldn't be appropriate for her to ask for the Marquis's reward if she did it herself. It would be better to let her senior brother break through the hell, so that he could earn a fair and square reward.
Thinking of this, she smiled and sent someone to Hebai Temple to relay the matter.
For Taoist temples, breaking through hell is also a major manifestation of Taoist culture.
The fact that the Marquis's family was able to hand over the Broken Hell to Hebai Temple can be seen as a tacit recognition of their daughter-in-law's Taoist temple.
Within half a day, Ji Kong dressed neatly and brought people to the door.
The gatekeepers of the Marquis's mansion were not unfamiliar with Taoist priests, but they were still quite shocked when they saw Ji Kong.
Ji Kong arrived dressed in ceremonial robes, wearing a peach wood crown, a Tai Chi scarf tied in his hair, a yellow Taoist robe with a cross collar, and a small jade pendant on his waist. Despite the cold weather, he was wearing straw sandals.
His attire was both elegant and handsome, and even the maids passing by blushed slightly at the sight of him.
Since he was dressed in a very proper manner, the Taoist robe was a miniature version of it.
Ji Xin had helped ordinary people escape hell before, but this was the first time for such a distinguished family, so he was inevitably a little nervous.
Upon seeing Rong Yan, he dared not make small talk and appeared extremely solemn.
After he went inside, he looked around and whispered, "Senior brother, senior sister lives in such a nice house. I want to live here too."
Ji Kong chuckled softly and said half-jokingly, "When you grow up, you can marry into the family and take care of your senior sister. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
"Senior brother, you're talking nonsense! I'm marrying, not being married off!" Ji Xin shouted loudly, but then realized she had lost her composure and immediately stopped, putting on a cool and aloof demeanor.
"If you're not getting married, then you'd better learn some skills so that you can afford a nice house in the future."
The two were invited to the Marquis's courtyard. After the Marquis gave them some instructions, Ji Kong then took Ji Xin to Aunt Zhou's courtyard to perform a ritual.
The two's method of breaking through hell was very simple: they were wielding peach wood swords and slashing, while their hearts were dancing the dance of breaking through hell, and they were also solemnly chanting incantations.
Sending off the departed to the land of rebirth, letting go of past grievances, and moving on to a new life.
May the deceased rest in peace, and may the world find peace of mind.
It's less about helping the deceased and more about helping the living.
Ji Kong's eyes softened with compassion. He bowed to the slowly burning talisman basin, thus ending the ritual.
The Marquis gave the two men their payment in advance, and when Ji Xin looked at it, he was surprised to find that it amounted to more than one hundred taels of silver. He couldn't help but exclaim, "The Marquis's mansion is truly wealthy."
Yu Ling waited until the two finished their rituals before leading them to Qu Shen Courtyard.
A screen separated the three people. Still young and naive, they walked around the screen and happily reminisced with Rong Yan.
Ji Kong stood there, glanced at her house, and felt very comfortable with the atmosphere there, so he felt relieved.
"I've wanted to visit you for a long time, and I never expected to have this opportunity. Seeing that you're doing well at your home puts my mind at ease."
Rong Yan smiled from behind the screen. "Senior brother, why don't you recommend yourself to the Marquis? You're skilled in physiognomy. If you read his face, you might become his advisor. You'd have a bright future."
"You just love to joke around with me."
Ji Kong seemed to want to say something, but said nothing at all.
The group only stayed for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before they left.
As Ji Kong walked out of the courtyard, he turned around and saw Xie Chengzhi under the plum tree.
From a distance, Ji Kong immediately recognized him as the eldest son, but his expression turned sour the next moment.
His face—it was the face of someone who would die young.
When he tried to take a closer look, Xie Chengzhi glanced at him indifferently, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.
The funeral for Concubine Zhou ended simply and hastily. In the end, the Marquis did not allow Concubine Zhou's memorial plaque to be placed in the ancestral hall, nor could he even place the memorial tablets erected for her children.
Rong Yan knew this outcome from the start, but he didn't expect that the Lady Hou seemed determined to get a divorce. The government didn't dare to stamp her divorce letter, leaving them in a dilemma. The Marquis, however, declared that as long as Lady Wang dared to bring the divorce letter, he would immediately set her free.
This commotion led to Wang Shi moving to the old lady's courtyard as well. Rong Yan had thought that without the morning and evening greetings, she could quickly get on with the affairs of Hebai Temple, but the old lady said to her—
“Your mother-in-law is determined to leave, so let her rest for a while. Xiao Wangshi is not up to the task. Although Ning Ling is a direct descendant, she is not as steady as you. I feel more at ease leaving the inner quarters to you.”
Rong Yan: ...
Her words struck her like a bolt from the blue.
Rong Yan pondered how to refuse, but in fact, it would be best if the old lady could take back control of the household affairs. Firstly, it would be legitimate, and secondly, she would be very familiar with the job.
Perhaps it was because her gaze was too direct, but the old lady preemptively thwarted her thoughts: "I'm an old woman, don't treat me like this. Right now, it's all you young people who call the shots in the mansion. Wenjun, in the end, was after this power of managing the household affairs. Look how many tricks she played, and now you've gotten the better deal."
Rong Yan: ...
Regardless of whether Wenjun was truly doing it for the sake of managing the household, it would be a misconception to say that she benefited from it.
All she wanted was to leave the Taoist temple, open a proper dining hall, manage the temple well, and find a place to make a living. Returning to the Marquis's mansion, she only wanted to watch plays and gossip.
She had absolutely no desire to manage the household or support everyone in the mansion. What was the point?
She took a deep breath and smiled, "Grandma, you think too highly of me, I..."
"Yes, there's no one else in the mansion besides you. Your third aunt spends all her time either in the kitchen or reading ancient books. Your father-in-law's branch is the only one in the imperial clan. If it's not handed over to you, who else would it be handed over to?"
Facing the wise old lady, Rong Yan chuckled, "My sister comes from a better family and has received a better education than me. With her in charge, she will definitely be much better off than me."
It sounds simple, but the matter is actually quite complex.
Unexpectedly, Old Madam Xie immediately shook her head upon hearing this, "I don't think your sister can manage this. Don't say I didn't give her a chance. She's only been in charge for a few days, and Wen Shi is already controlling her in every way. She doesn't cherish this opportunity, so she can't blame others. She's more suited to be your assistant; she's too slow to think straight."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
