After worshipping the gods and Buddhas, the Empress remembered that Jiang Wan was imprisoned here, so she sent someone to summon her.
During this month, Madam Sheng submitted three memorials to plead for Jiang Wan's life. Since the Empress had no authority to grant her permission to return to the capital, she came to check on her to see if she was alright, and to reassure Madam Sheng.
The young monk said that Lady Jiang was not in the temple.
The Empress could only give some silver as a reward and tell the monks not to mistreat Jiang Wan.
The young monk hesitated for a moment, then accepted it.
After leaving Hanshan Temple, the Empress saw many people queuing up to receive soup before entering the city gate.
The woman who was administering the hot water did not reveal her true appearance, but the rabbit beside her looked quite familiar.
The Empress ordered Granny Gui to inquire, and it was indeed Jiang Wan.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am perfectly fine."
Jiang Wan smiled faintly, showing no resentment at being driven out of the city, and even personally served Granny Gui a bowl of soup to relieve the summer heat.
Granny Gui was already feeling thirsty, so she drank it all in one gulp.
It has a cool, slightly sweet taste with a faint herbal flavor.
Jiang Wan then said, "A plague is rampant among the people, and there are many people here. Please tell Your Highness to return to the palace as soon as possible."
Granny Gui was satisfied after quenching her thirst and seeing how well Jiang Wan handled things and spoke so kindly.
Back in the carriage, they couldn't help but speak well of her, saying that she had suffered an undeserved calamity, yet she was still able to give alms to the people, which was truly rare.
The old nanny was a shrewd person in the palace; how could she not see that Song Shuling was seeking revenge maliciously?
The Empress was perfectly aware of the situation.
However, she was favored by the emperor, and no one dared to object.
The Empress glanced through the curtain and saw that Jiang Wan was accompanied only by a little maid. She sighed and said, "After all, it is a good deed. We should transfer some people from the palace to help her."
Granny Gui was very efficient.
With the help of palace eunuchs and maids, Jiang Wan expanded her stall to five, which could accommodate more people.
Even the Song family army stationed outside the city gates would often send soldiers to collect soup.
Her good deeds were widely publicized in the capital.
Inside the general's mansion, Gu Yurong finally discovered something amiss.
"Even the Empress is helping her... Could it be Jiang Wan?"
The maid said, "She's locked up in a temple, how could she possibly cause any trouble?"
Gu Yurong, however, was still worried.
She had long advised Song Shuling to end Jiang Wan's life, intending to use someone else to do the dirty work, but Song Shuling was too arrogant and hesitated to take action.
What an idiot.
Jiang Wan is completely different from three years ago; she's a real handful now.
However, she didn't have the time to deal with Jiang Wan herself.
The reason was that many servants in the mansion had also contracted the plague, and even Zhou had developed a high fever. The imperial physician said that she was probably already infected.
A few days ago, she sent someone to deliver the bowls and plates that Zhou had used to Song Yu's room, but after waiting for several days, Song Yu was completely unharmed.
This is too weird!
Wasn't it said that the plague was very contagious?
As things continued to go wrong, Gu Yurong felt increasingly uneasy.
Looking at the empty house, I felt a surge of anger.
"Has the general not returned to the manor yet? Has he gone to see that sick horse again?"
Recently, Song Ziyu has been coming home later and later, always under the guise of treating horses.
His mother was ill, and he always used official business as an excuse to stay away from home. Instead, he served Zhou Shi day and night. If he was even a little late, he would be criticized for being unfilial to his mother-in-law.
Being the daughter-in-law of the Song family is really not easy.
Gu Yurong felt increasingly uneasy. What horse could be more important than Zhou Shi?
Could it be that Song Ziyu has been seduced by some vixen...?
"Get the car ready, I'm going to the veterinary clinic myself."
As she passed by the backyard, she saw Shen Ci teaching Song Lin how to do horse stance.
Although Song Ziyu was disappointed in Song Lin, he still hoped that he would succeed, so he asked Shen Ci to guide him in martial arts.
Shen Ci persisted every day without ever slacking off.
Gu Yurong narrowed her eyes.
Jiang Wan is a troublemaker; Song Shuling can't be relied upon, so she has to take matters into her own hands.
This guard, Shen Ci, is fairly loyal and can be put to use.
"Summon Shen Ci to see me," she said.
…
That night, at Hanshan Temple.
Jiang Wan was about to go to sleep when Biluo suddenly knocked on the door twice, saying that Shen Ci had arrived.
Shen Ci explained his purpose in a few words, which enraged Bi Luo.
"First, she bribed monks to mistreat the lady, and now she's sending people to silence her. The lady is already in such a state, yet she still wants to kill her completely."
Song Shuling and her companion spent a considerable amount of money, hoping that Jiang Wan would suffer greatly in the temple.
However, the abbot of Hanshan Temple and Linglong Pavilion had known each other for a long time.
Shi Xu only sent a letter, and Jiang Wan was treated with great courtesy at the temple. Although her food, clothing, and daily necessities were simple, everything was excellent.
In addition, the clear skies and waters of the outskirts of Beijing meant that Jiang Wan not only did not become thin and haggard, but her complexion became even more rosy.
"She's been patient enough to endure this long."
Jiang Wan was not surprised by this and said to Shen Ci.
"Just deal with her casually; she might not care about me for long."
Judging by the timeline, Aru and Song Ziyu had already gotten in touch long ago.
Song Ziyu was not a lecherous man, otherwise he would not have favored Gu Yurong alone all these years.
But Aru is a courtesan, and she has her own methods for dealing with men.
Jiang Wan only needs to wait and watch the show.
Just then, someone knocked on the door again, and someone shouted something through the door.
Biluo opened its door, revealing the passage of time.
Shen Ci was about to take his leave when he bumped into someone.
He frowned.
Just now, he seemed to hear this person call out "Sect Master..."
Seemingly realizing someone was in the room, the person quickly fell silent; he hadn't heard very clearly.
Shen Ci shook his head, not taking it to heart.
He had his own purposes in the general's mansion, and even if Jiang Wan had secrets, it wasn't his concern.
Only after Shen Ci left did Shi Xu breathe a sigh of relief.
"I was unaware that you had guests, Master. I apologize for my intrusion."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com