章 16: Chapter 16 Super Shura Field
Yong'an Marquis Mansion, Linglong Pavilion.
It has been cloudy and rainy in the capital these past few days, and it is difficult to see any clear sky.
Liu's headache was particularly severe. She rested her hand on her forehead, leaning on the bed with a listless look. She weakly urged the attendant, Mrs. Li, to "Go and see if the nun we invited to Qinglian Temple a few days ago has entered the mansion."
Mrs. Li replied respectfully, "Yes, I will go and help the mistress check it out right away."
In their daily lives, many women in the capital's inner chambers inevitably come into contact with the so-called "gossip girls and six grandmas".
Especially among the three aunts, the nun, the Taoist nun and the fortune-teller, they often went in and out of the backyard and had frequent interactions with the women in the mansion.
These nuns usually have extremely keen insights and understand the thoughts of these women best. Whenever they enter the back house, in addition to chanting scriptures and preaching Buddhism for these women, they will also chat with them about recent troubles with extremely superb rhetoric.
Therefore, although these nuns look ordinary, in fact, each of them is extraordinary.
They hold many secrets about the harems of aristocratic families, so all the noble families with a clean family tradition will prohibit their women from having any contact with these nuns from the market.
Although Liu was the legal wife, she was never favored by Shen Hongliang. Before Shen Yu's mother, Xiao Tang, passed away, Shen Hongliang favored Xiao Tang the most. He stayed in the courtyard of the mother and daughter almost every day and only came to Liu's courtyard once every few months.
But after little Tang passed away, Shen Hongliang took a merchant girl who was about the same age as Shen Yuan as a concubine into the Marquis's Mansion. Now he dotes on this fifth concubine the most.
Shen Hongliang's attitude towards Liu was that as long as she could manage the internal affairs of the Marquis' Mansion and not frame his concubines and illegitimate sons and daughters, it would be enough.
Shen Hongliang turned a blind eye to the fact that Liu always came to the mansion to invite a nun, and never asked too many questions.
Occasionally, he would just give Liu a few words of advice, asking her not to talk nonsense with the nuns and not to say things that should not be said.
Liu's headache was so severe that while waiting for the nun to come, she even knocked over the tea brought to her by the maid.
Linglongxuan's maid was naturally frightened by her mistress's incredible anger. She didn't even dare to breathe, and just silently picked up the broken porcelain on the ground.
At this time, Master Jingchen from Qinglian Temple finally entered Linglongxuan with Mrs. Li.
When Liu saw Master Jingchen coming, she also forced herself to stay awake and sat up from the Arhat bed.
She had some respect for the abbots and nuns of these Buddhist temples and monasteries, and was very polite to Master Jingchen.
After Liu exchanged a few pleasantries with Master Jingchen, she told Master Jingchen about her recent suffering in a weak voice: "I don't know what happened recently. My headache has been particularly severe. The medicine prescribed by the doctor is of no use at all. It is getting worse day by day... Alas, Master Jingchen must read some scriptures for me to help me eliminate my karma."
Nun Jingchen looked to be just over 40 years old. She had a kind look on her face. After raising her hand to greet her, she asked Liu, "Since you mentioned karma, do you know what you have done recently to cause yourself to have these karmas?"
When Mrs. Li heard this, she became a little unhappy.
This Master Jingchen looks quite kind and gentle, but she is not polite at all when she speaks. She even comes up and asks what sin the mistress of the Marquis's Mansion has committed. She really doesn't know the rules.
So Mrs. Li scolded Jingchen a few times and said, "Master Jingchen, our mistress invited you here and spent so much money on incense offerings, not to let you come to the Marquis's mansion to ask around, you just need to recite your scriptures."
After hearing this, Master Jingchen remained calm and composed, and did not show any anger at all because of Mrs. Li's rude words.
Liu glanced at Li Pozi and scolded her, "Don't be rude to the nun!"
Mrs. Li had no choice but to shut up in disappointment.
Liu always boasted that although she was not a kind person, she had not done anything evil that violated the laws of nature, so she asked Jingchen: "This... I really can't remember what I have done recently... Can you tell me what I have done to deepen my karma?"
Nun Jingchen nodded slightly, and then replied in a deep voice: "There are many things that can increase a person's karma, such as killing, raping, robbing, stealing other people's property, and greed for ill-gotten gains... Once you commit the above-mentioned things, your karma will inevitably increase, and you will be plagued by illness and will not recover."
After hearing this, Liu's face turned even paler, but she gradually understood what was going on.
The dowry prepared by Tang Wenbin, a salt merchant from Yangzhou, for Shen Yuan was quite generous. As soon as Shen Yuan entered the capital, Liu felt that as Shen Yuan's nominal mother, she had the right to help her stepdaughter manage the dowry.
Ever since Shen Yuan was divorced by Marquis Kangping Lu Chen, the dowry was left in the marquis's mansion. She thought that Shen Yuan was already past the marriageable age for girls from aristocratic families, and since she was divorced by Marquis Kangping Lu Chen, it would be difficult for the aristocratic families in the capital to come to the mansion to propose marriage again, so she decided to withhold Shen Yuan's dowry.
Now it seems that she can't keep a single cent of Shen Yuan's dowry!
Thinking of this, Liu showed a bit of anxiety on her face, and immediately ordered Li Pozi: "Go and call the eldest daughter over, and then take her to the storehouse quickly, and let her go to the dowry that her uncle Tang prepared for her. Pack it all up before tonight, and don't let any of her things be in my yard. Return everything to its original owner and move it back to her yard!"
Mrs. Li looked hesitant, but seeing Liu's firm attitude, she still responded with a "yes".
Master Jingchen lowered her eyebrows slightly, but after hearing these words, a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
Just as Mrs. Li was about to step out of Linglong Pavilion, Mrs. Liu called her back, "Wait, get some more from the storehouse..."
Liu thought that she had to atone for her bad karma. Since she had withheld Shen Yuan's dowry, she had to give her some more money when she returned it.
How about just taking five hundred taels?
As soon as this thought came to her mind, Liu quickly dismissed it.
Five hundred taels was indeed too much. Although the dowry she prepared for Han Jie'er exceeded this amount by dozens of times, Shen Yuan was not her biological child after all.
Five hundred taels is still too much.
But if it was fifty taels, it would inevitably make her, the stepmother, seem too stingy.
After thinking for a moment, Liu finally spoke to Li Pozi again, "Get another 100 taels of silver from the storehouse for the eldest daughter, as a dowry from her as her stepmother."
——
The drizzle did not dispel the sultry summer heat.
Although Shen Yuan looked calm and composed, her right hand, which was holding the cup of tea, was trembling slightly, and the clear tea in it almost spilled out. Bi Wu knew that she was having a heart attack again.
Bi Wu felt sorry for her mistress, so she consoled her with concern: "Miss, since it is raining today, why don't you go back to bed and lie down for a while? You can't keep holding on like this."
Shen Yuan shook his head and replied softly, "It's okay, just hold on for a while."
The rain today was not heavy, and her heart was just a little palpitating. Compared with the unbearable pain during the heavy rain, these were indeed just minor illnesses.
Liu returned all her dowry to her, and even gave her an extra 100 taels of silver for the first time. Those few simple words from Master Jingchen really played a huge role.
Before Master Jingchen left the house, Shen Yuan met with her secretly.
She wanted to give the 100 taels of silver to Jingchen, but Jingchen did not want to accept it, so Shen Yuan had to explain to Master Jingchen that the money could be used to renovate Qinglian Temple and make new robes for the nuns in the temple.
Master Jingchen hesitated for a while, and finally accepted the one hundred taels of silver from Shen Yuan.
After Liu returned Shen Yuan's dowry to her, she immediately exchanged all of it for silver notes, and now she has about 8,000 taels of silver in her hands.
After acquiring the Plum Blossom Academy in Yangzhou, half of the money would be left.
Shen Yuan had to use the remaining four thousand taels of silver for other purposes.
After she returned to Yangzhou, she had to make a personal trip to Xiao Qinhuai, a place full of romantic affairs.
She wanted to use the silver to redeem a person.
Even after she married Lu Chen in her previous life, she always had the idea of redeeming that man, but once she entered the Kangping Marquis's Mansion, she was unable to do so.
The former mother-in-law, Mrs. Lu, was also a mean person. After she entered the mansion, she had been using her dowry to cover the daily expenses of the Bo Mansion. Sometimes Shen Yu's monthly salary was not enough to spend, so he had to withdraw money from her.
Shen Yuan knew that no matter how much money he had, it was limited after all, not to mention that the Bo Mansion did not own that many properties, so he always adhered to the creed of diligence and thrift.
But Lu was the legitimate daughter of the former prefect of Yingtian Prefecture and a native of the capital. She led an extravagant life on weekdays, so he looked down on her housekeeping style.
It is also often said that women raised by salt merchants are petty-minded.
But what she didn't know was that the wealth of the Yangzhou salt merchants was no less than that of the top noble families in the capital. In fact, the reason why Shen Hongliang married her mother Tang was because of the Tang family's strong financial resources.
Although life was difficult, Shen Yuan never forgot the agreement with that person and always wanted to redeem her. However, in her previous life, she did not have the chance to return to Yangzhou and died in the farm at the age of 20.
Now that she has a new life, she doesn't have to marry into the Kangping Marquis's mansion.
I no longer have to use my dowry to add to the bottomless pit of my mother-in-law's family, which is really a relief.
As he thought of this, the drizzle stopped for a moment and Shen Yuan's palpitations disappeared immediately.
When Bi Wu saw the smile on Shen Yuan's face, she knew that her heart disease had temporarily improved, and her expression was a little more relaxed , so she joked: "If the eldest master knew that the young lady was going back to Yangzhou, I'm afraid he would be so happy that he couldn't sleep for several days."
When Shen Yuan heard the word "young master", his expression became a little serious, and he immediately told Bi Wu: "My uncle sent a letter to the capital a while ago, saying that my cousin is now in seclusion preparing for the imperial examination. In order to avoid distraction, he didn't even leave the gatehouse and moved to the outskirts of Yangzhou to concentrate on preparing for the exam. So you must not let him know that I'm going back."
Bi Wu stuck out her tongue and continued, "Miss, in fact, I still think that it would be the best if you could marry the young master. Although the young master is a little stupid, he is very kind to you. To put it bluntly, the young master is willing to sacrifice his life for you... It's all because of the marquis that he insisted on letting you come to Beijing from Yangzhou, otherwise you would be..."
Before Bi Wu finished speaking, she saw Shen Yuan glaring at her.
She fell silent immediately.
After Shen Yuan withdrew his gaze, he took a sip of tea, but his mind became more rational and clear.
She knew that her cousin Tang Yulin was very good to her, and she had thought about it before, maybe she would marry him and live a simple life.
But she had been raised with Tang Yulin since she was a child, and the two could be said to be childhood sweethearts . After so many years, she still did not have any feelings for him as a woman would for a man. She only regarded Tang Yulin as a brother.
If nineteen years of effort didn't make her fall in love with Tang Yulin.
Then after marriage, it would be difficult for her to have any feelings of love for him.
After experiencing the failed marriage in her previous life, Shen Yuan figured out one thing: if she really didn't like Tang Yulin, then she shouldn't marry him.
Otherwise, this marriage would be extremely unfair to Tang Yulin.
And she herself didn't want to force herself to marry someone and manage a marriage she didn't like.
——
The Mansion of the Duke of Zhenguo, Qisong Pavilion.
After Lu Zhiyun returned home, he has been concentrating on writing official documents at his desk.
The candlestick on the desk was brightly lit, and a black gauze hat with wide wings was placed beside it. After the man came home from court, he went straight to Qisong Pavilion, and he didn't even have time to change from his straight red official uniform into casual clothes.
While serving tea to Lu Zhiyun, Jiang Feng said respectfully to him, "Master, Miss Shen asked Brother Liao to send you something. Brother Liao was afraid of you and didn't dare to deliver it in person, so he asked his subordinate to pass it on."
After he finished speaking, Lu Zhiyun put down the pen in his hand.
The man's eyebrows were deep, and he whispered, "Bring it here."
Jiang Feng carefully placed the exquisitely carved pear wood box next to Lu Zhiyun's hand. He did not think much about Shen Yuan's sudden intention to give Lu Zhiyun a gift. He just thought that Shen Yuan had some girlish thoughts and wanted to show her kindness to their master again.
He saw Lu Zhiyun opened the wooden box with an indifferent expression.
But after a while, the man's pair of cold and majestic eyes suddenly darkened a little.
"Master...Master..."
Jiang Feng took a glance at the things in the box and saw that they contained the deeds and titles of the three shops.
Shen Yuan actually returned the shop that Lu Zhiyun had given her intact!
She also carefully prepared three account books, in which each account was clearly written, and she also converted the profits of the month into silver bills and placed them in them.
After all, she was raised by a salt merchant, so she really knows how to run a shop. Every account is kept clear and organized, and you can tell at first glance that she is someone who will not make mistakes.
But this... this means to sever ties with their master!
Jiang Feng couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.
It was also obvious that the aura emanating from Lu Zhiyun was noticeably gloomier.
After all, Lu Zhiyun had been in the officialdom for many years, so he was not easily angered. He placed the box on the table with an unfathomable look in his eyes, and his voice sounded much colder than usual: "Have you found out everything I asked you to find out?"
Jiang Feng thought, of course he found out everything.
But if they said it now, they were afraid that their master would be even more angry.
There was a sound of "thump".
Lu Zhiyun tapped the desk with his fingers, hiding the sinister look between his eyebrows, and ordered again: "Speak."
Jiang Feng was forced to remain calm under Lu Zhiyun's strong and cold aura and replied, "Prince Ying has been talking to the servants in the mansion these days, saying... that Miss Shen will become his princess sooner or later..."
He raised his eyes and glanced at Lu Zhiyun, and saw that although his expression was gloomy, it was not so scary as to make people tremble with fear.
Therefore, Jiang Feng said, "Mr. Kangping...Mr. Kangping Lu Chen has been discussing with his mother these days that he wants to go to the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion to propose marriage again. After he was smashed by the memorial archway, he seems to be extremely regretful for canceling the marriage with the eldest daughter of the Shen family. He has been thinking about marrying Miss Shen again."
After he finished speaking, Lu Zhiyun didn't say anything, but raised his eyes and glanced at him.
Jiang Feng calmed himself down, and after thinking for a moment, he finally asked in a probing tone: "And... and..."
Lu Zhiyun fiddled with the jade ring on his thumb and asked coldly, "Anything else?"
——"In addition to Prince Ying and Earl Kangping, there is another person...who also wants to marry Miss Shen."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Feng saw Lu Zhiyun standing up from the armchair. His tall and straight figure was cast on the desk under the flickering candlelight.
Jiang Feng blinked.
I thought to myself, this is a serious matter.
This time, their master seemed to be really angry.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became oppressive and cramped.
Although Lu Zhiyun's aura still seemed calm, it also revealed a bit of coldness and harshness that kept people at a distance.
The jade ring on his thumb also seemed to be shining with a cold and sharp light.
The man's voice was extremely cold and deep. He asked, "Who is that person?"
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