Zhaoming Temple was located on East Tianmu Mountain, with Mituo Village at the mountain’s base.

Yu Tang, Ma Xiuniang, and Young Master Zhang had agreed to meet here, then pretend to encounter each other by chance and go to Zhaoming Temple together.

Ma Xiuniang and Young Master Zhang arrived before Yu Tang.

When Yu Tang got out of her sedan chair, she apologized profusely.

Ma Xiuniang had brought her maid Xique. Smiling, she pursed her lips and took Yu Tang’s arm, laughing, “We didn’t arrive much earlier than you either.” Then she asked Yu Tang, “Have you had breakfast? Did you bring any snacks or tea?” After speaking, she glanced at the panting A’Tiao.

To reach Zhaoming Temple, one had to climb half the mountain, and the road was quite far. Whether out of the belief that sincere devotion required walking, or because sedan chairs up the mountain were too expensive, people typically got out at the mountain’s base and walked the rest of the way.

A’Tiao quickly patted the bundle on her back and said, “Miss Ma, rest assured, Chen Pozi prepared everything for us yesterday.” She then stepped forward to bow to Young Master Zhang.

Young Master Zhang nodded.

Yu Tang looked at him curiously with a quick glance.

He was eighteen or nineteen years old, with delicate and fair features, tall and thin, appearing to be a very gentle person.

Given that his family’s circumstances were not particularly good, yet he had already passed the child student examination at this age, his diligence and aptitude were clearly both excellent.

Yu Tang liked intelligent people.

Young Master Zhang had brought a young servant and let Ma Xiuniang and Yu Tang walk ahead.

Yu Tang nudged Ma Xiuniang and teased her in a low voice, “Brother-in-law looks quite good! Uncle has chosen a fine match for Sister.”

Ma Xiuniang’s face flushed bright red, yet she didn’t even say a single polite word.

Clearly she was extremely satisfied with this match.

Yu Tang then asked, “What is brother-in-law’s name?”

Ma Xiuniang said in a low voice, “His single name is Hui. He hasn’t taken a courtesy name yet.”

Zhang Hui?

She wondered when he had passed the scholar examination in her previous life?

Yu Tang once again lamented how oblivious she had been in her past life.

Perhaps because many people traveled this route, the mountain path to Zhaoming Temple, though winding, was quite smooth. Since it wasn’t a lecture day or incense festival, there weren’t many people going to offer incense, and those who did were mostly elderly or middle-aged women. Young girls like them, with a young gentleman trailing far behind, were quite eye-catching. People who passed them would turn back for another look.

Although wearing a veiled hat, Ma Xiuniang was still terribly embarrassed and said to Yu Tang in a low voice, “We, we should agree on a place to meet Young Master Zhang separately, shouldn’t we?”

It was broad daylight—Ma Xiuniang had brought her maid, and he had brought his servant. Yu Tang thought about it and nodded with a smile.

Ma Xiuniang turned and spoke a few words to Xique, who went to relay the message to Zhang Hui with her hand covering her mouth in laughter.

Zhang Hui looked up at Ma Xiuniang several times and nodded very reluctantly, causing Yu Tang to laugh again.

Ma Xiuniang pinched Yu Tang and said coquettishly, “We’re doing all this for you. If people see through this, none of us will be able to show our faces!”

Yu Tang apologized profusely and teased, “Sister, rest assured. When you marry out, I’ll personally embroider a pair of mandarin duck pillows for your trousseau no matter what.”

“You wretched girl, still talking nonsense.”

Ma Xiuniang and Yu Tang chatted and laughed. Time passed quickly, and they arrived at Zhaoming Temple just as the sun was rising.

The two went to the Heavenly King Hall.

Yu Tang removed her veiled hat.

Ma Xiuniang exclaimed softly, “A’Tang, you look really beautiful today!”

Today Yu Tang wore a madder-red Hangzhou silk jacket embroidered with broken branch flowers, a white silver-striped standing collar narrow-sleeved shirt, and her jet-black hair styled in a flowing cloud bun. Near her temples, she had inserted at an angle a small golden-silver pearl-studded hairpin, which made her skin appear snow-white, her features like a painting—fresh and lovely.

She smiled slightly.

That Li Jun had said he fancied her appearance—she wanted to see just how much he truly liked her looks.

She had not only applied facial powder but also threaded her forehead and shaped her eyebrows.

She had come in full formal attire.

Ma Xiuniang sighed, “You should dress up more often normally.”

Perhaps because Chen Shi was a beauty herself, although Yu Tang often heard people praise her as pretty, those who praised her were mostly family relatives and friends or elderly neighbors. When standing beside her mother looking in the mirror, she never felt she was particularly beautiful and thought everyone was just being polite. Later, after marrying into the Li family and being coveted by Li Duan, she realized she might be prettier than many people. But by then she was already a widow, with rules governing her dress and appearance. Lin Shi viewed her as a thorn in her eye, and she had no intention of scandalizing society, so she dressed as simply and low-key as possible in daily life.

After her rebirth, some habits hadn’t changed yet, no wonder Ma Xiuniang was slightly stunned by her appearance.

The two offered incense and rested in the cloister room that received incense guests. A’Tiao went to find out exactly where Li Jun was.

Ma Xiuniang stared at Yu Tang’s face again and sighed, “You know, the more I look at you, the prettier I think you are. Especially your expressions when speaking and the way you look at me—it seems very different from before. But I see you’ve only changed your clothes and worn jewelry! Could it be that I didn’t spend enough time with you before?”

Perhaps because the experiences of her previous life were etched into her very bones, the current her was more decisive and bolder than her previous life’s self.

Yu Tang smiled, “You’re seeing me through the eyes of love. I wonder if you see brother-in-law the same way?”

“You scoundrel, I’m helping you and you’re making fun of me!”

The two began tussling again.

After a long while, Ma Xiuniang finally collapsed on the arhat couch with Yu Tang.

She said, “I think, with your looks, it’s only a matter of whether you agree to others, not whether others agree to you. If you find the Li family’s second young master acceptable, would you agree to this match?”

Ma Xiuniang had never seen Li Jun with her own eyes and didn’t know what he actually looked like.

Never!

Yu Tang almost blurted it out.

She reconsidered—if she rejected Li Jun outright under these circumstances, it would certainly seem strange. So she said, “Marrying someone isn’t just marrying him alone; it’s marrying into his whole family.”

“That’s true.” Ma Xiuniang thought for a moment and said, “If I had a mother-in-law like Madam Li, I’d be driven crazy too.”

The two exchanged smiles.

Ma Xiuniang finally stopped trying to persuade her.

Yu Tang asked about Ma Xiuniang’s marriage.

Ma Xiuniang told her that she and Young Master Zhang would marry in the second half of the year. She said Young Master Zhang’s family lacked someone to manage the household and wanted her to marry in sooner. “My mother is also straightforward by nature. She feels that if you don’t agree, then don’t agree, but once you’ve agreed, you’re family. The proper thing is to figure out how to live well together. Some things, as long as they’re generally acceptable, are fine.” After speaking, she quietly cautioned her, “My mother tells outsiders that our two families agreed to the match long ago, but we were still young, so it wasn’t formally proposed. This way people won’t say we got engaged and married in quick succession. If anyone asks you, don’t let it slip.”

“I know, I know!” Yu Tang envied Ma Xiuniang’s smooth marriage prospects a little.

She wondered whom she would marry?

Taking in a son-in-law sounded simple, but finding someone with upright character who was also intelligent was very difficult.

Yu Tang sighed inwardly.

A’Tiao returned to report, “The Li family’s second young master is wearing a bamboo-green Hangzhou silk robe, with a white jade bamboo joint hairpin, tied with a white belt from which hang two pouches—one water-green in a fragrance sachet style, one lake-green in an auspicious cloud style. He’s drinking tea with several schoolmates at Enlightenment Pine.”

Enlightenment Pine was next to the Scripture Repository on the east side of Zhaoming Temple—an ancient pine whose canopy spread like an umbrella, providing shade for several zhang. Many scholars from Lin’an liked to hold poetry gatherings, drink tea, and play chess there. The temple monks had set up stone tables and stools, bamboo mats and wooden couches under the tree for these scholars’ recreation.

Yu Tang asked, “How far is that from the Brush-Washing Spring where we’re meeting Young Master Zhang?”

Brush-Washing Spring was another interesting spot at Zhaoming Temple. It was located at a cliff face on the back mountain of Zhaoming Temple, where a small spring flowed from within the mountain. The spring water was clear and sweet. It was said that drinking the spring water could clear the eyes and refresh the spirit, making one intelligent in study. Many families in Lin’an, when they had children—especially boys—would come here to collect a cup of water for the child to drink, hoping it would make the child clever and bright. Even when people had headaches or fevers, they would come here to collect water to drink. Those who came to Zhaoming Temple to offer incense naturally had to drink a sip of the mountain spring water.

A’Tiao said cleverly, “I’ve already checked. If we exit here and go west, then turn north at Enlightenment Pine, there’s a gate to the back mountain of Zhaoming Temple. After exiting the gate and going east, there’s a path that leads directly to Brush-Washing Spring.”

In other words, they would have to make a circuit past Enlightenment Pine.

If there weren’t a gate there leading to the back mountain of Zhaoming Temple and they were discovered, could they claim they had lost their way?

Ma Xiuniang covered her face.

She was the one who had chosen where to meet Young Master Zhang.

Yu Tang laughed so hard she couldn’t straighten up and urged her, “Let’s go quickly, in case something else changes if we’re late.”

Ma Xiuniang, too embarrassed to be shy, said hastily, “Then let’s go quickly!”

Yu Tang adjusted her temples, put her veiled hat back on, and went with Ma Xiuniang to Enlightenment Pine.

Under Enlightenment Pine, seven or eight bamboo mats were spread out. Several young scholars sat cross-legged talking, with a dozen servants nearby—some fanning, some burning incense, some brewing tea… There were also people in twos and threes watching the excitement.

The incense guests of Zhaoming Temple seemed to have all gathered here.

Ma Xiuniang said nervously, “What do we do? Even if we walk past like this, they won’t notice us!”

Yu Tang sneered coldly.

Hadn’t Lin Shi said that Li Jun had taken a fancy to her?

Then he must recognize her and have a deep impression of her.

Ma Xiuniang said warily, “What are you going to do?”

According to their earlier plan, they just needed to walk past and attract Li Jun’s attention.

Yu Tang said, “Sister, you stay here. I’ll just pretend to watch the excitement and take a look.”

Ma Xiuniang said hesitantly, “Isn’t that improper?”

Yu Tang knew there was risk in this, which was why she couldn’t drag Ma Xiuniang into it.

She smiled, “It’s fine, trust me, nothing will go wrong.” After speaking, before Ma Xiuniang could react, she instructed Xique, “Watch over your young mistress,” and lifted her feet to walk toward Enlightenment Pine.

Ma Xiuniang wanted to call Yu Tang back, but didn’t expect Yu Tang to walk so swiftly. She was already a zhang away in an instant. Looking at the people around her, Ma Xiuniang could only swallow her call.

Although Yu Tang wasn’t tall, she had a slender waist and long legs, light footsteps, and graceful bearing. Before she even reached Enlightenment Pine, the group of half-grown boys under the tree pretending to be refined scholars all noticed her, each opening their eyes wide to look.

The noisy sounds under Enlightenment Pine gradually quieted.