Song Mo was unaware that his notorious reputation made He Yu and Wang Qinghuai cautious. He slowly walked out of Qianfo Temple Alley, bidding farewell to Wei Tingyu in front of the temple.
Wei Tingyu had regained his composure from the initial shock.
He felt deeply grateful to Song Mo but was also very frustrated. He asked, “Why did Ji Jianming do this?”
Husbands and wives are one. Ji Yong was Dou Zhao’s cousin; tarnishing his reputation brought no benefit to Dou Zhao, the Dou family, or even to Ji Yong himself.
There were too many things to ponder in this situation.
Wei Tingyu was not foolish; he simply didn’t have many thoughts about people and events.
After a moment of silence, Song Mo replied softly, “I don’t know either!”
His tone was filled with melancholy.
Wei Tingyu’s expression darkened.
If even Song Mo didn’t know what to do… what should he do?
He couldn’t help but scratch his head.
If Ji Yong spread this incident, his mother would surely be furious, and it might even kill her.
And his sister… she despised such messy affairs the most.
Thinking of this, he felt a surge of anxiety and wanted to see his sister quickly to get her advice.
As Wei Tingyu watched Song Mo and Gu Yu’s carriage disappear into the crowd, he immediately took a carriage to Duke of Jing’s residence.
Wei Tingzhen was not at home.
She had gone to Daxiangguo Temple.
The temple was bustling with people; in addition to the faithful attending the sermon, there were vendors selling incense, candles, and snacks.
With the help of her guards, Wei Tingzhen finally squeezed her way inside.
The spacious side hall was already filled with seven or eight tables of people, mostly noblewomen adorned with jewelry.
Her sister-in-law, the eldest lady of Duke of Jing’s residence, Lady Zhang, occupied a front-row seat, and her maid stood beside her, looking around. Upon seeing Wei Tingzhen enter, she leaned down to whisper a few words to Lady Zhang. Lady Zhang stood up, nodded at Wei Tingzhen, and sent her maid to invite Wei Tingzhen to sit.
Wei Tingzhen nodded but didn’t rush over. Instead, she greeted some familiar women while surveying the others in the side hall.
Before long, she spotted Wang Yingxue chatting with another woman in the southern part of the hall.
Wei Tingzhen sighed in relief and then followed the maid to Lady Zhang.
“Why did you arrive so late, sister-in-law?” Lady Zhang smiled. “I just ran into the matriarch of the Changxing Marquis’s residence. If it weren’t for the Yunyang Marquis’s wife inviting her over, I would have lost this seat.”
The matriarch of the Changxing Marquis’s residence was just over forty, not very old, but her husband had died early. After her eldest son inherited the title, he became quite influential and favored by the emperor, and she had a son who married a princess, making her family highly regarded in the capital.
Wei Tingzhen thanked her with a smile and began discussing the affairs of the Changxing Marquis’s family: “Hasn’t their sixteenth young lady reached the age for marriage yet?”
Lady Zhang smiled, then glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention to them. She leaned in to whisper to Wei Tingzhen, “The Duke of Ying wants to arrange a marriage with their family…”
Wei Tingzhen was somewhat surprised but felt it was reasonable since both families were of equal status. Moreover, with Wei Tingyu’s involvement in the canal dredging thanks to Song Mo’s support, she felt a close connection to Duke of Ying’s residence and was naturally concerned about their affairs. “Hasn’t Duke of Ying’s heir finished mourning yet? Isn’t it a bit early to propose? Besides, the sixteenth young lady seems to be older than Duke of Ying’s heir…”
“Where are you thinking?” Lady Zhang chuckled softly. “It’s Duke of Ying who wants to marry the sixteenth young lady of the Shi family!”
Wei Tingzhen was taken aback. “So, they are going to be engaged?”
Although Duke of Ying was much older than the sixteenth young lady, he was a legitimate duke with a voice before the emperor, making him a suitable match.
“How could that be?” Lady Zhang whispered. “The Duke of Ying’s heir, what kind of person is he? He can kill without blinking! If the Shi family marries their daughter over, and she has a daughter, she’ll have no support. If she has a son, it will depend on whether Duke of Ying’s heir is pleased. One misstep, and they might offend him. How could the Shi family take such a risk? The sixteenth young lady is the youngest daughter of the Changxing Marquis’s matriarch; she wouldn’t want her daughter to suffer such a fate!
The Shi family politely declined Duke of Ying’s proposal. So, the matriarch of the Changxing Marquis’s residence is quite troubled; marrying her daughter high means few families can compare to Duke of Ying’s or the Changxing Marquis’s. Marrying her daughter low, with Duke of Ying seeking a marriage, who would be a good match? From what I heard from the Yunyang Marquis’s wife, the Shi family originally wanted to marry their daughter to Duke of Ying’s heir. What a twist of fate…”
Wei Tingzhen thought of Wei Tingyu.
If it weren’t for the engagement with the Dou family, the Wei family might have had the opportunity to form a union with the Shi family!
She sighed softly.
The urgent matter was to dissolve the engagement between the Wei and Dou families. Once that was done, what kind of noble young lady couldn’t they marry?
Wei Tingyu was somewhat distracted as he chatted with Lady Zhang about trivial matters.
The side hall suddenly rang with the clear sound of bells and chimes.
Everyone quieted down.
The abbot of Daxiangguo Temple, clad in a bright red robe, entered with a radiant expression.
“Thank you, benefactors, for coming to Daxiangguo Temple to listen to the teachings of Buddhism.” After a few opening remarks, the abbot began to vividly recount stories from the sutras about kindness and goodwill.
Everyone listened attentively.
Half an hour later, the first session of the teachings concluded.
The abbot sat down to drink tea as he had in previous years.
Some women gathered around to speak with him, while others took the opportunity to visit the restroom or whisper to those nearby.
Wei Tingzhen greeted Wang Yingxue, who was sitting in the southern part of the hall, from a distance: “…I didn’t expect to run into you here, dear sister-in-law!”
Several women in the side hall perked up their ears to listen.
Wang Yingxue nodded, then glanced at an elderly woman beside her, dressed plainly with graying hair, and smiled, “I came with my mother to listen to the teachings.”
So, they indeed invited Lady Wang Xu to come!
Wei Tingzhen felt relieved and approached Lady Wang Xu with a beaming smile to pay her respects.
Lady Wang Xu chuckled, taking on a matronly demeanor as she held Wei Tingzhen’s hand and exchanged a few words, then urged her to visit their home often.
Wang Yingxue then introduced another woman beside her to Wei Tingzhen: “This is our Fifth Madam.”
The wife of Dou Shishu, Madam Fan?
Wei Tingzhen focused her gaze and realized it was the woman who had just spoken with Wang Yingxue.
She couldn’t help but smile broadly.
This Wang family truly knew how to handle matters!
Although they couldn’t get Madam Fan to help with this double act, bringing her into the fold was still quite a clever move.
No wonder she was able to be elevated to her current status.
Wei Tingzhen hurriedly smiled and bowed to Madam Fan.
This scene of recognition immediately attracted the attention of many.
This was precisely what Wei Tingzhen wanted, and her smile grew even brighter.
Madam Fan returned the courtesy, warmly yet graciously greeting Wei Tingzhen and introducing her to those around her: “This is the wife of the Prime Minister, Madam Liang; this is the wife of the Minister of Personnel, Madam Lin; this is the wife of the Minister of Justice, Madam Wang…”
The Prime Minister?
So, that would be Madam Liang Jifang!
Wei Tingzhen was surprised to see Madam Liang showing such respect to Madam Fan, warmly greeting her.
She couldn’t help but marvel internally; women like Madam Fan mingled with high-ranking officials, truly embodying the demeanor of a prominent family!
If only Dou Zhao were Dou Shishu’s daughter.
She chatted cheerfully with the women for a while, then gradually shifted the conversation back to Lady Wang Xu, as they had previously discussed: “What brings you to Daxiangguo Temple today? I visited my sister-in-law a few days ago and heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you feeling better now? What was wrong? Do you need me to recommend a royal physician?”
“Thank you for your concern, dear sister-in-law. It’s just old age and the heat; some old ailments, nothing serious,” Lady Wang Xu modestly replied, then sighed, “To be honest, I came to Daxiangguo Temple not only to listen to the teachings but also to ask the abbot to bless an old item of mine.”
Everyone listened with curiosity.
Lady Wang Xu glanced at her daughter, who looked somewhat uncomfortable and quietly said, “Yingxue isn’t young anymore, yet she only has one daughter. A while ago, I took her father’s nameplate and asked a master from Longhu Mountain to help her with divination. The master said it was because someone in the family had a conflicting fate with her, and once that person married, everything would be fine. He even wrote a secret formula for Yingxue. But I’m still not at ease, so I wanted to ask the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple to bless Yingxue again; that way, it would surely be more reliable.”
Madam Fan’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
The only girl from the Dou family about to be married was Dou Zhao.
What did the Wang family mean by this?
Feeling alarmed, Madam Fan quickly smiled at Lady Wang Xu, “You rarely go out, and since you’re at Daxiangguo Temple for the Dharma assembly, it would be most auspicious to have the abbot bless you. While the abbot is resting, why don’t I accompany you to ask him?” As she spoke, her eyes flashed with a cold light as she glanced at Wang Yingxue, her warning evident, and she stood up to assist Lady Wang Xu toward the abbot.
However, Lady Wang Xu waved her hand, declining Madam Fan’s kind offer: “I’ve already made an appointment with the abbot.”
The other women nearby, upon hearing this, began to inquire about the secret formula for having children, leaving Madam Fan sidelined.
Madam Fan felt a surge of frustration.
Wang Yingxue, seemingly oblivious to Madam Fan’s warning, blushed and called out, “Mother,” smiling apologetically at Madam Lin and the others, “My mother is just trying to make the best of a bad situation. At my age, what’s the point of discussing having children? I just want to see my eldest daughter married off well and find a good husband for my second daughter; that would be enough for me.” She then playfully nudged her mother, whispering, “Can you please not interfere with this?”
Lady Wang Xu’s face immediately darkened, displeased as she said, “Doesn’t the master from Longhu Mountain have a point? She lost her birth mother when she was only two, and her grandfather passed away when she was nine. Just as she got engaged, her father-in-law suddenly fell ill and died. You and your husband are safe because you live far away in the capital…”
A woman sitting beside Lady Wang Xu, who had remained silent, suddenly exclaimed, “Could it be the fourth young lady of your household? If I remember correctly, your fourth young lady lost her birth mother when she was two and her grandfather at nine,” she said, looking at Wei Tingzhen, “Isn’t the one engaged to her your lady’s brother?”
Madam Fan nearly fainted.
Upon closer inspection, she recognized the woman as Madam Zheng An, the wife of the Minister of War, who had always been on good terms with the Wang family. It was clear that Madam Zheng was acting on the Wang family’s behalf, deliberately echoing Wang Yingxue’s words.