In September, the Fragrant Hills were lush with verdant trees. From afar, Ganlu Temple appeared to be floating amidst a sea of green waves.
At the foot of Fragrant Hills, Dou Zhao and her companions switched to soft sedan chairs. They ascended the wide bluestone steps towards Ganlu Temple.
Jiang Yan lifted the sedan curtain, greedily breathing in the cool mountain air. She felt invigorated.
She heard Ruotong cheerfully asking Ganlu in front of her sedan, “Sister, this temple shares your name. Who gave you such a lovely name?”
Ganlu snorted proudly, “My name was chosen by Aunt Cui from Zhending. She wished for me to be like a drop of water from Guanyin’s pure vase – not only pure of heart but also able to nourish others.”
Curious, Ruotong asked, “Who is Aunt Cui?”
“She’s…” Ganlu paused briefly before continuing, “She’s the Madam’s concubine grandmother.”
Ruotong stuck out her tongue and quickly changed the subject, “What about Sister Sujuan? What’s the meaning behind her name?”
“It has the same meaning as mine,” Ganlu explained with a smile. “It’s to remind us to avoid trouble, keep our hearts as clear as mirrors, and not be blinded by wealth and glory, forgetting who we are.”
Ruotong complained, “Why did Ruozhu and I end up with red names?”
“Isn’t red good?” Ganlu laughed. “Red is the most dignified and graceful color. It’s perfect for you two who serve the Madam closely.”
Inside the sedan, Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile as she listened.
The evolution of the maids’ names mirrored her own experiences. When she first arrived in the capital, her grandmother feared she would be bullied and hoped her maids and servants would be loyal. By the time Ganlu and the others were old enough to leave the household, Dou Zhao had established herself in Duke Ying’s manor. She no longer sought mere loyalty and obedience but the bearing of a household mistress. Later, new little maids were given names starting with “Fu” (meaning to brush or soothe), as servants were no longer her only source of support.
She wondered what names she would give to maids in the future.
Lost in thought, they arrived at Ganlu Temple.
As they alighted from their sedans, the abbot and guest prefect were already waiting at the temple gate.
After exchanging greetings, the abbot, who was in his forties, excused himself. The guest prefect, who had passed his fiftieth year, led them on a tour of Ganlu Temple.
In front of the Mahavira Hall stood two Chinese sumac trees as thick as a person’s embrace. Despite being over a century old, they remained lush and vibrant, their leaves as brilliant as flames.
Jiang Yan and the others exclaimed in admiration.
The guest prefect began recounting the history of these two trees – how Ganlu Temple was destroyed by war and rebuilt, yet the two sumacs remained standing…
The story was intricate and fascinating. Jiang Yan and the others listened with great interest.
This was the story the guest prefect told every time new visitors came to Ganlu Temple. In her previous life, Dou Zhao had heard it several times. As soon as the monk began speaking, she knew what would come next. However, seeing the expressions of wonder and surprise on Jiang Yan’s and the others’ faces filled her with joy.
They toured Ganlu Temple, staying for a vegetarian lunch and afternoon rest.
Feeling a bit tired, Dou Zhao took a couple of turns around the small courtyard to aid digestion before retiring to rest.
Jiang Yan, however, felt energetic. She dragged Jiang Lizhu to see the turtles and koi in the nearby release pool.
Although the Miao family had fallen on hard times, their children were still raised properly. Before her marriage, Miao Ansu rarely left home. Now that she finally had a chance to go out, she wanted to wander with Jiang Yan and the others. But seeing that Dou Zhao had retired, she worried the servants might find her behavior frivolous and look down on her. After some consideration, she bid farewell to Jiang Yan with a smile and returned to her assigned room.
The surroundings were quiet. Miao Ansu closed her eyes but couldn’t fall asleep.
At times like this, her hearing became particularly acute.
She heard the light footsteps of a maid passing along the corridor in front of her room. Someone called out softly, “Sister Fuye, what brings you here?”
As the masters were resting, Fuye kept her voice low, “Did you bring any sewing supplies? Sister Ruotong’s sleeve was just torn.”
The speaker was Miao Ansu’s little maid, Liuhong. She replied with a smile, “I always carry sewing supplies with me. But the Second Madam is resting now, so I’m afraid Sister Fuye will have to wait here for a while.”
“That’s alright,” Fuye said very politely. “Thank you for your trouble.”
Liuhong exchanged a few more courtesies before tiptoeing into the room. She emerged shortly after with a sewing kit.
Miao Ansu pursed her lips.
People said Madam Dou was skilled at managing her subordinates, yet when traveling, her maids didn’t even bring a sewing kit. What kind of management was that? It was truly a case of monkeys ruling in the absence of tigers! If her mother-in-law were still alive, if Song Mo hadn’t been named heir so early, if the Song family had a few more brothers, Dou might not have had the chance to rule so absolutely.
This was truly a case of fortune falling from heaven, completely beyond human control!
Take Fuye, for example. She was only about ten years old and hadn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony. Yet because she served Dou Zhao, even the senior maids addressed her as “sister”. The thought made Miao Ansu’s tongue feel stiff.
As she mused, Fuye returned to give back the sewing kit.
Liuhong asked with a smile, “Sister, you finished mending so quickly?”
“I’m quick with my hands,” Fuye replied, sighing, “You’re so thoughtful. We all remembered to bring sewing kits before leaving, but once we set out, we realized we’d forgotten. Sister Ganlu even scolded me earlier, saying if I’m this careless next time, she’ll reassign me to clean the outhouses in the front courtyard.”
Her tone was light, clearly not taking Ganlu’s words seriously. It was evident that Dou Zhao treated her people very leniently.
“You’re too kind, sister,” Liuhong said, somewhat enviously. “I’ve served in the Second Madam’s quarters since childhood. It’s thanks to her good teachings.”
Miao Ansu felt gratified as she listened.
Fuye nodded repeatedly in agreement, “The Second Madam is a good person. It’s just a pity she married the Second Master…” Her voice trailed off as she realized her slip, quickly covering her mouth.
But it was too late.
Liuhong’s face was filled with shock.
Fuye waved her hands in panic, “I didn’t say anything, I didn’t say anything!”
She turned and ran away.
Liuhong stood dumbfounded.
Inside the room, Miao Ansu’s mind was in turmoil.
She sat up abruptly, calling out “Liuhong” loudly. She then had Jihong fetch a few taels of silver for Liuhong, “Take this money and buy some snacks or hair ornaments. Try to get that Fuye to talk and find out exactly what the Second Master did in the past.”
Liuhong agreed, taking the silver.
But they were at Ganlu Temple. Even with money, who could they send down the mountain to buy things?
To get Fuye to talk, they would have to wait until they returned to Duke Ying’s manor.
Miao Ansu felt as if cats were scratching at her heart, unable to find peace for even a moment.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan and Jiang Lizhu were enjoying themselves.
Seeing their interest in the creatures in the release pool, the guest prefect assigned two young novices to attend to them. He also brought over some dried steamed buns for them to feed the fish, which swarmed to the surface in front of them, competing for the food.
The two sat in the cool pavilion by the release pool, feeding the fish.
Jiang Yan happened to look up and saw a familiar figure standing outside the courtyard gate.
Startled, she pointed to the gate and instructed Yinghong, “Go see what’s going on.”
Yinghong obeyed and quickly returned, reporting, “It’s Lord Chen from the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Si. He heard that Madam was here sightseeing and came specially to pay his respects. Wuyi told him Madam was taking her afternoon rest, so Lord Chen decided to wait…”
Jiang Yan was taken aback, “Why is Lord Chen here?”
Yinghong didn’t know, so she went to ask again. She came back and reported, “Lord Chen was passing by Fragrant Hills on official business outside the city.”
Jiang Yan’s expression grew complex.
Jiang Lizhu patted her shoulder gently, asking softly, “What’s wrong?”
After some hesitation, Jiang Yan whispered some things to Jiang Lizhu, then added uncertainly, “I wanted to ask him to help me find out about my uncle… I mean, about Li Liang’s situation… At least to let Li Liang know that I’m doing well in the Song family.”
Jiang Lizhu could understand Jiang Yan’s feelings.
After some thought, she said, “Then I’ll go with you to ask him!”
Overjoyed, Jiang Yan thanked Jiang Lizhu profusely, repeatedly cautioning her, “Please don’t tell my sister-in-law. I’m afraid it would upset them.”
“Your sister-in-law isn’t that petty,” Jiang Lizhu smiled. “But I think your brother might be. Just be careful not to let him find out.”
Jiang Yan defended her brother, “He’s angry because I was bullied but still feel grateful to others. But if it weren’t for Li Liang, who knows how much more I would have suffered as a child! Just for that, I can’t bring myself to hate him.”
“Your attitude is good,” Jiang Lizhu smiled. “Harboring hatred inevitably affects oneself, gradually making one unsightly.”
She thought of how some of her sisters, feeling wronged after the family’s misfortune, became consumed by complaints and seemed to change entirely. This made her constantly remind herself to avoid such bitterness.
Jiang Yan finally found someone who didn’t scold her, feeling an immediate sense of kinship.
While Jiang Yan spoke with Chen Jia, Jiang Lizhu stood on the steps not far from them.
Faced with the expectation in Jiang Yan’s eyes, Chen Jia struggled to maintain a neutral expression.
How could Song Mo possibly spare Li Liang when he had dealt so harshly with Wei Quan, He Hao, and He Qingyuan?
Li Liang’s entire family had been registered as military households, living in a hundred-household unit under the Tianjin Guard. Without farming, they had no food. The whole family’s hard work for a year might not even earn a third of what Li Liang used to make as an accountant. To make matters worse, the hundred-household head was ordered to monitor Li Liang’s family, preventing them from earning money through other means. The children’s education was interrupted, leaving Li Liang to teach them reading and writing himself. While others might have a chance to leave the military camp through general pardons, Li Liang had been forced by Song Mo to voluntarily enter the military household registry. Unlike others, his descendants would never be able to return to civilian status… Was this good or bad?
Looking into Jiang Yan’s clear eyes, Chen Jia felt a headache coming on.
Should he tell her the truth?
With her temperament, she would likely cry secretly under her blanket.
Should he not tell her?
If she ever found out he had lied, she would surely resent him.
Chen Jia deeply regretted coming to pay respects to Madam Dou.
He had only wanted to make a strong impression on Madam Dou, planning to “accidentally” encounter her on her way back to the city. Why did he have to wait for her to wake up here?
After careful consideration, he forced a smile and said, “Li Liang is doing quite well in Tianjin Guard. Now that the Li family has joined the military registry, future generations will be able to eat imperial grain. The only downside is that they’ve been allocated a few mu of land to farm themselves, so it’s not as easy or profitable as when he was an accountant.”