Because of the Fourth Prince’s household sending incense, when the Buddha Bathing Festival arrived, Cheng Lu decided to go offer incense together with Chen Shi.
Chen Shi was very happy. This was the first time she and Cheng Lu were going out together since their marriage, so she discussed with Cheng Lu: “The abbot of Daxiangguo Temple is good friends with Father. Why don’t we go to Daxiangguo Temple!”
But Cheng Lu said: “On that day, everyone will crowd into Daxiangguo Temple together. Would we be offering incense or watching people? In my opinion, we might as well go to Hongluo Temple in the suburbs. I’ve heard it’s the sacred site of Guanyin Bodhisattva and very efficacious for seeking children.”
These words made Chen Shi’s face flush red with unstoppable joy, and she quickly said: “Then let’s go to Hongluo Temple. I’ve also heard the incense offerings there are very prosperous, though it’s somewhat far and not very convenient to visit.”
Cheng Lu disagreed, saying: “Then we’ll just stay there overnight. We rarely go out anyway. When we return, I’ll prepare to study behind closed doors and participate in the next provincial examination.”
This meant that even major matters like having offspring would have to be set aside!
Chen Shi’s heart grew anxious.
She was already older, and though she and her husband got along harmoniously, for some unknown reason, conceiving was proving difficult. If she still couldn’t conceive after three years, she would have to help Cheng Lu take a concubine. What relationship would a child born to a concubine have with her Chen family? What would be the point of recruiting a son-in-law then?
Chen Shi prepared for the trip with particular care, not only bringing five hundred taels in bank notes but also fasting and bathing several days in advance, copying several volumes of sutras to offer to the Bodhisattva at Hongluo Temple.
Unexpectedly, upon arriving at Hongluo Temple, they were informed by the temple’s guest monk: “…Female family members from Grand Secretary Yuan’s household, Grand Secretary Cheng’s household, Administration Vice Commissioner He’s household, Hanlin Wu’s household, and several other families are all here offering incense. All the guest courtyards were reserved and cleaned days ago.”
The implication was that there was no place to accommodate her.
Chen Shi was greatly alarmed, her sharp gaze turning back to look at their household steward.
The steward’s face couldn’t hide his surprise either, saying: “Previously the temple’s guest monk said the same thing. I reported it to the son-in-law, and he said it was fine, that he would handle this matter.”
Just as they were speaking, Cheng Lu, who had been riding off somewhere unknown, suddenly returned from a side path, saying: “What’s happened?”
The steward dared not speak.
Cheng Lu understood clearly and smiled: “So it’s about this matter.” He asked the guest monk: “Does your temple have other guest rooms?”
“There are some,” the guest monk said hesitantly, “but there are no separate courtyards.”
“Then just give us a few chambers,” Cheng Lu said unconcernedly. “Only please help us choose some clean and secluded chambers.” Having said this, he gave a look to the servant beside him, who immediately stepped forward to slip a purse to the guest monk.
The guest monk discreetly accepted it and found them a building with three south-facing chambers in a corner of the west cross-courtyard. But it still couldn’t compare to a separate courtyard. Chen Shi couldn’t help but complain: “Son-in-law should have told me earlier, then I could have brought Father’s card so the temple would reserve a small courtyard for us.”
Cheng Lu said: “Since we’ve come to seek children, we should be sincere. When I came, those families had already reserved the courtyards. Not to mention that matters have a first-come-first-served order, but those families are all scholarly households. Unlike ordinary commoners who can drink a little wine and get over their discomfort, if we’re not careful and provoke them to impeach Father, we might as well not have come at all. Besides, the female family members of those families have also come to Hongluo Temple to seek children, which shows that the incense offerings at this temple are truly efficacious.”
Or perhaps it was because the things everyone fought over seemed all the more desirable.
Chen Shi’s heart bloomed with joy upon hearing this, saying: “Really? The female family members of those families also came to seek children?”
“Why would I deceive you?” Cheng Lu said. “You might even encounter the female family members of those families later.”
Chen Shi nodded, then said hesitantly: “Grand Secretary Cheng’s household—wouldn’t that be your original family?”
She remembered that Cheng Lu had been expelled from the Cheng family.
Cheng Lu’s face showed displeasure as he said: “There are some things you don’t know. I was successful at a young age, and the Cheng family feared that the collateral branch would overshadow the main branch. They were also afraid of being criticized by people in Jinling for not supporting me. I was quite displeased by this, which is how I became estranged from my original family. But I’ll return there someday—I can’t avoid them because of this.”
They had been married for some time now. Cheng Lu had always appeared very proud, and Chen Shi, being from a small household, simply assumed that those Jiangnan aristocratic families were like the local wealthy landlords in their village—having an acre or three of land and fearing relatives and friends would take advantage. Combined with Chen Li helping Cheng Lu restore his scholarly status, and Cheng Lu being her husband, she didn’t think much of it. She groomed and changed clothes, purified her hands and burned incense, called for a servant to invite the temple’s guest monk, and with two personal maids went to the great hall where Guanyin Bodhisattva was enshrined.
Cheng Lu smiled slightly and went to the back mountain, slipping through a small path to the area near the releasing pool.
Min Jia was being attended by a group of maids and elderly servants as she performed the release ceremony.
A nearby guard discovered Cheng Lu and called out a warning: “Who’s sneaking around there? There are female family members here, please avoid this area!”
Cheng Lu walked out from the woods with a smile.
His tall stature, gentle smile, scholarly dress, and composed demeanor made the guards’ voices involuntarily soften: “Female family members from Grand Secretary Yuan’s and Grand Secretary Cheng’s households are offering incense here. Please avoid this area, sir!”
“The Cheng family of Xinlin Alley?” Cheng Lu showed a surprised expression and called out loudly to Min Jia, who was surrounded by maids and elderly servants in the center: “Are you the First Young Madam of the Cheng family? I’m called Cheng Xiangqing. I’ve sent calling cards several times but you ignored them all. I never expected to meet the First Young Madam here! What fate! I’m looking for you to discuss matters concerning Cheng Jiashan. Would you please have the maids and servants around you step aside for a moment? Of course, if you feel there’s nothing about Cheng Jiashan that needs to be kept secret, I can also speak in front of these maids and servants.”
Min Jia’s face turned ashen, and she couldn’t help but secretly regret—if she had known she would encounter this Cheng Xiangqing here, she should have come together with Xie Shi and the newly married young madam of the Wu family. But that guest monk had said something about sincerity being most valuable, that it was best to perform the release ceremony one by one so the Bodhisattva would know whose devotion it was… Yet if they had really followed along, given Cheng Lu’s persistent nature in insisting on meeting her, who knows what he might have said… It was better they hadn’t come.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said: “I’m just a woman of the inner household. Even if it concerns my husband, you should go find my husband or my father-in-law. What use is it to find me?”
Cheng Lu bowed to Min Jia, saying: “If the First Young Madam doesn’t mind, then I’ll speak to you like this.”
Min Jia was so angry her fingers trembled, but she still managed to not show the slightest abnormality in her expression, smiling as she said: “Guests are guests. Scholar Cheng, please come to the pavilion for some tea.”
The guards, maids, and elderly servants all dispersed, standing far away around the releasing pool.
Cheng Lu smiled and stood by the releasing pool: “The First Young Madam is too kind. I only have a few words to say, then I’ll leave.” He knew that what happened here would quickly reach the ears of the several masters who had accompanied them, so he didn’t dare delay. He got straight to the point: “I was originally schoolmates with Cheng Xu, but I was framed by the Cheng family and had my scholarly status revoked, while Cheng Xu smoothly achieved the jinshi degree. Cheng Xu is not only better at studying than me, he’s also better at being reborn into the right family. From childhood to adulthood, the person I’ve hated most is him…”
His complete lack of concealment regarding his hatred for Cheng Xu made Min Jia clearly aware that what he said next would certainly be very unpleasant, perhaps even disadvantageous to herself, yet she inexplicably wanted to keep listening.
She maintained her silence.
Cheng Lu smiled slightly.
These prominent families valued reputation and face above all.
As long as one grasped this point, it usually worked without fail.
“The First Young Madam should know Fourth Madam Chi, Zhou Shi, right?” His expression darkened slightly, his voice growing somber as he said, “I’m from a collateral branch of the Cheng family, but because I was clever as a youth, I often came and went in the Cheng family’s inner household. I grew up as childhood sweethearts with Zhou Shi, who was staying with her sister in the Cheng household. We loved each other, my mother also liked Zhou Shi very much, and originally planned to go to the Zhou family to propose marriage after I achieved scholarly honors.
“Who knew that Cheng Xu would also take a fancy to Zhou Shi… He was the eldest legitimate grandson of the main branch, I was from a poor collateral branch. Zhou Shi was orphaned and helpless, and Yuan Shi had always doted on him excessively… How could we compete with him?
“Before long, I was sent away by Yuan Shi to study at Yuelu Academy, attempting to separate us.”
Min Jia felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
She knew that Cheng Xu liked Zhou Shaojin, but she never expected this Cheng Lu also liked Zhou Shaojin…
Min Jia studied Cheng Lu’s expression.
Cheng Lu wore an expression of grief, indignation, and helplessness.
Then how did Zhou Shaojin end up marrying Cheng Chi?
Thinking of his earlier words, Min Jia suddenly felt some sympathy for Cheng Lu.
“If it had only been that, it would have been fine,” Cheng Lu said, his eyes reddening with urgency. “I was never as good as Cheng Xu anyway. If Zhou Shi could be happy married to him, I would have accepted it. But Yuan Shi despised Zhou Shi for being motherless and looked down on her completely. She was determined to marry Cheng Xu to a daughter from a prominent family to help advance his official career.
“Fearing that Cheng Xu would make trouble and delay his examination, she used Zhou Shi as bait on one hand, saying that as long as Cheng Xu achieved the provincial examination’s top score, she would go to the Zhou family to propose marriage. On the other hand, she was privately arranging marriage talks with the Min family. Then when the fourth branch learned that our marriage wouldn’t work out and wanted to betroth Zhou Shi to her cousin Cheng Yi, Yuan Shi used her methods to sabotage Zhou Shi’s marriage again…
“Though Zhou Shi and I had fate but no destiny together, I couldn’t just watch the main branch bully Zhou Shi like this!
“In my anger, I went to question Cheng Xu.
“I had originally thought that once Cheng Xu knew, he would surely let go.
“But not only did Cheng Xu not let go, he attempted to coerce Zhou Shi, wanting to create a fait accompli and force Zhou Shi to marry him, force Yuan Shi to agree.
“Yuan Shi is your mother-in-law—you must be well aware of her temperament.
“How could she compromise?
“At that time, the family elders were all away, and the only one from the main branch who could make decisions was Cheng Chi.
“When Cheng Chi went to handle this matter, he saw Zhou Shi. He was captivated by Zhou Shi’s beauty. Disregarding the difference in generation, disregarding that his nephew liked Zhou Shi, he forcibly took Zhou Shi as his wife.
“Although Zhou Shi is a femme fatale, this uncle and nephew pair Cheng Chi and Cheng Xu, plus Yuan Shi as the Cheng family’s principal wife, are simply too shameless…”
Min Jia couldn’t hide her shock.
“How could this be?” Fine cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and her heart felt afraid more than once. Fortunately, she had acted prudently and hadn’t let him shout it out. If he had ranted like this in front of people from the Wu, He, and Yuan families, the reputations of Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin would have been ruined, and the Cheng family’s reputation would have been ruined too.