Five days later, Zhulan went to Huguo Temple at the invitation of Tao, who prayed for Wang Wei and his unborn child. Xuehan also wanted to see Rongchuan, so they went to Huguo Temple together.
Zhulan didn't go alone, but several of her daughters-in-law and Yuyi also wanted to go. In the end, almost all the women in the family went.
It hasn't snowed yet, so the steps on the mountain road are easy to walk on. Zhulan has been going out to the market this year and has built up her physical strength, so this time she climbed the steps by herself with the help of her eldest daughter-in-law.
The group took a break. Zhulan looked at the people below who were still climbing the stairs and said, "If it snows, I won't dare to climb the stairs."
Tao, "There will be monks to clean it."
"The cleaning steps are slippery. If you don't stand firmly and fall down, you will be either dead or disabled."
Tao Shi didn't feel scared. Winter couldn't stop her from worshipping Buddha. She was sincere and said, "Let's go burn incense first, and then worship Buddha."
Zhulan said to her granddaughter, "You don't have to follow me for a while."
Xue Han nodded to her sisters-in-law, and took her people to the courtyard where King Qin was, following the monks who had been waiting for a long time.
Li came because she was the eldest daughter-in-law, so she followed her mother-in-law wherever she went.
Zhao wanted to pray for a peace talisman for her new grandson. She had no way to leave the capital, so she could only send as many things as possible to Zhangzhou. Her daughter gave birth safely, and now she has given birth to two sons. She chanted Buddhist scriptures a lot, and fortunately her daughter did not follow her example and give birth to two daughters in a row.
Su Xuan prays for marriage for her children, hoping that they can find good partners.
Yuyi brought her sister to pray for the safety of their parents who were far away in Qizhou. Yudie came to join in the fun, while Yuwen was dragged here by force.
An hour later, Zhulan came out before Tao. Tao still had things to discuss, so she just came out for a walk.
After walking a few steps, I met Yao Yao. There was a monk standing next to Yao Yao. There were many people on Zhulan's side, so even the lightest footsteps would still make noise.
Yao Yao turned around and smiled, "Old Madam."
Zhu Lan looked at the monk for a moment. This monk was Yao Yao's biological brother. "Are you here to see your brother?"
Yao Yao nodded, "Yes, the Marquis said that this winter will probably be very cold. Winter is about to come, so I brought cotton clothes and quilts here. Madam, are you here to pay homage to the Buddha?"
"Well, I won't bother you anymore. I'll go sit in the pavilion in front for a while."
Yao Yao smiled and nodded, then became a little absent-minded. She knew that the old lady would not say anything when she went back, but she was still a little worried. Fourth Grandpa still disliked her all these years. If it weren't for the child, how could she continue to be the Marquis's wife.
Zhulan had not taken a few steps when she heard a child's voice behind her. She could not help but turn her head. It was really the same child. The child was very skinny, with bright eyes. This was the child from that year who had survived by chance.
Zhulan turned her head and could still hear the child's laughter. Although she was not in good health, she lived a happy life.
Another cup of tea passed before the Zhao family came over. Zhulan asked, "Have you prayed for what you wanted?"
Zhao smiled and said, "Mother, I also prayed for a peace charm for you and father."
Zhulan took it and said, "That's thoughtful."
Su Xuan thought to herself that her second sister-in-law was always the most thoughtful one. Alas, the result of her prayers for her daughter and son was not good, and she was very depressed.
Tao came over quickly. It was getting late, so they prepared to go back to the city.
On the way back to the city, someone rode past at full speed. Yu Wen leaned against the window and happened to see the person passing by.
Yudie frowned, "Who is this? Doesn't he know that riding fast horses is not allowed near the capital?"
Yu Wen continued, "It was Ning Ming who just passed by. He must have had an emergency at home."
Yudie thought about Yu's situation and said, "Is it bad?"
Yuyi said, "Stop guessing."
Yudie shut her mouth. It was indeed difficult to guess too much from outside.
The next day, after the morning court session ended, Old Master Wen had a gloomy face. He had planned to get his eldest grandson back, but the emperor said that the eldest grandson had good abilities and could be entrusted with important tasks. He also said that he should reclaim more land next year. A mouthful of blood got stuck in his throat.
Old Master Wen chased after Zhou Shuren with a sullen face, "Let's be merciful when we can, Lord Zhou, do you understand?"
Zhou Shuren knew that the old man thought he was a stumbling block, and replied with a half-smile, "Old man, you'd better look for the reason from yourself. To be honest, I really admire your eldest grandson. I thought he wouldn't be able to complete it."
After a pause, he continued, "I can only say that the old man's eldest grandson accomplished it so well. It was so unexpected."
Old Master Wen looked at Zhou Shuren deeply. He guessed the emperor's intention but was unwilling to admit it. He shook his sleeves and left.
Zhou Shuren didn't take it seriously. After all, he was not the one being plotted against by the emperor. He was in a good mood and humming a song.
Wang Ju caught up at this time, "Wen family won't think you planned this, right?"
"I've made myself clear, what's the matter?"
Wang Ju really had something to do. "Isn't this the start of the evaluation of officials in each state? The Wang family has sent a greeting. I remember Zhao Bo is familiar with you."
Zhou Shuren paused, "Wang family greeted Zhao Bo?"
"Well, I'm well-informed. If I don't know this, I'll ask you."
Zhou Shuren and Wang Ju had talked about Zhao Bo before, and he happened to say it today, "I have severed contact with the Zhao family, and we will be strangers from now on."
"That's good. I was just afraid that it would implicate you."
Zhou Shuren thought to himself, Zhao Bo joined the Wang family, but he didn’t know whether he would regret it in the future.
Wang Ju asked in a very low voice: "Is Concubine Hui ill recently?"
"You are well-informed."
Wang Ju sneered, "It's not that I'm well-informed, it's obviously someone deliberately spread it."
Zhou Shuren didn't reply, but continued walking with his hands behind his back, thinking in his heart that the Emperor would not let Concubine Hui raise two sons. Except for the Empress, if any concubine had two sons, the balance would be broken. He just didn't know who was responsible for Concubine Hui's illness.
At Zhou's house, Zhulan saw Lin Qing and said, "I haven't seen you for a few days. Why do I think you look thinner?"
Lin Qing hooked her fingertips, which had needle marks on them, and said, "I've been eating lighter food lately, so I'll be fine after some nourishment."
Zhulan didn't ask much, thinking that girls pay attention to their figure and eat less. "Yudie and the others are waiting for you. I'll let Qingxue take you there."
Lin Qing stood up and said, "Thank you, old lady."
Zhulan waited for Lin Qing to go out, then shook her head with a smile. Mingrui, her fiancé, was not proactive at all. Every time it was Yudie who invited Lin Qing over. It seemed hard to believe that this girl was so fond of Mingrui.
In the second room, Yudie was happy to see her future sister-in-law. She reached out to hold her future sister-in-law's hand. When she heard her future sister-in-law gasp, she looked down and asked, "Why are there so many needle holes on her hands?"
Lin Qing was embarrassed. "I was embroidering a folding screen recently, and I was often distracted and didn't notice it."
Yudie immediately thought of her brother's birthday and blinked, "A birthday gift for my brother?"
Lin Qing's face turned even redder and she retracted her hand. Not answering meant she agreed.
Yudie felt sorry for her future sister-in-law, "You are so thoughtful. I will talk to my brother later."
Lin Qing hurriedly pulled him away, "No, Mingrui is busy."
Yudie shook her head, her future sister-in-law was deeply poisoned by her brother!