Chapter 169

Chapter 169

The stone steps from the foot of the mountain to the temple at the top were long. Jiang Chun and Zhong Wenjin had no issues, but the other women struggled significantly.

This gave Song Shiying and Lan Zizhou more time to interact.

Song Shiying let loose, investigating household records, and pestered Lan Zizhou with a barrage of probing questions.

Lan Zizhou was helpless but, due to his good upbringing and his mother’s occasional death glares, had no choice but to answer as best he could.

If they were to end up together, Lan Zizhou’s position in the family hierarchy would be quite apparent.

By the time they finally reached the main gate of Ci’an Temple, the women were all out of breath and hadn’t even caught a break when Lan Zizhou let out a long sigh.

Jiang Chun poked Song Shiying’s forehead with her finger and “quietly” scolded, “You’re being too forward. Look at what you’ve put Lan Zizhou through!”

Song Shiying “quietly” mumbled, “If I don’t find out more details, when the elder Madame asks if I like him, how can I just say he’s good-looking and know nothing else? In the end, should we proceed with this marriage or not?”

Lan Zizhou, who had just regained his normal complexion from being complimented on his looks, turned red again.

Madam Lan couldn’t help but brag, “Besides being good at studying, my son’s looks are the second best thing about him. While he may not have fans throwing fruit at his carriage like your family’s Master Song, many young girls and married women still sneak glances at him when he goes out.”

Lan Zizhou: “...”

He was mortified by his mother’s self-praise, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

He gave his mother a reproachful side-eye and interrupted, “Mother, please stop.”

Madam Lan laughed heartily without a care in the world, “Oh, my son is shy.”

She then explained to Song Shiying, “There’s nothing to be done. He’s had a thin skin since he was young.”

Song Shiying, with a thick skin, laughed, “It’s fine. My skin, no, thanks to my elder sister-in-law’s help, is now thicker than city walls.”

Jiang Chun: “...”

Is this really something to brag about?

Zhong Wenjin burst into laughter.

Worried her elder sister-in-law might be embarrassed, she quickly composed herself, smoothed things over, and said, “Let’s not stand here talking. Let’s go inside.”

Only then did they enter Ci’an Temple.

Since they came under the pretense of offering incense, after entering the temple, the two families went to offer incense separately.

Jiang Chun, Zhong Wenjin, and Song Shiying were led by an attendant monk to the main hall to burn incense and kowtow.

Afterward, they told the monk that they wanted to request protective talismans for the children at home.

The monk went to fetch the master who writes protective talismans.

Unexpectedly, the abbot of Ci’an Temple, Master Ledust, came instead.

Previously, when Song Shiqian and Wu Chenglan were meeting, Jiang Chun had accompanied them to Ci’an Temple, but Master Ledust was away on a pilgrimage at that time, so she hadn’t met him.

If not for Song Shiying's frequent visits to Cian Temple with her family, she might not have recognized the temple.

Jiang Chun smiled. "Thank you, Abbot."

"Madam Song is too polite," replied Master Ledeng, bowing in return. After inquiring about the names of Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er, he had yellow paper and cinnabar brought over and personally wrote two protective amulets.

Zhong Wenjin quickly stepped forward and provided the names of Huan Ge'er and Tang Jier.

Master Ledeng wrote two more.

Once the amulets had dried, he folded them into triangles, held them reverently, and presented them to Jiang Chun and Zhong Wenjin.

Jiang Chun glanced at Gui Zhi.

Gui Zhi promptly took out a money bag, handed it to the attendant monk, and said with a smile, "This is for the temple's incense fund, a gift from our Madam."

Master Ledeng bowed again. "Thank you for your generous donation, Madam Song."

Zhong Wenjin also hurriedly had Baizhi offer her own incense money.

Each donation was one hundred taels.

Since it was a rare visit and they were seeking protective amulets for their children, they had agreed in advance to make equal donations out of sincerity.

After everything was done, Jiang Chun said with a smile, "The vegetarian meals at your temple are exceptionally good. I had them once before and have been reminiscing about them ever since. Could the Abbot help us arrange two tables for lunch?"

After paying off Song Shian's debts when she first woke up, she had very little money left and was tight on cash.

But after a few months, the two stores had earned her some money again.

With money in hand, she became generous once more, covering the lunch for the Lan family as well.

She believed in being frugal where it mattered and generous when it counted.

Master Ledeng said with a smile, "If Madam Song is willing to patronize us, it's an honor for this old monk."

After saying that, he gestured to the attendant monk to arrange it.

It was still early before lunch. Jiang Chun said, "As the poet Bai Juyi wrote, 'Flowers of April fade in the world, but peach blossoms in the mountain temple begin to bloom.' I wonder if the peach blossoms at Cian Temple have already fallen.

If not, going to the back mountain to enjoy the peach blossoms would be a good way to pass the time."

The first part was directed at Master Ledeng, while the second was clearly meant for Zhong Wenjin and Song Shiying.

Master Ledeng smiled. "Half of them have fallen, but it's still worth a look."

"Even half would be worth seeing." Jiang Chun immediately perked up and turned to Zhong Wenjin and Song Shiying. "Let's go to the back mountain!"

The two naturally had no objections.

As they headed towards the door of the hall, after walking a short distance, they suddenly heard Master Ledeng's voice from behind. "Madam Song, this old monk suggests you light a perpetual light at our temple."

Jiang Chun stopped in her tracks.

She turned and looked directly at Master Ledeng. "What do you mean, Abbot?"

Master Ledeng smiled calmly. "Madam Song had a narrow escape from death before. Although you were fortunate to survive, lighting a perpetual light at our temple may bring you good fortune and help you avoid disasters with the blessing of the Buddha."

Jiang Chun narrowed her eyes.

It was said that this old monk was highly skilled in spiritual powers, over a hundred years old, and still frequently went on pilgrimages. He moved with remarkable vigor, even more energetic than the younger monks at the temple.

Could it be that he had noticed something about her?

With an unchanged expression, Jiang Chun smiled and said, "Master is absolutely right. I, on the other hand, am fine with whatever. I believe in fate and destiny, but my husband doesn't think the same.

This eternal flame must be lit. If something happens to me, my husband might not be able to bear it, and who knows what he might do."

Monks are supposed to be compassionate. Even if Master Ledust doesn't care about my life and death, he should still fear the wrath of Song Shian, the brother-in-law of the Crown Prince, losing his mind, right?

In response to Jiang Chun's veiled threat, Master Ledust smiled calmly and said, "Master Song and Madam Song share a deep and affectionate bond, which is truly admirable."

Jiang Chun's mouth twitched.

A monk talking about envy? Doesn't that seem a bit off?

She asked with a smile, "May I ask how this eternal flame is lit?"

Master Ledust smiled and said, "You just need to send your birth details and five hundred taels of silver to me, and I will take care of everything."

Jiang Chun gritted her teeth.

You greedy old monk, asking for five hundred taels of silver right off the bat, isn't that extortion?

But what if this guy really has some skills?

If paying five hundred taels of silver as a protection fee could ensure that she wouldn't be haunted by the original owner, then it would actually be quite a bargain.

Jiang Chun felt that this five hundred taels of silver was something she had to pay, whether she liked it or not.

She couldn't blame herself for being cautious. Who wouldn't be scared after being locked in a dark room for over twenty days right after giving birth, emerging with lingering fears?

With a pained expression, she said, "I'll send someone to deliver my birth details and the silver to you later, Master."

Master Ledust immediately showed a warm smile and said, "Very good."

*

Jiang Chun walked angrily with Zhong Wenjin and Song Shiying towards the back mountain.

As she walked, she complained to Zhong Wenjin, "If we had known Master Ledust would ask for so much, we shouldn't have donated one hundred taels of incense money in the first place.

Anyway, the attendant monk said that the amount of incense money is entirely up to the donor's discretion. My intention was one tael of silver. What could they do about it?"

Zhong Wenjin comforted her, "Big Sister, consider it as spending money for peace of mind, and for Big Brother's peace of mind too."

Jiang Chun fell silent.

Zhong Wenjin knew how to comfort people, that was for sure.

Then Jiang Chun remembered something else.

She had previously used the name "Jiang Chun" to dedicate a memorial tablet at Ci'an Temple for the original owner. Now, she was about to use the name "Jiang Chun" again to light a perpetual light.

One life and one death, both bearing the name "Jiang Chun."

While outsiders might not notice, the monks at Ci'an Temple might think it's haunted.

It was a dark joke, to say the least.

Upon thinking of this, Jiang Chun couldn't help but chuckle to herself, "hee hee hee."

*

As soon as they arrived at the back mountain, they were instantly glad they had come.

At this time, the peach blossom forest was so beautiful that half of the flowers were on the branches while the other half were on the ground, creating a scene that felt almost otherworldly.

If she weren't worried about looking silly, Jiang Chun would have happily lain down and rolled around in the pink petals.

She exclaimed, "Oh, too bad my husband is on duty. Otherwise, I could have had him paint a picture of me lying among the petals in this peach blossom forest!"

Zhong Wenjin's eyes darted as she leaned in and whispered, "Big Sis, why don't you distract Ayin for a bit? I'll take some photos of you with my camera, and then secretly print them out using the photo printer."

Jiang Chun's eyes lit up as she whispered back, "Nice! You actually got a camera and photo printer."

Zhong Wenjin said proudly, "Last month, the system got an upgrade, and there were more items available for purchase. When I saw the camera and the compatible photo printer, I quickly bought a set to secretly take pictures of Huan Ge'er and Tang Jier."

Jiang Chun's eyes sparkled as she immediately said, "Is it expensive? If it's not too expensive, get me a set too. I want to take pictures of Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er as well."

Zhong Wenjin clicked her tongue. "It's pretty expensive—1,200 taels of silver. The good thing is that both the camera and the photo printer use solar-powered batteries, so there's no need to worry about running out of power. You'll only need to restock the printer's paper and ink cartridges in the future."

Jiang Chun: "..."

No way! That’s outrageous!

Just after being scammed out of 500 taels by Master Ledust, she was about to be scammed (?) again by Zhong Wenjin for 1,200 taels.

Spending money like water! Even if she had a silver mine at home, it wouldn’t keep up with this kind of spending.

Not to mention, she didn’t have a silver mine at home.

But it was okay, because she had the sign-in system.

It was time to take a daily stroll and check in at every shop.

During the months she was sick, she had accumulated countless sign-in points.

Even those shops she used to look down on could now be checked in at, such as the porcelain shops.

She said to Zhong Wenjin, "I’ll save up a bit more, and then I’ll ask you to help me get one."

Zhong Wenjin first agreed, "Alright."

Then she reached out to hold Jiang Chun's hand and explained with a smile, "It's not that I owe money and use your silver to buy luxury goods. I used mall points to exchange for the camera and printer. It didn't cost any silver."

Jiang Chun said with a laugh, "What's there to explain? I know you well enough. Besides, do you think it's so easy to owe my money? I believe you don't have the guts."

Zhong Wenjin immediately put on a fearful expression and said with a smile, "I wouldn't dare."

"Hey, what are you two chatting about? Could it be that you're talking bad about me?"

Song Shiying, seeing the two of them chatting, looked at them suspiciously.

Jiang Chun said with a grin, "Oh, you've been found out."

Song Shiying immediately jumped up. "The two of you are too much! Is there any bad thing that I shouldn't hear?"

Zhong Wenjin smiled and said, "We were talking about your future husband, Lan Zizhou, and were afraid you'd be shy if you heard."

Song Shiying puffed out her chest and shouted, "Why should I be shy? I’m not as easily embarrassed as Lan Zizhou."

Lan Zizhou, who had just accompanied his mother and sister to admire the peach blossoms, turned red in the ears as soon as he stepped into the peach orchard upon hearing this conversation.

Lan Yingmiao gave her brother a sideways glance, then her mother, and pressed her lips together.

Is it really a good idea to bring such a bold sister-in-law into the family?

However, she was already preoccupied with thoughts about the foreign belief that marrying a close relative could result in having a child with intellectual disabilities, so she didn’t say anything about her brother’s matter.

Jiang Chun was just worrying about how to distract Song Shiying so that Zhong Wenjin could take her picture. She planned to give the photo to Song Shian to use as a reference for a painting.

Spotting the Lan family, she perked up and gave Song Shiying a push.

In a loud voice, she said, "Ah Yin, you've been to Cian Temple many times and know the peach orchard well. Go guide Second Mistress Lan and the others, and show them the beautiful scenery of the peach orchard!"

Sure enough, Second Mistress Lan quickly agreed, "I was just confused about where to start admiring the view. Thank you, Miss Song Third, for your help."

Song Shiying's face flushed slightly, and she glared at Jiang Chun.

But she didn’t refuse this great opportunity to spend time together and took small steps toward the Lan family.

Jiang Chun and Zhong Wenjin chuckled together behind her.

This made Song Shiying stomp her foot, deciding to stop pretending and walk forward with long strides.

After laughing for a while, Jiang Chun said to Gui Zhi and Bai Zhi, "Go fetch some tea and snacks from our carriage. I’m going to have a picnic here with Second Mistress Lu."

The two left as instructed.

Once their figures disappeared at the end of the peach orchard, Jiang Chun immediately urged Zhong Wenjin, "Quick, take out the camera. Let's take some photos."

Zhong Wenjin didn’t hesitate and directly took out a DSLR camera from the system warehouse.

She posed with great confidence, directing Jiang Chun to stand under a peach tree with more blossoms on its branches for a test shot.

After checking the result, she praised with a smile, "No wonder they call you ‘Elder Sister-in-Law’—you look like a character straight out of an ancient painting."

Jiang Chun was amused, "I can't tell if that's a compliment or an insult."

Zhong Wenjin laughed.

She then directed Jiang Chun to pose in several more positions, taking several more shots.

As they walked deeper into the peach orchard, Jiang Chun spotted a peach tree with an especially thick side branch. She hitched up her skirt and hopped onto the branch.

Tilting her head toward Zhong Wenjin and kicking her embroidered shoes playfully, she said, "Quick, let’s get a beautiful picture of you among the peach blossoms."

Zhong Wenjin raised the camera and clicked.

Looking at the LCD screen, she gave Jiang Chun a thumbs up, "This photo suits your temperament the best, Elder Sister-in-Law. You should ask Song Shian to paint this one. It will definitely amaze everyone."

Jiang Chun shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

Song Shian's paintings always amazed everyone; she was used to it.

Jiang Chun jumped down from the tree, took the camera from Zhong Wenjin, and said with a smile, "Now, let me take a few pictures of you. You can print them out and show them to your brother later."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wenjin couldn't help but wave her hand helplessly. "He can't see it. This clueless giant still hasn't noticed anything unusual about me.

Tell me, despite being a fifth-rank commander of the Imperial Guard, he leads a large group of subordinates and usually handles cases quite proficiently. How can he be so dull when it comes to me?"

Jiang Chun scolded, "He trusts you, so even if there are some strange behaviors, he'll find other reasons to explain them away and won't suspect you. You should be happy about it."

Zhong Wenjin pouted. "Happy my foot. If you want this so-called blessing, you can have it."

Jiang Chun chided, "Don't be ungrateful while enjoying your blessings. If your eldest brother were as dull as the second young master, I'd be breathing a sigh of relief."

These two brothers—one is shrewd and perceptive, while the other is completely straightforward—truly two extremes.

Zhong Wenjin rubbed her chin and furrowed her brow, seriously contemplating what would happen if Song Shirui suddenly became as sharp as Song Shian...

The thought made her shudder.

No, thank you. If Song Shirui became like Song Shian, she'd have to constantly outsmart him, making life far less easy and carefree than it is now.

They lingered in the peach forest for most of the morning before moving to the meditation room for lunch.

*

When Madam Lan learned that Jiang Chun had taken care of the fine vegetarian dishes, she said with some embarrassment, "Madam, you acted too quickly. This should have been my task. Now, it seems I don't understand proper manners."

Jiang Chun scolded, "I didn't treat Madam Lan as an outsider, which is why I did it. If you insist on being so polite, I'll start worrying about my money."

Madam Lan immediately changed her tune. "In that case, we'll accept your kindness."

After lunch, Jiang Chun and the others took a short nap in the meditation room for half an hour before setting off down the mountain.

To avoid any suspicion, the Lan family had already left earlier.

Song Shiying, not seeing them, sighed with a hint of melancholy.

She was then inevitably teased by Jiang Chun. "A grown daughter is hard to keep at home! Who was it that said they didn't want to marry and would stay home to be taken care of by me and the second sister-in-law?

I seem to have forgotten. Second sister-in-law, do you remember who it was?"

Zhong Wenjin pretended to be confused and shook her head. "Strangely enough, I can't remember either."

After a pause, she smiled. "In any case, it was one of our younger sisters."

Song Shiying was teased until her face turned red and she said angrily, "You two, as my elder sisters-in-law, are making fun of me! Be careful, or I'll get angry and stop being friends with you!"

Jiang Chun grinned. "I'd be thrilled. If you get angry and decide to cut ties with us, we won't have to contribute to your dowry, saving a large sum of money."

Zhong Wenjin chimed in, "Exactly. I've been tight on money lately and was wondering where I could save some. It turns out it's from you, little sister."

Song Shiying was so angry she almost cried. "You two are too much! Even my dowry is being considered for cuts. I'm going to tell the elder madam, and she'll scold you properly."

Jiang Chun said fearlessly, "Go ahead and tell on me. With Yi Ge'er and Yu Ge'er in my hands, I hold all the cards. Mother won't dare act rashly."

Zhong Wenjin nodded. "Exactly. With Huan Ge'er and Sugar Sister as leverage, I can make sure Mother won't act recklessly either."

Song Shiying was on the verge of tears. "Just because you had twins doesn't mean you're special!"

Jiang Chun nodded. "Having twins is a big deal."

Zhong Wenjin also nodded. "Having twins is a big deal."

Song Shiying: “……”

She couldn’t think of a comeback and let out a few frustrated “Ahhhs!”

Seeing this, Jiang Chun whispered to Zhong Wenjin, "Luckily, the Lan family had already left; otherwise, seeing her in this state, they wouldn’t dare bring up marriage again."

Zhong Wenjin consoled her, "Don’t worry, Third Sister only acts up from time to time, not all the time. We can keep it hidden for as long as possible. Let’s get her married off first."

Jiang Chun nodded. "Yes, Second Sister-in-law, you’re right. Let’s do that."

Song Shiying: “……”

She was pretending to be mad, but if she had to keep listening to her two sisters-in-law’s teasing, she felt she might actually lose it!

Since she couldn’t beat them or outtalk them, what else could she do as a younger sister-in-law?

Her only option was to try and squeeze more dowry gifts from them to make up for her wounded heart.

*

The three women returned to the Song family, "chatting and laughing" all the way.

They headed together to the main courtyard to report on today’s matchmaking to Madame Zhuang, as the follow-up matters would need her handling.

However, when they arrived at the main courtyard, they learned that Madame Zhuang had gone to the palace.

Feicui smiled and explained, "The Imperial Consort has gone into labor. The Crown Prince, concerned for her, sent Nurse Liu to escort Madame to the palace to keep her company during the birth.

Madame has been gone for three hours now; I think she’ll be staying overnight in the palace."

Jiang Chun exclaimed in surprise, "The Imperial Consort is giving birth?"

She counted on her fingers.

The Song family had received news of the Imperial Consort’s pregnancy back in August, and now it was mid-April.

Doing the math, it made sense.

Since this was her second pregnancy and she was the Crown Prince’s Consort, there were experienced doctors and midwives in the palace, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

They just needed to wait at home for the good news.

After all, in the original version, the Imperial Consort’s delivery was smooth, without complications or schemes from the old emperor’s concubines, and she successfully gave birth to a little imperial grandson.

Sure enough, when Song Shian returned from his office, he brought news that the Imperial Consort had safely given birth to a son.

The happiest person was undoubtedly Madame Zhuang.

Madame Zhuang had always been worried for her daughter. After all, she only had one grandson, which wasn’t many in terms of offspring.

In those times, children were prone to early death, and if something happened to the grandson, the position of Crown Prince’s Consort would be precarious.

Now, with two sons by her side, even if the Crown Prince took in more concubines after ascending the throne, it wouldn’t affect her position much.

This also prevented others from swooping in and taking credit, securing the Song family’s position as the future imperial family.