Chapter 009: Personal Affairs

The group of ladies and gentlemen standing behind Lady Liu were first taken aback by her inexplicable remarks. Miss Jiang, the second daughter, was indeed a wrongdoer who had poisoned her stepmother. Although she appeared quite pitiful, openly assisting her would mean standing in opposition to Ji Shuran. The Ji family, with the Vice Capital Governor Ji, was currently favored by Emperor Hongxiao, and the domestic affairs of the Prime Minister's family were not matters that everyone could meddle in. Therefore, everyone planned to remain spectators.

The maids then spoke of a secret, revealing that Liao Wu from Helin Temple was, in fact, a lecherous monk. Many women had fallen victim to his debauchery, including nuns from the nearby convent. It was from Liao Wu that Princess Yongning derived the idea to secretly meet with Shen Yurong in the temple.

What is even more unexpected is that Miss Jiang Er also declined

Jiang Li seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to understand, and simply smiled as she said: "Then thank you very much, madam"

He is the Duke of Su.

Jiang Li smiled and said: "My father sent me to the family temple to cultivate my character and nurture my nature. Although it is difficult, it allows me to seek peace and health for the family. If I were to give up halfway, it would be a desecration of the Bodhisattva. Moreover, my father has not yet sent anyone to bring me back, so how can I take it upon myself to decide?"

Madam Liu felt a surge of anger in her heart. She saw Jiang Li looking up at her, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Speaking of which, I still don't know why you, Madam, are here? And these..." She looked at the group of people behind Madam Liu and asked, "Are you all here to pay your respects as well? Usually, not many people come here to pay their respects; they prefer to go to the nearby Helin Temple. Moreover, it is quite late now. Ladies, you are not here to pay your respects, are you?"

By that time, Jiang Li would have no choice but to seek other means

The implied meaning in the words is quite evident

Madam Liu and Ye Zhenzhen have been friends for many years. Knowing that Ye Zhenzhen is a person of integrity and kindness, she naturally does not believe that Ye Zhenzhen's daughter could be such a malicious person. However, when the incident involving Jiang Li occurred, Madam Liu and the Jiang family had not been in contact for many years, and Jiang Li had pushed Ji Shuran to miscarriage in front of many ladies, with irrefutable evidence. Although Madam Liu does not believe it, she is also helpless.

Even the personal maid has been given to Jiang Li, which shows how much Madam Liu values Jiang Li. It also indicates that perhaps it won't be long before Jiang Li can return to the Jiang family in Yanjing and become a young lady of the Jiang family.

Madam Liu said, "There is no need for you to be so devout, kneeling in the Buddhist hall at midnight. Justice resides in the hearts of people; with a sincere heart, the Buddha will naturally see it. Yuxiang," she said to the maid beside her, "you should stay here for the next few days to take good care of Miss Jiang Er. With only one maid by her side, it may not be sufficient for her care." She then looked at Jiang Li and continued, "Miss Jiang Er need not decline; I am an old friend of your mother. Yuxiang is my personal maid and has some martial skills. With her by your side, I will feel more at ease. Once you return to Yanjing, I will have Yuxiang come back to me."

Ultimately, it is to adorn oneself for those who bring joy to oneself

However, her luck will not always be this bad; it just so happens that she has succeeded in this way.

Whoever knows, Miss Jiang Er merely exchanged a few words with Madam Liu, and Madam Liu immediately proposed to take her back to Yanjing, surprisingly willing to offend the Ji family for the sake of a stranger with whom she had only a few encounters

Jiang Li expressed her gratitude to Madam Liu, who, along with a group of ladies and young misses, took a rest at the nunnery. Yu Xiang indeed followed Jiang Li, and Jiang Li and Tong Er also changed to a comfortable room usually occupied by other nuns. However, none of the nuns were seen.

When she woke up as Miss Jiang Er, she immediately thought of this secret upon realizing that He Lin Temple was not far away. The first time she saw Master Jing'an, Jiang Li knew that Master Jing'an must have a lover. A monk, young and beautiful, if she had no lover, why would she use fragrant oils and powders, and why would she adorn herself to be so alluring

"Did I not tell you to feed the monkeys?" Jiang Li said calmly, "The abbot of Helin Temple, Master Tongming, has a senior disciple named Liao Wu, who is involved with our nun Jing'an from the convent. They meet secretly in the back woods of Helin Temple on the nineteenth of every month. The monkeys on this mountain have been fed by you with pastries for over half a month, and they wait there every night. Tonight is the nineteenth; the monkeys will go as usual to wait for you to feed them. Upon seeing Jing'an and Liao Wu, they will mistake them for the ones who feed them and approach them for food. Both of them are already feeling guilty about their actions and are afraid that any sudden noise will alert the ladies. The ladies here are either wealthy or noble; how can they tolerate such disgraceful matters in a sacred Buddhist place? They will surely come to demand an explanation and will capture the nuns from the convent."

A complete plan emerged in Jiang Li's mind, of course, this plan is not guaranteed to succeed. Perhaps what those maids said was not the truth, perhaps Jing'an Shitai's lover is not Liaowu, or perhaps when they met in secret, they did not cry out in surprise; all these matters would then be rendered null and void, unable to come to fruition

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of those present varied greatly. However, Lady Liu suddenly thought of something, pondered for a moment, and then said to Jiang Li: "This temple is not a good one. Since your father sent you here, he should have found a proper temple. Well, since you are unwilling to leave with me, I will set off back to Yanjing tomorrow. However, I believe your father will soon come to take you back."

He is not a flower fairy. Jiang Li smiled.

Jiang Li smiled slightly, as she naturally knew. When she was still Xue Fangfei, Princess Yongning had someone daily prepare medicinal soups in an attempt to drain her of all vitality. She was confined within the house, unable to go out, and the servants spoke freely in her presence, treating her as if she were a dead person. Thus, she came to understand that the place where Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong secretly met was a temple not far from Yanjing.

In her words, there was not a hint of mention regarding the punishment for the initial wrongdoing of poisoning her stepmother; she merely stated that she was sent here for self-cultivation and to seek blessings for the family. To the ears of others, it seemed that Miss Jiang was evading the main issue, but to Lady Liu, it carried a deeper significance

Everyone was extremely surprised by Jiang Li's response, and Tong Er was also secretly anxious. Madam Liu looked at her inquiringly and asked, "What is the reason for Miss Jiang Er's statement?"

In front of Jiang Li, the face of a young man on the rooftop immediately emerged.

Tong Er clasped her hands together: "Thanks to the young lady for overhearing their gossip, thanks to the young lady for coming up with this idea. Otherwise, how could the young lady have encountered that Lady Liu? Perhaps, this is all related to the flower spirit we saw tonight... No, the flower fairy is indeed spiritual, allowing those wicked people to receive their just deserts"

I heard it. "Jiang Li picked up the tea on the table and took a sip, "I overheard two little nuns chatting."

Tong Er is still quite incredible: "This is too terrifying"

Taking advantage of Yu Xiang going out to fetch water, Tong Er quietly asked Jiang Li: "Miss, what is going on? Why have all the nuns disappeared? Why are there so many more people here?"

Listen, the last thing Jiang Li said was that everything should be left to Jiang Yuanbai, but Jiang Yuanbai probably never thought of this daughter, did he

Now, seeing the daughter of an old friend being bullied here, and being so gentle and pure, Lady Liu's heart was suddenly filled with doubts. Jiang Li did not mention any wrongdoing; perhaps there was no wrongdoing to begin with. The accusation against her stepmother was merely a pretext, an excuse for those with ulterior motives to send her away and torment her at will

Tong Er was taken aback, murmuring, "How could this be..." She became tense again, asking, "How does the young lady know about such a secret matter?"

Tong Er could roughly guess that this matter was related to Jiang Li, but she did not know exactly what Jiang Li had done. During these days, Jiang Li only allowed her to feed the monkeys, but feeding the monkeys could not lead to so many issues!