good season

It rained last night with thunder and lightning. Feng Yalan felt sorry for the vegetable seedlings she had just planted, so she took a tarpaulin and ran outside, but ended up getting soaked herself and developed a fever in the middle of the night.

After she fell into the water and had an accident, her four head maids were punished by the mansion. Fearing that they would be sold to a filthy place, she secretly used her private money to buy them back.

She asked her wet nurse to arrange marriages for them, but unfortunately, even after she arrived at Zizhu Temple, their marriages were still unsuccessful.

At first, she thought they were too picky, but later she realized they were just worried about her.

She handed over all her savings, along with the gold, silver, and valuables her aunt had accumulated over the years, to her four maids.

Let them use this money to buy an embroidery shop.

She couldn't see her future; she didn't know if she could leave Zizhu Temple. This embroidery workshop was the backup plan she left for her aunt.

My aunt has no children. One day, when she grows old and loses her beauty, she can rely on this embroidery shop to live out her old age in peace.

At the same time, this embroidery workshop also served as a place of refuge for four maids.

Women face hardship, and this is the best way out she can offer them.

When she came to Zizhu Temple, she had no maids or servants, only a bundle in her hands, and nothing at all.

All four maids were skilled in embroidery. They managed her embroidery workshop and secretly bribed the female Taoist priests in the Purple Bamboo Temple.

Feng Yalan was unaware of this matter at first. She was grateful that she had only met kind people and had not been mistreated. It wasn't until a few days ago, when she received the fine rice that the maids had brought her from the female servants, that she realized they had been secretly taking care of her all along.

Feng Yalan cherishes herself more than before. Now that she has nothing left, all she can do is live well.

The fever was unexpected, but fortunately her quilt was thick. She covered her head with the quilt, wrapped herself up, and drifted off to sleep.

In her dream, it was also springtime, with lush grass and warbling birds amidst shades of red, and she got married.

In the bridal chamber, a handsome young man dressed in a bright red wedding gown stood before her husband.

Her husband was refined and gentle, with a warm smile. However, when their eyes met, she noticed that his smile didn't reach his eyes.

She felt a little disappointed; perhaps he also looked down on her for being an illegitimate daughter.

My husband's name is Lang Qiubai. He is an orphan, but he is very lucky. He is chosen by Lang Jing, a student of my father, to be the heir of my younger brother who died young.

She felt even more pity for her husband, pity that he had no parents or brothers, pity that he was living under someone else's roof. She treated him even better, and when he occasionally responded, she was secretly delighted.

Later, she became pregnant. At that time, Tongzhou was flooded, and her husband went to Tongzhou with the Fifth Prince. She saw him off at the door and personally tied a peace charm that she had obtained for him.

He told her to take good care of herself and their child.

She waited and waited, and after ten months of pregnancy, the baby was born.

But she received news of his death instead.

He died, swept away by the flood, and his body was never seen again.

The flood caused heavy casualties, and the fifth prince and his entourage were all convicted, while her husband was rewarded for dying in the line of duty.

But no amount of praise could ease her pain; she had lost her husband, and her son had lost his father.

She closed her doors to visitors and raised her son alone at home.

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye. According to custom, she is to take her son to the Taoist temple to perform a ritual for her deceased husband. She rarely goes out and hasn't even been back to her parents' home for a long time.

The Taoist temple was bustling with activity, and she dared not let go of her son's hand for a moment, even taking him with her when she went to the toilet.

However, something terrible still happened.

She had just come out of the latrine when a man rushed out from the side, snatched her son, and ran in the opposite direction.

She screamed and chased after him, when suddenly several strong women rushed over and blocked her way. She turned left, and they turned left; she turned right, and they turned right. She finally managed to break free of their blockade, but the man was nowhere to be seen.

She searched the entire Taoist temple but could not find her son.

Left with no other choice, she could only turn to her maternal family for help. Her aunt knelt before her father and begged him for help, and he finally agreed to lend a hand.

The massive search lasted for more than a month, but they still couldn't find any trace of their son.

Her father stopped caring, and the authorities shelved the case. Only she continued searching for her son.

Year after year, day after day, she was always on the road searching for her child, until one day, she fell down a steep slope while trying to avoid a runaway horse, breaking both her legs. For many years after that, she was never able to leave her home again.
Suddenly, darkness fell, and the scene in her dream changed. She was thrown to the ground like trash. She struggled to get up, but then she saw two pairs of gorgeous boots walking towards her, one after the other.

She struggled to lift her head and look up, where she saw a face that seemed vaguely familiar.

Lang Qiubai, her deceased husband!

The young man standing next to her deceased husband also seemed somewhat familiar.

A searing pain spread throughout her body, and she screamed, suddenly opening her eyes.

It was dark all around, and she was having trouble breathing. She struggled instinctively, and finally, a cool breeze came over her. She smelled fresh air, and her mind cleared up.

She lay on the bed, covered in sweat, her body soaked, and the blankets were also sticky and damp.

She remembered; she had a fever. She reached out and touched her forehead; her fever had subsided.

Feng Yalan forced herself to sit up. She felt a little dizzy, but she knew she should be alright.

She changed into dry clothes. The hot water she had prepared before bed had cooled down. She drank a few sips, which moistened her parched throat and made her feel much better. She went back to bed and turned the blanket over to cover herself again, but she couldn't fall asleep anymore.

She often has dreams, but she can't remember them when she wakes up. However, this dream of hers today is still vivid in her mind.

Lang Qiubai.
She searched her memory but was certain she had never heard that name before.

She knew Lang Jing. Lang Jing had a son and a daughter. Her son was still young, and her daughter was Lang Yuyu, the one who made her grit her teeth.

She hadn't heard that Lang Jing had a nephew.

No, no!
The face of Lang Qiubai appeared in her mind. How could she forget the face of the man who had been her husband for more than half a year in her dreams?
Moreover, she not only remembered his youthful appearance, but she even saw him in her dreams in his middle age. Time had been kind to him; he was still refined, elegant, and handsome.

Feng Yalan silently closed her eyes. She remembered this face; she had seen this face before.

Yang Shengqiu!
That was after Yang Shengqiu proposed marriage, her stepmother asked her to meet potential suitors. In a family like theirs, marriage without prior consultation was unthinkable, otherwise it would cause gossip. That day, she stood in the pavilion and saw her third brother leading Yang Shengqiu past. She didn't know what her third brother said, but Yang Shengqiu stopped and looked towards the pavilion.

At that moment, their eyes did not meet, but her face turned red.

It turns out that Lang Qiubai is Yang Shengqiu. She vaguely remembers that Yang Shengqiu is also related to the Lang family, but she doesn't know why Yang Shengqiu changes her name in her dream.

If that person was Yang Shengqiu, then who was the young man who was following Lang Qiubai at the end of the dream?
Feng Yalan's heart stirred. She thought of something, put on her clothes, got out of bed, walked to the bronze mirror, found a tinderbox, lit a candle, and by the flickering candlelight, she saw herself in the mirror.

No wonder she felt the young man looked familiar; of course he did, because he bore a striking resemblance to her.

Feng Yalan slumped into a chair. So that's how it all happened!
But why?
why?
She suddenly wondered if she hadn't fallen into the water, and if the Fifth Prince hadn't proposed to her, would she still have married Yang Shengqiu?
Could everything in her dream be her destined fate?
She married Yang Shengqiu and became pregnant. Yang Shengqiu died in the line of duty, and she raised her son alone. Three years later, her son was kidnapped. She searched everywhere and eventually became disabled. Many years later, Yang Shengqiu returned with her son, elegant and dignified, dressed in fine clothes, while she was disheveled and destitute, like a beggar.

Feng Yalan felt short of breath again. This time, she didn't cover her head with the blanket, but the air around her seemed even thinner. She gasped for breath, like a fish out of water.

She trembled as she placed the bronze mirror face down on the table. She didn't want to see herself in the mirror, nor did she want to remember the young man who looked so much like her.

Lang Qiubai deceived everyone, including her for her entire life!
This must be a warning from heaven. Although she came to Zizhu Temple, she was incredibly lucky compared to herself in her dream.

Compared to marrying Yang Shengqiu and reliving the life of her dreams, Zizhu Temple was simply a paradise.

Here, she worked from sunrise to sunset, chanting scriptures, meditating, growing flowers and vegetables. There were kind female Taoists and lay Buddhists who were kind to her, and outside there were her aunts and maids who cared about her.

The next day, Feng Yalan woke up when the sun was high in the sky, having missed her morning class.

She expected to be scolded, but instead received a small bag of brown sugar: "You don't look well. If you're not feeling well, go back and lie down."

Feng Yalan quickly thanked her and diligently picked up a broom to start sweeping. Just as she finished sweeping a patch of open ground, she saw Princess Jiarou walking over.

"You don't look well. Are you sick? I'll have Senior Sister Qingfeng take your pulse in a bit. Don't try to tough it out if you're sick."

Princess Jiarou's voice was icy cold, but her words warmed her heart.

Senior Sister Qingfeng arrived quickly, took her pulse, brought her three wax pills, and thoughtfully brought some pumpkin candy, instructing her to go back to bed after taking them.

She obeyed and did as she was told. In the evening, the young Taoist nun brought her some white porridge and whispered to her, "Someone asked me about you. I didn't tell anyone. You should thank me for bringing you white porridge. Once you've recovered, you should help me water the vegetable garden."

Feng Yalan was taken aback: "Okay, I'll be free tomorrow. I'll water your vegetable garden. By the way, who asked you about me?"

The young nun chuckled, "He's a very handsome young man. He asked me if my family had visited me or brought me anything since I came to the temple. He also asked me about my relationship with the Princess."

Feng Yalan frowned slightly. So that's what she was asking about?
Why did that person ask about these things? What did he want to know?
She asked, "What did you say?"

The young nun said innocently, "Of course I'm telling the truth. I'm a nun, and nuns can't lie. The patriarch will be angry."

"So what did you say? Could you please repeat it once?"

Feng Yalan took out the pumpkin candy and offered it to her. The little Taoist nun quickly took a piece and stuffed it into her mouth, beaming with joy.

“I told her that you came here to cultivate yourself, so of course your family won’t bother you. Besides, you spend most of your time working in the vegetable garden, while the princess doesn’t have to work. You won’t meet each other and you’re not familiar with each other.”

Feng Yalan laughed, picked up a piece of pumpkin candy and stuffed it into her mouth: "Well said. If anyone asks about me in the future, just say the same thing."

After the young nun left, Feng Yalan drank some plain porridge and went outside to wash the dishes.

A small stream flows gently outside the door, leading to the vegetable garden in front.

Feng Yalan squatted by the stream, silently washing the dishes, but her mind was on the person the little Taoist nun had mentioned.

Whoever that person is, their purpose is obvious.

She wanted to know if the Feng family had abandoned her, and also to know if she still had any use to them.

Feng Yalan smiled slightly. The little Taoist nun said that he was a very handsome young man.

Her brothers and nephews were also very handsome, but they didn't need to inquire secretly; if they wanted to know something, they could simply call her over and ask her directly.

As for the other handsome young men, the only ones she had any dealings with besides the Third Prince were the Fifth Prince and Yang Shengqiu.

The Fifth Prince is under house arrest, and he'll probably never be able to leave.

Then there's only one person left.

Yang Shengqiu!
Thinking of the dream she had made Feng Yalan feel nauseous.

The bad guy who ruined her life still wants to take advantage of her.

Did he still want to use her identity to become the son-in-law of the Feng family, just like in his dream, and have the opportunity to stay by the prince's side? Oh right, he even faked his death, claiming he died in the line of duty. It was all a lie. He's alive and well, and he even has the energy to steal her son.

It's ridiculous. Even when she gave birth to her son, it was because he used her. He used her womb to give birth to his son, and then took the son away from her, leaving her to search for him for half her life.

Unfortunately, the dream didn't tell her where Yang Shengqiu was during the years she lost her son, or why someone who hadn't appeared for so many years would later stand before her again.

There were too many things she couldn't understand, but that didn't matter. All she needed to know was that if she married Yang Shengqiu, she would live a miserable life just like in her dream.

Don't say that as long as it didn't happen, you can forgive Yang Shengqiu, the instigator.

Haha, don't forget, the reason she didn't marry him wasn't because he was kind enough to let her go, but because of a twist of fate, it was just that her life wasn't meant to end.

Feng Yalan secretly asked the young Taoist nun to keep an eye out for that person and call her if he came again.

Three days later, the young nun came running over. Feng Yalan followed her to the vicinity of the back gate of Zizhu Temple. Under the shade of green willows, a young man was whispering something to a girl who looked like a maid. The girl nodded shyly.

Although Feng Yalan could only see the young man's profile from her angle, she still recognized him as Yang Shengqiu. Even though she had only met Yang Shengqiu once, they had been husband and wife in her dreams for over half a year, so she recognized him immediately.

After the two parted, Feng Yalan watched the maid walk towards the southwest corner.

The two elderly concubines of the retired emperor lived there. They had no children and did not want to live in the palace, so they moved to Zizhu Temple.

"Are those the maids of the two old concubines?" Feng Yalan asked.

"No, that's not true. The old concubine's maid would never go out. The second madam of the Zhou family came these past two days, and that maid looks like she's from the Zhou family."

The Zhou family was the maternal home of one of the old concubines, and the second wife was her niece-in-law.

Was Yang Shengqiu trying to find out about her through the maids in the Zhou household? (End of Chapter)