The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 18: Leave Her a Pure Land

Shang Mingshu and Shang Zishu had lunch at Fuqiu Temple. Shang Mingshu was a picky eater, but the food at Fuqiu Temple was particularly light and delicious.

"Hemai, go ask the Taoist master in the kitchen if you can ask him to give us some pointers on the essence of the three dishes: Tai Chi Tofu Box, Ruyi Vegetable Rolls, and Four Treasures of Xianshan." Shang Mingshu put down her chopsticks and gave the order.

"If you like it, you can come often in the future. Why do you need your people to learn it?" Shang Zishu didn't expect that Shang Mingshu, who has always been picky about food, was still not satisfied.

"In a few days, my father will invite Magistrate He and Madam Gong to our house for a banquet. Madam Gong likes to be a vegetarian." Shang Mingshu smiled.

"Who is it that is so sure and never flatters?" Shang Zishu teased her sister.

Shang Mingshu said confidently: "This is my way of entertaining guests."

"Yes, yes, my Mingshu will do whatever she says." Shang Zishu was sharp with everyone except Shang Mingshu. "I heard that the Cheng family wants to match you with Cheng Sanlang?"

Shang Mingshu was full and tired. She fiddled with the jingle ornaments hanging from her waist and said, "Hmm."

"If Third Master Cheng could pass the imperial examination, he'd be a perfect match for you." Shang Zishu also hoped this marriage would be successful. "You marry Third Master Cheng, and Madam Lin marries Second Master Cheng. You two can become sisters-in-law. With you around, who would dare to bully her? She's already living a comfortable life. Why would she marry a short-lived man just for a little romance?"

Shang Mingshu needs Shang Zishu's help to cover for her this time, and she tells Shang Zishu the reason after getting Lin Yuanyuan's consent.

"My marriage to Mr. Cheng is extremely uncertain." Shang Mingshu shook her head. Thinking of Lin Yuanyuan, trapped by love, she was puzzled. How could a man be worthy of such a woman? She could only recite a sad poem, "What is love in this world? It makes people pledge their lives to each other..."

"Stop it now, my teeth hurt if you listen to me. If one day a man seduces you to death, I will kill him." Shang Zishu gritted her teeth.

"Okay, you can kill him." Shang Mingshu nodded with a smile.

The two sisters smiled at each other and turned to talk about other things. About half an hour later, a servant came to report that Yao Dalang accompanied his grandmother to Fuqiu Temple to burn incense. Shang Mingshu then tidied her clothes and went to the agreed place to wait.

The first time she saw Yao Zongsi, Shang Mingshu frowned tightly. She had seen Yao Zongsi before, and he was far from looking as pale as he is today. If he had not come slowly with the support of his servants, she would have felt that the person she saw was not a living person.

"Third Madam." Yao Zongyi tried his best to suppress his disordered breath and bowed to Shang Mingshu.

Shang Mingshu replied perfunctorily, "Mr. Yao, with all due respect, you really shouldn't have provoked Yuanyuan like this."

All her previous plans and plots were now rejected by Shang Mingshu. She could let Lin Yuanyuan fulfill her wish of being a widow and then remarry when she met a good man, but she couldn't let her become a widow as soon as she got married and bear the stigma of being a husband-killer.

She even suspected that Yao Zong would not live to see their wedding, and might not be able to open his eyes tomorrow.

"Please take a seat, Madam San." Yao Zongsi didn't care that Shang Mingshu looked down on him. He politely extended his hand towards the stone table under the Bodhi tree beside him.

Seeing that he was having difficulty standing, Shang Mingshu turned around and sat down first, not bothering to exchange polite greetings.

"I've made an appointment to meet with you today to ask you to take good care of Yuanyuan in the future." Yao Zongsi sat down with the help of his servants, his back hunched but not looking dejected. "I will take care of Yuanyuan and I's marriage myself. Yuanyuan shouldn't involve you in these disputes."

"How dare you say in front of me that you want to marry Yuanyuan!" Shang Mingshu glared at me.

Yao Zongsi propped himself up on the stone table with one hand and his knee with the other. He asked sincerely, "Madam San, do you think Yuanyuan can be free at home?"

Shang Mingshu looked at Yao Zongsi, guessing his intentions: "Will I be free if I marry you? Do you know that a widow who remarries is considered unfaithful?" Shang Mingshu had thought of letting Lin Yuanyuan remarry after Yao Zongsi's death, but she had to remind Yao Zongsi that it was extremely difficult for a widow to remarry.

"Yuanyuan is married to me and belongs to the Yao family. Grandmother will treat her like her own granddaughter. If she finds someone she likes in the future, Grandmother will definitely agree." Yao Zongsi spoke slowly, his words clearly. "She is in the family, and marriage is a serious matter. It is the will of her parents, and she cannot disobey. She may marry a good man, but not necessarily the one she loves."

How could Shang Mingshu not know what Yao Zongsi said?

The Lins loved their daughter, but unlike Shang Jinliang, they didn't let her choose her own husband. Even for Shang Mingshu, Shang Jinliang didn't force her to marry into a wealthy family unless she wanted to.

Lin Yuanyuan is of marriageable age, and getting married and having children is inevitable. She can avoid Cheng She, but she can't avoid the next one.

"Yuanyuan is a shallow person. Your Yao family is not a place that you can rest assured about."

"Don't worry, Third Lady. As long as I am alive, no one will wrong her. When I die, I will leave a pure land for her." Yao Zongsi straightened his hunched back. He looked weak, but his eyes were remarkably firm.

"How do you prove it?" Shang Mingshu didn't trust people easily.

"I can't prove it," Yao Zongsi said frankly. "Third Lady, how about making a bet with me?"

"Betting?"

"I will have my grandmother personally propose marriage to the Lin family and have her sign the marriage contract in black and white. I will marry Yuanyuan. If I am lucky enough to have an heir during my lifetime, and the heir does not reach the age of twenty, the Yao family's assets will be handed over to the Lin family. If I have no one to inherit the Yao family, half of the assets will go to the Lin family, and half will return to the clan. Yuanyuan can remarry at any time."

Yao Zongsi couldn't help coughing as he spoke, and after a long pause he continued, "If the Lin family agrees, please congratulate us on our wedding, Madam San. If the Lin family rejects this marriage, I will personally cut off Yuanyuan's thoughts about me."

The Lin family was optimistic about the Cheng family because not only was the Cheng family wealthy enough, but Cheng She was also a good son-in-law.

By marrying into the Cheng family, the Lin family would naturally gain the benefits of marriage, but it would be far less than the half of their fortune that the Yao family was willing to give.

The Lin family agreed to this marriage, and it is obvious how much they love Lin Yuanyuan. If they are willing to marry their daughter off for the Yao family's wealth today, they may not necessarily make Lin Yuanyuan suffer for greater benefits in the future.

The Lin family disagreed, purely out of love for their daughter. With such parents around, Yao Zongsi no longer had to worry about Lin Yuanyuan's future.

"Can you convince the old lady to sign such a contract?" Shang Mingshu finally began to look Yao Zongsi in the eye.

He said that he couldn't prove to her that he could leave a pure land for Lin Yuanyuan in the future, but his actual actions were different. It was impossible for him to make the old lady of the Yao family do this just by relying on the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.

Old Madam Yao lost her husband at an early age and her son in middle age. A woman who can stabilize the Yao family's fortune will not be too bound by family ties in her thoughts and actions.

In order to gain the trust of the Lin family for this contract, all the members of the Yao family who have the final say must agree, which is by no means an easy task.

"If I can't even accomplish this little thing, how can I hope to give Yuanyuan a better life than the Lin family?" A calm and confident smile appeared on Yao Zongsi's beautiful face that looked like a white jade sculpture.

"Okay, I'll make a bet."

(End of this chapter)