Being a second wife is difficult

We arrived at Ganen Temple soon. The characters on the plaque above the gate were already somewhat faded, and a string of bells hung from the eaves, tinkling in the wind.

The young novice monk was already waiting at the entrance. He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old and was wearing a faded gray robe. When he saw them, he put his palms together in a gesture of respect and led them toward the main hall.

Lu Zhao walked behind, with Lu Hui beside him. The two of them followed one after the other, and they didn't run around.

Aunt Zhou was carrying Lu Hui's bundle and couldn't hold Lu Shan with her other hand. Just as she was about to call out to Lu Hui, Concubine Zhao quickly took two steps forward and picked Lu Shan up.

Her movements as she held the child were not very skillful, but she was very careful. Aunt Zhou thanked her quietly.

The group passed through the mountain gate and headed towards the main hall. Incense was already burning in the hall, and wisps of smoke rose up, carrying a deep sandalwood fragrance.

The abbot of the temple was a very old monk. Although he chanted the scriptures slowly, his pronunciation was clear, and Jiang Wan could hear him clearly.

She knelt on the prayer mat, her gaze fixed on the edge of the mat in front of her. She had no particular thoughts in her mind, and listened quietly to the abbot's sermon. The rhythmic sound of the wooden fish gradually calmed her mind.

The children knelt quietly at first, but they couldn't stay still for more than fifteen minutes. They started to fidget, touching the tassels on the edge of the cushions or looking up at the painted decorations on the ceiling.

Seeing that Lu Wan beside her was fidgeting, Jiang Wan could only reach out and gently press her shoulder from behind. Lu Wan behaved herself for a while, but soon started shifting her legs on the futon again. Lu Zhao, on the other hand, knelt upright, but he would occasionally glance out the window.

The window of the main hall was half open, and a section of gray wall and an unidentified withered branch sticking out from the top of the wall could be seen outside.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the abbot finished reciting a sutra, stood up, clasped his hands, and bowed slightly. A young novice monk approached and quietly said that all the benefactors could rest outside the hall for a while. Lu Wan was the first to jump up from the prayer mat, bent down to pat her knees that had been kneeling for a long time, and her eyes were already glancing outside the hall.

As they exited the main hall, the sun had risen higher. The old lady stood in the corridor outside the hall for a while, and then several well-dressed ladies walked over from the side.

The first man was wearing a dark green jacket, about forty years old, made of fine plain satin, with a white jade button on the collar. It was the kind of outfit that showed he came from a well-off family.

She spoke first: "Hello, ma'am. You look much better this year than last year." Her tone was warm, like the usual greeting between acquaintances.

The old lady smiled and replied, "I'm too old to compare with you all. This is my new eldest daughter-in-law, Jiang."

The lady's gaze fell on Jiang Wan, looking her up and down. She still had a smile on her face, but Jiang Wan could feel that there was a sense of weighing in her eyes.

She didn't flinch, but met his gaze with a slight nod. The woman smiled and said, "You look young and blessed."

She had just finished speaking when two more ladies came up behind her. The three of them seemed to be together. One of the ladies was surnamed Jin, and the other was surnamed Wang.

Madam Jin was in her early forties, wearing a chestnut-colored jacket, and had a smile on her face, making her look quite amiable.

She glanced at Jiang Wan first, then at Madam Fang, and said with a smile, "The old lady has brought quite a few people this year, the whole family has come."

When Madam Fang saw Madam Jin looking at her, she smiled and said, "This year's matter was handled by my sister-in-law, so it is naturally more thorough than in previous years."

The ladies chatted for a while longer, mostly about which family's matriarch hadn't come this year, or whose daughter-in-law had a baby. Jiang Wan stood by and listened, occasionally chiming in when asked a question.

After chatting for a while, the old lady said, "I'm tired, let's go inside and rest for a bit," and the ladies then dispersed.

As Fang walked back beside Jiang Wan, she lowered her voice and said, "The one in dark green just now is the eldest mistress of the Jin family. Her husband works in the Ministry of Works and has a rank of fourth grade. Sister-in-law, you will inevitably have to deal with her when you go out outside the mansion in the future, so you should pay more attention to her."

Jiang Wan nodded: "Thank you for your guidance, sister-in-law."

Fang waved her hand: "We're family, no need for formalities. As long as you understand, sister-in-law."

The midday vegetarian meal was served in a side hall of the temple. A clean coarse cloth was laid on the long table, and the bowls and plates were plain white porcelain with slightly worn edges. The window was half open, and the rustling of the bamboo forest outside could be heard.

The dishes were simple: stir-fried bok choy, a bowl of tofu soup, a dish of pickled radish, and a bowl of white rice.

A few scallions floated on top of the tofu soup, the broth was clear, the bok choy was stir-fried until tender, and it had a subtle sweetness.

Lu Wan picked up the bowl, took a bite of tofu, chewed it, put the bowl down, and said softly, "Mother, this tofu soup... tastes so bland."

Jiang Wan said, "The vegetarian food in the temple is usually light. Try the bok choy; it's quite sweet."

Lu Wan picked up a piece of bok choy with her chopsticks, ate it, and said, "It is a little sweet." Then she ate two more bites of rice and stopped complaining.

Fang put down her chopsticks, picked up her teacup, took a sip, looked out the window, and said, "Eating vegetarian meals at the temple is much quieter than eating at home."

The old lady glanced at her and said, "It's rare for you to say something nice." Fang smiled and didn't reply, but she wasn't angry either.

Zhao Tongfang didn't say much, keeping her head down and eating slowly. She barely touched the bok choy in her bowl, but ate most of the refreshing pickled radish.

After the vegetarian meal was taken away, Granny Gui helped the old lady to a chair in the side hall to rest.

Lu Wan was chasing a fallen leaf across the courtyard. After running around twice, she turned back to the corridor when Lu Zhao grabbed her sleeve: "Stop running. You'll catch a cold if you sweat and the wind blows."

Lu Wan struggled for a moment but couldn't break free. She muttered something and then stopped. Jiang Wan was bending down to pick up the handkerchief that Lu Wan had dropped when she suddenly heard the old lady call her over.

She walked over, and the old lady leaned back in her chair, as if she had recovered a bit. She asked her, "This afternoon, the children are all going to the nearby farmland to pick autumn crops. In previous years, someone always accompanied them."

"You're from Nanjing, so you've never seen this before. You should go and see what's going on. The other families also have young wives with them, so you can get to know them when you get there."

"Don't be too strict with the children. The farmland is spacious, and the children won't get lost even if they run around. Just keep an eye on them and make sure the younger ones don't fall."

She paused for a moment, then lowered her voice: "You've worked hard managing the household these past few days. It's time to relax."

Jiang Wan was somewhat surprised that the old lady would say such a thing. She lowered her head and responded, her voice softening, "The old lady is so considerate, I'll remember that."

Lu Wan, who was peering through the door, heard this and asked loudly, "Is Mother going too?"

Jiang Wan said, "Go."

Lu Wan immediately turned to Lu Zhao and called out, "Mother is coming to play in the fields with us this afternoon!"

Lu Zhao stood a few steps away, glanced in their direction, his lips curving into a slight smile before he suppressed it again, and said, "Keep your voice down, the whole courtyard can hear you."

Lu Wan ignored him and ran back to grab Jiang Wan's hand and shake it.

Jiang Wan stood under the eaves, watching the children running around in the yard. Lu Hui found a tree branch somewhere and squatted down, poking at something. Lu Wan and Lu Shan watched from the side, while Lu Zhao stood aside pointing at something.

She stared for a while before looking away.

Meanwhile, the Earl's residence remained quiet for most of the day.

The masters of the mansion had all gone out, leaving only their capable servants in their respective courtyards to guard the place. As a result, the maids and servants were rather lazy today, even dragging their feet on sweeping and cleaning, as if most of their energy had been drained away.

Some people were leaning against the pillars under the eaves eating sunflower seeds, while others made an excuse to go to the storeroom to get something and didn't return for half a day. The courtyard was much quieter and emptier than usual.

Qiu Tang was leaning against a pillar, lost in thought, when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from the side courtyard.

She looked up and saw a thin little maid running quickly towards her. Her face was a bit sallow, and she was wearing a worn-out bluish-gray vest, as if she hadn't eaten well for a long time.

Qiu Tang recognized her at a glance. She used to work under her, and was later assigned to the side courtyard to deliver food to Cui'er, who was imprisoned there. Before that, she used to call her "Sister Qiu Tang" and they were godparents.

Before she could even greet her, the little maid had already run up to her and stopped. Qiu Tang frowned: "Why are you running in such a hurry?"

The maidservant took a breath, looked around to make sure no one was in the corridor, and then lowered her voice to say, "Sister Qiutang, Cui'er asked me to give this to the First Madam."

She pulled a small, neatly folded paper packet from her sleeve. The packet was sealed with a thin crease and was only about the size of a leaf in her palm.

Upon hearing the name "Cui'er," Qiu Tang's brows immediately furrowed, and her tone turned serious: "You delivered a letter for her? Don't you know what situation she's in now? You've got some nerve."

The maidservant turned pale after being scolded by her, clutching the hem of her clothes and whispering, "Sister Qiutang, Sister Cui'er gave me some money... She said I just need to deliver it and not worry about anything else. I know I shouldn't accept it, but you know my family's situation. My mother is still sick, and we don't even have enough money for our monthly allowance..."

Her voice trailed off as she spoke, as if she herself felt guilty.

Qiu Tang looked at her for a while, then suppressed her temper and asked again, "Do you know what was written in the letter?"

The maidservant quickly shook her head: "I don't know, I really don't know. She only said it was a letter begging the First Madam to save her life, and she didn't say anything else."

Qiu Tang sighed, both angry at her for being so immature and aware of her own predicament.

She paused for a moment before saying, "Alright, give me the thing. From now on, no matter who asks you to deliver something, think carefully about whether you can deliver it and what the consequences will be. Don't just accept any money. I'll let it go this time, but if you come again next time, I won't let you off the hook."

The maid nodded repeatedly, said "I understand," and quickly turned and ran away.

Qiu Tang stood under the eaves watching her run away, shook her head, turned around and went into her room, closed the door, sat down on the bed, and opened the paper package.

Inside was a neatly folded piece of paper with somewhat messy handwriting, as if it had been written in a hurry.

The paper contained only a few lines of text: "Madam, Cui'er knows that the Second Madam has always been dissatisfied with you and often obstructs your affairs in private. I have served the Second Madam for many years and know many of her unknown things. Perhaps I can help you bring down the Second Madam."

"This servant is willing to do this to save my life, please, Madam, save me."