Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 295 I know you hate her too.

Thanks to the emperor, Taoism flourished during this dynasty, and Taoist temples in and around the capital were very popular. Baiyun Temple, which has been built for hundreds of years, has been said to have been blessed by the gods this time, and every prayer was answered. In addition, the abbot of the temple, Master Lin Chi, often accompanied the emperor to practice Taoism, making him the most outstanding among them.

The last time Lu Jia came here, she was with Shen Qingzhou to invite Chen Ji to come out of seclusion and lure the Wei family into a trap. No one knew about her last visit, and this time she arrived just as quietly.

However, since Shen Qingzhou and Chen Ji had known each other for many years and already had a reliable route to the temple, it was not troublesome at all.

While she was admiring the lotus flowers in the Taoist temple, Lu Ying on the other side also began to dress up, preparing to go out with Jin Shi.

Although the turmoil caused by Liu Zheng was ultimately resolved by the Yan family bearing the cost of the military funds, it left them with a lot of trouble. In the end, they still had to satisfy the emperor to be considered truly at ease, so the Yan family dared not relax, and Madam Yan was also unable to extricate herself from the situation.

Offering incense at a Taoist temple doesn't have as many rules as at a Buddhist temple. The female visitors rarely go out, so when they do come out to offer incense, they also take the opportunity to relax and enjoy the scenery.

After paying respects to the Jade Emperor and Guanyin in the main hall, Madam Jin smiled and said, "I still need to go to the Golden Hall in the back to copy scriptures and offer blessings for my two little devils. Would you like to come with me, Third Sister-in-law?"

Lu Ying smiled in response: "I am not a mother yet, so I won't go this time. If you finish your business, please come and find me by the lotus pond at the back."

"Alright. This whole thing was rather frustrating anyway."

Madam Jin nodded and instructed Yingzi beside her with a stern expression: "Take good care of your grandmother. There are many people and eyes in this Taoist temple today, so don't let anyone cause trouble."

Yingzi bowed and agreed. She then told the eldest young mistress to take care, and only then did Madam Jin leave satisfied.

After passing through two corridors, Lianqing looked back and said, "Speaking of which, it's been four months since the Third Young Mistress got married. Why is there still no sign of pregnancy? When Grandma got married, she was pregnant only two months later. The Master and Madam were overjoyed at the time."

Jin's lips twitched: "Whether she'll have the fate to bear children in this lifetime is still unknown."

Lianqing paused, then asked, "Grandma, what makes you say that?"

Jin remained silent.

After entering the Sutra Copying Hall and greeting the Taoist priest on duty, she glanced at Lianqing and asked, "Where are the people who arrived first?"

Lianqing hurriedly replied, "I have already reported back. There are at least four or five young disciples who came to the Taoist temple today, and some of them are quite dashing."

At this point, she whispered a few names into Jin's ear.

Madam Jin picked up her teacup and took a small sip. "I've heard that the third son of the Xie family, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, has caused quite a few laughs?"

"Just last month, news broke that he had an affair with a female relative who was staying at his house."

Jin's lips curled into a smile: "That's good."

Just then, the young Taoist priest arrived carrying the Four Treasures of the Study. She asked Lianqing to give him a few gold melon seeds as a reward, and the young Taoist priest bowed and scraped as he withdrew, thoughtfully closing the temple door behind him.

Lu Ying walked along the corridor, paid her respects to the gods of fortune, prosperity, and longevity, and finally arrived at the Goddess of Fertility.

Yingzi looked at her, who had stopped at the threshold, and hesitated to speak.

Lu Ying bit her lip and walked past.

"Second miss."

A maidservant approached her with a smile and a bow: "Our mistress is brewing tea next door and would like to invite the second young lady to come and sit down."

"dawn?!"

Yingzi gasped softly in surprise.

Lu Ying also turned her head to look at the next room that Fu Xiao had pointed to, and her gaze met Lu Jia's as she looked at her through the open window.

Lu Ying glanced at Fu Xiao again and walked towards the other room.

Two cups were placed on the tea table in front of Lu Jia. Even the tea snacks in front of her were served in pairs. "What a coincidence, sister, you've come to offer incense too?" Lu Ying sat down.

Lu Jia brewed her some tea: "The Shen family doesn't have many affairs. The eldest son has the power to manage the household, and Grand Commandant Shen is always wary of me. As an ordinary person, I'm either here or there."

"Then I really envy you," Lu Ying said. "Having a large family isn't always a good thing."

As she was serving tea, she caught a glimpse of the box beside Lu Jia and immediately looked up.

Lu Jia displayed the box openly: "That's right, my father gave it to me. I'm here today to pray for my mother's soul."

"I should thank you even more."

Lu Ying stared intently.

Lu Jia continued, "The Yan family hurt my mother, but my mother's death hurt me the most."

Lu Ying looked at the ground, and after a moment nodded slightly: "Indeed."

Then she looked over again: "The culprit who hurt my sister's mother is my mother-in-law. So, my sister must have been waiting for me here."

Lu Jia waved the wisps of smoke in front of her: "Yan Qu was raised by Madam Yan herself. If his parents hadn't spoiled him, he wouldn't have been a womanizer since childhood and ended up with such a disease."

"Although this matter has nothing to do with you, it was your mother who exposed it. Now that she is dead, your mother-in-law will definitely transfer this resentment to you."

"Your mother may have made a lot of mistakes, but she was right about one thing: the Yan family is a living hell."

Lu Ying scoffed, "Sister, are you planning to rescue me?"

"Isn't it only yourself who can save you?" Lu Jia said calmly. "You handed over Qi Rulan's whereabouts, which meant you were just waiting for me to take action, weren't you?"

Lu Ying's expression darkened: "You know quite a bit about the Yan family."

Lu Jia smiled: "Just like you, it's all for self-preservation."

Lu Ying bit her lower lip and looked at her for a moment: "Was your marriage into the Shen family truly forced upon you?"

“It makes no difference whether it is or not.” Lu Jia looked back calmly. “The Shen family is a noble family, while I grew up in the countryside. It is my blessing to become the eldest daughter-in-law of the Grand Commandant’s mansion.”

"In other words, even if I did it voluntarily, wouldn't the Shen family be wary of me?"

Lu Ying remained silent. Then she said, "You want me to help you get revenge?"

"What if?" Lu Jia smiled.

"That depends on what you have to offer."

“Your mother-in-law is the bargaining chip,” Lu Jia said. “I know you want to wait for me to make a move and then go with the flow, but I don’t want you to reap the benefits for nothing.”

Lu Ying frowned: "My mother-in-law and father-in-law are of one mind and she is my father-in-law's virtuous helper. If I were to have any designs on her, my father-in-law would never tolerate it, nor would Yan Liang and Yan Qu."

"I kindly provided you with clues, how could you turn around and try to drag me down with you? Your actions are far too unkind."

Lu Jia laughed and said, "Neither of us are people who stick to the rules, so why bother with these empty words?"

You hate her too.

"Now, Madam Du not only manages the affairs of the Yan family, but also participates in the communication between various families. This is where her power comes from."

"Not to mention her, even the Jin family, who assists her and runs errands, has a more respectable status than you."

"From the moment you sent that bowl of glutinous rice balls, I knew you were determined not to turn back. Given our situation as sisters, since we both have ulterior motives, wouldn't it be better for both of us to be more flexible in our dealings?"
"What do you say?"