Blossom

In September, the Fragrant Hills were lush with greenery, and from afar, Ganlu Temple seemed to float amidst a sea of verdant waves.

Dou Zhao and her party switched to sedan chairs at the foot of the hills, ascending the wide stone steps toward Ganlu Temple.

Jiang Yan lifted the sedan curtain, greedily inhaling the crisp air, feeling as though she had come alive again.

She heard Ruo Tong, walking beside the sedan ahead, cheerfully ask Gan Lu, "Sister, this temple shares your name! Who gave it to you? It’s so lovely!"

Gan Lu snorted playfully and replied proudly, "My name was given by Consort Cui of Zhen Ding. She said she wished me to be like a drop of water from Guanyin’s purification vase—not only pure in heart but also able to nourish others."

Ruo Tong asked curiously, "Who is Consort Cui?"

Gan Lu paused slightly before answering, "She is Madam’s paternal grandmother by a concubine."

Ruo Tong stuck out her tongue in surprise and quickly changed the subject. "What about Sister Su Juan? What does her name mean?"

"It carries the same sentiment," Gan Lu said with a smile. "To remind us to avoid trouble, keep our hearts clear as a mirror, and not be blinded by wealth and glory, forgetting who we truly are."

Ruo Tong pouted in dissatisfaction. "Why do our names all end up being about red?"

"Is red not good?" Gan Lu laughed. "Red is the most dignified and elegant color. You serve Madam closely—this name suits you perfectly."

Inside her sedan, Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile.

The names of her maids reflected her own journey.

When she first arrived in the Capital, her grandmother, fearing she might be bullied, hoped her maids and old women would be fiercely loyal. By the time Gan Lu and the others reached the age to leave the household, Dou Zhao had already secured her place in The Duke of England's Mansion. What she sought then was no longer mere loyalty and obedience but the bearing of a matriarch. Later, the younger maids were all given names starting with "Fu"—by then, maids and servants were no longer her primary reliance.

What names would she give her maids in the future?

Lost in thought, she soon arrived at Ganlu Temple.

They alighted from their sedans, where the abbot and the guest-monk were already waiting at the mountain gate.

After exchanging greetings, the middle-aged abbot excused himself, leaving the guest-monk, a man in his fifties, to guide them through the temple.

Before the Mahavira Hall stood two century-old smoke trees, their trunks thick enough to embrace, their leaves still luxuriant and vibrant as flames.

Jiang Yan and the others marveled at the sight.

The guest-monk began recounting the history of the trees—how Ganlu Temple had been destroyed in war, rebuilt, yet these two smoke trees had stood unwavering through it all...

The tale was intricate and fascinating, and Jiang Yan listened with rapt attention.

This was a story the guest-monk told every first-time visitor to Ganlu Temple. In her past life, Dou Zhao had heard it several times and could predict every word. Yet, watching the expressions of awe and surprise on Jiang Yan’s face, she felt a quiet joy.

They toured the temple until noon, then stayed for a vegetarian meal and a rest.

Dou Zhao felt somewhat tired. After a short stroll in the courtyard to aid digestion, she retired to rest.

Jiang Yan, however, was brimming with energy and dragged Jiang Lizhu to the neighboring pond to watch the turtles and koi fish.Although the Miao family had fallen on hard times, their children were still raised with proper manners. Before her marriage, Miao Ansu rarely had the chance to go out. Now that she finally had the opportunity, she longed to stroll around with Jiang Yan and the others. But seeing that Dou Zhao had retired to rest, she worried the servants might think her behavior frivolous and look down on her. After some thought, she smiled and bid farewell to Jiang Yan, returning to the guest room arranged for her.

The surroundings were quiet, but despite closing her eyes, Miao Ansu couldn’t fall asleep.

At such times, her hearing became especially sharp.

She heard the light footsteps of a maid passing by the veranda outside her room, followed by someone softly addressing "Sister Fuye" and asking, "Is there something you need?"

With the masters all retired for the night, Fuye’s voice was also hushed as she replied, "Do you have any needlework with you? Sister Ruo Tong’s sleeve just got torn."

The speaker was Miao Ansu’s maid, Liu Hong, who answered with a smile, "I always carry needlework with me, but since the Second Madam has already retired, I’ll have to ask Sister Fuye to wait here for a moment."

"No trouble at all," Fuye replied politely. "Thank you for your trouble."

After exchanging a few more polite words, Liu Hong tiptoed into the room and soon returned with a sewing kit.

Miao Ansu curled her lips.

People always said Dou Shi was strict and disciplined in managing her household, yet when traveling, her maids didn’t even bring a sewing kit. What kind of discipline was that? Truly, when the cat’s away, the mice will play. If her mother-in-law were still alive, if Song Mo hadn’t been made heir so early, and if the Song family had more brothers, Dou Shi might not have had the chance to act so domineeringly.

Truly, wealth and status are fated—not a bit of it is up to human effort!

Take Fuye, for example. She was barely ten years old and hadn’t even had her hair pinned up yet, but because she served Dou Zhao, even Miao Ansu’s senior maids had to address her as "Sister." Just thinking about it left her speechless.

Her thoughts wandered aimlessly.

Fuye came to return the sewing kit.

Liu Hong smiled and said, "Sister, you finished mending it so quickly?"

"I work fast," Fuye replied cheerfully, then sighed. "You’re so thoughtful. We remembered to bring a sewing kit when we left, but once we were out, we forgot all about it." She giggled. "Sister Gan Lu even scolded me earlier, saying if I’m this careless next time, she’ll have me transferred to the front courtyard to clean the latrines."

Her tone was lighthearted, clearly not taking Gan Lu’s words to heart. It was evident that Dou Zhao treated her people with leniency.

"You flatter me," Liu Hong replied modestly, a hint of envy in her voice. "I’ve served in the Second Madam’s household since I was young, and it’s all thanks to her good guidance."

Miao Ansu felt a twinge of satisfaction upon hearing this.

Fuye nodded repeatedly in agreement. "The Second Madam clearly has a kind heart. It’s just a pity she married the Second Master..." Before she could finish, she realized her slip and quickly covered her mouth.

But it was too late.

Liu Hong’s face was a picture of shock.

Fuye panicked, waving her hands. "I—I didn’t say anything! Nothing at all!"

With that, she turned and fled.

Liu Hong stood dumbfounded.

Inside the room, Miao Ansu’s heart churned like stormy seas.

She bolted upright and called loudly for Liu Hong, instructing Ji Hong to fetch some silver scraps for her. "Take this money to buy snacks or hairpins or the like. Get close to that Fuye and find out what exactly the Second Master has done in the past!"

Liu Hong assented and accepted the silver.But this was Ganlu Temple. Even if they had silver, who could they send down the mountain to buy things?

To get information from Fuye, they would have to wait until they returned to the Duke of England's Mansion.

Miao Ansu felt as if her heart was being clawed by a cat, unable to find peace for even a moment.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yan and Jiang Lizhu were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The temple's reception monk, noticing their interest in the release pond, assigned two young novices to attend to them and brought some dry buns for them to feed the fish. A swarm of fish crowded the water's surface before them, competing for the food.

The two sat in the pavilion by the release pond, feeding the fish.

Jiang Yan happened to glance up and spotted a familiar figure standing outside the courtyard gate in the distance.

Startled, she pointed and instructed Yinghong, "Go see what's going on over there."

Yinghong hurried off and soon returned, reporting, "It's Commander Chen from the Embroidered Uniform Guard Garrison Command. He heard Madam was here for a hike and came to pay his respects. Wuyi said Madam is resting, so Commander Chen decided to wait..."

Jiang Yan was taken aback. "Why is Commander Chen here?"

Yinghong didn't know and went to ask again, returning with the answer: "Commander Chen is on official business outside the city and happened to pass by Xiangshan."

Jiang Yan's expression grew complicated.

Jiang Lizhu gently touched her shoulder and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

After a moment's thought, Jiang Yan whispered some details into Jiang Lizhu's ear and hesitated before adding, "I wanted to ask him to inquire about my uncle—no, about Li Liang's situation... At the very least, I want Li Liang to know I'm doing well in the Song household."

Jiang Lizhu completely understood Jiang Yan's feelings.

After some consideration, she said, "Then I'll accompany you to ask him."

Overjoyed, Jiang Yan thanked her repeatedly and earnestly reminded her, "Please don't tell my sister-in-law. I'm afraid it would upset them."

"Your sister-in-law isn't that petty," Jiang Lizhu chuckled. "But I do think your cousin can be quite narrow-minded. Just be careful not to let him find out."

Jiang Yan defended her brother: "He's angry that I'm grateful to someone who wronged me. But if it weren't for Li Liang, I would have suffered so much more as a child. For that alone, I can't bring myself to resent him."

"That's a good way to be," Jiang Lizhu smiled. "Holding onto hatred inevitably affects oneself, gradually making one's demeanor unpleasant."

She thought of some sisters who, after family misfortunes, became bitter and constantly complained, transforming into entirely different people—a reminder she often gave herself.

Finally finding someone who didn't scold her, Jiang Yan felt as if she'd met a kindred spirit.

While Jiang Yan spoke with Chen Jia, Jiang Lizhu stood on the steps not far from them.

Facing the hope in Jiang Yan's eyes, Chen Jia struggled to maintain a neutral expression.

Song Mo had already reduced Wei Quan, He Hao, and He Qingyuan to wretched states—how could he possibly spare Li Liang?Li Liang's entire family had now been registered as military households and were living in a captain's garrison under the Tianjin Military Garrison. Without farming, they would have nothing to eat. Even after a year of hard labor, the whole family might not earn a third of what Li Liang used to make as an accountant. To make matters worse, the captain had been ordered to keep watch over Li Liang's family, making it impossible for him to earn even a single extra tael through other means. The children's education had also been interrupted, leaving Li Liang and his wife to teach them reading and writing themselves. While others might have a chance to leave the garrison through amnesty or similar means, Li Liang had voluntarily registered as a military household out of fear of Song Mo's retaliation, ensuring that his descendants would never be able to return to civilian status... Was this good or bad?

Chen Jia gazed into Jiang Yan's clear, water-like eyes, feeling as though his head was about to split from the pain.

Should he tell her the truth?

Given her temperament, she would only hide under the covers and cry silently.

But if he didn’t tell her?

What if she found out he had lied to her someday? She would surely resent him for it.

Chen Jia deeply regretted coming to pay his respects to Dou Zhao.

He had only intended to make a brief greeting to leave a strong impression on Madam Dou. He could have simply "bumped into" her on the road when she returned to the city—why did he have to wait here for her to wake up?

After much deliberation, he had no choice but to brace himself and force a smile. "Li Liang is doing quite well in the Tianjin Military Garrison. He’s been registered as a military household, so his descendants will always have the emperor’s rations. The only downside is that he’s been allotted a few acres of land to farm himself, so he earns less than he did as an accountant."