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Chapter 45: Worshiping Buddha

When Fen’er saw Qingxue, she was like a mouse seeing a cat.

She had been trained personally by the senior maids and had been beaten when she first arrived.

So even now, Fen’er couldn’t help but feel scared whenever she saw Qingxue.

“Big sister Qingxue…” Fen’er’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s.

Her affair with Lu Ke was all done in secret. Usually, she only dared to act prideful in front of peers or those she got along with.

Qingxue was the head maid in the Old Madam’s quarters—even the Third Master himself wouldn’t dare offend her. How could a mere maid like Fen’er, who hadn’t even secured a concubine title, compare?

Moreover, Qingxue was born outside the household and not a house-born servant, so the Lu family couldn’t hold her parents over her head, making her less restrained.

Still, out of consideration for the Third Master, Qingxue merely scolded Fen’er once and didn’t say more.

Instead, she turned to Qin Rong and said, “Rong’er, don’t keep staring at the sparrows on the roof. And don’t feed them—if they realize there’s food here, they’ll start coming in flocks.”

“Birds are filthy. Don’t try to catch them with your hands either.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Rong lifted her gaze and looked over at Qingxue.

Qingxue seemed very busy and didn’t pay her much attention, walking straight into the house.

As Qingxue entered, Xiazhu came out fanning herself.

Seeing Fen’er looking dejected, she said, “Your sister Qingxue is just in a bad mood right now. She’s not targeting you on purpose—don’t take it to heart.”

Fen’er then asked, “What’s wrong with sister Qingxue?”

“They couldn’t afford to eat back then. Her family had planned to sell both daughters, but since she agreed to sell herself into servitude with a death contract, only she was sold to the Lu family. The Old Madam took pity on her and turned a blind eye to her continued contact with her family. Recently, the government’s been drafting labor service. Her younger brother was conscripted, and her parents came begging her for money to exempt him.”

“How much does it cost to buy someone out of conscription?” Fen’er asked, now curious instead of feeling wronged.

“It depends on how much you give to smooth things over. This year’s conscription is for road-building—not extremely harsh, but still tiring. It would cost about ten taels of silver.”

“Wow, that much?” Fen’er exclaimed. “How does sister know all this?”

Xiazhu was a house-born servant. Her mother used to serve the Old Madam before passing away, and her father managed the gardens.

The Old Madam favored her greatly. Even after Qin Rong arrived, the Old Madam didn’t neglect Xiazhu and still showed her a lot of care.

“We don’t have relatives outside, but my father keeps connections. I heard this year’s conscripts are given half a sheng less rice than before. It used to be two sheng a day, now it’s only one and a half. Rice has become more expensive recently—the Old Madam was just saying so.”

“You’re amazing, sister—knowing everything,” Fen’er praised.

“So behave yourselves these next few days,” Xiazhu warned. “Don’t anger Qingxue. If she hits you, don’t come begging me for help—I’ve already warned you.”

The Lu family’s senior maids earned just a few hundred copper coins a month—more than enough for their needs and to save for a dowry.

But if Qingxue had to spend ten taels to buy her brother’s exemption, her life would become very tight.

Though Qingxue was angry, she was still hesitating about whether to give the money.

She was so anxious these days that ulcers had broken out on her lips. Everything irritated her. If she saw a junior maid resting, she’d immediately scold them. If they were caught slacking off, she’d hit them.

The head maid in Wen Ruyu’s quarters was unhappy, and all the other maids walked on eggshells, afraid to upset Qingxue.

Only in front of Wen Ruyu did everyone act naturally, not daring to show their nervousness around the Old Madam.

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During the Dragon Boat Festival in May, the county held a dragon boat race.

In ancient times, the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Spring Festival were all major holidays celebrated with grandeur.

Wen Ruyu’s family went to watch the festivities, of course from a private box at a restaurant overlooking the race.

In the evening, there was a Nuo opera in town, a ritual performance to ward off evil. Wen Ruyu and her family went to see that as well.

Because Lu Songnian was scheduled to take the provincial exam in August, Wen Ruyu thought of visiting the temple after the festival to pray for his success.

She hoped that maybe in a dream she might even see the original soul (from whom she’d transmigrated) and gain some insight into future events to better plan for herself and the Lu family.

She intended to take the whole family along—even if not for prayers, at least for a bit of relaxation.

But as soon as she gave the order, her daughter-in-law came back and said only Lu Jinnian was willing to go.

Wen Ruyu asked why.

Zhao Shu said, “Bainian has a reunion with some old friends today.”

“What about Songnian?” Wen Ruyu asked. “Tell him to take a break from the study for a day.”

Her daughter-in-law replied, “He’s not reading today. An editor from the capital recently retired and returned home. Their mutual friend Lin Qiaofeng is visiting him today and wants to introduce Songnian and the third young master.”

Wen Ruyu nodded understandingly. “That’s a good opportunity, don’t miss it.”

“Alright, then it’s just us. Let’s get ready to leave. We’ll have vegetarian lunch at the temple and return in the afternoon.”

She instructed her daughter-in-law to make the preparations.

Zhao Shu responded with a smile and went off to organize the servants and horses.

Lu Jinnian, after recovering from illness, had been confined at home to study and was feeling restless.

The only good news lately was that his neighbor Song Lin had failed the imperial exam.

Lu Jinnian himself could fail—but Song Lin must not pass. That had become his new obsession.

So when his mother mentioned going to the temple, with nothing else to do, he decided to tag along.

The weather was nice, and everyone at home had switched to lighter clothing.

In another two months, it would be scorching hot, so many people were taking advantage of the current season to visit temples.

Luckily, Wen Ruyu’s family had a carriage—otherwise the crowds would have made travel difficult.

They stopped at the bottom of the temple steps and walked up.

After ascending the stairs and entering the temple, they burned incense, prayed, and donated oil money.

The Lu family donated generously every year, so the abbot personally came out to greet Wen Ruyu.

Since it wasn’t time for lunch yet, he invited Wen Ruyu to rest in the hall behind the Buddha shrine and chat.

While Wen Ruyu listened to the monk’s teachings, Lu Jinnian grew restless and wandered outside.

There, he happened to run into a young novice monk, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a delicate face and bright eyes, sweeping the ground.

It was rare to see someone so strikingly handsome in a monastery—such a waste of talent.

Moved by curiosity, Lu Jinnian strode up to him.

The young monk, head lowered while sweeping, suddenly noticed a pair of black boots and an embroidered hem in front of him. Surprised, he looked up.

One tall, one short—their eyes met. The monk paused, and Lu Jinnian felt a jolt in his heart.

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Qinghe County, in the study of Editor Geng’s residence.

Editor Geng was tall but lean, about fifty years old. His long hair and beard gave him a stern appearance despite the wrinkles on his weathered face.

His voice was slightly hoarse but clear as he said, “Prince Cheng’s rebellion implicated many. The current emperor is only five years old. The Empress Dowager holds power, supported by the emperor’s uncle. She favors her own family, and a purge has already begun in the capital. Many high-ranking officials have already been removed—more will surely follow.”

Someone asked, “I heard over a thousand people were executed in the capital for involvement in the rebellion?”

Editor Geng sighed. “Likely more than that.”

At that, the room fell silent.

After a moment, Editor Geng encouraged everyone to share their thoughts.

Lu Songnian and Lu Ke, who had just been introduced today, didn’t dare speak out and remained quiet.

Though not a high-ranking official in the capital, Editor Geng was the highest-ranking figure in Qinghe County.

And having served in the capital, his experiences far surpassed those of local officials.

At that moment, Lin Qiaofeng said, “I heard the court plans to raise taxes again. With southern regions suffering disasters and food prices rising, this could be harmful to the people.”

Editor Geng agreed, nodding. “It’s all because of the Huns in the northwest. The tax increase is to fund the military—the court plans to expand the army.”

“Starting a war now doesn’t seem wise,” Lu Songnian couldn’t help but say.

Someone countered, “The Huns have been provoking us for years. If we don’t strike back, how can the people in the northwest trust the empire? The entire western region might fall to the Huns.”

Another added, “The people always suffer in times of upheaval. Grain prices may not have soared yet, but the situation is worsening. Surely the court won’t ignore this.”

Despite their words, everyone knew the truth: more and more people were starving.

In the past, every family had land. With surplus grain, they could afford to buy food. Now, with lax household registration, many had lost their land and had to become servants to rich families.

Some became tenant farmers, leasing land to survive.

They barely earned enough food for the year. A slight increase in grain prices caused immense hardship.

With time, more refugees would emerge—and with more refugees, instability would grow.

Although the room was full of talented scholars, few truly saw this reality.

Lu Songnian and his brother were among the few who did.

But knowing their voices carried little weight, they stayed silent.

With internal power struggles and external threats, the court likely knew of the issues, but had no time to address them.

The ruling class was too busy fighting amongst themselves to care about the common people.

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