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Chapter 14: The Pavilion Visiting part 2
She had recently learned that there were rumours all over the capital that Shen Wen was a "stupid and uncultured girl", and she could guess that the source of the rumours was either the Grand Prince or the Fourth Princess, but the old Furen said that in order not to cause trouble for the Marquis, she should not fight back, so she could only sulk at home. Sometimes when she spoke of it in private with the old lady, she could not help but have red eyes. She had not cried for many years, since she had given birth to her eldest son and had been feeling smooth and smooth. But now, when she saw her daughter, who was so well-behaved and tender, being slandered, her heart ached. The old lady could do nothing but sigh and said that when the rumours passed in a few years, she would do some good deeds in the name of Shen Wen and people would naturally forget the bad impression..
In her heart, Yang Shi did not want to let Shen Wen go on this trip, for fear that if she met someone else in the middle of the trip, she would say something unpleasant to make Shen Wen feel bad. But Shen Xiang's big mouth had already promised Shen Wen, and she had heard that Shen Wen was particularly happy, so if she didn't let her go at this point, she was afraid that Shen Wen would be sad. Thinking of the criticism Shen Wen had received, she couldn't bear to disappoint her and always wanted her to be happy. Moreover, because Shen Wen is being criticised, the Marquis Residence doesn't dare to hold a flower party or anything else - in case not many people come or if those who do come say something about it, wouldn't it be self-defeating? Spring is all about having some fun, and it's time for Shen Wen as well to tag along. The good thing is that the Xiangye Temple is located in a secluded area and with Shen Yi protecting it, it should be fine.
Yang Shi looked at her eldest son who was standing tall with broad shoulders and a straight back, and say, "Yi Er ...... has really grown up."
The old Furen said, " Isn't that growing up? He's going to be a married man!" What's wrong with this daughter-in-law today?
Shen Yi was also a bit surprised, his mother had always been straightforward and would probably say something old like asking himself to take care of his younger siblings when he was leaving, why was there so much restlessness now?
Yang Shi looked to her two daughters, the oldest daughter still in her martial arts attire, with a look of pride on her face. The youngest daughter is dressed in a soft green spring dress, with a floor-length skirt in a matching bodice, embroidered with multi-coloured butterflies around the edges, and a childish smile on her still baby-fat face. Yang Shi's heart suddenly ached, and she was busy rolling her eyes, looking again at her sons and saying, "In the future, all of you, take good care of your sisters ......"
Shen Xiang rolled her eyes and whispered, "Who needs their protection, I can do it myself!"
However, Shen Wen smiled and nodded in agreement, like an ingratiating little squirrel.
Yang Shi's eyes were red with a bit of difficulty as she said, "No matter what people say, don't cause any trouble. The Marquis is not in the capital, so many people are watching, and many people ...... don't have good intentions ...... You must ...... not cause trouble for the Marquis... ..."
Shen Wen was still smiling and nodding, looking as if she didn't understand anything. However, Shen Yi's heart tightened as he and his second brother Shen Jian exchanged a glance.The two of them were only a year or so apart in age, and the two of them had grown up practising martial arts together and learning words together. After having other siblings, they had a more tacit relationship with each other than with their other siblings, and they knew what the other was thinking with a glance.
After the Lantern Festival, Shen Zhuo and Shen Xiang told them about the Fourth Princess and the Grand Prince bullying Shen Wen long ago. Young teenagers are proud at heart, and as they are the son of the first national military General, the Marquis of Zhenbei, the two have been discussing in private how to embarrass the other side. Unfortunately, one of them is the Grand Prince and cannot retaliate at will, and the other is the Fourth Princess, who usually does not go out of the palace, so there has been no opportunity for them to do anything, and this matter has been put on the mind. Now, hearing Yang Shi's words, it means that they can't act even if they hear the gossip, so for a moment, the two of them are not convinced and are silent.
Shen Zhuo has recently been reading chess games every day, studying the art of the game, and he has deeply felt that he is beginning to understand the way of strategy. He saw that his two elder brothers were silent, his eldest sister didn't even hear the words, his youngest sister was confused and ignorant, Yang Shi's brow furrowed and looking at them with tears in her eyes, he immediately felt a sense of weight on his shoulders and said with a smile, "There is no need for mother to worry, how could we cause trouble publicly?"
Shen Jian reacted and resumed his usual smiling look, "That's right, Mother underestimates us too much." You don't have to be "public" to cause trouble.
Shen Yi finally nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Mother."
The old Furen grunted, "Don't play it smart and know that others are just as shrewd."
Shen Zhuo immediately said playfully, "No, no."
Yang Shi sighed, "You have all grown up and don't listen to mother anymore."
Shen Wen quickly said, "I listen to you, I listen to my mother."
The old Furen beckoned, "Wen Er, come and let me hug you, you're such a good girl. ......" Shen Wen went over and showed off her cute face before she and her siblings excused themselves and left.
Yang Shi called in the two personal maids of Shen Wen and Sheng Xing, Su Wanniang and Chunlu, who were travelling with Shen Wen and Shen Xiang, as well as Shen Wen's nursemaid, He Shi, and instructed them to be more careful and not to let the two young ladies show themselves outside.
It was slightly dawn when the crowd left the Marquis' residence.
On the way to the Xiangye Temple outside the city, Su Wanniang was drowsy, her head hitting the carriage board again and again, and Shen Xiang, who was also sitting in the carriage, asked with a smile, "What's wrong with you? Didn't you get enough sleep during the night?"
Su Wanniang smiled shyly, "The first time I went out of town with Miss ......"
Shen Xiang tsked, "What are you worried about? With me and my brothers, what else can happen?" Su Wanniang didn't dare to answer: Shen Wen was obviously worried about her brothers and sisters, so she was secretly making a lot of effort.
If they were in a hurry, they could have reached Xiangye Temple in an hour. But Shen Yi knew that it was Shen Wen's first time out and was afraid that she would not be able to bear the bumps and bruises, so he let the carriage travel slowly and it was close to noon before they arrived at the Temple.
Almost at the same time, the Grand Prince received reports that the sons and daughters of the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence had left the house in the morning, as scheduled, to go to the Xiangye Temple outside the city.
The Grand Prince, who was in the midst of his new marriage and in a good mood, asked in a light tone, "Are they all ready?"
The staff replied, "All arrangements have been made, and this time, it will definitely make the Marquis of Zhenbei's house lose face and become the laughing stock of the capital."
The Grand Prince stretched his shoulders and relaxed a little in advance.
Xiangye Temple is located at the foot of a remote mountain, just a small monastery, with only three monks in total plus the presiding officer, and no one comes here at all. The Marquis family has been making offerings and supporting the expenses of the monastery for years, probably because the children always go here for a few days in spring.
The monastery had long prepared a fasting house for them, a row of courtyards, and because Shen Yi had brought dozens of guards from the Marquis, there was not enough room, so Shen Wen and Shen Xiang and their own maids were crammed into one room.
The group had lunch, settled into their accommodation and walked around the monastery, and the afternoon was over. The official trek was not until tomorrow, so everyone had an early dinner and went to bed.
Su Wanniang was unable to practise any yoga when she was living with others. She had already arrived outside the city and was about to see Ji Wenzhao, so she was even more restless and tossed and turned all night, not getting much sleep.
Early the next morning, everyone had breakfast in the temple and Shen Yi led the crowd out of the temple.
Xiangye Temple is built on a gentle slope at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by various fruit trees and a small farmland, irrigated by a mountain spring. At this time of year, when the fruit trees have flowers and leaves, and the farmland is fresh and green, it is a delightful place to walk around.
Having walked for most of the day, these noblemen and women who could not distinguish between the grains and the cereals, and seeing that it was past noon, they gathered around a tent in a wooded area, spread a blanket of wool on the ground, sat down on the ground and ate lunch.
Several children rarely get together like this, and last year Shen Wen didn't follow them out. This year was the first time they had left the supervision of their elders and played together freely. They chatted about various interesting stories and gossiped about the rumours they had heard, but naturally no one spoke about those rumours about Shen Wen.
In the afternoon, Shen Zhuo, who had recently become obsessed with Go, pestered Shen Yi and Shen Jian to play Go with him, while Shen Xiang wanted to walk around. Shen Yi accompanied her out, while Shen Wen wanted to watch Shen Zhuo and Shen Jian play against each other.
The sun is slanting and the shadows of the trees are lengthening. The two boys sat on the ground with a low table in front of them, taking turns to put down the chess pieces. The crisp sound of the pieces falling was interspersed with the sound of birdsong from the empty mountains and the gurgling of water from a distant mountain spring, which almost brought tears to Shen Wen's eyes several times. She rested her cheek in one hand and looked at the chessboard quietly with half-squinted eyes. Sometimes she gives Shen Zhuo ideas in her mind, and sometimes she feeds images into Shen Jian's mind. Occasionally, when they picked up her message and made the move she had thought up, Shen Wen would giggle, hiding the tears in her eyes.
Su Wanniang found the dilapidated Moon Watching Pavilion in the fruit grove outside the temple while walking around in the morning. She felt her heart beating too fast as she thought that tomorrow was the day of her meeting with Ji Wenzhao. After all, this involves the death of her father, how can she be indifferent to the revenge of killing her father?
As the sun was about to set in the west, Shen Yi and Shen Xiang returned. Shen Zhuo and Shen Jian confronted each other for more than an hour, Shen Zhuo won a piece and a half, and when the count was over, Shen Zhuo was so happy that he turned over a few heels on the grass. Shen Jian rolled his eyes and Shen Yi smiled and said: "Third brother, victory and defeat are commonplace in a warrior's house. You two still have a bright day ahead of you, so there is no need to be like this."
Shen Zhuo busily straightened his clothes, coughed a little, and bowed to Shen Jian, "Many thanks to second brother for letting me."
Everyone laughed and Shen Xiang bristled, "That's more like it."
Shen Zhuo tilted his chin and said to Shen Xiang, "I can definitely beat you now, believe it or not?"
Shen Xiang jumped in and said, "You just won a game of chess and you're showing off, you forget I beat you when you were five years old!"
Shen Zhuo frowned and shouted, "How is that possible? You were only three years old, right, and you're sure you weren't dreaming then?"
Shen Xiang stepped forward and waved her fist and said, "You're the one dreaming!" The two of them fought in the intervals when people were packing up their things, and the maids and servants laughed and dodged while shouting for them to be careful with the dishes. Shen Yi and Shen Jian went to pull the fight, occasionally taking the opportunity to kick and punch Shen Zhuo a few times - the third brother was getting cocky and needed to be taught a lesson. As Shen Wen watched on, tears finally flowed down her face and were hastily wiped away again.
