Song Mo was unaware that his notorious reputation made He Yu and Wang Qinghuai cautious. He slowly walked out of Qianfo Temple Alley, bidding farewell to Wei Tingyu in front of the temple.
Wei Tingyu had regained his composure from the initial shock.
He felt deeply grateful to Song Mo but was also very frustrated. He asked, “Why did Ji Jianming do this?”
Husbands and wives are one. Ji Yong was Dou Zhao’s cousin; tarnishing his reputation brought no benefit to Dou Zhao, the Dou family, or even to Ji Yong himself.
There were too many things to ponder in this situation.
Wei Tingyu was not foolish; he simply didn’t have many thoughts about people and events.
After a moment of silence, Song Mo replied softly, “I don’t know either!”
His tone was filled with melancholy.
Wei Tingyu’s expression darkened.
If even Song Mo didn’t know what to do… what should he do?
He couldn’t help but scratch his head.
If Ji Yong spread this incident, his mother would surely be furious, and it might even kill her.
And his sister… she despised such messy affairs the most.
Thinking of this, he felt a surge of anxiety and wanted to see his sister quickly to get her advice.
As Wei Tingyu watched Song Mo and Gu Yu’s carriage disappear into the crowd, he immediately took a carriage to Duke of Jing’s residence.
Wei Tingzhen was not at home.
She had gone to Daxiangguo Temple.
The temple was bustling with people; in addition to the faithful attending the sermon, there were vendors selling incense, candles, and snacks.
With the help of her guards, Wei Tingzhen finally squeezed her way inside.
The spacious side hall was already filled with seven or eight tables of people, mostly noblewomen adorned with jewelry.
Her sister-in-law, the eldest lady of Duke of Jing’s residence, Lady Zhang, occupied a front-row seat, and her maid stood beside her, looking around. Upon seeing Wei Tingzhen enter, she leaned down to whisper a few words to Lady Zhang. Lady Zhang stood up, nodded at Wei Tingzhen, and sent her maid to invite Wei Tingzhen to sit.
Wei Tingzhen nodded but didn’t rush over. Instead, she greeted some familiar women while surveying the others in the side hall.
Before long, she spotted Wang Yingxue chatting with another woman in the southern part of the hall.
Wei Tingzhen sighed in relief and then followed the maid to Lady Zhang.
“Why did you arrive so late, sister-in-law?” Lady Zhang smiled. “I just ran into the matriarch of the Changxing Marquis’s residence. If it weren’t for the Yunyang Marquis’s wife inviting her over, I would have lost this seat.”
The matriarch of the Changxing Marquis’s residence was just over forty, not very old, but her husband had died early. After her eldest son inherited the title, he became quite influential and favored by the emperor, and she had a son who married a princess, making her family highly regarded in the capital.
Wei Tingzhen thanked her with a smile and began discussing the affairs of the Changxing Marquis’s family: “Hasn’t their sixteenth young lady reached the age for marriage yet?”
Lady Zhang smiled, then glanced around to ensure no one was paying attention to them. She leaned in to whisper to Wei Tingzhen, “The Duke of Ying wants to arrange a marriage with their family…”
Wei Tingzhen was somewhat surprised but felt it was reasonable since both families were of equal status. Moreover, with Wei Tingyu’s involvement in the canal dredging thanks to Song Mo’s support, she felt a close connection to Duke of Ying’s residence and was naturally concerned about their affairs. “Hasn’t Duke of Ying’s heir finished mourning yet? Isn’t it a bit early to propose? Besides, the sixteenth young lady seems to be older than Duke of Ying’s heir…”
“Where are you thinking?” Lady Zhang chuckled softly. “It’s Duke of Ying who wants to marry the sixteenth young lady of the Shi family!”
Wei Tingzhen was taken aback. “So, they are going to be engaged?”
Although Duke of Ying was much older than the sixteenth young lady, he was a legitimate duke with a voice before the emperor, making him a suitable match.
“How could that be?” Lady Zhang whispered. “The Duke of Ying’s heir, what kind of person is he? He can kill without blinking! If the Shi family marries their daughter over, and she has a daughter, she’ll have no support. If she has a son, it will depend on whether Duke of Ying’s heir is pleased. One misstep, and they might offend him. How could the Shi family take such a risk? The sixteenth young lady is the youngest daughter of the Changxing Marquis’s matriarch; she wouldn’t want her daughter to suffer such a fate!
The Shi family politely declined Duke of Ying’s proposal. So, the matriarch of the Changxing Marquis’s residence is quite troubled; marrying her daughter high means few families can compare to Duke of Ying’s or the Changxing Marquis’s. Marrying her daughter low, with Duke of Ying seeking a marriage, who would be a good match? From what I heard from the Yunyang Marquis’s wife, the Shi family originally wanted to marry their daughter to Duke of Ying’s heir. What a twist of fate…”
Wei Tingzhen thought of Wei Tingyu.
If it weren’t for the engagement with the Dou family, the Wei family might have had the opportunity to form a union with the Shi family!
She sighed softly.
The urgent matter was to dissolve the engagement between the Wei and Dou families. Once that was done, what kind of noble young lady couldn’t they marry?
Wei Tingyu was somewhat distracted as he chatted with Lady Zhang about trivial matters.
The side hall suddenly rang with the clear sound of bells and chimes.
Everyone quieted down.
The abbot of Daxiangguo Temple, clad in a bright red robe, entered with a radiant expression.
“Thank you, benefactors, for coming to Daxiangguo Temple to listen to the teachings of Buddhism.” After a few opening remarks, the abbot began to vividly recount stories from the sutras about kindness and goodwill.
Everyone listened attentively.
Half an hour later, the first session of the teachings concluded.
The abbot sat down to drink tea as he had in previous years.
Some women gathered around to speak with him, while others took the opportunity to visit the restroom or whisper to those nearby.
Wei Tingzhen greeted Wang Yingxue, who was sitting in the southern part of the hall, from a distance: “…I didn’t expect to run into you here, dear sister-in-law!”
Several women in the side hall perked up their ears to listen.
Wang Yingxue nodded, then glanced at an elderly woman beside her, dressed plainly with graying hair, and smiled, “I came with my mother to listen to the teachings.”