Jinyu waited anxiously in the courtyard for Lin Ruochu. Spotting her return from afar, she hurried over to ask:
"Concubine, are… are you alright?"
But the Lin Ruochu who had left and the one who returned now seemed like two completely different people.
Not only had the chill in her eyes vanished, but the gloom that had lingered on her face these past few days had also dissipated considerably.
She looked entirely at ease.
Even her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed… a little happy?
Jinyu’s questions stuck in her throat, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.
Lin Ruochu smiled and patted her head. "Little Goldfish, I’m sorry for worrying you earlier. I’m fine now."
Hearing the nickname Lin Ruochu had given her, Jinyu blushed and lowered her eyelids, murmuring softly, "It’s good that you’re alright."
"You haven’t finished learning that set of fist techniques I taught you last time, right? Come on, since we have some free time now, I’ll guide you through a few more moves!"
"Concubine, my… my legs are still sore…"
"No matter, the more you practice, the less it’ll hurt!"
[Sweeping in the morning, practicing martial arts in the afternoon—when will this kind of life ever end…]
Lin Ruochu wanted to sneak out that night to interrogate the butcher; she was desperate to find Tao Yuan’s whereabouts.
So, the most urgent task at hand was to train Jinyu until she collapsed into sleep, preventing her from searching all over White Cloud Temple for her.
However, plans often don’t survive contact with reality.
Just as Lin Ruochu had Jinyu assume a horse stance, Xuan Su came to notify them.
"The esteemed guests staying at the temple wish to hold a ‘Prayer Dharma Assembly’ and have invited the women residing in the temple to attend."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruochu politely declined, but Xuan Su insisted. The implication in her words seemed to be that the noble who was organizing the "Dharma Assembly" had specifically requested that she must bring Lin Ruochu along.
As a temporary resident, Lin Ruochu didn’t have much room to refuse. With Xuan Su’s insistence, she agreed, saying she would tidy up in her room and then head to the main hall.
After changing out of White Cloud Temple’s coarse cloth robe and into the light-colored dress she had brought from the mansion, she took Jinyu and made her way to the main hall.
Along the way, she mentally reviewed all the noble guests from the capital she knew of who were stranded at White Cloud Temple due to the city gates being closed.
As the year-end approached, many women from noble families visited temples and Daoist monasteries in the outskirts to pray for blessings. There were also those who had come to the capital to visit relatives or friends, all now unable to enter the city.
White Cloud Temple, being the closest Daoist temple to the city gates, became the temporary lodging for these esteemed guests.
From what Lin Ruochu knew, among them, the most distinguished was the family of Prince Ning—the Princess Consort of Ning, the current emperor’s aunt by marriage.
Next in status were the family members of the Duke of Anguo’s household, including Anhe County Princess Li Jinyin, a member of the imperial clan, and her two legitimate daughters.
Following them were the families of earls, prominent aristocratic clans, and the wives of several newly risen officials.
In the Great Zhou dynasty, both Daoist and Buddhist teachings flourished. The emperor had also undertaken large-scale construction of altars, so women from noble households frequently visited Daoist temples and Buddhist halls. To become acquainted with them, the wives of officials naturally had to cater to their preferences.
These families were generally fine; although they might look down on her status as a concubine, they wouldn’t go out of their way to cause her trouble.
Except for one person.
Zhang Huan Qing of the Shaoyang Zhang clan.
Zhang Jingwan’s legitimate younger sister.
Back then, when the female ghost caused chaos at Zhang Jingwan’s wedding banquet, making Shao Mu abandon her in front of all the guests before the ceremony was even completed, Zhang Jingwan had come to despise her deeply.
Zhang Huan Qing, who had never spent the New Year in the capital, had arrived at this time and coincidentally ended up stranded at White Cloud Temple due to the city's ban. Lin Ruochu couldn't help but suspect that this person had come for her.
This "prayer ceremony" was most likely orchestrated by Zhang Huan Qing herself.
Lin Ruochu let out a long sigh. She truly didn't want to take the blame for that female ghost—every grievance has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor.
But judging by Xuan Su's attitude, if she insisted on not attending, it would likely give people grounds for criticism.
She could only take one step at a time and see how things unfolded.
Initially, Lin Ruochu thought that since she had agreed to go, it was better to arrive early rather than late. She walked so quickly that Jinyu had to jog to keep up.
But when she reached the main hall, the chairs and couches were already arranged, and the women had all arrived, seated in order from the central high positions downward.
She and Jinyu were the last to arrive.
Lin Ruochu understood then—she had been notified late.
As the two stood by the door, someone in the hall called out, "Look, Concubine Shao has finally arrived."
"Acting all high and mighty, making Master Xuan Su invite her repeatedly."
"Those who disregard moral principles and lack a sense of propriety are truly different. Our families could never learn such brazen behavior."
"Pfft, I heard Consort Lin is quite favored by the Heir Apparent in the mansion, so why does her dress look like something my maid would wear?"
"People of certain status wear clothes that match their standing."
Pairs of eyes fell upon Lin Ruochu.
She felt as if those gazes were boring holes through her.
Among them were curiosity and anger, but mostly, there was undisguised contempt.
If it were the old Lin Ruochu, she would have been overwhelmed with shame, unable to lift her head.
But after three years under the female ghost's control, she had grown accustomed to all kinds of attention. At Shao Mu's wedding banquet, with hundreds of people watching, the female ghost had boldly recited love poems. Lin Ruochu felt her skin had been tempered to the point of being impenetrable.
So now, completely unaffected, she listened to the stream of gossip as if it were mere background noise, straightened her posture, and walked into the main hall.
Jinyu followed beside her, matching her steady pace.
In the center of the hall, Zhang Huan Qing, dressed in an embroidered silk gown, held the event ledger in her hand and shot Lin Ruochu a disdainful, resentful glare.
That glare sent a shiver through the female ghost: 【It's been over a year, and this woman is still just as fierce.】
When Lin Ruochu first entered the mansion, Zhang Huan Qing had often charged ahead for Zhang Jingwan, frequently going to Linlang Pavilion to pick fights with the female ghost. Later, Zhang Jingwan plotted a major scheme, framing the female ghost for practicing witchcraft at Zheng Shi's birthday banquet in an attempt to kill her.
But the method wasn't clever enough. After Shao Mu saw through it, Zhang Huan Qing was sent back to her hometown, and Zhang Jingwan was confined to her quarters for three months. From then on, the female ghost no longer had to wake up early to pay respects at the main wife's courtyard and could sleep until late morning.
Now that Zhang Huan Qing had returned, she was surely going to settle both old and new scores.
Sure enough, as soon as Lin Ruochu entered and before she could take her seat at the end, Mu Chun, Zhang Huan Qing's personal maid, stepped forward and raised her voice:
"What is the meaning of this, Concubine? Today is an auspicious day for praying for the capital's peace. How could you arrive late? Now that you've delayed the auspicious hour, do you hold no regard for the ladies and young misses present, or do you not care about the capital's safety?"
The hall fell silent.
All eyes converged on Lin Ruochu.
Most of the noble young ladies gathered here looked down on Lin Ruochu for willingly becoming a concubine and were eager to use this opportunity to teach a lesson to this lowly concubine who had tarnished the reputation of the capital's prestigious families.
Thus, they chimed in one after another:
"The bandits are wreaking havoc outside the city, causing countless poor farmers to perish, yet you remain so indifferent—truly heartless!"
"The Marchioness of Yong'an Marquis Estate, Zheng Shi, and the young mistress Zhang are both so self-disciplined, courteous, gentle, and virtuous—how could someone like you emerge from such a family?"
"I've heard this one relies entirely on the Heir Apparent's favor to run wild in the rear courtyard, completely lawless. She never pays respects to the mistress and doesn't even regard the Marchioness or the young mistress with any respect!"
The clamor of gossip grew louder and louder.
Zhang Huan Qing walked up to Lin Ruochu, raising an eyebrow with a contemptuous look in her eyes:
"What an ill-mannered creature. Since my elder sister isn't here, I'll discipline you properly on her behalf, so you don't embarrass the Marquis Estate in public!"