Chapter 163: Secret Alliance
The Cui family, upon learning of Cui Baozhu’s ordination, was naturally furious and rushed to Wu Qiu Nunnery to cause a scene.
At this time, Cui Baozhu’s Dharma name was Hui Xin. She had shaved her head, wore a gray nun’s hat, and prayer beads hung from her chest.
Facing her enraged father and tearful Madam Leng, she simply said with a blank face and vacant eyes, “Becoming a nun was my own sincere wish, no one persuaded me. I threatened to die, all for liberation.
You should just act as if you never had a daughter like me. Now that the deed is done, no amount of fuss will be of any use and will only result in losing face.”
“You unfilial wretch!” Cui Father, clutching his chest in anger, exclaimed, “If I beat you to death today, it would be over and save you from disgracing me!”
Madam Leng quickly intervened, “Don’t do that, Master. She is still a child, she was merely misled by someone and lost her senses for a moment.”
Her words reminded Cui Father, who then cursed, “Wen Mingqian, that wicked woman! She herself divorced and moved into a nunnery, and now she’s abducting other people’s daughters to become nuns. What a sin!”
“It has nothing to do with Madam Wen. She saved my life; she is my benefactor,” Hui Xin said. “Why would I become a nun? You know better than anyone, so why smear someone else’s name!”
“You ungrateful wretch!” Cui Father stepped forward and slapped Hui Xin, “Hurry up and come home with me! Grow your hair back.”
With that, he ordered the servants to tie Hui Xin up and take her away.
However, they were stopped by Jing Xu and others.
“This is a pure Buddhist land. Even if this humble nun is incompetent, I am, to some extent, the Abbot. How can I allow you to be so presumptuous?” Jing Xu blocked Hui Xin, “If Master Cui is not satisfied, we can discuss the matter of innocence in court.”
Cui Father was still full of resentment, but Madam Leng had already assessed the situation; Cui Baozhu had truly committed herself.
In truth, the Cui family was somewhat guilty. The root cause of Cui Baozhu’s decision to become a nun was their forced marriage.
If the matter were to go to court, it would be a complete airing of dirty laundry.
So, pretending to be kind, she said, “Reverend Mother, why must you be so aggressive? We are merely heartbroken for our daughter. Who wouldn’t be shocked when their child, raised for so long, suddenly decides to become a nun? You are all people of the cloth and can see things clearly. But how can we easily let go?”
Upon leaving Wu Qiu Nunnery, Madam Leng said to her husband, “This is all Wen Mingqian’s seduction. Now she’s hiding and won’t show her face.”
“That bitch!” Cui Father hated Wen Mingqian to the core, “She’s a born troublemaker! She deserves to be struck by lightning!”
“Although she is detestable, Master, you should focus on the main issue,” Madam Leng said. “The marriage with the Marquis Mansion is now ruined. It would be good to find a way to stay in the Capital City!”
Her reminder brought Cui Father back to the main issue, and he couldn’t help but turn his anger into sorrow, “Alas! Not only did the marriage fall through, but we also offended the Marquis Mansion.”
“Now we can only let everyone know that Wen Mingqian enticed our daughter into the Emptiness Gate. Perhaps the Marquis will be less angry with us,” Madam Leng said. “I will have to go and cry to Madam; it might help somewhat.”
Cui Father listened and said, “Fortunately, I have you to share my worries. I am truly at my wit’s end now.”
Madam Leng comforted him, “It’s all about human effort; we can only do our best.”
Cui Father said, “If you go to the Marquis Mansion, I will visit Master Wang’s residence. Seeking more connections is always good.”
The couple, dejected, returned home, ate a meal without tasting it, and then both left.
Madam Leng arrived at Marquis Fengxian Mansion and met Madam Lu, where she tearfully recounted her grievances.
Madam Lu was naturally disappointed at this time and said with frustration, “We can only say that their fates were not aligned, and this was not something to be forced. When you first told me, I repeatedly instructed you that the young lady herself must be willing. Our family would never force anyone. Now that it has come to this, outsiders might think we forced your daughter to shave her head and become a nun.”
Madam Leng quickly replied, “How can this be your fault? The child had originally agreed. Who knew someone would come and disrupt things halfway, ruining a good marriage?”
Marquis Fengxian’s wife had only met Wen Mingqian a few times and was not close to her. Hearing her words, she frowned, “This one surnamed Wen is truly a troublemaker. It’s one thing for her to abandon her husband and live in a nunnery, but why would she coax a young girl into becoming a nun too? Isn’t this a sin?”
“Who says not? If she hadn’t instigated my second daughter, how would a young lady who never leaves her chambers have the courage to defy her parents and become a nun? Without even a greeting. Is this proper? From now on, we must keep the young ladies and wives of all families away from her, or she will corrupt them all.
In my opinion, the one surnamed Wen has something demonic about her. Think about it, she was inexplicably sent back to Shuangxi, and was gone for seven years. Within months of her return, Concubine Song had a miscarriage and died. Moreover, a concubine’s son had died before, who else could have caused it if not her? Then she inexplicably divorced. Who would act so strangely?”
Madam Leng further fabricated a long string of malicious gossip.
She intended to ruin Wen Mingqian’s reputation, so she grasped at straws and spoke carelessly.
Marquis Fengxian’s wife was naturally displeased with Wen Mingqian, but she also did not wish to listen to her continuously speak such words, and thus became somewhat uninterested.
“Ultimately, whether this second daughter becomes a nun or not is your family matter, and as an outsider, I cannot say much. I can only say that every family has its own difficulties, and every family has its own burdens to bear! For example, in our family, a master has already calculated that if Shenzhi cannot get married by next September, there will be a disaster involving bloodshed,” Madam Lu said with deep worry. “If you know of anyone suitable, perhaps you could mention them to us again, as a good deed.”
“What are you saying, Madam? I consider matters concerning your mansion more important than our own family’s affairs,” Madam Leng said, quickly trying to curry favor. “At least please don’t blame me; it’s not that I intentionally wanted to ruin things.”
Her most important objective today was to dispel Madam Lu’s prejudice against her own family and shift the blame to Wen Mingqian.
After a few more words, Madam Leng took her leave.
Getting into the carriage, she did not rush home but instead had the coachman drive to another location.
Arriving in front of a house, Madam Leng alighted from the carriage and stealthily entered alone.
Inside, a man around fifty years old was carving a Tianhuang seal. Madam Leng tiptoed closer and called out in a soft voice, “Marquis.”
It turned out this person was none other than Marquis Fengxian, Lu Gu.
“What, the marriage fell through?” Marquis Fengxian chuckled and put down his carving knife.
“Marquis, my heart is in turmoil, and you’re still joking,” Madam Leng leaned against Marquis Fengxian. She was in her early thirties, still possessing her charm.
She and Marquis Fengxian had been secretly involved for two years, and this house was their place for clandestine meetings.
However, even though she had climbed into Marquis Fengxian’s bed, she still could not get her husband to stay in the Capital City.
Firstly, Marquis Fengxian greatly feared his wife, and all major decisions required her approval. Secondly, Marquis Fengxian only treated Madam Leng as a plaything and did not truly exert himself for her.
After all, she was just a married woman with a bit of looks. She had willingly thrown herself at him in the first place, and he was someone who never refused.
