The Marquis of Huaiyin's wife had recently become immersed in Buddhism, as her current life was far from smooth and listening to Buddhist teachings could bring her some peace.
Today was such a day, and she had come to Jing'an Temple outside the city to worship. She no longer wished to concern herself with the Princess and her husband, nor with the affairs of her household; she simply wanted to quietly listen to the Buddhist chants.
While the Marquis's wife was praying, outside Jing'an Temple, Tang Leyi also arrived. She had been very troubled by her own marriage recently. Although she held the reins of Tang Xinyi's marriage in her hands, it could not conceal the resentment in her heart. Therefore, she had told her mother she wanted to go out for a stroll and came to Jing'an Temple to worship.
Yet, upon arriving, she still couldn't find peace. She felt as if she had fallen into the same predicament as in her previous life, unable to break free. What was the meaning of her rebirth? She had come back for a second chance, yet why had things turned out this way?
She wandered aimlessly through Jing'an Temple and then encountered the Marquis of Huaiyin's wife, who had also come to worship.
"Greetings, Madam!" she said, suppressing all her emotions and bowing with a smile to the Marquis's wife.
The Marquis's wife still remembered this legitimate daughter of the Duke of An's mansion, whom she had met before. In fact, she had been quite pleased with this daughter and had intended to betroth her to her own son. But fate had played a cruel trick.
"Miss Tang, are you also here to worship?" the Marquis's wife greeted her.
"You may call me Leyi, Madam. I felt a bit restless, so I came to Jing'an Temple to clear my head. Are you here to worship?" Tang Leyi walked up to the Marquis's wife and linked arms with her.
The Marquis's wife did not stop her. Instead, she found their company very agreeable and felt increasingly that this young lady from the Duke's mansion was truly to her liking. If only she could become her daughter-in-law. Such a gentle and courteous woman, and one with whom she could converse so harmoniously – what a wonderful person, it was truly a pity.
From that day on, Tang Leyi often went out with the Marquis's wife, who grew to like the Duke's eldest daughter more and more. As they grew closer, the Marquis's wife confided her dissatisfaction with the Princess and how difficult her son's life was in the Princess's residence.
The more she listened, the more Tang Leyi felt sorry for Feng Feiyu. However, he was already married, and there was nothing she could do. She could only comfort the Marquis's wife, but the more she comforted, the more darkness grew within her. She desperately wanted to do something to destroy everything before her.
"Madam, why must you confront the Princess head-on? She is a Princess, with higher status. But you are the mother of the heir, possessing a natural advantage. You can have him return to the Marquis's mansion more often to live. That way, if the Princess misses her consort, she will naturally return to the Marquis's mansion." Tang Leyi's words were laced with temptation. "If something else were to make the heir even more concerned about the Marquis's mansion, he would certainly be more willing to stay there. If the Princess truly values her consort, she will surely follow him to the Marquis's mansion."
If she didn't value him, she certainly wouldn't come to the Marquis's mansion. Over time, the relationship between husband and wife would surely change. The Princess, being so proud, would surely not stoop to ask Feng Shizi to return. And if Feng Shizi were to remain at the Marquis's mansion, the Marquis's wife would surely arrange concubines for him. If Feng Feiyu could not be a one-and-only for life, then her obsession might lessen considerably. Only then could she marry with peace of mind!
The Marquis's wife found Tang Leyi's words very reasonable. She couldn't let her son's heart lean entirely towards Jiayi; otherwise, he would surely have no regard for her as his mother. Therefore, she had to win back her son's heart.
So, upon returning to the Marquis's mansion, the Marquis's wife began to feign illness, requiring Feng Feiyu to return to attend to her. When Tang Leyi heard that the Marquis's wife was ill, she knew she had acted as she suggested. A cold smile touched her lips. So what if she was a Princess? Facing a scheming mother-in-law, she would still have to endure hardship. (Scan for books)
Tang Xinyi learned that her legitimate sister had chosen a husband for her – a prodigal son, from a decent family, but quite favored, making him somewhat unreliable. Tang Xinyi knew her legitimate sister wouldn't choose a good man for her, but this choice far exceeded her expectations. After all, in Tang Xinyi's opinion, this man was quite good. Although he was a bit of a philanderer, he only frequented brothels and kept his own affairs clean. Before marriage, he had no concubines or secondary wives. His family background, while not outstanding, was still respectable, ranking among the middle tier in the capital. This prodigal son was the only heir, hence quite pampered, but there had never been any reports of him causing serious trouble. It seemed he wasn't someone who disregarded the law.
However, why would her legitimate sister introduce such a person to her? Given the candidates she could have chosen, this one was far better than those her stepmother had found for her. Had she misunderstood her legitimate sister? Was she acting for her own good?
But what Tang Xinyi didn't know was that this candidate was her legitimate sister, Tang Leyi's husband in her previous life: Li Xin, the sole heir of the Li family. In her past life, although Tang Leyi's reputation had been tarnished, her mother still wanted to find her a good marriage. After much deliberation, she chose the Li family. But Tang Leyi, only wanting to compete with Tang Xinyi, felt that this man from the Li family was no match for Feng Feiyu.
Now, in Tang Xinyi's eyes, the Li family was indeed a very good match. As long as she could win over Li Xin, she would have considerable leverage with the Li family. Moreover, the Li family had its own trade routes, and she could offer them suggestions. With the Li family out in the open, she could accomplish much more behind the scenes.
However, she couldn't appear too eager. What if her legitimate sister saw that she was very satisfied with this marriage and then arranged another match for her through her stepmother? At that point, the candidates would not be as good as the Li family. Therefore, Tang Xinyi put on an act of dissatisfaction, pretending to reluctantly accept due to pressure from her stepmother.
Looking at her legitimate sister's malicious smile, she felt that this sister truly disliked her. She must find happiness in seeing her suffer. She always built her own happiness on her suffering; the more miserable she was, the happier her sister would likely become. But why? She believed she had always been polite to her legitimate sister, so why would she treat her this way? Had she offended her at some point without realizing it? Or was it simply the inherent animosity between legitimate and concubine-born daughters?
However, all of this was speculation. She would continue to keep a low profile for this last bit of time spent with her legitimate sister. Perhaps once they were both married, there would be no more conflicts of interest.
Lin Yan found the recent events rather dull. She had expected the reborn woman to do something more significant, but it turned out to be just another behind-the-scenes scheme. However, she needed to warn Jiayi, lest the Marquis's wife's machinations truly affect her relationship with Feng Feiyu.