She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Shen Qingtan helped the old lady stand in front of the mountain gate, looking at them with a smile.

"Second Aunt, you've arrived." Shen Qingtan asked, "Would you like to offer incense first, or go to your quarters to rest?"

The second wife restrained the urge to turn and leave: "When did you arrive? Why didn't you say so? We could have come together."

"Today is the first day of the lunar month. I came with my grandmother to offer incense early in the morning."

Seeing the Second Madam's stiff expression, Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "I thought Second Aunt was ill and wouldn't come to Hualing Temple to fulfill her vow today."

The second wife's lips twitched slightly, and she turned to look at the old lady: "Mother, the first incense offering has been stolen. You've had a long and tiring journey, would you like to go to your quarters to rest?"

"Let's go offer incense first." After resting enough, the old lady said to Shen Qingtan, "Let's go."

Shen Qingtan nodded slightly to the Second Madam and helped the Old Madam to the main hall.

The second wife stared resentfully at Shen Qingtan's retreating figure; this wretched woman was born to oppose her.

No one knows what tricks she used to coax the old lady to come to Hualing Temple.

She followed closely behind, afraid that Shen Qingtan would try to sow discord between her and Shen Qingtan.

Zhao Jue stared intently at Shen Qingtan, but she didn't even glance at him. He had many questions for her.

But the timing isn't right right now.

Shen Mingzhu secretly observed Zhao Jue and saw him staring intently at Shen Qingtan, so she couldn't help but wonder if he had regretted his decision.

He regretted abandoning Shen Qingtan.

Do you regret marrying her?

The monk who was in charge of receiving guests recognized Madam Zhao and bowed with one hand: "Amitabha, my Dharma name is Shanwu. Please follow me, benefactor."

Madam Zhao put her hands together in a Buddhist gesture of respect and followed the monk to the main hall.

The hall houses a dignified statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, with prayer flags hanging beside it, creating a solemn and awe-inspiring atmosphere.

Shen Qingtan took six sticks of incense, gave three to the old lady, knelt down with a devout expression, and inserted the incense into the incense burner.

She added some money for incense oil and helped Old Madam Zhao back to her room.

Madam Zhao was a major pilgrim of Hualing Temple, and now Shen Qingtan was also very generous. The guest monk led them to their quarters and instructed the attending monk and the head monk to serve them attentively.

As Madam Zhao was getting on in years, she was indeed exhausted after all the commotion.

Shen Qingtan poured her a glass of warm water: "You got up early today, why don't you get some sleep first?"

Madam Zhao took the cup and drank a sip of water. She had previously guessed that Shen Qingtan had persuaded her to come to Hualing Temple to pray for Zhao Yi, in order to force the Second Madam to light lotus lanterns for the couple.

But today, Shen Qingtan added a considerable sum of money to the donation for the gilded statue of the Bodhisattva, and then realized that she had made a mistake.

"You must be tired too, go back and rest." Old Madam Zhao said kindly, "I have Wei Mama and two maids to serve me here."

"Granddaughter-in-law, go back and rest first. If you have anything important to do, send someone to inform me."

"it is good."

Shen Qingtan took Liuyue and Qiuchan back to their quarters.

She instructed Qiu Chan: "Go to the library and borrow a copy of the Heart Sutra."

Qiu Chan said respectfully, "This servant will go right away."

"Second Madam, are you going to stay here for three days to observe a vegetarian diet and chant Buddhist prayers, and light lotus lanterns for Second Master?" Liu Yue asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't Second Madam light lanterns for you?"

"That was just a punishment for the second wife. If you truly pray to the Bodhisattva for protection, your sincerity will be enough to make it work."

Since her rebirth, Shen Qingtan has been blinded by hatred.

He only wanted revenge and never thought of anything else.

Zhao Yi's words, "There's no need to be so reserved when family members get along. You did a great job; it's the liveliness that's appropriate for your age," were a wake-up call for her.

Having been given a second chance at life, she shouldn't only harbor hatred; she should cherish this hard-won new life and live it to the fullest.

In her past life, she was surrounded by people who harbored ill intentions towards her.

A sincere heart is so rare for her.

Zhao Yi not only took meticulous care of her, but more importantly, he trusted her completely.

He shared everything he owned with her, making her feel respected and valued.

It was hard for her not to be moved and want to keep such a gentle person.

It seems quite good that the two of them treated each other with such respect and supported each other throughout their lives.

Shen Qingtan didn't want him to die young and wanted to do something for him.

"I'm too restless, so it's good to cultivate my mindset."

When Shen Qingtan stepped into Hualing Temple, she heard the chanting of Buddhist hymns, and her heart was filled with peace.

-

At noon, after having a vegetarian meal, Shen Qingtan went to the meditation room to copy scriptures and meditate quietly.

The meditation room was bright and clean, with neat tables and chairs, and not a speck of dust.

Liu Yue moved the scripture table to the window, opened a wooden window, and let the warm sunlight fill the meditation room.

Shen Qingtan washed his hands, burned incense, sat down at the scripture table, and rolled up his wide sleeves to copy the scriptures.

Liu Yue, who was grinding ink, said, "Second Madam, Master Mingzhi gave a sermon today, and many pilgrims went to listen."

Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "I have nothing to do here. You can go and listen, and also ask for a peace charm for your parents."

Liu Yue had a concern: "This servant is worried about leaving you here alone."

“The monk Zhaoke is outside. I’ll go find him if I need anything.” Shen Qingtan urged, “Go, go.”

Liu Yue was slightly relieved: "This servant will be right back."

Seeing her leave in a hurry, Shen Qingtan smiled helplessly and continued copying the scriptures at her desk.

Zhao Jue specially sought out the meditation room and saw Shen Qingtan sitting by the window from afar.

He walked over silently and saw that she could recite the scriptures in one go without even looking at them.

The handwriting is not messy; it is a beautiful, elegant, and graceful small regular script, flowing smoothly and slenderly.

He took a step forward, moving a little closer to her.

A shadow fell over her, and Shen Qingtan looked up to see the uninvited guest. Her brows furrowed.

Zhao Jue said in a hoarse voice, "You used to dislike reading Buddhist scriptures, but now you can recite a whole scroll from memory."

"Zhao Jue, are you unhappy with your life?" Shen Qingtan put down her writing brush and said sarcastically, "Only those who are unhappy with their lives keep bringing up the past."

Zhao Jue was stunned, his expression strange.

Did she want him to be unhappy so he would remember her good qualities?

"What, Shen Mingzhu can't make you the heir to the Duke's mansion, can't give you a promotion, so you turn around and think of me, someone who's of some use to you?"

Shen Qingtan was impatient with his pretense: "In my eyes, you're just a bowl of rotten rice. Just looking at you makes me want to vomit. Don't show your face in front of me unless it's absolutely necessary."

Zhao Jue was incredulous and heartbroken: "Tan'er, you've changed. You weren't a mean person before."

Shen Qingtan reached out to close the window, but Zhao Jue reacted quickly and blocked the window: "I know you are kind and gentle. You just spoke harshly to me because you resented me for breaking my vow."

He had a probing mind and said in a deep voice, "Tan'er, if you want to vent your anger on me, then go ahead. My mother is still recovering from her illness. If she goes to pray for you and your second brother, her body won't be able to handle it."

Shen Qingtan raised an eyebrow and said, "Let me vent my anger on you?"

Zhao Jue breathed a slight sigh of relief. He only cared about power and fame, and could not completely sever the friendship he had shared for more than ten years.

What about Shen Qingtan, who is always easily moved to pity?

She deliberately treated him ruthlessly and suppressed him, just to make him regret it.

And her reaction confirmed this.

Zhao Jue said indulgently, "Take your anger out."

Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "There is a path behind the Scripture Pavilion that leads to an abandoned wooden house halfway up the mountain. Wait for me there at 9 PM tonight."