My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

The north wind howled outside the window, and the not-too-bright sun slowly rose, officially ushering in a clear day!

Meng Ruohua stayed peacefully in the mansion, and in her spare time she began to organize her dowry and re-register it.

Seeing that Meng Ruohua had made up her mind, Lin's mother had no choice but to suppress her thoughts. After serving in the courtyard for a few days, she made an excuse to leave the mansion. Meng Ruohua did not stop her and readily agreed.

Time flies, and November is just around the corner.

At the end of October, Meng's mother sent a letter saying that she would take Meng Ruohua to Lingyun Temple to offer incense.

She had been talking about taking her to burn incense and pray to the Bodhisattva for blessings for the past two months, but she had only managed to do so now. As soon as she had the time, Meng's mother hurriedly sent the letter.

This was a serious matter, and the second wife had no reason to object, so she reluctantly agreed.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself: This daughter-in-law really doesn't know any manners. She's only been staying peacefully in the mansion for a few days, and now she's gone out again with her mother-in-law. She says she's going to burn incense, but who knows what she's going to do there?

But the second wife couldn't refuse, since her mother-in-law's rank was higher than hers. She had to give her some face!

Early on the first day of the Lunar New Year, while it was still pitch black, Meng Ruohua got ready to go out.

Mencius' mother kept saying that she wanted to be the first to offer incense, and repeatedly told her to get up early, saying that if she delayed important matters, she would be punished.

Linglong and Yuye kept the time in mind and had everything prepared well in advance, without missing a beat.

The two groups of carriages met at the city gate and then hurriedly headed towards Lingyun Temple.

Lingyun Temple is located on a mountain ten miles outside the city. It is a popular place of worship and is especially effective for those who pray for marriage or children.

When they arrived, it was barely dawn.

Meng Ruohua yawned slightly. She was still half asleep, and the carriage ride had made her even more drowsy.

Mencius' mother reached out and gently patted her, saying, "One must not be rude in front of the Bodhisattva."

How is that rude? Isn't it normal to yawn when you're sleepy?

Besides, we're still a long way from becoming Bodhisattvas.

Lingyun Temple is built on a mountain. To enter the temple, you have to climb a set of steps. Legend has it that there are a thousand steps, and climbing the whole way is quite a challenge.

To show her sincerity, Mencius' mother refused to ride in the sedan chair and insisted on climbing up herself.

Meng Ruohua tried to dissuade her twice but failed, so she had someone carry a sedan chair behind her in case her mother couldn't climb anymore and had to sit in the sedan chair.

She insisted on climbing up herself. When she was little, she climbed up not only a thousand steps, but also the much higher Guang Sheng Temple.

Before they had even climbed a third of the way, Meng's mother was exhausted. She stopped arguing and, panting, climbed onto the sedan chair.

Meng Ruohua wanted to make fun of her, but she was afraid that she would lose face, so she held back.

Mother came for her sake, so please cooperate!

Many people came to offer incense on the first day of the lunar new year, followed by scattered worshippers, presumably all there to offer incense on the first day.

A short while later, a group of neatly dressed people followed.

Four people carried a sedan chair. The blue-green curtains looked simple and unadorned, but upon closer inspection, they were actually made of brocade.

I wonder whose wife she is?

Fortunately, the mountain path was wide enough that the two groups could pass each other. Meng's mother reluctantly gave way, but what could she do when the other group was walking so fast!

By the time Meng Ruohua and her mother reached the temple gate, it was already broad daylight.

Unsurprisingly, the lady in the sedan chair arrived first.

Mencius' mother sent someone to inquire, and unexpectedly it turned out to be Princess Yangcheng's sedan chair.

"Since we've run into them, we should still go and pay our respects," Meng's mother said, pulling her along.

They offered incense in each of the main halls before returning to their courtyard to rest.

As Meng Ruohua sipped her tea, she sighed: "Offering incense is also a tiring task."

After resting for a while, and estimating that the princess was not busy, Meng's mother took her to pay her respects.

After being reported through layers of people, a nanny quickly came out.

"Greetings, Madam General. I never expected to meet you." The old woman smiled gently. "Come in quickly, the princess is still talking about you."

The old woman wore a ginger-yellow Shu brocade jacket with auspicious patterns and a crimson purple horse-face skirt with scattered flowers. Her demeanor was dignified and graceful, and her status was immediately apparent.

They must have come from the palace!

"What should I call you, Granny?" Meng's mother asked.

"This old servant's surname is Gong." The old woman's smile hadn't faded, but fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. "The General's wife has never met this old servant, but I have heard my old friends mention her."

In the years before, when Meng Xin went to the Northwest with Meng Zelin, Meng's mother often went to temples to pray to Buddha and Bodhisattva for protection. She often encountered ladies who went to burn incense and also saw Princess Yangcheng several times.

Mencius' mother sighed, "It's been several years since I last saw the princess."

As the group spoke, they entered the house. Meng Ruohua followed behind her mother, bowing respectfully, not daring to look around even slightly.

The princess was of a respectable status, but she was gentle and spoke softly, just like any other lady.

After exchanging a few polite words, the princess asked, "Is this your daughter?"

“It’s my troublesome daughter!” Mencius’ mother replied.

Meng Ruohua rose and bowed again, "Greetings, Princess."

"Come here, let me see you." Princess Yangcheng beckoned her to her side, looked her up and down, and sighed, "You've grown up and become more composed. Back then, when you followed my Yan'er up the mountain, your mother was so anxious."

Meng Ruohua smiled and said, "I was young and ignorant back then. When I came back, my mother punished me, and I even sent someone to check if Brother Yu Yan had been punished."

"Yes, you heard that I didn't punish Yu Yan, and you cried even louder!" The princess felt much better when she recalled the past.

Back then, Yu Yan was lively and active, and would run away without warning. Yet, he was also very well-behaved and never caused any trouble, so there was no reason for anyone to punish him.

Taking Meng Ruohua to the mountaintop to watch the sunset wasn't a big deal in itself, but the Meng family's daughter didn't tell anyone, which made Madam Meng so anxious that she cried. When they finally found them, Madam Meng was so angry that she punished the Meng family's daughter by making her copy Buddhist scriptures.

She also felt that her son was too daring, running around the mountains alone with only one person. If something happened, there would be no one to report it. She thought she would take the opportunity to punish him. Unexpectedly, Yu Yan said, "I am not sincerely copying the scriptures. I am even carrying resentment. I am afraid that the scriptures copied in this way will offend the Buddha. Let's just forget about it!"

Princess Yangcheng thought about it and realized that it was true; it would indeed offend the Buddha.

Then let's copy the Analects!

Therefore, Yu Yan was punished by copying the entire Analects, and in the end, he was unable to help the Meng family's daughter copy the scriptures.

After chatting for a while, it was almost noon, so Mencius' mother took the opportunity to leave.

They all left early in the morning and were sleepy by noon.

After resting in the afternoon, Meng Ruohua said she wanted to go for a walk, so she took Yu Ye out.

They arrived at the back of the temple, where a path had been built for tourists to climb and enjoy the view.

After settling down in a pavilion, a man dressed in a blue robe walked over.

The man glanced at it quickly, then lowered his head again, standing not far away, hesitant.

“Mr. Li?” Yu Ye asked.

Li Lin quickly bowed and greeted her. Remembering that the woman had her hair styled like a married woman, he assumed she was already married. He then asked, "It is indeed I, and you are Madam Meng?"

"Yes."

Meng Ruohua nodded in agreement.

Once again, I felt that he truly deserved to be called the person who single-handedly saved the entire city!

Uncle Yang also said that Li Lin did not know his identity. He did not expect that Li Lin had already found out and even found out about the Meng family. Otherwise, how could he have said "Madam Meng" so easily?

Li Lin walked to the outside of the pavilion and bowed respectfully again, saying, "Thank you for your care, Madam Meng. I am extremely grateful."