After that, Housekeeper Li had no choice but to give the gatekeeper a lot of money. He especially instructed the gatekeeper that if an orphan girl came, she should go to the Xiangguo Temple outside the city.
The gatekeeper weighed the money in his sleeves and thought that this did not conflict with the master's orders, so he agreed.
Half a month passed. Dong Jin went to the Xiangguo Temple every few days to "pray". She waited and waited, but her niece did not come. Could it be that she met with trouble on the way?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it was. The more she thought about it, the more scared she became. She quickly put her hands together and prayed to the heavens, "Gods and Bodhisattvas, believers of the Lim Clan, please bless my poor niece. For the rest of my life, I am willing to abstain from fasting, do good deeds, build bridges and pave roads. Gods and Bodhisattvas, please bless my poor niece!"
A few days later, Dong Jin finally got the chance to go to the Xiangguo Temple to pray. When she was just a few miles outside the city, she was surprised to see that many refugees were stopped by the checkpoint set up by the city guard officers. They were surrounded in a straw shed. She wondered if her niece was also stopped by this group of boorish people.
She immediately ordered the coachman to stop. She lifted the curtain and looked carefully at the refugees. However, there were many refugees and they were dirty. It was difficult to tell them apart. For a moment, Dong Jin also did not know which one was her niece.
Dong Jin was anxious, but the young maidservant accompanying her noticed many unfriendly looks. Although the carriages in Mu Province were simple, it was not something that ordinary people could afford. Many refugees stared at them like wild wolves staring at their prey. Their eyes were green.
The young maidservant was scared. She whispered, "Mama, why don't we go to the Xiangguo Temple to take a look? The Xiangguo Temple has been giving alms these days. Most of the refugees would go there to ask for a mouthful of porridge to fill their stomachs. Mama, maybe your niece is also there."
Dong Jin hesitated for a moment. Then, she sighed and let down the curtain of the carriage. She ordered the coachman to set off. A few refugees wanted to rush over and ask for something, but they were stopped by the officer guarding the city.
The Xiangguo Temple was located at the top of Liaochen Mountain outside the city. It was the Da Qing National Temple, originally called the Jie Yuan Temple. A hundred years ago, an abbot helped the founding emperor establish the capital of Ping Cheng. Before the eminent monk passed away, he left behind a prophecy that Da Qing would be replaced by Đại Việt.
In order to consecrate the eminent monk, the ancient temple that he cultivated in was renovated. The founding emperor personally raised a plaque — — Xiangguo Temple, to be the national temple.
At the foot of Mount Liaochen, the palanquin stopped in front of the Horse Monument. Half a month ago, the Xiangguo Temple had started to set up a shelter to give out porridge to the refugees, in order to build good karma. Quite a few of the officials' families who came to pay their respects also instructed their servants to add more incense, oil and money, which could be considered charity.
There was a long line in front of the porridge shelter. A sallow and emaciated youth took the bowl of porridge and gave his thanks in a small voice. He carefully held the bowl and walked to the side.
It was probably because the youth was so focused on the bowl of porridge that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. He bumped into the man holding the bowl of porridge in front of him. Immediately, the man's porridge spilled all over the ground. Half of the youth's porridge also spilled out.
The man cursed and raised his hand to slap the youth's face. The youth saw stars from the slap and fell to the ground in a daze. He sprawled on the ground and didn't regain his senses for a long time.
"En, this Jade Pendant looks pretty good!" The man wanted to slap the youth again. His sharp eyes saw a touch of green. It turned out that the slap just now had also ripped open the youth's lapel, revealing two thin straps of the hood and a green Jade Pendant. This was actually a girl.
Immediately, all the refugees present turned their greedy eyes to the Jade Pendant. The young girl was shocked and embarrassed. She hurriedly covered her lapel.
"She must have stolen it!" Someone in the crowd shouted. It immediately ignited the flames of desire in the crowd.
A group of people pounced on the thin and weak young girl like hungry wolves fighting for food. In an instant, she was submerged. People squeezed and stepped on each other. Cries, wails, persuasions, and curses intertwined together. The scene was very chaotic.
The last touch of green flew out from the crowd and shot straight into the carriage from Mu Province. The monks from Xiangguo Temple also hurried over. They pulled the rioting refugees away and lifted the young girl who was covered in blood from the bottom of the crowd.
When Dong Jin saw the Jade Pendant, she was so excited that her eyes turned red. She didn't care about the riot that had just happened outside. She lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage without waiting for the servants to bring a step stool over. She grabbed someone and asked, "Where did this Jade Pendant come from? Who does it belong to? "
A monk holding a staff came forward and bowed. "Amitabha. Benefactress, this Jade Pendant belongs to this young benefactress. Please return it."
Looking at the direction that the monk was pointing at, a young girl with a face full of blood and dirt was lying unconscious on the steps. Her clothes were messy, and her exposed skin was full of bruises.
"Sanya –" Dong Jin cried out in alarm. She rushed forward and pulled the young girl into her arms. "Sanya! Sanya, wake up. I'm your aunt, Sanya! Which wretched person did this? My poor sister, poor Sanya! "
The monk who was watching over her was stunned for a moment. He then chanted, "Benefactress, please don't be agitated. Let's first send this young benefactress to Xiangguo Temple. Please take care of her."
"Okay, okay, okay!" Dong Jin was already panicking. She called out to the coachman and told him to quickly carry the young girl to Xiangguo Temple.
On top of the pagoda of Xiangguo Temple, a man wearing a bronze mask looked at the entire situation at the foot of the mountain. His slender hands were tightly clenched into fists by his side. A trace of dark red gradually spread out on his green robes.
"Master?"
"It's alright. Since Master Yuan Wu is here, there shouldn't be any problems. Let's go."
The young girl slowly woke up at dusk. Dong Jin, who was sitting by the bed, saw her and immediately cried out emotionally. "Sanya, Sanya, you're awake. Amitabha, Amitabha. Buddha bless you, Buddha bless you!"
"… Jade." Her pale lips trembled and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's.
"Sanya?" Dong Jin leaned close to the young girl's lips. Only then did she hear that she was talking about the Jade Pendant. "Sanya, don't be anxious. The Jade Pendant is with Auntie. Don't be anxious!"
"Auntie?" The young girl seemed to have just woken up. Her ebony eyes stared straight at Dong Jin. She looked a little confused, a little wary, a little cautious, and a little hopeful.
Dong Jin caressed the young girl's face that was covered with ointment. She said with tears in her eyes, "Sanya, do you still remember? Auntie came to visit you when you were young. She brought you and your eldest daughter to buy candied haws on the street. She even brought you to watch a circus. Do you still remember? She smashed rocks on her chest and spat fire … "
"Auntie, there was also a sword-swallowing performance!" Sanya threw herself into Dong Jin's arms and cried bitterly. She cried so hard that Dong Jin also felt sad. The two of them hugged each other and cried loudly.
After crying for a while, Dong Jin wiped her niece's tears. At this moment, the maid who came with her knocked on the door and reminded her, "Nanny, it's late. If you don't go back now, Mu Province's curfew will be over soon."
Dong Jin's hand that was wiping her niece's tears froze. Mu Province's curfew was not just for show. If they missed the curfew, it would be a small matter if they couldn't go back. If something went wrong, the whole family would be chased out of the family.
The current head of the family, Mu Jiahua, was not easy to get along with. Lady Mu loved Mu Jiahua dearly. For her sake, she often went against Old Master Lin and Old Lady Yun. After more than ten years, the Lin family's assets had already belonged to the Mu Jiahua.
As Sanya listened, she realized that Dong Jin was about to leave. She hurriedly pulled her back, "Aunt, don't go. I'm scared!"
Looking at the child's red eyes, Dong Jin was also worried about leaving her alone. She gritted her teeth, "Sanya, don't be scared. Aunt will take you back. Don't be scared!"
"Nanny?!" The maid beside her was shocked. She immediately knelt down, "If Master finds out, we …"
"Shut your mouth." Dong Jin hugged Sanya and glared at the maid who knelt down, "I didn't say that I'm going to bring you back to Mu Province. However, if Master finds out, he won't have to do anything to me first. I'll take care of you first!"
Dong Jin had been in the family for a long time. Many of the maids had been raped by her. They were all afraid of her. The maid shrunk her neck and didn't dare to say anything else.
In the room next door, when the man in green heard that Dong Jin was determined to bring the child back, he muttered to himself, "The first step is complete."
Just as Dong Jin said, she didn't bring "Sanya" back to Mu Province. Instead, she took a detour and temporarily entrusted her to her in-laws who lived outside the family.
Now that Mu Jiahua had the final say in Mu Province, the family relied on the couple's reputation in Mu Province to survive. In the end, they didn't dare to go against Mu Jiahua.
Dong Jin's in-laws weren't difficult to get along with. They heard that she was their granddaughter. Originally, they didn't have the younger generation by their side often. Now that they sent a pitiful little girl over, the old couple really doted on her. In just a short seven to eight days, the shriveled little girl had become rounder.
This stay lasted for half a month. During this time, Dong Jin and her husband didn't try to sound out their master, but in the end, nothing happened and nothing was settled.
It wasn't until half a month later that news came from Mu Province that they wanted to choose a servant for the Eldest Miss, Mu Guiyi. Only then did Dong Jin come to the family and suggest that she take the opportunity to arrange for her niece to enter the family. This made the old couple rather reluctant.
When Dong Jin said her intention, Lao Li's husband coaxed Bai Suyan to take a nap in the room next door. When he saw that she was sleeping soundly, he went outside to talk to his wife.
Lao Li's wife frowned, her face full of disapproval, "That Mu fellow is getting more and more cunning. If you bring Sanya back, you'll go against his wishes. If you anger this jinx, our whole family will be in trouble. Besides, it's not like our family can't afford to raise a girl."
"Mother-in-law, how would your daughter-in-law not know about this? Although Old Master and Old Madame were kind and allowed my sister and brother-in-law to return to their hometown, in the end, they didn't tear up the slave contract. Sanya is still registered under Mu Province's name. In the future, half of her marriage will depend on the master's words …"
There was a moment of silence in the room. According to the law, slaves were born as servants, and their descendants were also servants.
As for the servants registered under a certain household, unless the master agreed to it or if the master forgot, they couldn't marry on their own until they were 30 years old. Otherwise, they couldn't marry privately. Dong Jin was worried about this matter. It wasn't difficult for their family to raise a girl, but the girl had to be betrothed to someone.
She had a good relationship with her sister, Xia Shi. Now that she had taken in her only daughter, she naturally had to arrange everything for her. At the very least, she had to personally see her get married before she could rest assured. Only then would she be worthy of her sister and brother-in-law in the afterlife.
Originally, other than Mu Jiahua, most of the masters in Mu Province were kind people. They wouldn't make things difficult for their servants for no reason. Sanya's matter wasn't difficult to begin with. The difficult part was that Sanya didn't grow up in the household.
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