Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Could Not Marry Luo Ning, So He Became a Monk
Luo Ning had been in a pretty good mood ever since her rebirth.
After spending more than ten years as a ghost, the pain of her last life had faded, yellowed, and withered in her memory.
Only once in a while, when something struck her too hard, would she feel a bit of sadness. Most of the time, her mood was light.
Now, she was willing to let any unexpected thing happen.
When the imperial betrothal decree was almost about to be issued, Prince Chen’s consort passed away. The decree was delayed, but she did not worry. The Marquis of Zhen Nan did not believe her, rumors spread through the manor, and she was not sad either.
She only did the things she could change.
For example, she no longer wanted to put effort into managing the main kitchen.
The main kitchen had rich oil and water, and all the servants there were the Marchioness Madam Bai’s trusted people. Any money Luo Ning spent there was like a stone sinking into the sea, never to be heard from again.
Besides, the food from the main kitchen was not very good.
She wanted a small kitchen of her own.
The small kitchen would be paid for with her own money, but she still could not decide this by herself. She had to get the household matriarch’s permission.
A maidservant from Old Madam’s side came to pass on a message: “Eldest Miss, Old Madam is calling you over.”
Luo Ning put on a cloak and went to her grandmother’s courtyard.
Grandmother smiled at her and said: “A’Ning, you have met with great good fortune. For Grand Princess Jia Hong’s birthday banquet, they have sent two invitations to the Marquis Manor.”
This year, Grand Princess Jia Hong would be thirty-nine.
In the customs of Shengjing, this counted as her first longevity birthday and had to be celebrated in grand style.
Grand Princess Jia Hong was the most honored princess of the Imperial House.
Her imperial son-in-law’s surname was Pei.
The Pei family owned Lushan Academy. Seven or eight out of ten civil officials in the Imperial Court had studied at Lushan Academy.
So on the surface, Madam Pei was only a pure and noble lady, but her influence was huge. As head of the Pei family, she was the honored teacher of scholarly youths all across the land. Her prestige almost overshadowed that of the Imperial House.
In her previous life, when Grand Princess Jia Hong’s son Pei Ying wanted to marry Luo Ning, everyone in the Marquis Manor had been shocked.
How noble was Pei Ying?
Even the unmarried princesses in the Imperial Palace cried that they wanted to marry him.
At that time, Bai Ci Rong had already been granted the title of County Princess. She had set her eyes on Madam Pei’s world-shaking prestige and was determined to snatch it.
That was what led to Luo Ning being burned to death in the end.
Later, Bai Ci Rong was beaten to death by people sent by Grand Princess Jia Hong. Because of Bai Ci Rong’s chaos and Luo Ning’s “accident,” Pei Ying could not bear it and became a monk.
He not only became a monk, but became a wandering monk, vanishing without a trace.
He was Grand Princess Jia Hong’s only child. When he went traveling far away, the princess’s heart broke. From then on, she saw the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s manor and Madam Bai of Yuhang as thorns in her eye.
Luo Ning had seen Pei Ying once as a ghost. By then, ten years had passed. He had traveled for ten years, his Buddhist dharma had grown deep, and he had been granted the title of “Holy Monk” by the Imperial Court and settled at Fahua Temple.
Yet Luo Ning and Pei Ying had only met a few times in all. She barely remembered his face. She did not think Pei Ying had become a monk because of her.
Pei Ying was twenty-four this year.
As a son of a noble, refined clan in Shengjing and the only son of a Grand Princess, his status was extremely high. He could choose any wife he liked.
Young men of noble birth started discussing marriage at thirteen or fourteen.
For Pei Ying’s marriage, the princess had always asked his opinion. He never took a fancy to any of the girls.
Dragging things out until he was twenty-four, he could still rely on the glory of his family and his mother. Women who wanted to marry him still came one after another, including young ladies from prestigious clans.
Luo Ning, however, thought that if a man refused to marry, he must have his own reasons. As for herself, a woman who had only met him a few times, the influence she had on him was almost nothing.
Any decision he made would be based on himself.
Now that she was going to Grand Princess Jia Hong’s residence for the banquet, Luo Ning’s feelings were complicated.
On one hand, she had a very good impression of Grand Princess Jia Hong. When Pei Ying had been making a fuss about marrying Luo Ning, the Grand Princess had never made things hard for Luo Ning.
She could have looked down on Luo Ning.
She was a lofty Grand Princess of the Imperial House, someone the emperor called “aunt,” someone everyone feared and respected. She ought to have been even more overbearing and arrogant than Zheng Jia’er.
Her only son, whom she cherished in her hands, had insisted on marrying Luo Ning. The Grand Princess could very well have vented her anger on Luo Ning.
But she had not.
Luo Ning had never forgotten that bit of kindness.
Now that Grand Princess Jia Hong had invited her, she should go and offer her congratulations. But Luo Ning did not really want to see Pei Ying.
A man she had only met a few times had been the direct cause of her tragic death. Luo Ning felt it was hard to accept.
She did not want to step into that kind of cause and effect again.
There was neither affection nor fate between her and Pei Ying. In this life, if they could avoid meeting, then they should not meet.
“Grandmother, the Grand Princess’s birthday banquet will be full of important guests,” Luo Ning gathered her thoughts and said to Old Madam.
Old Madam nodded: “Indeed. I fear that even Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager will attend.”
Luo Ning said: “But Grand Princess Jia Hong and I have only met once. Even if I did a favor for the Empress Dowager, she does not need to treat me this kindly.”
Old Madam looked at her in slight surprise: “What are you worried about?”
“No, I am just a bit surprised,” Luo Ning said. “Unexpected things make me uneasy. But this is also a good chance. Grandmother, why don’t you take A’Wan with you and let A’Wan see the world too?”
Her cousin Luo Wan was a very good young lady, but in the last life she had died a terrible death.
Luo Ning went on: “Second Uncle serves the Imperial Court. A’Wan is also a proper young lady of our Luo family. Her hairpin ceremony will be in a few days, and it is time to start arranging her marriage. It happens to line up with the Grand Princess’s good day.”
Cousin Luo Wan’s hairpin ceremony would be the day after tomorrow.
The hairpin ceremony itself would be simple. The Marchioness was only having people set up a banquet and inviting a madam of a third-rank general she knew well to put up Luo Wan’s hair.
Old Madam pondered: “If you do not go, whoever else goes will be controversial.”
“You are Grandmother. Your word in the Marquis Manor is as weighty as a mountain. Whoever dares to criticize your decision, just have Father beat him to death,” Luo Ning said.
Old Madam was amused.
She thought for a moment and told Luo Ning not to speak of this matter outside for the time being.
When the day of the birthday banquet came, Old Madam would then arrange for someone to accompany her there.
There were only two invitations. The Marchioness, being polite, had sent them to Old Madam first so she could take a look. But Old Madam did not plan to give them back to the Marchioness.
The Marchioness could not hold up such a grand occasion.
This was Grand Princess Jia Hong, after all.
Luo Ning returned to Wenqi Courtyard.
That night, she heard the maidservants say that everyone in the Marquis Manor was talking about the Grand Princess’s birthday banquet.
The Marchioness Madam Bai specially summoned Luo Ning.
Madam Bai, the Marchioness, asked: “I have already ordered people to rush to make your spring dress. When you go to the Princess Manor for the banquet, you must look proper. What jewelry do you want?”
Bai Ci Rong, serene and gentle, sat to the side, smiling sweetly at Luo Ning.
Luo Ning smiled back and said: “Mother, we should listen to Grandmother on this matter.”
The Marchioness said: “Your grandmother never wants to leave the house all year round. It is rare for her to be in such good spirits this time. We cannot spoil her mood.”
Luo Ning understood that this was a test.
Old Madam had not clearly said she would go, nor had she said she would not.
But Madam Bai, the Marchioness, very much wanted to go.
“Then you can go ask Grandmother,” Luo Ning said with a smile.
She left no gaps.
The Marchioness could do nothing and had to let her go back.
Bai Ci Rong lowered her voice: “Aunt, Your Majesty is very likely to go to this birthday banquet. Brother said so, and Lord Marquis thinks the same.”
Even if the emperor did not go, the household mistresses of other prestigious clans and the scions of meritorious families would all surely attend.
In a fishpond crowded with such big fish, it was very easy to catch one.
If they missed this chance, it would be like fishing in the open sea: hard, dangerous, and they might end up with nothing.
The Marchioness had to fight for this chance.
Last time, being “confined,” had not made her afraid. It had only stirred up deeper anger toward the Marquis of Zhen Nan.
“Mother will definitely take you there, A’Rong,” the Marchioness said softly so no outsider could hear. “There will be countless noble ladies at this birthday banquet.”
Attending ten spring banquets still would not equal the weight of this one.
The Marchioness wanted to make up for what she had lost before and cling tightly to this chance.
“Mother, the invitations were taken by Old Madam,” Bai Ci Rong said.
They really should not have sent them over for Old Madam to see.
Who could have known that Old Madam, who spent all day seeming to want nothing, would actually take an interest this time.
But for such a big occasion, the invitations could not bypass Old Madam’s eyes. Otherwise, if the Marquis of Zhen Nan blamed her, the charge of the Marchioness “disrespecting her mother-in-law” would be too heavy for her to bear.
“I will think of a way,” the Marchioness said.
In fact, they only needed to take care of one thing, and this problem would be solved.