The woman was then taken back to the palace by the Emperor, but was only given the lowest rank, and the Emperor never saw her again.
Not long after, this person died in the inner palace.
A powerless peasant woman is naturally easy to bully.
Xu Lingyi happened to know about this temple. She wanted to take a gamble and enter the palace in place of the peasant girl.
She knew that Xu’s parents would definitely not agree to her entering the palace.
Although the Emperor is the supreme ruler, he cannot have children. In this world, women without children have no one to rely on.
In addition, the Emperor is old, while she has just come of age.
But Xu Lingyi also knew what path she had to take. Since her parents wouldn’t agree, she could only keep it from them for the time being.
She remembered that the peasant girl entered the palace, which seemed to be five or six months later.
She knew which temple it was.
Xu Lingyi made her decision; originally, she and her mother were going to another temple.
“Mother, I’ve heard that Lingguang Temple in the suburbs is more efficacious. Although it’s far away, many high-ranking officials and nobles like to go there. It seems that the Empress Dowager has been there before. Why don’t we go to another one? We’re not in a hurry anyway.”
Xu Lingyi then would suggest that she stay at the temple for a period of time under the guise of praying for blessings.
“That’s fine.”
It was not a big deal, so Mrs. Xu would naturally agree.
She is a very gentle mother who, in many situations, allows Xu Lingyi to do what she wants.
***
It took them an hour to reach Lingguang Temple.
Because this place is far from the capital, and the journey is arduous, not to mention the temple is built on a mountain, requiring climbing more than a thousand stone steps to get there, there aren’t many people here.
“It’s so high. It must take quite a while to climb up.”
The Third Sister-in-law looked at the stone steps and hesitated to proceed.
Xu Lingyi smiled and took her arm.
“What’s there to be afraid of? I’ll climb with the Third Sister-in-law.”
The woman her Third Brother married was her childhood friend. The two of them had been compatible since they were young and had a very good relationship over the years. Although they were called sisters-in-law, they were actually close friends. Mrs. Xu was open-minded, and the two of them never held back when they spoke to each other.
Her Eldest Sister-in-law was like another mother to her, because she was a bit older than her and always took care of her like a daughter. They had a very deep bond.
Because of her humble background, her Second Sister-in-law was always cautious in her personality and conduct, and she always tried to please her.
Xu Lingyi once told her that she didn’t like her being like this, because they were family.
But her Second Sister-in-law just hugged her and said that she knew the Xu family was good, but the more they were like that, the less she wanted to lose them.
She hadn’t given birth to a child for her Second Brother yet, so she wanted to do better so that others wouldn’t think she was unworthy of marrying into the Xu family.
Xu Lingyi knew that she was a very good person; she had a gentle personality and was even somewhat easily bullied.
Fortunately, her mother wasn’t the kind of wicked mother-in-law, and her sisters-in-law weren’t difficult to get along with or had a bad heart.
“I’m not going with you. You insisted on coming to such a faraway temple. You’re not tired, but I am.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re already here anyway. It’s precisely because the journey is long and there are many stone steps that our sincerity is shown even more.”
*****
Translator’s Encyclopedia
Marriage in Ancient Times – Based on The Qing Dynasty (Part 2)
- Confucian “Filial Piety”
The greatest sin in Confucian ethics was to die without a male heir to continue the family line and perform ancestral sacrifices. Marrying young maximized the “fertility window”, reducing the risk of a lineage ending abruptly.
- Preventing “Social Disorder”
The Qing government believed that unmarried young people were a threat to social stability. By forcing early marriage, the state ensured that the energy of the youth was channeled into controlled family units rather than “illicit” romances or roaming gangs, which were seen as precursors to rebellion.
- Conserving Resources
For poor families, “marrying off” a daughter early meant one less mouth to feed. Conversely, bringing in a daughter-in-law was seen as a long-term investment in the household’s survival.
(To be continued in the next chapter)
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Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1