Qiao Zhao’s pupils contracted slightly, her gaze deepening.

The carriage shaft was deliberately damaged?

This meant the carriage overturning was intentional?

The carriage belonged to the West Residence. Although she should be despised in the East Residence, the East Residence’s reach shouldn’t extend this far.

If it were someone from the West Residence—

Li Jiǎo? Would a young lady like her think to saw through a carriage shaft?

Qiao Zhao harbored suspicions in her heart. Seeing Shao Mingyuan still quietly watching her, she smiled. “I understand. Thank you for saving us, General Shao.”

“Miss Li need not be so polite.” Shao Mingyuan smiled warmly. He wanted to say that Physician Li had asked him to specially look after her, but fearing this would make her uncomfortable, he didn’t elaborate. After hesitating, he asked, “Miss Li, are you hurting somewhere?”

Qiao Zhao was startled by the question and didn’t answer.

Shao Mingyuan was somewhat bewildered.

He didn’t think he’d asked anything difficult to answer.

Seeing his embarrassment, Qiao Zhao found it somewhat amusing. She pulled at her pale lips and said, “I’m much better now.”

“Good that you’re better.” The young general no longer dared ask carelessly.

Instead, Qiao Zhao asked, “General Shao, how did you come to be in this area?”

This time, it was Shao Mingyuan’s turn to fall silent.

Miss Qiao thought to herself: This is retaliation, isn’t it?

After a moment of silence in the room, Shao Mingyuan spoke. “I went to Dafu Temple to light an eternal lamp.”

Qiao Zhao understood.

So that was it.

According to local customs in the capital, when someone in the family died, the day after burial the family matron would arrange for someone to go to a temple to request an eternal lamp. However, lighting an eternal lamp at Dafu Temple was quite expensive—even wealthy families couldn’t all afford it.

Looking at Shao Mingyuan’s manner, this wasn’t arranged by the Marquis Jing’an’s wife. For someone who was constantly away, to still remember this was rather surprising to her.

“Why did Miss Li go out in such weather?”

Qiao Zhao smiled. “Every seven days, I come to Sparse Shadow Nunnery to accompany the abbess in copying scriptures.”

“Is that Master Wumei?”

“General Shao also knows Master Wumei?”

The young general’s gaze became distant. “I know of her. I once went to Dafu Temple.”

Perhaps it was the young lady’s tranquil temperament and this peaceful setting that stirred the desire to confide. Shao Mingyuan’s lips curved in a smile, his tone gentle. “I remember that year was Buddha’s birthday. My brother-in-law also went, but ended up being surrounded by many young ladies. He was so frightened he fled in panic, nearly losing his shoes—”

Qiao Zhao’s heart suddenly stirred.

That year, she was fourteen, and Shao Mingyuan should have been fourteen too. How could he have gone to Dafu Temple with her brother? That year, she had been mischievous, writing a letter to trick her brother into going to Dafu Temple.

“General Shao knew your brother-in-law so early? Did you go to Dafu Temple together to play?” Miss Qiao probed nonchalantly.

She watched carefully and saw a trace of embarrassment in the eyes of the person before her, which made her even more curious.

Being gazed at by the young lady’s dark eyes, Shao Mingyuan couldn’t remain silent. He smiled and said, “No, it was by chance that I saw him and got to know him.”

This rare lie made his ears feel somewhat hot.

That year, it certainly wasn’t by chance. It was because he’d heard his fiancée had come to the capital. Out of youthful curiosity, he’d been encouraged by several “fair-weather friends” to loiter near the Qiao residence when he inadvertently discovered his brother-in-law leaving and quietly followed, hoping for a “chance encounter” with his fiancée.

Unfortunately, he never did meet her. Later, when his father fell seriously ill in the Northern Territories and the marquis’s household was in precarious condition, all the novelty and anticipation that belonged to youth were left behind in this flower-filled capital.

And he became a soldier with blood-stained hands, never able to return to the past.

Qiao Zhao quietly watched as the expression of the person before her shifted from gentle reminiscence to melancholy. For some reason, she sighed softly in her heart.

“Why did General Shao go to Dafu Temple alone?”

With his status, shouldn’t he bring one or two personal guards when traveling?

“It’s more convenient alone.” Shao Mingyuan said casually.

Regarding matters related to his wife, he didn’t want others involved. He didn’t want anyone to see his vulnerable and wretched appearance, not even his guards.

However—

Shao Mingyuan came back to his senses and looked deeply at the young lady before him.

He hadn’t brought anyone at all.

He had instructed a personal guard to pay special attention to Miss Li’s situation. This morning at the entrance of Dafu Temple, that guard had come to report that Miss Li had arrived.

When he finished his private affairs, the guard reported that Miss Li’s carriage had just left not long ago, but the guard had gotten stomach trouble and couldn’t follow. Seeing the ominous weather and worried that Miss Li might encounter trouble, he left the guard behind and went ahead.

Shao Mingyuan glanced again at the pale-faced young lady, thinking: Fortunately, I hurried over; otherwise, if something had happened to Miss Li, I would have failed the physician.

Moreover—

Shao Mingyuan suddenly remembered the words he’d overheard outside the door: “I don’t know either. However, I respect his choice.”

Such a girl should be well. There were already too many beautiful people destroyed in this world.

Binglu saw the two people asking and answering questions, her mouth corners rising high with joy. She tiptoed to the doorway and peeked out, only to be startled. She saw the two men tied back-to-back with rags stuffed in their mouths, their eyes full of terror.

How would General Shao deal with these two people? Would he kill them?

The little maid looked back at Shao Mingyuan, then at her young lady, thinking: Miss remained much calmer than her even when pressed under a corpse, so she probably wouldn’t be afraid, right?

“Miss Li, I’ll go out and take a look. You rest well.”

Watching Shao Mingyuan stride out the door with his long legs, Qiao Zhao finally released the hand that had been pressing against her abdomen. She turned her head and began vomiting, splashing quite a bit on the tiger fur wrapped around her.

“Miss!” Binglu was startled.

She knew these things were too dirty! How could her young lady endure it!

“Don’t shout. Quickly clean this up, then bring me another bowl of soup—” Qiao Zhao’s words cut off abruptly.

Shao Mingyuan strode over, bent down to lift her, and walked outside.

“General, where are you taking our young lady?” Seeing this, Binglu hurried to follow.

Shao Mingyuan carried Qiao Zhao to the kitchen and placed her on a small stool in front of the stove, saying gently, “It’s warmer here.”

The implication was that she could now remove the tiger fur stained with vomit.

No matter how composed Miss Qiao usually was, having her vomit seen by someone and even getting it on the other person felt embarrassing. She simply removed the tiger fur, picked up a fire poker to tend the flames, and said nothing.

Shao Mingyuan didn’t mind and walked around the kitchen. In a jar in the corner, he found a bit of coarse rice at the bottom. He grabbed a handful and said to Qiao Zhao, “Don’t drink that meat soup anymore. I’ll cook some rice soup.”

“Let Binglu do it.” Qiao Zhao finally recovered from her embarrassment, thinking: When Shao Mingyuan went out just now, could he have noticed she wanted to vomit but was holding it back? He’s annoyingly perceptive—couldn’t he have come in a bit later?

Hearing this, Binglu hurriedly tugged at Qiao Zhao’s sleeve.

Miss, don’t joke around! When had she ever cooked such coarse rice porridge? She’d never even eaten it!

The exceptionally clever Miss Qiao clearly understood the little maid’s meaning and couldn’t help twitching her lips.

“I’ll do it then.” Shao Mingyuan said with a smile.

“Alright.” Miss Qiao answered extremely quickly.