“How is Miss Ouyang doing now?”

A trace of sadness flashed across Kou Zimo’s face: “There’s already news about her father—he’s been demoted to Beiding. It probably won’t be long before their whole family has to depart. Weiyu couldn’t conveniently come see you, so she asked me to say thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything. Tell Miss Ouyang to take heart—as long as the family is together, anywhere can be home.”

Kou Zimo nodded, her voice tinged with relief: “Yes, no matter what, this is already a very good outcome. Although we probably won’t be able to meet again in the future, knowing she’s well and that we can exchange letters regularly is quite satisfying.”

Who had Master Ouyang offended? That was the current Chief Minister, Lan Shan. Though she was just a young lady, she had heard that many who impeached Chief Minister Lan Shan eventually met unjust deaths. That her friend’s family was merely demoted to Beiding was already fortunate.

At this moment, A’Zhu came in to report: “Miss, Second Miss from the East Residence has come to see you.”

Qiao Zhao’s expression remained unchanged: “Please invite Second Miss in.”

Second Miss Li Jiāo from the East Residence hadn’t been out for some time—why had she come to see her today?

Soon, the pearl curtain lifted, and a girl with willow eyebrows and phoenix eyes walked in.

Li Jiāo wore a scallion-green jacket embroidered with intertwining floral patterns and an apricot-colored pleated skirt, making her skin appear snow-white and delicate as silk.

“Third Sister has a guest here?” Li Jiāo’s eyes swept around, and seeing Kou Zimo clearly, she was quite surprised and blurted out: “Miss Kou?”

It was Kou Zimo, granddaughter of the Minister of Justice!

Her father was Vice Minister of Justice, and as girls from the same circle, she had seen the Kou sisters on many occasions, though they had never become close.

Kou Zimo smiled and explained: “At yesterday’s Fushan Society gathering, I felt an immediate connection with Miss Li. Since Miss Li was injured, I was quite worried about her condition, so I came to visit.”

Upon hearing this, Li Jiāo secretly gritted her teeth.

So it was because Li Zhao had entered the Fushan Society that she gained these opportunities and connections with people like Kou Zimo.

If she were still in the Fushan Society—

The more Li Jiāo thought about it, the more resentful she became. Her gaze fell on Qiao Zhao’s face, and her resentment finally eased.

So what if she had connections with people like Kou Zimo? With Li Zhao’s face ruined like this, would she still dare to go out and frighten people?

“Third Sister, how did your face get injured so badly?” Li Jiāo exclaimed. “I heard about what happened to you and thought it was just a minor surface wound. Who would have thought you were disfigured? Third Sister, you must take heart. Although a girl’s face is very important, since things are already like this, being sad won’t help. If you feel bored in the future, I’ll often come visit you.”

“Thank you for your concern, Second Sister. I’m fine.” Qiao Zhao smiled.

So she had come to gawk.

“How can you be fine? Third Sister, forcing yourself to smile like this makes me feel terrible. Only because Third Sister is strong—if it were someone else, they probably wouldn’t want to live anymore. Don’t you think so, Miss Kou?”

Kou Zimo frowned inwardly.

Though Second Miss Li kept saying she was concerned, constantly bringing up painful matters wasn’t good.

“I appreciate Second Sister’s worry, but I’m fine.” Qiao Zhao said calmly.

Li Jiāo reached out to grasp Qiao Zhao’s hand: “Third Sister, the more you say that, the more worried I become. Often, people who say they’re fine are hiding big problems. Oh dear, you must not have dark thoughts, or how heartbroken Aunt would be.”

Qiao Zhao couldn’t help but smile wryly.

How much Second Miss Li must be hoping she would have dark thoughts—unfortunately, she was destined to disappoint her.

“Second Sister can put her mind at ease. I definitely won’t have dark thoughts.” Qiao Zhao glanced at Kou Zimo from the corner of her eye, withdrew her hand, and said seemingly casually: “My face won’t leave scars anyway, so why would I have dark thoughts?”

Kou Zimo’s expression changed slightly.

Li Jiāo suddenly looked at the right side of Qiao Zhao’s face, then shook her head and sighed: “Third Sister, I know no one wants scars on their face, but your injury is too severe—it’s impossible not to leave scars.”

Saying this, she pulled a jade box from her sleeve and handed it to Qiao Zhao: “This is Frost Cloud Ointment I begged from Grandmother. Although it can’t eliminate the scars on your face, it can provide some relief. Please take it, Third Sister.”

Qiao Zhao didn’t accept it: “Thank you, Second Sister, but I probably won’t need it.”

“Third Sister, are you still angry with me about what happened on Buddha’s Birthday?” In front of Kou Zimo, Li Jiāo put away all her petty behavior and took the opportunity to explain: “I didn’t mean to steal your spotlight that day. I didn’t look at the Buddhist scripture in the monk’s hands either—when I heard Grandmother call me, I thought it was me. Don’t laugh at me, Third Sister, but I’ve been spending a long time practicing calligraphy every day this past year. I felt I had improved quite a bit, never expecting such a misunderstanding.”

Not wanting to watch Li Jiāo perform anymore, Qiao Zhao smiled faintly: “Second Sister needn’t say more about past matters. I don’t need the Frost Cloud Ointment. Second Sister should know who my godfather is, right?”

Kou Zimo’s heart jumped, her gaze burning as she looked at Qiao Zhao.

“That Divine Physician Li?” Li Jiāo asked reluctantly.

“Yes, Grandfather Li left me excellent scar-removing medicine and taught me prescriptions for treating cuts and burns.” Qiao Zhao smiled at Li Jiǎo while keeping an eye on Kou Zimo’s reaction from the corner of her eye.

Sure enough, she saw Kou Zimo’s eyes contract when she heard the word “burns.”

“Could there be such miraculous scar-removing medicine?” Li Jiāo looked incredulous.

“Grandfather Li is the world’s divine physician—his medicine is excellent. Whether it’s truly miraculous, I’ll know once the wound on my face heals.”

Upon hearing this, Li Jiāo sneered inwardly: Such a wound not leaving scars? Dream on!

Though she didn’t believe it, after hearing Qiao Zhao’s words, she lost interest in watching the spectacle. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, she took her leave.

After seeing Li Jiāo out, Qiao Zhao turned to walk back and saw Kou Zimo looking down at her hands with a thoughtful expression.

“Does Miss Kou have something on her mind?” Qiao Zhao sat down beside her.

Kou Zimo suppressed her chaotic thoughts, her gaze involuntarily falling on Qiao Zhao’s face.

Could such scars be eliminated?

Was there truly such miraculous medicine in this world?

“I was just surprised to hear Miss Li mention scar-removing medicine even better than Frost Cloud Ointment.”

Things were developing according to her expectations as hoped, and Qiao Zhao felt a small thrill of joy, though her expression remained nonchalant: “Not just better than Frost Cloud Ointment—a hundred times better.”

Kou Zimo’s eyes lit up: “Then—”

She wanted to ask if it was effective for scars left by burns, but finding it hard to believe, she swallowed the words at her lips and said instead: “When Miss Li recovers, you must let me know so I can be happy for you.”

Qiao Zhao smiled meaningfully: “Certainly.”

At the tea stall beside the official road outside the city, Chi Can had waited bitterly for most of the day without seeing any sign of the beauty. His face was so cold it could freeze ice. Annoyed, he stood up to return home, when he suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous.