Binglu looked completely confused by the question: “I didn’t pack the wrong thing. After Miss finished writing, the servant packed it directly.”

Hearing Binglu’s response, Old Madam Deng looked at the scriptures in her hands again and couldn’t help but raise her hand to rub her eyes.

Could it be that she was getting old and her eyesight was failing?

Although Old Madam Deng had raised two sons who achieved success in the imperial examinations, she wasn’t any kind of talented lady. Having been widowed for so many years and raising her sons alone, she particularly lacked the inclination for composing poetry and matching couplets, and wasn’t proficient in calligraphy and painting. But she still recognized Master Qiao’s handwriting – who could help it when that old gentleman was so famous?

“So you’re saying this is what your miss wrote?”

Binglu nodded like a pecking chicken: “Yes, yes.” But why did the Old Madam’s tone seem somewhat off? What about the promised praise?

While the little maid was pondering this, Old Madam Deng had already stood up: “To Yahe Courtyard!”

Binglu was stunned.

Qing Yun glanced at her with a mocking expression.

Third Miss was going all out to please the Old Madam, but she shouldn’t treat people like fools! Even she, a mere maid, could see that this handwriting was excessively beautiful. Could the Old Madam not see it?

Such blatant fraud – it would be strange if the Old Madam wasn’t angry!

Binglu followed Old Madam Deng back to the West Side Courtyard of Yahe Courtyard in confusion.

After consecutive days of rain, today finally saw clear weather. Having finished copying the Buddhist scriptures and settled one matter, Qiao Zhao walked out of her room to stroll casually around the courtyard.

She walked to the base of the wall and suddenly crouched down, reaching out to touch a small wild plant under the pomegranate tree.

A’Zhu, following behind her, saw that the wild plant was small and fleshy, and was quite curious, but being naturally taciturn, she naturally wouldn’t ask questions like Binglu would.

Qiao Zhao looked up and smiled at A’Zhu: “A’Zhu, go get the flower spade. I’ll move it to another spot.”

“Yes.” A’Zhu didn’t ask further questions, acknowledged, and turned to enter the house.

When Old Madam Deng entered the courtyard, she saw her granddaughter holding a flower spade, crouched under the pomegranate tree, digging up grass.

The old lady immediately forgot her purpose for coming and walked over to ask Qiao Zhao, “Third Girl, what are you doing?”

She didn’t think there was anything wrong with this activity, but if the County Lady from the East Residence knew about it, she would surely criticize this girl’s crude behavior hysterically.

Qiao Zhao looked up with a smile and explained: “I’m moving it to another spot. It can’t grow well being blocked by the pomegranate tree.”

Old Madam Deng couldn’t help but be amused: “It’s just a wild grass – what’s the point of moving it? Is it wrong to grow under the pomegranate tree?”

Qiao Zhao had already completely dug up the wild plant and explained seriously: “Pomegranates are delicious, and this is also very useful.”

“Then tell me, what use does it have?”

“This is bloodgrass – it can stop bleeding and relieve pain. Grandmother, don’t you think that’s very useful?”

Old Madam Deng looked with surprise at the unremarkable wild plant in Qiao Zhao’s hands, and was even more surprised by her granddaughter’s knowledge. She couldn’t help asking: “How do you know this can stop bleeding and relieve pain?”

“On the way to the capital, Grandfather Li taught me.” Qiao Zhao answered calmly.

She had never planned to disguise herself as another person. Disguising oneself temporarily was easy, but disguising oneself for a lifetime was difficult. If she couldn’t freely be herself, what would be the meaning of living again?

Moreover, there was a more practical reason: the person she would have to impersonate was too stupid, which presented some difficulty for Miss Qiao.

Many things, when developing in a good direction, are easily accepted as long as there’s a suitable reason. In Great Liang, people who understood medicine were respected. Not to mention distant examples, even the women in wealthy households who had rudimentary medical knowledge held positions that ordinary servants couldn’t compare to. Old Madam Deng was surprised but didn’t think much of it, sighing: “That Physician Li taught you these things too.”

Qiao Zhao found a sunny spot to replant the bloodgrass, gave A’Zhu a few instructions, cleaned her hands, and properly greeted Old Madam Deng again: “Grandmother, you came here – is there something you want to ask me?”

“Uh—” Old Madam Deng remembered her purpose and felt somewhat embarrassed.

The grandmother and granddaughter had just had a pleasant conversation about a wild plant, so wouldn’t it be inappropriate to turn hostile now?

“Ahem.” Old Madam Deng cleared her throat, took the scriptures Qiao Zhao had copied from Qing Yun, and asked her: “Third Girl, you love to joke with Grandmother. How did you send over Master Qiao’s calligraphy samples?”

Qiao Zhao blinked.

It seemed that little Miss Li Zhao’s understanding had deviated – this Old Madam wasn’t proficient in calligraphy and painting.

Qiao Zhao naturally wouldn’t look down on Old Madam Deng because of this. When she first began learning these things, her grandfather had taught her that music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were merely for cultivating emotions and character. Worldly learning shouldn’t be confined to these pursuits, and if one became obsessed with them, it would be of inferior quality.

“Grandmother, Master Qiao never copied Buddhist scriptures.” Qiao Zhao said tactfully.

“So?” This time, it was Old Madam Deng’s turn to blink.

“So this is what your granddaughter copied. Didn’t you send Grandfather’s inkstone to encourage your granddaughter to practice calligraphy diligently?” Qiao Zhao said matter-of-factly.

Old Madam Deng’s expression immediately became wonderfully complex.

Don’t be ridiculous – if sending an inkstone could produce such handwriting, all the good inkstones in the capital’s stationery shops would have been snatched up long ago.

“Grandmother, smell – the ink fragrance is still there.”

Old Madam Deng actually lowered her head to smell, and the faint ink fragrance made her have to believe her granddaughter’s words. She looked at Qiao Zhao with particularly shocked eyes: “Third Girl, when did you develop such fine handwriting?”

If she dared say it was because of the inkstone she sent, she would get angry.

Qiao Zhao felt she should give Old Madam Deng a more reasonable explanation, and said with an innocent expression: “Mother bought many of Master Qiao’s calligraphy samples years ago for me to copy.”

Old Madam Deng’s mouth twitched.

Of course, she knew this, but this girl’s handwriting had never been particularly good. Otherwise, why would she have been ridiculed by the East Residence that year?

Could it be that Third Girl had been hiding her abilities all along?

“Third Girl, since you can write such fine handwriting, why didn’t you show it before?” Old Madam Deng asked tentatively.

“Uh, wasn’t it because I was afraid Second Sister would be angry, just like Elder Sister?” Qiao Zhao said with a smile.

To repay resentment with virtue – then how should virtue be repaid?

She had always had a character that clearly distinguished between kindness and resentment. Since First Miss and Second Miss were practiced at falsely accusing people, Miss Qiao naturally wouldn’t bat an eye either.

Old Madam Deng immediately believed most of this explanation.

For years, the East Residence had been dominant. Although Old Madam Deng didn’t have a weak temperament, considering her two sons’ futures and the fact that her only grandson was still young, she naturally wouldn’t oppose Old Madam Jiang directly.

Among all the young ladies in both residences, Second Girl was unique, pampered, and coaxed by everyone. Although First Girl was more accomplished than Second Girl in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, whenever there was an occasion to show off, she would appear slightly inferior to Second Girl.

Old Madam Deng had observed this over the years and felt even more pity for First Miss, who had lost her mother at a young age.

She hadn’t expected that Third Girl was the same way!

The old lady reached out and patted Qiao Zhao’s shoulder: “You don’t need to do this anymore. Grandmother is willing to watch all of you develop your talents!”

After all, her eldest son was going to stay at the Hanlin Academy compiling historical records until old age, so let things be as they may.