“Ah?”

“Ah, what? Go quickly!” Qing Jun was quite helpless.

Binglu screamed and turned to run, shouting as she ran: “Miss, we’re going to Da Fu Temple!”

She could wear beautiful clothes and show off!

Qing Jun: “…”

Binglu ran into the room and directly threw herself forward, beside herself with excitement: “Miss, you… You’re truly divine! Sister Qing Jun has come, saying Old Madam ordered her to take you to Da Fu Temple!”

Qiao Zhao wore her hair in double buns and was dressed in an azure jacket embroidered with white honeysuckle flowers over a white skirt with picked threads—exactly the attire for going out.

She stood up and nodded to Binglu: “Let’s go.”

Then she turned her head to instruct A’Zhu: “Take good care of the house.”

Binglu was wearing that water-green jacket they had found, and upon hearing this, she happily supported Qiao Zhao’s arm, glanced sideways at A’Zhu, and headed outside.

Qing Jun was quite surprised to see Qiao Zhao and her servant come out so quickly. She couldn’t help but examine Qiao Zhao carefully. Seeing her dressed so plainly, though she felt it inappropriate, it was indeed outdoor attire, so she suppressed her surprise and came forward: “Third Miss, Old Madam ordered this servant to fetch you.”

Qiao Zhao nodded without showing any unusual expression and followed Qing Jun outside.

The moment she stepped out of the Li Residence gates, her steps paused slightly. She looked up at the azure sky, washed clean, and smiled.

Today, she had taken this step—she would work even harder in the future.

Qiao Zhao, you must keep going.

Qiao Zhao silently encouraged herself.

The three boarded the azure-curtained carriage waiting at the gate and headed toward Da Fu Temple.

Inside the carriage, following Old Madam Deng’s instructions, Qing Jun carefully explained to Qiao Zhao what had happened at the temple.

When she heard about Li Jiāo’s impersonation, Binglu cursed: “Bah! And she calls herself a scholarly noble daughter, yet does such things.”

She patted her chest and said to Qiao Zhao: “Fortunately, that Master has discerning eyes and wasn’t fooled by her. Miss, our luck is quite good this time!”

Just a little bit more and she wouldn’t have been able to wear beautiful clothes and accompany Miss to Da Fu Temple to show off.

“Yes, quite good luck.” Qiao Zhao smiled faintly.

Her luck had been truly terrible recently, but what she believed in more was that success depended on human effort.

Qing Jun couldn’t help but look at Qiao Zhao again, her confusion deepening.

She always felt this Third Miss was becoming increasingly different. That girl Binglu was brainless and couldn’t see the subtleties, but she observed coldly and could see that Third Miss had already known about the Da Fu Temple trip in advance—otherwise, how could she have changed into outdoor clothes beforehand?

Qing Jun glanced at the box beside Binglu.

It usually contained spare clothes and accessories for when the miss went out.

She thought for a moment and decided to remind this Third Miss, who was becoming increasingly unfathomable: “Third Miss, this servant dares to say that your clothes today are perhaps too plain.”

Third Miss was born beautiful, and especially the red mole between her brows, set off by these clothes, added an unusual charm to her. But for a young lady to dress like this would inevitably draw criticism.

Qiao Zhao was quite surprised by Qing Jun’s reminder, but she always handled others’ good intentions properly, so she smiled gently: “Thank you for the reminder, but I think dressing this way is more appropriate.”

Her parents and family had met with tragic misfortune, yet she couldn’t openly observe mourning. She could only express her grief slightly in this way.

Qing Jun mistakenly thought Qiao Zhao believed dressing this way looked better, so she smiled and said no more.

The carriage finally stopped. The moment Qiao Zhao entered Da Fu Temple, she sensed countless gazes falling upon her.

She paid no attention and walked inside at a leisurely pace, with low discussions floating over.

“See that? That’s the Li family’s Third Miss. I heard she was kidnapped to the south for quite some time before returning home.”

“Tsk tsk, Third Miss Li is so beautiful. What a pity.”

“Who says otherwise? Fortunately, she was sent back by the divine physician, which reduced some gossip. Otherwise, Third Miss Li probably wouldn’t be able to live anymore.”

“That’s still shameful enough.”

“Shameful is shameful, but she writes excellent calligraphy. If she truly gains the Grand Princess’s favor, that could be considered good fortune.”

“Heh, that remains to be seen. Who knows who wrote that Buddhist scripture? This Li Residence affair is quite interesting.”

Qiao Zhao walked into the guest hall with an unchanged expression amid all this gossip.

The moment she entered, time seemed to pause for an instant, with no one in the hall speaking.

A moment later, Old Madam Deng’s voice finally rang out: “Zhaozhao, come to Grandmother.”

Li Jiǎo’s eyes hadn’t blinked from when Qiao Zhao entered until she walked to Old Madam Deng’s side. Du Feixue, beside her, opened her eyes even wider, murmuring: “Cousin Jiao, how come I never noticed Li San was so beautiful before?”

She turned to ask Zhu Yán, who had been quietly sitting: “Cousin Yan, don’t you think so?”

Zhu Yán, from Marquis Taining’s household, wasn’t in the same circle as the Li Residence young ladies, but due to Du Feixue’s relationship with Li Jiǎo, she had met Li Zhao several times.

Her gaze followed Qiao Zhao, and after thinking, she said: “Appearance reflects the heart.”

Third Miss Li had encountered great misfortune. Perhaps her state of mind had changed, altering her temperament, so she looked quite different from before.

Hearing this, Du Feixue snorted disdainfully.

“Grandmother, Great-Aunt.”

Old Madam Jiang pursed her lips in displeasure.

Such a good young lady dressing like this—truly inauspicious!

However, since the East Residence had just lost such tremendous face, she found it inconvenient to say much and remained silent.

Old Madam Deng was also momentarily stunned, but she had always seen through such minor details and didn’t think much of it. She gently said to Qiao Zhao, “Presumably Qing Jun explained things to you on the way. You should go with the master now.” There were too many people inside and outside the room to say more instructive words.

But Qiao Zhao seemed to understand Old Madam Deng’s concerns and showed her a gentle smile: “Grandmother, rest assured. Granddaughter understands.”

In that instant, Old Madam Deng felt relieved, though she found it strange herself afterward.

She watched her little granddaughter’s retreating figure as she left with the guest monk and secretly sighed.

She hoped this girl wouldn’t make any mistakes.

For things to go smoothly, she had specifically instructed Qing Jun not to let her eldest daughter-in-law come and cause trouble. She had it so difficult!

In Sparse Shadow Nunnery, Master Wumei had remained in the inner room without moving until Jingxi, who attended to her daily needs, reported: “Master Uncle, Third Miss Li has arrived.”

Master Wumei raised her head and asked the young lady paying respects to her indifferently: “Are you the true owner of that hand-copied Buddhist scripture?”

The long years of spiritual cultivation hadn’t made Master Wumei gentle and uncontentious. At this moment of questioning, the former princess’s dignity filled the small quiet room.

Facing such a person of special status, Qiao Zhao remained composed as ever, calmly answering: “Buddhist scriptures are offerings to Buddha. This young woman dares not claim to be the owner of Buddhist scriptures. If Master asks who could write the calligraphy on the hand-copied Buddhist scripture, then it is undoubtedly this young woman.”

She smiled confidently: “Please rest assured, Master. This time, there will be no mistake.”