Two horses rested under the shade of trees, looking very familiar—he had personally selected them.

What was Yan Sanhe doing at Water Moon Convent?

Wasn’t everything already resolved?

“Lord Xie.”

A young nun came out and bowed to Xie Zhifei.

Xie Zhifei maintained his official bearing. “Where is your abbess?”

“The abbess is speaking with Miss Yan.”

“I have business with your abbess. Lead the way.”

“Yes!”

After walking just a dozen zhang, he saw a gray-robed nun standing under the eaves, beckoning to Xie Zhifei.

“Wait here for me.”

Xie Zhifei strode over and nodded to the gray-robed nun. “Fourth Madam.”

Fourth Madam spoke with a trembling voice. “Third Master, I just saw Miss Yan arrive.”

“Mm, she came to handle some business.”

Xie Zhifei studied her. “Are you adapting well here?”

Fourth Madam lowered her head. After a long while she said, “Nowhere is paradise. I plan to stay another month, then return.”

So the abbess had good reason not to accept you.

Xie Zhifei had no interest in asking “why” and said indifferently, “If you want to return, then return.”

…

In the main hall.

Huiru looked at the young woman before her, feeling inexplicably flustered.

“Miss Yan, is it about Jingchen’s heart demon…”

“The coffin has already been closed.”

“Amitabha, excellent, excellent. I’ll immediately send someone to seal the tomb.”

Huiru walked to the outer room and gave instructions to several nuns. When she turned back, she found Yan Sanhe standing under the eaves, her eyes bright and clear.

“The autumn sun is pleasant today. Master, accompany me for a walk outside.”

“Very well.”

The two walked side by side. Nuns occasionally passed by them, all wearing expressions of ashen despair.

After walking a while, Yan Sanhe stopped and looked at Huiru.

Huiru didn’t know what she intended and had to stop as well.

Because she looked up, wrinkles formed on her forehead, making her look even older.

Yan Sanhe spoke quietly. “You must have suffered greatly as a child.”

Huiru was startled.

“If you’re willing, tell me about it.”

Yan Sanhe’s eyes were very bright.

“When a person accumulates too much in their heart, their body becomes heavy. When the body becomes heavy, they age quickly. Sometimes you need to throw some of that out.”

She looked at her. “This is what your Buddhist teachings call ‘letting go.'”

“Miss Yan.”

“You’re not truly jealous of Jingchen. You haven’t let go of things from the past.”

Yan Sanhe reached out and flicked the prayer beads in Huiru’s hand.

“Those who cannot let go suffer the most.”

She says I suffer the most.

Huiru quietly gazed at the young woman before her, mist slowly rising in her eyes.

Her mother died when she was five. Her father quickly brought another woman home.

With a stepmother came a step-father. Not a patch of her skin went unbruised year-round. Beatings and scoldings were daily fare.

That woman bore a son, and her days became even harder. She endured day by day, year by year, thinking things would improve once she married.

At eighteen, her father collected twenty taels of silver as a bride price and gave her to a forty-something bachelor from the same village.

The bachelor was a drunk who beat her when intoxicated, then knelt before her the next day with pleading words.

Once, twice, three times…

She had nowhere to go. She thought perhaps things would improve once she bore a son.

After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a daughter.

The man resented her for bearing a money-losing goods. After her month of confinement ended, the beatings resumed.

When her daughter was three, the man took offense at something outside, came home to drink away his sorrows, and raised his fists again.

Usually at such times, her daughter would only hide in a corner crying, but that day she somehow found the courage to rush out and grab the man’s leg, begging him to stop.

The man seized a nearby stool and smashed it on her daughter’s head.

Blood flowed down her daughter’s small head, covering her entire body. She cried “Mother, it hurts” and closed her eyes.

For three days and nights, she held her daughter’s small body, refusing to let go even unto death, until she collapsed.

Two months later, while the man urinated by the river, she kicked him from behind. Only after the water covered his head did she call for help with a light voice.

Two new graves were erected. She locked the house door and went to Water Moon Convent.

When the mist cleared from Huiru’s eyes, she shook her head. “Miss Yan, there’s nothing to tell. I’ve already let it go.”

“Have you truly let it go?”

“Truly.”

“Then that’s good.”

Yan Sanhe lowered her head and leaned close to her ear. “Let me tell you a secret—in all my time resolving karmic demons, I’ve never seen anyone more unfortunate than Jingchen.”

Huiru’s eyes suddenly widened, filled with astonishment.

“Her suffering—if it were anyone else, they couldn’t have endured even a single day.”

“Is… is that true?”

“Absolutely true.”

Those four words instantly shattered all the jealousy in Huiru’s heart.

There are people in this world more unfortunate than me?

So there are people in this world more unfortunate than me!!

“Amitabha.”

Huiru sighed deeply. “Excellent, excellent!”

With this, Yan Sanhe had completed half her purpose for coming to Water Moon Convent.

“By the way, I need a maidservant. Ask Lanchuan in a bit if she’s willing. If so, I’ll take her with me.”

“Miss Yan.” Huiru’s eyes widened even more.

“If I have food to eat, she’ll have food to eat. Everything else depends on her own fortune.”

Yan Sanhe turned and saw someone leaning lazily against a corner wall, as if boneless.

How did he get here?

How long has he been standing there?

What did he hear?

Xie Zhifei straightened up and strode over. “Came to handle some official business. Didn’t expect you’d be here too.”

Yan Sanhe raised an eyebrow, clearly not quite believing him.

“It really is official business.”

Xie Zhifei turned to face the old nun Huiru with an official tone.

“Someone came to the Commandery looking for a lost daughter, saying she was abandoned near here. Find me the list of abandoned infants Water Moon Convent has taken in over the past twenty years. This official needs to examine them one by one.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Huiru glanced at Yan Sanhe before hurrying away.

There’s actually such a list?

This excuse was well-chosen.

Xie Zhifei relaxed, asking calmly, “Why are you taking in Lanchuan?”

“That child has a lively temperament. She shouldn’t be here.”

“Besides that?”

“Where are all these ‘besides that’ coming from?”

“Miss Yan had better treat me with more courtesy, otherwise information about a certain old gentleman…”

“Speak quickly, what information?”

Xie Zhifei smiled broadly with an expression that said “If you don’t humor me a bit, I won’t tell.”

Yan Sanhe turned and walked away.

“I’m just teasing you!”

Xie Zhifei followed. “Why are you so sensitive to teasing?”

Yan Sanhe walked faster.

“The old gentleman was enfeoffed as Duke Zhengguo and granted burial in the imperial mausoleum.”

“What kind of news is that?”

Yan Sanhe’s eyelids lifted—within a day, everyone in the capital would know.

“What the young lady doesn’t know counts as news.”

Xie Zhifei’s tone was quite shameless. “I’m here before the young lady to claim a bit of cleverness.”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze met his, and for some reason, she wanted to turn and leave again.

But he seemed to know her next move—his long leg lifted and blocked her path.