Time Travel: The Noble Family
Chapter 406 - 143: Offering Incense

Chapter 406: Chapter 143: Offering Incense

Lady Mo chose an auspicious day to take the four young ladies to Hualin Temple. Apart from the masters, the maids, old nannies, and attendants numbered over forty people.

Yueyao looked at the carriage and grew pale, saying, "Auntie, I would rather not go. The mountain is steep, and I fear it is not safe." Her fear of riding in the carriage was feigned; Yueyao just wanted to annoy Lady Mo.

Lady Mo’s face darkened, but in front of the servants at the front gate, it was not appropriate to scold Yueyao, "We can’t simply never go up the mountain to burn incense because of that incident."

Yueyao lowered her head, looking very wronged.

Yuebing’s eyes twinkled as she walked over, linking arms with Yueyao, "Mother, I’ll share a carriage with third younger sister. Third sister, don’t be afraid. The last incident was an accident; it won’t happen again this time." Nanny Cui said they should show sisterly affection in public, and this cost her nothing but was merely for appearances.

Yueyao hesitated, then nodded, "Alright." Yueyao remembered that visiting Hualin Temple meant she definitely had to meet Grand Master Pu An. Having experienced a lifetime, Yueyao felt that old nun was up to no good and was not at all eager to meet her. But it was impossible to visit Hualin Temple without seeing Pu An.

Yuebing got into the carriage with Yueyao. Yueyao’s carriage was rather plain, lacking anything but seats. It was nothing compared to the carriage Lady Mo rode in, which had tea and pastries.

Yuebing grumbled inwardly, but her expression betrayed nothing as she spoke, "Third sister, isn’t it boring for you to be alone in Lanxi Courtyard every day? You can come and join me and eldest sister. We four sisters can chat about private matters together; it’s quite lively, just like when we studied together in the old days. Doesn’t that sound nice?"

Yueyao responded indifferently, "I like the quiet. Too much noise gives me a headache." She had no intention of engaging in a sisterly bonding with Yuebing. Keeping distant relations meant many things were better left unsaid. If she were to display sisterly love, it would inevitably lead to many troubles later.

Yuebing initiated quite a few conversations with Yueyao, but Yueyao remained uninterested, and eventually, Yuebing stopped talking, leaving the carriage in complete silence.

Nanny Wang, seeing Second Young Lady’s displeased expression and Third Young Lady’s indifferent demeanor, sighed softly. Third Young Lady’s mind was too deep, and others wouldn’t be able to maintain such composure. If Madam intended to target Third Young Lady, she was sure to fail.

Nanny Wang understood Yueyao’s coldness. Eldest Madam Lady Mo’s intentions were not hard to guess; one could only say she had good plans but bad luck, facing the precociously wise Third Young Lady. If it had been someone naive, Lady Mo could have easily influenced her, and all these riches could have been hers. Unfortunately, she had encountered such a shrewd Third Young Lady, and Madam was definitely not going to get the better of her. Nanny Wang wanted to advise a few words, but knew her status was too low to be heeded. She thought to wait for an opportune moment to gently counsel Madam.

The journey to Hualin Temple from Capital City was much shorter compared to going to Zhaohua Temple, only taking one Shichen Chinese hour.

March’s spring scenery was picturesque, making the journey refreshing and pleasant.

Yueyao lifted the curtain of her carriage, greedily taking in the beautiful landscape outside. She felt regret that men could venture out at will while women were confined to the inner courtyards. She wished she could walk outside more and see more of the world, but that was not to be.

At that moment, Yueyao had a fleeting thought. If she became a nun, there would be fewer restrictions and rules, and she could obtain her freedom. However, the thought vanished quickly; once she became a nun, everything would be empty. What would happen to Tingzheng? Not only did she need to raise Tingzheng but she also had many things to do; how could she become a nun?

Yuebing was about to reproach Yueyao, but seeing this, Nanny Cui immediately shook her head at her. Yueyao had learned the rules better than Yuebing, and since the area was surrounded by trees with no one around, it was not inappropriate for Third Young Lady to lift the curtain and look outside.

A complex look flashed in Yuebing’s eyes. She used to think Yueyao was a bit foolish, fainting yet persistently copying scriptures. Now, she couldn’t understand the Yueyao before her, feeling like Yueyao didn’t care about anything, not the Lian family, not sisterly bonds, focusing only on Tingzheng. Yuebing thought such a Yueyao was very selfish.

Yueyao continued to gaze outside, resting her eyes against the compartment when tired. Until they reached Hualin Temple, Yueyao didn’t initiate any conversation with Yuebing.

The group alighted under the main hall of Hualin Temple. Stepping down from the carriage, Yueyao observed the bustling crowd around the temple.