Time Is Slow - Chapter 50
“Ah?”
“What ‘ah’? Hurry up!” Qingyun said, quite helpless.
Binglu let out a sharp scream. She turned around and ran off while shouting.
“Miss, we’re going to Dafu Temple!”
She could finally wear her pretty clothes and show off!
Qingyun: “……”
Binglu rushed into the room and threw herself forward, unable to contain her excitement.
“Miss, you—you’re amazing! Sister Qingyun is here. She said the Old Madam sent her to take you to Dafu Temple!”
Qiao Zhao, with twin buns in her hair, was wearing a blue front-clasped blouse embroidered with white honeysuckle flowers and a white skirt with decorative stitching—clearly dressed for going out.
She stood up and nodded at Binglu.
“Let’s go.”
Then she turned her head and instructed Ah Zhu, “Take good care of the house.”
Binglu, wearing the watery-green blouse they had dug out earlier, happily supported Qiao Zhao by the arm. She cast a sideways glance at Ah Zhu before heading out.
Qingyun was surprised to see the two come out so quickly. She looked at Qiao Zhao carefully and found her outfit was plain and elegant. Though it felt a bit inappropriate, it was indeed an outfit for going out, so she suppressed her confusion and stepped forward to say, “Third Miss, the Old Madam has sent me to fetch you.”
Qiao Zhao nodded without changing her expression and followed Qingyun out.
As they stepped outside the Li residence, Qiao Zhao paused slightly and looked up at the sky, clear and blue like a freshly washed canvas. A faint smile spread across her lips.
Today, she had taken the first step. She will work even harder from now on.
‘Qiao Zhao, you must keep going,’ she silently encouraged herself.
The three of them boarded the blue-curtained carriage waiting at the gate and set off for Dafu Temple.
Inside the carriage, Qingyun, following the Old Madam’s instructions, explained in detail what had happened at the temple.
When Binglu heard that Li Jiaoo had impersonated her, she cursed outright, “Pah! And they call her a refined young lady from a scholarly family. How could she do something like that?”
Clutching her chest, she turned to Qiao Zhao and said, “Thankfully that abbess had sharp eyes and wasn’t fooled. Miss, we really were lucky this time!”
If they had been just a bit less lucky, she wouldn’t have been able to wear her beautiful blouse and show off with her mistress at Dafu Temple.
“Yes, we were lucky,” Qiao Zhao said with a faint smile.
Her luck had been awful lately, but what she believed in more was human effort.
Qingyun couldn’t help glancing at Qiao Zhao again, her heart full of questions.
This Third Miss was becoming more and more different. Binglu was too simple-minded to notice, but Qingyun, watching with a calm and sharp eye, had a feeling that the Third Miss had anticipated this trip to Dafu Temple.
Otherwise, why would she have changed into going-out clothes in advance?
Qingyun glanced at the box by Binglu’s side.
It was usually used to carry a young lady’s spare clothes and accessories for outings.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to offer a reminder to this increasingly unreadable Third Miss.
“Third Miss, if I may be so bold, the outfit you’re wearing today is a bit too plain.”
The Third Miss was naturally elegant, and the small red mole between her brows made her look even more delicate and beautiful against the plain outfit. However, for a young lady, such attire was bound to draw criticism.
Qiao Zhao was a little surprised by Qingyun’s comment, but she had always accepted kindness with grace. She replied gently, “Thank you for the reminder, but I think this is more appropriate.”
Her parents and family had suffered a terrible fate. Though she couldn’t openly observe mourning, this was her subtle way of showing grief.
Qingyun misunderstood, thinking Qiao Zhao simply believed it looked better this way, and smiled without saying more.
The carriage finally stopped, and the moment Qiao Zhao stepped into Dafu Temple, she felt countless eyes fall on her.
She paid them no attention and walked in at a calm pace as quiet murmurs floated by.
“See that? That’s the Third Miss of the Li family. I heard she was abducted down south and only recently returned.”
“Tsk tsk, who would’ve thought she’d be so pretty? What a pity.”
“Exactly. Luckily the divine doctor brought her back. Otherwise, there would’ve been even more gossip—she might not have survived.”
“Still quite disgraceful.”
“Disgraceful, yes, but I hear she has excellent handwriting. If she really catches the Grand Princess’s eye, that would be a stroke of luck.”
“Heh, who knows? No one can say for sure who wrote that Buddhist scripture. This whole thing with the Li family is rather intriguing.”
Amid all the gossip, Qiao Zhao entered the reception hall without a change in her expression.
The moment she stepped in, time seemed to pause. No one in the hall spoke.
A moment later, Old Madam Deng’s voice rang out.
“Zhao Zhao, come to Grandmother.”
Li Jiao’s eyes didn’t blink once from the moment Qiao Zhao entered until she reached Old Madam Deng’s side.
Du Feixue, standing nearby, widened her eyes and murmured, “Cousin Jiao, how come I never noticed how beautiful Third Miss Li is?”
She turned and asked the quiet Zhu Yan, “Cousin Yan, don’t you think so too?”
Zhu Yan, from the Marquis Taining’s household, wasn’t usually in the same circle as the girls from the Li family. But thanks to her connections with Du Feixue and Li Jiao, she had met Qiao Zhao a few times.
Her gaze followed Qiao Zhao. After a moment’s thought, she said, “One’s appearance reflects their heart.”
The Third Miss of the Li family had experienced great hardship. Perhaps her mindset had changed, and with it, her temperament too, making her seem different than before.
Du Feixue snorted disdainfully upon hearing this.
“Grandmother, Great Aunt.”
Old Madam Jiang pursed her lips in displeasure.
A perfectly good young lady yet was dressed like this—truly inauspicious!
But considering the Eastern Residence had just lost so much face, she couldn’t say much, so she stayed silent.
Old Madam Deng was also momentarily stunned. But she had always seen through such superficial matters, so she didn’t dwell on it. She said gently to Qiao Zhao, “Qingyun must have told you on the way here. Go ahead and follow the master now.”
Any further reminders would be inappropriate with so many people present.
Qiao Zhao, however, seemed to understand Old Madam Deng’s concern and gave her a gentle smile.
“Grandmother, don’t worry. I understand.”
In that instant, Old Madam Deng actually felt a moment of relief. Afterward, even she found it strange.
She watched the back of her little granddaughter leaving with the guest monk and sighed silently to herself.
Hopefully this girl won’t make any mistakes.
To ensure everything went smoothly, she had even specifically told Qingyun not to let her eldest daughter-in-law come and stir up trouble. It hadn’t been easy for her!
At Shuying Nunnery, Abbess Wumei had stayed in her inner chamber the whole time, unmoving, until her attendant Jingxi came to report.
“Master, the Third Miss of the Li family has arrived.”
Abbess Wumei lifted her head and calmly asked the girl who came to pay her respects, “Are you the true creator of the handwritten Buddhist scripture?”
Years of ascetic practice hadn’t dulled Abbess Wumei’s presence. At that moment, the former princess’s regal authority filled the small, quiet room.
Faced with such a person of special status, Qiao Zhao remained composed and calm. She replied, “The scripture is an offering to the Buddha; this humble girl would not dare claim to be its owner. But if Master is asking who wrote the characters in that handwritten scripture, then without a doubt, it was me.”
She smiled confidently, “Please rest assured, Master. This time, there will be no mistake.”