Ye Shixian froze, the words catching in her throat.
She understood each word on its own, but together, they made no sense.
The surrounding crowd gasped in astonishnt.
"What? Ye Chutang went to Feiyun Temple?"
"What did that servant an? Could Ye Chutang possibly be—"
The speaker trailed off, their heart pounding with unease, but everyone understood the unspoken implication perfectly.
—Ye Chutang was actually planning to move her father’s and brother’s graves!
Never in her wildest dreams had Ye Shixian imagined that Ye Chutang would pull a move like this!
All the speeches she had prepared now seed utterly feeble.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally regained her composure.
"N-No! Impossible!"
She murmured, looking completely crestfallen.
"How could she do this...?"
’The sheer audacity of it!’
The servant scoffed. "And why shouldn’t my mistress do so?"
Burying Ye Zheng and their parents on Jiuhua Mountain had only ever been a temporary solution arranged by Ye Heng. As their closest living relative, it was perfectly right for Ye Chutang to take charge of the matter now.
"My mistress has said she will personally escort them back to Qingzhou so they may return to their ancestral ho. She will be extrely busy for the foreseeable future and won’t have ti to see to your affairs. You should go back!"
They weren’t from the sa branch of the family to begin with. Even if Ye Chutang simply stood by and did nothing, no one could fault her.
And now that she had a far more important task at hand, any discerning person could tell which matter took priority.
"I—"
Ye Shixian ground her teeth, her eyes fixed on the motionless carriage. Her mind was in turmoil.
’I thought Ye Chutang would be ho resting and recovering for a while. Who knew—’
’After what happened, I rushed over here specifically to confront her at her doorstep!’
’But it was as if Ye Chutang had anticipated everything, effortlessly deflecting my attack and turning it back on !’
’Now, even if I kneel here all day, it’ll be useless!’
’And those onlookers can’t use this to slander her na—after all, she’s doing this for her own parents and brother!’
’Filial piety is the greatest of all virtues. Who could possibly criticize Ye Chutang for this?!’
The servant cracked his whip—CRACK!
"Miss Ye, if you please?"
...
「Feiyun Temple.」
The lamp fla was the size of a bean, casting a dim, yellow glow that illuminated a slender silhouette on the window.
Ye Chutang sat quietly at the desk, brush in hand, copying Buddhist scriptures.
Xiao Wu sat beside her, obediently grinding the ink.
As the night deepened, Xiao Wu couldn’t stifle a yawn.
Ye Chutang glanced over and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Xiao Wu’s chubby little face, her eyes barely able to stay open.
"I was so engrossed I lost track of ti. I can’t believe it’s gotten this late. Why didn’t you say sothing?"
Xiao Wu’s eyelids fluttered as she groggily shook her head.
’She knew her big sister was copying scriptures for their father, mother, and older brother. She couldn’t possibly disturb her, so she just waited patiently.’
’Her big sister had been rushing around all day and was already exhausted, yet she insisted on finishing this scroll. How could she complain about being tired? Of course she had to stay with her!’
Ye Chutang set down her brush and took Xiao Wu’s hand, helping her up.
"There’s no rush. We’ll be staying here for a while, so I can take my ti writing."
Xiao Wu nodded.
She hadn’t known her big sister planned to co here today. After leaving Jiuhua Mountain, she had thought they were heading ho, but halfway there, the carriage had changed direction.
Ye Chutang smiled, seeing that Xiao Wu looked ready to fall asleep at any mont.
"Go to sleep. We have people to see tomorrow."
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