Did Miss become a nun today?

Xie Yun Chu stood up, brushed the grass clippings off her clothes, and said, "I'm not listening anymore, I still have to work."

Zhao Mingyue scoffed and put the half-eaten pork knuckle back on the plate: "Why have you become so boring?"

Xie Yun Chu rubbed her forehead. "My status is different now, so I can't be as unruly as before. Please forgive me."

In front of Zhao Mingyue, her family's airs couldn't withstand more than three sentences.

She stopped laughing and softened her tone, "After the charity hall is repaired, you should probably avoid coming here as much as possible."

Zhao Mingyue paused, completely losing her appetite for the pork knuckle. "Xie Yun Chu, what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, I am a monk now."

"So what?"

Here we go again, pretending not to understand things that aren't what I want to hear.

Well, this person can't stand being confined. He'll get bored and run away after only a few days in the nunnery.

Zhao Mingyue wasn't annoyed and caught up with him in a few steps: "I'm serious, aren't you going to listen?"

"I won't listen."

Zhao Mingyue didn't care whether she was listening or not, and insisted on telling her: "It's about the Zhaoping Marquis's residence. His Majesty has made a decision."

Xie Yun Chu ignored her, but Zhao Ming Yue followed beside her, talking non-stop, "The Marquis's mansion has been raided and all the family property has been confiscated and put into the national treasury. This time, a lot of people have been implicated. The Pei family is really bold to accept bribes."

Xie Yun paused abruptly, turning to look at her: "Accepting bribes? Impossible."

"Naturally, it wasn't Marquis Zhaoping and Pei Changyu who personally accepted the bribes; it was all done by their relatives outside. But since they have the Marquis's backing, it's clear where these bribes ended up."

"And that son-in-law who was an official in another province was even more audacious. He colluded with rebels and is now in prison."

Zhao Mingyue lowered her voice: "However, His Majesty is benevolent. He only imprisoned the men who were closely involved in this matter. The women were not humiliated and are now housed in a house in the east of the city."

She talked a lot, but didn't mention Pei Changyu at all.

Xie Yun Chu didn't ask.

What's meant to happen will happen, and if they truly break the law, they should bear the consequences.

She picked up the broom and turned to walk into the yard. Zhao Mingyue followed behind, muttering to herself the whole way: "Aren't you going to ask them how they're doing? Don't you want to know how that girl Pei Changying is doing?"

Xie Yun Chu glanced at her sideways: "Chang Ying is the princess's companion, she'll be fine. My mother is looking after my aunt, she'll be fine too."

"What about Pei Changyu?" Zhao Mingyue persisted. "Don't you want to know how he is?"

"In no mood."

Zhao Mingyue was about to say something when Xie Yun Chu looked at her and said, "You should go."

After saying that, he bent down and continued sweeping the floor, ignoring what Zhao Mingyue was muttering behind him.

After a while, probably finding it boring, he left.

After the person had gone some distance, Huiniang came over and said, "I heard what that girl said. If you're worried, go down the mountain and check on her."

"Although Qingyun Nunnery has its rules, you are not yet officially a nun. After you are ordained next month, it will not be easy to meet you again."

Nowadays, they are all doing odd jobs, without so many rules and restrictions. If they want to go down the mountain, they only need to tell the abbess.

Xie Yun Chu tightened her grip on the broom, somewhat hesitant.

She had finally made it up the mountain and didn't want to go back.

What if something goes wrong again?

Thinking back to the days when Pei Changyu locked her up, she couldn't help but feel a tightness in her chest. She never wanted to experience that again.

Once you become a monk, you should no longer concern yourself with matters concerning people down in the mountains.

She glanced down twice more, then couldn't help but curse inwardly.

It's all that brat Zhao Mingyue's fault. Of all things, she had to talk to her about all that nonsense.

*

After the women of the Pei family moved out of the Marquis's mansion, the whole family squeezed into a small two-courtyard house in the east of the city.

The Hou family used to live in a large mansion, but now more than a dozen people are crammed together, and it feels cramped to even turn around.

In the past, everyone would wait on me hand and foot; now I have to do everything myself, from laundry to cooking.

Pei Changning stared at the bowl of food in front of her, her chopsticks tapping against the rim a few times, but she didn't pick it up. She muttered softly, "Mom... can't we just buy it?"

The third wife gave her a disapproving look: "You should be grateful to have anything to eat, why are you being picky?"

They are now under surveillance, and it's considered good if they don't go hungry every day.

"But... but the food you made... was really not good." Pei Changning said aggrievedly.

The third wife snatched the chopsticks from her hand, saying, "I don't think you're hungry."

Pei Changning pouted, her eyes reddening slightly, and muttered in a low voice, "Fifth Sister came a couple of days ago and gave Second Aunt some silver. She even ate meat yesterday."

"That's for your second aunt, what does it have to do with us?"

Pei Changning lowered his head sullenly, and after a long while, he managed to stammer out, "Aren't we all family...?"

"How dare you say that?" The Third Madam slammed her chopsticks on the table. "Changying is now a companion to the Crown Prince, and you can only squeeze into this small courtyard with us. Think about it carefully, why is that?"

Pei Changning turned her face away. "What else could it be? It's just good luck."

The third wife sighed, her tone tinged with disappointment, "When will you ever understand?"

Pei Changning bit her lip, refusing to admit that it was because of Xie Yun Chu.

What's so special about her? At least the whole family is together, which is better than Fifth Sister being all alone in the East Palace, right?

But the more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Unable to suppress the grievance in her heart, she blurted out, "It's all my brother's fault... If he hadn't provoked Prince Su, would our family have been raided? We were doing so well before, and now we have nothing left."

"Changning!" The Third Madam's expression changed drastically. "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Am I wrong?" Pei Changning struggled slightly as her mouth was covered, her eyes already red.

The third madam's eyes also reddened, but she tightened her grip, pulling on her ear. "Who taught you to say such things? Your elder brother used to support the Marquis's mansion, and you enjoyed so many years of good fortune behind him. Now that he's fallen on hard times, you say such things?"

Pei Changning kept trying to dodge the tugging, but in the end she couldn't hold back. Her lips trembled, she didn't touch her food, and instead burst into tears.

Separated by only a wall, the second wife heard the mother and daughter's conversation clearly.

The second wife shook her head. The old lady was right next door; they were about to start arguing again.

Sure enough, a commotion broke out over there shortly afterward.

The old lady's maidservant pushed open the door and came in, conveying the old lady's words.

The Third Madam was already seething with anger, and before the old woman could finish speaking, she retorted, "If that's the case, then I'd like to ask, our Pei family was dragged down to this state because of the Ji family, so why is the Old Madam still keeping members of the Ji family around? Does she think our whole family hasn't suffered enough?"

After the Ji family's incident, Pei's aunt returned to her parents' home with her entourage. Now she lives in the old lady's room, eating and drinking well every day, living a more comfortable life than the third branch of the family.

The old woman's face darkened: "Third Madam, watch your words."

"What are you talking about?" The Third Madam's temper flared, and her voice rose several decibels. "A jinx who has ruined the whole family is still staying at home, competing with her own relatives for food! Look at Changning, what is she eating every day now? The Old Madam is clueless, making us suffer all the hardships. My second sister-in-law and I have blisters on our hands these past few days, while her daughter is back at her parents' home enjoying a life of leisure!"

Hearing this, the second wife next door sighed helplessly. "Just say what you want to say, why drag her into this?"

She has a good daughter who hasn't suffered any injustice, but she still got up to try and mediate.

As soon as she entered the door, the Third Madam cried, "I've had enough of this wretched life! Anyway, Changjun is staying at his maternal grandparents' house and won't be implicated, so today I'm taking the children back. I'll just get a divorce!"

As he spoke, he actually packed his things and prepared to leave with Pei Changning.

But as soon as the courtyard gate was opened, the guards standing at the entrance blocked it with their arms and turned the person back without any expression.

Xie Yun Chu stood at the entrance of the alley and heard everything that was being said inside.

Hui Niang asked softly, "These are your family members?"

She nodded. "Mm."

"It's so noisy, aren't you going to try and stop it?"

Xie Yun Chu gently shook her head.

What's the point of trying to persuade them? If she goes in now, she'll only cause them more trouble.