Did Miss become a nun today?

On the day of the horseback riding, Zhao Mingyue specially asked the coachman to take a detour to pick up Xie Yun Chu.

"I remember you said you wanted to ride a horse last year, but you never had the chance. This time I've found one for you."

"Where did you find it?"

Zhao Mingyue kept everyone in suspense, saying, "You'll find out when we get there."

The horse ranch outside the city was extremely large, and in order to increase military pay, the military camp set aside a portion for high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital to rent.

The wealthy families had fun, and the military camps gained an extra source of income—a win-win situation.

Such occasions are popular with the daughters and sons of officials, making it a lively event.

Zhao Mingyue helped her out of the car and led her directly to the sunshade set up on the high platform.

"This place is so nice, but unfortunately my sisters don't like watching these things, so only you can keep me company."

The Zhao family was a scholarly family, a well-known family of upright scholars in the capital. The children in the family were all well-educated, gentle and virtuous, and polite. They never participated in such frivolous activities.

But then Zhao Mingyue came along, and she was completely unruly.

"Today's guests are all young masters from prominent families. Take a look around, and you'll get used to it. Don't just think about your cousin."

She chuckled, "Yes, I'll definitely watch more."

Sensing her perfunctory attitude, Zhao Mingyue was displeased. "You're so stubborn! Pei Changfeng doesn't care about you at all, yet you still think about him. Has he bewitched you or given you some kind of love potion?"

"Can't it be that I like it because I want it to?"

Zhao Mingyue was taken aback, but her anger instantly dissipated. "Fine, you've got a way of shutting me up. I know I can't argue with you."

Xie Yun Chu pinched a piece of pastry and fed it to her, "Alright, I'll do whatever you say. I'll make sure to keep a close eye on these young masters today."

The two were discussing which team would win the polo match when Zhao Mingyue suddenly nudged her lightly, "Hey, look over there."

Not far away, a group of people walked towards the high platform, one of whom was an acquaintance, Pei Changning.

Pei Changning is on good terms with the daughter of Grand Tutor Lu, and she has been visiting the Grand Tutor's residence every day for the past few days.

When Yong'an Temple collapsed last time, the young master of the Lu family was buried. I heard that when he was found, he was already dead.

Grand Tutor Lu and his wife only had one son and one daughter. The loss of their son was a huge blow to the couple, and Grand Tutor Lu was ill for quite some time.

"Ever since the Lu family's young master suffered misfortune, Grand Tutor Lu has not attended court for a long time, and Lu Zhaoran has not left the house at all," Zhao Mingyue whispered.

Xie Yun Chu glanced at it once and then looked away. She didn't want to get acquainted with the Lu family, and she had never even spoken to the young master of the Lu family or Lu Zhao Ran.

I am once again grateful to Buddha for protecting her and saving her from death; otherwise, she would never have had the chance to come to this horse farm and witness such a lively scene again.

As a daughter of the Lu family, she was naturally popular, and many young men and women gathered around her, leaving only a few people sitting in the tent.

As the group passed by, the two didn't make a move. However, Pei Changning immediately spotted Xie Yun Chu sitting there and tugged at Lu Zhaoran's arm, "Sister Lu, have you seen my cousin before?"

Lu Zhaoran followed her gaze and saw a girl in pink, with a beautiful and elegant appearance and a noble spirit, like a fairy from Mount Gusha, untouched by the mortal world. Her expression brightened; there was such a woman in the capital.

Pei Changning whispered, "Sister Lu doesn't know yet, does she? My cousin was also at Yong'an Temple that day, but she only suffered minor injuries and recovered in just one month."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingyue's expression changed. Was Pei Changning looking for trouble?

Just as he was about to get up and lash out, Xie Yun Chu stopped him.

Lu Zhaoran and her elder brother had a deep bond since childhood. After he passed away, she fell ill, but recently she has finally recovered and is able to get out of bed. Her father asked her to go out for a walk to clear her mind.

She had heard before that there was a living person inside the collapsed Yong'an Temple, but she never knew who it was. Now she saw the person sitting here safely, while her brother never came out again. She was really unwilling to accept it.

Why isn't it her brother who's alive?

Looking at Xie Yun Chu now, the initial amazement was gone, replaced by a sense of injustice.

How did an orphaned girl, living in a noble family mansion, manage to survive?

Her brother was such a good person; if it weren't for that accident, he would have been able to enter the imperial court as an official immediately.

She knew this had nothing to do with Xie Yun Chu, but she couldn't help feeling a pang of bitterness and pain in her heart, and even her gaze towards Xie Yun Chu was filled with hostility.

"Miss Xie was the only survivor of the collapsed Yong'an Temple; what a blessing!"

"It's a pity that he's not presentable, so surviving wouldn't have made a difference."

Zhao Mingyue couldn't take it anymore. She jumped up and said, "It's truly a blessing that she survived. What, don't you think there weren't enough people killed in Yong'an Temple?"

Lu Zhaoran sneered, "A distant cousin living in the Marquis's mansion, with no relation to him, even if she survives, she's probably used up all her good fortune in this life, hasn't she?"

The Zhao family's status in the court was no lower than the Lu family's, so Zhao Mingyue wasn't afraid to offend them. "Your Lu family is noble, yet your brother used up all the good fortune in his life and still didn't survive. What, is it that his good fortune ran out?"

"Your brother's dead, so you can't stand seeing others live? Lu Zhaoran, don't force me to slap you at a time like this!"

Lu Zhaoran looked pale; he had just recovered from a serious illness, and his face instantly turned deathly white.

"Zhao Mingyue, you..."

Pei Changning quickly offered a few words of comfort, then deliberately looked at Xie Yun Chu, who remained silent, "Cousin, why aren't you saying a word while your two older sisters are arguing over you?"

Xie Yun Chu sighed, stood up, and bowed to Lu Zhaoran before saying, "What did you say? Did you say that you deliberately rubbed salt into Miss Lu's wounds just to target me?"

"Miss Lu is heartbroken from losing her brother. She went out today to clear her mind and enjoy some company, but you insisted on reopening her wounds. What are you really up to?"

She didn't want to confront Pei Changning, much less argue with her.

We're all living in the same household, why be so aggressive?

Why not just live a peaceful and stable life? Why always look for trouble?

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoran indeed turned her gaze to Pei Changning, her earlier joy at meeting her friend vanished.

Pei Changning's face turned pale. "I...I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"

"You know perfectly well whether it's true or not. Cousin, if you have any problems in the future, just come at me directly. Why bother using other people?"

They really think they can take advantage of someone who doesn't show their power.

She pleased everyone in the household; did they really think she had a good temper?

If she really had a good temper, she wouldn't always be arguing with her second cousin.

She didn't take Pei Changning's little schemes seriously, but today, in front of so many people, she wanted to teach her a lesson about what it means to shoot yourself in the foot.

Xie Yun Chu spoke softly and gently, yet every word struck a chord. Zhao Ming Yue gave her a thumbs up.

"Lu Zhaoran, did you hear that? From now on, be careful who you choose, or you'll be sold out and still be counting the money for them."

Pei Changning hadn't thought that much about it; she just wanted to cause trouble for Xie Yun Chu. But now, everyone around her was looking at her as if she were an utterly wicked girl.

She was just a young girl who hadn't even reached marriageable age yet, and over such a small matter, her eyes welled up with tears, and she lowered her head, not daring to speak again.

Xie Yunchu rolled her eyes at her, thinking, "She's a bully at home."

A minor incident, but it didn't affect her mood while watching polo.

Off the court, the red team and the blue team traded blows, making it a close and evenly matched contest, with no clear winner for the time being.

With the sound of a gong, the intermission began. Zhao Mingyue pulled her down from the platform, saying, "I'll take you to see the horses."

Everyone was busy watching the polo match, and there were only a few people at the riding area.

Zhao Mingyue pointed, "Look, here it comes."

Not far away, a man led a ponies toward her. When he got closer and she could see what he looked like, Xie Yun Chu stared wide-eyed at Zhao Ming Yue, "Are you serious?"

Zhao Mingyue raised an eyebrow. "How about it? I'm still better to you, aren't I?"

Wei Zhao stopped his horse in front of her and bowed respectfully.

Xie Yun returned the greeting, "General Wei, what brings you here?"

"There are distinguished people who frequent the horse farm, so just in case, I'll come and keep an eye on things."

This area belongs to the outskirts of Beijing, so it's safer to keep an eye on things here, she knew that.

The two lieutenants behind Wei Zhao exchanged a glance, then pursed their lips and remained silent.

Normally, why would a general need to personally oversee something like this?

This morning, however, I took a bath and cleansed myself, changed into new clothes, and waited eagerly for several hours.

"Miss Zhao mentioned she wanted to ride a horse. This pony has a gentle temperament; Miss Xie, you might want to give it a try."

Xie Yun Chu never expected that Zhao Ming Yue would find her a horse when she said she was looking for Wei Zhao.

She already owed them a favor, and although they had given her some of the incense she made last time, it was insignificant compared to the life-saving grace.

It's inappropriate to try and ride someone else's horse when you haven't even repaid the favor yet.

The debt is too large to repay, and she doesn't have much to offer in return, so it's not good to bother her any further.

"No, thank you. I can't ride a horse. I'll just watch."

"It's alright, I'll hold it for you, nothing will happen."

That would be even worse; she wouldn't dare have Wei Zhao lead her horse.