Did Miss become a nun today?

Just as the carriage left the city gate, Granny Li suddenly said, "Miss, look outside."

Xie Yun Chu peeked out and saw a man and a horse standing not far away in the fierce, cold wind.

"Miss, it seems to be a girl from the Zhao family."

As the carriage slowly approached, she finally recognized it—it was Zhao Mingyue.

She stared at Zhao Mingyue for a long while. "What are you doing here? No, how did you know I was leaving today?"

Zhao Mingyue dismounted, climbed into the carriage, and sat down opposite her. "Do you think I don't know you? You think you'll behave?"

"You have a deep affection for Lady Hou and can't bear to see her cry, so you'll definitely be leaving early. I've been sending people to keep an eye on you."

"So you're here to see me off?"

Zhao Mingyue smiled. "No, I'm here to join you."

Xie Yun Chu was stunned for a long time. "Are you crazy? You're a soldier now, how can you abandon your post? Go back now."

Zhao Mingyue leaned against the car wall. "I finally got out, I can't go back. You have to take me with you."

Why are you becoming more and more childish?

"Wouldn't this be considered dereliction of duty?" She frowned, her voice trembling with barely suppressed anxiety. "Won't you be punished?"

Wei Zhao seems easy to talk to normally, but the rules of the military camp are not to be trifled with. How can he just leave like that?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She nudged Zhao Mingyue and said, "I'm telling you, you'd better go back quickly and don't cause me any trouble."

Her words were rather blunt, and Zhao Mingyue glanced at her, then laughed, "You've really made something of yourself these days, daring to go out on your own. Aren't you afraid of getting sold off on the street?"

Xie Yun Chu felt she was being looked down upon and was about to retort when Zhao Ming Yue stopped teasing her, sat up straight, and said seriously, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Winter is coming soon, and the military camp is very busy. Changning is short-handed, so I'll take some men there to help out for a while."

"What about the rest?"

"We'll set off in the remaining two days. I'll go first and go ahead."

Xie Yun Chu glared at her, annoyed. "Now even you're bullying me."

Zhao Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she leaned closer. "Oh? Who bullied you? Tell me, I love hearing that."

What's there to say? It's just a tragic fate.

Zhao Mingyue, however, persisted, resting her chin on her hand and asking with a grin, "As expected of you! You even managed to subdue a seasoned general like Wei Zhao, who has fought on the battlefield for years. Tell me, how did you do it?"

Xie Yun Chu pushed the person away and refused to say a word.

Her devotion to Buddha is evident to heaven and earth; she really did nothing wrong.

Apart from Pei Changfeng, she has never provoked anyone.

God knows why those people suddenly had those thoughts.

Zhao Mingyue stroked her chin, pondered for a moment, and began to consider, "Actually, speaking of which... those four are all alright."

"Both the Wei and Pei families have good family backgrounds, it's just that Pei Changfeng and Wei Lin's mouths never say anything good." She counted on her fingers, "The eldest son of the Pei family and General Wei are quite good, one is steady and the other is reliable..."

She paused, tilted her head to think for a moment, and then added quite seriously, "It's just that I'm a bit old."

Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she slapped her thigh. "I know!"

"How about... you take all four of them!"

Xie Yunchu: ?

are you crazy?

"The eldest son of the Pei family is steady and will be your principal wife. General Wei is capable and can be your concubine. As for your two younger brothers... Wei Lin will be your concubine, and Pei Changfeng will be your dog. With elders above and dogs below, the whole family will be complete and perfect."

After listening to her rambling nonsense, Xie Yun Chu remained silent for a long time.

"Zhao Mingyue, have you been kicked in the head by a donkey?"

Zhao Mingyue thought her suggestion was quite feasible. "Think about it," she said, "with your older cousin's face, if he sat in the main room, who would dare to act disrespectfully in front of you?"

"Wei Zhao is good at fighting, so he'd be perfect as your bodyguard when you go out. As for Wei Lin... although he's a bit of a chatterbox, he's young and handsome, a good look to keep at home. You can look at him a couple of times when you're in a good mood. As for Pei Changfeng..." She rolled her eyes, "His character isn't great, so he'd be better off with a leash around his neck, taking him out for a walk every now and then..."

"Zhao Mingyue!" Xie Yun Chu kicked her. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll kick you off the platform!"

Zhao Mingyue glanced at the weather outside and wisely shut her mouth. Fine, she wouldn't say anything more, okay?

The carriage traveled south and arrived in Jiangzhou a month later.

Xie Yun Chu was not familiar with Jiangzhou, but her aunt's family home was there. She delivered the letter her aunt had written and the things she had brought to the Cen family, chatted with the Cen family for a while, and then took her leave.

Jiangzhou is rich in water, with waterways crisscrossing the city and its outskirts. The reeds on both banks are covered in white flowers, swaying in the winter wind like snow falling on both sides of the river.

Xie Yun Chu stood at the ferry crossing waiting for the boat, gazing at the scene in a daze for quite a while.

My aunt used to say how beautiful the reeds were in Jiangzhou, and that I must go and see them when I came here. They were indeed very different from those in the capital.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhao Mingyue walked up behind her, tossing two copper coins in her hand. "The boat owner said he'll wait until an incense stick has burned before setting sail, and he needs to gather a few more people."

Xie Yun Chu pulled her cloak tighter around herself. "It's nothing."

She looked at the distant mountains, shrouded in mist. The weather was already quite cold, but there was no ice, which added to the serene atmosphere.

After an incense stick had burned, the boat arrived.

There were only the two of them in the small awning boat.

Zhao Mingyue gave them more money, and then the boat rowed towards the opposite mountain.

The weather was bad today, so not many people went up the mountain. We boarded a boat at the foot of the mountain and walked up.

Zhao Mingyue didn't care about the distance; she was just curious, "Jiangzhou is so big, with so many great places, why did you have to come here?"

No matter how good other places are, she doesn't want to go.

She had seen it in the ancient books of Qingyun Nunnery; there was a temple on Yunwu Mountain in Jiangzhou called Ji'an Temple.

There aren't many people here; just like its name suggests, it's quiet and solitary. Because of its location, not many people come here to burn incense.

Especially in winter, although it's not as cold as Beijing, very few people come here.

But for her, this place was the best.

"I have a connection with Buddhism, so naturally I have to come and pay my respects."

Zhao Mingyue was speechless. "Xie Yun Chu, do you really want to become a nun?"

She smiled without saying a word, stood in front of the temple gate, put her hands together in prayer, and then went inside.

Ji'an Temple is not large, with only a dozen or so monks. Upon seeing them enter, they immediately came to greet them.

She entered the hall, kowtowed again, and chanted scriptures before the Buddha for a while before getting up.

Zhao Mingyue couldn't stand the quiet here, and when she saw her come out, she pulled her away.

"There aren't many people here, it's too quiet, and it's boring."

If a temple is as noisy as a marketplace, it is no longer a temple.

She hadn't planned to stay overnight, so after kowtowing and chanting the scriptures, she went down the mountain.

Zhao Mingyue was a restless person; she insisted on exploring Jiangzhou before leaving.

The two stayed in Jiangzhou for four or five days before leaving.

Traveling south, Zhao Mingyue went to the military camp outside Changning City and stayed at an inn.

Zhao Mingyue was too busy with important matters to take care of her, so she found a nunnery to live in.

Before, at Qingyun Nunnery, Lanyue and Qingluo served her, but now there is only Granny Li, so it is quite peaceful.

"Miss, why do you stay here? The inn is much more comfortable."

Xie Yun Chu folded her clothes herself and said calmly, "Granny, you should have realized by now that I didn't come here to see my mother."

"I am destined to become a monk. You should leave after a while."

Granny Li was terrified. "Miss, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm serious. Doesn't your mother still have children? Go find them and live a peaceful life. You don't need to follow me anymore."

Granny Li knelt at her feet, "Miss, this old servant watched you grow up, how could I bear to abandon you?"

"Why are you doing this to yourself? Why do you want to become a monk? If Madam finds out, she will surely be heartbroken."

Her mother has always been a free spirit, used to being unrestrained. If she knew that her daughter wanted to become a nun, she definitely wouldn't stop her, and might even say, "Well done!"

Granny Li cried and refused to leave, so she had no choice but to keep her there for the time being.

Without other trivial matters, a day in the nunnery takes longer than in the city.

She helped with chores at the nunnery and chanted scriptures with the others every day. Apart from living in a different place, she was no different from the nuns in the nunnery.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, some worshippers came to the nunnery. She finished her prayers early and returned to her lodgings. She then heard a commotion next door, indicating that someone had moved in.

The next day, Granny Li was absent-minded all day. When she returned from her studies, she saw her sitting in the courtyard in a daze. She called her name several times before she came to her senses.

"Granny, what's wrong?"

"Oh, she probably didn't get enough sleep last night. Miss Lao, you're worried."

"If you are tired, just rest in the room. I don't need anyone to serve me."

Granny Li nodded. "Thank you, Miss."

She didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just that she wasn't used to life in Changning.

That night, after she had gone to bed, Granny Li brought in a soup bowl and said, "Miss, drink some to warm yourself up."

She couldn't drink anymore, but I didn't want to disappoint her, so after a few sips she refused to drink any more.

Granny Li hesitated, then asked, "Miss, when shall we leave here?"

Xie Yunchu pondered for a moment and decided that she probably wouldn't leave for the time being.

"Miss, I've been having nightmares lately and I'm feeling uneasy. Let's leave here. If you really want to become a nun, you can go somewhere else."

Granny Li is usually not very talkative, and she rarely acts this flustered.

She sat up straight. "Granny, has something happened?"