Su Zhan’s handsome face darkened slightly as he waved his hand, dismissing them.
Xu Shengnian approached, and the two walked together toward the mountain gate.
“Miss Xue? Could she be Xue Ning, the daughter of the Great General Who Guards the North?”
Su Zhan replied calmly, “Yes.”
Xu Shengnian teased, “Isn’t she your child bride? I’ve long heard that she’s deeply infatuated with you, Brother Su, and wishes to cling to you day and night. I never thought it was true. From Dongjing to Zhenguo Temple, it takes at least an hour. Yet she eagerly came here, arriving even earlier than you.”
Su Zhan’s expression remained cold. He shot Xu Shengnian a frigid glance. “Brother Xu, choose your words carefully. Between her and me, there is only the bond of siblings.”
The man’s imposing aura was overwhelming; a single icy glare was enough to instill fear.
Xu Shengnian worked under Su Zhan and was naturally adept at reading expressions.
Seeing that the man disliked the term “child bride,” he realized Su Zhan did not favor Xue Ning. He promptly shifted his tone. “It was just a joke, Brother Su. Don’t take it to heart. The General Who Guards the North’s mansion has been reduced to nothing but an orphan girl. How could she compare to the now-ascendant Prince Yi?”
Su Zhan pursed his thin lips and said nothing.
He simply felt that Xue Ning was rather indiscreet.
Usually, following him around was one thing.
But today, those who came to listen to the Buddhist teachings were all distinguished nobles from the capital.
For a young girl like her to come here and make a spectacle of herself?
At this thought, he frowned and summoned his attendant, Mo Bai.
He instructed him to find Xue Ning as quickly as possible, settle her properly, and ensure she did not appear randomly at the Buddhist assembly, lest she cause any embarrassment.
Mo Bai replied respectfully, “Yes.”
With that, he turned and entered the side hall on the right from the main hall.
…
Xue Ning knelt before the memorial tablets of her parents and brother, her eyes red as she kowtowed three times with deep sincerity.
In her heart, she poured out her years of longing for them before rising to carefully wipe the dust from the tablets and offer fresh flowers and fruits.
The side hall was quiet, with only the sound of burning candles.
Outside the hall door, snow fell heavily.
Xue Ning knelt on the prayer mat, chattering away to her true family as if sharing everyday matters.
“Father, Mother, Brother Lu, rest assured, your daughter is doing well now.”
“Your daughter has come of age this year. Once I marry and leave the Xuanyi Marquis Mansion, establish my own home, I will respectfully bring your tablets back to the ancestral hall of our own family.”
“Madam Jiang treats me as if I were her own child, which makes Mother’s sacrifices for her back then worthwhile.”
“Mother, don’t worry. Your daughter is very happy by Madam Jiang’s side. You were once as close as sisters. In time, I will formally acknowledge her as my mother. I believe you would agree, wouldn’t you?”
Her slender fingers brushed over her mother’s name, and she smiled like a child. “No matter what, you must bless A-Ning to find a suitable husband soon.”
In her past life, she had married so miserably that she could not bring her parents and brother home.
This time, she would plan everything for herself.
Bao Chan stood guard outside the side hall door. Hearing her young mistress murmuring to her parents inside, she felt an inexplicable sorrow and began to shed tears.
Just as she wiped the tears from the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw Mo Bai, his handsome face stern, appearing out of nowhere.
Seeing her, Mo Bai’s brow turned cold.
“Is Miss Xue here?”
This attendant shared his master’s ill temper—usually taciturn and cold and cruel.
Bao Chan trembled at the sudden coldness in his voice and stammered, “Sh-she’s inside.”
Mo Bai shot her an impatient look. "Where is Miss Xue?"
Bao Chan was about to say she was in the inner hall when she saw her mistress already walking out.
The mountain temple was windy and cold, with snowflakes swirling in the air. The beauty in the temple had lips as red as cherries and teeth as white as jade, like a blooming peach blossom.
Xue Ning frowned in confusion, seemingly not expecting Mo Bai to be here.
If Mo Bai was at Zhenguo Temple, then… was Su Zhan here too?
Her expression instantly changed, and her lips trembled slightly.
"Mo Bai, you… are you looking for me?"
"What do you think, Miss Xue?"
"I—"
"The Shizi said, please remember to be virtuous and sensible. Don’t recklessly run to the Shizi and embarrass the Marquis's residence in front of outsiders."
Mo Bai pursed his lips, his eyes almost overflowing with disgust.
Xue Ning was indeed beautiful, but no matter how beautiful, following the Shizi around like a ghost at all times would inevitably annoy others.
Moreover, she frequently visited Mingyue Ge, but the master didn’t care for her.
So she would often come to inquire about the Shizi’s whereabouts.
No matter what, it was always the servants who suffered.
Xue Ning opened her pale lips, staring blankly at Mo Bai, momentarily unsure how to explain.
Mo Bai impatiently cupped his hands. Seeing her pitiful demeanor, he spoke earnestly, "I beg you, Miss, to be sensible and stop bothering the Shizi."
So all she had done over the years, even in Mo Bai’s eyes, was nothing but a burden and an annoyance.
Xue Ning’s heart instantly tightened into a knot, and her breath hitched.
She opened her red lips to say something, but the cold wind choked her sore throat, and not a single word came out.
Just as Mo Bai was about to leave, another icy voice rang out, carrying a cold interrogation. "When did you arrive?"
Xue Ning’s face turned deathly pale. She looked up at Su Zhan, who had arrived unnoticed, and her blood seemed to freeze in her veins.
The mountains were much colder than usual. The north wind howled, and snowflakes swept across her face.
The chill seeped into her bones like fine threads.
Her cold little hands were hidden in her sleeves, secretly curling into fists.
She didn’t know if it was the cold weather or the coldness in her heart.
"I—"
Before she could continue explaining, the man spoke again, his tone cold and harsh. "Zhenguo Temple is remote, and the snowstorm is heavy now. Don’t you know that?"
Bao Chan’s eyes reddened, wanting to explain on behalf of her mistress.
Xue Ning trembled as she looked up, seeing the frosty coldness on the man’s face. Her heart almost stopped beating.
She quietly held Bao Chan back and, after a long while, found her own bitter voice. "I know."
Su Zhan took a few steps closer, his long brows deeply furrowed. His dark, abyss-like eyes mercilessly gazed at Xue Ning’s pale face.
Xue Ning was naturally delicate and frail. Even standing straight, she only reached the man’s chest.
She stood in the wind and snow, her head covered in cold snowflakes, her body swaying unsteadily, looking extremely fragile.
"You knew, yet you still followed so recklessly." The man’s expression grew even colder. "Have I been too indulgent with you?"
The man’s relentless questioning made Xue Ning’s mind waver.
It was all her own fault. If she hadn’t found so many excuses to follow him in the past, she wouldn’t have ended up in this "crying wolf" situation today.
She forced herself to hold on. "I didn’t… I came to Zhenguo Temple today to pay respects to my parents and elder brother."
Su Zhan clearly didn’t believe her. In the past, Xue Ning had done too many such things and told too many such lies.
His brows lowered, and his tone was faintly mocking. "Since childhood, you’ve always been a liar."
"The young lady is not lying!" Bao Chan stepped forward, her voice choked with tears. "If the Shizi does not believe it, he can go into the inner hall and see for himself—inside are the memorial tablets of the master, the mistress, and the young master!"