Su Zhan was momentarily stunned, looking at Xue Ning once more. "Is what she said true?"
Xue Ning smiled bitterly, her heart aching sharply.
She had told herself countless times not to show weakness in front of him again.
Yet hearing those words now, she couldn’t help but feel her eyes sting.
So, he remembered nothing.
But just last year, she had begged him to bring her to Zhenguo Temple.
In just a year, he had already forgotten everything.
Well, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t someone he liked, so why would he remember anything about her?
Suppressing the surging bitterness in her heart, she gazed steadily into the man’s deep, dark eyes and smiled softly. "Brother Lu, would you like to go inside and pay respects to my parents and brother?"
Su Zhan frowned, glancing toward the inner hall.
He strode into the hall with his long legs and indeed saw fresh flowers and fruits placed before the memorial tablets of General Zhenbei and his wife.
Now he remembered—every year around this time, Xue Ning would visit Mingri Pavilion more often than usual.
Since childhood, she had disliked going out and was timid, but the memorial tablets of General Zhenbei and his wife were enshrined at Zhenguo Temple.
She needed him to accompany her to pay her respects.
But this time, Xue Ning hadn’t told him or begged him to accompany her.
The little shadow that used to follow closely behind him did not enter with him now.
Irritated, he pursed his lips and instructed Mo Bai to fetch incense and candles. He then solemnly bowed three times before the memorial tablets.
Afterward, he walked out of the inner hall, but Xue Ning and Bao Chan were nowhere to be seen outside.
"Where are they?" His face darkened.
Mo Bai replied, "Miss Xue said she would go sit in the meditation room."
Xue Ning’s aloofness stirred a sense of restlessness in Su Zhan’s heart.
Still, he understood that he had wrongly accused her this time. It was only natural for the young girl to feel upset. "Go keep an eye on her," he said.
Mo Bai responded, "Yes."
…
Xue Ning felt chilled to the bone. The snow-dusted hairpin in her hair felt icy, and the wind made her head ache slightly.
Bao Chan carefully wiped the snowflakes from her hairpin with a handkerchief.
She complained bitterly, "The Shizi is truly unreasonable, always misunderstanding you without cause. Since when have you ever been one to lie since childhood? Those things were clearly…"
"Enough, Bao Chan, don’t say anymore."
Xue Ning’s eyes were still red, though she hadn’t shed tears.
She thought she would feel deeply hurt and sad, but in truth, she didn’t.
At this moment, all she felt was disappointment toward Su Zhan.
Bao Chan’s face flushed with anger. "This servant just can’t bear it—the way the Shizi treats you."
Xue Ning chuckled softly. "No matter how well Madam Jiang treats us, we are still living under someone else’s roof. Sometimes, it’s better to remain silent than to speak. And sometimes, telling a white lie is better than speaking the harsh truth."
Bao Chan looked at her mistress and sighed softly.
Did the Shizi ever stop to think why her mistress was so sensible? Why she always told lies?
Her excessive sense of propriety stemmed from the many grievances she endured in the mansion.
Her lies were told to avoid troubling Madam Jiang and him.
Her mistress treated others with kindness and had worked hard to accommodate everyone in the Marquis’s residence.
Xue Ning smiled, gently patting Bao Chan’s aggrieved cheek. She rose from the meditation cushion and called over Granny Hao, who had been waiting nearby.
Granny Hao was an elderly servant of the Xuanyi Marquis Mansion who had attended to Xue Ning since her arrival.
Xue Ning instructed Granny Hao to take some money and ask a young monk to arrange three meditation rooms.
One room for her and Bao Chan, one for the coachman and two guards, and another for her.
Nanny Hao smiled and said "yes," then swayed her hips as she walked out.
Xue Ning stared at Nanny Hao's retreating figure, only withdrawing her gaze after a long while.
"Young lady, what are you looking at?"
"Nothing, Bao Chan. Tonight, we'll proceed as I said."
"Yes."
Once the meditation rooms were arranged, she rested inside, afraid of encountering Su Zhan in the temple, and did not go out again.
By evening, the sunset arrived, and the snow had stopped.
After Master Miaolin's scripture lecture ended,
she took Bao Chan back to the side hall where her parents' memorial tablets were enshrined.
In her previous life, Zhenguo Temple had caught fire, but she was far away in the Marquis's residence in Dongjing and only heard it was caused by a toppled eternal lamp.
This time, she dared not be negligent and prepared to stay awake all night, guarding the inner hall.
…
The sky had grown somewhat dark.
The dharma assembly had lasted a long time.
Su Zhan and Xu Shengnian emerged from the Great Buddha Hall.
By now, most of the distinguished guests in the main hall had already left.
Some families stayed in the meditation rooms to rest for the night before returning, while others headed back to Dongjing overnight.
Xu Shengnian had arrived in the Su family's carriage and was now asking Su Zhan for his thoughts.
Su Zhan had wrongly accused Xue Ning earlier, and before leaving, her reddened almond-shaped eyes still seemed to linger before him.
The little girl was only about fifteen or sixteen years old and had never traveled far alone.
That she dared to come alone this time to pay her respects showed she was learning to be independent.
Those large eyes, red from crying yet carrying a hint of stubbornness, made him momentarily lost in thought.
She was an orphan girl, living under someone else's roof in the Xuanyi Marquis Mansion.
All these years, she had lived cautiously, as if treading on thin ice—he was not unaware of it.
But he believed his mother and himself had treated her well enough; it was she who always overthought things. She was probably still waiting in the temple for him to coax her.
For once, he felt a bit more patience toward the young girl. "Brother Xu, you may take my carriage back first."
Xu Shengnian asked, "Brother Su, are you staying behind?"
Su Zhan replied, "Yes, I'll pick someone up and leave together."
Xu Shengnian knew he was referring to Xue Ning, so he simply smiled and politely took his leave.
Su Zhan stood at the entrance of the main hall, sleeves gathered. "Where is she?"
Mo Bai glanced at his Shizi's expression. "Miss Xue is currently before the memorial tablets of General Xue and his wife."
Su Zhan said nothing, thinking Xue Ning was still acting petty with him.
He sighed and walked to the side hall at the back of the mountain.
The snow had stopped, but the mountain remained cold and chilly.
He stood at the entrance of the side hall, tilting his head to look inside.
There, Xue Ning knelt before the memorial tablets of General Xue and his wife, her slender back appearing stubborn, aloof, and lonely, carrying an indescribable sense of distance that evoked an untouchable emotion.
Fortunately, although she had been angry earlier, she was still obediently waiting for him.
Feeling somewhat reassured, he walked inside.
The hall was filled with densely arranged memorial tablets.
Some belonged to ownerless wandering souls, others to travelers from distant lands who had passed away far from home.
Mr. and Mrs. Xue were different from them—they had died in battle, their bodies captured by enemy troops, leaving no remains behind.
Their memorial tablets were enshrined here, and many commoners came to pay their respects.
He walked behind the woman, maintaining an appropriate distance. "It's getting late; it's time to return to the residence."
Hearing the man's familiar, deep voice, Xue Ning turned around in surprise, meeting Su Zhan's gentle yet cold eyes. Her body unconsciously tensed. "Brother Lu, why are you still here?"
Su Zhan frowned. Hadn't she been waiting for him?
Xue Ning recalled how Madam Jiang constantly reminded Su Zhan to treat her better.
After all, no matter what, he was nominally her Brother Lu.
He wanted to take her back to the estate, but it was only to fulfill his duty to Madam Jiang.