Ye Shixian froze, the words catching in her throat.

She understood each word on its own, but together, they made no sense.

The surrounding crowd gasped in astonishment.

"What? Ye Chutang went to Feiyun Temple?"

"What did that servant mean? Could Ye Chutang possibly be—"

The speaker trailed off, their heart pounding with unease, but everyone understood the unspoken implication perfectly.

—Ye Chutang was actually planning to move her father’s and brother’s graves!

Never in her wildest dreams had Ye Shixian imagined that Ye Chutang would pull a move like this!

All the speeches she had prepared now seemed utterly feeble.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally regained her composure.

"N-No! Impossible!"

She murmured, looking completely crestfallen.

"How could she do this...?"

’The sheer audacity of it!’

The servant scoffed. "And why shouldn’t my mistress do so?"

Burying Ye Zheng and their parents on Jiuhua Mountain had only ever been a temporary solution arranged by Ye Heng. As their closest living relative, it was perfectly right for Ye Chutang to take charge of the matter now.

"My mistress has said she will personally escort them back to Qingzhou so they may return to their ancestral home. She will be extremely busy for the foreseeable future and won’t have time to see to your affairs. You should go back!"

They weren’t from the same branch of the family to begin with. Even if Ye Chutang simply stood by and did nothing, no one could fault her.

And now that she had a far more important task at hand, any discerning person could tell which matter took priority.

"I—"

Ye Shixian ground her teeth, her eyes fixed on the motionless carriage. Her mind was in turmoil.

’I thought Ye Chutang would be home resting and recovering for a while. Who knew—’

’After what happened, I rushed over here specifically to confront her at her doorstep!’

’But it was as if Ye Chutang had anticipated everything, effortlessly deflecting my attack and turning it back on me!’

’Now, even if I kneel here all day, it’ll be useless!’

’And those onlookers can’t use this to slander her name—after all, she’s doing this for her own parents and brother!’

’Filial piety is the greatest of all virtues. Who could possibly criticize Ye Chutang for this?!’

The servant cracked his whip—CRACK!

"Miss Ye, if you please?"

...

「Feiyun Temple.」 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The lamp flame was the size of a bean, casting a dim, yellow glow that illuminated a slender silhouette on the window.

Ye Chutang sat quietly at the desk, brush in hand, copying Buddhist scriptures.

Xiao Wu sat beside her, obediently grinding the ink.

As the night deepened, Xiao Wu couldn’t stifle a yawn.

Ye Chutang glanced over and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Xiao Wu’s chubby little face, her eyes barely able to stay open.

"I was so engrossed I lost track of time. I can’t believe it’s gotten this late. Why didn’t you say something?"

Xiao Wu’s eyelids fluttered as she groggily shook her head.

’She knew her big sister was copying scriptures for their father, mother, and older brother. She couldn’t possibly disturb her, so she just waited patiently.’

’Her big sister had been rushing around all day and was already exhausted, yet she insisted on finishing this scroll. How could she complain about being tired? Of course she had to stay with her!’

Ye Chutang set down her brush and took Xiao Wu’s hand, helping her up.

"There’s no rush. We’ll be staying here for a while, so I can take my time writing."

Xiao Wu nodded.

She hadn’t known her big sister planned to come here today. After leaving Jiuhua Mountain, she had thought they were heading home, but halfway there, the carriage had changed direction.

Ye Chutang smiled, seeing that Xiao Wu looked ready to fall asleep at any moment.

"Go to sleep. We have people to see tomorrow."