Xie Zhaofan wandered around for a good half-shichen, visiting almost every accessible part of Gangen Temple.
It wasn't until she returned to the main hall that she realized her previously good mood had suddenly been ruined by someone who shouldn't have been there.
In front of the main hall, a young man dressed in a xuan-colored brocade robe stood with his hands behind his back. His posture was tall and straight, his bearing noble, and he was accompanied by several guards.
Xie Zhaofan glanced from afar, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
“This dog of a Prince, he even chased me all the way here. Is he usually this idle? Doesn't he need to contend for the throne?”
She grumbled internally, but her face showed nothing. She didn't even pause her steps, pretending not to see him at all, and naturally walked into the main hall with Chunxing.
At this moment, Madam Shen’s Buddha worship ceremony was just drawing to a close, and she was speaking quietly with the eminent monk beside her.
Xie Zhaofan let out a sigh of relief and quickly found an inconspicuous spot to stand.
What she didn't know was that as she passed the entrance of the main hall, the xuan-clad man's gaze had already fallen upon her.
Prince Qin naturally recognized this foster daughter of the Prime Minister’s residence.
Because of Xie Jinyi, he hadn't had a good impression of this Second Young Miss—rumored to be arrogant, willful, and vicious—these past few days; he could even say he detested her.
It was only because he had never truly looked at her before. Today, with such close proximity, he truly saw the Second Young Miss of the Prime Minister’s residence's appearance for the first time.
In that instant, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Beautiful beyond imagination!
This was the first thought that surfaced in his mind.
Xie Zhaofan was naturally born extremely beautiful. However, her original self had been arrogant and willful, always carrying an air of malevolence, and although her physique was good, it was nowhere near as astonishing as her current state.
So, many people would first notice her ostentatious personality, often overlooking her inherent beauty.
But the current Xie Zhaofan was entirely different.
As her system attributes continuously increased, her body had been silently undergoing changes.
Her skin was finer and fairer, her features more vibrant, her hair black and smooth, and even her overall spirit and vitality were completely different from before.
Those subtle changes had actually been noticed by those around her long ago.
Such unexplained changes couldn't be rationalized, so everyone could only attribute them to the young lady having matured, thinking it wasn't surprising, as the saying goes, a woman changes greatly at eighteen.
Even Xie Jinyi had recently begun to feel a subtle anxiety about her appearance.
There was nothing she could do; her foolish foster sister, for some unknown reason, was inexplicably getting prettier day by day.
This made Xie Jinyi, who had always been very confident in her looks, unable to resist secretly researching some beauty and skincare formulas.
Before, she wouldn't have cared about such things at all, but now, when she occasionally looked in the mirror and thought of her increasingly vibrant and charming foster sister next door, she would subconsciously take a few extra glances at herself.
She even found this unconscious habit a bit inexplicable herself.
Xie Zhaofan, of course, knew nothing of this. As soon as she stealthily returned to the main hall, she noticed Madam Shen already looking her way.
That gaze clearly held a hint of reproach.
Xie Zhaofan's heart thumped. She quickly pressed her palms together and gave her mother an ingratiating smile, her peach blossom eyes curving slightly, her face displaying a docile expression that screamed, "I know I was wrong."
Madam Shen had originally wanted to scold her a bit, but seeing her daughter's appearance, the words on the tip of her tongue ultimately remained unspoken. She could only give her a helpless glare.
Xie Zhaofan immediately smiled even more brightly.
The little interlude between mother and daughter naturally didn't escape Xie Jinyi’s notice. She watched the scene, her gaze shifting slightly, but she said nothing.
After the Buddha worship concluded, Madam Shen bid farewell to the abbot, the eminent monk, and prepared to leave with her two daughters.
Who knew that as soon as they exited the main hall, the group would encounter the xuan-clad man, standing guard outside like a door god.
Madam Shen paused slightly, clearly surprised.
She quickly recognized his identity and promptly led her two daughters in a bow.
“Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Qin.”
“Madam Xie, you are excused. Both Young Ladies need not be so formal.”
Prince Qin’s voice was low, and his tone sounded very polite.
But while he spoke of excusing their bows, his eyes remained fixed on Xie Jinyi the entire time, treating Xie Zhaofan, a living person standing right beside her, as if she didn’t exist.
Xie Jinyi naturally noticed his gaze, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
She never expected that this noble Prince Qin would actually follow her all the way to Gangen Temple.
She was just accompanying her mother to worship Buddha; did he have to go this far?
Xie Zhaofan stood to the side, taking in both their expressions, and her heart instantly bloomed with joy.
Isn't this just the classic ambiguous stage between a man and a woman?
Their eyes were practically dripping with affection, yet one pretended indifference while the other strove to maintain composure, both afraid that others might notice something.
This scene was far more interesting than the love stories in novels.
Madam Shen, however, was not in as good a mood as Xie Zhaofan. As the matriarch of the Prime Minister’s residence and the wife of the current Prime Minister, she naturally understood what Prince Qin’s status implied.
A Prince getting too close to the family members of a court official was never a minor matter.
Especially with the Xie family currently at the heart of the imperial court, a slight misstep could lead them to be embroiled in imperial strife.
So, she merely exchanged a few polite pleasantries and prepared to take her two daughters to leave, but to her surprise, Prince Qin spoke up first.
“Madam Xie, are you preparing to return to the capital?”
“That is correct.”
“The area near the capital hasn’t been entirely peaceful recently. This Prince is also returning to the city; if Madam Xie doesn’t mind the trouble, this Prince will escort you part of the way.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Shen’s expression subtly shifted.
“I wouldn’t dare trouble Your Highness. We are all womenfolk; nothing major will happen on the road. Your Highness is busy with official duties...”
Before she could finish, Prince Qin smiled.
“It’s merely on the way, Madam Xie, so there’s no need to worry. This Prince also won’t allow anyone to disturb your esteemed carriage procession.”
With words spoken to this extent, if Madam Shen were to refuse again, it would seem intentional.
She could only force a smile and say, “In that case, we are indebted to Your Highness.”
“Don’t mention it.”
And so, on the way back to the city, Prince Qin’s carriage followed behind the Prime Minister’s residence’s convoy.
Xie Zhaofan sat in the carriage, observing her mother’s helpless expression, then glancing at Xie Jinyi, who was clearly a bit annoyed, and almost burst out laughing.
This trip out for Buddha worship truly hadn't been in vain. She hadn't worshiped much, but she had certainly watched enough drama.
The afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the carriage curtains, warm and pleasant. The carriage swayed gently along the official road. Madam Shen, being older and having been busy all morning, was now leaning against a soft pillow, closing her eyes for a nap.
Xie Zhaofan, however, had no trace of sleepiness.
Her energy was terrifyingly abundant right now. Let alone sitting in a carriage for over an shichen, even if she were to run a few more laps around the capital, she probably wouldn't feel tired.
So, she simply lifted the carriage curtain and watched the scenery outside with great interest.
Rate on N.U.
