DTBCF Chapter 21

In the middle of the night, the door to the Winter Courtyard was knocked open. A servant woman entered and announced that Lady Xiu should prepare to accompany the group to Longhua Temple the next day. Nanny Ye, overjoyed, kept chanting Buddhist prayers.

Xiao Shi was also happy, though she found the prince terrifying. Still, if he favored her mistress, their future would be much brighter, and her mistress could finally hold her head high at her family’s home.

But Bai Xiangxiu wasn’t so thrilled—everything was going way off-script.

After all, all she’d been doing in this world was chasing after the second male lead. So why was she only interacting with the male lead? As for the second male lead, her heart sank at the thought of him. He must hate her now after she accidentally ruined her mandarin duck sachet. He probably saw her as a frivolous woman. She needed to clear that up, or her only escape route would disappear.

Perhaps this trip wasn’t so bad. It could be her chance to explain things to him.

With that in mind, she couldn’t sleep. She lit the lamp and began cutting flowers and leaves, making another bookmark.

Thanks to her previous experience, she did a pretty good job. After slipping the bookmark into a book, she resolved to make sure it wouldn’t get ruined this time. Finally, she managed to sleep briefly before Xiao Shi woke her up, saying that the prince had ordered an early departure.

Nanny Ye and Xiao Shi had gotten up early and prepared everything, even making her take a hot bath, saying it was out of respect for the Buddha.

Once ready, they were escorted into a small carriage. As they were about to board, someone asked her, “Lady Xiu, did you bring the hand-copied Buddhist scriptures the Old Madam asked for?”

“Huh?” Bai Xiangxiu was confused. When had the Old Madam ever asked her to bring hand-copied scriptures? And when had she ever copied one?

Nanny Ye immediately stepped in, “I have it here. Some parts are unfinished, so you must continue copying when we arrive at Longhua Temple.”

“Oh, I see,” Bai Xiangxiu quickly nodded under Nanny Ye’s sharp gaze.

After that, no one asked more questions, and the three women squeezed into the small carriage. Though it was cramped, it wasn’t unbearable.

After they settled in, Xiao Shi asked curiously, “Nanny Ye, what was that about just now?”

Nanny Ye chuckled, “You should thank the prince. He’s put a lot of thought into this.”

Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Nanny Ye rolled her eyes internally. How could they be this clueless? Could such simple women win over the prince?

With a sigh, she explained, “Apart from Lady Xiu, there are three other women in this household. They’re not as well-behaved as you. If they found out that you were personally chosen by the prince to accompany him, there’d be chaos. And the one who’d suffer most would be you.”

Bai Xiangxiu shuddered. The rivalry between women for favor was terrifying.

After all, since she’d fallen ill following the incident where she saw a maid being punished to death, she hadn’t interacted with the others much. But if she went on this trip without any reason, she would become a target once they returned.

Still, what was all this about copying Buddhist scriptures?

Seeing Bai Xiangxiu’s lingering confusion, Nanny Ye nearly lost her patience and explained, “The prince told the servants to spread the word that because your handwriting is so beautiful, the Old Madam asked you to copy scriptures as a gift to Longhua Temple. However, since the temple hadn’t accepted the incomplete scriptures, she brought you along to finish them.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Bai Xiangxiu nodded, though her mind raced. Was the male lead losing his mind? Not only was he bringing her along, but he also made up a story for her. Could it be that he liked her?

The thought made her burst into laughter, causing Xiao Shi and Nanny Ye to look at her like she’d lost her mind. Realizing she’d overreacted, she quickly said, “It’s nothing, I just feel really happy.”

Frustrated, she thought to herself: the male lead was supposed to like a bold, fun heroine. There’s no way he could be interested in someone like her.

She had always acted timid and uninteresting around him. If he did notice her, it was probably because everyone appreciates beauty. Once he met the real heroine, he’d know who was truly important.

With that thought, she dismissed the ridiculous notion of the male lead liking her and instead focused on the scenery outside.

Though she had gone out once before, there hadn’t been time to take in her surroundings. Now she had a chance to look out through the small carriage window, though she couldn’t lift the transparent curtain since Nanny Ye was watching her closely.

The road to Longhua Temple was long and, with so many important people traveling, the path became crowded. Each carriage moved slowly, one after the other.

With the journey dragging on, Bai Xiangxiu almost fell asleep. Just then, word came from ahead that a noble family’s carriage had a broken wheel and was being repaired.

Conveniently, there was a relay station nearby, so the Old Madam decided to stop there for a rest. Being older, she couldn’t handle the constant jolting of the carriage for so long.

As a concubine, Bai Xiangxiu had to assist the Old Madam during the rest stop. Though she wasn’t very familiar with how things worked here, she did her best, with Nanny Ye guiding her.

The Old Madam appreciated Bai Xiangxiu’s attentiveness and felt a small fondness for her. However, she still couldn’t understand her son’s decision.

The Lin family would be at the upcoming ceremony, and if they found out he had brought a concubine along, it wouldn’t look good.

At least it was Lady Xiu—she was honest and modest, so it wouldn’t cause too much trouble. Hopefully, the Lin family wouldn’t make an issue out of it.

The Old Madam complained of back pain, with several maids using small hammers to try to relieve it, though it wasn’t helping much.

Seeing her discomfort, Bai Xiangxiu offered, “Old Madam, I’ve learned a massage technique. Would you like me to try?”

“Oh? Go ahead and try,” the Old Madam sat up straight.

Bai Xiangxiu hesitated, “This technique requires you to lie face down.”

Would it be improper for an elderly lady to lie down like that? Bai Xiangxiu lowered her head nervously, afraid of being scolded.

The Old Madam chuckled, “I don’t know where you learned such strange things, but fine, help me lie down.”

The Old Madam was tired of the pain and curious to see if Bai Xiangxiu’s technique worked.

As it turned out, Bai Xiangxiu’s massage was incredibly effective, and the Old Madam soon fell asleep. Seeing how exhausted she was, Bai Xiangxiu quietly slipped away for a walk outside.

The maids and Nannies were surprised by her skills and smiled, allowing her to wander. After all, sitting in a carriage for so long could be tough, especially for someone as young as her.

Stepping outside, Bai Xiangxiu immediately ran into her fated nemesis—the male lead. To her surprise, the second male lead was there too. Upon seeing her, he frowned and quickly turned away.

So, he hated her now.

Meanwhile, the male lead’s gaze lingered on her for quite a while before he finally asked, “Where is the Old Madam?”

A Nanny replied, “The Old Madam was tired and has been suffering from back pain. Thankfully, Lady Xiu gave her a massage, and now she’s asleep.”