The one who spoke was the Third Madam as she scanned the crowd with her eyes slightly curved and narrowed. Although she was dressed plainly today, she radiated an enchanting aura when she spoke.
There were some people in this world who, no matter how miserably they dressed, would give off a formidable air so soon as they spoke or raised an eyebrow.
Meanwhile, the Third Madam was such a person. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that she was flirtatious to the bone.
After scrutinizing the Third Madam briefly, Jun Zishu retracted her gaze from the woman.
"Luozu is taking care of Little Nine since she's sick. Luozu herself has also just recovered from a cold a few days ago. So, we'll be leaving without her," Madam Luo answered.
"Is that so? I wonder what's been going on recently? Everyone's been getting sick one after another. My body hasn't been feeling all that well recently, either. Hopefully, I can get rid of some of my bad luck at the temple," Third Madam said as she covered her lips with a handkerchief, her eyes glancing toward Luo Minghuan.
Luo Minghuan behaved like an outsider in the crowd, simply holding onto Jun Zishu's hand as she leisurely looked into the distance.
Madam Luo did not say anything more, so the atmosphere among the group turned dull for a while.
After some more time had passed, Madam Luo said, "Let's go."
Quite a few carriages were prepared for the trip, and everyone got onto their designated carriages upon hearing Madam Luo's words. Jun Zishu naturally sat in the same carriage as Luo Minghuan, while Ruyun sat outside.
After entering the carriage, Luo Minghuan shut her eyes and pretended to sleep, her fingers fiddling with Jun Zishu's fingers from time to time.
Meanwhile, Jun Zishu used this opportunity to sort out the relationships in the Luo family.
Excluding the dead Eldest Young Master, the Luo family still had eight children.
Apart from Second Young Miss Luo, the rest of the children were not the original Madam Luo's children.
The current Madam Luo was the first concubine to enter the Luo Manor. Then, shortly after her arrival, Luo Minghuan's birth mother "generously" brought in three more concubines.
Thus, the Luo Manor had gone from having zero concubines to four in a matter of months.
At the time, the Fourth Concubine was also known as the Fifth Madam. She was the birth mother of the Fourth Young Miss, the only person to have escaped Luo Minghuan's wrath in the original storyline. The Fifth Madam had a frail body, which led to her succumbing to illness when the Fourth Young Miss was only seven years old.
Luo Minghuan's mother was still alive and remained the Luo Manor's First Madam at the time.
The passing of Luo Minghuan's mother happened four years ago. After she passed, the First Concubine was elevated to the position of the main wife. As a result, the other concubines also had their positions elevated.
The Third Madam became the Second Madam, and the Fourth Madam became the Third Madam.
Although the Fifth Madam was technically elevated to the position of Fourth Madam, it didn't really matter since she was already dead.
Meanwhile, half a year after the current Madam Luo rose to the position of the main wife, the Luo Manor welcomed another concubine, also known as the Fifth Madam.
Interestingly, the Fifth Madam was the same age as Luo Minghuan, who was 15 years old when she entered the Luo Manor.
When Jun Zishu thought about it, she felt that Luo Minghuan was disgusted by the Fifth Madam's arrival. After all, even if it was normal for girls of such age to marry in the eyes of others, the idea of having a stepmother who was the same age as herself was simply ludicrous.
Shortly after the Fifth Madam entered the Luo Manor, though, she, too, had died from an illness.
However, while it might seem like a death caused by illness to outsiders, some people living inside the Luo Manor knew that the Fifth Madam was murdered in reality.
Jun Zishu found that the Luo Manor's women were quite interesting. Despite endearingly referring to each other as sisters on the surface, they were constantly trading blows in the dark. Some of them took a more crude approach, while others took a more cunning approach to deal with each other. Every one of them was a capable actor.
In the last two years, the Luo Manor welcomed another three concubines, respectively, the Sixth Madam, Seventh Madam, and Eighth Madam.
The Sixth Madam had two miscarriages during her time in the Luo Manor, and the doctor said she could no longer get pregnant anymore.
The Seventh Madam said that the manor was haunted and had gone crazy.
The Eighth Madam had recently entered the Luo Manor, so she was in her heyday right now.
However, strangely enough, apart from the current Madam Luo, whom Lord Luo had personally taken into the Luo Manor, and the three concubines Luo Minghuan's mother had brought in, none of the subsequent concubines had managed to successfully give birth to a child.
Though, this situation couldn't be considered particularly strange, either. At least, it wasn't a strange sight among the wealthy and influential families of this era.
After all, the Luo Manor wasn't the only place to have hidden rules under its bright and shiny exterior. Other wealthy and influential families were bound to have their own dirty little secrets.
The sound of pedestrians talking came from outside the carriage. When these many voices mixed, they created a noisy environment.
Jun Zishu behaved like a child attracted by something new as she curiously lifted the curtain and looked outside. Although she wasn't interested in the scenery outside personally, she had no choice but to find it interesting because of her persona. Inwardly, she yawned as she felt that she was behaving like a fool.
That's accurate, though. "I" am a fool.
Finding her thoughts a little funny, Jun Zishu smiled as she looked around outside the carriage.
Jun Zishu originally wanted to have Little Fairy keep a lookout for any potential dangers. However, she felt that it wasn't necessary after thinking it over. Her resting husband was an evil lord. With her husband next to her, nobody could harm her.
After looking outside for a little longer, Jun Zishu lowered the curtain. Coincidentally, a gust of wind blew through the window and hit her body, causing her to shiver involuntarily.
"Cold?"
Luo Minghuan's voice was a little hoarse mixed with a cool undertone.
"No, it feels warm," Jun Zishu said as she wrapped her palms around Luo Minghuan's fingers. Then, she rubbed her palms against Luo Minghuan's chilly fingers, proving to Luo Minghuan that her body was warm.
Luo Minghuan didn't really like others to touch her. Apart from Ruyun, the maid who had served her for many years now, nobody was allowed to come near her.
However, the little dummy was different. Luo Minghuan found that her body did not reject the little dummy's approach for some inexplicable reason. On the contrary, she liked sharing physical contact with the little dummy. She also liked rubbing the girl's hair, poking the girl's face, and holding the girl's hand. When she embraced the little dummy, it felt like bundles of soft and warm clouds surrounded her.
Simply put, she found the little dummy's company to be comforting.
Moreover, whenever she looked at this innocent and beautiful person, her mood would also improve.
Luo Minghuan smiled. After meeting with Jun Zishu, she found that being an ignorant child wasn't as bad as she thought. A child could live within a carefree world while adults protected them from the harshness of reality.
However, if given a choice, Luo Minghuan would still choose to step into the mire known as reality without hesitation.
"Did you take your medicine before leaving today, Husband?" Jun Zishu asked as she suddenly thought of this matter, her panicked behavior making it seem like something bad had happened. Then, she pulled up Luo Minghuan's sleeve and locked eyes with Luo Minghuan, her eyes clearly displaying her anxiety.
"I did," Luo Minghuan said, smiling as she pinched Jun Zishu's face.
"Oh."
Jun Zishu settled down and started fiddling with Luo Minghuan's hand.
Luo Minghuan did not take her medicine at all. Jun Zishu had not seen her do so, and neither did she smell any medicinal scent coming from Luo Minghuan.
Originally, Jun Zishu was only 90% confident in her deduction. After hearing the words Little Fairy said in her mind, that percentage increased to 100%.
Jun Zishu looked immersed as she fiddled with Luo Minghuan's slender fingers. In reality, though, her mind was somewhere else. Specifically, she was trying to figure out why Luo Minghuan had skipped her medication.
Jun Zishu was only given a general story outline and some basic background information. Like reading a novel, she knew about the protagonist's character setting, the encounters the protagonist would have, the actions the protagonist would take, and what kind of ending the story would have. However, most of the bits and details that took place in between these major plot points remained unclear to her.
…
The name of the mountain temple was called Tranquil Temple.
The temple wasn't located far from the town, and the Luo Manor's carriages stopped after traveling for 15 minutes.
The Tranquil Temple was built atop a mountain, and if one wanted to visit the temple, one would need to climb a long flight of steps.
There weren't many people visiting the temple, so when the Luo Manor's people got down from the carriages, they were greeted by a serene environment.
"Is your body holding up, Minghuan?" Madam Luo, who stood at the front, asked as she looked back at Luo Minghuan with a concerned expression.
Luo Minghuan faintly nodded in response.
The women of the group went up the stairs in pairs, and the young girls staying by their sides remained well-behaved. The climb up to the temple was leisurely, and many people in the group laughed and chatted as they ascended the stairs. From an outsider's perspective, the group looked like a harmonious family.
Luo Minghuan did not follow the main group, choosing to walk at an even more leisurely pace at the back.
Jun Zishu looked around curiously as she stayed by Luo Minghuan's side, her head turning from side to side repeatedly.
Ruyun stayed three meters behind the two. It was a distance that was neither too close nor too far. She could react immediately should anything unexpected happen while also ensuring that she did not overhear her master's conversation. So, it was a relatively safe distance.
As for the other maids and guards, they had followed their respective masters. So, apart from Ruyun, there were no other servants near Luo Minghuan.
The women walking ahead didn't seem concerned that Luo Minghuan might get into an accident. Inwardly, they might even hope she got into an accident such as tripping and falling down. Anything was fine so long as it was unrelated to them.
Luo Minghuan wore a smoky ink-colored dress today, further emphasizing her pale skin and slim body.
Typically, girls of Luo Minghuan's age would rarely dress in dark colors since it gave them a dreary appearance. However, Luo Minghuan wore the color well. Combined with her slow manner of walking, her overall appearance radiated a leisurely air.
Unknown wildflowers grew along the staircase, and Jun Zishu would run up to look at them from time to time. Then, once she realized that she had moved a little too far away from Luo Minghuan, she would stand still and wait for Luo Minghuan to catch up. In addition, whenever Luo Minghuan reappeared in her line of sight, Jun Zishu would reveal an exceptionally sweet smile.
Meanwhile, after noticing Jun Zishu's behavior, Luo Minghuan deliberately slowed down her pace, which resulted in the distance between them growing much more quickly than before. Then, she watched as Jun Zishu stopped running in realization and waited for her eagerly to catch up.
However, even after seeing the urging look on Jun Zishu's face, Luo Minghuan pretended not to notice and continued walking at her leisurely pace.
Although Ruyun was confused as to why her master had suddenly slowed down her pace, she had no choice but to slow down as well and observe the situation in confusion.
As for Jun Zishu, she honestly did not know why Luo Minghuan was walking so slowly. In her opinion, even an old grandpa could walk faster than this big sister.
After Luo Minghuan caught up to her again, Jun Zishu decided to pull her along as she climbed up the stairs. However, worried that Luo Minghuan's body couldn't keep up, she couldn't move too quickly, either.
The hesitant look on Jun Zishu's delicate face amused Luo Minghuan greatly.
Meanwhile, seeing Luo Minghuan's expression, realization dawned upon Ruyun.
—The Second Young Miss was teasing the Second Young Madam.
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