When Bai Qingqing returned home, it was still early. Whenever something was on her mind, she would lock herself in her room to tinker with her spices. The intoxicating aromas helped clear her mind, and by the time Bai Yaoyao came to find her, there was no trace of anything amiss on her face.

  "Elder Sister, was Yanlai Tower lively? Was the Green Cloud Pastry delicious? I heard there's a very famous dancer there, something Moon, did you see her?"

  Bai Qingqing paused, trying to recall the taste of the Green Cloud Pastry, but her mind was blank. However, she remained calm and picked a key point to answer, "I was lucky enough to see Lady Qiyue dance. It was truly a sight of grace and beauty, I was mesmerized."

  "Ahhh, really? I also want to see her performance in person!"

  Bai Yaoyao was very excited. Bai Qingqing, seeing this, asked her, "Did you enjoy the poetry gathering?"

  Bai Yaoyao's excitement was mostly due to the poetry gathering, and she couldn't wait to share it with her sister. "I saw Young Master Fanghe today, he was truly elegant and refined, a jade tree among men! Elder Sister, you don't know, I even spoke to him! Among so many people, only I got to exchange a few words with him, Yuanyin and the others were so envious!"

  Bai Yaoyao didn't want to boast too much in front of her friends, but she had no such restraint with her sister, wishing she had more than one mouth to fully express her excitement. "Elder Sister, you should have come with me! Although Yanlai Tower is good, it definitely wasn't as exciting as the poetry gathering!"

  Bai Yaoyao was full of regret. Bai Qingqing thought for a moment and actually nodded, "You're right."

  If she hadn't gone to Yanlai Tower, she wouldn't have met Ning Yan, and wouldn't be so embarrassed that she cringed just thinking about it. But, it was also good, to clear things up sooner rather than later, to avoid further embarrassment.

  Bai Qingqing smiled, "If there's a chance in the future, I'll definitely join you for the fun."

  "Really?"

  Bai Yaoyao was overjoyed. Her sister had always been uninterested in the famous young masters, but now she had changed. "That's great! This poetry gathering didn't produce a clear winner, so they agreed to compete again next month. By then, there will probably be even more people attending. Elder Sister, don't forget, you have to come with me."

  "Okay."

  With Yaoyao's interruption, Bai Qingqing's suffocating embarrassment dissipated slightly. She hadn't done anything wrong for her family and her lovely sister, she was just too naive and too self-righteous.

  That night, Bai Qingqing lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. As soon as she closed her eyes, she saw the scene of her last farewell to her family in her previous life, she hadn't even had a proper conversation with them.

  She had many fragmented dreams throughout the night, seeing the misery of her parents and siblings after they were imprisoned, seeing her mother faint from grief upon hearing the news of her death, seeing her pleading with Fu Yi turn into pleading with Ning Yan, all ending the same way...

  When the sky began to lighten, Bai Qingqing was already sitting up in bed, her eyes stinging from lack of sleep, but she stared at her hands as if she had finally woken up from a long dream.

  She couldn't place her expectations on others any longer, couldn't rely on anyone else to save the Bai family. This was her home! No one but the Bai family members would give their all for the Bai family. She had been wrong from the very beginning!

  Madam Qiao felt that her daughter had changed in the past few days, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was as if her once delicate daughter had suddenly grown up.

  "Qingqing, are you really going to accompany Mother to Qinghan Temple for the prayer ceremony? Perhaps it's best not to. We'll be staying there for several days, and it's quite crowded. You might not be used to it."

  Spring had arrived, and according to the customs of the Xuan Dynasty, the female members of official families in Xuancheng were to go to Qinghan Temple to pray for the dynasty. Madam Qiao had always been reluctant to let her daughters suffer. How could the rooms in Qinghan Temple compare to their home? There was also little to do, and it was very quiet. Young people generally couldn't bear it.

  However, Bai Qingqing insisted on going. "I was lazy before, and Mother spoiled me. I can't be lazy anymore. Besides, wouldn't it be nice to have me accompany Mother and chat to relieve the boredom?"

  With her daughter's amiable smile, Madam Qiao couldn't refuse. So, she instructed the servants to pack for Bai Qingqing, ensuring nothing was missed.

  Bai Qingqing was determined to go to Qinghan Temple because she knew that the beloved Princess Huaifu of the Xuan Dynasty would also be there for the prayer ceremony.

  Princess Huaifu was the most favored sister of the current emperor. It was said that her birth was accompanied by auspicious purple clouds from the east, hence the name Huaifu (Embracing Fortune).

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Strangely enough, after Princess Huaifu's birth, the Xuan Dynasty experienced fewer droughts and floods, giving her an extraordinary position in the palace. She had been close to the emperor when he was still a prince. Since his ascension, he had been particularly indulgent and protective of Princess Huaifu, granting her every wish, making her a legend in the Xuan Dynasty.

  However, Princess Huaifu was frail and rarely left the palace. Bai Qingqing knew she would be at Qinghan Temple for the prayer ceremony from her previous life.

  At that time, her only skill was making incense, which caught the attention of the Princess Consort. Every so often, the Princess Consort would ask her to make elegant and unique incense. Later, she learned that these were all for Princess Huaifu.

  The princess had no other hobbies but was very interested in pleasant fragrances. The Ping Prince's Mansion used Bai Qingqing's incense to please her, gaining many benefits for the mansion. It was only on one occasion that Bai Qingqing learned that the Ping Prince's Mansion had managed to befriend Princess Huaifu during the prayer ceremony at Qinghan Temple.

  They had used the incense she had sent, Chun Jiao!

  At that time, she had fallen in love with Fu Yi at first sight and was preoccupied with how to gain his attention. She had tried everything to send an invitation to the Ping Prince's Mansion but was told that the Princess Consort had gone to Qinghan Temple and couldn't receive guests.

  This time, Bai Qingqing was fully prepared. In addition to Chun Jiao, she had brought several other incenses that wouldn't be overshadowed by the temple's incense and wouldn't be too overpowering.

  On the day of their departure for Qinghan Temple, Bai Qingqing wore an elegant moon-white dress, and her hair ornaments were also elegant and understated, yet they didn't diminish her beauty. Even Madam Qiao couldn't help but praise herself, "I really know how to give birth. Look at my daughter, even the immortals from heaven would be ashamed of themselves."

  "Mother, don't tease me. There are probably many people leaving the city today."

  "Yes, yes, yes," Madam Qiao quickly instructed the servants to prepare the carriages, then turned to reassure her daughter, "It's always like this every year, a sea of carriages. There will inevitably be stops and starts, and sometimes it's too stuffy in the carriage, so we have to get out and walk. Sometimes walking is even faster than the carriage. But don't worry, Mother has prepared plenty of tea, snacks, and little things to relieve boredom."

  Bai Qingqing thought her mother was exaggerating, but before they even left the city, the carriages came to a standstill.

  The ladies always carried a lot of things when they traveled, and a single family could have several or even a dozen carriages. Carriages were packed together, and people were crowded together, and they didn't move an inch for a long time.

  Although it was warm in the carriage, it got stuffy after a while, so Bai Qingqing got out to get some fresh air.

  After getting out of the carriage, she couldn't see the end of the line ahead, and couldn't help but sigh softly. Then she noticed a stall selling candied fruits by the roadside, and asked Zidai to buy a bag.

  The small, round, red fruits were coated with a layer of sugar, cool and sweet in the mouth, and a hint of tartness seeped out when bitten, which tasted very good.

  Bai Qingqing gave Zidai one, and walked forward while eating. Besides her, many people got out of their carriages to get some air, and it was quite lively to chat with acquaintances.

  Bai Qingqing hadn't walked far when she had a bag of hot chestnuts in her hand in addition to the candied fruits. The peeled chestnuts were golden, soft, and sweet, making people unable to stop eating.

  She was holding them and walking forward, but she didn't notice the person coming out of the alley next to her, and bumped into him. The candied fruits and chestnuts in her hand slipped and fell to the ground.

  "Miss, are you alright?"

  Zidai quickly checked on her. Bai Qingqing shook her head, raised her face and was stunned for a moment, then gave a shallow salute, turned around with Zidai without saying a word, and walked away before telling her to find someone to clean up the things that had fallen on the ground.

  Ning Yan watched her turn around and never look back. He asked the little girl to buy another portion of snacks and put them on the Bai family's carriage. The look she gave him was like looking at a stranger.

  Interesting.

  "Are these all going to Qinghan Temple to pray for blessings?"

  "Reporting, sir, yes. Princess Huaifu will also be there. The Emperor has instructed you to keep an eye on things when you are free after you are done with your work, and make sure that nothing happens to the Princess."

  "Understood. Go to the Jinxiu Building first."

  Ning Yan glanced at the Bai family's carriage again and turned to leave.