“Busy? What could she possibly have to do?” Wen Xun nearly fell over in anger.

But before he could react, someone came to report, “Master, the old lady from the Duke of Zhen’s mansion has arrived.”

This old lady was of no ordinary status.

Not only was she a top-ranked noblewoman, but she was also the maternal grandmother of King Yong’an, and the biological mother of the current Empress.

In terms of status and position, there was no one in the capital who could surpass her.

Wen Yurou’s coming-of-age ceremony was a huge honor for the Wen family, as having her attend as the chief guest was a remarkable occasion.

However, the old lady was elderly and had been living a quiet life, focusing on Buddhist practices. She rarely appeared in public in recent years. It was only through King Yong’an personally intervening that she agreed to come.

At this moment, Wen Xun could no longer focus on Wen Yuesheng and quickly stood up to greet the guest.

As he stepped out of the main courtyard, he saw a crowd of people surrounding the old lady, guiding her inside.

The old lady, Madam Zheng, was over sixty years old, dressed in a dark-colored gown with a string of Buddhist beads wrapped around her wrist.

Despite her age, there was still a trace of the powerful, decisive aura she had when she was younger.

Her expression was solemn, making her seem somewhat unapproachable.

Only when facing her grandson, King Yong’an, would she show a trace of a smile.

Xiao Jin, who was accompanying the old lady, entered the Princess’s Manor through the main gate when someone beside them suddenly gasped.

“What is that?”

Everyone nearby, including Wen Xun, raised their eyes to see.

In the side courtyard, a few paulownia trees had been planted, now in full bloom, their leaves rustling in the wind.

Among the lush greenery, a streak of golden light was particularly eye-catching. Between the green leaves, the golden light shimmered brilliantly.

As they drew closer, it became clear…

Wen Xun’s butler murmured, “The princess’s Buddha statue.”

Wen Xun: …

He had suspected as much.

“The Princess’s Manor is actually housing such a large Buddha?” The old lady was momentarily stunned before speaking.

“Yes,” the butler said, awkwardly. “This Buddha statue was originally enshrined at Tian Ci Temple on the outskirts of the city. A few days ago, the princess had it brought here…”

“The princess?” The young girl in a green dress beside the old lady asked curiously, “Since when did the princess believe in Buddhism?”

“And how could the Buddha statue from Tian Ci Temple just be casually brought here to be enshrined?”

“Zhi’er,” the Duke’s daughter gently scolded, “Don’t be rude.”

The girl speaking was Wei Lanzhi, the daughter of the Duke of Zhen, Wei Ran, and Xiao Jin’s cousin.

Wei Lanzhi was lively and outgoing, but she didn’t dare to be impolite in front of the serious old lady, who had been practicing Buddhism for years.

Unexpectedly, the old lady nodded in agreement, “Lan Zhi is correct.”

“The Buddha from Tian Ci Temple is not something just anyone can bring into their home.” She paused and looked at Wen Xun. “As a practitioner of Buddhism, I believe there is no reason not to venerate it when I have come to your esteemed house.”

“May I ask if it would be convenient for Lord Wen’s household?”

Wen Xun was taken aback.

Was Wen Yuesheng serious about this? Someone actually came to venerate the Buddha?

Xiao Jin’s eyes also darkened.

He turned to the old lady and said, “The statue is in the side courtyard. It might be inconvenient. Also, since an auspicious time is approaching, you should head to the main courtyard.”

“It’s fine,” the old lady replied, twirling the Buddhist beads in her hand. “After the coming-of-age ceremony, it will not be too late to venerate it.”

Seeing that she was determined, Xiao Jin didn’t press further.

Wen Xun quickly responded, “If the old lady wishes to venerate it, you may do so at any time.”

Since the coming-of-age ceremony was about to begin, they didn’t delay further and headed to the main courtyard.

The protagonist of the day, Wen Yurou, had already been waiting.

Upon seeing the old lady, she quickly approached and greeted her respectfully.

Wen Yurou’s appearance was delicate and refined, and her fragile demeanor gave her the air of a willow swaying in the wind.

The old lady, seeing her, showed more warmth than she did toward others.

As the coming-of-age ceremony began, the atmosphere grew even more lively.

The reason for all the attention was that Wen Yurou’s hairpin was extraordinarily magnificent, a gift from the Empress herself.

It had already been the subject of many discussions.

Now, with the ceremony being so grand, the noble guests and prominent figures in attendance only added to the spectacle.

Anyone who saw it would know that Wen Yurou had a bright future ahead of her.

“Such a lively event, but I don’t see Princess Sining…”

“Today is the second young miss’s big day. With her temperament, Princess Sining is probably better off not showing up.”

“How does it matter if her temperament is poor? It seems she no longer has a place in the Wen family.”

“That’s why she has been practicing Buddhism recently. Perhaps she has come to terms with it?”

“Most likely, seeing the second young miss so favored, she must feel disheartened and uses Buddhism as an excuse to avoid facing reality, especially since she would be embarrassed to face the princess.”

Amid the lively chatter, the coming-of-age ceremony concluded.

After the ceremony, there was a banquet.

According to tradition, the matriarch of the State Duke’s family, being the main guest of the day, should have been the first to take her seat.

But for some reason, once the ceremony was over, the matriarch instructed someone to lead her away from the main courtyard.

The guests in the courtyard were confused and, after inquiring with the servants from the princess’s residence, they learned that the matriarch was going to offer prayers at the Buddhist temple in the side courtyard.

Everyone present was well aware of the origin of this large Buddha statue.

The involvement of Princess Sining and the Prince of Yong’an’s marriage was also a factor, making the matriarch’s sudden decision to offer prayers at the Buddha, which had been invited by Princess Sining, rather peculiar to everyone.

The Prince of Yong’an was the only legitimate son of the Emperor.

Though not the eldest, his status was unmatchable.

His marriage with Wen Yuesheng had been arranged before she was even born.

The Emperor had spoken on the matter with authority, and although Wen Yuesheng’s reputation had since been tarnished, breaking off the engagement was not an option.

More importantly, Wen Yuesheng’s late mother, the Princess Huiyi, had been a great support to the Emperor before his ascension, so despite Wen Yuesheng’s reckless behavior, the engagement was still in place.

However, in the past few years, especially during the two years following Wen Yuesheng’s coming-of-age ceremony, neither the palace nor the State Duke’s family seemed to be making any preparations for the marriage.

People in the capital gradually came to realize that the influential figures in the palace seemed to have little interest in the match.

It had come to a point where people speculated that the Wen family might soon take the initiative to call off the engagement.

Wen Xun was a reasonable person, but Wen Yuesheng might not have been aware of these undercurrents.

The subtle reasons behind this situation made many people especially curious about the matriarch’s actions.

As a result, the scene of the matriarch offering prayers drew many onlookers.

Once the ceremony concluded, the crowd dispersed quickly.

Even the usually calm Chen Shi showed signs of tension.

“I thought she would stay in seclusion today, finally understanding some decorum, but instead, she’s caused this trouble!” Chen Shi’s maid, Wang Mama, muttered in a low voice.

The usually quiet Jiang Mama, however, remained silent. Since the incident some days ago, she had developed an inexplicable fear of Wen Yuesheng, and now she dared not speak carelessly.

“Keep an eye on things, especially protect Yuruo,” Chen Shi said in a low voice.

“Yes,” the servants quickly responded.

Meanwhile, in the side courtyard.

While the ceremony was lively outside, Wen Yuesheng remained unmoved.

Zhao Mama took a rest, leading a few young maidservants into the courtyard, where they listened to the noise outside from behind the wall.

In the afternoon, the heat had slightly eased.

Only then did Wen Yuesheng walk out from her study.

Zhao Mama had planned to follow her and serve her, but the sounds of the celebration grew louder.

She turned around and saw an elderly lady being supported by a maidservant, entering the side courtyard gate.

Zhao Mama froze for a moment, and once she recognized the visitor, her expression changed.

“Matriarch? Why have you come?”

The matriarch, Old Lady had some vague recollection of the servants attending to Wen Yuesheng and nodded lightly, “I’ve come to offer prayers to the Buddha.”

Zhao Mama then noticed that the maidservants accompanying the matriarch were carrying offerings for the Buddha.

She was taken aback.

She had not expected the matriarch to come here to offer prayers. But looking around, the golden Buddha statue stood taller than any small building, gleaming in the sunlight, almost blinding the eyes.

It would have been strange if no one had noticed it.

Zhao Mama rubbed her hands nervously. Was this the plan from the beginning, when Princess Sining brought the Buddha statue here?

But now that the Old Lade, the Duke’s Wife had arrived, where was the princess?

“Grandmother!” The noise outside grew louder as Wei Lanzhi and Xiao Jin entered the side courtyard one after another.

“Wei Lanzhi has come to pray with you,” the matriarch said.

Zhao Mama looked up at the sky. It really felt like she was seeing a ghost.

These people, who normally wouldn’t even step into the side courtyard, were all here today.

But little did she know, others were just as surprised.

In just a few days, the side courtyard had undergone drastic changes.

Xiao Jin paused, his gaze resting on the large Buddha statue.

The old flower rack swing had truly been completely dismantled.

The side courtyard, located in a secluded area, was particularly spacious.

There used to be a large empty space in front of the courtyard, but now there was a pond planted with lotus flowers.

This added a bit of coolness to the summer.

Above the pond was a small bridge made of redwood.

At that moment, Wen Yuesheng stood on this wooden bridge.

With so many people entering all of a sudden, and others watching from afar, she remained completely unfazed.

Since her confinement, Wen Yuesheng had become much thinner, and despite these few days, she hadn’t managed to regain much weight.

She wore a loose crow-blue robe, with only a thin cord wrapped around her slender waist.

Her pale hands were tucked inside the large sleeves, one hand holding prayer beads, while the other seemed to be feeding the fish.

She lifted her hand, and the little fish in the pond swarmed out.

Wen Xun had entered the courtyard, still thinking that Wen Yuesheng had something important to do, but it turned out she was just feeding fish in the garden.

The fish food caused a flurry of activity among the fish, swimming to and fro at the bottom of the pond.

It was a peaceful scene, but the next moment, a turtle emerged from the thick grass around the pond.

The turtle calmly approached the spot where the fish were swimming and opened its mouth to swallow a small fish.

Wen Xun: …

The courtyard fell silent, with only the sound of the turtle eating the fish.

Wen Yuesheng casually pulled her hand back from feeding the fish.

“Brother-in-law!” Wei Lanzhi jumped in shock and hid behind Xiao Jin, clutching his sleeve tightly.

This scene startled not only her but even Wen Xun, who was taken aback.

So, it wasn’t fish that she was raising in this pond, but the turtle?

This was a bit too much…

Wen Xun couldn’t find the right words to describe Wen Yuesheng’s actions. Seeing Wei Lanzhi scared, he scolded, “You’re raising such creatures in the courtyard?”

He had not intended to scold Wen Yuesheng in front of others, but with the matriarch present, how could he not care about her reaction?

Before he could say more, the matriarch, who had just regained her composure, thought for a long time, then looked up at the golden Buddha statue and said, “All things follow the natural way…”

“The princess has a deep connection with the Buddha. I have learned much from her.”

Wen Xun: ?