The beloved is reborn as a substitute, and the tyrant begs for forgiveness every night.

After returning to her room, Xu Leyao called Zhu'er over.

Zhu'er looked at Xu Leyao with a puzzled expression, "Miss, what are your orders?"

Xu Leyao remained calm and composed in the face of her questions.

"Go find someone to replace all of that fake Taoist's things."

Upon hearing her instructions, a hint of doubt flashed in Pearl's eyes.

Haven't they already determined that the reclusive master was a fake Taoist?

Why would Xu Leyao go to all this trouble?

Although Pearl has changed recently, her obedience remains as constant as ever.

"Miss, I'll go find someone right now."

Hearing Zhu'er's words, Xu Leyao nodded and then pretended to fall asleep.

By the time Xiao Zhu returned, everything had been taken care of.

Upon seeing Zhu'er, Xu Leyao looked up and asked.

"Is everything ready over there? Are you sure no one else has entered this Taoist priest's courtyard recently?"

When asked by Xu Leyao, Zhu'er nodded firmly.

“Miss, apart from that scholar who was pretending to be an old Taoist priest, no one else has ever entered the courtyard that I have been keeping an eye on.”

After receiving this answer, Xu Leyao felt even more relieved.

Although she is now quite confident, no one can be sure whether tomorrow or an accident will come first.

Now that she has the opportunity, Xu Leyao is willing to confirm it again.

After all, she had just invited Zheng Zhihe to come and see.

Thinking of this, Xu Leyao's eyes shone even brighter.

This time, she had to catch Jiang Xiuxiu off guard.

After all this time, Jiang Xiuxiu really has been treating her like a sick cat.

Xu Leyao didn't say anything more, and Zhu'er wisely didn't ask any more questions.

However, in the past two days, she still occasionally reported the old Taoist's movements to Xu Leyao.

Perhaps it was because the time agreed upon by the old Taoist priest and Jiang Xiuxiu was approaching, he stopped coming out and about much.

Over the past two days, Xu Leyao has also occasionally gotten together with Zheng Zhihe to catch up with him.

Of course, all of this was done behind Jiang Mu's back.

Whether Jiang's mother truly didn't know or was pretending not to know was unimportant to Xu Leyao.

The day after tomorrow will be the ceremony for ancestor worship, opening the ancestral hall, and entering the family genealogy.

Today, it's time to go back.

Jiang's mother specially sent Cai'er to Xu Leyao's room to inform her of the departure, but found that Xu Leyao was not in the room.

Not only Xu Leyao, but even Zhu'er was not in the room.

Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother instinctively assumed that Xu Leyao was up to something again.

She frowned, a hint of dissatisfaction creeping into her heart.

They've already arrived at the Buddhist temple, so why is Xu Leyao still causing such a fuss?

If we can't find them...

Jiang's mother simply couldn't imagine the consequences she would face.

"Go find it now!"

At Mother Jiang's command, everyone sprang into action.

Of course, only the servants brought by the Jiang family were active.

At the time, apart from the coachman, they didn't bring many people with them. Now, relying on only these few people to find Xu Leyao, it's natural that they're moving very slowly.

Left with no other choice, Jiang's mother had to take matters into her own hands.

Meanwhile, Xu Leyao, who was being thought of at that moment, stood by the pond once again with Zheng Zhihe.

By the pond, Xu Leyao was picking at the pebbles on the ground.

Seeing Xu Leyao like this, a hint of disdain flashed in Zheng Lingjia's eyes.

These pebbles on the ground have been stepped on countless times, and it's only because Xu Leyao doesn't mind the dirt that she still touches them.

Although Xu Leyao didn't look up, she could feel the unease emanating from Zheng Zhihe.

However, she wasn't in a hurry.

A moment later, Xu Leyao picked up the pebble she had been picking at for so long.

She washed it in the pond before handing it to Zheng Zhihe.

Looking at the pebbles that Xu Leyao handed over, Zheng Zhihe's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt.

"Why are you giving me this?"

Faced with his question, Xu Leyao simply explained calmly.

"I just noticed that these pebbles are a bit different from other stones."

As she spoke, Xu Leyao pointed to the stone on the ground.

“Look! Although the stones here are irregularly distributed, they vaguely resemble a landscape painting. Only this pebble is out of place. But if you move it, it will lose the charm of the landscape painting.”

Upon hearing Xu Leyao's words, Zheng Zhihe began to observe carefully.

I must say, putting those pebbles on it really does give it a bit of the feel of a traditional Chinese ink painting.

At this moment, he realized that Xu Leyao was quite thoughtful.

He had no recollection of the fact that he had just been mentally criticizing Xu Leyao.

"Weiwei, you are truly incredibly meticulous."

As he praised her, Xu Leyao's image reappeared in Zheng Zhihe's mind.

Xu Leyao was capable in the past.

Not to mention being meticulous, in other aspects as well, it's like a divine intervention.

For Zheng Zhihe, who was involved in the struggle for the throne at the time, Xu Leyao was a great help to him.

Perhaps calling her a virtuous wife is an understatement.

In a true sense, Xu Leyao could be considered his strategist at the time.

Both Zheng Lingjia and Xu Leyao are equally meticulous.

As a result, Zheng Zhihe began to have some thoughts of becoming a teacher.

"When you enter the palace in the future, I will personally teach you."

Zheng Zhihe did not mention personally teaching Xu Leyao anything, and Xu Leyao did not ask any further questions.

It's all about satisfying his desire to be a teacher.

If Xu Leyao were actually asked to learn it, she would be unwilling.

It wasn't that she didn't want to learn these things, but rather that she didn't want to have too much contact with Zheng Zhihe.

Right now, Xu Leyao is also suppressing the disgust in her heart.

After all, given Zheng Zhihe's status, it's not up to her to say no.

Xu Leyao nodded, smiling broadly.

Not far away, Jiang's mother looked at Zheng Zhihe standing next to Xu Leyao with surprise.

She had previously heard that Zheng Zhihe treated Xu Leyao differently.

Hearsay is never as impactful as witnessing it firsthand.

She had previously felt somewhat dissatisfied with what Jiang's father had done.

After all, in her opinion, Xu Leyao is almost of marriageable age, and it's time to meet some potential partners.

But Jiang's father kept dragging his feet, preventing her from finding a good family for Xu Leyao.

Of course, her real intention was for Jiang Da.

Although she felt somewhat guilty towards Xu Leyao, nothing was more important than Jiang Darui's future.

It was precisely because he understood her intentions that Mr. Jiang would issue numerous warnings.

Even if Jiang's mother were to find a suitable husband for Xu Leyao now, she probably wouldn't be willing.

No matter how powerful one is here, how can one be higher than the one sitting on the throne?

Jiang's mother, with her own plans in mind, glanced at the two chatting not far away, and then quietly left.

Feeling the gaze that had been watching her from a short distance disappear, Xu Leyao subtly curled the corners of her lips.