Ming Shu’s anger lingered until she returned home.
“I’m furious at how they look down on us! What gives them the right to despise us?” Ming Shu struck the carriage window frame. “Brother, you must make us proud! Let’s show them what we’re capable of!”
“You’ve been angry for half a day now. What will it take for you to calm down?” Lu Chang felt helpless at Ming Shu’s anger, unable to console her.
“I lost the kite you made – the one you drew and crafted!” Ming Shu couldn’t forget the beautiful maiden kite Lu Chang had made for her.
“I’ll draw ten more for you!” Lu Chang held up five fingers before her eyes.
Ming Shu quickly grabbed his hand and said, “Others’ mistakes shouldn’t burden you, Brother… Your hands are meant for scholarly pursuits…”
“So you don’t want any?” Lu Chang asked.
“I do! Just… three casual ones will be enough!” Ming Shu finally smiled.
Lu Chang smiled back, somewhat helplessly.
“Brother, I’ve noticed you’re smiling more lately.” Ming Shu watched him intently.
“Is that so? Perhaps it’s true that one takes on the qualities of those they spend time with.” Lu Chang didn’t deny her observation.
“Then it must be the positive influence!” Ming Shu patted her chest, claiming responsibility for being that positive influence.
Lu Chang unusually didn’t argue with her, instead asking, “How did your discussion with your young lady friends go today?”
Reminded of this, Ming Shu grew serious and replied, “Miss Yin said the shop space will be available in a month. It’ll need renovations, so I need to start looking for masons and carpenters. I’ll have someone examine the space in the coming days to draw up plans. We also need to start purchasing furnishings and hiring staff. Most importantly, I need to discuss merchandise with Fifth Brother and select inventory. One month for renovations, another month for preparations – we could open as early as June this year, in about three months.”
Ming Shu was more business-savvy than Lu Chang. Her plans were comprehensive, leaving little for him to add. He simply listened, watching her animated expression.
As she spoke, Ming Shu grew concerned: “Brother, you’re destined for the honor roll, perhaps even placing in the top three, with a promising official career ahead. As your sister, would my involvement in merchant trade bring you criticism and affect your career?”
Lu Chang gently placed his hand on her head, his voice soft but words weighty: “I chose this path after ten years of study to protect those I care about. If I can’t even protect and help you, what meaning would this path have?”
First, it was his mother, and now Ming Shu as well.
“Brother…” Ming Shu blinked her large eyes. “Thank you.”
No more words were needed.
—
The next day dawned cloudy, with spring rain approaching.
Lu Chang left early in the morning. With the examination results posting date approaching, which also meant the palace examination period was near, he still had preparations to make. When Ming Shu came downstairs, only Madam Zeng was there, standing by the door holding a letter.
“Mother.” Ming Shu called out to Madam Zeng.
Madam Zeng turned around: “You’ve come at the right time. A child just delivered a letter for you.” She handed the letter to Ming Shu as she spoke.
Who would send her a letter so early in the morning?
Ming Shu took the letter suspiciously. Sure enough, it was addressed “To Lu Ming Shu” and properly sealed.
She turned the envelope over, saw no signature, then opened it and sat down at the table to read.
As she read, her brows furrowed slightly.
“Who sent you the letter?” Madam Zeng asked.
Ming Shu didn’t hide anything from Madam Zeng, handing her the letter while replying: “It’s from Second Madam Wei, wife of the Palace Front Command Commissioner.”
The letter was signed with this title, but Ming Shu didn’t know this person and had no connection to the Wei family.
“Will you accept the invitation?” Madam Zeng asked after quickly reading the letter.
“I’ll go see what it’s about.” Ming Shu nodded. The letter only said they had heard of her deeds in the capital and wished to meet.
If they had learned about the Yin family incident and the cases at Wen An and Song Ling Academy and sought her out, they likely wanted to hire her to investigate something. This was a money-making opportunity she couldn’t pass up, especially since Man Tang Hui would be taking on such cases after opening. Ming Shu had no reason to refuse.
“Remember to take an umbrella, it looks like rain is coming.” Madam Zeng, now used to her going out, only reminded her about the weather.
Ming Shu responded with a sound of agreement and took an oiled paper umbrella as she left.
—
After Ming Shu departed, Madam Zeng closed the main gate and busied herself with other tasks in the kitchen.
After about half an hour, there came a knock at the door, three raps at a time. Madam Zeng thought it was Ming Shu returning, hastily put down her work, wiped her hands on her apron, and went to open the door, saying, “Coming, coming!”
The wooden door creaked open as Madam Zeng started to scold: “Back so soon…”
But her words stopped abruptly as she raised her eyes.
The person at the door wasn’t Ming Shu.
“Yu Qing.” The man called her maiden name.
Zeng Yu Qing was her full name.
She froze for a moment, looking at the richly dressed man outside, momentarily unable to find words until he glanced inside and asked, “May I come in to talk?”
Madam Zeng finally came to her senses and expressionlessly opened the door fully. After he entered, she slammed it shut and dropped the bolt.
The expected visitor had finally come.
The water in the kitchen had just begun to boil. Madam Zeng, without bothering to welcome him, went straight to the kitchen and returned with a cup of tea. The man had already seated himself at the table, watching her approach with the tea, reminiscent of her gentle manner from eighteen years ago, though her eyes remained cold and distant.
“Lord Lu, my humble home has no fine tea, but please have some to wet your throat if you don’t mind.”
Her voice was still melodious and soft, inspiring sympathy even in its coldness.
“Yu Qing, it’s been over eighteen years since our separation. Both children have grown up. These years must have been hard on you.” Lu Wen Han picked up the tea, blew away the foam, and took a small sip.
Madam Zeng’s hand clutched at her stomach as she asked, “Have you come for the children?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not here to take them from you. I saw Lu Chang and Ming Shu at Song Ling Academy earlier. They’re both so intelligent – you’ve raised them well. I’ve failed you.” Lu Wen Han said.
Madam Zeng smiled, a bitter, mocking smile.
After eighteen years apart, the once proud and willful young man had been worn smooth of his sharp edges, speaking such diplomatic phrases, nothing like when they had argued red-faced and unyielding before their separation.
And she too had lost the resentment of years past.
A youthful marriage had only led to today’s unfamiliar glances.
“They are my children; of course, I raised them with care. You need not thank me, nor feel you’ve failed me.”
Lu Wen Han nodded: “I’ve seen Lu Chang a few times, but Ming Shu – you were just pregnant when we separated. I’ve never even laid eyes on that child.”
At the mention of Ming Shu, Madam Zeng’s brows furrowed deeply. She wanted to explain, but considering Ming Shu’s situation, she wasn’t sure if she should, and so swallowed her words.
The child she had been carrying when they separated had been lost three days after he left.
“Why have you come here?” She didn’t want to dwell on the past.
“Yu Qing, it seems the children don’t know their father is still alive?” Lu Wen Han asked.
“Yes. I told them their father had passed away.” Madam Zeng replied.
Lu Wen Han’s brow furrowed slightly, looking just like Lu Chang’s.
“Yu Qing, we merely separated – why did you hide from them that I’m still alive?”
“How was I to tell them who you are? When we married, I didn’t know you were the youngest son of the Lu family. When we separated, I didn’t know where you went. Meeting again after eighteen years, I didn’t even know you had become the high-ranking Minister of State Affairs. How was I to explain?”
Her words left Lu Wen Han speechless.
—
The rain indeed started falling. Ming Shu made it under the eaves of Ju Yuan Tea House just before it grew heavy, patting the water droplets from her clothes before entering. The Second Madam Wei had arranged to meet in a private room. Ming Shu followed the tea house attendant’s lead and quickly arrived outside the room.
She had expected to meet an elegant and refined Second Madam Wei but was surprised when a boisterous, plump woman came forward to greet her.
Not only was her voice loud, but Second Madam Wei also had a strong grip, clutching Ming Shu and refusing to let go while exclaiming, “You’re finally here!”
Only at her maid’s reminder did she become more subdued and lower her voice.
Ming Shu had been quite startled. Looking more carefully at Second Madam Wei, she saw that though plump, the woman was properly dressed, with a round face and fair skin that made her quite approachable. However, she wore a bright Buddha pendant around her neck and several strands of prayer beads around both wrists, completely mismatched with her attire.
“Second Madam… what urgent matter did you wish to discuss?” Ming Shu sat down and asked without waiting for tea to be served.
Second Madam Wei again grabbed her wrist and began explaining.
It turned out that this Second Madam Wei was Liu Shi, the wife of the Wei family’s second son. The Wei family patriarch was still alive, so the two legitimate sons hadn’t divided the household and all lived in the same compound. However, the old master was quite elderly, so household affairs were managed by the eldest branch, specifically Palace Front Commander Wei Xian.
After finally listening to her long explanation, Ming Shu pressed her hand and said, “Second Madam, for catching ghosts, you should find a Taoist priest, or at least a Buddhist monk. I can’t catch ghosts.”
But Liu Shi gripped her hand even tighter: “We’ve tried both priests and monks – useless. I’ve heard about you. You solved the case of the Yin family’s concubine-born daughter and cracked the murder at Song Ling Academy. Now there’s this ghost in our house, who knows where it came from – help me investigate its origins and whereabouts, and I’ll find someone to capture it!”
Ming Shu was nearly speechless. Investigating living people was normal, but now she was being asked to investigate ghosts.
She was about to try persuading Liu Shi again when the woman slammed something heavily onto the table.
“Generous payment!” Liu Shi said, still gripping Ming Shu’s hand.
Ming Shu stared at the plump, gleaming gold ingot, struggled internally for a moment, then compromised.
—
Ghosts weren’t easy to investigate. Ming Shu needed to plan carefully. After asking Liu Shi a few more questions, she headed home.
The rain grew heavier. Ming Shu ran home under her umbrella, thinking about the Wei family matter while shaking water from her oiled paper umbrella, when suddenly someone called out to her.
“Miss Lu.”
Ming Shu turned to see a woman in her thirties walking down the street outside her home. The woman’s glossy hair was adorned with gold and jade ornaments, her wrists and fingers decorated with either translucent jade or bright gold rings. Her entire bearing was imposing. The two young maids following her were better dressed than ordinary household girls – one supporting her, one holding an umbrella – as they slowly approached Ming Shu.
As they faced each other, the woman introduced herself – a housekeeper from the Duke’s mansion, a favored personal attendant to the First Madam.
Ming Shu understood: Song Qing Zhao’s mother’s confidante.
Probably about yesterday’s incident at Fan Tai, when Ming Shu had spoken somewhat harshly in her anger and offended. Song Qing Zhao’s mother deserved respect as an elder, and Ming Shu felt she had been discourteous, so she wanted to explain herself to this madam and kindly invited her in for tea.
The housekeeper’s surname was Sun. She had a long face and looked down at Ming Shu with narrowed eyes. Seeing Ming Shu’s modest household, she didn’t even want to enter, preferring to stand in the rain to make her point clear.
“Miss Lu is clever and must understand what kind of household the Duke’s mansion is. A noble family with a hundred years of heritage, associating only with imperial relatives and prestigious families. Though Young Master isn’t the eldest son, he’s still the Duke’s legitimate grandson, precious as gold and jade. His marriage has the attention of noble ladies in the palace and the Old Duke. His future wife will certainly be a distinguished young lady from a prominent Beijing family. Madam hopes Miss can understand a mother’s concerns and keep her distance from Young Master, otherwise…”
“Otherwise what?” Ming Shu had been smiling at first, intending to explain, but the more she heard of Madam Sun’s words, the more wrong they felt. Her pretty face darkened as she asked coldly.
“Must I spell it out for Miss? Even if your brother becomes the top imperial scholar, your family background still isn’t worthy of our Young Master. Please know your place.” Madam Sun’s shrill voice seemed intended for all around to hear as if to shame her.
Ming Shu’s anger flared, her rebellious nature emerging. Determined to oppose her, she declared, “What if I do want to marry your Young Master? What can you do about it?”
“You shameless girl, is this how your family taught you manners? Indeed, what else could be expected from a widow’s daughter, with no father…”
Madam Sun grew more agitated, her words increasingly offensive. But before she could finish speaking, the door behind Ming Shu suddenly burst open. Before anyone could see who emerged, Madam Sun received a kick to the chest and fell to the ground.
“How dare you!” An enraged voice rang out. “Go tell that old fool Song Chang that my daughter, Lu Wen Han’s daughter, is worthy even of the imperial family, let alone your Song family!”
Song Chang was the Old Duke’s given name. In all of Beijing, fewer than ten people dared to speak the Old Duke’s name directly.
Madam Sun lay in the rain, pale-faced, staring at Lu Wen Han in shock.
Ming Shu stood frozen like a wooden chicken.
Lu Wen Han turned back, his rage transforming into a gentle breeze and light rain as he said to Ming Shu: “You truly wish to marry Song Qing Zhao? Just nod, and Father will make him come with proper betrothal gifts to marry you.”
Ming Shu’s head was full of questions – could someone please tell her what was happening?
She turned back to see Madam Zeng also standing dumbfounded in the doorway.