Seeing Qingyuan standing there safe and sound, that feeling of a soul returning to its body was something he would likely never forget in this lifetime.

Originally everything had gone smoothly. After reporting to the Minister of Personnel, once he finished the work at hand today, he could return to Youzhou. But just as he stepped through the gates of the Department of State Affairs, he saw a servant running like an arrow from afar. When the guard stopped him at the gate, the servant began jumping and shouting by the mounting block: “Third Young Master! Third Young Master! This humble one serves under Second Master Xie. Our Second Master sent me to deliver a message – something terrible has happened in our household!”

He was stunned for a moment, his mind racing through possibilities. It must be that Commissioner Xie had met with some mishap on the frontlines – what else could it be? Regarding the Xie family, his only concern was for Qingyuan. If not for her, Xie Shu’s success or failure had nothing to do with him. So he raised his hand, gesturing for the guards to let the servant enter.

“What happened?” he asked rather disinterestedly, handing the register to a clerk below him and ordering him to handle matters at the office first.

The servant had run the whole way, his face flushed like a pig’s liver from the sun. Wiping away the greasy sweat, he clasped his hands in greeting and said in a hushed voice: “Third Young Master, something terrible has happened! Our Fourth Miss went to Bijin Temple yesterday to hold a memorial service for her late mother, but something went wrong. She hasn’t returned all night, and all her attendants have vanished too. The Old Madam is beside herself with worry and orders the First Master to search the entire city. They’ve turned Youzhou upside down but still haven’t found Fourth Miss. Second Master had no choice but to send this humble one to inform Third Young Master, hoping you might have some way to quickly find our Fourth Miss. The Fourth Miss has no relatives in the city – a young girl gone missing, if too much time passes, something awful could happen.”

Li Congxin at first watched the servant panting like an ox, his noble young master’s fastidiousness making him turn away in disgust. But as he listened further, things seemed increasingly wrong. By the end he almost thought he had misheard, grabbing the front of the servant’s clothes and demanding: “What? What happened to your Fourth Miss?”

The servant’s feet left the ground as he was grabbed, stuttering: “F-Fourth Miss is missing, our Second Master sent me to…” But before he could finish, the man before him had vanished.

He searched all over, rarely had he been so panicked and disoriented. His attendants followed closely behind, repeatedly asking: “Third Master… Third Master, where exactly are we going?”

The copper bells on his horsewhip left a trail of light tinkling sounds, making the summer day feel even more scorching. The sun burned fiercely overhead when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, realizing that rushing about aimlessly like a headless fly wouldn’t work. Fortunately, though the young marquis had little interest in studying, he often used study time to socialize instead. Thus, whether in Youzhou or the capital, he had cultivated quite good connections. So he dispatched his men to inquire at various government offices one by one, checking if any cases involving young ladies had been reported.

That waiting period was extremely difficult to endure. He sat alone in the room, darkness breeding in the places sunlight couldn’t reach. He had always been of an unrestrained disposition, but Qingyuan’s disappearance sparked many dark premonitions in him. In all his years moving through the mortal world, he had never been so concerned about any girl. From liking to deep love, it seemed to happen in just an instant. He suddenly realized all other flowers had become as worthless as manure, suddenly realized she was irreplaceable. If she could return safe and sound this time, he resolved to firmly commit to a future for them both.

He waited and waited, finally receiving news of her whereabouts. A servant came to report that Fourth Miss Xie was at the Court of the Imperial Regalia. After hearing this he was stunned, a strange feeling rising in his heart. Youzhou was dozens of li from the capital – how could she appear in the capital overnight? Starting from that banquet last time, Shen Run’s behavior had been somewhat unusual. Looking at it now, it could almost be certain – he harbored different intentions toward Qingyuan.

Growing more and more anxious the more he thought about it, he hurried to the Court of the Imperial Regalia’s offices. From afar he saw her standing in that deep and vast hall, dressed simply and purely, as serene as the pure vase in Guanyin’s hand in the fragrant breeze. His heart finally settled. He called out “Fourth Sister,” and she heard him, turning to look at him. Her eyes sparkled for an instant before she smiled sweetly, with quite the feeling of meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

He walked over quickly, his eyes glancing past Shen Run as he first asked Qingyuan: “Are you alright?”

Qingyuan nodded, “Why did Third Young Master come?”

He quietly let out a long breath, “Your Second Brother sent someone to inform me. I inquired around before learning you were at the Court of the Imperial Regalia.” As he spoke, he clasped his hands toward Shen Run, smiling diplomatically, “I just reported to the Department of State Affairs a few days ago and had meant to pay my respects to the Palace Commander, but unfortunately never found the time. What a coincidence to meet like this today because of this matter.”

In ordinary social interactions, Shen Run always maintained an aloof expression. Since he did not need to flatter anyone, he had somewhat of a look that held everything in contempt. But he had his principles – even if he was greatly dissatisfied with someone, he could still maintain social graces. So he returned the greeting, “The young marquis is an honored guest. Our humble office that handles such mundane affairs rarely has the privilege of receiving such visitors.”

Li Congxin pretended not to hear the sharp edge in his words, deliberately changing the subject to ask: “Where’s Chengbing? Is he not on duty today?”

Shen Run responded with an “Oh,” then said, “He was patrolling the city last night, he’s gone to catch up on sleep after finishing his shift this morning.”

Such dry conversation was somewhat amusing to hear. Qingyuan stood between them feeling like she had needles in her back, but unable to say anything. She could only smile along to ease the awkwardness. But Shen Run glanced at her, seemingly very confused, “Fourth Miss seems in excellent spirits today. Does Miss find what Shen has said so amusing?”

Now she didn’t know whether to smile or not, vaguely recalling how that firecracker of a Second Aunt Jiang had once questioned her too, saying she was always smiling and clearly up to no good.

She helplessly touched her face, “I was born with a smiling face. Besides, times are peaceful – I have nothing to cry about.”

Peaceful times? She had nearly fallen into the hands of bandits just last night, yet after just one night, had that dark cloud dispersed? But for a young lady from the inner chambers to have such breadth of mind – one couldn’t find another like her even searching the entire capital region. He suddenly felt a genuine sense of pride – this girl was so extraordinary, truly worthy of being the one he had chosen!

Li Congxin was more eager to understand the whole story, saying to Qingyuan: “Fourth Sister, right now the entire Xie household is searching all over Youzhou for you. I heard you’ve been at the temple these past few days conducting services for your mother. What exactly happened? How did you suddenly come to the capital?”

Qingyuan’s expression remained normal as she simply said: “Last night’s service ran a bit late. We left the temple close to the hour of xu but unexpectedly encountered a group of bandits on the way back. They killed a servant boy and wanted to kill us too. I thought we wouldn’t escape death this time, but thankfully the Palace Commander passed by and saved us, also capturing those bandits. Now this case has connections to other cases, and they need our testimony to identify those criminals. We’ve just finished giving statements, and the Palace Commander said there’s nothing else, we can return to Youzhou shortly.”

Being someone who moved in official circles, Li Congxin could likely tell whether facts were being concealed. Though she hadn’t told him the full story, he still felt some regret but couldn’t press further. He simply nodded and said: “I’m heading back to Youzhou as well. Let me escort Fourth Sister back, so I can also give your Second Brother an account.”

Just as Qingyuan was about to agree, Shen Run dropped in casually: “Fourth Miss is an unmarried lady. To return just like this after spending an unclear night away would likely not silence the endless tongues of gossip, and would be detrimental to the young lady’s reputation. Shen Run serves in court alongside your honored father. For the Commissioner’s sake, I should personally explain the situation to the Old Madam. Please wait a moment, Fourth Miss. Once I’ve delegated the office duties, I will escort Fourth Miss back to Youzhou.”

After speaking, he walked out with his hands behind his back. As they passed, that seemingly casual glance carried quite an approving meaning within it.

Qingyuan felt somewhat annoyed – her earlier explanation to Li Congxin must have sounded quite satisfactory to Commander Shen. The saying goes that family shame should not be aired publicly, and unprovable crimes within the inner chambers were best not easily revealed to outsiders. In her eyes, Li Congxin was ultimately an outsider who required careful choice of words. Even if he had known her first, an outsider was still an outsider.

So on the road back to Youzhou, a rather peculiar situation formed – Commander Shen and the young marquis rode side by side in front, leading the way. Both men held significant positions and had numerous attendants, making the procession stretch very long, appearing as grand as an imperial tour.

Baoxian lifted the window curtain to look out. “What are they doing?”

Qingyuan shook her head, indicating she couldn’t answer.

“This is good though – with Commander Shen and Third Young Master escorting Miss home together, who would dare trouble Miss now?” Baoxian lowered the curtain and smiled gently. “Miss has finally seen the end of her hardships.”

The end of hardships? Qingyuan pondered these words before giving a bitter smile – it was still far, far too distant. The current bustle was like New Year’s fireworks, bursting forth with all their might, burning up a whole year’s brilliance, but what remained after everyone dispersed? Just cold ashes scattered on the ground.

Baoxian had accompanied her for half a year now, and through their daily interactions, understood her temperament well. If the Fourth Miss were as imprudent as the Second Miss, she would likely be the first of the four sisters to marry. Marrying early didn’t necessarily mean marrying well – a girl couldn’t choose her birth circumstances, but she still had some say in choosing a husband. Fourth Miss was someone who always maintained clarity of mind. Even if she appeared to be highly sought after, she wouldn’t lose her head over it. Baoxian had worried she might become lost, worried she would focus solely on choosing between these two men, but now it seemed such concerns were unnecessary.

“It’s just a pity that after causing such a commotion this time, we couldn’t catch the Madam’s wrongdoing,” Baoxian sighed regretfully. “Thinking about it now, it was so dangerous – if not for Commander Shen, we’d probably be spirits under the blade by now.”

Qingyuan remained silent for a long while, her thumb gently rubbing the ivory handle of her round fan. After some time, she said: “If not this time, there will be a next time. Though we haven’t openly broken ties, everyone knows what’s what – it’s just a matter of who can keep their composure longer. But since this incident has alarmed the Court of the Imperial Regalia, Madam must have some concerns. She’ll probably stay quiet for now, but what happens after some time passes, who knows? I thought carefully about it last night – using external major issues to settle inner chamber matters, the setup was too grand, involving too many people, and something could go wrong anywhere. Inner chamber matters should be resolved within the inner chambers. Has Madam made no mistakes in all these years as head of the household?” As she spoke, she smiled again, “Even if she hasn’t made any mistakes, in such a large household with so many people and such great expenses, how can anyone guarantee every courtyard is peaceful? Don’t you think?”

Baoxian looked at her mistress, feeling inexplicably reassured. Indeed, a matriarch of several decades had become quite skilled – if she were so easily caught out, she wouldn’t have kept concubines Lian and Mei in such submissive positions for so many years. Though Madam Hu’s fence was tightly woven, her children might not be so impeccable in all ways. Fourth Miss had plenty of time – she was the youngest of seven siblings. Being the youngest meant she had witnessed more: the Second Miss was to be betrothed, the First Master was facing the autumn imperial examinations, the First Mistress had just conceived, and the First Master’s junior concubine had just arrived…

Baoxian showed a knowing smile, raising her hand to slowly fan her mistress. The fragrant breeze from beneath the fan was pleasant, and Qingyuan enjoyed it, rubbing her eyes and saying: “I’m sleepy…”

The day was long, and the gentle swaying of the carriage induced drowsiness after a while. Baoxian let her lean against herself, and Fourth Miss obediently nestled against her shoulder. Outside the carriage, the sunlight was warm, and her fine, smooth bangs covered her forehead, just hiding those curved eyebrows. Such a fragile and dependent child, forced to scheme and plot – it wasn’t her fault, but rather the fault of the Xie family’s many injustices.

From the capital to Youzhou was not a short journey after all. It was nearly nightfall when the group arrived at the gates of the Xie residence.

In Huifang Garden, the Old Madam had almost lost hope. After waiting an entire day, people sent out returned batch after batch – one moment reporting they had inquired at every paper goods shop in the city without anyone seeing Fourth Miss, the next saying they found bloodstains on the road to Bijin Temple, a large patch as if someone had bled out their entire body’s worth of blood into the reeds by the roadside. The Old Madam sat in the shaded area, her expression as dark as the clouds, though within that gloom floated a trace of guilt as she murmured: “Had I known it would come to this, it would have been better not to bring her back then. Four girls have been in our family for half a year, and in this half year, I, her grandmother, have wronged her quite a bit… quite a bit indeed. For her father’s matters, the child running back and forth, exposing herself to the public… thinking of it now, I’ve truly failed her.”

The women of the inner chambers were already preparing to begin crying. The wives of Xie Xun and Xie Min from the east and west compounds had received the news and come to wait as well. No matter whether someone was well-liked while alive, once they departed hastily, it always sparked countless regrets and yearnings.

Madam Jiang dabbed at her tears, making insinuations: “Poor Four girl, motherless from childhood – though the Chen family loved her, there was still that layer of distance by blood, how attentive could they be! Later when she returned to her ancestral family, though the ancestors accepted her, the living people never truly did. Good food and clothes never reached her, even good marriages had to prioritize others first.”

Madam Jiang had always been an unlikeable character in the Xie family. She spoke whatever was on her mind without restraint, and though others ostracized her, they could do nothing about her.

If it were any other time, the Old Madam would certainly have silenced her, but today she felt Madam Jiang’s words weren’t wrong. If Four Girl had truly met with misfortune, that little concubine’s daughter would no longer be just a little girl curled up in the inner chambers – whether she became a god or ghost, she would be something to fear.

Qingru was filled with righteous indignation at Madam Jiang’s veiled criticism and was about to burst out, but Qingrong quietly pulled at her sleeve, and she reluctantly swallowed her words. Very well, why should the living argue with the dead – anything said now would be like firing arrows after the battle. If it weren’t improper to quarrel in such circumstances, she would very much like to remind Madam Jiang – when they were first going to bring Four Girl back, who was it that kept calling her a coffin-bearer? Now that the person was gone, she came to play at being merciful – truly a mouth with two lips, free to speak as she pleased.

Qinghe, being close friends with Qingyuan, truly didn’t want Qingyuan to meet such an end. She and her mother had discussed privately in Hanxiang Hall – everything had been fine, yet she encountered bandits right when Madam sent her to Bijin Temple. If speaking of coincidence, it seemed too coincidental, but without evidence, such words couldn’t be spoken. Qinghe glanced at Madam Hu, then at the Old Madam, “Grandmother, we haven’t found the person yet – it’s too early for such mournful talk. We should send more people to search the nearby towns and villages, we might still find news of her.”

Madam Hu dabbed at her burning eyes – her handkerchief had wiped them too many times, and even without tears, they couldn’t bear more rubbing. Without waiting for the Old Madam to speak, she let out a long sigh, “We must keep searching, and we’ve sent out all the people we can spare, but the person has been missing for a day and night – I fear the worst. Moreover, a young girl, encountering such a thing…”

What couldn’t happen in a day and night? To put it bluntly, better not to return than to return. How could the Xie family accommodate an unchaste girl? If word spread, the entire family would lose face.

This was the choice of a noble family – the family’s reputation was far more important than a single life. At this point, she had spoken what most people were thinking – now they weren’t hoping for good news, but rather for bad news.

They began lighting lamps in the courtyard, clusters of lanterns rising beneath the eaves, their silver-red gauze spilling pools of rouge-colored light across the ground.

Suddenly, footsteps came from the outside corridor, the hurried succession causing everyone to shiver – there must be new news, but what kind? The worst would be identifying a body!

The Old Madam had almost rehearsed such a scene in her mind. Feeling guilty toward Qingyuan, if they needed to identify the body, this time she would go personally.

The servant’s rush shoes finally crossed the threshold, and everyone looked over eagerly. The Old Madam stood up and asked: “How is it?”

A broad smile suddenly bloomed on the servant’s face, a smile that seemed eerie and mocking in the lamplight. He cheerfully gave a salute, “Congratulations to the Old Madam, our Fourth Miss has returned!”