Nanny Liang kept her lips sealed tight, and this matter truly didn’t leak out.

After the Lantern Festival, the nephew young masters entered Shantang Academy to study diligently. Ninth Brother also worked hard at the family school. With fewer visitors calling, the Grand Madam gradually recovered.

A letter also arrived from the Xu family. In her letter, Madam Xu cursed furiously, saying Duke Pingguo was making trouble and had trapped Xu Fengjia at the front lines as a consequence. She was so worried she couldn’t sleep night after night.

The Grand Madam found it amusing and used it as conversation material, joking with the children of the main courtyard. “This is the problem with military families—Fengjia has to rough it at the front lines at such a young age… Ninth Brother, taking the imperial examinations is more peaceful, isn’t it?”

Ninth Brother just rolled his eyes and refused to answer, provoking laughter from everyone.

With the Grand Madam recovered, the young misses were also liberated.

Though Third Miss, Fourth Miss, and Sixth Miss didn’t need to attend the sickbed at the main courtyard, with their legitimate mother ill, it wasn’t proper to go out and play. They could only sit quietly indoors.

Now that the Grand Madam’s health had recovered, the young misses quickly seized the remainder of their holiday to frolic inside and outside Baifang Garden.

Seventh Miss also frequently visited Moon-Arrival Hall and Little Xiangxue to play with Fifth Miss and Sixth Miss.

Her trips in and out of Baifang Garden increased.

Several times, she only came running out of Moon-Arrival Hall just as the first watch was beginning, barely catching up with Nanny Li’s footsteps as she locked the gate.

After a few days of this, everyone inside and outside the main courtyard had grown accustomed to seeing Seventh Miss coming and going from Baifang Garden.

On the twenty-seventh of the first month, the Grand Madam finally recovered completely. She rallied her spirits and dispatched Nanny Wang, Nanny Liang, and a group of steward nannies to calculate accounts and check New Year gifts in her room, and also arrange the guest list for the spring wine banquet to be held after the new season began.

Seventh Miss brought Lixia into Baifang Garden.

It was just past noon. Everyone in the Yang household had the habit of afternoon naps. The garden was utterly quiet, without a single person in sight.

Though this winter couldn’t be called cold, there was still some chill in the air. Ordinary maids and servants didn’t like moving about outdoors once winter arrived, mostly preferring to huddle indoors warming themselves by the braziers.

A drift of plum blossom fragrance wafted from the direction of Little Xiangxue, faintly accompanied by the laughter of young women, echoing like silver bells above the plum grove.

Sixth Miss had taken people to swing again.

That swing outside Little Xiangxue truly had brought Sixth Miss endless delight.

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but smile.

Passing by Light Crimson Pavilion, Seventh Miss involuntarily halted her steps.

Several early peach blossoms at Light Crimson Pavilion were budding, ready to bloom.

In the sparse, well-arranged peach grove, a pink wall stood solitary. The plaque under the eaves of the main hall could faintly be seen—the four characters “Crimson Like Rain” were half-hidden, half-visible, obscured by the peach blossoms within the courtyard.

Inside and outside the garden were immersed in tranquility. The laughter from Little Xiangxue only made the area before Light Crimson Pavilion seem more peaceful.

On the other side of the path, across Ten Thousand Flowers Stream, Huansha Pavilion stood in the distance, its doors and windows also tightly closed, without a sound.

Seventh Miss gave Lixia a push.

“Go!” she said in a low, urgent voice. “You can climb over, can’t you?”

Light Crimson Pavilion sat low, with artificial mountains behind it. It would be easy to climb over the courtyard wall from the mountains.

Once inside the courtyard, entering the building would be simple… The night-watch servants now often played cards and drank on the ground floor of Light Crimson Pavilion—also at the Grand Madam’s suggestion, wanting to bring more human presence to Light Crimson Pavilion.

With people coming and going frequently, inevitably there would be windows not quite closed or doors left ajar…

Lixia calmly nodded and quickly disappeared behind Light Crimson Pavilion, entering the artificial mountains.

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but feel her heart racing.

If someone discovered them now, it would require much explanation… Though they could certainly find a reason to get through, it would still be troublesome.

Her plan would have to be suspended.

She pretended to admire the flower buds, half-leaning against a large blue stone, staring at the peach trees in a daze.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard light footsteps.

Seventh Miss nearly jumped up.

Turning around, she saw it was Shuxia bringing a small maid, slowly pacing over along the path.

“Seventh Miss.”

“Twelfth Concubine.”

Both were somewhat surprised, and both exchanged greetings.

Seventh Miss asked with concern, “Why did Twelfth Concubine think to come out for a walk at this time?”

“The one in my belly gets restless after I eat every day, moving around… I always need to walk to feel comfortable.” Twelfth Concubine stopped to greet Seventh Miss. “And why is Seventh Miss standing here in a daze?”

“Oh, I found these early peach blossoms lovely and unconsciously became absorbed in looking at them.” Seventh Miss had to bring out her excuse.

Since she was just absorbed in looking at early peach blossoms, it wouldn’t be good to continue looking.

Yet it wouldn’t be good to walk far away either… lest Lixia come out and not see anyone, becoming panicked and exposing their scheme.

Seventh Miss thought of another past matter.

Speaking of which, the three sisters always went everywhere together. Seventh Miss truly rarely encountered Shuxia alone.

This matter had also been weighing on her mind for some time.

Somehow, she had just never wanted to understand it…

She thought again of Quan Zhongbai’s words. “It’s a wound carved by a silver implement—gold is sour, silver is bitter…”

“Is Twelfth Concubine returning to Huansha Pavilion?” She naturally walked with Shuxia toward Ten Thousand Flowers Stream.

“Yes.” Shuxia’s eyes curved in a smile.

These three sisters were originally delicate and gentle in appearance. Since becoming pregnant, Shuxia had developed even more of a touching, pitiful grace.

Seventh Miss smiled and instructed the small maid, “Please go to Little Xiangxue and see if Sixth Miss is swinging… If so, ask her if she’d like to go to Moon-Arrival Hall together to play with Fifth Sister. Whether she agrees or not, go to Moon-Arrival Hall to find Sister Guyu and tell her I’m going to find Fifth Sister to play backgammon… see if Fifth Sister has woken from her nap yet. I’ll be at Huansha Pavilion talking with your mistress. I won’t go far.”

Returning from Moon-Arrival Hall to Huansha Pavilion wouldn’t require passing Light Crimson Pavilion.

The small maid looked at Shuxia.

Shuxia urgently prompted, “Go quickly! Would you dare treat Seventh Miss’s words as nothing?”

Seventh Miss took the small maid’s place, supporting Shuxia as they slowly walked toward Huansha Pavilion.

“If Seventh Miss has anything to instruct, please speak freely.” It was Shuxia who first broke the silence.

She smiled with curved eyes, her face full of pure innocence.

Seventh Miss looked at her smiling face, momentarily stunned.

Not even twenty years old yet!

At such a young age, already the Master’s bed-warming concubine…

However, she truly didn’t dare underestimate Shuxia.

Among these three sisters, in terms of beauty and capability, it was this youngest sister who excelled.

“I wanted to ask you about something from two or three years ago.” Seventh Miss said with a smile.

From beginning to end, Shuxia was merely a witness to this matter. The whole affair had no stake or connection to Shuxia’s interests.

If she asked, Shuxia should tell the truth, right? In the matter of being elevated to a proper concubine, she had solidly done these three sisters a favor.

Shuxia indeed smiled. “So it’s this matter… Why has Seventh Miss suddenly thought of this incident from so many years ago?”

“Didn’t we receive a letter from Third Aunt a few days ago?” Seventh Miss remained composed as she and Shuxia crossed the small bamboo bridge over Ten Thousand Flowers Stream side by side. “Saying Cousin Xu is fighting at the front lines… It suddenly reminded me of this matter.”

Shuxia smiled and nodded, though one couldn’t tell whether she believed it or not.

“For this matter, you really can only ask me.”

For some reason, Shuxia’s eyes held some emotions that were unclear and indescribable.

“At that time I happened to be watching the scenery in front of Huansha Pavilion. You know this. When you and Sixth Miss passed by, we even exchanged a few words…”

Mentioning the past, wisps of a smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

As if what had happened then wasn’t a tragic incident, but something amusing.

“It was quite coincidental too. Less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense later, the young cousin master and Fifth Miss came into the garden, talking and laughing together. I still remember the young cousin master was playing with that small knife in his hand, glinting brightly in the sunlight, making one’s heart flutter with unease. As he walked, he talked with Fifth Miss, saying ‘This knife was purchased at great expense from a Japanese craftsman’s hands, incomparably sharp’… As he spoke, they both laughed and gradually walked up the artificial mountain, looking quite harmonious, just like blood siblings, warm and affectionate.”

“Just then, a person walked out from the direction of Light Crimson Pavilion. The appearance resembled Seventh Miss, but wearing different clothes. I wondered privately why Seventh Miss was wearing such an ill-fitting short jacket. Though at first glance it seemed fine, upon closer inspection one could tell it was a whole size too large. Could it be that Seventh Miss had soiled her skirt somewhere and had no choice but to borrow this outfit?”

At that time, both Seventh Miss and Ninth Brother were still young and hadn’t grown up. When Seventh Miss wore men’s clothing, it was difficult to distinguish male from female—even Second Madam could barely tell them apart.

“It just so happened that the young cousin master was also walking toward Light Crimson Pavilion. The two met face to face. The young cousin master laughed and asked, ‘Why are you also touring the garden? Yang Qi, normally you seem quite dull and don’t much frequent Baifang Garden.'”

“Fifth Miss smiled and said, ‘Yes, Yang Qi, why do you have such leisure?’ The young cousin master then teased Fifth Miss, ‘Learning nothing good, you’ve learned our men’s coarseness, calling everyone by name.'”

“Ninth Brother just smiled without speaking. The young cousin master seemed a bit angry and said, ‘Not acknowledging me? Oh right, you’re not afraid of heights, not afraid of fire, not afraid of water… But you must be afraid of knives, right?’ As he spoke, he played with that gleaming dagger and approached Ninth Brother.”

Shuxia stood still in front of Huansha Pavilion, squinting contentedly at the sunlight. “The young cousin master drew closer and closer. Ninth Brother’s face showed some alarm. Seeing this, the young cousin master laughed even more. With his back to Fifth Miss and me, we could only hear his laughter. Ah, Seventh Miss, having lived long in this deep household, I rarely heard such open, hearty laughter. For a moment I thought of those times back in our home village.”

Seventh Miss slowly bit down on her lower lip.

She understood what Shuxia meant.

“While talking, the young cousin master spun the dagger in his hand like a wheel. At times, he thrust the dagger toward Ninth Brother. Across a small stream, I couldn’t see clearly what he was doing. Probably, he was slowly wiping the blade with his fingers near Ninth Brother’s side, meaning to frighten him somewhat.”

“But Ninth Brother was very angry. He pushed the young cousin master’s shoulder and tried to leave. The young cousin master laughed, turning sideways to block Ninth Brother, saying ‘If you don’t admit defeat, you can’t leave—Yang Qi, what did I say? Sooner or later, I’ll make you admit defeat to—'”

Shuxia smiled again with pursed lips. “I found the young cousin master’s words quite interesting and was pondering them when he suddenly cried out loudly. The sound was full of pain, and his right hand flicked, blood flying out. Fifth Miss and I were both startled. Fifth Miss rushed forward, but the young cousin master called out, ‘Don’t come closer! Be careful not to hurt yourself!’ At the same time, he coaxed gently, ‘Give me the knife—be careful not to hurt yourself!'”

“Fifth Miss and I were both afraid something would happen. We quickly approached but didn’t dare get too close, fearing we’d be accidentally injured by the blade in the struggle. We only saw the young cousin master and Ninth Brother grappling with each other. The young cousin master’s hand bled profusely, dripping everywhere. While struggling, the young cousin master shouted, ‘Are you mad? Yang Qi? What’s wrong with you? Have you gone mad? Hurting me? Aren’t you afraid of your mother…'”

“Later, I don’t know what happened, but Ninth Brother suddenly gave a muffled grunt. Then came two crisp sounds as both the knife and a small silver scissors fell to the ground. The young cousin master stood still, panting continuously, then bent down to check on Ninth Brother’s condition. Fifth Miss was so frightened she cried, asking through her tears, ‘What happened? Why did Seventh Sister suddenly go mad? Are you both alright?'”

Even though Seventh Miss had imagined several possibilities for the scene before Huansha Pavilion back then, the truth still left her dumbstruck, unable to speak for a long time.

Shuxia smiled at Seventh Miss’s astonishment, her smile carrying deeper meaning. “While drawing in cold air, the young cousin master said, ‘It’s nothing, not a big deal, nothing was injured.’ But blood kept dripping from between his fingers. No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like nothing.”

Seventh Miss also drew in a light breath, asking involuntarily, “Was he truly unharmed?”

A cunning smile appeared on Shuxia’s face. “That I didn’t see… In any case, the young cousin master never later mentioned his hand injury, did he?”

“Fifth Miss went to check on Ninth Brother and cried out, ‘Seventh Sister, your face! Your face!'”

Shuxia’s tone gradually grew more solemn.

“For a moment, none of us spoke. Ninth Brother touched his cheek, touching a hand full of blood, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted. The young cousin master panted a few times, raised his head and said resentfully, ‘What possessed this wretched girl to go so mad!’ I hurriedly went forward to check Ninth Brother’s breathing. Fortunately, he had only fainted from fright. We urgently began arranging to carry Ninth Brother into Huansha Pavilion. Fifth Miss cried while asking the young cousin master, ‘Why did Seventh Miss suddenly go mad?’ Her hands were covered in blood, looking rather frightening.”

“Hearing this, the young cousin master bent down to pick up that small scissors and threw it into Ten Thousand Flowers Stream. He glared at Fifth Miss and me, saying, ‘Remember this: when I was teasing Seventh Cousin with the knife, I accidentally cut her and also injured myself!'” Shuxia smiled at Seventh Miss again. “At the time I didn’t know why the young cousin master said this, but I didn’t dare disobey his words. Later, I figured it out… The young cousin master’s status is precious. If I had truthfully recounted the events, the one punished would likely have been ‘Seventh Miss.’ Seventh Miss, do you think I reasoned correctly?”

Seventh Miss opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Though Xu Fengjia’s account back then was euphemistic, it actually amounted to admitting he was the instigator who provoked trouble and escalated play into a bloody incident.

But if the truth was like this, right and wrong were truly hard to judge.

Xu Fengjia certainly shouldn’t have wielded a knife to frighten Ninth Brother, but Ninth Brother… how could Ninth Brother’s actions be called beyond reproach?

Especially since, for Xu Fengjia at the time, the one who stabbed him was the concubine-born Seventh Miss… When such a conflict arose between a concubine’s daughter and a legitimate son…

No wonder he had been so astonished when he learned the injured party wasn’t himself but Ninth Brother!

Given Ninth Brother’s status, he had no need to take all the blame… How could the Grand Madam bear to punish Ninth Brother? Even if the Grand Madam could bear it, the Master wouldn’t!

Seventh Miss gently shook her head, giving up on guessing Xu Fengjia’s intentions for shouldering the blame.

It had already been several years. Perhaps he had long forgotten about this matter.

However, since Shuxia was willing to candidly reveal the past, it added a few more chances of success to her plan.

…But Ninth Brother…

She truly didn’t know what this child was thinking!

Entering Light Crimson Pavilion and putting on Third Concubine’s old clothes made him think he could claim to be a girl?

However, someone must have been helping Ninth Brother behind the scenes… otherwise how could he have arranged his hair in a girl’s style by himself?

Unfortunately, the people around Ninth Brother had been changed several times over, and the child still refused to reveal the truth of this matter…

Forget it. The more mysteries, the better for manipulation. Sometimes, what use was knowing the truth? Wouldn’t one still need to cover the simplest, clearest logical relationship with layer upon layer of false appearances?

You bullied my sister, so I must take revenge on you.

Ninth Brother’s motive was nothing more than this one sentence. Even if he never said it explicitly, how could Seventh Miss not know? How could the Grand Madam fail to guess?

Regardless of right or wrong, unrelated to principles—just a child’s most basic protective instinct.

And precisely this sentence could never be revealed.

A child raised for ten years, thinking not of the gratitude for being raised, but of his twin sister.

For his twin sister’s small grievance, not hesitating to scheme against his cousin…

How could such a child make the Grand Madam feel at ease, trusting he wouldn’t one day, upon gaining power, issue orders at will? So young yet already so calculating—who knew what unseemly schemes he harbored in his heart…

Those past events between the Grand Madam and Ninth Concubine might now seem like water flowing under the bridge, but what about when Ninth Brother came to power? Would they be dredged up for reckoning…

Given the Grand Madam’s suspicious nature, how could she not develop misgivings from this and begin doubting and guarding against her adopted son?

Perhaps she was also pained that she had never truly seen through Ninth Brother.

When all was said and done, it was still Seventh Miss who hadn’t handled things well, making Ninth Brother think she was a pushover…

She let out a long breath, burying her helplessness deep in her heart.

She smiled and showed concern for Shuxia. “You’ve been standing for a while. You should go inside and rest. I’ll take my leave first?”

Shuxia also smiled and thanked Seventh Miss. “Seventh Miss, please visit often… All three of us sisters remember your kindness.”

Seventh Miss had already done two favors for these three sisters, near and far.

Seventh Miss returned the courtesy. “Twelfth Concubine must also take care of your health and give us Yang family more brothers and sisters.”

Shuxia stroked her belly and sighed. “I don’t know if I can keep it… These past days my lower back and abdomen have been aching faintly…” Thinking of Seventh Miss’s status, she quickly stopped herself. “Thank you for your kind words, Seventh Miss!”

The two parted ways in front of Huansha Pavilion. Seventh Miss turned and crossed the small bamboo bridge, returning to the path before Light Crimson Pavilion.

Only after seeing Shuxia enter Huansha Pavilion in the distance did she call out in a low voice, “Come out!”

Lixia’s head popped out from around the wall corner.

Unhurried, fastening her belt as she emerged from the small peach grove.

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but smile. “I have to hand it to you for thinking of that.”

Though Baifang Garden did have separate privies, they were ultimately far from Light Crimson Pavilion.

If one suddenly felt an urgent need while walking here and relieved oneself in a corner, though inelegant, it wasn’t a major matter.

It was clever of Lixia to think of using this excuse as cover.

Lixia also returned Seventh Miss a smile.

Compared to her forced composure when delivering the jade flower, she could now be called utterly unperturbed.

“How did it go?” Seventh Miss asked.

Lixia smiled without speaking, slightly nodding her head.

Neither spoke further. Instead, they took the bluestone path toward Little Xiangxue.