“Miss, the boat should be departing about now, shouldn’t it?” Bai He attended to Qiu Sanniang as she rose.

“It should be time.” Qiu Sanniang had just finished her midday rest. Her cloud-like hair was loosely scattered, her face bore a peach-blossom blush, her expression languid and beautiful.

On the very morning that Mo Zi had transformed into Brother Mo and left the mansion, Matchmaker Xie had come again, saying that Qiu Sanniang and Third Young Master Xiao’s horoscopes were a match made in heaven, and the betrothal had been formally settled. Not only the betrothal—Matchmaker Xie also said that because the capital was far away, the wedding day should best be set for the day Aunt Wei returned, so that with the Prince’s household escorts providing protection, the Qiu household could save some effort in the wedding procession. This way, there were only ten days left until the wedding.

Though Madam Zhang complained verbally about the haste, since it was something Lord Qiu had decided, if she obstructed further and the engagement was broken off, it would affect the Qiu household’s reputation. Considering her own younger daughter, she could now only swallow her anger and comply with everything.

“Where’s Lu Ju?” Slowly combing through her long hair, Qiu Sanniang asked.

“Ever since Miss returned and said we’d be leaving in ten days, she’s been clamoring to hurry and embroider the trousseau. Though she’s embroidered quite a lot these days, she also didn’t expect that when they said marriage, it would be marriage. She thought even if the engagement was set, the wedding wouldn’t be until year’s end. Honestly speaking, though this marriage is good, it’s just too rushed.” Bai He helped Qiu Sanniang with her hair. She was skilled in ten different areas—everything she did turned out well.

“I see that Aunt Wei came back this time with her mind made up to take one of us back.” Qiu Sanniang let Bai He manage her hair. “Long nights breed many dreams. Going together with the people from Prince Jing’s household will save worry. As for whether family escorts me or not, I don’t care.”

“That won’t do.” Bai He understood the household rules better than Qiu Sanniang. “If Miss doesn’t have natal family escort you, after you marry in, people will gossip. Best would be for your natal parents to escort you personally, but Master’s health isn’t good, and Madam, well… at the very least Fourth Master and Fifth Master should escort you—good or bad, they’re still brothers. Look at Fourth Madam and Fifth Madam—with natal family backing them up, even Madam has to curry favor with them.”

“Those two not only have plenty of natal family, they also have their natal mothers. A daughter with a mother, even after marrying out, is still the treasure in the palm and the pearl in hand. I have the empty title of eldest daughter, but if not for racking my brains this time, the match Madam Zhang would have found for me would probably just become something she’d mock me with in the future. Natal family backing me up? If in the future they don’t become bitter enemies, I’ll have to burn high incense and thank the Buddha. Gossip—if people want to talk, I can only pretend I don’t hear it. Otherwise, with my fourth brother running to the capital to seek flowers and ask willows, and my fifth brother going to Prince Jing’s household to pluck flowers and break grass—that would truly make it impossible for me to be a person.” Qiu Sanniang understood her own family members deeply.

“Miss, should the wedding quilt be embroidered with flowers or mandarin ducks?” Lu Ju ran in, still holding an embroidery needle threaded with thread in her hand.

“Mandarin ducks are too vulgar. Flowers are the same. How about embroidering landscapes?” Qiu Sanniang enjoyed being unconventional.

“Miss?! Who has wedding quilts embroidered with landscapes?” Lu Ju was dumbfounded.

“Embroider lotus flowers and lotus pods, the kind from late summer entering autumn—the auspicious meaning of bearing noble sons early.” Bai He also vetoed Qiu Sanniang’s suggestion.

“That’s good. Miss, rest assured—I guarantee it won’t look the least bit vulgar.” Lu Ju’s embroidery lay not only in exquisite technique, but the embroidery patterns she designed were also quite extraordinary.

Lu Ju had already stepped across the threshold with one foot, then drew it back. “Miss, with Mo Zi gone these days, if Fourth Madam asks, what do we say?”

“Say the same as before—Mo Zi has adoptive relatives in a neighboring county and went home to visit the sick. If she asks further, push it to me and have her come ask me.” Qiu Sanniang hadn’t set this matter aside in her heart. To win Mo Zi’s loyalty, she had to help her resolve this thorny matter, otherwise in the future when she asked her to handle affairs, she definitely wouldn’t give her wholehearted effort.

“What does Miss plan to do?” Bai He was very worried. The small mole at the corner of her mouth moved inward with her lips. “I keep feeling that Fourth Madam is still manageable, but Madam won’t easily let us return her.”

“Fourth Madam’s side also isn’t easy to fool.” In Qiu Sanniang’s view, if the Qiu household could endure, Fourth Madam should be the one in charge.

“Then what can be done?” Lu Ju became somewhat flustered, clutching her needle, drawing her foot back again. “Miss, surely you won’t really let Mo Zi become a concubine?”

“…” Qiu Sanniang’s personality was such that the more anxious others were, the less anxious she became. “Didn’t Mo Zi say being a concubine was quite good? What are you fretting about for nothing!” She laughed behind her hand.

“Miss, are you serious?” Lu Ju jumped backward in fright. “Then… then…” She couldn’t even finish her words.

“If this matter fell on you and Bai He, I’d be more nervous. I’m thinking that even if you marry out in the future, you should stay by my side as head stewardesses.” Qiu Sanniang spoke the truth.

“Miss, but what about Xiao Yi?” Lu Ju shifted from worrying about Mo Zi to worrying about Xiao Yi.

“Xiao Yi?” Qiu Sanniang laughed even more openly. “With her tree-climbing and wall-scaling skills, whoever has the ability to catch her can just take her away. Why would I need to worry?”

“What about Mo Zi?” Lu Ju breathed a sigh of relief, then held her breath again.

“Miss’s meaning is that Mo Zi is probably the same as Xiao Yi—she can resolve the matter herself. However, Miss, now that Mo Zi has left the gates, besides you, there’s no one else who can stand up for her.” Bai He wasn’t being modest—she and Lu Ju had special skills, but didn’t have that kind of wisdom.

“Bai He, you’ve been with me since childhood. You know what kind of person I am, don’t you?” She was a wicked person.

“Miss has a hard mouth but soft heart—just a bit more mischievous than others, that’s all.” Bai He respectfully answered.

“Just a bit more mischievous?” Qiu Sanniang laughed heartily, that laughter completely unlike her usual propriety. “Bai He, you’re ultimately kind-hearted and can’t bear to speak ill of me. What kind of person I am, I know clearly in my heart. Though I was young at that time, when my mother spat out her last mouthful of blood, the words she said to me—I’ll never forget them. Women who steal men have hearts like snakes and scorpions, and she told me never to show mercy to such women. These years, I’ve followed Father traveling the four directions, letting Madam Zhang and the others manage the inner quarters, only because I didn’t want to become a woman like them. But you’ve seen my methods in competing for business—as long as it’s a deal I want to make, regardless of right or wrong, I must make it happen. I dare to smuggle goods, I hold national law in contempt. Because I understand that though I’m greedy for wealth, I’m not greedy at heart. The love and affection of this world is the most poisonous flower.”

“Miss is a good person.” Lu Ju’s face flushed red with urgency. “No matter what you say about yourself, Lu Ju still thinks so.” Her life was given by Qiu Sanniang.

“I’m not a good person, and I don’t want to be a good person. I just want to be myself, doing as I please, doing what I want to do, saying what I want to say. Mo Zi—she’s different from all of you, but she’s the same as me. I can see that one day, she’ll spread her wings and fly high. I ask you—even if she will leave, do you still want me to help her?” Qiu Sanniang truly said what she wanted to say.

Bai He and Lu Ju exchanged glances. Finally Bai He spoke. “Miss, Mo Zi is also a good person. After getting along for most of this year, if she weren’t of one mind with us, we could tell. Miss is also right—Mo Zi is different from us few. As for whether she’s like Miss or not, our eyes are dull and we really can’t say. But Mo Zi has done so much for us, and now she needs us—we can’t just stand by with folded arms. Miss, as long as you give the order, we’re willing to do our part.”

Qiu Sanniang said, “Since you say to help, then I’ll help. Just remember—let this wicked person deal with wicked people. Don’t blame me later for being too ruthless. I’m not like Mo Zi who proceeds step by steady step wanting everyone to have a good ending. I do things focusing only on results, not caring about other things.”

Bai He and Lu Ju listened with hearts trembling, not knowing what methods Qiu Sanniang would employ.

“Go fetch Xiao Yi for me.” Qiu Sanniang gave the order. “There’s not much time, but there are still many things to do.”

A great wind rose. A light boat entered the river. Waves surged turbulently.