Bai He watched from the gate. Before the carriage wheels, Mo Zi sat on the shaft with her feet swaying lightly. The man said to be her sworn elder brother stood gracefully in the wind. Both were looking at a golden invitation, occasionally whispering a few words to each other. That woman who often kept her eyes lowered in the residence—she had known she was different from the maids including herself, but only today discovered how strikingly beautiful she truly was. Compared to Qiu Sanniang, she was every bit as impressive, if not more so. Even standing beside that extremely noble man, her bearing didn’t yield in the slightest—she was equally dazzling.
Bai He lowered her head and spread out her palms, gazing at them absently. She and Mo Zi were the same—both had a skill. Did that mean she too could have such confident radiance and live a flavorful life outside? Thinking this, she immediately shook her head, casting off such absurd thoughts. For over ten years, her wellbeing had depended on Qiu Sanniang’s wellbeing. Regarding the road she must now walk alone, she was completely at a loss. Marriage? That terrified her even more. She only wanted to return to Qiu Sanniang’s side. Matched to a manservant would be fine, never marrying for life would be fine—at least her heart would be settled.
“This will take some grinding.” Mo Zi had glanced many times in Bai He’s direction during the intervals. “Some people hope their master will release them early. Some hope to grow old in a grand mansion. Bai He belongs to the latter—without Qiu Sanniang, it’s as if she’s lost the axle she revolves around, not knowing where to go from here.”
Yuan Cheng had no interest in looking at others even once, only saying, “Those hoping to leave are mostly male servants. Those hoping to stay are mostly maids. It’s not easy for women to survive outside, which is why you dress as a man. Why does your employer want to release her? Since she herself is willing, just let her stay.”
“Because she believes she can live better outside than inside, and she’s not an ordinary maid. Just watch—once she gradually adapts, her skills with food will conquer countless people, from palate to soul, controlling everything.” After just one meal prepared by Bai He, those at Hongyu began inquiring about the new cook. Some even peeked into the kitchen and were immediately struck with admiration.
“So to speak, even more formidable than you.” Yuan Cheng spoke casually, focused intently on the flower-viewing invitation. The blank interior, the golden flowers—on the surface it only showed the invited person’s name and the time of the flower banquet. What had he missed?
Seeing his concentration, Mo Zi also hurried to help think, turning the invitation over and over, suggesting various guesses.
“The residence has not even servants—it shouldn’t be that those people from last time captured him.”
“In the Jin residence, from outside to inside, servants—” Yuan Cheng moved his fingers. “Five.”
“Five?” In total?
“At least on the surface.” Which is why Jin Yin was called a miser. “Each person holds multiple positions, calculated as one person’s expenses.”
Grandet—everyone could only sigh, not criticize. The money was his own; whether to spend it was his own business. Rather, what were people getting all worked up about, staring at others’ pockets? Therefore, she wouldn’t comment on Young Master Jin’s spending habits.
“A blank invitation—could it be an empty fort stratagem? Playing tricks on people. It’s all because you made him waste a trip to West Mountain last time. He’s taking revenge on us.” This seemed reasonable.
“He would trick me, but not you—” Yuan Cheng’s dark pupils suddenly brightened. “Let me see your invitation.”
“Aren’t they the same?” That said, she handed him the invitation.
Yuan Cheng looked twice and smiled. “I knew he was tricking me, not you. Come, let’s go to Hundred Flowers Garden.”
Mo Zi jumped down and snatched back the invitation. “Wait, your current behavior clearly indicates I’m dumber than you. If you don’t explain clearly, I’m not quite convinced. Where did you see the three characters ‘Hundred Flowers Garden’?”
Yuan Cheng opened the inside of the invitation and pointed. “Bai is interchangeable with bai meaning ‘hundred.’ The petals represent the character for ‘flower.’ This large circle is the garden.”
Mo Zi saw the faintly gray circle on the blank space, almost invisible. “I thought it was a natural paper grain.” Taking Yuan Cheng’s invitation to look, seeing only a smooth blank white surface, she was immediately dumbfounded. “What place is Hundred Flowers Garden?”
“Hundred Flowers Garden isn’t far from here—we can arrive in a quarter-hour. It’s the capital’s famous garden, the best flower-viewing place. In winter there’s hardly any business. Reserving the entire garden isn’t expensive either—saves him silver and has more dignity than his vulgarly ostentatious mansion.” Yuan Cheng boarded his carriage and extended his hand to Mo Zi. “When you see him, remember to scold him. I guess he was too self-assured, thinking you could understand the riddle inside, never expecting you hadn’t even heard of Hundred Flowers Garden, so how could you figure it out?”
Mo Zi grasped his hand and stepped up into the carriage. “So he just wanted you to come up empty?” The fool’s invitation wasn’t foolish—it deceived two very clever people.
Yuan Cheng told Huayi and Zan Jin to go to Hundred Flowers Garden. The carriage and horses all began moving.
Mo Zi saw Bai He, A’Yue, and A’Hao board the carriage they’d come in, and only half a beat later examined how she’d ended up in Yuan Cheng’s carriage, wanting to get down.
“Brother Mo is dressed as a man today, so it’s better not to share a carriage with Miss Bai He. Since you want to select a good marriage for her, her origins and status can be reinvented, but reputation can’t withstand turmoil. With Young Master Jin’s trick, just now when Miss Bai He emerged from your carriage, only I saw it—that’s fortunate. If it were at Hundred Flowers Garden with so many eyes watching, most would assume Bai He was your person. Who would then properly want to marry her?” Yuan Cheng sat properly in one corner.
This carriage was very large, with a table placed inside and quite a few books. Mo Zi was to Yuan Cheng’s side, with at least two meters distance between them. Moreover, what he said made sense, so she no longer insisted on changing carriages.
One person, one book—the journey was peaceful.
Mo Zi considered herself not a person of great joy or great anger. Her previous life had been quite smooth and comfortable. After her father retired, he became a people’s policeman, her mother was a financial accountant. She grew up carefree, and aside from being studious and loving ships, didn’t delve into other things. When she encountered the nuclear submarine disaster, she hadn’t yet had time for a romance. Meeting that person in Great Qiu, she had fully displayed the modern soul’s positive and enterprising attitude toward love. However, after being deceived of both talent and feelings, she no longer held naive fantasies about love. Women should be self-reliant—even in ancient times, it was the same. Avoiding the inner palace and household domain where she was clumsy and suffered painfully, she had already determined to make her living from water. This determination wouldn’t change because she came to like someone.
Some say women transform through heartbreak.
Having personally experienced it, she agreed with this saying. Otherwise, facing Yuan Cheng, she would be like an ignorant and naive girl, unhesitatingly consuming the honey he offered, becoming thoroughly flustered, investing wholeheartedly, only to end in complete defeat.
Who was Yuan Cheng? A nation’s prime minister who could see through her female identity at a glance, who didn’t even look properly at beauties like Xiang Shiyi who actively threw themselves at him—this showed he was absolutely an old hand among myriad flowers, absolutely not someone she could contend with.
Therefore, even if she had feelings in her heart, she must remain calm and indifferent. Erring once was a mistake. Erring twice was asking for it. She now had a career in hand with nothing to worry about. To have a romance with an ancient man again? Sorry, this time please don’t cut in line—queue up at the back.
Hundred Flowers Garden arrived.
Getting down from the carriage, wow—while the Jin residence gate could catch sparrows, Hundred Flowers Garden’s entrance had a flowing stream of carriages and horses. Though she and Yuan Cheng had delayed quite some time, clearly they still weren’t the latest to arrive.
“Isn’t he very stingy? Inviting so many guests, reserving both the garden and the banquet—even in the off-season, it’s a large sum of silver.” He didn’t seem quite so Grandet-like after all. Mo Zi looked at those people alighting from carriages—men and women, old and young. Their common point was all were dressed exquisitely and magnificently, either wealthy or noble.
“This person absolutely doesn’t hold back when money should be spent.” To be fair, “Today he hosts guests, tomorrow the guests send him money. It’s not a losing business.”
“That money isn’t sent to him either, but deposited in his money house. When it matures, it must be returned, plus interest.” Why was it that when discussing this money house with Yuan Cheng and Jin Yin, she always felt the two seemed to take for granted treating others’ deposits as free food delivered to their door? Such thinking was dangerous!
Yuan Cheng was indifferent, already speaking of other things. “This month only begonia, narcissus, and camellia—such boring flowers are blooming. I wonder what fresh tricks your second brother has?”
“I’d say it’s gold flowers, silver flowers, gem flowers—just not real flowers.” Mo Zi was about to step over the threshold when suddenly a hand reached out from the doorside to grab her. Moving swiftly, she stepped back and conveniently pulled Yuan Cheng beside her to use as a shield.
That hand adorned with rubies and emeralds pinched Yuan Cheng’s arm several times. A cynically amused voice slipped out: “When did my third brother’s arm get so thick? Could it be that in my absence, you’ve been overeating?”
“You’re the one who’s overstuffed.” Yuan Cheng snorted coolly, grasping that exaggeratedly pinching hand and flinging it away. “Haven’t seen you for long, and those rings of yours are already embedded in flesh. What delicacies have you been eating? Bear paws?”
Mo Zi giggled. As long as she wasn’t the one being criticized, she very much enjoyed Yuan Cheng’s cool mockery within coldness, unscrupulousness within mockery, fundamentally wicked eloquence within unscrupulousness—it was truly excellent. Sometimes thinking about it, perhaps some kind of base nature was hidden in her character, suppressed by the so-called soldier’s peaked cap. Meeting selfish and self-interested people like Yuan Cheng and Jin Yin activated it.
Jin Yin made his appearance.
The yellow copper gleaming robe was so tacky it should have been awful, yet worn on him, it transcended the mortal realm. Not only not vulgar, but particularly suited him. So wasn’t there such a saying? People who look good look good in anything.
Coincidentally, he wore a similar hairstyle to Yuan Cheng, both tied in a single cluster, but Jin Yin used a gold clasp with two strings of pearls hanging down from his hair.
Suddenly discovering these two people—whether plain or fancy—actually paid great attention to their dress. If plain, it must be plain with distinction. If fancy, it must be magnificently fancy. Both quite loved showing off.
“My dear third little brother, not seeing you for several months—how can you be so cold? Could it be someone led you astray and made you lose your conscience? Had I known, no matter what precious treasure, I should have stayed in the capital.” Jin Yin’s speech rarely had serious moments.
“Sweet words are harmless—in any case, I won’t fall for your tricks.” According to Mo Zi’s observation, Jin Yin’s inner coldness rivaled Yuan Cheng’s. That brilliant exterior was entirely protective coloring. The more gold and glittering, the more empty and isolated within.
Jin Yin stopped smiling.
Once he put away his cynically amused expression, desolation and loneliness flowed out. So it wasn’t that he’d forgotten, but rather hidden it away.
Mo Zi sighed softly. This accidentally formed sworn brotherhood was truly right—three unlucky souls together.