Chu Linlang thought it over — judging by her brother-in-law’s unsightly expression just now, if she went to impose on her elder sister for lodging, she feared it would only put her elder sister in a difficult position. Better to find an inn first.

But it was so late, and the city was under curfew — it seemed someone was being hunted. Even if she knocked on a shop’s door, the shopkeeper would likely keep it shut to avoid trouble and refuse to take in a guest in the middle of the night…

Just then, Situ Sheng spoke up: “Have your coachman turn around and go around the corner — there’s the Jicui Lane just ahead. I have official duties tonight and won’t be returning, so you and your maids may stay at my place without worry.”

With that, he spurred his horse forward. Before leaving, he tossed out one more line: “The key is still in the same place. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d ask you to make me some breakfast…”

Without waiting for Chu Linlang to refuse, he had already galloped off with his people far into the distance.

Chu Linlang was both amused and exasperated by Situ Sheng’s casual presumption! What kind of host invited guests like this? Not only could she not stay for free — she had to make him breakfast?

But the whole city was in an uproar right now, and if she insisted on maintaining her dignity by avoiding any hint of impropriety, she truly would be spending the night on the streets.

She was no longer any household’s mistress now, and need not be quite so mindful of a woman’s reputation.

Besides, Situ Sheng was a man who kept entirely clear of women — he had not even deigned to show interest in the Xie Family’s daughter. Would he harbor ill intentions toward a woman like herself, whose reputation had been utterly ruined?

With this thought, Chu Linlang decided to go along with the sensible course of action, and instructed the coachman to make for Jicui Lane.

When they arrived at the gate, the copper key was indeed still beneath the stone slab. Once inside, with the lantern at the entrance lit up brightly, Xia He could not help but exclaim: “Heavens — only two days have passed, and the courtyard is already this messy again…”

The wooden bucket by the well still held the bowls and chopsticks from the meal they had eaten last time, left unwashed.

Evidently, since the last time Linlang had cooked a meal here, not a single fire had been lit in the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review’s home. Goodness knows how much this little manservant Guanqi’s monthly wages were — this lazy, he ought to be given a flogging!

As a guest, Chu Linlang was quite self-aware — with the master not at home, it was not fitting for her to enter the master’s bedchamber. She washed up briefly and settled into the side room to sleep.

Fortunately, she had bought a few bed frames last time, and this side room had one of them.

She had no trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds. And thankfully, the bedding on this one had only recently been laid out and had not yet been made rank by the two lazy men. She lay down, and before long, drowsiness quietly crept over her.

But as she turned on her side, she thought in a vague, half-dreaming way — how had the tortoise shell not given her a reading of displacement and homelessness when she set out this morning? Who could have thought that tonight she would end up sleeping in the bed of the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?

Just as Situ Sheng had said — neither he nor Guanqi returned all night.

Chu Linlang woke early. Blinking at the unfamiliar bed canopy, she suddenly recalled that Situ Sheng had asked her for breakfast, and hurriedly got up, dressed, and prepared to make the landlord a meal, by way of paying for her overnight lodging.

Once dressed, Linlang did not pause to wash up, but first took the rice jar to rinse the rice, then poured it into the iron pot — and used the rice-washing water to wash her face.

The two maids had also risen. One split firewood, while the other rummaged through the kitchen to see if a bachelor’s home might yield an egg or two.

Guanqi truly was a manservant enough to make one’s teeth ache. In the basket there was nothing left except the ingredients remaining from the vegetables they had bought last time.

Looking at the few items Dongxue had found, Chu Linlang decided to blanch the slightly wilted greens, then salt them lightly — passable enough to eat alongside porridge. Then, using the remaining two eggs, she would steam an egg custard with taro as a base. That should be enough for Lord Situ and Guanqi to eat.

This Lord Situ truly was miserly — a full fifth-rank Deputy Minister of the Court, and he couldn’t even hire a kitchen maid!

When the meal was done and the fire extinguished, with only the residual heat gently bubbling the porridge in the pot, Chu Linlang dusted the wood ash from her clothing and prepared to leave with her two maids.

Xia He’s elder brother was coming soon, and she also needed to settle some matters at hand. The residence she was renting would be up in another month, and by then she could leave this place of sorrowful memories…

It was early morning, and the lane was ordinarily quite tranquil.

But the moment she opened Situ Sheng’s gate, several fine horses came riding into the lane from the front. The man at the lead, a tall and burly middle-aged figure, first caught sight of Dongxue and called out to her: “Tell your household steward to come out and receive something.”

Dongxue timidly turned back toward Chu Linlang and whispered a warning: “What shall we do… that’s the Fourth Prince!”

The last time Situ Sheng had not wanted to accept the servants the Fourth Prince had tried to foist upon him, Chu Linlang had kindly helped him out of the predicament by having Dongxue and Xia He pose as maids of the Deputy Minister’s household, going out to “receive and entertain” the honored guest.

As a result, the Fourth Prince had naturally assumed that Dongxue was a maidservant of the Situ household, so today, seeing her open the door, he called out to her to fetch the Situ household steward.

Fourth Prince Liu Zhen had not initially noticed who stood behind the maid. It was only when he saw the maid turn around and speak to a woman — seemingly asking for instructions — that he shifted his gaze and looked toward Chu Linlang, who stood inside the gate.

But this single glance truly held his eyes fast and would not let them move.

Was this a person carved from jade? She was so fair she seemed translucent, and those brows and eyes and cherry lips — she was truly breathtakingly beautiful… When had Situ Sheng taken in a household member? What extraordinary good fortune he had!

Just then, someone beside the Fourth Prince spoke up in surprise: “Madam Zhou! What are you doing here?”

Chu Linlang looked toward the voice: well, this was lively indeed! General Li Chengyi, who had once helped her with loading goods at the dock, had actually come along with the Fourth Prince!

And at this moment, the Fourth Prince curiously asked General Li which Zhou Family’s Madam this was. Li Chengyi, seeming to have drunk a bowlful of gruel that morning, actually blurted out straight away: “Why, she’s the wife of Secretary Zhou of the Ministry of Finance!”

Having said it, General Li looked at the sudden change in Chu Linlang’s expression, and the gruel in his head finally came unblocked — what a calamity! A married woman appearing outside a bachelor official’s home at daybreak — what was this all about?

Lord Situ, you really have been this promiscuous — spending the night so openly with another man’s wife?

Yet in matters of romantic intrigue, not only had he failed to help cover things up, but he had actually blurted the thing out himself on Lord Situ’s behalf!

Thinking this, Li Chengyi, like a child who had just smashed a treasured family heirloom, looked at Chu Linlang with his full, bearded face written all over with terror and apology, an expression that said “I didn’t mean to.”

The Fourth Prince, upon hearing this, seemed to have swallowed an elixir of enlightenment — his face lit up with excitement and his eyes gleamed sharply as he studied Chu Linlang, evidently having seized a significant hold over Situ Sheng.

If he could grip Situ Sheng by such a moral failing, would he not be his to command as he wished in the future?

Chu Linlang drew a deep breath, feeling that if she did not say something now, this situation would collapse beyond all recovery.

After bowing to the Fourth Prince and General Li in greeting, she assumed an expression of great sorrow and said softly: “Has General Li not been drinking with Secretary Zhou recently? Secretary Zhou took objection to my failure to bear children, and has already written a repudiation letter, dismissing me as a cast-off wife. From this point forward, this humble one has no further connection with him whatsoever. But I am a weak woman who has been cast aside by her husband, and he has moreover forced me to leave the capital. Yet I, a frail and helpless female, have been so humiliated and had my name so ruined by my husband’s family — truly a tremendous injustice! Here in the capital I have neither kin nor allies, and could only come to Lord Situ’s door to present a petition, that he might uphold justice for this little woman. Lord Situ, seeing me adrift and homeless, took pity and gave me a position, temporarily engaging me in his household as a housekeeper, to wash clothes and cook in exchange for a few coins of spending money…”

As she spoke, Chu Linlang’s eyes grew red. She produced a handkerchief and pressed it to the corners of her eyes, letting out soft, muffled sobs — the picture of a wronged wife was so complete that anyone watching could not help but feel ten parts of sympathy…

General Li had truly not known about the changes in the Zhou household. But hearing Chu Linlang’s account, and thinking back on that Secretary Zhou’s amorous conduct while alone in the capital, he was not altogether surprised.

So this woman had already been abandoned by that fickle Zhou man. How fortunate that Lord Situ had such a generous heart, taking in and sheltering this poor weak woman!

With this thought, General Li’s gaze toward Madam Chu was already filled with sympathy.

The Fourth Prince, having heard the whole tale, now understood that this beautiful cast-off woman was in fact the new housekeeper Situ Sheng had engaged.

That day he had indeed heard a woman’s voice from inside the room.

A female housekeeper so young could be counted as rare as a phoenix feather and unicorn horn in the great households of the capital, for such household positions were mostly filled by shrewd and capable men of some years.

But engaging such a delicate cast-off woman to be in residence… that was indeed an exquisite arrangement! It was only a pity that since this little woman had already severed her ties with the Zhou Family, having her come to the Situ household as a servant could no longer be called a moral failing.

The Fourth Prince, having failed to get a handle on the Deputy Minister, was mildly disappointed but could only marvel admiringly: the Situ Sheng who appeared untouchable as a god on ordinary days certainly had his ways! He had actually invited his colleague’s delicate cast-off wife into his home as a housekeeper — now that was a rather special flavor of enjoyment!

After Chu Linlang, with her quick-witted thinking, managed to improvise her way through and rescue the nearly collapsed situation, she dutifully assumed the role of housekeeper and welcomed the two honored guests into the household. She then had Dongxue and Xia He carry in the two wild goats and the rabbit that the Fourth Prince had brought, and said that Lord Situ had not returned to the household all night and she did not know when he would return today — she would not dare keep two honored guests waiting idly, and it might be better to come again another time.

But Liu Zhen seemed to be at leisure today and insisted on staying to wait, waving his hand to dismiss Madam Chu so that he and General Li could talk.

Chu Linlang withdrew and went to the kitchen to check whether the two maids had prepared tea. Xia He had never told such a lie in her life, much less one that deceived a genuine prince. In the kitchen, she was so frightened in retrospect that her legs went weak and she nearly burst into tears.

Chu Linlang hushed her and said quietly: “Noble personages have so many affairs to attend to — they won’t bother with such trifles. It’s fine!”

Having soothed Xia He, and fearing she might give the game away, Chu Linlang told her to stay in the kitchen and tend the fire while she herself took Dongxue along to personally carry in the tea and pour for both guests.

The Fourth Prince was chatting idly with General Li.

It turned out the Fourth Prince had gone hunting outside the city the previous day and had shot some rabbits and sheep. Thinking that Lord Situ had been working hard at the Court of Justice recently and was in need of nourishing foods, he had made a special trip into the city at early morning to share some of the game with him.

As for General Li Chengyi, he had official matters he needed to discuss with Situ Sheng, and unable to wait for the chance to meet at the government office, had come here to find him directly.

Listening as she moved to and fro, Chu Linlang felt that this Fourth Prince was quite cunning indeed. His words were full of circuitous attempts to extract information from General Li’s mouth. The topics he raised all revolved around the uproar in the city the previous night.

It appeared that several envoys who had come from the Kingdom of Jing had been seeking pleasure in the pleasure quarter, when they were attacked by several masked men.

This visit from the Kingdom of Jing had been to discuss negotiations with the court regarding opening a border market, with the Crown Prince presiding over the proceedings. With such an incident having occurred, how were negotiations to continue? The Crown Prince had accordingly issued a strict order the previous night to the Court of Judicial Review to apprehend the perpetrators and give the Kingdom of Jing’s envoys a satisfactory account.

The way she saw it, the rabbits and sheep were not given freely — the Fourth Prince was also here to probe Situ Sheng for information. It remained to be seen whether the Fourth Prince was simply waiting to watch the Crown Prince make a spectacle of himself.

So after serving the tea, Chu Linlang did not linger to disturb the two honored guests, but dragged out a low stool and carried it outside the gate, then casually pulled down one of Situ Sheng’s old garments that had been hanging out to dry in the courtyard, found a needle and thread, and sat at the entrance of the lane pretending to enjoy the morning sun while mending the garment.

Just like that, after quite some time, she finally spotted Situ Sheng and Guanqi’s figures appearing at the street corner not far away.

Chu Linlang’s eyes lit up. She quickly set down the garment, hiked up her skirts, and trotted all the way over, smiling cheerfully as she called out: “My lord, you’re finally back!”

Situ Sheng apparently had not expected Chu Linlang to still be there, nor had he expected this little woman who had been wearing a gloomy face at him just the night before to come rushing toward him with an expression of eager anticipation, smiling brilliantly, as if welcoming home a husband long absent.

For a moment, he stood frozen in place, head lowered, looking at Chu Linlang’s cheeks, faintly flushed pink from the cold…

Chu Linlang had no patience for his dumbstruck manner. When she got close, she grabbed his collar and drew his head down toward hers, away from the eyes of the Fourth Prince’s attendants at the lane entrance, and in a low voice poured the whole morning’s bowl of chaos into Situ Sheng’s ears.

So absorbed was she in thinking about how to “keep the lie going” that she had not at all noticed she had drawn too close to Situ Sheng — so close that Situ Sheng could catch the faint, delicate fragrance drifting from her neck…

Chu Linlang finished quickly and waited for Situ Sheng to respond, wanting to see how to bring things to a close — but to her surprise, he was silent for a moment: “What was that you just said — say it again.”

Good heavens, what hour was it? And he was still standing there in a daze!

Chu Linlang could only patiently repeat the whole story of how she had impersonated his housekeeper once more.

This time Situ Sheng finally returned to his senses, only looking at Chu Linlang with a meaningful expression.

Chu Linlang thought he was blaming her for the lie, and stepped back a little with a guilty conscience, saying quietly: “I couldn’t very well let the Fourth Prince and General Li think you had a woman staying overnight, could I! I had no choice!”

Situ Sheng thought it over and nodded: “I understand.”

He took a few steps forward, looked at the garment Chu Linlang had left on the low stool, and said: “It’s too cold outside — go inside to mend it.”

Chu Linlang had originally assumed that once she told him everything, she could simply drop the whole mess in his lap and leave. She had not expected that Situ Sheng would actually ask her to cooperate and continue playing this role.

Well, there was no propriety in stopping a performance halfway through and abandoning it — she should at least help Situ Sheng see the two honored guests off before she could leave.

So Chu Linlang took the man’s garment and went back to the side room she had slept in the night before to mend the clothing.

As for Situ Sheng, he went to exchange pleasantries with his two guests. Apparently none of them had eaten breakfast, and they drank the cooked porridge that had been prepared, served by Dongxue.

After quite some time, there finally came movement from the main hall — apparently the two honored guests were preparing to leave.

Chu Linlang remembered her role as “female housekeeper” and quickly set down the garment to go out and accompany the “master” in seeing his guests off.

The Fourth Prince seemed to have heard some good news and was in high spirits, draping an arm around Situ Sheng’s shoulders with great familiarity.

By the time they reached the end of the lane, the Fourth Prince was still full of lingering enthusiasm, praising that the simple congee and side dishes at Situ Sheng’s home were perfectly flavorsome, surpassing even the cooks of the Fourth Prince’s manor by far.

Given that he had such a skilled cook as Madam Chu, Lord Situ should not keep her all to himself — he ought to host more household banquets, and the Fourth Prince would definitely come to enjoy them.

Situ Sheng smiled and said that the female housekeeper in his home was indeed very skilled in cooking, and especially her sesame oil duck legs — fragrant and savory beyond compare.

Given the opportunity, he would definitely make careful preparations and invite the Fourth Prince and his colleagues to dine at the household.

When the Fourth Prince and General Li’s carriages disappeared around the street corner, Chu Linlang finally let out a long breath and said to Situ Sheng: “My lord, I have imposed upon you — this humble one will take her leave now…”

Situ Sheng turned and looked at her, his expression carrying a meaningful undertone: “You… didn’t hear? The Fourth Prince is going to come to my household for meals in the future.”

Hm? Chu Linlang’s thoughts could not quite make the turn, and she asked in a dazed stupor: “Is my lord asking me to recommend the cuisine of capital restaurants?”

Situ Sheng, with great patience, began to explain the whole tangled situation to this audience of one, carefully analyzing the current messy state of affairs: “Before those two persons, you tearfully accused your husband of abandoning the wife of his youth. If I took no action, it would amount to dereliction of duty on my part. So just now I told General Li that the Court of Judicial Review has always stood up for the common people and will absolutely not tolerate the harboring of wrongdoing in the capital — justice will definitely be served for the people…”

Chu Linlang smiled wryly: “I thank you in advance, my lord, but it would be too much trouble. In any case I am going to leave the capital soon — filing a lawsuit is probably not necessary?”

Situ Sheng also laughed a little: “How will you leave? Have you forgotten? You impersonated my household’s housekeeper before the Fourth Prince and General Li.”

When Chu Linlang heard Guanqi add that just now when General Li had asked, Lord Situ had offhandedly claimed to have signed Madam Chu to a three-year service contract, she truly wished she could sew Situ Sheng’s recklessly lying mouth shut.

What was any of this about? How, overnight, had she inexplicably gone from being a cast-off wife of the Zhou household to being the housekeeper of the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?

This wretched man! Could it be that he was so stingy, not a penny dropping from his fist, that he simply wanted to get three unpaid housekeeping maids to wait on him for free?

Situ Sheng poured fragrant tea for Chu Linlang, and said gently: “You mentioned that Lady An skimmed off your compensation and also wants to make trouble for your elder brother-in-law. As long as you don’t return to Jiangkou, wherever you go, the Zhou and Xie families will not rest easy and will find ways to pressure your family. They are only this arrogant because you have no support in the capital and your maternal family is also not powerful enough to help. Since that is the case, why not find yourself a powerful backer? Even if it’s only the title of housekeeper at my household, with your abilities you could still use it as a borrowed banner to intimidate and frighten them, couldn’t you?”

Chu Linlang blinked, and suddenly felt there was some sense in it.

As the saying goes about a dog that rides on its master’s authority — if she became a dog of the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review… no, not a dog — a housekeeper!

As the further saying goes — even to beat a dog you must consider its master. At that point, she could truly borrow the tiger’s pelt to wave as her banner, and frighten those black-hearted petty people into not daring to make trouble for her elder sister’s family.

And with her father back in Jiangkou certain to come looking for her upon hearing she had been repudiated, her hometown of Jiangkou was an even more perilous pit of fire than the Zhou Family.

Living in the Deputy Minister’s home, as a servant under the Deputy Minister’s household, with him standing guard, there was no fear of Chu Huaisheng coming to seize her. She could also use the signed service contract with Lord Situ as a shield, without worrying about being dragged back to the Chu Family off the street.

But she had left the Zhou Family precisely because she was unwilling to be a concubine. There was no reason to lower her status further to become a servant, at the beck and call of some disagreeable man… Moreover, relying on Situ Sheng — what if, because of all this fabrication and deception, the truth came out one day and she found herself implicated along with him?

Was this a case of drinking poison to quench one’s thirst — how could one possibly choose?

Situ Sheng brewed tea while watching the wide eyes turning back and forth in Chu Linlang’s face, and added gently: “You can see for yourself that I am not particular in daily life and am not the sort of person who shouts at servants. You only need to keep up appearances in front of others. I would never treat you as a servant… of course, if you could also help out a little as you go about things, handling household matters, making some meals for me and Guanqi — I would be even more grateful, and it would count as payment in kind for your lodging here. A lone woman like yourself would find it somewhat easier to stay in the capital and do business than to make a living elsewhere. Once things have settled down for you after some time, leaving then would not be too late…”

Chu Linlang waved her hand to ask him to stop speaking for a moment, and politely asked whether he might allow her a moment to think before answering.

Situ Sheng willingly stepped back from the main hall, leaving Chu Linlang alone in privacy, while he took Guanqi out to chop firewood in the courtyard.

Before long, the faint sound of a tortoise shell striking copper coins could be heard from the main hall. Situ Sheng listened to the ceaseless clinking and jingling, and could not help but let out a quiet laugh.

From the sound of it, the tortoise shell seemed as if it might shatter — evidence enough of the violent inner turmoil and struggle of Niangzi Chu’s heart.

Situ Sheng had no idea what fortune the person in the main hall would ultimately shake out, only that those slender little wrists of hers — he hoped she wouldn’t shake them apart.

After a while, Niangzi Chu finally came out, shaking her sore wrists.

Perhaps it was that Situ Sheng spoke in such a gentle manner, and the advantages he offered were precisely what Chu Linlang needed right now. The more she thought about it, the more she felt he was right.

While shaking the tortoise shell, she had finally sorted through her thoughts — her current situation truly required her to find a powerful backer, and the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was as solid a backer as they came!

Though he was being dishonest and fabricating credentials, given how clever he was, he was unlikely to be undone in a short time.

And even if she left the capital, she had insufficient ready silver to buy a house — wherever she went, she would have to rent lodgings. If she could live here, covering it only with ordinary household chores, it was too suitable an arrangement for words.

Most importantly, even if the day truly came when she had to sell herself into servitude, where else could she find such a fine master — one who was not particular about food and clothing, had a physical ailment, and kept entirely clear of women?

The way she saw it, this Lord Situ was so busy that when he was occupied, he probably even forgot that Jicui Lane held a place he could call home!

Left alone to keep the courtyard, she would find it quite comfortable indeed!

And so, after the two of them had negotiated the various terms and conditions, Chu Linlang hired a horse-drawn carriage that very day and moved her belongings to Jicui Lane.

A neighbor, hearing the commotion, peeked out to ask what was happening, and Chu Linlang smiled pleasantly and introduced herself, saying she was the new housekeeper engaged by Lord Situ — everyone could just call her Niangzi Chu.

The neighbors naturally exchanged greetings and introductions with one another. After all, for the past several months, not a soul had been visible during daylight hours at the Deputy Minister’s household.

Today had really produced a living person to encounter at the courtyard gate.

Chu Linlang had always considered that this so-called role of female housekeeper was merely for outward show, not something to be taken seriously in practice.

But Situ Sheng took her around to the back courtyard, came to a pile of broken odds and ends, found an inconspicuous cracked jar, and had Chu Linlang reach inside and pull out a cloth bundle.

Chu Linlang opened it and found it was packed with many large ingots of silver. She gaped, somewhat at a loss to understand his meaning.

Situ Sheng considered it perfectly natural: “This is my accumulated salary from past years — since my expenses are few, it has all piled up. Take it for household use — groceries and daily necessities are all to come from here. Whatever remains is the monthly allowance for you and your two maids — manage it as you see fit.”

Though Chu Linlang had been the mistress of the Zhou household for eight years, Zhou Sui’an’s salary had never been fully handed over to her.

Apart from occasional gifts to Zhao Shi, the majority was kept by Zhou Sui’an himself for his daily social engagements outside the home.

Only on Linlang’s birthday would Zhou Sui’an use his own salary to buy her a skirt or hair ornament or the like.

And now, she was no longer anyone else’s mistress, yet here was a man who had taken out his own official’s salary and handed every bit of it to her in one go — was this not, in its own way, a kind of irony?

But Chu Linlang raised her eyes and glared at Situ Sheng: this man was sharp enough in his official duties, so how could he be so utterly careless with his money! Most improper!

Situ Sheng, seeing Niangzi Chu glare at him, assumed she thought the silver was too little, and said: “Right — I also have twenty plots of official farmland, though I keep forgetting to go collect the rent. Is that enough then?”