Before Xie Dongli could say a word, Liu Ling bent forward with an expression of cold severity.

Head to head with her, his eyes boring into hers, he issued his instructions one word at a time to his Princess Consort: “Remember: from this day forward, you are to have not the slightest contact with the An Family. Your parents’ foolishness is beyond my control. But you are a person of my royal household — your every word and action represents me, not your parents’ family. In future, whenever you encounter that Chu Linlang again, you are to know she is my revered teacher’s head steward. Squeeze it if you must, but squeeze out at least three parts of a smile for me!”

The Sixth Princess Consort was frightened by the Sixth Prince’s manner, and said with eyes full of aggrievement: “But that Chu woman ruined my Xie Family’s reputation…”

The Sixth Prince could restrain himself no longer and snapped: “Foolish woman! If not for the fact that you are carrying a child, I would divorce you and send you home this instant! Did someone else ruin your Xie Family’s reputation? Was it not your own licentious younger sister’s own doing? If you cannot even see this clearly, then my taking you as a wife has been like bringing a curse into my household!”

Since marrying into the Sixth Prince’s residence, Xie Dongli had always had an affectionate and mutually respectful relationship with the Sixth Prince — when had she ever endured such a merciless dressing-down, without the slightest consideration for her feelings?

Yet she also understood why the Sixth Prince was so agitated.

The falling-out between the Sixth Prince and his revered teacher had come about because of the Xie Family’s in-laws who had caused trouble. At the time, the Sixth Prince had also been riding high on imperial favor, with flatterers and sycophants surrounding him in droves, causing him to become somewhat haughty. Adding to that the intoxication of newlywed bliss, young and hot-blooded, he had stubbornly demanded that Situ Sheng bend the law for his sake — a chance to save face before his new bride.

Then, words had been exchanged carelessly over wine, and the bond between teacher and student had been fractured.

Now the Sixth Prince had fallen out of favor once more, yet Situ Sheng — a talent he could actually use — was no longer at his side, and all that remained was endless regret.

After suffering the Sixth Prince’s merciless torrent of rebuke, Xie Dongli finally saw clearly, understood the order of priorities, and had no choice but to offer gentle words of contrition, urging her husband to calm his anger. In future when she saw Chu Linlang again, she would conduct herself with appropriate propriety.

As for her father’s affairs — she could no longer concern herself with those.

Her father, for all that he was a military general, had throughout his career been a master at avoiding trouble — walking along the edges of the field without letting a speck of mud touch his boots. His handling of family relatives was equally soft — fierce words with little real follow-through, good at alarming people but not at actually controlling them.

It had seemed a clever calculation of her father’s, back then, to marry his daughter to a minor prince and thereby secure a quiet and comfortable life for the Xie Family.

Little did he know that once one entered the doors of a royal household, how could there ever be true peace?

That night, each household within its own gates had its own share of unrest.

But for Chu Linlang, after one night’s worth of running and trouble, what awaited was the same life as before — unchanged in most ways, though shifted just slightly.

Minister Situ had recently acquired a new habit: at noon he would ride his official horse home for lunch, rest for a short while, then leave again.

Chu Linlang had originally planned to see Xia Qingyun and talk to him about the salt boats, but now had to push that back.

There was nothing to be done about it — Minister Situ did not like having outsiders in the household, so she could only look for an opportunity to go out and meet Xia Qingyun.

But who should know that at noon, while eating, Situ Sheng overheard Xia He and Chu Linlang talking — Xia He saying the young mistress wanted to go see her brother — and with warm pleasantness he suggested that since he was Xia He’s brother, they could simply invite him to come to the house, so there would be no need to spend money at a teahouse.

Since her employer had said as much, Chu Linlang also needed to be thrifty. That afternoon she had Xia He pass word, and called Xia Qingyun to come and sit in the outer courtyard tearoom.

Because Minister Situ had been tired today, after lunch he had not left, but gone back to the study to catch up on sleep.

While Chu Linlang was chatting with Xia Qingyun in the tearoom, Guanqi — who ordinarily seized every opportunity to nap — was, for reasons unknown, not sleeping, but kept walking back and forth in front of the tearoom door like a donkey plodding endless circles around a millstone.

After some time, when Chu Linlang saw Xia Qingyun out, Guanqi slipped at a run into the study and said to Situ Sheng in a low voice: “The person has left. The two of them talked entirely about buying and selling salt and boats — that Madam Chu did not mention my lord’s business by so much as a single word!”

Guanqi had assumed the master was worried Madam Chu might leak secrets, and so had listened carefully through the wall, giving a clean and concise report.

But Situ Sheng was not satisfied. He glanced up and said: “Tell me word for word everything the two of them said.”

Guanqi promptly recounted the two people’s conversation from just now.

It seemed Xia Qingyun had made some money in the northern regions and was hoping to organize another run up north for a big haul.

But Madam Chu had advised Xia Qingyun not to go to the north to trade in salt again, saying she had consulted the oracle and the north felt inauspicious.

Though there was more silver to be made there, the variables were too great. It would be better to play it safe. The northwest had seen little rain lately, so why not run the boats that way instead? Apart from selling salt, they could also carry well-drilling equipment and rigs, along with fragrant goods, to sell there.

After all, the prosperous merchants and gentry in those parts would not be able to bathe frequently for a while, so fragrant goods to mask odors were bound to be in high demand!

Hearing this, Situ Sheng smiled to himself and thought: nowadays the clamor to open border markets in the north was growing loud, and everyone with connections was thinking of heading north to scoop up a pot of gold. Yet this little woman went against the tide, advising her associates to avoid the north.

And as for the northwest being short of rain — this had come up when the Fourth Prince, in passing conversation, had mentioned the matter of the Sixth Prince being reprimanded, a few days back.

Chu Linlang must have overheard it. Her mind moved quickly — she had actually thought of going to sell well-drilling equipment and fragrant goods.

This woman’s talent for making money had been bred into her from birth.

He recalled how in childhood he and the sharp-tongued girl next door had become acquainted through a clash — it was because he had dragged her into the water, causing her to go home and be beaten. That night, the crying from next door had made him somewhat restless.

The next day, he had pinched together a clay figure to offer her as an apology gift, hoping it might stop the girl’s crying.

Just as he expected, she showed not the slightest gratitude — she smashed the clay figure, and then discovered the malt candy he had hidden inside it.

The result was that a few days later, she had actually draped herself over the courtyard wall, carefree as anything, grinning at him, and with considerable cheek asked him to pinch a few more clay grandfather figures with long beards.

Four of the clay figures’ bellies were to contain four “Red Dragon” mahjong bamboo tiles she had brought.

He assumed the little girl was simply fond of playing, and so he made a few for her.

The result: she dragged him down to the docks to look at the imperial examination candidates passing through on their way to the capital.

If any of the scholars wore fine embroidered robes, little Linlang would present them with a clay figure, insisting earnestly that these figures were the God of Literature, and that smashing one meant good omens.

The clay figures were given away for free, but four scholars found “Red Dragon” bamboo tiles inside their figures — truly a most auspicious sign.

The little girl had targeted only wealthy young men, and they rewarded her with copper coins in their generosity.

And so, inspired by the malt candy hidden inside the clay figure’s belly, she had made two strings of copper coins that day.

To thank him, the little girl had even gone out specially to buy a small packet of malt candy as a return gift, and told him this business could be kept going for a long time.

Even when there were no more exam candidates, they could sell to children.

In her opinion, the clay figures were still too rough — he needed to keep practicing, and carve them into matched sets, which would sell for more money.

Looking at her now, the little girl who had gotten her start through such a scheme of exploiting every opportunity was more capable than ever.

The story that the Zhou household had once been penniless and owed everything to Madam Chu for building up its livelihood — that was probably entirely true.

But what Situ Sheng was curious about was not Chu Linlang’s business acumen. When he heard Guanqi report that Xia Qingyun had urged Chu Linlang to go away with him, his hand holding the writing brush paused slightly, and he looked up to ask: “And what did Head Steward Chu say?”

Guanqi answered honestly: “Head Steward Chu said her father is like a ferocious wolf, and that she herself is currently unguarded meat with no owner — she cannot leave for the time being, and must for now rely on your lordship, this… hmm… this tiger, to frighten away her ferocious wolf father.”

At this, Guanqi felt deeply aggrieved on the master’s behalf. That wretched woman — using the master’s kind heart like this! And calling his master a beast!

Situ Sheng only smiled, and with an undisturbed expression sent Guanqi away.

Before long, Chu Linlang walked in and asked whether he planned to attend the seventieth birthday banquet of Director Qi of the Directorate of Education tomorrow.

She had only just noticed, after finishing speaking, that her employer was in quite a leisurely and refined mood — he was actually painting, and the painting was of a white-browed, bright-eyed fierce tiger, genuinely commanding in its majesty.

Chu Linlang looked on approvingly as her employer set down his brush, and offered a well-timed word of flattery — praising the lord’s painting style as bold and free, a stirring sight to behold.

After the customary praise, she asked again whether Minister Situ intended to pay a personal call to Director Qi’s residence the next day.

In the ordinary way, Situ Sheng would not attend such social engagements.

But Director Qi’s standing was different — he was the august Director of Studies of the Directorate of Education, responsible for setting and reviewing examination papers for scholars across the empire.

Situ Sheng had placed third in the imperial examinations, which made him technically one of Director Qi’s students. Simply sending the gift without attending in person would be the height of discourtesy. However busy one might be, one ought to go in person — that was the proper way.

But Situ Sheng, upon being reminded by Chu Linlang, only said: “You look after preparing a congratulatory gift. I’ll write the card, and then have Guanqi deliver it along with the gift. As long as the gift arrives, that’s enough.”

Chu Linlang understood why he would not go. When he had apprehended corrupt officials in the past, he had applied the instruments of torture even to scholars, and had then been besieged by those pedantic Confucian scholars — they had even filed impeachments against him all the way to the Emperor’s desk.

Director Qi’s guests would be the great Confucian scholars and pure-stream scholars of the day — surely none of them would have anything to say to a ruthless and calculating judicial official. If he went, it would only make things awkward for both host and guests.

Chu Linlang heard Situ Sheng’s words and wanted to say more but stopped herself. She felt that not appearing at this kind of occasion would be easily picked apart by others. But the words reached her lips and she swallowed them back.

Because she was now nothing more than Minister Situ’s head steward — not his wife, as she had once been.

Situ Sheng was a man of profound calculation, and nothing like Zhou Sui’an, who had no idea what he was doing. Whatever her employer instructed, she would simply carry out.

And so Chu Linlang went to the ink and brush shop and picked up the inkstone she had ordered three days earlier.

This inkstone was carved with longevity pine and cypress, the craftsmanship quite fine — perfectly suited as a birthday gift.

Per Situ Sheng’s instructions, having Guanqi deliver it would be sufficient. But Chu Linlang thought it over — after all, she bore the title of head steward, and at such an occasion, going in person to present the gift would be more proper.

The next day, when Situ Sheng left early for his office, Guanqi came to collect the congratulatory gift.

She proposed going along, and Guanqi gave her a meaningful look and said: “All right, you’ve thought about coming with me?”

Linlang found Guanqi’s question odd, and gave him a look.

This precious young attendant had been behaving strangely lately — always hovering about in front of her, but when she asked him what he was after, he never had a proper reason.

She would have to ask Minister Situ one of these days when the boy’s indenture was up. If it truly couldn’t be helped, they would swap him out for someone diligent who didn’t talk so much.

And so she brought Dongxue along and went with Guanqi to Director Qi’s estate.

After all, since Minister Situ was already not attending — which was itself a breach of etiquette — if she then also sent a mere young attendant, would it not invite even more criticism from Director Qi’s household staff? She had to go in person in order for the business to look at least somewhat presentable.

But upon arriving at the gate of Director Qi’s estate, Chu Linlang found she had perhaps been overthinking things.

The Qi Family estate had been bestowed by the previous emperor — vermilion gates, imposing stone lions, properly distinguished. The legitimate guests all entered by the main gate, to pay respects to Director Qi and partake of the banquet. The head stewards from the various households, however, were directed to carry the gifts in through the rear gate.

The rear gate was heaving with activity — like a marketplace — with everyone queued up waiting to register their gift lists.

So whoever was delivering the gift on behalf of the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review would attract no particular notice. Someone of that status would probably pass without anyone paying attention.

With this in mind, Chu Linlang led the others and slowly joined the queue. Once the gift list was registered, she could leave and pop into the spice shop on the way, to discuss a new delivery order.

Xia Qingyun’s boat must not leave empty this time. If things went well, next year she could truly buy herself a shop in the capital.

She was just thinking about this when she was suddenly shouldered out of the queue by someone, who stepped straight into her place.

What sort of person could be so rude at the estate of this Directorate elder?

Chu Linlang looked up in indignation — and found the person who had cut in front of her was startlingly familiar… yes — it was the maidservant who attended Xie Youran.

Behind the maid was also the Zhou household’s head steward, and an unfamiliar matron.

Judging by the matron’s head-to-toe silk and the vicious glare she was giving her, this was likely one of Xie Youran’s dowry nannies.

Before Chu Linlang could even speak, Guanqi first shot her a hard stare and demanded: “What do you think you’re doing? Do you people think you don’t need to queue when delivering birthday gifts?”

The matron gave a cold laugh: “Director Qi — what a figure he is! Those here to offer their birthday felicitations are all from titled families. Is there any room for a convicted woman to stand here and soil the ground of the Director of Studies’ household?”

She said this very loudly, plainly with no intention of leaving Chu Linlang any dignity.

And the Zhou household’s head steward stood there looking pained — not wanting to join in tormenting his former mistress, yet unable to simply walk away, so he could only helplessly shake his head and sigh at Chu Linlang, expressing his own helplessness.

The maidservant also chimed in to back the matron up, deliberately raising her voice: “Madam Chu, are you not aware? The other day you ordered men to disrupt Administrator Zhou’s wedding, and those men have already been taken into custody — how is it that you, the mastermind behind it, do not seek a place to lay low, and dare come to an elder’s household like this? What is this — relying on the fact that you are the head steward of the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, you think you can act above the law anywhere in the capital?”

It turned out that Xie Youran, who should have been enjoying the three-day visit to her parents’ home after the wedding, had for some reason received a message from her father saying she need not come home and should instead reflect on herself at her husband’s house.

Xie Youran assumed her father must be mortified by the wedding disaster and was venting his frustration on her by throwing a temper.

When it came to General Xie, whose bark was always worse than his bite, Xie Youran had never really feared him. Since her father would not let her come home, so much the better — she could accompany her husband to the Director of Studies’ birthday banquet and return to the Xie household in the evening.

So what if the whole city was laughing at her? She and Zhou Sui’an were husband and wife, and the child she carried was Zhou Sui’an’s flesh and blood — what business was it of anyone else?

The more others gossiped, the more she intended to put on a bold, conspicuous face for them to see. She, Xie Youran, was not the sort to be drowned by a few mouthfuls of other people’s spittle!

And so today Xie Youran had dressed herself grandly and come together with Zhou Sui’an.

But as she stepped down from the carriage, she happened to spot Chu Linlang leading her maids toward the rear gate.

The negotiations between the Sixth Prince’s residence and the Xie Family in the middle of the night — Xie Youran, at the Zhou household, knew nothing of them. She only knew that on the day of the wedding, her Aunt An had promised her it would definitely be possible to convict the person behind the scene.

She wanted to see how much authority Situ Sheng really had — daring to shield a servant who had insulted a fifth-rank general’s daughter.

So Xie Youran was simply annoyed that the authorities were dragging their feet and still allowing Chu Linlang — who had ruined her name — to walk around freely.

Seeing Chu Linlang now, Xie Youran’s eyes burned with anger. And so she whispered a few words to the matron by her side, who understood perfectly and led the maid to the rear gate to register the birthday gift — and along the way, to find fault with Chu Linlang.

Xie Youran was not in the least afraid of causing a scene at this kind of event. She had always been the sort who — if she was feeling aggrieved — could not let anyone else have an easy time.

Her reputation was in ruins, so she was determined to make Chu Linlang lose face before everyone’s eyes as well!

And this matron was quite an expert at stirring up trouble.

She might have said other things that would have been less effective — but when she deliberately called out the name of the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, those around them involuntarily took a small sidestep, putting a little more distance between themselves and the head steward of the household of a notoriously harsh official.

It could not be helped — Situ Sheng’s rise had been too rapid, and almost every step of his advancement had been taken on someone else’s back, earning him the contempt of the court’s pure-stream officials.

A person without roots like him had done nothing more than serve as a blade in the Emperor’s hand.

Such ruthless officials, devoted entirely to the Emperor’s will and single-mindedly angling for position — decent families would avoid them if they could, without needing too much social intercourse.

But from what this Zhou household matron had just implied, the harsh official’s female head steward had apparently broken the law and was waiting for the constables to come and haul her away!

Situ Sheng was harboring a criminal suspect in his household? That did rather have the flavor of a watchman stealing the very thing he was guarding.

One just wondered whether the ruthless official Situ Sheng would be equally impartial and merciless when it came to this tender and dainty head steward of his own household — iron-branded and all?

Under any other circumstances, Chu Linlang would have had a hundred ways to make that matron shut her mouth.

But today, she was at Director Qi’s estate, and the face she represented was that of Situ Sheng’s household.

With Director Qi’s birthday banquet just now underway, holding her tongue and not trading words was the most proper thing to do.

With this in mind, she grabbed the bristling Guanqi and hauled him back, saying quietly: “If she wants to cut the queue, let her. There’s no need to exchange words with this matron — let’s go to the back and queue again.”

Guanqi shot the matron a withering glare, then turned to follow Chu Linlang to the very end of the queue.

Unfortunately the matron had been speaking loudly enough just now to attract notice, and Director Qi’s household steward came over at the sound.

He first looked Chu Linlang up and down from where she stood at the tail of the queue, then said with a three-parts-false smile: “My apologies, Steward — our Director Qi has given instructions that anyone may come to pay respects and offer congratulations, but the gift of the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is something our Director Qi cannot accept. Please do not waste your time — take the gift and go back early.”

These words brought a burst of suppressed laughter from those around, with Xie Youran’s matron and maidservant laughing the most gleefully.

Chu Linlang turned to look at Guanqi, who was already somewhat used to this and only said with practiced cool: “The lord knew this would happen — that’s precisely why he sent me. After all, I’m a man — thicker-skinned, better able to take a knock. But you insisted on coming along! Look here — now that you’re here, you’d best hold it together. Don’t let the shame make you cry and embarrass our lord further — giving them something else to laugh about!”

It turned out that Situ Sheng had long known Director Qi held a deep-seated grievance against him.

Yet the duty of a student to a teacher meant that even knowing you would be turned away at the door, you still had to come and go through the motions — and so he had sent Guanqi here to bump his head against this wall.

Chu Linlang had previously heard from Zhou Sui’an that Situ Sheng’s reputation in the capital was poor, but she had never imagined it could be so bad as to have the likes of Director Qi — that pillar of the pure-stream scholars — show him not the slightest face in public.

Now, with the crowd sneering around her, the proper thing to do was to follow the current, turn around gracefully, and walk away, so as not to cause any further complications.

But as she turned to leave, she could not say why — but she suddenly thought of the night Situ Sheng had cut his hand, quietly sitting in the study digesting the dark weight of his own gloom.

Being ostracized and mocked by his colleagues now — what was the difference from how, as a child, he had been ridiculed and excluded by the other children because of his mad mother?

No wonder he would shut himself in the study late at night, his misery too deep to release.

If she were to be turned away by Director Qi’s steward like this today, tomorrow the story of the harsh official’s gifts being turned away at every door would surely spread through the whole city!

The lord had said — it didn’t matter what the gift was, as long as the gift arrived…

With that thought, she suddenly turned back, walked straight up to that Director Qi household steward, smiled, and said in a clear, carrying voice: “Your steward has turned away the Junior Minister’s gift on Director Qi’s orders — that is your household’s business. But I have come to deliver the gift on my employer’s orders, and so the person has arrived and the gift must be delivered. Whether it is accepted or not — that is your household’s affair.”

Guanqi had not expected this sharp-tongued woman to spark up again, but this time he felt Chu Linlang had spoken rather well — he hastily held out the box containing the inkstone.

But Chu Linlang did not take it. Instead, she threaded her way through the crowd to a corner of the courtyard, picked up the mop that had been left there for sweeping the yard, then dipped it in the water from the wooden bucket nearby, and returned to the center of the courtyard. She swung the mop across the stone-paved ground and wrote out a large, dripping character: the character for “law.”

The Director Qi household’s steward was a man who knew his calligraphy, and fixed his gaze on the wet, glistening character on the ground, unable to suppress a cold laugh: “Might I ask — which great master of calligraphy of the age are you? What kind of writing is this — twisted and misshapen — to present here for all to see?”

Before his voice had died away, the laughter around them rose again, growing louder.

Someone was even whispering: “Isn’t that woman who’s writing the character the divorced wife of Administrator Zhou of the Ministry of Finance?”

Another voice: “I heard she filed a lawsuit against her husband — Situ Sheng handled the case. And then she ended up becoming Situ Sheng’s head steward. Could it be that Situ Sheng has designs on this woman’s beauty?”

“That must be it! Now that you say so, this woman has no talent, and loves to make a spectacle of herself in public — if I were Zhou Sui’an, I’d have cast her off as well!”

Listening to these remarks, Xie Youran’s matron and maidservant both wore expressions of barely concealed delight, staring triumphantly over at Chu Linlang in the center of the courtyard.

In truth, Chu Linlang’s calligraphy had improved a great deal after the employer’s tutelage — but in front of the stewards of a household of great Confucian scholars, these characters were indeed hardly fit to be displayed.

Even Guanqi could only cover his face helplessly, half-tempted to hide himself in Dongxue’s arms.

Though he had known the master had sent him on an errand doomed to failure, he had never imagined it would develop into something this multiply humiliating. How many bowls of noodle soup would it take to make up for the face lost today?

But Chu Linlang was perfectly composed. When the laughter around her had gradually died down, she raised her voice and said: “I am a humble woman of no learning, who does not understand calligraphy — and even the way to write this character ‘law,’ I know only because my employer was kind enough to explain it to me, or I would never have grasped the deeper meaning within its strokes.”

With that, she pointed at the large character on the ground: “This character ‘law’ contains the element for ‘water’ — symbolizing water’s capacity to level all things equally. Whether noble official or common man in plain cloth, before the law, all stand as one — level, like still water. Those who transgress it must be ‘removed.’ This is how the Junior Minister instructs the servants and bondspeople of his household, and how he himself enforces the law. And yet for upholding the law with such strictness, he has earned the name of ‘ruthless official’ — causing all to give him wide berth. This result, I venture, is something even the teacher who guided him in his studies could not have foreseen. Today is the birthday banquet of the Director of Studies — my employer, in deference to the Director’s virtue and incorruptibility, has chosen not to send the usual jade and stone objects. He offers instead this character ‘law’ as a tribute, to express that he has never forgotten the years of arduous study, nor the sage teachings he was fortunate enough to receive!”

At these words, the crowd fell utterly silent.

The character “law” was something every person knew how to write, and this woman’s method of breaking down a character through wordplay was no more than something a well-read child could manage. Yet this woman had borrowed the character to make clear that Situ Sheng upheld the rule of law, that he remained unmoved by favor or disgrace — his heart level as still water — even at the cost of offending all. And she had also implied a reproach: that the household’s master had treated a righteous enforcer of the law in this manner — had he perhaps forgotten the sages’ teachings?

Was this woman possessed by some spirit of boldness? She truly had some courage! Word had it she had also hired men to disrupt her ex-husband’s wedding, sending the second young miss of the Xie Family retching in her sedan chair! This was a woman who would not stand for even a fraction of an injustice — what a pity to see such a scene. Everyone would just have to wait and see whether the Director Qi household steward could handle this unexpected assault!

And as they watched, the large water-written character on the ground had gradually dried out and faded, vanishing without a trace.

Chu Linlang glanced down, and with a slight smile said: “Very well. Since the earth deity of Director Qi’s household has accepted this gift on his behalf, I have discharged my errand. I shall not take up any more of your time — farewell!”