Ever since Fifth Miss Yan Qin had married into the Shi Family, she had never once returned to her parents’ home. Word was that the Shi Family had confined her to the estate, and in these past few days, she had somehow managed to stir up yet more trouble and been sent to the Citang as punishment.

“Is she alone?”

“I heard she’s with her husband.”

Yan Qing furrowed her brow. Shi Guang had never given Yan Qin a pleasant look from the moment she entered the Shi household — these two people had not even returned for the customary post-wedding visit, so why would they suddenly think to come back to her parents’ home now, and with Shi Guang personally accompanying her at that? Would Shi Guang really be so considerate?

When something happens out of the ordinary, there is always a reason behind it. Though she could not immediately put her finger on it, she could only take things one step at a time. As long as it had nothing to do with her, she naturally had no interest in concerning herself with Yan Qin’s affairs.

The following day, Yan Qin returned to the Yan Mansion in a grand spectacle, with Shi Guang accompanying her.

Shi Guang did give them face — he had brought along quite a number of gifts, distributing a share to every courtyard. When the portion reached Yan Qing’s hands, it was a white Western-style suit. This style of suit was the current fashion of the day; the major tailor shops had yet to officially put it on sale, and it could only be purchased abroad.

“My, my — all our gold and silver trinkets can’t compare to Sixth Miss’s Western dress. This is the kind of thing money alone can’t buy.” Er Yitai Guo Yanrong clicked her tongue in admiration.

Upon hearing this, Yan Qin immediately said, “Weizhi has always greatly admired Sixth Sister’s talent and disposition. He said that the moment he laid eyes on this outfit, he felt it was a perfect match for Sixth Sister.”

Shi Guang glanced over at Yan Qing and smiled. “Sixth Sister is so extraordinarily gifted, this outfit is actually beneath her.”

Before his marriage, Shi Guang had often sent Yan Qing gifts, though each time they had been refused. Taking advantage of this occasion, he made no effort to conceal his intentions.

If Yan Qing refused to accept the gift now, she would be failing to show the new brother-in-law any respect, earning herself a reputation for poor upbringing. But if she accepted it, it would inevitably give Shi Guang cause to feel pleased with himself, while also drawing others’ envy and gossip.

“Sixth Sister, your dress is so beautiful — I’ve never seen such a lovely style before.” Yan Ling, seated beside Yan Qing, looked on with undisguised admiration.

“Fourth Sister, those jade earrings of yours are truly beautiful. I happen to have a water-green blouse that would go perfectly with them.” Yan Qing placed the box containing the dress into Yan Ling’s hands, then took Yan Ling’s jade earrings in return. “After all, these are all gifts Fifth Brother-in-law gave to us sisters. Fourth Sister fancies this outfit, and I happen to fancy this pair of earrings — so we’ll simply exchange. Fifth Brother-in-law won’t mind, will he?” As she spoke, she turned an inquiring gaze upon Shi Guang.

What could Shi Guang possibly say when put on the spot like that? He could only nod somewhat stiffly. “The things have already been given to you both — do as you like.”

“Fifth Brother-in-law is truly so easy to talk to.” Yan Qing and Yan Ling exchanged their gifts. “Fourth Sister, let us both thank Fifth Brother-in-law.”

Yan Ling was somewhat surprised, yet her face was full of a flustered, flattered joy. Her jade earrings were of ordinary quality — the least valuable item in the lot — yet they had been traded for the most fashionable ensemble of the season. What girl could resist?

After Yan Qing and Yan Ling received their exchanged gifts, both appeared perfectly content. Only Shi Guang and Yan Qin, seated across from them, wore dark and unreadable expressions.

When lunchtime arrived, the Yan Family gathered together at Niànwǎn Tower. Master Yan hosted a banquet of distinguished quality in Shi Guang’s honor. During the meal, Shi Guang shared several cups of wine with Master Yan, and whenever his gaze wandered, it would drift — whether deliberately or not — toward where Yan Qing sat.

Unfortunately for him, Yan Qing kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, focused entirely on the fine food before her, and did not spare him so much as a single glance throughout the entire meal.

“Father-in-law, I hear that Sixth Sister has been raising a few koi carp — quite beautiful ones, I’m told.” Shi Guang suddenly shifted the conversation to the subject of Yan Qing’s koi.

Yan Qing, who had just raised a small porcelain spoon to her lips, could not help but knit her brows.

Master Yan laughed. “Qingqing’s fish are foreign breeds — I brought back several dozen of them some time ago. By now, all of them have died except for the few she feeds regularly.”

“Sixth Sister, might we go and take a look at your koi after the meal?” Shi Guang asked with a smile. “I’d very much like to broaden my horizons.”

Yan Qing set down her small porcelain spoon. “Fifth Brother-in-law has always seen so much of the world — I’m afraid my few koi fish are hardly worth your notice.”

“Sixth Sister is too modest. In all of Shun Cheng, there aren’t many who keep koi to begin with, and even fewer who keep them well.”

Master Yan said with a laugh, “Qingqing, just take Weizhi to have a look — are you afraid he’s going to eat your fish?”

Since Master Yan had already spoken, Yan Qing had no grounds to refuse. She understood perfectly well that Shi Guang had no interest whatsoever in koi — what he wanted was an opportunity to be alone with her.

Just as Yan Qing was weighing her options, the head steward Song came striding over to Master Yan. “Master, Director Shi has arrived.”

“Really?” Master Yan stood up in delight. “Why didn’t he say something beforehand — we’re almost finished eating! Go and welcome him quickly.”

“Director Shi says he won’t come in. He says he has something to see Sixth Miss about.”

Upon hearing this, Master Yan urged Yan Qing at once, “Weizhi has come — go and see him quickly.”

With the wedding date already set, there was no longer any need to observe the usual proprieties between them. In Master Yan’s eyes, Shi Ting was already as good as a son-in-law of the Yan Family.

“All right.” Yan Qing picked up her handkerchief and dabbed at her lips. “Then I’ll go ahead.”

The smile in her eyes was so radiant and bright that, to Shi Guang watching from across the room, it was like a needle piercing straight into his eyes.

Stepping out of Nianwan Tower, Yan Qing saw Shi Ting standing in a black overcoat beside a bluestone path. A parasol tree grew nearby, its leaves long since fallen, the yellowed foliage carpeting the ground in a thick layer. He appeared to be idling out of boredom, gently kicking at the scattered leaves with one foot.

At the sound of her approach, he raised his head. Catching sight of her from a distance, he strode forward to meet her.

Yan Qing smiled and lifted her chin. “What brings you here?”

“Just passing by.”

Yan Qing’s smile deepened. “You think I’d believe that?”

“I’m rather thirsty at the moment — might I trouble Miss Yan for a drink of water?” He arched an eyebrow, his tone carrying a faint note of self-pity.

“Come then, let’s go to my courtyard. There are people here I’d rather not see.”

Shi Ting cast a glance in the direction of Nianwan Tower, then turned and pushed Yan Qing’s wheelchair forward.

Murong and Jing Zhi were at work in the courtyard when they saw Shi Ting and Yan Qing arrive together, and both women were visibly startled.

Yan Qing blinked twice at Jing Zhi, who caught her meaning at once. After bowing respectfully to Shi Ting, she turned and hurried into the room, swiftly gathering up the knitting wool and needles that had been scattered across Yan Qing’s table.

“Murong, go and brew a pot of tea.”

“Yes, Miss.” Murong hastened off to the parlor.

“It’s cold outside — let’s go in,” said Yan Qing.

By the time they reached the parlor, Murong had the tea already half-brewed.

Shi Ting wheeled Yan Qing’s chair up to the square table and sat down on the opposite side. The moment he sat, his gaze fixed itself upon her face and refused to shift.

They had just seen each other yesterday, yet it felt as though an entire autumn and winter had passed between them.

Murong set the freshly brewed tea on the table, poured a cup for each of them, and then quietly withdrew from the parlor, gently pulling the door shut behind her.

“You still haven’t told me — what brings you here?” Yan Qing was eager to satisfy her curiosity.

“I heard that Shi Guang was coming today.” Shi Ting finally moved his gaze down to the teacup. He seemed truly thirsty — he picked up the lid and began to coax the steam away with gentle puffs.

“Were you afraid he’d cause trouble for me?”

“I ran into him just yesterday at Third Sister’s, and today he turns up at the Yan Mansion. Don’t you find that a bit too convenient?” Shi Ting’s gaze darkened. “Yesterday, your Fifth Sister stirred up trouble at the Shi household and was punished with three days of kneeling at the Citang. Yet this very morning, the First Madam had her released — and not only that, but she made the unprecedented decision to let her return home to visit her family.”

“What kind of trouble did Yan Qin stir up?”

Shi Ting looked at her, hesitated a moment, then finally said, “She came to my quarters looking for me.”

Yan Qing burst out laughing. “Director Shi’s charms know no bounds — Yan Qin clearly has never given up on you. Though I must say, this Yan Qin of yours is truly bold. As a daughter-in-law of the Shi Family, to so openly try to seduce her own brother-in-law — she’s quite the Pan Jinlian.”

“Who is Pan Jinlian?”

“A character from a novel — you wouldn’t have read it.” Yan Qing said offhandedly. “This Pan Jinlian married a dwarf named Wu Dalang, then failed to keep her vows and tried to seduce his brother Wu Song. She also entangled herself with a man named Ximen Qing and, in the end, poisoned Wu Dalang to death — only to be killed by Wu Song’s sword.”

Shi Ting listened to the end and laughed. “I didn’t realize you had a taste for that sort of fiction.”

“Do you think there’s something going on between Shi Guang and Yan Qin?”

“Whatever they may be plotting is unclear, but Shi Guang has always been a man who acts with precise purpose. He previously showed nothing but contempt for Yan Qin, and now suddenly the two of them appear at the Yan Family together — clearly, they are hiding something.”

“Do you think they might be targeting me?”

“More precisely — targeting us.” Shi Ting finally coaxed his tea cool enough to drink. He took a large sip before continuing. “Shi Guang doesn’t want you to marry me, and Yan Qin still harbors feelings for me. Two people like that would very easily find common cause.”

“Then what exactly are they planning to do?”

Shi Ting shook his head. “We watch and wait. Just be more careful day to day, and if anything happens, send Dihuai to inform me.”

“I understand.” Yan Qing brought her teacup to her lips and blew on it for a long moment, then extended it toward Shi Ting once it had cooled. “Here, this cup is yours as well.”

He did not reach out to take it — instead, he brought his mouth forward to do the job for him.

Yan Qing watched him assume this posture of waiting to be fed and found it, against all expectation, rather endearing. It was difficult to imagine that a word like “endearing” could ever be applied to Director Shi.

She carefully angled the teacup toward his lips and fed him the rest of the tea.

It seemed he had truly been thirsty.

“Is there anywhere to sleep here?” Shi Ting swept a glance around the room. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“A case last night?”

“Someone came to file a report yesterday evening — said a body had been found in a fish pond.”

“A body?”

“We rushed out immediately and brought in a recovery team. Sure enough, they pulled one up.”

Yan Qing was taken aback. “A murder?”

Shi Ting shook his head. “It was a local custom — water burial. When someone dies, the body is placed on a bamboo raft and set adrift on the water, left to float wherever the current carries it. The raft didn’t travel far before it capsized, and the body fell into the river and surfaced. Someone spotted it and reported it to the authorities.”

“So you wasted an entire night for nothing?” Yan Qing had often encountered cases like this herself — such matters were exhausting for both mind and body.

She wheeled herself over to the window. “There’s a chaise longue here. Make do with it and get some rest.”

—