That night was destined to bring no sleep. Uncle and Aunt, along with Mei Fen, had all come upon receiving the news, and even Father and Madam Jin had hurried over. Everyone sat together in the hall in an atmosphere of grave and sorrowful silence. When they saw Yun Pan return, they rushed forward to ask what had happened.

Yun Pan shook her head, her heart heavy — but she still had to reassure the Dowager Lady and the Princess, and said only: “The Duke asked Elder Brother to pass on the message that the family need not worry about him. The Emperor is angry just now, and an immediate severe punishment is to be expected — once his anger has passed, perhaps he will release him.” She forced a faint smile as she spoke. “All things considered, the crimes as they stand would ordinarily constitute a grave offense, but the Emperor showed clemency — for now he has only stripped the title and sent him to the Western Corner Gate to reflect on his mistakes. This is the fortune within the misfortune.”

Every word she said was deliberately softened, for fear that the truth would genuinely send the elders into a state of collapse. Yet even these understated words, in the eyes of the Dowager Lady and the Princess, amounted to news of world-collapsing despair.

“Stripped of title…” the Dowager Lady murmured, sitting in her armchair. To have one’s title stripped meant to be reduced to a commoner — to be counted no longer among the sons of the Li family. The Dowager Lady had been fiercely proud and ambitious all her life. Her son had once narrowly missed the throne, and she had poured her heart into the hope that her grandson might wipe away that humiliation. And now — those inside the palace had acted with ruthless precision, effortlessly smashing all her hopes to pieces. Her decades-long contest with the Empress Dowager Zhang — fifty years of struggle — had ended, once again, in defeat. And this time it was an absolute defeat, one that could never be gathered up again.

The Duke of Shuguo, though saddened, felt that in a situation like this, to have kept his life was already a blessing.

“Looking at the current situation, it appears calm on the surface, but hidden undercurrents surge everywhere, and everyone is wagering with their lives. I actually think Ji Fu stepping back for now is not a bad thing. The Emperor has stripped the title, yes — but there may well be a chance of restoration in the future.” The Duke of Shuguo deliberated carefully. “Tomorrow at court, let’s observe whether the Emperor makes any mention of this matter. Ji Fu’s everyday reputation is excellent — there should be no shortage of people pleading for him. As Babe said just now — once the Emperor’s anger subsides, there may still be a chance to see the light of day again.”

Madam Ming was a woman who spoke her mind plainly — and since there was no one here who was an outsider, she went straight to the heart of the matter: “Right now the Duke of Chenguo and the Duke of Chuguo still have a long period of tug-of-war ahead. The Duke of Chuguo may hold heavy troops, but in the ground-level territory of the capital, his foundations are far weaker than the Duke of Chenguo’s. The Duke of Chenguo and Ji Fu are the closest of all — even in the worst possible case, if the Duke of Chenguo one day inherits the great treasure, would he not release Ji Fu immediately?”

This perspective was sound enough, and the stone weighing on everyone’s heart settled down by half an inch on hearing it.

But Jiang Heng was not so optimistic. He looked at his subdued daughter, and felt genuinely pained in his heart. He sighed and said: “You all look on the bright side — but none of you seems to think that the reason Ji Fu is where he is today is because he was dragged in by the Duke of Chenguo. I told him that day — don’t go deflecting the wrath meant for the Duke of Chenguo. Just the day before, when the Emperor reprimanded the Duke of Chenguo, why did he have to step forward and take the blow? And now look — the Duke of Chenguo is unharmed, while he himself has drawn calamity upon his own head. Now we can only hope the Emperor remembers their uncle-and-nephew bond and gives him an early pardon.”

Jiang Heng was a man with no particularly sharp political instincts. When he first learned that his daughter could marry into the Duke of Weiguo’s household, he had felt very proud for a while. But after the glory passed, one disaster followed another. Now looking back, he deeply regretted his own foolish behavior in the past — if Liu Yinniang had not stirred up such trouble at home, it would not have driven the child to take refuge at the Duke of Shuguo’s residence. The Duke and Duchess of Shuguo had used Babe as a substitute, leaving things in this awkward, half-suspended state. Beyond resenting Liu Yinniang’s wicked conduct, he naturally blamed the Duke and Duchess of Shuguo as well.

Jin Shengyu was the more clear-headed of the two. She glanced at him and said: “What is the point of bringing all that up now? When you have become someone else’s thorn in the flesh, even if you are careful in every way, it cannot withstand an enemy who schemes against you day and night. In my view, all we can do now is wait. After all, everyone at court knows that the Duke of Chenguo and the Duke of Chuguo are at each other’s throats. What if the Emperor deliberates and concludes that a third party is still needed to maintain the balance — and pardons Ji Fu after all? You never know.”

That too offered a thread of hope. Slim as it was, in a world of politics all things were possible — and it served as some consolation.

Xiang Xu had said nothing since entering. At this point, he at last steeled himself and resolved: “Tomorrow I have another lecture session. I intend to bring out the biography of Prince Gao Bainian from the Book of Northern Qi, and discuss it with the Emperor. It was that man Jia Dezao — a tutor from Boling — who deliberately taught Prince Gao Bainian to write the character ‘edict,’ then had the calligraphy sealed and submitted to Emperor Wucheng. Emperor Wucheng then seized upon it as cause to order Bainian beaten to death… Would the Emperor emulate Emperor Wucheng?”

These words produced a wave of alarm throughout the room. Yun Pan quickly said: “Elder Brother has only our best interests at heart, and I know it thoroughly — but this story must on no account be brought before the Emperor for discussion. If the Emperor were to misunderstand and think you are comparing him to Emperor Wucheng, it would not only fail to rescue my husband, it would implicate you yourself.”

If this path was blocked, and that path was also blocked, Hui Cun leapt to her feet and cried: “A’Jie, tomorrow let us go into the palace and petition to see His Holiness and the Empress Dowager! Whatever we can manage, we can at least plead for Elder Brother — even just to have him confined at home instead would be something!”

But since the Emperor had already issued his decree, there was absolutely no possibility that the Empress Dowager or the Empress would persuade him to change it. And furthermore, confinement at home — continuing to enjoy all the comforts of high bed and soft pillows — would hardly be enough to satisfy the Emperor’s fury.

Yun Pan shook her head slowly. “The Duke was stripped of his title, and with it my own conferred rank is gone. To enter the palace now is as difficult as ascending to heaven.”

Everyone was suddenly at a complete loss. It seemed every road was closed, and beyond sitting and waiting for death, there was nothing else to be done.

Beyond the doorway, snow had begun to fall again. In the light of the lanterns, fine as dust, snow specks swirled up and down, filling the vast dark night.

After some time, the Princess spoke in a weary, defeated tone: “Because of Ji Fu’s troubles, no one has had any peace — and on such a cold night, everyone has still come all the way to our house. It is already late. I think everyone should go home and rest. With court in the morning, there are only another two hours before the time to rise. To exhaust everyone further would only add to our guilt.”

The Dowager Lady agreed. “Sitting here in a panic won’t solve anything. We hold your kindness close in our hearts. Please, everyone.”

People considered it, and since waiting in agony truly offered no immediate solution, they began to rise and take their leave one by one.

The Duke of Shuguo paused before departing, turned back, and gave Yun Pan one more word of counsel: “Hold on. Don’t lose your composure. Tomorrow I will go and gather more information — if there is any news, I will immediately send someone to tell you.”

Yun Pan saw him out, nodding. “Everything is in your hands, Uncle.”

The Duke of Shuguo sighed, hesitating before he spoke. He paused, and then said with a complicated look: “Before your wedding, Ji Fu came personally to entrust you to my care — those words are still fresh in my ears. How could I not give my full heart to this? And besides…” He cast a difficult, indirect glance at Mei Fen, leaving the rest unsaid — but the meaning was plain. Yun Pan had, after all, filled in for Mei Fen and married into the Duke of Weiguo’s household. If not for that, the one anxious and frightened today should rightly have been Mei Fen.

Mei Fen naturally felt a heart full of guilt toward her. She took Yun Pan’s hand and faltered: “Babe — it is I who have harmed you…”

Yun Pan smiled faintly and shook her head. “A’Jie, please don’t say that. I don’t regret for one moment marrying Ji Fu. He is my true husband, and if it had been anyone else, I would not be who I am today.”

Everyone lingered and yet finally departed. Yun Pan stood on the empty wooden walkway, and only then felt how bitterly cold the night was. Wrapped in a light fur, she could not keep out the bone-deep chill.

And he — tonight he would very likely lie awake the whole night, sitting fully dressed until dawn.

Yun Pan’s grief was something the Dowager Lady and the Princess must not see. She returned to the main hall and did her best to compose herself, saying in a warm tone: “Grandmother and Mother, please go back and rest too. With so many friends and family, everyone will help think of something. What good is lying awake staring at the ceiling all night? Better to build up your strength — if there are favors to ask and connections to visit in the days ahead, at least we will have the energy for it.”

The Princess nodded and, with a maidservant’s help, helped the Dowager Lady to her feet. After a few steps she did not forget to tell Yun Pan: “Everything inside and outside now falls to you to manage alone. You are the pillar of this household — watch your own health above all. Go rest soon — don’t wear yourself out, or we will be even more helpless.”

Yun Pan said: “I know. I’ll lie down shortly.”

Hui Cun was reluctant to leave and stood lingering. “A’Jie, let me stay and keep you company.”

Yun Pan said it was unnecessary. “You’re exhausted after a long day. Go rest. Tomorrow there may be more running about to do.”

After much persuading, the others finally returned to their own courtyards. Only then did Yun Pan’s mind begin to cool. Nanny Yao and Qin Dan came forward to support her, and she walked back on unsteady legs. She returned to the Xüzhou room, washed briefly, and unpinned her hair. She sat on the bed looking lost and bewildered.

Qin Dan came to lower the bed-curtain and, seeing her sitting alone wiping her eyes, felt a great tide of sorrow rise within her. She said forlornly: “Madam, please don’t cry — there are so many things still waiting for Madam to deal with. If you cry until your eyes are swollen and you cannot be seen in public, what then?”

Nanny Yao heard their voices and came in as well. Seeing the young mistress sitting there alone wrapped in bedding, she could not help but feel a surge of pity.

She was only sixteen years old. At sixteen she had been dropped into a jar of honey; at sixteen she had been tossed into the winds and waves of the world. This sixteenth year had truly been a crowded one. Whether the seventeenth year could bring some good change — that was hard to know.

Thinking about it carefully — it had truly been no easy matter. From the moment things went wrong to this moment now, she had been the one holding herself together and comforting everyone else. How much could she herself bear? Nanny Yao stepped forward and offered comfort: “Madam, our Duke is a man of extraordinary wisdom. Every step he has taken has been calculated. Even if this time he fell victim to a villain’s schemes, he will have a way to extricate himself. It is just that this matter has only just occurred — it still requires patience for now. Madam must believe in the Duke. He will not let the family worry for too long.”

Yes — he had always had his plans. Since he could turn a crisis into something manageable even in so dangerous a situation, surely getting out unscathed was only a matter of time.

She settled her heart and began to consider carefully. “Were those characters truly written by him? He is such a meticulous man — how could he have left such a hold for others to seize?”

This was indeed baffling. Nanny Yao said: “For them to be brought before the Emperor, even if they weren’t written by the Duke, they must have been imitated from his handwriting. There is one thing I don’t understand — with how tightly guarded our residence is, how could that thing have been brought in without being discovered?”

“Those characters may not have been in our residence at all — very likely they were brought in by those men during the search.” Yun Pan gave a bitter smile. “The captain of that squad of imperial outriders was Geng Fangzhi’s brother-in-law.”

With this said, everything became clear. In the end, disaster could not be avoided — the enemy had come prepared. Writing a character “edict” was already considered small-scale trouble; if they had brought in an imperial seal, it would have left one completely without recourse.

Nanny Yao sighed and consoled her: “It truly is a case of enemies crossing paths on a narrow road. I doubt the Geng family would have had the nerve to frame the Duke on their own — they must have been acting on someone else’s orders. Our Duke holds the position he does — easy to guard against open attacks, but not against arrows shot from the shadows. As things stand, being ordered only to confinement and self-reflection is already the fortune within the misfortune — Madam should try to look at it with a broader heart. Perhaps before long, everything will unravel itself.”

Yun Pan gave a slow nod. But to say she was not worried — how could she not be? He was under lock and key at the Corner Gate, and if the people who had harmed him used more underhanded means against him while he was there alone and unprotected — how could he resist?

These anxious thoughts spiraled, one after another, until she became agitated, and agitation turned to self-reproach. She was a useless person — the Emperor had not ordered any further investigation, so there was no point petitioning the wives of the officials from the Court of Great Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.

“What can I still do…” she murmured to herself, and then suddenly remembered: “Get the Duke’s daily provisions ready — his clothes, bedding, his usual medicines. Tomorrow morning I will go to the Western Corner Gate and see if I can manage to see him.”

Perhaps the case was too fresh and a visit would not be permitted — but at least she now had a direction, and knew what her next step should be.

With her mind made up, she was truly exhausted, and lay back and dozed for a little while.

Not long after, the roosters in the city began to crow. Since her marriage, her daily schedule had adjusted to Li Jibai’s rhythm — ordinarily she would rise at the first crow to prepare to see him off to court. But today she opened her eyes and found the space beside her empty. A blank confusion settled over her, and then came crashing grief. She lowered her head and buried her face in her palms.

From the fifth watch to the first light of day — that interval of time was, she now discovered, so terribly long. Once she had dressed and put herself in order, she did not know what to do with herself, and so she went to inspect the bundles the maidservants and bondwomen had prepared. She looked through them item by item, and thought carefully as she went.

“What about the hand-warmers? Are they included?” She moved from bundle to bundle. “And the fragrant charcoal — make sure to bring extra. This time of year the snow keeps falling — the Corner Gate must be damp and cold, and the braziers and hand-warmers must be kept burning all day.”

There were also items like the bed-warming stone, the fox-fur outer robe, the knee-warmer, and the like — not one of them could be left out.

Nanny Yao stood beside her helping to check inventory. “Madam, look — everything that should be brought has been brought. As long as we can buy the goodwill of the wardens, we can send anything in afterward at any time. Even if something is forgotten, there is no need to panic.”

Yun Pan said good, and went around two more times before returning to the main hall and sitting before the three-panel screen to drink hot porridge.

She tilted her head and looked at the armchair beside her. The brocade cushion sat neatly in place — but the person was not there, and her heart was cold and empty in the same way.

After last night’s turmoil, today she could be calm at last. He had said — at the warming of spring they would be reunited. She chose now to think of nothing else, and only hoped that spring would come quickly. When spring came, he would come back.

But Heaven was not cooperative. The snow fell ever heavier. She watched, her heart roiling, until the morning light finally rose. She got to her feet and called Nanny Yao: “Have the things loaded into the carriage at once. We’re going to the Corner Gate now.”

Nanny Yao answered and directed the maidservants to carry the bundles into the carriage hall. Just then the Princess and Hui Cun also arrived, together going over again whether all the essential items were accounted for. The Princess said: “Hui Cun, you stay here and take care of Grandmother. I’ll go with Babe.” Her eyes reddened again. “When he went to the military, I was so anxious every day, afraid he wasn’t sleeping well or eating well. When he came back to the capital, I thought — at least now he eats and sleeps at home, so there is nothing more to fret about. And yet here we are again. This has been hard on you, good child — just half a year into your marriage and already facing such a storm.”

Yun Pan braced her spirits and said: “Mother, please don’t say that. I married the Duke — we are of one body. There is no hard or easy about it.”

While they were talking, the voice of a bondwoman came from the covered walkway, calling inward to announce: “There is a young miss at the front gate asking specifically to see Madam.”

Yun Pan was startled. “A young miss? Which family’s young miss?”

The bondwoman said: “She did not say which household she is from. She says only that the matter is urgent and she must speak with Madam in person.”

Yun Pan looked at the Princess, who said: “Have the person brought to the sitting room. At this early hour, she must truly have something important.”

The bondwoman received the order and went to bring the visitor in. Before long, a young woman wearing a white-ground garment with a water-red collar and a front-opening jacket could be seen following the bondwoman along the wooden walkway of the sitting room. The bondwoman bowed and gestured her inside. She entered, first bowed to all three, and said: “This is my first time calling on this household, and I cannot distinguish which is the Duchess — but in any case all three of you must be mistresses of this residence. I am Liang Huiying, and I offer my respects to you three.”

Yun Pan studied her carefully, and could not help but feel inwardly impressed. She was a genuine and substantial beauty — a face like a full moon, eyes like the clear autumn waters, and whether in figure or in bearing, she carried herself with the air of someone from a great household. And yet in all the gatherings of noble ladies and young women Yun Pan had attended since coming to the capital, she had never seen this person — which meant she was likely not someone from the nobility’s own circle. Yun Pan invited her to sit, and had the maidservants on either side introduce each of their identities, before asking warmly: “I am not sure which distinguished household’s young miss you are, and what brings you here today?”

Liang Huiying raised her eyes. From the moment she had entered, she had seen at first glance this young Duchess. In the past she had always carried herself proudly, because she knew she was beautiful, and she had never thought the noblewomen of the capital particularly remarkable. When the Duke of Weiguo had taken a wife, she had supposed the Duchess would at most be a proper and dignified noblewoman — such women were everywhere in the capital. She had even privately thought it a pity that a man of the Duke of Weiguo’s quality had been randomly matched with some ordinary woman, as though it were beneath him.

But now, actually coming face to face with this mistress, it seemed entirely different from what she had imagined. There was something she could not quite articulate. To say she was breathtakingly beautiful — that wasn’t quite it either. Hers was a gentle and delicately clever appearance, without sharp edges — yet she possessed a kind of composed and noble grace that was entirely her own. Sometimes between women, the measure of one against the other was settled in a single glance. She suddenly felt a sense of being outclassed, and the pride she had always carried was in that instant entirely quieted. She could, at last, settle her thoughts and speak plainly of her purpose.

She first introduced herself, saying: “I am the newly taken concubine of the Duke of Chuguo. The Duke and I first met aboard a painting boat on the Bian River. Madam has surely already heard of me.”

Yun Pan gave a soft sound of acknowledgment. “Indeed, I have heard of you for some time.” But in her heart she had already begun to wonder — why would the Duke of Chuguo’s concubine come to call at this moment? The two households had little contact ordinarily — she had never even had much to do with Madam Deng. And yet this newly taken concubine had come here in the window while the Duke of Chuguo was at court. She must surely have come with a purpose.

Seeing that all three of them were somewhat on guard, Huiying was the first to give an awkward laugh herself. “You must all find it strange. I am someone from the Duke of Chuguo’s household — why would I come at a time like this? The truth is, there is something behind it, and I ask permission to explain. I am originally from Sizhou. When my family fell into disaster, I was conscripted into the military camp as a camp concubine — it was the Duke of Weiguo who saved me and arranged a new identity for me. Then this year, when a suitable opportunity arose, he deliberately placed me in the Duke of Chuguo’s household.”

Yun Pan and the Princess exchanged a glance. Neither had expected such an inner story to exist. Yun Pan paused, then said: “From what Liang Miss is saying — does today’s calamity to our Duke have a connection to the Duke of Chuguo?”

Liang Huiying said yes. “I have come today to explain this matter to the Madam. Those characters were written by the Duke of Chuguo himself — because his handwriting resembles the Duke of Weiguo’s, he deliberately imitated it and then conspired with Military Commander Geng Yü to frame the Duke. When the Duke of Chuguo was planning it, I happened to be present — and it was also I who had someone go ahead and report it to the Duke of Weiguo, though I was unable to save him from his predicament, at least to give him some warning. Yesterday I learned of the Duke’s sentence of confinement. I came as soon as I could manage, hoping to see if there is anything I can do to help. If Madam intends to appeal the injustice to the Emperor, even if I must sacrifice this worthless life of mine, I am willing to go with Madam.”