The imperial palace was separated from Qingzhu Alley by the full breadth of half of Chang’an. By the time Lin Xiao and Jiang Sanlang rode to where the Ghost Swordsman had last appeared, Qin Yao and the others were already nowhere to be found.

Lin Xiao’s heart was in turmoil. He searched in every direction, and finding nothing, did not stop but rode straight on toward the academy.

Just as he arrived at the gates, Chang Rong and the others happened to be coming out of the alley at the back of the academy. Seeing Lin Xiao and Jiang Sanlang, they hurried forward. “Young Heir, I was just about to send you a message — Miss Qu has returned to the academy.”

Earlier, he and Wei Bo had been quietly following the carriage carrying Qin Yao and the others, when the carriage turned into Qingzhu Alley and a thick bank of mist suddenly rose, blocking the alley entrance.

The mist appeared far too strangely. By the time they had passed through it and entered the alley, they found the lane completely empty — the carriage had vanished before their very eyes.

Wei Bo, terrified that something had happened to Qin Yao, had immediately ridden off to send word to Lin Xiao. Chang Rong, however, remained at his post, searching Qingzhu Alley inch by inch, refusing to miss a single brick or tile, fearing there might be some hidden passageway or mechanism concealed within.

He had searched for a long while when he suddenly heard the sound of carriage wheels rolling over bluestone paving. He looked up and was stunned to find that Miss Qu and the others’ carriage had reappeared in the alley at some unknown point, moving at a very fast pace, and quickly disappeared at the far end.

He rushed to follow. This time, the carriage did not vanish as abruptly as before, but sped all the way to Yun Yin Academy without pause.

In the darkness, he could not clearly make out the appearance of the people who descended from the carriage. Anxious to confirm Qin Yao’s safety, he had once again become a nocturnal roof-walker, quietly scaling the wall and following them inside.

As it happened, he had arrived in time to witness Official Lu making things difficult for Qin Yao.

Chang Rong gave a thorough account of everything from start to finish, adding his own assessment of the incident with Official Lu: “That female teacher stared at Miss Qu from beginning to end, pressing her with every word, as though she would not rest until she had recorded a demerit against her. Young Heir, I watched carefully — this Official Lu seems to have something rather off about her.”

“Official Lu?” Jiang Sanlang searched his memory with great effort. “Are there any officials at court with the surname Lu? I’ll have to ask my mother about it when I get back — where exactly does this Lu person come from?”

Lin Xiao frowned and said nothing. Based on what Chang Rong had described, this Official Lu’s conduct just now was unmistakably the sort of scheme habitually practiced in the inner palace — underhanded and hidden from the light. He had no idea who had put her up to it, but whoever it was had directed the blade toward Qin Yao.

He mulled it over for a moment and said to Jiang Sanlang: “I wonder whether Aunt has retired for the night. Shall we go in and pay our respects?”

Jiang Sanlang was of the same mind. He nodded. “Let’s go.”

When the two arrived, the Duchess of Luguo had already removed her hairpins and ornaments and was having her maids help her change into her sleeping clothes. On hearing the announcement of their arrival, she was somewhat surprised and immediately bade them be shown in.

“What brings the two of you here at this hour?” Although the Duchess of Luguo had always been a stern woman, at the sight of her youngest son and Lin Xiao entering together and standing in the middle of the room — impossibly tall and strikingly distinguished — a smile appeared on her face quite of its own accord.

“I missed you, so I came to see you.” Jiang Sanlang was a natural flatterer. Just then a maidservant came in bearing tea, and he casually took the cup and presented it to his mother himself.

The Duchess of Luguo feigned displeasure as she looked at her son. “Not a word of truth. If you were truly this devoted, your mother was home during the day — why was there no sign of you coming back to show some filial piety? All day long out there running about like a wild horse, and not willing to settle down and get married. When are you going to do the same as your two elder brothers and get married and start a family?”

Jiang Sanlang was thoroughly unconvinced and laughed: “But I am the Guiding Virtue General appointed by His Majesty himself. Every day I’m at the military camp training the troops — I’m busy without a moment to spare. How is it that in your eyes, I’ve somehow become a man of no profession who wastes his days in idleness?”

The Duchess of Luguo, seeing her son avoid the topic of marriage and busy himself deflecting with other talk, let out a quiet sigh and turned her gaze to Lin Xiao. “Wei Jin, do you not have palace duty tonight?”

Lin Xiao performed a bow, then swept aside his robe and settled into a seat at the table. “I must return in a while.”

The Duchess of Luguo looked at Lin Xiao’s face — so strikingly like the face of her one and only younger sister — and said with tender fondness: “You look thinner again these days. Have you been too busy? If you can find the time, come to your aunt’s estate, and I’ll have the servants prepare some nourishing soups for you.”

Then, thinking of Cui Shi, she added in a cool tone: “That stepmother of yours is beyond relying upon — it is already something that she doesn’t cause trouble. When all is said and done, ever since your mother passed, your clothing, food, and lodging have all been managed by Nanny Wen alone. Your father is the sort of man who takes no interest in such things, and leaves everything to itself. I imagine there has been much that has not been to your liking over the years — it has truly been a trial for you. But once you are married, things will be better.”

Jiang Sanlang, hearing this, knew that his mother had always thought poorly of Cui Shi, and at this point most likely still did not know that Cui Shi had been placed under confinement. He thought to himself that he would need to find the right moment to tell her.

The Duchess of Luguo continued: “Today your uncle mentioned that the Emperor seems to be looking to select a consort for Princess Kang Ping. In the last little while, he’s been summoning these old court officials repeatedly to inquire carefully about promising young men. I reckon the time for your arranged marriage cannot be too far off now. Do you have anyone in mind? If not, your aunt will help you choose from among the academy’s students — I guarantee she will be a woman of both virtue and beauty.”

Jiang Sanlang laughed aloud. “Mother, there’s no need for you to pick for him — Wei Jin chose for himself a long time ago. That young woman is precisely a student from the academy.”

“Oh?” The Duchess of Luguo looked at Lin Xiao with surprise. “And who is this young woman?”

Lin Xiao’s ears grew warm. He rose and made a formal, solemn bow to the Duchess of Luguo, then said with great seriousness: “This person is someone Aunt also knows. She is none other than Qu Qin Yao. Wei Jin has long admired Miss Qu. I humbly ask that Aunt look after her a little more on ordinary days.”

The Duchess of Luguo was startled for a moment, and after quite some time, let out a pleased exclamation. “Of all people — it’s her?”

Recalling how Qin Yao had once worked together with Lin Xiao to deal with the fox spirit, she nodded with a warm smile. “Aunt should have guessed long ago. Very well, very well. There’s no need for such formality — am I the sort of person who doesn’t know what’s good? Just based alone on what she has done for us at the Luguo Duke’s estate, Aunt will do her very best to look after her.”

Lin Xiao smiled faintly. “Then this subject will trouble Aunt.”

Jiang Sanlang glanced at Lin Xiao, then suddenly said to the Duchess of Luguo: “Mother, when Wei Jin and I were coming here just now, I heard someone mention in passing a certain Official Lu — I wonder what this person’s background is.”

The Duchess of Luguo, with just this one sentence, had already guessed that her son and Lin Xiao must know about what had happened with Official Lu making things difficult for Qin Yao, and were now here deliberately probing for details. Knowing how heavy-handed their methods tended to be, she hardened her expression and said: “Don’t you go causing a mess. In any case, your mother gives you her word — as long as I’m here, no one shall dare to trouble Miss Qu.”

Jiang Sanlang found the conversation immediately unsatisfying. His mother was excellent in every way except for being far too perceptive — there was no hope of concealing anything from her.

But Lin Xiao suddenly turned to the Duchess of Luguo and said: “As I recall, when Yun Yin Academy was reopened, there was no female official with the surname Lu among the staff. Was this Official Lu added later?”

The Duchess of Luguo gave a slight sigh. She knew that even if she said nothing, Lin Xiao and the others would eventually find out the details about Official Lu on their own, so she stopped concealing it. She nodded. “This Lu Gui’er was recommended at the time by Princess Derong. Her elder brother, apparently, was a renowned scholar in Shu, who had served as tutor to the three Xia siblings. On the journey back to Chang’an with the Princess, he caught a chill and died of illness. Seeing that the man’s younger sister was left alone with no one to rely on, and that she had some education, Princess Derong recommended her to the academy as a teacher, so as to accumulate some goodwill toward herself.”

Jiang Sanlang swiftly seized upon the key point in these words and turned to Lin Xiao. “So she is a person connected to the Xia family?”

Lin Xiao thought of the incident at Yuquan Mountain not long ago, and his expression grew heavy.

The Duchess of Luguo offered none of the usual remarks such as “Official Lu may not have meant anything by it” or “she isn’t necessarily targeting Qin Yao.” After all, they were all people accustomed to the sight of intrigue and rivalry. Official Lu’s methods, though crude, were time-tested and habitually employed to suppress and strike at one’s adversaries.

High-sounding words might fool others — they could not fool these people.

After a long silence, Jiang Sanlang was the first to break it. “The Xia family has spent these years in Shu, and the three Xia siblings did not grow up around us — we know far too little of their character and temperament. Going forward, in any dealings with them, we’ll likely need to be a good deal more watchful.”

Back at the dormitory, Qin Yao thought of how badly frightened Wang Yingning and the others must have been by the Ghost Swordsman, worried that their spirits might still be unsettled, and gave each of Wang Yingning and Pei Min one Three-Yang Pill, instructing them to take it.

Their minds were all in a tumult — both still shaken by the terrifying ghost rider, and full of unresolved suspicion about Official Lu’s behavior. There was a whole basket full of things they wanted to discuss with each other, burning to let it all out, but there was simply no time at this hour. By unspoken agreement they each returned to their own rooms, resolving to speak more fully the following day.

Caiping and Qingr had been waiting anxiously and were enormously relieved when they finally returned. They hurriedly helped Qin Yao and Pei Min wash up and prepare for bed.

Qin Yao removed her hairpins and ornaments, lay down on the bed, and drew her quilt around her, silently turning over the events of the day in her mind. Suddenly there came a light tap against the window. Caiping scrambled up from her pallet in a flurry, and in a hushed voice said: “Miss, that young man from last time has come again.”

Qin Yao quickly put on her outer robe and looked out the window. Sure enough, she saw Chang Rong crouching outside, bent low. When he saw her appear, he grinned. “Miss Qu, the Young Heir has arrived.”

Having been through this once before, Qin Yao made her way to the pavilion with the ease of familiarity.

Lin Xiao sat at the stone table inside the pavilion, his fingers absently tapping a light rhythm on the tabletop, his thoughts somewhere far away.

Seeing Qin Yao approach, he instinctively looked toward her hair and rose. “A’Yao.”

Qin Yao entered the pavilion and looked up at Lin Xiao. “You said you had palace duty tonight — what brought you here at this hour?”

Lin Xiao drew his gaze away from Qin Yao’s beautiful hair and looked at her. “Chang Rong told me what happened in Qingzhu Alley. Did the two of you encounter a ghost creature just now?”

Qin Yao nodded and recounted everything, “I don’t know where it came from — it nearly abducted one of my classmates. Unfortunately, it is not convenient for me to go out right now, and my master is away from the temple at the moment.”

Lin Xiao, thoughtful, said: “What if I inform Abbot Yuan Jue of this matter and ask him to bring people to take a look, so that the malevolent ghost does not cause trouble again?”

“Good.” Qin Yao had to admit this was the best course of action she could think of at the moment. “That creature will likely cause more trouble before long — we should ask Abbot Yuan Jue to act without delay.”

Lin Xiao made a sound of agreement, then suddenly said: “A’Yao, that hairpin I gave you — when are you going to wear it and let me see?”

Qin Yao found this question rather abrupt. She looked up at him and saw that he didn’t seem particularly intent on pressing the point, as though he had asked it in passing. Even so, she answered sincerely: “That hairpin is far too precious — wearing it out would inevitably draw attention. I’ll save it for some future occasion when the time is right.”

A smile rose in Lin Xiao’s eyes. “And when would ‘some future occasion’ be?”

Qin Yao’s face colored. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and muttered: “Naturally, when there’s a time it can be worn.”

Lin Xiao was tremendously pleased at heart. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “A’Yao, wear that hairpin whenever you like — there’s no need to be cautious about anything. Not just that one pin — from now on, every piece of jewelry I give you, you may wear them all openly and without reservation.”

Qin Yao imagined the picture of herself adorned from head to toe with jade and pearls and could not help laughing. She looked up at him from within his arms. “What has gotten into you today? Why are you suddenly asking about that hairpin?”

Lin Xiao didn’t answer right away. Instead, he drew from his breast pocket a plum-blossom embroidered pouch of exquisite craftsmanship and held it out to Qin Yao. “This was made by Chang Rong’s mother — she asked me to give it to you. You can use it to hold some incense coins and the like.”

Qin Yao took it and examined it closely. The color combinations and needlework were both so magnificent as to seem nature’s own work, and she clicked her tongue in admiration. “How beautifully it is made.”

She opened the pouch, and inside it was packed full to the brim with Dong Zhu pearls, every one the size of a thumb, perfectly round and luminous, rich and lustrous beyond measure. A single pouch like this could probably buy several shops in the Eastern Market.

Chang Rong’s mother could never have been so extravagant — without needing to ask, this was certainly something Lin Xiao had placed inside.

Qin Yao glanced up at Lin Xiao, suppressing a smile, and said: “Thank you.”

Lin Xiao, seeing Qin Yao happy, smiled as well. “So long as you like it.”

After a moment, recalling something that had long puzzled him, he suddenly asked: “A’Yao, can you remember — did Princess Yisu’s pear blossom hairpin appear before or after the plum blossom hairpin?”

Qin Yao had just carefully tucked the full pouch into her sleeve. At these words, she was momentarily startled — Lin Xiao really was behaving strangely tonight. She thought it over and shook her head. “That day at Run Yu Studio, I only saw the one Snow-Seeking-Plum hairpin, and the shopkeeper said there was only that one. Some time later, I noticed that the Princess had acquired a hairpin made of East Sea cold jade as well.”

Lin Xiao heard this and fell abruptly silent, thinking of the matter with Official Lu.

Qin Yao, seeing his expression grow heavy, thought carefully and a vague suspicion began to stir within her. She was just about to ask what he meant when Lin Xiao pulled her closer, and said in a low voice: “A’Yao, from now on I won’t let anyone bully you.”

Qin Yao grew even more puzzled. After a quiet moment, she wrapped her arms around Lin Xiao’s lean waist and pressed her face against his chest, saying in a muffled voice: “I won’t be the one letting anyone bully me either.”

This was the very first time Qin Yao had taken the initiative to embrace him. Lin Xiao’s body went rigid. He looked down at Qin Yao’s profile, and said distractedly: “Good. My A’Yao is remarkable — no one is going to bully her.”

The words were not yet finished when, yielding to the desire of both body and heart, he bent his head and pressed his lips against the smooth, jade-pale lobe of Qin Yao’s ear.

Qin Yao felt a tingling, numbing warmth spread instantly from her earlobe through her entire body, one moment hot and the next cold — even more disorienting than the first two times Lin Xiao had kissed her lips. Her heart was racing and she had no idea how to respond, so she could only let Lin Xiao linger there at her ear.

Lin Xiao’s breathing grew heavier and heavier. He left her earlobe and kissed his way down along her neck to her collarbone — and further below that was the place she would be most deeply embarrassed to have touched. He showed no sign of stopping at all, pressing forward in his advance. Qin Yao was so mortified she was beside herself, and struggled to say: “Young Heir.”

Only then did Lin Xiao realize he had lost his composure. He stopped himself abruptly and pressed against Qin Yao’s shoulder, catching his breath for a moment, before drawing her back into his arms again.

Both of their hearts were beating fiercely. After a long while, Lin Xiao bent his head and looked carefully at Qin Yao’s expression. Her face held shyness, but plainly no sign of anger. His heart lit up in an instant. He kissed Qin Yao’s forehead and said with a low laugh: “A’Yao, it will not be long before the Emperor gives us a marriage decree. I’ll have people arrange Si Ru Study according to your preferences — whatever you like, I’ll have it prepared for you. Does that sound good?”

Qin Yao, hearing in Lin Xiao’s voice an anticipation that brooked no refusal, found that her earlier shyness and mortification eased somewhat. She felt a rising happiness within her, dropped her eyes, and nestled in his arms. “All right.”