◎New Year’s Eve◎

Emperor De showed him favor after all—Zhou Tan’s journey to Ruo Prefecture was to be a demotion, not an exile, so unlike Peng Yue, he had no need of a Ministry of Justice escort. He was simply relieved of his post for now, and granted permission to set out after the start of spring.

Winter in the fifteenth year of Yongning felt unusually short.

Qu You wore a brand-new cloak, holding the cat close against her chest, while Zhou Tan, dressed in a pale blue crane-feather cloak, held an umbrella over her, letting the snow pile up freely on his own uncovered shoulder.

The two of them had just reached the gate of the little Qifeng courtyard when they caught the scent of medicinal herbs drifting in the air.

Ai Disheng hurried to open the door, explaining quietly, “Physician Bo says A’Luo probably won’t make it past New Year’s Eve.”

It was said that when Emperor De had slaughtered the entire household of Prince Jing, it was one of the Prince’s loyal old servants who had traded his own child to smuggle Song Shixuan out, fleeing with him. But before they’d even made it out of Bian Capital, the old servant was killed by Emperor De’s men, leaving the seven-year-old Song Shixuan to wander the streets and markets alone for a long while.

Fortunately, the Emperor firmly believed Prince Jing’s grandson was dead, and Song Shixuan had been in Bian Capital only half a month before his face became unfamiliar enough that he was in no real danger.

It was during that time that he had met A’Luo.

Qu You took the cat’s soft little paw and reached it toward the girl’s hand. A’Luo weakly opened her eyes, and seeing the cat, they brightened for a moment before she coughed twice. “…So you really did have a cat.”

Song Shixuan said hoarsely, “I never lied to you.”

A’Luo herself didn’t even know where she’d come from. For as long as she could remember, she’d been scraping by with her younger brother, following an old man for their livelihood. Being pretty, she often smeared herself with soot to hide it. She was clever and good with people, and Song Shixuan, in meeting this girl, had actually suffered a good deal less than he otherwise might have.

Later, because of an official inspection, A’Luo and her brother had had to change lodgings, and in the chaos, Song Shixuan had lost track of her, only to have Ai Disheng and Zhou Tan track her down again.

He had searched for her many times on his own, but Bian Capital was simply too vast, and he couldn’t call on official help. Ordinary street urchins bolted the moment they saw soldiers, and A’Luo often disguised herself besides—it wasn’t until the matter of a delivered letter that Song Shixuan finally found her again.

The elderly old man had died the previous winter, taking A’Luo’s younger brother with him—it seemed their family carried some hereditary illness. Even Bo Ying, examining them, could do nothing. Years of exposure to the elements had already ruined her health at its foundation, and even the best medicine, keeping her alive as long as it had, couldn’t save her life now.

Song Shixuan turned and bowed respectfully to Qu You and Zhou Tan, asking, “Has Teacher given it a name yet?”

Qu You was thinking that the name she’d blurted out on impulse—”Snow White Snow White”—probably wouldn’t do, while Zhou Tan instantly recalled the sight of her beaming at the cat and calling it “Meow-san.” So, rare for the two of them, they answered in unison: “Not yet.”

Qu You flushed and quickly covered by saying, “Let Ziqian name it, then.”

Song Shixuan glanced over. A’Luo, with great effort, reached out and grasped the kitten’s paw, giving it a little shake. “Just call it… call it A’Luo. Once A’Luo’s gone, at least there’ll be a little cat to remember my name…”

Song Shixuan said at once, “All right.”

On the eve of New Year’s Eve, snow fell over Bian Capital.

A’Luo died quietly during the heavy snow. She was no different from any of the other street children scattered across Bian Capital—even with a little more luck than most, in the end she still couldn’t hold onto her life. Song Shixuan buried her beneath the elm tree behind the little Qifeng courtyard, facing the trailing green ivy along the courtyard wall, so that when spring came, she would still be looking out on a patch of fresh green.

On New Year’s Eve itself, Ai Disheng laid out a small feast in the main room. Bo Ying chatted idly with him while wiping glasses and humming a little tune, when he looked up to see Bai Shating, brushing snow from his hair, walk in cheerfully with Ye Liuchun in tow. “Little Ai, the snow’s really something today…”

Before he could finish, he ran straight into Bo Ying’s gaze, which looked as though he’d seen a ghost. Bai Shating slapped his thigh and immediately lunged toward him. “Eleventh Brother!”

Bo Ying shot up from his seat and spun around to run. “No matter how much I dodge, you still found me!”

Qu You happened to lift the curtain and come in just then, and saw Zhou Tan playing Go by the window with Su Chaoci, the two of them utterly unaffected by the noise in the room, quiet and focused.

She watched for a moment, then tugged at Zhou Tan’s sleeve. “I was wondering why these two looked so alike—so Physician Bo is from the Bai clan too? No wonder, when I first met him, he swore up and down he’d never treat the rich and powerful—was he just afraid of running into this troublesome Thirteenth Young Master who’s always out gallivanting…”

She rattled on for a while, but Zhou Tan showed no reaction at all. Qu You turned her head to look at him, and suddenly understood. “You already knew?”

“I knew the moment you asked Physician Bo to come treat me—did you think I’d have felt so at ease letting him treat me otherwise, or so comfortable with you keeping company with him?” Zhou Tan said calmly, placing a white stone. “He knows me too.”

“Then…”

“Physician Bo’s mother wasn’t the principal wife, and died under strange circumstances. Over the years he’s probably held a good deal of resentment toward the Bai clan, and among the younger generation, he was never especially favored—only the Thirteenth Young Master ever got along with him. It was the Thirteenth Young Master, in fact, who followed him all the way to Bian Capital in the first place.” Zhou Tan answered evenly. “The two of them are on the outs with each other now—it’s not really my place to say more.”

He’d barely finished speaking when Bo Ying went dashing past the window clutching a porcelain bowl, cursing as he ran. “Lady Zhou, this is all your fault! If I hadn’t known you, I never would have gone to treat your husband, and I never would have met Proprietor Ai, who dragged me in front of this man! The two of you are a right pair of black-hearted spouses…”

Bai Shating chased after him from behind. “Lady Zhou, so the person you told me about last time was him! He changed his surname and I didn’t even catch on! Bai Sanjing, stand still! And you too, Lord Zhou—if you knew him, why didn’t you tell me? You’re just as unscrupulous as your foolish younger brother…”

Su Chaoci frowned and made a low sound of disapproval, his eyes fixed on the Go board, and said seriously, “Every last one of the Jinling Bai clan’s young men is like this—how did you turn out so different from the rest of them?”

Zhou Tan replied, “I suppose I’m simply a bit cleverer.”

Qu You went to the table to get herself some tea, then linked arms with Ye Liuchun to go chat. Zhou Tan glanced out the window and asked, “When do you return to office?”

Su Chaoci answered, “After New Year’s.”

The white snow made the daylight seem even brighter, and incense smoke drifted gently up beside the two of them. Zhou Tan was quiet for a moment, then said, “Perhaps we could share a drink tonight.”

Su Chaoci, still intent on the game, said, “Excellent. It’s been far too long since you and I last drank together.”

He lifted a hand and poured a cup of tea, passing it over. “The road to Ruo Prefecture is long—do take care of yourself. Fu Qingnian was no easy opponent; if you hadn’t taken such a dangerous gamble, things would never have turned out as they did today. His Majesty letting you travel far is also a chance for you to rest a while. I’ll be here at court—rest assured, I’ll pave the way carefully for Ziqian.”

Zhou Tan drank the tea. “Of course I trust you.”

That night, Bian Capital lit fireworks. Zhou Tan had had a fair amount to drink, and his steps were unsteady as they left the little Qifeng courtyard. Qu You helped support him into the carriage, catching the scent of wine drifting between them.

It wasn’t yet the hour for retiring, and since it was New Year’s Eve, the streets weren’t crowded, though they remained lively. As the carriage passed through the main street along the Bian River, they could still hear vendors calling out their wares and children playing—it seemed these people would only head home to keep watch through the night once the hour grew later.

Qu You lifted the curtain to glance outside, then turned back to find Zhou Tan leaning in close to her face.

So close that she could hear even his breathing clearly. Qu You felt her heart skip a beat, and reached up to cup his face. “I thought you never drank.”

Zhou Tan stared straight at her and said hoarsely, “Actually, in my younger days, I was something of a wastrel around Lin’an myself…”

It sounded like something out of a book. Qu You asked, intrigued, “Oh?”

Zhou Tan closed his eyes and swayed his head slightly. “Buying flowers, hiring boats for wine, spending a fortune without a second thought—but those days were fleeting, over almost as soon as they began, and every time I drink, I end up remembering them. I might as well give up the wine altogether.”

His lashes trembled, and Qu You, finding this endearing, reached out and poked him, saying sincerely, “All your friends are here today. Are you happy? I hope you can be happier, from now on.”

Zhou Tan’s face flushed, and he let out a breath. “Why do you hope for that?”

Qu You blinked. “Because you’re… a good person.”

Zhou Tan laughed softly at that, his eyes bright. “There are so many good people in this world…”

“You’re not like them,” Qu You said, shaking her head, thinking it over. “Do you remember, that day we climbed Fan Tower together, I told you I wanted to clarify the truth of this world.”

Zhou Tan tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then leaned in closer still. “I remember.”

“Do you really remember?” His tolerance for alcohol clearly wasn’t very high—he’d only had a little and was already this drunk, leaning against her as though he had no bones left in him. Qu You, helpless, reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, continuing, “You don’t know this, but… the rumors about you weren’t very kind. When I first married you, I often assumed the worst of you too. But once I saw you for myself, I realized everything was different.”

Zhou Tan rested his head on her shoulder, silent for a moment, then said hoarsely, “You want to know the truth of this world, but I’m so small within its vastness—I’m hardly worth a second glance.”

Qu You decided he was simply drunk and resolved not to take his words too seriously. One hand absently stroked his back, the way one might smooth a cat’s fur, and she went on, half to herself, “History is made up of people. All the so-called integrity and noble spirit that history speaks of endures across a thousand generations precisely because there are people like you. You think yourself insignificant, and others see you buried under scandal—but I respect you. I think you’re like clear water washed clean over broken stones, a man made whole by moonlight—a good man who grew up out of the mud is always more precious than one who never had to struggle at all.”

By the end she wasn’t even sure what she was saying anymore. Zhou Tan seemed to have fallen asleep, and just as she thought he wouldn’t answer again, she heard him ask, low and quiet, “You… only respect me?”

He said it so faintly, like a breath, that Qu You didn’t quite catch it. “Hm?”

“I asked,” Zhou Tan reached up and touched the back of her neck, leaning toward her in the dim light, “do you—”

She could already feel his warm breath brushing against the corner of her lips when the carriage suddenly jolted, and Zhou Tan’s head knocked straight into her collarbone.

Qu You heard the driver outside exchanging a few murmured words with someone, then leaning respectfully toward the carriage curtain. “My lady, one of the Gao family’s servants has stopped the carriage—he says the young lady of the Gao family spotted the carriage from up in Fan Tower, and would like you and the young lord to come up and sit with her a while.”

What a shame—they’d been so close to a kiss, just a moment ago.

Qu You thought hazily, glancing back at Zhou Tan, who sat back up in some fluster, as though caught doing something wrong, and cleared his throat with exaggerated composure. “I’ve had a bit too much to drink. Go on ahead, I’ll wait for you down here in the carriage.”

The moment he finished speaking, Qu You leaned over and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Zhou Tan froze for a moment, reaching up instinctively to touch his own cheek, but Qu You had already climbed out of the carriage, humming some tune he couldn’t make out as she went. “My husband, rest a while—I’ll be back before long.”

Gao Yunyue hadn’t gone up to a private room that day; spotting the Zhou family’s carriage from the third-floor railing of Fan Tower, she’d immediately sent someone down to fetch Qu You. Before long, a servant led Qu You up, and Gao Yunyue pulled her along, saying in surprise, “Well, on New Year’s Eve, I thought I’d be the only one out and about—what are you two doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” Qu You asked, evading the question, curious. “Isn’t Chancellor Gao holding a family banquet tonight?”

“Hmph, Father’s New Year’s banquet is hardly a family affair. He’s trying to avoid the appearance of factionalism, but he still invited plenty of promising young men, wanting me to look them over from behind a screen. I got so sick of it that I told Mother I was going out with you to watch fireworks, and escaped here to find something to eat.” Gao Yunyue propped her chin on her hand and smiled at her. “Didn’t expect to run into your family’s carriage, of all things.”

Qu You raised an eyebrow, but before she could say anything, Gao Yunyue went on, “Why’s your face so red? Was it too stuffy in the carriage?”

“Not at all,” Qu You said cheerfully, snatching a cheese dumpling from in front of her and eating it as a sudden thought struck her. “Yunyue, if a husband is too shy, what should one do?”

Gao Yunyue glared at her, her cheeks gradually turning red. “I’m an unmarried girl—why are you asking me this?”

“Well, I’ve got no one else to ask,” Qu You said helplessly. “Never mind, never mind, we’ll talk about it once you’re married yourself—no, actually, looking at you, I don’t think you even want to get married. That’s fine too…”

“Don’t even talk to me about it—you’re the one heading off to the western border, and who knows when we’ll even see each other again.” Gao Yunyue’s eyes reddened, and she twisted her handkerchief in her hands. “Marriage… I just don’t want to be treated as a pawn in Father’s factional games and married off however he pleases. How many women, marrying like you did, actually find their husbands better than they’d imagined? Most women in this world only find out how unbearable their husbands are after the wedding, wasting their whole lives away—it’s really rather pitiful.”

Qu You nodded in agreement. “That’s true enough. Not everyone gets as lucky as I did.”

Gao Yunyue rolled her eyes at her, then said, “By the way, have you heard? Now that something’s happened to Chancellor Fu, the Noble Consort hasn’t been implicated, but she’s been moved to the most remote palace, practically the same as the Cold Palace. I hear she started refusing food the very first day—she probably doesn’t have long left.”

Qu You started. “Why would she refuse food?”

“You’re so naive,” Gao Yunyue said. “If the Noble Consort dies, officially it’ll be said she died of illness, and His Majesty will find the Ninth Prince some other mother of noble birth—he’ll still be raised as an imperial son either way. But if the Noble Consort doesn’t die, who would dare raise the Ninth Prince? Everyone would be afraid of reminding His Majesty of the past and drawing his anger.”

So it was true—once you married into a noble household, it really was like sinking into a bottomless sea.

Even with Fu Qingnian having gone to such lengths to protect his daughter’s life, in the end it couldn’t outweigh the fact that Fu Mingran herself had someone she wanted to protect even more.

The two of them sighed over this for a while longer, chatting on, and as the street below began to grow quiet, they linked arms and went down the stairs together.

Just as they stepped out of Fan Tower, before Qu You could even say goodbye to Gao Yunyue, a figure suddenly darted out from the side. She looked closely and saw it was Ren Shiming.

Gao Yunyue gave a startled cry and raised her sleeve to shield her face, stepping back several paces. “A shameless scoundrel—someone, drive him off at once!”

Qu You said quickly, “Wait.”

She looked Ren Shiming over for a moment, then stepped forward and said politely, “Master Ren, have you come looking for me?”

“Where’s Zhou Tan?” Ren Shiming stared fixedly past her, apparently assuming Zhou Tan was at the banquet with her. “I—I need to speak with him.”

Seeing no one else behind the two women, Ren Shiming’s gaze fell on the carriage parked not far off. He strode toward it, and Qu You, without thinking twice, hitched up her skirts and ran ahead, blocking his path. “Master Ren!”

“Zhou Tan, I wasn’t tortured in the Zanjin Pavilion—was that because of you looking out for me?”

Ren Shiming seemed to have been drinking as well; he was breathing hard, and shouted toward the carriage without any regard for propriety. Gao Yunyue, startled by this, quickly ordered her maid to have the household guards surround the carriage so no one could see inside.

Qu You had thought about climbing into the carriage herself, but worried Ren Shiming might force his way in after her, so she stood in front of the curtain without moving.

After a long moment, Zhou Tan’s voice finally came from within. “Since you’re unharmed, there’s no need to ask further. It’s New Year’s Eve—go home.”

Ren Shiming’s eyes reddened, and he slammed a fist against the carriage shaft. “Playing the good man, are you? I—I was only dragged into this because of you in the first place, and now you want me to be grateful to you on top of it?”

“Master Ren!” Qu You stood in front of him, and at this, she finally couldn’t hold back, snapping at him. “Fine, don’t be grateful—but why are you here today, to pick a fight?”

Ren Shiming stiffened his neck. “Tell him to come out here!”

“No need. I’ll speak plainly for him today—I’ve been looking for the chance.” Qu You glanced back, her feelings complicated. “Zhou Tan has never owed you anything. When he was attacked, you didn’t so much as spare him a glance, and later you sided with Chancellor Fu, obstructing him at every turn. Do you know he nearly died on his sickbed? Do you know what you did nearly cost him his life?”

Ren Shiming stepped back unconsciously. “How could he have died…”

“I don’t know what you came here hoping to hear today, but Chancellor Fu is dead now, and he and I will soon be leaving the capital anyway, so I might as well make things clear to you. Master Ren, if you had any sense at all, if you’d given him even a little consideration, you’d know just how hard things were for him after the candle-burning case. Wasn’t the distance he kept from your family meant to protect all of you?”

From behind the curtain, Zhou Tan said, “Enough, A’Lian. Let’s go.”

Qu You paid him no mind, and kept her eyes on Ren Shiming’s stunned expression as she continued. “Strangers can curse him all they like, but you… aren’t you family? Even if you don’t understand at all, even if you resent him, you shouldn’t be so indifferent to whether he lives or dies… Your mother came to see me once. I was in a hurry then and didn’t explain properly, so tell her this when you go back: have her go ask the Bai family again sometime about where that money to ransom Master Ren actually came from. The Bai family has plenty of wealth, but why would they lend it to such a distant relation as yours? Once she has the answer, you’ll understand.”

Ren Shiming looked as though he’d been struck by lightning, the color draining instantly from his face. Qu You didn’t linger with him any further, and turned to climb into the carriage, saying to Gao Yunyue with a touch of apology, “Sorry for the trouble. I’ll come by another day to make it up to you.”

Gao Yunyue said, “It’s fine, go on ahead.”

As the carriage began to pull away, Ren Shiming hurried to his feet, chased a few steps, then, overcome, sank to his knees on the ground. Gao Yunyue called back her household guards and maids, and turned to leave, only to hear a choked sob behind her.

“Brother…”

She thought for a moment, then had one of the maids beside her hand over a plain handkerchief with no embroidery at all.

The maid went over with it lowered. Ren Shiming took it without thinking and wiped his face, then, realizing something was off, looked over at the young lady standing so far away from him, suddenly conscious of how unseemly he must have looked. He wiped away the last of the tears on his face and bowed toward her from a distance in thanks.

Gao Yunyue peeked out from her sleeve and saw that he had already left.

“What a strange man. However did Lord Zhou end up with a relative like that,” she murmured to herself as she climbed into her own family’s carriage, then warned her maid not to tell anyone else about it. “Still… he was rather good-looking, though.”