The estate that Xiao Yongjia had given as dowry to her daughter was located in the southern outskirts of Jingkou town, situated in a place surrounded by mountains and water. It was just over ten li from the town, originally the property of a local scholarly family—owned by the Gu Wei clan, the same family with whom Li Mu had clashed with Dai Yuan on his wedding night.

Though the Gu family was nominally a local scholarly clan, the descendants in the family were mediocre, their family fortunes had declined, and their expenses exceeded their income. They had long intended to sell this property but couldn’t bring themselves to lose face. Just recently, when they learned that Eldest Princess had sent people to this area to select a dowry estate for her daughter, they immediately took the initiative to curry favor and sold it.

After Xiao Yongjia bought it, she renamed the place Changle Garden and ordered Gao Qi to hurry with repairs, arranging servants for all areas, planning for Luoshen to reside there permanently.

This was also Luoshen’s first time visiting Changle Garden.

On the road, A’Ting stayed close by her sister-in-law’s side, overjoyed and chattering all the way, filling the entire carriage with her laughter and conversation.

Luoshen responded to A’Ting’s words intermittently, but her gaze frequently drifted toward the carriage window.

She had already seen that Li Mu seemed to have other matters on his mind. His agreement to escort her out was merely due to Lu Shi’s instructions.

While still in town, Luoshen occasionally heard his voice exchanging greetings with Jingkou townspeople who came up to say hello.

After leaving town, as people on the road gradually became fewer, he remained silent, riding his horse beside the carriage, eyes fixed ahead, clearly preoccupied with other thoughts.

Luoshen sneered inwardly, dropped the carriage curtain with a “pff,” and stopped looking at him.

The ox cart swayed along the country dirt road for a while longer, passing over a stone bridge before stopping.

They had arrived at Changle Garden.

A’Ting couldn’t wait for the cart to stop completely and jumped down by herself.

Luoshen bent over to emerge from the carriage door. Li Mu stepped forward with his hand extended, but A’Ting suddenly darted past him from behind, competing to help Luoshen.

Luoshen smiled sweetly, took A’Ting’s outstretched hand, stepped on the footstool the maid had placed, and got down from the carriage.

Li Mu withdrew his hand.

A’Ting flashed him a triumphant grin and looked toward the estate before them.

The main gate was wide open, large enough for two side-by-side carriages to pass through. The surrounding walls on both sides were built with large, flat blue stones, smooth as if knife-cut, rising about ten feet high and extending east and west. A clear stream was diverted into the walled area. Looking through the main gate, one could vaguely see pavilions and artificial hills on the opposite side, layer upon layer. More than ten servants and servant women, led by a steward, quickly emerged from the gate to welcome them, all wearing smiles.

A’Ting’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t help but exclaim in wonder, turning to Li Mu: “Elder brother, sister-in-law’s home is so big! When will elder brother be able to earn such a garden?”

The steward and servants had approached nearby and called out “Li Langjun” and “Young mistress” in unison. Suddenly hearing A’Ting blurt out such words, they all looked toward Li Mu with strange expressions, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Li Mu actually laughed, appearing completely unconcerned. He only raised his hand to pat A’Ting’s head and turned toward Luoshen, who was watching him coldly from the side: “Let’s go, I’ll escort you inside.”

“That’s not necessary,” Luoshen said indifferently. “Mother only asked you to bring us here. We’ve arrived, so if you have business, you may go about it.”

Li Mu hesitated slightly, then nodded: “Very well. Then I’ll trouble you to look after A’Ting today. I’ll come to fetch you both at the hour of shen.”

“Elder brother, won’t you stay with me and sister-in-law?”

A’Ting looked disappointed.

“Elder brother has some matters to attend to, but I’ll be back soon. Now that we’re here, don’t be naughty and listen to your sister-in-law,” Li Mu instructed.

A’Ting agreed.

Li Mu turned to Luoshen and smiled apologetically, saying “Much obliged,” then mounted his horse and galloped toward the town. His figure quickly disappeared at the end of the road.

Luoshen stared at his vanishing figure, withdrew her gaze, took A’Ting’s hand, and smiled: “Come with sister-in-law. Consider this your own home.”

…

This estate covered a vast area, divided into three sections: residential, agricultural, and garden areas. Within it was truly another world, with several scenic arrangements showing craftsmanship. However, compared to those top-tier scholarly families near Jiankang and the wealthy Three Wu scholarly families whose ancestors had enclosed land to build gardens that were either imposing and grand or exquisite and elegant, this paled in comparison. In Luoshen’s view, it was merely passable, but seeing A’Ting’s overwhelming excitement, like a little mouse that had fallen into a rice jar wanting to see everything new, she forced herself to be energetic and accompanied her touring the garden.

After lunch at midday, they visited several more places before A’Ting finally couldn’t walk anymore. By now it was nearly the hour of shen.

Luoshen brought A’Ting inside to rest for a while, waiting for Li Mu to come fetch them.

As the hour of shen approached, Li Mu didn’t appear, but someone came with a message saying that his business wasn’t finished and he couldn’t return immediately. So he had sent this person ahead to inform them that Lady Gao and A’Ting should rest here a bit longer, and he would come somewhat later.

After the messenger left, Luoshen ordered a carriage prepared, took A’Ting aboard, and with servants accompanying them front and back, set off for town herself.

On the road, the carriage swayed back and forth. A’Ting, having played all day, gradually grew drowsy sitting in the carriage. Before long, she was leaning against a cushion with her eyes closed, sleeping soundly.

Luoshen covered A’Ting with a warm cloak, settled herself by the window, slightly rolled up a bit of the window curtain, and sat hugging her knees while gazing at the roadside scenery outside.

Distant mountains were blue-black like eyebrow paint, with waves of water and horizontal mist. In the distance, among the river islets, the flying eaves of the high pagoda of the imperially-built temple on Gold Mountain thrust up into the clouds in the clear blue autumn sky, appearing and disappearing.

If one were to climb that high tower, the great river that served as a natural barrier dividing north and south would surely be completely visible below.

As Luoshen gazed lost in thought, the road gradually widened and more pedestrians appeared.

Nearly entering town, Luoshen didn’t want so many servants following beside the carriage, making a spectacle that would attract onlookers, so she ordered them all to return.

A’Ju dismissed the others, keeping only two attendants to continue escorting the young mistress back to the Li residence.

As the carriage entered the town entrance, Luoshen lowered the window curtain. Unexpectedly, a commotion arose ahead. A man seemed to be shouting loudly about something, interspersed with a woman’s pleading voice.

Luoshen, having just arrived, normally wouldn’t involve herself in other matters, but the woman’s voice sounded quite familiar to her ears. Listening more carefully, it seemed to be Shen Shi. Unable to resist, she lifted the curtain slightly to look out.

At the entrance of a pawnshop by the roadside, a well-dressed man with several servants was blocking a woman’s path, sternly berating her about something.

The woman wore gray-blue cloth clothing with a kerchief covering her head, tightly clutching a basket on her arm—it was indeed Shen Shi, Jiangtao’s wife.

She seemed acquainted with the man opposite her and kept pleading in low voices.

The man became increasingly fierce, actually snatching the basket from her arm and throwing it to the ground.

A small bag of what appeared to be freshly purchased rice fell from the basket, the rope tying the bag’s mouth came loose, and white rice scattered everywhere.

A string of copper coins also fell out, the cord broke, and the coins rolled about on the ground with clattering sounds.

The man raised his foot and viciously trampled the white rice and copper coins on the ground, shouting: “I’ll teach you to marry a pauper! I’ll teach you to marry a pauper!”

“Third brother, please show mercy!”

Shen Shi wept and knelt before the man.

Passersby gathered around upon hearing the commotion, pointing and whispering.

Though Luoshen had only been in Jingkou for a few days, she was not unfamiliar with Shen Shi, knowing her to be the wife of Li Mu’s sworn brother Jiangtao.

Shen Shi was beautiful and capably composed, and Luoshen had a very good impression of her. She never would have imagined encountering her here in such circumstances, being humiliated by this man she called “third brother” in broad daylight before a crowd.

How could Luoshen just leave? She ordered the carriage to stop.

She saw the man finish trampling the rice and copper coins, then grab Shen Shi’s arm and turn to address the onlookers loudly: “My younger sister originally married down to Jiangtao—completely mismatched in family status! Now Jiangtao is incompetent, unable even to support his family and wife, causing my sister to actually pawn the dowry our Shen family gave her back then! If I hadn’t happened upon this scene, wouldn’t that have benefited that pauper Jiangtao? The dowry is the wealth of our Shen family, and I must drag her back to settle this matter clearly in the ancestral hall!”

“Third brother! This matter has nothing to do with my husband! He knows nothing about it! Please, don’t press me too hard!”

Shen Shi wept, struggling and shouting.

Third Shen showed no sympathy whatsoever, instead sneering coldly: “Usually you rely on Li Mu’s backing and don’t take our Shen family seriously. Today I’ve caught you red-handed—this is Shen family business! Never mind Li Mu, even if the King of Heaven came, let’s see what he could say!”

The passersby whispered among themselves, showing sympathetic expressions, but they dared to be angry but not speak out, only able to watch helplessly as Third Shen pushed and shoved, forcibly trying to drag Shen Shi away.

Luoshen sat in the carriage, watching with burning anger.

Though she didn’t yet know whether Shen Shi had pawned her dowry to supplement the Jiang family’s expenses, even if that were the case, she shouldn’t be treated this way by her so-called brother. How could one bear to watch? She shouted: “Stop! Release my sister-in-law!”

All around immediately fell silent as crows, with everyone turning around.

Third Shen heard an angry young woman’s delicate shout from behind him and turned around as well. Seeing a carriage stopped by the roadside, the voice apparently coming from within the carriage, he was startled: “Who are you? How dare you meddle in Shen family affairs?”

A’Ju, sitting in the carriage, saw the young mistress frowning tightly and speaking thus, knowing she intended to intervene. She had no choice but to get out of the carriage and walk toward Third Shen, saying coldly: “The person who just spoke is the wife of that Li Langjun you mentioned, daughter of Lord Gao of Jiankang. Shen Shi is her sister-in-law. Whether Lady Li can or cannot manage her affairs?”

The Shen family had lived for generations in Qianyang County, several dozen li from Jingkou. Locally, they could barely be considered a scholarly family, but they were far from qualified to curry favor with the Gao clan. When Li Mu married recently, because the Shen family wasn’t qualified to attend the banquet alongside the local scholarly families, they hadn’t appeared that day. Suddenly hearing that the young woman in the carriage who had angrily rebuked him was Li Mu’s newly wed wife, a daughter of the Gao clan, and seeing this woman who had gotten out of the carriage—though dressed as an attendant, her manner of speaking and the imposing presence in her gaze were both intimidating—his arrogance immediately deflated. He slowly released his grip on Shen Shi’s arm and said sheepishly: “So Lady Li was passing by… misunderstanding, misunderstanding… I was just angry and speaking in anger…”

The carriage door opened, and everyone saw a beautifully dressed woman wearing a face veil emerge from within. She walked toward Shen Shi, supporting the stunned Shen Shi’s arm and gently calling “sister-in-law.”

Her voice was like a young oriole’s, pleasant to the ear, making people unable to resist wanting to glimpse her face, but unfortunately, her features were covered by the veil.

Under countless gazes, she helped Shen Shi board the carriage together, and her graceful figure disappeared behind the carriage door.

A’Ju ordered the attendants to pick up the scattered coins and rice bag, leaving the dumbstruck Third Shen behind, and also got into the carriage.

The ox cart resumed moving forward.

The onlooking passersby showed excited expressions, their whispered conversations suddenly growing louder as they enthusiastically discussed the scene while watching the direction of the departing ox cart.

This entire scene fell into the eyes of several people standing at the street corner across the way.

These people wore ordinary Han clothing and appeared travel-worn, seeming like northerners who had come south and were passing through here. Among them, a young master of twenty had snow-white skin, features like a painting, a high-bridged nose, and eyes that gleamed with a beautiful purple hue in the sunlight. His appearance bore the characteristics of Xianbei people and was extremely striking. Perhaps to avoid drawing attention on the road, he had a bamboo hat covering his forehead for concealment.

He stood there watching the distant ox cart disappear, his purple eyes flickering with light. After a long while, as if speaking to himself, he murmured in a low voice: “A daughter of the Gao clan? She is the daughter of Eldest Princess Qinghe? The daughter of the Gao clan truly lives up to her reputation…”

“Young master?”

An attendant called to him.

Only then did the young man seem to come back to his senses. He turned his head, gazed toward the western horizon, squinted his eyes, and said: “Jiankang lies ahead. Let’s continue on our way!”