Though the Yangling City wives did not understand statecraft, and had no grasp of how much the Ye sisters had done, upon leaving the hall they still thanked Ye Qinglan repeatedly.
Wei Shanhu was the most direct. She pulled back her hem and went down on her knees before Qinglan. “I have been without manners from the start, and could not see what was before my eyes — I gave offense to Elder Sister, and only today do I understand my regret. Please, Elder Sister Ye, forgive me.”
The wives who had mocked Qinglan at the banquet also offered apologies one after another. Qinglan only smiled and said, “It’s nothing so serious as all that.” But Lingbo would have none of it, and began to hurry things along: “Only now you realize you misjudged someone? Too late. How is it you weren’t off playing with Lu Wenyin? Two light words of apology and you expect everything to be forgiven and forgotten? All right, we’re leaving. Qinglan, stop getting tangled up with them — going home to eat is the proper business.”
She was an expert at pressing her advantage, and her words left everyone’s faces burning. Wei Shanhu, for all her pride, had the breadth of a true leader — she swallowed her embarrassment and said, “Elder Sister Ye, once this matter is settled, I will personally prepare a proper apology banquet. And Madam Wei still has words she wishes to say to you. Please do Elder Sister the honor of coming.”
“That depends entirely on my sister’s mood.” Lingbo was already herding her along. “All right, Qinglan, get in the carriage — I’m freezing.”
She was the most grudge-holding of anyone, and Qinglan knew perfectly well she was being deliberately sharp, so she did not follow her into the carriage. Instead, she held Wei Shanhu back for a moment and said quietly, “There’s no need to take it so to heart — I forgot it long ago, and Lingbo was only teasing you. What matters now is the business at hand. Though Her Highness has given her promise to uphold justice, you still have a great deal to do when you return. Discuss everything with Madam Wei. Among those in your group, if anyone has reservations and doesn’t wish to separate, don’t press them…”
“All right, Qinglan is going to meddle in their household affairs now — we’re young ladies, what business do we have with the affairs of the wives?” Lingbo, seated in the carriage, took the very words the wives had once used in following Lu Wenyin’s lead and turned them back on them. She watched every single one of them redden and bow their heads. Then, unexpectedly, she said: “Ah — Sister Fu, what’s wrong with you? Are you about to faint?”
Everyone looked. Fu Yunrui had never been strong in health, and she was, moreover, a delicately raised young lady from a noble family. The others had in fact been looking out for her throughout the day — when they were kneeling, they had made sure she knelt in the middle, sheltered by those around her. Right now, she only looked pale. Suddenly addressed by Lingbo, she hurried to wave it off. “I’m fine.”
“And you say you’re fine — your face has gone completely white.” Wei Shanhu agreed, reaching out to feel her forehead. “This is bad — she may be coming down with a cold. Her forehead is burning up.”
“We told you, your health isn’t good — you didn’t need to come today…” “Your General Yin hasn’t done anything shameful — you came purely out of loyalty.” “You already fainted once just now — if you fall ill properly, it’ll be terrible…”
The wives clustered around Fu Yunrui, talking all at once, and she, gentle and timid by nature, could not get a word in. It was Lingbo who cut through: “How about we put Sister Fu in our carriage and take her home with us? You all have the business of separation to discuss tonight — you probably won’t sleep at all. And Sister Fu isn’t separating anyway — staying at our place would be perfectly fine. We’ll look after her…”
Fu Yunrui still tried to decline, but Wei Shanhu had already agreed.
“Don’t stand on ceremony here,” she said. “Truth be told, you’re the only one among us who’s fit to go — ever since we returned to the capital, you’ve been kind to Elder Sister Ye, unlike the rest of us. We’d all be too shamefaced to go.” Without further discussion, she and the wife beside her simply lifted Fu Yunrui and carried her into the Ye family’s carriage.
Ye Lingbo, seeing Wei Shanhu so cheerfully willing to acknowledge her wrongdoing and accept whatever came of it, was genuinely pleased. Venting resentment was a small thing — what mattered more was that Wei Shanhu had come back around. Wouldn’t that be one more fierce ally for future matchmaking efforts? So she leaned out the carriage window and told Wei Shanhu, “I was only teasing — we’re not small-minded like some people. Once you’ve treated us to that apology banquet, I’ll open the door wide and let you all come and visit.”
“It’s a deal.” Wei Shanhu’s eyes lit up immediately.
“Don’t worry about that for now — handling your own business comes first.” Ye Lingbo had already more or less accepted Wei Shanhu as one of her own, and knew she would have use of these connections in future, so she spoke to her in earnest: “Be careful with dividing the fields and assets. Don’t let those worthless men get the better of you. Keep a sharp eye on the accounts. Lean on Senior Maidservant Song — I’ll also send a household manager to help you go over the books. You wives are owed half the credit, so claim at least half the rewards — including the share for the children as well. Raising children in the capital is expensive. You understand?”
“Don’t worry — we’re not easy to push around,” Wei Shanhu said, thumping her chest with a guaranteeing gesture. “With Madam backing us up, even if the Marshal won’t say so openly, he’s on our side too. And in terms of merit — we have no reason to fear them. Elder Sister Li’s husband — she pulled him back from the gates of death herself. Every last one of us thirty-some women carries merit in her bones and scars on her body. We won’t come out the worse.”
“Now that’s ability,” Lingbo said, having finished her instructions. She saw her sister beside her give a smiling look of gentle disapproval, and smiled too, waving as she spoke. “Off you go — we’re heading home as well. We’ll wait for your good news.”
Everyone boarded their carriages and departed the Princess’s residence together. By now the moon was high overhead and snow lay thick across the ground. They all had the feeling of a whole era having passed in what had seemed like half a day in the mountains — the day had indeed been full of breathless turns. But outside the Grand Princess’s residence, several riders were waiting — Northern Vanguard officers — and at their head was Cui Jingyu, with Luo Yong, Yin Hongxuan, and several attendants.
“Luo Yong!” Wei Shanhu was in the habit of calling her husband by his given name. She had her carriage stopped and jumped down herself; Luo Yong dismounted happily and caught her. She immediately launched into a triumphant account of the day’s events — how they had won their case, how the Grand Princess had given her approval…
“…Oh, and there was a great contributor today. Elder Sister Ye spoke a great argument for us before the Grand Princess — you have no idea how tense it was in there. All our weeks of learning proper etiquette and we still couldn’t match a single word of Elder Sister Ye’s…” As always, Wei Shanhu was clear about who deserved credit, and turned at once to Cui Jingyu. “Marquis Cui, you really ought to thank Elder Sister Ye properly on our behalf.”
Cui Jingyu only gave a low sound of acknowledgment, eyes cold as he looked toward the Ye family’s carriage. Ye Lingbo felt a flash of irritation at the sight of him, but noticing that her sister remained entirely unmoved, was nearly dizzy at the composure of them both.
Wei Shanhu, all warmth and no subtlety — she had no idea how difficult these two were. This direct approach would not bring them together in a hundred years. Not that Lingbo would count on Wei Shanhu; she had long given up on that. She simply pushed open the carriage window and cut across Wei Shanhu’s flow of words.
“Sister Wei, you all still have things to attend to — go on ahead.” She shot a disdainful glance at Cui Jingyu still standing there wearing his cold expression, then noticed Yin Hongxuan behind him, and a plan formed in her mind at once. Conveniently, Liu Ji had already pulled the Ye family’s own carriage around and was waiting outside the Princess’s residence. She spotted it and immediately said to Qinglan, “All right, I won’t ride this one. You and Sister Fu take it. I’ll take our own carriage.”
“This is the carriage Her Highness provided — how can we not use it?” Qinglan frowned.
Lingbo ignored all that. She waved Liu Ji over, boarded the Ye family’s carriage, and watched as Cui Jingyu — too proud, apparently, to make a move — rode away following the Yangling City wives’ carriage. She laughed coldly to herself.
Insufferable Cui Jingyu — did he think himself such a scarce and precious thing? Always holding himself so high above everyone else. Fine, let him not come — he wouldn’t escape her machinations regardless.
Otherwise, why would she have kept Fu Yunrui behind?
Lingbo boarded the carriage with Xiao Liu’er, still scheming as she watched Cui Jingyu through the window, eyes following him until he disappeared with the Yangling City wives’ carriage around the bend in the street. She was still deep in thought when she heard Xiao Liu’er call “Young Miss” in a careful, tentative voice, and only impatiently shushed her.
“Xiao Liu’er, stop bothering your young miss — she’s working through important matters.” A smiling voice spoke from somewhere inside the carriage.
Lingbo started. She looked back — and sure enough, there sat Pei Zhao. He had gotten into the Ye family’s carriage at some point without anyone noticing. Liu Ji really had nerve — letting him on like that. Xiao Liu’er must have known already, holding the lamp, her face a bright red as she looked back at Lingbo, completely at a loss.
Not that Xiao Liu’er could really be blamed. It was always said that candlelight makes a beautiful face more beautiful still — in the warm glow of the lamp, everything felt closer and more intimate. And Pei Zhao was the sort of person who could make any situation feel intimate without effort. He had something of a talent for charm that even a woman would envy. Even Shen Yunze — a son of a scholarly family — had lost his head over one girl like smoke and willows. Xiao Liu’er’s pulse racing was, frankly, an impressive display of composure.
But Lingbo had even more composure than Xiao Liu’er. She immediately said with disdain: “What are you doing here? This is my young lady’s carriage — who gave you permission? Don’t make me throw you out.”
“I heard Miss Ye went in and out of the field of battle seven times,” Pei Zhao replied, smiling pleasantly. “I was afraid Miss Ye hadn’t gotten enough of a fight, so I came to check.”
Since he had made his intentions clear that night in the alley during the Lantern Festival, this was the first time the two had met. Lingbo was no longer as flustered as she had been then: it was Pei Zhao who liked her; she had not necessarily decided she liked him. Why should she be flustered? Pei Zhao was the one who should be flustered.
Xiao Liu’er, sharp as always, immediately said, “I’ll go ride with the Elder Young Miss.” She turned to make her exit. Lingbo was about to say, “Where are you going?” — then thought that Xiao Liu’er could keep watch on Qinglan and report back later, so instead she said, “All right, go. And keep your wits about you.”
“Yes, Young Miss.” Xiao Liu’er smiled cheerfully and bolted.
Truly, Xiao Liu’er was a good girl — never less than sharp except in Pei Zhao’s presence. Lingbo was satisfied with her, and then looked at Pei Zhao again, finding him all the more irritating by contrast. She said with exasperation: “Xiao Liu’er’s already gone — and you’re still not getting out. Someone’s going to catch you and haul you off to the magistrate’s office for a caning.”
“Please spare this one’s life, Young Miss.” Pei Zhao teased her pleasantly.
That was also Xiao Liu’er’s fault — the girl left but forgot to take the lamp, and Pei Zhao, showing some capacity for playing attendant, immediately held it up himself. The lamplight was warm and dim, falling across his face. They said a beautiful face was like fine jade; his was more like white stone — the forgotten idol in a mountain shrine, amid sweeping green hills, arresting and beautiful in a way that blurred the line between deity and demon.
Lingbo immediately looked away.
“Stop playing games,” she said, and she did not quite notice the faint, inexplicable note of complaint in her own voice. “I’ve been working hard all day — I have no time to play around with you.”
“Our poor Miss Ye, all worn out,” Pei Zhao said at once, with a smile.
“Hmph. Do you think the Grand Princess’s residence is some easy place to navigate? Every female official is formidable, even the senior maidservants are not simple — every one of them has been seasoned for years, and you have to choose every word with care…” Lingbo’s tone was disdainful, but she found herself unconsciously showing off a little, half boasting, half complaining about how hard she had worked. Sharp as she usually was, she did not notice the odd familiarity her words carried toward Pei Zhao.
Even if she did notice, she had a ready answer for herself: Pei Zhao belonged to her. What was wrong with being a little familiar?
When a clever person chooses to deceive themselves, they do it even more thoroughly than others.
“How impressive,” Pei Zhao said, playing along at once. “Our Miss Ye is certainly leagues ahead of even the most seasoned senior maidservants.”
“Hmph — of course,” Ye Lingbo said with satisfaction. “Otherwise, would we have gotten out in one piece? Wei Shanhu that fool — she only knew to thank my sister. She had no idea how capable I was. But I’m used to that; as long as the thing gets done, it’s fine. Qinglan and I don’t draw distinctions between each other — her being grateful to Qinglan and grateful to me is all the same. Either way, our family benefits.”
“Miss Ye’s generosity is inspiring,” Pei Zhao said, eyes curving in a smile as he watched her.
Under that gaze, Lingbo felt a flutter of unease. It was partly Pei Zhao’s fault — his looks were extraordinary to begin with, and those peach-blossom eyes were extravagantly romantic, with a beauty mark at the outer corner that made his expression all the more dangerous. Lingbo had rarely been the object of any admiring look from even an impoverished scholar, let alone someone who watched her like this — with such steady attention, such warmth, as though she were the most beautiful woman in the world, as though the whole world beyond her had gone dark, and he could see no one but Ye Lingbo.
Even Lu Wenyin might not have been able to endure this. How much less could she, Ye Lingbo, be blamed for a brief faltering of spirit?
And yet she had always been one who could endure. She had cut her way through worse than this. The soft, clinging daughter who had once nestled in Master Ye’s arms and called him Father had long since learned to address him, with a face like white frost, as Master Ye. She had survived every difficulty there was. There was no reason to stumble now, at twenty, over something as uncertain as feelings.
To squander wealth and prestige for a talented and beautiful young man was something only a sheltered and unworldly young lady from a noble family could do. But she was Ye Lingbo. More than a hundred lives in the Wutong Courtyard depended on her. She did not have the luxury of such grand sentiment.
So she only let her heart go cold, and said: “Stop playing games. I have things to do when I get home — you should go.”
Pei Zhao was perceptive enough to have caught it all, and a person like him — favored by fate in every way, fine-looking, gifted, a young general at twenty-one, and short of a marquisate only by that odd temperament of his — such a person was not undone by a little coldness. There were countless young ladies in the capital who would have been glad to be taken captive by him; losing one did not matter so much.
Yet he persisted, still smiling: “I’m not going. I have business too.”
“What business?” Even Lingbo was curious.
Pei Zhao leaned his face closer. Lingbo instinctively leaned back. The carriage was the finest money could buy — Lingbo had spent generously on it. The interior walls were lined with brocade, and the floor was covered with a gold-threaded carpet from the Western Regions, just like those in the Grand Princess’s residence, soft and warm as a waking dream.
The brocade glimmered faintly in the dark — this was the most beautiful and most opulent of cages. She was the beast trapped within it, because Pei Zhao was smiling at her and saying: “You.”
She was his business.
Even Ye Lingbo, for all her mettle, could not help a brief shortness of breath. But she was, after all, Ye Lingbo, and recovered quickly to say, “Stop joking around — I haven’t the time for this…”
Her words cut off abruptly, because Pei Zhao had reached behind himself and produced something — large, like a box, but too light. It was draped in brocade, and judging by the fabric, it was probably one of the lengths she had given him. This hopeless, impoverished soldier from the frontier…
But then he said: “Happy birthday, Miss Ye.”
The card on top of the brocade was a plain vermilion calling card, the kind most common in the capital — not even flecked with gold, the sort the Wutong Courtyard would never use. But his writing on it was more beautiful than any gold flecking could have been.
That was always how it was with people like him — favored by fate in everything, effortless at everything. Even the most ordinary of things in their hands gave off a glow, and by contrast made Lingbo’s deliberate elegance look labored.
But the name written on that card was hers.
Beyond the glass window, snow fell without end, and the moon hung high. The night watchman striking the hour beat his clapper for midnight. This day was no longer the seventeenth day of the first month — it was already the early hours of the eighteenth.
This was her birthday.