“Madam, something terrible has happened. The young master slipped out of the household and was harmed in his mistress’s courtyard. The tendons in his hands and feet have been severed, his eyes gouged out, and his body burned so that there is not a single uninjured spot left. The Imperial Physicians are all at the household now, and the master has rushed back too. They all say he cannot be saved.”

Madam Chen immediately went limp herself, and her whole body collapsed. The maidservants and older attendants all rushed to support her, and the assembled ladies erupted in shocked exclamations. The kindhearted ones immediately said: “Quickly help her sit down — this is a fit of anger rushing to the heart. Quickly bring the calming pills.”

The maidservants and attendants bustled about in a frenzy, and after great effort managed to get the medicine down. Madam Chen gradually came back to consciousness and at the first sight saw Lu Wanyang standing blankly at the entrance to the main hall. She raised her hand and called to her.

“Wenyin, go quickly — go back home. There are heart-preserving pills in the master’s study, imperially bestowed by the Emperor — they can save any life…”

But Lu Wanyang only stood there blankly, as if she had lost her soul.

From the moment Nanny Yu had rushed in, she had felt a premonition. Why had it fallen on today of all days — why precisely when the Han family was hosting a banquet? It was so that the Han household’s servants could bring Nanny Yu before the Emperor’s representative, forcing her to lose face before the Grand Princess, before all the ladies of the capital.

A thread of cold crept up her back. This feeling was not unfamiliar to her. In years past, in the Lu family, there had been such moments — moments that had forced her to become a beast, tearing and biting at everyone around her. Because she knew no one was acting in good faith — they were all watching with hungry eyes, waiting for the moment she let her guard down to tear flesh from her bones.

That chill gradually transformed into fury, blazing up like a flame. She understood it now — this was a trap. The entire Peach Blossom Banquet today was a trap, a grand conspiracy. She had known all along that Han Yueqi would not let things rest so easily. At the Flower Season Banquet years ago, when she had been able to gain the upper hand over her, how could she have lacked the means? And there was also Ye Qinglan, Ye Lingbo — the sisters were helping her, backed by the Shen family. There was a traitor within! Yes — it might well be Sun Minwen, or Yang Qiaozhen might also be possible, they definitely wanted her position!

Lu Wanyang surveyed the people around her with sharp wariness. Regardless of whether their eyes held sympathy, caution, or sighing, she met them all with the same fury and wariness. Yang Qiaozhen moved to reach out and steady her, and was shoved away by Lu Wanyang, stumbling against the table, cups and plates clattering to the floor. The young ladies all started in fright and instinctively backed away. All around were splendid robes, jeweled ornaments, auspicious gold and red hues, dignified grandeur — a cage that confined them all, and confined her too. Yet she was the defeated beast at bay, wanting to tear and bite at anyone who dared come close.

Lu Wanyang swept her gaze around those present, and still accurately located Han Yueqi among the crowd.

She stood at the back of the crowd, watching her with calm composure, her gaze holding both pity and contempt.

Lu Wanyang immediately lunged toward her.

“It was you — it was you!” She regarded Han Yueqi as her mortal enemy, glaring at her with eyes that seemed ready to split. “It was you who schemed against me, you who sought revenge! You orchestrated all of this!”

But those around her would not let her cause a scene — attendants rushed forward together to restrain her, some offering comfort, others pleading. Lu Wanyang only took them all for Han Yueqi’s accomplices, and called out to Madam Chen for help: “Mother-in-law, it was she who harmed my husband, it was all her scheming…”

Madam Chen was truly without capability, and was already beside herself at this point. When Lu Wanyang called out to her, she looked at her in a panic, still utterly at a loss.

“Young lady, please stop this…” “Quickly bring the calming decoction…” “Quickly restrain Madam Chen’s daughter-in-law.” The hall descended into chaos. With Lu Wanyang restrained by many hands at once, struggling as she was, she caught sight of Female Official Su beside the Grand Princess — escorting the Princess behind her with palace maids as a screen, watching her with wariness and disgust…

Lu Wanyang felt a jolt of cold clarity deep within. It was all for nothing — she knew it. Her frantic display was only shaming herself. Chen Yaoqing was finished. Her entire life was finished. There were widows in the capital too — she knew well enough what kind of life that was. She would never again be the magnificent, free-spirited young mistress of the Chen family. From now on, whenever anyone spoke of her, it would be with that look of pity: poor Madam Chen, the young mistress who lost her husband so young, raising a pair of children alone, bound by endless rules and conventions, what hope could there be in her future…

Of course they would not bully her. But that gaze was harder to bear than being bullied — mixed with curiosity, detachment, and a condescending pity. In these past years, this was precisely the tactic she had used to torment Ye Qinglan…

Lu Wanyang felt a chill over her entire body. She let the attendants press her down and heard Female Official Su say: “Someone come — Madam Chen’s daughter-in-law has suffered a fit of intense anger and lost her senses. Escort Madam Chen’s daughter-in-law and Madam Chen back home. Our condolences in this time of mourning.”

In the midst of the chaos, Madam Chen and Lu Wanyang were finally seen into their palanquins. The calming decoction was administered, and Lu Wanyang sat in the palanquin as if her spirit had left her body — vacant and hollow. Maidservants and attendants clustered around her, the palanquin was lifted, and the ladies all personally escorted them to the covered walkway, each face wearing an expression of pity and reluctance. Lu Wanyang leaned against the wall of the palanquin and saw Han Yueqi standing in the crowd.

She stood among the people, watching her quietly. Seeing Lu Wanyang look at her, she slowly revealed a smile.

She seemed to say something to her — but the distance was too great to hear clearly, and perhaps it was only Lu Wanyang’s imagination.

Only once the palanquin had been carried out of the Han family’s gate did Lu Wanyang suddenly understand what Han Yueqi had said.

She had said: That’s right. It was me.

In truth, it was not only Han Yueqi — another person had also dimly perceived Han Yueqi’s strategy.

To be precise, it was two people.

One was Female Official Qin, who served beside the Grand Princess. The ladies of the capital ordinarily loved to gossip, and with such a great incident having occurred, how could they not whisper among themselves? Constrained by the presence of the Grand Princess, they could not say much. But once the banquet had finally opened and the theatrical performances had begun, the hubbub provided cover, and they immediately seized the opportunity of dispersing to drink tea and watch the opera, gathering in small groups of three and five in the warm chamber to exchange opinions — each with her own sources of information, each with her own account. Some said the Chen family had never had a proper household discipline to begin with; others said Chen Yaoqing had always conducted himself outrageously, that none of the young nobles of the capital compared to him in arrogance and licentiousness — excessively so — even personally purchasing thin horses, which showed no self-respect. The saying that nobility should not descend to low places nor engage in base occupations existed for good reason; no wonder he had come to such a ruinous end.

In fact, by this point the ladies had vaguely gathered what had happened. Word had it that it was Chen Yaoqing’s mistress who had struck, mistress and maidservant acting together, drugging the wine of the manservants who had come with him and rendering them unconscious, then setting fire to the courtyard, the red flames blazing to the sky. It was only because someone among the Gold Guard recognized the manservants as Chen Yaoqing’s people and desperately rushed in to rescue him — and he was said to be burned black all over, no longer resembling a human form, unlikely to be saved.

Chen Yaoqing was lecherous, and Master Chen was no better, yet they had great difficulty producing heirs. With only one son, this had befallen them. Some said it was because Master Chen had been too ruthless in his dealings, depleting the good fortune of his descendants, and that this calamity was the result.

If the ladies had gathered this much information, the Grand Princess naturally knew even more. The noon banquet had concluded, and more arrangements had been made for the evening banquet. Han Yueqi accompanied Madam Han to present the menu for the evening banquet to the Grand Princess. Female Official Qin was watching her from the side, and when the matter had been concluded, she suddenly said: “So many great things have happened today — it has been a hardship for Madam Shen to manage it all so perfectly.”

“You are too kind,” Han Yueqi replied with perfect composure. “It is the disruption to Her Highness that is the real concern — I am grateful for Her Highness’s understanding.”

She was not an orphan like Ye Qinglan. As the young mistress of the Shen family and a daughter of the Han family, she had both families backing her — naturally, she could not be interrogated outright. She could not be detained either. She struck and left, moving to a side chamber to attend to the tea. But Female Official Qin had her own methods, and quietly followed her in, saying: “I hear that Madam Shen has long been acquainted with Madam Chen’s daughter-in-law — I wonder if she has any insight into young Master Chen’s affair?”

“Chief Female Official Qin is jesting,” Han Yueqi only smiled slightly. “Young Master Chen was a man who moved about in the outside world; I am a woman of the inner chambers — how could I have any insight? I do find myself quite well-matched with the Chief Female Official’s temperament, though — it is a pity my family’s Spring Welcome Banquet has already taken place this year. Had we met then, that would have been ideal.”

Noble people spoke on two levels. From the literal meaning of Han Yueqi’s words, she was not wrong — Chen family matters, what had they to do with the young mistress of the Shen family? But upon reflection, the words carried a certain unease, as if to say: When the Chen family husband and wife were sending concubines to disrupt my Spring Welcome Banquet, I did not see you, Chief Female Official Qin, come forward to uphold justice. Now that something has befallen the Chen family, you come to investigate? That balance does not seem particularly even.

It sounded like extremely satisfying words to say, but once those words were spoken, the Chief Female Official’s eyes immediately went cold.

Those were not words an innocent person could have spoken.

Han Yueqi also realized she had misspoken, but Female Official Qin had already closed in on her. Noticing that Han Yueqi’s hand holding the silver tea ladle was slightly unsteady, she smiled and said: “This is the Princess’s tea — young lady must take care…”

A hand reached out and steadied Han Yueqi’s hand.

It was Ye Qinglan.

Preparing tea for a noble person was an essential skill for ladies of aristocratic families. In the previous dynasty, the skill of tea preparation was even used to judge a person’s inner state — which was not without reason. Preparing tea required an especially steady hand; a steady hand required a tranquil heart; a tranquil heart meant a harmonious spirit. Only those who could be as calm as a still lake before noble persons of the court possessed the true bearing of a great lady.

And Qinglan’s tea had always been well prepared.

She steadied Han Yueqi’s hand around the tea ladle with one hand, and with the other lifted the tea broth, slowly pouring it into the cup. The milky white froth gradually rose to the surface of the cup; with the silver ladle she made a few light strokes across the foam, and mountain ridges rose up, with water winding around the hills. Then she made one mark at the center of the cup, and above the hills and waters there floated a full moon — an exquisitely elegant scene, and what made it extraordinary was its broad and open spirit, enough to sweep the dust of thoughts from one’s mind.

“Thank you, Qinglan.” Han Yueqi said, withdrawing her hand, exchanging a glance with Qinglan and smiling slightly.

“The friendship between Miss Ye and Madam Shen is naturally very good.” Female Official Qin observed from the side with cool detachment, saying unhurriedly: “Only Miss Ye cannot be at Madam Shen’s side at every moment, can she?”

Qinglan only lowered her eyes and placed the tea cup on its tray, garnishing it with tea pastries.

“The Chen family has suffered an accident, and as fellow noble families of the capital, we share a common interest — the fall of the lips leaves the teeth cold. We are very concerned.” She calmly looked up at Female Official Qin. “If the Chief Female Official truly feels uneasy about the matter, why not petition the Princess to request co-management with the Court of Judicial Review to investigate the matter fully? That way the Chief Female Official could also make a great showing of her abilities — far better than casually interrogating noble ladies at a Flower Season Banquet.”

Even Female Official Qin had not anticipated she would dare be so forthright. For a moment she could find no words in reply, and even much of her suspicion of Han Yueqi dissipated.

And Qinglan simply set down the tea ladle.

“In truth, the tea ladle is best made of porcelain, not silver — silver has a rough quality that causes the froth to cling and not come off cleanly, lacking in fluidity and elegance.” She raised her eyes and smiled at Female Official Qin. “But the Princess is of noble station, so taking extra care is always for the best. The Chief Female Official has served at Her Highness’s side for a long time — when to preserve dignity and when to ensure absolute certainty, you surely have your own sense of proportion.”

What she meant was: this matter has nothing to do with the Grand Princess. If you truly stir up trouble and spoil the atmosphere of the Flower Season Banquet, you will have gained nothing.

“All right, speak much more and the tea will have dispersed.” She addressed Female Official Qin coolly: “Please take the tea to the Princess. Ordinarily, whoever has prepared the tea is the one to present it — but this cup of tea, as to who prepared it, is difficult to say anymore. I can only trouble the Chief Female Official.”

Female Official Qin still refused to budge. She came from the school of legalism, naturally sharp and formidable. But Qinglan was the most unyielding of shields — unlike Han Yueqi, who had resorted to cleverness, Qinglan’s steadiness gave one the impression that one was about to break against her.

Female Official Qin therefore gave a cold smile and picked up the tea tray.

“Miss Ye seems to enjoy playing the elder sister. One need only take care not to become too accommodating to the ways of the world.”

With Female Official Qin driven off, Han Yueqi finally let out a sigh of relief, and continued straightening the tea whisk, saying: “I must follow through there — otherwise they’ll grow suspicious again.”

Qinglan gently caught her hand.

“You being this anxious makes everything seem off.” She was always the most gentle of elder sisters — she would first resolve the problem for them, and then teach them the lesson. She looked into her eyes with a gentle rebuke: “What you did this time, Yueqi, was improper.”

But precisely because of this, they had never truly feared her, and each had their own reasoning.

Han Yueqi even more so, since she was only a month younger than Qinglan. Although she respected her, she had, after all, been a mistress of a household for quite some time now.

Even a sovereign, after sitting long enough upon the throne, becomes single-minded in authority — how much more so an ordinary person. Han Yueqi had just been through the ordeal with Female Official Qin and was shaken to her core, with a grievance building in her heart. Hearing Qinglan’s words, she spoke directly: “Lu Wanyang sent a concubine into my household; I gave her one in return. Why — Lu Wanyang is permitted to do it, but I am not?”

Had she stopped there, perhaps no quarrel would have arisen.

But this was Ye Qinglan — she would not have stopped.

“The noble man seeks the path; the petty man seeks only bread.” She still advised Han Yueqi with equanimity. “Lu Wanyang is reckless as a matter of course — it is her nature to be foolish. But if you follow her in foolishness, the matter will become irreparable.”

Because it was the truth, it was all the harder to receive. Even the Grand Princess had to restrain herself to accept wise counsel — how much more so Han Yueqi, whose feelings were presently in turmoil?

“Qinglan may be clear-headed — but how did things turn out as they did?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Han Yueqi knew she had erred. She began to say “I…” and reached out to take Qinglan’s hand, but Qinglan had already stepped back.

Even when she was angry, she was this composed: “The hour grows late. Madam Shen, please attend to the banquet. I also need to go look after my younger sisters.”