Returning to the inn, it was nearly evening.

Yin Zheng went downstairs to fetch hot water, while Lu Tong sat at the long table, lost in thought.

Where the long table connected with the inner room stood a wooden screen. On it was painted an ink-wash scene of a courtyard at autumn dusk. Lu Tong stared at the screen absently, and as she looked, she slowly reached out her finger, tracing the blooming clusters of hibiscus branches in the painting.

Today, that new Madam Ke had worn a silver hibiscus hairpin in her hair.

Lu Tong’s mind flashed to Lu Rou’s face.

Among the three Lu children, Lu Rou was gentle and radiant, Lu Qian was clever and stubborn, while she was the youngest – though their father spoke strictly, he always indulged her.

Though the family was poor, they never wanted food or clothing. Lu Rou was several years older than Lu Tong; when Lu Tong was still a naive girl, Lu Rou had already grown into quite a beauty.

Mother had taken a silver and jeweled hibiscus hairpin from her dowry box, pinned it in Lu Rou’s hair, and chosen a jade-blue plain long dress for Lu Rou to wear, hoping that at the spring gathering by Linfang River, her daughter would be the most beautiful one there.

Lu Tong, looking at her elder sister who appeared so different from usual, tugged at her mother’s skirt and pointed at the hibiscus hairpin in Lu Rou’s hair: “Mother, I want that one.”

“Not this one,” Mother smiled. “You’re still young, you don’t need it yet. When our Tong’er grows up, Mother will pick something else for you.”

She was young then and spoiled by her family’s love, but she persisted stubbornly: “I want the same one as my sister’s!”

Until Father came in and saw her throwing such a tantrum, he became angry and punished her by forbidding her from going to the flower gathering, making her copy texts one hundred times at home instead.

She stayed home alone, crying while copying texts. At noon, when she got hungry and wanted to get leftover pancakes from the kitchen, she suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

Lu Rou walked in from outside, holding a paper-wrapped roasted chicken, her new dress stained with some riverside mud, her forehead glistening with sweat.

She was startled: “Why did you come back?”

Lu Rou pinched her cheek: “If I didn’t come back, your eyes would have swollen up like walnuts.” She opened the paper wrap and tore off the biggest chicken leg to hold to her mouth, “Crybaby, hurry up and eat.”

“Didn’t Mother say that today was for looking at potential husbands for you?” she asked with a mouthful of oily chicken. Changwu County was too small, most neighbors knew each other, and people often used the spring gathering to start looking at future sons-in-law or daughters-in-law early.

Lu Rou’s face reddened, only saying: “What do you know about that?” After a pause, she smiled and added, “A husband isn’t as important as my little sister.”

She felt extremely pleased at that.

Lu Rou touched the flower pin in her hair again: “After Mother goes to sleep tonight, I’ll give you this hairpin, but keep it hidden and don’t let Mother know. It’s just a hairpin, not worth crying so much over.”

With her mouth full of chicken, she felt awkward taking anything and looking at the hibiscus hairpin again, it looked particularly beautiful on Lu Rou, so she said: “Never mind, you just keep it for me for now, and someday in the future, I’ll come to ask you for it.”

Lu Rou almost laughed at her words and joked: “Then you’d better hurry, otherwise when I get married in the future, you won’t be able to ask for it even if you want to.”

Hearing this, she felt inexplicably unhappy and deliberately wiped her oily hands on Lu Rou’s face: “Wherever you marry, I’ll follow you there. After all, you’re my sister!”

“Creeak—”

The door was pushed open as Yin Zheng entered carrying a water basin.

Lu Tong looked up, her nose seemingly still carrying the gentle lychee perfume scent of her elder sister, but in the blink of an eye, there was only the cold screen before her.

Yin Zheng set the basin on the table and turned to close the door. Lu Tong took up a cloth and began wiping away the painted red rashes on her face.

“Miss,” Yin Zheng carefully asked, “Today you said the First Miss was killed by the Ke family?”

Lu Tong was silent for a moment before speaking: “When we were in Changwu County, what time did the neighbors say the Lu family received the death notice from the capital?”

Yin Zheng thought for a moment: “It was March.”

“Correct.” Lu Tong said calmly. “But today the Ke family said Lu Rou died in summer.”

Yin Zheng was shocked, looking at Lu Tong in astonishment.

Lu Tong’s eyes grew cold.

Today when Old Madam Ke lost her temper and spoke carelessly, saying “If she hadn’t jumped into the pond and sullied my new residence’s feng shui, why would I spend so much silver filling in the pond to plant peonies? What a waste of my newly blooming red lotus…” it immediately aroused Lu Tong’s suspicions.

Lotus flowers don’t bloom in March, and no matter how delayed the journey from the capital to Changwu County might be, it would take at most a month. It couldn’t be that Lu Rou died in the summer of the previous year, yet the news only reached Changwu County the following year. Moreover, that summer Lu Qian hadn’t yet gone to the capital.

Between these two accounts, one side must be lying.

Lu Qian had only gone to the capital after receiving news of Lu Rou’s death. If Lu Rou had still been alive then, why did the people in Changwu County say the letter contained news of Lu Rou’s death? Could it be that the Ke family knew early on that Lu Rou would die?

Or perhaps the Ke family had originally intended to dismiss the Lu family with news of Lu Rou’s death, not expecting that the persistent Lu Qian would travel to Sheng Jing alone to investigate.

Or maybe, that letter Lu Qian received wasn’t news of Lu Rou’s death at all?

The truth was murky, and Lu Tong didn’t believe a single word of Old Madam Ke’s story. Lu Rou allegedly failed to seduce Young Master Qi from the Grand Tutor’s mansion, yet a year ago the Ke family gained the Grand Tutor’s mansion’s favor, causing their porcelain business to flourish. However you looked at it, it seemed too coincidental.

She needed to stay in the capital, stay here, to investigate what exactly happened to Lu Rou, and why disaster befell the entire Lu family.

And also…

To retrieve that hibiscus hairpin now worn in the new Madam Ke’s hair.

As the last red mark was wiped clean, Yin Zheng looked at the clean face in the mirror and hesitated before speaking: “But Miss, before that, there’s something I must remind you of.”

She sighed: “We’re almost out of money.”

…

Night fell, and lights were lit in the Ke mansion.

Ke Chengxing lifted the bamboo curtain and stepped into the hall.

The maid beside Old Madam Ke saw him and smiled particularly coquettishly, calling out “Young Master” while pouring tea for him.

Ke Chengxing was now approaching thirty. Unlike other merchants, his features were refined and well-maintained, and his honey-colored Hangzhou silk robe made him appear particularly elegant. Now that the Ke family’s porcelain business was doing well, he always stood out at business association banquets, with many young ladies throwing themselves at him.

Old Madam Ke also noticed the maid’s smile and frowned, dismissing the servants. She looked at Ke Chengxing sitting at the table eating chestnuts and said: “You came home late today.”

“Just drinking,” Ke Chengxing said dismissively.

“With such a strong smell of alcohol, be careful or Madam Qin will make a scene again.”

At these words, the smile on Ke Chengxing’s face faded somewhat. Madam Qin was his new wife, fierce-tempered and domineering, keeping him on a tight leash, which was truly annoying. At such times, Ke Chengxing would sometimes miss his deceased wife’s gentle nature.

Just as his thoughts turned to Lu Rou’s name, Ke Chengxing heard Old Madam Ke say: “Today, Lady Lu’s cousin came.”

Ke Chengxing was startled: “Lady Lu’s cousin? What cousin did Lady Lu have?”

“You never heard Lady Lu mention one either?” Old Madam Ke was somewhat suspicious and told her son what had happened at the Ke household during the day, then added: “I feel this person’s arrival is strange. Later I had someone follow her, but they lost her.”

Ke Chengxing thought carefully and shook his head: “After I married Lady Lu, I never heard her mention having any cousin. It must be a swindler trying to extort money.”

Old Madam Ke’s expression flickered: “Somehow, I just feel uneasy. Back then, with Lady Lu’s matter, you shouldn’t have acted yourself… now it can’t be cleaned up properly.”

Hearing this, Ke Chengxing also became nervous: “Mother, nothing will happen, right?”

Old Madam Ke waved her hand: “I’ve already sent people to Changwu County to inquire about news, to see if there is someone called Wang Yingying.”

She stared at the teacup before her, her tone gradually becoming heavy: “If something is wrong, there’s someone high up covering for us. What is there to fear? The Lu family can’t stir up any waves.”