Returning to the inn, the sky was already approaching dusk.

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

At the spot where the long table connected to the inner room, a wooden screen had been placed. On it was painted an ink-wash courtyard autumn evening scene. Lu Tong stared at the screen in fascination, and as she watched, she slowly extended her finger to trace over the clusters of blooming hibiscus branches in the painting.

Today, the new eldest daughter-in-law of the Ke family had also worn a silver hibiscus flower hairpin in her hair bun.

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

Among the three children of the Lu family, Lu Rou was gentle and radiant, Lu Qian was clever and stubborn, while she herself was the youngest. Though their father spoke sternly, he actually always doted on her.

Though the family was poor, they never lacked for food or clothing. Lu Rou was several years older than Lu Tong, and when Lu Tong was still a naive girl, Lu Rou had already grown to be quite beautiful.

Mother took out a silver-inlaid gemstone hibiscus hairpin from her dowry jewelry box, pinned it in Lu Rou’s hair bun, then selected a jade-blue plain long dress for Lu Rou to wear, hoping that at the spring viewing gathering by the Linfang River, her own daughter would be the most beautiful one there.

Lu Tong looked at her elder sister, who appeared completely different from usual, and tugged at her mother’s skirt hem, pointing at the hibiscus hairpin on Lu Rou’s head: “Mother, I want that one.”

“This one won’t do.” Mother smiled and said: “You’re still young, you can’t use it now. When our Tong Tong grows up, Mother will pick something else for you.”

She was young at the time and, emboldened by the family’s indulgence, persisted unreasonably: “I want exactly the one sister has!”

Until Father entered the room and saw her throwing such a tantrum, he became angry and punished her by forbidding her from attending the flower viewing gathering, making her stay home and copy books one hundred times.

She stayed home alone, crying and sniffling as she copied books. At midday, when she got hungry and wanted to go to the kitchen for leftover flatbread, she suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

Lu Rou walked in from outside, still holding oil-paper wrapped roast chicken in her hands. Her new dress was stained with some mud and sand from the riverside, and her forehead glistened with sweat.

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

Lu Rou pinched her cheek: “If I didn’t come back, your eyes would swell up like walnuts.” She then opened the paper package for her and tore off the largest chicken leg, bringing it to her mouth. “Little crybaby, hurry up and eat.”

“Didn’t Mother say she was going to show you to potential future husbands today?” she asked with her mouth full of oil, speaking unclearly. Changwu County was so small that most neighbors knew each other, and people often used spring viewing gatherings to start looking at potential sons-in-law or daughters-in-law early.

Lu Rou’s face reddened, and she only said: “What do you know about such things.” After a pause, she smiled and said, “How could any husband be more important than my little sister.”

She felt extremely pleased at heart.

Lu Rou touched the flower hairpin on her head again: “After tonight, when Mother is asleep, I’ll give you this hairpin. You hide it and don’t let Mother know. It’s just a hairpin – was it really worth all that crying and fussing?”

With her mouth full of roast chicken, having received favors from others, she looked at that hibiscus hairpin again. It looked quite beautiful on Lu Rou’s head, so she said: “Never mind, you just keep it for me for now. Someday in the future I’ll come ask you for it.”

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

Hearing these words, she felt inexplicably unhappy and deliberately wiped her oily hands on Lu Rou’s face: “Then wherever you marry, I’ll follow you there. You’re my sister after all!”

“Creak—”

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

Lu Tong looked up. Her nose seemed to still retain the gentle scent of lychee balm from her elder sister’s body, but in the blink of an eye, there was only the cold screen before her.

Yin Zheng placed the water basin on the table and turned to close the door. Lu Tong picked up a handkerchief and bit by bit wiped away the red rash painted on her face.

“Miss,” Yin Zheng asked carefully, “today you said that the eldest miss was killed by the Ke family?”

Lu Tong remained silent for a moment before speaking: “When we were in Changwu County, the neighbors said when did the Lu family receive the death news from the capital?”

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

“Exactly.” Lu Tong said calmly: “But today the Ke family people said that Lu Rou died in summer.”

Yin Zheng was shocked and looked at Lu Tong in astonishment.

Lu Tong’s eyes turned cold.

Today, when Old Madam Ke was provoked to anger by her, she misspoke and said, “If she hadn’t jumped into the water pool and polluted the feng shui of my new residence, why would I have spent so much silver to fill in the pool and plant peonies instead? What a pity about my pond of newly bloomed red lotus…” This 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 be at most a month. It couldn’t be that Lu Rou died in the previous summer and the news only reached Changwu County the following year. Moreover, that summer Lu Rou hadn’t even gone to the capital yet.

Between these two pieces of information, one side must be lying.

Lu Qian had come to the capital after receiving news of Lu Rou’s death. If Lu Rou was still alive at that time, why would the people in Changwu County now 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 originally intended to dismiss the Lu family with news of Lu Rou’s death, never expecting that the persistent Lu Qian would travel alone to the capital to investigate personally.

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

The truth was confusing and complex. Lu Tong didn’t believe a single word of what Old Madam Ke had said. Lu Rou had failed to seduce the young master of Grand Tutor Qi’s manor, yet the Ke family had gained favor from Grand Tutor Qi’s manor a year ago, leading to their thriving porcelain business. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed too much of a coincidence.

She would stay in the capital, stay here, and find out exactly what Lu Rou had encountered and why the Lu family had suffered such disasters.

And also…

To retrieve that hibiscus hairpin worn by the new bride of the Ke family.

The last trace of red marks was wiped clean. Yin Zheng looked at the clean white face in the mirror, hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up: “But Miss, before that, there’s something I must remind you of.”

She sighed: “Our money is almost running out.”

…

Night fell completely, and lights were lit in the Ke manor.

Ke Chengxing lifted the bamboo curtain and stepped into the main hall with one foot.

The maid beside Old Madam Ke saw him and smiled with particular charm, greeting him as “Master,” then poured tea for him at the side.

Ke Chengxing was now approaching thirty. Unlike other merchants, he had handsome features, was well-maintained, and his honey-colored Hangzhou silk robe made him appear elegant and refined. Now that the Ke family’s kiln porcelain business was doing well, he was always the eye-catching one at merchant guild banquets, with many young ladies throwing themselves at him.

Old Madam Ke also noticed the maid’s smile and couldn’t help but frown. She dismissed the servants, then glanced at Ke Chengxing who was sitting at the table picking and eating chestnuts, saying: “You came back late today.”

“Drinking, of course.” Ke Chengxing was nonchalant.

“With such a strong smell of alcohol, be careful that the Qin family doesn’t make a fuss again.”

Upon hearing this, the smile on Ke Chengxing’s face faded somewhat. The Qin family was his new wife, with a fierce and unreasonable temperament who controlled him very strictly, which was truly annoying. At times like this, Ke Chengxing would somewhat miss his late wife’s gentle and considerate nature.

Just as he was reminiscing about Lu Rou’s name, Ke Chengxing heard Old Madam Ke speak: “Today, the Lu family’s cousin came by.”

Ke Chengxing was startled: “The Lu family’s cousin? Where did the Lu family get a cousin?”

“You never heard the Lu family mention her either?” Old Madam Ke was somewhat suspicious and told her son about what had happened at the Ke manor during the day, then said: “I think this person’s arrival is suspicious. Later I had someone follow her, but they lost track of her.”

Ke Chengxing thought carefully and shook his head: “After I married the Lu family, I never heard her mention having any cousin. She must be a swindler who came to con people.”

Old Madam Ke’s expression flickered: “I don’t know why, but I feel uneasy in my heart. After all, you shouldn’t have taken action in the Lu family matter back then… Now it can’t be cleanly severed.”

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

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

She stared at the tea cup before her, her tone gradually growing heavy: “If there really is something wrong, there’s someone taller to bear the responsibility. What’s there to fear? A single Lu family can’t stir up any storms.”