Zhao Yao had been living rather uncomfortably these past few days.

Firstly, it was because she hadn’t spoken with Second Brother for quite some time. On New Year’s Eve night, Second Brother had left for a very long while, and by the time he returned, she had already fallen asleep, ultimately failing to fulfill her wish of staying up with him to welcome the new year. For three consecutive days—the first, second, and third days of the new year—Second Brother was rarely at the mansion. Even when he did return, he would stay in his study with the doors tightly closed, leaving her unable to find an opportunity to meet with him.

Secondly, her father Zhao Run had returned to Jiankang. This should have been a joyous occasion—her father had been posted away for many years, and now had finally returned to take up a position in Jiankang through her uncle’s support. However, this meant that she and her mother would have to move away from the Qi family home. The moving arrangements hadn’t taken much effort either. Originally, when she and her mother came to the Qi family, they had traveled light, so by the eighth day, everything was properly settled.

On the eighth day, Zhao Yao’s father Zhao Run personally came to the Qi family gates to fetch his wife and daughter, while also paying respects to his superior and brother-in-law Qi Zhang. Zhao Yao waited in the room together with her mother. Zhao Yao knew that once her father emerged from Uncle’s study, their family would move back to the Zhao residence, and she couldn’t help feeling dejected with a gloomy expression.

Just then, a maid came to report that Fourth Young Master Qi Le had come to bid farewell to Zhao Yao. Zhao Yao thought of how her mother had previously instructed her to keep some distance from him, so she was about to tell the maid to find an excuse to send him away. Unexpectedly, her mother said instead: “Fourth Young Master has come? Quickly invite him in.”

The maid went down to bring him, and Zhao Yao asked her mother in surprise: “Mother, didn’t you say last time…”

Before Zhao Qishi could answer, Qi Le followed the maid in, so Zhao Yao couldn’t pursue the question further.

Qi Le bowed respectfully to his aunt. Zhao Qishi smiled warmly as she invited him to sit, saying: “Jingkang has come? Just now Yao’er was still thinking of you, saying she couldn’t bear to part with her brothers.”

Zhao Yao was startled, not knowing why her mother was making things up out of thin air. Her heart was full of confusion, but then she saw her mother give her a meaningful look, so she cooperated in a dazed manner, putting on an expression of reluctance and sadness.

Qi Le felt very sorry for his sister and was also reluctant to see her leave. At this moment, he could only console her: “It’s really nothing much. From now on we’ll all be in Jiankang, and the Zhao residence isn’t far away either. I’ll just visit you more often in the future.”

Zhao Qishi smiled and chimed in: “Jingkang has been a good child with deep feelings and loyalty since childhood. No wonder Yao’er is closest to you.”

Hearing this, Qi Le was very pleased, his face reddening as he scratched his head. Then he heard Zhao Qishi continue with a laugh: “It’s just that with this parting of several years, you’ve all grown up after all. Just a few days ago Yao’er was telling me how she most missed the times when she used to play with her four brothers, but unfortunately now Jingyuan and Jingchen are both busy with court affairs, not able to have leisure time like before.”

Only now did Zhao Yao understand her mother’s meaning, so she quickly chimed in: “Exactly! This time I came for a short stay of several days, but altogether I barely saw First Brother and Second Brother a few times. Once I return to the Zhao residence, I’ll see them even less.”

When Qi Le saw Zhao Yao’s dejected little face, his heart felt uncomfortable, and he was wholeheartedly focused on comforting her. After thinking it over, he said: “Big Brother and Second Brother are indeed very busy. Big Brother is somewhat better, but Second Brother now holds a position at the Privy Council—working in such a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair must be extremely exhausting. Moreover, Second Brother also prefers living at his separate residence, and lately has been staying there even more frequently. Even I don’t get to see him often.”

“Who says otherwise,” said Zhao Qishi. “Jingyuan and Jingchen work far too hard. No matter what, during festivals and holidays, the court should let people rest properly.”

She sighed once, then smiled and said: “Speaking of which, we’ve never seen Jingchen’s separate residence. I wonder what it’s like that Jingchen likes it so much?”

Zhao Qishi’s words were spoken in a roundabout manner, but she was hinting at Qi Le in a circuitous way. Fortunately, Qi Le was clever—he first caught the key timing of “festivals and holidays,” then grasped the important location of “separate residence.” His eyes lit up as he said: “I have an idea! In a few days it will be the Lantern Festival. In the evening I can invite several brothers to go lantern-viewing together! If Uncle and Aunt have time, during the day they can also bring Yao’er to visit Fenghe Garden. With everyone there, wouldn’t it be delightful?”

These words truly pleased Zhao Qishi and Zhao Yao. Zhao Qishi’s eyes and brows were all smiles, but she said: “This would be excellent, but I’m afraid it might be presumptuous toward Jingchen…”

Qi Le said decisively: “How could Second Brother be such a petty person? Aunt is overthinking.”

Zhao Qishi smiled and nodded, saying: “That would be the best possible outcome—Yao’er, aren’t you going to thank your Fourth Brother?”

Zhao Yao’s face was also wreathed in smiles. Thinking that in just a few more days on the Lantern Festival she could spend an entire day with Second Brother, her heart was overjoyed. For a moment she found even the chattering Qi Le much more pleasing to the eye, and quickly said sweetly: “Thank you, Fourth Brother.”

When Qi Le saw his sister’s flower-like smile, for some reason he felt his heart pounding wildly. His face grew somewhat hot as he touched the back of his head and said “it’s nothing.” Zhao Qishi smiled as she glanced at Qi Le, then picked up the teacup from the table and slowly sipped her tea.

After the third day, Qi Ying rarely stayed overnight at the main family residence, mainly because the Privy Council’s government affairs were complex. Sometimes when things dragged on too late, he would stay directly at the government offices, and sometimes he would return to Fenghe Garden.

Though he often returned to Fenghe Garden recently, because he always left early and returned late, he rarely encountered Shen Xiling. Shen Xiling’s illness had now recovered by seventy or eighty percent. Having Yi Xiang continue caring for her seemed inappropriate, so she took it upon herself to ask Yi Xiang not to care for her anymore, and began living on her own in Fenghe Garden.

However, this made her position in Fenghe Garden very awkward. Though Qi Ying had kept her there, he hadn’t instructed her what she should do. Shen Xiling wanted to be an ordinary maid in this separate residence—firstly, it would at least repay some small portion of Qi Ying’s kindness, and secondly, it would give her something to do. But because Qi Ying hadn’t told the servants at Fenghe Garden about arrangements for Shen Xiling, none of them dared let Shen Xiling do any work, leaving Shen Xiling feeling somewhat at a loss.

Actually, Qi Ying himself hadn’t figured out how to settle Shen Xiling either.

Though he had taken her in, this matter was actually extremely difficult to handle. Firstly, Shen Xiling was the daughter of Shen Qian. With the current political situation unstable and the major case involving the Shen family not yet completely resolved, Shen Xiling had been unexpectedly encountered by Fourth Prince Xiao Ziheng last time. If something went wrong in between and someone exposed her identity as an orphaned daughter of the Shen family, it would be an enormous disaster for both Shen Xiling and Qi Ying. Secondly, Qi Ying’s taking in Shen Xiling had to be concealed not only from outsiders, but also from the Qi family members, especially his father Qi Zhang. His father valued the family clan above all else. If he knew that Qi Ying had taken in an orphaned daughter of the Shen family during such troubled times, he would never agree, and if he then expelled her, Qi Ying would have no recourse. Thirdly, Shen Xiling was a person, not some cat or dog. Since he had taken her in, he had to be responsible for her. But he had only undergone the capping ceremony a year ago and had never raised a child. Moreover, in his generation the Qi family only had male offspring and no girls—he had even less idea how to raise a young lady.

All these complications tangled together made Qi Ying unable to decide for the moment how to settle Shen Xiling. He couldn’t hide her for a lifetime—not to mention others, his father alone couldn’t possibly remain unaware. After deliberating for several days, Qi Ying still felt he could only first create a false identity for Shen Xiling.

After last year’s great defeat at Stone City, the Liang Emperor personally issued an edict transferring Qi Ying into the Privy Council as Deputy Director. When this news reached north of the river, Gao Wei immediately dispatched assassins to kill Qi Ying. At that time, Qi Ying had a subordinate official named Fang Yukai who had just been transferred from Ba Prefecture to Jiankang to serve in the Privy Council. He happened to block a sword for Qi Ying—the blade pierced through his chest and he died on the spot.

Actually, even if Master Fang hadn’t blocked it at the time, Bai Song could have deflected that sword. But since he had blocked it, Qi Ying accepted his kindness and publicly said he had received Master Fang’s grace.

Because of this explanation, Qi Ying also intended to care for his family dependents. However, upon investigation, it was discovered that this Master Fang came from a humble background. His elderly mother, wife, and daughter were all far away in Ba Prefecture. The elderly mother was too advanced in years to endure the journey. His wife, devastated by Fang Yukai’s death, put arsenic in both her own and her daughter’s food. The wife died immediately, while the daughter Fang Jun was barely saved because insufficient poison was used, though she was now like the living dead and still hadn’t awakened. Fang’s mother died of stroke from this incident.

Qi Ying had already dispatched people to Ba Prefecture to care for Fang Jun, and now made some arrangements to transfer this girl’s identity to Shen Xiling. This way she could have an identity to move about in Jiankang. If his father learned he was caring for her, with the connection to Fang Yukai, it could barely be justified.

Once this matter was settled, Qi Ying’s heart was somewhat at ease. After thinking it over, he wrote a note at the government office and had someone deliver it to Shen Xiling at Fenghe Garden, telling her to wait for him tonight as he had something to discuss with her.

After leaving this note, Qi Ying continued meeting with the twelve departments of the Privy Council on various matters. Shortly after, someone came from the palace saying the Liang Emperor summoned Qi Ying for an audience. Qi Ying frowned, arranged all the affairs at the office properly, then followed the palace attendant into the palace.

Shen Xiling received Qi Ying’s note right at the wei hour.

Today was the fourteenth day of the first month, and the last time Shen Xiling had seen him was on the third day. Though he had stayed overnight at Fenghe Garden several times recently, she had never been able to see him.

Now Shen Xiling’s feelings toward Qi Ying were quite complex. She was both somewhat afraid of seeing him and somewhat anticipating seeing him. Her heart was occasionally tangled like a ball of yarn, leaving even herself quite confused. At this moment she held the note Qi Ying had sent in her hand, vaguely feeling that the ink on it wasn’t completely dry yet, so she could imagine the scene of that person writing it, giving her a suddenly strange sensation.

Shen Xiling remembered how her father had taught her calligraphy when she was small. At that time she had practiced copying Second Young Master Qi’s handwriting, but back then the three characters “Qi Jingchen” were just a stranger from her father’s mouth. She never imagined that now, he would be the only person to give her shelter.

Shen Xiling held that note and examined it repeatedly. It was just a few characters, yet she looked at it for half an hour. Later she couldn’t resist taking out brush and ink to practice copying it again. She copied it with six or seven parts similarity. Though it wasn’t as fluid as Qi Ying’s handwriting, the foundation was good. After all, the groundwork laid during her early education was solid. Even though she hadn’t continued learning calligraphy according to Qi Ying’s style afterward, the minute details of her brushwork still always carried traces of Qi Ying’s influence.

Shen Xiling looked at her own copied handwriting, not quite satisfied, but by the end of the shen hour she didn’t dare practice anymore. She cleaned herself up and dressed properly, arriving early at the door of Wangshi room to wait. In his note, Qi Ying hadn’t said what time he would return, so it was better for her to wait early to avoid delaying Qi Ying’s time.

Shen Xiling waited from the shen hour to the you hour, from the you hour to the xu hour, and from the xu hour to the hai hour, watching the sky over Fenghe Garden change from red clouds to a sky full of stars, but Qi Ying never returned.

Author’s Note: First day of raising a wife, running late.