In the rear courtyard of the Liu Mansion, Liu Madam Shi Xin was engaged in conversation with a visitor. The freshly brewed floral tea before them drifted with a faint, delicate fragrance.

“If I hadn’t sent someone to fetch you, would you have forgotten all about me, your elder sister?” Shi Xin’s tone carried a note of reproach, though her face was soft with warmth.

The young man seated across from her had a slender, upright figure. He wore a black silk mandarin-collar changshan with black trousers and leather shoes — refined and otherworldly in bearing, his manner graceful and distinguished.

“The department has been particularly busy of late. Please don’t take offense, Elder Sister.” The speaker was none other than Shi Xin’s own younger brother, Shi Ting. The two of them had been born of the same mother — Er Yitai, Luo Huaimeng.

Shi Xin had married Liu Huan, Shun Cheng’s foremost cloth merchant, two years prior, and was now four months along with child.

“I’ve seen it all in the newspapers.” Shi Xin’s expression turned to one of admiration. “The Military Police Department has been cracking major cases one after another. People everywhere are singing their praises, and the papers can’t seem to find enough ways to compliment them. Seeing all of it, I’m genuinely happy for you.”

She personally poured a cup of tea and handed it to Shi Ting. “Xing Zhi, ever since you enacted the Shun Cheng Law, public order has improved day by day. It may not yet be the kind of place where doors can be left unlocked at night, but compared to what it once was, it’s like heaven and earth. Your reputation among the common people is exceptionally high — that’s a fine thing. But you must also be on guard against your eldest and second brothers at all times. They are vain and prone to jealousy. I fear they’ll come to see you as a threat.”

“I know,” Shi Ting said. “I have no desire to contend with them. My only wish is to dedicate myself wholeheartedly to the Military Police Department.”

Shi Xin smiled slightly but said nothing.

In truth, she understood. Born into an imperial household, who among them was without a combative nature? Who among them did not hunger for power? The difference lay only in the manner of the struggle — some fought openly, others from the shadows. Shi Ting’s chosen approach was to cultivate his strength in silence and never reveal his edge.

As for her younger brother’s abilities, Shi Xin had a certain understanding. On the surface, he oversaw only the Military Police Department — an office without much real power. What forces he had quietly built behind the scenes was another matter entirely.

“You rarely wore a changshan before. What brought this on today?” Shi Xin regarded him with an appreciative eye. “What can I say — you’re my brother, after all. You look extraordinary in whatever you wear.”

“Mother made this herself.” Shi Ting glanced down at the garment. “I wore it to make her happy.”

“Ah, yes — today I’m hosting a poetry gathering here at the mansion. I’ve invited young ladies from respectable families and distinguished households. Come join me in a little while and see if there’s any young lady who catches your eye. Mother has been racking her brains over your marriage prospects and quite distressed about it.” She had telephoned and called him here precisely for this reason.

Shi Ting lowered his gaze and gently stirred the steam rising from his cup with the tea lid. “Third Elder Sister, the reason I came today was actually to speak with you about someone.”

“Oh? Who?” Shi Xin was curious. “Could it be someone our little brother fancies?”

Shi Ting did not deny it. “The Military Police Department has been breaking major cases lately, and she is the one who lent her aid from behind the scenes. She has many remarkable ideas and sometimes says things that are difficult to understand. Yet when she faces those bodies, she demonstrates a level of expertise that is nothing short of astonishing — methods and theories entirely absent from any medical text, things even the masters of the field have never heard of.”

“Is there truly such a person?” Shi Xin was startled.

“Her name is Yan Qing. She is the Sixth Miss of the Yan Family.”

Shi Xin considered this for a moment. “I have heard of this Sixth Miss, though I’ve never met her. Gossip has it that she rarely leaves home and is timid and incompetent.”

“Gossip cannot be trusted.”

“If she is truly as you describe, then no, that gossip cannot be trusted at all.” Shi Xin sighed with admiration. “This Sixth Miss is not timid and incompetent — quite the contrary. She is a person of exceptional talent.”

As Shi Xin spoke, she noticed that Shi Ting’s face had taken on a soft, luminous quality. She had never seen such a tender expression on her younger brother’s face before — the look of a man recalling a rare treasure he holds dear, simultaneously protective and proud.

Shi Xin smiled. “No wonder none of the young ladies Mother introduces to you ever catch your fancy. It turns out your heart has long been spoken for.”

Shi Ting made no move to deny it. “What does Elder Sister think of her?”

“Whoever captured your heart must be extraordinary. How could I not trust your judgment?” Then, struck by a sudden thought, Shi Xin’s expression changed. “Wait — I recall that the Sixth Miss of the Yan Family is betrothed to Second Brother.”

“Yes, she is. Father arranged it.”

Shi Xin grasped the gravity of the situation. “Xing Zhi, what are you planning to do?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Shi Ting said. “But Elder Sister knows my character. When it comes to Yan Qing, I am determined to have her.”

“That will inevitably mean a falling-out with Second Brother, and with Father as well.” Shi Xin was deeply troubled. “A father’s command cannot be defied. Since he is the one who made this betrothal, how could he possibly go back on it without losing face?”

“Father has always favored Second Brother, and this match was made under circumstances not entirely of his own choosing. The First Madam and Grandmother have both voiced considerable objections to this union. If I were to quietly add fuel to the fire, there may yet be room for things to shift.”

“But have you asked the Sixth Miss herself what she wants?” Shi Xin shook her head. “Do you know how many young women in all of Shun Cheng dream of marrying into the Shi Family — and of marrying Second Brother in particular?”

This question gave Shi Ting pause.

“Perhaps the Sixth Miss wishes to marry Second Brother. If she does, she could one day be the Marshal’s wife. How many women would not wish for such honor and standing?”

Just as Shi Ting stood in a moment of stillness, Liu Madam’s maidservant Chun Xiu entered and performed a curtsy. “Madam, all the young ladies for the poetry gathering have arrived. They are asking when you wish to begin.”

Shi Xin set down her teacup. “I’ll be right along.”

Then she asked, “I recall also inviting the young ladies of the Yan Family. Which of them came from the Yan side?”

Chun Xiu answered, “All four of the unmarried young misses of the Yan Family came — the Fourth Miss, the Fifth Miss, the Sixth Miss, and the youngest, the Seventh Miss.”

Hearing that Yan Qing had also come to the poetry gathering, Shi Ting was a little surprised. Given her quiet nature, he would not have expected her to enjoy such a lively occasion.

“The Sixth Miss came as well?” Shi Xin cast a glance at her younger brother. “All right, go make the arrangements — I’ll follow shortly.”

After Chun Xiu withdrew, Shi Xin asked, “Would you care to come along and watch the fun with me?”

Shi Ting shook his head. “This sort of occasion is not one I should appear at.”

“You.” Shi Xin sighed with resignation. “Others will go to any lengths to get near a gathering of women, while you go to any lengths to stay as far away as possible. No wonder no girl has ever pursued you.”

Shi Ting was unmoved. “Go ahead, Elder Sister. I’ll sit a while longer and then be on my way.”

Shi Ting made no immediate move to leave, and Shi Xin understood perfectly well what he had in mind. On her way out, she instructed the servants to bring him wine and food to pass the time, then made her way to the garden to join the poetry gathering.

The moment Shi Xin appeared, the young ladies surged forward to greet her.

In their eyes, Shi Xin was not only the Marshal’s daughter but had married into wealth as well — and her husband was devoted to her entirely, a love that was the envy of all.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting — something came up.” Shi Xin smiled with gentle contrition. “Thank you all for your patience, young misses. Please, do take your seats.”

Once everyone was settled, Shi Xin leaned toward Chun Xiu and asked quietly, “Which one is the Sixth Miss of the Yan Family?”

“The one in the wheelchair,” Chun Xiu replied. “A beauty that could cause fish to sink and geese to alight — what a pity she is disabled.”

Shi Xin observed Yan Qing discreetly. She was engaged in quiet conversation with the young woman beside her — Shi Xin recalled that this was Qiao Yiran, a reporter for the New City Daily and the daughter of a counselor in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

As they spoke, Yan Qing seemed to sense someone’s gaze upon her and raised her eyes. Her glance met Shi Xin’s inquiring look directly.

Shi Xin had expected her to flinch or look away. Instead, she gave a slight nod and offered a gentle smile, her gaze clear and serene as an unclouded sky.

The rumors dissolved on their own — Shi Xin could not believe that a woman who rarely left home would carry a gaze so still and composed.

She returned Yan Qing’s smile with one of her own, and her admiration quietly deepened.

“Liu Madam, may we begin the poetry gathering?” one impatient young miss called out.

Shi Xin smiled. “The purpose of today’s gathering is simply to allow everyone to share their literary gifts and exchange thoughts. Paper and brush have been set out before each of you — feel free to write freely. Of course, those who do not compose poetry are under no obligation to do so. Appreciation alone is perfectly welcome.”

Yan Qing fell squarely into the category of those who did not compose poetry. Yan Yan likewise had no such skill. The two of them were there purely as spectators.

In this era, literati and men of letters all prided themselves on cultural refinement, and some even used the written word as a vehicle to attack one another.

Newspapers and magazines had dedicated columns for poetry and prose, and poets and writers who gained a following typically commanded great prestige and were treated accordingly.

In an age when a single yuan could buy twenty tickets to a performance, writers and authors were among the highest earners. A single article typically fetched two to three yuan per thousand characters, while celebrated names could command as much as six yuan. A prolific writer might earn several hundred yuan in manuscript fees in a single month.

Shi Xin had been watching Yan Qing all along. While everyone else was writing furiously, Yan Qing sat drinking tea and nibbling on sweets, as though the flurry of activity around her had nothing at all to do with her.

“Could it be that the Sixth Miss doesn’t know how to write poetry?” Shi Xin murmured quietly to Chun Xiu.

Chun Xiu shook her head. “Perhaps she’s still composing in her mind.”

“There’s nothing wrong with not knowing how to write poetry. A person always has strengths in some areas and gaps in others.”

“Madam speaks truly.”

A light breeze drifted through the garden, lush and full of greenery. Along the garden wall, various-colored roses bloomed in a brilliant, mottled display.

Yan Qing finished a piece of pastry. Seeing everyone bent over their papers writing, even Yan Ling and Yan Qin moving their brushes with swift assurance, she silently picked up her pen. She thought she might as well put something down — anything — so as not to stand out too much from the rest.

What she didn’t see was that on the other side of the ornately carved garden wall, Shi Ting stood motionless, watching her in silence.

He had never heard that she was fond of poetry or verse. When he saw her sitting idle a moment ago, he had guessed as much. Now, seeing her take up her pen, he couldn’t tell whether she was simply passing the time or actually had something to write.

He gave a quiet shake of his head, his eyes brimming with boundless tenderness.

“I’ve finished!” The first to complete her work was naturally Ma Xiaotong, renowned as a great literary talent.

“With Miss Ma’s brilliant work set before us, anything the rest of us write would only be considered inferior.” Someone was already beginning to lavish praise.

Qiao Yiran gave a disdainful snort. “The poem hasn’t even been read aloud yet and the flattery’s already started.”

Yan Qing glanced at the paper in Qiao Yiran’s hand and couldn’t help but laugh. “What on earth is this? It’s a breakdown of the Military Police Department’s organizational structure.”

This Qiao Yiran was truly the Military Police Department’s most devoted admirer.

“Since everyone has finished writing,” Shi Xin said with a smile, “who would like to read their poem first?”

—