Luo Huaimeng said with a gentle smile, “The Elder Miss has been away in Mountain City and may not have heard — one really mustn’t believe everything that circulates outside. While it’s true that Yan Qing had a condition with her leg, it was by no means incurable. The difficulty was simply that she was young and headstrong, unwilling to endure injections and treatments, and so the recovery was delayed. Then — as you may have heard — word came that she was to marry Xingzhi. Yan Qing didn’t want Xingzhi to be made a laughingstock, so she endured every manner of suffering until she finally healed her leg. When a person worth enduring for exists, the suffering becomes worthwhile.”

Shi Yuan and the First Madam found themselves briefly without a reply. The outside world had only said that Yan Qing’s leg was injured — nothing had been said to indicate it was beyond cure. Hearing Luo Huaimeng frame it this way, Yan Qing had made herself whole again for Shi Ting’s sake, as though the devotion behind it were something that could move heaven and earth.

Luo Huaimeng smiled on. “And Xingzhi never once looked down on Yan Qing. He never judged by appearances. Even knowing she had once been disabled, he found her thoughtful and dutiful. If I may say so without false modesty — since Yan Qing came to us, she visits my courtyard every single day. She has taken on the task of preparing and administering my medicine twice daily herself, personally brewing and personally delivering every dose, attentive in every respect. That is good fortune for me indeed.”

She turned her gaze toward the First Madam. “The Shi household is truly blessed — to have married two daughters of the Yan family. Yan Qing is this filial and considerate, and her elder sister is no different. Would you not agree, Madam?”

At those words, the First Madam’s face drained of color. The hand holding her teacup began to tremble almost imperceptibly.

Luo Huaimeng’s words carried layers of meaning — beyond the mockery of the First Madam’s earlier decision to break off the engagement because she had judged Yan Qing by her disability, the most pointed barb was the mention of Yan Qin. From the moment Yan Qin had stepped through the Shi household’s doors, she had brought nothing but trouble and humiliation — so much that the First Madam had lost count of the losses she had suffered.

And now, looking at Yan Qing, so respectful and obedient at Luo Huaimeng’s side, the scales in the First Madam’s heart had long since tipped beyond recovery.

To preserve her composure and dignity as the mistress of the household, the First Madam kept a smile on her face even as she inwardly wished she could hurl her teacup across the room. “Both of the Yan sisters are of course perfectly fine,” she said.

She thought of the daughter-in-law she had been defending — Yan Qin — and felt her stomach turn.

Seeing that Shi Yuan’s expression had also clouded over, Yan Qing quickly caught Jing Zhi’s eye. Jing Zhi stepped forward at once and, with a graceful bow, presented a small box.

Yan Qing said, “Elder Sister, this is a small token of my affection for Qing’er. The moment I saw the child, I thought he looked clever and charming — I’m sure he’ll grow up to accomplish great things.”

At the mention of Qing’er, Shi Yuan said, “He’s just a mischievous little thing.”

She let someone bring the gift over and opened it. Inside lay six gold accessories, each one meticulously worked with fine craftsmanship. Shi Yuan’s husband’s family were prominent merchants in Mountain City, and gold was not something they lacked. But the love of beautiful things is universal — who would ever object to receiving more? And these pieces were unmistakably fine quality at a glance.

After having a servant put the gift away, Shi Yuan smiled. “Thank you, Sister-in-law. You are very thoughtful.”

The gift Yan Qing had brought was both dignified and well-considered, and it effectively closed Shi Yuan’s mouth.

As for the wedding gift Shi Yuan had given Yan Qing in return — it was rather ordinary, clearly an afterthought. Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, Shi Yuan quietly had a servant fetch some additional gold and silver jewelry to add to it.

After Yan Qing and Luo Huaimeng departed, the First Madam struck the table with force, her face flushed crimson with fury. “That Luo Huaimeng — when she was a serving girl, she was practically willing to lick my feet. Now that she’s borne a son and achieved some standing, she thinks her wings have hardened and dares to mock me with every other word. Who gave her the audacity? And that Yan Qing — so meek and deferential on the surface, yet calculating underneath. Those two, the pair of them together, can only spell trouble.”

Shi Yuan held Qing’er in her arms. “Didn’t my Second Brother long ago ask Mother to stir up trouble between them? Yet looking at them today, those two seem to get along extremely well.”

“Ever since the two maids I had placed in Shi Ting’s courtyard met with that incident, I’ve had to tread much more carefully on my end. It gave Yan Qing an opening.” The First Madam narrowed her eyes. “That woman is anything but easy to deal with. But they won’t be able to carry on much longer.”

Something occurred to the First Madam then, and the fury in her eyes was replaced by a cold, calculated stillness.

Shi Yuan said, “Whatever Yan Qing may be getting up to behind the scenes, at least she does what needs to be done on the surface. My Second Sister-in-law, on the other hand, hasn’t come to pay me a single visit since I returned — clearly has no regard for me as her Elder Sister.”

At the mention of Yan Qin, the First Madam made no effort to conceal her distaste. Her jeweled fingers turned the teacup slowly. “Even if I can’t stand her, she’s a useful blade — and the sort you can use and discard without consequence. Keep her for now. She’s not capable of stirring up any real waves. Oh, by the way — have your in-laws sent anyone to bring you back?”

At the question, Shi Yuan’s hands tightened around the child, and a flash of hatred crossed her eyes. “If Liao Wenfa weren’t shielding that woman day and night, I would have seen them both dead long ago.”

“And what good would killing that mother and son do? Your husband would only place the blame squarely on you, and in his anger he might well divorce you. Qing’er could be taken from you then, and what would you have left?”

“Then I’d come home to my parents’ house. I am the Marshal’s daughter. Is there truly no place for me here in Shun Cheng?”

The First Madam let out a long sigh. “Don’t act on impulse. I can see it plainly — you cannot leave the Liao family behind.”

Shi Yuan turned her face away and said nothing more.

While mother and daughter continued their conversation, Yan Qing and Luo Huaimeng had already made their way along the stone path leading back through the garden.

Yan Qing turned her head to look at Luo Huaimeng, a smile pressing at the corners of her lips.

Luo Huaimeng seemed to sense her gaze and looked over sideways. “What are you smiling about? Are you pleased with yourself for having outmaneuvered everyone?”

Yan Qing quickly suppressed the smile, though the amusement still lingered in her eyes.

She trusted that Luo Huaimeng, with her perceptive mind, had by now also guessed that her leg had long been healed — that all this time she had been putting on a performance, with the deliberate aim of humiliating those who had mocked her on the wedding day while earning face for Shi Ting at the same time.

Setting aside everything else — that face of hers alone was enough to draw the envy of countless people. Let alone a woman who was also whole in body, gentle in nature, and refined in conduct.

Luo Huaimeng looked at her helplessly and shook her head.

No wonder Shi Ting had said that on the wedding day he would present her with a daughter-in-law who was perfectly whole. The two of them had been in on it together all along. And yet the target of their little scheme had clearly never been her, as the mother — it had been all those who had stood by waiting to see the spectacle.

Thinking back to the expressions on the faces of the Shi household members on the wedding day — the range of reactions — Luo Huaimeng felt a rare rush of deep satisfaction.

“Mother.” Yan Qing said softly. “Thank you for what you did just now.”

Luo Huaimeng had been the First Madam’s personal maid and therefore knew her better than almost anyone. Every word she had chosen struck exactly where it would hurt most, and all of it delivered without a single crude syllable.

It had to be said — this mother-in-law of hers, who normally seemed so quiet and detached, showed remarkable force when she truly chose to act.

Yan Qing felt deeply gratified.

Though Luo Huaimeng lived within the inner compound, she made a point of cultivating connections with the wives of various officials — her purpose being to smooth Shi Ting’s path and build goodwill on his behalf.

Luo Huaimeng gave a small sound of displeasure. “Stay away from Shi Yuan from now on.”

Yan Qing caught the note of genuine concern behind the words. Her lips curved upward, and she answered obediently, “I understand, Mother.”

Luo Huaimeng knew that Yan Qing was far from as yielding as she appeared on the surface — her handling of the maids Yangliu and Yangzhi alone had made that clear enough, not to mention that the misfortunes that had befallen the First Madam of the Yan household and the Fourth and Fifth Misses of the Yan family all had some connection to Yan Qing.

She also knew her own son. Not just any woman could hold Shi Ting’s genuine devotion, and if Yan Qing had managed to capture his heart, she must possess something exceptional.

After seeing Luo Huaimeng back to Lanxin Courtyard, Yan Qing returned to her own rooms and picked up the cipher sequences again to study.

Jing Zhi found it altogether dull — those numbers made no sense to her no matter how she looked at them — so she took up her needlework and began embroidering a handkerchief.

“Miss, the Elder Miss was quite generous with her gifts this time.” Murong sorted through the wedding presents Shi Yuan had sent. “These white jade bangles are a fine quality — good jade, no question. And these earrings would go beautifully with that pale gray qipao of yours, Miss. This hairpin is lovely too. It’s just — what’s this pattern carved into it?”

Jing Zhi leaned in for a look, then shook her head after a long moment. “Such a strange design. It looks like a flower, but also like a leaf.”

Yan Qing was drawn in by their exchange and reached for the hairpin herself. Its style was unlike anything commonly found in the shops — something about it felt foreign. The tail end featured three motifs joined together and enclosed within a circular border.

“I’ve seen this design before.” Yan Qing quickly retrieved a book from the shelf — a volume on the customs and people of the Di nation. It was in that very book that she had once seen an identical pattern.

“Here it is.” Yan Qing’s face lit up. “Look — isn’t this the same?”

Murong and Jing Zhi both craned their necks to see, then nodded together. “It really is — exactly the same.”

“This is the three-leafed mallow — the family crest of a great Di nation household. So this hairpin is a Di nation piece that somehow made its way into Elder Sister’s hands and was passed along to me as a gift.”

“No wonder the style seemed so unusual. It’s not from around here at all.”

Jing Zhi asked, “Miss, shall I put the hairpin away?”

But Yan Qing was staring intently at the hairpin in her hand, her mind turning slowly, shapes beginning to form out of the vague outlines of an idea. Gradually those outlines sharpened.

Her eyes brightened, and she sprang to her feet. “Come — we’re going to the Military Police Division. I’ve made a new discovery.”

—