The next morning, Yan Qing went to pay her respects at Luo Huaimeng’s courtyard. Before she’d even stepped through the door, she could hear laughter from inside.

“She truly haunts every place like an unshakeable ghost,” muttered Jing Zhi, who was walking beside Yan Qing. “Everywhere you turn, there she is.”

Yan Qing completely understood Yin Minghui’s strategy of making herself visible everywhere — particularly in front of Luo Huaimeng.

Luo Huaimeng was Shi Ting’s birth mother. If she could win Luo Huaimeng’s affections, she would be one step closer to her goal.

As Yan Qing stepped inside, Yin Minghui was presenting a food hamper with all the enthusiasm of someone showing off a treasure. “Second Concubine, please do have a taste — fresh-made steamed milk custard, made by my own hands. The temperature is just right now, neither too cold nor too warm. The texture is at its very best.”

Accompanying Yin Minghui was Qian Lan, who had clearly been persuaded to come along. After all, Yin Minghui was not yet well-acquainted enough with Luo Huaimeng to come on her own.

Luo Huaimeng sat upright on the daybed, fingering a string of prayer beads, her thin eyelids lowered toward the teacup on the table.

“Miss Yin is very thoughtful. But I haven’t been feeling well lately, and Yan Qing has specifically told me not to eat too many sweets. I’m afraid Miss Yin’s kind gesture will have to go to waste.”

The purpose behind Yin Minghui’s visit was perfectly clear to Luo Huaimeng. But Yin Minghui was not the first of her kind. To put it plainly, she was a shrewd person — one who knew how to gamble for her own future.

Perhaps Shi Ting had truly saved her, and she had genuinely developed feelings of gratitude toward him in the manner of a beauty falling for her hero. Added to that was the pull of Shi Ting’s personal magnetism — it was easy for an ordinary woman to become infatuated with him.

There were two things driving Yin Minghui: her feelings for Shi Ting as a person, and her admiration for his family’s standing. Even though Shi Ting already had a legitimate wife, she did not particularly care.

She did not think herself inferior to Yan Qing in any way. And besides, wasn’t there now such a thing as an equal-ranking wife? A man could take two women as wives of equal standing, if both were of comparable family background and accomplishments — they would both be raised to the position of an equal-ranking wife.

This was roughly the thinking Yin Minghui seemed to be operating under. And so she had decided to make a play for what she wanted.

Luo Huaimeng’s tone of refusal left Yin Minghui without an easy way out. Qian Lan stepped in from the side. “Minghui, you’ll need to remember for next time — Second Concubine doesn’t care for sweets. You should make some unsweetened treats to bring over.”

“Yes, Aunt.” Yin Minghui gave Qian Lan a grateful smile.

Luo Huaimeng looked at the two of them and said coolly, “I hear Miss Yin has been recovering well?”

“The physician Aunt invited is remarkably skilled. I’ve recovered more than half, and this morning I slept through until dawn. I feel better with each passing day.”

Luo Huaimeng gave a hum of acknowledgment. “I understand Miss Yin is still in school — surely you haven’t disrupted your studies?”

“Not at all, not at all. I’ve already taken a leave from school, and besides, I’ll be graduating soon.”

“And what does Miss Yin plan to do after graduation — remain in Shun Cheng, or return to your hometown?”

Yin Minghui said shyly, “My mother’s wish is for me to marry into Shun Cheng. That way we’d still be close and could look out for each other.”

“Has Miss Yin found anyone to marry?” Luo Huaimeng made no special effort to be tactful, and Yin Minghui’s face immediately went scarlet with embarrassed confusion. She looked to Qian Lan for rescue.

Qian Lan smiled. “She hasn’t found anyone yet, but from the look of her, I’d say she’s more than likely already set her heart on someone.”

Yin Minghui gave her a reproachful look. “Aunt…”

Qian Lan laughed. “All right, all right, I won’t tease you.”

As they were talking, Xiang Xiu’s clear voice rang out. “Seventh Young Mistress has arrived.”

Luo Huaimeng, who had been carrying herself with an air of cool indifference, showed a trace of expression at the news. “She’s up early today.”

The words were a gentle reproach, yet carried not a single note of blame. If anything, a faint smile lingered at the corner of her lips.

“Madam and Miss Yin are here too — what a coincidence.” Yan Qing walked in smiling.

Qian Lan patted the seat beside her warmly. “Yan Qing, come and sit here.”

After Yan Qing sat down, she instinctively glanced at the steamed custard on the table. Before she could say a word, Luo Huaimeng spoke first. “I know I’m not supposed to have sweets. I haven’t touched the custard.”

Yan Qing turned to Qian Lan with an affectionate smile. “Mother is like a little child sometimes — and today she’s been particularly well-behaved.”

Anyone listening to Yan Qing’s tone of casual, easy warmth could tell immediately what this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship was like in their everyday life.

Yan Qing said, “Miss Yin made this, didn’t she? Miss Yin brought a portion to me last night as well — I was told she stood in the kitchen for a full four hours just to make this custard.”

Yin Minghui had just begun to arrange her face into a gracious smile, prepared to demonstrate the sincerity of her gesture to Second Concubine, when she heard Yan Qing continue: “Miss Yin truly went through a lot of trouble — that would mean working away in the kitchen from the small hours of the night. Yet her complexion looks absolutely fine — youth is a wonderful thing. It really doesn’t seem to have made any difference.”

The corner of Yin Minghui’s mouth twitched. A wave of hot humiliation washed over her face.

She had only just told Luo Huaimeng that she had been recovering nicely and had slept through until dawn this morning. If she had been sleeping, then where had this custard — supposedly made with four hours of her own labor — come from?

A faint expression of barely concealed contempt crossed Luo Huaimeng’s face. She said nothing, however. Some things one could see through without necessarily having to say aloud.

“Has Shi Ting gone to the Military Police Division?” Qian Lan quickly changed the subject upon seeing the atmosphere grow so awkward.

She could not tell whether Yan Qing had deliberately exposed Yin Minghui’s lie or had merely said it offhandedly. From Yan Qing’s perfectly composed expression, there was nothing at all to read.

“He went to the Blue Brick Building today.” Yan Qing seemed entirely unaware of the odd atmosphere and simply answered Qian Lan’s question.

Qian Lan chatted a little while longer. Yin Minghui, sitting to one side, could barely keep herself in her seat. Her face felt as though it were on fire, and she kept feeling that the silent Second Concubine was about to open her mouth and mock her at any moment.

“I just remembered I haven’t taken my medicine.” Yin Minghui stood and said, “Aunt, Second Concubine, Seventh Young Mistress — I should be getting back.”

Second Concubine gave a hum of acknowledgment. “Xiang Xiu, see the guest out.”

That even Second Concubine hadn’t seen her out personally left Yin Minghui feeling a flash of pique. The moment she stepped out of the courtyard, she couldn’t help but complain. “Second Concubine doesn’t take me seriously at all. I’m a guest — and I came all this way to bring her sweets. She was completely unmoved when I left.”

Xue Tao chimed in readily. “It’s all the fault of the Seventh Young Mistress. She deliberately exposed you in front of Second Concubine, and then put on that innocent face. She really is awful.”

Yin Minghui stamped her foot hard, twice. “This Yan Qing is so infuriating. She blocks me from seeing Seventh Young Master at every turn.”

Xue Tao said, “Miss, this approach isn’t working. You need to find an opportunity to meet Seventh Young Master alone. Otherwise, he’ll never know how wonderful you are.”

“But we have no idea about Seventh Young Master’s comings and goings. We can’t exactly stand at the front gate and wait for him, can we?” Yin Minghui was deeply frustrated.

Xue Tao’s eyes darted around. “Miss, do you remember Jin Shan?”

“Isn’t he Seventh Young Master’s personal attendant? They say he’s a trusted favorite in Seventh Young Master’s eyes.”

“What if you were to bribe Jin Shan, Miss? Have him report Seventh Young Master’s every move to you at any time.”

Yin Minghui thought it sounded like a good idea, but she had her reservations. “If he’s a trusted figure in Seventh Young Master’s eyes, he won’t be so easy to buy. If the bribe doesn’t work and he goes straight to Seventh Young Master to report us, then we’d be at a real disadvantage.”

“Miss, is there anyone in this world who doesn’t love money? No matter how loyal a person is, when faced with wealth, they’re still just a servant at the end of the day — whoever has the milk is the mother, whoever has the money calls the shots.”

Xue Tao’s words gave Yin Minghui a sudden flash of confidence. Still, she hesitated. “I don’t have much of real value left with me right now.”

Yin Minghui was, after all, not a daughter of the Qian family — merely a niece. The Qian family was vast and wealthy, but that wealth was not hers. What she had saved up came from the gifts Madam Qian had given her from time to time. More often than not, she relied on the charity of the Qian family — shamelessly angling to take clothes and jewelry the Qian daughters had outgrown or didn’t want. Fortunately, the Qian daughters were generous and would pass along things they no longer needed or liked. But having lived as a dependent in the Qian household for so many years, the money and valuables she could actually claim as her own were very limited.

“Miss, you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet. If you don’t give a little now, where will the great wealth and status of the future come from? As long as you can marry Seventh Young Master, and Seventh Young Master rises to become the Young Marshal, and eventually takes the seat of Marshal himself, you’d be the Marshal’s lady. At that point, you could have whatever you wanted — you wouldn’t even need to ask. People would be falling over themselves to bring things to you.”

Xue Tao’s words filled Yin Minghui with a surge of renewed resolve. She steeled herself and said, “Pick out two valuables from my account — make sure they’re impressive enough. I want to buy Jin Shan’s cooperation in one go. The more drawn-out this becomes, the more trouble it will cause.”

“Leave it to me, Miss.”

“Good. I trust you to handle it. Go and do it now — I don’t know whether that Jin Shan will be easy to talk to.”

Xue Tao and Yin Minghui returned to the courtyard they were temporarily occupying. Yin Minghui took out her small treasure chest, which she had kept by her side at all times — even when she was staying at the Shi Mansion, she had sent a maid back to the Qian household to retrieve it.

Yin Minghui took out two banknotes. Looking at the amounts written on them, the pain was worse than losing a piece of her own flesh.

But thinking of her future, and of that handsome, commanding man, Yin Minghui decided to take the gamble.

She handed the banknotes to Xue Tao. “Xue Tao, you must handle this perfectly. Otherwise this money will be like a meat bun thrown at a dog — gone without a trace.”

“Rest assured, Miss. Xue Tao knows exactly what to do.” Xue Tao took the banknotes and tucked them away.

“Then go quickly. I don’t know whether that Jin Shan is the agreeable sort.”

“Miss, just wait for the good news.” Xue Tao tucked the banknotes away securely and went out the door.

After leaving the courtyard, Xue Tao found a secluded spot behind a decorative garden rock, checked that no one was around, and quickly pulled a banknote from inside her clothes.