The next day, Kang Ping and Feng Boyu were to go to the palace to formally meet the family. Qin Yao had this on her mind, and her eyes opened before dawn had even broken. But when she rolled onto her side and reached out an arm out of habit to pull someone close, she found no one there at all — Lin Xiao had gone off somewhere without her knowing.
Her drowsiness vanished at once. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.
Hearing the stir, Wen Gu and Cai Ping came in one after the other.
Cai Ping draped a robe over Qin Yao’s shoulders and told her, “It seems someone from the Young Master’s staff had urgent business with him — he went out very early this morning.”
Qin Yao sat dazed for a moment. Had she really slept so soundly? How had she not heard a single sound?
Since they were going to the palace and had to dress according to her rank, Qin Yao hurried to sit at the dressing table the moment she came out of the bathing room, so Wen Gu could do her hair.
Wen Gu said with a smile, “There’s still plenty of time. Young Madam needn’t rush.”
Qin Yao glanced toward the window. “I don’t know when the Young Master will be back. The weather’s turned cold — let’s have breakfast laid out a little later.”
Before she had even finished speaking, Lin Xiao came back.
Qin Yao simply had Wen Gu loosely pin up her hair for the moment, deciding to finish breakfast with Lin Xiao first before doing her makeup properly.
Lin Xiao came in carrying with him the particular chill of early winter. Though Qin Yao had always had a sturdy constitution, she was too lightly dressed to withstand it, and a shiver ran through her at once.
Afraid she would catch a cold, Lin Xiao immediately told Cai Ping to fetch an outer robe for Qin Yao, while he himself led her into the inner chamber.
“Where did you go just now?” Qin Yao asked curiously, letting Lin Xiao drape the robe over her.
Lin Xiao’s hands paused slightly. He looked at Qin Yao and said, “Someone died at the academy last night.”
Qin Yao was stunned for a moment, and it took her a good while to gather her wits. Her jaw dropped. “Someone died at the academy? Wasn’t everything fine when we left last night? Who died?”
Lin Xiao pulled Qin Yao down to sit on the couch and said, “A female official, surname Lu. You should remember her — she was the one who once tried to punish you for coming back late.”
Qin Yao naturally remembered Female Official Lu, and grew even more bewildered. With no time to wonder how Lin Xiao knew that Female Official Lu had once given her trouble, she asked urgently, “How did she die? Was she harmed by some evil spirit? That can’t be right — when we left, we’d cleared the academy completely, inside and out, and even set up the Six Harmonies Array specially.”
“It looks like she hanged herself.” Lin Xiao picked up his tea and drank. “But the coroner from the Court of Judicial Review only gave it a cursory examination so far — nothing’s been confirmed.” Qin Yao thought of Wang Yingning and the others; they had already been badly frightened by the vengeful ghosts the night before, and now a female official had suddenly died as well — there was no telling how scared they must be. She would need to go see them once they were done at the palace.
Qin Yao asked again, “Did Female Official Lu die in the latter half of the night?”
Lin Xiao said, “The official in the dormitory next to hers found the body this morning. There was still warmth in it when she was found, so it clearly hadn’t been long. The Court of Judicial Review has already arrived, and the households of all the students at the academy have sent people to bring their daughters home. My aunt has also returned to the Lu Guogong residence. I suspect, after all this, the academy will stay empty for a while. As for whether it will be closed for good or reopened after some time, that will be up to my Imperial Uncle to decide.”
Qin Yao rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window. Ever since she had entered Yunyin Academy, things there had always been calm and peaceful, and she had spent a pleasant, untroubled stretch of time within its grounds. But ever since the appearance of the half-head ghost, one strange incident after another had followed, and now there had even been a death. If, as Lin Xiao said, the academy could be closed for a while, that would actually not be such a bad thing.
But why would Female Official Lu, with nothing apparently wrong, suddenly hang herself? Was it coincidence, or was there some twist behind it?
If the chance arose, she would have to find some way to look into it.
Lin Xiao himself had been turning over plenty of worries of his own, but glancing up at Qin Yao’s calm profile, the tangled feelings in his chest settled somewhat. Following her gaze out the window, he saw a few plum branches slanting across the glass, with already a few touches of green at their tips. Remembering that he had once promised Qin Yao to view the plum blossoms together in winter, he took her hand and changed the subject. “Winter comes early in Chang’an. In another month, the plum trees in this courtyard will be in bloom.”
Qin Yao glanced at the treetops — indeed, the plum blossoms would open right around the time of the Yuanzheng Festival, the liveliest and most bustling time of year in Chang’an. Besides viewing the plum blossoms and snow at Siru Studio, there would be all sorts of fun things to keep busy with.
Her mood lifted considerably, and she turned to look at Lin Xiao. “Besides viewing the plum blossoms, when it snows we could also set up a stove under the veranda — one of those big red clay stoves. I’ve seen them sold at the East Market before; you can warm wine on them and roast venison too. Every New Year’s Eve, my mother makes plenty of stewed fish in wine sauce, which is wonderful with a drink. I’ll bring some back from home — besides the two of us, I’ll send some to Grandfather too, he’ll probably like it as well. And every year during the Yuanzheng festival days, Chang’an gets so lively — we should go out and walk around together.” As she spoke, she reached out and tugged pitifully at Lin Xiao’s arm. “Weijin, you won’t be on palace duty then, will you? You’ll spend the festival at home with me, right?”
Lin Xiao’s heart felt as if it were melting. Ever since his mother had passed away, Yuanzheng and New Year’s Eve had meant nothing to him but a palace banquet and then a family meal at home — the whole household cold and silent, with no warmth of life in it. After Madam Cui entered the household, he had preferred to spend his days at his aunt’s residence instead, soaking up some of the festive warmth there, rather than stay home a moment longer than necessary.
Now that Qin Yao had married him, she had not only brought a long-absent atmosphere of cheer to the whole household, but made him feel, every time he returned home, as if walking into a spring breeze, until he wished he could stay glued to her side every moment of the day. Watching her now, eyes shining as she planned out their first New Year together, he felt himself wrapped in an invisible net of love — and he sank into it willingly, deeper and deeper, finding it sweet.
“Alright,” he said, his eyes fixed on her without blinking. “During the Yuanzheng days I’ll stay home with you the whole time. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do — entirely as you wish.”
Qin Yao’s eyes curved into crescent moons with her smile. She got up of her own accord and settled onto Lin Xiao’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You said that yourself — no breaking your word.”
Lin Xiao kissed her and chuckled low. “Then when will you make good on what you promised me last night?”
Qin Yao’s face flushed. She pushed him away at once, laughing despite herself in exasperation. “You’re such a wicked man, nothing but mischief in that head of yours — I’m not talking to you anymore.”
She gathered up her skirts and slipped out of the inner chamber in a flash.
Lin Xiao didn’t manage to catch her in time, and watched her run off. With lingering longing, he touched his fingers to the lips she had just brushed, shook his head with a smile, and then rose, calling out, “Wen Gu, come help the Young Madam and me change to go to the palace.”
Wen Gu had already prepared everything and was simply waiting on the Young Master and Young Madam’s word. She hadn’t dared disturb them while the young couple talked inside, but on hearing the Young Master say this, she smiled and said at once to Qin Yao, who had slipped out to the outer room for tea, “Young Madam, let’s go in and get you dressed.”