Returning to Fragrant Orchid Residence, Zhou Shaojin called Fan Qi over.

“I have an urgent matter for you to handle!” she said solemnly. “But you can’t tell anyone about this—not even your mother. Moreover, you’ll need to make a long journey. However, if you accomplish this task, I’ll not only reward you with two hundred taels of silver, but also ten mu of prime paddy fields. Do you dare to go?”

Zhou Shaojin had considered raising the reward even higher, but feared that too high an amount would frighten Fan Qi. Yet even so, Fan Qi still stared at her dumbfounded, taking quite a while to recover.

Two hundred taels of silver would be enough to provide for his mother’s old age and funeral. Ten mu of prime paddy fields would be enough to keep him warm and fed for life. Moreover, he was originally a Zhou family servant—serving Second Miss was his duty… Without thinking, he immediately responded, “I’ll do whatever Second Miss commands.”

Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately Fan Qi agreed, otherwise she really wouldn’t know whom to send to do this.

She had Fan Qi close the door and spoke to him in a low voice, “I need you to make a trip to the capital. On First Miss’s side, I’ll say you had business back in your hometown. On Nanny Fan’s side, do you have a good excuse?”

Fan Qi was young and didn’t have a proper position, so being away from the household for a while wouldn’t attract much attention.

Fan Qi hadn’t expected Zhou Shaojin to be sending him to the capital. Both excited and eager, he quickly said, “How about saying you want to buy some paddy fields and sent me back to the countryside to inquire about them?”

“That’s a good excuse,” Zhou Shaojin smiled. “When the time comes, I’ll register the paddy fields in your name, and Sister won’t be suspicious.” Then she praised him, “Your mind works really well!”

Fan Qi grinned.

Zhou Shaojin said, “I’ll have someone escort you all the way to the capital, but one thing—don’t let those escorting you to the capital know what you’re going to do. After you arrive in the capital, find Hu the Minister’s Alley in Chongyi Ward, the third house from east to west. The surname is Mu. The master serves as a secretary in the Ministry of Rites and has three daughters and one son. The eldest daughter is betrothed to the eldest son of the Lin family in First Alley, Chongren Ward. You need to find out what kind of circumstances the Mu and Lin families are currently in. Then… find a way to locate a wandering Daoist priest or traveling monk, and tell them that the Mu family’s eldest daughter will face a calamity at seventeen years old that will bring disaster to her parents and siblings. However, if she can marry before turning seventeen, not only will the Mu family turn misfortune into fortune, but her husband’s family will also prosper with many descendants.”

Although Lin Shisheng was an only son, he wasn’t an uncultured fallen gentleman. Back then, if she hadn’t agreed, and after marrying in had shown no signs of pregnancy, Lin Shisheng wouldn’t have bribed a wandering doctor to examine her pulse and swear she couldn’t conceive—the Lin family would never have agreed to let Lin Shisheng take a concubine.

Now she had thought of this method to have the Mu family marry their daughter to Lin Shisheng earlier. It could be considered tit for tat.

However, Fan Qi was dumbfounded and felt something wasn’t right no matter how he thought about it.

From Second Miss’s tone, she was trying to help Miss Mu. But this was a good deed—why did Second Miss need to do it secretly? Could there be some intention he didn’t know about? He was very willing to run errands for Second Miss, but if Second Miss wanted to harm someone, then he… should at least try to dissuade her!

“Will, will this work?” Fan Qi stammered. “Could there be something improper about that Miss Mu?”

“Miss Mu is perfectly fine. What could be improper?” Zhou Shaojin said displeasedly. “Just do as I tell you.”

Even if the Mu and Lin families had doubts, after the Wuxu examination fraud case broke out, they would never doubt again.

In her previous life, Zhou Shaojin and Concubine Mu had gotten along quite well.

Concubine Mu had been obsessed with clearing her father’s name.

In her words, her father had been completely wronged.

The chief examiner and deputy examiner at the time had leaked the examination questions, but in the end, the blame had been placed on those doing the actual work.

Whether true or false, as long as Miss Mu married into the Lin family, the Mu family’s legal troubles would have nothing to do with her. With Lin Shisheng’s capabilities and connections, he could use his position as a relative by marriage to pay money to redeem Concubine Mu’s mother, two younger sisters, and younger brother.

Zhou Shaojin carefully instructed Fan Qi, “Have the escorts drop you off at the Yuelai Inn near Chaoyang Gate. Stay at the inn for two days first, walking around and looking about. Take this opportunity to quietly find out where the Mu and Lin families live. Then find a way to move to the Gaosheng Inn near First Alley in Chongren Ward. Not far from there is a Shangqing Temple… Although the place is small, Daoist priests from Wutai Mountain and Jiuhua Mountain often stay there… I’ll give you five hundred taels in banknotes to carry with you… Look for the kind of clergy who swindle and deceive. Make up a story about Master Mu breaking up a romance, making others think the Lin family hired someone to set this up… Don’t be stingy with the money. As long as you accomplish this task, any amount of silver is worth it.”

Fan Qi kept nodding, but his doubts grew larger and larger.

Second Miss shouldn’t have been to the capital before, right?

Yet she was so familiar with the capital, even knowing clearly what restaurants were near the Mu family and what inns were near the Lin family…

He couldn’t help but say, “Second Miss, how do you know everything? Are the Mu family your relatives or is the Lin family your relatives? Are you helping them?”

Zhou Shaojin was slightly taken aback and said, “Both the Lin and Mu families are my relatives, but they’re relatives on my mother’s side…”

Her tone was vague, but Fan Qi looked as if he suddenly understood. He quickly said, “I understand, I understand. I guarantee I won’t tell anyone.”

Zhou Shaojin didn’t expect him to keep it secret for life, but if he could keep it to himself for two or three years, by the time Concubine Mu married Lin Shisheng, it wouldn’t matter whether he spoke or not.

After all, she would have accomplished what she wanted.

Zhou Shaojin took out the banknotes she had prepared in advance, put them in a purse, and gave them to Fan Qi, “Find a way to store them separately. Someone will probably send you to the capital in the next few days.”

Fan Qi carefully secured the purse close to his body, stood up, and left the study.

Zhou Shaojin sat in the study, pondering over everything she had said to Fan Qi from beginning to end. Feeling there were no major loopholes, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and went to the leisure chamber.

Her current leisure chamber had a desk on the left and a sewing table on the right. On the standing clothes rack hung brilliant silks and satins, velvet fine cloth, purses and ornaments. Next to it was an embroidery frame—quite messy, yet also quite cozy.

Zhou Shaojin was preparing to make two forehead bands for Old Madam Guan.

At Old Madam Guo’s last birthday celebration, she had followed Old Madam Guan’s suggestion and sent two forehead bands as birthday gifts to Old Madam Guo. Although Old Madam Guan hadn’t said anything, when she had brought them to show Old Madam Guan, the old madam had stroked them for quite a while before letting go, clearly very pleased.

This time she was embroidering patterns of gourd vases and cranes carrying fruit, having selected dark blue and lilac colored fabric.

She had just finished drawing the gourd vase pattern when Chun Wan came in, “Second Miss, there’s a young maid who says she’s from Small Mountain Osmanthus Grove Courtyard, sent by Miss Ji Ying to invite you for tea!”

Zhou Shaojin was surprised and said, “Right now?”

“It should be now, right?” Chun Wan wasn’t certain either and said, “That young maid has been waiting outside!”

Zhou Shaojin went out to look and indeed saw a young maid.

She wore a bright red Luzhou silk vest and wasn’t even as tall as her table.

No wonder the message got garbled!

She grabbed a handful of candy for the young maid and, holding the little maid’s hand, went to Small Mountain Osmanthus Grove Courtyard.

As soon as Ji Ying saw her, she complained, “What is your uncle thinking? It’s not like he doesn’t have money, yet he’s as stingy as a rooster, unwilling to buy even maids or servants. I wanted to find someone to deliver a message and couldn’t find anyone.” She added, “Heming got married and he actually isn’t adding anyone. Who’s going to do the work around here in the future?”

Zhou Shaojin said, “Could it be because Uncle Chi feels he’ll eventually return to live at Algae Garden?”

Ji Ying snorted coldly and said, “Algae Garden has even fewer people. Aside from a couple who guard the gate, there’s just a couple who tend the flowers and trees and a steward. Four young servants, two maids. Last time Nan Ping came back, she said the dust in the rooms had piled into mountains. If they don’t find people to clean it properly soon, the furniture and such will only need to be completely re-lacquered.”

Zhou Shaojin asked curiously, “If that’s the case, why did he buy a villa?”

“Who knows,” Ji Ying said. “I’ve never been there. Who knows what’s hidden there?” Then she pulled Zhou Shaojin’s hand toward the inner chamber, “I have something to tell you.”

It must be about escorting Fan Qi to the capital!

Zhou Shaojin’s heart pounded. She instructed Shi Xiang to guard the door and followed Ji Ying to the inner chamber.

Ji Ying closed the door, rummaged through her jewelry box, pulled out a plain silver hairpin, and handed it to Zhou Shaojin, saying, “I won’t ask what you’re doing. Take this silver hairpin and send someone to the rice shop to find a senior clerk surnamed Wang. Just give him your instructions directly.”

“Ji Ying!” Zhou Shaojin accepted the hairpin, feeling as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

“You said you considered me a friend,” Ji Ying smiled. “No need for more words. Your uncle is both cunning and suspicious. You still need to go to Cold Emerald Mountain Lodge this afternoon to copy scriptures, so stay here and have lunch with me before leaving. Hide this hairpin well—don’t let anyone from Small Mountain Osmanthus Grove Courtyard see it.”

Zhou Shaojin’s eyes reddened slightly as she tucked the hairpin into her garment.

Ji Ying laughed heartily and pinched her cheek, saying, “What a pity! If I were still in Cangzhou, I’d definitely find a way to trick you into coming home and have you betrothed to my cousin as his wife.”

Zhou Shaojin’s overflowing gratitude immediately vanished without a trace.

She swatted Ji Ying’s hand away and said, “If you pinch me again, I won’t help you anymore.”

Hearing this, Ji Ying said teasingly, “What have you helped me with? I asked you to make socks, and in the end it was only after I gave you Snow Ball that you stopped being angry. I asked you to help me copy the Admonitions for Women, and you said you didn’t have time… I think I’d better pinch you some more.”

Zhou Shaojin ran out of the inner chamber clutching her face.

Ji Ying couldn’t help but laugh.

※※※

That evening upon returning, Zhou Shaojin gave the hairpin to Fan Qi.

She asked Fan Qi, “Are you afraid?”

Fan Qi raised his head high and shook it, saying, “I still want to become your chief steward! If I can’t even do this little thing well, how could I manage so many maids, servants’ wives, and young servants in the future?”

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but laugh.

Who knew what her future would hold?

However, having aspirations was always good.

She said seriously, instructing Fan Qi, “If you feel the situation is wrong, return immediately. You must remember—as long as the green mountains remain, there’s no fear of lacking firewood. Your life is most precious.”

“Second Miss, don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

Fan Qi took his leave from Zhou Shaojin.