Zhou Shaojin listened as her elder sister and Li Shi praised Cheng Chi, feeling both happy and pained at once.

If they knew about the situation between her and Cheng Chi, they would certainly curse him viciously—how could they still be praising him?

But asking her to go see Cheng Chi… what difference would that be from a secret rendezvous? Before, when everyone pretended to be oblivious, she could still deceive herself, but now that everything had been made clear, how could she have the nerve to see Cheng Chi?

Zhou Shaojin suddenly understood how useful Cheng Chi’s excuse of “act as if nothing happened” truly was.

If she had known it would come to this, she should have just acted as if nothing had happened.

Uncle Chi was a very refined person. Wherever he was, there was always good tea to drink, delicious pastries to eat, the large welcoming pillows were just the right softness, the flowers in the vases would bloom at just the right time. Leaning against a large welcoming pillow by the window, chatting idly with Uncle Chi on one hand while playing go with him—games where one could take back moves at any time—could there be any better way to spend one’s time?

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but sigh.

She truly regretted it now!

She recalled the scene when Cheng Chi had embraced her… and how he had taken her hand and placed it inside his robe…

That scoundrel!

Zhou Shaojin huffed twice, her face suddenly burning hot.

Beneath the clothing, that supple yet firm… Uncle Chi looked slender and upright… If he dared treat her that way again next time, she would fiercely… push him away or pinch him a couple of times?

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t quite make up her mind.

She hugged the large welcoming pillow and rolled back and forth on the bed.

Chun Wan happened to enter carrying a tray. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but smile with pursed lips, saying, “Second Young Miss, what’s the matter?”

Zhou Shaojin’s face turned even redder.

As if to cover up, she coughed once, sat up and straightened her collar, asking, “What did you bring in?”

“Mung bean soup.” Chun Wan placed the sweet white porcelain bowl on the small table by the bedside, smiling as she said, “I had Jixiang let it cool. Please drink some quickly—the weather is getting hotter and hotter. But it’s better than Jinling. In Jinling it’s hot from morning till night, but in the capital the evenings are quite cool!”

“If I asked you to stay in the capital, would you be willing?” Zhou Shaojin drank the mung bean soup while chatting with Chun Wan.

Chun Wan had a young maid come in to clear away the tray and bowl, then smiled and said, “I’ll go anywhere, as long as I can stay with Second Young Miss!”

Zhou Shaojin was somewhat surprised.

In her view, many people were unwilling to leave their homeland.

Chun Wan smiled and said, “I was sent to Jiuru Lane when I was five years old. Coming and going, it’s always been these same sisters. I don’t remember my parents and siblings’ faces very clearly anymore. Though I miss them in my heart, if you asked me to go back and live with them, surrounded by people I don’t actually recognize, I don’t know if I could get used to it. On the other hand, staying by Second Young Miss’s side, talking and laughing—the days pass in the blink of an eye, and I’m much more accustomed to that.”

Zhou Shaojin could understand.

Just like in her previous life, as long as she could stay with her elder sister, living anywhere would be the same.

She just hadn’t expected that Chun Wan had such deep feelings for her.

Zhou Shaojin felt she couldn’t betray Chun Wan’s trust in her even more.

But she had never had much of an eye for judging people…

The next day, she called Biyu over to talk: “Chun Wan will be getting married in a few years. If there’s anyone around you whose appearance and character are both suitable, please help keep an eye out for Chun Wan.”

Biyu was astonished.

Usually such senior maids would marry their own household servants—that way they could band together, sharing both glory and ruin, remaining utterly loyal.

She wanted to remind Zhou Shaojin of this, but then recalled what Zhenzhu had told her before she came. She couldn’t help but fall silent for a moment before smiling and saying, “For this matter I’ll have to go back and ask Fourth Master—I manage the inner courtyard, and that husband of mine is just a minor steward with limited vision. The senior maids around Fourth Master, like Minghe and the others, all married extremely well. It would be better to ask Fourth Master to help look into it.”

Zhou Shaojin felt awkward, saying, “For this kind of thing, there’s no need to trouble Uncle Chi, is there?” After speaking, she thought that if Cheng Chi could help vet the candidates, the chances of success would certainly be greater, so she added, “At least wait until there’s something concrete before mentioning it to Uncle Chi?”

She had forgotten that in her previous life, even selecting a rough work maid required her elder sister’s decision.

Yet in this life she dared to help choose a husband’s family for Chun Wan.

“That works too!” Biyu smiled and said, “This is a major matter—we can’t be careless!”

Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile.

Biyu then began telling her about Cheng Chi’s residence at Chaoyangmen: “…The eastern section is supposedly reserved for the Old Madam to live in, with many camphor trees planted. The halls, the study in the outer courtyard, the flower hall for receiving guests, and the garden are all in the central section. The western section is where Fourth Master lives—many flowering trees have been planted, and there’s also a small garden. Craftsmen have been hired to build a hothouse. Fourth Master says that Second Cousin Miss understands these matters best, and after some time he wants to invite Second Cousin Miss over to take a look and help advise the servant women tending the flowers on what kinds of plants would be good to grow!”

Zhou Shaojin remained silent, though a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes.

Biyu smiled and asked, “What’s wrong?” Her tone carried a hint of caution.

Zhou Shaojin was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, “Biyu, did something happen in Jinling? I feel that your treatment of me seems to have lost some of its former intimacy and gained some formality…”

Biyu felt awkward.

She had heard from Zhenzhu that the reason the two of them as a couple had been selected to come to the capital was because she had won Zhou Shaojin’s favor… When she encountered Zhou Shaojin again, she didn’t quite know how to handle things properly.

To curry favor—she had always been sincere toward Zhou Shaojin and felt it would damage the relationship between them.

Her husband had been transferred to the capital and become a second-rank steward. How many people at Jiuru Lane had struggled their entire lives without becoming more than a second-rank head servant? She truly owed this to Zhou Shaojin’s favor. To pretend not to know this seemed too affected.

So Biyu could only treat Zhou Shaojin with respect.

But now it seemed that Second Cousin Miss was still the same sincere and kindhearted Second Cousin Miss as before—it was she herself who had changed.

This must be what the Grand Madam meant by “wealth cannot corrupt, might cannot bend”—one must hold fast to one’s true heart!

She respectfully kowtowed three times to Zhou Shaojin, saying, “Second Cousin Miss, my husband and I were able to get such an excellent position entirely thanks to Second Cousin Miss…”

Biyu told Zhou Shaojin the whole story from beginning to end.

Zhou Shaojin was very surprised and quickly helped Biyu to her feet.

Biyu smiled and said, “Fourth Master’s household doesn’t have a woman in charge of domestic affairs. Why don’t Second Cousin Miss come visit sometime? I’ll receive you properly.”

Her attitude was just like when they were at Hanbi Mountain Manor.

Zhou Shaojin cheered up, saying, “Definitely, definitely.”

The two chattered away for quite a while. Only then did Zhou Shaojin learn that Madam Yuan had been quarreling with the second and third branches, but since Biyu was married out, and the various branches were all being secretive about certain matters, she had no idea exactly why they were quarreling or how far things had escalated.

Zhou Shaojin only worried about the fourth branch.

Biyu said quietly, “Zhenzhu and the others asked me to buy some things for them. In a couple of days I’ll have the mansion’s steward send them back to Jinling. Would you like to send a letter back as well?”

Zhou Shaojin thought of what Cheng Chi had told her about the Seven Star Hall. She thought of that bamboo grove at Hanbi Mountain Manor, and vaguely felt that the first, second, and third branches were all hiding things from the fourth and fifth branches. She wouldn’t expose the first branch’s schemes, but she also couldn’t let the fourth branch be tricked by the second and third branches or be used by Madam Yuan.

“Then I’ll trouble you to take a letter back for me,” she said after thinking. “Just deliver it to my elder uncle Mian’s wife.”

She would tell Mian’s wife what she had learned from Biyu. As for how the fourth branch would respond, that would be the fourth branch’s business. She couldn’t say more.

Biyu ground ink for Zhou Shaojin as she used to do, and attended to her while she wrote the letter.

That evening, Zhou Shaojin tossed and turned sleeplessly. She wanted to find Uncle Chi to talk.

To ask him whether what she was doing was right. To ask whether it was truly because of Biyu and her that Biyu and her husband had been transferred to the capital.

But over the following days she couldn’t find an excuse. Then a message came from the Chaoyangmen residence saying they were about to plant flowers and plants there, asking Zhou Shaojin to come help take a look. They also invited Li Shi and Zhou Chujin to come along, saying that the residence had diverted water to create a lake, and the waterside pavilion had just been completed a few days ago. They invited Li Shi to bring Zhou Chujin over to go boating.

Li Shi was overjoyed and naturally agreed readily.

Zhou Shaojin blushed secretly.

She couldn’t help feeling that Cheng Chi missed her and had come up with this plan.

Unable to suppress her joy, she groomed and dressed herself up. On the appointed day, she went with Li Shi and Zhou Chujin to Cheng Chi’s residence at Chaoyangmen.

The place had pink walls and gray tiles, everywhere revealing a fresh new atmosphere.

Biyu led four or five presentable maids to greet Zhou Shaojin at the hanging flower gate.

She came forward to pay respects to Zhou Shaojin and Li Shi, introduced those maids to Zhou Shaojin, and said, “They’re all hereditary servants of the Cheng family who entered the mansion with me these past days.”

Zhou Shaojin nodded and entered the inner residence.

Northern residences were different from southern ones. People who had just arrived in the capital would find northern residences monotonous and simple—no matter how large, they were just one courtyard within another courtyard, always seeming to lack some charm. But to Zhou Shaojin, this felt quite good. As long as she could distinguish east, south, west, and north, she could tell where the main courtyard was and where the principal chambers were.

Biyu led them directly to the main courtyard in the western section.

The main courtyard was a very typical five-bay, five-section design. The through hall, covered corridor, and recessed chambers were all complete. Just as the messenger had said, the building colors were bright and quite airy, but the lack of plants and trees made it seem lifeless.

Biyu invited them to the principal chambers for tea.

Li Shi politely declined: “This is Fourth Master’s residence—how can we casually intrude?”

Biyu couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.

Even Li Shi knew this was improper, yet Fourth Master had instructed her to lead Second Cousin Miss and the others to the principal chambers to rest.

She simply followed Li Shi’s suggestion and went to the recessed chamber behind the principal rooms for tea.

The recessed chamber faced a small courtyard. Pink-white walls had Taihu rocks piled in the corners, with wall-high banana trees planted. A gnarled old locust tree as thick as a water barrel had a canopy that covered the two-bay recessed chamber, providing shade from the sun, casting deep shadows. Moreover, the recessed chamber had black lacquered door panels but was papered with smoky red window gauze. The bright, beautiful color was like red flowers blooming from among green trees, making the entire courtyard lively and vibrant.

Li Shi couldn’t help but praise it: “What truly fine scenery. The most remarkable thing is this tree—how did anyone think to plant it this way?”

Biyu took the fruit platter from a young maid’s tray and placed it on the kang table by the window in the recessed chamber, smiling as she said, “This western section was originally the residence of Grand Secretary Liu Zijing of the Hanlin Academy. He once served as the Maritime Trade Supervisor of Quanzhou and retired while serving as the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai. In terms of family wealth, he was among the richest in the capital. Though this main courtyard has been newly renovated, the flowers, plants, and trees were all left behind by the Liu family.”