This child was unexpectedly so quick-witted!

In a few more years, he’d be able to handle things independently.

Zhou Shaojin felt delighted and conceived the idea of keeping Nanny Fan and Fan Qi by her side forever. Even after she married, she could have Fan Qi serve as her grand steward, with Nanny Fan helping her manage the inner residence… However, now was not the time to think about such things.

She felt as if her feet had grown wings and said: “Come, let’s talk as we walk.”

This was the First Branch’s territory—who knew if there were people on the other side of the wall?

Fan Qi happily responded “Yes” and cheerfully returned to Wanxiang Residence with Zhou Shaojin.

Zhou Shaojin had Shi Xiang guard outside the room while she conversed with Fan Qi in low tones. Then Fan Qi left in high spirits. Zhou Shaojin instructed Shi Xiang: “Let’s go to bed early tonight.”

Shi Xiang looked outside at the blazing red sun and didn’t know what to say.

But Zhou Shaojin paid no mind. She called Chun Wan in and instructed her to have the kitchen serve the evening meal early. She went to pay respects to Old Madam Guan ahead of schedule, informed Zhou Chujin, returned to Wanxiang Residence for the evening meal, and went to bed.

Having gone to sleep too early, Shi Xiang tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep. She had just barely dozed off in a daze when Chun Wan pushed her awake: “Second Miss says she has something to do and is going out. She wants us to go with her.”

Shi Xiang rubbed her eyes. It took her quite a while to fully wake up.

Thinking of how Zhou Shaojin had earlier sent Fan Qi on an errand, she felt somewhat uneasy and quietly asked Chun Wan: “Do you know what it’s about?”

“No idea.” Chun Wan was busy tying up her hair with a red cord in her mouth, mumbling unclearly: “Second Miss only said to wear dark-colored clothes, put all our hair up, and wear flat shoes.”

Could they be going to confront Second Young Master?

Shi Xiang’s drowsiness instantly vanished into thin air. She hurriedly got out of bed and went to Zhou Shaojin’s room.

Zhou Shaojin had somehow found an ink-green jacket and tied a matching colored sash around the middle like a man would. Because the garment didn’t fit quite right, the sash made her look even more frail and delicate.

She was having Nanny Fan Liu help her braid her hair.

“What are you…” Shi Xiang stared blankly.

But Zhou Shaojin paid no attention to this and said directly: “Hurry and change your clothes. We’re going out.”

“You can’t!” Shi Xiang said hastily. “No matter how wrong Second Young Master is, we should go tell the Old Madam. How can we privately confront Second Young Master? Where would that leave Second Young Master’s face? And how would the Cheng family elders view you? And there’s Elder Miss…”

“Goodness!” Zhou Shaojin said impatiently. “Why so much nonsense? Are you coming with me or not? If you’re coming with me, go change your clothes now. If you don’t want to come with me, just stay quietly in the room and don’t say anything—act as if you know nothing. Don’t forget that you serve in my quarters. I don’t want every little thing in my room becoming the talk of the town!”

Was this still that weak, indecisive Second Miss?

Shi Xiang stared wide-eyed at Zhou Shaojin, at a loss.

Nanny Fan Liu smiled and pulled Shi Xiang out. Only after leaving the hall did she gently advise her: “It’s better that we accompany her than let Second Miss go alone! Don’t forget—Second Miss has grown up now. She’ll only become more independent in the future. Whether to stay by Second Miss’s side serving her or leave early, you decide for yourself. Otherwise, when the time comes, good intentions might lead to bad outcomes—you’ll earn Second Miss’s displeasure and Elder Miss’s disfavor too. Elder Miss and Second Miss are sisters, after all.”

Her words were like a wake-up call, bringing Shi Xiang to her senses.

She was already eighteen this year. According to the residence’s rules, in two more years she would have to be married off no matter what. Elder Miss had always valued Second Miss highly. In the past, Second Miss would certainly never go against Elder Miss’s wishes. But now… if Second Miss was displeased and insisted on marrying her off to someone, would Elder Miss really fall out with Second Miss over her?

Shi Xiang couldn’t help but shiver. She gripped Nanny Fan Liu’s hand tightly: “Nanny, thank you for reminding me. I’ll change my clothes and do my hair right away to accompany Second Miss out.”

“Now that’s a smart person!” Nanny Fan Liu smiled and patted her hand, then went inside to attend to Zhou Shaojin.

Everyone had always feared the elder sister. Zhou Shaojin wasn’t quite sure if Shi Xiang would listen to her. Seeing Nanny Fan Liu enter, she asked: “What did Shi Xiang say?”

Nanny Fan Liu smiled and said: “She went to change clothes. She said she’d accompany Second Miss out after all.”

Zhou Shaojin’s mind was set at ease.

Before long, Nanny Fan Liu finished braiding her hair. Shi Xiang and Chun Wan had also changed their clothes.

Both wore bright blue fine cloth garments with their heads wrapped. They wore no jewelry whatsoever.

Zhou Shaojin nodded with satisfaction.

Fan Qi came over.

He wore a brown short jacket with a blue coarse cloth saddlebag on his back. He first pulled something from his sleeve: “This is a fire starter. It cost three taels of silver. They say it’s produced by some Pili Hall in Jiangnan—the best thing. Shake it in the wind and it lights up. Once lit, neither gale nor rainstorm can extinguish it. I heard those idle fellows bragging about it back in the village. I never expected they actually sold them…” Then he showed Zhou Shaojin what was in the saddlebag: “I touched it myself—everything’s dry. I guarantee it’ll burn with just a spark…”

Shi Xiang listened with her heart in her throat.

What was Second Miss planning to do?

She wanted to ask for details, but thinking again of what Nanny Fan Liu had said, she still asked nothing and followed Zhou Shaojin out the door.

It was past mid-month. Though there was a moon, it was hazy and unclear.

They didn’t light any lamps but silently followed behind Fan Qi, treading lightly through the inner courtyard. When encountering night patrol women, they would find ways to avoid them.

Shi Xiang grew more frightened the farther they walked.

They had actually crossed from the Fourth Branch to the Fifth Branch without anyone discovering them.

She looked back at the lake water rippling with cold light. On this hot summer day, her hands and feet felt ice-cold.

Fan Qi, walking ahead, said quietly “We’re here” and alertly surveyed the surroundings.

The Fourth Branch people didn’t often associate with the Fifth Branch. Shi Xiang didn’t know where this place was. She only saw luxuriant flowers and trees with cascading wisteria vines. Opposite was a waterside pavilion half on land and half over the lake—the scenery quite pleasant.

Zhou Shaojin directed them to crouch beneath a silver-leafed tree with a canopy like an umbrella and branches like silk. Fan Qi alone crept stealthily to the foundation of the waterside pavilion.

He pulled things from his saddlebag and piled them by the foundation, then shook the fire starter in his hand. Only then did Shi Xiang realize that Fan Qi’s saddlebag was filled with dried straw.

So Second Miss had come to set a fire!

Shi Xiang’s guess was confirmed. Instantly her palms and forehead were covered in cold sweat.

She wanted to stop this, but looking up, she saw Zhou Shaojin crouching beside her, staring fixedly at Fan Qi without blinking. Her black and white eyes were like black crystals soaked in quicksilver—dazzling and brilliant, making her entire person seem like a jewel in the moonlight, radiant and luminous.

Shi Xiang was stunned. Before she could say anything, there was a “bang” from Fan Qi’s direction as he lit the dried straw.

The firelight rapidly blazed up in the darkness, so bright against the night sky that it made one’s heart fearful.

Fan Qi ran over in a crouch, excitedly saying: “Second Miss, it’s done! We can go now!”

“We can’t go!” Zhou Shaojin watched the fire pile, her fingers twisted tightly together. “We have to wait until someone sees the fire here and shouts to come put it out before we can leave. We can’t let them really come to harm. Otherwise how could I live with myself?”

Everyone understood.

Nanny Fan Liu immediately said: “Second Miss is right. We’ll wait until someone comes to fight the fire before we leave.”

Everyone nodded.

Watching the fire burn fiercer and fiercer, making crackling sounds in the dry air and rapidly spreading to the grass beside it.

The wait seemed especially long.

After who knew how long, someone on the opposite Fourth Branch side shouted: “Quick! There’s a fire at the Fifth Branch! Quickly call people to fight the fire!”

Zhou Shaojin and the others all breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

Shi Xiang said nervously: “Second Miss, can we go now?”

“Wait a bit longer.” Zhou Shaojin frowned, murmuring: “Why is there no movement at all from the waterside pavilion? Could they not be gambling? Or are they so engrossed in playing that they didn’t hear anything?” She said to Shi Xiang and the others: “Wait a bit more. It won’t be too late once we see people running out from the waterside pavilion.”

Shi Xiang was burning with anxiety.

Second Miss had run to the Fifth Branch to set a fire… When the Cheng family elders found out, no matter how they punished Second Miss, those serving by her side would be implicated… They wouldn’t have any good outcome.

But since Zhou Shaojin had spoken, they could only wait with her.

A large tree by the waterside pavilion caught fire.

People from the Fourth Branch were already beating gongs and drums running this way. Lights seemed to have dimly flickered on at the First Branch to the east. Only the Fifth Branch side had no movement whatsoever.

Zhou Shaojin immediately became somewhat anxious.

She hadn’t expected one fire to create such a big commotion.

If the Fourth Branch and First Branch were all alerted but the Fifth Branch had no response, what should she do?

Should she jump out and shout “Fire!”?

As Zhou Shaojin hesitated, people from the Fourth Branch had already rushed over. Among them was an unfamiliar but quite authoritative voice: “What happened? How did the Fifth Branch catch fire? Where did all the Fifth Branch night patrol people go?”

Someone from the Fourth Branch called out “Steward Qin” and said: “We don’t know either. We saw the fire at the Fifth Branch from the opposite bank and came to fight it.”

“Beat the gong,” the person called “Steward Qin” said. “Wake up the Fifth Branch people.” He also said: “The fire isn’t large. Send someone to inform the other branches to guard their own gates. Don’t run around. Also report to Old Madam Guan.”

Someone acknowledged and ran off.

That Steward Qin walked this way, saying: “Why aren’t you fighting the fire!”

Someone from the Fourth Branch said “Oh” and began clanging the gong loudly.

The people in the waterside pavilion were finally disturbed. Someone lifted the curtain to look outside. Zhou Shaojin could clearly see the room was brightly lit, with several young men sitting askew around a round table.

“Fire!” The people in the waterside pavilion finally shouted.

The room descended into chaos.

More people crowded to the windows.

Unfamiliar faces. Grand Steward Qin shouted furiously: “Who are you people? Not sleeping in the middle of the night but gathered in the waterside pavilion?”

Only now did Zhou Shaojin’s anxious heart completely settle.

If they hadn’t been gambling in the waterside pavilion, she really wouldn’t have dared set this fire.

What if it had really burned out of control?

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t hide her inner joy. She smiled at Fan Qi and the others: “Let’s go!”

But before she could emerge from hiding, she discovered that their position had become extremely awkward—the people from the Fourth Branch who had come to fight the fire had all crowded around them. For them to leave, they would have to pass through this crowd of people!

But how could that work?

Zhou Shaojin was dumbfounded.