It took Zhou Shaojin two or three days to catch her breath.

She brought some self-made Buddhist incense to visit Mian Grand Madam.

When Mian Grand Madam saw that the incense was made densely and tightly with a rich, mellow fragrance that lightened one’s mind and felt very refreshing, she asked in surprise: “What kind of incense is this? It smells so good? Did you really make this yourself?”

“This is called osmanthus incense,” Zhou Shaojin said with a smile. “I added camphor wood to it. I made it following an ancient book some days ago. I didn’t expect it would actually work, so I thought I’d present it as one of the birthday gifts for Grandmother’s celebration. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate, so I brought it for Eldest Aunt to look over first.”

“Very good, very good,” Mian Grand Madam said hesitantly. “Since you added camphor wood, it should also repel mosquitoes, right?”

“Yes, it can repel mosquitoes,” Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. When she had originally asked Shi Xiang and the others to help make incense, it was indeed to repel mosquitoes. Later, when she needed to question that old beggar, she used this as an excuse and turned the coil incense into Buddhist incense. “So this incense works best in summer. When winter comes, we’ll need to make sandalwood incense or lily incense instead.”

“I never expected that you, staying indoors all day, could actually create such things,” Mian Grand Madam said with a smile, looking as if she approved of Zhou Shaojin continuing to stay at home behind closed doors, tinkering with these elegant little items.

Zhou Shaojin took the opportunity to bring out a small, plain pine wood box, saying: “Here is some loose incense. It’s best burned in an incense burner. This is for you. If you find it works well, I’ll be making winter incense in a few days and can make some more.”

“Good, good, good,” Mian Grand Madam said with a beaming smile as she accepted it.

Zhou Shaojin kept Mian Grand Madam company for a while before taking her leave.

But when she returned to Wanxiang Residence, Shi Xiang quietly told her: “Steward Ma requests an audience!”

Usually when something came up, Ma Fushan’s wife would enter the mansion to report to Zhou Chujin.

For Ma Fushan to request an audience…

Zhou Shaojin’s heart tightened, and she quickly said: “Where is Steward Ma? I’ll go see him right away.”

Ma Fushan was in his prime years, and this was the Cheng Mansion—it wouldn’t be proper to meet him in the inner courtyard.

Shi Xiang said: “He’s drinking tea in the gatehouse.”

Zhou Shaojin nodded. She had Shi Xiang lead him to the side hall by the second gate, while she changed her clothes and went to the hall accompanied by Chun Wan.

Ma Fushan bowed to Zhou Shaojin, his expression revealing some anxiety. He said in a low voice: “Second Miss, that old beggar has disappeared!”

Zhou Shaojin was astonished.

Ma Fushan said sheepishly: “I could see that old beggar was no good person. You rewarded him thirty taels of silver in one go, and I was afraid his greed would be insatiable and he’d come back to extort you again. So I took it upon myself to first reward him with ten taels of silver, and told him that if what he said was true, I’d reward him with another twenty taels. I also thought that since he got into trouble when working as someone’s groom, I should investigate what happened back then thoroughly. Even if we don’t lead that family here, we could use this matter to threaten him not to trouble Second Miss again. Everything was agreed upon initially, but when I went to the inn early this morning to find that old beggar, he was gone. Moreover, he left in such a hurry that he didn’t even take the new clothes and wash cloths he’d bought a few days ago, and still owed three days’ room charges at the inn. The innkeeper said he didn’t look like someone who could afford to stay there, so he’d been afraid of him eating for free and had an employee keep an eye on him all along. Even so, they don’t know when he slipped away… Second Miss, about this matter… could it be that someone found out about the old beggar returning to Jinling and either scared him off… or silenced him permanently!”

“Silenced him permanently?” Zhou Shaojin said in shock. “Surely not?”

Would someone really kill to silence someone over her mother’s affairs and the old grievances with the Cheng family? Weren’t they afraid of being discovered by the authorities?

But Zhou Shaojin had a vague feeling in her heart that some people might indeed do such a thing.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have “endured humiliation” for so many years. Even in her previous life, until her death, she never figured out what really happened!

She asked Ma Fushan: “Do you know what crime that old beggar committed?”

Ma Fushan smiled bitterly: “When he was working as someone’s groom, he almost abducted and sold their young master. That’s why that family hated him so much they would track him down thousands of miles away to hand him over to the authorities.”

Zhou Shaojin was stunned. She said: “If this person was really silenced, it wouldn’t be unjust.”

Ma Fushan said: “These are all just my speculations. That old beggar is very cunning—seeing the situation wasn’t right, he might have fled early. But I’ll have people watch the official notices posted by the authorities.”

If an unidentified body was discovered or a murder case occurred, the authorities would post notices on the “Eight-Character Wall.”

For now, this was all they could do.

Zhou Shaojin gave him detailed instructions before having Shi Xiang see Ma Fushan out.

In the afternoon while copying scriptures at Hanbi Mountain Lodge, she kept thinking about this matter.

If Cheng Lu was truly this ruthless, could they catch him in the act and send him to the authorities directly? That would settle things once and for all.

Madam Guo noticed she was copying fewer Buddhist scriptures than usual and asked: “Are you preoccupied with your grandmother’s birthday celebration? It’s been hot these past few days. Why don’t you take a few days off and come back when the weather is cooler?”

Zhou Shaojin was just worried about not having time to investigate Cheng Lu’s affairs. Hearing this, she smiled and thanked her without declining.

Madam Guo liked her forthright nature and rewarded her with two melons, having Xiao Tan escort her back to Wanxiang Residence.

Zhou Shaojin then discussed investigating Cheng Lu with her sister.

When Zhou Chujin heard that Cheng Lu’s side might involve a murder case, she was terrified and quickly said: “We can investigate, but have Ma Fushan do it. You must not get involved.”

Zhou Shaojin knew her own limitations and hadn’t planned to investigate personally anyway. Seeing her sister agree, she was naturally overjoyed and made repeated promises.

Zhou Chujin still wasn’t reassured. As it happened, Cheng Jia was also complaining the weather was too hot, so classes at Jing’an Study were simply suspended. Zhou Shaojin spent the entire day at Wanxiang Residence, so Zhou Chujin reported to Mian Grand Madam and had Zhou Shaojin help her prepare for Madam Guan’s birthday celebration.

Mian Grand Madam thought that once Zhou Chujin married, she might need to teach Zhou Shaojin how to manage a household. Having Zhou Chujin help lead her into it now would make things twice as effective when she took over later—it was a good thing. Not only did she agree, she also assigned a trusted nanny to assist the two sisters.

Zhou Shaojin wasn’t unintelligent; she had just been too timid to make decisions before, always hesitant and indecisive, making people anxious watching her. But now, having gone through some experiences, she knew that some things seemed incredibly difficult, but when you actually did them, it was like a boat naturally straightening when it reached the bridge—very easy. Plus, she had even set that fire… and ultimately came through with no real danger. Her speech naturally gained confidence. Which item to enter in which account, where to place that item, giving orders to the servants—she looked quite competent. When Mian Grand Madam inquired, she didn’t find anything wrong with what Zhou Shaojin did.

She became increasingly decisive in her actions.

Thinking that Madam Guan’s birthday fell in the heat of summer, Zhou Shaojin suggested to Mian Grand Madam: “…The noon formal banquet should be held at Jiashu Hall. There will also be the family’s loyal servants coming to congratulate Grandmother on her birthday, so naturally the more solemn the better. For the evening family banquet, how about arranging the feast at Hanqiu Pavilion? First, it shows the filial devotion of Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt. Second, I’m thinking of weaving a bamboo enclosure, then having vines and morning glories climb over it to make a fresh flower screen. We can hang lanterns around it to add some atmosphere. After the meal, we can sit by the screen drinking tea, chatting, and admiring the moon. If it rains, we’ll move the screen into the main hall—it’ll still be interesting. What does Eldest Aunt think?”

Mian Grand Madam thought that every year they just set up a few tables in the hall and placed some fruits and fresh flowers. Although she didn’t know if Zhou Shaojin’s idea was truly as good as she described, it at least showed they as children had put thought into it. She couldn’t help but repeatedly say “good,” and added: “I’ll leave this matter to you. Whatever you need, just tell me.”

Zhou Shaojin was proficient with flowers and plants. In her previous life at the estate in Daxing, she had even planted a tree indoors and pruned it to look like a towering tree, training vines to create an artificial landscape—this was a piece of cake for her.

She smiled and agreed, taking servants to select vines in the garden.

But she unexpectedly encountered Qingfeng and Langyue.

They were still wearing green Taoist robes. One held a clay jar, the other held a Ru-ware flower vase with a white lotus inserted. As they walked, they whispered: “Aren’t eunuchs supposed to be pale and beardless, looking like women? How is this Eunuch Wan tall and imposing, authoritative like a great general…” As they spoke, someone’s gaze fell upon Zhou Shaojin and the others. The two immediately fell silent, looking over with slight trepidation. After clearly seeing the person ahead was Zhou Shaojin, they exchanged glances, then pressed their lips tightly into a line, raised their heads high, looked straight ahead, and walked past Zhou Shaojin as if they didn’t know her.

Clearly children, yet putting on adult airs.

Zhou Shaojin almost couldn’t help laughing out loud.

Wan Tong… could this be that Wan Tong who came to garrison Jinling that was mentioned the other day?

From Qingfeng and Langyue’s tone, Wan Tong had come to visit Uncle Chi?

In any case, he was an important court official—how was there not a whisper about it in the inner courtyard?

Zhou Shaojin’s thoughts wandered as Qingfeng and Langyue turned at the corridor ahead, their figures disappearing into the garden.

A nanny, thinking Zhou Shaojin didn’t know Qingfeng and Langyue, smiled and said: “The people serving in Fourth Master Chi’s quarters in the first branch all like to wear Taoist robes. These two young acolytes are most likely serving Fourth Master.”

Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded.

Then a servant woman said quietly: “I heard Fourth Master Chi can tell fortunes, and very accurately—is that true?”

“That’s not called fortune-telling, that’s called the Book of Changes,” another servant woman quietly corrected. “I heard people from the second branch say that the old ancestor of the second branch supposedly knew it too. That year when there was a great drought in the capital, the Emperor even asked the old ancestor of the second branch to divine for him.”

“Isn’t that like a living immortal!”

The servant women discussed in low voices.

But Zhou Shaojin thought to herself: If he could really divine, how did he not foresee that the Cheng family would be raided and exterminated?

She quickly found the vines she needed, carefully transplanted them into pots, and instructed Shi Xiang and Chun Wan to divide into two shifts to tend them day and night. After a few days, when the vine leaves gradually regained their vitality, Zhou Shaojin finally relaxed. She then reported to the managing nanny by Mian Grand Madam’s side, opened the storeroom, took out some seasonal lanterns, and also selected several tall flowering trees to hang lanterns on.

Just at this moment, Cheng Lu suddenly requested to see Zhou Shaojin.