The Guó mansion was expansive, and without a guide, one could easily get lost. The steward’s mother, who greeted visitors at the entrance, warmly welcomed Míng Shū and Lady Zēng, leading them to the second gate. She wore a beaming smile, complimenting Lady Zēng and Míng Shū while describing the scenery of the Guó mansion along the way. Lady Zēng, having visited many prestigious family estates over the years, let Míng Shū respond to the steward’s mother’s warmth throughout their journey.
“Madam Zēng, Míng Shū.” A person in a blue robe stood inside the second gate, bowing to Lady Zēng and Míng Shū.
“Second Young Master,” the steward’s mother recognized him.
“I’ll take them in. You go about your business,” Sòng Qīngzhǎo nodded towards the steward’s mother.
The steward’s mother smiled and took her leave. Sòng Qīngzhǎo gestured to Lady Zēng and Míng Shū, saying, “This way, Madam. Mother is already waiting for you in the garden.”
“Thank you,” Lady Zēng thanked him and followed Sòng Qīngzhǎo further inside.
At first sight, Míng Shū noticed Sòng Qīngzhǎo’s relaxed demeanor. He appeared calm and courteous, quite different from before, displaying a gentlemanly and open-minded demeanor. She let go of her minor concerns and followed him through the second gate. Just as they reached the Cuihu Lake outside the Hundred Flowers Garden, they heard a clear and melodious laughter.
“Look, it’s indeed welcoming Lady Lù and Young Lady Lù. I offered to greet them, and he insisted on doing it himself.”
Following the laughter, several people emerged from the flower gate of the garden. They were dressed in richly colorful attire, exuding an air of elegance and beauty, especially the one currently in the lead.
Sòng Qīngzhǎo greeted, “Big Sister-in-law,” with a tone that was stable yet slightly teasing, seemingly teasing someone strange.
“Alright, alright, I get it,” the person responded with a laugh, her demeanor changing. She approached with two other girls to welcome Lady Zēng and Míng Shū. Sòng Qīngzhǎo then introduced them to each other. Míng Shū realized that the playful lady was Sòng Qīngzhǎo’s sister-in-law, whose maiden name was Mèng. She was assisting Lady Xǔ in managing the Dragon Boat Festival banquet.
Many people had already gathered in the garden. After Lady Zēng and Míng Shū exchanged greetings with Mèng and Lady Xǔ, Mèng urged Sòng Qīngzhǎo, “Alright, you’ve brought them here. I’ll take care of them. Don’t worry. I see His Highness is arriving soon. Grandfather and Father are waiting in the study. Hurry over and don’t delay matters.”
Sòng Qīngzhǎo said a few more words before taking his leave. Mèng smiled again and warmly supported Lady Zēng. Míng Shū observed that Lady Xǔ’s eldest daughter-in-law had a straightforward and competent personality, much like Lady Xǔ herself.
As they chatted and moved forward together, a group of people entered the garden. True to its name, the Hundred Flowers Garden was filled with various flowers and plants. With late spring and early summer, it was the season when all flowers bloomed together. Peonies, Chinese roses, and various climbing roses were in full bloom, their fragrance lingering in the air. Many women in the garden were dressed in light spring dresses of various colors, adorned with pearls and jade, adding splashes of light red, bright yellow, and other colors amidst the lush greenery. The scene was like a vibrant painting, with beautiful flowers and charming women captivating the eyes and ears with birdsong and laughter.
Lady Xǔ sat under a flower wall on a couch, surrounded by several noblewomen chatting and laughing. They were inspecting several trays of fresh flowers brought by maids, each picking their favorite flower hairpins to wear.
“Pick some nicely blooming ones and send a few trays to the front for Sòng Qīngzhǎo and the others, to entertain the male guests,” Lady Xǔ instructed as she picked and ordered. Glancing up and seeing Mèng and others, she quickly straightened up and waved, “Come over here.” After they greeted each other, she said, “You’ve arrived just in time. These flowers were just cut. Pick a couple to wear quickly.”
In an instant, all eyes were on Lady Zēng and Míng Shū. Sensing Lady Zēng’s nervousness, Míng Shū secretly squeezed her hand and whispered, “Mother, I’m here. Don’t worry.” With a smile, she helped Lady Zēng forward, her eyes scanning the trays of fresh flowers and then making a dignified bow. Lady Zēng regained her composure and followed suit, paying her respects to everyone. Mèng then introduced them. Today’s banquet guests included not only the Sòng family members but also the female relatives of various officials and dignitaries. Under Mèng’s introduction, each person evaluated the distinguished mother and daughter from Biàn Jīng.
After the greetings were completed with difficulty, everyone took their seats. Lady Xǔ still insisted they pick flowers. Míng Shū chose a peony hairpin for Lady Zēng’s hair and picked two half-blooming Chinese rose flowers for herself, happily sitting down beside Lady Zēng.
“Míng Shū, there are many young ladies your age playing in the garden. Don’t feel restricted. Let Wén help you get around,” Lady Xǔ said cheerfully, in a good mood today.
Wén was Mèng’s maiden name.
“No, I’d rather stay here and chat with the ladies,” Míng Shū politely declined Lady Xǔ’s kindness. Lady Zēng was still nervous. If she left the table, Lady Zēng would be more at ease. Moreover, the people around her were all from respectable backgrounds, with a bit of a highbrow attitude. She feared Lady Zēng would be overlooked and despised without anyone by her side.
Therefore, she stayed by her mother’s side.
Who dares to bully her family?
“This child… finds it boring to chat with us?” Lady Xǔ laughed.
Míng Shū smiled back at Lady Zēng and replied to Lady Xǔ, “Boring? I like it.”
The other ladies laughed, finding her charming and innocent, but also finding her sticking to her mother at such an age somewhat unrefined.
On another front, the prince’s carriage was still en route to the Guó mansion.
The rumbling of the carriage wheels and the jingling of the horses’ bells completely drowned out the conversation between Zhào Jǐngrán and Lù Chāng.
“What about the Jiānníng Jiǎn family’s case? Any progress?” After discussing matters in the capital, Zhào Jǐngrán inquired about the Jiānníng case.
The incident in Jiānníng Prefecture involved a heinous robbery that caused a stir not only locally but also within the imperial court.
“Jiānníng is a wealthy place, and in this era of peace, it’s inconceivable for bandits to rampage and pillage. At its smallest, this case involves mountain bandits raiding. At its largest, it implicates officials collaborating with bandits to create internal turmoil,” Lù Chāng explained.
Consequently, the court was closely monitoring this case. The idea of robbers powerful enough to breach a prosperous city with stationed troops, commit arson, and murder a wealthy merchant’s entire family of seventeen, all during an era of peace, seemed like a tale from a different world.
“However, the case has been closed. The Dàlǐ Temple has reviewed it, and there are no doubts. The bandits who raided the Jiān family in Jiānníng have been defeated by the local military. Their leader, Zhōng Míng, was killed during the capture, and officials colluding with these bandits have been identified. This includes Wáng Héng, the county registrar of Jiānníng, and the county defenders who assisted them. All suspects have been apprehended. Wáng Héng committed suicide, and the others confessed. Several officials, including the Jiānníng magistrate and the county sheriff, were removed from their positions due to negligence,” Lù Chāng detailed.
“Wáng Héng, a ninth-ranked official nearing retirement age, faced such risks for illicit wealth. How could he have commanded the defenders of the city? The city’s defenders fall under the jurisdiction of the Jiānníng garrison. In theory, such a serious problem under the garrison’s jurisdiction should implicate the city’s defense commander. Zhōng Míng and Wáng Héng are the ringleaders of this case?” Lù Chāng reviewed the complete dossier, frowning as he analyzed, “Another point of concern is the Jiān family’s property.
Although the government has temporarily taken over the Jiān family’s assets in Jiānníng, it consists only of shops, farmland, and other immovable property. The bandits also stole another portion of the Jiān family’s wealth, which remains missing. The Jiān family is involved in the gold and jade business and has a treasury with precious metals and valuables. When officials arrived, the treasury was already empty. If my estimate is correct, this sum of gold and silver constitutes the largest portion of the Jiān family’s assets.”
Upon hearing this, Zhào Jǐngrán’s brows furrowed deeply, but Lù Chāng had not finished.
“The case files show that from the time of the robbery to the arrival of officials, only about an hour had passed. The bandits managed to extract the treasury’s location, empty it of its contents, commit murder and arson, and escape the city… Such efficiency suggests they had inside help, someone who disclosed the treasury’s existence and location in advance. Who could this person be? Apart from Míng Shū, seventeen members of the Jiān family were killed, nearly annihilating them. Yet two individuals connected to this sum of money remain unaccounted for.”
Lù Chāng continued, “Míng Shū’s aunt, Zhōu Yànróu, and her two-year-old son are missing. I rescued Míng Shū at the foot of Yunhua Mountain. She was likely fleeing along the mountain path. Yunhua Mountain only has the Yunhua Temple and a hermitage. Yunhua Temple is a famous ancient temple in Jiānníng Prefecture and likely has significant problems, but so does the hermitage.”
Pausing for a moment, Lù Chāng revealed the shady activities surrounding the hermitage to Zhào Jǐngrán.
Zhào Jǐngrán quickly grasped the implications. “Do you suspect Lady Jiǎn found out something and followed it to the hermitage, only to hear something that warranted her being hunted down and accidentally falling off the cliff?”
Lù Chāng nodded. “Last month, I sent a letter to an old friend in Jiānníng County, asking him to secretly investigate Yunhua Temple and the hermitage. He has since replied that the hermitage has been sealed by the authorities, and the events of that night have been covered up. He managed to find out what happened at the hermitage but heard some information from Yunhua Temple.
There’s a monk at Nánhuā Temple who can confirm that Míng Shū did indeed appear there with several people. What’s even more peculiar is that on the Jiān family’s list of deceased, there’s a maid named Xiǎo Qīngtíng. She was Míng Shū’s maid, always by her side. Logically, if Míng Shū was at Yunhua Temple, she must have been with Míng Shū. Why is she on the Jiān family’s list of deceased? Although the culprits associated with this case have been caught, one of them revealed information about the hermitage.”
This case, seemingly concluded on the surface with apprehended culprits, had many suspicious traces left in the dark.
“Unfortunately, Lady Jiǎn has contracted a dissociative illness. Otherwise, she might have known what happened that night.”
“Whether Míng Shū’s illness can be cured and she can recover her memories to find the culprits in time is uncertain. There’s also a crucial figure in this case, Zhōu Yànróu, who has gone missing from the Jiān family. I believe we should start with her,” Lù Chāng suggested, bowing to Zhào Jǐngrán. “Your Highness, Zǐ’áo wishes to borrow manpower from Your Highness to secretly investigate the whereabouts of the Zhōu family in Jiānníng.”
“In terms of personnel, I’ll arrange it for you. You must clarify this matter,” Zhào Jǐngrán agreed with a nod.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Lù Chāng expressed his gratitude with a bow.
The carriage slowly came to a halt, finally arriving outside the gate of the Guó mansion.
The ladies in the Hundred Flower Garden had finished their rounds of chatting and laughter. Gradually, they began to change their views of Ming Shu, whom they had previously underestimated.
They had initially thought Ming Shu stuck close to her mother out of timidity, hesitating to socialize with these young ladies from prestigious families. Now, they realized it was the attention of these ladies that kept her there. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn’t relying on her mother; rather, she was there to support her.
It was indeed strange. Despite being an eighteen-year-old from an ordinary family, Ming Shu was remarkably skilled in social graces and etiquette. She effortlessly navigated the varied conversations among these noble ladies. Whether discussing precious jewelry, fabrics, or exotic treasures, she was always engaged and articulate. She skillfully flattered the ladies while ensuring she didn’t neglect Madam Zeng.
Even Mrs. Xu, who had initially seen Ming Shu as a lively and likable young lady, was now impressed. She had expected Ming Shu to be nervous in such gatherings, but now she saw her in a new light.
Many of Ming Shu’s thoughts were on how these noble ladies could become future clients. Just as in running a business, one must cater to various clients, Ming Shu treated these ladies as potential patrons, putting her best foot forward to win their favor.
“This young lady from the Lu family, I’ve underestimated her. I quite like her style. Do you know whom she has promised herself to?” said a lady sitting closest to Mrs. Xu, admiring Ming Shu more and more.
Mrs. Xu, with a knowing smile, replied, “She does have someone in mind, but it’s a secret.”
“Secret? How intriguing! Tell me more,” the lady pressed on.
Mrs. Xu continued, “It seems her elder brother is also engaged. He’s the top scholar in Bianjing, and many families are vying for him as a son-in-law. Your daughter is of a suitable age.”
The lady chuckled softly, nodding in acknowledgment but not revealing her thoughts.
Today’s Dragon Boat Festival banquet was partly arranged by Mrs. Xu to introduce Madam Zeng and Ming Shu to these young ladies from various households. While Madam Zeng was accepted due to her seniority, Ming Shu found herself amid attention.
Ming Shu felt a headache coming from being surrounded.
“Lady Lu, do you remember me?” a gentle voice interrupted amidst the twittering of young ladies.
Ming Shu turned to see a familiar face, recognizing her instantly. “Lady Lu, it’s you.”
It was Lady Lu from the Gong family, the first lady to approach her during the ancestral ceremony at Guanyuanlou, daughter of the Gong family’s chancellor.
As they were acquainted, Lady Lu quickly became friendly with Ming Shu. She spoke gently and confidently, standing out among the young ladies. Ming Shu enjoyed her company and walked with Madam Zeng and Lady Lu through the garden, chatting and laughing.
As they strolled near the west gate of the Hundred Flower Garden, they encountered the Crown Prince and his entourage. Apart from the Song family members, there were many young talents from Bianjing, all from influential families. Mrs. Xu happened to be accompanied by a group of young ladies, creating a convergence of youth and elegance.
Among the numerous young men present, two drew the most attention: Song Qingzhao, the grandson of the Song family, and Lu Chang, Ming Shu’s elder brother.
Ming Shu, noticing her brother at once, was surprised. Before she could speak, she heard Lady Lu murmuring beside her, “Lu Chang is also here…”
Turning her head, Ming Shu caught Lady Lu’s shy expression—her eyes fixed on Lu Chang alone.
Not again, Ming Shu sighed inwardly, her brother attracting attention wherever he went.
Lu Chang also noticed Ming Shu and was about to greet her when he suddenly turned and stood beside Song Qingzhao, blocking Ming Shu’s gaze towards him.
After paying respects to Crown Prince Zhao Jingran, Mrs. Xu invited him to lead the way, with the young men in front and the women following behind, exploring the garden.
Ming Shu watched Lu Chang pass by and saw countless shy glances following him, shaking her head in amusement.
After trailing the group in the garden for a while, Ming Shu heard someone calling her from behind. Turning around, she saw Mrs. Meng standing under a peach tree, beckoning to her, apparently wanting to speak with her. Ming Shu glanced at Madam Zeng, who patted her hand gently, signaling her to go ahead.
Seeing that Madam Zeng had adapted well, Ming Shu nodded and hurried over to Mrs. Meng, leaving Lady Lu to accompany Madam Zeng.
The peach blossoms had mostly withered, covering the ground like a thin blanket of fallen petals. When Mrs. Meng saw Ming Shu approaching, she smiled warmly. Ming Shu hesitated for a moment, then spotted Song Qingzhao behind the peach tree.
As the group strolling through the garden gradually moved away, their laughter fading into the distance, Song Qingzhao stepped out from the sea of petals. His cold demeanor softened into gentleness as he approached her.
“Ming Shu, let me accompany you,” he said.
Glancing around and noticing a few maids and servants nearby, Ming Shu nodded. With the others ahead, they walked together at the back of the group.
For a while, neither knew what to say amidst the colorful flowers. Finally, after several steps, Song Qingzhao spoke up.
“Ming Shu, today being the Dragon Boat Festival, this longevity thread suits the occasion. I picked this one for you,” he said, taking out a multicolored longevity thread from his sleeve and offering it to her. “May you live a long and prosperous life.”
Earlier, he had presented a gift in the presence of Madam Zeng. Now, finding a brief moment amidst the afternoon’s formalities, he had sought this opportunity to see her alone.
Another longevity thread?
Ming Shu touched her wrist and thanked him, reaching out to accept it, but he withdrew his hand.
“Allow me to put it on for you. Is that alright?” Song Qingzhao asked gently.
“Yes, I…” Ming Shu hesitated, lifting both wrists. Her sleeve slipped down, revealing a golden bracelet on one wrist and another multicolored longevity thread on the other. She had an extra hand to wear it.
Seeing this, Song Qingzhao chuckled softly, showing no disappointment or reproach. He handed her the longevity thread again and said, “Very well, you keep it.”
“Thank you,” Ming Shu finally accepted it, twirling the longevity thread between her fingers.
Song Qingzhao continued, “Ming Shu, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about…”
—
Meanwhile, up ahead, the group stopped by a large cluster of flowers to admire them. Among them, Lu Chang scanned the crowd and spotted Ming Shu. As he looked closer, he also noticed Song Qingzhao. Furrowing his brow, he considered calling someone to inquire about Song Qingzhao’s whereabouts when a strange maid hurriedly approached him on the nearby path.
This maid was not dressed in the attire of the Song family but rather in the personal servant attire brought by today’s visiting ladies.
“Sir Lu Chang…” she gasped as she approached.
Lu Chang fixed her with a sharp look of inquiry.
She pointed down the path, saying, “I am the maid from Chancellor Gong’s family, serving Lady Lu. Just now, my mistress accompanied Madam Zeng for a walk in the garden. Unfortunately, Madam Zeng stumbled on a stone and twisted her ankle.”
“Where is she?” Lu Chang asked immediately.
The maid gestured down the path behind her, “Not far, about a dozen steps away. Sir Lu Chang, please follow me.”
“Lead the way,” Lu Chang replied.