No one knew why, but watching all of this, Shanhu and the others felt an ache behind their eyes — Feicui even turned her face away to wipe at the corners of her eyes.

Luoqiao found herself thinking of what she had seen that morning: Fourth Master giving coins to Xiao Liu Zi.

And yet at a moment like this, who could say a word…

Her expression shifted between shadow and light. After a long while, she finally said quietly, “I’ll go speak to Fourth Master.”

Shanhu held her back. “If Fourth Master truly wanted to stand up for Di Jin, he would have done so the moment she was dragged out…”

Luoqiao hesitated at length, and in the end followed Shanhu back inside.

But once she lay down in bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She shared a room with Shanhu, who was kept awake by all the stirring. Yawning, she said, “Stop overthinking it. Get some sleep — it’s over, one way or another.”

The more Shanhu said this, the more unsettled Luoqiao felt. She simply threw on her outer robe and, in the moonlight, went to the outer room to pour herself a cup of water, standing at the table and sipping it slowly, one small mouthful at a time.

After quite some time, Luoqiao felt a chill creeping over her. She was just about to turn back toward her room when she saw Daimao walk in, rubbing her eyes.

“Oh!” She had not seen clearly in the dim light and gave a start.

Luoqiao quickly said with a smile, “It’s me — Luoqiao.”

“So it’s Luoqiao.” Daimao let out a breath of relief. “You’re up having tea too!”

Luoqiao gave an absent-minded sound of agreement. She watched Daimao pour her tea with quiet, careful hands — as careful and sparing of speech as she always was in her daily manner — and something stirred in her heart. She could not help but say, “Daimao, do you believe it was Di Jin who stole and ate the cherries?”

Daimao gave a faint start.

Perhaps it was because she harbored the same doubts as Luoqiao. Perhaps it was that people became softer in the dark…

She said in a low voice, “In ordinary times, Di Jin always accompanies Fourth Master when he comes to pay his respects to Senior Madam. I won’t say more than I know — but stealing and eating cherries is not something she would do. And besides, she left the half-eaten cherries lying out like that on the cabinet shelf… And I remember the plate the cherries came on was a sweet white porcelain one…”

It was like finding a kindred soul.

Luoqiao told Daimao what she had seen that morning — Fourth Master trying to get Xiao Liu Zi to buy something for him. “…I heard people say before that Fourth Master and Di Jin are close. What if Fourth Master bought the cherries himself, to please Di Jin?”

“Then — then wouldn’t Di Jin be completely wronged?” The more Daimao heard, the more puzzling the whole affair seemed.

“I want to go speak to Fourth Master about it…” Luoqiao was not willing to let it rest, and hoped for Daimao’s support.

Daimao hesitated for a long moment, then said, “Why don’t I go with you?”

Luoqiao heard this and made up her mind.

Since they all lived in the same courtyard, the two went to knock at Luo Zhensheng’s window.

A voice immediately called out in a low, wary tone: “Who is it?”

The voice was low, the response immediate. Clearly the person inside had not been sleeping at all.

“Fourth Master, it is me — Luoqiao.” Luoqiao stood at the window and spoke quietly. “I have something to speak to you about.”

“What — what is it?” Luo Zhensheng’s voice stumbled. “Whatever it is, can it not wait until tomorrow?”

Luoqiao and Daimao could not help but exchange a glance.

“The late spring nights are still cold, and I’m afraid Di Jin cannot bear it. Fourth Master had better find a way to send her a light quilt to keep off the chill.”

“I understand.” Luo Zhensheng replied with a note of quiet desolation, and then fell entirely silent.

Luoqiao stood there, feeling that the chill of this late spring night had seeped right into her bones.

…

Early the next morning, Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss went together to pay their respects to Senior Madam.

Since Fifth Miss’s marriage had been settled, it was as though a weight had been lifted from her heart. Compared to before, she was noticeably warmer toward Eleventh Miss.

The two entered the room to find Senior Madam seated on the kang, being served tea by Nanny Xu.

Though the scene looked no different from any ordinary morning, Eleventh Miss could not quite say why, but she sensed a certain weariness in Senior Madam’s expression today.

Seeing Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss, Senior Madam’s expression remained composed: “You are here.”

“Mother!” The two of them curtsied.

“Sit down,” Senior Madam said with a nod. “Have you eaten yet?”

“We have,” both answered at the same time, and then settled onto the small stools at the edge of Senior Madam’s kang.

Fifth Miss said, “Mother, did you sleep well last night?”

Senior Madam shot Fifth Miss a cold glance.

Fifth Miss was baffled, not knowing what she had said wrong.

She was just feeling inwardly alarmed when Mu Ge arrived.

Senior Madam’s expression instantly thawed, and the moment Mu Ge had paid his respects, she pulled him up onto the kang. “What did you have for breakfast?”

But Mu Ge said, “Grandmother, the cherries were delicious.”

Everyone froze.

First Madam then carefully asked Mu Ge, “The cherries in Grandmother’s side room — did you eat them?”

Mu Ge, seeing his mother’s expression, quickly buried himself in Senior Madam’s arms. “Grandmother’s cherries were delicious, and the ones Mother gave me were delicious too…”

First Madam’s face fell sharply. “Mother, I didn’t know… I never thought… When I get back, I will give him a thorough scolding.”

“All right, all right — it is nothing serious.” Senior Madam looked down at the grandson nestled in her arms with a warm smile. “Cherries are pretty and they taste good — even grown-ups love them, let alone a child.”

“Mother, a gentleman knows what he should and should not do,” First Madam said with a dark expression. “If he wanted to eat something, he need only say so plainly — who would have denied him? But instead he had to go sneaking into your side room…”

Senior Madam’s mood began to sour at these words.

First Madam, seeing this, quickly swallowed the rest of what she had been about to say, and looked at Mu Ge’s wet nurse: “How have you been minding this child? There was even a sweet white porcelain plate on the table!”

The wet nurse said timidly, “I — I did not know.”

Mu Ge, hearing this, made to climb down from the kang.

A nearby maidservant quickly helped him down.

He trotted over to a small side table, pulled open the drawer, and produced a sweet white porcelain plate: “None of you could find it!” He pursed his lips in a grin, looking very pleased with himself.

First Madam was shaking with fury, yet there was nothing she could say.

Senior Madam laughed out loud. “Our Mu Ge is so clever.”

Mu Ge then reached into the same drawer and brought out a few cherries: “I was saving these for Zhun Ge to eat.” He pressed his lips together in another smug smile.

Senior Madam heard this and her eyes immediately reddened. She rose and took Mu Ge into her arms: “Good child, what a good child.” Before she had finished speaking, tears were already running freely down her face.

Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss looked on in complete bewilderment, utterly lost as to what scene was unfolding before them.

First Madam carefully broached the subject with Senior Madam: “Then as for Di Jin, you…”

Hearing Di Jin’s name, Fifth Miss’s face filled with astonishment.

Senior Madam gave a cold smile. “Have Nanny Hang go and ask — where did those cherries come from?”

Cherries not yet in proper season fetched ten taels of silver per catty — no ordinary household could possibly have bought them at this time of year. It could only have been Luo Zhensheng. No wonder he had wanted to borrow money from her yesterday. No wonder he had not dared to speak when Di Jin was being locked away. He had gone and bought things without first presenting them to his parents, and given them to a maidservant instead…

First Madam immediately understood Senior Madam’s meaning. She nodded and was just about to give instructions to Nanny Hang when a small maidservant announced: “Senior Madam, Nanny Hang is here!”

“Have her come in!” Before Senior Madam had finished speaking, Nanny Hang was already striding in with quick, urgent steps.

Catching sight of Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss, she gave a faint pause, and a note of hesitation entered her expression.

Senior Madam saw this clearly, and instructed Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss: “You may return to your rooms and rest.”

Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss acknowledged and withdrew.

Nanny Hang then spoke quietly into First Madam’s ear: “Di Jin appears to be with child…”

First Madam’s face changed dramatically. She leaned close to Senior Madam and whispered several words.

Senior Madam listened, then gave a cold smile. “Who would have thought — our Fourth Master has this much capability! Does he know of it himself?”

Nanny Hang said in a low voice, “Di Jin says she does not know…”

“Then inform our Fourth Master!” Senior Madam’s eyes were knife-sharp.

Mu Ge saw this and was frightened, crying out somewhat fearfully, “Grandmother.”

Senior Madam smiled, stroked Mu Ge’s head, and said to First Madam with calm composure: “Find a broker.”

First Madam stared at her mother-in-law with a face full of shock.

…

As Fifth Miss came out of Senior Madam’s room, she quickly said to Eleventh Miss, “I’m going to check on Fourth Brother,” and then headed off toward Luo Zhensheng’s quarters with Ziwei and Ziyuan.

Eleventh Miss gave Hupo a glance, then returned to her own room with Dongqing.

Before long, Hupo came back.

Her face still held traces of shock. “They say that yesterday Marquis Yongping’s household sent over some cherries, and Senior Madam kept a plate in her side room for Senior Master. When Senior Master came home, however, the plate had vanished. In the end, a few cherries were found in Di Jin’s cabinet. Senior Madam assumed Di Jin had stolen and eaten them, and had her locked in the firewood room.”

Eleventh Miss quietly let out a breath of relief. “It’s fortunate that Mu Ge said it himself — otherwise the poor girl would have been wrongly punished. But the cherries Di Jin had — where did they come from? Cherries have only just come into season these past few days; they must be quite expensive.”

Hupo’s expression grew somewhat strange. “Fourth Master bought them.”

Eleventh Miss wanted to say something, but stopped herself.

She had long heard that Luo Zhensheng had a particular regard for Di Jin…

“Senior Madam is furious,” Hupo continued. “She told First Madam to find a broker and sell Di Jin off.”

Eleventh Miss was startled. She thought it over for a moment, and though it was beyond what she had expected, she found it was not entirely beyond comprehension.

In Senior Madam’s mind, when young masters went wrong, it was always because those women had seduced them — always those women being shameless and grasping above their station. She thought of Taozhi, who had been sent back to her family by First Madam. She had done nothing more than exchange a few words with Senior Master, yet had been threatened with severe punishment. That alone was enough to reveal Senior Madam’s way of thinking.

Eleventh Miss could not help but let out a long sigh.

But Dongqing’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Di Jin is such a careful and honest person…”

“What good is being careful and honest!” Hupo said, with the air of someone who spoke from genuine feeling — the first time she had ever spoken out of turn in front of Eleventh Miss. “Fourth Master has always had a tender heart toward the maids around him, and they tend to get a little too familiar without knowing their place. Di Jin is a senior maidservant, and would sometimes say a few words to keep things proper — but Fourth Master would actually shield those little minxes… Who knows what went on beneath the surface? And besides, Di Jin was locked in the firewood room last night. If Fourth Master truly cared for Di Jin, he would have gone to plead with Senior Madam the moment Di Jin was taken away — yet an entire night went by without a sound from him!”

Eleventh Miss was startled.

She had not expected Hupo to say something like this… but it made a great deal of sense.

Dongqing shook her head at this. “Fourth Master has no choice in the matter either. He is a clay Bodhisattva trying to cross a river — unable to save even himself…”

Hupo had no desire to argue with Dongqing and held back what she had been about to say.

Dongqing had already said in a low voice, “What a pity — Di Jin is no longer young, and once word gets around that she was sold out of this household, respectable families will likely not take her in…” The implication was that if Di Jin were sold, she would likely not end up anywhere decent.

The mood in the room grew heavier and heavier.

Seeing this, Eleventh Miss said with a smile, “You needn’t worry too much. Fifth Sister has always had influence with Mother, and besides, Di Jin is not a frivolous sort — perhaps once Mother’s temper cools, the matter will pass.”

Before her words had even finished, a piercing, wretched cry rang out from somewhere far away.

Everyone’s expression changed at once, their hearts contracting with the quiet certainty that the voice was Di Jin’s.

But the cry cut off just as suddenly, and all around returned to its former stillness.

No one could have said why, but a tremor passed through each of them.

For a moment, the room was still as water.

When Eleventh Miss looked up again, Dongqing’s face was wet with tears.

—