Seventh Miss didn’t enter Baifang Garden that afternoon.

A junior maid from Embroidery Teacher Huang came to deliver a message: with people coming and going through Baifang Garden these days, some matters weren’t suitable for children to see, so Zhuyingtai would temporarily suspend classes.

With a death at Qilixiang—though just newborn infants—there was still a set of procedures to follow. The comings and goings involved matters unsuitable for unmarried daughters to participate in.

Seventh Miss could only embroider at the West Side Courtyard. With Lichun accompanying Ninth Young Master to school and Nanny Wang still busy, only she and a few maids remained in the West Side Courtyard. It was quite peaceful.

By mid-afternoon, Eighth Yiniang also passed away.

Rather quick and clean. She reportedly never recovered after delivery—by noon she was failing. Though given ginseng decoction, it only sustained her enough to speak a few words before she expired mid-afternoon.

Everyone felt somewhat sorrowful.

In ancient times, death was far more unpredictable. No one knew if someone beside you yesterday might suddenly vanish today.

Life was like a candle flickering in the wind.

Seventh Miss thought of that look Eighth Yiniang had given her before Jieyu Pavilion and sighed even more deeply.

A person like a fresh flower had also fallen like a blossom—quietly fading, soundlessly. Who would remember her in their hearts?

The Grand Master was also in a poor mood that evening. The three sisters at Huansha Harbor repeatedly requested wine until the main kitchen simply sent over a jar of Sanhua wine.

The Grand Master didn’t emerge from Huansha Harbor until late the next day when he entered the West Side Courtyard, his face full of displeasure. When Nanny Wang encountered him head-on, she was startled.

All the sisters stayed behind closed doors in their quarters, avoiding disrupting Eighth Yiniang’s funeral arrangements. Fourth Yiniang and Nanny Wang worked together—one managing storage comings and goings, the other managing arrangements inside and out. They quickly set up a small memorial hall at Qilixiang where all the yiniang went to pay respects.

Eighth Yiniang clearly had no fortune herself. Otherwise, if she had safely delivered twin daughters, though the Grand Master would have been greatly disappointed, she would have had security for her remaining years.

The Grand Master showed extraordinary grace, allowing her to pass the seventh day before burial outside the city.

“No need to enter the ancestral tomb,” he consulted with Nanny Wang. “However, at least give her a proper full funeral to avoid her harboring resentment.”

When he said this, the Grand Master sat in the main hall.

Ninth Young Master hadn’t returned from family school. Though Seventh Miss hadn’t attended classes these days, she was reading in the east inner room. Through the curtain, she could hear a trace of fear in the Grand Master’s tone.

“Yes.” Nanny Wang agreed readily. “Let’s follow the usual practice—seven days of Buddhist rites at Guanyin Mountain!”

Yang family yiniang funerals always had Guanyin Mountain perform the rites. The Grand Master nodded, adding special instructions: “When Third Yiniang’s anniversary comes, also perform rites for her.”

Seventh Miss couldn’t help being curious.

Among the Yang family’s deceased yiniang, Third Yiniang’s death was most shrouded in taboo.

Second Yiniang and Sixth Yiniang both died in difficult childbirth. Second Yiniang was fortunate, leaving behind Eldest Miss. Sixth Yiniang died with her child. There might be complications there, but ancient medical conditions were so poor it could genuinely just be difficult labor.

Ninth Yiniang died of illness. Seventh Miss had been at her side when she passed—how could she not know Ninth Yiniang sought death wholeheartedly? No one plotted against her.

Even now when people discussed the Yang residence’s yiniang, they still mentioned these deceased women without much scruple. But Seventh Miss had never heard anyone mention Third Yiniang, as if she had never existed at all.

The Grand Master discussed more details with Nanny Wang, setting the specifications for both Third Yiniang’s and Eighth Yiniang’s rites before leaving the West Side Courtyard.

Nanny Wang also quickly entered Baifang Garden to speak with Medicine Nanny from the small storehouse.

Seventh Miss asked Bailu in a low voice, “What did Third Yiniang do wrong?”

Not merely curiosity. When moving about the main courtyard, naturally one needed to understand its taboos. Knowing more meant acting with more discretion.

A trace of difficulty crossed Bailu’s face.

“When I started serving in the main courtyard, Third Yiniang had already been gone several years.” She lowered her voice. “I only heard the senior maids whisper privately that Third Yiniang committed an enormous taboo and was beaten to death alive by the Grand Master. Not only couldn’t she enter the ancestral tomb—she didn’t even get a proper grave. They rolled her in a straw mat and threw her to the mass grave to be gnawed by wild dogs.”

Even though Bailu had seen much, speaking of it made her tremble slightly.

Ancients greatly valued their physical bodies, lacking modern people’s casual attitude toward cremation after death. If one couldn’t preserve an intact corpse in this life, one’s soul wouldn’t be complete in the next. So criminals beheaded at execution grounds would have their necks sewn back for burial. Being thrown to a mass grave for wild dogs to gnaw was the most miserable fate imaginable.

Seventh Miss also couldn’t help shivering.

What exactly had Third Yiniang done to make the Grand Master hate her so much, yet now he still wanted to perform rites for her…

Ninth Young Master’s laughter sounded outside. Seventh Miss quickly suppressed her concerns and emerged from the east inner room with a smile.

“Ninth Young Master is back.” She teased him. “Father just came by wanting to examine your lessons, asking if you’d finished the Analects.”

Ninth Young Master’s face paled. “Seventh Sister is tricking me!”

Lichun asked Ninth Young Master with a smile, “When I was standing outside the family school, didn’t I see Ninth Young Master’s mind wandering during class? Only panicking now when Master comes to ask?”

Everyone laughed at Ninth Young Master’s guilty expression. Lichun washed her hands and went to the small kitchen to bring snacks for Ninth Young Master.

Ninth Young Master ate two bites of snacks from Lichun’s hands before entering the west inner room. “Reading and writing!” Very ambitious.

Seventh Miss also returned to the east inner room to copy “Enlightenment in Sound and Rhyme.”

Until the seventh day passed, since the sisters couldn’t conveniently enter Baifang Garden, she didn’t need to attend school. Seventh Miss planned to use this rare leisure to finish copying the Enlightenment.

But Lichun followed in, her face slightly flushed.

“Borrowing Seventh Miss’s washroom to bathe.”

In hot weather, maids bathed daily. But Lichun had moved from her original quarters. Walking back to bathe now was not only inconvenient, but with Nanny Wang absent, she couldn’t leave too long.

Seventh Miss quickly smiled and had Shangyuan and Zhongyuan fetch water. Worried Lichun would be embarrassed, she moved the four treasures of the study to the main hall, writing at the dining table.

Faintly she could hear Lichun talking with Shangyuan, mixed with Bailu’s laughter and the splashing of water.

Come to think of it, Lichun was only sixteen. Watching over Ninth Young Master all day long, she endured considerable loneliness.

After copying for a while, Seventh Miss inadvertently looked up to see Xiaoxue entering from outside carrying a platter of fresh fruit and snacks.

Fine sweat beaded her forehead, her cheeks flushed. She clearly didn’t tolerate heat well.

“Would Seventh Miss like to try some?” Seeing Seventh Miss practicing calligraphy in the main hall, she smiled and approached. “Just stole some good things from the small kitchen.”

These two maids around Ninth Young Master often took advantage of their standing to eat and take things from the small kitchen. Seventh Miss had long known this.

Though Sister-in-law Cao was neither warm nor cold toward her, she never let these two maids leave empty-handed.

She smiled. “You eat it yourself.” Her tone was light.

Xiaoxue touched her head, giggling as she entered the west inner room, her body swaying, increasingly resembling a chubby fortune doll.

Seventh Miss bent down and had just written one line—”Herons flying pairs with fish leaping, jeweled hairpins pair with golden pins”—when something felt wrong.

Since the Ju Ba Xian incident, Nanny Wang and Lichun had been extremely attentive to Ninth Young Master’s food and drink.

Recently, it had even reached pathological levels. Lichun stayed by Ninth Young Master’s side all day precisely to serve him water and snacks at any moment. Even the tea Ninth Young Master drank at family school was brought from the West Side Courtyard by her.

Sister-in-law Cao also guarded the small kitchen impenetrably. Except for herself, no one could step into the ingredients room.

For Xiaoxue to bring food into the west inner room at such a time—wasn’t she inviting suspicion?

Though this maid seemed honest and simple, she couldn’t be that thoughtless, could she?

She set down her brush and raised her head, observing the west inner room’s activity through the colorful transparent glass bead curtain.

Xiaoxue leaned against the wall, smiling and whispering with Chushu, showing no intention of touching the fresh fruit platter.

The infant-decorated pastel wide-mouthed dish sat quietly on the round table behind Ninth Young Master, looking quite inconspicuous. It held several crabapples and a small bowl of ice cream cheese.

Seventh Miss frowned slightly: if she hadn’t happened to see this and taken note, would Chushu even remember this food was brought by Xiaoxue?

Not remembering it was brought by Xiaoxue, naturally the food’s origins couldn’t be traced. If Ninth Young Master was careless and just picked it up to eat…

The more Seventh Miss thought, the more suspicious it seemed.

But Xiaoxue had served by Ninth Young Master’s side for several years, never making any major mistakes.

She recalled from months ago when Xiaoxue ate cherries sent by Second Madam and instead suffered diarrhea for several days.

An indescribable sense of unease crept over her heart.

Seventh Miss stretched lazily and rose to enter the west inner room.

Though she’d lived under the same roof with Ninth Young Master for months, Seventh Miss rarely came to the west inner room—also fearing Nanny Wang would think she deliberately tried to ingratiate herself with Ninth Young Master.

“Sister Lichun is bathing in my room.” She explained to Ninth Young Master somewhat embarrassedly. “My room is damp, not good for writing.”

Paper was precious—too much moisture made it curl.

“How could writing at the Eight Immortals table be comfortable!” Ninth Young Master immediately turned to order, “Xiaoxue, add a stool for Seventh Sister.”

He was somewhat excited. “This is Seventh Sister’s first time doing lessons in my room!”

Seventh Miss smiled with pursed lips. “Taking up Ninth Young Master’s space—you won’t hold it against me, will you?”

Ninth Young Master said with a giggle, “I will! Pay silver—two taels per session!”

The two children dissolved into laughter.

Seventh Miss didn’t look at Xiaoxue, just concentrated on writing, head-to-head with Ninth Young Master, stroke by stroke. When free, she would look at Ninth Young Master’s characters.

Ninth Young Master’s writing was upright and elegant. Though still very immature, it faintly showed traces of Liu Gongquan’s style.

He was copying the Analects.

“Xian asked about shame. Confucius said: ‘When the Way prevails in the state, to accept salary is good; when the Way does not prevail, to accept salary is shameful.'” Ninth Young Master recited as he copied.

“I can’t even understand it.” Seventh Miss wrinkled her nose.

Ninth Young Master explained with a giggle, “The student Yuan Xian asked what shame was. Confucius said, when the state has the Way, being an official is good. But when the state lacks the Way, being an official is shameful.” He spoke eloquently, seemingly very familiar with the Analects’ meanings.

At only seven to understand this much—why did the Grand Master still look so dissatisfied?

Seventh Miss asked Ninth Young Master.

Ninth Young Master sighed. “Father says at this age, he’d already finished the Doctrine of the Mean and started on the Spring and Autumn Annals.”

Meaning the Grand Master at age seven had already finished the Four Books and begun the Five Classics.

Seventh Miss felt dizzy: she’d always thought herself precocious for her age. Yet whether the Grand Madam, Nanny Wang, or Lichun, they all only showed appreciation for her performance, never surprise.

So ancient people’s intellects matured this early.

In modern times, five or six-year-old children couldn’t read the Analects—they probably couldn’t even get through the Young Students’ Mirror. In the Yang family, Ninth Young Master’s progress was still disdained by the Grand Master…

Was it that Yang family people were naturally intelligent, or were ancient people simply much more precocious?

Come to think of it, in this era, living to sixty or seventy was quite rare. With so many diseases and such poor medical standards, children maturing early was only natural.

She could only pat Ninth Young Master. “Studying and reciting more is for your own good.”

Ninth Young Master nodded and stretched. Seventh Miss glanced at Xiaoxue and asked with a smile, “Xiaoxue stole a plate of food—why haven’t we seen you touch it?”

The words carried a hint of curiosity and teasing, as if just joking with Xiaoxue.

Seventh Miss took the opportunity to focus on Xiaoxue.

Xiaoxue smiled and touched her head. “Ninth Young Master is studying—how could I dare eat and make rustling noises? Ninth Young Master would laugh at me for being a little mouse again!” Saying this, she and Chushu laughed carelessly together.

Apparently Xiaoxue stealing snacks while on duty wasn’t a first or second occurrence.

Ninth Young Master put on a stern face and snorted. Seventh Miss also laughed along.

But her eyes were deeply somber.

If she really just wanted to eat it herself, she would have started long ago. She needn’t even bring it to the west inner room—eating it in the small kitchen before coming over, who would say anything? At such a sensitive time, bringing a plate of Ninth Young Master’s favorite foods into the west inner room was truly suspicious.

Well then, one more test.

“You should eat quickly. If you wait longer, the cream cheese will melt.” Seventh Miss reminded Xiaoxue, giggling as she pushed Ninth Young Master. “Don’t you dare laugh at her for being a little mouse.”

Xiaoxue cheerfully agreed, picked up the small bowl, and ate the cream cheese in large bites. Ninth Young Master watched with drooling but said nothing.

“Little mouse.” He made faces mocking Xiaoxue.

The west inner room filled with laughter.

Seventh Miss felt somewhat uncertain inside.

The crabapples wouldn’t be poisoned—putting poison in fresh fruit was too difficult. Only the cream cheese could be problematic.

Was she being too suspicious?

She’d often seen Xiaoxue before finding treats from the small kitchen to share with Ninth Young Master in the east secondary room. This maid was very gluttonous—otherwise she wouldn’t have eaten herself a round face.

Seventh Miss continued lowering her head to write. Ninth Young Master also resumed reciting.

“Confucius said: Not knowing fate, one cannot be a gentleman; not knowing propriety, one cannot stand; not knowing words, one cannot know people.”

Ninth Young Master recited with bobbing head, just like a little pedant.

Lichun wound her damp hair behind her head and entered the west inner room with a smile. Seeing this harmonious scene, she retreated to the main hall.

Seventh Miss only emerged from the west inner room before dinner. After eating, Ninth Young Master stopped studying—in the evening candlelight was dim and could damage his eyes. Lichun personally took items and arranged for Ninth Young Master to bathe.

Seventh Miss tried several times to speak with her but found no opportunity. With Nanny Wang busy, Lichun had to stay by Ninth Young Master’s side around the clock. But Seventh Miss didn’t want to discuss suspicions about her personal maid in front of Ninth Young Master.

If Xiaoxue was innocent, how could she face Ninth Young Master afterward? As if this older sister spent all day just suspecting this and that. Even if for Ninth Young Master’s good, she’d inevitably leave an impression of pettiness.

Though twin siblings, they couldn’t be treated lightly.

After the first watch, a light drizzle fell and the weather cooled. Seventh Miss emerged from the washroom, wiping her hair with white cloth herself while chatting and laughing with Bailu.

Suddenly a scream came from the west inner room.