Once he had stepped out of the main hall, Ming Yu and Ming Shuo, with their fine awareness of circumstances, had “inadvertently” drifted away in very little time, leaving only Ming Huashang and Cheng Xun walking side by side. Both were somewhat awkward without prior arrangement, and Cheng Xun spoke first: “About Siyue — thank you, Second Young Miss.”

Ming Huashang said, “It was thanks to my second elder brother and the many officials at the Jing Zhaoyin’s office working together to find the culprit. I dare not take the credit.”

When explaining things to others, Ming Huashang invariably attributed everything to luck. That story worked on elders, but it could not fool Cheng Xun. He asked, “Second Young Miss — was your chance encounter with Lu Du at Qingchan Temple truly a coincidence?”

Ming Huashang naturally would not admit it, and said with solemn conviction, “Of course.”

Cheng Xun’s lips moved; he looked at Ming Huashang as if wanting to say something, yet held back. The last time she had inexplicably turned up at Duke Chengguo’s residence to ask about Dr. Lu, Cheng Xun had already sensed something. Afterward, hearing that Ming Huashang had encountered the murderer at Qingchan Temple and was captured on the spot by Ming Huazhang, who had rushed to the scene, Cheng Xun’s suspicions had grown clearer still.

Ming Huashang had likely been setting a trap with her elder brother, deliberately luring Lu Du in. He really could not tell from looking at her. The Second Young Miss Ming whom the outside world called uneducated, useless, and all surface — she had the nerve to face a murderer alone.

With the most gentle and lovely face, yet the heart of someone utterly and magnificently reckless — truly unexpected.

Cheng Xun did not actually approve of Ming Huashang taking such a risk. She was, after all, a young lady from an inner household. She ought to be playing with cats and embroidering flowers at home — she really should not have become entangled in bloody affairs. However, since this particular case concerned his sister, and Ming Huashang had just helped them find the murderer, it was not his place to voice objections. He counseled her earnestly, “Second Young Miss, I am deeply grateful to you and your elder brother for clearing Siyue’s name. But it is far too dangerous for a young woman to be alone outside. In the future, you should not put yourself in harm’s way again.”

Ming Huashang smiled, lowered her gaze, and said nothing more. She knew the Duchess’s and her grandmother’s intentions, and of course understood as well that from a worldly standpoint, Cheng Xun was indeed a very suitable marriage candidate. He was saying this from a genuine desire to protect her.

He was the most common sort of aristocratic young man to be found in Chang’an — he had studied the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood and received the education of an heir. He would take a wife of equal family standing, give that wife dignity and honor after marriage, and fulfill his duties of raising children and holding the household together. But that was all that could be said of him.

He would not bring court business back to the inner household. He would not listen to his wife express opinions about great affairs of state. He would never say to a woman, “Never doubt those you employ, and never employ those you doubt.” This was not Cheng Xun’s fault — as an aristocratic young man, the fact that he did not frequent pleasure houses, and had no illegitimate children before marriage, already put him far ahead of the vast majority of the capital’s young masters.

Cheng Xun could not understand why the mood had suddenly shifted just when things had been going smoothly — an inexplicable distance had opened between them. He paused, then tried to find a topic: “I wonder, what does Second Young Miss do at home ordinarily? What are your interests?”

“Eating and sleeping, mostly.” Ming Huashang answered honestly. “Aside from eating and drinking, I have no talent for any accomplishment.”

Cheng Xun was momentarily thrown, and smiled to smooth it over. “Second Young Miss jests. Deputy Jing Zhaoyin Ming was already renowned as a brilliant talent in the eastern capital, on equal footing with the eldest son of the Xie family. As his younger sister, how could you possibly lack skill in poetry or painting?”

Ming Huashang looked at him with a slight smile. “It is quite true. At any rate, my second elder brother excels at everything. With him bringing glory to Duke Zhenguo’s residence, what need is there for me to strive? Better to enjoy life.”

Cheng Xun paused. He looked at the crystalline brightness in the young woman’s smiling eyes, and for a moment felt as though he had stepped into a mist — Ming Huashang stood just beyond it, seeming close enough to touch, yet utterly impossible to read. It was the first time Cheng Xun had ever felt he could not understand a woman. He found himself asking, “The women of the capital all take pride in having talent and skill in needlework. Doesn’t it concern you that you’ve learned none of these?”

“What is there to be concerned about?” Ming Huashang was quite at ease with this. “I know what kind of person I am, and I know what I want. There is no need to learn things I have no use for. There is no need to live just like everyone else.”

This time Cheng Xun went quiet for a long while, looking at Ming Huashang with an expression of unclear meaning. “You are nothing at all like the rumors.”

Ming Huashang did not care what others thought of her. She gave a small sound of acknowledgment and fell silent. On both sides of the path, plum blossoms bloomed without sound, their subtle fragrance drifting past. Cheng Xun walked a while longer and again spoke up for lack of anything better to say: “Second Young Miss seems to have a very good relationship with Deputy Jing Zhaoyin Ming?”

“Indeed.” Ming Huashang said, “My second elder brother is the finest young man in the world.”

Cheng Xun instinctively disliked hearing these words, but he told himself that Ming Huashang rarely left home, and in her world there was only her elder brother — it was only natural to see him as her sky. He said, “Deputy Jing Zhaoyin Ming is truly a rare and extraordinary talent — even my grandfather has nothing but praise for him. He has rendered great service in this case, and made himself known to His Majesty and the full court. In days to come, he is sure to accomplish great things.”

Ming Huashang was just about to reply when a clear, cool voice rang out from behind: “First Young Master Cheng is far too generous. I am quite unworthy.”

Ming Huashang turned and saw a figure stepping through the remnant snow, approaching through blazing red plum blossoms. He parted the overhanging branches and said to Ming Huashang, “Why are you walking so fast? Are you cold?”

Ming Huashang was somewhat surprised. How had Ming Huazhang come out here? She had assumed he would prefer to stay in the main hall conversing with Duke Zhenguo and Duke Chengguo.

Ming Huashang had not answered, and Ming Huazhang simply reached out and took her hand, feeling it for a moment. “A little cold.”

Without waiting for Ming Huashang to respond, he unfastened his own cloak and draped it over her shoulders. Ming Huazhang lowered his eyes and with careful attention fastened the slender ties for her. His lashes cast downward shadows, the line of his profile clean and cold as ice and snow — only his eyes were dark as concentrated ink, their depth impossible to gauge.

Cheng Xun felt a subtle, unmistakable hostility. He had the distinct impression that Ming Huazhang was doing this deliberately for his benefit — like a tiger who had caught sight of an intruder and was declaring his claim over his territory.

And yet Ming Huashang was only his younger sister, not his betrothed. A younger sister had to marry eventually. Duke Chengguo’s residence and the Ming family were social equals in every respect. From any angle, Cheng Xun was a fine candidate for a brother-in-law — why would Ming Huazhang be so opposed?

But then Cheng Xun recalled Ming Huazhang’s reputation in the capital and concluded he must have been measuring a noble heart by his own petty yardstick. Ming Huazhang was known for his radiantly upright character and strict adherence to propriety. How could he have such feelings toward his own younger sister? He was surely just a concerned elder brother who had seen his sister catching cold and felt anxious about it.

Cheng Xun finished explaining things to himself and, making the best of it toward a future brother-in-law, smiled and said, “Deputy Jing Zhaoyin, why did you come out?”

Ming Huazhang did not spare him so much as a glance, and said lightly, “I came to see my own younger sister. Is there some objection?”

Cheng Xun’s expression stiffened slightly. He thought inwardly that things had taken a strange turn — why were this pair of siblings both so difficult to speak with? Was this the Ming family’s general manner? He smiled again. “Quite so — Second Young Miss has only just escaped from Qingchan Temple. It is no wonder Deputy Jing Zhaoyin cannot settle his worry. Second Young Miss is fortunate to have such a fine elder brother.”

Ming Huazhang was unmoved. He continued attending carefully to Ming Huashang’s collar and said in a casually floating tone, “It is not her good fortune to have become my younger sister — it is my good fortune.”

Cheng Xun noticed the gesture of Ming Huazhang adjusting Ming Huashang’s collar, and his brow twitched rapidly before he brought himself to suppress it. He told himself they had grown up together as dragon-and-phoenix twins, and it was inevitable that they would be closer than ordinary siblings. He should not read too much into it. Cheng Xun smiled without much genuine feeling and said, “Going by that reasoning, whoever might marry Second Young Miss in the future would be that much more fortunate still, would he not?”

“She is presently keeping her hair and cultivating the Tao at home. She will not be considering marriage for the time being.”

“But I understand that Second Young Miss is already seventeen this year.” Cheng Xun looked steadily at Ming Huazhang. “Second Young Miss cannot live at Duke Zhenguo’s residence her entire life. She will eventually have to marry.”

Hearing even an outsider state it as established fact that she would eventually leave, Ming Huazhang felt an unbidden surge of dark displeasure within him. She was already seventeen this year. The legal code set the latest age for a woman’s marriage, and everyone without prior agreement was arranging introductions for Ming Huashang — without even needing to ask his opinion.

Ming Huazhang understood in his mind that a woman who did not marry would be subject to many malicious rumors. But emotionally, he could not bear to see her walking toward marriage with any other man. He could only persuade himself that he was defending Ming Huashang’s own wishes — that he was not acting out of selfish motives.

Ming Huashang was gripping her cloak ties, blinking as she watched the two of them, quite unable to fathom what was happening. What were they doing? The decision of whether to marry should be her own concern, should it not?

Ming Huashang smiled and gently cut across this baffling standoff: “Eldest Sister and Third Younger Sister have already walked far ahead. Let us hurry and catch up with them.”

Ming Huazhang and Cheng Xun fell silent in the same moment and, without a word, followed behind Ming Huashang. From the pavilion, Ming Yu and Ming Shuo could be seen sitting and resting, and at a distance they made out a young woman in a black cloak approaching, with two young men following behind her — one to the left and one to the right — all three in a strange, silent procession.

Ming Shuo caught sight of them and pouted in complaint. “Grandmother is biased, and Second Elder Brother is biased too. We deliberately cleared the space for them, and Second Elder Brother still went running after her, terrified she would come to grief.”

Ming Yu acted as though she had heard nothing, maintaining the poise of an eldest sister, and came gracefully down to meet them: “First Young Master Cheng, Second Brother, Second Sister — you’re here. Second Sister, you’re wearing…”

“My cloak,” Ming Huazhang said calmly, finishing the sentence. “She walked too long in the plum grove. Her body could not take the cold.”

Ming Yu inwardly furrowed her brow. Was it her imagination, or did she detect some faintly pointed meaning in those words?

She quickly glanced at Ming Huazhang — noble, composed, radiant as the bright moon — and told herself she must be imagining things. She smiled and said, “It was my carelessness. I forgot to remind Second Sister to put on a cloak when coming out. Lianliao, bring my red fox fur, to keep Second Sister warm.”

The maid was about to reply when Ming Huazhang coolly and quietly stopped her, saying, “There is no need. She wears mine.”

Ming Yu choked slightly, feeling an invisible act of territorial staking. The feeling was utterly preposterous. Ming Yu smiled awkwardly and said, “You are right — Second Elder Brother and Second Sister are dragon-and-phoenix twins, so of course you know Second Sister’s preferences best. Since Second Sister is cold, let us come in quickly and not let the outside wind reach her.”

Ming Huashang had been forcibly bundled inside the cloak without managing to say a single word. Once again she had become a delicate little porcelain doll susceptible to cold and wind, ushered in with all eyes upon her. She was quite at a loss. What was the matter with Ming Huazhang today — had he eaten a firecracker? He was prickling against everyone he met.

The five of them sat in the garden pavilion. Facing one another without a word, the silence was so complete that all one could hear was the wind outside. Even the most headstrong of them all, Ming Shuo, sensed the wrong in the atmosphere and kept her head down without a sound.

Ming Huashang had been enduring the cold air for half a day and could hold out no longer. “There is nothing much to see in a winter garden,” she said. “Only this plum grove is worth looking at. The elders may have grown anxious waiting. Let us go back.”

Cheng Xun also breathed a secret sigh of relief. He regretted that he had not gotten much chance to speak with Ming Huashang, but it was still better than lingering here. Sitting beside Ming Huazhang inexplicably gave him the oppressive sensation of a man who had committed some moral transgression — someone attempting to steal what rightfully belonged to another — and had been caught in the act by the rightful owner.

The Old Madam and the Duchess of Chengguo had barely exchanged a few words when Ming Huashang and Cheng Xun returned. The Old Madam concealed a slight furrowing of her brow and said, “First Girl, you are back from the garden walk?”

Ming Yu replied, “Yes. Second Sister was feeling a little cold, so we came back early.”

The Duchess of Chengguo took her time and replied, “The wind is strong today — quite right to come back sooner. There will be time to walk the gardens another day when the weather is fair. Old Madam, you are truly blessed — every one of your grandchildren is so gifted and accomplished. Looking at them is enough to make anyone envious. I wonder — has Duke Zhenguo’s residence made any plans for the Lantern Festival?”

Ming Huazhang listened and wanted to decline, but in the presence of his elders, it was not his place to decide. Duke Zhenguo replied, “Not yet. Second Girl has long been clamoring to go see the lanterns, but I have matters keeping me at home that day. The second and third sister-in-laws are in poor health and should not go pushing through crowds in the street. I was afraid that with no elder to watch over her, she would run about on her own — so I had not agreed to take her.”

Ming Huashang heard this and gave a quiet hum, her face making no effort to conceal her displeasure. Cheng Xun noticed and could not help but smile.

At first he had taken Ming Huashang to be an ordinary daughter of a great household — a pampered, entitled good-for-nothing. But then she had mysteriously turned up at Duke Chengguo’s residence to ask about Lu Du, had stood at the gate and talked him through whatever was weighing on him, and revealed a boldness of spirit and a keenness of mind that left even Cheng Xun feeling ashamed of himself. He had gradually come to realize that Ming Huashang was not the useless creature of rumor — she was likely a very perceptive young woman.

Today was in truth his first formal encounter with Ming Huashang, and he had seen a willful, ungovernable streak in her, as well as the tender, coaxing manner she showed with her family. Each was a new face, each a different her. Cheng Xun could not help wondering how many more surprises Ming Huashang had in store, and what the real her was truly like.

The Duchess of Chengguo caught Cheng Xun’s expression and knew her grandson had taken a liking to the second young miss of the Ming family. She said, “Young women are not like young men — there are only these few days in a year when they can go out freely and without restraint. Duke Zhenguo, Cheng family will also be viewing the lanterns that day. If you trust us, why not let the several young ladies go along with our procession? Duke Chengguo has arranged attendants, and the road has all been cleared. We guarantee they will be delivered home safe and sound.”

The Cheng family had made their offer so directly that Duke Zhenguo found it difficult to refuse. He said, “Then we will be in your care.”

The two families settled on a time and place to meet on Lantern Festival day, after which Duke Chengguo’s family took their leave. Ming Huashang could finally go out, and the joy on her face was impossible to hide. Ming Yu and Ming Shuo were delighted as well, chatting away merrily about what clothes and accessories they would wear that day. By the time Ming Huashang’s ears were finally free, she was surprised to find that Ming Huazhang had disappeared.

Ming Huashang asked, “Where is Second Elder Brother?”

The maids looked around on all sides and said, “Perhaps the Second Young Master grew weary of listening to all this and went off on his own.”

Ming Huashang thought about it — that was very like Ming Huazhang’s temperament — and asked no further. The second and third branches were still in full, animated conversation inside. Ming Shuo was coaxing and wheedling the Old Madam for jewelry. It was not a good time for Ming Huashang to excuse herself, so she sat smiling and listened.

The Old Madam quickly softened into smiles under her granddaughter’s spoiled teasing. She glanced around at everyone and said, “Ordinarily it would be one thing, but on Lantern Festival day we will be moving with the Cheng family — we absolutely cannot embarrass Duke Zhenguo’s residence. Lüqi, I have some hair ornaments at the bottom of my trunk. Go and bring them out so the three young misses can choose.”

Ming Yu and Ming Shuo heard this and quickly smiled their thanks. Ming Huashang was in truth little interested in ornaments, but their grandmother was showing her kindness — she could hardly refuse her grandmother’s goodwill. So she put on a show of delight and chose one at random.

After Ming Yu and Ming Shuo had finally settled on accessories to their satisfaction, a great deal of time had passed. Ming Huashang was thinking that she could at last get away, and was just about to head out the door when Duke Zhenguo called after her.

Duke Zhenguo said, “Shang Shang, come here with me.”

Ming Huashang had no choice but to put on her cloak and follow. Duke Zhenguo saw that she was wearing a cloak so large it did not fit her properly and frowned. “What is this you’re wearing?”

Ming Huashang was long accustomed to making free use of Ming Huazhang’s things. She said casually, “This is Second Elder Brother’s. I was thinking of returning it to him, but I have no idea where he went.”

Duke Zhenguo’s brow furrowed. He glanced silently at Ming Huashang. The young woman was fair as jade, her face in full bloom, the most vivid and youthful of ages — wrapped up inside a large, heavy black cloak, she was like a Kunlun jade breaking free of black earth, pushing through to the light.

It was obviously a man’s garment, yet she wore it with an ease and naturalness that made it seem entirely as it should be, without the slightest sense of anything unusual. Duke Zhenguo’s expression settled into a stern look. “Your brother’s clothes, and you are wearing them — what sort of behavior is that? Take it off at once. Go fetch a new cloak for the young miss.”

They were already halfway along the path. To change clothes at this point was pure needless trouble, was it not? Ming Huashang felt aggrieved on the maid’s behalf. “Two more steps and we’ll be there. Second Elder Brother won’t mind — stop making work for everyone.”

Duke Zhenguo glared at Ming Huashang. “Wretched girl — you dare talk back to me? Go at once!”

Though he called her a wretched girl, he waited until the maid had fetched a new cloak before telling Ming Huashang to remove the old one. Just ahead was Duke Zhenguo’s courtyard. Ming Huashang went inside and changed her shoes, then naturally and without thinking went to fold Ming Huazhang’s cloak. Duke Zhenguo saw this and his expression shifted strangely. He said, “The maids can do that — you need not bother.”

“It is fine. Second Elder Brother is particular about these things. If others touch his clothes, he will be cross. Let me fold it properly and I will drop it off to him on the way.”

Duke Zhenguo could not help frowning as he listened. “When did you get so close to him? Calling everyone else ‘others’ — are you not someone else? Put that down. Have it sent to be laundered. It is not your concern.”

Ming Huashang pouted, set down the cloak, and grumbled, “You are always saying I am lazy, and the one time I am diligent, you stop me too.”

Duke Zhenguo was irritated to hear this. “I would be delighted if you were diligent where it matters — in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. You are past seventeen now that the year has turned. You are of an age to leave home. Keep your wits about you on ordinary days, and stop running in and out of your Second Elder Brother’s room.”

Ming Huashang raised her brows, quite baffled at being scolded. “I go to see my elder brother. It is not some secret illicit meeting. Why are you scolding me for this?”

Duke Zhenguo was on the verge of saying something, then stopped himself. At last he put on a stern face and said bluntly, “Just do as I say. Do not ask so many questions.”

Ming Huashang let out a low hum of discontent but did not talk back further. Her face wore a natural look of mild annoyance, but inside she had turned cold.

What did her father mean by those words? Under ordinary circumstances Ming Huashang would not have thought twice. But knowing in her own heart that she and Ming Huazhang were not birth siblings, she now heard layers of implication in Duke Zhenguo’s every word.

Did her father know something as well? But that made no sense. What kind of man would know his child had been swapped at birth, yet continue to shower love and care on a child who was not his own, without making any effort to find his real child? Duke Zhenguo had not remarried in all these years, which spoke to how deep his feeling for his late wife had been. He could not possibly allow his wife’s bloodline to be raised by strangers without doing anything about it.

Unless — the one who had been taken in error was not her?

The more Ming Huashang turned it over, the more unnerved she became, the palms of her hands already ice cold. Duke Zhenguo had not noticed that Ming Huashang was inwardly unsettled. He said, “Shang Shang, what did you think of the eldest young master from Duke Chengguo’s residence today?”

Ming Huashang’s mind was being frightened half to death by her own speculation — she had no headspace left over to pay attention to men. She answered offhandedly, “Upright and steady, good-natured and proper. He seems like a decent man.”

That sounded like quite a favorable evaluation. Duke Zhenguo’s feelings were complicated, unsure whether to be pleased about it, and he said with a faintly sour note, “So you mean — you would be willing?”

Ming Huashang was still lost in thought when she heard this and blinked, slow to catch on: “Willing to do what?”

Duke Zhenguo assumed Ming Huashang was simply too shy to say it directly, and felt even more conflicted inside. “Duke Chengguo’s residence has no prior acquaintance with us, yet today the entire family came to pay their New Year call, and throughout the visit they asked about you several times. Surely you have noticed their intent? Cheng Dasheng is a little rigid, but he has a good temper. In the capital, he is a passable match at least. Shang Shang — would you be willing to marry him?”

Ming Huashang heard that this was actually what it was about, and did not know what expression to put on her face. “Father, do you truly dislike me so much? You are doing everything you can to marry me off.”

“I would like nothing better than to keep you and provide for you my whole life.” Duke Zhenguo said with a stiff face. “But girls grow up to marry. You will have to wed eventually — marrying sooner means you do the choosing, and if you wait longer, it will be others choosing for you.”

The world was always particularly harsh about women’s ages. Ming Huashang had long since made her peace with this. She said, “I do not care about that. If I marry, it will be because I have met someone who makes me want to marry. Never because my age requires it. And if I never meet such a person — living my whole life on my own is quite all right too.”

“Nonsense!” Duke Zhenguo scolded. “You make it sound so easy. While I am alive I can still protect you and look after you — but when I am gone, who would care for you and shelter you without resentment?”

Ming Huashang answered without a moment’s hesitation: “Second Elder Brother, of course.”

Duke Zhenguo fell silent. After a moment he said, “Of course I trust that with his character, he would not turn a blind eye to you. But he will have his own wife and children in time — a whip cannot always reach far enough. It is better for you to have your own family.”

Ming Huashang saw that Duke Zhenguo was genuinely worried about her future. She argued no further about whether to marry, and said with composure, “Father, I understand your kind heart. But I am afraid First Young Master Cheng would not be a good match.”

Duke Zhenguo’s expression grew immediately serious. He asked, “Why? Did he do something to you today?”

Ming Huashang hurried to speak up for Cheng Xun. “Not at all. I simply feel that he and I do not think alike. We cannot see things from the same point of view.”

Duke Zhenguo silently breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at Ming Huashang. “I thought it was something serious. You have only just met — of course you cannot see things from the same point of view. Spend more time together and it will come.”

Duke Zhenguo did not consider this any great matter at all. Ming Huashang said again, earnestly, “But I do not like him.”

Duke Zhenguo was even less concerned. He said, “You are still young. You are always talking about liking — when you are a bit older you will understand. What matters most between two people is whether they can live together. Whether you like someone or not — that fades with time. When your mother and I first married, we also had our rough patches. We barely spoke to each other for a month — yet in the end, did we not produce you two?”

Ming Huashang frowned. “But that is not the same thing…”

Duke Zhenguo interrupted her. “Do not refuse yet. Even if you do not like First Young Master Cheng, you might as well get to know him a little more. On Lantern Festival day, walk around with him and see how he conducts himself with people. Perhaps you will find he is not so bad after all. And if you still do not want to, when you return from the Lantern Festival, I will decline on your behalf. Whatever else may be said of Duke Zhenguo’s residence, we will not let you go hungry.”

Ming Huashang smiled, her little mouth going as she counted off: “Not just hungry — I also want fried dough twists, steamed cakes, flaky pastry, noodle soup, crystal cake…”

Duke Zhenguo was both exasperated and amused, watching his youngest daughter tick off items on her fingers. He did not know what came to his mind, but his eyes took on a distant, weathered look. Once Ming Huashang had recited her menu to a reasonable stopping point, Duke Zhenguo said, “All right. I know you can eat — you won’t starve. Come, someone go to the kitchen and order the dishes Second Young Miss just named. Send them here. It has been a long while since we all ate together as a family. Go and call Second Son as well.”

Ming Huashang’s enthusiasm for ordering food was far stronger than her enthusiasm for choosing hairpins. She ran to give her instructions, wanting to specify down to the last seasoning in each dish. She talked until her mouth went dry, took a sip of tea, and heard the sound of someone paying their respects outside.

Ming Huazhang entered, his expression mild, quiet as fallen snow. He removed his cloak and put it away himself. Turning, he caught sight of a familiar figure sitting inside.

Ming Huazhang was briefly startled. “Shang Shang?” he asked in surprise.

Ming Huashang stuck her head out from behind a curtain, wearing a light, warm ru skirt. “Second Elder Brother — what is it?”

Ming Huazhang looked at those eyes, bright and clear as pearls and jade, and for a long moment was struck dumb. He wanted to say — he had been waiting for her. He had waited on the road, and he had waited again after returning to his room. He had assumed she was caught up with something. But as it turned out, she had simply not wanted to come and find him.

It was as it should be. She was so grown up, with hands and feet of her own, with family and friends, with so many ways to pass her time. Why would she have needed him, and no one else?

This was the first time Ming Huazhang had felt, so vividly and directly, that Ming Huashang was loved by many, many people — and that he was only one unremarkable among them.

Ming Huazhang fell into silence. He was quiet by nature to begin with, and no one noticed anything amiss. Duke Zhenguo beckoned him to sit and said, “The Lantern Festival belongs to young people. It should not be wasted. You are both seventeen this year — it is time to think about the matter of lifelong companions. Huazhang — have you any thoughts?”

Ming Huazhang was still for a moment. His deep black eyes were like ink-dyed jade submerged in ice. Almost imperceptibly, his gaze tilted to one side.

His tone was, as always, calm — and with proper, deferential composure he said, “I will defer entirely to Father’s arrangement.”

Duke Zhenguo shook his head. “This is your own affair. I will not force you. But if you have someone in your heart, come and find me at any time. Even if it is a fairy from the Moon Palace, I will find a way to help you propose.”

Ming Huashang said languidly, “Father, that is not what you said to me just a moment ago.”

“You keep quiet.” Duke Zhenguo gave Ming Huashang a displeased glance, then turned with gentle warmth toward Ming Huazhang. “Huazhang, on Lantern Festival day I will trouble you to keep a close eye on Shang Shang and First Young Master Cheng — do not let her run about on her own.”

Ming Huashang gave a low hum of discontent. Duke Zhenguo stared at her with fierce eyes and said, “What are you humming about? You behave yourself, listen to Huazhang, go and see the lanterns with Duke Chengguo’s residence and come back. No acting on your own judgment. Do you hear?”

Ming Huashang replied with reluctant compliance: “I hear.”

Ming Huazhang’s face had gone pale as snow. His gaze swept between Duke Zhenguo and Ming Huashang, and he felt as though he stood atop a wild horse that had suddenly lost its reins — completely out of his control.

Ming Huazhang asked, “Father, you are truly sending Second Sister to see First Young Master Cheng?”

Duke Zhenguo was noncommittal, saying, “The Cheng family and ourselves are about equally matched. Let them spend some time together first. The rest of it is not urgent.”

Ming Huazhang’s heart went cold once more. He turned to look at Ming Huashang, hoping to see resistance or objection on her face — but all he saw was a face as gentle and smiling as a hibiscus in full bloom.

She had not even glanced in his direction.

Ming Huazhang could not say what it was he felt. It was the natural order of things. He was her elder brother. Escorting his younger sister was simply his duty.

Even if that duty was escorting his younger sister to go on a date with someone else.

What had he been hoping for?