The instant Ming Huashang looked up and saw who had come, her entire life flashed rapidly through her mind.

In these sixteen years, she had spent each and every day living carefully and earnestly — incompetent at the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and all manner of poetry and song, yet she was at least a person of dignity. Why should this experience that was worse than death descend so cruelly upon her?

And it had to be one of the people she least wanted to see, to boot.

The other person she least wanted to see was behind the screen, setting down his teacup, and said in an unhurried tone: “I had my suspicions the moment I saw you, but I thought that my most well-behaved and filial little sister would never be so reckless. I preferred to believe it was a coincidence. But — Second Lady — is this the cosmetics you went to buy?”

Xie Jichuan smiled with amusement and glanced into the room, then bent down to help Ming Huashang to her feet: “All right, spare her — this one isn’t one of those tough, rough-skinned people. Look at the state she’s been frightened into. Second Little Sister, shall we go in and sit?”

“No, no!” Ming Huashang hastily waved her hands. She caught a glimpse of the sachet at Xie Jichuan’s waist — intricately elegant, with a pattern of snow and red plum blossoms — and knew that this time, she was a mouse walking into a cat’s house — quite simply asking for her own doom. Ming Huashang forced a smile and asked awkwardly, “Xie Elder Brother, Second Elder Brother, why are you both here?”

Actually, when she had run into Ming Huazhang at the gate that morning, Ming Huashang had also noticed the sachet hanging at his waist — a deep crimson one, embroidered with bamboo and a sword, which went perfectly with his dark indigo round-collar robe. She had assumed it was simply an accessory. Who could have imagined that reality would be even more outrageous than she had pictured?

Xie Jichuan looked at Ming Huashang with an amused smile and asked, “Second Little Sister, that is a very good question — and why, then, are you here?”

Ming Huashang didn’t dare go inside to face Ming Huazhang, yet couldn’t leave either. She hedged and stalled: “I… I was just wandering around and wandered in here by accident…”

“By accident?” Xie Jichuan smiled. “This shop doesn’t sell pastries every day. You found the right place, said the right code, and went through the right door — none of that can be accomplished by wandering in by accident.”

Ming Huashang didn’t even turn her head, but she could feel a pair of eyes from behind the screen landing squarely on her back, as sharp as a freshly whetted blade. Ming Huashang gave a sigh and abandoned all resistance: “Since we’ve all turned up here, there isn’t much more that needs saying, is there? I met someone, and came here following his arrangement to pick up my assessment task. You know…”

Ming Huashang finished speaking, froze, and drew in a sharp breath of shock. She looked at Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan in disbelief: “Don’t tell me that you two are my contacts? You were already members long ago?”

For a moment, Ming Huashang wasn’t sure what feeling to bring to all of this. She had violated her conscience and joined the Empress’s underground organization all in order to scrape together the funds to run away — and her conscience had been fairly troubled when she was lying to Ming Huazhang. Then she had arrived at the location only to find that her famously upright and open-hearted elder brother was also inside the organization, apparently having already risen to the upper echelons, and had even brought his good friend Xie Jichuan in along with him.

Ming Huashang’s heart was a tangle of emotions, and in the end it all condensed into bone-deep disappointment and heartache: “You had these connections all along — why didn’t you tell me? Does my assessment fall under your jurisdiction? Could you give me top marks on account of personal ties?”

Ming Huashang’s point of focus was, as always, entirely out of the ordinary. Ming Huazhang took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, rose to his feet, took her by the hand, and strode briskly toward the exit: “Stop making a fuss. While there’s still time, get back quickly.”

“I won’t!” The moment she walked out that door, her retirement plan would vanish. Ming Huashang refused to let go. She didn’t know where the strength came from, but she grabbed Ming Huazhang’s hand and refused to move no matter what: “You’re in there yourself — what gives you the right to stop me from joining? If you don’t want to pull strings for me, then forget it — I’ll take the assessment on my own. I’m confident I can do it!”

Xie Jichuan flicked up his robe, took a seat, picked up the tea Ming Huazhang had just poured, blew on it languidly, and watched this pair of siblings pull at each other with great relish.

When it came to physical strength, how could Ming Huashang possibly match Ming Huazhang? She thought: she had no dignity left in any case, so she might as well throw all caution to the wind. She threw herself at Ming Huazhang, wrapped both arms around his waist and held on for dear life, and wailed dramatically: “Elder Brother — wherever you are, I’ll be there too. I am not leaving!”

Ming Huazhang could not shake Ming Huashang loose. His face was naturally pale; now it was like snow — cold and translucent — which only made his eyes appear all the darker and deeper. His pupils, burnished by the firelight to a crystalline brightness, fixed steadily on Ming Huashang for a moment. Then he gave an almost imperceptible nod: “All right.”

Ming Huashang hadn’t yet figured out what “all right” meant, when she suddenly felt herself go weightless — Ming Huazhang had picked her up entirely. Ming Huashang found herself draped over Ming Huazhang’s shoulder, stunned for a moment, and only snapped back to her senses when she caught Xie Jichuan’s gleeful, spectator’s gaze from behind. She immediately began to struggle: “Second Elder Brother, put me down!”

Ming Huazhang held down the squirming Ming Huashang with one arm and strode toward the exit — steps fast and steady, as though having an extra person on him had absolutely no effect on him.

Ming Huazhang looked tall and lean, yet his strength was astonishing. One hand locked firmly around Ming Huashang’s waist, and no matter how she strained with all her might, she couldn’t shift by even a fraction. Ming Huashang was completely powerless to resist. In a burst of desperate inspiration, she reached out and covered Ming Huazhang’s eyes with her hands, issuing a threat: “Put me down right now, or don’t blame me for not holding back!”

Xie Jichuan watching from behind coughed so hard he nearly choked on his tea.

Blocking his eyes didn’t affect Ming Huazhang’s sense of direction in the slightest, nor would he pay any mind to her so-called “not holding back.” But in this position, the two people’s bodies were in closer contact than ever before.

With the light cut off, the other senses of his body became strangely acute. A slender waist, long limbs, a warm body temperature — all of it pressed into his consciousness one after another. Most alarming of all was that her face was pressed close to the side of his neck, and her breath — light, then heavy — fell against his chin.

Unable to see, his reason seemed equally blindfolded. At this distance, it almost felt as though she were about to press her lips to him. Ming Huazhang couldn’t help but pause. Ming Huashang thought her threat had worked, and was just about to press her advantage — when the door behind them suddenly swung open.

Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang both stopped. Ming Huashang’s hands were covering Ming Huazhang’s eyes, her waist locked in Ming Huazhang’s single arm, the ferocity on her face not yet pulled back. She stared blankly at the flash of red clothing in the doorway, and for a moment her mind went blank.

The person outside froze as well at the sight of this. She involuntarily stepped back and looked up at the door plaque: “I have the right room — Wu it is. What are you two doing?”

Both of them came to their senses at once. Ming Huashang hastily removed her hands from Ming Huazhang’s eyes; Ming Huazhang, face impassive and cool, set Ming Huashang down. Xie Jichuan had drunk enough tea and watched enough drama — he rose with a soft laugh: “Well, well, another familiar face. Miss Ren, it’s been a while.”

Ren Yao swept her gaze over Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang, then looked toward Xie Jichuan, and raised an eyebrow: “What is going on here?”

Ming Huazhang quietly let out a breath and said, “Come in and I’ll explain.”

He had hoped to take advantage of the absence of the others and send Ming Huashang away — but to his misfortune, they had still collided with someone. The Xuan Xiaowei’s information channels ran in all directions; Ren Yao had already seen Ming Huashang’s face, so even sending Ming Huashang out now would serve no purpose, and might well arouse suspicion and bring trouble down on Ming Huashang instead.

It seemed the only remaining option was to use other means — namely the assessment — to eliminate Ming Huashang through legitimate channels.

Ming Huazhang turned and walked back into the room; Ming Huashang hastily straightened her rumpled clothes and followed. Ren Yao, still suspicious, trailed in last, her hand resting on her dagger all the while, asking, “Aren’t you going to explain?”

Xie Jichuan, as though entirely blind to Ren Yao’s wariness, poured tea and raised his hand toward Ren Yao with a smile: “Miss Ren, you were able to find your way here — so I trust there’s no need for me to say more. Have a seat first.”

Ren Yao let her gaze move over Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan in turn, and a measure of understanding dawned: “Did you both know beforehand? Were you behind what happened at the manor?”

Xie Jichuan laughed. “Touching something that dangerous — I don’t have that kind of reach. Miss Ren, we may well be working in the same unit from now on. What’s the point of guarding yourself so heavily against us?”

Ren Yao let out a cold snort, flipped back her hem, and sat down. Compared to Ren Yao’s bold, unrestrained movements, Ming Huashang’s seated posture appeared uncommonly refined. She sat meekly beside Ming Huazhang, gentle and obedient, keeping a smile fixed in place — desperately wishing she could just blank her mind and transform on the spot into a decorative object.

Once Ren Yao was seated, she noticed that five cups of tea were laid out on the table. She pointed at the extra cup and asked, “Who is that for?”

“As Miss Ren can see.” Xie Jichuan said. “We received notice to carry out a two-person task, and simultaneously assess three new recruits. We did not expect them all to be people we knew.”

After he said this, Xie Jichuan took a quiet sip of tea and said with no small measure of feeling: “At this point, even if the last one to arrive turned out to be Jiang Ling, I would not be surprised.”

Ren Yao laughed without any attempt to conceal her disdain. Ming Huashang also felt a slight sense of affront: “Xie Elder Brother, you’re really being funny — how could Young Lord Jiang possibly…”

Ming Huashang hadn’t even finished her sentence when the door was violently shoved open from outside, and a figure blazing with gold stepped over the threshold, saying impatiently: “Why is this place hidden so far in? Twists and turns — what a nuisance. Whatever it is, say it quickly. This young lord still needs to get back and take Bao Bao Bei Bei out for a walk…”

He finished speaking, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and said with delight: “Hey — it’s you all!”

Unlike Jiang Ling’s unconcealed joy, the four people already in the room couldn’t quite manage to smile.

Xie Jichuan set down his teacup. His face still wore the gentle, faint smile of a man born into a distinguished family, but only the person seated right beside him could hear him say in a breath so low as to be barely perceptible: “Is Han Jie losing his mind? I know he’s short of people, but is he really being this indiscriminate?”

Ming Huashang thought inwardly: so General Han’s name is Han Jie — it had been recorded and organized by a certain diligent compiler. Sure enough, Ming Huazhang has already risen to the upper echelons. She wondered if he could put in a good word for her, so she wouldn’t have to work so hard and could just find another way to coast through life.

In the end it was Ming Huazhang who spoke first: “Young Lord Jiang, how did you find your way here?”

“That person told me.” Jiang Ling scratched his head and strained to recall. “Something like the south gate of Enshun Ward…”

Ming Huazhang’s last sliver of hope was doused entirely. However much he might have wished otherwise, the orders from above were not his to refuse. Ming Huazhang raised his hand and cut off Jiang Ling mid-sentence: “Young Lord Jiang, no need to continue. Since everyone is here, let’s get down to business.”

They were finally getting to the task. Ming Huashang immediately perked up her ears. Ren Yao also withdrew her dismissive look and turned to face Ming Huazhang with attention.

Jiang Ling had in fact not been keen on joining the Xuan Xiaowei — if he could spend this time riding, hunting, or strolling the streets drinking, which of those wouldn’t be better than the Xuan Xiaowei? But his father had forcibly stuffed him into it, and Jiang Ling had come planning to go through the motions — never expecting to find inside people he actually knew.

Jiang Ling cheered up immediately, flung all resistance toward the Xuan Xiaowei to the back of his mind, and leaned in eagerly: “What’s going on?”

Ming Huazhang truly could not picture himself having to work alongside Jiang Ling — the idea gave him a faint, peculiar feeling of being insulted. He didn’t think Jiang Ling’s qualifications were enough to have caught the Xuan Xiaowei’s attention, but there existed in this world another kind of capability: having a highly capable father. Jiang Ling had most likely been stuffed in by Marquis Jiang’an — this was, after all, the Empress’s personal guard. If nothing else, it was at least an opportunity to be seen, to make an impression at court.

Ming Huazhang had no intention of commenting on those unspoken rules of officialdom. He only wanted to finish this task quickly — after which, he would walk his own solitary path, Jiang Ling his broad open road, and the two would have nothing further to do with each other.

And along the way, he would get Ming Huashang out of here. She was being utterly foolish — was this really a place she should be?

Thoughts flashed through his mind, yet his outward expression betrayed nothing. He said with clean, unhurried calm: “Have you all heard about the haunting at the Wei residence in Chongye Ward?”

Ming Huashang nodded — she had heard it mentioned when she and the Old Madam went to offer incense at Bodhi Temple. Ren Yao spent her days in martial training and rarely went out, so she heard this and looked puzzled. Jiang Ling slapped the table and said with excitement: “I know about it! Word is, the Wei family’s puppets came to life and are running all over the estate! If they hadn’t dragged me here, today I was planning to bring Bao Bao Bei Bei along to catch the ghost!”

Jiang Ling’s exclamation sent the tea cups rattling, splashing quite a bit of liquid onto the table. Ren Yao rolled her eyes hard and snapped, “Can you not be so loud? You got water all over my clothes.”

Ming Huashang saw this and took out her own handkerchief: “Sister Ren, be careful you don’t catch a chill — dry it quickly.”

Jiang Ling also apologized — and then, spotting Ming Huashang passing the handkerchief, took it without thinking: “My fault — I didn’t see you sitting there.”

Jiang Ling used the handkerchief to wipe the water on the table without a second thought; Ming Huashang didn’t mind either. But to her surprise, Ming Huazhang’s expression suddenly changed. Before Ming Huashang even saw how he had moved, a shadow of dark blue flashed before her, and the handkerchief was taken by Ming Huazhang.

Jiang Ling’s hand was left empty, and he looked a little dazed. Ming Huazhang’s expression was cold as snow as he said coolly, “I’ll have the shop owner come wipe the table in a moment. I trust Miss Ren can bear with it for a moment.”

Ming Huashang said quickly: “Very good. Sister Ren, is your clothing soaked through badly? Would you like me to keep you company while you change?”

Ren Yao was someone who trained in martial arts — a splash of water on her clothes was of no concern to her whatsoever. Her irritation with Jiang Ling was the real issue; this had merely given her an excuse to take it out on him.

Ren Yao waved it off and said, “Never mind, let’s talk about the task first. You were just saying — the Wei residence is haunted?”

“Yes.” Ming Huashang said. “When I went to Bodhi Temple to offer incense, I happened to run into their servants asking the abbot to come perform a ritual. Beyond that I don’t know the details — I’ll have to ask Second Elder Brother to enlighten us.”

Ming Huashang felt she had slipped in that compliment quite naturally and without any trace of servility — truly a model of its kind! But to her surprise, Ming Huazhang threw her a cool sideways look and gave her nothing by way of a pleasant expression.

That was strange — Ming Huazhang’s temper was truly difficult to fathom. What was the matter with him now? Ming Huashang was baffled. Noticing that her handkerchief was still in Ming Huazhang’s hand, she silently reached over to retrieve it.

It was her own thing she was taking — surely there was nothing wrong with that?

She had barely caught hold of one corner of the handkerchief when Ming Huazhang suddenly pulled hard and whisked it away.

Ming Huashang gave him a speechless look, and Ming Huazhang sat ramrod straight — his neck slender and pale, the line of his profile like ice and jade, exquisitely flawless — with absolutely no sign that he could be possessed of such a disagreeable temper.

Ming Huashang clicked her tongue inwardly. What on earth was he cross about? Truly baffling.