Hearing this, Su Guiyan hastily clasped his elder sister’s hand and breathed warm air onto it, while casting an involuntarily aggrieved look at their father.

Su Hongmeng had by now settled his nerves, and felt somewhat guilty toward his eldest daughter. But a father’s dignity made it difficult to lower his head, so he could only clear his throat and say: “What do you all know of how urgent the situation was? Rebel spies broke into the prison at Yinzhou and freed a traitor. This matter touches on military secrets — the entire waterway was about to be sealed off. If I had not found a way to leave quickly, I would have been stranded back home. According to the laws of Great Wei, an official who fails to report for duty on time is deemed to have voluntarily resigned his post… And that carriage driver — utterly lazy! Why did he not inspect the vehicle beforehand? It was his fault that Luoyun could not board the boat in time!”

Having placed the blame squarely on the carriage driver, Su Hongmeng immediately felt much more at ease in his heart. After all, if Su Luoyun’s carriage had not broken down, he would not have left his daughter behind.

Hearing her father’s words, Su Luoyun was suddenly struck with understanding — so the person on that boat had been a rebel accomplice after all…

Since the matter was so deeply entangled, Su Luoyun was all the more unwilling to be drawn into it. She would not breathe a single word to anyone — she would simply treat the whole ordeal on that boat as a nightmare, best forgotten as quickly as possible.

After the long and exhausting journey by water and carriage, Su Luoyun at last returned to the Su family home she had been away from for so long.

She had once had a few close companions in the capital. On the second day after the Su family’s eldest daughter returned, Xu Qiaozhi — the daughter of the Xu household, and one of her dearest friends — made a point of coming to visit her.

Accompanying Miss Xu was Miss Lu Lingxiu of the Lu household.

The families of all three girls were involved in trade and commerce, and their circumstances were roughly equivalent. Of course, the Lu family was somewhat more distinguished than the others — two members of their household had already entered government service, and they frequently moved in the circles of marquis estates and noble houses, giving them a far wider network of connections.

Even so, the three of them had always gotten along splendidly, and had even founded a poetry society together in the past, calling on one another often.

But after Su Luoyun lost her sight, she had been unwilling to see people, and had not met with either of them for a very long time.

When the two young ladies were led by a maidservant to the garden, Su Luoyun had already had a tea table set out in advance, and personally prepared and served tea for them.

Miss Xu was astonished to discover that, although Su Luoyun’s gaze wandered vacantly forward, she was able to rinse the tea cups and wash the tea leaves without any particular difficulty, and the ease and grace of her every movement was, if anything, even more refined than before she had lost her sight.

Lu Lingxiu also said in surprise: “Luoyun, has your sight been restored?”

Su Luoyun gave a slight smile. “When I was back home, there was not much socializing to be had. With nothing to occupy me, I threw myself into the study of the tea ceremony. The cups are always arranged in fixed positions — practice a few times and you memorize where each one belongs. Was there anywhere I went wrong?”

Lu Lingxiu had come harboring a measure of guilt. After all, her elder brother and Su Luoyun had long had tender feelings for each other — yet now her brother was to marry Su Luoyun’s younger sister. It was truly cause for a sigh at the capriciousness of fate.

She had come prepared to be mocked by Su Luoyun. For she had heard Su Caijian say that ever since Luoyun lost her sight, her temper had turned fierce and volatile, and she would lash out at people at the slightest provocation.

Yet now, looking at her, the bright and spirited girl of former days had taken on a composure and elegance that far surpassed her years, and her face… had grown even more vivid and beautiful. If her brother were to see Su Luoyun like this, he would surely find his old feelings stirring once more, left to suffer in silent torment…

Contrary to what she had imagined, Su Luoyun showed no sign of wishing to sever their friendship. She simply played the part of a generous and gracious hostess. Once the tea was poured, Luoyun took each of their hands and spoke of what she had seen and heard back home. In no time at all, the atmosphere had grown wonderfully warm and easy.

Finding a moment when they were alone together, Lu Lingxiu wished to pass on a message from her brother — to say something of how he, too, had been without any choice in the matter. But before she had even finished, Su Luoyun interrupted her: “All of that belongs to our childhood days. No one would keep it in mind… Here, smell this new fragrance I have blended. Tell me whether you like it.”

Luoyun’s mother, Hu Shi, had been a master perfumer. When the Su family’s business had once been on the verge of collapse, it was entirely thanks to Hu Shi’s formulas that it was brought back from the brink.

Luoyun had never much cared for blending fragrances in the past, for she felt that it was her mother’s skills that had given her father the leisure and inclination to dally and flirt, which in turn had left her mother sunk in quiet sorrow.

Yet she had watched her mother work at it from childhood, absorbing it all without even trying, and even though she had never taken to it, she had gained a certain intuitive understanding. After losing her sight, lost in a darkness that would never lift, the delicate scents drifting to her nose became one of the few remaining means by which she could perceive the beauty of the world.

Luoyun’s insight and skill in the art of fragrance blending had by now quietly begun to surpass even her mother’s.

With her words thus deliberately cut off, Lu Lingxiu had no way to continue, and could only take the fragrance and inhale it.

The moment she did, her brow smoothed in delight: “This scent is like pear blossom, yet carries a clean sweetness reminiscent of ripe peach fruit — it is truly lovely… Is this a new fragrance from your Shouwei Zhai? What is it called? I shall have to send my maidservant to buy several portions later.”

Su Luoyun gave a faint smile. “I blended it for my own amusement. I shall call it Light Pear Fragrance, for now. I have already incorporated it into a scented balm — I will send one jar each for you and Qiaozhi.”

Miss Lu thanked her with a smile, then looked at Luoyun again and sighed quietly within herself. If only Luoyun had not suffered her misfortune and remained well — how wonderful it would have been for her to become a sister-in-law!

Just as she was thinking this, the Su family’s second young miss arrived uninvited.

Because her elder sister could not see, Su Caijian did not trouble herself to offer any formal greeting, and spoke directly to Miss Lu with a smile: “Lingxiu, you came and did not come to see me first, but went straight to my elder sister’s courtyard — aren’t you afraid I’ll take you to task for it?”

Seeing her future younger sister-in-law speak so, Lu Lingxiu naturally hastened to reply with a smile: “You and I see each other often enough — I reckoned that missing you once would not give you any grounds for complaint. If it comes to it, I’ll simply host and pay for the next tea gathering myself.”

Su Caijian was actually quite put out inwardly, feeling that her future young sister-in-law was partial to her elder sister. But she could not let it show too plainly, so she said, half in earnest and half in jest: “You and Elder Sister have always been close, so it is only natural that the moment she returned, your only thoughts were of her. I wonder whether your brother feels the same way…”

Before her younger sister could say something to make everyone uncomfortable, Su Luoyun once again steered the conversation elsewhere: “I hear that Princess Yuyang’s birthday celebration is approaching. I wonder whether the Lu family has taken on the commission for the princess’s formal garments again this year, as in years past?”

The Lu family had once been in the same class of merchant households as the Su family.

The embroidery from the Lu family’s needlework house was renowned for its beautiful patterns and fine craftsmanship. After the Lu family rose to prominence on the strength of their embroidery workshop, the master of the household entered the Bureau of Trade Supervision, assisting the bureau in selecting and purchasing cloth and embroidered goods — he was considered a great authority in the embroidered textile trade. Su Hongmeng had in fact relied on Master Lu’s connections and introductions to gain his own footing in the capital.

As for the noble ladies of the palace — whenever they tired of the standard styles from the Imperial Household Department, most would come to the Lu family’s needlework house to have special pieces custom made.

The Lu family’s mother and daughter had also earned themselves regular places as guests in the great marquis households, thanks to their exceptional skill in drawing clothing patterns. Princess Yuyang was particularly fond of splendid garments, and often summoned the Lu family’s mother and daughter to create special designs for her.

Hearing Su Luoyun’s question, Lu Lingxiu smiled and replied: “Your guess is quite right. Our needlework house has long enjoyed the princess’s generous patronage, and this time Princess Yuyang has again chosen us.”

As Su Luoyun casually applied some of the scented balm she had made to Lu Lingxiu’s wrist to let her try the fragrance, she asked idly: “Does that not mean it will be the same as always — that you will be able to accompany your mother into the Prince Consort’s residence to take the princess’s measurements?”

Lu Lingxiu smiled and said: “You really do guess well. My mother and I will go this afternoon, once the princess has finished her midday rest. The princess has ordered a great many patterns this time, and my mother is worried that the embroidery women might make errors left to themselves, so she wishes to go in person and note down the key points. My clothing patterns are well made, so I will accompany my mother and take the opportunity to pay my respects to the princess as well.”

Since Lu Lingxiu still had business to attend to, the group dispersed after sharing a few cups of tea.

Su Luoyun returned to her room, changed into her outdoor garments, and prepared to leave the household to visit her maternal uncle, who had come to the capital and was staying at the post house.

Hu Xuesong had, in the years after his elder sister’s early death, come to blows with his brother-in-law Su Hongmeng, smashed the gates of the Su family home, and severed all ties between himself and his sister’s husband.

Not wishing to put her uncle in a difficult position, Su Luoyun had sent him a note proposing they meet at the post house.

The post house was the usual lodging place for officials arriving in the capital to report for duty, and was surrounded by refined tea houses and taverns. Down many of the narrow alleyways nearby, pink lanterns hung at the entrances, with scantily dressed women leaning against the walls.

The street was accordingly bustling and full of life, noisy and lively beyond measure.

Su Luoyun had been languishing in the countryside for two years and found herself somewhat unused to such abundance. Yet in the midst of all that pitch darkness, listening to the clamor and noise around her, she felt a sense that the world of the living was still there.

Just then, a burst of laughter and commotion broke out suddenly beside the carriage.

Xiangcao leaned out to look, then quickly turned back to report: “A group of drunken louts with no sense of decorum — it seems one of them lost a drinking wager and was pushed out to play the zither on the street and beg, drawing quite a crowd of onlookers.”

Because the crowd was so large, the road was blocked. The Su family’s carriage had no choice but to wait for the throng to disperse before moving on.

Amid the noise and clamor, a few strands of zither music floated gracefully to the ear.

The piece being played was Sima Xiangru’s “The Phoenix Seeks His Mate” — a melody of lingering beauty. The original should have carried the besotted tones of “There is a beauty, and I cannot forget her — a single day without her, and I pine as one gone mad.”

Yet as Su Luoyun tilted her head to listen, she felt that the sound had rather too much forceful vigor and too little tender yearning — less a lovesick young gentleman fallen hopelessly in love, and more a forthright warrior who had pressed a woman into agreeing to wed at knifepoint before turning on his heel and marching straight back to camp.

So she let out a quiet laugh. Xiangcao was curious, and asked what the young miss was laughing about. Luoyun shared her guess, then asked: “How old is the one playing the zither, and what does he look like?”

Standing on the carriage with her head craned out, Xiangcao had a clear view. Once she had taken a proper look, she immediately clutched at her heart and said softly: “Goodness — can there truly be such a strikingly handsome young gentleman in this world… I had always thought Young Master Lu was among the rarest of fine-looking men, but now I see that Young Master Lu is merely ordinary by comparison…”

Before she could finish, Nanny Tian gave her a sharp pinch on the thigh. Xiangcao yelped in pain and immediately realized her blunder — she had just mentioned Lu Shi in front of the eldest young miss.

The smile at Su Luoyun’s lips dimmed slightly. She only changed the subject lightly: “Oh? I had imagined a middle-aged warrior — it seems I have no talent for identifying people by sound alone!”

Just then, among the onlookers crowded around the carriage, someone recognized the handsome young gentleman at the zither: “Is that not Han Linfeng, the Shizi of Prince Beizhen? He has drunk his way through every tavern on this street — what spectacle is he making of himself today?”

Another person replied: “I heard he made a wager with the Shizi of the Yong’an Prince’s household — the one who lost had to play the zither in the middle of the busy market and beg until he had collected enough silver for a round of drinks before he was allowed to leave!”

The crowd looked over and sure enough, in front of the mat where the splendidly dressed young gentleman knelt sat an ornate copper basin — evidently serving as the begging bowl.

Given how large the basin was, one could imagine the wine banquet they had been drinking at was no cheap affair.

“How pitiable — that the line of the late emperor should have produced such descendants in this day and age. It is fortunate that Emperor Xuanzong assumed the rightful succession back then. Otherwise Great Wei would end up ruined in the hands of worthless wastrels like this one!”

These words immediately drew agreement from those around him, and sounds of contemptuous derision rose without end.

It seemed that this Shizi of Prince Beizhen, who had only arrived in the capital two years ago, had already made his reputation thoroughly and irredeemably foul.