She looked once more, long and deep, at this man who had won everything she had to give — and then Yu Weiwi turned away. “Lock him up. No one is to go near him without my order.”

Wu Zhen answered deferentially.

Qi Qiu, for his part, was not particularly concerned. He knew the relationship between the Yu and Zeng families inside and out. Zeng Xiangling had long been someone who could speak for the Yu household as though he owned half of it. He had his ways of smoothing this over.

Yu Weiwi truly did go to the Zeng family, arriving in a fury and walking straight up to Zeng Xiangling — not even Zeng Xiangyan could stop her.

“Elder Cousin, what a splendid match you’ve found for me.”

Zeng Xiangling’s expression faltered. “What happened? Did your husband-in-law anger you?”

Yu Weiwi gave a loud, indignant snort. “I consider myself a reasonable person. If he wants to bring people into the household, then so be it — it’s not as though I would stop him. But where are the bond contracts for the people he purchased? He says he has them, yet he cannot produce them. I ask you, Elder Cousin — would you dare employ people like that in your own household? And this man is the person sleeping beside me at night. I lie awake worrying whether my head will still be on my shoulders when I wake up in the morning!”

Zeng Xiangyan burst out laughing. “Cousin, you’re overthinking it. What deep enmity could there possibly be between the two of you so soon?”

“You stay out of this.” Yu Weiwi shot him a glare and turned back to Zeng Xiangling. “Elder Cousin, I trusted you, and that is why I agreed to this match. But just look at what you’ve brought me. And he even dared to give me a cold face about it — where does he find the nerve?”

Zeng Xiangling was privately furious, but not a trace of it showed on his face. “I watched him for a long time in secret before I thought well of him. With the protection of both your family and ours, if he eventually earns a degree, it would be a good outcome all around. Scholars can be proud — is it possible you pressed him too hard? Perhaps he felt you didn’t trust him, and reacted as he did?”

“Never mind how I pressed him — he’s a son-in-law who married into this family, and he dared to give me a cold face. I cannot stand it.” Yu Weiwi gave another heavy snort. “Elder Cousin, you also know my temper isn’t gentle. I’ve come to tell you this much: when I deal with Qi Qiu, don’t say I gave you no warning. Behind closed doors, the way I live with him is my business — matters of face don’t come into it.”

“Face is beside the point. I brokered this match, so naturally I hope the two of you will live in harmony.” Zeng Xiangling smoothed his robe. “Here is what I’ll do: let me go speak with him and find out what happened. From what I know of him, he shouldn’t be the sort of person who doesn’t know his place.”

“There’s no need. Now that he and I are married, it is a matter between the two of us. Elder Cousin, you can manage things for a little while, but not forever. A few stern reminders and he’ll behave — don’t worry.” Yu Weiwi dipped in a curtsy. “Elder Cousin, please don’t come to my household for the time being. Consider it leaving Qi Qiu some dignity. Once I’ve brought him into line, I’ll have you all over for a proper visit.”

“She’s like a gust of wind — in and gone,” Zeng Xiangyan muttered, shaking his head with a clicking of the tongue. “How has her temper only gotten worse since she married? I’ve seen that Qi Qiu — he seemed refined enough. Let’s hope he isn’t refined on the outside and rotten within. Elder Brother, you haven’t misjudged someone this time, have you? This concerns Cousin’s happiness for the rest of her life. If Qi Qiu truly turns out to be no good, just wait for Cousin to show up on your doorstep three times a day.”

“Must you always imagine the worst?” Zeng Xiangling gave his younger brother a light smack on the back of the head. “Didn’t you say you were meeting someone?”

Zeng Xiangyan glanced at the hour. “Right — after all that commotion from little Cousin, I’m surely going to be late. Are you heading out too, Elder Brother?”

“Unlike you, I don’t spend my days eating and drinking and amusing myself. Go on, get out of my sight.”

“Ha, I know it’s jealousy, Elder Brother. Fine — I’ll have an extra cup on your behalf today.”

Watching his younger brother disappear into the distance, Zeng Xiangling let his smile fade by degrees. Without turning his head, he gave a quiet order: “Go and find out what really happened.”

“Yes.”

After leaving the Zeng family residence, Yu Weiwi made her way to the recreation house.

Her gaze swept along the row of carriages. Spotting one she did not recognize, she felt a stir in her chest and quickened her steps inside.

Everyone was delighted to see her and teased her merrily. Yu Weiwi’s composure did not waver for an instant, and she returned their playful remarks one after another. No one looking at her could have guessed that the Yu household was, at this very moment, sitting over a fire.

She sat down freely beside Hua Zhi and glanced at her hand of tiles. She intercepted the tile Hua Zhi had been about to discard and played a different one instead. “They’re all waiting for that tile. Keep it — let it breed, and don’t feed it to them.”

The young woman sitting at Hua Zhi’s left immediately cried out in protest. “Yu Weiwi — that’s going too far! New friends before old, is that it?”

“I can’t help it — new friends are more lovable than old ones.” Yu Weiwi laughed, and helped Hua Zhi play out the rest of the round. They won.

Hua Zhi looked at the chips pushed toward her and smiled. “Finally, a turn of luck. I was starting to worry I’d run out of money for the boat fare home.”

The room was full of players and onlookers who all joined in the teasing. Hua Zhi had won their hearts with her purse, and by now they had come to regard her as one of their own.

“Weiwi and I are stepping outside for a chat. Someone take my seat — any losses count as mine.”

A young woman immediately plopped herself down. “I do love your generosity, Hua Miss. Leave it to me — I won’t let you lose everything.”

Everyone laughed. Hua Zhi paid the remark no mind, looped her arm through Yu Weiwi’s, and walked out the door. She knew they wanted to win money from her — but from first to last, not one of them had conspired to gang up on her. They had taken advantage of her being a novice, of course, and quite openly at that.

In that regard, the character of these women was not bad.

It was windy outside, so the two of them did not linger in the open. They made their way to a small tea room inside.

Even in a place like this, there were rooms where one could sit and speak in peace, and this one was furnished with some comfort.

Hua Zhi found the tea there undrinkable — too sweet, too salty — and set her cup down after barely wetting her lips. She glanced around, then asked without a sound: “Can we trust this place?”

Yu Weiwi gave a slight shake of her head and drew Hua Zhi into easy, inconsequential conversation. Hua Zhi answered in kind, the two of them chatting like any pair of ordinary friends. After a while, Yu Weiwi asked about her departure date.

“I’d like to stay a while longer. I can only afford to be this idle once a year — if I go back now, I doubt I’ll have time to make another trip.”

“You have a very large business?”

“Enough to keep a large household fed.”

Yu Weiwi gave her a look. “Do you take me for someone who doesn’t know the world? Some households have several hundred mouths to feed all told. Don’t make it sound so simple.”

Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Then take it as several hundred mouths.”

Several hundred — which meant Hua Ling truly came from a very large family. Yu Weiwi felt a measure of relief settle over her. She had her fears: that her backing was not strong enough, that she would be dead before she ever had a chance to settle accounts.

Hua Zhi asked, in a tone of casual interest, “Is the horse track open these days?”

“Open year-round, even in the coldest weather. Are you thinking of going?”

“I’d like to ride.”

Yu Weiwi smiled. “Nothing easier. When would you like to go? Though I can only cheer from the sidelines — the physician says I still need to rest a while longer.”

“That’s fine. I just want to gallop once.”

Hua Zhi rose and held out her hand to her. “Come on, let’s go play a few more rounds.”

“All right.” Yu Weiwi took her hand and let herself be drawn up. As she did, Hua Zhi felt something odd pressed into her palm. Without any visible change of expression, she drew her hand back and slipped it up her sleeve, then used Yu Weiwi’s body as cover and tucked it away inside her robe.