Once the Grain Buds solar term passed in the fourth month, Jinling grew hotter with each passing day.
On the day Cheng Chang took up his new post, two attendants trailed behind him, claiming that since it was the young lord’s first time serving as an official, they’d come along to lend him some added prestige.
Inspectors patrolling the city streets never normally brought personal servants along, but the Third Young Master was of imperial blood—even the Emperor, his own uncle, had said nothing about it, so the Censorate had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
As a result, all of Jinling grew tense with alarm, and wherever the Third Young Master went, people braced themselves as though facing an enemy.
Yet after several days of trembling anxiety, the common folk found that the Third Young Master of Prince Cong’s household had caused surprisingly little trouble.
On one occasion, when the attendants following him grew restless and knocked over a couple of fruit stalls, sending produce rolling across the street, the Third Young Master gave them a thorough scolding and spent a full two hours personally going door to door retrieving the scattered fruit.
All of Jinling buzzed with speculation—some guessed the near-drowning had damaged the Third Young Master’s brain; others speculated Prince Cong had beaten some sense into him and changed his temperament; still others suggested that, having come of age, the Third Young Master was eager to be named heir apparent and had to restrain himself for now—once he achieved his goal, he’d surely return to his old ways.
At the end of the month, the palace held a lotus-viewing banquet, inviting imperial relatives and titled ladies to attend.
At the banquet, the Imperial Noble Consort brought along a white cat, saying its name was Snowball and that it was remarkably perceptive, able to recognize true beauty—she intended to gift it to whoever she judged the most beautiful person present.
The Imperial Noble Consort’s distant cousin was Yao Susu’s mother, and she had always doted on this grand-niece of hers. Sure enough, after glancing around the room, she said with a smile, “Susu, come here.”
Yao Susu, blushing, took delicate steps forward to stand before the Imperial Noble Consort’s seat, reaching out to take Snowball.
But at that very moment, the cat slipped from her grasp, glanced left and right, and darted like lightning straight to Cheng Chang’s seat, meowing and rubbing against his ankle, refusing to budge.
The banquet fell into an awkward silence, everyone pausing mid-sip, staring wide-eyed at the scene.
Everyone thought, in unspoken unison: so the cat really can recognize true beauty.
It was Cheng Chang who eventually resolved the awkwardness, bending down to pick up Snowball and carrying it over to Yao Susu, returning the cat to her.
He said nothing at the time—the cat hadn’t been meant for him in the first place, and besides, what grown man kept a cat as a pet?
He preferred dogs, especially golden retrievers and bichon frises. In his previous life, his heart condition had kept him from ever owning one, afraid the dog might outlive him and suffer alone. In this life… he barely had time to properly train his own attendants, let alone walk a dog.
Somehow, the scene of Cheng Chang returning Snowball to Yao Susu leaked out from the palace, and combined with the rumors already circulating about the two of them, the story grew more and more romantic with each retelling, eventually forming into quite the elaborate narrative.
The story went that the Third Young Master had initially pursued Yao Susu only because she resembled Qianqian from the pleasure boats, but Yao Susu, being pure and refined as a lotus rising from water, had ignored all his advances entirely.
The more she ignored him, the more persistent he grew, until eventually, genuine feelings developed.
The Third Young Master was the young lord of Prince Cong’s household—whoever married him would become a future princess, a rise to unimaginable heights. If he’d truly set his sights on someone, he need only propose, and no one would dare refuse.
But Yao Susu was different. She had set her heart entirely on the Pei family’s Second Young Master, and had even gone in person to welcome Pei Lan on the day of his return to the capital.
The Third Young Master, the story went, finally felt a sense of urgency and thus had reformed his behavior—becoming a diligent city inspector, avoiding trouble and scandal, all in hopes of earning merit and being named heir, so he could rival Pei Lan and win the lady’s heart.
Half fact, half fiction, but woven together so convincingly that it sounded almost believable.
As a constable often out and about in the streets, Yun Xi naturally heard some of these rumors herself. Upon hearing them, she simply fell silent, saying nothing more.
Tian Si, seeing her like this, assumed she was upset, and cursed Pei Lan for his ingratitude—here was a betrothal arranged before birth that he hadn’t so much as mentioned since returning to the capital, all while creating a romantic tale with another young lady instead.
That night, Yun Xi was on duty; the next morning, once her shift ended, she happened to pass through Tongzi Lane and was called out to by a vendor.
The vendor looked somewhat familiar. He rummaged beneath his stall and produced a small ingot of silver, handing it to her. “Constable, don’t you remember me? Last time, the Third Young Master was examining porcelain at my stall and I offended him—it was you who bought that small incense burner from me and took it to him as an apology, and he let the matter go.”
“A few days ago, the Third Young Master was patrolling the streets and passed by my stall again, stopping to look at porcelain once more. He asked about the origin of that little incense burner. He’d meant to ask which dynasty it was from, but I misheard him and thought he was asking who had bought it, so I told him the whole story about how you, Constable, had paid for it.”
“The Third Young Master didn’t say much upon hearing this—he simply picked out a few more porcelain pieces to buy from me. When he paid, he asked about the price of the little incense burner, then gave me this ingot of silver and told me to return it to you, Constable.”
The silver in her hand was exactly the amount she’d paid—not a coin more, not a coin less.
Yun Xi fell silent for a moment, then carefully tucked it into her purse and told the vendor, “My thanks.”
As they left Tongzi Lane, Tian Si glanced at Yun Xi, then glanced again after a moment, unable to hold back. “Constable Yun, why does your mood seem so much better all of a sudden?”
Yun Xi was taken aback. “Is it?”
Tian Si nodded. “Just now, when you heard those rumors about the Pei family’s Second Young Master, your face stayed composed the whole time—but now your steps have gotten lighter.”
Yun Xi herself wasn’t quite sure, but upon reflection, her mood did seem to have genuinely lifted.
She brushed it off. “Perhaps it’s just because my shift is over.”
Tian Si’s younger brother was set to take the imperial exams the following year, but books were expensive and he couldn’t afford them, so he often borrowed ones that Yun Luo had once read from the Marquis’s household.
Tian Si had had a difficult life—his parents had died young, leaving him to raise his younger brother alone, playing both father and mother despite being a grown man, mending clothes, cooking, and chopping firewood, all without complaint. Even his stutter, it was said, had come from a terrifying encounter with bandits that had nearly cost him his life.
When he’d first arrived at the Capital Prefecture Office, most of his colleagues had looked down on him—partly because of his stutter, and partly because, despite being nearly thirty, he had such pale, delicate features that he looked almost like a frail woman. Only Yun Xi had been willing to take him on as a subordinate.
Grateful that Yun Xi had also lent him books to help his brother study, Tian Si went out of his way to help at the Marquis’s residence whenever he had free time.
Recently, with the volunteer physician coming to administer acupuncture to Uncle Bai, who still couldn’t walk and needed care, Tian Si had taken to visiting the residence even more often.
When Yun Xi and Tian Si returned to the residence, Zhao Wu was nowhere to be seen at the gate.
Yun Xi found this odd—the House of Zhongyong only had two gatekeepers on rotating shifts. If no one was at the gate, could he have gone to help in the front courtyard?
The moment she stepped into the main hall, everything became clear.
The household had visitors—and quite a few of them. One was her distant cousin, Luo Shu; the other appeared to be the steward of some great household, dressed in fine brocade, around forty years old, with two servants trailing behind him.
The moment Luo Shu spotted Yun Xi, she came forward, smiling as she took her hand. “Speak of the devil—here she is now.”
Yun Xi, momentarily startled, exchanged formal greetings with the visitors, then looked questioningly toward Fang Fulan, seated at the head of the room.
Fang Fulan said, “Sister Shu came by early this morning. It’s nothing much—she had time on her hands, and so did I, so she came to keep me company.”
She gestured toward the steward seated at the upper left. “This is Steward Feng from the Pei household.”
Steward Feng rose respectfully. “I’ve often heard the Dowager Matriarch speak of the eldest young lady of the Marquis’s household—such elegant bearing. Hearing about it truly doesn’t compare to seeing it in person.”
At the words “Dowager Matriarch,” Yun Xi understood at once.
The Dowager Matriarch was Pei Lan’s grandmother, born into a military family who had once led troops on the battlefield in her youth.
In truth, the friendship between the House of Zhongyong and the Pei family had been forged in the Dowager Matriarch’s generation—she was, in fact, the very person who had arranged the betrothal between Yun Xi and Pei Lan before either was born.
When Yun Xi had lived at the northern frontier as a child, she had been extremely close to the Dowager Matriarch, treating her almost like her own grandmother.
Later, when the Pei family rose in status and relocated to Jinling, the Dowager Matriarch had gone with them, but her health had been poor, and after only a few years in Jinling she had returned to her hometown to recuperate—narrowly missing the Marquis’s family, who had moved to Jinling themselves the following year.
It wasn’t until this past spring that the Dowager Matriarch, who had been peacefully living out her days in quiet devotion back home, suddenly announced she wanted to return to Jinling for a visit.
The Pei family, worried the journey might exhaust her frail health, had tried every way to dissuade her, but the Dowager Matriarch wouldn’t listen. Everyone assumed she simply missed her second grandson, and once Pei Lan returned to the capital in the warmth of spring, they sent people back to escort her to Jinling as well.
“As it happens, the Dowager Matriarch’s seventieth birthday falls at the start of the fifth month. The household has been busy for the past two months preparing for the celebration. No sooner had the Dowager Matriarch arrived than the very first thing she asked was whether A’Ting would be coming.”
“I only joined the Pei household these past two years, so I wasn’t familiar with the name at first. It was only after asking around that I learned A’Ting is your childhood name, Miss Yun Xi. The Dowager Matriarch has made it clear that if you don’t attend her birthday celebration, she won’t celebrate it at all—which shows just how much she’s missed you, Miss.”
As Steward Feng spoke, he gestured for the two servants behind him to set two red-silk-wrapped boxes down on the table.
“These are pastries the Dowager Matriarch brought all the way from home to Jinling, specifically for you, Miss. She said you never cared for extravagant things—as a child, you always loved sweets, and used to pester her constantly to make you treats.”
Yun Xi found herself at a loss for words. She hadn’t expected that after all these years, someone would still remember her so fondly.
She missed the Dowager Matriarch too, deeply. But she had always felt that whatever connection remained between her and the Pei family had likely faded with time.
And if it had faded, perhaps it was better to keep her distance.
“This humble servant knows you’re occupied with your duties, Miss Yun Xi, but please, you must attend the Dowager Matriarch’s birthday celebration,” Steward Feng added.
Before Yun Xi could respond, Luo Shu spoke up softly. “A’Ting.” Then, with a faint smile, “Do you know who’s expected to attend the Dowager Matriarch’s birthday celebration at the Pei residence?”
She proceeded to list off various court officials and their wives, then lowered her voice as though sharing a secret meant only for Yun Xi’s ears. “I heard even Prince Cong, the Third Young Master, and even His Highness Prince Ling will all be attending.”
“Don’t you think—with the Dowager Matriarch inviting such distinguished imperial guests, and even arranging a special seat right beside her for you—that she might be planning to… settle the matter of your engagement to Brother Pei once and for all?”