Half an hour later, one group of people clustered around another group, left the Twin Happiness Pavilion, and walked toward the carriage road.

Mo Zi, as always, kept her eyes firmly on Qiu Sanniang’s back, like a shadow.

Bai He and the others could finally catch up and followed closely behind.

“What did the mistress call you for?” Bai He walked alongside Mo Zi.

“Nothing much—I just told a story. The one I told earlier at Yan Tower—I told it again to the mistress, ladies, and young misses.” Mo Zi looked at the layers of figures ahead, with Lady Wei and Zhang Shi walking at the very front of the female family members.

“Mo Zi.” Qiu Sanniang called out.

“Yes.” Mo Zi responded.

“You know you’re quite capable, don’t you?” Seemingly casual, “If my memory weren’t fairly good, I would have made a fool of myself just now.”

“How could I be as capable as you, young miss? You heard it once and got every word correct—even the honored guest from the capital praised you.” Indirectly reminding Qiu Sanniang that it was fortunate she hadn’t recited the second half aloud.

“What if I really couldn’t finish writing it?” Qiu Sanniang quite wanted to know.

“If you really couldn’t finish writing it, young miss, Mo Zi would have recited the entire poem again.” Mo Zi had prepared for this long ago.

“You received the guest’s praise? Then our young miss must have pleased that prince’s concubine, right? Who knows, she might have taken a liking to our young miss.” Bai He was delighted.

“That’s not necessarily so.” Qiu Sanniang showed her shrewdness clearly and laughed coldly. “Look ahead—my good mother is pushing Sixth Miss forward, while Seventh Miss is clinging tightly to Sixth Miss. I didn’t know when these two younger sisters became so harmonious.”

“Young miss, shouldn’t we go up there too?” Bai He also wanted to give a push.

“I see that Lady Wei isn’t the soft-natured person Zhang Shi described.” Because they were far from the main group, Mo Zi spoke out. “Regarding Sixth Miss, she seems rather unsatisfied. Toward Seventh Miss, she’s more protective.”

“What about our young miss?” Lu Ju asked with concern from behind.

“Neither cold nor warm—her thoughts are unclear. She praised the young miss, and it was genuine praise. But she mentioned the young miss accompanying the master in business, so she doesn’t seem particularly fond. To be honest, there’s criticism within the praise.” Mo Zi had observed for quite a while. “I’m afraid the mistress has misjudged this close friend from her boudoir days. Even if her nature was soft twenty years ago, now that she’s gained the princess’s trust and has the dignity to return home to visit relatives, how could she be someone easily manipulated?”

“Well said.” Qiu Sanniang expressed agreement.

“But with this neither cold nor warm, with both praise and criticism, what should we do?” Bai He worried.

“If she doesn’t approve of me, I might not approve of her family’s Third Young Master either.” Qiu Sanniang’s attitude was relaxed, yet she glanced at Mo Zi.

“Tomorrow I’ll go inquire about that Third Young Master.” Mo Zi received Qiu Sanniang’s eye signal.

“You maids, see? Don’t say I’m partial.” Though Qiu Sanniang was being squeezed out by the mistress, for some reason, her mood was quite good. “This girl Mo Zi—I said nothing, yet she suddenly said in front of so many people that I wanted her to prepare brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Fortunately, she explained clearly later. Otherwise, your young miss would have been laughed at tonight.”

Mo Zi played dumb with Qiu Sanniang. “I saw that both Sixth Miss and Seventh Miss had left impressions on Lady Wei. Plus, Seventh Miss said something wrong and displeased both Lady Wei San and Lady Wei, so I thought you, young miss, could show off your beautiful cursive script. It would display your strengths and ease the tension at the banquet. Who knew you were so clever that you could write out on the spot a poem you’d only heard once?”

The reason Mo Zi had hinted to Qiu Sanniang was because she believed that since Lady Wei was a secondary consort, she probably wouldn’t publicly endorse monogamy. Sixth Miss Qiu’s longing for the story made Lady Wei frown. Conversely, Seventh Miss Qiu saying Lady Guan was narrow-minded suited Lady Wei’s preferences. But why would Lady Wei specifically have Zhang Shi call her over if not for the story? Besides Lady Guan’s brilliant short lyric, there probably wouldn’t be any other reason.

“Cursive script can be embroidered? When we get back, embroider one for me to see.” Qiu Sanniang took Mo Zi’s words as true, then hearing the word “show,” thought she’d caught her mistake.

Mo Zi groaned inwardly. Although she’d gotten quite accustomed to speaking in the mix of classical and vernacular language, she inevitably let slip some modern terms. She didn’t notice it herself, but listeners were confused.

“My meager needlework skills can only mend and patch. Have Lu Ju embroider a Heart Sutra to send to the honored guest along with the woodblock print.” She spoke off the cuff.

“Embroider a Heart Sutra?” The speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart. Qiu Sanniang thought it was a good idea. “Why don’t I embroider it myself? That would be more sincere.”

Lu Ju let out a snort, quickly covering her mouth, but saw that both Bai He and Xiao Yi were secretly laughing.

“I’ve really spoiled you all too much.” Qiu Sanniang turned around with a stern face, half-narrowing her eyes.

“Young miss, you draw the pattern, and this servant will embroider it. When it’s finished and given away, it will be as if you embroidered it yourself.” Lu Ju said with a grin.

Qiu Sanniang’s needlework had never been very good since she started learning. After staying home for half a year, she still couldn’t produce a decent sachet or pouch. In her spare time, she’d rather play the zither, play chess, read, or practice calligraphy.

“Mo Zi, if you think it’s funny, just go ahead and laugh.” Qiu Sanniang didn’t see Mo Zi acting like those three and thought she was afraid of her temper.

“Young miss, I myself can only mend clothes—what qualification do I have to laugh at you for mistakenly embroidering a peony as a peach?” Mo Zi answered seriously.

Lu Ju coughed violently, suddenly choking. Bai He hadn’t raised her head since Qiu Sanniang said she would embroider the Heart Sutra herself. Xiao Yi was patting Lu Ju’s back while laughing non-stop.

“Good, very good.” When Qiu Sanniang was in a good mood, she could play around with her maids.

At times like this, they were completely out of sync with the perfunctory courtesies of the group ahead—this was deep affection that transcended the mistress-servant distinction. Every time Mo Zi looked at their smiling faces, she would comfort herself that her circumstances as a maid weren’t too terrible, at least.

Compared to the harmony in the rear that no one noticed, Lady Wei, who was surrounded at the front, could clearly feel the undercurrent between Zhang Shi and Seventh Miss Qiu.

Lady Wei remained composed. Turning around, she stopped in front of the carriage. With one hand holding Sixth Miss and the other holding Seventh Miss, she said to Zhang Shi, “Good sister, each of your family’s young misses is just as you described in your letter—such thoughtful children. I truly wish I could adopt them as my own daughters.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi was so delighted her face bloomed like flowers. “Never mind adopting them as daughters—I wouldn’t say anything even if you took them with you.” She pushed Sixth Miss forward with both hands. “Take this one.”

Sixth Miss Qiu shyly lowered her head.

But Lady Wei pulled Seventh Miss Qiu closer. “Isn’t this one also quite good?”

Seventh Miss Qiu leaned close to Lady Wei, her sweet mouth calling her “godmother.”

Zhang Shi was stunned. Her eyes grew fierce, but she laughed awkwardly. “If you take them both, I’ll have no one thoughtful by my side to talk to. You’re being cruel to your sister.”

“Sister, really—you just said to let me take them.” As Lady Wei spoke, her gaze traveled far, seeing Qiu Sanniang at the corridor entrance laughing and chatting with her maids. Her eyes couldn’t help but gleam brightly. “Don’t worry—even if I really took them, I’d only take one.”

This was the first time tonight that Lady Wei personally acknowledged she would take a Qiu family young miss to the capital—equivalent to giving Zhang Shi a reassurance pill: the Qiu family could form a marriage alliance with Prince Jing’s mansion!

These words settled Zhang Shi’s heart, and Sixth Miss and Seventh Miss also had something to look forward to. No matter how much Seventh Miss could perform, a young lady’s reserve dominated, and she lowered her head in delight.

“I’ll be staying in the city for another month. Before I leave, we sisters must gather again.” Lady Wei finally released Sixth Miss and Seventh Miss and was about to board the carriage.

A maid beside her lifted the cloth curtain.

“Next time, it must be at our house. Come early—we can even play cards while the young misses tour the garden. We’ll make a lively day of it.” Lady Wei Da immediately set the return banquet.

Zhang Shi repeatedly said good, waited until the Wei mansion’s female family members had boarded their carriages one by one and driven out the gate, then finally turned around with her daughters and daughters-in-law.

Qiu Sanniang had originally wanted to return to her own courtyard, but Granny An came running to say Zhang Shi still had something to say and requested she bring her maids to the main courtyard.

“What hour is it already, and she still wants us to go to her courtyard?” After Granny An walked away, Qiu Sanniang complained.

“Sixth Miss, Seventh Miss, Fourth Mistress, and Fifth Mistress all went.” Bai He observed carefully.

Mo Zi’s brows furrowed.

Those bright glazed lamps illuminated the pitch-black lakeside, but only that circle of light—unable to reach the depths.