“What whispered secrets was Xiao Hua telling?” Bai He finally asked.

This need not be concealed, so Mo Zi told Bai He about Zhang Shi’s little schemes one by one.

After all, concern leads to confusion. The usually steady Bai He, who was like a little elder sister, turned pale with shock, “If this matter is true, wouldn’t the young miss be casually married off to just anyone?”

“Xiao Hua has a good memory, it should be true. Indeed, how could it be so fortunate—helping our young miss find a good family from the capital for a betrothal?” Mo Zi had anticipated this long ago and spoke unhurriedly, “Although they’ve invited the young miss tonight, first of all it’s a family banquet—if the proper legitimate eldest daughter doesn’t attend, where would the illegitimate young misses have seats? Second, it’s as the madam wishes, to let Sixth Miss overshadow our young miss, leaving her with grievances she cannot speak.”

“Mo Zi, what should we do about this?” Bai He’s mind was meticulous as silk, able to manage daily life in perfect order, but she was too kind-hearted and not skilled at dealing with plots and schemes.

“When you see the young miss later, tell her everything word for word, at least she’ll know what’s happening.” However, Mo Zi guessed that Third Miss Qiu would first throw a big tantrum. Third Miss Qiu’s temperament, even after being tempered by the outside world, was naturally fierce. Originally, she couldn’t tolerate even a grain of sand in her eyes. After returning to this family, she had been persuaded that if one cannot endure small things, great plans will be ruined, and therefore had restrained herself considerably.

Bai He sighed, “Now the entire mansion is under the madam’s control. I truly don’t understand why she dislikes our young miss so much. The account books, silver, and seals have all been handed over, and the young miss just stays in her own small courtyard—isn’t that obedient enough?”

“Who told the young miss to be too capable before?” As long as Third Miss Qiu stayed in this family for a day, she would be a thorn in certain people’s eyes and flesh. “They’re also afraid that if the master’s health improves, he’ll change his mind again. No matter what, the master truly treasures our young miss as the pearl in his palm.”

“The master probably only has this one good point…” Bai He suddenly realized her slip of the tongue and cleared her throat awkwardly, “You’re telling me to speak to the young miss, then what about you?”

Mo Zi was a second-rank maid, but Bai He also knew she was extraordinarily clever. Ever since Mo Zi entered the mansion, the young miss entrusted important matters to her, even casually giving her the jade token for leaving the mansion.

“I’ll go inquire more about the honored guests.” Mo Zi pointed toward the Qiu mansion’s east gate.

“You’re leaving the mansion? At this hour, isn’t it a bit late?” Bai He looked at the sun.

“I won’t leave the mansion, just wander around. You hurry back, lest the young miss comes out from Ninth Miss’s place and both of you are nowhere to be seen.” Mo Zi had originally intended to walk back with Bai He, but Bai He had inadvertently mentioned a vegetarian banquet, which stirred her suspicions.

“What about Xiao Yi?” Bai He stopped worrying about Mo Zi. These four maids all had their own opinions, spoiled by their own young miss.

“She just came down from a tree. I already told her to go back. However, there’s no guarantee she’s not asleep in some other tree, having forgotten my words.” Mo Zi was too lazy to count how many times this “no guarantee” had occurred.

“That girl is only enthusiastic when following the young miss out.” Bai He smiled and shook her head.

She was about to turn when Mo Zi called her back.

“Bai He, what’s in the food box?”

“Just the thousand-layer cloud snow cake that the young miss loves. I also followed your suggestion and added powder ground from green tea—it tastes quite good. I’ll save some for you to eat when you return and help me evaluate whether it’s good or not.” Although Bai He had never heard of such things before, her pursuit of culinary arts far exceeded her personality—boundless and limitless, incredibly bold.

Mo Zi suddenly smiled cheerfully and reached out, taking the top tier.

“Where are you taking that?” Bai He was both annoyed and amused—Mo Zi had even taken the lid from the top.

“When you eat someone’s food, your mouth becomes short.” Mo Zi had already gone around the wall covered with spring vines.

Bai He had no choice but to take out her handkerchief, carefully covering the food box that was now missing its top, and hurried with small quick steps toward her own courtyard.

The Qiu mansion’s east gate, which was also the main gate, naturally stood in the outer garden.

Different from Mo Zi’s understanding of history, or perhaps because the Qiu household consisted of merchants, the inner and outer gardens didn’t have extremely strict gender separation. The women in the inner garden ordinarily didn’t often go to the outer courtyard when they had nothing to do, but even if they went to the outer garden, no one would make a fuss. As for the maids, as long as they had their masters’ orders, they could move freely in and out. However, the women from the rear garden leaving the mansion required Zhang Shi’s permission.

Third Miss Qiu was the Qiu family’s special exception. When Master Qiu took back the account books and seals, he alone left the jade token for leaving the mansion to this daughter. He instructed Zhang Shi that Third Miss had followed him on business trips since childhood and was different from ordinary sheltered daughters. Since she no longer managed the household business, he permitted her the convenience of going out.

Having gotten the watermelon, Zhang Shi regarded this matter as tiny as a sesame seed—how could she not agree? Moreover, looking at the past half year, Third Miss hadn’t left the mansion gate alone. At most she sent maids outside to buy snacks and food, not many times, and they left and returned immediately. Zhang Shi sent people to watch several times, discovered nothing, and felt at ease.

Therefore, when Mo Zi showed the jade token to the old woman guarding the garden gate, the woman didn’t even ask questions before letting her enter the echo corridor.

At the end of the long, narrow gray-walled corridor, she pushed open an arched copper door and went eastward. Seeing those trimming flowers and cutting grass, feeding birds and sweeping, as well as those coming and going in the garden corridors, they were mostly servant boys and menial workers. Among them, plainly dressed maids and servants led by the steward worked in groups, entering and leaving together. There were also pretty maids, mostly brought out from the inner courtyard by the masters, attending to them personally, who wouldn’t come out to stroll in the garden. Moreover, the outer garden contained the study, accounting rooms, and guest halls, as well as the residences of the stewards and their families. It was less than half the size of the inner garden, having only a front hall garden, half an acre lotus pond, and a two-story pavilion used for the masters’ banquets.

By evening, the servants whose homes were in the outer garden went out from the inner garden, and the maids attending the masters came from the outer garden into the inner garden, then the gate would be locked. Maidservants and servants without special tokens couldn’t enter from outside, and those inside couldn’t leave.

Rules still existed, but guarding against outsiders day and night, it was difficult to guard against thieves within the family.

Although Mo Zi paid attention all along the way, no one noticed her. Because of her old clothes and her bowed head and lowered posture, in a garden where flowers were more vivid than leaves, her presence was dimmer than the shadow of leaves.

Hearing ditties floating from Yan Tower, it was most likely Qiu Si calling friends over for drinks, having summoned prostitutes from somewhere to frolic with.

What a fine pair of brothers. One playing inside, one frolicking outside.

Mo Zi lowered her head, her cold eyes condensing, the corners of her mouth curling in mockery.

At the east gate entrance, an old and a young gatekeeper sat on a bench beneath the window chatting idly.

“Uncle Tian, Er Ya.” Mo Zi’s gray tone vanished as she smiled sweetly, shaking the vermilion lacquered box, “Look what good food I’ve brought you!”

The one called Er Ya was two years younger than Mo Zi, with two little white tiger teeth. He spoke sweetly too, “Only good sister remembers our hard work.” Taking it and opening the lid, he couldn’t wait to put a piece of cake in his mouth, mumbling that it was melting, melting.

Uncle Tian was in his forties with an odd temperament, his words easily offending people. He had stayed at the gate house for twenty years.

Sure enough, upon seeing Mo Zi, he showed a black face, muttering and mumbling to himself, yet clearly falling on ears, “Is our mansion gate a dog hole? Cats and rats slipping in and out so smoothly.”

“Uncle, Sister Mo Zi has a jade token.” Er Ya was quick-witted, immediately tugging at Uncle Tian to prevent him from spouting nonsense.

“So what about a jade token? If it were the masters, I wouldn’t even fart. But women, wanting to run outside every day. Our Qiu mansion is a great household in Luo Zhou. Any maid attending the masters is worth a young miss from small households outside. Showing their faces in public, making outsiders laugh for nothing. We gatekeepers even feel embarrassed.” Uncle Tian spoke what he shouldn’t and kept silent about what he should.

Er Ya cursed in his heart: You gatekeeper, losing face for ghosts. Could just anyone get a jade token? In the inner garden, besides the madam, only Third Miss had one. And Mo Zi was the one who most often carried the token for Third Miss—in his eyes, she was like half a master. He had seen plenty of maids who were favored before madams, young misses, and young masters turning up their noses.

Er Ya feared provoking Mo Zi to turn hostile too and quickly smiled apologetically, “Sister, don’t listen to my uncle’s nonsense.”

In this mansion, who else would be like Mo Zi, remembering to give them benefits, even though they were just gatekeepers?