The third of May was a bright, clear day.

For Ning Yi it wasn’t a particularly special day — his usual run, his usual meals, his usual classes — though Jiangning itself was, admittedly, extraordinarily lively these few days. Out walking the streets, one could always catch a glimpse of some pleasure-house performance or another; people delighted in discussing such things, always chattering about how some girl or another had received a great many flowers, or how two men had come to blows over jealousy. Even the most ordinary happenings, once retold in a teahouse or tavern, always picked up plenty of embellishment along the way, taking on a dramatic flair.

Over these two or three days, Su Tan’er had indeed been quite busy, leaving early and returning late. What she was working on was kept somewhat confidential, though Ning Yi had a rough sense of it all the same — something to do with “palace requisitions” or the like. Much of what Su Tan’er had been doing lately she’d handled quietly, but it was clearly all pointed in that direction. She wanted to become an imperial merchant, to establish connections with the capital, and — he suspected — she’d already found her angle.

There were two kinds of imperial merchants these days. Ever since the two peace settlements with Tanyuan and Heishui, the demand for silk and cloth to send north as tribute payment had been considerable — the imperial household wouldn’t pay a premium, but the volume made up for the margin, and once a connection with the court was established, there’d inevitably be some compensating benefits from that side. On the other hand, the Wu court had also been gathering fine goods from all over these days, and if genuinely superior silk could be sold into the palace, once that channel opened up, there’d be still further advantages. Su Tan’er wasn’t merely dreaming — on one hand she was building connections, on the other improving her techniques, searching for a breakthrough. Whatever was underway now was likely tied to that technical team she’d quietly been assembling — on some of the more critical technical matters, the merchant houses kept things extraordinarily secret, and should anything arise, aside from Su Tan’er and Su Boyong themselves, even the manager in charge probably couldn’t make the call alone. As for whether she was truly “busy” — not exactly, more that she simply couldn’t afford to relax.

Ning Yi still didn’t fully grasp what Su Tan’er’s overall plan actually was — he’d only pieced together fragments from casual conversation. But he had to admire the ambition of this wife of his — only nineteen, ordinarily gentle and courteous in manner — for having such large appetites in this arena. There was never any true stroke of genius in the world, only the difference between larger ambitions and even larger ones; once this affair was properly settled, there’d be no more question of Su Tan’er controlling the Su family’s senior branch, while the other two branches would likely spend their efforts merely on petty obstruction and sabotage. A difference in vision, that was all.

And though hardly anyone could quite grasp it, Su Tan’er wasn’t taking any shortcut either — she was, in the end, putting in the work through technical improvement first, then seizing her opportunity. This was solid, grounded work; even if there was an element of luck involved, in a sense, Ning Yi couldn’t help but conclude that certain women of this era, once they set their minds to something, were probably more pragmatic than a great many men around today. Su Tan’er was nineteen this year — he had no idea just how long she’d been planning all this.

Ning Yi held a measure of admiration for it all, but naturally didn’t need to concern himself much further. On the first and second, Xiao Chan had still accompanied her mistress out during the day, but on the third, she dressed herself carefully and came along with Ning Yi to the school instead. Honestly, these past two days Ning Yi had thought the little maid seemed a bit off, as though something were weighing on her mind — walking unsteadily last night, only snapping out of it when she bumped into a tree. Today too, she seemed distracted now and then, though it was only occasional; most of the time she was just as usual, chattering along behind him. At noon after school, eating out with Ning Yi, she tucked a small packet of candy inside her robe but didn’t eat any; whenever Ning Yi glanced at her, she’d put on a very solemn expression.

“Has something happened at home?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been a bit off these past two days… if something’s happened at home, and I can help, it’s fine to tell me…”

As Ning Yi said this, the little maid first blushed, then shook her head vigorously.

“N-no, nothing’s wrong. Xiao Chan’s family is fine… really, it’s fine…” Having insisted so firmly, she then glanced at Ning Yi with a guilty look. “Er, it’s just… I’m happy, that’s all. Tonight’s going to be really lively — Miss took us to see it once a few years back, and back then Miss and the rest of us dressed up as boys. Miss looked so handsome dressed like that — Juan’er and I couldn’t quite pull it off, hehe…”

Ning Yi pursed his lips — probably nothing serious, then, and since Xiao Chan wasn’t saying, there was no need to press further. “So is Xiao Chan not dressing up as a boy again today?”

“Ah…” Xiao Chan had dressed prettily today, in a white summer dress dotted with tiny flowers, looking slender and demure; she glanced down at herself now, a little troubled. “It doesn’t have to be a change of clothes, does it… Xiao Chan spent ages getting dressed up this morning…”

“Then we won’t change.”

Ning Yi waved a hand, and Xiao Chan’s tense expression relaxed at once; she reached out to grab hold of his sleeve, trotting along behind him a few steps, her fair, slender wrist visible. “The young master really is wonderful… wise and mighty…”

“Utterly unlearned and useless…” Ning Yi laughed.

It was still early — tonight, the city gates of Jiangning wouldn’t close. The main procession headed toward Egret Islet to watch the performances would generally gather at dusk, when the pleasure barges and flower-decked carts would all set off together, converging along the way in a grand parade. Of course, even during the afternoon, people would already be heading out that way for an outing, with various vendors and street performers setting up too; that evening, even those who couldn’t get into the main venue would still catch performances in the surrounding area, and once the shows at the main venue ended, they’d make their way back alongside the barges and flower carts, taking in plenty of the beauties’ songs and dances along the way.

Ning Yi didn’t plan on heading to Egret Islet just yet — he had no particular beauty he wished to support — and instead went with Xiao Chan toward where Old Qin usually set up his chess stall. Qin Siyuan wouldn’t be joining the festivities tonight, though word had it Kang Xian would still be going.

In the afternoon, a cool breeze drifted along the riverbank, willow branches swaying gently, waves lapping rhythmically against the shore. Ning Yi and Old Qin played chess and chatted, while Xiao Chan sat on a nearby stool, her legs kicking beneath her skirt, embroidered shoes swaying lightly, taking in the scenery while humming and nodding along to a tune — she was singing “When Will the Bright Moon Appear,” the one Ning Yi had taught her. She hadn’t tied her hair up into its usual double buns today, letting it drift loose in the breeze, still carrying a youthful innocence, though there was, faintly, a sense of her having grown up a little too.

Her singing drifted on the afternoon breeze along the riverside, blending perfectly with the rhythm of wind and water. Old Qin laughed. “The tune’s a bit odd, but Miss Xiao Chan really does sing it beautifully.” Xiao Chan brightened at that — she’d practiced this song for a long time, after all.

A little further along, as evening began to draw near, in a small courtyard behind Jinfeng Pavilion, Yuan Jin’er had just finished removing her makeup, savoring what little rest she had. Though her formal performance wasn’t scheduled until tonight, the social obligations required these past few days had already been considerable — from morning on, receiving one visit after another from scholars and patrons, maneuvering between rival men jealous of one another, holding the situation steady, controlling the mood, trying her best to keep any of them from truly losing their temper, letting them spar with just enough tension between them without ever really coming to blows — for her, this too took a great deal out of her.

In truth, the unseen rivalry of the beauty contest had already been underway for half a month, and these past days had mostly consisted of exactly this. Only this afternoon had she finally caught a bit of a breather, having attended only to greetings from more important guests like Cao Guan. She’d just played a tune on the qin out on the stage, accepted the crowd’s praise with grace, then come back to remove her makeup — during which Cao Guan and the others had come to see her once more before she’d finally gotten a moment’s peace. From now until evening, when the flower carts would set off, the time was entirely her own; as one of the Four Ranking Beauties, the signature attraction of Jinfeng Pavilion, she didn’t even need to perform on the flower cart itself — only to conserve her energy and prepare for tonight’s performance.

“Nothing to worry about tonight, I just need to make sure I stay in the top sixteen… Running around busy these past few days, I’ve barely been able to eat anything, and Madam’s even telling me to eat less — she’s basically trying to starve me to death…”

In a short top and shorts — really just two pieces of underwear — with her makeup off and no fresh touch-up applied, her hair still mussed, Yuan Jin’er lounged lazily on the cool bed, her fair, soft shoulders and neck, bare feet and slender wrists all exposed without a trace of self-consciousness. As she spoke, she cradled a plate of candied fruit meant for entertaining guests against her chest, popping pieces into her mouth. Then the plate was snatched away by the other person in the room.

“Madam says eat less because she’s worried you’ll feel bloated during the performance. If you’re hungry, eat some soup and rice. Stuffing yourself with fruit like this now, then not eating dinner — what happens if you get bloated during the performance? Or spit up what’s in your mouth — aren’t you worried about choking…”

Yuan Jin’er had reached to grab the plate back, but the hand kept pressing further, reaching toward her mouth, so she went “mm” and clamped her lips shut, puffing out her cheeks and refusing to open them, struggling a bit. The hand gave her cheek an irritated pat; she scrambled further onto the bed and gulped down what was already in her mouth, then coughed and coughed for a good while, clutching her throat. “Ugh… I swallowed the pit, cough cough…”

The hand poured out half a small cup of water. “Only one sip. You’ll eat properly in a bit.”

“Understood, Sister Yunzhu… ah, no, Brother Yunzhu.”

The other person in the room was indeed Nie Yunzhu, dressed today in men’s clothing — a black robe, her long hair tied up, a scholar’s cap on her head. Had she carried a fan, she might well have cut the figure of some feather-fan, silk-capped strategist of old. Of course, on first glance some might genuinely mistake her for a man, though it wouldn’t take much to tell otherwise on closer inspection. Cross-dressing as a man required not just makeup but real skill in performance, and more than that, a natural talent for it — Nie Yunzhu’s makeup and manner might have been passable enough, but talent for it, unfortunately, she lacked.

In the past, Nie Yunzhu wouldn’t have gone anywhere near Jinfeng Pavilion so readily, but things had shifted somewhat these days. Over the past two months, word of the preserved eggs had been quietly spreading. Under Ning Yi’s guidance she’d hired some help, and when it came time to bring on one or two cooks, she’d gone through Yuan Jin’er’s connections as well — after all, those were essentially the only connections she had access to these days. She’d gradually started thinking of herself as something of a merchant — though in her ordinary manner she seemed nothing of the sort, nor did she engage in any particularly elaborate business negotiations.

Over these two months, word of the preserved eggs had spread just as Ning Yi had predicted, though the business itself had grown quietly, without much fanfare — a few things still simmering that hadn’t yet come to fruition. Nie Yunzhu had resumed occasional contact with Yuan Jin’er; the main reason being that Yuan Jin’er wanted to make a splash in this year’s beauty contest, and the madam of Jinfeng Pavilion had struck a bargain with her — if Yunzhu could lend a small hand with this, they’d do their best to help her with whatever she wanted to pursue in the future.

“Actually, Cao Guan’s been surprisingly diligent about this, come to think of it — putting in who knows how much more effort than last year. Jin’er, just look at these poems, they’re really quite heartfelt…”

Nie Yunzhu smiled as she sorted through some poem drafts on the table, while Jin’er, laughing, stood up on the cool bed — dressed in nothing but her undergarments, she smoothed back her hair, and though normally known for her lively spirit, at that moment she carried something rather more alluring about her. “Him? He’s just trying to make up for last year’s loss of face.”

As she spoke, the young woman’s body stretched lightly on the bed, swaying through the steps of a rehearsed dance, her slim bare feet tapping out a light, playful rhythm on the cool surface. With a sway, her supple body leaned back with the motion of her arms, seeming about to fall — only to spin swiftly around at the last moment, her hair sweeping into a circle, stepping forward, holding the pose for a beat, then bowing gracefully and naturally in a gesture of thanks.

“Honestly, Jin’er doesn’t even care about becoming Reigning Beauty. Look what happened with the Four Ranking Beauties — becoming the Reigning Beauty, who knows what that would turn into. After Feng Xiaojing became Reigning Beauty, word has it Commander Cheng once tried to force himself on her, she nearly jumped from a building — if someone hadn’t spoken up on her behalf, that Commander Cheng Yong might well have drawn his blade and killed her. If I ever became Reigning Beauty, I’d probably have to marry someone off right away just to escape it…”

“That would only raise your price for buying your freedom even higher.”

“There’ll always be someone willing to marry me. Reigning Beauty, after all — marrying one home is something to brag about too…”

“Has Jin’er still not found anyone she’d be truly willing to marry, then?”

Yunzhu asked with a smile. Yuan Jin’er frowned, her mouth nearly puckering into a pout, and stalked over to the table to sit down in a huff, reaching for the fruit plate again, only to have Yunzhu pull it away once more.

“Sister Yunzhu, you always love saying such discouraging things. Men… hmph, well, Sister Yunzhu always has good men falling for her anyway. Oh, right, I heard the other day that Gu Yanzhen came back in March — courted you, and even helped sell your preserved eggs — only to get slapped right there in the street, quite the loss of face. And Gu Yanzhen, mind you, passed the exams, got an official post, came home in glory, has money too — Jin’er would love to marry a man like that. Sister Yunzhu, you don’t know how good you have it.”

Yunzhu laughed. “Jin’er, you said it yourself — men… which means I’m in the same boat as you, haven’t found anyone I’d truly be willing to marry either. If Jin’er really wanted to marry, could you truly not find a man like Gu Yanzhen?”

“But I don’t like him! Maybe Gu Yanzhen really is a good man…” Yuan Jin’er had meant it as a joke, shrugging a little now, and spotting a melon seed on the corner of the table, secretly shelled it and popped it in her mouth. “So… what about Sister Yunzhu’s great talent Liheng, then? Would you not be willing to marry him either?”

Yunzhu grabbed a jacket and tossed it at her face, laughing. “Don’t go saying such things carelessly — I might not mind losing my own good name over it, but Liheng already has a family. Don’t go besmirching an innocent man’s reputation.”

“Understood, understood, Sister Yunzhu’s protecting him.” Yuan Jin’er pulled the jacket off her face, muttering, “Isn’t tonight the night you said he’d be there too? Once we’re introduced, Jin’er will go seduce him, see just what sort of man he really is. Hmph, and once his wife finds out, she can send people to beat me to death at Jinfeng Pavilion if she likes — Jin’er will fight her to the end, we’ll see who wins… maybe then Sister Yunzhu can run off with him after all, live happily ever after together…”

“Talking utter nonsense…”

“Hehe.” Yuan Jin’er laughed. “Speaking of which, why did Sister Yunzhu slap that Gu Yanzhen that day, anyway? I only heard that it happened, not the details of how.”

Nie Yunzhu thought it over, taking a deep breath. “He really was a modest, gentlemanly sort at heart — it’s just that he got too forward that time, and that’s why I slapped him… He isn’t a bad man. It’s hard to say who was really in the wrong. Let’s not talk about it any further.”

Thinking back on it, that day back in March when she’d made her decision, she’d run into Gu Yanzhen again and laid things out plainly with him — she hadn’t, of course, mentioned Ning Yi at all — but her refusal that time had been thoroughly final. Gu Yanzhen had clearly been flustered, said a number of rather blunt things, even asked whether she had someone else in mind, and in the end had actually reached out to grab her hand. She’d slapped him on pure reflex — afterward she’d washed her hands many times over, still feeling a lingering trace of revulsion.

At the time they’d been out on the street, plenty of passersby around, and Gu Yanzhen had a friend with him too; the slap hadn’t been especially hard, but it had left him thoroughly stunned, and he hadn’t come back to pester her since. It was only that Gu Yanzhen’s earlier courtship had been rather high-profile, so word of the slap had spread within a certain circle afterward — she hadn’t expected even Jin’er to have heard of it. This wasn’t something Nie Yunzhu wanted circulating; though she was still a little irritated at that forward grab of the hand, a parting of ways between decent people shouldn’t come with harsh words attached, and she had no wish to see the rumor grow further and tarnish his name.

Yuan Jin’er seemed to understand her feelings on this, and nodded with a smile. “Still, that Master Gu will be there tonight too. Sister Yunzhu… no, Brother Yunzhu — what will you do if he spots you?”

Yunzhu smiled. “I’m dressed in black from head to toe — I’ll just stay in the shadows, who’s going to actually recognize me? I’m only going tonight to cheer you on, Jin’er — I’ve no intention of getting close to anyone else.”

“Eh? What about Young Master Ning, then?”

A brief silence, and then, after a moment…

“Jin’er’s wrong! Sister Yunzhu, mercy—!”

A cry for mercy drifted faintly out from the courtyard, mixed with bell-like laughter, as the golden hue of dusk began spreading in gradually from the west.

Elsewhere, along the Qinhuai riverside, Old Qin had packed up his chess stall, and with Ning Yi and Xiao Chan each carrying something, the three of them headed home. Old Qin had invited Ning Yi to stay for dinner — everyone was familiar enough by now that there was no need for much ceremony. After dinner, Old Qin, his two wives, Ning Yi, and Xiao Chan — five in all — went out walking together toward the main road, the sunset splendid in color. Ning Yi and Old Qin talked up ahead, while behind them the scene looked rather like three generations of women from one family — Xiao Chan still young, and Old Qin’s second wife, Yun Niang, once a renowned courtesan herself, teasing the girl with a few remarks that left her blushing furiously, while Old Qin’s first wife looked on affectionately from the side.

Gongs, drums, and music were already ringing out along the streets, with the occasional procession passing by. Old Qin said with a smile, “If you run into Mingyuan, do send him my regards.” Though he wasn’t going out himself today, he’d likely still bring his family along for the dragon boat race and the Reigning Beauty selection on the fifth. Just then a procession approached from up ahead, and everyone stepped aside — it was the prefect’s honor guard, a great many soldiers in attendance, a grand and imposing sight. The prefect of Jiangning himself rode at the front on horseback, and as he passed by, he apparently caught sight of Old Qin and offered a bow of respect toward him. Old Qin, now technically a commoner, returned the courtesy in kind, then turned his head toward Ning Yi with a smile and a subtle nod.

“A while back you asked about Commandant Song Xian — well, Commander Wulie of the Martial Might Army and Commandant Song Xian are both right here now. There.”

Among the procession, two men riding behind the prefect seemed to glance this way as well, without any particular intent. Wulie was somewhat stout, looking over the crowds on either side of the road with a smile on his face. Song Xian, by contrast, had a cold, stern gaze, carrying a good deal of presence. Ning Yi smiled faintly — in truth, having asked around some time ago, he’d already crossed paths with this Song Xian on the street a few times before; to him, the man was already a familiar face. But now that the Lantern Festival had passed, knowing what the man looked like was of little use anymore.

The group parted ways at the crossroads up ahead — Old Qin heading home, while Ning Yi and Xiao Chan walked on toward the city’s edge beneath a magnificent, sprawling sunset. By now, the sound of strings and flutes, gongs, drums, and firecrackers had already begun ringing out across Jiangning; painted pleasure barges lined the Qinhuai River, colorful silks streaming, forming a long procession, while flower carts made their way through the city streets amid crowds and the beat of drums, torches and lanterns gathering across the city in a great, sweeping tide, drawing steadily this way…