When Situ Sheng invited her to drink tea, Chu Linlang gave a perfunctory smile and said she had eaten well tonight and couldn’t manage any more.

After the polite exchange, the two fell silent again — one sitting, one standing — both tilting their heads up to watch the spider spinning its web on the beam above.

Perhaps feeling the awkwardness had grown unbearable, Situ Sheng finally found a topic and said calmly: “The Sixth Prince’s father-in-law is a sharp and worldly man. Although he is a military commander, he is not the sort to bully and oppress others. As long as you leave room for maneuver in everything, Madam need not worry that his household will do anything too underhanded against you. However, this area has been rather unsettled lately and is not a place to linger long. If Madam wishes to find lodgings outside the Zhou residence, you are welcome to come to the Court of Judicial Review the day after tomorrow — someone will help you find a more suitable place to stay.”

Chu Linlang understood. Situ Sheng pitied her situation and was extending goodwill, pointing out the path ahead for her.

The Xie family was still a law-abiding household of high standing. As long as her demands for a separation were not too excessive, they would likely not make a move against a discarded wife.

As for his suggestion that she find new lodgings, Chu Linlang expressed gratitude but politely declined.

She had not yet formally separated from Zhou Sui’an. If she were to accept Situ Sheng’s kindness now, it would instead give others a handle to use against her — those with ill intentions would be quick to sling mud.

Seeing her decline, Situ Sheng said no more. The tea had been finished. He slowly rose and said to Chu Linlang: “If Madam has any matters requiring attention, feel free to come to the Court of Judicial Review to find me.”

With that, he made to leave.

But Linlang caught hold of his sleeve, looking rather embarrassed as she gestured toward his lips: “The tea leaves were roasted a little too long — my lord… would you like to wipe your mouth?”

Situ Sheng had been so absorbed in tasting the tea that the corners of his mouth were now ringed with a black “mustache.” If he walked out like that, it would be quite embarrassing.

After saying so, she quickly handed her handkerchief to Situ Sheng so he could wipe his mouth.

Just then, someone came to call for Situ Sheng, saying they had caught someone. With no time to return the handkerchief, Situ Sheng wiped his mouth as he strode quickly away.

Xia He closed the newly repaired front door and said to Chu Linlang with lingering fear: “Young Mistress, we are strangers in this capital city. Why don’t you… just go back?”

Chu Linlang shook her head. She absently picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea she had roasted herself — only to wrinkle her brow and spit it out the next moment.

Good heavens! How could it taste so terrible! Did that man not have a tongue? How on earth had he managed to drink two full cups of it?

At that same hour, within the capital, not only was this particular alley left unable to sleep in peace by the commotion of the soldiers — at the other end of the city, in the master bedroom of the Xie residence, the lights were blazing and no one could rest either.

General Xie Sheng’s fury had brought on a migraine. The moment the acupuncture needles were removed from his head, he could not wait to drag in his second daughter again and unleash his scolding.

“My face — you might as well have hung it up on the city gate tower! Not only were you having an affair, but the man’s wife came and lodged a complaint at our door! I should never have given birth to such a wretched—”

Before the general could finish his tirade, Xie Youran, who had been kneeling, suddenly leapt to her feet. She gave a cold laugh and said: “Who asked you to give birth to me? Didn’t you throw me away in the countryside because of some fortune-teller’s words, without ever looking back? Do you think I wanted to come back? In this household, who has ever truly cared about me? You all just used me as a prop, trading me for advancement. You can beat me to death right now if you like. In my next life I’d sooner be reborn as livestock than as a human being!”

These utterly insolent words made her mother Su Shi want nothing more than to sew her second daughter’s mouth shut. General Xie had already flung off the slipper from his foot, jumped up, and was reaching for the sword hanging on the wall.

The Sixth Prince’s consort, Xie Dongli, had rushed back to her parents’ home in response to her mother’s summons — she had never witnessed such a scene. Terrified, she quickly went over and grabbed her father’s arm, urging him to calm down and not stoop to arguing with her younger sister.

The Sixth Princess Consort was two months pregnant. Even if the general was driven to fury, he had to hold himself in check, lest he give his elder daughter a fright and harm the child.

After his elder daughter seized the sword from him, he pressed the blue vein bulging on his forehead and said: “There is no need for you to seek death. With the scandal you have committed spreading about, and everyone pelting you with rotten eggs, you will be made livestock soon enough! Have I failed to find you a good family? That Zhou — Zhou Sui’an — what sort of family background does he have, what sort of character, that you would throw yourself at him so shamelessly?”

Xie Youran said coldly: “He has no family background, but he passed the examinations on his own merit. Because of his outstanding ability, he caught my brother-in-law’s eye and was promoted step by step into the capital. His appearance may not rival the most handsome of men, but he is certainly an elegant and refined gentleman. Except for not having a father who is a censor, how is he inferior in any way to the Wang family’s toad?”

Although her father had drawn the sword in fury, she was not afraid of him. He was always shouting and cursing at her mother and intimidating others with his glares, but he had never laid a finger on either of his daughters.

So what if he drew the sword with such an imposing air — with her mother and sister here, he wouldn’t be able to strike!

Besides, not everyone was like Chu Linlang, who was so frightening when she flew into a rage.

Even the Sixth Princess Consort was bewildered by this. It was only now that she suddenly understood why her younger sister had previously spoken well of Zhou Sui’an to the Sixth Prince and asked him to act on her behalf, arranging a higher-grade official residence for Zhou Sui’an.

She had originally assumed Zhou Sui’an had bribed her sister with silver in exchange for some favor — after all, he had come from Jizhou, so it seemed reasonable to treat him a little kindly.

But it had never occurred to her that Zhou Sui’an had not used money at all. He had used his good looks!

Her mother Su Shi was now full of regret as well. She should never have agreed to let that outsider man travel back with them.

He had seemed so proper and restrained — how could he have engaged in conduct so beneath even animals?

Yet it was too late for regrets now. The only thing left to do was figure out how to cover up this scandal. She sighed heavily: “But he already has a wife and a concubine — what exactly does flinging yourself at him make you?”

Xie Youran lifted her chin calmly and said: “In this lifetime I will marry no one but Zhou Lang. If you dare lay a hand on the child in my belly, you may as well kill me first. Besides, that Chu woman has already said she will separate from Zhou Sui’an and yield the position of first wife to me.”

Even the Sixth Princess Consort was greatly startled: “How is that possible? Did the lady say that to you herself? Or… did Lord Zhou force her into requesting the separation?”

Xie Youran said impatiently: “Sui’an is the most mild-tempered person — how could he possibly abandon a wife to remarry? It was that Chu woman herself who felt inferior, believing she could not bear children and had failed the Zhou family, and so sought to leave of her own accord!”

Su Shi felt a slight loosening in her chest upon hearing this. She had heard that the Chu woman was of humble origins. If she could separate without making a scene, quietly and without fuss, her daughter’s scandal might still be covered up…

General Xie Sheng, who had been stewing in silence, heard this and again hurled his teacup at his younger daughter. He glared and said: “Brainless creature! She ‘sought to leave of her own accord’? She has already set a high asking price and is sitting back waiting for our family to go and beg her! Look at those shops she listed — which one of them can the Zhou family afford? It will all have to come out of the Xie family’s pocket! Your elder sister just got married to a prince — outfitting her trousseau alone cost no small sum. Where are we supposed to come up with that kind of money now? Even if we used your entire dowry it wouldn’t be enough!”

Xie Youran protested: “When it comes to marrying Elder Sister there’s gold and silver aplenty, but when it comes to me suddenly there’s no money? I don’t believe it — a mere five shops. If our family and the Zhou family pool their resources, surely we can manage?”

Su Shi had by now also read Chu Linlang’s letter, and she drew in a sharp breath: “She only just arrived in the capital — how does she know market prices this well? These shops are all prime properties worth a fortune!”

Xie Sheng threw up his hands helplessly: “Shop transfers in the capital are done in plain sight — no one can conceal who the buyer is. If we buy these premium properties and hand them to that Chu woman, once the news gets out, who won’t be able to guess what’s behind this transaction? I, Xie Sheng, have always kept a low profile and sought peace and stability — and in the end I’ll have the reputation of indulging my daughter’s wantonness and spending money to drive away someone’s rightful wife… My old face! I should have died at the Battle of Beishui and given my life for the nation alongside General Yang!”

The Battle of Beishui was a national disgrace. In particular, General Yang Xun’s son surrendering to the Jing Kingdom was a deep thorn in His Majesty’s heart.

Xie Sheng had spoken in the heat of rage, and the words that came out gave Su Shi such a fright that she rushed over to cover his mouth.

But no amount of shouting about killing could help the situation. The wayward daughter was now with child. They could not bring themselves to force her to abort it and remarry someone else, nor to steel their hearts and send her off to a nunnery.

Without a plan, the family scandal would be impossible to contain. In the end, it was the Sixth Princess Consort who decided to step forward personally and have a talk with the Chu woman first.

The Xie family’s intention was that they did not actually want Chu Linlang to leave through a formal separation — partly because they could not meet her asking price, and partly because many Jizhou officials who had returned to the capital alongside the Sixth Prince were familiar with the Zhou family. If they forced Chu Linlang out, both the Xie and Zhou family names would be tainted.

Since Chu Linlang had shown a willingness to yield, the best outcome would be for her to voluntarily demote herself to the status of concubine. At that point, the Xie family would compensate her with some gold and silver.

Even if she did not wish to remain in the Zhou household, the Xie family could arrange for her a house back in her hometown of Jiangkou, allowing her to live independently. Would that not be the best of both worlds?

But the moment this suggestion was raised, Xie Youran reacted as if she had been bitten by a dog, furiously insisting that the Chu woman was a venomous schemer with black hands — she absolutely could not be allowed to stay.

Xie Sheng, irritated by her meddling, ordered the household servants to keep a close watch on her and locked her in her room. The remaining matters were handed over to his elder daughter to mediate — she would first sound out Chu Linlang’s intentions.

However, when the Sixth Princess Consort sent someone to the Zhou residence to relay this message, they learned that Chu Linlang had already moved out with her two personal maids.

After much winding inquiry, the Wang residence steward finally tracked down Chu Linlang’s address and arranged to bring her to the Wang manor.

When the Sixth Princess Consort saw Chu Linlang bow in greeting, she felt a twinge of guilt and personally helped her up: “I only learned of this the day before yesterday…”

At that point, the princess consort could not bring herself to continue, but Chu Linlang timely took over the thread of conversation: “It is simply that Zhou Lang and I have reached the end of our affinity — it has nothing to do with anyone else.”

The Sixth Princess Consort had originally assumed, upon seeing the list Chu Linlang had drawn up, that she did not truly want to separate — that she was deliberately making things difficult and setting up obstacles with such outrageous demands.

But what she saw instead was something that utterly defied her expectations: Chu Linlang showed not even a trace of the wailing bitterness of an aggrieved wife. She made no mention of accusing Xie Youran of misconduct. She simply, magnanimously, took all the blame upon herself.

This left the Sixth Princess Consort with not a single prepared remark that she could actually use.

When the Sixth Princess Consort conveyed the Xie family’s wishes, Chu Linlang replied calmly: “Silver and money — enough to sustain myself is all I need. Over these past two days, I have also thought it through clearly. Since Zhou Lang has feelings for the second young miss, why should I not help bring them together? Oh, and when I met with the Second Young Miss that day, I was momentarily overcome with anger and behaved rather improperly — please convey my apologies to the Princess Consort. Actually, as long as the Zhou family is willing to return to me the two shops I earned, I won’t ask for the others. As for voluntarily demoting myself to concubine — that will not be necessary.”

Chu Linlang had yielded with such ease, and had declined the enormous compensation from the Xie family — this again exceeded the Sixth Princess Consort’s expectations.

The woman whose husband had been taken had neither raged nor lamented; she neither demanded money from the Xie family nor accepted their compensation. She was willing to step aside, and asked for nothing more than the shops she herself had built through her own efforts within the marriage.

This was the heart of a bodhisattva — a truly generous spirit!

If the Xie family were to further press this female bodhisattva to demote herself to concubine for the sake of both families’ faces and reputations, they would be worse than beasts.

Right then and there, the Sixth Princess Consort ascertained that Chu Linlang’s resolve to separate was unwavering. She offered warm words of comfort and roundly cursed her own oblivious younger sister, then pledged that the Xie family would send someone to mediate with Zhou Sui’an’s mother. Even without the additional shops, the Xie family would provide a sum of silver to ensure that Chu Linlang could depart with dignity — after which she personally escorted Chu Linlang to the door.

After seeing Chu Linlang off, the Sixth Princess Consort turned back to find that her mother had been in the adjacent room the entire time, listening.

However, keeping Su Shi company was also her maternal aunt — her own blood sister.

This woman had married into the household of a minor official surnamed An in the capital. Her husband had followed the civil path, and his promotions had not come nearly as swiftly as her brother-in-law’s, who had started out as nothing more than a military clerk. This had always left Aunt An feeling rather sour inside, and she would find excuses from time to time to come and take advantage of her elder sister and brother-in-law.

She considered herself shrewder than Su Shi, and she liked to put herself forward and meddle in other people’s affairs. Having heard about the matter from her sister, she had come to help her figure out a plan.

Aunt An had also listened to the exchange between the Sixth Princess Consort and Chu Linlang, and she was far from satisfied. In her view, her niece, as a prince’s consort, should not have been offering apologies to some merchant girl of lowly birth — it was simply not impressive enough.

With what Zhou family had left after giving up two shops, what would remain? Her sister and brother-in-law truly had no regard for the second girl’s interests.

If it had been up to her, she could have managed that Chu woman so thoroughly that the woman would have had no choice but to leave without a single coin to her name!

Su Shi, however, sighed: “Enough. It’s good that this matter has been resolved quietly. We are fortunate that the Chu woman has a kind heart and is easy to talk to.”

Aunt An let out a cold snort: “Indeed, what fine luck she has — to run into a household like yours. You give her the shops, and she still wants money from the Xie family? What sense does that make? If you had just told me about this earlier…”

Aunt An was just getting into her stride when she caught the look the Sixth Princess Consort was shooting her, and she fell resentfully silent. She followed her sister out of the Wang manor.

Back to Chu Linlang — as she stepped out through the gates of the Wang manor, she let out a quiet breath of relief.

No one knew better than she did the nature of her mother-in-law Zhao Shi. If she had asked on her own initiative to take the two shops with her, Zhao Shi would have brought up her failure to bear children yet again, forcing Zhou Sui’an to simply cast her out with a repudiation letter, leaving her with nothing at all.

But as things stood, she had opened with an outrageous demand and then graciously retreated, earning a measure of guilty gratitude from the Sixth Princess Consort. She had also generously indicated her willingness to protect the Xie family’s reputation.

When the time came, it would be the Xie family stepping in with pressure, compelling the Zhou family to hand over the shops along with the separation agreement. That was far better than fighting a one-on-one battle against that mother-son pair on her own…

After all, what capital did she have to contend with the powerful and influential families of the capital? Being a little accommodating, a little understanding of others’ situations — that was the only way to protect her own interests as much as possible…

She was still turning over in her mind how to proceed next when she glanced up and caught sight, directly across from the Wang manor, of a tall man standing there with a young manservant, watching her.

Lord Situ? At this hour on a mid-morning, all the lords of the various ministries should be occupied with official duties. Why was he out here idling?

Remembering that he had helped repair her door the day before yesterday, Chu Linlang walked over to exchange a greeting with Situ Sheng.

When Chu Linlang asked him why he was here, Situ Sheng answered honestly: “I came today to return the handkerchief, but I only found Miss Dongxue there. She told me you had gone to the Sixth Prince’s manor, so I came here to wait for you.”

Chu Linlang startled slightly, remembering that he had taken her handkerchief away with him after wiping his mouth that day.

But if he only meant to return something, he could have left it with Dongxue. Why had he come here as well?

So she asked: “Has my lord come all this way to tell me something important?”

Situ Sheng took the handkerchief from his breast and handed it to Chu Linlang, saying calmly: “Did Madam not once beseech me to keep you safe? I heard you had entered the Wang manor alone, so I came to have a look.”

Ah? Chu Linlang did not quite take it in at first, and she dazedly accepted the handkerchief.

She had entirely forgotten the matter of kneeling by the lakeside and imploring the Honorable Lord Situ to uphold justice for the common people. She had never imagined that Situ Sheng would take it so seriously — that he would come with genuine solemnity to escort and protect her.

From the carpet of sunflower seed shells Guanqi had scattered on the ground, they had clearly been standing here for quite some time.

With this, Chu Linlang was genuinely moved. Looking again at Situ Sheng in his resplendent junior minister’s official robes — so tall and impressively commanding — he truly was the guardian deity of the capital’s citizens, a figure that filled one’s heart with reassurance.

Chu Linlang broke into a tearful smile and, for the first time in her life, offered a sincere and heartfelt tribute to Lord Situ’s martial bearing and imposing presence.

Situ Sheng listened patiently to her flattery for a while before cutting her off at an appropriate moment and asking what had transpired inside the Wang manor.

Chu Linlang would never have imagined that the person she could actually discuss her separation from Zhou Sui’an with would be neither her mother far away in a distant place, nor her half-sister in the capital, but this Situ Sheng — who had no particular connection to her whatsoever.

Still, since this lord already knew the beginning and end of the affair, there was no need to hide anything from him. After all, she had known Situ Sheng even a little longer than she had known Zhou Sui’an.

Neither of them had come by sedan chair, so the two walked along the slightly quieter side streets and lanes, talking as they went.

For the most part, it was Chu Linlang who spoke, and Situ Sheng who listened in silence.

When he heard that she planned, after the separation was finalized, to leave the capital and go back to find her mother, Situ Sheng spoke at last: “If you return in such a manner, I am afraid your own family will not be easy to deal with either. Without a reliable place to settle, it would be better to stay in the capital for the time being — at the very least, the security here is considerably better than elsewhere.”

Chu Linlang thought of her front door being kicked in just a few nights ago and did not entirely agree about the capital’s security.

But to say so aloud would be to slap this guardian deity of the capital right across the face.

Lord Situ himself brought the matter up: “The other night, a criminal was spotted fleeing into the alleyway where you reside — that was what drew the soldiers to conduct a search. Such incidents do not happen very often. Still, if you were to move to Jicui Lane in the southern part of the city, the security there is considerably better.”

This was the second time he had suggested she move. Chu Linlang was about to ask what made Jicui Lane particularly secure when the sound of hoofbeats suddenly thundered into the lane. A pair of tall horses came charging in without the slightest sign of slowing.

Seeing the horses bearing down without any reduction in speed, Situ Sheng moved with swift hands and sharp eyes, yanking Chu Linlang and Xia He, who were standing in the middle of the road, out of the way.

Xia He fared slightly better — she stumbled and knocked against the door panel of a nearby shop. But Chu Linlang had lost her footing at just the wrong moment and tumbled straight into the man’s arms…

His official robes carried a faint scent of soapberries — just as that scent had once lingered at the tip of her nose on the carriage. And why was this man’s chest so hard? Colliding with it made the tip of her nose ache.

In the chaos, Chu Linlang even braced a hand against his firm and broad chest…

Just then, the lead rider who had been galloping through the alleyway pulled on his reins, turned around, and looked at Situ Sheng holding the beauty in his arms. With a cold laugh, he said: “Lord Situ, how leisurely you are! The Court of Judicial Review is run off its feet, yet here you are making a secret rendezvous with a lovely lady?”

He had caught a fleeting glimpse of Chu Linlang’s profile just now. My, what a beauty…

Chu Linlang quickly extricated herself from Situ Sheng’s arms. The horses and men were blocking the street and she could not pass for the moment, so she lowered her head to avoid attention and moved toward one of the shops along the street.

The newcomer lingered a moment on Chu Linlang’s graceful silhouette, then shifted his gaze to Situ Sheng: “The Crown Prince was attacked two days ago. Lord Situ was expressly told to ensure the assassin was captured. Yet on the night of the pursuit, you were nowhere to be found for a good long while. Although the soldiers from the barracks did catch the man, they let him die in their hands! How are we to question a dead man? Do you suppose… someone might have deliberately silenced him?”

Situ Sheng clasped his hands behind his back and regarded the man before him — Chen Fang, a sword-bearing bodyguard of the Eastern Palace’s Crown Prince, and the Deputy Commander of the Cavalry.

He was a close favorite of the Crown Prince’s, and like Situ Sheng, who was the junior minister of the Court of Judicial Review, held the fifth rank. Accordingly, he spoke without much deference, and had not even dismounted from his horse.

Situ Sheng listened to his accusations and merely said, unperturbed: “The men the barracks sent that night were not very disciplined. They broke into a private residence uninvited, kicked in someone’s door, and left a houseful of women unattended — it was bound to mean someone knocking on the yamen drum the next morning. I helped with a little repair work on the spot. By the time I arrived, the barracks’ men had already apprehended the assassin. When I got there, the man had already breathed his last. But Deputy Commander Chen need not worry. Even with only a corpse, the Court of Judicial Review will most certainly follow every clue to its end and apprehend the assassin’s accomplices!”

Chen Fang slanted a sideways look at Situ Sheng, his heart seething with contempt: What sort of creature is this! He was nothing more than a leisurely official in the Hanlin Academy, there to amuse the princes. And yet, riding entirely on the coattails of that good-for-nothing Sixth Prince, he managed to use the toppling of Prince Tai to gain standing with His Majesty.

But this grandson Situ was truly slippery — very good at reading the situation. He had known full well that the Crown Prince’s “assassination” ran deep, and had slunk along the edges to avoid getting involved.

As a result, the faction of the Fourth Prince had seized the initiative and successfully silenced the assassin.

And Situ Sheng had come out clean. After all, whether the man lived or died was entirely the responsibility of the military barracks handling the joint investigation — it had nothing to do with the Court of Judicial Review.

Now, with the assassin dead, all the carefully laid plans of the Crown Prince had come to nothing.

He had originally heard that Situ Sheng had fallen out with the Sixth Prince and thought to draw this newly appointed junior minister to the Court of Judicial Review closer. He had even given him advance word early on, telling him to keep a sharp watch at night.

What a shame that his good intentions had been wasted. Situ Sheng served the Crown Prince with such indifference. A man with no judgment at all! Did he not see how many years His Majesty had left? Among all the princes at present, who could compare to the Crown Prince?

If Situ Sheng loved carpentry so much, sooner or later he would be demoted to the Directorate of Construction, to toil away as a common laborer!

With that thought, Chen Fang could not be bothered to waste any more words on this young man who was ruining his own prospects. He cracked his whip, and with a shout, led his men galloping away once more.

Chu Linlang had been quietly listening the whole time, facing the shop door panel, and had made out roughly seven or eight parts of the exchange.

Although she could not fully piece together the background of what had just been said, she guessed that whether that assassin had been taken alive or dead, Situ Sheng would likely have come out on the losing end regardless.

No wonder he had been able to drink such bitter ground rice tea. It turned out he had run to her courtyard to lie low.

Hearing the men depart, she couldn’t help but look up quietly to observe Situ Sheng — only to find that Situ Sheng was watching her too.

—