After hearing Situ Sheng’s words, Chu Linlang suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She glanced at the broken water vat where the silver had been carelessly tossed, then looked at the large pile of silver in her hands, and shook her head helplessly. “My lord, you… how can you store silver like this!”

Though she loved money, she acquired it by proper means. Even if she happened upon a foolish employer, she couldn’t take advantage of him so shamelessly.

Situ Sheng, however, seemed unconcerned, and said with complete indifference, “Guanqi and I don’t have many daily expenses, and we don’t like to carry silver around. Even if a thief came, they wouldn’t think to look here.”

Chu Linlang had been the wife of an official. She understood that an official’s salary was limited, so most officials who wished to maintain a comfortable and respectable life — if they couldn’t rely on family property — had to accumulate silver to buy land and shops, so that money could generate more money.

Who in their right mind threw money into a water vat? Did they think it was a treasure basin that grew coins on its own?

Thinking this, she sighed and pocketed the silver. Better in her hands than languishing in that broken vat!

Having settled the matter of the monthly stipend, Situ Sheng then arranged a room for the new female steward.

Originally, Chu Linlang had intended to squeeze in with the two maids in that side room.

But Situ Sheng pointed out that in the great households of the capital, stewards were generally slippery and self-indulgent sorts who enjoyed finer things than their masters.

When stewards from different households went out, they compared outfits, monthly stipends, and displays of status!

Though she was new to this line of work, there was no need for her to be the lone voice of austerity in the capital.

The master was generous, so why should she suffer needlessly? Thus, Situ Sheng actually selected a large room, intending to tidy it up for Linlang to live in.

Chu Linlang knew that Situ Sheng, for the sake of convenience, had set up his own bedchamber inside his study, and so this large room was, in fact, the original master’s bedroom of the residence.

In the future, when Situ Sheng took a wife and started a family, this was the very room that would serve as the bridal chamber.

For her to occupy the master’s bedroom under the guise of a household steward — wasn’t that a bit too presumptuous?

But Situ Sheng said it was sitting unused anyway, and it would be a waste to leave such lovely sunlight unappreciated.

As he spoke, he had already picked up a hammer and, together with Guanqi, helped Chu Linlang fix up the room, so that the newly arrived female steward could live in comfort.

Since the master was already showing such gracious consideration, it would be overly affected of Chu Linlang to refuse further.

So while the master and servant busied themselves patching the roof beams, Chu Linlang simply took Xia He out to buy groceries, intending to prepare a proper meal to repay her generous and magnanimous new employer.

Once Chu Linlang had gone, Guanqi lowered his voice and said to Situ Sheng, “My lord, are you really keeping her? Aren’t you afraid she might…”

Situ Sheng kept his eyes down as he hammered in a nail. After a moment he replied, “She knows of the old affair at Jiangkou. Better to have her here in the household than out in the city.”

Guanqi thought this made some sense. If this woman were to reveal the lord’s background, she might inevitably be exploited by those with ulterior motives. Keeping her nearby would make it convenient to deal with her should the need arise to eliminate a potential threat.

But Guanqi also felt his master was being too soft-hearted with this wayward woman. If he wanted to control her, there were a thousand ways to do so — why hand over all the silver and put her in charge of the household?

He was about to say something more, but the sound of stir-frying drifted in from the kitchen, along with wave after wave of enticing aromas.

Guanqi quietly swallowed his saliva, and suddenly felt that keeping Chu Linlang around for the time being wasn’t so bad after all. That woman might have been a little terror back in the day, but the dishes she cooked now… were truly delicious!

And so, the residence of the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review — which had until now seemed devoid of human warmth — began at last to breathe the smoke and fire of everyday life.

The prospect of hot meals three times a day moved Guanqi nearly to tears. But the new female steward had clearly taken the chicken feather she’d been handed and wielded it as a banner of authority, truly acting as if she were the full steward of the household!

After Guanqi finished eating, he followed his usual habit of tossing his bowl into the wash bucket and was ready to head back to his room to sleep.

Chu Linlang stood before him with a stern face, hands on hips, and told him he had to wash the bowls and sweep the courtyard before resting.

Guanqi glared at her, and she gave him a cold smile, threatening to dock his monthly wages.

Guanqi turned to look at his master, hoping he would speak up for him — but to his dismay, Situ Sheng strolled off with his hands clasped behind his back toward the study, adopting an air of complete laissez-faire in which all household matters were left to the female steward.

Dongxue couldn’t stand Guanqi’s habit of acting more lordly than the lord himself. Seeing his insubordination, she tilted her brow and began to scold him from the side: “When eating, he stretched his chopsticks out further than even the master! And now he balks and drags his feet over washing a few bowls! I wonder from which slave trader the lord purchased such a precious young master? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a few dirty bowls grow mold in weather this cold!”

Guanqi’s face tightened from the mockery, and he said sulkily, “These past few days, I’ve been on night duty with the lord. When things get busy, I can’t even make it home. I’ve gone without a proper night’s sleep for days in a row — of course I want to catch up on rest when I get the chance! Besides, since you lot weren’t around, there was no need to cook, and so no bowls to wash — I just forgot for a moment…”

Having said that, he went to wash the bowls.

Chu Linlang noticed the dark circles under his eyes and, thinking of the situation in the city these past few days, knew he wasn’t lying.

So she generously waved her hand and let him go make up for his sleep. After all, Guanqi followed Situ Sheng’s side and dealt with thieves and dangerous criminals — if he didn’t get enough rest and something happened to him, it would be no small matter.

Unfortunately, Guanqi’s pride had been wounded by Dongxue’s words and he was too embarrassed to actually rest. Not only did he wash the bowls, he also chopped firewood.

Afterward, Guanqi went to complain to Situ Sheng, saying that Chu Linlang was too fierce, and wouldn’t it be better to deal with her sooner rather than later.

But Situ Sheng said mildly, “The other day, you washed my favorite shirt until it fell apart. Was she wrong to say so? Your wages should indeed be docked!”

Guanqi scratched his head, gave an awkward laugh, and hurriedly left the study.

Meanwhile, Situ Sheng continued to lie in the reclining chair in his study reading, and as he raised his hand to turn a page, the embroidered pattern on his cuff naturally caught his eye.

The shirt he wore was the very one Guanqi had ruined in the wash.

But at the originally damaged cuff, someone had cleverly reinforced it with a strip of matching fabric, and had also embroidered a ring of wave patterns in pale blue thread. The layered, cloud-surging lines added a touch of understated elegance to the worn, faded cuff.

That day when Chu Linlang had been waiting for him at the alley entrance, pretending to be casual, this was the very shirt she had been sewing in her hands.

Similar wave patterns — he had actually seen them before, on the collar and sleeves of Zhou Sui’an’s clothing.

And now, this arc of water ripples had wound its way to his wrists, fine and dense, endlessly curling…

Speaking of the Zhou household — after that day’s divorce proceedings, things had ended in chaos with the smashing of furniture.

Zhao Shi felt that An Shi had handled things dishonorably. She had promised to preserve the two shops, yet in the end she had sold away the Zhou family’s advantages to placate that shrew Chu Linlang.

So after Chu Linlang left, Zhao Shi turned on Aunt An in a fury.

This Aunt An had never thought much of the Zhou family to begin with. Now that she had finally frightened Chu Linlang away, pocketed Xie Family’s silver, she no longer felt any need to put on a pleasant face for the Zhou mother and son. She offered a fake smile to congratulate the Zhou family on clearing the way for their match with the Xie family, then promptly took her leave.

That day she had been berated to her face by Chu Linlang, and the anger festered in her heart. She was consumed with thoughts of who she might find to put that woman in her place and shut her up once and for all.

Zhou Sui’an, on the other hand, felt as though he had lost his parents — his heart like the rubble of a hall strewn across the floor, empty and desolate.

As he walked out of the main hall, Zhou Sui’an spotted his younger sister holding Yuan’er’s hand, watching him with a long, silent, reproachful gaze.

These past days, Aunt An had been stirring up trouble constantly, and Zhou Xiuling had finally come to understand why her sister-in-law had fled the house in the middle of the night.

She had heard the commotion from the front hall just now but felt too ashamed to show her face before her sister-in-law, and so could only pull Yuan’er away to the rear courtyard to comfort her.

As a younger sister, it wasn’t her place to reproach her elder brother — but Yuan’er had no such reservations. She pointed at Zhou Sui’an and declared, “You bullied Mother! You’re a great big villain!”

Zhou Sui’an flushed at being accused by his own daughter, and could only snap back, “Insolent child! I am your father! Remember this: from now on, Chu Linlang is no longer your mother!”

Upon hearing this, Yuan’er burst into tears and ran away. Zhou Xiuling stamped her foot in fury: “I think everyone in this household is worse than the children!”

With that, she ran off to comfort Yuan’er.

But Zhou Sui’an’s heart was bitter: it wasn’t as though he had abandoned Chu Linlang — it was that woman who had chosen to abandon this home! Did she think she had him wrapped around her finger, that he couldn’t live without her? What wishful thinking! Things had come to this, and he needed to get on with his own life.

Once he brought Xie Shi through the door, his promotion would come down too. When he rose in rank and title, he’d let people see for themselves just what she had given up!

Taking advantage of a holiday, he requested two extra days off and only on the third day forced himself to pull himself together and report for duty at the Ministry of Finance.

His rank was not high enough to attend morning court with the ministers, so each morning upon arriving at the ministry office, he needed only to process documents and wait for the minister to return from court to give his approval.

Today was no different. While the minister was reviewing documents, Zhou Sui’an took the opportunity to once again ask whether there was any news about the vacancy the minister had previously mentioned, and when he might be appointed to fill it.

The head minister of the Ministry of Finance looked at him and sighed meaningfully: “Master Zhou, as the ancients said — only a harmonious family can prosper in all things! Your abilities were recommended by the Sixth Prince, and there is naturally no question about that. But vacancies at the Ministry of Finance have always had countless pairs of eyes watching them. If there is any blemish on your personal conduct, even if I have the heart to promote you, others will be there to pull you back down!”

Zhou Sui’an’s heart jolted with alarm and he quickly asked what the minister meant.

The head minister waved his hand and simply asked whether Zhou Sui’an had divorced his wife.

Zhou Sui’an had not expected his family affairs to have reached his superior’s ears, and could only stiffen his face and nod.

The head minister shook his head and sighed, “As they say, a man should not cast aside the wife who shared his hardships! Master Zhou, you’ve been foolish!”

Zhou Sui’an steeled himself and explained his reasons for issuing the divorce proclamation — he said Chu Linlang was vicious and petty, that his mother could not tolerate her, and besides, why should his personal family matters be dragged into this discussion.

The head minister looked up at him and stroked his beard. “Since it is a family matter — then why has your divorced wife filed a complaint at the Court of Judicial Review? This morning after court, Deputy Minister Situ came to me and, in front of several colleagues, asked me to pass along a message to Master Zhou: that when you find the time, you should come to the Court of Judicial Review to give your testimony!”

Zhou Sui’an was utterly stunned. He truly had never imagined that Chu Linlang would be so ruthless as to go and report him to the Court of Judicial Review!

In civil matters like this, even if one took the case to the authorities, one would first go through the local prefecture — what need was there to go to the Court of Judicial Review, a place reserved for the gravest criminal cases?

That shrew Chu Linlang! Was she not embarrassed enough, and deliberately ran to the Court of Judicial Review to disgrace both the Xie and Zhou families?

And that Situ Sheng — equally devoid of social sensibility!

He and Situ Sheng had both come out of Jizhou, and were old acquaintances. In matters like this, Situ Sheng could have simply come to speak with him privately — why did he have to make the announcement in front of so many people, and ask his superior to relay the message?

Now it was done — the family scandal had spread far and wide. Surely everyone in the Ministry of Finance would now know about his divorce.

No matter how hard Zhou Sui’an racked his brains, he could never have guessed that the one intent on making this a public affair was not Chu Linlang at all, but that socially tone-deaf Deputy Minister Situ.

Having accepted a wronged woman’s petition for redress, and having sworn before General Li to seek justice for the common people, Situ Sheng took the time to look into the domestic affairs of the Zhou and Xie families.

After having the head minister pass word to Master Zhou during morning court, he then went to call on General Xie Sheng in person.

As far as the Xie family was concerned, this matter had long been settled.

That Aunt An was one who always made sure to claim credit for herself. She had come to the Xie household two days prior, boasting extravagantly of how she had managed both sides. She was also careful to downplay matters — saying nothing of the divorce proclamation — and instead claimed that Chu Linlang, moved by her earnest persuasion, had willingly dissolved her marriage to Zhou Sui’an, and would soon be leaving the capital so as not to cast a shadow on the Xie family’s reputation.

With the Zhou household now in peace, the Xie family could discuss the engagement in a few days.

Su Shi was overjoyed and told Xie Sheng about it, praising her younger sister for handling things swiftly and seeing to both families’ honor.

Their daughter’s belly could not wait, and while Xie Sheng was displeased with Zhou Sui’an’s lapse in personal conduct, one hand alone cannot clap — his own daughter was no paragon of virtue either.

Moreover, he had previously made inquiries with the head minister of the Ministry of Finance, and this Zhou Sui’an did have some achievements and talent to his name, and stood to rise further in the years ahead — he was a young man of promise.

Since Zhou Sui’an had already parted ways with his former wife, he simply had to close his eyes and marry off his daughter.

These past two days, Aunt An had been coming daily, busily helping elder sister Su Shi prepare the trousseau for the Second Miss Xie.

So when Situ Sheng, after this morning’s court session, loudly inquired before all the assembled officials about the matter of Zhou Sui’an’s divorce proclamation, and asked the head minister of the Ministry of Finance to pass along his words, Xie Sheng was standing right there and heard every word — and was momentarily dumbfounded.

Then Situ Sheng turned and murmured to him, asking whether the Xie family had a maternal relative surnamed An — and Xie Sheng’s mind went straight to high alert.

There was something behind this, and Deputy Minister Situ had clearly come prepared. This was no idle question. Before Situ Sheng could say anything that would leave him with no way out in public, General Xie had no choice but to invite Deputy Minister Situ back to the Xie residence for a private conversation.

Situ Sheng gave Xie Sheng enough face not to speak further in public, and so took advantage of the dispersal of court to accompany the old general back to his estate. Over a cup of fragrant tea, without haste or agitation, he recounted the full story of the Zhou family’s divorce proclamation.

When Xie Sheng heard that a woman claiming to be from the Xie family had presided over the Zhou household’s affairs — not only pushing through the divorce of Master Zhou’s wife, who had stood by him through hardship since his earliest days, but also withholding the compensation silver that the Sixth Prince’s consort had originally promised — the old general’s face cycled through mortification after mortification, and he wanted nothing more than to follow the late General Yang into an early grave.

And Situ Sheng kept pressing, feigning ignorance, asking why the Xie family had sent someone to manage the Zhou family’s divorce, and why Xie family money was needed to compensate the wronged party.

That woman is infuriating! Had he not clearly told them from the start to handle things quietly, to compensate Chu Linlang as generously as possible?

How could they have ruined people’s reputations with threats and coercion, pushing Chu Linlang into a corner with nowhere to turn until she had no choice but to file a complaint at the Court of Judicial Review!

It was fortunate that Situ Sheng had given him advance warning and had not immediately summoned An Shi to the court for a public confrontation — otherwise his carefully guarded lifetime reputation for propriety would have been utterly destroyed by a woman blinded by money!

Now pressed by Situ Sheng’s relentless questions, Xie Sheng had no easy words to offer. He could only vaguely indicate that the Sixth Prince’s consort must have known this woman from old times and had felt sorry for her, hence the silver. As for An Shi, she had probably been privately acquainted with the Zhou family matriarch, and the Xie family had known nothing of it.

But since Deputy Minister Situ had brought this matter to his door, could he please, as a favor to him, let this matter be resolved quietly — making much of little and little of nothing? After all, these were all the private affairs of official households; why drag them into a public courtroom?

Situ Sheng, however, gave a meaningful smile and said, “If the Zhou family had any sense of propriety, this matter would not have stirred up such a storm through the city. That poor woman has now taken shelter in my household as a steward. She is a woman of dignity, who also cares about her face in public. If people start gossiping in the future, saying she was cast aside by her husband for improper conduct — would that not also tarnish my own reputation?”

Hearing that the woman had become a steward in Situ Sheng’s household, and listening to the Deputy Minister’s calm but pointed words, Xie Sheng’s eyelids twitched, and he had a vague sense that this official knew far more than he had assumed.

Thinking of how Situ Sheng was now a man held in high favor by the Emperor, if this matter were poorly handled and word somehow reached His Majesty’s ears, the consequences would be utterly ruinous.

Moreover, things had already come this far. Situ Sheng had come in person to speak with him, and if he still deliberately concealed things, would that not be biting the hand that offered him grace?

Situ Sheng was giving the Xie family face, and he had to be sensible enough to accept it.

Gritting his teeth, he laid everything bare with an expression of shame, recounting the transgression his daughter and Zhou Sui’an had committed together.

The old general stated, however, that the matter of the Zhou family issuing the divorce proclamation had not been at his knowledge or direction, and he certainly would never dare force the Zhou family into such a decision.

Now that Deputy Minister Situ had raised the matter, he would have his daughter enter the Zhou household as a concubine, and personally go to Chu Linlang to offer her apologies. As for his daughter’s fate — she had brought it upon herself. If Chu Linlang refused to forgive, he would take his daughter to a convent, abort the child, shave her head, and he absolutely would not allow her to interfere with another woman’s rightful union!

That day, Xie Sheng dispensed with all thought of avoiding impropriety and summoned Zhou Sui’an — his future son-in-law — to the residence as well.

With Situ Sheng present, Xie Sheng mixed old grievances with new resentments and berated both Zhou Sui’an and his mother in one breath.

Zhou Sui’an had never imagined that Chu Linlang would not only file a complaint at the Court of Judicial Review, but had also become a steward in Situ Sheng’s household.

Since she had her own shops and silver, why put on this pitiful act? It was nothing more than holding onto a grudge, refusing to let him have any peace!

But Situ Sheng had said the Sixth Prince’s consort had promised to pay Chu Linlang a sum of silver — and of this, Zhou Sui’an had known nothing!

In the end, this three-way confrontation revealed the Aunt who had withheld the compensation silver.

This Aunt An had jumped about so frenetically, all with the motive of lining her own pockets. But Zhou Sui’an, who had always paid no attention to domestic matters, naturally had no knowledge of this financial scheme.

He had previously been consumed with fury at Chu Linlang’s coldheartedness, and wanting to win the argument over who had abandoned whom, he had acted impulsively and agreed to his mother’s demand, signing the divorce proclamation.

But now Situ Sheng clearly knew the hidden circumstances of his affair with the Second Miss Xie, yet deliberately asked him whether it was appropriate to issue a divorce proclamation under such conditions.

All those years of studying the sages’ teachings finally served their purpose in this moment of public scrutiny. Standing before Situ Sheng and his future father-in-law, he felt as though his fig leaf had been stripped away — his cheeks burned crimson, and his entire person felt dizzy and unmoored.

For a moment he couldn’t fathom how he, a ministry official at the height of his ambition, had fallen into such a mortifying predicament!

Xie Sheng watched Zhou Sui’an standing there for a long time unable to manage a single word, and was so infuriated his eyelids wouldn’t stop twitching. He thought to himself: just what did his daughter see in this fool, that she was willing to risk everything for him?

There was nothing to be done — he could only step in on everyone’s behalf and clean up the mess these children had made.

He first told Deputy Minister Situ that this was all a misunderstanding. If Chu Linlang was unwilling to leave the Zhou household, he was prepared to take his daughter to a temple even if it meant dragging her there — he would never dare steal another woman’s rightful place.

Situ Sheng listened and smiled faintly, saying that Chu Linlang had seen through the faithless man’s character and was unwilling to settle. Given the circumstances, it would be more appropriate for Chu Linlang to issue a mutual separation document declaring a clean break from Zhou Sui’an. However, out of consideration for the Second Miss Xie’s reputation, Chu Linlang was willing to make a concession, help conceal the Xie family’s scandal, and settle simply for a mutual separation.

Hearing this, Xie Sheng immediately understood. He walked over and punched Zhou Sui’an — who was still in a daze — hard on the arm, telling him to quickly write the mutual separation document.

Zhou Sui’an stumbled from the blow and finally seemed to come back to his senses. His mind moving sluggishly, he followed Xie Sheng’s instructions and, in duplicate, wrote two copies of the mutual separation document.

When Situ Sheng walked out the door, tucking away the still-wet mutual separation documents, General Xie Sheng accompanied him the entire way with solicitous courtesy.

He assured Situ Sheng that the silver still owed to Chu Linlang would be sent over in double within two days, delivered directly to Deputy Minister Situ’s residence — Chu Linlang would not be made to suffer any injustice.

But family scandal like this affected his daughter’s reputation, and by extension even his eldest daughter the Sixth Prince’s consort would find it difficult to hold her head up. He implored the Deputy Minister, in view of his relationship with the Sixth Prince, to help smooth things over and prevent the embarrassing affairs of both the Xie and Zhou families from being spread about.

Situ Sheng glanced at Zhou Sui’an trailing behind Xie Sheng, and said mildly, “Chu Linlang and the Sixth Prince’s consort are also old acquaintances. It is precisely out of respect for the consort’s virtue that she, even holding irrefutable evidence and having suffered great injustice, chose to put the greater good first and willingly stepped aside. As long as no one is forced into a dead end, people will generally retain their goodwill — a clean parting, and each goes their separate way. She is now a steward in my household, and if her family suffers any further unjust grievances, it would be tantamount to slapping me in the face…”

Hearing this, Xie Sheng immediately said, “Deputy Minister Situ, please don’t take that foolish An woman’s threatening words seriously. What power does she have! Allow me to go back and thoroughly scold my sister-in-law…”

Hearing this, Situ Sheng smiled with polished courtesy, bid farewell to both officials, and turned to leave.

But just as he boarded his official carriage, Zhou Sui’an abandoned his future father-in-law and ran after him: “Deputy Minister Situ, please wait!”

Situ Sheng paid him no attention at first. Only after he had settled himself inside did he speak from behind the carriage curtain: “What does Master Zhou require?”

Zhou Sui’an had by now finally recovered his wits, and lowering his voice, said, “The Deputy Minister has been kind enough to shelter Chu Linlang, and I am first of all grateful. But after all, men and women should keep their distance. Your lordship is not yet married, and she is an unattached woman — it seems improper for her to stay long in your household. Moreover, after marrying into the Zhou family, she lived as the mistress of the house and never learned the skills of a servant. I ask the Deputy Minister to understand, and make arrangements to send her elsewhere in due course. At that time, I will…”

He had not yet finished speaking when the voice from within the carriage cut him off coldly: “She is no longer a woman of the Zhou family. Her livelihood henceforth is no concern of yours. In closing, allow me to congratulate Master Zhou on his impending new marriage — may you be blessed soon with children…”

With those words said, Guanqi urged the horses forward, and the carriage rolled away without looking back.

Zhou Sui’an watched the retreating carriage, his heart full of bewilderment: why had Chu Linlang gotten tangled up with that severe official Situ Sheng?

For one brief moment, an image flashed through his mind — the figure of a man who had walked beside Chu Linlang through the night mist that one evening…

But very quickly, Zhou Sui’an pushed the absurd thought away.