By mid-May, the capital had become hot earlier than usual.
The cicadas still refused to sing, but the lotus market in the southern part of the city had already come alive. The first batch of lotus flowers had bloomed in the moat. Boats selling fresh lotus pods occupied the riverbanks before dawn, and their hawkers’ cries could be heard from half a street away.
The day Ye Xian returned from the academy, Gu Jinzhao was sitting in her room, staring blankly at a ledger.
It was not because there was a problem with the accounts. She had already checked the kitchen procurement records thoroughly; every entry was clear and accounted for.
What occupied her mind was a question Madam Gu had asked earlier while she paid her respects in the main courtyard.
“Have there been any invitations from Changxing Marquis Residence recently?”
Gu Jinzhao had answered, “No.”
After that, her mother had not asked another question.
That expression of not asking further made her feel guiltier than any interrogation could have.
Then Ye Xian returned.
He had not come back because of a holiday. He had been “persuaded” by the academy headmaster to return home.
When he entered, half of his face was swollen. The corner of his mouth was split, a large bruise darkened the skin beneath his left eye, and even his collar had been pulled crooked.
Yet he still held a paper-wrapped package in his hand.
The first thing he did upon entering was not complain.
Instead, he stuffed the package of sesame candy into his sister’s hands.
“I bought it outside the academy,” he said.
His voice was slightly hoarse. The red marks from the fight had not completely faded, yet he still grinned at her.
Gu Jinzhao placed the candy on the table and told Qing Pu to fetch medicinal wine.
She wrung out a cloth and gently wiped the dried blood from his face. Her hands remained steady, and her voice calm.
“Who struck first?”
“I did.”
Ye Xian confessed honestly, then quickly added,
“But he insulted us first. He said Father’s position at the Court of the Imperial Stud was handed to him by the Ji family. Then he said—he said you were improper, climbing the social ladder all the way to Changxing Marquis Residence. The things he said were awful.”
He paused and lowered his eyes.
“I couldn’t hold back.”
Gu Jinzhao’s hand paused briefly on the cloth.
She remembered Zhao Jin’s words in the rouge shop several days ago.
“Official Ji asked me to pass along his greetings.”
She remembered the item stored in the lacquer box that still sat on a display shelf in Northern Pacifying Marquis Mansion.
One coincidence after another.
How could her brother’s academy classmates know anything about Changxing Marquis Residence for no reason?
And how could they connect the Imperial Stud Court with the Ji family?
“The person who insulted you—were you close before?”
“We got along well enough before,” Ye Xian replied after thinking for a moment. “He only started acting strange recently. A few days ago, he even asked me whether you often visited Changxing Marquis Residence. I didn’t think much of it at the time.”
Gu Jinzhao said nothing further.
She placed the bloodstained cloth beside the copper basin and handed him a clean one to press against his face.
Then she instructed Qing Pu to send word to the front courtyard that the Second Young Master had returned and that the kitchen should prepare an extra dish for dinner.
Her tone remained perfectly normal.
She even lowered her head and sniffed the sesame candy.
It smelled wonderful.
It was from the old shop in the southern district. The shop’s seal was stamped clearly on the oil paper wrapping.
The following afternoon, Gu Jinzhao went to Changxing Marquis Residence.
There was no pressing reason she absolutely had to go.
But sitting at home only led her to dwell on lacquer boxes, purple bamboo groves, and academy classmates who had suddenly become malicious.
The kitchen had steamed a basket of lotus-root cakes that morning. After tasting one and finding it even better than the recipe suggested, she had Qing Pu pack some into a food box to bring to Lady Gao.
The carriage stopped steadily outside Changxing Marquis Residence.
Before she could even step down, she saw someone emerging from the inner gate.
A dark-patterned sky-blue gauze robe appeared almost faded beneath the noon sunlight.
The man stood at the top of the stairs with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Heir Apparent,” Gu Jinzhao greeted after alighting from the carriage and bowing. “What a coincidence.”
“What coincidence?”
Ye Xian shifted his gaze toward the row of old scholar trees at the mouth of the alley.
“My mother said you’d come today. She said so.”
He emphasized the last words rather heavily, as though trying to distance himself from any implication.
“I hadn’t even sent a calling card. Madam already knew?”
“She guessed. Besides, every time you come, it’s around this hour in the afternoon.”
He paused before turning toward the residence.
His pace was neither fast nor slow.
“What did you bring this time? Lotus-root cakes again?”
“Yes.”
“Hm.”
The corner of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
Lady Gao was arranging refreshments in the flower hall.
The moment she saw Jinzhao, she came forward and took her hand warmly.
First she praised the lotus-root cakes.
Then she asked whether Jinzhao’s younger brother had endured a difficult journey home.
Gu Jinzhao answered everything patiently before presenting the freshly steamed cakes.
Lady Gao picked up one and tasted it.
Then she turned to ask a maid how many tender lotus leaf tips remained in storage.
Several days earlier, they had been blanched and frozen in food containers. It would be perfect to send some home with Jinzhao.
“Madam’s tea eggs last time were praised by all the young maids in our residence,” Gu Jinzhao suddenly remarked with a smile. “Even Heir Apparent said you had made too many and used too much tea. Unfortunately, I never got to try any.”
Lady Gao laughed.
She immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare another batch and even sent a maid to fetch a basket of newly arrived Junshan Yinzhen tea leaves from storage for the broth.
After giving her instructions, she glanced at the sun outside and quietly remarked,
“A-Xian hasn’t gone to the study yet since returning today.”
Then she swept out toward the kitchen with the maids in tow.
Only two people remained in the flower hall.
Ye Xian sat opposite her in a round-backed chair.
He held a teacup but did not drink.
The Junshan Yinzhen tea had only recently been brewed. Steam curled upward, shrouding his features in a faint white haze.
He placed the cup down.
His fingers tapped unconsciously against the rim twice.
Then he picked up an object from the writing desk.
“This is for you.”
He set it on the table and pushed it toward her by half an inch.
The gesture looked casual.
So did his tone.
It was a white jade bracelet.
Made from mutton-fat jade, it came from the same material as the jade pendant hanging at his waist.
Warm and translucent, it glowed softly beneath the afternoon sun.
The bracelet itself was plain and undecorated.
Only on the inner surface was a blooming begonia flower carved delicately into the jade.
Every petal was distinct.
Every leaf stretched gracefully outward.
Gu Jinzhao studied it for a long moment without reaching for it.
When she looked up, she found him staring out at the pomegranate tree in the flower garden.
“My mother said jade calms the mind. I had someone carve it casually.”
He lifted a cup of tea that had nearly gone cold.
“My father once accompanied the late Emperor on a southern tour through Yangzhou and brought back several pieces of Hetian jade. They’ve only been gathering dust in storage.”
Gu Jinzhao picked up the bracelet and slipped it onto her left wrist.
The jade rested against her skin.
Cool.
Smooth.
Possessing that uniquely gentle chill that belonged only to jade.
She rotated her wrist slightly.
The bracelet shimmered with a soft glow beneath the afternoon light.
“I like it very much,” she said.
“Hm.”
Another faint layer of red appeared on Ye Xian’s ears beneath the midday sun.
He did not respond further.
He lifted his teacup, then set it down again.
Just as a rare silence settled between them, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.
“Brother Ye! The land deed records you wanted from the northern district—”
Xu Jingting pushed the door open while holding several sheets of paper.
The moment he saw Gu Jinzhao sitting there with a jade bracelet on her wrist, pastries before her, and a steaming cup of tea at hand, he froze.
One raised foot hovered awkwardly at the threshold.
After half a breath, he abruptly changed direction.
“—Would you like some tea? I can brew another pot.”
“No need.”
Ye Xian took a sip of his cold tea expressionlessly.
“Let’s discuss business.”
Suppressing a laugh, Gu Jinzhao refilled his cup with warm tea.
Her fingers brushed lightly over the jade bracelet.
Then she rose.
“I’ll go help Lady Gao taste the new batch of tea eggs.”
Only after she left did Xu Jingting sit down and place the documents on the desk.
“Near the purple bamboo grove by Qingfeng Academy, three private residences are registered. One of them belongs under the name of Ji Minzhong’s son-in-law. The deed records it as the Zhao Residence. It’s under Northern Pacifying Marquis Zhao’s relative, not Zhao Heng himself.”
He pointed to a location circled on the paper.
“This house is separated from the academy’s back mountain by only one alley. The back mountain is the purple bamboo grove. Anyone could pluck bamboo leaves there. Wu An has visited more than once.”
Ye Xian examined the papers line by line before placing them together on the desk.
Northern Pacifying Marquis Mansion and Qingfeng Academy.
The purple bamboo grove and the copied fragmentary characters.
Wu An and the Zhao family carriage.
Each clue by itself was only a single straw.
But now the straws had been bound together, tightening more and more.
And Zhou Yun handing the bow to that child.
Zhao Jin passing messages in the rouge shop.
Jinzhao being publicly slandered by her brother’s classmates.
Those straws were already beginning to reveal what lay beneath.
“A-Xian.”
Xu Jingting’s voice lowered.
“What are you planning to do about the Zhao family?”
“We won’t touch the Zhao family yet.”
Ye Xian rested a fingertip beside the words Zhao Residence on the deed.
After a brief pause, he withdrew his hand.
“That private residence was built in a very convenient location. Investigate the residence first. Send the resident records to the Military Patrol Office and check the city patrol logs. See who has been entering and leaving that alley during the last six months.”
His voice returned to its usual calm.
“Keep the investigation quiet.”
Meanwhile, the kitchen was filled with steam.
The large iron pot bubbled vigorously over the stove.
The fragrance of tea eggs mixed with cinnamon and star anise filled the air.
Lady Gao personally stood over the pot, teaching Jinzhao how to control the fire.
Once the water boiled, the heat had to be reduced.
Too much tea made the broth bitter.
Too little made it lack fragrance.
Jinzhao listened attentively.
Occasionally she stole an extra sip of broth when Lady Gao wasn’t looking.
Even when caught, she merely laughed.
Lady Gao could only shake her head affectionately.
While peeling eggshells, Jinzhao casually remarked,
“I’ve thought about what Madam said in the apricot grove last time.”
Lady Gao stirred the pot lightly.
“I said I’d visit your residence another day. And look—you’ve already visited here several times.”
“Not that sentence.”
Jinzhao carefully removed the last bits of shell.
Her voice was soft.
Yet steady.
“You said A-Xian treats me differently.”
Lady Gao set down the ladle and turned toward her.
The kitchen steam had flushed both of their faces pink.
She studied Jinzhao quietly for a moment.
Then she reached over and brushed a tiny tea leaf from the back of her hand.
“Good child.”
Her voice was gentle and sincere.
“He had very few companions growing up. The ones he did have eventually drifted away. After that, he only ran around with idle young nobles.”
She paused.
“Then his father passed away. He locked himself in the study for an entire month. When he came out, he rarely smiled anymore.”
“As his mother, I’ve always hoped he would find true friends.”
“But over all these years, besides that Xu family boy, you’re the only person he’s ever spoken so much to.”
She released Jinzhao’s hand and resumed stirring the eggs.
The broth bubbled steadily.
Steam blurred the kitchen into soft shadows.
“You’re a smart girl. I don’t need to hide things from you.”
“All that coldness of his is for other people.”
“What you see is what he’s willing to show you.”
She smiled faintly.
“I’ll leave it at that. As for the two of you, I’m not worried.”
By the time Gu Jinzhao left Changxing Marquis Residence, dusk was approaching.
The carriage rolled steadily toward Gu Family Residence.
Inside, the fragrance of tea eggs mingled with the clean aroma of freshly brewed Junshan Yinzhen tea.
Qing Pu carried an additional food box.
Lady Gao had insisted on stuffing more than ten tea eggs into it so the younger girls at the residence could enjoy them as well.
Leaning against the carriage wall, Gu Jinzhao lowered her gaze to the white jade bracelet on her wrist.
As the carriage swayed, it lightly tapped against the wall, producing a delicate, crisp sound.
She looked at the bracelet.
The carved begonia on the inner surface remained faintly visible in the gathering twilight.
Qing Pu glanced at the bracelet.
Then she glanced at the smile her young mistress could not quite suppress.
She pressed her lips together and wisely said nothing.
Night had already fallen by the time they returned to Gu Family Residence.
As soon as Gu Jinzhao entered, the gatekeeper handed her a letter.
There was no signature on the envelope.
Only a small lotus seal pressed onto the flap.
It was her grandmother’s private seal.
She opened the letter.
Most of it contained ordinary family news.
The lotus seeds in Jiangnan had ripened.
The begonias in the courtyard had bloomed more beautifully than ever.
Her little nephew had recently learned to recite the Thousand Character Classic.
Then, at the very end, her grandmother suddenly added one more sentence:
“I heard you’ve become close to the Ye family of Changxing Marquis Residence lately. That child from the Ye family once lived in the western district when he was young. I still remember him. One summer, he came to our house to deliver something and stood beneath the corridor for half an hour without daring to leave.”
“Little Zhao, you probably don’t remember. But I remember that child’s eyes.”
“When he looked at you, it was as though he were looking at something he desperately did not want to let go of, yet had no choice but to release.”
The letter trembled slightly between her fingers.
After a long while, she gently placed it on her lap.
She looked up.
Outside the window, darkness had completely settled.
Qing Pu had already lit the lanterns hanging from the pomegranate tree in the courtyard.
Their warm red glow swayed softly in the night breeze, scattering patches of golden light across the blue brick ground.
From the distant alley came the rhythmic clacking of the night watchman’s wooden blocks.
Tok—
Tok—
Tok—
The sounds rang especially clear through the quiet night.
She sat by the window and reread the letter from beginning to end.
When she reached the final sentence, her throat tightened.
Yet the corners of her lips curved upward.
She believed every word her grandmother had written.
Rising slowly, she walked to the dressing table and lit the lamp.
The bronze mirror reflected her face.
Without rouge, her features appeared fresh and clear.
Only her eyes shone brightly, like pools of spring water.
The white jade bracelet on her wrist glowed softly beneath the candlelight.
The carved begonia cast a faint shadow upon her skin, so faint it was almost invisible.
He never needed to say much.
Every gift he placed in her hands.
Every action he took.
All of them spoke for him.
That night, she slept deeply.
In her dream stood an old jujube tree.
A young boy stood beneath it, placing a piece of pine-nut candy into her mouth.
She did not cry.
Instead, she grabbed his sleeve and refused to let go.
This time, she finally did not cry.