These days, Zou Yunjian had grown ever thinner, his sharp jawline like it had been carved by a blade. He no longer resembled the gentle young noble of old—his whole being was steeped in gloom.
“Master, I’ve already delivered the message to Miss Liu Yun. The young lady will surely come out to see you.” Xiao Wu spoke thus, though his heart was far from certain.
The day after his master awoke, he was told he must move out of the Duke’s household.
Zou Yunjian sent word to Jinxiu Courtyard, hoping Madam Zou would intervene. But he was blocked at the gate, not even allowed to enter.
As for Dou Xueci, she had not appeared at all.
“Miss Liu Yun!” Xiao Wu’s eyes lit up suddenly, seeing Liuyun step out with quick little strides. He rushed forward, face full of joy. “Is the young lady coming out?” he asked eagerly.
Liu Yun carried herself with formality, none of her usual ease and liveliness when with Dou Xueci. At this moment, she bore an air of authority. She ignored Xiao Wu, bowed slightly to Zou Yunjian, and said, “Young Master, the palace has sent people to inquire after our lady’s health. She truly has no time to spare. But she said you may go—everything you need is prepared there. If anything is lacking, send word and it will be provided.”
Zou Yunjian’s face turned pale, her words making him sound like a beggar at the Duke’s gates. Yet he swallowed his anger and drew from his sleeve a hairpin.
“This is something I began crafting before Cousin returned to the capital—a hairpin I made myself. Please, deliver it to her.” He still held onto a shred of hope. He had entered the capital at eight years old, living in the Duke’s household, growing up alongside Dou Xueci. He had accompanied her through the death of the Duke, and during those three years in Yongzhou, their letters had never ceased. He could not believe that even if Dou Xueci’s heart had changed, she would treat him with such absolute coldness.
But Liu Yun stepped back, refusing to take it. Frowning, she said, “The Old Madam ordered you moved out because the young ladies are grown now, and it is improper for you to remain among them. For you to present a hairpin at this time only undermines her careful consideration. Keep it yourself. Our lady lacks for nothing—least of all this.”
When Liu Yun finished speaking, she bowed once more and turned away.
Zou Yunjian was so enraged that he began coughing violently. Xiao Wu hurried to support him, but dared not utter a word of comfort.
At that moment, Zou Yunjian’s gaunt face and shadowed eyes made him look terrifyingly grim.
*Dou Xueci, how cruel your heart is! Not a shred of regard for the bond of childhood!*
Eventually, Zou Yunjian left the Duke’s household. On the road, he suddenly said to Xiao Wu: “Tomorrow, come again. Say you’re fetching belongings. Find a chance to meet Cousin Wanqing, and tell her to seek out Aunt. If this confinement continues, I fear Aunt will have no place in the Duke’s household.”
Even speaking Zhuang Wanqing’s name softened his gaze. Yet worry lingered—his aunt confined, himself expelled, leaving only Cousin Wanqing. How could she stand alone?
Dou Xueci had clearly changed—more ruthless than ever. If she could drive out her own cousin, her childhood companion, then what of Wanqing?
Xiao Wu agreed, planning to return the next day.
But trouble struck. No sooner had they settled into the estate arranged by the Duke’s household than the servants began causing chaos—cheating, quarreling, even gambling at night.
Zou Yunjian’s health was poor, so Xiao Wu had to manage everything. He was overwhelmed, for those punished one day would misbehave again the next. Yet because they were still Duke’s household servants, he could neither expel them nor punish them severely, leaving him utterly frustrated. By the time he found a moment’s respite, fresh trouble had erupted back in the Duke’s household.
For seven days, Madam Zou remained confined, and Zou Yunjian had moved out. The household was unusually calm.
But among the young ladies, harmony was scarce. Whenever Dou Xueci received something fine, she always sent a share to Zhuang Wanqing.
This especially infuriated Second Madam’s daughter, Dou Mingxi. Day after day, she cursed—“What is that Zhuang Wanqing anyway? Filthy, low-born, a peasant girl! How dare she stand equal to me?”
Her courtyard was close to Zhuang Wanqing’s Yaohua Pavilion, so she deliberately shouted loud enough for Zhuang Wanqing to hear, her insults growing harsher with each passing day.
That day, Dou Mingxi had just returned from paying respects to Second Madam. At the gate, she saw Zhuang Wanqing’s maid carrying a box of palace flowers—clearly a reward from the palace.
“What rare treasure have you gotten this time? Let us see it too.”
The maid Chun Lan first bowed, then replied, “Fourth Miss, these are flowers bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress to the Eldest Miss. Our young lady happened to be drinking tea there and admired them. The Eldest Miss was in good spirits, so she gave them all to our young lady.”
Lately, Zhuang Wanqing had been spending nearly every day in Dou Xueci’s courtyard, chatting. To outsiders, the two sisters seemed to be growing closer.
Dou Mingxi suddenly lost her temper, spitting harshly. “Bah! Who hasn’t seen fine things? She only takes advantage of Eldest Sister’s good nature, grabbing everything without end! Bird’s nest, donkey-hide gelatin, silks and satins—and now palace flowers too. I swear your young lady will suck the Duke’s household dry!”
Zhuang Wanqing had just returned and heard Dou Mingxi’s foul words. Frightened, her shoulders trembled, tears welled, but she dared not speak.
“Fourth Miss, your words are too cruel. If you envy, go ask for yourself. Why vent your anger on our young lady?” This was said by Luo Rui, another maid at Zhuang Wanqing’s side.
Dou Mingxi grew even more irritated at Zhuang Wanqing’s tearful look—it reminded her of the concubines in her father’s quarters, feigning innocence and weeping at the slightest harsh word. Every time, her father would storm into her mother’s rooms to quarrel, defending those concubines.
That was why Dou Mingxi despised Zhuang Wanqing. Her manner might please men, but to her it was nothing but the act of a petty courtesan.
“Cry, cry, cry! Did I dig up your ancestors’ graves to make you cry like this?”
No one expected a noble young lady to speak so viciously. Zhuang Wanqing clutched her chest, eyes wide with disbelief. “Fourth Sister, I don’t know how I have offended you. If you want these palace flowers, take them all. I know my fortune is thin—I cannot bear such fine things.”
“What thin fortune? I say you are the most fortunate in the world! Every good thing, you alone cannot keep!”
Suddenly, a man’s voice rang out behind them, startling everyone. Turning, they saw it was Lou Yuanduo, the young prince of Prince Pingnan’s household.
The young prince wore a golden coronet, his bearing bold and spirited. He stood not far away—no one knew how long he had been listening by the wall.
Dou Mingxi flushed red at once, hastily saluting, though inwardly puzzled why the young prince had come into the inner quarters.
But Lou Yuanduo acted as if he hadn’t seen her at all, walking straight toward Zhuang Wanqing.
“Young Prince, how can you run into the women’s quarters? If someone sees, what will become of it? Mò Yu, quickly escort the prince out.” Zhuang Wanqing, forgetting even to salute, spoke directly to Lou Yuanduo’s attendant, treating him with no formality.
“I told you not to come, but Master insisted on sneaking in, saying he had to see the young lady. Ah—”
Lou Yuanduo gave Mò Yu a playful kick, laughing, “What nonsense are you spouting!”
Since the polo gathering that day, he had not seen Zhuang Wanqing. And now, hearing the rumors spreading in the capital—painting her as arrogant, domineering, a calamity of a temptress—he had grown deeply worried. So he used the excuse of visiting Dou Mingxiao to enter the Duke’s household.
Mò Yu quickly slapped his own mouth, admitting his mistake.
Zhuang Wanqing blushed crimson. “Don’t speak nonsense. Go out quickly—there are people here.”
Dou Mingxi, past her initial shock and shyness, now felt only anger. The two of them spoke as if she were invisible! And seeing the sticky, tender atmosphere between them, even a fool could tell the young prince had feelings for Zhuang Wanqing. Her heart grew uncomfortable. She had seen the young prince a few times before and thought him charming, free-spirited, unlike others bound by rules. She had even felt some admiration. Even when, at the polo gathering, he had scolded her elder sister for Zhuang Wanqing’s sake, she had not disliked him.
But now it was different. To trespass into the women’s quarters, without matchmaker or betrothal, and to speak as though he and Zhuang Wanqing already shared a secret bond—disgusting! It sullied her eyes.
Whatever fondness she had for Lou Yuanduo vanished. She now thought this pair of wild mandarin ducks should be locked away together, lest they harm others. Just as she turned to leave, a maid came rushing toward them, drenched in cold sweat.
“Terrible news! The Eldest Miss has been poisoned and fainted! The Old Madam is heading to Zhenhua Pavilion, summoning all the ladies at once!”