"Ji Chan, how can you be so shameless!" Lady Xue exclaimed in anger.
"When Lady Xue was the marquis’s mistress, wasn’t it by being shameless as well? Only, your judgment wasn’t great. You waited all those years, until your beauty faded, to enter the marquis’s household. Who knows if in a couple more years someone will replace you?" In the art of provocation, Achan was no less skilled than anyone.
"You..." Lady Xue felt dizzy, wondering how she had never noticed how difficult Ji Chan was to deal with before.
Had she known, she would have dealt with her in the inner household back then! Now that Ji Chan was out, she dared to be so brazen in her presence.
Achan turned, the golden-threaded petals on her skirt shimmering in the sunlight. With a light, cheerful voice, she said, "Lady Xue, don’t make me wait too long."
It wasn’t until Achan had been gone for a while that the maid, who had been sent to the side, cautiously stepped forward to support Lady Xue.
Worriedly, she asked, "Madam, are you alright?"
Lady Xue gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "I’m fine. Let’s go back."
"Yes, Madam."
Achan walked back, carrying the snacks she had bought. As for whether she could reclaim her mother’s dowry, it was unlikely this time. Someone like Lady Xue wouldn’t act without seeing the rabbit first—she might believe Achan’s words, but without evidence, she would never let go of what she had.
When the dowry could be retrieved depended on when her "connection" with Lord Bai materialized.
Back with the group, Achan shared the floral cakes with Lady Xiao Lin and Sun Mama, who accepted them with smiles. But after one bite, Lady Xiao Lin cried out, clutching her stomach.
"Aunt, what’s wrong?" Achan, startled, hurried over to ask.
"It’s nothing," Lady Xiao Lin said, waving her hand and passing the cake to Sun Mama. "I don’t know why, but this child has been especially active lately, kicking me every now and then."
Achan noticed her belly occasionally bulging and frowned. "Have you seen a doctor recently, Aunt? What did they say?"
"No need for a doctor. I’ve had two children already; I know what’s going on," Lady Xiao Lin said dismissively.
"Two what?" Zhao Wenyue, who had just finished offering incense at the Flower Goddess Temple, came out and glanced disdainfully at the cakes in Achan’s hands and the candied chestnuts she held.
"Nothing. Do you and Achan want to go play a bit more?" Lady Xiao Lin asked gently.
"No, I want to go home," Zhao Wenyue said, walking to her mother’s side, taking her arm, and giving it a playful shake.
"Alright, whatever you want."
On the way down the mountain, several ladies approached Lady Xiao Lin to chat, but she responded coolly, dismissing them after a few words.
When they were out of earshot, Lady Xiao Lin said to Achan, "Those were all from families below fifth rank. They probably have few heirs and think they can take advantage. What wishful thinking."
Those who inquired had already looked into Ji Chan’s background. They looked down on her reputation but figured that, having been raised as a legitimate daughter in the marquis’s household for years, she wouldn’t be a bad addition to their families.
"What’s wrong with below fifth rank? They might be ambitious," Zhao Wenyue muttered, unable to hold back.
"You’ve been spoiled by your father’s stubbornness. When marrying, you aim high. Do you really expect to marry someone who’ll rise to wealth and power afterward? That’s a fantasy. Why would such luck fall to you?" Lady Xiao Lin retorted.
"When you married Father, he was just a scholar," Zhao Wenyue shot back, unconvinced.
"If it weren’t for your grandfather’s family..." Lady Xiao Lin paused. "Do you think there are many good men like your father in this world?"
She poked Zhao Wenyue’s forehead, her tone sharp but not escalating into an argument as before.
The mother and daughter supported each other, surrounded by maids, walking ahead, while Achan and Sun Mama followed behind.
By the time they returned to the city, it was past noon. Though they had snacked on candied chestnuts and floral cakes along the way, without a proper meal, they still felt hungry. The enticing aromas wafting from restaurants along the road made their mouths water.
Lady Xiao Lin called for the coachman to stop, and the carriage behind followed suit.
Sun Mama quickly got off and approached Lady Xiao Lin’s carriage. "Madam, is something wrong?"
"Nothing. We’ve been traveling all morning, and everyone’s hungry. Let’s have lunch at Taste Pavilion," she said, pointing to a restaurant nearby.
Taste Pavilion was a well-known restaurant in the capital. As soon as the carriage stopped, a waiter greeted them with a smile, arranging for the carriage to be parked while leading them inside.
Lady Xiao Lin wasn’t a harsh mistress. She sent several maids and the coachman to eat at another table, keeping Sun Mama to sit with them.
She ordered six dishes, two of which were fish: one fish soup and one fried fish. The other four, according to Sun Mama, were Zhao Wenyue’s favorites.
Achan had no particular preference for food other than chicken, and she found the chef’s skills at Taste Pavilion excellent, enjoying every dish.
Zhao Wenyue seemed satisfied too, but after one sip of the fish soup, Lady Xiao Lin spat it out.
"Madam, what’s wrong?" Sun Mama quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.
"What kind of fish soup is this? It has no flavor at all," Lady Xiao Lin said, displeased, summoning the waiter. The waiter fetched the manager, who apologized with a smile, took the soup away, and promised to replace it.
But when the second bowl arrived, she still said it lacked flavor.
Curious, Zhao Wenyue took a spoonful of the milky-white soup, sipped it, and looked at her mother in confusion. "It’s quite fresh. Why does Mother say it has no flavor?"
Hearing this, Achan and Sun Mama each tried a spoonful, and as Zhao Wenyue said, the soup was deliciously fresh.
"Perhaps the fish here is too light for Madam’s taste. We’ll have the cook make fish at home," Sun Mama soothed.
She figured Lady Xiao Lin was used to heavily seasoned fish, cooked with rich sauces to mask the fishy smell, which she loved. This clear, mild soup likely didn’t suit her palate.
"Alright," Lady Xiao Lin agreed.
When the golden, crispy fried fish arrived, she tried a piece but set her chopsticks down, clearly unsatisfied with its flavor as well.
Perhaps because she couldn’t eat fish to her liking, Lady Xiao Lin remained in low spirits.
After lunch, she had the carriage take Achan back to Changping Lane.
When they arrived, Achan got off and saw Lady Xiao Lin lift the curtain, so she stepped forward.
Lady Xiao Lin’s face looked unwell, but her tone was gentle. "Sun Mama mentioned you caught a cold recently. Take care of yourself when you get home."
"I will, Aunt. Please take care of yourself too," Achan replied.
"Alright, you’ve had a long day. Go rest. I’ll have Sun Mama fetch you to the residence another day," Lady Xiao Lin said, lowering the curtain. The Zhao residence’s carriage slowly drove away.
Achan thought it was just an ordinary farewell.
Until a few days later, just past the yǒu hour (5 PM to 7 PM), when the sky darkened, Achan was at home studying incense recipes to repel rats and insects, pondering where to find the main ingredient. Suddenly, a Mirror Division guard showed up at her door.
The leader was a stranger, burly and fierce-eyed, with a captain's badge at his waist.
He knocked impatiently, and when Achan removed the latch, he shoved the door open, glaring down at her. "Are you Ji Chan?"
"I am. What does the lord want with me?" Achan asked, puzzled. Had she caused trouble again? She hadn’t crossed the Mirror Division recently.
"Do you know Lin Xiaoqiao?"
"Who?" Achan racked her brain, but the name was unfamiliar.
The man frowned and repeated, "Lin Xiaoqiao, wife of Zhao Ming, the Left Deputy Censor. You don’t know her?"
Achan realized and quickly said, "I know her. She’s my aunt. What happened?"
"She’s dead. Everyone who’s had contact with her needs to be questioned."
"Do I need to go to the Mirror Division for questioning?"
Jiang Kai raised an eyebrow, surprised. This girl was calm even hearing the Mirror Division’s name?
"No need. To the Zhao residence. Our lord is there."
Achan followed the group of Mirror Division guards, still in shock. Lady Xiao Lin, dead?
It felt unreal. Just days ago, they had celebrated the Flower Festival together. How could she be gone?
Since the Mirror Division was involved, Lady Xiao Lin’s death must be suspicious. But who could have harmed her?
Achan arrived at the Zhao residence with the guards. The gates were wide open, the gatekeeper nowhere in sight, and the pair of red lanterns at the entrance unlit. They walked a distance without seeing a single maid or servant.
Only when they reached the main courtyard, brightly lit, did they find nearly all the Zhao family’s masters and servants gathered.
In the courtyard stood Achan’s uncle, Zhao Ming, whom she hadn’t met before, along with the Zhao siblings.
Zhao Ming looked ordinary, and his children resembled him. He carried a scholar’s refined air, appearing far calmer than his shaken son and daughter beside him.
Sun Mama and several of Lady Xiao Lin’s personal maids were there too. Sun Mama had blood on her hands and clothes, her eyes swollen from crying.
Aside from the Zhao family, the rest were Mirror Division personnel.
When Achan was brought in, Zhao Ming noticed her immediately but didn’t approach, and everyone waited patiently.
After less than half a quarter-hour, several people emerged from the main house. Their shoes left bloody footprints on the steps.
The leader was tall, dressed in a crimson official robe, a sword at his waist, his left hand resting on the hilt. It was Bai Xiuming.
Behind him, two men carried a large jar, its mouth sealed with a strip bearing an official stamp.
Something inside, perhaps alive, was relentlessly striking the jar’s walls.
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