“Youlan has always been like that. She believes whatever people tell her. She’s been that way since she was little.”
A crack appeared in Shi Lingyi’s smile.
“What Eldest Sister says—can that really be called ‘what other people say’?”
Every word Shi Huai spoke was like a needle wrapped in honey.
It slipped softly beneath the skin, but when it was pulled out, it brought blood with it.
Shi Lingyi took a deep breath. “You’re right, Brother. I spoke without thinking and made Youlan misunderstand. I’ll go back and explain everything to her.”
“No need. I’ve already explained it to Second Sister.”
Shi Huai rose, straightened his collar, and looked down at Shi Lingyi, who was still seated on the stone bench.
“Eldest Sister, once you return to the Shen residence, live your own life properly. Stop worrying about the Marquis’s Residence. The estate won’t suffer with you gone, nor will it gain anything from having you here.”
The smile on Shi Lingyi’s face finally collapsed.
She looked up at Shi Huai. “Are you asking your sister to leave?”
“I only think you should devote your attention to your own household.”
Shi Huai turned and walked toward the study. As he went, he continued, “Though Eldest Brother-in-law is a little too fond of women, it’s not impossible for him to change his heart. Instead of plotting this and that at the Marquis’s Residence, Eldest Sister, you might as well think about how to win back his affection.”
Shi Lingyi remained seated on the stone bench, watching Shi Huai’s back disappear through the study doors.
Orange emerged from the flowerbeds, its body covered in petals and bits of grass.
It shook off the debris, then walked gracefully to Shi Lingyi’s feet.
After that, it tilted its head and looked at her.
There was something scrutinizing in its gaze, as if it could see straight through to the deepest secrets of her heart.
The look sent a chill down Shi Lingyi’s back. She rose and hurried out of Shou’an Hall, moving so quickly that it seemed she was fleeing from something.
On the day Shi Lingyi returned to the Shen residence, Shi Youlan did not go to see her off.
She stood at the entrance to her own courtyard and watched her sister’s carriage leave through the main gate of the Marquis’s Residence. It turned at the end of the long street and disappeared from view.
In her hand, she clutched a handkerchief that had been twisted into a wrinkled mess. An orchid was embroidered on it.
Shi Huai had said that orchids were beautiful. They were not as ostentatious as peonies, nor as aloof as plum blossoms. They bloomed quietly in mountain valleys, neither competing nor contending, yet possessing a character all their own.
“Second Miss, Madam requests your presence.”
The maid’s voice came from behind her, pulling her out of her tangled thoughts.
Shi Youlan tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve and followed the maid to Qingzhi Courtyard.
Madam Liu was seated on a couch, drinking tea. A letter lay before her, the elegant, neat handwriting on its envelope unmistakably that of a woman.
“Youlan, the princess has written again.” Madam Liu picked up the letter and waved it in her hand, unable to suppress the smile on her face.
“She says the flower-viewing gathering next month has been rescheduled. It’s been moved forward to the twentieth of this month, and she insists that you attend.”
Shi Youlan accepted the letter and read it from beginning to end.
The princess’s handwriting was truly beautiful. It was nothing like her own, which was crooked and uneven, like earthworms crawling across the page.
“Mother, the princess treats me so well that I can’t help feeling uneasy.”
Shi Youlan folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope before sitting down across from Madam Liu.
“What is there to feel uneasy about? You and the princess get along well, so of course she treats you kindly.”
Madam Liu lifted her teacup and took a sip, her tone full of certainty.
“But Eldest Sister said the princess is treating me well because she wants me to marry into the imperial family.”
The teacup in Madam Liu’s hand paused. A few drops of tea sloshed over the rim and landed on her sleeve.
She set down the cup and wiped her sleeve with a handkerchief. The surprise on her face turned into displeasure.
“Your sister told you that?”
Shi Youlan nodded hesitantly. “Mother, that’s not what Sister meant. She only thinks it’s unusual for the princess to treat me so well.”
“Unusual?”
Madam Liu’s voice suddenly rose.
“What’s unusual about it? The princess likes you and wants to be your friend. What’s so strange about that?”
Shi Youlan wanted very much to nod.
But when she thought of her interactions with the princess, hesitation appeared on her face.
“Youlan, listen to your mother.”
Madam Liu softened her voice and reached out to take her daughter’s hand.
Her fingernails were painted with vivid red polish, which looked especially glaring against Shi Youlan’s fair, delicate hand.
“My Youlan has a good temperament and a lovely appearance. There’s nothing unusual about people liking you.”
Shi Youlan tugged at the corners of her mouth. Deep down, she knew things were not as simple as her mother made them sound.
Princess Jinse was the Emperor’s eldest daughter and the Crown Prince’s younger sister—the most honored young woman in all of Great Yan.
With so many people she could choose as friends, why had she taken an interest in the Second Miss of a declining marquis’s household?
As for what her sister had said about the princess’s motives being connected to the Crown Prince...
Shi Youlan admitted that when she had first heard it, she had truly been led astray by the idea.
After all, the Crown Prince was the future Emperor, the next ruler of the entire realm.
If she could marry him, she would become the empress, second only to one person and above everyone else.
Fortunately, Shi Youlan still possessed some reason.
Once she had thought it through, she did not believe for a moment that the princess had approached her because of the Crown Prince.
Princess Jinse was the legitimate eldest princess. To speak treasonously, during the few times Shi Youlan had entered the palace, she had been able to see that, in the Emperor’s eyes, Princess Jinse held a higher position than any of his other sons or daughters.
Even the Crown Prince could not compare...
A princess like that would never humble herself for anyone.
Unless she had drawn close to Shi Youlan not because she liked her, but because of someone else.
A thought suddenly flashed through Shi Youlan’s mind—a thought that left her utterly shaken.
Could the princess be doing this for Shi Huai?
The idea pierced Shi Youlan’s heart like a needle. It hurt and left her numb, yet she could not pull it out.
She remembered how the princess asked about Shi Huai every time they met—what he liked to eat, what colors he favored, and what he usually did at home.
She remembered the frightening brightness in the princess’s eyes whenever she asked Shi Youlan to bring something to Shi Huai.
She remembered the slight lift at the corners of the princess’s lips whenever she spoke his name.
Shi Youlan took a deep breath and pressed that needle even farther into her heart. The pain was so sharp that she nearly lost her balance in her seat.
“Youlan, what’s wrong? Why are you so pale?”
Madam Liu reached out and touched her daughter’s forehead, frowning.
“I’m fine. I’m just a little dizzy.” Shi Youlan forced a smile, then stood and smoothed her skirt.
“Mother, I’ll go back now. I’ll keep the princess’s letter, and I’ll definitely attend when the time comes.”
When she left Qingzhi Courtyard, her steps were unsteady. She had to brace herself against one of the corridor pillars to keep from falling.
A parrot beneath the eaves hopped back and forth on its perch. It tilted its head at her and called, “Second Miss!”
Shi Youlan reached out and tapped the parrot lightly on the head.
The parrot tilted its head again and called, “Second Miss!” Its voice was bright and crisp, echoing through the corridor several times.
She continued along the corridor toward her own courtyard. Halfway there, her footsteps suddenly veered, carrying her in the direction of Shou’an Hall.
Shi Huai was not in the study, nor was he in the courtyard. Only Qinghe was inside, tidying up the room.
Hearing the footsteps, Qinghe looked up. When she saw Shi Youlan standing in the doorway, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her lips:
“Second Miss came looking for the Young Master? He’s gone out. He said he was going to the Imperial Academy to ask his teacher about something.”
“Gone out? When will he be back?”
