chapter 3

The moment I realized what I had said, I lowered my head to hide my guilt.

If my cousin discovered that I had been secretly reading disreputable romances again, she would lecture me to death.

After my parents stopped bothering with me, she had been the one to correct whatever I did wrong.

In those days, I had no sense of proportion. The dog-dung incident alone proved that.

My cousin once called me a savage monkey and swore she would teach the monkey to behave like a human being.

I had been behaving like one ever since.

She noticed nothing amiss. Instead, she misunderstood me entirely and looked even more distressed.

“A full belly is enough to satisfy you, and you do not even think yourself wronged.”

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief and said no more.

After the fabric shop, we visited a jade shop and a jeweler.

When my cousin finally tired of shopping, she took me to a restaurant for dinner.

The sun was sinking, and many scholars had gathered there.

We chose a table by the window.

In a private alcove, men spoke expansively about the affairs of the realm, their conversation naturally filled with praise for His Majesty and senior officials.

Someone mentioned Uncle. He was one of the examiners this year, and the scholars speculated about the questions he might set while discussing his past essays.

Then someone called out a name in a teasing voice.

“Brother Lin, you are about to become Lord Luo’s treasured son-in-law. Has he not leaked a hint or two to you?”

Saying such a thing in public could harm both Uncle and Lin Zhiyun if someone chose to make an issue of it.

My cousin’s expression turned grave. “Han’er, we will skip this meal and go home.”

I touched the bracelet on my wrist and put on an anxious face. “The bracelet Grandmother gave me is missing. I must look for it. Go on without me, Sister. I will follow shortly.”

She could not afford to delay, so she left first.

I crouched, picked up the bracelet I had dropped, and slipped it back onto my wrist.

Dropped was dropped. I had not lied.

One scholar tried to change the subject, but the man dragged it back. Others joined in, eager to see how Lin Zhiyun would react.

Lin Zhiyun glanced at the speaker. “Lord Luo was appointed by His Majesty. Brother Qin, are you questioning His Majesty’s decision?”

Brother Qin’s face turned ashen.

Everyone else edged away, leaving him exposed and making their distance from him plain.

I looked at Lin Zhiyun a few more times. He was keen-eyed enough to notice and turned his gaze toward me.

Brother Qin was still trying to defend himself. “His Majesty is naturally wise. I merely fear that some people may flatter those above them while bullying those beneath them.”

I narrowed my eyes, searching my memory for his identity. Then I covered my face with a veil and applauded, drawing every eye in the room.

I regarded Brother Qin with open admiration. “Well said.”

Lin Zhiyun’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he gave nothing away.

Qin Xuan was respectable-looking enough. He smiled at me. “I simply cannot stand injustice.”

I approached with my servants behind me.

“You are too modest, Young Master. Given the connection between Lord Luo and Lin Zhiyun, criticism is inevitable. You have merely dared to voice it.”

I stopped beside him. “I never imagined the world still held someone so…”

Praising him was harder than expected.

I should have listened to my cousin and read more useful books.

My mind raced for a suitable phrase. “Someone so…”

“Unafraid of power,” another scholar supplied.

I borrowed his words. “Someone so unafraid of power.”

Qin Xuan’s mouth curved upward, though he did his best to look humble. “You praise me too highly. It is the duty of men like us to uphold justice.”

I extended a hand, and a servant placed a cup of tea in it.

“Then allow me to toast Young Master Qin with tea in place of wine.”

Facing me, he drained his wine at once. He drank so quickly that color rose in his cheeks.

“Thank you, miss.”

I beamed at him. “What other insights do you have? I have been raised in the inner chambers and know so little. It is rare for me to come out. Would you be willing to enlighten me?”

He readily agreed. “What would you like to hear?”

I pretended to consider. “Tell me about Lord Luo.”

He chuckled. “Two Lord Luos are well known. Which one do you mean?”

“Could you tell me about both?”

He cleared his throat and began holding forth.

“The two Lord Luos are brothers. The senior Lord Luo is Vice Minister of Rites, while the junior Lord Luo is a director in the Bureau of Farm Fields. Both have enjoyed smooth careers in recent years and may soon rise higher. Only…”

“Only what?” I prompted with wide eyes.

He met my gaze and, for some reason, swallowed before continuing. “They may look impressive, but neither deserves his reputation.”

Another scholar tried to stop him. “Qin Xuan, mind your words.”

Qin Xuan glanced at the man, lowered his voice, and continued his scathing judgment.

“They are parasites on the court, holding office while doing nothing. The junior Lord Luo in particular is an incompetent fool.”

I smiled. “Then which official is a model in your eyes?”

“Lord Qin Zhi, naturally. He is my uncle—a man of noble character whom all should admire.”

I nodded as though enlightened.

Expectation crept into the way he looked at me. “You and I seem remarkably like-minded. May I be so bold as to ask your name?”

I paused, glanced at Lin Zhiyun, then answered, “My surname is Luo.”

Qin Xuan’s face stiffened.

Lin Zhiyun added helpfully, “The same Luo family whose treasured son-in-law Brother Qin just said I was about to become.”