chapter 2
The carriage had barely stopped when the sight before me made me stumble.
The gatehouse was taller than the magistrate’s office in Meixian County. Two shining golden knockers hung on the doors.
Were they made of actual gold?
Inside, I was panicking. Outside, I marched with the swagger of a conquering general.
My provisional brother suddenly caught my arm.
“Sister, your arms and legs are moving on the same side.”
Then he lowered his voice. “Don’t be nervous. Your brother is here.”
Everywhere we went, he quietly introduced the grounds behind me: the east courtyard, west courtyard, Pear Fragrance Court; the south tower, north tower, Star-Plucking Tower.
At every turn, crowds of maids and matrons greeted us in perfect unison. Their timing was so exact I suspected they had rehearsed for three months.
I whispered, “Brother, where’s your kitchen? How many buns does a household this big steam in one day?”
I counted on my fingers. “Three buns for each maid, two and a half for every matron, four for every manservant… How much flour does that take?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Sister, I promise you won’t go hungry.”
My eyes could not keep up with all the sights.
“Wow! Could people live inside that artificial hill?”
“It’s ornamental.”
“Look at all those fish in the pond!”
“They are ornamental.”
“Oh! That stone lion—Brother, may I ride it?”
He pressed a hand to his forehead. “Sister, those are all ornamental.”
Corruption!
People across the realm were starving, yet the marquis’s household wasted money on such nonsense. If I were in charge, I would turn the artificial hills into dormitories for my Beggars’ Guild brothers, cook the fish for their supper, and sell the stone lions for buns.
After more than a quarter of an hour, we finally reached something he called the flower hall.
Every pearl on the curtain was larger than my begging bowl. If I pried them off and sold them, I could eat buns at every meal for the rest of my life.
My hand had made it halfway there when my provisional brother stopped it with lightning speed.
The instant I crossed the threshold, a fragrant wind swept toward me, and I was buried in a soft cloud.
“My precious heart! Mother’s darling treasure!”
My provisional mother hugged me and wept like pear blossoms in the rain.
So this was what it felt like. I secretly nuzzled her twice. Was this the legendary warmth of a mother’s love? It was softer than a quilt dried in the sun.
I knew how this plot went, so I dove into her arms and began howling.
“Your daughter has suffered! I ate rancid rice, slept beneath bridges, and even the rats bullied me. Hurry and bring me buns, great slabs of pork, and enough gold and silver to calm my poor heart!”
I had meant to imitate the seductive charm of a famous courtesan. Instead, I sounded like a pig at slaughter. Then I got so carried away that I released three thunderous belches.
My provisional mother’s beautiful face went pale. “Summon the imperial physician! Hunger has damaged my child!”
Her alarm made my heart tremble.
If I was a beauty capable of sinking fish and felling geese, the woman before me could topple kingdoms.
What a devastatingly beautiful mother and daughter we made!
I scratched my head, embarrassed. “It’s nothing, Mother. Breakfast was rushed. I ate two roast chickens and forgot to drink water.”
She sighed with relief, then inspected me from head to toe.
“My treasure, you must have suffered terribly.”
I counted on my fingers. “It wasn’t too bad. Dogs chased me thirty-six times. People dumped foot-washing water on me twenty-eight times. And once, someone almost roasted me as a two-legged sheep.”
Her tears burst like floodgates.
“It is Mother’s fault for losing you. My darling endured so much because of me. But you’re home now. Every mountain of gold and silver in the Marquis Anding estate is yours. From this day forward, Mother asks only that you live happily and without worry.”
I tested the waters. “Then…may I turn the artificial hill into a stronghold and plant a banner on top?”
She froze for three seconds, then turned to my brother. “Do it! Redecorate the west courtyard hill in…in stronghold style!”
“Can I eat the fish in the pond?”
“Catch them! We’ll have boiled fish tonight!”
“And those stone lions—”
“Move them into her courtyard as mounts. Have a blacksmith make saddles!”
I stuck my tongue out at my brother in triumph. Then my gaze landed on a man standing nearby.
He looked honest and respectable, but his eyes were quietly examining me. With my unmatched intelligence, I deduced that he must be my provisional father.
Hah! Time to display my acting skills.
I dropped to my knees with a crash that shook the hall.
“Honored Father! Your daughter wishes you an early happy New Year!”