Cheng Si-lang walked out of the tavern. One of his attendants glanced around and waved, and another attendant waiting nearby led a horse over.
“Brother Wenyu, we’ll take our leave now,” several colleagues said, saluting with a raised hand. “When you set off on your journey, we’ll come see you off.”
Cheng Si-lang hastily returned the gesture.
“Please accept our condolences for the condition of your grandmother,” his colleagues added with concern.
No one found it suspicious that Cheng Si-lang had requested leave to return to his hometown. Earlier, the second master of the Cheng family had already taken urgent leave on grounds of their mother’s critical illness. It seemed now that Old Madam Cheng’s condition had indeed been grave.
Cheng Si-lang expressed his thanks once more and watched as the others departed ahead of him.
“Fourth Young Master, it’s time to go back,” the attendant said.
Cheng Si-lang nodded and was about to step forward when someone rushed toward him from the side. Before they could get close, an attendant swiftly blocked the way.
The person stumbled against the attendant’s arm, let out a cry, and fell to the ground, dropping a small bundle they had been holding.
“Fourth Young Master, please wait!” Chun Ling called out timidly.
Cheng Si-lang was surprised to see her.
“Chun Ling? You…” he asked.
“Fourth Young Master, I… I…” Chun Ling stammered, unable to finish her sentence. She shoved the bundle into the hands of a nearby attendant.
“This is from my sister, returned to you,” she said loudly, then turned and ran off.
Sister?
“Chun Ling!” Cheng Si-lang quickly called out, but Chun Ling had already dashed away like the wind.
What is this? Cheng Si-lang watched as the attendant unwrapped the bundle.
“Young Master, these are flying money notes,” the attendant said in surprise, noting the amount written on them. “Fifty thousand guan.”
Fifty thousand guan!
This is from my sister, returned to you…
Cheng Si-lang watched the small figure disappearing into the crowd, then reached out and took the flying money notes.
What on earth is this about?
“Chun Ling, wait!” He let out a sigh and shouted, without even bothering to mount his horse before chasing after her.
The attendants hurriedly followed.
Meanwhile, Qin Hu, standing outside the Cheng family’s gate, stepped forward and knocked.
“Young Master Qin.”
The maid was surprised to see the young man entering and standing in the courtyard, but she soon greeted him with a respectful smile.
“Have you eaten?” Qin Hu asked with a smile, his gaze drifting toward the veranda.
Under the veranda, a girl dressed in vermilion summer attire with a half-sleeved overcoat and her hair styled high glanced over. She held a long, thin stick for teasing birds and offered a faint smile.
“You’re late,” Cheng Jiao-niang remarked.
Qin Hu chuckled heartily.
“Then would it be too late for me to invite you for tea?” he asked, gesturing politely.
The maid turned to call for Ban Qin, but Qin Hu quickly stopped her.
“Don’t trouble Ban Qin,” he said, then gestured toward Cheng Jiao-niang. “Would you care to join me for tea outside?”
“What flowers are we going to admire?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked.
The last time they went out together, it was to appreciate cherry blossoms. A smile spread from Qin Hu’s eyes to his face.
“In June, it can only be lotus flowers,” he replied.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll go change my clothes,” Cheng Jiao-niang said with a light smile.
Watching Cheng Jiao-niang go inside to change, Ban Qin beckoned to the maid.
“Sister, are you still going to the shop today?” she asked in a low voice.
The maid smiled at her.
“What’s the matter? Trying to slack off?” she teased.
“No,” Ban Qin replied, rubbing her reddened eyes. “It’s just that the wedding dress for Miss is almost ready after all the rushing.”
Feeling a pang of affection, the maid tapped her gently on the forehead.
“I already told you, there’s no need to hurry,” she said. “For the time being, there won’t be a wedding.”
“Sister!” Ban Qin stamped her foot, displeased. She didn’t like hearing such words. “Regardless, I’m going to finish Miss’s wedding gown.”
With a smile, the maid waved her off.
“Go on, go on. I’ll accompany Miss.”
As Cheng Jiao-niang finished changing her clothes and walked out with Qin Hu, Ban Qin hurried to catch up with them.
“These pastries were freshly made – perfect for taking along to eat,” she said.
Qin Hu chuckled.
“There’ll be plenty of refreshments where we’re going to admire the flowers,” he remarked.
“But will there be pastries made by my mistress’s own hands?” Ban Qin retorted playfully. “Don’t you want to try them, Young Master Qin?”
“There’ll be other chances to taste them in the future,” Qin Hu replied with a smile.
“Well, you might not get the chance in the future,” Ban Qin teased, handing the box of pastries to the young maid accompanying them.
You might not get the chance in the future.
The lighthearted comment drifted to Qin Hu’s ears, and the smile on his face faltered slightly.
“Alright, alright, let’s hurry along,” the maid said.
Just as they were about to step forward, Qin Hu reached out, took the box from the young maid, and tossed it back to Ban Qin.
“Huh?” Ban Qin exclaimed.
“I’ll have them when I bring the lady back this evening,” Qin Hu said with a smile. “Save them for me.”
With that, he strode ahead.
“Young Master Qin is acting as stubborn as the Sixth Young Master now,” Ban Qin murmured under her breath.
“Alright, alright, stop fussing over such small matters,” the maid chuckled. “Let him eat out if he wants – if he’s willing to spend, so be it. I’ll bring you plenty when I return.”
Ban Qin smiled and agreed, watching as the group walked out.
…
With a groan of pain, Duke Jin’an, leaning over the edge of the bed, vomited again.
Blood splattered onto the maid holding the spittoon, staining her clothes.
The maid let out a terrified scream.
“Doctor! Call the imperial doctor!” she cried out, weeping.
People outside, hearing the commotion, rushed in. Seeing Duke Jin’an, who had retched several times and now lay weakly collapsed on the bed, a eunuch immediately hurried over to support him and helped turn him over. Those present gasped in shock.
Duke Jin’an’s face was ashen and deathly pale.
“Didn’t you say you could treat it? Didn’t you say it was nothing serious?” the eunuch shouted, his eyes red as he glared at Doctor Li. “Then why is His Highness still vomiting blood? Why is his face already turning black?”
Doctor Li trembled slightly and knelt down halfway, reaching out to check the pulse.
“It shouldn’t be like this… it shouldn’t…” he murmured, his voice shaking. “How could this happen?”
Before he could finish, Duke Jin’an, lying on the couch, convulsed violently and vomited again, blood splattering across his clothes and eliciting panicked sobs from the maids in the room.
“Are you capable or not? Are you capable or not?” the eunuch grabbed Doctor Li, shaking him desperately. “Save His Highness – save His Highness now!”
Doctor Li grabbed his medical kit, took out the golden needles, and stared at the young man before him, whose breath was as faint as a thread. His hands trembled slightly.
Can I do it? Can I treat him? Why, despite administering medicine and needles, is he still not improving?
“I can’t!” he shouted, tossing the needles aside and clutching Duke Jin’an’s arm. “There were still remnants of poison left in his body. Even though he only drank half a cup of tea, it was too much for him to handle! I can’t save him! I can’t treat him!”
Hearing this, the eunuch shoved him aside.
“Quickly, go and fetch Lady Cheng!” he cried out.
Lady Cheng…
At those words, the previously motionless Duke Jin’an suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the eunuch’s arm.
“Your Highness!” the eunuch quickly turned to him, tears welling in his eyes. “Your Highness.”
Duke Jin’an’s lips moved slightly.
“Li…” he uttered, raising his hand.
Doctor Li immediately moved closer and grasped his hand.
“Your Highness, Your Highness,” he called out, his voice trembling. “We’ve already sent for Lady Cheng…”
“Don’t… call her…” the prince said with effort. “Can’t you… save me? She… has her rules…”
Rules?
Doctor Li paused in confusion.
“…Does not marry… patient…” the duke whispered weakly.
Hearing this, Doctor Li grew frantic.
“There’s no time for that now!” he shouted, standing up abruptly. “Don’t send for her -it’s too late. Carry the duke there!”
…
Ban Qin paused in her needlework and rubbed her eyes.
“Sister Ban Qin, have some water,” a young maid nearby said, quickly offering her a drink.
Ban Qin nodded and reached for the cup, but a commotion erupted from outside.
“What’s going on?” she asked, frowning as she looked out. A group of people stormed into the courtyard, their faces fierce and their arrival abrupt.
“Lady Cheng! Lady Cheng, please, help save a life!”
Ban Qin’s hand trembled, and the water in the cup spilled onto the wedding dress laid out before her.
“Get her out here now!” a guard roared, grabbing Lady Huang by the collar.
“She really isn’t here!” Lady Huang cried out, her voice shaking. “My sister truly isn’t here!”
The maids and servants screamed in panic.
Ban Qin stumbled outside in a hurry.
“My mistress is out,” she called out.
“Miss Ban Qin,” a eunuch shouted.
Ban Qin looked at the eunuch, her expression anxious, and her gaze involuntarily fell on the sedan chair carried by several guards.
Who… is it…
The eunuch reached out and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair.
Ban Qin covered her mouth, desperately holding back a scream. Who was this? This couldn’t be the young man she knew, the one whose smile had once shone as brilliantly as the morning sun.
Tears streamed from Ban Qin’s eyes.
Heavens, heavens – what had happened?
“Your Highness, Your Highness,” she cried, rushing forward. “What is going on?”
“There’s no time for questions now – find Lady Cheng, quickly!” Doctor Li shouted, his patience long gone.
Ban Qin trembled, tears flowing down her cheeks.
“My mistress… she’s gone out,” she stammered.
“Where did she go?” two advisors asked in unison.
“She went to view the lotus flowers,” Ban Qin replied.
“There are seven or eight places in and around the capital to admire lotus flowers! Which one is it?” a guard demanded.
The question left Ban Qin and Lady Huang momentarily stunned.
Wasn’t there only one place to see lotus flowers in the capital?
In the past, whenever Cheng Jiao-niang went out, she would always say where she was headed. But this time, it was Young Master Qin who had invited her, and Young Master Qin seemed to have forgotten to mention the location.
“Young Master Qin… didn’t say…” Ban Qin replied, her voice trembling.
“I never ask my sister where she’s going when she goes out either,” Lady Huang added, her tone equally unsteady.
What?!
The eunuchs and guards all turned their gaze toward the advisors.
“Search – deploy everyone you have, check every place one by one!” the advisor shouted, his face grim as iron.
That was the only option left. The attendants acknowledged the order and immediately turned to rush out.
“You – all of you, go as well!” Lady Huang hurriedly instructed those around her.
The maids quickly acknowledged and set off.
“Keep your voices down – no crying or shouting,” the advisor reminded them sternly.
“What’s going on?”
A shout came from outside.
Everyone turned to see Zhou Fu rushing in, a door bar still in his hand.
Since the group had forced their way inside earlier to avoid delays from formalities, the Cheng family guards who had tried to stop them had been knocked to the ground. Seeing them fallen as he entered, Zhou Fu’s face darkened with rage.
“You…” he roared, glaring at the intruders.
“It’s His Highness!” Ban Qin cried out, also dashing outside. “Hurry and find Miss!”
His Highness?
People rushed past Zhou Fu in a flurry, but his gaze fell on the sedan chair. At a glance, he saw the figure inside, and his face instantly paled in shock.
His Highness!
Just as the advisor was about to speak, the young man dropped the door bar, turned, and sprinted away. He swiftly overtook Ban Qin and the other maids, then blew past the guards as well, racing out of the courtyard gate like the wind.
“Take me… to her room…” Duke Jin’an weakly lifted a hand, murmuring. Though his vision was blurred, he felt strangely clear-headed as he looked at the main hall.
Understanding his meaning, the eunuch beside him nodded, tears in his eyes.
“Carry His Highness inside. We’ll wait for the mistress in her room.”
“Your Highness, Lady Cheng will return soon. Hold on a little longer – you must wait for her.”
Mmm. I still have her. I’ll wait for her. I’ll keep waiting. Once I see her, everything will be all right.
