Wuyun lay on the woman’s warm lap, its dark, gleaming eyes darting around, searching for an opportunity to leave. But Aunt Yuanjin remained constantly by her side, so Wuyun could only dejectedly rest its head in the woman’s hand, waiting for Aunt Yuanjin to use the restroom or change clothes.

Aunt Yuanjin said from the side, “Your Majesty, please return to your bedchamber to rest; it’s cool outside.”

The woman smiled, “It’s rare for the moonlight to be so beautiful tonight. If I can’t admire the magnificent landscapes outside, looking at the moon is fine too. Aunt Yuanjin, please don’t rush me… I heard from Yuanyang that this afternoon, Princess Yongchun caused a commotion in Jingyang Palace and almost offended the Crown Prince?”

Aunt Yuanjin replied, “The young eunuch delivering the imperial decree was thoughtless; he ran to the entrance of Jingyang Palace and shouted ‘Imperial Guards’. Fortunately, Taoist Master Xuanzhen held her back, preventing a major disaster.”

The woman stroked Wuyun’s head, gazing at the moon in a trance as she said, “When Princess Yongchun eloped with Zhou Zhuoyuan, I was very, very young. When I heard about it, I thought she was truly reckless. But later, when I grew up, I realized how callous the late emperor was. He clearly knew Princess Yongchun favored Zhou Zhuoyuan, so why did he arrange another marriage for her? At that time, I thought it was truly remarkable that she could board that southward-bound ship; at least she experienced freedom.”

Aunt Yuanjin whispered, “But she was still sent back by the shipping gang.”

The woman smiled, “Indeed, this cage isn’t so simple; one can’t break free from it.”

Aunt Yuanjin remained silent.

The woman then asked casually, “I also heard that King Jing’s two daughters are also under house arrest in Jingyang Palace?”

Wuyun immediately perked up its ears!

Aunt Yuanjin lowered her voice, “The Empress Dowager has been causing a fuss these past few days, also because she wanted to visit Zhu Lingyun in Jingyang Palace, but she can’t even leave Cining Palace.”

The woman sighed softly, “Zhu Lingyun… The Liu family left no male heirs, only this one girl remains, and she’s imprisoned in a dreadful place like Jingyang Palace. Find an opportunity to discreetly send some clothes and food to Baili and Lingyun.”

“Your Majesty,” Aunt Yuanjin reminded sternly, “If discovered, it will implicate you.”

The woman said gently, “That’s why I told you to find a chance to send them secretly.”

Aunt Yuanjin shook her head, “No. For years, Master has endured for the Hu family, barely managing to hold on. If the young prince had been designated Crown Prince then, Master wouldn’t have had to… You absolutely must not get involved with King Jing again. If His Majesty finds out, it will cause more trouble.”

The woman gazed at the moonlight, silent for a long time, “What is there to fear when everyone is gone anyway… Never mind, it’s boring.”

With that, she stood up, carrying Wuyun, and walked towards the bedchamber, “Then make a few new outfits for Princess Yongchun, and send her some pastries too.”

Yuanjin paused, “Why do you care about her?”

The woman said softly, “I pity her.”

She stepped over the high threshold into Kuning Palace. Inside, numerous candles glowed, where more than ten female officials bowed in unison, “Empress.”

Wuyun’s eyes widened. The Empress!

Kuning Palace was vast, and even with over ten people standing, it still seemed empty and desolate.

Then the Empress commanded, “Bring my pastry boxes, and the small blanket with nine embroidered cats from the East Warm Chamber.”

The female officials walked with small, quick steps to the side hall, then returned with over ten vermillion-lacquered food boxes, which they lined up on the long table and opened.

The Empress, holding Wuyun, walked past each food box and said gently, “See what you want to eat?”

Wuyun stretched its neck to inspect the boxes of pastries: date paste cakes, lotus seed paste pastries, hawthorn flatbreads, almond paste cakes, green tea pastries, scholar cakes, pea cakes… Over a hundred types of pastries—could it eat all of them?

The Empress placed it on the table, “Go on, eat whatever you like.”

Aunt Yuanjin quickly said, “Your Majesty, don’t let it waste things haphazardly. If it makes a mess, none of them will be edible.”

The Empress’s expression was calm. “It’s fine.”

Wuyun paced back and forth in front of the food boxes, finally picking up a date paste cake.

The next moment, Wuyun carried the date paste cake to her and lowered its head, placing the cake in her hand.

The Empress paused, surprised. “You want me to eat it first?”

Aunt Yuanjin grew anxious, “Your Majesty, don’t eat it! It’s been touched by an animal; it’s dirty.”

But the Empress ignored her and actually ate the date paste cake.

She swallowed a bite of the date paste cake and teased, “Aunt Yuanjin, watch your words. His Majesty used to keep over ten cats. One of them, ‘Frostbrow,’ was buried on Longevity Mountain after it died of old age, and was even posthumously honored with the title ‘Loyal, Filial, Brilliant Dragon, Broadly Beneficent, Holy True Lord.’ He’s someone who deeply loves cats.”

Aunt Yuanjin immediately fell silent.

The Empress held Wuyun up to her face and touched Wuyun’s nose with her own, “When His Majesty next visits Kuning Palace, shall I ask him to appoint you as the Grand General for Mouse Eradication?”

Wuyun suddenly dismissed the thought of escaping.

Fuyou Street, Chen Residence.

Chen Ji helped Zaozao remove its saddle and bridle, allowing it to step freely on the clean Suzhou official kiln green bricks.

Xiaoman brought a small stool and sat in the courtyard, resting her chin on her hands, “Young Master, why don’t you send Zaozao to the stables? There are stablehands there to look after it, and it eats well.”

Chen Ji smiled, “Zaozao is also a member of our family. I don’t feel right letting it stay under someone else’s care. Besides, it’s so boring to be confined to a stable all the time. After coming home, it can relax once its saddle is off.”

Zaozao nudged Chen Ji with its head.

“Home,” Xiaoman watched this scene, lost in thought.

Chen Ji asked curiously, “How much silver would a two-courtyard house in the East City cost?”

Xiaoman calculated, “If it’s in the area from Zhengyang Gate to Gulou, where there are many merchants, a house would probably cost around eight hundred taels of silver. If it’s Chessboard Street, it would be twelve hundred taels. As for Fuyou Street and Xuanwu Gate Street, those are symbols of status, and properties there are rarely sold.”

Chen Ji murmured in understanding.

After buying ginseng in Guyuan, he only had over two hundred taels of silver left. Including Zhang Xia’s sworn brotherhood gift, the total was over eight hundred taels.

Xiaoman’s eyes darted around, “Young Master, we’ve returned to the capital. Shouldn’t we go to the Liang family to reclaim your late mother’s estate?”

Chen Ji nodded, “Tomorrow, after I return from duty at the Imperial Guards Headquarters, I’ll go to her to get the deeds for the houses and land.”

Xiaoman’s eyes lit up, “You promised, Young Master, that I could be the manager of Gufu Tower.”

Chen Ji said with a smile, “You will.”

He fetched a brush to groom Zaozao, standing under the ginkgo tree, brushing while waiting for Wuyun to return.

But he waited all night under the ginkgo tree in the courtyard, until the roosters crowed, but Wuyun still hadn’t appeared.

Chen Ji frowned.

Had it met with an accident? No, if something had happened to Wuyun, he, as a mountain lord, would also have lost half his life, but he was perfectly fine now.

Had it encountered some other mishap? But what kind of mishap could prevent Wuyun from coming home? Strange.

The Chen Residence’s rooster crowed three times, and the residence suddenly bustled with activity.

Chen Ji opened the door a crack and looked out, seeing pages and maids moving back and forth, as lively as a temple fair or market day.

The pages wore dark green short jackets and blue cloth wraps on their heads. Some were sweeping, some sprinkling water, and others carrying water or firewood.

The maids wore light green padded jackets and ruqun skirts, with silver hairpins in their hair. Some carried copper basins to deliver hot water to their masters, while others carried trays of food.

Chen Ji murmured, “So many people.”

Xiaoman laughed, “Young Master, why do you look so surprised? The Chen family is a top-tier noble family in the capital. There are over two hundred people in the kitchen alone.”

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do I need to go pay my respects?”

Xiaoman explained, “No, you’re not on the family register yet. According to the Chen family rules, an illegitimate son must hold an official rank of at least sixth grade, and then the first, second, and third branches of the family must convene to confirm that he is of upright character and has not committed any major mistakes in the past, before he can enter the ancestral temple and be written into the family register.”

Chen Ji sighed with emotion, “So strict.”

Xiaoman chuckled, “If one commits a major mistake after being entered into the family register, it could implicate the entire clan.”

Chen Ji smiled, “It’s just as well they haven’t written me into the family register. I’m heading out; you rest at home for a bit.”

Xiaoman picked up the saddle to put it on Zaozao, but Chen Ji stopped her, “No need, I’ll walk.”

Chen Ji left the house. He looked towards the depths of the Chen Residence, seeing the vast estate extend into the distance with green brick paths, as boundless as a forest. Their current location was merely the edge of the Chen Residence.

The third branch of the Chen family, led by Chen Liqin, did not seem well-regarded.

Once Xiaoman was left alone in the courtyard, she looked at the clean courtyard and twirled around, holding up her skirt.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

She pulled open a crack in the door and carefully peered out, to find an older maid standing prominently outside.

Xiaoman immediately exclaimed with delight, “Sister Duanwu!”

Duanwu feigned annoyance, “After finally returning to the capital, why didn’t you come find me?”

Xiaoman quickly said, “Last night, when Young Master left the palace, it was already very late. I was afraid of disturbing your rest.”

Duanwu poked her forehead with a finger, “Alright, alright, I know your young master went to the palace to see His Majesty. You don’t need to show off to your elder sister.”

Xiaoman, her little trick exposed, embarrassedly changed the subject, “Sister Duanwu, which garden do you work in now? Is it Zhuozheng Garden or Qinzheng Garden?”

Duanwu chuckled softly and said, “I’m still passing my days in Zhuozheng Garden. Perhaps in a while, I’ll leave the residence to get married… I have a sum of money here; do you want to earn it?”

Xiaoman casually asked, “How much silver?”

Duanwu squeezed inside the door and lowered her voice, “This time, it’s a good sum, twenty taels. You just need to write down what your young master saw and heard in Guyuan, with a focus on whom he met.”

Xiaoman muttered inwardly, “Who exactly is buying information about Young Master’s whereabouts? The moment Young Master returned to the Chen Residence in Luocheng, they were already watching him. Now that he’s just returned to the capital, they’ve immediately sent someone again.”

She scrutinized Duanwu, wondering if she should tie her up and interrogate her.

No.

Xiaoman thought for a moment and said, “Now Young Master is an official who has met His Majesty in the palace. I won’t do it for twenty taels. Sister Duanwu, please go back. I’ll visit you at Zhuozheng Garden in a few days.”

With that, she pushed Duanwu towards the door.

Duanwu quickly said, “If you think it’s too little, we can negotiate. Thirty taels? Fifty taels?”

Xiaoman remained unmoved.

As Duanwu was about to be pushed out the door, she gritted her teeth and said, “One hundred taels!”

Xiaoman was surprised, “They’re offering that much? Who exactly wants to buy information about my young master?”

Duanwu, annoyed, smoothed her disheveled clothes, “You’re not doing this for the first time, why are you asking so many questions? Perhaps it’s the Qi family, the Hu family, or the Xu family trying to get information, or maybe even the eunuch faction or someone from a princely manor. Anyway, no matter which family it is, we servants just take the money.”

Xiaoman extended her hand, “The silver.”

Duanwu pulled a string of Buddhist coins from her bosom and slapped them into Xiaoman’s palm, “Do it quickly, and don’t miss anything, otherwise, you won’t be able to earn this kind of windfall again.”

Xiaoman replied perfunctorily, “I know, I know.”

After Duanwu left, leaving a trail of fragrance, Xiaoman returned to the East Wing to grind ink. After much deliberation, she wrote down everything that happened in Guyuan in detail, but omitted Chen Ji’s dealings with Third Master Hu and the innkeeper.

She folded the Xuan paper and left the courtyard, keeping her head down as she went, following the winding, secluded path through Qinzheng Garden.

The Chen Residence consisted of two gardens. To the north was Zhuozheng Garden, where the Chen family’s first branch resided. To the south was Qinzheng Garden, home to the second and third branches. Between them was a landscaped garden called “Xiaoyingzhou,” with interconnected mountains and waters. Both gardens could be accessed through it.

Xiaoyingzhou featured numerous ‘Taihu stones’ transported from Suzhou. The most magnificent among them was named ‘Guanyun Peak,’ standing over three zhang tall. It was unknown how much manpower and resources were spent to transport it to the capital.

Xiaoman stealthily entered Xiaoyingzhou, tucked the paper into the third hole on the south side of Guanyun Peak, and then crouched silently in a distant flower patch, watching to see who would retrieve the message.

She squatted there for a full two hours, until her legs went numb, but no one came to retrieve the message.

It wasn’t until the sun was high in the sky that Xiaoman finally couldn’t resist going to the restroom and changing.

From the time she left to the time she returned, only half an incense stick’s worth of time had passed.

But when she finally went to check Guanyun Peak, she discovered that the Xuan paper with the message was already gone.