Chapter 1: An Empty Brazier

The charcoal brazier was empty.

Xue Qingyin reached in and stuck her hand inside. Her fingers only found a layer of cold ash.

"Miss." Lüzhu pushed aside the curtain and walked in, holding a bowl of warm water. She kept her voice as low as she could. "The kitchen said we're short on charcoal this month, so they're saving it all for the second young lady."

"Saving it for her." Xue Qingyin pulled the quilt up a bit higher. "So we're out."

Lüzhu's eyes turned red. "Miss has been sick for three days, and they won't even give us a single brazier. I went to beg. Granny Liu said there's no budget line for it in the books."

"No budget line." Xue Qingyin repeated it, then suddenly laughed. "Fine."

Her smile was light, her eyes calm, showing no trace of anger. Lüzhu only looked more panicked. "Miss, please stop smiling like that. It gives me the creeps."

"Let me ask you. Besides the charcoal, what else are we short on?"

Lüzhu bit her lip. It took her a long moment before she finally spoke. "My monthly stipend got cut too. They said since Miss is sick, the cost for medicine has to come out of my wages."

"The medicine?"

"The pharmacy said the prescription needs the second young lady's approval before they can fill it."

Xue Qingyin didn't say anything.

It had been three months since she'd entered this body. For the first time, everything looked crystal clear: this wasn't just skimming off the top; they wanted her dead. But they wanted her to die slowly. They wanted her to die by the rules.

"And more." Lüzhu's voice dropped even lower. "This morning, early, Mama Liu brought four servants and carried off the few trunks from the East Wing."

Xue Qingyin's hand, which had been lifting the quilt, froze in mid-air.

"Which trunks?"

"The ones... the ones Mother left for you." Lüzhu's tears fell. "I tried to stop them, but Mama Liu said Miss is sick, and the damp air in the East Wing would damage the things. She said she was moving them to the main courtyard to store them for you."

Xue Qingyin got out of bed.

She moved slowly, but her hands were steady as she dressed.

"Miss, where are you going?"

"The main courtyard." She tied the sash of her outer robe tight. "To get my mother's things back."

The main courtyard was warm and cozy.

Lady Liu sat under the window, with seven or eight bolts of fabric spread out in front of her. Xue Wan was leaning against her, tapping her finger on a lotus-colored piece of silk.

"This one is good," Xue Wan said, her voice soft. "It suits a daughter."

"It suits anyone," Lady Liu smiled. "Everything suits my child."

The laughter in the room cut off sharply when the curtain was lifted.

Xue Qingyin stood in the doorway. Her face was pale, but she stood straight.

"Mother."

Lady Liu looked up. She swept away that trace of smile quickly, then plastered on an even thicker one. "Why is Qingyin up? You're not well yet. Be careful you don't catch a cold."

"You dote on me," Xue Qingyin walked in and picked out a chair to sit down on her own. "You dote so much you cut off my charcoal."

The room went silent for a heartbeat.

Lady Liu's hand, holding the teapot lid, paused. "What does that mean? You're sick; the heavy charcoal smell in a small room is actually bad for you."

"What about the medicine?"

"Medicine?"

"The pharmacy said the prescription needs my second sister's nod before they can write it out." Xue Qingyin looked at her. "I didn't know the Xue Family had changed the rules. When did it become necessary for a younger sister to approve the medicine for her elder sister?"

Xue Wan's face froze. She hurried to say, "Sister, you're misunderstanding. It's just the pharmacy being confused—"

"Confused." Xue Qingyin nodded. "Perfectly confused. I came here today for that, too."

Lady Liu set down her teacup. "Qingyin, just say what you need. We're family. No need for roundabout talk."

"Good." Xue Qingyin said. "Four trunks from the East Wing. You moved them."

There was no panic on Lady Liu's face. "I'm just storing them for you. You're sick, and it's damp in the room. Those trunks are made of camphor wood; if they sit too long, they'll get moldy."

"Mother thinks of everything." Xue Qingyin said. "Then return them now."

"You child—"

"Those four trunks contain my mother's dowry." Xue Qingyin cut her off. "The Dowry List says 'Gift to Xue Family Daughter Qingyin.' There are two copies. One is in my hands, and the other has been filed with the Shuntian Prefecture."

Lady Liu's expression finally changed.

"The year my mother married into this house, the Xue Family was still renting a place in South City." Xue Qingyin's voice wasn't loud; she delivered each word steadily. "She brought thirty-six carriers of dowry into the Xue Family door. In the past decade, Father got promoted, bought a mansion, but Mother's things stayed locked in the East Wing. Now it's been three years since Mother passed, and you want to move her things to the main courtyard to 'store them for me.'"

She raised her eyes. "Mother, is that storing them, or swallowing them?"

"Xue Qingyin!" Lady Liu slapped the table. "How dare you!"

"Me, how dare." Xue Qingyin nodded. "Then let's go to the Shuntian Prefecture. Let the Prefect decide: did I overstep, or did someone embezzle a solitary daughter's dowry?"

"You—"

The curtain rustled again.

Uncle Zhou walked in. He was still in his official robe, his brow furrowed so tight it could pinch a mosquito to death. "What's the commotion? I could hear it from the front yard."

Lady Liu's eyes turned red. She softened immediately. "Master, I was just storing a few trunks for Qingyin, and she—"

"Father." Xue Qingyin stood up, pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve, and unrolled it. "This is a copy of my mother's Dowry List. Page three, line seven: 'Four camphor wood trunks, containing two sets of red-gold head ornaments, six pairs of jade bangles, and two land deeds.'"

She handed the paper over. "Father has managed the treasury at the Ministry of Revenue for ten years. You know these characters better than I do."

Uncle Zhou took the paper, skimmed it once, and his face darkened bit by bit.

"Lady Liu." He looked up. "Where are the trunks?"

Lady Liu's hands clenched tight inside her sleeves. "I... I was afraid of the dampness."

"Bring them back." Uncle Zhou slapped the paper down on the table. "Bring them back now."

Grindling through her teeth, Lady Liu turned her head and shouted outward. "Mama Liu! Go! Carry the trunks back to the East Wing!"

Xue Qingyin didn't move.

"Father." She said. "One more thing."

Uncle Zhou looked at her.

"I've been ill for days. No charcoal, no medicine, no monthly allowance." Her tone was flat. "If Father thinks this falls under the rule that 'family doesn't speak with two voices,' then tomorrow I'm heading to Shuntian Prefecture to settle the score."

Xue Chong's face turned a shade of bruised purple for a split second.

"Who's holding back?" he snapped, turning his head.

Lady Liu went pale.

"...I was careless." She managed to squeeze out. "I'll have it made up right now."

"Made up." Xue Chong threw his sleeve. "Piece by piece."

By the time the crates were carried back to the east wing, the sun was already heading west.

Lüzhu crouched on the floor, counting them over and over again. Finally, she looked up, her eyes wide and startling. "Miss, not a single item is missing."

"Lock it." Xue Qingyin tucked the key into her robe. "From now on, I'm the one holding this key."

Lüzhu nodded and asked, "Miss, how did you dare threaten Shuntian Prefecture back in the main courtyard? What if Master truly got angry—"

"He can't afford to." Xue Qingyin sat down and took a sip of cold tea. "His job at the Ministry of Revenue means he can't stand the rumor that he can't manage his household. Lady Liu only dared touch my things because she assumed I was too sick to make a fuss. The moment I did, she had to back down."

Lüzhu nodded, not entirely understanding.

Xue Qingyin looked out the window.

Three months had passed. She had gone from a sickly girl who had to watch her breath to light the coals to where she stood now. It wasn't luck that got her here; it was the ledger. Her mother's Dowry List. She had copied it three times. One copy stayed close to her body, one was hidden in the wall cracks, and the third...

But she didn't need to tell Lüzhu about those details.

"Oh, right." Lüzhu suddenly remembered something. "Mama Liu came from the main courtyard just now. She said you're invited to the Shen Residence for the Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet tomorrow. Lady Liu wants you to go."

Xue Qingyin looked up.

"Invited?"

"They said you've recovered and should get some fresh air."

Xue Qingyin set her tea cup down.

Lady Liu had returned the four crates, only to immediately hand over an invitation.

There are no free lunches in this world.

The plums at The Shen Residence bloomed earlier than at The Xue Family.

When Xue Qingyin arrived, half the garden was already filled with people. She was wearing a moon-white padded jacket her mother had left behind. It wasn't new, but the fabric was excellent. Standing among a crowd of women in loud reds and greens, she actually stood out.

Lady Liu was chatting with someone on the other side. Spotting her, she waved with a smile. "Yin-jie, come meet Auntie Zhou."

Xue Qingyin walked over, performed the formal greeting, and retreated to the bottom of the seating arrangement.

Xue Wan sat in the front row, draped in lotus-purple satin, her head heavy with pearls and jade, being fawned over by the crowd.

"With her looks, Second Miss Xue is destined to be a noblewoman in the future."

Lady Liu beamed, barely able to close her mouth. "Oh, please, you flatter her."

Xue Qingyin looked down at her tea, counting the hours in her head.

Lady Liu hadn't put in this much effort just to have her sit at the bottom of the table and catch a draft.

Sure enough.

When the third pot of tea was served, a maid in blue silk "hastily" came from under the eaves and "accidentally" bumped into her. The tea tray in her hands flipped completely upside down.

Xue Qingyin was ready, sidestepping to the side.

The tea splashed onto the ground, spilling over half the hem of her skirt, but she was unharmed.

The maid cried out, dropped to her knees, and bowed repeatedly. "This slave is deserving of death! This slave is deserving of death!"

"Get up." Xue Qingyin's voice was level. "If you can't balance a tray, that's a hand problem. Your hands have been trembling for three years. Why are they trembling on *me* today?"

The maid froze.

A silence fell over the surrounding area.

Lady Liu's laughter drifted over from the other side, stiff and unnatural. "Yin-jie, a servant just slipped up. Why make a fuss?"

"Mother is right." Xue Qingyin smiled. "I'm not making a fuss. It's just that this tea is on my skirt, so I need to go change into a new set."

She stood up and followed the guide-maid toward the back of the garden.

The maid’s pace quickened until they reached a corner of the corridor, where she suddenly veered off and vanished.

Xue Qingyin stopped.

At the end of the corridor stood a young man in a bright blue brocade robe. He was fanning himself, and when he saw her, his eyes lit up as he stepped forward. "Miss, are you the eldest daughter of The Xue Family? My surname is Qian—"

"Young Master Qian." Xue Qingyin took half a step back. "This is the inner courtyard of The Shen Residence. You've taken a wrong turn."

"Wrong turn?" The man laughed. "Why is the eldest daughter of The Xue Family playing dumb? Your mother—"

"Your mother." Xue Qingyin cut him off. "Young Master Qian, how much silver did she promise you for that?"

Young Master Qian blinked.

"Fifty taels? A hundred?" Xue Qingyin looked at him. "I suggest you go back and ask her if she promised actual silver. If it was just a verbal promise, you made this trip for nothing."

"You—"

"Also." Xue Qingyin looked up. "If anyone hears that line of yours, my reputation gets ruined, and the reputation of The Qian Family won't survive it either. Your father works in Canal Transport. He can't afford to be associated with this kind of gossip. Go ask your father."

Young Master Qian's face turned red, then white.

Footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

"Qian'er."

The voice wasn't loud, but it rippled out like a stone dropped into water.

The blood drained from Young Master Qian's face instantly.

Shen Yanzhou walked out from under the eaves, dressed in plain black. He held a folding fan in his hand, tapping the fan's spine against his palm. Once. Twice.

"Shen... Eldest Master Shen." Young Master Qian backed up.

"You seem quite familiar with the paths in the inner courtyard." Shen Yanzhou stopped in front of him. "Last month, you drew three hundred taels from my household's accountant, claiming you were starting a silk business. Where is that business?"

"This... that..."

"Get out."

One word.

Young Master Qian ran faster than anyone else.

The corridor fell silent.

Shen Yanzhou turned around and looked at Xue Qingyin.

"Eldest Miss Xue."

"Eldest Master Shen." Xue Qingyin gave a small curtsy.

“Those words you just said,” Shen Yanzhou said slowly, “if the girl had been less bold, she’d be crying by now.”

“If she cried, he’d only get even more worked up.”

Shen Yanzhou laughed.

He held out the folding fan in his hand. “Take it.”

Xue Qingyin didn’t reach for it. “What for?”

“To hide your face,” Shen Yanzhou said. “There’s a tea stain on your skirt. You walk out there, and half the garden will be staring. Hide behind the fan, and no one will know if you’ve been crying or not.”

Xue Qingyin looked at him for two seconds, then took the fan.

The bones were warm, still holding the heat of his palms.

“Thanks.”

“No need to thank me.” Shen Yanzhou headed toward the entrance of the corridor. Two steps in, he stopped. “Oh, right.”

“Hmm?”

“If that Qian guy really corners you today,” he didn’t turn back, “tomorrow the capital will be buzzing with gossip about how the eldest daughter of The Xue Family was seen meeting a man in private in the back corridor of The Shen Residence.”

“I know.”

“You know that, yet you dare follow that maid alone?”

Xue Qingyin opened the fan, shielding half her face, revealing only her eyes. “If I hadn’t gone, how would I have known who was pushing me from behind?”

Shen Yanzhou looked back at her.

From behind the fan, her eyes were bright—not at all like the person who had been sick for three months.

“Xue Qingyin.” He suddenly used her name.

“Yes?”

“You’re quite interesting.”

With that, he walked away. His black hem swayed as he turned the corner of the covered walkway and disappeared from sight.

Xue Qingyin stood in place, closing the fan.

A cluster of bamboo was carved on the fan bones.

By the time the guests were leaving, the sky had already darkened.

Xue Qingyin came out of the lavatory and cut through the rockery in the back garden via a shortcut.

Someone was talking behind the rockery.

Her steps faltered.

It was Xue Wan.

“...this doesn’t make sense.” Xue Wan’s voice was kept low, sounding both anxious and agitated. “This scene doesn’t exist in the Original Book at all. She shouldn’t have gotten involved today; she should have been blocked by that Qian guy in the back corridor, her reputation destroyed, and sent off to West City—”

Xue Qingyin’s fingers froze on her sleeve.

“How is this possible?” Xue Wan paced back and forth on the other side of the rockery. “The plot is all messed up. As this Female Supporting Character, if I keep going like this, I won’t even survive three chapters—”

She stopped abruptly.

“Who’s there?”

Xue Qingyin didn’t move.

The wind slipped through the gaps in the rockery, blowing a strand of hair from her temple onto her face.

Standing in the shadows, she replayed those words in her mind.

The Original Book. Female Supporting Character. Three chapters.

Xue Qingyin slowly tucked the folding fan into her sleeve.

So it wasn’t just her who didn’t belong in this household.