Chapter Ninety-Nine: Trouble with the Nectar

That day, Master Willow was dismissed from office early, and he returned to the rear courtyard with the elder son, chatting and laughing as they went.

Just as they reached the doorway of the main sitting room, they heard faint sobbing from within. The little maid on duty at the door stole a careful glance at the master, then lifted the curtain and let them in. At once, a sighing voice drifted from beyond the folding screen.

“Really, child, what sort of thing is it to weep over a maid? To those who know you, they will say you are kindhearted and value loyalty. To those who do not, they may think you are cruel to your servants and meddling in others’ marriages.”

For some reason, when Master Willow heard this, his steps faltered ever so slightly. A moment later he resumed his stride and turned inward.

A maid had already gone to announce them.

“Master and the young master have returned.”

Lady Willow and Madam Cai rose at once, helped their husbands take their seats, and then settled down beside them.

“Father.”

A little figure rushed into Master Willow’s arms. He looked down and saw that his most cherished daughter wore a mournful face; on her peach-pink cheeks, tears still glistened where they had not been wiped away. Her large, dark eyes, washed clear by tears, shone like two black pearls, bright and translucent.

“What’s happened? Who has wronged you? Tell Father, and Father will help you.”

“Father, I don’t want Sister Emerald Willow to marry. I want Sister Emerald Willow to stay with me.”

As she spoke, she gave a grievous little sob. Her long lashes fluttered, and another veil of mist rose over her eyes.

Master Willow stared, somewhat taken aback, and looked searchingly at the little girl before him. Yet when he met those damp, hazy eyes, his heart instantly softened beyond all reason. He gathered her into his arms, rubbed his chin against the crown of her head, and said indulgently, “All right, all right. If our Qin’er says she won’t marry, then she won’t marry. We’ll do as our daughter wishes.”

The old man’s beard brushed her forehead, and it tickled terribly. Willow Qin nearly slipped out of character, and hurriedly covered her mouth. She nestled obediently back into her father’s embrace.

From the other side came her mother’s displeased voice. “Master, you can’t keep indulging her like this. She’ll be lawless before long.”

Master Willow laughed heartily. “Madam, our daughter has finally asked a favor of us. Let us grant it.”

The elder son sitting below instantly widened his eyes. Father, how is it that you can tell such a shameless lie with a straight face? Why is it that I never learned that skill? My little sister changes her mind every single day. And you call that finally asking a favor? If that counts as hard-begged, then I’ve never asked you for anything in my life.

Heartbroken and wronged, the elder son could only turn to his wife with pleading eyes, hoping to find comfort there.

The Dowager Madam had already been worn down by Willow Qin’s tears. Though she had borrowed her husband’s steps to come down, she was still a little vexed. “What are you all standing there for? Take the girl away and wash her face.”

Willow Qin flashed her father a bright smile, then was surrounded by a flock of maids and taken toward the rear rooms.

When they returned to the study, the elder son asked impatiently, “Father, do you think little sister has noticed something?”

“It’s possible.” Master Willow tapped the tabletop habitually. “Your sister may seem mischievous, but she actually has a very clear mind. This is fine. I never wanted to wrong the person beside her in the first place.”

“And as for Chenzhi...”

“Have your wife choose someone suitable. It would be best if the match were truly willing.”

“Mm. Father, I actually think this move is obvious to everyone already. Is there still any need to carry it through?”

“Open moves have the advantage of open moves. Used well, even an open move can become a hidden one. What matters most is that we keep our own counsel.”

“Mm.”

With Emerald Willow’s matter finally settled, Willow Qin let out a breath. The crisis was, for the moment, averted.

Still, after this incident, she decided it would be best not to bring up so-called freedom of marriage again. Reality had to be faced; custom had to be respected. One should heed one’s parents and follow proper betrothal rites, and handle such matters according to the rules.

Once the twelfth month arrived, the weather grew colder by the day. The north wind cut fiercely, like a carving knife, sculpting the trees outside into shapes of rugged strength and unbending spirit. Only the wintersweet dared bloom, lifting out yellow stamens and proudly showing off its own youth in defiance of the frost.

Willow Qin, who had always been afraid of the cold, no longer ran around outside. She even stopped going to afternoon training, and spent most of her time tucked inside the room. What she was most grateful for was that she had not agreed to her master back then to practice in summer and endure the bitter cold of winter. Those hard days could be left to River Li and Little Five. As for her, it was far better to lie on a warm brick bed, daydream a little, and count silver. Life like that was almost too wonderful.

Unfortunately, life rarely goes as one wishes.

Willow Qin did not even have time to sigh before her pleasant dream was shattered by Da Tong rushing in.

He truly had rushed in; before the little maid could even announce him, he had shoved the door open and barged inside.

Willow Qin had never seen Da Tong so out of sorts. Looking at him, drenched in sweat despite the winter cold, her heart sank abruptly. One thought rose at once in her mind: something had happened to the Nectar House.

The newly promoted Little Red, now renamed Crimson Willow, did not know Da Tong well. She tried hard to push him back outside. “Who are you? How dare you burst into the young lady’s room? Out with you. Go out, quickly.”

“Crimson Willow, let him in.”

Though she had been given the order, Crimson Willow still shot Da Tong a fierce glare before letting him go.

Da Tong did not even have time to straighten his disheveled clothes. He rushed to Willow Qin in a few strides and dropped to his knees before her. “Miss... the shop... the shop has had a terrible accident.”

With a little warning already in her heart, Willow Qin did not panic. Instead, she felt an unnerving calm, as though she had expected this all along. “What happened?”

Da Tong lifted his head. His face was slick with sweat, and the warmth of the room had steamed a haze over him. Coupled with his panicked expression, he looked utterly miserable and dejected.

“Miss, someone died at the shop... someone was poisoned to death.”

“What?”

Willow Qin sprang to her feet. In the motion of her sleeve, she knocked a teacup from the table. It struck the floor with a sharp crack and burst into pieces. Several shards flew toward Da Tong, who was kneeling nearby, cutting thin streaks of blood across his face and skin.

But no one was looking at his face now.

Willow Qin’s mind went blank with a roar. Only one word kept hammering inside her skull: dead, dead, dead. Someone had died? How could this be? How could a perfectly good person die? Was Da Tong trying to fool me, to scare me for fun? Her sluggish mind seemed unable to grasp the true meaning of death.

Having lived in a former life under a system of sound laws, Willow Qin had an instinctive fear of unnatural death, especially when the dead person was directly connected to her.

“Da Tong, stop speaking. Don’t frighten the girl.”

A sharp rebuke came from the doorway. River Li and Little Five rushed in at a run, one on each side of Willow Qin. Supporting her trembling body, River Li drew her into his arms with obvious distress.

“Little sister, don’t be afraid.” His voice was soft as he comforted her, warm as a breeze by her ear, carrying a strange power that gradually steadied the storm in Willow Qin’s heart. The blood drained from her face slowly began to return.

“Junior sister.” Little Five also squeezed Willow Qin’s hand. His steady gaze rested on her, offering silent reassurance and support.

River Li carried Willow Qin to the couch. Da Tong rose and followed, standing quietly to one side with his head bowed.

Crimson Willow quickly and neatly gathered up the tea and broken porcelain, then, at River Li’s instruction, kept watch outside the door.

“Da Tong,” River Li said, “tell us exactly what happened.”

Da Tong felt a little regretful for his earlier impulsiveness. Only after River Li questioned him did he dare sneak a glance at Willow Qin and answer carefully, “Today a customer came to the shop for drink. Halfway through, he suddenly cried out in stomach pain and insisted the food in the shop was unclean. We refused to accept that. We wanted to summon a physician to examine him, but he would not agree. He made a scene, cursed all the way out, and left. Who would have thought that less than an hour later, yamen runners came to inspect the shop from top to bottom. They found poison in the braising liquor, and everyone in the shop was arrested on the spot. The shop was sealed as well.”