The “calamity” no longer liked going out much these days, but she still had to visit her teacher, and couldn’t refuse every invitation from her fellow classmates. Under the teasing gaze of those around her, she felt her temperament was being honed more and more. In a way, it was an unexpected blessing.

Later that evening, she returned with some news.

“The Emperor made a grand gesture and sent Qinghuan four carriages of rewards.”

“Beautifully done,” Shi Buyu remarked with emotion. “Qinghuan had just taken down Prime Minister Zhang, and the Emperor immediately followed up with lavish rewards, cementing her status as favored. If one day he suddenly turns against her and strips everything from her, the whole world will assume it was because the Princess made a terrible mistake—not because the Emperor is heartless or fickle.”

Shi Buyu shook her head. “Qinghuan may look like she’s living a glorious life, but she’s actually in a completely passive position.”

“So she keeps male companions, refuses to marry, and retaliates under the guise of a Princess whenever someone offends her,” Yan Shian understood. “She’s defiling her own reputation.”

“Not just self-defilement, but also self-salvation,” Shi Buyu opened the box that contained her eldest brother’s gift, then closed it, then opened it again. “She’s been recommending many talented men—some have already entered officialdom, others have gained national fame. While her personal morality is heavily criticized, her reputation among scholars and literati is quite good. Many talented but low-born individuals have risen thanks to her, and the pens of scholars, the mouths of the literati—those might ultimately save her.”

Yan Shian was silent for a moment. “I only saw her outrageous behavior, but I never realized how difficult her position was. The Emperor is wary of her?”

“At first, when she started recommending people, he probably didn’t think much of it. But when she kept doing it more and more… how could a paranoid Emperor not become suspicious?” Shi Buyu closed the box and looked at him. “If you want to understand it better, it’s not hard—just have someone investigate how the Emperor’s attitude toward Qinghuan has changed over the years.”

Yan Shian nodded. Unlike his distant and mysterious eldest sister, he felt a stronger sense of kinship with his second sister Qinghuan. Watching her actions, he had even once considered that if he were ever cornered, he could show up at her side as a male companion and confess his true identity. Perhaps—just perhaps—she wouldn’t sell him out.

Now, he was certain. If he really did that, Qinghuan definitely wouldn’t sell him out. She might even help him with everything she had.

Having a sister like her wasn’t bad at all.

Suppressing this faint ripple of emotion, Yan Shian looked at the box Miss Shi had been toying with. “What is it?”

“This? A treasure,” Shi Buyu turned the box to face him, showing it off like a prized possession. “A birthday gift from my eldest brother.”

Yan Shian had already instructed the gatekeeper: if anyone came looking for his cousin, they were to report to Aunt Wan immediately, and she alone would decide whether to allow a meeting. There was no need to report to him, giving the residents of this courtyard a great deal of autonomy.

He took a look but couldn’t tell what the little round object was for, so he asked, “What material is this ‘treasure’ made of?”

“The material doesn’t matter,” Shi Buyu picked it up and explained its function, ending with, “What matters is—it was made by a descendant of the Mohist School.”

Descendant of the Mohists?

Yan Shian snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes widening in rare surprise. A Mohist descendant!

Shi Buyu was delighted by his reaction and laughed. “My eldest brother knows me so well—he even told me it was made by a Mohist descendant. With his intellect, he must’ve known I’d get ideas. My eldest brother only ever sends me useful items and valuable information. You get the silver ready—if he can persuade the person to return with him, all the better. If not, we’ll buy everything they make. As much as they’re willing to sell, we’ll buy.”

“Your cousin is rich,” Yan Shian finished for her, and a smile unknowingly spread across his face. He really had struck the best deal in the world—ever since Miss Shi came to his side, the situation on his end had been visibly changing for the better.

Before, he felt like a spider trapped in a web of his own making, every step a struggle under its weight. Now, another spider had joined him. She had her own web and could control it effortlessly from afar. She even smoothed out his tangled web and integrated it into hers. He hadn’t felt this free in a long time.

The two shared a smile—thinking different thoughts, but both genuinely happy.

The birthday gift from her eldest brother seemed to trigger a chain reaction. As her birthday drew near, gifts from her various brothers started arriving from all directions.

Each day, when the doorman came to report, Shi Buyu would eagerly wait. Once Wan Xia returned, she’d lean against the railing, guessing which brother’s gift would arrive today. At first, it was hard—besides her eldest brother, and the second brother who may or may not even exist, she still had nine other brothers. The guessing pool was huge.

But as more gifts arrived, the list of possible senders shrank, and she began to guess right. She’d open the packages and check them out.

Her brothers were all much older than her. Even the youngest, the eleventh brother, was seven years her senior. They had practically raised her like a daughter and knew her well. They understood that she didn’t care about the price of the gift—it was whether or not they remembered. A gift meant she was in their hearts. No gift meant they didn’t value her, and coaxing her out of a sulk wouldn’t be easy.

Her brothers had all put great thought into their gifts—beautiful, fun, rare, and interesting.

For several days in a row, Shi Buyu wore a bright smile. She would sometimes display the gifts together, then carefully store away the most precious ones, waiting to bring them all home once her tasks here were done.

By the twelfth of October, only the seventh brother’s gift hadn’t arrived yet.

That morning, while Aunt Gu was helping her dress up and groom, Shi Buyu muttered, “He’s the one who lives closest to me, yet he’s the last to send anything. He’d better remember my birthday and show up in person today. If not—hmph.”

Wan Xia laughed. “What are you planning to do? Burn down his bookstore?”

“No way, the bookstore must be preserved,” Shi Buyu said. “Old Whitebeard’s eyesight is already that bad—if a book is damaged, he insists on restoring it himself. Even a bent corner, he’ll smooth out over and over. If I dared burn the bookstore, I fear he’d burn me in return.”

Wan Xia was doing her hair and took the chance to knock her lightly on the head. “Nonsense. Spit that out—no bad talk on your birthday.”

“Ptui, ptui, ptui!” Shi Buyu tilted her head back toward Aunt Gu. “Three spits—now I get two more chances to talk nonsense.”

Wan Xia glared playfully at her and turned her head straight again to continue her work.

Shi Buyu, meanwhile, was busy with thoughts in her head—planning how she’d deal with her seventh brother if he really forgot, wondering what gift he might bring, and also guessing what dishes Aunt Gu might cook today.

Every year, Aunt Gu would personally prepare a full banquet. She and Old Whitebeard would eat only a small breakfast and leave their stomachs empty for the midday feast.

But this year… she’d eat Old Whitebeard’s share too.

Thinking about not being able to celebrate with Old Whitebeard made her heart sink a little. But she quickly cheered herself up again, letting her imagination run happily once more.