The old lady and the marquis always said that the third girl in the family was unreasonable, but in her opinion, that wasn’t the case.  

Miss Tao Sheng had something going on at home, so she came to borrow a house from the lady. The lady was so happy for half the afternoon that she wanted to give the house to her right away.  

No matter how prominent the Wenyuan Marquis Mansion was in the past, it has fallen into decline now. There hasn’t been a steady income for many years, so naturally, there is nothing good. The private property of Shen Yu and the old lady combined is not even half of the lady’s dowry.  

As long as the third girl can always be loved by the lady, most of the money and jewelry will belong to her in the future. With the support of the lady, the third girl won’t have to deal with her father and brother and won’t have to worry about her future.  

_  

Many of Ji Yanming’s classmates knew Tao Sheng. The students studied hard, so when Tao Sheng came to bring meals to Ji Yanming to improve his life, she would always bring an extra portion for other classmates. As a result, everyone became familiar with her.  

Now there were only Tao Sheng and her aunt in the Su family. Everyone knew that Ji Yanming’s mother had been very busy recently. They thought Tao Sheng specially prepared the food and sent it over, feeling that this cousin was very virtuous and would definitely be a good wife and mother in the future.  

After sharing the meals brought by Tao Sheng several times, everyone soon realized that the meals were definitely not of the quality that a 14 or 15-year-old girl could cook at home. They were all specialty dishes from the top restaurants in Beijing.  

One of Ji Yanming’s senior brothers found it strange. He said he heard that her family was not rich and didn’t have much money. A young girl had nothing to do at home, so why didn’t she cook instead of spending money on food and wine from the store?  

This senior brother was young but had quite a presence. He always regarded being gentle and virtuous as his first requirement for a wife and liked to meddle in other people’s affairs.  

After he spoke, Tao Sheng did not respond. She could only be heard humming a cheerful tune. The young man frowned and asked, “What song is Sister Luo humming? It sounds familiar.”  

Tao Sheng replied, “It’s just an ordinary song that children in my hometown liked to hum.”  

(Part of a children’s song about swallows returning in spring.)

Little swallows, dressed in flowery clothes, come here every spring.  

I asked Yan Zi why she came?  

Swallow said, “Take care of yourself.”

The man was not amused, so the second son of the Yin family continued, “I heard from my younger brother Yin Tong that Miss Luo is an excellent zither player. Many families in the capital ask her to teach their daughters the zither. The money she earns is enough for her family to eat and drink at Taibai Tower every day. Naturally, we should use our skills.”  

“Young Master Yin is right. I think so too,” Tao Sheng said. “I have never had any talent for cooking. Now I spend a whole day in the kitchen and the dishes I make are barely edible. I might as well do something I like to make the family more comfortable. At least I won’t delay my cousin’s meal.”  

Since you can use your time for something more valuable than housework, why not spend money on service?  

After hearing this, all the students agreed and sighed that Ji Yanming was so lucky.  

Several observant classmates noticed that whenever Tao Sheng appeared in school, Ji Yanming’s usual coldness would fade a little. Normally, he seemed a bit distant, but at that moment, his eyes showed tenderness.  

It was already late, and everyone had checked into Mr. Shi’s house. They were now gathered in the courtyard in groups, discussing the writing style the examiner would prefer for the exam.  

The second son of the Yin family was the first to notice Tao Sheng’s arrival. He greeted her loudly and asked why she was there.  

Tao Sheng couldn’t say she didn’t trust Mr. Shi, so she simply said that her aunt had asked her to bring two newly purchased sets of autumn cedars and stationery for the exam, and to tell her cousin something.  

Ji Yanming could see that Tao Sheng was making an excuse, but he also knew she came all the way to the Shi family at this time, probably for something related to him.  

Seeing Ji Yanming getting ready to leave with Tao Sheng, one of his classmates asked, “Brother Ji, when will you be back tonight?”  

Ji Yanming glanced at the sky, said “before the hour of Xu^[1]means before about 5 PM to 7 PM.,” and followed Tao Sheng out of the yard.  

After Tao Sheng took Ji Yanming out, she invited him to the family carriage and said mysteriously that she had already convinced her mother to find another house nearby for him to rest in that night.  

Ji Yanming immediately caught the hidden meaning: “Is there something wrong with Mr. Shi’s family?”  

“Not really,” Tao Sheng said. “I thought Madam Luo’s house is closer to the examination room and more comfortable. You are a light sleeper, so I don’t want anyone to disturb you.”  

Even if you stay in a hotel close to an examination center, there is definitely a difference between a standard room and a presidential suite.  

Seeing Tao Sheng’s confident look, Ji Yanming didn’t ask any more questions and just smiled, saying, “Thank you.”  

After a peaceful night, Ji Yanming got up in the morning, said goodbye to Tao Sheng, and left for the Imperial Examination Hall.  

In a residential building not far away, Shi Zongnian frowned and asked his master, “Didn’t Ji Yanming rest in his room last night?”  

The master said with a bitter face, “His cousin came over yesterday and said she had something to discuss. Before Ji Yanming left, Li Guan asked him about it, and he said he would be back before the hour of Xu. Later, I thought he had no other place to go except here, so I didn’t pay much attention. I didn’t expect that he would actually stay out all night.”  

Shi Zongnian didn’t understand why this happened suddenly, and his face became worse. “The things in the house must be cleaned up quickly. You should go in person and don’t let anyone else do it. He may know something after not coming back all night. If someone else sets a trap, it will only be disadvantageous to us.”

The teacher responded and went out, finding the room that was originally assigned to Ji Yanming. At that moment, all the students had gone to take the exam, and there was no one around.  

He pushed open the empty door, wet a handkerchief, and covered his mouth and nose, tiptoeing to the incense burner. He opened the lid and revealed a thin layer of light at the bottom of the burner that flickered.  

It was the ashes of the incense that had not yet burned out.