“Miss—Miss—i-it’s Steward Situ. He—he—” the servant stammered.
“Let’s go.” Zhao Shuning moved forward.
She turned her head and nodded; Huan’er fell into step behind her.
“Miss, how did you get in touch with Chu’s Situ Yun?” Huan’er whispered once they were a few paces off.
“I’d met him a few times before,” Zhao Shuning said lightly.
“You met a few times and he agreed to help you? That’s impressive.” Huan’er smiled, but didn’t press it. Zhao Shuning quickened her pace and fell into step beside Situ Yun. Her lips parted in a teasing tone. “I heard the head of the Chu household has returned. Little Yun Yun, you never told me?”
Huan’er leapt forward, grabbing Zhao Shuning’s sleeve. “Miss, are you out of your mind?”
“What’s wrong?”
“How dare you call him ‘Little Yun Yun’? Not even the head of the Lin family would be so familiar.”
“Is it improper to call him that?” Zhao Shuning drawled.
“Improper doesn’t begin to cover it,” Huan’er hissed. “If you call him that and he takes offense, he could refuse to let us go to the Jiangchang garrison in the prefecture. We’re guesting under other people right now—when we reach the Chu house we’ll need Steward Situ to put in a good word for us. Offending him would be foolish.”
Zhao Shuning merely smiled. The restraint that had pressed on her within the Lin household had loosened the moment she stepped out of it. She looked at Situ Yun’s back, mischievous. “You hear that, Little Yun Yun? My Huan’er is standing up for you.”
Huan’er flushed. “Miss—”
“Miss Zhao, even after all these years you haven’t given up your habit of teasing people, have you?” Situ Yun’s tone was amused.
Zhao Shuning shrugged, unconcerned. “Little Yun Yun, you don’t know how stifling life was in the Lin mansion. Thank you for running around for me these years. Without you, many messages wouldn’t have reached Shui Yunsheng.”
She gave a small, rueful smile. “I owe you a favor. I have to pay it back somehow.”
“By the way,” she added, “this girl is Huan’er. You remember Lu Wu, right? Huan’er is her sister.”
Situ Yun glanced at Huan’er and nodded. The girl shrank behind Zhao Shuning.
“You two are acquainted?” Huan’er asked, surprised.
“Mm. We’ve exchanged a few words now and then.” Zhao Shuning nudged him playfully. “Isn’t that right, Little Yun Yun?”
Situ Yun sighed and walked on. Huan’er, seeing their easy familiarity, stayed quiet and simply followed.
“You’ve been here over half a year. You’ve done what needed doing.” He spoke evenly.
“Mm. Time to close the net.” Zhao Shuning’s eyes brightened. “One unexpected gain—Tianxianmen’s head shouldn’t be working under old Lin Feng anymore.”
Situ Yun raised an eyebrow, surprised.
“A beauty’s scheme?” Zhao Shuning tossed the words lightly.
“Are you saying I’m a bit pretty now?” She grinned.
Situ Yun smiled and kept pace. “Honestly, when I first saw you here half a year ago you were a shock. Back then you looked like a tomboy, but now—now you actually deserve the word ‘beauty.’”
“You were young then,” Zhao Shuning retorted, amused.
“I’ve always admired your guts,” Situ Yun continued. “You’d face down the powerful without blinking, trampling them underfoot to pull justice for ordinary people. But when I saw you six months ago, I could tell you’d changed.”
“Changed how? I’ve become petty and stopped standing up for people?” she shot back.
He stopped walking. His voice was calm. “No. You’ve grown up. Not in years, but inside. You don’t act on impulse the way you used to; you know how to use strategy. I don’t know what happened to make you like this, but it’s for the better. It spares a lot of unnecessary bloodshed.”
Zhao Shuning considered that, then folded her arms. “If it can be solved without steel, I’d rather not draw a sword. Some blades are soft — a whisper, a scheme — and those pierce deeper than any steel.”
They walked side by side, and Situ Yun noticed how she’d grown; the girl who’d once reached only to his waist now nearly matched his height. So it was true: girls could change a great deal.
“By the way,” he said, “you never told me the Chu siblings had returned.”
At the mention of the Chu family, his expression darkened.
“Little Yun Yun, what’s wrong?” Zhao Shuning asked.
“Actually, my master has agreed to take you into the Chu household, but he won’t let you live in the main hall,” Situ Yun said. “You’ll be housed in a private courtyard. You may have to endure some slights.”
“That’s fine,” Zhao Shuning replied serenely.
“Master has always had a cold streak toward the Lin family. Letting you stay even in a side courtyard is almost merciful. If it weren’t for the Ye Xingchen matter, he might not have granted that at all.”
Zhao Shuning smiled. She understood. The Chu siblings—Chu Wen and Chu Nuan—had never liked the ruling families. After their lord Ye Ling fell under the four great families’ trap, their hatred had only deepened. If not for the pressures of the jianghu they would have long ago moved against the four families. The Chu siblings never showed themselves when the Lin family stirred; they let Situ Yun be the face of it.
“Chu house is having trouble of their own,” Situ Yun said.
“What kind?”
“Lin Siyuan has been making trouble for the Chu family.” Situ Yun’s voice turned grim. “He’s been at the Jiangchang garrison.”
“Lin Siyuan was there? No wonder Lin Qingying’s incident yesterday didn’t see him—he must’ve been at the garrison,” Zhao Shuning muttered.
“Lin Siyuan suspects someone tampered with him,” Situ Yun went on. “Do you remember those two courtesans Lin Feng fancied? They were found dead in Lin Siyuan’s bed. He thinks the Chu household set him up—to drive a wedge between him and Lin Feng. My master often despised the Lins; he was working near that brothel when the incident happened.”
Zhao Shuning pinched the bridge of her nose, uneasy. Situ Yun’s next sentence carried a firmness that brooked no argument. “Miss Zhao, my master wouldn’t stoop to such filthy tactics.”
Zhao Shuning’s face betrayed a flicker of discomfort. Situ Yun noticed.
“This matter—could it be—?”
She looked at him, steady. “I did it.”