It was already late at night. The moon hung high overhead, and the hour had reached the Hai hour.
At that moment, Xiaoxiang Lodge in Grand View Garden lay beneath a tranquil wash of silvery moonlight.
Green bamboo rustled, moss mottled the stones, and moonlight streamed through the window lattice into the room, making the bright spiritstone candle on the desk look all the lonelier.
"..."
Tanchun sat by the desk, silently reading an old book. Every so often, she looked up and glanced outside.
"..."
"..."
Outside, Zijuan and Xueyan, the two maids, had already paced back and forth beneath the corridor by the entrance to Xiaoxiang Lodge countless times.
"Honestly!"
"Do you know what hour it is?"
Xueyan was a little younger and more impatient. Now she rubbed her hands restlessly, occasionally rising onto her toes to peer beyond the courtyard gate. Anxiety and unease were written all over her face.
"Wasn't the banquet over ages ago? It ended at the Xu hour!"
"It's past the middle of the Hai hour, and our mistress still hasn't come back!"
"Could she have gone to some other young lady's courtyard?"
"But surely she'd have sent someone back to let us know?"
Zijuan was a little steadier than Xueyan, but even she couldn't hide her worry.
"..."
She too had stood beneath the corridor, craning her neck in eager anticipation. After hearing Xueyan's complaints, she furrowed her brow and said:
"That's true."
"Even if Old Madam wanted to keep our mistress for a chat, she wouldn't keep her this late."
"Even when she came back late before, she was never more than half an hour behind... Could something really have happened tonight?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help looking outside again. She wanted to go search for Daiyu, but didn't dare.