The two men were speaking to a young woman. She wore a moon-white embroidered dress, washed and starched spotlessly clean. Her oval face was quite pretty, and she smiled. "Your clothes are all dry, Provincial Graduates, and I've mended a tear as well. If you aren't in a hurry to wear them, shall I iron them before bringing them over?"
"That's fine. There's no hurry. Once you deliver them, we'll pay you next month's eight mace of silver as well."
"Yes, sir."
It was an utterly ordinary exchange, but Su Ziji suddenly felt that she looked familiar, though he could not remember why. Ordinarily, he would have let it pass, but at this critical juncture, he paid a little more attention.
"My lord, have you forgotten? She's Cui'er, the maid of Qian Zhidong's mistress. You've met her before."
"Oh, Sun? But I remember giving her three thousand five hundred taels of silver back then, and arranging for Jian Qu to look after her. How has she fallen on such hard times that she has to wash clothes?"
"Come, let's take a look."
"Imperial..." Merely going over to look would have been fine, but when Yu Lü and Fang Xi turned around and saw him, they started in surprise. A closer look let them recognize him at once, and they were about to bow.
Somewhat helpless, Su Ziji could only step forward and hold them up. "No need for ceremony. Today, we're simply old friends from our student days."
Only then did Yu Lü and Fang Xi realize he had come incognito. They exchanged a glance, but Su Ziji did not speak immediately. Instead, they saw the Wild Daoist bring the young woman over.
"Why are you washing clothes? Isn't the residence looking after you?" Su Ziji asked.
The young woman