Page 6

"I came by this little Cuju ball recently. It's finely made and lovely to play with. Let's use it as a prize for the game today. Whichever of you scores highest at pitch-pot can take it home."

Cuju was popular in Zhaojing, and girls formed teams to play it too. The prize had caught their interest.

Miss Fan accepted the ball along with the sachet. "Very well. Yulan thanks you on behalf of us all."

The brief encounter stirred the hearts of the girls, all at an age when romance was beginning to bloom. Xu Mingyan was handsome and gracious, at ease in every gesture. His bearing had left a deep impression. Shen Lantang saw several girls looking excited, their cheeks flushed.

She turned to find Xie Ying in the crowd. Sure enough, Xie Ying's cheeks were rosy, and she looked almost overcome with shyness.

It was some time after the young men left before the girls grew lively again. Xie Ying had practiced martial arts since childhood and loved to be active; she excelled at both pitch-pot and Cuju. After several rounds, she took the highest score of the day.

She took the sachet from Fan Yulan and walked over to Shen Lantang under the other girls' envious or resentful gazes.

Shen Lantang looked at her in amusement.

"Happy?"

Biting her lip, Xie Ying said, "I won the contest. Of course I'm happy."

"Mm. Of course."

Xie Ying took the ball out of the sachet. It was exquisitely crafted from gold wire and about the size of a baby's palm. Animals had been carved onto several of its surfaces. Though it did not feature all twelve zodiac signs, it included the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, horse, sheep, monkey, and rooster. The people of Jing considered pigs and dogs lowly, and avoided depicting

dragons

and snakes. Each carving was only slightly larger than a grain of rice, a testament to the craftsman's skill.

The more Xie Ying looked at it, the more she liked it. She could not resist turning it over in her hands.

Shen Lantang had been too far away to see what Xu Mingyan had brought out. Now that she saw it, she frowned.

"Yingying, may I have a look?"

"Huh?"

Puzzled but obliging, Xie Ying handed her the ball.

The strange feeling in Shen Lantang's heart grew stronger as she took it. She turned it halfway around and ran a fingertip over one of the patterns. Sure enough, it bore the mark of the Jade and Gold House.

Shen Lantang had designed this ball herself and examined the finished piece after the craftsman made it. There was no chance she had mistaken it, and the Jade and Gold House mark confirmed her suspicion. But the Gold-Wire Cuju Ball was a complimentary gift with the Gold-Inlaid Jade Bird Jewelry. As far as she knew, only one set of that jewelry had been sold.

"..."

Though puzzled, Shen Lantang showed nothing on her face and soon returned the ball to Xie Ying.

The banquet finally ended at a quarter to four in the afternoon. Shen Lantang and Xie Ying shared a carriage home. On the way, Shen Lantang saw that Xie Ying could hardly put the ball down. "You like it that much?"

"Mm, I love it!"

Shen Lantang wanted to ask whether she liked the ball or the man, but thought better of it.

After playing all day, Xie Ying was hot and tired. She went straight to her room when they got home. Shen Lantang also returned to hers for a bath and changed her clothes before coming out again.

It had been a leisurely day, but one matter still troubled Shen Lantang. After turning it over in her mind, she went out.

"You're going out at this hour, Young Madam?"

"I forgot something. I'll be back soon."

Shen Lantang took a carriage to the street where the shop stood. She made two rounds before going in. Manager Liao was startled to see her. "Miss, what brings you here at this hour?"

"There's something I want to ask you."

Shen Lantang went into the back room. "Do you know who bought the Gold-Inlaid Jade Bird Jewelry?"

Manager Liao looked puzzled. "If you mean the customer's name, I do."

They kept the names and addresses of all their valued customers so they could send them gifts for the holidays.

"Bring me the register."

Manager Liao brought her the ledger. The name entered was Zhou Wanniang—Zhou, not Xu. The address had been left blank.

"This Madam Zhou..." Shen Lantang tapped the table.

"Did she always come alone? I mean, did a man ever accompany her?"

"As far as I know, she always came alone... Wait—"

Manager Liao called over a shop assistant. "Qiao San, do you remember whether this Madam Zhou ever came with a man?"

Qiao San thought back.

"I think... once. After she bought the jewelry, a carriage came to pick her up, and a man stepped out of it."

"Are you sure?" Manager Liao asked.

"I'm sure. He wore fine brocade clothes and was quite handsome. But..."

"But what?"

"I don't think he and the lady were husband and wife. From the way she carried herself, she seemed... she didn't seem to be a respectable woman."

Shen Lantang remembered a joke that had circulated online in her previous life: luxury saleswomen could tell at a glance whether someone was a potential customer. That eye for people came from years of bonuses won and lost. People in ancient times were no less perceptive than modern ones. With rigid social ranks leaving little room for mistakes, they were even more careful with wealthy customers and more practiced at guessing their identities.

And with so many courtesans around, she could trust the professional eye of a luxury shop assistant.

"Do you remember what the man looked like?" Shen Lantang asked.

"I do. He, uh..."

Seeing him falter, Shen Lantang did not make him describe the man. Instead, she asked quickly,

"Was he about five and a half feet tall?"

"Ah, yes!"

"Neither fat nor thin, somewhat sturdily built, with fair skin?"

"Yes!"

"A slightly high hairline and a small dark mole at the corner of his mouth?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Qiao San nodded repeatedly. It was exactly as she had said!

Shen Lantang lowered her eyes. Everything matched.

Men had the right to take multiple wives and concubines in this era, so it was hardly surprising for a wealthy man to keep a mistress. Only—