Beside Lotus Pool.
Fan Qinghe wore a winter dress of alternating red and yellow. Arms folded, she leaned against a willow and surveyed the Painted Pleasure Boats laden with talented young men and beautiful women on the lake. Her eyes held a hint of boredom, perhaps because she found these spirited young scholars utterly unworthy of a glance beside Ye Jingtang, whether in looks, bearing, or conversation.
After she had waited by the lake for a long while, Niao Niao, who had been keeping watch, flew back out of the night sky, landed on her shoulder, and urged her on with a string of "Chirp, chirp, chirp..."
Fan Qinghe inwardly sensed trouble. She immediately turned and followed Niao Niao at a brisk pace, asking:
"Has something happened to Ye Jingtang?"
"Chirp, chirp..."
Niao Niao flew ahead, chattering a few times. Unfortunately, she could not understand.
Fan Qinghe dared not take any chances. Following the shore across Lotus Pool, she soon reached Lotus Garden on its eastern side.
Lotus Garden was where the hosts were staying. Chen Hezhi and the others had all been given rooms here, while Ye Jingtang, owing to his exceptional standing, had been specially accommodated on the island with the finest scenery.
A stone bridge linked the little island to the shore. Flowers and trees surrounded a pavilion at its center, which offered a panoramic view of the landscape. Eight Black Bureau Constables were already standing guard and patrolling the bridge.
Fan Qinghe hurried across the stone bridge and into the pavilion. Finding nobody in the spacious first-floor sitting room, she followed the stairs up to the second floor.
The second floor combined a lakeside study and bedroom, separated by a partition and a pearl curtain. A screen painted with a beauty stood by the window. With