Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Analysis

Since she had promised to take time to make tassels, Miss Eleven went to the matriarch's residence early in the morning, following the same timing as the previous day.

From afar, she saw Fifth Miss wrapped in a sable-red brocade cloak—she was speaking with Aunt Ke under the eaves.

Aunt Ke wore a pomegranate red embroidered jacket with a blue-green plum, bamboo, and orchid skirt. Her delicate features, under the glow of the large red lanterns, appeared softer than usual. They suddenly laughed while covering their mouths with their sleeves, sharing a warm and intimate moment.

Miss Eleven was pondering whether to approach when Zi Wei, standing near the heavily pruned winter green tree by the steps, noticed her.

Zi Wei smiled and greeted Miss Eleven, "Miss Eleven, you're very early today!" Her voice, higher than usual, seemed somewhat sharp in the quiet courtyard.

The young maids under the eaves looked over. This also alerted Fifth Miss and Aunt Ke.

There was no avoiding it now!

Miss Eleven smiled and walked over, "I came early because we need to make tassels."

"No wonder I didn't meet Miss Eleven when I came to pay my respects to the matriarch yesterday," Fifth Miss smiled, "I wrote for most of the night and couldn't fall asleep no matter how tired I was. I tossed and turned for most of the night, so I decided to get up early and come speak with mother. I didn’t expect to run into you, Miss. Let's go together later!"

Does she really need to explain everything in such detail?

"Of course!" Miss Eleven smiled and greeted her with a bow, showing concern, "Are you feeling better now, sister? Sometimes when I embroider until late at night, even though I'm very tired, I can't fall asleep when I lie down. It takes me several days to recover. Sister, you should pay more attention to avoid harming your health."

Fifth Miss smiled and returned the greeting, "It's just that I've been too worried about the birthday gift recently."

"It's cold outside, why don't you two sisters talk inside," Aunt Ke suggested.

Miss Eleven smiled and called out "Aunt," then followed Fifth Miss into the room.

The matriarch had not yet risen and did not plan to, but upon knowing they had come to pay their respects, she sent a young maid to say "I know," and dismissed them.

Fifth Miss and Miss Eleven looked at each other, and Fifth Miss anxiously looked towards Aunt Ke.

Aunt Ke was also puzzled, "Last night, Xu Mama was on night duty for the matriarch..."

"How come Xu Mama was on night duty?" Fifth Miss's expression changed slightly, glanced at the young maids around her, and hesitated to speak.

Miss Eleven's eyes flickered, and she smiled, "Since that's the case, let's go back for now! We'll come back to see mother in the evening."

In this situation, there was no way to get any clear answers. Fifth Miss could only calm her thoughts and smile as they left the main house together.

On the way, Fifth Miss and Miss Eleven chatted casually.

"I heard from Zi Wei that Luo Mama also went last night?"

"Yes," Miss Eleven smiled, "and brought two jars of Jinhua wine." Then she smiled and thanked her again, "Thank you for sending the fine tea, sister."

"Between sisters, there's no need to be so formal!" Fifth Miss smiled, and just as she was about to ask something more, a young maid, breathless from running, caught up to them, "Fifth Miss, why did you go to the matriarch's so early today? I looked everywhere for you. If I hadn’t run into Coral, I would have missed you."

Miss Eleven found the young maid unfamiliar.

Fifth Miss explained with a smile, "This is Yi Liu, a young maid from Fourth Young Master Luo Zhensheng's room."

Since Fourth Young Master Luo Zhensheng lived in the outer courtyard, it’s no surprise she didn’t recognize her. Since a young maid had been sent, there must be something important.

Miss Eleven understood the implication and smiled, "Sister, no need to see me off. I'll be at Green Bamboo Pavilion once I reach the corridor."

Fifth Miss thought for a moment and smiled, "Then I won’t see you off, sister."

"Sister, please stop here!" Eleven Miss said with a smile, exchanging a few pleasantries with her before turning towards Green Bamboo Pavilion.

Amber, who was standing beside her, kept looking back, noticing the young maid whispering a few words to Fifth Miss. Together, they headed towards the main house.

Since the maid was from Fourth Young Master's room, why had she taken Fifth Miss to the main house?

The thought flashed through Amber's mind, and her expression changed slightly.

The young maid had only said she was looking for Fifth Miss, and Fifth Miss had only mentioned that the maid was from Fourth Young Master's room. Not a word was said about the maid being sent by Fourth Young Master... Nevertheless, anyone would misunderstand. They would think the maid had been sent by Fourth Young Master to find Fifth Miss, giving the uninvolved a wrong impression.

Amber also recalled how Fifth Miss and Miss Ke had been standing under the eaves talking before Eleven Miss arrived, and how Zi Wei had seemed to be on guard by the steps... Reflecting on the events of the past few days, she began to feel a sense of fear.

Amber looked at Eleven Miss, who was walking with a light and graceful pace, and hesitated to speak.

She really didn't know how to start.

Back at Green Bamboo Pavilion, Eleven Miss said to Amber with a smile, "There are many people here, but little work. Everyone is often idle. With you here, everyone will be even more at leisure. I've been making tassels at home all day today. You can go about your business. In a few days, when I start embroidering the screen, Dongqing will help me, and you will take care of everything in this room. It won't be as convenient to move around then as it is now."

The implication was clear: go about your business now, because once I start embroidering, you shouldn't go anywhere. Ensure everything in the room runs smoothly.

Originally, unmarried young ladies didn't have much to do in their rooms. Especially since it was the twelfth lunar month and the tutors had closed their schools for the winter break. Apart from morning and evening greetings, like Ten Miss who stayed home reading every day, one could go nowhere.

Eleven Miss saying this was a warning to her, wasn't it?

Telling her that she had cut ties with some previous matters and advising her not to run around in the future...

Amber took a deep breath, smiled, and crouched down to perform a curtsey, "Eleven Miss, please rest assured. Before I came here, I had already taken care of everything. Once you start embroidering the screen, I will not go anywhere. Although there is little work in the young miss's room, meals, laundry, and social obligations between the households are still necessary. If anything were to be delayed because of me, causing you to delay embroidering the screen, I would be guilty of a crime punishable by death."

Eleven Miss was slightly stunned.

No wonder she came from the matriarch's room, truly smart and quick-witted... Speaking with her required no effort, no headache.

She nodded and sat down on the stool by the fire pot, continuing to make tassels.

Amber quietly left the room, called Dongqing in to attend to her, and started cleaning the room with Binju.

Binju said softly with a smile, "We don't start the New Year's cleaning until the twenty-sixth!"

Amber smiled, "By then, the young miss will have started embroidering the screen. It's better not to disturb her."

Binju smiled, "Our young miss may seem quiet, but she actually likes lively and bustling environments, has a good temper, so you don't need to worry."

Amber's eyes brightened, and she smiled, "Oh, I thought Miss was a lover of quiet judging by her demeanor."

"Our young miss is indeed composed," Binju disagreed, "She just likes it lively around her!"

"What does she like about liveliness?" Amber asked with a smile.

"She enjoys tending to flowers and plants, enjoys listening to lively conversations and laughter around her, and enjoys seeing everyone in vibrant attire..."

Amber listened carefully, committing everything to memory.

In the inner chamber, Dongqing was also speaking with Eleven Miss.

"Binju said there was nothing unusual at Fifth Miss's place, just as before."

"That's to be expected," Eleven Miss said, her fingers moving deftly, quickly forming the body of a small bat. "From Zi Wei's demeanor that day, she likely hadn't detected anything unusual."

"Prior to that?" Dongqing was surprised.

Eleven Miss never took her eyes off the knotting work in her hands as she nodded. "I didn’t know before. But just now, when I went to pay my respects to the matriarch, I ran into a young maid I didn’t recognize. She said she was looking for her everywhere and explained that she was from Fourth Young Master’s quarters. At this time, the inner quarters haven’t been unlocked yet, so where did she come from? If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable!" She paused, then looked up at Winter Green. "Yesterday, Wu Xiaquan’s wife came. That must have alerted Fifth Miss, so she went to see Miss Ke early this morning to see if she could get some information. After she left, Miss Ke called her back, which means she must have discovered something. Keep Binju moving around Fifth Miss’s quarters. Whatever is going to happen will happen within the next two days."

Winter Green respectfully replied, "Yes," and added, "The First Concubine came early this morning."

Eleven Miss’s hands paused. "What did she want? Where is she now?"

"She’s upstairs!" Winter Green pointed to the ceiling. "She said she came to ask Ten Miss to help copy a Buddhist scripture."

Both concubines were devout Buddhists. Although Fifth Miss had excellent handwriting, she wasn’t someone who could be easily persuaded to help. Among the sisters, Ten Miss had the best scholarly knowledge and was often praised by the tutors, but her temper was impatient and unpredictable, making her difficult to deal with. Given the tense situation, the First Concubine’s actions gave Eleven Miss a vague sense of unease.

"But you don’t need to worry," Winter Green said, recalling that Eleven Miss had once told her, "Anything abnormal is suspicious." Today, the First Concubine’s visit seemed abnormal to her, so she remained cautious. "Bai Zhi and Nine Fragrance have a good relationship with the people in our quarters... Something might be hidden for a while, but it can’t be hidden forever!"

Eleven Miss smiled and nodded, teasing, "Winter Green, you’re starting to have the demeanor of a manager."

Winter Green laughed, covering her mouth, but her smile quickly faded before it reached her eyes.

Eleven Miss could only comfort her, "I still have two more years before I come of age. You also have two more years."

The longer she stayed in the Luo family mansion, the more she felt the masters' overwhelming control over life and death.

Winter Green wasn’t as optimistic as Eleven Miss, but she didn’t want to upset the young girl who spoke little but had never broken a promise to her.

"Hmm!" She nodded with a smile, "We’ll definitely figure out a way."

Eleven Miss didn’t want to continue discussing this topic.

In the face of absolute power, schemes and tricks became meaningless.

In ancient times, people married young. Although she had considered using schemes to marry an honest man, she secretly disapproved of such methods. Besides, there hadn’t been any opportunities, so her actions had been somewhat delayed.

Surprisingly, despite the slow pace of life here, events unfolded rapidly... If she had been careless, she would have ended up in a passive position.

With that in mind, she changed the subject. "Has Qiu Ju brought any news?"

Winter Green smiled. "I only mentioned it to her this morning. It might take a couple of days before we hear anything."

Eleven Miss hummed in response and lowered her head to focus on her knotting work.