The midsummer sun was scorching, and the Duke’s Estate was stiflingly hot. The relentless sound of cicadas only served to fray one’s nerves. Fu Jing'an sat on a daybed in the courtyard, fanning herself incessantly with a round fan, beads of sweat dampening her temples.
She had been on edge for days. It was not just because the Fifth Young Lady, Xiao Wanying, had repeatedly refused to see her, but because the entire estate felt steeped in strangeness. She felt as though everyone was hiding a massive secret from her.
Xiao Yu had died suddenly seven days ago, and the eternal lamp before his spirit tablet flickered unsteadily. The Duke had only appeared in the ancestral hall once; although he had seemed devastated, Fu Jing'an had clearly seen, while he was beating his chest in grief, that the undergarment visible at his sleeve was embroidered with festive, interlocking vine patterns. The Duchess was no different; she had once treasured Xiao Yu like a precious jewel, yet when she knelt to mourn, her handkerchief remained bone-dry.
Chapter 100