But it’s really funny to guess what their original purpose can be – if they are a powerful organization that is, you know? That's like hitting an egg with a sledgehammer - completely disproportionate. What can you do by recounting names of beauties of a certain place and of a certain period, make a marriage brochure out of them? If someone does have so many resources at hand, why don’t they use it for something else?”

“How can you be sure that they actually don't do something on the side? They might as well be running a secret alliance somewhere, funded by the sales of these books. What if what you think is a silly project of searching about a maiden's name and qualifications, assigning them a title – they are, in fact, doing something underhanded in secret and just pushing this book out to make money to support their actual cause?” An Jin interrupted. “There are so many things that someone of their caliber can actually do. Don’t you find it strange that people still haven’t found their real purpose in all these years? Or who the author actually is?”

“Or,” Sui Mo interrupted suddenly, “you are over-reading into it. They can just be a few merchants who travel all around and hear of ‘beauties’ from the people they come in contact with. And it does sell, doesn’t it? People of all kinds buy into the fuss, and purchase the book. Just think about the profits. Many merchants will go to the farthest point of Samhan if needed, if they could be sure that something of that sort sells and sells fast. Let’s not let our imaginations run wild, shall we?”

“A good point.” Luo Chen said. “But let’s talk about something else. We have been in Jinghai for some days now, almost a fortnight. Apart from seeing the actual ‘White Lotus’ and making an acquaintance with her, have you found something interesting? Heard any strange tales-?”

“What do you have in your mind? Like something other than soggy legs, weather-beaten bodies and continuous rain? If there was anything that could succinctly describe being here in Jinghai, these are the right words, I tell you. I have never been to a land as wet as this place in my life!” Yu Mingyang retorted.

"What about murder? Will that be too macabre of a topic for present?” A boy joined them.

“Definitely, but who cares. If it's between us, and no words go about, why not? Let’s talk about that.” Luo Chen replied looking at the few faces that had come closer together. They were all from the same academy, Imperial academy - and there was no outsider at the moment. Although some of them had only come to Jinghai for the first time in their lives – there were still many who were originally from this place. The speaker, Ji Si, seemed to have had something to do with Jinghai, either his father or grandfather was in the local Yamen.

“I heard, there was a maid found dead in her ladyship’s courtyard. I don’t know if it’s true. It was all the rage of town a few days ago.”

“Which ladyship?” An Jin perked up. “Amazing. A murder. Go on, tell us who was murdered? Who is this lady you speak of?”

“Who else? That white lotus, of course. The one by whose purity everyone swears by. Who would have thought that such an event would come out from the backyard of such an accomplished woman?” Before Ji Si could reply, he was interrupted by another gravelly voice. 

An Jin looked up at the slowly rising head of the speaker. He wasn’t familiar with this person, Song Muchen. He was from another group, quite different from his own small circle of friends – at least their group had never been as well renowned or popular, as the one in which Song Muchen belonged to. If he remembered correctly, many of the Second Prince’s closest confidantes were in that group. Many people seemed to be coming closer once they saw who was speaking. They walked around and then sat in close proximity, as if quite interested in the talk.

“A maid got murdered. A waiting maid who had accompanied the lady Wei growing up. What happened- how do I know? Heard some rumors that some secrets were spilled? What was it about – nothing that will see the light of the day in my opinion. But a washerwoman seemed to have been dragged to the Yamen a few days ago. She was yelling about how her sister-in-law was innocent and she had only talked of something when she was drunk; maybe it was the same case.” Ji Si continued to explain the events.

“Ah -! I was there! I was just in the opposite restaurant pavilion facing the Yamen. But I thought they were dragging a mad woman to do away with her, she didn’t look right. I even heard someone swear that she was just a lunatic.” An Jin recalled. “I searched a little deeper into it – because I have seen mad people, and she struck me in particular. I don’t know how, or why. But I went around and heard a little. Guess what? Her whole family had suddenly committed suicide. It was said that they were all very heartbroken by the sudden sinking of their small business – the woman’s father-in-law was a tofu seller – with no one in the family left to support them, they could only seek death to avoid poverty. It will not take a genius to see that there was something fishy going on behind the scenes. Song Muchen, you seem to know more than that right?”

“I don’t know, unfortunately.” Song Muchen spoke languidly, drawing out his words in slow, clipped tone. His eyes though seemed to have dulled, unfocused as if chained in a reverie. He turned his head to look at An Jin who had addressed him and replied. “Only that the maid in waiting, was of lowly birth. No one cares if she died an unjust death, even I or any of us sitting here. I mention it because she was maid to her ladyship – the eternally pure, ‘White Lotus of the western mountains’ and we people usually don’t associate such an accomplished lady to deal with their subordinates in such a high-handed manner. That's it.”

“No, you definitely know something more. Is it a hidden secret that none of us can know of?” someone prodded stubbornly. “Come on – have some faith in us, brother Song. We won’t spread rumors. What we hear will always remain in our hearts. Promise.”

An Jin agreed wholeheartedly. He was nodding his head while looking at the youths, now all gathered together in a small corner.  

“I don't know if it will help satiate your curiosity, but someone spoke of how the maid was found gossiping about a certain person here right? That is correct information actually.” Here he lowered his voice, taking in a white jade cup from the serving platters and filling it with some hot tea. After he had taken his time, seeing the growing anticipation in the eyes of his audience, he began in his nonchalant tone. “There used to be a daughter of Lord Wei, something Hua, some kind of flower was in her name. Quite like lady white lotus. Beautiful. Skilled in four arts and could even talk down the scholars who taught her in the Clan school – an accomplished scholar of his time, himself. Never heard of her elsewhere, I doubt any of you even know of her. I heard she was more beautiful than the purest of the snow, had hands that could paint worlds so mesmerizing the world wondered at its sublimity. The Duke of Weizhou seems to have collected some of her works before – but again, no word about such an accomplished woman elsewhere.”

Song Muchen stood up from his position and walked up to the nearby balustrade, he seemed to be gazing at the rippling waters of the pond. He had left the others pondering over this strange person they had just heard of. Perhaps even a bit about his strange state of mind. As many, if not all, had seen his disturbed expression. The company descended into silence.

“Tales, I say, some made up story resounding in the market among commoners. It has that crass element in it." Another voice barged in finally.

“How could such a famous person remain unknown? It's almost like a fairytale, an apsara descending from heaven and then vanishing. Like, think about it! Even a fairy leaves behind a legend about her, after she is no more in this world. How come, we have never heard of this person? And she wasn’t that far away from our generation either.” With his lips taut in an unbelieving smirk, Yu Mingyang picked up the kettle and began to pour himself a serving of tea. He nudged at Luo Chen who seemed to be deeply thinking of something.  

“Yes, it's too far-fetched. She must have a name in the “Three thousand blossoms” at least? Did she?” Luo Chen agreed wholeheartedly and looked at the standing figure nearby.

“No, she definitely doesn’t. I sent my servant to look into that. He said, there was no title in that generation from Jinghai or Dajin. ‘White Lotus’ seems to be the only earned title in years that came from Jinghai. And don’t talk of being obscure -You heard me talk of her description from the commoners. She was anything but an obscure character. This amnesia regarding this daughter of Weijia seems rather a characteristic of the nobles and affluent people. The commoners talk a lot. And this makes it still stranger– that a maid who had accompanied her for so long would be silenced just for talking about a dead woman, about whom many other mouths can speak at random all over the place and whenever they want to.” Song Muchen walked up to his friend and sat beside him. His friend extended a cup of tea and pushed it into his hands, while asking - “You seem sure - that, that is the reason she was killed for?”

“Kind of. I cannot imagine what else could be the reason. All the related people are dead - except that mad woman. Then the direct link is still with the backyard of Eldest miss Wei. If not killed by her personally - the decision to silence the maid must have come from inside the manor. But why do that? It's all hushed up - like pretty much all the cases of big families.”

“But like you said, brother Song, it doesn't make sense. Killing someone just to keep an open secret?” Someone in the crowd reiterated.

“It might be a common secret that everyone agreed to not talk about – a taboo. Something ignominious would have happened for that to occur, but it's not like our old men don’t put restrictions on people, all the time.” Unknowingly it was Sui Mo who came a little closer to the truth. “Just don’t let men and women in noble houses talk about it. Then it eventually becomes a dark spot, with no common memory. What does it matter that common people know of this or not - in a generation or two, they too will forget all about it. Imagine if we hadn’t heard of this…maiden here, who of us would be even interested in searching her stories up in the midst of commoners and what they thought of her? Who would have let us know of her existence to begin with? It's definitely taboo.” 

“Is that what you think? But apart from that, that woman’s disappearance, doesn’t that make you wonder? About what kind of disaster she might have caused to become a taboo? I wonder.” Song Muchen, sitting beside the shadowed youth, drawled as he twirled the porcelain cup in his hands while leaning half-heartedly against the pavilion wall. He had left behind the tea, and taken several gulps of alcohol. His head was swimming by now. “I cannot help but wonder.”

There was something in that strange pronouncement that everyone suddenly ceased to talk about and seemed to collectively gaze at Song Muchen. His strangely unfocused eyes, his weird smile or the strange way the light seemed to fall on his pale face – the gray of the foreground seemed to seize him in its hold and steal away all emotions. 

All of them had been sitting down on the carpet spread against the marbled floor of the pavilion, many silver platters full of porcelain cups and kettles holding mellowest wines and best of the tea in them ladled there, accompanied by flower shaped pastries put in small servings. A vine of white button rose swept towards the eaves of the pavilion roof, overarching with the bougainvillea's – a breathtaking mix of white and red. 

"Where must she be? Where must she..." He sighed in a sing-song manner. 'Lie dead,' he completed the sentence in his heart while thinking, 'as she deserved.' Perhaps amongst the weeds, unknown, forever haunting a mound of forgetfulness. Just like in people’s memories, forever sealed – until someone brought it out to enrich a stale conversation over dinner tables. 

There was something strange in Song Muchen’s eyes that was forbidding them from dwelling further into that topic. A few of them even rose up and walked away to escape the depressing atmosphere. Of the few who stayed, many refused to take part in the conversation while others simply began to pick up pastries, or pour tea and wine. 

AnJin exchanged a glance with Sui Mo. Yu Mingyang, although refrained from reaching out to Luo Chen, they both were frozen in their places and just kept nibbling at the small piece of cake for a long time.  Everyone seemed to have realized that the beauty might as well have aroused a very personal recollection in this young master Song Muchen’s mind.

"Ceased to exist. Poof! Disappeared." 

Seeing no one ready to talk, Song Muchen animatedly swung the empty cup, his eyes crinkled with amusement. "As if the world had never known a person like her. Don’t you find it interesting? Just like the son of the Rong’s called Rong Chen? You might have never heard that Minister of Royal Affairs, old Master Rong, had such a son, have you? Someone who died a shameful death under his horse’s hoof –! Puch! Isn’t that hilarious! A good horseman who had spent fifteen years on the battlefield - he died under his beloved horse’s steps, his head smashed to pieces, his hands pulled off –! A promising warrior fell off the horse and fell so steeply that there was left none of his ashes, nor a memory to recall in people’s mind! Just like we never heard of a Cuihua from Weijia, we might never hear of a third young Master Rong. Can you believe it? The eldest Master Rong - Rong Shiwei  swore that he would have Wei Houyu's head to appease the soul of his dead brother. Such empty words had never been spoken in the history of the world! What do you say, my friend? Indeed, it's a taboo - like many forgotten people, they too have been forgotten. Or how else could these hypocrites tear into the profit, without minding the shame."

In reply, the shadowed youth, his friend, chuckled and raised his hands to get a cup of wine for himself. He had very pretty eyes, which were now glinting in the mist.“Calm down Muchen - it’s not like it's the first time. So many people…have been buried like this, it's difficult to keep count.” 

There was nothing but silence in the gathering. Everyone was too embarrassed to continue in this all too personal talk. All of them could see that a pain nerve had struck Song Muchen's heart.