Also known as Mo Qingyun Xin. In the early years of the Qianlong reign, the Jia family of Jinling basked in the last glimmers of its former glory. Though the mansion had hosted the grand occasion of Yuan Chun's visit, its halls and pavilions still stood imposing, and flowers and willows still flourished, its coffers had long been draining away, and it survived only by clinging to the dignity of its past. In late autumn that year, cold rain fell for three days straight. The waters of Qinfang Creek rose several inches, and the battered lotus leaves along its banks added to the desolation. A small sedan chair covered in blue cloth slowly came to a stop inside the western side gate of the Rongguo Mansion. As the curtain lifted, a pale hand appeared first, its fingertips holding a moon-white silk handkerchief. Then a young woman of seventeen or eighteen stepped out. She wore a moon-white silk jacket beneath an outer layer of blue
