When the court broke up Ning Chen went to the Inspectorate.

He did not come home until evening.

He came into the inner court and back to his room. The lamp in the room was lit, but neither Yudie nor Zisu was there.

Odd. Where had they gone?

Ning Chen called a maid and asked, and only then learned that Yudie and Zisu had gone to the West Court.

In a room in the West Court, Yudie kept her face hard as she looked at the brothers Fang Qian and Fang Kun, who stank of wine, and said heavily:

"Tomorrow the two of you will leave the Ning residence."

The brothers stared. They looked at each other, and Fang Qian shouted, "You're driving us out?"

Beside them, Yudie's aunt said shrilly, "Zhirou, they are your cousins. If you drive them out, how are they to live afterward?"

Yudie's face was cold. "I warned them only this morning. No more stealing things out of the residence to sell, and no more laying hands on the maids of the residence."

"I gave them their chance, and they broke the rule knowing what it was. Today they were caught in the act of stealing from the residence, and tonight they nearly violated one of the residence's maids. The Ning residence cannot keep them."

"Aunt, you should go too. Do not stay in the Ning residence."

Yudie's aunt looked at her as though she could not believe it. "You — you would drive me out along with them?"

Yudie said flatly, "Aunt, when the two of them stole, you not only did not stop them, you covered for them... When they nearly violated a maid, instead of saying a word to them you slandered the girl for a fox-spirit and beat her and cursed her."

"This is the Ning residence, and the servants of this house all come from the palace. What you are doing will bring trouble down on Ning, dear."

"Cousins, you were in exile for more than ten years, and Aunt did hard labor in the courtesans' quarter for more than…