"You think this house is untouchable?" Gu Li stepped over stained straw and spoke so the whole hall heard. "Madam Gu," Lady Zhang said, fanning herself, voice silk over steel. "You insult our courtesy by arriving so rudely." "Courtesy?" Gu Li glanced at the slave on the floor, blood darkening her sleeve. "You call that courtesy?" "Slave Liu," one of the Zhang matrons barked. "You bleed because you meddled. Careless hands, careless speech." "She was only trying to stop your daughter," Gu Li said. "She was trying to keep your daughter from lying with her mouth." "You mean the girl's pregnant? Or the girl cannot produce children?" Lady Zhang's lips curved. "The Siao family must think of its line." "You'll speak plainly then," Gu Li said. "You want my sister-in-law divorced because she has not borne a son yet. Say it. Say it now and let the hall decide whether your words belong on a matron's tongue." "A house must secure heirs," another Zhang matron said. "The Siao have banners. We offer talent and learning. Marriage links must not be sentimental." "You offered talent by pressing for divorce in a public hall?" Gu Li asked. "You offered learning by striking a slave until she bled?" The room fluttered with the sound of silk. The Zhang matrons' faces tightened. "Lady Gu," the eldest Zhang said. "Mind your tone. You are married into a military household. You should know rank." "Rank," Gu Li repeated. She crouched