A talented young scholar from the Si family in Xingyu Village. She won first place in the county child examination at age twelve and was admitted to Yunlu Academy under a renowned scholar in Qinghe County. Her father died when she was born, and her mother Si Wen joined the army when Si Yao was three, returning years later dead and covered in blood. Si Yao is described as thin with a straight back, slightly disheveled hair, straight nose and rosy lips. She is calm, composed, and shows little emotion even at her mother's funeral. She supplements family income by copying books for a bookstore. Despite being called Sister Yao and referred to as a young woman, the text occasionally uses inconsistent pronouns.
