On the sixth day of the second month, Qin Fangfang was carried into the Sun family through the side gate in a small blue sedan chair.

Concubine Li cried as if she would die, while Qin Yongtao’s face was as dark as winter clouds.

After a few days, Nanny Fu came to tell Qin Shuying that Qin Fangfang was getting along quite well at the Sun family.

Qin Shuying smiled indifferently.

That Sun Qingping loved novelty above all else – every new thing would be favored for some time, and Qin Fangfang was no exception, so naturally she was doing well.

The reason Xu Shi had originally chosen Sun Qingping was precisely because he was idle and incompetent, knowing nothing but eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. Before even taking a wife, he had already taken four or five servant girls to his bed.

Sun Qingping’s status was acceptable – if something had happened, having Qin Shuying marry Sun Qingping wouldn’t have been too degrading for an orphaned girl like her.

No matter what, this Sun Qingping was still the legitimate eldest son of an earl’s mansion. The current earl had indulged in excessive pleasures – though only in his forties, his health was already failing. Once he died, wouldn’t the earl’s title belong to Sun Qingping?

Earl Zhuangmu was quite prolific in producing children. He had married two wives – Sun Qingping and Miss Sun (who married the concubine-born son Mo Wuren from the main branch of Duke Chu’s mansion) were siblings born to his first wife. The current Countess Zhuangmu was his second wife, who bore him two sons and two daughters. There were also several children born to his concubines – in total, more than ten children of various ages.

Yet Earl Zhuangmu’s mansion had very little income while expenses were large, making their circumstances worse with each passing day.

Qin Shuying gently pinched her handkerchief.

Qin Fangfang, the good days are still ahead.

The old madam had been fasting and chanting Buddhist prayers for over a month recently, so Qin Shuying’s usual task of massaging the old madam had been delayed.

Qin Shuying had once offered to accompany the old madam in Buddhist worship, but the old madam firmly refused.

Qin Shuying understood the old madam’s meaning – she had worshipped Buddha for three years, which was quite enough. Moreover, as a young maiden, constantly practicing Buddhism wouldn’t look good if word got out.

After Qin Fangfang’s marriage and more than a month since the Duke Chu mansion incident, Nanny Gu brought word that everyone could resume their morning greetings.

Qin Shuying looked at herself in the mirror while Hong Juan combed her hair and Nanny Fu spoke beside her: “Miss, the gift you sent was received by Madam Liu, who sent back two bolts of Hangzhou silk in return. The nanny who came said nothing else, only thanked Miss for her thoughtful gesture.”

Qin Shuying searched through her jewelry box and selected two lustrous pearl earrings. Hong Juan helped her put them on – they hung by her ears, swaying gently, making Qin Shuying appear luminous and gentle.

Looking at Qin Shuying in the mirror, Nanny Fu’s brow filled with joy.

Over the past six months, the young miss had not only grown taller but her features had also developed beautifully. She looked more and more like her father – delicate and exquisite – and had even begun menstruating, which delighted Nanny Fu.

Most gratifying of all was that the young miss’s health had improved greatly. She hadn’t fallen ill even once in the past six months, which truly filled her with joy.

Over a month ago, Madam Liu had visited with Liu Junqing. After they left, Nanny Fu’s heart had been unsettled, constantly waiting for Madam Liu’s reaction.

Who would have thought that Madam Liu would continue maintaining the same courtesies as always, mentioning nothing.

This made Nanny Fu somewhat anxious. The young miss was already fourteen after the New Year – next year would be her coming-of-age ceremony, so marriage discussions should begin now. Most women of the current dynasty married after their coming-of-age ceremony, generally around sixteen years old.

Therefore, several days ago when it was Madam Liu’s birthday, Nanny Fu had taken out a long-prepared gift and sent it to the Liu family’s residence in the capital. Madam Liu hadn’t yet left the capital at that time and did receive the gift, but just like previous years, she only responded politely without mentioning marriage matters even slightly.

Nanny Fu’s heart immediately sank halfway.

If it were an ordinary family, they would find opportunities to meet their future daughter-in-law, or meet with the in-law family elders, or use various occasions to bring up the matter in jest. Most commonly, the elders from both families would sit together to discuss dates and marriage procedures, then return home to make respective preparations.

Items like a daughter’s dowry furniture couldn’t be prepared in just a day or two.

For a legitimate daughter like Qin Shuying, her dowry would include all bedroom furniture. At minimum, they’d need to start preparing half a year in advance – measuring the bridal chamber at the groom’s house, designing furniture shapes, then beginning construction. Without half a year to a full year, it simply couldn’t be completed, let alone aired out properly.

For someone like Qin Yunyun, Xu Shi had long prepared dowry furniture, so not being engaged yet wasn’t concerning.

Qin Shuying’s dowry furniture had naturally been started by Qin Yongzhou and his wife, but before they could finish, they passed away, and the project was subsequently abandoned.

Now with no news at all, would they have to wait until the year after next? By then, Miss would be sixteen! If the Liu family had other plans by that time, wouldn’t it delay Miss’s prospects?

Nanny Fu was anxious and had been bringing up this matter frequently during this period.

Seeing Nanny Fu mention this again, Qin Shuying sighed. Nanny Fu regarded this matter as more important than anything else. If not properly discussed, this would likely become a source of heartache for her.

After Hong Juan finished combing her hair and went downstairs, Qin Shuying asked: “Nanny, in your opinion, what are Madam Liu’s intentions?”

Having finally gotten Qin Shuying to ask, Nanny Fu immediately perked up and said: “In this old servant’s opinion, Madam Liu is waiting until Young Master Liu passes the imperial examination before discussing this matter.”

The spring examinations were imminent, scheduled for mid-next month, and Liu Junqing would be taking them, hence Nanny Fu’s reasoning.

“If Young Master Liu passes, what do you think Madam Liu will do?”

Nanny Fu had obviously considered this question before and said: “Master Liu is someone who greatly values keeping his word. If Young Master Liu passes, this old servant believes Master Liu will consider his reputation and have Young Master Liu marry Miss soon.”

“How can you tell that Master Liu values keeping his word?”

“In the years since Miss returned to the capital, Master Liu has sent gifts every year and often has people inquire after Miss’s well-being.”

Qin Shuying shook her head and said: “Nanny, you’re too close to see clearly. Ziteng, tell me your thoughts.”

Ziteng said: “Miss, this servant will be bold – please don’t blame me.”

“I want you to speak, so speak.”

Ziteng nodded and said: “Nanny Fu, this servant has a question: if Master Liu values this marriage alliance, why has Madam Liu never met with Miss during her visits to our mansion?”

Nanny Fu replied: “Miss is, after all, a boudoir maiden. Madam Liu probably fears Miss would be shy. Speaking of which, though Madam Liu hasn’t met with Miss, she visits the old madam every time. With Master and Madam gone, Miss’s affairs are naturally decided by the old madam.”

“Then she should know Miss was ill, so why has she never visited Miss?”

“Madam Liu is an elder, and Miss… Miss was still in mourning then, rarely even seeing the old madam and not fond of being close to people. Madam Liu probably knew this.”