After leaving the Yang family, Seventh Miss’s face carried traces of worry.
She leaned against the carriage wall, gazing through a gap in the cotton curtain at the dim sky outside, not pointing out street scenes to Xu Fengjia as she had on the way there.
After spacing out for a while, she noticed Xu Fengjia’s eyes circling around her. When she looked over, she saw Master Xu raise one eyebrow, seeming to inquire, “What happened?”
Seventh Miss let out a long breath and, rarely, proactively rested her head on Xu Fengjia’s shoulder, saying softly, “Shanjiu really is studying too hard.”
“Studying hard isn’t good?” When Master Xu spoke, he could never change that tone that seemed to be arguing. “Would you prefer him to spend his days carousing on pleasure streets, being a dissolute young master?”
“That’s not what I mean.” Seventh Miss furrowed her brow, looking at Xu Fengjia with slight dissatisfaction. “I just feel he’s pushing himself too hard…”
Ninth Brother’s psychological burden couldn’t be untied with just a few words from Seventh Miss. Given this child’s stubborn nature, he probably wouldn’t say anything outwardly but would still desperately chase after others’ footsteps in private.
Indeed, compared to outstanding young men like Xu Fengjia, Feng Jin, and Quan Zhongbai, Ninth Brother was truly too withdrawn.
And having experienced so little hardship, he didn’t know that behind these outstanding youths, every single one had a heartbreaking story. Often, following the conventional path step by step was itself a kind of happiness.
Thinking of Ninth Brother’s expression when he spoke, Seventh Miss’s heart sank again.
She looked at Xu Fengjia with slight worry and couldn’t help asking softly, “Do you think… I’ve suppressed Shanjiu too much?”
Xu Fengjia’s expression shifted, clearly grasping Seventh Miss’s meaning.
From the day Seventh Miss entered the main courtyard, without question, she had been the decision-maker between the siblings. Over the years, Ninth Brother had grown smoothly. Neither the Grand Madam nor Seventh Miss had bothered him with household matters. Once his legitimate son status was secure, his only task was studying to obtain official rank. Although the Grand Master intentionally exposed him to political storms, he had never drawn him into the game.
Unlike Seventh Miss, who at a young age was already deeply caught in political whirlpools, having various connections with several political figures. Not to mention the Grand Master—even Xu Fengjia had sighed with regret that she wasn’t a man.
Having such an excellent twin sister was motivation, undoubtedly, but also pressure. Ninth Brother had always prided himself on his intelligence, but everyone around him was smarter and more outstanding than him, plus an extremely shrewd Grand Secretary father—his life actually wasn’t very easy.
Xu Fengjia pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject. “Do you know what rank the lowest military officer was when I first went on campaign?”
Without waiting for Seventh Miss to answer, he continued, “A Rank 5B Captain of a Thousand, the eldest son of the Gui family. Speaking of age, he was five or six years older than me. By the time I was his age, he had accumulated merit from common soldier to Captain of a Hundred. At that time, several young masters of the Gui family each had at least ten lives on their hands. They were competent in military strategy, martial arts, and even conducting themselves—even their concubine-born sons, some younger than me by a year or two, never fell behind when they later joined the army and fought enemies.”
“I also had Third Brother and Fourth Brother beside me. When they were my age, Father had already brought them along. Although they couldn’t claim illustrious military achievements, anyone mentioning these two sons of the Xu family had to give a thumbs up. Fourth Brother was fine, but Third Brother on the battlefield was truly like a deity. His calculations were accurate, his execution ruthless. Even Father greatly valued and esteemed him, with hints of making Third Brother his successor.”
Through the thick cotton curtain, daylight filtered into the carriage, leaving only a dim ray of light. Xu Fengjia’s face seemed to carry an elusive melancholy. He revealed a bitter smile and continued, “The situation Shanjiu faces now is already thousands, tens of thousands of times gentler than what I faced back then… If he can’t even bear this small challenge, in my view, you don’t need to worry about him so much.”
Xu Fengjia truly never understood gentleness, never understood sweet words or comforting pretenses.
But these words, though cruel, carried an indescribable frankness, cutting fiercely into Seventh Miss’s heart, making her laugh self-mockingly.
“This is my only brother in this lifetime. I always want things to go more smoothly for him, more smoothly…”
As she spoke, she sighed inwardly.
Ninth Brother’s only irreparable regret in life was Ninth Aunt. When Ninth Aunt died, he was still too young, which became the regret he had dwelled on for over ten years.
Wasn’t Seventh Miss the same?
Before Ninth Aunt died, she asked her to take good care of Ninth Brother. Seventh Miss truly wished she could keep Ninth Brother in a greenhouse, letting him never be sad or upset, never encounter any setbacks.
But Ninth Brother must eventually grow up.
The first step was recognizing his own shortcomings and inadequacies.
This step was definitely not one Seventh Miss could hurry him through or help him take.
Seventh Miss cast aside her thoughts and discussed with Xu Fengjia, “In a few days, we should also visit the Feng family for new year greetings.”
Because of Feng Jin’s sensitive identity and his own strong wishes, the Yang family had never publicized the kinship relationship with the Feng family. Seventh Miss’s interactions with the Feng family had always been kept from others’ eyes. Even Duke Pingguo and his wife had never received any information about it.
However, privately, Seventh Miss had already considered the Feng family as one of her relatives, always thinking of visiting during festivals and holidays.
Xu Fengjia immediately frowned, pondering for a long while before saying, “That’s fine, but let’s wait until after the Lantern Festival. In the next few days when we’re drinking spring wine, you probably won’t have time to go out anyway.”
Seventh Miss was now the head mistress of the Xu household. Many occasions truly couldn’t do without her.
“Speaking of which, next month will be Fifth Sister’s third anniversary.” Seventh Miss remembered and discussed with Xu Fengjia. “Your Fourth Aunt hinted to me several times earlier, hoping the third anniversary could be done grandly. I thought that when Fifth Sister passed away, you didn’t make it back in time. This time we could hold seven days of Buddhist services for Fifth Sister at the Great Guardian Temple. Perhaps you could also inform your office and follow along, fasting for seven days to pray for her blessings, all right?”
Now when mentioning Fifth Miss, there was no longer that tense atmosphere between them, but more a faint sadness.
Their lives continued moving forward, but Fifth Miss’s life had frozen forever in fading memories.
Xu Fengjia nodded without hesitation. “There isn’t much happening in the second month anyway. I’ll inform the Emperor—it shouldn’t be a problem.”
He paused, then asked Seventh Miss, “How is your investigation into Little Songhua going?”
“Bailu has been inquiring all along.” Seventh Miss also furrowed her brow. “This girl’s entire family were Mother’s dowry servants. Her mother was a little maid in Mother’s courtyard back then, specifically managing sewing and mending. Although somewhat too honest as a person, her work was quite good. Back then, Mother arranged her marriage to a procurement officer on the estate. Later he was transferred in to become a minor external accountant—also honest and straightforward his whole life, not particularly clever or troublesome.”
In short, this was the most ordinary servant family, so ordinary that not even a single suspicious point could be found.
“Because they had no particular standing, the family didn’t live in the residence but in Coal Alley outside. Little Songhua’s older sister apparently fell for some neighbor and married away to another region. Other than that, the family had no relatives. Usually they just followed the crowd in social exchanges with others, conventional and unremarkable—couldn’t say they were excessively isolated.” Seventh Miss carefully explained all the details to Xu Fengjia. “As for the girl herself, I’ve had Guyu and Chunfen recall—they all said she was an extremely timid maid who didn’t dare breathe in Fifth Sister’s presence. Although not favored, she’d never been scolded by Fifth Sister either.”
Even Xu Fengjia couldn’t help frowning. “Could Yu An have remembered wrong—this kind of thing is no joke.”
“Precisely because this is no joke would Yu An never speak carelessly.” Seventh Miss sighed. “Forget it, we’ll be going to Cousin Zixiu’s place in a few days anyway. I may have to abuse my position for personal gain and ask Cousin Zixiu to help investigate. Little Songhua’s family has just this one sister whose whereabouts remain unknown. She never entered the residence to serve—after marrying, she went with her husband’s family to seek relatives elsewhere. Bailu inquired among the neighbors for a week, but not one could say where exactly they went. And I don’t want to alert them too much…”
Based on Yu An’s identification, Seventh Miss could only investigate privately. If she made a big show of it, not only might it alert the murderer and bring great danger to herself, but more likely, the murderer would sever several leads in advance and manipulate the situation, making the truth even harder to discern.
Xu Fengjia pondered and nodded, saying in a low voice, “Let me discuss this matter with Feng Zixiu.”
Thinking of Feng Jin’s past with Fifth Miss, Seventh Miss suddenly felt a headache. She glanced at Xu Fengjia and asked softly, “Are you still jealous of Cousin—if you discuss this with Cousin, he may not even acknowledge you. It’s more appropriate if I bring it up.”
Xu Fengjia’s face immediately showed a sour expression. He snorted but didn’t speak, instead folding his arms and leaning against the carriage wall.
Seventh Miss’s light laughter and her low, gentle voice filled the carriage.
#
After returning to the residence, the two had to first pay respects to the two elders as usual before returning together to Mingde Hall to change clothes. Xu Fengjia then had to go to Menghua Pavilion to speak with Duke Pingguo. Master Xu was quite depressed. “The two old people can’t meet often, so they have to rely on servants to relay messages.”
Now the court and countryside were unsettled. The Grand Master was busy seizing power and naturally stayed close to Duke Pingguo. Some things weren’t convenient to say in letters. If Xu Fengjia, this son-in-law and nephew, didn’t relay messages, what use was he? Seventh Miss couldn’t help laughing. She patted Xu Fengjia’s arm and said seriously, “Good thing, good thing—you don’t need to relay messages to Grand Uncle yet.”
Xu Fengjia immediately feigned dizziness. “Running between three families, plus I have my own matters—do I want to live or not?”
As he spoke, he left the room. Seventh Miss shook her head with a smile before calling people to help her change clothes and undo her hair. Everyone immediately busied themselves.
Because Seventh Miss had returned to her natal home today, Shangyuan and Zhongyuan naturally had the day off to go with her. Lixia had been taken out by her family for tea to meet a potential husband, having agreed to stay overnight before returning. Mingde Hall seemed somewhat deserted. Duanwu pulled Xiayuan over to help, but both their hands were rather clumsy. Seventh Miss felt her scalp being pulled painfully and couldn’t help covering her head, saying, “Has Little Huangpu returned? If she’s back, have her come help me.”
Xiayuan looked guilty, apologized several times, then turned and left. After a while, she returned leading Little Huangpu in, laughing. “Just arrived at her quarters when we saw her rushing in from outside.”
Little Huangpu’s face was flushed red from the cold, yet with a different kind of excitement. While breathing on her palms, she said, “Had to hurry back before the first watch, right? Otherwise I couldn’t get in.”
Seeing her so happy, Seventh Miss raised her eyebrows and looked at Little Huangpu through the mirror, smiling. “Now that you’re here, someone can undo my hair. Otherwise your two sisters can’t quite manage it—Xiayuan, go attend to the two little ancestors. Duanwu, you can also go play. It’s the new year festival—you should relax a bit too.”
Both maids knew Seventh Miss’s nature. When she told them to relax, she truly meant it. Both smiled and left the room. Little Huangpu immediately showed an excited expression. She moved close to Seventh Miss’s ear and said in a low voice, “Heaven rewards the diligent. When I went back today, I actually ran into Fourth Sister. After exchanging a few words, I managed to get something out of her—a while back, the Grand Madam indeed opened her chest and called in trusted nannies from her side to talk, and also summoned several stewards from outside to speak with several times. Everyone in Leshan Residence is quietly saying that the Grand Madam wants to convert several properties into silver to store away securely so they won’t be schemed away.”
Seventh Miss’s expression immediately shifted.
The female family members in the residence were all shrewd. Except for the unmarried concubine-born daughters who had no autonomy over personnel matters and couldn’t keep secrets in their courtyards, the various courtyards were all guarded impenetrably by their respective mistresses. Seventh Miss was very confident that certain things she didn’t want others to know, others could never find out—she had smuggled two accountants to stay for several days right under Fifth Young Madam’s nose, and Fifth Young Madam remained completely oblivious, didn’t she? Of course, by the same principle, whatever Shensitang was plotting privately, Seventh Miss could only speculate without receiving any information from servants’ mouths.
Little Huangpu’s words were truly the first time she had received definite news confirming the Grand Madam was privately liquidating assets.
At the Grand Madam’s age, where would she need money secretly? This sum—if not for the fifth branch, who was it for?
“Do you know how much silver was converted?” She asked again, though without much hope—this kind of thing probably wasn’t something Little Huangpu’s sister, a hair-combing maid, could know.
But Little Huangpu’s face immediately lit up. “I didn’t expect Fourth Sister would actually find out!”
She lowered her voice even more. “That day was coincidental. My Fourth Sister was combing the Grand Madam’s hair when a steward nanny came in from outside, looking travel-worn, entering without announcement. The Grand Madam’s hair was being braided at a crucial point—Fourth Sister couldn’t free her hands. The Grand Madam said, ‘Just speak directly, this girl won’t understand anyway.’ That nanny then told the Grand Madam ‘everything has been handled.'”
“Just then, Fourth Sister felt it inappropriate and quickly finished the hair bun. Using an excuse, she withdrew from the room. Just as she closed the door, she heard through the crack: ‘All one hundred thousand taels have been converted to Yichun Bank notes, please check—’ Young Madam, you see, isn’t that coincidental? Fourth Sister didn’t think much of it, but when I asked, she just…”
She didn’t continue, showing some guilt in her expression.
Seventh Miss absentmindedly patted Little Huangpu’s shoulder. “What are you worried about, silly girl? Do you think I’ll beat drums and gongs announcing this everywhere?”
But she had already begun pondering: The entire Xu household’s internal accounts didn’t have one hundred thousand taels on the books. What did the Grand Madam want to do by converting this one hundred thousand taels of silver?
She asked Little Huangpu again, “When did this happen?”
Little Huangpu hesitated slightly. “About a year ago, apparently. During this autumn’s account review, Fourth Sister heard grumbling that the income from the Grand Madam’s dowry had decreased somewhat, and her rewards to servants weren’t as generous either.”
A year ago—the timing did match up. But the movement of one hundred thousand taels couldn’t be hidden by a single account book without buying off the Cai-Le household. Such a major matter—once any steward nanny noticed, she would never dare keep it hidden.
What was this one hundred thousand taels for?
Did the Grand Madam know of Fifth Young Madam’s schemes, or was she herself a piece on the board?
Seventh Miss couldn’t help falling into deep thought.