Because Du Linghua was present, the maids had not yet set out the meal and stood quietly outside the door, waiting for instructions.

Seeing Shi Ting and Yan Qing enter the courtyard, everyone immediately bowed in unison.

“Er Yitai, please help me persuade the Commander. Right now, besides you, there is no one else I can trust or turn to.” Du Linghua wiped away her tears, looking pitiful and forlorn.

Luo Huaimeng raised her head to see Shi Ting and Yan Qing entering, and her expression instantly softened beyond measure.

“San Yiniang.” Shi Ting gave Du Linghua a slight nod.

Du Linghua seemed somewhat embarrassed, but since she had already come, she was determined to resolve the matter.

“How fortunate that the Seventh Young Master and Seventh Young Mistress are also here — let them hear you out as well.” Du Linghua said with red-rimmed eyes, “Jing’er only just turned one month old. He still cannot be separated from his mother at this age, yet the Commander actually wants to send him to be raised in Qian Lan’s care. Although the great households of old once had such a custom — that children born of concubines were to be raised by the principal wife — the Shi Family has never observed such rules. Whether it was the Seventh Young Master or Yutong, both of you were raised by us. Why should it be different for Jing’er, that he must be sent to Qian Lan?”

Jing’er was Du Linghua’s son’s pet name — a name that Qian Lan herself had chosen. Though Du Linghua had been a hundred times unwilling, she had agreed to it in front of the Commander. Now, every time she called that name, her heart felt blocked with misery.

After Shi Ting sat down, he looked toward Luo Huaimeng. “Mother, when did the Shi Family ever establish such a rule?”

Luo Huaimeng shook her head. “The Shi Family has never had such a rule. It must be a sudden whim on the Commander’s part.”

Yan Qing sat to one side and speculated that the Commander likely felt he was too old to expect Qian Lan to bear children, and so, wishing to satisfy Qian Lan’s longing to be a mother, he intended to place Du Linghua’s son in her care nominally.

Though Jing’er was Du Linghua’s own flesh and blood, if he were raised by Qian Lan, he would in time come to regard only Qian Lan as his mother. The weight of Qian Lan’s maternal devotion and her standing as the principal wife would make his eventual choice all too clear.

Jing’er was Du Linghua’s bargaining chip for securing the Commander’s affection. If he were truly raised by Qian Lan, her standing in the Shi Mansion would fall precipitously.

Du Linghua’s concern for her son was genuine — but so was her desire to protect her own position.

She was not Luo Huaimeng. Luo Huaimeng had a capable and well-regarded son, while she had only a willful and domineering daughter who could not be relied upon in a crisis.

Once she lost favor, she would truly have nothing at all.

Du Linghua pressed her handkerchief to her eyes. “I have begged the Commander, but his mind is made up — there is no room for him to reconsider. Er Yitai, Seventh Young Master, Seventh Young Mistress — I beg you, please help me. I cannot bear to be separated from Jing’er.”

Luo Huaimeng said, “It is not that we are unwilling to help you. As you yourself said, the Commander’s mind is made up with no room for reversal. Even if I were to speak with him, what good would it do?”

“I am not asking you to plead with the Commander. I know his temperament — once he has made a decision, it is nearly impossible to change it. What I am asking is for Er Yitai to speak with Qian Lan. If she were to ask him, the Commander would listen to her.”

“Qian Lan and I have never been close. She has no reason to listen to me.”

“Er Yitai, even if we have never been particularly close, we have no deep enmity between us either. On that account, please do this for me just this once. Go and find Qian Lan — whether she agrees or not, it is worth trying.”

Seeing Du Linghua weeping so pitifully, Luo Huaimeng could not help but let out a sigh. “I can go and speak with her, though I doubt that will solve the problem. What about the Old Madam — have you tried her? Perhaps the Commander would listen to her.”

Du Linghua shook her head. “She was the first person I thought of. But the Old Madam actually sided with the Commander. She said that Qian Lan is virtuous, accomplished, and talented in many arts, and that if Jing’er were raised by her side, he too would be influenced by her fine qualities and grow into a person of both virtue and ability. The Old Madam also said that if Jing’er were registered in Qian Lan’s name, he could be given the status of a legitimate son — something that would benefit him in the long run. In my heart, I understand the reasoning. But, Er Yitai, we are both mothers. You can understand the heart of a mother — when your own child is right before your eyes and yet you must endure the agony of separation, listening to him call another woman ‘Mother.’ That feeling is truly like being cut with a blade.”

“San Yiniang.” Yan Qing, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. “Have you gone to speak with the Mistress herself?”

Du Linghua was briefly taken aback, and a flicker of disgust surfaced in her eyes. “No.”

Yan Qing smiled slightly. “The Mistress is virtuous and compassionate. She certainly could not bear to see you separated from your own son. If you go to her now and beg her, the matter may yet have room for a turn.”

She looked steadily at Du Linghua. “And not only should you beg her — you should do it openly, with great fanfare. Let every person in this mansion, from top to bottom, know about it.”

Du Linghua immediately grasped Yan Qing’s meaning. Since Qian Lan enjoyed such a fine reputation for virtue and benevolence, if Du Linghua were to go and beg her and be refused, people would inevitably question whether Qian Lan’s good name was nothing but a carefully constructed facade.

“I understand.” Du Linghua stopped crying at once. She wiped her tears, stood up, and said, “I will go right now.”

After Du Linghua hurried away, Luo Huaimeng told the servants to begin setting out the meal.

Yan Qing had said she wanted to eat meat, and the kitchen had indeed prepared a great many meat dishes — a full table of food, rich in color, aroma, and flavor.

“I never imagined that Huiyuan was still alive.” Upon hearing the two of them recount the matter of Huiyuan, Luo Huaimeng fell into a deep, reflective sigh. “What a pity that, in the end, she could not escape this fate.”

Shi Ting said, “Perhaps for her, this was the best possible end.”

Luo Huaimeng softly sighed. “As for the matter of San Yitai — what do you two make of it?”

Shi Ting said, “The Commander’s favoritism toward Qian Lan has exceeded my expectations.”

He had not anticipated that the Commander could break the Shi Family’s rules of many years for the sake of Qian Lan — simply to let her enjoy the happiness of being a mother.

Du Linghua was someone the Commander had cherished for over a decade, yet now, for the sake of Qian Lan, he could allow Du Linghua to give up her son without a moment’s hesitation. On the surface, it looked like nothing more than an old love weeping while a new love laughed — but the Commander was rarely given to impulsive decisions. On the contrary, he was deep in thought and far-sighted. That he could make a choice like this revealed how far Qian Lan’s influence over him already surpassed even Du Linghua at the height of her favor.

“I find it strange as well,” Luo Huaimeng said. “No matter how much the Commander dotes on a new bride, he would not be without limits. Looking at things now, this Qian Lan is truly capable. The hold she has over the Commander’s heart rests on more than merely being Huiyuan’s disciple.”

As she spoke, Luo Huaimeng did not forget about Yan Qing and personally placed a piece of spare rib into her bowl, though her tone was full of exaggerated disdain. “You look as though you haven’t eaten meat in several lifetimes.”

Yan Qing grinned and ate the spare rib Luo Huaimeng had served her without a trace of self-consciousness.

“When you two met with Huiyuan this time, did she say anything about Qian Lan’s background?”

“Huiyuan did not know very much about her. She only knew that her surname had once been Chen, that her name was Chen Lingling, and that her family was in the spice trade.”

Luo Huaimeng said, “Apart from Shun Cheng, the area surrounding Baiyun Convent encompasses dozens of villages and counties. To find a Chen family in the spice business among them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

“I have already sent someone to investigate. There may not be results, but it is better than having no leads at all.”

Before the meal was finished, Jing Zhi came hurrying in.

“What is it?” Yan Qing set down her chopsticks.

Jing Zhi said, “Miss asked me to follow San Yitai. I watched her go to the Mistress’s Zhuoxin Garden, but it was a wasted trip — the Mistress is currently kneeling outside the Commander’s study.”

“Kneeling?” Luo Huaimeng was startled. “What has happened to her?”

“The servants are all saying that the Mistress is kneeling to ask the Commander to rescind his decision — that she cannot bear to see the Eighth Young Master and San Yitai separated from each other.”

“And the Commander? Has he agreed?”

“The moment the Mistress knelt down, the Commander personally helped her up and brought her inside. As for what happened after that, I was not able to find out.”

Yan Qing raised an eyebrow. “Qian Lan anticipated that Du Linghua would come to find her, so she moved first. That kneeling has earned her a fine reputation — her image of virtue and goodness has only grown more firmly established in everyone’s minds. On top of that, the Commander will feel even more tenderness toward her. The decision to send Jing’er to Zhuoxin Garden will not be reversed.”

Luo Huaimeng said, “If Jing’er is truly placed in her care to raise, it would be the same as seizing San Yitai’s greatest vulnerability. From that point on, San Yitai would have no choice but to be completely obedient to her. This Qian Lan is indeed a formidable person. She has barely been Mistress for long, yet she has not only taken over the management of the inner household from me and handled everything with flawless competence — she has also built herself a sterling reputation throughout the mansion. Even the Old Madam, who usually takes no interest in such things, regards her in a different light. It will not be long before the entire inner household belongs to her.”

“The inner household will be hers sooner or later,” Shi Ting said, picking up his freshly poured cup of tea. “As long as she does not reach beyond her bounds.”

“The Commander dotes on her so completely now — it is truly impossible to say what the future holds.” Luo Huaimeng sighed. “Fortunately, the Commander is unlikely to father more children. Even if Qian Lan wants to consolidate her position, she will have no choice but to rely on the children of the concubines.”

Though Luo Huaimeng’s words held a measure of reason, both Shi Ting and Yan Qing felt a gnawing sense of unease.

Was what Qian Lan truly wanted really nothing more than exclusive control of the inner household?

Would things really be so simple?

Yan Qing and Shi Ting had barely returned to their own courtyard when word reached them: the Commander had already publicly announced that San Yitai’s child would be personally raised by the principal wife, Qian Lan.

Upon hearing this news, San Yitai clutched Jing’er and wept bitterly. Shi Yutong’s reaction, however, was entirely different — her eyes darted about, and quite suddenly, a clever idea formed in her mind.

Early the next morning, people arrived from Zhuoxin Garden to take Jing’er away. When San Yitai saw them coming to take her child, she immediately clutched Jing’er tightly to her chest. Like a fighting cock, she hurled and smashed anything within reach at anyone who approached. In the end, it was Qian Lan who came in person with her attendants.

Qian Lan was dressed in a red qipao — opulent but not ostentatious — that showcased her fine figure to perfection. Though she had only recently married into the household, she already carried herself with the full bearing and composure of a mistress of the manor. Combined with her kindness toward the servants and her impeccable conduct in all matters, wherever she went she was surrounded by a crowd pressing in from every side.

“Get out — all of you get out. No one is to touch my child.” Du Linghua snatched up a teacup and hurled it toward the doorway.

“Mistress!” One of Qian Lan’s maids suddenly let out a sharp scream.

—