Amid the laughter, Nanny Xu guided everyone to their seats. The First Young Madam directed the maids to bring out the dishes, and Sixth Yiniang stood by the First Master’s side helping to serve food. Mu Ge had his own wet nurse holding him at a separate small table, so around the round table sat only the First Master, the First Madam, Luo Zhensheng, Fifth Miss, and Eleventh Miss, with three embroidered stools remaining empty.
The First Master swept a hand broadly and said: “There is no one here who is a stranger — everyone sit down and eat together!”
Everyone in the room paused, then looked toward the First Madam.
One was her own daughter-in-law, the other a capable person at her side — the First Madam was naturally not going to object at a moment like this, and smiled: “As the Master says. There is no one here who is a stranger — everyone sit and eat together!”
The First Young Madam smiled and sat down beside Luo Zhensheng. Sixth Yiniang paid her respects to the First Master and First Madam before half-sitting on an embroidered stool. Nanny Xu, however, firmly refused to sit: “…These are all the masters — there is no place for a servant to sit.”
The First Master heard this with a muted expression and did not press the matter. Seeing the First Master’s indifference, the First Madam was all the more insistent that Nanny Xu sit, going so far as to leave her own seat to persuade her in person: “Yuanniang and Elder Brother Xing were both raised with your help from childhood — if you do not sit, who else has the standing?”
Sixth Yiniang grew somewhat ill at ease upon hearing this.
Seeing how things stood, Nanny Xu could no longer refuse and smiled as she half-sat on the embroidered stool: “Then I shall presume above my station.”
The First Master smiled and instructed the maid in charge of serving dishes, Xinglin: “Bring out the food.”
This Xinglin was the First Young Madam’s personal attendant, and ever since they had moved into this residence she had been helping the First Young Madam manage the household.
Hearing the First Master’s instruction, she immediately responded with “yes” and directed the young maids to bring out the dishes.
Snow vegetable with yellow croaker, West Lake vinegar fish, silver sprout chicken shreds, crystal pork knuckle, beauty’s liver, clear-simmered crab meat lion’s head meatballs… all the Jiangnan dishes the family knew well, laid out to cover the table. Just as everyone thought the dishes were all out, Xinglin set a bowl of red-and-white porridge before the First Madam: “First Madam, this is what the First Master specially had prepared for you.”
The First Madam gave a slight start.
The First Master had already said: “This is a famous Yanjing dish called lumpy soup. The red is tomato — a rather rare thing, brought from the Guangdong region. The white is noodle pieces. It is tangy and sweet, quite unlike what we eat back home. Good for the appetite — do try it.”
The First Madam gave a soft “oh,” and with a somewhat dazed expression picked up the spoon and tasted a mouthful.
The First Master smiled and asked her: “How is it? Does it suit your palate?”
Hearing this, the First Madam composed her expression and smiled: “Just as the Master says, this soup is tangy and sweet, and very good for the appetite. Thank you, Master!”
The First Master smiled, picked up his chopsticks to take a piece of yellow croaker from the snow vegetable dish, and only then did the others begin to eat.
Everyone’s manner was refined and composed, chewing slowly and methodically. At the table, there was no sound other than the faint clinking of porcelain.
After the meal, the maids served tea. The First Madam suddenly turned to Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss: “Tomorrow you will both come with me to meet your elder sister!”
Both were inwardly startled, but quickly composed themselves and replied with a respectful “yes.”
As the hour had grown late and Mu Ge was usually asleep by this time, he was now rubbing his eyes and growing fussy.
The First Madam saw this and instructed the First Young Madam: “Move Mu Ge to my room… My room has heated wall panels and a warm alcove — not like your place, where you still have to light braziers.”
“Mother!” From the tone of Luo Zhensheng’s voice, it seemed he did not quite agree.
The First Young Madam quickly spoke before her husband: “Mother is quite right — then I will have the nannies move Mu Ge’s things over.”
The First Madam smiled and nodded.
A few traces of resignation flickered in the depths of Luo Zhensheng’s eyes.
The First Madam then laughed at him: “Rest easy — your mother has not gone senile just yet. I may spoil Mu Ge, but if he misbehaves, I will not let it pass. I will not ruin your son.”
At this, Luo Zhensheng could only rise and thank the First Madam.
The First Madam covered her mouth as she laughed, then said: “It is late today — all of you go and rest!”
Luo Zhensheng and the First Young Madam, Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss, all paid their respects and withdrew. Luo Zhensheng and his wife returned to the outer wing rooms, and Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss returned to the rear wing rooms.
Along the way, Fifth Miss smiled: “When we go to Elder Sister’s residence tomorrow, you ought to dress yourself well — do not embarrass Elder Sister.”
Eleventh Miss smiled: “I do not know what to wear tomorrow either. Why not help me have a look, Sister?”
Fifth Miss gave a cold laugh: “How would I dare? Some people have more than enough schemes of their own!” With that, she tilted her chin up and walked off.
Eleventh Miss could not help but sigh.
She had not expected Fifth Miss to react so strongly… Then again, Fifth Miss was already nineteen this year, and her prospects for marriage were growing increasingly narrow — this kind of urgency was understandable. But what if Luo Yuanniang simply wanted to find one of her sisters to enter the household as a concubine, to secure favor or bear children? And stepping back ten thousand paces — even if Luo Yuanniang’s health was truly failing and she wanted a sister to take her place in caring for her young and frail son, that would still have to wait until after Yuanniang had departed from this world! If Yuanniang lasted another year, would she not have to wait a year? If two years, then two years… To gamble one’s fate on a future full of variables that were entirely beyond one’s own control — was that not far too reckless?
At this thought, Eleventh Miss froze in her tracks.
Could it be that the First Madam’s true intention in bringing them here was exactly this?
If Yuanniang could still hold on, then it would be her… and if Yuanniang could not, then it would be Fifth Miss…
She felt her own thoughts growing muddled.
And what of the other party in this marriage — the Xu Family?
They were far more illustrious than the Luo Family, far more powerful — would they truly allow the Luo Family to arrange things as they pleased?
Or perhaps Yuanniang had a way to persuade the Xu Family?
Eleventh Miss’s mind was in turmoil. She slept poorly all night, and when she woke in the morning, there were evident dark shadows beneath her eyes.
Dongqing boiled eggs and had her press them against her eyelids: “It should fade a little at least — so the First Madam does not see and start asking questions. You cannot very well tell her you were not used to sleeping in a new place!”
Eleventh Miss laughed in spite of herself: “You have even prepared my excuses for me.”
Dongqing shook her head in helpless frustration: “If Miss has the time for that, she would do better to think about this afternoon’s matter!”
“We do not know their true intentions, so no amount of guarding against it will help.” As the moment drew near, Eleventh Miss had grown oddly calm. “The only thing to do now is to observe without letting anything show.” She then instructed Hupo: “Go out and take a look around later. Most of the people here are the First Young Madam’s household, but the Master surely has people loyal to the First Madam, and there is also the side of the Yiniangs — see what you can find out through those channels. Find out how the First Master and the Young Master have been faring in Yanjing. The way things looked yesterday, the First Young Madam’s household people seemed genuinely surprised when the First Elder Miss’s people came to pay respects to the First Madam. You should also ask how frequently the First Elder Miss and this household usually keep contact.”
Hupo’s expression turned serious: “Miss, you may set your mind at ease — I know what to do.”
“Having Dongqing and Binju accompany me will be enough — I still need to wash and dress presently, or the First Madam will think I am not taking this visit to the Marquis Yongping’s residence seriously. As for Qiuju and Zhuxiang — if they can be of help to you, all the better. You may freely send them on errands. And there is also the item Nanny Wu entrusted us to bring. We are guests of the Xu household, after all — unfamiliar with people and places, it is never good to trouble others too much. Hupo, do ask around as well and see whether there is anyone here with connections to the Xu Family. If someone could help get that matter taken care of, all the better.”
The several maids stood respectfully listening to Eleventh Miss’s instructions when Nanny Xu arrived.
Eleventh Miss suppressed her inward surprise and went to receive her: “What instructions does Nanny bring?”
Nanny Xu smiled: “Bring instructions — I would not presume. I am here on the First Madam’s orders to see what Eleventh Miss is planning to wear to the Marquis Yongping’s residence.”
To attend to it so carefully to this degree…
Eleventh Miss was inwardly taken aback.
She had originally planned to wear a silver-red outer robe… this would make her already much slimmer figure look not only slender but also frail. If Yuanniang asked, she could hint at the seasickness to suggest her own poor health… and the seasickness was a real fact, not something even the First Madam could find fault with.
Whatever Yuanniang and the others’ purpose was in summoning her to Yanjing, under the paramount importance of “the greatest filial failure is to have no heir,” a girl in poor health would imply difficulty bearing children, and her chances of being selected would diminish enormously… Otherwise, why would the Xu Family’s matriarch, after Yuanniang’s miscarriage, not only rescind the medication for the chamber attendants but also arrange for her son to take a concubine?
Thinking of all this, Eleventh Miss felt her mind settle somewhat.
In truth, this idea had been inspired by Tenth Miss — she could induce an “asthma attack” whenever she wished…
But now, at least half of that idea had been rendered useless.
Women in the inner chambers had more time than most, and the bulk of it was spent on how to dress themselves. To say nothing of the First Madam herself — even Nanny Xu had no small measure of discernment. And the embroidery teacher, Teacher Jian, had also told them repeatedly and tirelessly about all manner of complex color combinations — both for embroidery and for how to dress oneself to greater advantage… Eleventh Miss could pretend to want to stand out and put on the silver-red, but she could not keep wearing it after testing its effect with her own eyes.
These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. She was already smiling and asking Dongqing to bring out the goose-yellow plain satin outer robe with the four-happiness ruyi pattern, and she also held out the ruby-silver pearl headdress set the First Madam had had made for her before they left — presenting the hairpins and pearl flowers to Nanny Xu: “What do you think of this ensemble?”
Nanny Xu smiled and nodded, with deep approval in her eyes: “Eleventh Miss has a delicate and tender appearance — wearing these pale colors and these refined ornaments is most becoming… No wonder she has studied embroidery under Teacher Jian.”
Eleventh Miss laughed quietly to herself.
The moment Nanny Xu had gone, she ate all the eggs Dongqing had been using to press against her eyelids — nearly choking on one, which made Binju laugh at her: “Has Miss been starved on the boat? Now everything looks delicious!”
Eleventh Miss paid her no mind and went to the First Young Madam’s quarters.
The outer wing rooms consisted of seven main bays. Because the eastern side room had been given over as a warm room for the night-watch matrons, the inner room had been incorporated into the decorated gate entrance, and the side room on that end had been partitioned into a small garden plot, only the west side had a set of three-bay wing rooms — which was, to say nothing of comparison with the main courtyard, even smaller by a third than the rear wing rooms where Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss were staying.
When Eleventh Miss arrived, there were five or six women gathered beside the garden plot near the decorated gate entrance, speaking with Xinglin. Xinglin’s expression was one of visible impatience. Seeing Eleventh Miss, she called out from a distance: “Eleventh Miss, you have come!” Then she pushed her way through the women surrounding her and walked over to greet her.
“I just came to visit Sister-in-law,” Eleventh Miss said with a smile. “You are busy — do not let me delay you.”
Xinglin, however, looked as if she had let out a great breath of relief, and smiled: “It is thanks to you coming that I can get away at all — how could you be delaying me?”
Eleventh Miss smiled back, not asking what the matter was, and instead said: “Is the First Young Madam in her room?”
—