On the way back, the Third Madam explained in a low voice, “It was getting late, so the children were put to bed first. The Fifth Young Madam is not feeling well, and the Marquis had the Fifth Master accompany her home.”

The Grand Madam nodded and asked, “What did the children eat this evening?”

“Siqin and Sijian had the premium old duck hot pot, while Siyu, Zhen Jie’er, and Zhun Ge had the vegetarian eight-treasure dish.”

The Grand Madam gave a satisfied hum, and was personally ushered inside by Xu Lingning, who held the curtain aside for her.

Weizi, who had stayed behind at the house, had already brought the maids and matrons to wait to one side. Seeing the Grand Madam return, she quickly stepped forward to help remove her cloak and attended to her as she went to the washroom to change and freshen up.

The Third Madam smiled and asked Shiyiniang, “Was it very lively over there?”

Shiyiniang smiled. “I heard the dowry alone filled a hundred and twenty-four carrying cases.”

“Goodness!” The Third Madam’s eyes gleamed with undisguised envy. “The Ouyang family really does have fortune on their side, to have married a daughter of the Tang family. A trousseau of such lavish scale — in all of Yanjing, there’s probably no other like it.”

Shiyiniang smiled gently.

Xu Lingning however said, “When the Fifth Young Madam married in, her dowry was also a hundred and twenty-four cases!”

“That’s different,” the Third Madam said. “Danyang is an only child. The Tang family has thirteen daughters.”

The two were still talking when the Grand Madam emerged from the inner room.

The Third Madam quickly stepped forward to support her as she settled onto the heated kang by the window, while Shiyiniang went to pour a cup of hot tea and brought it over.

The Grand Madam took the tea, sipped it, and said, “It’s already late. Everyone go and rest. There are things to attend to tomorrow as well.”

The four of them assented, paid their respects to the Grand Madam, and withdrew.

Once outside the Grand Madam’s courtyard, Xu Lingning gave Xu Lingyi a meaningful look and said, “Then we’ll take our leave first.”

Xu Lingyi smiled and nodded. Xu Lingning then pulled the somewhat puzzled Third Madam away with him.

Shiyiniang was equally bewildered.

Come to think of it, both households were heading east — even on the same stretch of road. Why go separately?

Just as she was pondering this, she heard Xu Lingyi ask her, “Did you meet Lady Zhou?”

Shiyiniang was mildly surprised. “How did the Marquis know?”

Xu Lingyi smiled. “Today I had dinner with Shi Zheng. Oh — Shi Zheng is Princess Imperial Fucheng’s third son.”

It seemed this Lord Zhou Shi Zheng and Xu Lingyi were indeed on very good terms.

Hearing this, Shiyiniang could not help but smile. “Sister Zhou told me you two grew up together!”

“Growing up together is an overstatement,” Xu Lingyi said, a faint trace of dismissiveness crossing his face, though the warmth in his eyes was unmistakable. “We merely visited Qianqing Palace together with the Shun Wang’s children when Empress Wu was still around.” A shadow of wistfulness passed over him. “To think that Empress Wu was later condemned to death by the late Emperor on account of the Crown Prince.”

These were old affairs she knew nothing of, so naturally she had no say in the matter. She smiled and changed the subject, taking the opportunity to relay to Xu Lingyi what she had discussed with the Grand Madam.

Xu Lingyi listened in silence as they walked back to their own courtyard.

Lvyun and Hongxiu, along with the maids and matrons, stood waiting at the door, and quickly stepped forward to pay their respects as the two entered.

Xu Lingyi walked without pausing toward the main room.

Shiyiniang, recalling that he had spent last night at the Grand Madam’s — thought he must have something to say to her.

She quickened her steps and followed him in. She called for a maid to attend to him, then went to the washroom herself to freshen up and change.

When she came out, Xu Lingyi was already sitting on the large kang by the window, drinking tea.

Shiyiniang smiled and sat down across from him.

A young maid brought fresh hot tea. She cradled the cup in her hands and took a sip, a look of quiet contentment spreading across her face.

Xu Lingyi caught the look and smiled despite himself.

The warmth of the tea had spread through her, and she had gone pleasantly languid.

Shiyiniang took the initiative and asked about the previous day. “… How did things go with Mother, Marquis?”

“Mother is not a shortsighted woman.” Xu Lingyi sipped his tea with a smile. “She thinks what has been arranged for Third Brother is a good thing. The only concern is that she would like to keep Siqin and Sijian here. Someone with Third Sister-in-law’s temperament would only be spoiled by a prosperous place like Huzhou or Hangzhou — it would do her no good. She must be sent somewhere a little poorer. First, to temper her nature. Second, in a place with little to be gained, even if Third Brother is soft-eared, nothing too serious will come of it. I’ll assign a capable advisor to go along with them. If she does something truly outrageous, he’ll report to me. For them, it’s a good arrangement — the only worry is that such a remote place may not have good tutors, and Siqin and Sijian’s studies might suffer.”

She had not expected the Grand Madam to agree so readily.

Shiyiniang felt a deep admiration welling inside her.

She quietly reminded herself: in all things, she must be like the Grand Madam — able to take hold and let go.

“And what arrangements does the Third Master have in mind for the two children?”

“We haven’t gone into specifics yet,” Xu Lingyi said. “I only loosely mentioned the idea of sending him to a post away from the capital. He seemed quite interested. I told him to discuss it with Third Sister-in-law soon and get back to me, so I can plan ahead.”

Shiyiniang nodded.

It appeared that last night he had settled things with the Grand Madam, and today after leaving the Ministry, he had settled things with the Third Master. That was why, just now, the Third Master had given that meaningful look — and why he had hurried the Third Madam off: to discuss the matter with her.

“I actually think, even if Third Sister-in-law were to bring the children to the posting, it would not be a bad thing.”

Xu Lingyi raised an eyebrow.

Shiyiniang continued, “Reading ten thousand books is not worth walking ten thousand li. Letting the children go out and see the world would do them good. And if it doesn’t work out, we can always bring them back. For children of a family like ours, learning is first and foremost about cultivating character — a few missed days hardly matter. And as the old saying goes, a child never thinks his mother ugly. Being with their parents, however difficult the conditions, means the family is together. That is better than being apart from flesh and blood.”

Xu Lingyi gave a slight nod. “Let’s wait and see what Third Brother has to say before we decide. Perhaps we’re worrying over nothing — perhaps he has no intention of taking Siqin and Sijian along at all.”

This brought to Shiyiniang’s mind what Lin Da’nainai had said about wanting to send Hui Jie’er over to learn embroidery. “… She said it in front of so many people, and the two families live next door to each other, so it really is difficult to refuse. If Lin Da’nainai does bring Hui Jie’er over, Zhen Jie’er would naturally need to help receive them. By then, Zhun Ge would be left on his own, and he may not like that.”

Xu Lingyi looked surprised. “Your embroidery skill comes from Xianlinge?”

Shiyiniang smiled. “Only the surface of it, nothing more.”

Xu Lingyi studied her for a moment without speaking.

Not knowing his intent, Shiyiniang naturally retreated a step first. She smiled and said, “If the Marquis finds it troublesome, I can find an excuse to decline her.”

“No need.” Xu Lingyi said quickly. “Since the promise was made in front of everyone, finding a private excuse to back out of it would not look well. If she comes, you may receive Lin Da’nainai and her daughter together with Zhen Jie’er. As for Zhun Ge, I’ll speak to Mother.”

That would not be necessary — it might lead the Grand Madam to think she had been saying things to Xu Lingyi, pushing him to intervene on her behalf. Even if Xu Lingyi was not that sort of person, it was better to nip things in the bud.

Shiyiniang smiled and said, “With the Marquis’s agreement, that is enough. As for Mother, let us wait until Lin Da’nainai truly comes before saying anything. If she only mentioned it on a whim and never follows through, we’ll only end up looking as though we made too much of a small matter.”

Xu Lingyi could not help but smile at that. “You do think a lot of small thoughts.”

Shiyiniang saw that he was dismissive of her concern, and could not help murmuring under her breath, “Women simply have a great many small thoughts!”

Xu Lingyi burst out laughing, finding her terribly amusing — one moment so calculating and far-sighted like an elder, the next fretful and uncertain like a child. He called out loudly for Xiayi to come in and attend to him while he washed up for bed.

Shiyiniang startled. “Marquis—”

Xu Lingyi gave a casual sound of acknowledgment and said lightly, “It’s late. I’ll stay here tonight.”

A buzzing rose in Shiyiniang’s head, and all the discomforts of that previous occasion seemed to flood back to her. The words came out before she could stop them. “No!”

Xu Lingyi’s gaze slowly settled, deep and unreadable as an ancient well.

Shiyiniang shivered, and came to her senses.

“No!” She forced a mock-pout into her tone. “I’ve only just set the house rules, and you’re already breaking them. Who will respect me after this?”

Xu Lingyi watched her push out her lower lip in that air of indignation, and could not help laughing. At the same time, he thought she did have a point. Managing the inner quarters was naturally the principal wife’s domain, and she had only just married in. He would not make things difficult for her. He rose and said, “I only wanted to have a little talk with you…”

“I’ll serve the Marquis breakfast first thing tomorrow morning!” Shiyiniang immediately offered with a radiant smile.

So she truly had been afraid of disrupting the established rules.

“Never mind that.” Xu Lingyi smiled. “Don’t get up so early. The weather is quite cold.”

Shiyiniang made a great show of attending to Xu Lingyi as she escorted him to the door, then called for Shuangyu to carry a lantern and see him off to Qiao Yiniang’s quarters.

Dongqing could not help finding fault. “Madam, really — what wife pushes her own husband away like this?”

Shiyiniang flopped down across the great bed and stretched out luxuriously, murmuring softly, “Only a fool would make things difficult for herself.”

Dongqing had not caught it clearly, and asked again, “What did Madam say?”

“Nothing,” Shiyiniang said, not wishing to dwell on it, and changed the subject. “Where is Hupo? I haven’t seen her.”

“After dinner, the wife of Yang Huizu came by to bring her osmanthus cakes,” Dongqing said with a smile. “She heard you took Hupo with you to the Zhongshan Marquis Mansion, and she’d been waiting in the back quarters this whole time. When Hupo heard, she went to meet her.”

“She’s become quite the important person,” Shiyiniang laughed. “Even the wife of Yang Huizu sends her things. What did she help them with?”

“First she placed Fangfei in the back garden, and then she placed Taohua over in the ancestral hall — to manage the incense, with a monthly stipend of three hundred wen. Now everyone in the household has their eyes on her, hoping she can help them secure a good post,” Dongqing said with a laugh. “The wife of Yang Huizu is likely after the same thing.”

Shiyiniang smiled and went to the washroom, where she enjoyed a long soak. When she came out, Hupo was waiting just outside.

“Madam, I have something to tell you.” Her expression was unusually grave.

Shiyiniang dismissed the attending maids from the room.

Hupo leaned close and said quietly, “The Second Madam sent her own steward and a young manservant to deliver a letter to the Marquis. After reading it, the Marquis had the steward hand the manservant over to Chief Steward Bai and asked him to find somewhere for the boy to rest. It was only after that that the Marquis went to have dinner with Zhou Shi Zheng.”

Shiyiniang’s expression sharpened. “Yang Huizu told you this.”

Hupo nodded. “He was worried about raising suspicion, so he had his wife bring the osmanthus cakes to me.”

Shiyiniang’s thoughts turned to the Second Madam.

A widowed sister-in-law and a younger brother-in-law — she would never send her own steward and a young manservant to deliver a letter to Xu Lingyi without reason. It was most likely connected to the matter of Xu Siyu.

Strike the horse before the rider; capture the king before the soldiers.

Was this the Second Madam’s way of doing things?

Xu Lingyi had said he had something to discuss with her — could it be related to all of this?

—