The Grand Dowager lowered her eyelids. No emotion could be read from her expression. “What did you say?”

“I said: The Empress Fang of Emperor Renzong was Emperor Renzong’s first wife, and gave birth to Emperor Xiaozong. One day, the Emperor and Empress were seated together, when Noble Consort Hu laughed and made merry with the Emperor. The Empress, in a fit of resentment, flung her cup and rose to her feet. The Emperor flew into a rage and compelled her to present a memorial relinquishing her position. She was made to retire to the Changan Palace and bestowed the title of Reverend Jingci. Noble Consort Hu Guifei was then elevated and installed as Empress. Within the year, Empress Fang died, and was buried on Mount Jin with the rites accorded to consorts. When Emperor Xiaozong ascended the throne, he wished to inter Empress Fang at the Mausoleum of Mao, but the ministers of rites objected — to offer sacrifices to her together with Emperor Renzong would be to have two Empresses. Emperor Xiaozong was young, and the major affairs of court were largely decided by Empress Hu, whose influence he feared. He had no choice but to enshrine Empress Fang’s spirit tablet at the Hall of Bountiful Compassion. As for Emperor Xiaozong’s Empress Chen — because she did not find favor with Empress Dowager Hu, she was demoted to the rank of Virtuous Consort. Of the two sons she bore, one died suddenly of illness, and the other drowned in the palace pond; she was buried with the rites of a palace maid, in the An Garden. Consider, by contrast, Emperor Yingzong’s Empress Gao — though she bore no sons, her virtue was exemplary, and she was gentle, filial, and attentive. She raised Emperor Shizong with great care, and was deeply cherished by the Emperor. When Emperor Shizong ascended the throne, he regarded her as his own birth mother. After her death, she was honored with the posthumous title ‘Chengxiao Gongshu Mingde Hongren Shuntian Qisheng Zhao Empress,’ and was buried together with Emperor Xiaozong at the Tailong Mausoleum, with sacrifices offered alongside him at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.” Second Sister-in-law said in a composed tone. “Whether to be buried alongside the Emperor and offered sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple — or to be interred in a separate mausoleum and offered sacrifices at the Hall of Bountiful Compassion — that is for Her Majesty the Empress to decide.”

Shiyiniang drew a sharp, quiet breath.

Those words were bold, incisive… and unrelentingly aggressive.

Her eyes moved involuntarily toward Xu Lingyi.

She saw his brow furrow, almost imperceptibly.

But the Grand Dowager gave no opinion. “And what did Her Majesty the Empress say?” she asked mildly.

“Her Majesty the Empress heard all of this and said nothing.” Second Sister-in-law’s expression was grave. She thought for a moment, then said, “Her complexion turned white as a sheet of paper. She asked after Danyang’s condition, and then she left.”

Indeed — everything that needed to be asked had been asked, everything that needed to be said had been said… Aside from silence, what else was there?

Yet in Shiyiniang’s heart, a quiet sorrow began to rise.

Why must a woman’s coming of age always demand so great a price?

Perhaps remaining blissfully unaware was the greater happiness.

On the way back to their courtyard, Xu Lingyi was visibly distracted, and Shiyiniang, too, had much on her mind. She had always felt that Her Majesty the Empress lived a life of contentment. Not that she had never known difficulties — but she and the Emperor shared a deep affection, and her children were healthy. For a woman with no great ambitions, that was enough. Yet now she was faced with a choice: on one side her husband, on the other her child, and her own family woven through it all. No matter which path she chose, it would bring great pain.

The two returned to the room in silence, washed, and lay down to rest. Xu Lingyi tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Shiyiniang simply said, “My lord, would you like to talk with me?”

Xu Lingyi sat up. “There is nothing to talk about.” Yet he settled himself into a posture that suggested a long conversation.

Shiyiniang found that amusing, and the heaviness in her heart lightened considerably.

Xu Lingyi had already sighed. “Her Majesty the Empress is two years my senior…” He stopped there — looking as though he did not know how to go on.

To suddenly speak of Her Majesty the Empress must mean he was worried for her.

Which was why he lay there, sleepless and restless.

It was said that Xu Lingchen had married at fourteen. However deep their affection, the time they had spent together was limited to their childhood.

Shiyiniang thought for a moment, then said, “When you were little, did she ever tell you stories from the Elementary Learning primer?”

The Elementary Learning was one of the more widely used children’s primers in the Great Zhou dynasty.

Xu Lingyi paused, then fell into quiet reflection. “She did. ‘Xiao He and Cao Shen served Emperor Gaozu of Han, and had once been clerks with ink and blade; Ji An served Emperor Wu of Han, and was a true pillar of the state. Lord Zhao carried out the benevolent governance of King Wen, and once rested beneath a sweet pear tree — in later years, the people, cherishing his memory, could not bear to cut down the tree; Zhuge Liang possessed the talent to serve a king, and once lived in seclusion in a thatched cottage — the Founding Emperor, admiring his name and virtue, went to call upon him three times at his dwelling…’ — that was something my elder sister told me…”

Shiyiniang noticed he said “elder sister,” not “Her Majesty the Empress.”

Among imperial kinsmen, the relationship of ruler and subject came first, and of family second.

At times, the obligation between ruler and subject pressed the ties of family down so completely they could scarcely lift their heads — and were even twisted out of all recognition.

“At the time I thought, how wonderful it would be if I were that Zhuge Liang — able to put on airs before the emperor. Able to pacify the realm and make a name for all eternity…” He gazed at the canopy above the bed, and his expression was very soft. “Back then, I could not even manage my brushwork properly. My teacher said I was reaching beyond myself, and the others at the clan school laughed that I was daydreaming. Only my elder sister — she praised me for having ambition. And she said, generals and ministers are not born to their stations — what matters is that one has ability. She told me to study diligently under my teacher, to do the small things well first — learning characters, reading books — and that accumulated little by little, in time I would be able to do great things…”

“I still remember, I was only seven years old then. Second Brother was twelve, and Mother was fretting over the matter of finding Second Brother a new teacher. My elder sister had taken her maids to pick elm seeds in the kitchen and was making elm seed cakes for me to eat. Then somehow, through someone’s carelessness, a stray ember set the nearby firewood alight…” He laughed. “I still remember — my elder sister’s maids at the time were called Su’e and Qingniang. Su’e was so frightened she burst into tears, while Qingniang threw her skirt over my elder sister’s face and dragged her straight outside. My elder sister cried out my name as she was pulled away, which brought the old woman in charge of the kitchen running over. In the end, they found only some smoldering firewood piled beside the stove. The few of us stood there crying and stamping our feet all at once…”

Shiyiniang could easily picture the comical scene, and the corner of her mouth curved up. “You were certainly punished severely for it afterward, I imagine.”

“Yes!” He looked at Shiyiniang, and in the darkness, his eyes gleamed brightly. “My elder sister and I were confined to our rooms — forbidden to leave for a whole month. Su’e and Qingniang were punished to the kitchen to wash dishes for a month…”

He went on rambling at length. He spoke of how his calligraphy was poor, and his elder sister had found him copybooks to practice from. He spoke of how he could not recite his texts, and how his elder sister had sat with him through it all. He spoke of how he had gotten into a fight and torn his clothes, and how his elder sister had concealed it from the Grand Dowager and secretly made him an identical replacement…

Shiyiniang listened, her heart full of feeling.

If Xu Lingchen had married into a family of matching standing — like Madam Jiang, the eldest daughter of the Mao Guo Gong household — would she not have been far happier?

At the very least, she would not have been placed in such peril.

The thought flashed through her mind, and the words were already out: “How did elder sister come to marry the Seventh Prince in the first place?”

Xu Lingyi was still for a moment, and his voice dropped lower. “The Seventh Prince’s birth mother had passed away early. Teacher Deng Jingzhi of the Hanlin Academy was his tutor. Master Deng and Father had known each other since childhood — they were the closest of friends. Master Deng felt that the Seventh Prince’s temperament was gentle and his character upright, and that my elder sister was warm-natured and virtuous, of outstanding conduct — a heaven-made pair. So he wished to serve as matchmaker. Father had met the Seventh Prince several times before and felt he carried himself well. Though born of the imperial family, he had none of the dissolute habits of those idle young nobles. On the contrary, he was steady and dependable in all his conduct. Though he had no powerful backing within the inner court, he was still a prince of imperial blood — it was only a matter of time before he would be enfeoffed with a title and named a prince. Elder sister, if she married into that household, would not have to endure any great hardship. Father felt this was good. Then Master Deng raised the matter with the Emperor, who also approved, and elder sister was married into that household.”

“Who could have known that the world would change so swiftly. First came the ‘witchcraft curse’ involving the Crown Prince, then Empress Wu hanged herself, and then several princes were either placed under confinement or took their own lives. The late Emperor, by that time advanced in years, was consumed by suspicion. Rather than reassuring the remaining princes, he used the affair to purge meritorious and powerful ministers from court. Father saw that the situation was turning, and knew that if nothing were done, sooner or later the Seventh Prince and elder sister would meet a bad end. It so happened that the Seventh Prince also came to Father with the very same concern, wishing to settle the long-undecided question of the crown prince’s succession.

Father weighed it from every angle and concluded that it was better to seize the moment and take the gamble than to wait helplessly for ruin. So he sold off the greater part of the family’s holdings, and found a way to reach the Marquis of Jianning and the Earl of Shouchang, gaining an audience with the then-Empress Dowager, who had been installed as Empress precisely because she had no sons. With the Empress Dowager’s support, and given that the Emperor was respectful, restrained, and prudent in conduct — and that elder sister had subsequently borne three sons — the late Emperor at last made up his mind to let the Emperor inherit the throne… giving rise to the present era of Yonghe governance.”

His tone was already one of quiet wistfulness.

All Shiyiniang could do was offer comfort. “Her Majesty the Empress is a woman of such wisdom — nothing will happen to her.” Yet feeling that such comfort was too hollow, she reached out and took Xu Lingyi’s hand.

Xu Lingyi was taken aback by his wife’s initiative.

Thinking of how she had curled up softly in his arms the night before… he immediately clasped Shiyiniang’s hand in return. “Come to my side.”

At a moment like this, both reason and feeling called for no refusal.

Shiyiniang hesitated for just a moment, then moved into his covers.

Among women, she was not short — but beside Xu Lingyi, she seemed immediately slender and slight. Held in his embrace, her hands and feet were warm and snug, and quite comfortable, so her body naturally relaxed and unfurled.

Xu Lingyi immediately sensed the difference in her — before, only after she fell asleep did her body gradually soften.

He suddenly recalled fragments of conversation he had overheard among the officers in the military camp — men exchanging knowing glances and murmuring, “…A woman doesn’t know warmth or cold until she’s past the age of blossoming. What do those young girls understand… Take my own wife — she only had any appeal after bearing three children…” At the time he had merely thought it vulgar to parade one’s private affairs in such a manner… but now something stirred within him, and his hand slowly moved along the edge of her collar and slipped inside.

Her body immediately tensed.

He could not help but let out a quiet sigh inwardly.

He stopped.

He said softly, “Sleep now. Tomorrow we still have the mourning vigil.”

He used the same unhurried tone as the night before.

Shiyiniang said, “Mm.”

Xu Lingyi closed his eyes and steadied his breathing until it fell even.

The person in his arms gradually softened and loosened, and then gently shifted into a different position, nestling further into his embrace, so that his hand fell empty to one side.

Xu Lingyi found this rather amusing.

His hand had left her body — and yet her entire person had pressed itself against his chest. The fragrance of her hair drifted into his nostrils now and then, faint and elusive, making him vaguely restless… Could this be called losing the greater prize for want of the smaller.

He could not help but let the corner of his mouth curl.

He thought about it, then shifted his body slightly.

The person in his arms immediately stiffened with the alertness of a little cat.

Xu Lingyi very much wanted to laugh.

He turned onto his side, and wrapped her entirely within his arms.

She struggled for a moment, and seeing that he made no further move, she rubbed and nuzzled her head onto his shoulder, found herself a rather comfortable position, and gradually went still.

Xu Lingyi was now quite certain.

As long as he kept a certain distance from her, she was still very willing to be near him.

Utterly childlike.

Her eyes drifted through his mind — hazy as spring rain in the third month of the year… At that time, it must have been very painful.

He understood better than anyone how delicate she was — that she had been able to conceive, by taking the red pill, had surprised even himself afterward.

The thought arose, and a strange feeling slowly spread through his heart.

He could not quite say whether it was joy or sorrow, whether it was bittersweet longing or quiet melancholy, whether it was tenderness or guilt… All five mingled together, and made him uneasy.

…

Seeing that Xu Lingyi had fallen asleep, Shiyiniang let out a long, quiet breath of relief.

Although she had long since prepared herself to endure, surely a marriage should not be nothing but endurance? Once, twice might be attributed to temporary unfamiliarity — but if it continued like this, even a fool would begin to harbor resentment in their heart. Let alone someone like Xu Lingyi. And yet she could not be sure she had any control over her own reactions.

She had to think of something…

Shiyiniang turned over restlessly, and drew a vague, incoherent murmur from the person beside her. Then she was held even more tightly.

—