Sheng Changbai seemed to be quite popular among middle-aged and older women. Hai Furen’s letters grew warmer with each one she sent — at first there had been a slightly condescending air to them, but before long she was calling him “dear in-law” with every other breath. Seeing that Changbai was living alone in the Sheng Family’s capital residence, she was practically itching to have him move into her own home. Sheng Hong, mindful that his term of office was nearly up, instructed the household servants to gradually put the capital residence in order so the whole family would have somewhere to stay when they returned to the capital.
More than half a month later, Changbai finally came home, trading the warm welcome of his future mother-in-law for the equally warm welcome of his own mother. Wang Shi stroked her son’s head, feeling that her ten months of pregnancy and over a decade of emotional investment had not been wasted at all — she was so moved that her eyes brimmed with tears. She had, in fact, prepared a tall white horse and a large red satin flower ball, intending to have her son parade through the streets in a grand display of glory, but Changbai had refused to the death, leaving Wang Shi feeling rather deflated. Minglan actually understood Wang Shi perfectly — when your husband acts like your boss and your son acts like your father, anyone would be depressed.
As compensation, Sheng Hong chose a cool and pleasant day to host a banquet at the residence. It happened to fall on a holiday, making it easy to invite a number of colleagues and superiors to celebrate together.
It was the end of spring and the beginning of summer. The garden was a lush tapestry of deep greens and vivid reds, the rocks artfully arranged, the scenery altogether beautiful — just the right setting for entertaining guests. Wang Shi had wanted to hire a troupe of opera performers to put on several shows, but Sheng Hong felt it was better not to make too grand a display, so in the end only a few tables were set. The male guests drank and ate in the front hall while the female guests were given a separate space to dine in the rear courtyard. There was no shortage of families in Dengzhou who were on good terms with the Shengs, and the closer ones arrived early. To everyone’s surprise, the earliest to arrive was Pingning Junzhu herself.
This was not because of any particular charm on Wang Shi’s part, but rather because in the city of Dengzhou, there were precious few women of equal standing to an imperially titled Junzhu. The other official ladies were prone to flattering and fawning, and after enduring their praise for some time, Pingning Junzhu had grown rather weary of it. Wang Shi, for her part, was at least from a distinguished family and had spent time in the social circles of the capital — she was no amateur when it came to socializing. Two middle-aged women chatting about the gossip and affairs of the imperial clan and noble houses was naturally spirited conversation indeed. Wang Shi, though somewhat overbearing, did not dare put on airs in front of the Junzhu, especially now that she had stopped trying to promote her daughters. Oddly enough, Wang Shi’s blunt, straightforward nature turned out to suit the Junzhu’s more winding, roundabout personality just fine.
Pingning Junzhu first offered her congratulations to Wang Shi, then lamented her own son’s failure in the examinations. Wang Shi had been in high spirits that day, but she could hardly beam with joy in the face of the Junzhu’s aggrieved expression, so she racked her brain until she found some mildly unfortunate thing to commiserate about: “…They say a high-born family gives away daughters and takes in daughters-in-law from lower-born families. With the Hai Family’s standing and reputation, how on earth am I supposed to manage a daughter-in-law like that in the future?”
Wang Shi’s noble sacrifice of her own cheerfulness for the sake of her companion had its immediate effect — the Junzhu laughed through her tears. “Just like you! You want a daughter-in-law from a good family and still want to boss her around. Where in this world is there such a perfect arrangement?”
Had anyone else said something so cutting, Wang Shi would have overturned the table. But faced with the Junzhu, all she could do was secretly twist her handkerchief and then laugh it off with a dry chuckle.
Before long, more guests arrived, until the room was filled with the glittering of jade ornaments and the soft tinkling of pendants. Grandmother Sheng sat in the seat of honor, while Minglan, dressed in fresh new clothes, stood shyly beside her to receive guests, letting a crowd of aunts and matrons pinch and poke at her. Minglan’s polite smile had nearly given her a facial cramp, and waves of heavy perfume were making her dizzy. Across the room, beside the elderly wife of the retired Elder Yu, stood a girl of fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a bright purple narrow-sleeved fitted gauze jacket and a lotus-pink skirt with turquoise wave patterns. Seeing Minglan’s forced performance, the girl suppressed a grin and shot her a playful, mischievous look. Minglan was outraged and secretly bared her teeth back.
After a round of pleasantries, Grandmother Sheng took Elder Yu’s wife off to the Shou’an Hall for a private chat. Wang Shi spent a while warmly socializing with the other ladies, then, wishing to discuss the more adult topic of marriages and betrothals, she sent the young girls off to amuse themselves on their own.
Molan was impressively well-connected, and always at the center of a social circle. The moment she stepped out the door she was surrounded by four or five girls, already chatting and laughing. Rulan, who prided herself on her status, associated only with the legitimate daughters of the two families of Assistant Magistrate Liu and Assistant Magistrate Li. Minglan, having rarely been allowed to receive guests under Grandmother Sheng’s watchful eye and always needing to put on a well-behaved front for Wang Shi, had not made many acquaintances among the young ladies. Only Yu Yan Ran, the granddaughter of Elder Yu whose grandmother often came to the Shou’an Hall to pray with Grandmother Sheng, was someone Minglan knew well enough to call a friend.
Yu Yan Ran was slender-waisted, elegant, and charming. There had once been a time when Grandmother Sheng had thought of her for Changbai, but Yan Ran’s father — a Fifth-Rank Vice Minister in the Ministry of Finance — felt it would be something of a waste to marry his daughter into the household of Sheng Hong, who was of equivalent rank. The matter was dropped.
All the young ladies were ushered into the Weirui Pavilion for tea. The maids had already arranged an assortment of embroidered stools, lacquered chairs, and low tables, and set out delicate refreshments alongside lidded tea bowls. Rulan smiled and said, “This is white tea my uncle sent from Yunnan. Sisters, what do you think of it?” The girls were intrigued, and gently lifted their lids to take a sip or two. Molan’s eyes flicked upward almost imperceptibly, and she covered her mouth with a light laugh: “Really, Fifth Sister, what a fuss over something like this — showing it off as if it were some rare treasure, making it seem like our sisters have never seen anything so fine. Never mind this Yunnan white tea — even the brick tea from Tibet was brought out for us by Sister Wu last time!”
Rulan’s expression immediately soured, though she held her tongue. Their sisters’ discord was no secret in their social circle, and the girls seated around them looked on with carefully neutral expressions, occupied with their own tea and conversation. Wu Baozhu, who had the most tact among them, smiled and said, “Oh, Molan Sister, please don’t remind me — that brew had all of us grimacing for days. I truly regretted it. This white tea today is lovely — light and mellow.”
The young Miss Liu also smiled: “Every thing has its own particular charm. There’s nothing wrong with a good thing that you bring out to share with your sisters — Rulan Sister is simply being a gracious host.”
Chen Xin’ya, the Prefect’s only daughter, had always been spoiled and headstrong, and happened to dislike Rulan while enjoying being flattered by Molan. She pursed her lips, set down her tea bowl, and said, “I find it rather ordinary — too mild, without much flavor. It’s not as good as the White Dew tea my father brought from Mount Lu.”
Rulan pouted and suddenly turned to Minglan, who was sitting in the corner: “Sixth Sister, what do you think?”
Minglan had been inching closer and closer to the door, preparing to slip away unnoticed at the first opportunity, when her name was unexpectedly called. She paused for a moment, then said: “The flavor is a little light, but it’s lovely for its clean fragrance and pleasant aftertaste — quite a different pleasure of its own. I’m the one benefiting here, thanks to all my sisters. This tea has been kept by Fifth Sister for several days now — she didn’t even offer it to her own sisters — and saved it especially to treat all of you today!”
The sentiment that even a modest gift carries warmth worked like a charm — the girls around her broke into a chorus of thanks, and Rulan felt greatly satisfied.
Across the room, Yu Yan Ran had been cornered by the illegitimate daughter of some Circuit Judge’s family. She seized the chance to stand up, walked over to Minglan, pointed a slender finger at Minglan’s forehead, and said reproachfully, “You little thing — why haven’t you said a single word to me since you arrived? How ungrateful!”
Minglan frowned: “Last month, when I saw the weather turning warm, the flowers blooming, the fish lively in the water, I invited you over several times to go fishing and have fish soup. You just sent someone to say you were busy, without so much as an excuse. You can’t expect me to be happy with you!”
Before she had even finished speaking, she noticed that most of the girls in the room were making strange faces at each other, exchanging knowing looks. Minglan looked over at Yan Ran in confusion — and saw that Yan Ran looked rather uncomfortable. Chen Xin’ya turned and said with a teasing smile, “Molan Sister, your little sister really doesn’t know when to quit. Sister Yu has gone and hooked herself a very big and fat fish lately — why would she have time to come catch your little minnows?”
More than half the girls giggled knowingly, though no one said anything outright. Only the youngest among them, Hong Qingyu, was still innocent enough to clap her hands and announce: “Oh, I know, I know! Sister Yu of the Yu Family is in talks with the second young master of the Gu Family of the Ningyuan Marquessate in the capital!”
Minglan was surprised: “Really? Congratulations to you then, Sister.” A round of congratulations, genuine and otherwise, erupted around her. But Minglan felt that something was off about the atmosphere — it seemed almost… slightly wrong. She turned to look at Yan Ran and saw that she was blushing so deeply she couldn’t lift her head. Minglan laughed awkwardly and changed the subject: “Which Gu family is that? Isn’t the maternal family of Pingning Junzhu also surnamed Gu? Might they be related?”
Rulan, never one to hold back, said quickly: “They’re from the same clan! The Xiangyanghou and the Ningyuan Marquess are descended from brothers on their grandfather’s side — they both helped the founding Emperor win the empire, and were ennobled together!” Minglan was genuinely happy for Yan Ran and smiled: “Then it really is wonderful news. A family like that is bound to be a good one.”
No sooner had she said that than Molan interjected: “But… I’ve heard the second young master of the Gu family has a rather peculiar temperament.”
More whispers broke out around them. Yan Ran shrank behind Minglan, crimson with shame and unable to utter a word. Minglan laughed loudly and forcibly: “Don’t listen to my Fourth Sister talking nonsense — our sisters haven’t been to the capital since we were old enough to remember, so how would we know anything about these things?” At the same time, she shot Molan a fierce look. Molan gave a languid pout but said nothing more.
Gratitude appeared in Yan Ran’s eyes. But then Chen Xin’ya added coolly, “We may not know the rest, but there is this — when I was little and still in the capital, I heard that the old Marquess of Ningyuan once nearly had him dragged to the Imperial Clan Court to be charged with filial impiety.”
Miss Liu let out an exaggerated gasp that drew the girls around her into a flurry of discussion. Minglan was struck silent. She turned to look at Yan Ran’s expression — burning with shame and fury — and then at the other girls, who were either gloating or keeping their distance, the kindest among them offering only a few tepid words of comfort. Rage welled up inside her: she knew perfectly well why they were behaving like this. It all came down to one thing — envy.
When one thought about it, Yu Yan Ran had the most distinguished background of all the young ladies present. Her father was merely a Vice Minister, but her grandfather had been the Chief Grand Councilor of his era — a man of immaculate reputation known throughout the realm. The late Emperor had personally inscribed the four characters meaning “diligent, prudent, and conscientious” in his honor. This was precisely why she was eligible to enter into direct marriage negotiations with the legitimate second son of a Marquessate household. To put it in perspective, even Hualan — the legitimate eldest daughter of the Sheng family — had needed to expend considerable effort just to marry the second son of an impoverished Earl’s household.
Minglan wanted to come to Yan Ran’s rescue, so she pointed at herself and said loudly: “Boys are all naughty when they’re young! Besides, rumors are almost never reliable. Before Miss Liu had even met me, she’d ‘heard’ I was an unsociable oddball — and now look at me, as beautiful and kind-hearted as they come!” Miss Liu smiled awkwardly. The other girls burst out laughing. Minglan shamelessly pressed on: “Am I wrong? Am I not beautiful? Am I not kind-hearted?”
Rulan pointed at Minglan — “You, you, you…” — laughing so hard she collapsed against a table, clutching her stomach, unable to speak.
The quiet snickering in the room had become open, riotous laughter. Minglan glanced sideways and saw that the burning color in Yu Yan Ran’s cheeks had faded slightly. Committed to seeing the performance through, she added: “Sisters, don’t be surprised — Yan Ran Sister is just discussing a marriage proposal. For my part, I’ve been thinking of arranging a match for my little goldfish, Xiao Hong and Xiao Bai!”
The girls doubled over laughing. Minglan kept a perfectly solemn expression: “Xiao Hong and Xiao Bai have been with me quite a few days now. Seeing that they’re both getting on in years, I — as the mistress of the house — must think of their futures too!”
The girls were in fits, practically toppling over each other. Wu Baozhu leaned against another girl’s shoulder, her face flushed red with laughter, and wiped her eyes: “And did anything come of it?” Minglan shook her head gravely: “There have been considerable difficulties.”
Chen Xin’ya laughed until her stomach hurt. She squeezed out a few words, pitching her voice dramatically high: “…And why is that?” Minglan assumed an expression of deep gravity, shaking her head solemnly: “Marriage is a serious matter — it requires the command of parents and the words of a matchmaker. But I… I… where am I supposed to find a fish-mother and fish-father and a proper matchmaker for that pair of fish?”
Chen Xin’ya burst out laughing: “You might as well appoint yourself their mother and father! I’ll be the matchmaker! Let’s have the wedding right now!”
The girls were nearly laughing themselves silly. Rulan ran over, grabbed Minglan, and gave her a firm pinch: “You little troublemaker — making all these sisters laugh themselves sick! How are you going to answer for this?” Following Rulan’s lead, the other girls surged over and surrounded Minglan, squeezing and poking at her. Minglan wriggled and struggled with all her might, but being small and at a disadvantage in numbers, she was soon dashing about the room to escape, all the while shouting at the top of her voice: “Be serious! Be serious! We’re in the middle of discussing a betrothal here!”
The girls only laughed harder and the room dissolved into noisy, cheerful chaos. Seeing that the focus had entirely shifted to herself, Minglan breathed a quiet sigh of relief and caught Yan Ran’s eye. Yan Ran, who had already slipped toward the doorway, gave her a small nod — and while no one was watching, quietly slipped out. Minglan finally broke free of the cluster of girls, by which point her clothes were twisted and thoroughly disheveled. She used the excuse of needing to fix her appearance to excuse herself as well. As she left, she could hear Rulan still laughing: “Isn’t my little sister fun? Our father and brothers adore her too…”
Then came Molan’s voice, tinged with the faintest cold amusement: “The little thing certainly has a sharp tongue!”
Then another girl’s voice: “I think Sheng Family’s youngest is wonderful — witty and genuine.”
And another, half-muffled: “…A good person… bright and entertaining…”
Minglan paid them no attention. With Danju accompanying her, she went directly back to the Mujin Study. The moment she stepped inside, she found Yan Ran already there. At the sight of her, Minglan’s eyebrows shot up, and she pointed and scolded: “You dare call me ungrateful! We’ve been friends all this time — when I invited you to go fishing, you didn’t come. When you were arranging a marriage proposal, you kept me in the dark. And when people were making fun of you, you expected me to shield you! Just look at the state of my clothes — go on, tell me how you’re going to make it up to me!”
She held up the hem of her crumpled skirt, outrage etched on her face. Yan Ran came forward, pressing her palms together in an apologetic bow, over and over: “Good little Sister, good little Sister — it’s all my fault. If I had ever intended to hide anything from you, may a big boil sprout on my face. I was coming today specifically to tell you about it. Good little Sister, just now I really don’t know what I would have done without you — otherwise, who knows how much more they would have teased me!”
As she spoke, Cuiwei had already brought out a fresh outfit — a light green embroidered jacket with gold-thread trim and a green patterned floral skirt. Minglan went behind the four-panel carved ebony folding screen to change, then came back out still wearing a disapproving expression: “All right. Tell me everything. From the beginning, and leave nothing out.”
Yan Ran made a long face: “It’s all rather straightforward, isn’t it — my father’s superior introduced the match…” She trailed off, hesitating.
Cuiwei and Danju were perceptive enough to know when they were needed elsewhere. After Xiaotao brought in a fresh tray of tea and refreshments, all three maids quietly withdrew. Minglan glanced toward the doorway, then moved closer to Yan Ran and spoke gently: “Yan Ran Sister — I don’t mean to lecture you — but right now it’s only a proposal, nothing has been formally decided. How has it already spread all over the city? If this match falls through, Sister, what will you do?”
Yan Ran was so moved she took Minglan’s hand in both of hers and said: “Good little Sister — it’s no wonder my family’s grandmother always praises you for your warmth of character. I have no shortage of close friends among the young ladies, but you’re the only one who says things that truly go to the heart. It’s just my misfortune that my mother died when I was still young and left me without any siblings. As they say — a stepmother brings a cold father in her wake. After my father remarried, he took his new wife and their children with him to his posting and left me here alone. Thank heaven my grandparents took pity on me, or else…” Her voice broke off, and tears welled in her eyes.
Minglan was quiet for a moment, head bowed, gently smoothing the hem of Yan Ran’s sleeve. Yan Ran sniffled and continued: “This marriage proposal wasn’t even my grandparents’ idea. My stepmother had somehow cultivated an acquaintance with some distant relative of the Ningyuan Marquessate, and pressed my father into accepting the matchmaker’s introduction. Fortunately, my grandfather said he needed more time to consider and make inquiries, so nothing was formally decided — but that woman… that woman… managed to let the whole world know anyway.”
Yan Ran could no longer go on. She began to cry quietly. Minglan felt deeply sad on her behalf, unable to find the right words of comfort. She simply rested her hand gently over Yan Ran’s and drew out a clean handkerchief to wipe her tears. After a while, Yan Ran stopped crying, drew a long breath, and gave a resolute nod. She lifted her head and forced a calm smile: “Look at me — ruining your family’s happy day with all of this. I suppose my father wouldn’t truly ruin his own daughter. A girl has to marry eventually. I’ll just tell my grandfather to stop looking into things — whatever comes, I’ll simply marry and make the best of it.”
“Absolutely not!” Minglan, who had been listening quietly the entire time, suddenly started at those words and cried out in a low voice: “You can’t go into something like this in a muddle! A woman generally only gets to marry once, and only to one person. If you don’t keep your wits about you right now, you won’t even be able to regret it later. Tell your grandfather to keep investigating — if the man is not suitable, you must not marry him under any circumstances!”
Yan Ran laughed through her tears: “You little thing — why do you keep talking about marrying off, marrying off! Don’t tell me you’ve been thinking about finding yourself a husband too!”
This level of teasing wasn’t even enough to ruffle Minglan’s expression by a fraction. She said evenly: “Yan Ran Sister, I understand you don’t want your grandfather and your father to quarrel — but you have to think of yourself too. I don’t know your stepmother personally, but I’ve heard enough about her. To speak plainly — if you make a good marriage, she will surely rush to take advantage of it. But if you suffer, do you think she will stand up for you?”
Yan Ran’s face went pale, her mind in turmoil. Minglan stood up, walked to the center of the room, and struck her palm with her fist, her voice firm and clear: “Yan Ran Sister, you mustn’t feel sorry for yourself anymore. Yes, you’ve lost your own mother, but at least you are legitimate, and both your grandparents are still alive. But what about me? I’m a concubine’s daughter, with only one grandmother to my name! And yet — even though I have so much less than you — if anyone tried to force me to marry some worthless man, I would fight them tooth and nail to my last breath!”
Yan Ran stared at her. On Minglan’s tender, fair face there was an expression of absolute calm, yet beneath it glimmered something steadfast and fierce. Something stirred in Yan Ran’s heart — a sudden rush of courage. She leaned forward and took Minglan’s hands in hers, saying softly: “Good little Sister — don’t worry. I promise I will not think so little of myself. You’ve treated me with such genuine kindness — I won’t forget it, not even in death.”
Minglan felt embarrassed by those words and glanced sideways at her. Seeing that Yan Ran’s expression was now calm and composed, she relaxed and said: “None of this talk of death! Stop speaking nonsense. From now on, keep your distance from those gossiping girls. My grandmother never likes to push me into socializing with them. She’s always said that when it comes to true friends, a few good ones are more than enough. I’m only now beginning to see how right she really is.”
Yan Ran smiled: “Your grandmother’s intentions go beyond just that, I think. My own grandmother has hinted at it to me — your grandmother already has something in mind regarding your marriage, but those old ladies of theirs both have mouths tight as clams, and I’ve been unable to pry anything out of them no matter how I tried.”
Minglan was deeply curious, but she could feel her cheeks growing warm nonetheless: “I’m still so young — you worry about yourself first!”
The truth of Grandmother Sheng’s intentions became clearer to Minglan before long. The eligible young men of Dengzhou were a limited pool, and the ones among them who had come into contact with the family were already well known. With two older sisters of marriageable age in the house, neither Wang Shi nor Lin Yiniang was a woman who would simply step aside. If any desirable candidate appeared, it was unlikely Minglan would ever even get a turn. Hence the deliberate strategy: keep Minglan away from social exposure, and seek an opportunity by some other path.
The only thing was — while Grandmother Sheng spoke freely with Minglan on every other subject, the moment the topic turned to marriage, not a single word would pass her lips. Minglan could hardly rush forward and demand to know the plan. She would simply have to wait. And she could only hope that Grandmother Sheng’s judgment in selecting a grandson-in-law would prove sharper than her judgment had been in selecting a daughter-in-law.
Heaven help her…