Minglan was silent for quite a while, then let out a small sigh. “And then?”

“Father and Old Madam discussed it and agreed that from now on, sister-in-law’s own courtyard affairs would be decided by her alone. Food, clothing, and daily necessities she would draw directly from the main household accounts, with no need to go through Mother. They had originally intended to relieve her of the morning courtesies entirely as well, but sister-in-law insisted herself — she still goes to attend on Mother each morning.”

Hualan’s voice carried a complex undertone — one couldn’t quite tell whether it was sympathy for their biological mother or frustration at her intractability. “Because of this, Mother was disinclined to bring sister-in-law over to visit you, so I volunteered to take on that errand. But Old Madam got annoyed and said — what kind of business is it to have a married-out daughter leading the new bride on outings? As if the Sheng household had no one left at all. She insisted Mother had to come herself. And so — there she is, having another row with Old Madam!”

Minglan had run out of sighs to give. The greatest tragedy of Wang Shi’s life was that no matter which side one looked at — enemy or ally — everyone around her had higher capabilities than she did. Enemies of a higher caliber meant she was often outmaneuevred with ease; allies of a higher caliber meant they frequently looked down on her and were unwilling to communicate or cooperate with her.

“I have some heart-calming pills here…”

But Hualan waved it off: “No use — do you think Father hasn’t already had Mother drink herbal medicine? Mother has been taking it for five days but there’s still no visible improvement.” Even as her biological daughter, she couldn’t take Wang Shi’s temperament at the moment — the woman was so irritable it was alarming.

“Then what can be done?” What Minglan was worried about was Old Madam — she must not be upset.

Hualan gave a helpless sigh: “What can be done? I’ve already asked the physician — we can only hope this phase passes quickly. Keep taking the medicine, and speak more cheerful things to Mother. I imagine she will be better eventually.”

“What cheerful things could there possibly be?” Minglan said worriedly.

“What else could there be? Well — Lin Yiniang has stirred up trouble at the farm five or six times, suffered a few hard lessons because of it, finally exhausted herself, and now spends her days fasting and chanting sutras, looking so aged she’s barely recognizable. And then — Molan still hasn’t conceived.”

Minglan’s gossip-loving heart blazed to life at once. Her social circle had grown rather different of late and she hadn’t heard much news of Molan for a long time. No need to say anything about her own mother’s explosive temper — Hualan too had perked up and was ready to deliver the full account.

“…Aunt is on close terms with the Yongchang Marquis’s wife, and because she is thinking of me — she often hears things and tells me.”

Molan’s lack of a pregnancy was not entirely her own fault — there were reasons behind it.

Wan Chunge had considerable ability. Though she had given birth to a daughter that year, Liang Han continued to favor her, and a few months later she was with child again. Molan had no choice but to employ her old tactics, this time with even greater force — maintaining a studied expression of virtue, pouring an endless stream of expensive nourishing supplements toward Wan Chunge without batting an eye. When the time came for Wan Chunge to deliver, she had been so well-nourished that the baby was exceptionally large. After two days and two nights of screaming agony, the baby could not come out, and by the time it was delivered the infant had already been suffocated. The First Young Madam of the Liang household suspected that Molan had been up to mischief and made a furious scene about it, but no matter how thoroughly they investigated, nothing incriminating could be found — all the nourishing foods were of the best quality, and even the physicians said the food had no issue whatsoever.

The First Young Madam had no choice but to drop the matter in frustration — but this turn of events gave Second Young Madam of the Liang household a perfect handle to use. The struggle between the first branch’s concubine-born line and the second branch’s legitimate line had been going on for a long time. Molan had sharp eyes and quick hands, seizing the opportunity with precision. She wept to Liang Han, saying she had harbored nothing but genuine good intentions toward Concubine Wan, as heaven itself could witness — and yet she had been subjected to groundless suspicion and had an unfair bucket of filth poured over her head. She could not go on living like this. Rather than drag down her husband’s family, she would take the divorce papers and go find a way to end her own life.

Liang Han, though he deeply cared for Wan Chunge, had always held his formal wife in high respect and affection. Seeing that from the moment she entered the household, there had not been a single fault in her conduct — and she was refined and beautiful besides, understanding and considerate — he grew considerably displeased with his elder sister-in-law, and began to feel that Wan Chunge must have been complaining about the situation to her maternal cousin. The matter eventually escalated to the Marquis Yongchang himself, who harshly reprimanded his eldest concubine-born daughter-in-law and issued a formal punishment. Feeling that Molan was virtuous, and also observing that the Sheng family had been growing increasingly influential, he had the Liang Marquis’s wife take deliberate steps to mollify and comfort Molan.

With this battle, the legitimate branch of the Liang household scored a complete victory. The Second Young Madam of the Liang household drew closer to Molan thereafter, and Madam Liang also became considerably warmer in her manner. As a reward, she personally conveyed to Liang Han that it would be proper to first produce a legitimate heir — and before that came to pass, his personal attendant and concubine should be drinking contraceptive medicine.

“Isn’t that quite good for her?” Minglan asked, puzzled. She had always known that with Molan’s cunning and ability, she generally wouldn’t come out the loser.

Hualan shot her a look and continued the story.

Striking the snake without killing it. Before Molan had even had a chance to catch her breath, Wan Chunge had already adjusted her state of mind, recovered and restored herself, dressed up beautifully, and charged back into the rivalry for favor with the force of a thunderbolt. On the positive side — she had suffered greatly during childbirth and her appearance was far from what it had once been, and it was quite likely she would not easily conceive again. On the negative side — she actually switched to a strategy of fragile vulnerability, and in no time at all had Liang Han thoroughly overcome with pity and tenderness.

Molan sucked on a slice of ginseng, forced herself to keep smiling, and with the composure of a veteran courtesan proprietress of many years’ experience, frequently introduced beautiful young women to her own husband. Liang Han was hardly a man of iron will — no matter how deeply he felt for his original first love, he was not immune to being dazzled by flower after flower and grass after grass. Today it was Little Hong, tomorrow Little Cui, the day after Little Huang — it was quite a scene of romantic indulgence. Wan Chunge’s heart shattered into a thousand pieces and she could only retreat to a lower position. Molan had formidable tactics, but in wounding the enemy a thousand, she wounded herself eight hundred. Though she had successfully diluted Wan Chunge’s share of favor, she had also created an entire household of warblers and swallows — leaving her husband little occasion to spend time in her chambers — and as a result she had not been able to conceive to this day.

In Minglan’s view, Molan’s strategic direction was entirely correct. What is most dangerous about a man? Nothing more than when his feelings are genuinely engaged. As long as his feelings have not been genuinely engaged, with the rules of propriety and family discipline pressing down from above, those maids and personal attendants are no more than passing clouds — once the novelty is gone and the favor has run its course, they are discarded and forgotten. But Wan Chunge was not only the woman Liang Han truly loved — she was also a concubine of good family background. That was a twofold complication. Pointing the guns at her first was certainly not wrong.

“It is a good thing that the Liang household has many children in the lineage. I imagine that for the time being, Elder Sister not having a child won’t create too much of a problem.”

Hualan’s lips twisted slightly, and she said with a hint of regret: “Only for these next few years, I suppose. One can’t hold out seven or eight years forever. Ah — if Lin Yiniang hadn’t done what she did back then… Well, it’s our own sister after all. Watching her fight and struggle in the Liang household, I don’t feel good about it either.”

Minglan listened and nodded slowly. After a while she turned her head and fixed Hualan with a gaze, smiling slightly. Based on her understanding of Hualan — though she could sometimes relish others’ misfortune, and could be overbearing and a touch self-centered — at her core she was a principled and upstanding person. She had once hated Molan with a passion bordering on the physical. The fact that she could now feel pity and sympathy for her meant something was definitely off!

Hualan felt Minglan’s stare and found it increasingly unsettling. She snapped: “What are you looking at, you little girl?!”

Minglan deliberately stretched out her drawl, slowly: “Younger Sister has had some leisure lately to read a book or two on physiognomy. Looking at Elder Sister’s complexion today — the area between your brows is glowing red, your cheeks carry a luminous warmth, and there is a veil of auspicious color about your face. It would seem good fortune is coming your way. …Tell me then, let Younger Sister share in your joy.”

Hualan listened to this stream of nonsense and could not suppress the corner of her mouth curling upward. Her whole face was warm and full, lush and beautifully mature, radiating a certain ripe, feminine allure. She said with a smiling mouth: “You little clairvoyant, you guessed right. There has been good news lately. To start — Zhang Yiniang in our household is with child.”

Minglan’s face went blank: “Brother-in-law has taken on another concubine?”

“You forgetful little creature — it is my father-in-law’s concubine!” Hualan nearly shouted.

Minglan flinched as though her eardrums had been struck, then suddenly understood. “So then sister-in-law — oh, elder sister’s mother-in-law — then…”

Hualan couldn’t contain her delight, biting down hard on her lips to hold it back: “My mother-in-law made a great scene about it. But this situation is different — she can bully her daughter-in-law, but she cannot lay a hand on a concubine who is carrying a child! Father-in-law would not let her get away with it first. And then the elder aunts and old great-aunts and a whole crowd of female relatives from the extended clan came every single day — some scolding, some lecturing, some advising. Now my mother-in-law is overwhelmed with her own troubles, busy scheming with Elder Sister-in-law…” The Yuan family’s assets were not vast to begin with — to carve out a larger share from the first branch, the Yuan eldest son and his wife had naturally grown restless.

Minglan joined her in a satisfying laugh at this for a while, then asked with puzzlement: “Just this? This alone made elder sister this happy?”

“There’s more.” Hualan was thoroughly pleased with herself, her face flushed with a rosy glow. “It’s your brother-in-law.” She paused, made a deliberate effort to calm her excitement, then said: “Your brother-in-law saw a nice farmland estate in the outskirts of the capital — a good location, good soil and water, so he wanted to buy it.”

Minglan clapped her hands: “Buying property is a good thing.”

“A good thing it is — but unfortunately we didn’t have enough silver.”

Hualan spoke of having no money with an expression that was full of tender sweetness. Her voice dropped softly: “Before the New Year, your brother-in-law went beyond the frontier on official business and broke in a magnificently spirited horse on the way back. He loved it like his own life — wouldn’t let anyone touch it. But this time, he gritted his teeth and sold that horse. He went home and scraped together the rest and bought that farmland estate. At the time I was baffled too — what had come over him? But then he placed the land deed in my hands and said he had promised me, and he intended to return every piece of my dowry to me, one by one! As it turned out, he had been quietly investigating suitable farmland estates for quite some time!” Her eyes were shining, her fingers trembling slightly, her joy and excitement nearly overflowing.

Minglan gave a soft exclamation, then burst out loudly: “Brother-in-law is truly a man of his word!”

Hualan was sweetly intoxicated, her eyes also faintly glistening: “He said — it is only now, after all this time, that he has truly understood. Father, mother, brothers, and sisters all have their own families and loved ones. Only I and the children are truly living for him alone. If he and I are not of one heart, who else could he be of one heart with? Your brother-in-law also said — from now on, he will never let me suffer grievances again. He wants me to live, in the days to come, with peace and ease.”

Minglan was speechless. Was this still the taciturn, upright brother-in-law Yuan Shao she knew? That he could actually say something so heart-warming — even she was moved: “That is truly wonderful. All of Elder Sister’s suffering over these ten years has not been in vain.”

Hualan pressed her handkerchief to the corners of her eyes, voice catching: “I only hoped that sincerity could be returned with sincerity — that having given him everything I had, he would not let it go to waste. And now, at last…” she was too moved to continue.

Looking at this woman before her, Minglan was suddenly filled with a deep and genuine awe. To have managed to educate and transform a man as upright, formal, and filially devoted as Yuan Shao — to have pulled him back from the cliff-edge of blind filial obedience — that was truly no small feat! Throughout this long struggle of many years, Hualan had remained steadfast and consistent, and had never once allowed herself to become psychologically twisted or warped. In the end she had overcome that evil mother-in-law — truly a story worthy of song and tears.

“…I said the very same thing to Fifth Younger Sister when I visited her. One’s heart must never grow crooked. Treat your husband with sincerity, be filial to your elders, get along harmoniously with your sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law — the human heart is made of flesh. Your husband is an intelligent man; he will surely come to cherish and care for you.”

Hualan wiped her tears, speaking in fragments, while Minglan smiled inwardly. She knew that Rulan absolutely hated being lectured — especially when it came in Hualan’s style of outright instruction and correction. Rulan was probably sulking and grumbling about it right now.

Hualan set down her handkerchief, warm happiness suffusing her entire being. Her voice was quiet and resolute: “I ask for nothing else now. Your brother-in-law says — in a few years he may be assigned to a post outside the capital. When the time comes we will take the children with us, live simply and freely out there, the whole family together — whole and complete. That is the best thing of all. Between now and then, no matter how my mother-in-law makes things difficult, no matter what schemes my elder sister-in-law dreams up, I can endure it all.”

Minglan had only intended to hear a bit of gossip to relieve her boredom — she had not expected to instead receive a thorough lesson. She fell into deep self-reflection. Was she truly sincere enough with Gu Tingye? In many situations, she tended to calculate her own gains and losses first, and only considered Gu Tingye’s perspective afterward. And yet — could a man’s love truly compare with the reliability of loving oneself? And if that man turned out to be untrustworthy? Then everything would be lost entirely.

Was this way of thinking selfish?

Or perhaps — loving oneself and being selfish were not one and the same thing. But in the context of a relationship between a man and a woman, how does one maintain exactly the right boundary?

Minglan sank into thought. This was a matter of guiding principles — and quite a serious one at that.