On the way back, Qin Dan was still counting her blessings. “The Duke of Weiguo’s chronic cough doesn’t come from illness — it’s an old wound. Thank heavens for small mercies. If the young lady had been matched with a sickly man, life ahead would have been hard.”
Those words were true enough, but they gave a glimpse of just how turbulent the undercurrents ran beneath all that splendor.
Yun Pan said nothing. She thought to herself: to be struck by a hidden arrow in the army, someone must have been trying to take his life. That arrow had pierced his heart and lungs — that he had survived at all was perhaps already a matter of great fortune. He had narrowly escaped death in his youth, and with so long a life still ahead, who knew how many more hardships lay in store. On the surface this marriage looked respectable enough, but whether the days ahead would go smoothly would depend entirely on luck.
Nanny Yao had accompanied her all the way, escorting her back to Yipeng Xue. At the moment of parting, she said to her: “Earlier, Madam gave her instructions — the young lady’s maids are all too young and may not handle things with full care. When the young lady leaves to marry, I will go along with her. From now on, whatever the young lady wishes to direct, simply tell me. Starting today, I am a person of the young lady’s courtyard.”
Yun Pan was somewhat surprised. “But how can that be right? Nanny is Aunt’s attendant.”
Nanny Yao smiled. “It is precisely because I am Madam’s attendant that she specially assigned me here. This old woman was once Madam’s bridal companion, and shall in time be the young lady’s bridal companion as well. When the young lady arrives at her new household, she will inevitably encounter troublesome people and matters. The maids may lack conviction and be unable to share the young lady’s burdens. But this old woman, thick-skinned and advanced in years, has weathered a few storms. I may not claim much else, but offering the young lady counsel here and there is certainly within my power.”
The heart that had been suspended in Yun Pan’s chest settled firmly at last. She took Nanny Yao’s hand and said, “Since that is so, I shall entrust myself to Nanny’s care from now on. I came out of Youzhou with only Qin Dan left by my side — those nannies were all sent away by Liu Yiniang to who knows where. I had been worrying that I had no trusted nanny with me.”
Nanny Yao said, “Madam understands the young lady’s difficulties, which is why she sent me. Young lady, please set your heart at ease. When our household’s own young lady left to marry, Madam hand-picked me as well. Now that it is your turn, it is still I who will serve as your escort, as before.”
Yun Pan nodded. “With Nanny here, I am at peace.”
Nanny Yao gave a respectful bow and said, “Young lady has been through much today and must be weary. Let the others wait on you and retire early. There will be no shortage of things to weigh upon the mind going forward — please take the utmost care of yourself.”
Yun Pan agreed, and sent Ruo Lan to see Nanny Yao out. She sat herself before the dressing table and began unpinning her hair. Only when she had removed all her adornments did she feel the ache in her shoulders and back — she had truly been braced for an entire day, and was exhausted indeed.
The smoke-willow colored bed curtains were let down, and Qin Dan knelt on the bed to loosen her muscles, murmuring softly, “That Duke didn’t look like a military man to me — more like a scholar.”
Yun Pan closed her eyes and rolled her neck. “He may not truly be a military man, strictly speaking. Those imperial kinsmen all hold their posts in name only — they carry titles like regional commander or provincial administrator, but need not actually go to the battlefield for training.”
Qin Dan gave an “oh,” then added with a note of surprise, “I really never expected — the day we were in such a sorry state, we happened to cross paths with him of all people. That’s actually for the best. He knows all about what happened in Youzhou, so even if someone harbors ill intentions and tries to drive a wedge between you, there will be nothing for idle gossip to take root in before the Duke.”
Yun Pan nodded, very much with the spirit of taking things as they come. Whatever had happened had happened — she would simply meet the days ahead step by step.
The next morning, barely dressed and with the door barely open, she saw Mei Fen entering through the courtyard gate. Without the burden of a betrothal, her spirits had opened considerably, and her face carried more smiles than before. Coming through the door, she said, “The six betrothal rites are being conducted in the front courtyard right now — I hear they are even more generous than mine were… You saw the Duke of Weiguo yesterday evening. What did you make of him?”
Yun Pan had little to say, only offering, “I had already met him in the capital before. He helped me then, and I knew he was a very good man.”
A very good man — that was in fact very high praise. Mei Fen smiled and said, “I told you long ago — a man like that couldn’t be wrong.”
Yun Pan was both exasperated and amused. “If he couldn’t be wrong, Sister, why were you unwilling to marry him?”
Mei Fen looked a little sheepish, and murmured evasively, “Don’t you know my situation — please stop embarrassing me.”
Yun Pan let that be, and pulled her to sit in the goose-neck chair. The two sisters leaned forward together, gazing at the babbling stream that flowed beneath the pavilion. Unknown flower petals had drifted into the little brook that wound across the courtyard, trailing languidly along, rushing toward the far end of the garden.
Yun Pan rested her face on her arm and murmured to herself, “After this, there will likely be few chances for me to sit with Elder Sister and enjoy the cool breeze like this.”
Mei Fen said, “You can come back to visit often — I’ll always be in Zi Lan Garden, not going anywhere.”
Yun Pan was silent for a moment, then turned her head to look at her. The light from outside was reflected in Mei Fen’s eyes. The Mei Fen of today seemed truly, genuinely happy.
Yun Pan smiled warmly. “A’Jie, from now on you must always be happy — no matter what you encounter, do not let it trouble you.”
The smile on Mei Fen’s face gradually faded. She lowered her eyes and said, “Si Si, I owe you an apology regardless.”
Yun Pan felt there was no need to keep tangling over something like this, and put on a light-hearted tone. “The Duke of Weiguo’s household is no dragon’s den or tiger’s lair — they are a fine and prestigious family. What is there to apologize for? Think of it this way: I came out of that household in Youzhou, where I have witnessed a vicious concubine and a treacherous half-sister. What could possibly defeat me after that?” She leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Besides, I have money. A’Niang left me some savings to rely on. Even if I cannot bear to stay in the Duke of Weiguo’s household, I will not want for food or warmth.”
Even someone as unworldly as Mei Fen understood the value of money — with money as a foundation, no misfortune could truly be counted as a setback.
“I have some too,” Mei Fen said, covering her smile. “Even though I don’t go out, Grandfather, Grandmother, and several uncles and aunts send me lunar new year money every year, and I have saved all of it. Si Si, if you ever need it in the future, just say the word — I’ll give you all my money, all right?”
This was the bond forged through life and death — sharing what one had, giving everything without reserve. Such sisterhood was worth far more than those sisters by the same father back in Youzhou.
The two girls huddled together, whispering all manner of private things, enjoying themselves thoroughly, when they heard a servant woman at the door announce that the eldest young master had arrived.
Yun Pan and Mei Fen quickly rose to their feet. They saw Xiang Xu enter through the moon gate, his complexion not quite right, his spirits somewhat deflated. He stopped before the pavilion and did not come in, instead handing a roll of cloth-wrapped items to the maidservant beside him, and said to Yun Pan, “I came across some fine mineral pigments and had them brought over for you specially.”
He must have known she liked making walnut houses, and had remembered to collect pigments for her.
Yun Pan gave him a smile. “Thank you, Elder Brother. I just steeped some chilled pear tea — please come in and have a cup.”
Xiang Xu shook his head and said he could not stay. The corners of his lips pressed gently downward. “I’ve heard everything… Si Si, it has been hard on you.”
With that, he turned and walked away quickly. The flicker of feeling from a few days ago still lingered in his mind — he had thought it something he could treasure in his heart for a lifetime, never imagining that everything would come and go so swiftly.
The two walnut charms she had given him were hidden in his sleeve pocket, growing warm from the heat of his body. Last night, upon suddenly learning she was to marry the Duke of Weiguo, the news had struck him dumb for a moment — he had thought he had heard wrong.
How could something so absurd have happened? He felt a heaviness pressing against him. He ought to blame someone… he had the persistent sense that he ought to blame someone, and yet after turning it over in his mind, he realized he had no standing from which to give rise to such feelings. He smiled bitterly to himself. The sunlight slanted in from beyond the eaves, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
He touched his forehead and felt the weight of dejection. From now on, he supposed he could only be her good Elder Brother.
This news, too, had spread throughout Youzhou in a single night.
A matron who had been out on errands returned to the back courtyard and gathered with a group of rough-work servants to gossip. “Have you heard? The Empress Dowager in the palace has taken it upon herself to match our household’s young lady to the Duke of Weiguo.”
The people helping out in the kitchen, every one of them red-faced and sweaty from the heat, stared in blank bewilderment. “Really? Such a thing has actually happened?”
The marketing matron waved her hand. “It’s all over outside…” She trailed off into a broad grin. “They say our Master is about to become the Duke’s father-in-law! That’s no small thing — a Duke, mind you, a noble title of the first order, ranking just below Prince of the First and Second Rank. What do you make of that? Our young lady hasn’t just risen — she’s flown straight to the sky. The moment she left this household, she turned out splendidly.”
“My, my…” Everyone clicked their tongues. After all, she was the legitimate daughter of the mistress of the house. Even if her father was of no use, she still had her mother’s family. That Madam of the Shuguo Duke’s household in the capital was herself a living, breathing county princess. And what reason could she have for watching her niece fall into hardship without lending a hand? Those servants who knew the inside story spoke knowingly: “The young lady’s maternal grandmother is Princess Imperial Ping Yao. In terms of kinship, our late Madam would have addressed the Empress Dowager as ‘Auntie.'”
People, in general, are inclined to flatter the powerful. Not long ago, with the young lady’s mother gone and Liu Yiniang holding the reins of the household, everyone had been fawning over Liu Yiniang — the young lady had been little more than a half-grown child, unaware of the ways of the world. Now that the young lady had leapt to become the wife of a Duke, people began to mock: “I wonder what kind of background she comes from, and what nerve she had to so mistreat the legitimate daughter of a Marquis.”
Everyone pursed their lips and muttered. Liu Yiniang had once been nothing more than a woman who sold wine at a stall. Her birth was not much more distinguished than the household servants. Later, she had leveraged whatever fox-like charms she possessed to bewitch the Master so thoroughly he lost his senses, and even after taking control of the household, her position was neither proper nor legitimate.
“Wealth is sought in risk,” someone said. “During the earthquake, the gate attendants were replaced, and the young lady was left to stand at her own door without being allowed inside. We were all in the back courtyard — it wasn’t our place to manage what happened out front. And so we were taken in by Liu Yiniang, truly believing the young lady had died.”
It turned out these words were heard by Liu Shi herself as she passed by. Already in an agitated state of mind, she stopped in her tracks and said icily, “Enough of your noise. Is it that I’ve been giving you too much in monthly allowances, so you’ve had the leisure to gossip? These days the household has more going out than coming in — I’ve been thinking of trimming the staff. If anyone finds their work too easy, come tell me at once and you may pack your bags and leave this very moment.”
That effectively silenced those mouths. Liu Shi stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the scene a while longer. Only when she saw them all scatter did she return to her own courtyard, still seething.
Xue Pan had also heard the news and came in to talk it over. She dropped into the round-backed chair, reached for her tea, and rattled the cup loudly, then gritted her teeth and said, “What luck does Jiang Yun Pan have? It was said she’d gone out into the world like a stray dog, surely doomed to be inferior in every way. Yet somehow she’s become connected to a Duke’s household. The first match with the Dongchang Commandery Duke’s family was already galling enough — now she’s gone and found a match of even higher standing, with the Empress Dowager herself acting as matchmaker.”
Liu Shi was equally vexed. Her folding fan beat the air so vigorously its tassel swung wildly. “She’s only relying on her birth. She crawled out of a county princess’s belly — she’s simply not the same as ordinary people.”
“Birth, birth!” Xue Pan shrieked. “Why does A’Niang always bring up birth!”
Liu Shi was startled by the outburst and slammed her hand on the table. “What are you yelling about! You show me some filial devotion — find yourself a respectable young man one of these days instead of making me lose face!”
But those words stabbed Xue Pan in a sore spot. She hunched her head and grumbled, “After what happened last time, our family has been a laughing stock behind our backs. I don’t know what the future holds for me and Yu Pan! And finding a respectable young man — looking all through Youzhou and the capital, where is there anyone more respectable than the Duke of Weiguo? Don’t tell me I’m supposed to marry some old prince, or the Emperor himself! As things stand, A’Niang’s document of servitude hasn’t been found, and Yun Pan is perfectly alive and well, so Father has no way to make A’Niang the official wife for now. Yu Pan and I and Jue’er are stuck with the name of concubine’s daughters — and who knows how long that will last.”
Liu Shi found herself rendered speechless. After a long silence she seethed, “Every scheme I have made has been for your sakes, and now you come here to blame me?” Then she continued, “Yun Pan has nothing to be pleased about either. This marriage was originally meant for the legitimate daughter of the Shuguo Duke’s household — she only got it because the other girl fell ill. Going to a Duke’s household in someone else’s place makes her little better than a replacement wife. The lord of the house likely won’t regard her seriously. Think about those noble families — which one doesn’t have multiple concubines and wives? Can the Duke of Weiguo really keep to her alone? When she meets a formidable rival one day and ends up with the same fate as her mother, I don’t see that as necessarily bad news.”
Xue Pan’s eyes rolled with disbelief at this. “A’Niang, stop consoling yourself with that nonsense. No matter how badly things go, she’s being brought in through the front door as a proper Duchess with three matchmakers and six betrothal rites. A’Niang has schemed her whole life and is still nothing but a concubine!”
Liu Shi was so enraged by her own daughter that she raised her hand to strike her. “Yun Pan hasn’t come to humiliate me, and here you are humiliating me!”
But before the slap could land, a servant woman outside announced that the Master had arrived at the gate.
Liu Shi hurriedly touched up her appearance and checked herself in the mirror, shot a glare at Xue Pan to keep her mouth shut, then arranged a smile on her face and went to the front courtyard.
Jiang Heng entered. His expression was grim — there was no need for explanation to know why.
Liu Shi gave a cheerful curtsy. “My congratulations to the Master.”
Jiang Heng glanced at her. “You’ve already heard?”
Liu Shi said she had. “The news has spread everywhere — they say our young lady is betrothed to the Duke of Weiguo’s household. This is a glorious occasion! It’ll show the Dongchang Commandery Duke’s family as well — they were blind to go chasing that great resource household’s connection, while our young lady’s match is a man whose threshold stands higher than theirs even at a step. Is this not wonderful news?”
Jiang Heng sat down in the armchair. A tea set rested on the small table beside him. The wind blew in through the window, and the tea whisk spun idly in its bamboo cylinder, making him feel all the more restless and unsettled.
He looked away and let out a long, heavy breath. “Of course it’s a fine match — but what does any of it have to do with me? Did anyone come to inform me of half a word? I am Si Si’s father, and I am still alive! Now look — as though I were already dead. My daughter is to be married, and I heard it from strangers. I have become a laughingstock in everyone’s eyes.”
The expression on Liu Shi’s face darkened. She thought for a moment and said, “The young lady must leave from the Kaiguo Marquis household — this is still her paternal home. Whatever misunderstandings there may have been before, what resentment can endure between father and daughter? The Master should at least bring the young lady back. We would hold a lavish ceremony and send her off with great pomp. For one thing, it would show outsiders that the family is harmonious, putting the rumors to rest. For another, it would bring good fortune into the house — since our Lady passed away last year, gloom has hung over the household. Using this joyous occasion, we could also dispel this cloud of ill fortune.”
Jiang Heng rubbed his forehead. “I understand what you mean. With Yun Pan married into the Duke of Weiguo’s household, it would help pave the way for Xue Pan and Yu Pan’s future marriages. But that child looks at me as if I were her enemy. With Xiang Junjie and his wife fanning the flames, how would she ever be willing to come back with me?”
“All things must be conducted with proper propriety. The young lady is the Master’s own legitimate daughter — flesh that fell from the Lady’s own body. One’s own flesh cannot be grafted onto someone else!” Liu Shi said, then paused, dabbing at her tears. “I know — the young lady does not blame the Master. It is me she resents in her heart. I blame my own foolishness for listening to that maid’s words. If I had been more thorough and sent someone to look around outside, none of this would have happened.”
Jiang Heng looked at her. Her weeping and carrying on irritated him greatly. At times he could not help but feel a certain resentment. When the county princess had been alive, there had been none of these troubles — he had lain at ease with leisure for romance and tenderness, lavishing all of a man’s gentle devotion upon her.
After the county princess was gone, and this one took over the household, he was compelled to admit that there truly existed a world of difference between a lady of high birth and a wine-seller from the market. Under her management, the household preserved its surface appearances but its reputation was quietly ruined. Take the charitable donations during the disaster relief — had she not encouraged him, he would never have brought only fifty taels, only to be mocked by Cao Muqing and unable to produce ready cash to make up the difference, earning himself a name for being stingy and uncharitable.
Truly, a virtuous wife lessens a husband’s misfortunes. In just one year, the saying had already proved itself. Ah, but there was nothing to be done — at the very least, she had borne him three children. Her vision might be narrow, but without merit she had at least toiled.
Liu Shi was no fool. Seeing him sit there stone-faced and silent, she felt a flicker of unease, and said, “If you like, I could go to the Shuguo Duke’s household and apologize to the young lady, and invite her to come back?”
Jiang Heng raised an eyebrow. “You go?”
Liu Shi nodded. “I have always been on reasonably good terms with the young lady. That one incident aside, it is hardly a capital offense.” She sighed with an air of grievance. “The Master knows the difficulty of being a concubine mother — even if you give your whole heart, a single misstep can make someone resent you for a lifetime. But after thinking it over carefully, for the Master’s sake and for the young lady’s future reputation, it is better that I steel myself and go. The Shuguo Madam is, after all, a daughter of a noble house — she would not demean the Master’s face. And I am going in sincerity to apologize to the young lady — surely even a Duchess would not have me thrown out!”