After the Duke of Weiguo departed, Yun Pan reported the matter to Duke Shuguo and Madam Ming. “I have thought it over carefully,” she said, “and feel that this is the only way to somewhat preserve my father’s dignity. But this is merely my own naive idea — I dare not decide on my own, so I am reporting to Uncle and Aunt, hoping to hear the opinions of both of you.”

Duke Shuguo stroked his knee, and found himself rather in agreement with the suggestion. “After all, he is your father. As the old saying goes, there are no parents in the world who are truly in the wrong — he may have lost his virtue, but you cannot entirely disregard the bond between father and daughter. Besides, Ji Fu and he serve at the same court, and every time court is held, the two of them stand directly across from one another. If the son-in-law and father-in-law were to remain at daggers drawn, snubbing each other like that, it would solve nothing. Though we resent your father’s foolishness, his mind is reasonably clear when that concubine is not around. I think we should proceed according to your wishes — let him receive a full bow of respect from you both on the day, and things will be easier between them going forward.”

Madam Ming, however, was somewhat reluctant, and muttered: “The whole scheme is directed at Duke Weiguo — it must be that little woman’s doing again, stirring him up behind the scenes. Fortunately Duke Weiguo is not a petty man; if it were someone else, he would look down on you for it too. What kind of father gives no thought to his own daughter’s welfare, caring only for his own benefit and future prospects? What a waste of all those years he has lived!”

“All right, all right…” Duke Shuguo moved to placate her. “Let us do it for the child’s sake! This is the greatest matter of her entire life — is it not better to seek a good omen? This time we are giving him more than enough face. If he still kicks up a fuss after this, then let him do as he pleases. So long as we can account for ourselves before Ji Fu, that is all an uncle and aunt can do for them.”

Madam Ming, upon hearing this, softened somewhat. She raised her hand and smoothed the strands of hair that had fallen at Yun Pan’s temple, saying: “We can set those matters aside for now. There is one urgent thing to be done at once — we must bring your mother’s memorial tablet back to the capital. Whether your father is willing to attend or not is his business, but your mother must not be left behind.”

Yun Pan agreed. “Among the properties my mother left me, there is a small garden on Huajing Street. People have been hired to watch over it all these years, but I have never been there myself, so I do not know what condition it is in. If it is suitable, perhaps it could be tidied up and used to house my mother’s tablet, so that paying my respects in the future would be more convenient. By next year, the others will all be moving to the capital — I cannot bear the thought of leaving my mother alone in the Youzhou residence.”

Madam Ming nodded, then added: “I know that garden. It was originally borrowed by Lady Sun before she entered the palace — a charming and elegant little place, with an excellent layout. The former owners moved their entire household to Xuzhou, which is why it was put up for sale. Your mother purchased it but never made use of it. The last time I passed by on my way to the Meng King’s garden, I caught a glimpse of it from a distance and it seemed well-maintained.”

Yun Pan smiled. “That is a relief. But since the memorial tablet must be brought in, the place will need to be put in order — I must also trouble Aunt to engage a few workers to repair the rooms and the garden.”

This was no great difficulty. The Duke’s household had no shortage of menservants and footmen; a few could be dispatched to handle things, and a couple of bricklayers hired to complete the work.

Once everything was settled, Yun Pan curtsied to Duke Shuguo and Madam Ming. “Many thanks to Uncle and Aunt for accommodating me. I had thought this idea of mine was rather absurd, and did not know how to raise it with you.”

Duke Shuguo waved his hand dismissively. “You have considered things thoroughly — that is very like your mother.”

Madam Ming, thinking of her younger sister, felt a pang in her heart. “In her girlhood, who did not praise your mother for her intelligence and grace! She could manage a household, she was skilled in business — ask her about any of the properties of the Princess Imperial’s household and she knew every detail. What a pity that such a capable woman had only one blind spot — your father. I suppose it was because your maternal grandfather died young, and she was born posthumously, so she never truly understood what men were like. When she met that one man who was kind to her in every possible way, she lost her head completely. And that single mistake cost her a lifetime — and now it has even brought hardship upon you.”

But at least she had been able to break free from that household entirely. A woman’s marriage is truly like a second birth — no one can say for certain how it will turn out. Even if the family’s standing appears high and the young man’s character seems good, the sweetness or bitterness of life after marriage depends entirely on how one navigates it oneself.

As for how things stood between them, Madam Ming had watched closely and had once quietly mentioned it to Duke Shuguo — they might not become devoted to one another, but mutual respect and courtesy were certainly within reach.

Duke Shuguo also agreed. “I have quietly observed Ji Fu for several years now. He is a man of calculation and strategy, steady in managing the greater situation, and precise in reading people’s hearts. If I may say something bold — he may well go on to achieve great things. Si Si will not want for anything by his side; at the very least, an official title as a noble consort’s wife is all but certain. The only pity is our Mei Fen — with this betrothal dissolved, all of the capital now knows she has an illness. What is to become of her? Such a fine young woman, confined to the house for the rest of her life?”

Madam Ming was also deeply troubled, and her head ached whenever she thought of Mei Fen. The girl herself seemed quite pleased, bustling about on Si Si’s behalf, humming little tunes from time to time… Perhaps it was simply fated to be this way. A forced match is never sweet — it might even be that now the betrothal had fallen through, the weight had lifted from her heart, and she might well begin to recover.

Madam Ming then asked Yun Pan: “I imagine Duke Weiguo is still waiting to hear from you? Really, the two of you — if you had this plan in mind, you could simply have said so in front of Uncle and Aunt. Why go around in circles like that?”

Yun Pan pressed her lips into a smile. “Duke Weiguo also felt that making such a request would be too discourteous to Uncle and Aunt. So I simply asked him to withdraw first, and wait until everything was decided before sending someone to inform him.”

Madam Ming was fully won over at last. “Very well, then send someone! Your father must be craning his neck with impatience by now. We are offering him a way down — it remains to be seen whether he will take it. If he refuses, then make up your mind once and for all never to acknowledge him again for the rest of your life.”

Yun Pan said she would. “That is my thinking as well.” She curtsied once more to Duke Shuguo and Madam Ming. “Uncle, Aunt — I shall take my leave then.” With that, she withdrew from the main chamber and returned to Yi Peng Xue with Qin Dan.

Aunt’s care for her was nothing short of meticulous — beyond assigning serving women and housemaids, she had also set aside two manservants for errands and purchases. Back in her courtyard, Yun Pan had word sent out to the outer gate, and only after everything was properly arranged did she sit back down.

Qin Dan said with a smile: “The young mistress and the Duke — there is something quite harmonious about them, the way one leads and the other follows. If our Lady could see it from heaven, she would surely be overjoyed.”

Yun Pan flushed, and made as if to give her a light swat. “You are talking nonsense again — what if someone hears and laughs at us!”

The serving women inside, Ming Ke and Ruo Lan, also joined in the teasing. “There is no one here but us — who would laugh at the young mistress! Truly speaking, we are glad the young mistress has found a good match and we share in that happiness. We were not in the young mistress’s service before, so we did not witness it firsthand — but just from what we have heard, we were anxious on her behalf. After enduring so much hardship, the young mistress will now have smooth and peaceful days ahead, making up for all past difficulties. How important it is for husband and wife to be of one mind! Just look at our own Lady and the Duke — they consult each other on everything, which must save them no end of trouble!”

That was certainly true. Growing up at home, Yun Pan had watched how her mother had borne everything alone. Her father cared only for pleasure and poetry, while the household’s finances, social obligations, and daily affairs — he never lifted a finger for any of it. It was this that had worn her mother down so severely that she fell gravely ill and still had to manage household matters. Looking back now, her mother’s early death had surely been the result of excessive grief and accumulated exhaustion. Her father had done nothing — and yet he had been that invisible knife.

Her mother’s marriage was a cautionary tale before her eyes, and so Yun Pan placed particular importance on a man’s character and capabilities. She had carefully weighed the Duke of Weiguo’s manner of speech and depth of thought, and for now found nothing to fault — though what the future might hold, she could not yet say.

In any case, her requirements were simple enough: even if they could not be perfectly attuned to each other, finding someone who would not drag her down would already be a blessing beyond measure.

A footman from the Xiang household arrived breathless at the gate of Duke Weiguo’s manor and stood beneath the porch, making inquiries: “Excuse me, is the Duke in residence?”

The gatekeeper came out — whether by his master’s influence or not, he was notably more courteous than the average gatekeeper, and replied pleasantly: “The Duke has gone to a banquet at the Investigating Censor’s residence and is not presently at home. Which household does your master belong to? I will let our Duke know when he returns.”

The footman said: “I am from Duke Shuguo’s household. By the command of our young mistress Yun, I have come to relay a message to the Duke. Our young mistress says that everything has been discussed and settled with the Master and the Lady, and asks the Duke to proceed as was previously agreed.”

The gatekeepers, upon hearing this, dared not be negligent and immediately beckoned for someone, giving urgent instructions: “Quickly, run over to Censor Wang’s residence. Find Bi Xie, and relay the message word for word without leaving anything out.”

Truly worthy of a master who oversaw the Imperial Guard — even the servants conducted themselves with efficiency and not a moment’s delay. The gatekeeper had barely finished speaking when a rider on a swift horse came galloping to the front steps, and the man who had received the order leapt into the saddle, shook the reins, and cracked the whip all in one fluid motion — before anyone had quite made sense of what they had seen, he had already vanished. The footman stood gaping; even an eight-hundred-li military courier could not have moved faster than that!

The Investigating Censor’s residence was indeed some distance from Duke Weiguo’s manor — one was in the east of the city, the other in the south. Cutting through back alleys to avoid the main imperial avenue, it took the time of burning two sticks of incense to reach the destination.

At that moment, Bi Xie was standing guard in the courtyard. Censor Wang and the Duke were in discussion inside, and Bi Xie, with nothing to do, stood before a banana tree watching a line of ants carry their burdens, quite absorbed in the sight. Just then, the Censor’s household servant led his own junior colleague in through the courtyard gate. Looking for all the world as if transmitting classified intelligence, the junior servant leaned over and whispered into his ear: “Young Mistress Yun says that the matter has been settled with Duke Shuguo and his Lady, and asks the young master to proceed as was previously agreed.”

It was an abrupt statement that offered no context, but Bi Xie understood perfectly. He nodded, sent the messenger on his way first, and when Duke Weiguo emerged from his meeting, stepped forward and called out “Young Master,” then relayed the message verbatim. Then he asked: “The hour is already late today. Does the young master wish to return to the manor first, or call on Marquis Jiang at once?”

The matter still required a resolution, and the other party had surely been waiting anxiously. Fortunately the weather was warm, and he himself was holding up well enough. Li Chenjian gave the order: they would go to Small Goods Lane.

When the Yuyang County Princess was alive, she had acquired a small property in a lane near the East Hua Gate, which Jiang Heng used for rest on days when he came to attend court. After the Yuyang County Princess passed away, this small residence could no longer be renovated, and by year’s end the Kaiguo Marquis household would be moving their entire family to the capital. They would need new premises, but the public accounts were tight — if he were to bring Yan Qiao and three children to live here, such a modest entrance would hardly befit the sign of the Kaiguo Marquis Household to hang above the door…

Jiang Heng stood with the setting sun at his back, pacing the courtyard in distress, when he suddenly heard the gatekeeping footman announce that Duke Weiguo had arrived. His spirits lifted at once, and he hurried to receive the guest.

Reaching the gate, they exchanged courtesies and the visitor was guided into the garden pavilion. Jiang Heng said somewhat awkwardly: “This little residence is far too humble — I am afraid the Duke will find it laughable.”

Li Chenjian was not a man who could only rise but not stoop; he looked around and, though the place was small, it was by no means shabby, and so he smiled and said: “This is the Marquis’s own private retreat where he resides alone — I find it most refined and elegant. There is nothing humble about it at all. And please, Marquis, do not address me by title anymore. Just call me Ji Fu — it will be easier to talk without such formality.”

Jiang Heng readily agreed, and at last began to savor a little of the pleasure of being a father-in-law. Once they were both seated and a servant had brought tea, he began to inquire about Si Si’s recent circumstances and state of mind. At the end, he laughed with some embarrassment. “Being a father the way I have been… there is truly no pleasure in it at all.”

The distinguished son-in-law across from him remained unmoved, and simply said, “Every family has its difficulties,” which salvaged a good deal of Jiang Heng’s dignity. He paused briefly, then continued: “I have taken into account the young mistress’s wishes. Youzhou is too far from the capital — the journey there and back for the wedding procession would cover two hundred li. The Marquis knows the state of my health; I fear I could not manage it, and so I must ask the Marquis’s understanding.”

Jiang Heng felt a flash of disappointment. Citing distance and health was genuinely hard to argue against. To press the matter further would make him look unreasonable as a father-in-law. It seemed this avenue was closed — his eldest legitimate daughter would, in effect, be as if she had none from now on.

His dejection was plain to see, written openly across his face. Li Chenjian had held back three-tenths of his purpose deliberately, precisely to deflate the man’s temper to its lowest. Seeing that the moment was right, he now produced the solution, speaking in a measured tone: “Marquis, please be patient. The young mistress still holds the father-daughter bond dear — she has submitted the matter to Duke Shuguo and his Lady. She invites the Marquis to attend Duke Shuguo’s residence on the day of the wedding banquet to receive our bow of respect. The Marquis need not worry about what others may say — the entire capital knows of my poor health, and holding the banquet away from Youzhou will be understood as the elders showing consideration for the younger generation’s difficulties. When it is spoken of, the elders will be praised for their great virtue, and not a word of blame will fall on the Marquis.”

Jiang Heng hesitated. “Receiving our bow of respect at Duke Shuguo’s residence… that seems rather informal, does it not?”

Li Chenjian raised his eyes; his slightly upswept phoenix eyes carried a hint of a smile. “Then, Marquis, can you manage to establish a proper marquis’s residence before the wedding? If so, holding the banquet at the new residence would also be acceptable.”

This was simply asking the impossible. Jiang Heng stumbled over his words. “That… that is absolutely out of the question.” Not only was it out of the question for time — the residence he had settled on before had raised its price, and the money to cover it still depended on selling off a manor, a process that would take two or three months from start to finish. The wedding was imminent; even at full speed it could not be ready in time.

Since there was no possibility, the only option was to accept the lesser alternative. The man across from him continued to reason gently: “Though the Marquis and Madam Ming have had some friction, they are ultimately family. Even for the young mistress’s sake, making this one concession would not diminish you in any way.”

This matter did warrant careful consideration. Insisting that Si Si return to Youzhou to be sent off from her home was, after all, a matter of maintaining dignity. If that truly could not be secured, then another approach was not without merit. The official circles of Youzhou and the capital were ultimately connected — if the wedding banquet was held in the capital, he could later host a few tables back in Youzhou to thank his friends there, and face would be restored.

Thinking on it this way, his expression finally cleared, and Jiang Heng said with a smile: “I was not thinking clearly enough. I should indeed consider things from your perspective. The two places are truly too far apart — in this heat, I could not bear to have Si Si sitting in a bridal palanquin through an entire night’s journey. Since you have both discussed and settled everything, let us proceed that way. I will go back and say a word—”

“Marquis.” Li Chenjian suddenly cut him off. “At the Marquis’s residence, is there anyone apart from the Marquis himself who is master of the house? When the young mistress departs, taking leave of her father and her aunt and uncle is sufficient. As for that concubine mother of hers — it is neither necessary nor appropriate for her to be present.”

Jiang Heng was taken aback. The man before him still spoke with the same gentle warmth, his voice still soft, yet in the subtleties something had shifted — an invisible edge had appeared. Those few words alone were enough to make one’s heart clench involuntarily.

He began to reflect — had he truly grown so muddled? How could he, at this very moment, still be thinking of going home to inform his concubine? It was likely because ever since the County Princess passed away, he had depended on Yan Qiao for everything, and at times could not help but conflate things — he truly had been treating her as if she were his proper wife.

A careless slip of the tongue, which must have seemed utterly absurd to an outside observer. Jiang Heng caught himself, and moistened his dry lips before saying: “I meant Si Si’s three younger siblings…”

Li Chenjian smiled slightly. “The concubine-born younger siblings truly need not be brought to the wedding banquet. After all, the banquet is being held at someone else’s residence — if Duke Shuguo and his Lady do not extend an invitation, the Marquis would do better to attend alone. In the young mistress’s heart, the one most dear to her is the Marquis alone.”

Jiang Heng opened his mouth, and was suddenly seized by a wave of guilt and grief. He had given so little thought to this eldest legitimate daughter of his over all these years. It was Xue Pan whom he had favored instead — when Yan Qiao had first entered the household, she was already carrying the child, and precisely because Xue Pan was the product of a contested marriage, the love he bore for her was far greater than what he had ever shown Yun Pan.

In the end, he had wronged his eldest daughter. Now she was leaving to be married, and once she married, she would belong to another family. What could he as a father still do for her? Nothing but give her a wedding without grief or strife, and bid farewell to her not-entirely-happy years of growing up.

“I understand your meaning completely.” Jiang Heng steadied his composure and said: “This time it will be only me — I will personally send my Si Si on her way.”

Li Chenjian had been waiting for precisely these words, and the weight he had been carrying finally settled. “In that case, I will not keep the Marquis any longer.” He rose and bowed as he spoke. “If there is anything I can do for the Marquis, please do not hesitate to send word.”

These words were offered out of respect for his not-yet-wed wife — though he had no genuine expectation of being called upon for any trouble, the social grace of the gesture was still necessary.

Talking with an indecisive man was an exhausting business. After a full day of activity, he was genuinely weary, and Bi Xie had to help him up into the carriage. They exchanged further bows and courtesies in parting, the exchange of pleasantries going back and forth several more times, before he finally turned homeward through the fading dusk and returned to the Duke’s residence.

Five days of court sessions passed. During this time, Jiang Heng, like any ordinary father, began to make arrangements for his child’s wedding. After finishing each day’s official duties, he would sit and deliberate carefully, calculating how much of a dowry he ought to prepare for Si Si so that she would not be looked down upon in a duke’s household.

“What if I… sold off that row of shops in Dang Mountain?” He walked along with his head bowed, thinking it through, counting on his fingers one by one. “That should fetch at least a thousand or eight hundred taels, and together with the engagement gift from the Dongchang Commandery Duke’s household… perhaps I could scrape together… two thousand taels?”

A man who never managed household affairs had a particularly muddled grasp of those domestic accounts — no matter how he ran the numbers, they never came out clearly.

As he walked, he moved too slowly, and colleagues were constantly catching up to him and exchanging greetings: “Marquis Jiang, I hear the date for your daughter’s wedding has been fixed?”

Jiang Heng gave an affirmative sound and smiled with genuine feeling: “It is set for the sixth day of next month.”

Some said it was an auspicious day, and could not resist pressing further: “Will it be held here in the capital, or back in Youzhou?”

At this, Jiang Heng found it easy to speak, and said with pride: “My household and Duke Shuguo’s household will jointly host the event. The old residence in Youzhou is too far from the capital — the journey there and back is two hundred li, and the wedding night would be spent entirely on the road. My daughter has always been delicate, and she fears the heat terribly in summer. After we discussed it, we agreed it would be better to make use of Duke Shuguo’s residence, and then later return to Youzhou to properly lay out a couple of tables to entertain the relatives and friends who could not come to the capital.”

He went into considerable detail, determined to make clear to everyone that all discord had long since been resolved into harmony. This time, it was all for the child’s sake — he had at last managed to recover at least a little of the dignity befitting a father.

There were of course those who made a point of asking Duke Shuguo directly whether this account was accurate; Duke Shuguo naturally was not about to expose him, and merely replied with a sound of assent: “Yes, yes, quite so.”

Jiang Heng’s heart was at peace, and he bowed his head again, clutching his ceremonial tablet and calculating: “And there are also those twenty taels of gold…”

Of course, no matter how one worked out the figures, the sums were never as clear as when actual silver sat piled up before you.

Five days later came a rest day. That morning, after dismissal from court, he set off at once for Youzhou, arriving home while the sun was still up.

Liu Yinniang met him at the door, speaking in a stream: “I have been waiting for the Master these past several days, and at last he has come back… Did you go to see Duke Weiguo? What was his conclusion?”

Jiang Heng drank a mouthful of cool tea, wiped his face with a cloth, and then said: “The wedding banquet will not be held here.”

Liu Yinniang was briefly stunned. They had gone all the way to Duke Weiguo, and still this was the outcome? It seemed that son-in-law truly had no regard for the father-in-law at all — otherwise, even to make a show of it, surely he would have offered a word or two of accommodation.

But looking at him now, he seemed not particularly troubled by it. Five days must have carried him from fury to resignation, and worn down every last spark of his temper.

“Well, one cannot force a cow to drink by pressing its head down — that is no way to go about things.” She gave a light sigh. “The young mistress no longer has this family in her eyes. We press our warm faces to their cold indifference, and they think even less of us for it. The Master should not be angry about it. It is as if she truly had died in the earthquake — what would be different? One’s own daughter offers no closeness, so there is certainly no reason to expect the son-in-law to think of you.”

Jiang Heng’s expression remained unchanged, and he fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan. “Although it will not be in Youzhou, they have invited me to Duke Shuguo’s residence to preside.” There was even a note of quiet satisfaction in his voice.

Liu Yinniang was startled, her eyes wide with surprise. “How can that be right? A legitimate eldest daughter of an honorable marquis household — not being sent off from her own home, but marrying out of someone else’s? What would people say if word got out?”

She had set her heart entirely on Yun Pan holding her wedding in Youzhou. Since the County Princess passed away, the household had had no occasion to hold a proper banquet, and no one knew how she had managed as mistress of the house. Others only said she was a concubine standing in for the lady of the house — she was eager to establish herself properly, to let those people witness her capabilities. Now this hope had fallen through again, and instead even Jiang Heng was going to attend the ceremony at someone else’s residence… Which meant she had sacrificed so much and come away with nothing — it was even less favorable than before.

There was another matter. Liu Yinniang stood to one side and asked: “With Madam Ming’s sharp temper, would she even receive us if we came to the door?”

Jiang Heng lowered his eyes and said flatly: “None of you need go. It is already a matter of borrowing someone else’s residence for the occasion — if we were to show up with the whole family in tow, that would give people something to talk about.”

This was something Liu Yinniang had not anticipated at all; she was nearly dumbstruck. “But… but… if we are borrowing their residence to hold our own family’s affair, how can we not attend?”

This was the shallow thinking of a woman who had never moved in proper society. Did she truly think the great Duke Shuguo’s residence was an inn, available for hire?

Jiang Heng grew somewhat impatient, and frowned: “When I say ‘borrow,’ what I mean is that I have been invited there to send my daughter off — the banquet from beginning to end is entirely managed by Duke Shuguo and his Lady. Do you not understand the logic of it?” He turned away, pressing a hand to his knee, and said: “After the way things went between you and the Madam last time — even if she were willing to invite you, would you dare to show your face at the door? Just stay quietly at home. Once this wedding is done, we can figure out everything else in due course.”

Liu Yinniang was left with nothing to say. After stewing in indignation for a while, she finally asked: “And what about Xue Pan and the others? They may be born of a concubine, but they are still brothers and sisters of the same family — surely the young mistress won’t cut off her own younger siblings too?”

“Send Xue Pan and Yu Pan and Mi’er to someone else’s residence, to endure their scrutiny and cold treatment?” Jiang Heng raised his voice, pointing a finger toward the door. “Madam Ming is Si Si’s aunt — she is barely connected to those three children at all. Even if you want them to broaden their horizons, you should not choose this occasion for it.”

“Then… then…” Liu Yinniang ransacked her mind and brought out Jiang Heng’s two sisters: “What about the two aunts? The niece is getting married — surely they cannot go to someone else’s house to offer congratulations!”

Jiang Heng heard this and waved his hand dismissively. “They have neither married into particularly impressive households — in my view, they need not come at all.” He thought for a moment and added: “Afterward, I will set out a couple of tables at a restaurant. We can invite them then to share a cup of celebratory wine — just a gesture, nothing more.”

Liu Yinniang looked bewildered, murmuring: “If we do it this way… we will become the laughing stock of all of Youzhou…”

Jiang Heng’s anger flared at this. He said sharply: “A laughing stock? I have long since become a laughing stock in two cities — do you not know that?”

He had never raised his voice like this before. The outburst left Liu Yinniang stunned into silence.

All the pent-up resentment, accumulated over time, must eventually find its breaking point. She was a woman confined to the inner chambers — all of her world was that small enclosed space. How could she know what things were like outside? A man must move through the official world, must establish himself among others, and any misstep, however slight, would invite how many cold, contemptuous looks — did she have any idea?

Because of the matter with Si Si, he had become a laughingstock throughout the court. Even His Majesty had heard of the strange goings-on in his household — on the day he inquired about Duke Weiguo’s impending marriage, he had made a particular point of urging Jiang Heng to treat the Marquis’s legitimate eldest daughter well. The meaning behind those words needed no further elaboration.

Ah — even thinking of it made his temper rise. Though matters of the inner household did not call for extraordinary measures, and men commonly had their favored concubines, being subjected to the scrutiny of all the court was hardly an honor. Right now he truly missed the years when the County Princess was alive. Living an ordinary, unremarkable life was far better than having every one of his failings magnified and laid before the world.

But what was to be done? It was not that he did not know Liu Yinniang’s faults — her two-faced behavior, her shallow worldview, her habit of petty scheming and greed for small advantages… yet these faults were never quite enough to bring himself to deal with her harshly. After all, across more than ten years, she had kept him company through how many nights of frustration and obscurity. He himself was pitiable; Liu Yinniang was pathetic. In the end this muddled reckoning had become a tangled knot, and there was no longer any way to say who was right and who was wrong.

As for Liu Yinniang, even as she reeled from the shock, her mind was racing. She had been the one to urge him to seek out Duke Weiguo, and this was the outcome their discussion had produced — the process was unlikely to have been pleasant.

This time she was genuinely a little frightened. Not of anything else — only that Jiang Heng’s feelings for her might be cooling. And so she began to cry without a sound, the way tears fall from the face of a woman beautiful in distress, cheeks wet but without a single sob. She knew that this manner, more than any other, was the one most likely to strike at a man’s heart.

“It is my fault…” she said softly. “I forgot my own station, and thought of the young mistress as my own daughter — I even dared to imagine I could personally send her out the door.”

Jiang Heng looked up, and the scene before him was precisely that of rain falling upon a pear blossom.

She spoke calmly, yet the tears fell from her eyes in great drops, one after another. “I only thought — she has no mother — someone must hold the silk fan for her, lift the veil for her… I did not realize I was overstepping, pretending to a role that was not mine.”

Jiang Heng found himself wavering once more, and frowned: “There is nothing the matter — why are you crying?”

Liu Yinniang lowered her head, raised her sleeve to dab at the corners of her eyes; her lids were still brimming with tears, yet her face managed a long-suffering smile. She sighed softly: “You are right, of course. The young mistress is still willing to acknowledge the Master as her father — that is already something to be glad about. What do I have to cry over…” And even as she said it, the tears came again, her voice halting: “I only grieve for the Master. His own daughter’s wedding — and he must hold it at someone else’s house, as if he were a guest seeking charity.”

Those two brief sentences did indeed strike at the heart of Jiang Heng’s private pain.

Who could know that behind his outward cheerfulness — calling it a joint celebration — lay endless hidden humiliation? The daughter was his own flesh and blood, Duke Weiguo was the legitimate son-in-law of the Jiang family — so what was Duke Shuguo, that he should now outrank the girl’s own father? The Jiang family had raised this child from her first meal to her last growing-up day — could that really be worth less than the warm solicitude Madam Ming and her husband had shown in just over a month?

Yet the world was perverse in exactly this way. A father could not afford the slightest misstep, or others would take the side of outsiders, excoriating him in public and making him a joke across the capital.

And now, who else still cared for him? No one, save Yan Qiao alone.

Jiang Heng’s heart suddenly softened. He reached out and wiped the tears from her face: “All right. I know what is in your heart, but there is nothing else to be done about it now — this one concession is the only way to preserve face all around.”

Liu Yinniang nodded compliantly and sat down beside him.

After a moment’s thought, she asked: “And what does the Master plan to do about the young mistress’s trousseau?”

Jiang Heng let out a long breath. “I can only do what I am able. I will add something to the engagement gift from the Dongchang Commandery Duke’s household, and round it up to about two thousand taels to send over.”

Liu Yinniang seemed troubled by this, and hesitated before speaking: “The Dongchang Commandery Duke’s engagement gift was five hundred taels of silver, plus twenty taels of gold — when converted, that still leaves a gap of about a thousand taels. The household’s income at present is limited — there are only the earnings from the manors and the rent from the shops. When the Lady was alive, a nanny who had drunk too much once let it slip that the household could bring in two or three thousand taels a year, yet somehow, after the Lady passed, it has fallen to seven or eight hundred…”

She did not say it outright, but Jiang Heng already understood. “You are saying that before the County Princess died, she transferred all those invisible assets to Si Si?”

“Ah…” Liu Yinniang’s brow creased into a faint smile. “The Lady had thought things through very thoroughly. After all, a daughter is meant to be married off — she cannot very well hold authority over the maternal family. The Lady’s things, if not given to the young mistress, would they be given to Mi’er?” Seeing Jiang Heng’s dazed expression, she pressed on: “In fact, when we first learned the young mistress was still alive but refusing to come looking for you, I understood how things stood. She had spread her wings — she could survive on her own away from home. Why else would Duke Shuguo and his Lady go so far out of their way to protect her? Is it not because they have their eye on those assets in the young mistress’s hands?”

Laid out this way, it almost seemed to make sense. By Jiang Heng’s reckoning, Madam Ming had only met Si Si a handful of times — how could she have formed such an implausibly fierce protective devotion? Thinking on it now, he felt a sudden clarity: truly, there is no love in this world without reason behind it.

Yet matters being as they were, there was nothing to be done. He could only blame himself for having failed as a father.

He lowered his head. Seeing this, Liu Yinniang said: “So long as we know the truth in our own hearts, it is enough. The young mistress is still the Master’s daughter; the Master need not trouble himself over this. For now, as regards the trousseau — I say we simply do what we can. Xue Pan is nearly of age for marriage discussions, and in another year or so we will need to begin making arrangements; there are also Yu Pan and Mi’er, who are all visibly growing up… and then with the move to the capital at year’s end… when you think through all the places where money will need to be spent, the Master has no idea how difficult it has been for me.”

The whole speech amounted to this: she had managed the household to the point of earning a full measure of credit — like a clever wife who had cooked a feast from nothing. That the Kaiguo Marquis household had managed to hold together until now was entirely down to her frugality and capable management.

Only then did Jiang Heng recall that the last time he had rushed home on horseback, the four of them — mother and children — had been eating plain congee at midday. At the time he had thought nothing of it; now, looking back, could it truly have been out of thrift? For a proper marquis’s household to have come to such a state!

Of course, a man who never managed accounts understood nothing even when shown them. He considered for a moment, then said: “Regardless, let us get through this business first. I have already decided — I will sell the shops in Dang Mountain and the separate residence in the capital, to use for building the new residence. Piece by piece, it should more or less come together.”

Liu Yinniang agreed, but after a pause bit her lip and said tentatively: “Then for the young mistress’s dowry — let us make it one thousand taels in silver. Beyond that, another two or three hundred taels for bed linens and household items — something festive yet impressive-looking. We can have people carry it out from here in a grand procession, so the people of Youzhou can see it and have their mouths stopped.”

Jiang Heng found this acceptable, and nodded. “Let us do that. Start preparing quickly — there are only ten or so days left.”

Liu Yinniang assented, then said: “I was thinking — we should still notify the aunts. After all, the young mistress is the Master’s eldest legitimate daughter, and the aunts have always kept her in their hearts. Besides, Second Sister-in-law’s household happens to be near Youzhou, and next year when the Emperor changes the court days, she will also be moving to the capital with her husband Peng.”

Jiang Heng had no patience for those trivial matters. He rose to his feet, waved a careless hand, and walked out with his hands clasped behind his back.

Liu Yinniang watched his retreating figure. The expression of sorrow and suffering drained from her face in an instant. She turned to the waiting Nanny Kong at her side and said: “Send for a broker. Have Chen Xiang sold.”

Nanny Kong looked puzzled. “Is the Yinniang afraid this girl’s lips are not sealed?”

“She was from Yun Pan’s quarters, after all. Although I managed to bring her around to my side, once we move to the capital next winter, should Yun Pan decide to look into what happened during the earthquake, as long as someone corners Chen Xiang and forces her to tell the truth, the whole thing will unravel.” Liu Yinniang murmured, “Better to sell her — say she stole things from the household. Sell her somewhere far away so she can never enter the capital in her lifetime, and then there will be no witness to contradict us.”

As for the two women who had been sent to the manor — even if they knew that the one who had been crushed was Mu Xiang, with several months having passed and no evidence remaining, they could not say anything clearly. All things considered, Chen Xiang was the only loose end. As long as she was dealt with, the move to the capital could be made without anxiety.

Jiang Heng spent three full days resting at home, and on the fourth day was to return to the capital. Liu Yinniang had made ready all the dowry preparations, wrapped and bound with great red and green ribbons, and packed into six full carts, which now stood waiting in the straight lane before the gate.

This time she was accompanying him to the capital as well — not to call at Duke Shuguo’s residence, but to visit Jiang Heng’s second younger sister. She had cultivated these ties over many years, and her relationship with Jiang Feng Zhu and Jiang Feng Yu was, if anything, warmer than it had ever been with that high and mighty County Princess of a sister-in-law.

The carriages swayed along the road, from early morning through to mid-afternoon. There was no need for any humble apologies this time, and so the journey did not feel oppressively hot. Liu Yinniang sat inside the carriage with enough leisure to lift the window curtain and look out at the sun-bleached main road and the distant hills.

Jiang Feng Yu had married into a place called Guan Kou, some ten-odd li from the capital. Her husband was Peng Sheng, the Vice Commissioner of the Eastern Gatehouse of the Imperial Office — a minor official of the seventh grade below the first level, responsible for overseeing the reception and escort of civil and military officials and foreign envoys at court audiences. His family background was unimpressive, his income limited; they lived in an old residence that had once been respectable, had taken a concubine in a perfunctory sort of way, and with only four or five servants and maids to tend to the whole household, there was also an elderly mother-in-law who kept to her bed. And so whenever Jiang Feng Yu made the trip to Youzhou to visit relatives, Liu Yinniang always made a point of preparing bolts of cloth and fragrant items for her, making sure she never left empty-handed.

Human relationships were built up in exactly this way, through small gestures accumulated over time. The people the lady of the house disdained to cultivate, she would cultivate; the things the lady of the house disdained to do, she would do — and in this manner, she had drawn to herself a circle of people who were kindred spirits, who might come in useful when the moment truly counted.

They traveled several tens of li under the blazing sun. Since the carriages were loaded with the dowry, they could not urge the horses to a faster pace and had to proceed at a moderate speed. Jiang Heng at first held up a parasol, but the two thin layers of oiled paper were no match for the rolling, scalding heat, and after a stretch he retreated into a carriage to rest for a time.

By the time the sun was close to setting, the procession finally reached Guan Kou, where they parted ways at the fork in the road.

Liu Yinniang’s carriage and horses entered the market town and proceeded forward along the main street, heading toward the Peng household at the far end of the lane. Since a footman had been sent ahead to give notice, the mistress of the Peng household had long been waiting at the gate, and when she saw Liu Yinniang’s carriage draw up to the entrance, she came forward smiling to welcome her, calling out politely: “Little Sister-in-law.”

For an ordinary concubine, she could hardly deserve to be called “sister-in-law” — yet years of careful cultivation were not thrown into a ditch for nothing, and unlike that exalted County Princess of a proper sister-in-law, both of Jiang Heng’s younger sisters had always been warmer toward Liu Yinniang. She had earned herself the fine title of “little sister-in-law” from the two sisters-in-law.

Mistress Peng came forward with both hands extended to help her, and Liu Yinniang stepped down from the carriage with her support. Even as she greeted her warmly, she turned and beckoned with her hand to the attending matron.

The matron came forward holding two bolts of fine silk patterned with branching five-petaled blossoms, and Liu Yinniang said with a smile: “This is a new pattern from Youzhou — I brought it specially. Two pieces for Second Sister to have some new clothes made.”

Mistress Peng was deeply touched, and glancing at the silk, said with an embarrassed smile: “You always go to such expense for me, yet I can never do anything for you in return — I really feel quite ashamed.” As she spoke, she ushered her guest inside.