Lin Xiao had originally intended to come in and pay his respects to Qu Chen Shi before going to the outer courtyard to receive Qu Ziyu, but the moment he entered, he heard these words instead.

He forgot to keep walking and stood frozen by the door, quickly running back through what Yu Ruoshui had just told him in his mind.

“The young madam’s condition is one of excessive mental strain and weakness of both heart and spleen, compounded by her youth and a lack of attention to self-care, which led to her catching a chill. Fortunately the young madam has always been in robust health, so this won’t drag on or worsen. Two doses of a dispersing remedy should set things right.”

He had said plainly that Qin Yao had caught a chill—not a single word about pregnancy. With Yu Ruoshui’s skill, surely he wouldn’t fail to detect a pregnancy pulse if there had been one.

Even so, Lin Xiao felt a faint sense of disappointment welling up inside him, as if an unexpected piece of joy had suddenly been placed before him, and before he could even savor it, the next moment he was told it had been nothing but a mistake.

Qin Yao was equally bewildered, staring at her mother in astonishment. “Mother, what exactly are you saying…”

Seeing the expressions on her daughter’s and son-in-law’s faces, Qu Chen Shi’s smile hadn’t even finished fading before her instincts told her something was wrong. She turned to Lin Xiao, still struggling to make sense of it. “Young lord, wasn’t A’Yao said to be with child?”

Qin Yao had finally caught her mother’s words clearly this time, utterly taken aback, and looked to Lin Xiao for confirmation.

Lin Xiao coughed awkwardly and said to Qu Chen Shi, “Mother, Physician Yu just took A’Yao’s pulse and said she’s caught a chill—”

Qu Chen Shi’s mouth opened and closed twice, her expression stiff for a moment before she quickly changed her tone with a laugh. “Ah, it’s all my fault—I rushed over in such a hurry I didn’t even listen properly.”

She hurried to hand the tonics she’d brought to Caiping, then went to the bedside and held Qin Yao close to look her over. “Let Mother have a good look at you—however did you catch a chill out of nowhere?”

She added, “Can you eat anything? Should Mother make you some light, easy-to-digest pastries?”

Not a single further word about the pregnancy, to spare her daughter embarrassment and her son-in-law disappointment, though inwardly she cursed the careless servant who’d spread the rumor a hundred times over, silently vowing to find out who the wretch was and give them a proper talking-to once she got home.

Because Qu Chen Shi’s voice was loud and her manner brisk, a few words from her swept away the awkward atmosphere in the room entirely.

Seeing Qin Yao’s expression relax somewhat, Lin Xiao quietly let out a breath of relief, took his leave of Qu Chen Shi, and went off to the outer courtyard to receive Qu Ziyu, knowing full well his brother-in-law had likely also heard the news of Qin Yao’s pregnancy and had come specially first thing in the morning to see her—he would need to spend some effort explaining things once they met.

With her son-in-law gone, Qu Chen Shi spoke much more freely. “Mother got it wrong just now—don’t take it to heart. Think about it, you’ve only just married in—these things will happen when they’re meant to happen. Women worry about this the most, but the more you dwell on it, the harder it is to conceive.”

“Who’s dwelling on it?” Qin Yao said, half laughing, half exasperated. “If you hadn’t said out of nowhere this morning that I was with child, would a common cold have gotten twisted into pregnancy?”

Qu Chen Shi tucked the blanket around her daughter, smiling without a trace of shame. “Wasn’t Mother just too eager? Your brother’s marriage prospects have finally taken shape, and Mother thought we might have double the joy.”

Qin Yao sat up in shock. “Brother’s marriage prospects have taken shape?”

Qu Chen Shi had already anticipated this reaction and firmly pressed her daughter back down onto the bed, smiling. “I wanted to have you come home a couple of days ago to discuss it, but you’ve been running off to the palace so much these past few days, there was no chance to bring it up.”

Qin Yao privately scolded herself—she’d been so preoccupied with dealing with Qin Yuan that she’d nearly forgotten something as important as her brother’s marriage prospects. She quickly asked, “Whose young lady is it? Did Brother pick her himself?”

By her earlier guesses, though her brother hadn’t given the slightest hint, he had most likely set his sights on Wang Yingning—but with such a vast gap between their families’ standing, making the match work would surely take considerable effort.

Her brother had always been steady and prudent, unlikely to let Mother get involved before he was certain of success. So however excited Mother seemed right now, it was possible the old lady was simply getting ahead of herself.

Seeing her daughter eyeing her with suspicion, Qu Chen Shi wasn’t offended at all, instead laughing. “Your brother has been helping the Ministry of Revenue compile a dictionary at the Hanlin Academy these past while—he’s grown thin over it. Later, Minister Wang came to the Hanlin Academy to check on the dictionary’s progress and praised it highly. Seeing your brother was one of the compilers, he specially called him forward to ask a few questions.”

“And then?” Qin Yao listened with rapt attention. So that dictionary was for the Ministry of Revenue’s use—no wonder her brother had been up at dawn and home late these past days, all to leave a good impression in Minister Wang’s mind. With Minister Wang having summoned him personally, her brother surely must have put forth every effort to solidify the minister’s good opinion of him.

Sure enough, Qu Chen Shi laughed. “Minister Wang asked your brother a good many things, and seeing how well he answered, and that he was so handsome besides, though he didn’t say anything at the time, he later had an official bring your brother’s personal record for him to review. As it happens, that official was none other than Uncle Lu, who’s always been on good terms with your father, and after leaving the office he told your father everything in detail.”

“Minister Wang only asked to see Brother’s record,” Qin Yao mused. “That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s taken a liking to him.”

As she said this, she suddenly thought of her brother’s classmate Wang Yikun, who was close with him and also Wang Yingning’s elder brother. Surely he already knew of her brother’s feelings for Wang Yingning—could Minister Wang’s sudden attention to her brother have something to do with Wang Yikun as well?

Qu Chen Shi laughed heartily. “Mother isn’t finished yet. After looking over the record, the Minister’s household held a banquet that day, and Young Master Wang invited your brother along. I hear all the famous talents of the court were in attendance. At the banquet, Minister Wang tested everyone’s learning and specifically had your brother compose a piece of parallel prose on the spot. The moment your brother finished, Minister Wang told the other officials, ‘the younger generation is to be feared,’ full of praise. A’Yao, what is that if not Minister Wang taking a liking to your brother?”

Qin Yao thought to herself that a strategist like Minister Wang would never so openly reveal his intentions to others. Though he’d praised her brother several times, it might well carry some intention of grooming a promising official, but that didn’t necessarily mean he wanted her brother as a son-in-law—perhaps he simply saw her brother’s outstanding scholarship and wished to nurture a talented successor.

After all, a young lady from such a prominent family as Wang Yingning, even saddled with a reputation for bringing misfortune to husbands, would have no reason to actively seek a marriage alliance.

“What does Brother himself say?” After mulling it over, Qin Yao decided it was best to approach the matter from her brother’s and Wang Yingning’s own attitudes—after all, the two of them were the key to everything else.

Qu Chen Shi said, “Your father and I have asked your brother about it several times, and he only tells us two old folks not to worry, that he has it in hand. From the looks of it, your brother really does seem to care about the Wang family matter.”

Hearing this, Qin Yao nodded, feeling somewhat reassured—it seemed her brother truly was set on Wang Yingning.

Qu Chen Shi sighed again. “A good girl like Miss Wang—who wouldn’t like her? It’s just a pity her family’s standing is so high. Fortunate that your brother has proven himself worthy and earned Minister Wang’s favor, otherwise our Qu family wouldn’t even have the standing to propose.”

Qin Yao didn’t want to argue with her mother, only comforting her. “Mother, though we’ve never gone seeking connections above our station, there’s no need to think too little of ourselves either. As you said, Brother is a top scholar, handsome and accomplished in every way—he’d make a fine son-in-law to anyone.”

She thought of Wang Yingning’s reputation for bringing misfortune to husbands and hesitated over whether to bring it up with her mother, but given how much attention her mother paid to Wang Yingning, she surely must have heard of it already. The fact that she hadn’t mentioned it once could only mean she didn’t mind.

It seemed her mother wasn’t confused about this at all.

After mother and daughter finished their long talk, Qu Chen Shi got up and took a careful look around the new bedroom, noting that everything was elegant without being extravagant, retaining the refined charm of a lady’s chamber. On the dressing table sat a Ru-ware flower vase filled to the brim with camellias that should have long since wilted in this season, yet bloomed especially vivid and lovely.

Incense burned in a corner of the room, lending an indescribable sweet, warm gentleness to the air. Beneath the window was a couch facing the courtyard’s lovely view, and though the wind outside was bitter and cold, the room itself, warmed by an underfloor heating system, was as warm as spring.

Beyond this, all the servants attending to her daughter were utterly devoted and diligent, clearly showing that her daughter’s life since marrying had been extremely smooth and comfortable. Thinking this, Qu Chen Shi felt all the more at ease.

Qu Ziyu, having already heard that his sister was not in fact pregnant, spoke with Lin Xiao for a while in the study. Around noon, he came out to meet his mother, and the two of them took their leave together.

That night, fearing Lin Xiao might catch Qin Yao’s illness, Wengu had originally planned to move his bedding to the outer study, but Lin Xiao personally tended to Qin Yao as she drank her medicine and, as a matter of course, settled in beside her for the night just the same.

Having slept enough during the day, Qin Yao wasn’t sleepy and lay face to face with Lin Xiao, chatting idly.

“I think my brother might have fallen for Wang Yingning,” she said, fidgeting idly with the collar of Lin Xiao’s undergarment. Her voice carried the particular hoarseness of a cold, yet was still naturally bright and clear, the two qualities mixing into something extra soft and endearing. Hearing it, Lin Xiao felt an itch rise in his heart.

“From what Mother says, Minister Wang seems to think highly of my brother, but whether he’d actually be willing to marry Wang Yingning to him is clearly a different matter altogether.”

Lin Xiao furrowed his brow, rather surprised by this news. “You mean your old classmate? The fourth young lady of the Wang family?”

“Mm.” Qin Yao nodded. “Isn’t this a bit tricky? Would someone like Minister Wang be willing to let his daughter marry beneath her station?”

Lin Xiao thought it over without answering right away. The Wang family had served as officials for generations, with deeply entrenched influence at court, and had remained standing firm through several changes of dynasty—ranking among the foremost clans of this era.

Ever since Wang Weiting had become head of the Wang clan, in recent years, perhaps to draw less attention to their power, the marriages he’d arranged for his children had all been rather ordinary—not exactly marrying down, but certainly not the sort of highly coveted matches one might expect either.

He recalled that two years prior, the fourth Miss Wang had once caught the eye of the Emperor and Consort Yi, and matters had nearly progressed to the exchange of birth charts, when the Astronomical Bureau suddenly announced that Wang Yingning’s birth chart clashed with the Crown Prince’s. Combined with the fourth Miss Wang’s existing reputation for bringing misfortune to husbands, his imperial uncle had let the matter drop.

Thinking on it now, given the Wang family’s connections at court, if they had truly wished to marry their daughter to the Crown Prince, surely they could have found some way to smooth over the Astronomical Bureau’s claim of clashing birth charts. This suggested that, while the larger picture remained undecided, the Wang family wasn’t particularly eager to align itself so closely with the throne.

After mulling it over, seeing Qin Yao still waiting for his answer, he said, “It’s quite possible Minister Wang genuinely favors Elder Brother—who can say.”

Seeing Qin Yao didn’t seem fully convinced by this, Lin Xiao patiently laid out his reasoning. “First, Wang Weiting helps my imperial uncle select the list of palace examination candidates every year, and also takes turns with Mo Cheng and others in deciding the top three scholars. For Elder Brother to have stood out in the palace examination, his essays and scholarship must have genuinely impressed Wang Weiting. Afterward, Elder Brother was assigned to the Hanlin Academy, and whether in conduct or ability, he has earned considerable regard from Mo Cheng and others—how could Wang Weiting not know this? Second, though the Qu family’s standing isn’t particularly high, the family upholds proper conduct, and Father-in-law has been diligent and upright in his official duties all these years, with a simple household—not even a single concubine. If Minister Wang genuinely wished to marry his daughter into a lower-ranked family, the Qu family would be a fine choice from every angle. In my view, his repeated public praise of Elder Brother is both a sign of genuine recognition and perhaps also a hint.”

The two of them looked at things from entirely different angles, but having listened carefully, Qin Yao clearly found herself leaning more toward Lin Xiao’s interpretation—after all, he understood the workings of the court far better and had a much broader view of both people and affairs.

“But how can we confirm Minister Wang’s true intentions?”

Lin Xiao was silent for a moment before saying, “My guess is that in a few days, Wang Weiting will be more eager than anyone else to arrange the fourth Miss Wang’s marriage.”

Qin Yao didn’t quite understand. After thinking it over, she frowned. “You mean once news of Qin Yuan’s death gets out, the matter of choosing a Crown Princess will be put back on the table? But… didn’t the Astronomical Bureau already determine that Yingning’s birth chart clashes with the Crown Prince’s?”

Lin Xiao said, “Don’t forget the Wang family has more than just Wang Yingning—below the fourth Miss there’s also a fifth Miss. Two years ago when the fourth Miss’s marriage to the Crown Prince was being discussed, the fifth Miss was still too young, but this year she’s already turned fourteen, old enough now for marriage talks. If the Emperor thinks of the fifth Miss Wang, the Wang family certainly can’t afford to have two daughters both said to clash with the Crown Prince’s fate.”

Qin Yao suddenly understood. “So the Wang family must hurry to settle Yingning’s engagement, in time to also lock in the fifth Miss’s marriage before the selection for Crown Princess begins anew.”

Lin Xiao smiled slightly, as if admiring Qin Yao’s cleverness. “Exactly. There’s no time to lose—in a day or two I’ll find a way to test Wang Weiting’s intentions, and you should ask the fourth Miss Wang how she feels about it. If all goes smoothly, Elder Brother’s marriage prospects probably won’t be far off.”

Qin Yao was overjoyed to hear this and suddenly threw her arms around Lin Xiao, kissing him fiercely. “Wonderful! Weijin, you’re so good to me! You really are so good!”