Qixia found a secluded spot and lifted her clothing to check her abdomen, revealing a large bruise.
Everyone in Duke Ying’s residence said that Second Master Song Han was kind to others, so she dared not speak up. The next morning, she had to accompany Song Han to Yizhi Hall to visit Dou Zhao as if nothing had happened.
“Next summer, I will have a nephew?” Song Han, dressed in a dark green brocade robe, looked refined and elegant.
Dou Zhao smiled and nodded, offering him some orange cake.
His eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “This is orange cake from Fujian! I heard that due to the strong winds there, winter bamboo shoots and orange cakes are hard to come by!”
“I had a craving for something sweet and sour a few days ago, so your brother had someone send it over from Fujian,” Dou Zhao explained. After two months of nausea, Song Mo had found ways to satisfy her cravings. Although she hadn’t lost weight, she had developed a habit of snacking on treats. Seeing Song Han enjoy the cake, she took an orange from the box and began to peel it.
Song Han remarked, “They say boys are sour and girls are spicy. Sister-in-law, you must be having a boy.”
The investigation into the water theft at the Duke Ying’s residence had concluded. The conclusions from the Shuntian Prefecture and the Wucheng Military Command stated that all the thieves had been brought to justice. Song Mo agreed with this conclusion and returned the treasured sword of Emperor Taizong. He began to serve his duty at the Jinwu Guard at the usual times and had to stay in the palace every few days.
Today was another day for Song Mo to enter the palace. As soon as he left, Song Han arrived. At fourteen, he had already grown taller than Dou Zhao. According to etiquette, Dou Zhao should have avoided him, but Song Han acted as if he were unaware of this and walked straight into the main room. Dou Zhao, however, had other plans and ignored the etiquette, welcoming Song Han into the banquet room.
“Thank you for your kind words, Second Master,” Dou Zhao smiled. “Your brother and I also hope for a boy.”
If she gave birth to a son, Song Han would be the third in line for inheritance, and she was curious to see his reaction.
“That would be great,” Song Han replied cheerfully. “Then I can take my nephew to practice martial arts, fly kites, and play in the snow, just like my brother did with me when I was little…”
Dou Zhao smiled, enjoying the lighthearted conversation about family matters.
Qixia was invited by Suxin to the tea room for tea.
“I heard that your good day is set for the twenty-second. Today is already the twentieth. Why are you still here serving in the residence?” Qixia asked curiously, holding a steaming cup of Longjing tea.
Suxin, worried that others might pry too deeply, quietly thought to herself but maintained her gentle smile. “The lady has rewarded me with a small three-courtyard house. I will be marrying from Yizhi Hall. My sister, along with Ganlu and Sujuan, has gone to help me prepare the new house. I think I should stay by the lady’s side for now.”
Qixia’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re getting married from Yizhi Hall?”
To marry from the master’s house was a significant honor.
Suxin nodded with a smile.
She felt a bit uneasy about it, but since the lady wanted her to marry from Yizhi Hall and the heir had agreed, saying that Su Lan would also marry from there, she didn’t know how to express her gratitude and knelt to bow three times to the heir.
“Congratulations, sister!” Qixia said, unable to hide her mixed feelings.
Rumors circulated in the residence that the lady’s head maid was getting married, and the lady had given her two thousand taels of silver as a dowry. Qixia had not believed it, but now it seemed to be true.
Suxin offered her some snacks, including mung bean cake, donkey rolls, and radish cake.
As the head maid in Song Han’s room, Qixia was responsible for his writing materials and could recognize a few characters.
The snacks were made with molds, and the bottom had the words “Imperial Kitchen.”
After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Sister, these are imperial gifts, right? If we eat them like this, will the lady be unhappy?”
Suxin laughed. “Didn’t the lady have no appetite a few days ago? The heir just hopes the lady can eat a little more, so he has been bringing all kinds of food home. These are quite ordinary; we have plenty at home, and if left too long, they will spoil. The lady has been giving them away, and since the New Year is approaching, it’s quite proper to share or give them as gifts. That’s why I kept some. Just eat! If you like them, take a few boxes back for the little maids in the Second Master’s room to try.”
The sweet and soft mung bean cake was Qixia’s favorite, especially the ones gifted from the palace, which were sweet but not cloying and had a lingering aftertaste. However, thinking about the kick she received yesterday, the mung bean cake didn’t taste as good as it usually did.
After taking a sip of tea, she saw a young maid with bright eyes and white teeth rush in, calling out, “Suxin sister!”
Suxin’s expression darkened. “What’s the rush? If you startle the lady, you’ll be in trouble!”
The maid took a deep breath to calm herself before reporting, “Old Madam Lu and Princess Ningde are here to see the lady. They heard you are getting married, and both ladies have rewards for you. The lady asked me to invite you to thank them.”
In such a large Duke Ying residence, who would notice a maid? The rewards for Suxin were merely given out of respect for the lady.
Qixia thought to herself as she watched the blushing Suxin leave.
The young maid curiously examined her. “Are you Qixia from the Second Master’s room? You’re really beautiful. No wonder people say the two sisters in the Second Master’s room are both beauties!”
There were two headmaids in Song Han’s room; the other was named Caiyun.
“The younger sister is the real beauty,” Qixia replied with a smile. “What should I call you?”
“You can call me Ruozhu,” the young maid said with a smile. “I’m a second-class maid in the lady’s room, but once Suxin’s sister and Su Lan’s sister get married, I’ll be promoted to first-class.” She seemed a bit proud. “Then I can come to the main room to play with you, Qixia sister.”
First-class maids in the Duke Ying residence managed several second and third-class maids, which meant they had more free time.
Qixia knew that the second-class maids with the “Ruo” character in Dou Zhao’s room had come from Zhen Ding with her and were Dou Zhao’s direct subordinates. Although they were young, they held some status. Perhaps after marrying into the Duke Ying residence, their ties to Zhen Ding had gradually faded. Moreover, due to the discord between the Duke and the heir, the new maids in Yizhi Hall were all selected from various estates of the Song family.
She smiled and replied, “That sounds good.”
Ruozhu chattered away with her.
She talked about the personalities of Ruo Tong and the others, who were promoted to first-class maids, and how the other two “Ruo” maids were feeling uncomfortable. She also shared how some of the new maids were restless and quickly made their way to the lady, and how Suxin dealt with those maids… It was a rapid-fire stream of information, and before Qixia could ask, Ruozhu had already spilled everything.
Qixia couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
Such mindless chatter—what good was it to be pretty if they weren’t from Zhen Ding? They would have been trampled down long ago.
She smiled and listened to Ruozhu talk about Dou Zhao’s room, occasionally chiming in, which made Ruozhu even more animated.
Just then, another young maid lifted the curtain and called for Ruozhu, “Hurry, the young lady from the Yan’an Marquis’s residence is here!”
“I have to go serve tea,” Ruozhu exclaimed, jumping up. She waved goodbye to Qixia and dashed off like the wind.
Another young maid came to fetch Qixia. “Sister, the Second Master is returning to his room.”
Old Madam Lu and Princess Ningde were relatives, while the young lady from the Yan’an Marquis’s residence was a guest, so Song Han naturally couldn’t linger.
Qixia hurried to help Song Han put on his cloak and assisted him as he headed to the main room.
Song Han asked her, “What were you all talking about just now?”
When going out as a guest, if Song Han needed his maid’s assistance, she would follow him wherever he went. If he didn’t need her at the moment, the maids would usually be placed in the tea room or ear room, where they would enjoy tea with the maids or matrons from the host’s side.
After yesterday’s incident, Qixia felt compelled to please Song Han and decided to share the tea room’s happenings as a joke.
“A small courtyard with three entrances?” Song Han murmured, “Did you hear correctly? Was it three rooms or three entrances?”
“I heard it clearly,” Qixia replied. “It’s three entrances!”
Song Han stopped in his tracks, standing in the corridor, gazing silently at the withered branches swaying in the cold wind for a long time. “Go find that Ruozhu and ask what gifts Gu Yudu sent over.”
Qixia felt confident that Ruozhu couldn’t keep secrets and readily agreed, “Yes,” as she escorted Song Han back to the main room. She rummaged through some boxes for a few hairpins and then headed to Yizhi Hall in the afternoon.
Since she was a maid in Song Han’s room, the people in Dou Zhao’s room treated her courteously. Upon hearing that she was looking for Ruozhu, they invited her to sit in the back room of the main house.
“Many guests have come today, and Ruozhu’s sister is still serving in the main room,” a young maid named Fufeng, who was only eight or nine years old, served her tea. “Does Ruozhu’s sister have any urgent matters? If so, I can pass a message to you. If not, please sit for a while, enjoy some snacks and fruits, and wait for Ruozhu’s sister.”
At this moment, Qixia should have planned to come back another day. However, the image of Song Han’s fierce face from last night suddenly flashed in her mind… She shivered, feeling that if she didn’t handle Song Mo’s instructions well, the scene from last night might repeat itself.
She forced a smile and said, “Then I’ll wait here for Ruozhu.”
Fufeng brought her some fruits to pass the time and excused herself to attend to her duties.
Qixia waited in the back room until it was time for dinner, and only then did Ruozhu rush in, panting.
She gulped down a bowl of tea before asking, “Sister, what do you need?”
Qixia explained her purpose.
Ruozhu smiled. “It’s just a small matter. Why did you come in person? You could have sent a little maid with a message. I’m too busy today to leave, and it’s almost time to close the doors—everyone is coming to congratulate the heir, and I’ll ask in the accounts room for you tomorrow.”
Qixia expressed her gratitude profusely and handed over the hairpins before returning to the upper courtyard.
When Ruozhu saw the hairpins, she noticed that two pieces were inlaid with jade, and one was adorned with several pearl flowers, clearly valuable.
She smiled as she took the hairpins to the main room.
Dou Zhao was having dinner with her aunt and Zhao Zhangru.
Seeing Ruozhu peeking in, Dou Zhao said, “Come in and talk!”
Ruozhu cheerfully walked in and showed the hairpins to Dou Zhao. “Madam, these were given to me by Qixia from the Second Master’s room. She also asked me to find out what gifts Young Master Gu sent you.”