Since the last time Hui Cun had made known her wish to break off the engagement, Geng Fangzhi had begun sparing no effort to win her favor. With the wedding date drawing near and the family having watched for quite some time, they felt this young man had at least put in some thought. Since the match was now a settled matter and Hui Cun appeared to have no further objections, the family was of course glad to see things go smoothly. But Yun Pan had quietly been comparing Geng Fangzhi to Zhao Zhongyan in her mind — the former was clearly adept at employing calculated charm to win a young woman’s heart, while Zhao Zhongyan had won Mei Fen over with a single-minded, direct sincerity. Each had their own strengths — but next to Geng Fangzhi’s smooth facility, Yun Pan felt Zhao Zhongyan’s authenticity was the more suited to the long business of marriage.

Yet a woman caught in the throes of love is not inclined toward such careful deliberation. Most women prefer to live in a gentle haze — for once things are made too clear and explicit, perhaps one cannot even hold onto a dream.

Yun Pan would naturally not presume to comment on her sister-in-law’s choices, and was content to direct her attention to the bracelet itself, remarking that the craftsmanship was exceptional, the glass beads of pure and lustrous quality — truly unlike the gaudy and common bracelets one generally found in the market.

Later the wedding date came up. “I calculated, and there are only about half a month remaining. I have prepared a set of trousseau for you — all small items you will find useful in the days ahead. I’ll have it sent over tomorrow. Look through it and tell me if there is anything missing.”

For a sister-in-law to go to these lengths — it was more consideration than most blood-related sisters would show. Hui Cun gave a pleased sound and said with a smile: “There is truly no need to be so thorough about it — I am not going so far away. If I lack anything, I can come back and get it in the time it takes to drink two cups of tea.”

Yun Pan said that was different. “What you have readily at hand is convenient to use. Besides, people are watching too — one would not want anyone saying that a Princess’s trousseau is lacking in richness. That would be a cause for gossip for the rest of your life.”

Hui Cun wrinkled her brow a little. “That is exactly what worries me too — if the women of the Geng family, sisters-in-law and cousins by marriage, constantly compare and compete over everything, then just to keep up appearances, what a waste of money it would be!”

Yun Pan smiled in resignation. This was something that could not be avoided. It was not like her own case — coming into a household where the family was small and simple, with no need to tread carefully around this person or that one. The Geng family, on the other hand, had three brothers to begin with, and since the older generation was still alive, the household could not be divided. They all lived separately in their own quarters, but matters large and small were attended to collectively. Navigating elders, sisters-in-law, unmarried sisters, and the concubines of the brothers — every aspect required careful management and was its own lesson in propriety.

Yun Pan could only counsel her: “Do your best and have a clear conscience — there is no need to go out of your way to ingratiate yourself with anyone. Set the right tone from the very beginning, and you will have fewer troubles later on.”

Hui Cun agreed to everything, and after chatting a while longer — dinner having also been finished — they walked back to Xuzhu Courtyard through the cold night wind.

On the way back the two of them walked side by side, without much exchange. They were simply walking when, quietly, she reached out a hand and hooked her little finger around his.

He gave no sign of having noticed, his gaze stretched outward across the moonlit galleries and eaves. The small, gentle tokens of feeling between a husband and wife slowly overflow through the accumulation of tiny moments.

Neither was the passionate kind. Both were reserved. Even at the height of happiness, neither would fling themselves forward into headlong embraces and kisses — yet it was precisely this manner of being together that felt most enduring.

Something about this night was especially sweet and tender. That slender finger, hooking and curving — it was as though it had caught on the very heart.

Surely she was praising him — earlier, in the way he had extricated them from the Grandmother’s scrutiny, he had done well, and so she had come to hold his hand. He felt secretly pleased, like a child who had been commended, and led her by the hand into the inner chamber. She tried to withdraw her hand; he did not let go, but drew her into his arms instead, and murmured close to her ear: “I have some feelings I would like to discuss with you, my Lady.”

Yun Pan’s face turned red — her neck grew warm too. Whether one said “things to attend to” or “feelings to discuss,” it was only the reversal of two characters — but the meaning within was entirely different.

She glanced outside. Fortunately there were no handmaids nearby — otherwise she would have been laughed at to no end. In truth she also welcomed these occasional tender moments. The distance of the daytime faded as evening came on. During the day he was the Duke; at night, he was simply her husband.

She lowered her voice and asked: “How would the Duke like to discuss them?” As if she were a seasoned expert, and when she had finished speaking, even she was startled by herself.

He paused, eyebrows lifting with delighted surprise. “However my Lady would like to discuss them — that is how we shall discuss them.”

She said very well: “First, we bathe.”

Even going to bathe was filled with romantic suggestion at a moment like this. He thought about it and said: “Shall we go together?”

She was bashful and said no — yet it seemed she had underestimated the resolve of a man. He glanced outward and said: “It is very dark outside. In the bathing room alone, I am a little afraid.”

Yun Pan nearly laughed out loud. “Afraid?” But then she thought about it, and it was true — when she herself bathed, she always had a handmaid standing nearby for company. For a man to have someone simply standing to one side watching while he bathed did seem rather peculiar. So she generously offered: “Then I will keep you company.”

She called Lu Tan to bring out his change of clean silk garments. Under the knowing glances of the handmaids, they went into the bathing room together. Inside, the great wooden bathing tub had already been filled with hot water, steaming and wreathing the room in warm mist. She helped him remove his outer robe and undershirt. In the candlelight, she saw for the first time his lean upper body standing there — well-proportioned, neither overly imposing nor too slight. Everything was exactly right.

Yun Pan urged him: “Get into the water quickly, before you catch cold.”

He did not move, but reached over and began to undo the ties of her clothes. “We are husband and wife — we may bathe together.”

Such a bold act — it truly startled her. Yun Pan kept stepping away. “This is not quite right… truly not right.”

He looked at her. “What is not right about it? If the two of us bathe together, there is no need to have them change the water afterward. This saves time and effort — it is a consideration for the servants.”

Yun Pan stood rooted to the spot, and actually considered the argument carefully, finding it surprisingly reasonable.

But being undressed was embarrassing for her, after all — a woman was not a man. So she gave him a light push. “You get in first. I can manage myself.”

And what she called “managing herself” amounted to getting into the water in her undergarments.

The two of them sat facing each other in the tub, this strange and novel experience for the first time. They looked at one another and both felt a little self-conscious.

Yun Pan cupped a handful of water and poured it over his chest. “I dismissed that handmaid. Do you think me petty?”

He returned the gesture in kind, cupping a handful of water and pouring it over her chest. “I think my Lady handled it admirably. In our circumstances, we cannot afford to take anything for granted.”

Yun Pan looked down. The thin silk of her undergarments had been soaked through by the water, clinging to the skin beneath — half-revealing, half-concealing. The eyes of the person across from her shifted with an unreadable light, and then he smiled slightly, and touched his tongue briefly to his lip.

Yun Pan was speechless. She found this man always possessed of this particular ability — his intentions were clearly dishonorable, yet he somehow appeared perfectly composed and at ease, as though she were the one overthinking it.

Since this was the case, she would maintain her own composure. She smoothed a strand of hair at her temple. “That day… you also noticed, didn’t you?”

He nodded: “I thought it was you.”

Yun Pan clicked her tongue. “I had no other suspicions — I was simply concerned that she might have been bribed by someone to do you harm. It happened that I returned just in time, so she did not succeed in whatever she intended. That is why I had to send her away before she could try again — to cut off the threat before it could take root.”

Such impeccable reasoning, thoroughly convincing — preserving his dignity, while also demonstrating her own foresight.

He said: “Very good. Having a Lady who considers every step on my behalf, I feel there is someone at my back. I am no longer fighting alone.” And even as he spoke, he pulled open her overlapping collar to reveal the delicate curve of her shoulder. “Let me wash your back for you.”

That fragile, graceful arc resting in his palm, he stroked it gently, then said after a pause: “That day when you went to Duke Shuguo’s residence — you encountered Xiang Xu?”

Yun Pan said yes. “I watched him spar with He Xiao’s parents, and a scholar arguing does lack force somehow — he could not match the satisfaction of Aunt taking off her shoe and hurling it.”

Naturally — the restrained person is composed; how could it match the uninhibited person’s open release? But what he cared about was not what became of the He family people. He cared only whether the two of them had been alone together, and whether anything had been said between them.

Under his patient efforts, her undergarments were thoroughly soaked through at last, leaving everything half-veiled. He cast a discreet glance, then looked away with a faint smile and moistened his lips.

Yun Pan was at a loss for words. She found that this man always had such an ability — his thoughts were clearly not innocent, yet he appeared perfectly candid and upstanding, as though she were the one reading too much into things.

Since that was the case, she ought to be equally unembarrassed. She tucked back a loose strand of hair at her temple. “That day… you also noticed, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “I thought it was you.”

Yun Pan clicked her tongue softly. “I had no other designs. I was simply worried that she might have been bribed to do you harm. As it happened, I returned just in time and did not let her succeed — so I had to act before she could try again, to cut off the trouble before it could take root.”

Such impeccable reasoning, thorough and convincing — it preserved his dignity while also demonstrating her own foresight and decisiveness.

He said good: “Very good. With a Lady who plans every step on my behalf, I feel there is someone standing at my back — I am no longer fighting alone.” Even as he spoke, he drew open her overlapping collar, uncovering the delicate curve of her shoulder. “Let me help wash your back.”

That fragile, graceful arc rested in his palm. He stroked it gently, and after a pause asked: “That day you went to Duke Shuguo’s residence — you encountered Xiang Xu, didn’t you?”

Yun Pan said yes. “I watched him argue with He Xiao’s parents — a scholar’s quarrel does lack something in force. Not as satisfying as Aunt pulling off her shoe and throwing it.”

Naturally — the restrained person keeps themselves composed; how could they match the uninhibited release of the unreserved? But what he cared about was not how the He family people had fared. He only cared whether the two had been alone, and whether anything had passed between them.

Her undergarment had gradually been rendered entirely soaked through under his unhurried efforts, leaving everything half-revealed. He studied the scene with a contained expression, then smiled faintly and moistened his lips.

Yun Pan had nothing to say to this, finding that this man perpetually possessed this capability — clearly harboring intentions that were less than proper, yet appearing thoroughly open and serene, as though she were the one reading things into it.

If this was how it was, then she would strike a tone of equal candidness. She smoothed back a loose strand at her temple and said: “That day… you noticed too, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “I thought it was you.”

Yun Pan clicked her tongue. “I had no other thought — I was simply afraid that she might have been bought by someone to do you harm. Fortunately I came back just in time. She did not succeed. So I had to send her away before she could act again, to cut the threat off at the root.”

Perfectly reasoned — thorough and irrefutable. It preserved his dignity while also displaying her own far-sighted judgment.

He said good: “Very good — with a Lady who plans every step out for me, I feel there is someone standing behind me. I am no longer fighting alone.” As he spoke, he drew aside her overlapping collar to reveal the delicate curve of her shoulder. “Let me help wash your back.”

That fragile and exquisite arc rested in his palm. He stroked it gently, then paused and asked: “That day you went to Duke Shuguo’s residence — you saw Xiang Xu?”

Yun Pan said yes. “I watched him argue with He Xiao’s parents — a scholar quarreling does lack something in force. Not as satisfying as Aunt pulling off her shoe and hurling it.”

That was only natural — the restrained person is composed in their restraint; how could they match the uninhibited release of the unreserved? But what he concerned himself with was not the fate of the He family. He cared only whether the two of them had been left alone together, and whether anything had been said.

“Did Xiang Xu bring up the reason for the broken engagement afterward?” he asked.

Yun Pan was not thinking beyond the surface of things, and told him honestly: “He was preoccupied with official duties and neglected Nianci, and Nianci felt herself overlooked and proposed ending the engagement.”

He listened and only smiled faintly. “A man who truly cares, no matter how busy, will always find time. If a woman feels she is not valued, there is no need to question it or look for reasons to excuse the man — he genuinely does not care about her.”

So it seems that, in the end, it is men who understand men best. Xiang Xu’s attitude toward that marriage had been too ambiguous — and so perhaps Nianci’s decision not to marry him had been for the best.

But in such an intoxicating scene, to go on discussing people with no connection to the moment seemed somewhat out of place. He reminded her in a gentle tone: “My Lady’s garments are all wet now. It would be best to take them off. I am the person closest to you — what is there to be embarrassed about in front of me?”

Thinking on it, he was right. Too much time spent hesitating and the water would grow cold. And they had been husband and wife for several months — what garment could not be removed?

Still, it was difficult to let go entirely. She raised a hand to shield herself — the pale moonlit softness, rousing an unruly yearning in him.

But a proper gentleman cannot lose his composure before his lady. He suddenly found himself missing his boyhood, and murmured: “When I was young, the Yong Wang’s residence had a very large lotus pond. Every summer, I and my three elder brothers would cool ourselves in the lotus pool. In those days we were young, and there was no scheming or rivalry, and no one had any foreknowledge that the Emperor would have no heirs. We brothers romped and quarreled together — every day our hearts were free of shadow. Those were very happy times.” And then he asked Yun Pan simply: “My Lady — have you ever touched a lotus root?”

Yun Pan said she had not. “I am a girl — how would I have gone into a river? Though the servant women who went back to their home villages each year would send freshly pulled lotus roots to the household — and water chestnuts, and water caltrops…”

But before she had finished speaking, he pulled her close — using the water’s buoyancy — until she was seated on his lap.

Under the warm water, his long fingers drifted across her arms, found her hands and guided them, and then looked at her with a deep and inscrutable expression. “And now?”

Yun Pan nestled shyly against his shoulder and said softly, with a small note of grievance: “I thought the Duke was a proper gentleman…”

The little pleasures of a husband and wife have nothing to do with being a proper gentleman or not.

White jade and exquisite apertures, soft green leaves mirrored in red. An endless living spring — it lies only in the palm of the hand.

The water-misted faces were flushed beyond the power to distinguish sweat from water. The two of them entangled there in the tub, rising and sinking, a strange and wondrous feeling unlike anything that could be experienced in ordinary moments.

Great waves rose across the surface of the water, and when the surging crests came, the lotus flower tiles on the floor were drenched as well — the water finding its way along the cracks between the tiles, spreading ever outward, all the way to the doorway.

Yun Pan felt dizzy, as though sinking through cloud and mist. Sometimes she opened her eyes to look at him — a sated contentment rested in the lines of his brows. Their eyes met, and he said breathlessly: “You see — I told you it was more convenient.”

She closed her eyes in bashfulness, and let herself stop deliberating. She would simply follow his lead, and venture to discover what lay in that unknown realm — which, it seemed, was its own kind of distinct and wonderful thing.

The snow in the capital fell very early. In the years before, there would already be traces of snowflakes drifting before the Beginning of Winter. This year it had waited longer than usual, and the first proper snowfall only came after the Beginning of Winter.

Rising in the morning to bone-chilling cold — pushing open the window and looking out, one found that even without a lantern’s light, the ground gave off a white luminescence on all sides.

Outside in the room came the sounds of handmaids and serving women in motion. Hot water was being brought in; the incense brazier had already been lit earlier. Over the brazier sat a large domed cover woven from fine bamboo, its interior lined with gauze. Above the charcoal, a sachet of the “ten-li fragrance” of the Xun family was placed, and the garments the master would wear were draped over the bamboo dome — so that by the time the household rose, the clothes were warm, and the robes were all infused with fragrance.

If it were not for the hurried pace of early morning, these elaborate and painstaking little rituals alone would have been enough to banish the oppression of a cold winter’s day, filling life with a leisurely pleasure of warmth and wafting fragrance.

Yun Pan put on her clothing casually, tied her hair in a loose knot, and helped him into his official robes before drawing him to sit down before the warming brazier. The handmaids attended to him as he had his milk-curd, and then she left him to it, set down her own bowl, and went directly out to the corridor outside.

The snow was still falling. The cold pervaded every bone and joint, entering through her limbs. At her wrists, beneath her wide sleeves, she could feel the sharp cold. Her warm shoes grew colder by the moment — but it was not enough to make her turn back. She lifted her skirts and walked back and forth across that thin layer of snow two times.

The snow underfoot crunched with each step. She walked and laughed — pleasures from childhood, buried deep in the heart, no matter how one grew, could always draw out the most simple happiness.

He carried his hot tea to the doorway to watch, smiling and reminding her: “Walk a couple of times and come back. Do not catch a chill.”

She paid him no mind, walking from one end of the corridor to the other. The smooth snow surface behind her was marked with a trail of footprints, one after another — and still she showed no sign of wearying of it.

He followed along beside her, step by step beneath the eaves, and fussed: “Cold air enters through the soles of the feet and is bad for the body — is that not what you always say? Have you forgotten your own words?”

Unable to endure any more of his nagging, Yun Pan turned back at last, reluctantly. Afterward, she wrapped herself in her cloak and saw him to the gate. The streets outside were still empty in the early morning, unmarked by any passersby. Bi Xie drove the carriage in the direction of the Imperial Avenue; the wheel tracks wound away until the dim lantern light was swallowed by the wind and snow.

She watched the carriage until it disappeared from sight, then returned to Xuzhu Courtyard. On a winter morning, sitting by the brazier drinking tea and eating cakes, watching the snow fall in endless drifts — surely this was one of the most agreeable things life had to offer.

“Today is the first snow,” she said with a smile. “I must go to the shop later and have a look. I promised Mei Biaojie — we arranged to go to the shop together on the day of the first snow and watch the river view. I wonder if she still remembers.”

Nanny Yao said: “Mei Niang was born right in the middle of a heavy snowfall, which is why Lord Xiang gave her the name Mei Fen. She has loved snow since she was small — she will certainly come and keep your Lady’s appointment.”

In any case, whether she came or not, Yun Pan herself was determined to go. In the morning she went to the Maoyuan Courtyard to pay her respects, and had meant to invite Hui Cun to join her — but she had been nowhere in sight all morning.

She asked the Princess: “Mother, why has younger sister not come today?”

The Princess said: “It snowed, and she was too cold to get out of bed. It is all because Grandmother spoils her so. If this happened at someone else’s house, would she also be exempt from her morning obligations to the elders?”

The Dowager Countess doted on this granddaughter unconditionally, and said only: “That’s right — when the weather is bad, who wants to get out of bed? Did I not tell you all that you may be excused when the weather is poor? You still come — tomorrow, do not bother.”

Yun Pan and the Princess exchanged an amused glance. Whether the elders were lenient was the elders’ affair; whether the younger generation observed their propriety was the younger generation’s affair.

After accompanying the Dowager Countess through breakfast, Yun Pan helped the Princess down the steps from the main chamber. The snow in the garden had now accumulated considerably. This kind of weather required no sweeping — yet a clear trail of footprints led down from the wooden corridor, made a circuit, and returned.

The Princess saw the footprints and began to laugh. “When I was young, I too loved snow. In those days I used to build snowmen in the courtyard with Ji Fu’s father — on a single morning we could build several, large and small. But then… afterward he was gone, and I became more and more averse to the cold. By now I am content simply to look, to admire the snow from afar. I can no longer bring myself to go out into it.”

So when one’s dearest person is no longer there, how empty life becomes. Yun Pan did not know what comfort to offer, and thought for a moment before saying: “This evening I and Ji Fu will go to look for spring, and keep you company for a small lamb hotpot.”

The Princess was immediately pleased and said: “Ask the Dowager Countess if she would like to come too. If not, we shall have it among ourselves.”

Yun Pan kept her company a while longer before going back to change clothes and set out.

With the snowy weather, she had expected the market to be less busy — yet it proved even more lively than usual. With no entertainments to be had in the deep of winter, the young lords and nobles rode out on horseback, wearing felt hats trimmed with red silk ribbons, to admire the snow. The private rooms in the wine establishments large and small had all been reserved. Everywhere came the gurgling sound of tea water and the soft murmur of conversation. The capital was peculiar in this way — the colder it grew, the more vividly the fires of human life glowed.

When the carriage arrived before the Qingchuang Pavilion, Nanny Pan, who managed affairs inside the shop, came to lift the curtain and smiled: “My Lady, how did you come out on such a snowy day?”

Yun Pan rubbed her hands together and exhaled with a satisfied breath: “It is precisely because it snowed that I came out.”

She looked into the shop: people were already trickling in. On such a bitterly cold day, all one could do was small handwork, and the alcoves were warmed to a gentle heat, with small red-clay braziers set to one side. Even working with one’s tools, one did not feel the cold in one’s hands.

And of course, even more people had come simply to drink fragrant beverages and admire the river view.

The Qingchuang Pavilion sat right on the bank of the Bian River. One only had to push open the windows to see the lovely scenery beyond. In summer the windows were opened to catch the breeze; in winter, the full view was of silver carving and jade polishing in the frost. The commercial boats had ceased sailing, and pleasure craft had grown more numerous — small pavilions of two or three storeys rising from their decks, with figures moving back and forth between them. Mingling with the sound of the wind came the graceful notes of string instruments and the soft, languid singing of courtesans and entertainers.

The wife of the Transport Commissioner of Fujian had arrived. Her husband had rendered a distinguished service by seizing a gang of salt smugglers, and so his wife had been bestowed the title of Lady of Xin’an Commandery. At the various banquets held in preceding months, Yun Pan had had only passing exchanges with her — but this time, entering the shop and seeing her there, the Commandery Lady smiled and came forward: “We rarely see the Duchess out and about. I imagine it is today’s first snowfall that lured the Duchess here, as well.”

Yun Pan, running a business and welcoming all with a smile, responded graciously. The two exchanged courtesies, and she personally led her guest into the front hall.

The Commandery Lady of Xin’an said: “Today I arranged with several close friends to come out and admire the snow — and we came here to the Qingchuang Pavilion, and nowhere else.”

By now this shop had gradually taken on something of the air of a small-scale Golden Pheasant Gathering. Yun Pan had originally intended it as a means of gathering information; the ladies of good families found it a pleasant place to make new acquaintances. Of course she accepted this goodwill, and taking her by the hand said: “It is entirely owing to the patronage of ladies and misses such as yourself that this modest shop of mine can keep its doors open. On the occasion of the first snow, tea and refreshments are on me — please enjoy yourselves freely today.”

Among women, a small token of generosity is enough to bring joy out of all proportion. While the Commandery Lady of Xin’an was chatting with her, two more elegantly dressed ladies arrived at the door from outside. Yun Pan had not encountered them before, and it was the Commandery Lady who introduced them: “This is the wife of the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and this is the wife of the Censorate official.”

She added, as if recollecting: “The wife of the Junior Minister is actually soon to become a relation of your household’s.”

Yun Pan said: “Is the wife of the Junior Minister a distinguished relative of Surveillance Commissioner Geng?”

The Junior Minister’s wife smiled and said: “My husband and Surveillance Commissioner Geng are maternal cousins. We still maintain some level of acquaintance.”

Hearing this, Yun Pan began to turn things over in her mind. The matter of Geng Fangzhi’s kept mistress had already been settled — the woman had been sent away — and there was nothing more to be said about it. With the wedding now drawing so close, it would do no harm to confirm things one more time. So she graciously ushered the guest into a private room, smiling as she said: “Since we are soon to be relations, I must take special care in the welcome. Our shop’s Snowflake Silver Needle tea is prepared from a secret method. Today being the occasion of the first snow, I shall have the seal opened — please allow me to offer the ladies a taste.”