On the seventh day of the seventh month, a clear night sky was filled with stars.
Colorful lotus lanterns floated on the rivers and canals of Bianjing City, each concealing the shy thoughts of young people.
To find a good match and have a marriage like Mrs. Lu’s – loving and peaceful – was the secret envy of both unmarried and married young women in Bianjing these past few months.
The new wife of young Master Lu led an enviable life.
She had no mother-in-law to serve with morning and evening rituals, and no complicated household affairs to manage. Young Master Lu was faithful, leaving his wife with no worries. Unlike other ladies in Bianjing, she didn’t have to fret over in-law relationships, children, or concubines. She only needed to mind her own business.
Everyone in Bianjing had heard something about young Master Lu’s wife.
Her husband was handsome and successful, once the heartthrob of many young ladies in the city.
She was wealthy, even richer than her husband, buying properties and supporting him.
She was a merchant, opening shops one after another, even doing business with the imperial palace.
She was beautiful, graceful yet charming, and many ladies were eager to befriend her. Her popularity was remarkable.
She could do as she pleased, such as keeping her matchmaking business, “Mantang Hui,” open. She had hired three new assistants to handle the peculiar requests of Bianjing’s young ladies.
Despite being a merchant, many envied her.
“I envy you,” Yin Shujun couldn’t help but say in the quiet tower.
In all of Bianjing, or even the entire Da’an, could one find another woman living so freely?
“What’s there to envy? You and the Crown Prince are deeply in love, and now you’re a mother,” Ming Shu replied nonchalantly, leaning on the balcony railing and watching the bustling streets below.
Unless she was away from the capital, Ming Shu always met with her two close friends on the Double Seventh Festival.
Yin Shujun had given birth to the Crown Prince’s eldest son six months ago and still retained some of her pregnancy fullness, her radiance now tempered with gentleness. She was no longer the impulsive young lady of the Yin family. Marrying into the royal family meant entering an even more complex environment than the Yin household. Innocence would be worn away; she had to mature.
Marrying Zhao Jingran was her choice, and despite the difficulties, she was determined to walk this path. Gradually, she grew up.
Fortunately, while Zhao Jingran was stern and dignified in public, he was caring and tender towards her. With the palace being so complex, he taught her step-by-step how to navigate relationships and read people’s intentions. However, as she learned more, her temperament also changed.
In others’ eyes, she had become a qualified Crown Princess. Only with her two close friends could she relax and find traces of her former self.
“It’s incomparable to your freedom,” Shujun sighed.
Ming Shu just smiled. “Why is Wen’an so late today?”
Of their trio, only Shujun and she had arrived.
“Probably held up by her husband again. I must say, with Wen’an’s temperament and General Xiao Ling’s personality, it’s just…” Shujun struggled to find words to describe the bickering couple.
One was a cunning and eloquent county princess, the other a proud young general from a renowned military family. They were like the spear and shield in the story from “Han Feizi,” each testing the other’s limits.
While neither had won, sparks certainly flew.
This marriage was bestowed by the Emperor two and a half years ago. Since then, the couple had never known peace.
Wen’an, the most eloquent and cunning, had almost burned down the young general’s house in anger. The arrogant and disrespectful General Xiao Ling had once stood outside the prince’s mansion for a day and night in the rain, begging Wen’an to return home.
Their relationship swung between honeymoon sweetness and bitter quarrels.
Ming Shu felt her two friends were opposites – Wen’an, who should have been the most virtuous and in control of the household, was living out her true personality in the Xiao family. She didn’t know whether to praise or be exasperated with the young general.
“I’m dying of heat!”
Speak of the devil – Wen’an burst in like a gust of wind, demanding iced drinks before even sitting down.
“Another argument? What was it about this time?” Shujun asked teasingly.
“What else? It’s about whether to teach our child martial arts. I said some self-defense skills would be good, but that fool insisted his protection was enough and that girls should be gentle. I disagreed, and we started arguing.”
“Are you expecting?” Ming Shu and Shujun asked in unison.
To their surprise, Wen’an shook her head. “Not yet.”
Ming Shu and Shujun fell silent.
After all that, they didn’t even have a child yet, but the couple could still argue over casual conversations about family matters.
Ming Shu was impressed.
—
As the night deepened, someone called from the tower, “Young Master Lu has arrived.”
The friends’ gathering dispersed, and Ming Shu hurried down from the tower. She saw Lu Chang waiting in the hall, holding a lotus lantern to escort her.
“Shall we go release lanterns?” he asked, raising the lantern.
“Yes!” Ming Shu beamed, rushing to his side.
The couple left the secluded tavern and headed towards a nearby canal.
Many lanterns were already floating downstream.
The riverbank was crowded with young ladies in groups and couples strolling together. Lu Chang and Ming Shu arrived late, unable to find a spot. They walked slowly along the river, looking for a suitable place to release their lantern.
After a few steps, Ming Shu suddenly stopped.
Ahead was a small stone bridge, five steps long and wide enough for two. Two people were approaching from the opposite side.
On this clear, starry night, with lanterns covering the river like an inverted Milky Way, the familiar figures waded through the river of light, also pausing at the other end of the bridge.
Lu Chang bowed slightly, and the person opposite returned the gesture.
Ming Shu didn’t greet Song Qingzhao, only smiling and nodding at the young woman beside him. Then she took Lu Chang’s hand and continued along the riverbank.
No one crossed the short bridge.
In three years, Song Qingzhao had also married.
His wife, they say, was quite an extraordinary young lady.
“Ying Xun is getting married. I should prepare a generous gift. What should I give?” Ming Shu asked while watching Lu Chang release a river lantern.
In three years, the once-carefree Ying Xun was finally getting married. His bride was none other than the young assistant Ming Shu had hired a year ago to handle Mantang Hui’s matchmaking cases.
The girl was eighteen, the same age Ming Shu was when she started Mantang Hui. She was a vibrant young woman who called Ming Shu “shifu” (master), making Ying Xun her “shishu” (master’s brother). Though it started as a joke, the girl took it seriously, learning from him. Within a year, her “shishu” became her husband.
It was a joyous match.
“Gold jewelry,” Lu Chang replied without hesitation.
In the past two years, gold jewelry has become Ming Shu’s favorite gift.
After releasing the lanterns, Lu Chang and Ming Shu bought some snacks and headed home.
Since their marriage, they had lived alone in the Zhuangyuan mansion, while Madam Zeng stayed with Wei Zhuo. Though they usually lived separately, both residences had rooms reserved for each other. Whenever they missed each other, either Lu Chang and Ming Shu or Madam Zeng and Wei Zhuo could stay at the other’s mansion.
Such freedom was unthinkable in other families.
In a couple of days, Wei Zhuo would be traveling. Unwilling to leave Madam Zeng alone in the vast Wei mansion, he planned to move with her to the Zhuangyuan mansion for a short stay. Accompanying them were Wei Zhuo’s two adopted sons, Su Chen and Lin Zan. Though adopted by Wei Zhuo, they kept their original surnames due to their father’s contributions to the country and close friendship with Wei Zhuo.
Madam Zeng now looked after these two children.
Ming Shu often teased Madam Zeng, pretending to be jealous: “With little brothers and sisters, Mother doesn’t need Lu Chang and me anymore.”
The young and sensible Lin Zan would immediately say, “That’s not true. Mother loves Brother and Sister Ming Shu the most.”
Su Chen would then correct her: “Not sister, but sister-in-law.”
These children brought much joy to Wei Zhuo and Madam Zeng, and both Ming Shu and Lu Chang cherished them deeply.
“Su Chen, Lin Zan… Look what I’ve brought you!” Ming Shu called out before even entering the house. She had brought their favorite snacks and treats.
But before she finished speaking, Lin Zan ran out of the house. The nine-year-old girl wore a pale white jacket and skirt, her hair in two buns. She was a pretty child, but now her eyes were brimming with tears, her eyelids red.
“Little Zan, what’s wrong?” Ming Shu quickly caught hold of her.
Orphaned children were often the most sensible, and Lin Zan never threw tantrums.
Lin Zan sniffled but still replied politely, “Sister-in-law, I’m fine…”
Before Ming Shu could respond, Wei Zhuo’s voice rang out: “Su Chen, why did you bully your sister?”
Wei Zhuo was much stricter with Su Chen than with Lin Zan, and his stern questioning sounded frightening.
Su Chen had done something to upset Lin Zan, leading to this scene.
Su Chen didn’t answer. Instead, Lin Zan tugged at Ming Shu’s hand and whispered to them, “Sister-in-law, Brother, I’m fine… Please don’t let Foster Father scold Brother Su.”
When she first came to the Wei family, Lu Chang was still in Zhangyang and Ming Shu in Jiangning, so she was closest to Su Chen, calling him “Brother Su.” Later, when Lu Chang returned, she couldn’t change her habit, so she called Lu Chang “Brother” or “Elder Brother” to differentiate.
Lu Chang frowned slightly and led Ming Shu and Lin Zan into the house, where they heard Wei Zhuo scolding Su Chen. Su Chen stood with his head bowed, his ears red.
The eleven-year-old boy was handsome, already showing signs of maturity beyond his years. One could imagine he would grow into a fine young man.
“My dear, you and your sister have always gotten along so well. Why did you suddenly quarrel? Tell me, why won’t you let her call you ‘Brother Su’ anymore?” Madam Zeng held Wei Zhuo back and asked Su Chen gently.
The reason for Lin Zan’s distress was that Su Chen adamantly refused to let her call him “Brother Su” anymore.
Su Chen bit his lip, thinking for a long while before answering: “She can’t call me ‘Brother Su’… I heard Sister-in-law calling Brother ‘Brother Su’ the other day. Calling someone ‘Brother Su’ means you’re going to be husband and wife…”
At these words, Ming Shu’s face turned bright red, and even Lu Chang was stunned.
When alone in the Zhuangyuan mansion, Ming Shu occasionally called Lu Chang “Brother Su” playfully, never imagining Su Chen might overhear.
Madam Zeng’s expression darkened as she glared at the couple. “Lu Chang!”
She was about to scold them for setting a bad example for the children.
Lu Chang bore the brunt of the scolding, but Ming Shu’s face burned with embarrassment too. Wei Zhuo sat down nearby, deciding not to intervene this time as Madam Zeng berated them.
Only Su Chen and Lin Zan stood to the side, their eyes wide with a mix of understanding and confusion, looking at each other – does calling someone “Brother Su” really mean you’re going to be husband and wife?
— End of Epilogue –