She had never met this Venerable Abbess Jining before, let alone had any connection with her. Who could have entrusted her with this errand to seek her out? When she thought about it, the people she knew were quite limited in number.

At that thought, her heart gave a sudden lurch, and her palms grew damp with sweat at once.

Yet before the Grand Matriarch, she gave no outward sign, and calmly followed the Venerable Abbess Jining out of the Grand Matriarch’s main room into the side chamber of the eastern wing.

The maidservant served tea for both of them. The Venerable Abbess Jining smiled and said, “Fourth Madam, I wonder whether you are acquainted with a woman called Duan Shuangying, and another called Yuan Xueyi.”

First Yiniang and Second Yiniang!

Though she had half guessed as much, to have it confirmed gave Eleventh Young Lady a jolt of real astonishment.

She had never imagined they once had such beautiful names…

And yet, since the Venerable Abbess Jining had come through the Grand Matriarch to seek her out — openly requesting a private word with her in front of everyone — and had asked her point-blank at the very outset whether she knew the two Yiniangs, it was clear she had come fully prepared.

She said mildly, “My mother’s First Yiniang and Second Yiniang — one has the family name Duan, the other Yuan. Whether they are the two women you mention, I am not certain.”

“That is exactly who they are.” The Venerable Abbess Jining smiled. “The First Yiniang says you are a forthright person, and asked me to come to you, saying you would certainly help them.”

After having deceived everyone — including herself… on what grounds did the two Yiniangs think she would help them?

Eleventh Young Lady looked at the Venerable Abbess Jining with a smile and said nothing.

The Venerable Abbess Jining was not surprised at her response. She smiled and said, “The two Yiniangs say that they have been devout followers of the Buddha for many years and sincerely wish to take vows and offer themselves to the service of the Bodhisattva. However, their primary mistress feared that gossiping people would say the two Yiniangs had been driven to take the vows by mistreatment, and so never gave her consent. After following your household to Yanjing, their determination to see through the veil of this world only grew stronger — which is why they left home and sought refuge in our temple. I am not sure whether you know of Ciyuan Temple, Madam. In Yanjing, our Ciyuan Temple may not compare to great institutions such as Huguo Temple or White Cloud Temple, which are under the protection of the Bureau of Buddhist and Daoist Affairs, but we are by no means an obscure place.” A note of pride crossed her face as she said this. “The two Yiniangs are literate and accomplished — composed and measured in manner, refined and articulate in speech. Having them take refuge in our temple would not only allow them to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the Buddha, but also give full play to their abilities. Now that you have taken up residence in Yanjing, Madam, in a place new and unfamiliar to you, would it not be a kindness to open wide the path of convenience for the two Yiniangs — and a kindness to yourself as well?”

The two Yiniangs had truly devised a clever scheme.

Merely being literate, composed, and refined would hardly have been enough to catch this Abbess’s eye.

“I wonder — how much in incense donations did the two Yiniangs present to the temple upon seeking refuge there?”

Eleventh Young Lady looked at the Venerable Abbess Jining with a mild gaze.

The Venerable Abbess chuckled: “You are indeed a forthright one, Madam. A mere five thousand taels of silver.”

Eleventh Young Lady expended considerable effort to keep the astonishment from showing on her face.

The Venerable Abbess was already smiling: “To the Lady of the Marquis of Yongping, naturally such a sum is beneath notice — but to the two Yiniangs, it was a meritorious offering to the Bodhisattva given with ardent, devoted hearts. That is why they earnestly beseeched this humble nun to make this one journey on their behalf.”

Eleventh Young Lady could not help but feel a stab of grief for Yang Yiniang.

At first she had assumed the bracelet of Tenth Young Lady contained banknotes; later she discovered it held arsenic instead… At the time, she had wondered — where had all the money gone? Or what had it been used for?

Here at last was the answer to that story.

Tenth Young Lady, left behind in Yuhang beyond First Madam’s sight, could only have been slowly cut down by First Madam like meat under a dull blade. It was far better to make one bold throw and perhaps find a way out. And the two Yiniangs must have gained Yang Yiniang’s trust by playing the same game they had once played with her, then together they had devised a plan within a plan — a strategy of besieging one point to rescue another, a cicada shedding its shell. Yang Yiniang’s death was meant to draw the attention of everyone else, while at the same time she hoped that once First Madam knew she was dead, she might feel a flicker of pity for Tenth Young Lady, and allow the two Yiniangs — under the pretext of attending a temple fair — to take Tenth Young Lady away, and then travel together to the capital.

Tenth Young Lady had appeared so conveniently; clearly she had already been in Yanjing for some time. Only she did not know who had passed word to them.

Trusted with another’s affair, one carries it through with loyalty. If things stood thus — then when Tenth Young Lady was to marry Wang Lang, why had the two Yiniangs not come forward to stop it?

The Venerable Abbess seemed to see straight through her thoughts, and smiled: “The two Yiniangs also asked me to convey a message to you. They say: Tenth Young Lady sought benevolence and found it; sought righteousness and found it. As for themselves, they are no more than frail women — all they sought was the chance to go on living.”

Eleventh Young Lady could not help but give a rueful smile: “This is still my family’s affair, and I expect my mother must be the one to decide.”

“Naturally,” the Venerable Abbess smiled. “It’s just that since the Luo Family’s First Madam was able to arrange your marriage into the Marquis of Yongping’s household, she must have given the matter careful thought. Two Yiniangs are neither too many nor too few to miss. I expect the Luo Family’s First Madam would see the sense in it clearly enough. But for our Ciyuan Temple, it is different. To have women of such substance and quality would, I expect, find great favor with ladies of the great houses. That is why I could not help but come before you, Madam, to beg this particular grace.”

She had kept insisting on her fondness for the two Yiniangs, and her welcome of their coming to Ciyuan Temple to take vows. By all appearances, she was completely resolved to wade into these murky waters.

Eleventh Young Lady could understand it well enough.

For a temple to grow, it needed the right people. Those who ordinarily took vows were usually either driven there by hardship with no one to rely upon, or left desolate and cold by some upheaval in their family. The former had received little education; the latter had grown indifferent to worldly affairs. But the two Yiniangs were different — they had spent years at the First Master’s side, serving as elegant companions in candlelit evenings of study. Their knowledge and manner of speaking were naturally out of the ordinary. And at this age they were still stirring themselves to flee their household — driven partly by fear of First Madam’s retaliation for having disrupted her plans, but presumably also by a longing to start a new life. That two such women would join Ciyuan Temple, having also donated a substantial sum in incense offerings — from any angle, the Venerable Abbess had to come forward and take responsibility. And moreover, Tenth Young Lady had married into the Duke of Mao’s household, and she herself had married into the Marquis of Yongping’s household. If the truth were spoken openly, Tenth Young Lady had left home on her own, and she had a sister who had gone against all propriety — in the end, it was the two of them whose reputations would suffer, and the Luo Family that would come out the worse. There would be nothing gained and much lost.

That was precisely why the Venerable Abbess Jining dared speak so plainly to her face.

“Since you do not object, Madam, I will pay a visit to the Luo Family presently.” The Venerable Abbess Jining, her purpose achieved, smiled and rose. “If the Grand Matriarch should ask, I will say that the two Yiniangs wished to enter Ciyuan Temple as nuns, and had particularly entrusted me to come and ask you to speak to the Luo Family’s First Madam on their behalf. As for everything else, I will not mention a single word.”

Was she supposed to feel grateful to this Venerable Abbess Jining and the two Yiniangs?

Eleventh Young Lady found herself somewhere between laughter and tears.

She suddenly understood a little of the helplessness Xu Lingyi must have felt.

That day in the small courtyard — knowing full well that it was a trap Yuanniang had set, knowing full well what the consequences would be, he had been able only to step into it with his eyes open for the sake of the people and things he had to protect…

—

Back at the Grand Matriarch’s, the Venerable Abbess Jining did exactly as she had said in the eastern wing — she told the assembled company she had been entrusted to ask Eleventh Young Lady to speak to the First Madam on behalf of the two Yiniangs; and she added that Eleventh Young Lady felt the two Yiniangs’ resolve to take holy vows was clearly firm, and was willing to do her part, though she would wait until the first month of the marriage had passed and then, after seeking the Grand Matriarch’s and the Marquis’s opinions, she would choose an appropriate day to return to her maternal home and discuss the matter with her own mother.

Everyone who heard it found it somewhat unexpected, but the Venerable Abbess Jining’s words were entirely reasonable, and it was, after all, a matter concerning Eleventh Young Lady’s own family — so no one saw fit to press the matter at this particular moment.

The Venerable Abbess Jining spoke for a while and then took her leave. The Grand Matriarch, seeing the hour was late, went to the Buddhist shrine with Nanny Du. Everyone else naturally dispersed as well.

Eleventh Young Lady returned to her rooms and sent for Dongqing, telling her the Venerable Abbess’s purpose in coming.

“You must go back once — inform the First Young Mistress’s wife of this matter. Be particularly sure to let her know that by the look of things, the Venerable Abbess has already set her mind firmly on involving herself in this affair.” She then added, “For now, don’t tell the First Madam. Tell the First Young Mistress’s wife first, and ask her to work out how to handle this. Let her advise me on what to do on my side.”

Dongqing answered and set out.

Eleventh Young Lady then called Nanny Tao in: “Could you identify a few quick-witted and capable people? I still have openings for two second-rank maidservants, six third-rank maidservants, and four coarse-duty matron servants.”

Nanny Tao immediately said, “Leave it to me, Madam. I’ll bring them this afternoon for you to look at.”

Eleventh Young Lady nodded, then lowered her voice: “Could you also arrange for two or three people to be stationed in the outer study?”

The woman truly deserved to have been Yuanniang’s most trusted nanny!

Nanny Tao was briefly startled, then immediately lowered her voice: “The three Young Masters are studying at the family school. We have several people stationed over there who are all our own. If there is anything you wish to know, Madam, simply ask me. Whatever I cannot answer at once, you’ll have word by this afternoon.”

Eleventh Young Lady shook her head slightly: “By the tone of the Marquis’s words, it seems he may be looking to find a more fitting teacher for the three Young Masters. When the time comes, a separate lecture hall will surely be set up in the outer study. Zhun Ge’er is already six this year, and his constitution is not strong — in all likelihood he will join the other brothers in the outer study to begin his schooling. The Grand Matriarch has no intention whatsoever of handing Zhun Ge’er over to me to raise. And as inner-quarters women, we cannot match the men in experience and breadth of knowledge from the outside world. But if there were a good teacher nearby, guiding things at every step — that would give us proper standing by name, and would allow us to oversee Zhun Ge’er’s character and learning as well. And if anything arose, we could speak to the teacher and have him instruct Zhun Ge’er accordingly. Would that not be better than you and I stumbling about and meddling haphazardly?”

Nanny Tao could not help but admire her: “That is an excellent idea, Madam. I understand. I’ll see to it at once.” And she was already moving to rise briskly.

“No need to rush so,” Eleventh Young Lady said with a smile. “For one thing, the matter of the teacher is not yet settled. For another, we are only laying the groundwork — so as not to attract attention when the moment comes. Bear in mind that the three Young Masters will all be studying there as well. Those in the know will understand that we only want to keep watch over Zhun Ge’er. Those who do not know might think we are keeping watch over the Second Young Master.”

Nanny Tao immediately nodded: “Rest easy, Madam. I will manage it so quietly not a ghost will know.”

She then showed a trace of hesitation: “There is still that matter with Wanxiang, which is proving somewhat troublesome…”

“Tell me.”

“Wanxiang came to see me yesterday, saying that there are eleven kitchens, large and small, in the household. Yesterday afternoon Third Madam gave word that, apart from the Grand Matriarch’s own kitchen, the other ten kitchens are all to prepare dishes according to a fixed daily menu — no special orders are to be permitted. If anyone wishes to have something extra prepared, they must pay out of their own pocket and have the kitchen prepare it separately.” Nanny Tao, afraid Eleventh Young Lady might not quite follow, went on to explain: “In the past, when the First Young Mistress managed the household, each kitchen was allocated a sum of money according to its size, and however much was used was each kitchen’s own affair. If one kitchen spent a little more in the first half of the month, it would economize in the second half. There had never been any case of overspending. As for special extra dishes — the cost, naturally being above the allocation, was also paid separately by each person. But now that Third Madam has done this…”

“…Now that Third Madam has done this, the ten kitchens can buy their provisions all together,” Eleventh Young Lady said, finishing the thought with a smile. “The purchasing agents for the kitchens are going to be raking in a fortune, aren’t they?”

Nanny Tao was taken aback.

Eleventh Young Lady’s smile remained as before — warm, with just a touch of gentle familiarity. Yet her eyes held a composed and clear-sighted calm, as though looking through everything at once. As if to say: these are just small tricks — there is nothing to be flustered about.

A tide of heat rushed to Nanny Tao’s face.