Old Huang’s woman took the ginseng root back to the side courtyard where she lived, looked at her son’s sallow, waxen little face in the dim yellow lamplight, and let out a long, quiet sigh.

Beside her, Old Huang lowered his voice: “What’s happened? Couldn’t Chen Xu’s wife get any ginseng either?”

Old Huang’s woman shook her head and pulled out the ginseng Wanxiang had given her earlier from her breast: “I’m afraid it will be hard to get any more after this.”

Old Huang quickly said: “What’s happened?”

“Nothing.” Old Huang’s woman’s expression was somewhat bitter. “We’ve taken so much from her — it’s time to pay the debt.” Her expression turned grim.

Old Huang was shaken to hear this: “Pay it how?” He looked around the barren, bare room. “We’ve sold everything that could be sold — what do we have left to pay with?”

Old Huang’s woman said nothing, only instructing her husband: “Put this away carefully. Use it sparingly and it can last a year. As for what comes after a year — who can say?” A measure of spirit had returned to her voice.

Early the next morning, the assignments for those going to help with the porridge distribution were reshuffled.

“You certainly know how to curry favor with people from the inner quarters.” A serving woman said with some resentment. “The people from the inner quarters who go to distribute porridge get thirty wen a day as a supplement — and us? We work for nothing!”

Old Huang’s woman was taken aback: “Who said that?”

“The Dowager approved it herself.” The serving woman brushed her sideburns smooth. “You know how it is — my family’s cousin-in-law serves in the Dowager’s courtyard, and my family’s cousin said this herself.”

The others, hearing this, all erupted at once.

“We all do the same work — why should they get thirty wen and we get nothing?”

“Exactly, exactly. It’s the same every year. The senior nannies from each branch of the household go to the porridge stall to make a show of things, and then it falls to people like us to do the actual distributing. And doesn’t anyone notice how fierce the wind and snow are this year!”

Old Huang’s woman saw that things were getting unruly, and gave a significant glance to two serving women she was close with. One of them immediately cried out: “All right, all right. What’s the use of going on about this? What can any of us do — we’re from the outer quarters, not as exalted as those from the inner quarters. If you’re capable of it, go beg someone to transfer you to the inner quarters! What’s the point of carrying on like this?”

This immediately drowned out the other voices.

Old Huang’s woman, seeing that everyone had fallen quiet, smiled and said: “I wouldn’t want to deal with it either — but there’s no alternative. If there’s blame to be laid, blame me for being an incompetent head.” She sighed with an air of helplessness. “If any of you have a better opportunity, I won’t be standing in your way.”

The serving women looked at one another, and no one spoke.

“All right, all right. Everyone get back to work!” The serving woman who was on good terms with Old Huang’s woman stepped in to smooth things over, and everyone dispersed with sheepish expressions.

Old Huang’s woman then exchanged meaningful glances with those two serving women, and the three of them made their way one after another to the courtyard behind the kitchen.

“You two go along to help with the porridge distribution as well.” Old Huang’s woman’s voice was low. “Keep your eyes open for any irregularities.”

The two serving women exchanged startled looks.

“Sister Huang, this, this doesn’t sit well with us…” one hesitated. “Even if something does come to light, it won’t end well for us.”

“That’s right.” The other laughed. “We’re not bothered either way — it’s all just work wherever we are. Sister, you’re different. You’ve worked your way up to head of the outer kitchen at long last — that’s a position of standing in this household. It’s not worth putting yourself out for something like this…”

Old Huang’s woman knew this well enough. But if there had been another path available back then, she wouldn’t have accepted things from Wanxiang in the first place… What was the use of saying any of this now?

She had no choice but to see this through. She pointed toward the east and said quietly: “I am acting under instructions. Just do what needs to be done and don’t worry about the rest. Even if something does go wrong, it won’t fall on our heads. Besides — flies don’t settle on uncracked eggs. If everything is clean and above board, who can do what to whom?”

One of the serving women covered her mouth with a smile: “When has this kind of thing ever been clean? Think back to when the previous Marchioness was running the household — didn’t she also swap rough rice for refined rice? And that’s nothing compared to Third Madam.”

Old Huang’s woman smiled: “Exactly. All we’re doing is telling the truth as we see it.”

The serving woman nodded: “You can count on us. Whatever we find, we’ll come and report to you right away.”

Old Huang’s woman relaxed.

That evening, the serving woman slipped through the darkness to Old Huang’s woman’s room.

“It’s not rough rice — it’s moldy rice.”

Old Huang’s woman’s heart leaped with joy.

“Are you sure you saw clearly?”

“Perfectly clearly.” The serving woman said in a low voice. “Good rice on top, moldy rice underneath. It’s been tampered with, no question.”

“How much?”

“Thirty-odd sacks.”

Old Huang’s woman thought for a moment: “Don’t make a sound about it for now. Since this was done deliberately, there must be more to come. Wait until they can’t possibly swap it out again before saying anything.”

The serving woman understood. The two whispered together a while longer before parting.

…

After a few days, Wanxiang’s situation came to a head — she had been slow to receive the dishes, and not until mid-afternoon had each branch of the household received their hot food.

The Dowager fixed Third Madam with a long, deep look, and said nothing.

A household with so many people was bound to have conflict, but letting conflicts reach this degree… Third Madam, as the one managing the household, could hardly be said to have lost all face — but her capacity for running the household had been deeply called into question. She could no longer maintain her composure, her face going red then white in turns, and went off to the kitchen.

From far away came the sound of Wanxiang’s wailing: “…It’s just that people bully me because I’ve lost my backing and they want my position… I stepped away to use the privy for a moment and the dish delivery person left… framing me with such injustice… I’m going to end my life! If you have the nerve, go confront me before the Dowager! I am no soft persimmon to be kneaded and pinched at will…”

Old Gan had long since gathered several serving women to wait for Third Madam’s arrival, ready to give Wanxiang a thorough dressing-down. Seeing Third Madam come, they all went out eagerly to welcome her.

But Third Madam paused in her steps and turned toward Eleventh Miss’s quarters instead: “…There are always tasks to be done in the household, and if not her, someone else will need to do them. What’s more, she has always managed her duties well. But even the best horse stumbles, and even the steadiest hand slips. She refuses to admit any fault, and is shouting about going to confront the Dowager directly. Whatever the truth of the matter, there are plenty of serving women and grannies in that kitchen to set the record straight. But if this gets out, not only will I as the household manager lose face — she, as a longstanding trusted maid of your elder sister, will not come off looking well either. I ask Fourth Sister-in-law to go have a word with her.” Her tone was somewhat stiff, with a faint edge of threat to it.

Eleventh Miss was rather surprised.

Wanxiang was an old hand in the household — she clearly understood that this was a path leading to mutual destruction…

“I wasn’t even aware of this until Third Sister-in-law said something.” She smiled. “But Third Sister-in-law, please don’t be anxious. As you say — whatever the truth of the matter, there are plenty of serving women and grannies in that kitchen to set the record straight. I’ll have someone call her here and ask right away.”

Third Madam, hearing in her words something firm beneath the gentle surface, felt her expression shift. She rose coldly: “Then I shall trouble Fourth Sister-in-law to look into it thoroughly.”

Eleventh Miss smiled and saw her to the door, then told Hupo to go and summon Wanxiang.

Dongqing, who needed to avoid running into Fifth Madam for fear of causing trouble, hadn’t been going anywhere and had been at Eleventh Miss’s side doing needlework every day. Seeing Hupo go to call Wanxiang, she quietly advised: “Madam, Wanxiang has always been a tyrant in this household — everyone knows it. There’s no need to get on Third Madam’s bad side on her account…”

Eleventh Miss shook her head: “Third Madam wants to stay in charge, and the longer the better. But the Dowager may not share that wish… Unless it goes on forever, all the care I take to please her is ultimately useless. Since friction between the two of them is unavoidable, someone will be offended sooner or later. It doesn’t matter when that happens.”

Dongqing, hearing the sound reasoning in her words, gave repeated nods.

But Eleventh Miss was also puzzled: “By rights, Wanxiang is not the reckless type — how did she manage to commit such a blunder that no one could defend?”

Dongqing thought for a moment, then smiled: “Even a tiger has moments when it naps. Perhaps someone lent a hand against her?”

Eleventh Miss felt this was also possible.

When Wanxiang arrived, Eleventh Miss asked her directly: “This doesn’t seem like the kind of mistake you’d make.”

This was enough to make Wanxiang smile: “Fourth Madam truly has a sharp eye.” She then let her gaze slide toward Dongqing, who was attending nearby.

Eleventh Miss could tell from her manner that she had something to say, and dismissed the attending servants.

Wanxiang immediately stepped forward and said close to Eleventh Miss’s ear: “Madam, I’ve found something that could bring Third Madam down.”

Eleventh Miss felt a jolt in her chest. For no particular reason, the matter of the porridge distribution came to her mind…

“Whatever you say must be well-founded.” She watched Wanxiang with a composed expression. “Making false accusations against one’s mistress is not a matter that can be settled with a few strokes of the plank.”

“Madam, rest assured — what kind of person is Wanxiang? How could I ever deal in groundless rumor.” Wanxiang said with a cold smile. “Third Madam has long harbored designs on skimming from the grain allocated for the porridge stalls. At first she mixed good and bad together; later, seeing no one had noticed, she switched entirely to rough rice. These past few days, the deliveries have been nothing but moldy rice. Right now there are seven or eight days’ worth of grain stacked up at the porridge stall. If you were to go with some people to look right now, I guarantee you’ll catch them red-handed with the evidence. She would have no way to claim temporary inattention even if she wanted to.” Her eyes glinted with cold light. “She wants to grind all of us to death without shedding a drop of blood herself — not a chance!”

Eleventh Miss looked at the resentment burning in her eyes, and felt even greater astonishment at Third Madam’s conduct.

“Moldy rice? Are you certain you saw clearly?”

She had previously suspected that Third Madam might be skimming from the porridge grain — swapping good rice for rough rice — but she hadn’t imagined it would be moldy rice… In her understanding, moldy rice was something that could kill people.

Seeing that Eleventh Miss seemed not quite to believe her, Wanxiang swore a solemn oath: “If I am speaking falsely, may I come to no good end!”

Eleventh Miss drew a sharp breath of cold air, feeling a chill creeping up her spine.

Wanxiang had taken a gamble that was life or death from the very beginning — if she hadn’t been absolutely certain, how would she have dared go this far?

Nine chances out of ten — it was true.

“Who else knows about this?” Eleventh Miss’s gaze deepened.

Wanxiang said in a low voice: “Those distributing the porridge all know. In the inner quarters, only I know.” She then let her gaze flicker briefly. “Madam, there is no time to lose. You should report this to the Marquis right away — expose Third Madam’s scheme, make her lose face utterly — and then you can take over the authority to manage the household without any obstacle!”

Eleventh Miss looked at the barely concealed excitement on her face, and suddenly understood.

Wanxiang — truly a formidable operator.

She was someone left behind by First Madam, and she held the position of managing the inner kitchen — Third Madam would certainly never tolerate her. So she had decided to strike first — first uncovering Third Madam’s wrongdoing, then stirring up an incident to put Third Madam in an impossible position, and then using Eleventh Miss to bring the matter to Xu Lingyi… In this way, Third Madam would be ruined and unable to protect herself. Not only would this get Wanxiang out of her own predicament, she could further claim the noise was because Third Madam was trying to deal with her, and go even further and say it was because she had found out about the rice-swapping scheme that Third Madam couldn’t abide her!

A few lines of concern gathered in Eleventh Miss’s brow: “Report it to the Marquis? Wouldn’t that mean making it known to everyone?”

—