“Hupo, you know this. When it comes to getting things done, I trust you most of all.” The Eleventh Young Miss took Hupo’s hand. “But I truly never expected you to do something so foolish.” Her voice had grown calm again, and with it, the dread coiled tight in Hupo’s chest began to slowly unwind.

“Miss, I was wrong!” The thunderclap just past, and now this gentle rain — felt all the more keenly by contrast. She would have paid any price to preserve this calm.

“Then tell me — why did I lose my temper?”

Hupo startled at the question. She was silent for a long moment.

The Eleventh Young Miss knew that her sudden outburst had left Hupo too stunned to think clearly; she was doing nothing but apologizing by instinct. She looked at her steadily. “Because you acted on your own!”

Hupo was a sharp-witted woman. She understood immediately.

Ever since she had tested the Tenth Young Miss through clothing, the Eleventh Young Miss had come to rely on her more and more, and she had grown increasingly confident and capable in her duties. Gradually, she had taken on more and more — as with this very incident: she had assumed the Eleventh Young Miss would be delighted to see the young and pretty Qiao Yiniang put in her place, and so had whispered to the night-duty matrons to give Xiuyuan vague answers, letting her believe the Marquis was about to return. That was what had led to the spying at the gate.

The outcome was not necessarily something the Eleventh Young Miss would have disliked.

But the decision should not have been hers to make.

Whatever else could be said, she was only a maid at the Eleventh Young Miss’s side.

She had forgotten her own place.

“Madam…” Her face flushed deep red.

*Good. That’s enough.*

The Eleventh Young Miss gave a silent nod.

She still had many difficulties to face, and she needed the ground beneath her to be unshakeable.

“Hupo, do you know about Xiaolan in Fifth Master’s household?”

Hupo froze.

She did not understand why the Eleventh Young Miss would suddenly bring up Xiaolan.

“I know of her. She was the Fifth Madam’s personal maid who came with her at marriage. Later, when the Fifth Madam was with child, she was taken into his room. She’s beautiful and clever — both the Fifth Master and the Fifth Madam are fond of her.”

The Eleventh Young Miss then told Hupo about the pregnancy.

Hupo’s eyes went wide. “How could she… The Fifth Madam is also with child. How could she… She always seemed so clever. How would she…” She could not help reaching for the Eleventh Young Miss’s hand. “Then — then what did the Grand Madam say?”

Whether for the sake of family harmony or the dignity of the legitimate wife, it was customary in most cases to wait until the legitimate sons were four or five years old before allowing a chamber consort or concubine to give birth. But good intentions did not always prevent accidents. Some households would terminate the pregnancy; others would deal with the chamber consort or concubine directly; but most would allow the child to be born. Everything depended on the attitude of the family elders.

The Eleventh Young Miss, however, answered something else entirely. “Think of it this way — I didn’t know Xiaolan existed, and you don’t know the Grand Madam’s and the Marquis’s intentions. Suppose the Grand Madam had asked me how to handle Xiaolan, and I, thinking she was merely a chamber consort, had said she should be dealt with by proper custom. Then suppose you — not knowing what the Grand Madam and the Marquis intend — were approached by Xiaolan for counsel, and, thinking this matter would likely come to no good end, advised her to quietly terminate the pregnancy on her own. Just tell me — what consequences would we be facing?”

“But Madam is not one to be so rash. And Xiaolan and I are not close enough to…” The words died on Hupo’s lips. She looked at the Eleventh Young Miss with a shifting gaze, her expression thoughtful.

The Eleventh Young Miss let out a long sigh. “Hupo, you know the movements of the maids and matrons in this household, and I know the minds of the Grand Madam and the Marquis. If we confer on everything we do, tell me — who in this entire household would be more in command of the situation than we are? Hupo, don’t forget how we came to be where we are today, step by step.”

“Madam, I understand now.” She was covered in sweat. “From now on, I will keep my composure and come to you first before acting on anything.”

The Eleventh Young Miss nodded and smiled. “And I will keep my composure and consult you before I act on anything as well.”

“No, no, no.” Hupo looked ashamed. “I could never be as clever as Madam.”

“Even a hero needs three good companions.” The Eleventh Young Miss smiled warmly, and then went on to recount how she had once tested the Tenth Young Miss, how she had risked her reputation to coax information from Xiao Liuzi, and how she had kept her dealings going with the matron Xiang Pozi over the years. “…Tell me, without you, how would I have managed?”

By the time she finished, Hupo’s face was flushed with pleasure and embarrassment. “Madam is far too gracious — to hold such small things in your heart.”

The two went back and forth, and the warmth between them gradually returned to what it had been — though Hupo’s gaze when it settled on the Eleventh Young Miss now held a new quality: one of careful, earnest regard.

A young maid came in to report: “Madam, the Marquis sent word to say he will not be returning tonight. He will rest at the Grand Madam’s quarters. He asks that you sleep early and there is no need to have anyone wait at the gate.”

The Eleventh Young Miss was startled.

She and Hupo stared at each other.

Then a rather pressing question suddenly struck her — would she need to go and attend on Xu Lingyi at breakfast tomorrow morning…?

—

Meanwhile, the Fifth Madam lay languidly against a large crimson bolster pillow, looking weary.

“Danyang, are you all right?” Fifth Master asked, his voice full of concern.

“Just tired.” The Fifth Madam cast a sweetly reproachful look at her husband. “The wind outside was fierce, and I was afraid of catching a chill, so I walked rather quickly.”

“Is that so?” Fifth Master said, his concern immediate. “Are you feeling better now?”

The Fifth Madam nodded. “Lying down like this, I feel much better.”

“Let me help you rub your legs.” He reached for the small massage mallet beside him.

The Fifth Madam sat up and grabbed it from him. “How could I let you do that?”

“What’s the matter with it!” he said. “You’re carrying a child right now.” The moment the words left his mouth, a flush crept up his face.

“Please, my lord, don’t be like this.” The Fifth Madam spoke softly, coaxing him, and straightened up to clasp both hands around her husband’s arm. “It’s all my fault. I didn’t manage the household well enough, and this has happened. It made you lose face before Mother and the Marquis…”

“Danyang,” Fifth Master said, drawing his wife close. “Don’t say that. It breaks my heart to hear it. I’m the one who has wronged you!” He released her and looked at her directly, his expression urgent. “Danyang, you must believe me — I never had those intentions…”

“I know you’re not that kind of man.” The Fifth Madam smiled at her husband. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone with you to see Mother and the Marquis today.”

That much was true.

If Danyang hadn’t been there, who knew how badly Fourth Brother would have dealt with him…

The thought made him shudder.

But Danyang was already urging him along. “My lord, this matter has been resolved. Go and wash up and get some rest. You have duties to attend to early tomorrow.”

“You rest first.” Fifth Master nodded and went to the dressing room.

Stone Mama, who had been standing quietly nearby, immediately stepped forward with concern. “Fifth Madam, are you quite all right?”

“I’m fine.” The Fifth Madam said languidly, settling back against the bolster. “I just got dragged along a few steps when I was pulling the Marquis back just now.” She clicked her tongue softly. “Who would have thought it — the Marquis is usually so composed, yet his temper runs that hot. If I hadn’t been there, that kick of his would have had Fifth Master bedridden for ten days to half a month at least.”

Stone Mama immediately signaled the nearby maids with a look, gesturing for them to withdraw, then personally took the white porcelain dish of apple slices and held it out to the Fifth Madam. “The Marquis came up through the military — he has a heavy hand.” She then asked in a low voice, “And what are the Grand Madam’s and the Marquis’s intentions in this matter?”

“This is not something the Marquis can get involved in.” The Fifth Madam speared a slice of apple and put it in her mouth. “The Grand Madam wants to send the girl back to the family’s ancestral home in Henan. I was afraid the people below might take matters into their own hands and cause trouble for the child along the way, so I’ve kept her here.”

She looked entirely unruffled.

Stone Mama was troubled. “But the child…”

“What is there to fear?” The Fifth Madam found the apple particularly sweet and crisp tonight and speared another slice. “The whole point is to let her give birth — and best of all, let her have a son. Let that serve as an example for every scheming creature that crawls into a master’s bed. Let them see whether carrying a child truly leads to rising in the world, whether being elevated to concubine truly lets them call the wind and rain…” She let out a sound of sudden regret. “Oh, why didn’t I think of it sooner? When we were at the Grand Madam’s just now, I should have asked a favor and gotten her elevated to concubine on the spot…” Then she reconsidered. “Never mind. There’ll be time enough to elevate her after the child is born.”

Stone Mama found herself torn between irritation and amusement. “Do you think this is a game of house? And ‘best of all, let her have a son’ — if it really is a son, that would make him the eldest. No man doesn’t cherish his firstborn. Look at the Marquis — how well he treats the Second Young Master!”

“That’s different.” The Fifth Madam was unmoved. “Back then, the Fourth Branch had only him as the sole male heir, and the doctor had said Yuan Shi could no longer bear children. Any children born after that — whether from a chamber consort or a concubine — would have been raised under Yuan Shi’s name regardless. There was no real difference. But look at Zhun Ge. The Marquis knew perfectly well that Yuan Shi was spoiling the boy rotten, raising him like a little girl — yet he turned a blind eye all the same. And in the end, he went and married a step-daughter barely older than his own daughter to replace her. Think it through clearly: it was simply because he was afraid Zhun Ge might not survive, so he preferred to indulge him rather than risk strictness.” She smiled. “I do hope Eleventh Young Miss gives birth soon — and best of all, a son, strong and healthy. Then he’ll truly have something to worry about.”

“You, child. You love watching from the stalls when the stage is high.”

“Other people’s business — what’s the harm in watching?”

Stone Mama’s thoughts drifted to Xiaolan at those words. “…And how do you see to her arrangements?”

“Send her back to where we used to live. Give her two additional nannies, four maids, and two rough-work matrons.” The Fifth Madam said coolly. “She is to be kept perfectly safe and sound, and deliver the child without trouble. Best if it’s born plump and rosy — and paraded before Fifth Master every single day. So he never forgets how this child came to be, and how it came into the world.” She paused, and mention of the other chamber consort came to mind. “As for Xiaomei — she shared a room with Xiaolan, and claims to know nothing about when Xiaolan stopped taking her medicine. Clearly she’s a simple soul with no scheming in her.” The Fifth Madam’s voice carried a dry irony. “So let her go and attend on Xiaolan.” She smiled. “But make sure Xiaomei is told clearly: Xiaolan is no longer what she was. Once this child is born, she will be the first concubine elevated in our household. She is to serve Xiaolan with great care. If Xiaolan is the least bit displeased, if there is even a hint that Fifth Master’s child has been upset — I will have no choice but to hand her over to a broker to be disposed of.”

“Understood.” Stone Mama answered with a smile.

Two women who had been chamber consorts together, who had covered for each other in secret by stopping the contraceptive medicine — and now one was carrying a child and about to be made a concubine, while the other would have to wait on her hand and foot. The imbalance would fester, and sooner or later it would produce something no one had anticipated.

Seeing Stone Mama agree so readily, the Fifth Madam quickly added, “Don’t misread me. I want them to snap at each other like dogs, enough that Fifth Master feels uneasy whenever he looks at them. I don’t actually want anything to go wrong.”

“You needn’t worry. I’ll have people watching. Nothing will go amiss.” Stone Mama smiled. “Since you played the virtuous wife before the Grand Madam, you mustn’t let a small matter ruin a large one. The child must be born safely.”

Only then did the Fifth Madam nod in satisfaction. “Let Xiaolan attend on Fifth Master tonight.”

—