On the front wall of the main hall stood a three-foot-square shrine, housing a seated statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Before the statue sat a small three-legged gilded incense burner, offering three sticks of agarwood incense.

Amid curling wisps of fragrant smoke, the Bodhisattva Guanyin gazed upon all living beings with an expression of compassionate mercy.

Upon hearing the maid’s announcement that Eleventh Miss had come in person to deliver the braided cords, the two Yiniangs came out together to receive her.

First Yiniang’s round face wore a warm and intimate smile as she called out loudly to Caixia: “Quickly, quickly — bring tea for Eleventh Miss!”

Second Yiniang’s thin face also broke into a faint smile as she gestured toward the grand master’s chair nearby: “Come, sit down and let us talk!”

Eleventh Miss smiled and paid her respects to the two Yiniangs, then perched on the edge of the grand master’s chair. She signaled Hupo to present the box to them, and said modestly: “I don’t know if these are to your liking?”

First Yiniang personally received the box and, before even opening it, laughed: “To our liking, of course — how could they not be!”

The maids served tea. First Yiniang said with a beaming smile: “I went to Lvyun Tower early this morning and heard you were braiding cords, so I didn’t want to disturb you and went instead to Tenth Miss’s place.”

Since she had personally come to deliver the cords, it was precisely to take this opportunity to make certain things clear. Since the other party showed no hesitation and seemed equally intent on speaking openly, going around in circles would only seem affected.

Eleventh Miss smiled faintly: “I heard you had gone to Tenth Sister’s quarters, and I sent Dongqing to invite you over — but by then you had already left. I thought the cords would need to be delivered once they were finished, so I didn’t ask her to go after you.”

First Yiniang smiled warmly: “I went to Fifth Miss’s quarters.”

Eleventh Miss couldn’t help but feel a stab of surprise, her lips parting slightly as she pondered what to say. But First Yiniang had already sighed: “You young ones don’t know about certain things from the past.

Your eldest sister’s husband’s family, Marquis Yongping’s Xu Family, is originally from Hebei. For their merit in following the founding emperor, they were granted a hereditary title and were named among the Ten Founding Generals, with the honor of being worshipped in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. During the Zheng’an reign, the Xu Family was implicated in the ‘Prince Zheng’an’s Conspiracy Case’ and stripped of their title. Though the title was restored during the Yannian reign, the family’s influence was far diminished from before. When the late patriarch served as an official in the capital, he was on close terms with the old Marquis of the Xu Family, and so betrothed your eldest sister to them.

At that time, the eldest daughter of the Xu Family was merely the consort of Prince Jian, a man of little power or standing. The son-in-law had little education, and with an elder brother above him and a younger brother below, he held only a seventh-rank garrison guard position in the Imperial Guards. The First Madam was not very willing.

Yet who could have foreseen how fortune would turn.

First, the son-in-law’s elder brother died of illness, and the son-in-law inherited the marquisate, making eldest sister the Marchioness of Yongping. Then Prince Jian ascended the throne and elevated the Xu Family’s eldest daughter to Empress. The son-in-law subsequently pacified both the Miao Division and the Northern Border uprisings, was granted the title of Grand General, and rose to the rank of Commander-in-Chief at the third rank. Yet such overwhelming wealth and splendor is not something everyone can truly enjoy.”

At this point, a chill crept into First Yiniang’s eyes.

“Eldest sister suffered a miscarriage with her first pregnancy. The old matriarch of the Xu Family made the decision herself — first, she stopped the medicine being given to the two chamber maids, Qin Shi and Tong Shi, who had already been in the son-in-law’s room before eldest sister’s arrival; then she arranged for the son-in-law to take the eldest daughter of the Wen Family of Yangzhou as a concubine. The following year, Qin Shi gave birth to a son and was elevated to Yiniang status. Wen Yiniang, though she did not share Qin Shi’s fortune, also gave birth to a daughter. As for our eldest sister, several years passed without the slightest movement. So she then took her personal maidservant, Qiuluo, as a chamber maid. After much difficulty, Qiuluo also conceived, and gave birth to a son the following year — but the child was born premature and died before the month was out.

For the sake of this matter, First Madam sought out countless deities and worshipped at countless temples; eldest sister searched for innumerable secret remedies and drank medicine after medicine. Finally, in the eighth year of the marriage, there came joyous news. But who would have thought — the child was carried to only seven months, and was born prematurely: a frail son who barely had the strength to cry out loud. He was given the name Zhun Ge.”

Eleventh Miss couldn’t help letting out a soft “Ah.”

In the eyes of the Luo Mansion’s servants and maids, and among the sisters of the Luo Family, Luo Yuanniang had always existed as a distant, godlike figure.

Exceptional in appearance, extraordinary in talent, married into a powerful and prestigious family, and the mother of a legitimate son… every happiness the world could imagine seemed to have been bestowed upon her. Yet who could have imagined…

What surprised her even more was that the Wen Family — one of the four great merchant families of Jiangnan — would agree to send their daughter into a marquis’s household as a concubine.

She also recalled Second Yiniang’s words from that day: “Zhun Ge is the legitimate son, yet he is not the heir apparent” — could it be that this was the secret behind it?

Eleventh Miss felt her throat go dry. She wanted to ask, yet didn’t know how to begin.

“After all, he was not carried to full term. Even fed on ginseng and bird’s nest, he simply couldn’t compare to Qin Shi’s son — that boy was lively and vigorous, and clever too. He could recognize characters at three, parse written texts at five, compose policy essays at seven, and now, at just nine years old, they say he will sit the examinations for the preliminary degree next year.” As she spoke, First Yiniang cast a long, meaningful glance at Eleventh Miss. “And so our eldest sister has been unable to sleep or eat properly these past few years… naturally her health could not possibly be good either.”

The Xu Family is truly complicated…

Eleventh Miss laughed bitterly in her heart. After a pause, she said: “How could the Wen Family agree to send their daughter to be someone’s concubine… wouldn’t that be far too much of a loss of face?”

Second Yiniang, who had been silent until now, let out a cold snort and said with a sardonic tone: “What is face worth? Can you eat it, or drink it? With this connection established, the Wen Family managed to secure the porcelain business for the Imperial Household Department just this year. Compared to the profits from the porcelain trade, what is face worth?”

Eleventh Miss held back her words.

Just as Second Yiniang had said, face could neither be eaten nor drunk — yet at a critical moment, it was the very thing that could let a person stand up straight and endure the hardship of having nothing to eat or drink.

But she had not come to argue with the two Yiniangs, nor did she have any intention of changing anyone’s views.

She smiled lightly and said: “In that case, our household’s Qiuluo at least has Miss Wen as company, so she is not entirely alone!”

In truth, she was tactfully asking First Yiniang what had become of Qiuluo, who had borne a child for Marquis Yongping.

First Yiniang was equally perceptive and immediately laughed: “Qin Shi was trained from childhood by the old matriarch of the Xu Family. Wen Shi is a legitimate daughter. Our Qiuluo, though she is beautiful — but if beauty alone were sufficient for a woman, then why would there be the saying ‘a well-matched marriage between families of equal standing’?” As she spoke, she covered her mouth and laughed, and at the corners of her eyes and the tips of her brows there appeared a few traces of allure.

In other words, Qiuluo hadn’t even managed to secure the position of Yiniang!

Eleventh Miss’s expression shifted slightly.

Though these two Yiniangs had long since lost the bloom of youth, their faces worn and weary, the charm that flowed naturally from their every gesture allowed her to imagine what remarkable beauties they must once have been. Yet even they had come to such an end — was this not the finest proof that “a woman cannot rely on beauty alone”?

She couldn’t help letting out a soft sigh.

“Yet our Luo Family is a family of officials and scholars, with generations steeped in literary refinement. The late patriarch rose to the position of Grand Scholar of the Cabinet, and cannot be compared to the Wen Family, who have been merchants for generations.” Eleventh Miss pressed further: “Lighting a long-life lamp is not an ordinary Buddhist ceremony, is it?”

“I didn’t expect you to know about the long-life lamp.” The perpetually cold-faced Second Yiniang’s eyes now filled with a warm smile. “When the former Vice Minister of Personnel, Ma Zifu, served as a provincial administration commissioner in Shaanxi, he had a mistress who brought her child back to live with him — and the late Emperor still called him ‘excellent in official conduct, outstanding in both talent and character.’ And you three have not even been entered into the clan register!”

At this, Eleventh Miss could no longer conceal the shock that gripped her, and her face drained of color in an instant.

“Not entered into the clan register?”

She had never known that she was not in the clan register.

First Yiniang let out a long sigh, and the gaze she turned on her held a measure of compassion: “When you had just returned from Fujian, Second Master and Third Master also came back with their families from their posts, and the household was already busy with many affairs. Then, just at that moment, you had your fall… First Madam might have forgotten!”

…

Eleventh Miss returned to Lvyun Tower with a troubled heart.

Tenth Sister had not yet come back.

She sent Dongqing to gather news. Baizhi said that Tenth Sister had gone out that afternoon and had not returned.

Eleventh Miss listened in silence for a long while, then had Hupo unfurl the calligraphy Fifth Miss had written and display it for Dongqing.

“I’m giving you one night. Use tracing paper to copy a piece.”

Though Dongqing did not know what Eleventh Miss intended, she accepted the task with the same respectful obedience as always.

Eleventh Miss said nothing more, and settled down to rest with Hupo attending her.

Early the next morning, Dongqing appeared, dark circles under her eyes, and presented the task that had been assigned to her.

Eleventh Miss took it and examined it carefully for some time, then nodded with a smile: “Dongqing’s painting skill grows better and better. You worked hard yesterday — go and rest now!”

Dongqing acknowledged the dismissal and withdrew. Eleventh Miss then wrote a letter, and sealed it together with the tracing paper in an envelope, which she handed to Qiuju: “Deliver this to Master Jian’s residence in Hangzhou.” She also had Hupo give her five taels of silver. “Under no circumstances must anyone else know of this.”

Having entered the eleventh month, Master Jian had returned to Hangzhou to spend the new year, and would not return to the Luo Mansion until March of the following year.

Qiuju took the letter and tucked it inside her robe: “Miss, you are consulting Master Jian about the embroidered screen, aren’t you? I will certainly tell no one.”

She had an elder brother who worked as a stable hand at the horse paddock and was on very good terms with the boatmen who transported goods for the Luo Family.

Eleventh Miss offered no further explanation, and with a smile went to call on First Madam.

“I slept well last night. When I get back, I’ll begin embroidering the screen at once.”

Though she arrived even earlier than the day before, she still caught sight of Fifth Miss.

First Madam immediately had someone bring her goat’s milk; after she finished it, First Madam told her to focus on embroidering the screen and said she need not come to pay her respects in the evening, further emphasizing: “Finishing that screen on time is the truest form of filial piety.”

First Madam had said something similar before, and it appeared she was not simply saying it for show.

Reflecting on this, Eleventh Miss agreed with a smile, exchanged a few brief words with First Madam, and then returned to Lvyun Tower, where she settled into the focused work of embroidering the screen.

Several days later, First Madam sent people to Lvyun Tower to take measurements for Eleventh Miss’s spring garments.

Dongqing was taken aback.

Making spring garments had its established customs — it was to be done after the second day of the second month.

The new year had not even passed yet.

When Eleventh Miss learned of it, she simply looked up and asked: “Is it only for me, or does everyone get them?”

The woman who had come to take measurements smiled: “Naturally, everyone gets them. However, First Madam said that Eleventh Miss has grown considerably this year, so she asked us to make a few extra sets.”

Eleventh Miss listened and gave a somewhat distracted nod, then lowered her head and continued embroidering the screen.

Hupo, however, felt rather unsettled. She pulled Binju aside: “While Miss has Dongqing attending her, let’s make a trip to Fifth Miss’s quarters — I didn’t spend much time with Ziwei and Ziyuan when I was in First Madam’s service. Now that I’m in Eleventh Miss’s household, it’s better to cultivate a closer acquaintance with the maids of each miss’s quarters.”

Binju was quite supportive of this idea, and went along with Hupo to Fifth Miss’s quarters.

—