Seeing Luo Shiyiniang’s flushed face clouded with indignation, Xu Lingyi felt embarrassed and at a loss. For a moment, the room was perfectly still, broken only by the soft rustling sounds as Luo Shiyiniang dressed.

At precisely that awkward moment, a young maid called timidly from behind the curtain: “Steward Bai has come.”

Xu Lingyi gave a sound and strode out quickly.

For reasons she could not quite name, Luo Shiyiniang felt a wave of grievance wash over her, and her eyes filled with tears.

“Madam…” Hupo slipped in quietly, took one look at the disarray all around, and said carefully, “Let me bring water for you to wash your face. It is nearly time to go to the Grand Madam’s.”

Luo Shiyiniang hurriedly dabbed at the corners of her eyes and gave a nod.

Hupo called Lvyun and Hongxiu in to clear things up, and with Binju helped Luo Shiyiniang wash her face herself.

“Where is the Marquis?”

She could hardly go alone.

“I am not sure.” Hupo chose her words carefully. “He went out with Steward Bai… I will send someone to find out.”

“Never mind.” Luo Shiyiniang felt a chill in her heart. It was not as if he did not know that she went to pay her respects to the Grand Madam at this time every day. “Just bring Zhen Jie’er along.”

Hupo’s expression turned awkward: “Zhen Jie’er went over early this morning. Little Oriole came to say so — at the time the Marquis was in the room…”

Zhen Jie’er must have felt it was not her place to walk over together, and Hupo had not wanted to make the report with Xu Lingyi right there in the room.

Luo Shiyiniang gave a nod, and went to the Grand Madam’s quarters alone.

Xu Sijian was in the courtyard playing spinning tops with Zhun Ge. Seeing her come in, they hurried forward to bow in greeting. Xu Sijian even said, “Did you come alone? Where is Fourth Uncle?”

“Oh,” Luo Shiyiniang replied with composure, “your Fourth Uncle has something to attend to. He will be along shortly.”

Xu Sijian made a sound of understanding, and together with Zhun Ge accompanied her to see the Grand Madam.

The Grand Madam also asked, “Where is Old Fourth? Still busy?”

Luo Shiyiniang nodded. The Third Master and the Third Madam arrived, and seeing Luo Shiyiniang alone, asked in puzzlement, “Where is the Fourth Brother? Why have you come by yourself?”

“He is busy with something,” Luo Shiyiniang answered with a smile.

“Goodness,” the Third Madam exclaimed. “But what is the matter with you? Your eyes are all red.”

“Are they?” Luo Shiyiniang looked mildly surprised. “I had not noticed.”

“If you do not believe me, let us go and show the Grand Madam —” The Third Madam was already pulling Luo Shiyiniang toward the Grand Madam, when a young maid announced from outside: “The Marquis has arrived.”

The Third Madam paused. Xu Lingyi had already come striding in with great steps.

The Grand Madam looked deeply at Luo Shiyiniang for a moment, then smiled and accepted her fourth son’s bow, and the whole company of sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren ushered her cheerfully into the east side room for dinner.

Once everyone had gone, the Grand Madam called Nanny Du over. “Go and find out — what did the two of them quarrel about?”

Nanny Du answered with a smile, then slipped out through the back gate to the rear servants’ quarters where Hupo and the others lodged.

The rear quarters were perfectly quiet, with only a single caretaker matron keeping watch.

Nanny Du found this odd. “Where has everyone gone?”

The matron’s smile flickered. “Hupo has called them all in for a talking-to.”

“What is this about?” Nanny Du frowned. “I hear Hupo in the Madam’s household is as capable as they come — I did not know she also spoke to the maids on the Madam’s behalf.”

The matron immediately tried to curry favor: “Is that not exactly right? It is hardly a matter of any great significance, and yet she is making such a production of it. By the sound of things, she is even talking of dismissing someone.”

“What happened?” Nanny Du’s expression grew serious.

The matron’s smile grew sheepish. “It is not really a big deal.” She lowered her voice. “Today the Marquis was in the Madam’s rooms, and that little maid Xing’e — you know Xing’e, she’s the grandniece of Auntie Cai from the laundry — barged in without knowing any better…” She lowered her voice even further. “…and saw the Marquis holding the Madam in the middle of doing *that*…” She gave Nanny Du a suggestive wink.

The famously dignified and reserved Marquis — in broad daylight — doing *that sort of thing*…

Nanny Du felt as if her head had been struck: the words “surely you are mistaken” were at the very tip of her tongue.

“How could she have been mistaken?” the matron whispered. “Otherwise, why would Hupo call everyone in for a dressing-down…”

“Ah…” Not that she entirely believed it — even the thought of it seemed inconceivable. Nanny Du’s mind had turned to mush.

“Did you come on some errand?” The matron was an old servant from the previous Madam’s days and had no great regard for those who had come in with Luo Shiyiniang. She said, with a touch of gloating, “Shall I go and call Hupo out for you?”

“No need.” Nanny Du was already somewhat distracted. “Since she is occupied, I will come back to find her tomorrow.” And with that, she hurried back to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

“Well?” The Grand Madam saw that Nanny Du’s expression was a little off, and felt a pang of anxiety herself.

She was old, and feared above all things that her children and their families would be at odds with one another.

Nanny Du’s face went red, then white, before she leaned in and murmured at length into the Grand Madam’s ear.

The Grand Madam listened with her mouth falling open. “You — you are quite certain you have not made a mistake?”

“I should think not.” Nanny Du said. “Otherwise, Hupo would not have said what she said about dismissing someone.”

“That is what I was saying — how was it that the two of them came in one after the other today,” said the Grand Madam, beginning to laugh. “And the one who came in with red eyes, looking as if she had been crying… she must have been mortified at being seen and too embarrassed to face anyone…” She even joked, “Well, I would not have thought it — my son is quite an impulsive sort!”

Nanny Du could not decide whether to laugh or be horrified. “Grand Madam… this is hardly what a mother-in-law is meant to say.”

“Young people — when have they ever not had their moments of foolishness,” said the Grand Madam, waving her hand with an air of unconcerned amusement. “Never mind, never mind. It all settles down with age.”

—

On the other side of the house, Luo Shiyiniang was sitting with her head bowed over her needlework, her eyes darting every now and then to Xu Lingyi, who was lying against the large bolster, reading.

Why was he still here…

She had gone to the Grand Madam’s alone, he had not looked at her once during dinner, and on the way back he had not said a single word… She had just now offered him tea in a perfectly civil manner, and he had been utterly indifferent. She had already backed down — and here he was, lying there without a sound. What exactly was that supposed to mean?

Luo Shiyiniang fumed inwardly and shot a glance at Hupo.

Hupo gave a small nod and went out, returned with a pitcher of hot water, and refilled Xu Lingyi’s cup. Then a young maid came in to report: “Madam, a maid called Xiuyuan from Qiao Yiniang’s side has come to ask whether the Marquis’s room is to be kept open for him tonight.”

Luo Shiyiniang looked toward Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi sat as if he had not heard a word, not so much as lifting an eyebrow from his book.

Luo Shiyiniang had no choice but to set down her needlework and step forward, lowering her voice: “Marquis, about this…”

Xu Lingyi did not even look up. He gave a listless sound and said: “Bring hot water and help me soak my feet.”

His meaning was that he was not going over tonight.

Luo Shiyiniang wanted to say something more to persuade him, but seeing the cool composure of his brow, she chose to sidestep the confrontation and told a young maid: “Go and tell Qiao Yiniang — the Marquis has something on tonight and will not be coming.”

The young maid went off to deliver the message.

Luo Shiyiniang looked toward Xu Lingyi again.

Seeing that his eyes remained fixed on his book, without so much as a tremor of his hand, Luo Shiyiniang pressed her lips together, called for the young maids to bring hot water, and set about soaking Xu Lingyi’s feet.

—

“The Marquis is not coming!” Qiao Lianfang exclaimed, startled. “Does the Marquis know?”

The young maid looked somewhat aggrieved: “Hupo had me wait, and then came out herself to tell me to go in and deliver the message. At the time, both the Marquis and the Madam were in the room. The Marquis said nothing, and the Madam stepped up and asked him herself — and the Marquis told her to attend to soaking his feet…”

The color drained entirely from Qiao Lianfang’s face.

The maid Xiuyuan, standing behind her, saw this and immediately fished several copper coins from her sleeve and offered them to the young maid: “You’ve done well. Here — go buy yourself something sweet.”

The young maid accepted them happily and curtseyed to Qiao Lianfang before backing out.

She was nearly at the door when something came to mind and she stopped, turning back. “Qiao Yiniang, I heard the maids in the courtyard saying — this afternoon the Marquis was holding the Madam and doing *that*, and was walked in on by Xing’e… The Madam got into a temper with the Marquis over it. The Marquis was so put out that he would not give her the time of day all afternoon.”

*Clang* — the antique porcelain cup in Qiao Lianfang’s hands tumbled onto the patterned red carpet, rolled a few times, and came to rest on the bare tiles beyond.

Xiuyuan’s face changed at once. She rushed forward and pushed the young maid out the door: “All right, it’s getting late — you go and rest.”

The young maid stumbled out as she was pushed, and stared back at the swaying grey slatted curtain, scratching her head and muttering under her breath, “No wonder Auntie Tao told me to say that part at the door…” Before the words were fully out, she heard a faint sound of weeping from behind the curtain.

She wanted to go and look — but then remembered Auntie Tao’s instruction to leave as soon as she had said it… In the end, she suppressed her curiosity and trotted off to report back to Auntie Tao.

—

Luo Shiyiniang looked at Xu Lingyi — his expression cool and grave in the lamplight — and told herself once more: I did nothing wrong. Indulging in daytime intimacies has always been improper. What right did he have to sulk? If she felt any guilt at all, it was only because she was wary of his authority. In this matter, she was not wrong.

With that settled in her mind, the resentment pressing down on her lifted considerably.

She turned over and lay with her back to Xu Lingyi. The lamplight on that side was too harsh, so she turned over again to face him, and buried her head between the two pillows, closing her eyes.

Let him do as he pleased. She needed to go back to her family tomorrow — if her eyes were puffy, the Fifth Yiniang would think she had been crying…

Xu Lingyi held a book in his hands, but his gaze kept slipping sideways to Luo Shiyiniang, restlessly turning this way and that beside him.

So — she was quite bothered when he refused to acknowledge her.

Seeing her flip over yet again, the corner of his mouth curved into the faintest of smiles.

He had only been teasing her, to begin with. Who could have known a maid would barge in…

It was not as though it had been intentional.

He had been just as mortified.

Besides — he had only stepped out with Steward Bai for a moment, and she had gone to the Grand Madam’s without waiting for him. Anyone with eyes would think they had quarreled.

He had kept his face deliberately stern, simply to make her anxious for a little while.

The smile at the corner of Xu Lingyi’s mouth deepened.

Just a little longer… and then he would speak to her.

But the person beside him turned once more — and then went still.

He was startled. He leaned over to look.

She lay with her head tilted to one side, her expression perfectly serene — she had fallen asleep.

“Luo Shiyiniang.”

Xu Lingyi’s expression darkened.

The sleeping woman’s nostrils fluttered faintly. Her face nuzzled against the bed cloth.

“Moyane…” Xu Lingyi raised his voice.

Luo Shiyiniang gave a vague, incoherent murmur and buried her face even deeper.