The matter was far more complicated than Eleventh Miss had imagined.

She decided to hold her ground and wait for events to unfold.

She then imposed a confinement order on the members of her own household — unless there was pressing business, all were to remain indoors. Even if a close acquaintance came to extend an invitation, they were not permitted to go out.

As for Fifth Yiniang’s quarters, she sent Dongqing over with word that she herself was occupied with embroidering the screen, and asked Fifth Yiniang not to come to Lvyun Tower unless there was something specific.

Fortunately, the people in Eleventh Miss’s quarters had long since grown accustomed to her unassuming manner. Fifth Yiniang had also long grown accustomed to her daughter’s distance. And even Hupo displayed sufficient deference to Eleventh Miss’s order, spending her days in the side sitting room keeping Qiuju, Zhuxiang, and the others company with needlework and conversation.

While their quarters lay in perfect quiet, outside there was laughter and merriment all around.

One day, Fifth Miss painted a portrait of Guanyin for First Madam — and the face of the Bodhisattva in the painting resembled First Madam herself. First Madam was delighted beyond measure and had it hung in her own sitting room; when the Third Young Mistress of the Western Residence came to visit, she made a special point of bringing her to see it, and Third Young Mistress offered no end of praise. Another day, Tenth Sister accompanied First Madam in chanting sutras; the abbess of Ci’an Temple, Huizhen, came to call on First Madam, and Tenth Miss was actually able to discuss the scriptures with Abbess Huizhen, who declared that Tenth Miss was a reincarnation of a jade maiden before Guanyin’s throne. This delighted First Madam so much that she smiled without stopping, and on the spot rewarded Tenth Miss with her own most treasured strand of agarwood prayer beads. Then there was Twelfth Miss, who made a variety of silk flowers from gauze and presented them to First Madam; First Madam held them in her hands and, for a moment, could not tell if they were real or artificial, and actually reached out to feel them…

Only Eleventh Miss sat quietly in her room, embroidering the screen without a sound.

Others all had plenty to say, but Nanny Xin and Nanny Tang, returning to their own quarters, constantly heard the nannies of Tenth Miss’s and Twelfth Miss’s rooms excitedly recounting how their own young misses had distinguished themselves before First Madam, and how they had won her favor. In particular, the two nannies of Tenth Miss’s quarters — in the past, though Eleventh Miss’s standing did not match Fifth Miss’s, compared to Tenth Miss she had been on an entirely different level, and the two nannies had often lamented that Tenth Miss was too headstrong and that they had chosen the wrong mistress to serve. Yet who would have thought — Tenth Miss seemed to have had a sudden awakening overnight; not only had she overshadowed Eleventh Miss, but even Fifth Miss no longer looked at Tenth Miss with the same dismissive air as before. The two nannies suddenly saw hope, and naturally their words in and out were filled with nothing else. Furthermore, the two nannies of Twelfth Miss’s quarters chimed in with a laugh: “Speaking of the misses who have yet to be married out among us here — not counting Twelfth Miss, who is still young, but Fifth Miss, Tenth Miss, and Eleventh Miss — when it comes to figure and features, the most beautiful is undeniably Tenth Miss. It’s just that she was frail before and rarely seen at First Madam’s side. Now that she’s fully recovered, and with a talent that rivals even the moon goddess Chang’e and the frost maiden Su’e, First Madam is naturally ten-fold delighted with her.”

The two matrons from Tenth Miss’s quarters were overjoyed to hear this, and produced five hundred cash for the kitchen to add dishes and treat them all to wine. They declared: “Finally the day has come to hold our heads up.” In the ears of Nanny Xin and Nanny Tang, this all tasted utterly bitter.

Knowing that Dongqing was with Eleventh Miss embroidering the screen and not daring to trouble them, the two nannies pulled aside a couple of junior maids to talk: “She is meant to pay her respects on the first and fifteenth of each month — but consider this: when she took on the screen, the first had already passed, and she only went to pay respects on the fifteenth. Come the next first day of the month, it’ll be the New Year, and everyone goes to pay respects to First Madam then — so that’s one occasion lost. Come the fifteenth, it’s the Lantern Festival, a family reunion occasion — and that’s another occasion lost… one after another, by the time she can pay her daily respects again, the screen will likely be finished long since.”

Qiuju was also fretful, and said with a mournful face: “What can be done about it? Would you have Miss abandon the screen and leave it unfinished? You all know — Miss embroiders every night until the first watch before resting, and is up again by the fifth watch. Where does she have the time?”

Zhuxiang had lost her birth mother early, and her father had remarried. Though the stepmother never struck or scolded her, she had never given her so much as a kind look. Had her birth mother not once served alongside Fifth Yiniang in First Madam’s chambers — had Fifth Yiniang not cherished that old bond of friendship — even if Zhuxiang had found a way into the household as a servant, there would have been no chance of her being assigned to a young miss’s quarters, let alone receiving a third-rank maid’s monthly allowance.

Seeing that everyone was so worried, the usually quiet and reticent Zhuxiang felt moved to offer some comfort: “Sisters and Nannies, don’t be anxious. First Madam only had new garments made for Fifth Miss and our Eleventh Miss — which shows that our miss still stands higher in First Madam’s esteem.”

Just then, Hupo came looking for Qiuju to go and fetch the food box. Having heard Zhuxiang’s words, she quietly nodded in approval and said nothing, choosing instead to listen and see what else they would say.

“Didn’t First Madam say that with the new year fast approaching, the household has many matters to attend to, and that Tenth Miss’s and Twelfth Miss’s garments will be made after the new year is over?” Nanny Xin muttered. “Is that any kind of distinction?”

“Nanny is confused!” Qiuju had come back to her senses by then, and explained with a broad smile. “That our miss should be moved ahead of Tenth Miss to have her garments made first — could it not be that First Madam is honoring our miss for her hard work these past days? Nannies, don’t go listening to those matrons spreading gossip.”

Nanny Xin and Nanny Tang both felt Qiuju and Zhuxiang had made good points and nodded along repeatedly: “No wonder Miss has us speak to fewer people and keep to ourselves — it seems she had foreseen long ago that something like this would happen.”

Hupo was listening with great absorption when suddenly someone called out in a loud voice from behind her: “Hupo!”

She turned — and saw a clear-featured woman of about thirty, accompanied by a maid of seventeen or eighteen, both standing at the doorway with beaming smiles, each holding a bulky cloth bundle in indigo blue.

Realizing she had just been caught eavesdropping by these two, Hupo’s face flushed scarlet with shame. She quickly stepped forward, and when she had covered enough distance, called out in a carrying voice: “Sister Liu, Hanxiao — what brings you here!”

“We’ve come to deliver Eleventh Miss’s new spring garments.” The woman smiled. “I didn’t expect to see Hupo right as we arrived — how convenient.”

Hupo hurried to lift the curtain for Sister Liu and Hanxiao: “You’ve even gone to the trouble of delivering them in person.”

“We’re acting on First Madam’s orders.” Sister Liu and Hanxiao entered and set the bundles down on the round table in the center of the room. “First Madam said to have me deliver them into the young miss’s own hands.”

Hupo moved to pour tea for Sister Liu and Hanxiao.

Sister Liu stopped her: “No need. I still have a great heap of work waiting for me and truly cannot afford to idle. I’ll come and see Eleventh Miss once things are quieter in a few days.” As she spoke, she made as if to leave in earnest.

Binju happened to be sitting on the bed sorting the collection of embroidery patterns she had accumulated over time, and hearing the commotion, she too came out to help Hupo detain the guests.

Sister Liu, seeing how sincerely they pressed her to stay, and thinking of the garments inside the bundles, gave a smile and said: “Truthfully, I am right in the middle of making garments for Zhun Ge — like your miss, I cannot afford the delay!”

If she couldn’t afford the delay, why come in person to deliver the clothes!

Both of them found this a little puzzling. But seeing that Sister Liu could not be persuaded to stay, they had no choice but to see her and the others out of Lvyun Tower.

Back inside, when they opened the bundles to look, both Hupo and Dongqing were struck speechless.

Peach-blossom soft in the blush known as drunken celestial, as crystalline as sky-washed blue after rain, as radiant as a moonlit jade sash, and a shade somewhere between white and crimson called sea-sky rose… each and every one a rare and precious fabric that had only ever been seen on First Madam herself.

The two looked at each other in disbelief, then shook out the topmost piece — an overcoat in scallion green.

A center-front opening, straight sleeves, knee length, fitted at the waist, with subtle dark-woven plum blossoms on ice, the hem and collar adorned with gold-threaded borders in a pattern of roses and butterflies, and three white jade buttons fastened at the chest.

Both drew in a sharp breath at the same moment.

Such a novel style, such exquisite craftsmanship — neither of them had ever laid eyes on anything like it.

Hupo handled it as though it were a hot coal, and swiftly retied the open bundle: “Quickly — put this in Miss’s trunk.”

Binju’s face had also gone rather pale.

Miss had said it before: a bird that sticks its head out gets shot. If you don’t want to be shot, don’t be the bird that sticks its head out.

If these garments were actually worn in public, it would not be a matter of sticking one’s head out — it would be like a peacock spreading its full tail display.

She hurriedly gathered up the other bundle and went with Hupo into the inner bedchamber.

“What has come over you two?” Dongqing was sitting beside Eleventh Miss, helping her split silk thread as fine as hair into halves, while Eleventh Miss’s needle flew at speed without once lifting her head.

Binju shook out the overcoat from her arms for Dongqing to see: “This was just delivered by Sister Liu — she said it is the newly made spring garments.”

“How can this be?” Dongqing’s voice trembled slightly.

At the sound of those words, Eleventh Miss couldn’t help but look up.

Seeing the overcoat, she too was struck still.

Hupo then stepped forward and murmured every detail of what Sister Liu had said into Eleventh Miss’s ear, word for word.

Eleventh Miss listened in silence for a long moment, then rose and said: “Let me try it on and see whether the spring garments fit.”

Hupo hurried forward to help Eleventh Miss off with her short jacket, and with the silk inner robe still on, slipped the overcoat over it.

A narrow-sleeved inner robe in white, an embroidered pleated skirt in pale yellow, a scallion-green overcoat — and the gold-threaded borders of rose and butterfly pattern brought a few gleaming sparks of brightness to those understated, quiet colors.

Eleventh Miss stood before the dressing mirror and, touching the white jade buttons at her chest, let out a long sigh: “Tell me — do you think my complexion looks considerably worse than before?”

Dongqing and Binju were both briefly puzzled and studied Eleventh Miss’s face carefully. But Hupo laughed: “Would you like to try some face powder? It’s said to be a palace item — ten taels of silver per box on the open market. First Madam herself uses this kind.”

Eleventh Miss’s dark eyes flickered, then she added: “What if I cut myself a straight fringe?”

Hupo laughed again: “First Madam dislikes it most when anyone cuts a straight fringe — she says it covers half the face for no reason and makes one look timid and shrinking. They say Fifth Miss used to love cutting a straight fringe, and First Madam had a back-combing board made for her to wear instead.”

Eleventh Miss smiled slightly, then removed the overcoat and handed it to Hupo to put away: “Since these are spring garments, naturally they are to be worn in spring.”

…

Though spring was still some time away, the Spring Festival arrived quickly.

Sweeping the dust, offering at the Kitchen God’s shrine, ancestral rites, staying up for the new year, paying New Year’s calls… Eleventh Miss only went to the reunion dinner on the night of the vigil. On the morning of the first day, she paid her New Year’s respects to First Madam; for the rest of the time, she stayed in her room embroidering the screen, and the festive noise and bustle of the new year had nothing to do with her. Come the fifteenth of the first month, the Lantern Festival, the Luo household did as it had in past years — dinner was served with sweet rice dumplings, and then the matrons standing night watch and the household guards were left to their posts, while all the maids and married women from each quarter were given leave. Qiuju followed Du Wei and the others to walk off illnesses by moonlight. When she returned, there was an extra purse hanging at her waist.

—