A wicker basket was easy enough to find — but finding someone to look after the child was another matter entirely.

For a moment, the Eleventh Young Madam found herself troubled again.

Dongqing volunteered herself: “Why don’t I go? That place is worlds away from the Fifth Madam’s quarters — nothing should go wrong.”

Hupo agreed: “It is the Marquis’s domain, after all. The Fifth Madam is a younger sister-in-law — even if she wandered, she wouldn’t end up in that corner.”

The Eleventh Young Madam thought this made sense. Hupo went to the kitchen and found a wicker basket that had held apples, and with considerable cunning also claimed a dozen or more catties of apples to be placed in the basket — so that anyone who came close would smell the fruit and their suspicions would be disarmed.

She had done her part well. But a new problem arose.

How were they to get Fengqing into the basket?

He had curled himself into a tight ball, watching them with wary eyes, his face bearing an expression of ferocity that seemed far too old for a child.

The Eleventh Young Madam tried talking to him the way one might a difficult child: “…We’re taking you somewhere to stay. You don’t need to be afraid. This will be your home.” She pointed to Dongqing. “This will be your caretaker — she’ll take care of your meals and sleep, give you baths and wash your clothes…”

It was clear that Fengqing was an exceptionally clever child. He grasped the Eleventh Young Madam’s meaning at once — and made his own feelings equally clear. He gripped the legs of the nearby small kang table with both hands and planted himself there with every sign of refusing to budge, come what may.

The Eleventh Young Madam pressed her palm to her forehead and instructed Dongqing: “You stay here and keep watch on him. I still need to meet with the Third Madam about the New Year preparations.” Remembering that Dongqing had just been bitten, she added, “Have Binju come in — more hands make things easier.”

Dongqing was also afraid she couldn’t manage the child alone, and on hearing this immediately called Binju in.

Binju had heard early that morning that the Marquis and the Madam were in the room together and had told everyone not to enter. Then Dongqing had been called in; not long after, a shriek was heard. Then the Marquis left, but the Fourth Madam and Dongqing hadn’t come out and hadn’t called for anyone. Then Dongqing came back out and summoned Hupo… Everyone had been left wondering what had happened, tense and quiet. Binju was just in the middle of anxious speculation when Dongqing called for her. She followed in three quick strides and looked up to find a stranger child sitting on the kang of the inner chamber — with a pair of phoenix eyes identical to Xu Lingyi’s — and she was so struck that she began to stammer: “What — what is going on here?”

Before the Eleventh Young Madam could open her mouth, a junior maid came in to report that three Yiniangs had arrived to pay their morning respects to the Eleventh Young Madam.

She went out to the main hall to receive their greeting, exchanged a few words, and sent the three on their way.

Returning to the room, Binju, now informed of the situation, came up to meet her with anxious eyes: “Madam, you can hide something for a time, but not forever. I think it would be better to bring it all out into the open sooner rather than later.”

The Eleventh Young Madam knew this as well as anyone.

“Let’s wait for the Marquis to return,” she said, weighing her words. “Right now, without knowing his intentions, if we act rashly and ruin what he’s planning, I’m afraid none of us will have an easy time of it.”

Binju nodded, and reminded her: “It’s nearly time to call on the Grand Madam!”

The Eleventh Young Madam nodded, left the child in their charge, wrapped herself in a cloak, and set off with Lvyun and Hongxiu to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

The Third Madam had already come earlier that morning; after paying her respects, the Eleventh Young Madam kept her appointment and went to the Third Madam’s quarters.

When she arrived, all the managing nannies had already assembled and were waiting in the main hall for the Third Madam’s instructions. Seeing her come in, they pressed forward one after another, curtsying and offering greetings in a cheerful chorus, all of them exceedingly attentive.

The Eleventh Young Madam was careful to respect the Third Madam’s authority as mistress of the household. She sent a junior maid in to announce her, then made polite conversation with the managing nannies until the maid came to summon her, whereupon she smiled and took her leave of the nannies and went into the east side room.

The Third Madam’s smile was a little strained — she looked to be in rather poor spirits: “Sister-in-law, come in. Come sit on the kang!”

Qiuling rose to lead the Eleventh Young Madam to the seat across from the Third Madam and then swiftly served tea.

Watching the composed and unhurried Qiuling, the Third Madam thought of Dongqing and said: “…I hear she’s been matched with Wan Daxian. The wedding date will be set next spring?”

The Eleventh Young Madam didn’t know who had let it slip — after all, the three formal letters and six rites had not yet taken place, and she didn’t want to speak of it in absolute terms. She was deliberately vague: “That will depend on whether the fates align for them.”

The Third Madam smiled: “After all, she’s the first one from your rooms to be released into marriage — it ought to be properly celebrated.”

The Eleventh Young Madam answered cautiously: “There are precedents for these things to follow.”

The Third Madam, finding her answers evasive and unsatisfying, lost interest and had Qiuling bring the account ledgers over to the Eleventh Young Madam, then changed the subject: “Have a look at these first — if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can check the ledgers or ask me.”

“Please go ahead as you see fit, Third Sister-in-law,” the Eleventh Young Madam replied with great courtesy — which pleased the Third Madam considerably. When all was said and done, the Eleventh Young Madam was a bright and tractable young woman. If they hadn’t been separated by the distance of their respective positions, the Third Madam would have been quite glad to associate with her more often.

The thought flickered through her mind and was gone; she had already instructed Qiuling: “The foremost virtue is filial piety. Let’s have the nanny in charge of the ancestral hall come in first and tell us how the sacrificial offerings have been prepared.”

Qiuling went off to do so.

The Eleventh Young Madam gathered her attention and watched as the Third Madam went through the household management matters.

—

The morning passed quickly. The Third Madam had Qiuling write out all the matters dealt with and decisions made that morning in an organized record, then rose to go with the Eleventh Young Madam to the Grand Madam’s quarters: “…While we’re there serving her for the midday meal, we can let her know what’s been decided so she has a sense of things.”

But the Eleventh Young Madam had that hot troublesome matter waiting for her at home. She found an excuse: “I’ll go back first to change — I feel as though my hands are covered in dust after going through those ledgers all morning.”

Some of the ledgers were quite old. They were kept in the storeroom and only brought out for reference when something was unclear. Fine dust had settled between the pages.

The Third Madam had gone through those same ledgers herself and understood at once. She smiled: “Then I’ll go on ahead!” She had always been eager for this sort of occasion, which let her stand above the other sisters-in-law.

The Eleventh Young Madam smiled and took her leave of the Third Madam, returning to her own courtyard.

The attendants were standing as they had been when she left — some at the entrance to the main hall, some beneath the eaves — and the inner room was silent and undisturbed, as though everything that had happened that morning were nothing but her imagination.

Shuangyu stepped forward to report: “Madam, Dongqing, Hupo, and Binju have gone to Banyue Pond.”

It seemed the child had been successfully moved.

She felt a wave of relief, keeping her expression natural as she smiled and said, “Why did they suddenly go to Banyue Pond?”

“They said with the New Year approaching, Zhaoying at Banyue Pond would like a few capable maids to come help tidy things up. Hupo said that since it’s the Marquis’s study, they were afraid maids who couldn’t read might not know which things should stay and which should be moved, so she took Dongqing and Binju along.”

A rather vague explanation.

It seemed she would have to wait for the three of them to return before she could get the full picture.

The Eleventh Young Madam nodded, went inside to change her clothes, then asked: “Has the Marquis returned?”

“The Marquis has not yet returned.” Shuangyu answered respectfully.

In that case, the excuse of having gone to Lord Wang Li’s could still be put to use.

The Eleventh Young Madam thought it over on her way to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

—

Returning from the Grand Madam’s after the midday meal, Hupo was already waiting in the room.

Before the Eleventh Young Madam could even ask, Hupo gave her a nod — everything had been sorted.

The Eleventh Young Madam breathed easy. She dismissed those attending her and asked for a full account of what had happened.

“…Every time we got near him, he bit. With no other option, the three of us used force — held his mouth shut, bound his hands and feet, and got him into the basket.” Hupo kept her voice low as she told the story. “It was still early, and we didn’t run into anyone along the way. Zhaoying nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw us. Once I explained the situation, he was decisive about it — immediately took us inside and sent for hot water. Dongqing and I held Fengqing young master down by force to bathe him; we had to change the water three times before we had him clean. Binju went over to Nanny Nangyong’s to get a few changes of clothes. Only then did we manage to get him properly settled in. Dongqing and Binju are staying there to look after him — I was worried you’d be anxious, so I came back first to let you know.”

“Fengqing young master?” The Eleventh Young Madam was slightly taken aback.

So it was a boy.

Hupo’s gaze flickered a little: “Yes. A young master.”

The Eleventh Young Madam looked at her steadily: “Is there anything else?”

Hupo hesitated a moment, then lowered her voice: “Young Master Fengqing has injuries on his body.”

*Injuries.*

The Eleventh Young Madam thought of how disheveled and squalid he had looked when he arrived… her brow furrowed tightly: “What kind of injuries?”

“It looks like he was struck with bamboo strips about two fingers wide. Blue welts and purple welts, all across his back — some of the wounds are fresh from the past day or two, others are older. On his thighs as well…” Hupo chose her words carefully, “all in places that clothing would cover.”

*Did Xu Lingyi know about this?*

The Eleventh Young Madam’s gaze turned razor-sharp.

She had always despised people who bullied women and children.

“How is the child now?” Her voice was cold and measured.

“Curled up in a corner of the bed, won’t let anyone near.” Hupo’s tone was tinged with sorrow. “He was like that when I left — fell asleep that way. Hasn’t eaten the midday meal.”

That reminded the Eleventh Young Madam of something.

“Have all of you eaten?”

“We have,” Hupo said. “Zhaoying arranged the meals. In front of others, they only said we’d come to help.”

The Eleventh Young Madam nodded: “We’ll wait until the Marquis returns before deciding anything.” Yet the anger rising in her heart refused to abate.

Hupo murmured her assent, then said, “Madam, let me serve you to rest a while. Dongqing and Binju are over there — there’s no need to worry.”

The Eleventh Young Madam could not possibly sleep. She leaned against the bolster and spoke with Hupo: “The more I think about this, the stranger it seems. If this were a child the Marquis had fathered outside, then knowing the Marquis, while he might not be warm or tender about it, he would have arranged things properly. A child could not have ended up in such a condition. There’s something unusual about where this child has come from.”

Hupo poured a cup of hot tea personally and brought it to her.

“Could it be that the Marquis didn’t know before?” she guessed. “Otherwise, why would he have rushed out in the middle of the night on the spur of the moment?”

*Didn’t know.* Under what circumstances might that be possible? Could it have been an unintended consequence of some fleeting encounter…