Eleventh Young Miss shook her head slightly, immediately dismissing her own theory.

Three years ago, Xu Lingyi had been in the Miao borderlands — the timing didn’t add up!

Besides, since the child had been raised outside the household, there would certainly have been people caring for him. As long as money had been supplied regularly, who would dare beat the child? And Xu Lingyi was not a stingy man in matters of money.

Or perhaps… something had happened to the birth mother?

The thought had barely formed before she shook her head again.

That was even less likely — if something had happened to the child’s mother, the servants attending him could not possibly have failed to inform Xu Lingyi. And judging by the small clothes on the child, it was plain that no one had properly cared for him for quite some time.

Moreover, at that time, Yuan Niang had been doing everything in her power to catch Xu Lingyi in some wrongdoing, to make him submit to her will. Xu Lingyi could not have acted without leaving some trace, and Yuan Niang was not the sort of woman who was easily deceived.

The more she turned it over in her mind, the more convinced she became that this child was unlikely to be Xu Lingyi’s.

“What was Zhaoying’s reaction when he saw the child?” Eleventh Young Miss mused aloud.

“He was completely startled,” Hupo replied. “It took him quite a long while to recover his composure. Young Master Fengqing has a fierce temper, and it was all thanks to Zhaoying’s help. During that time, he stared into Young Master Fengqing’s eyes several times.”

Which meant he had not known about this child.

“Were there any other markings on the child?”

Hupo looked puzzled.

Eleventh Young Miss prompted her: “A jade pendant hanging around his neck, or a small bracelet on his wrist — that sort of thing.”

Hupo understood: “No, nothing at all.” She paused, thinking back. “The clothing was ordinary red silk, the kind that goes for two taels and three fen per bolt in the market, lined with cotton at one tael and eight fen per bolt — all common patterns you’d find anywhere. The shoes, though, were very finely made. Either the cobbler had excellent skill, or they were purchased from a proper shoe shop.”

In other words, everything on the child could be obtained simply by spending money.

Eleventh Young Miss was still deep in thought and was about to ask another question when a young maidservant announced from beyond the curtain: “My Lady, the Marquis has returned!”

She quickly exchanged a glance with Hupo, stepped down from the kang and put on her shoes, then murmured under her breath: “Mind what you say.”

Hupo looked at Eleventh Young Miss steadily and nodded: “My Lady need not worry. This servant understands. I will not let the Marquis be angered.”

Hupo was always composed and reliable. Reassured, Eleventh Young Miss had barely stood up after putting on her shoes when Xu Lingyi strode in.

His expression was austere, yet between his brows lay a faint shadow of weariness.

“You have returned, my Lord!” Eleventh Young Miss stepped forward and curtsied, then personally helped him remove his cloak and guided him to the large kang by the window to be seated.

Hupo took the cloak and handed it to a maidservant, then went to brew hot tea. When she returned, she heard Eleventh Young Miss speaking quietly to Xu Lingyi: “…The child is at Half-Moon Pond. Dongqing and Binju are there attending to him. Hupo had just come to report. Would you like to go see for yourself, or shall we have Hupo come in and answer your questions?”

“Half-Moon Pond?” Xu Lingyi’s face was full of astonishment. “Why was the child put there?”

Hupo’s heart gave a jolt.

Eleventh Young Miss wore an expression of some difficulty: “A living, breathing person of that size is hardly a simple object. Wanting to keep it from everyone’s notice, I went through every place in the mansion in my mind — places fit for habitation and places not — and besides Half-Moon Pond, I truly could not think of anywhere better. And in a way, it benefited from your reputation, my Lord — at least no one dares wander in there uninvited.” Her voice carried the faintest note of playful complaint.

Hupo could not help stealing a glance at Eleventh Young Miss.

She rarely heard My Lady speak to the Marquis in such a tone.

And yet Eleventh Young Miss’s expression, though somewhat grave, had a bright gleam in her eyes — she looked, if anything, rather gleefully amused at the situation.

Hupo’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly shifted her gaze to the Marquis.

She saw him frown with a trace of helplessness: “Very well. The child has already been settled there — let him stay for now. In any case, in a couple of days we’ll be sending him away.”

Then she watched My Lady give a start: “Sending him away in a couple of days? Sending him where?”

The Marquis did not answer, merely instructing her: “I’ve been on my feet all morning. Have Hupo bring water so I can wash my face.”

Hearing Xu Lingyi call her name, Hupo reined in her thoughts, curtsied her assent, and went to fetch the water as instructed.

Eleventh Young Miss attentively asked: “Have you eaten, my Lord? Shall I have the small kitchen prepare something and send it over?”

Xu Lingyi shook his head: “No need, I have already eaten.” He then asked about the child: “Has he been making a fuss?”

When one ought to complain of hardship, one should.

Eleventh Young Miss gave him a general account of the situation.

When Xu Lingyi heard that Fengqing had bitten Dongqing’s hand, he let out a cold, displeased “Hmph”; when he heard the child had injuries on his body, though his expression remained calm, a barely concealed astonishment flashed through his eyes — he had clearly not known the child had been beaten; and when he heard the child had fallen asleep without eating, his brow knitted tightly.

“Reward Dongqing twenty taels of silver later. As for the child’s injuries, I will have Steward Bai handle it. You need not concern yourself with that.”

Eleventh Young Miss assented quietly.

Hupo had already brought the water. Xu Lingyi went to the washing room to clean up, then changed into a half-new bright-blue brocade cotton robe for everyday wear at home.

“Has Mother said anything?” he asked as he prepared to get onto the kang.

Eleventh Young Miss crouched down to help him remove his shoes: “Mother only said that once you returned, you should go to her.”

Xu Lingyi nodded and settled onto the kang, leaning against the large bolster pillow where Eleventh Young Miss had just been resting.

She was rather surprised.

With something this significant, did he not intend to consult the Grand Madam?

—

The lingering warmth of the cushion eased the rigid tension from Xu Lingyi’s bearing, and the tea’s fragrance — hitting straight to the heart — drew a flicker of satisfaction and ease through his eyes. Yet when he met Eleventh Young Miss’s bewildered gaze, and thought again of the child at Half-Moon Pond, he could not help but reveal a measure of awkwardness.

“Eleventh Young Miss.” He looked at her with sincere eyes, his tone measured: “At the time, anger clouded my judgment. I did not think the matter of the child through carefully. My only thought was — since he is a child of the Xu family, one could not simply let him grow up in that squalid place and end up among performers and those of the lowest trade…”

Eleventh Young Miss felt a jolt in her heart.

So the child’s birth mother was indeed a problem!

Xu Lingyi saw his wife’s expression shift slightly and felt a stab of unease, quickly continuing: “This is something I should have discussed with you beforehand. But the circumstances at the time were unusual. The child’s birth mother died early, and those on that side concealed it from us, doing nothing but demanding money. This year they fell into gambling debts and borrowed at ruinous interest, then in desperation sold the child, intending to flee. Had we not arrived in time…” A bitter expression crossed his face. “And when they saw me, they still dared to make demands — I feared whoever was buying the child was not acting without motive. Worried that if word spread, it would be difficult to manage, I had no choice but to bring the child back for the time being…”

Xu Lingyi had brought back a child like this, without a word of explanation, and Eleventh Young Miss had indeed felt uncomfortable. Now seeing him lower his head, and with matters already standing as they were, it was not fitting to refuse to give him this face. She may as well be generous to the end. She smiled: “My Lord’s feelings are ones I can well imagine. Whatever the case, this is blood of our own family. If the child is properly raised — even if he is not acknowledged to the ancestral line — it is enough that he have a proper livelihood and food to eat. But if, because of this, he were to fall into a wretched station, it would be painful to one’s heart.”

Xu Lingyi, hearing her tone soften, let out a great breath of relief: “My Lady is entirely right.”

Yet Eleventh Young Miss had other thoughts running through her mind.

He had acted first and informed her after. Thinking carefully about it, it was ultimately because his trust in her was limited. Otherwise, he would have explained himself to her the moment he brought the child back. Looking at the current state of things, come spring of next year, she would be taking over management of the household. By then there would be far more matters to handle, inevitably touching upon or threatening the interests of the longtime household staff. She was a second wife, and a concubine-born daughter at that, with the Grand Madam presiding above her — it would be difficult to override those experienced senior servants through social standing alone. She would have to prevail through capability. Yet at her position, capability accounted for perhaps three parts out of ten; what mattered most was whether the Grand Madam and Xu Lingyi supported her. She had been carefully observing for some time: to gain the Grand Madam’s support, she first needed Xu Lingyi’s support. And to gain Xu Lingyi’s support, she needed him to trust her without reservation. Otherwise, every disagreement would require explanations, and even if Xu Lingyi did not tire of it, she herself would. Better to seize this opportunity to show what she was made of, and gauge his response. If it worked, well and good. If not, at least she would know how to manage her relationship with Xu Lingyi going forward.

Her mind made up, she smiled at once: “My Lady’s only worry is — this child is not, after all, your Lordship’s. If we act on our own without so much as asking Fifth Young Master… I fear a good intention could turn into a disaster.”

Before the words had left her lips, Xu Lingyi’s face was already flooded with shock.

He stared at her with his striking, wide phoenix eyes: “You…”

An arrow loosed cannot be recalled.

Eleventh Young Miss smiled at Xu Lingyi: “I dare not make claims about other matters. But if the child were yours, my Lord, no matter what else, you would have protected him. No one would have dared beat him so.”

Xu Lingyi gave a rueful smile, and the gaze with which he regarded her gradually transformed into one of admiring relief: “Mo Yan…”

He looked deeply moved.

Eleventh Young Miss gave a slight smile.

She still had a measure of luck on her side.

She continued in her role of one who speaks heart to heart: “There is also the matter of Fifth Young Sister-in-law. This will reach her ears sooner or later. And she is now with child. Should anything go wrong, how would we answer to the Marquis of Dingnan…”

“You need not worry about that,” Xu Lingyi said. “I went to the Dingnan Marquis Manor first thing this morning. This was after all an affair from before the marriage. The old Marquis was somewhat displeased when he heard, but then he learned that Fifth Young Master had broken it off after his marriage to Danyang. The other party grew resentful over this. The old Marquis’s anger subsided. He even took the initiative to discuss with me keeping this from Danyang for now — until after she gives birth.”

A son-in-law had fathered an illegitimate child, yet the father-in-law not only placed no blame, but felt relieved that his son-in-law had returned to the right path, and of his own accord helped the son-in-law conceal the matter from his own daughter…

Though she knew it was the customs of this society that led to such things, Eleventh Young Miss still found it somewhat uncomfortable.

“But how did you know the child was Fifth Young Master’s?” Xu Lingyi asked, looking at her with considerable interest, his manner quite relaxed — as though chatting with an old friend. Since his wife had already cleverly pieced together the truth from scattered clues, there was no point in maintaining a facade for his brother’s sake. “I had specifically told Fifth Young Master that I would handle this matter for him, and that he should carry on as normal. I was worried he would be frightened, so I kept my temper the whole time…” He said this, but his expression darkened as the matter came to mind.

“The child looks exactly like the Xu men,” Eleventh Young Miss replied. “Third Young Master is an upright man — he would never do such a thing. And Fourth Young Master is proud and lofty — if he were taken with someone, it would be more likely a young lady of good family…” She was half teasing, half coaxing him. “So it could only be Fifth Young Master.”

Gazing at her smile, tinged with gentle amusement, Xu Lingyi suddenly thought of Qiao Lianfang.

For reasons he could not quite explain, his face reddened, and he found himself offering an explanation unbidden.

“…At the time I had drunk a little and was somewhat light-headed. And I was in my own home, so I wasn’t paying much attention… Later I heard a woman’s voice in the front hall — something about her skirt catching and tearing. A young maidservant led her this way to change the skirt… At the time I only thought: if someone could be brought to this small courtyard, they must be an intimate acquaintance of the household. By the time she had already entered the room and the maidservant had gone, if I made a sound then, I feared it would put the other person in an impossible position… So I quickly hid behind the screen, intending to wait for her to change and leave — as though nothing had happened… But then Qiao Yiniang suddenly let out a cry of alarm… I had no choice but to announce myself from behind the screen. Then suddenly there were footsteps approaching from outside. Panicking, I called out sharply, hoping to frighten whoever it was away… What happened after that, you already know…”

—