The Dowager Marchioness nodded readily in agreement. “Tomorrow is the day for children to visit their maternal uncles — let Eleventh Miss take Siyu, Zhun Ge, and Sijie along to make merry at their uncles’ place!” She also had Nanny Du bring twenty taels of silver for Eleventh Miss. “This is from me. Have Yiniang use it to buy herself some pastries.”

Eleventh Miss immediately curtsied to the Dowager Marchioness in thanks.

The Dowager Marchioness smiled and nodded. A young manservant came in to report: “My lord Marquis, Master Ma Zuowen of the Office of Messengers has arrived. He says there is an urgent matter requiring your audience.”

The Office of Messengers was essentially the Emperor’s secretarial bureau. Ma Zuowen and Xu Lingyi shared a private friendship. His arrival at this hour inevitably turned everyone’s thoughts to the matter of the child. For a moment, all eyes fell on Xu Sijie.

Xu Sijie, not knowing what was happening, shrank timidly behind Eleventh Miss.

Fifth Young Mistress watched Xu Lingkuan’s expression carefully.

She saw Xu Lingkuan’s face harden as he said, “Fourth Elder Brother, let me accompany you.” He did not so much as glance at the child.

Only then did Fifth Young Mistress feel reassured.

Seeing Xu Lingkuan so attentive, Xu Lingyi considered for a moment, then nodded his assent and went with him to the outer courtyard.

The two men walked ahead. Third Master and Third Young Mistress returned with the brothers Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian.

Third Master and Xu Sijian were just as usual — all smiles and high spirits. Xu Sijian even went out of his way to run over and compare with Zhun Ge who had received more New Year’s money envelopes. Seeing that Xu Sijian’s envelopes were more than his own, Zhun Ge was so upset he kept hopping with frustration. Third Young Mistress and Xu Siqin, however, wore strained expressions, smiling only with obvious effort. Xu Siqin was repeatedly exchanging meaningful glances with Xu Siyu.

Eleventh Miss noticed all of this and kept it in mind. Once she returned to her rooms, she instructed Hupo: “Send someone over to Second Young Master’s side to see what has happened on First Young Master’s end.” Then she added, “It turns out Yiniang was only with child. I worried for nothing.”

Hupo laughed. “You didn’t worry for nothing exactly…” She then told Eleventh Miss about Sixth Yiniang monopolizing authority in the rooms, and about the eldest mistress assigning household matters to Third Yiniang instead of Fifth Yiniang during the illness, along with word that even the maids at Fifth Yiniang’s side had been sent away by Sixth Yiniang. “Even the maids beside Yiniang were dismissed by Sixth Yiniang.”

Eleventh Miss listened carefully and smiled. “Fortunately, Yiniang does not contend for such things. What seems a bitter lot to others ends up working in her favor.”

Hupo, thinking of Fifth Yiniang’s pliant nature, agreed with Eleventh Miss’s assessment.

“Even so, tomorrow you will still come back with me to Bowstring Lane,” Eleventh Miss mused. “There are certain matters best attended to in person.”

Hupo smilingly agreed and went to send word to Xu Siyu’s quarters.

Eleventh Miss reached under her pillow and felt out the embroidered pouch the Dowager Marchioness had given her.

Inside it were nothing but gold nuggets — a full pouch of them.

Eleventh Miss called Lvyun to have them weighed. Lvyun returned to report: “Fifty-five taels in total.”

Fifty-five taels of gold — worth anywhere from four hundred forty to five hundred fifty taels of silver at exchange. She had just been worrying that with the heavy snow this year, the following spring would bring the need to repair farmhouses, buy seeds, and purchase draft cattle for the spring plowing, and she had no silver to spare. This was truly a timely windfall, as if the pillow had come just when she needed to sleep.

Hupo came back and was delighted to see it too. “Madam need not worry now.”

Eleventh Miss smiled and nodded, handing the gold nuggets to Hupo to keep, then let Hupo attend to her as she washed and changed.

Xu Lingyi had not yet returned.

Eleventh Miss discussed spring farmwork matters with Hupo: “…Let Chang Jiuhe help make some preliminary inquiries — find out exactly how much silver will be needed in total. Let us have a rough figure in mind so we can make proper arrangements.” As she spoke, she thought of Jiang Bingzheng, and her brow furrowed.

She had asked him to look into what business ventures were available in Yanjing, but he either had his eye on other people’s shops and was goading her to seize them, or he was telling her how much face the Xu household stewards had out in the world and encouraging her to help him secure a position in the Xu household, so he could report to her whenever anything stirred in the outer courtyard. He was clearly not someone she could rely on. But he was, after all, part of her own dowry household, and she found it genuinely difficult to deal with him at the moment.

Hupo, thinking Eleventh Miss was fretting over news from Second Young Master’s quarters, spoke softly to reassure her: “Madam, rest easy. Whether it’s Fangting at First Young Master’s side, or Wenzhu at Second Young Master’s — both are on familiar and friendly terms with our side.” She let a hint of self-satisfaction show. “Even at little Lüzi’s side, I’ve placed someone to keep an eye on things.”

Eleventh Miss laughed at this. “You’re seeing enemies in every blade of grass and tree!”

Hupo reddened and murmured, “I’m only being cautious and preventing small problems from growing…”

Mistress and maid chatted at length, and as bedtime drew near without Xu Lingyi returning, Eleventh Miss grew somewhat anxious. She sent Hupo out to the outer courtyard to look. Hupo was gone for quite a while before coming back.

“Madam, there is news from Second Young Master’s side.” She had a smile at the corner of her lips. “They say it came through a hint from Fangting. Today, when Third Young Mistress went to her maternal home, she raised the matter of First Young Master’s marriage — and the eldest mistress of the Gan family wanted to betroth the third young miss of the main Gan branch to First Young Master. Third Young Mistress refused.”

Third Young Mistress had her heart set on Gan Jie’er, the eldest daughter of the Gan family. The third young miss of the main branch was a concubine-born daughter. For Madam Gan to say this was effectively a rejection of Third Young Mistress’s proposal. Third Young Mistress and Xu Siqin were evidently both unhappy over this. And that Xu Siqin had been willing to tell Xu Siyu about such a matter suggested the two of them were on very close terms indeed.

Eleventh Miss was still turning this over when Xu Lingyi returned.

She quickly went to welcome him.

His black sable cloak was dotted with a few snowflakes.

“It is snowing outside again?” Eleventh Miss smiled, helping him unfasten his cloak.

Xu Lingyi nodded. “This year, the snow simply will not let up.” He stepped into the inner chamber as he spoke.

Eleventh Miss personally brewed tea and brought it to him, asking with concern, “What did Master Ma have to say?”

“He is worried that tomorrow when the seals of office are opened, a censor may impeach me over the child’s affair.” Xu Lingyi was unconcerned. “Let us retire early. Tomorrow you still need to take the children back to Bowstring Lane.”

He had made all the necessary arrangements long ago and had already considered his counter-strategies. The rest was in heaven’s hands. No amount of worry would help — he would simply have to respond as circumstances demanded.

“All right.” Eleventh Miss agreed, made up the bed, and the husband and wife lay down for the night.

Early the next morning, Eleventh Miss took the children to Bowstring Lane.

A servant woman had already gone ahead to give the Luo household advance notice. By the time they arrived, Mu Ge was waiting at the gate along with stewards and manservants to receive them.

The cousins greeted each other with great warmth. They first went to pay their respects to the eldest master and eldest mistress, then bowed to Luo Zhensheng and Luo Zhensheng. The children were then taken to play at Mu Ge’s, while First Young Mistress accompanied Eleventh Miss to sit with the eldest mistress.

Eleventh Miss asked after the eldest mistress’s health, then raised the matter of visiting Fifth Yiniang: “…Though it is said the kindness of raising outweighs the kindness of birth, she did carry me for ten months nonetheless. Moreover, the Dowager Marchioness specifically gave twenty taels of silver for me to bring to Yiniang.”

Not wishing to come to an open confrontation with the eldest mistress unless absolutely necessary, she chose her words with great care.

The eldest mistress’s eyes flashed sharply at hearing this, her lips barely parting.

Nanny Xu quickly bent to whisper in her ear. After a moment, she straightened and smiled. “The eldest mistress says — it is good that Eleventh Miss can remember the saying ‘the kindness of raising outweighs the kindness of birth.'”

“I have always remembered Mother’s goodness to me!” Eleventh Miss replied with a smile. “As for Zhun Ge, I will also do my best to care for him.”

She employed both softness and firmness together.

The eldest mistress said nothing.

The room fell suddenly quiet.

First Young Mistress looked around, then stepped in with a smile: “Then let me accompany Eleventh Miss over to Fifth Yiniang’s quarters!”

She had already spoken with her husband about this the previous night. Her husband had the same view as she did — that Fifth Yiniang having a child was a good thing, as it would draw Eleventh Miss’s heart closer toward her maternal home. So today she was quite forthcoming.

But the eldest mistress gently shook her head and turned her gaze toward Fourth Young Mistress.

Fourth Young Mistress immediately smiled and said, “Eldest Sister-in-Law still needs to arrange for the care of the young master guests — I am free with nothing to do. Let me accompany Eleventh Miss to Fifth Yiniang’s quarters.”

The eldest mistress nodded slightly.

First Young Mistress naturally would not go against her mother-in-law’s wishes. She smiled as she saw Eleventh Miss and Fourth Young Mistress to the door, then turned back. “Mother, are there any instructions?”

She heard the eldest mistress say with labored breath: “Rais… not family… you must… must be wary.”

First Young Mistress was unmoved.

Since her mother-in-law’s illness, she had not been as lucid as before in her thinking.

Blood ties were blood ties, and distant ties were distant ties. To deliberately try to turn a distant relationship into a close one was naturally bound to lead to disappointment. One ought to understand that earning the genuine respect of a concubine-born child was already something — demanding to be treated like a birth mother was simply impossible unless there was some other hidden motive.

But how could she say such things to her mother-in-law, who had been made ill by all of this? She simply smiled and assented: “Mother’s words I carry always in my heart.”

Meanwhile, Eleventh Miss was walking warmly arm in arm with the Fourth Young Mistress who accompanied her toward Fifth Yiniang’s quarters. “Fourth Sister-in-Law, are you settling in comfortably in Yanjing?”

“Many thanks for your concern, Eleventh Miss.” Fourth Young Mistress smiled openly. “Everything else is fine — only the weather is so cold, and I am not quite used to it.”

“I also find the cold rather hard to bear,” said Eleventh Miss with a slight sigh. “At least Fourth Sister-in-Law is only residing in Yanjing temporarily. For me, however…” The sentence went unfinished. She lowered her gaze, a shadow of wistfulness crossing her face.

Fourth Young Mistress was momentarily startled.

Eleventh Miss had already raised her head again, forcing a smile: “Please forgive me, Fourth Sister-in-Law. It’s only that whenever I think of the day Father returns to Yuhang and my siblings and I are separated by a thousand li, barely able to see one another, leaving me utterly alone in Yanjing — I feel a little sorrowful.”

Fourth Young Mistress was a quick-minded person by nature. Hearing these words, she was quietly taken aback. “Has Father-in-Law decided to return to Yuhang?”

She had quickly come to understand the lay of the land after marrying in. Her husband, being concubine-born and without particular ability, had no standing in the household whatsoever. Whenever there was anything to discuss, her father-in-law would sooner consult the stewards than his own son, and not a soul in the household took Luo Zhensheng seriously. If her father-in-law decided to return to Yuhang, it was entirely possible he might do so without even telling them.

“No,” said Eleventh Miss, gently shaking her head. “The ancestral rites are in Yuhang. Father originally came to Yanjing to resume his post and along the way to see Elder Sister. Now that Father is at leisure and Elder Sister has passed away, and Yanjing’s living expenses are steep besides — once Mother’s health improves somewhat, sooner or later he will return to Yuhang.”

Fourth Young Mistress had thought the same. That was precisely why she had not brought too many things when she came to Yanjing this time.

“Moreover, a few days ago the Marquis asked Elder Brother what his plans were — after the Hanlin probationary period ends, whether he would like to remain in the Six Ministries. Elder Brother, however, said he wished to be posted to a province. The Marquis advised him it would be better to remain in Yanjing…” As she spoke, Eleventh Miss studied Fourth Young Mistress’s face with careful attention.

No one in the Luo household took Luo Zhensheng seriously, and by extension they would not take Fourth Young Mistress seriously either. Eleventh Miss wished to convey through this that even Luo Zhensheng, regarded as the household’s hope for the future, would consult Xu Lingyi the Marquis Yongping in his affairs. She was reminding Fourth Young Mistress — making her clearly see just how vast the gulf between Luo Zhensheng and Xu Lingyi truly was.

Eleventh Miss did not for a moment believe that on that day Fifth Miss had dragged Fourth Young Mistress to Third Yiniang’s quarters purely for the sake of seeing the small garments being made for Fifth Miss’s unborn child. Nor did she believe that a daughter-in-law bold enough to cross swords with her mother-in-law from the day she entered the household could possibly be a woman without ambitions of her own.

Through this approach, Eleventh Miss was telling Fourth Young Mistress: rather than scheming with Fifth Miss and Luo Zhensheng, it would be far better to join forces with her.

—