Eleventh Miss’s words made Fourth Young Mistress’s eyes narrow slightly.

She was hearing of Luo Zhensheng’s plans for the first time.

No one ever told her such things.

Just as yesterday, when Fifth Miss had dragged her off to Third Yiniang’s quarters and launched into a tirade — saying things like “If Fifth Yiniang gives birth to a son, and then has Eleventh Miss backing her up, by that point you two might not even have water to drink, and here you are being happily pleased for them without using your head to think” — and then, just when it came time to discuss what ought to be done about it, had sent her away.

A wife rises or falls with her husband.

What was Eleventh Miss really trying to say?

Was she showing off her own status and position?

Fourth Young Mistress couldn’t help but lift her gaze to look at Eleventh Miss.

Her bright eyes were gleaming, gazing back at Fourth Young Mistress with a smile. There was not the slightest hint of melancholy.

Fourth Young Mistress’s heart gave a small lurch.

She had once inquired about this Eleventh Miss — eleventh in her family, married as a second wife to the renowned Marquis Yongping. Everyone said she was gentle in temperament, generous and broad-minded, never competing with anyone, and greatly favored by the eldest mistress. At the time she had found it puzzling: how had someone like that managed to edge out both the well-matched and beautiful Fifth Miss and Tenth Miss and marry into the Marquis Yongping’s household — even though everyone said it was because she was young and the eldest mistress wanted her to help raise Zhun Ge for a few more years? Yet the Xu family had not been the one to decide this marriage in the first place. Even if the Luo family had such an intention, would the Xu family, with only a single legitimate son, truly have thought the same for the sake of Zhun Ge? After all, to the Luo family Zhun Ge was the sole flesh and blood of Yuanniang. But to the Xu family, he was by no means the only option.

Just from that one smiling glance, Fourth Young Mistress understood immediately: the woman before her was no ordinary person.

Since she was not ordinary, she would certainly not speak empty words.

She put away her casual indifference and began carefully turning over the things Eleventh Miss had just said.

Telling her of Luo Zhensheng’s plans for the future, letting her know how much weight Luo Zhensheng placed on Xu Lingyi and how much he depended on him — that much was easy to understand. But why had Eleventh Miss brought up the fact that her father-in-law would eventually return to Yuhang?

That the Luo family would sooner or later return to Yuhang was something everyone knew.

Even Fifth Miss had said more than once that Luo Zhensheng ought to take advantage of the time while people were still in Yanjing to study diligently under his tutor, and that if there were anything he didn’t understand, he should go to Qian Ming to ask. He should take the opportunity to cultivate ties with Qian Ming and keep in close contact — for an acquaintance only grows dear through frequent association. When Qian Ming passed the examinations with high marks, she as an elder sister could put in a good word with him and bring Luo Zhensheng along to his posting.

Fifth Miss’s worry was that once Luo Zhensheng returned to Yuhang, his ties with Qian Ming would grow thin. So what was Eleventh Miss worried about?

Mid-reflection, a glance from the corner of her eye swept over the blue stone paving beneath her feet.

How had she forgotten — they were at this very moment walking toward Fifth Yiniang’s quarters.

The answer surfaced instantly in Fourth Young Mistress’s mind: what Eleventh Miss was worried about was Fifth Yiniang!

But what did any of that have to do with herself?

For after all, it was Third Yiniang who stood to be most threatened by Fifth Yiniang’s rise — and it was Third Yiniang whom the eldest mistress had been counting on to help manage household affairs.

Eleventh Miss, seeing that Fourth Young Mistress had very quickly taken on a contemplative expression, gave a silent nod of approval and smiled. “By the way, I recall hearing from Fifth Sister last time that Fourth Sister-in-Law was trying to find a position as an accountant’s assistant for Fourth Brother. How did you come to think of that?” Her tone was very casual, as though the thought had just occurred to her.

In this context, every word carried meaning.

Fourth Young Mistress naturally did not take it lightly.

Besides, at the time she had truly had no other option — she had put herself in a desperate situation in order to force a breakthrough.

The Luo family was a family of standing in Yuhang. Yet when she had married in, the managing nannies had been calculating over every thread and needle, unwilling to concede an inch. She had seen at once that the Luo family had no intention of taking her seriously and were deliberately making things difficult for her on this matter, waiting to see her make a fool of herself. On top of that, there was an outstanding elder brother, legitimate-born, impressive in bearing and rich in learning, casting his shadow over everything; a sister-in-law whose family matched the Luos in rank, who had brought a handsome dowry and given them a legitimate eldest grandson. Even if Fourth Young Mistress had wanted to curry favor with her mother-in-law, her mother-in-law might not particularly welcome her hovering about. And then when she had taken a proper look at her own husband after the wedding — he was plainly a muddlehead. She had resolved then to establish their own separate household. While her husband was still young, there was still room for change — better to go their own way and set up independently. She had managed her own family before; if she could hold that household together, she could hold this one together too. And this household had a far more solid foundation than the one she had come from.

But she could not say this to Eleventh Miss.

A newly-wedded daughter-in-law wanting to set up a separate household looked like unfilial behavior — others would assume she did not want to wait upon aging in-laws.

She considered her words. “Establishing a family means establishing a livelihood. I only wanted to find Fourth Brother something worthwhile to do!”

Eleventh Miss smiled. “But there was no need to send Fourth Brother to work as an accountant’s assistant!”

Fourth Young Mistress thought of Luo Zhensheng going to consult with Marquis Yongping even about his career prospects, and her heart stirred despite herself. “What does Eleventh Miss mean by that?” Perhaps she was too eager for Luo Zhensheng to stand on his own — her tone carried an inadvertent note of hope.

“Elder Brother is not even concerned about Fourth Brother eating at home without contributing, so why should Fourth Sister-in-Law be in such a hurry?” Eleventh Miss replied with a serene smile, saying something that appeared to have no connection to the previous topic at all.

Fourth Young Mistress felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment at hearing it.

She had thought Eleventh Miss had some good idea that might allow Luo Zhensheng to free himself from his current state of dependency.

Eleventh Miss had been deliberately building up hope in Fourth Young Mistress through all those prior questions — precisely so that she would value what came next. Seeing the effect was working, she smiled and continued: “Elder Brother is the eldest legitimate son. The household’s assets are managed by Mother. When all is tallied, the entire family relies on Elder Brother’s rightful portion. In the future when the property is divided, what is divided will be Elder Brother’s rightful share. So I say — so long as Elder Brother does not mind, Fourth Sister-in-Law need not be in any hurry.”

Fourth Young Mistress understood in a flash at that moment.

This Eleventh Miss had taken such an enormous roundabout path only to tell her that even if Fifth Yiniang gave birth to a son, it would have no bearing on her own interests at all.

Thinking it over carefully, this was quite true.

Over all these years, the household assets had been held by the eldest mistress. A concubine-born son had no share in his stepmother’s dowry, and given the eldest mistress’s shrewdness and capability, the Luo family’s property had likely long since become absorbed into the eldest mistress’s personal dowry holdings. Furthermore, the legitimate son bore the burden of ancestral rites and would normally receive an additional portion of land set aside for that purpose. Even without Fifth Yiniang’s child, given the eldest mistress’s way of doing things, Luo Zhensheng would certainly not receive a large share.

At the time of her own wedding, Marquis Yongping’s household had sent three hundred taels of silver as a gift, and together with the Xu family’s various branches’ greeting gifts, the total had come to over five hundred taels.

The likes of Eleventh Miss likely did not even think twice about such a sum.

She broke into a smile. “Eleventh Miss is right. So long as Elder Brother does not mind, we need not be anxious either.”

Conversation with a sharp mind was effortless.

The two women exchanged a smile, and looked up to see Fifth Yiniang’s quarters ahead.

Fourth Young Mistress, reflecting on Eleventh Miss’s conduct today and her position and standing, thought: there was no call to flatter her, but equally no reason to make an enemy of her. She decided to make her own stance plain. “Fifth Yiniang is not one to concern herself with such matters — everything in her rooms is managed by Sixth Yiniang. Now that Sixth Yiniang is there helping to care for Fifth Yiniang, you can rest easy!”

The implication was: whatever happened was Sixth Yiniang’s doing, and had nothing to do with Fifth Yiniang.

Eleventh Miss smiled brightly.

Sixth Yiniang was a seasoned veteran who had weathered many battles. Back in the day, she had to manage the eldest mistress on one side, fend off Fourth Yiniang on the other, and still find moments to keep watch on Fifth Yiniang. As long as Fourth Young Mistress did not interfere, someone like Third Yiniang — who knew only how to flatter the eldest mistress and shelter behind borrowed power to hold her footing in the Luo household — would be no match for her whatsoever. Eleventh Miss had every confidence in Sixth Yiniang’s fighting capacity.

“Fourth Sister-in-Law is right,” she said, giving Fourth Young Mistress a small wink. “Yiniang has always had such a gentle and yielding nature — without Sixth Yiniang to help her, how could I ever have put my mind at ease?”

Without the slightest hesitation, Eleventh Miss redirected the flood toward Sixth Yiniang.

Let Third Yiniang and Sixth Yiniang have a proper contest. Perhaps it would even help Third Yiniang realize sooner the great gap in capability between them, and calm Fifth Miss down as well — was it not Third Yiniang who had been sheltered by Fifth Miss’s fierce protection all this time?

Fourth Young Mistress covered her mouth with her sleeve and laughed.

Fifth Miss looked down on her at every turn and did not hold back in trampling on her own sister-in-law by marriage, all because she saw that Luo Zhensheng amounted to nothing, and presumed on her own status as a man’s degree holder’s wife with a bright future — one day only Luo Zhensheng would need favors from her, never the other way around. Very well then — let the Third Yiniang she supported and the Sixth Yiniang backed by Eleventh Miss have a good battle. If Third Yiniang won, it would be no different from now — both of them, mother and daughter, looked down on her; but if Third Yiniang lost, then Luo Zhensheng, without Fifth Miss and Third Yiniang stirring things up behind the scenes, would surely be far more docile in front of her. She was quite happy to play the fool.

Each nursing her own private thoughts, the two women entered Fifth Yiniang’s quarters together.

Sixth Yiniang was waiting on Fifth Yiniang at her morning meal. Seeing Eleventh Miss and Fourth Young Mistress arrive together, she could not conceal her surprise.

She had not imagined that Eleventh Miss could actually persuade the Dowager Marchioness and Marquis Yongping to allow her to return to her maternal home.

Her smile was even more solicitous than the day before. “Eleventh Miss, have you eaten yet? Fifth Sister is just now having her congee. Would Eleventh Miss like a bowl? I got up early this morning and made it myself.” She also greeted Fourth Young Mistress: “Fourth Young Mistress, you so rarely come — please, do sit down and rest.”

Fifth Yiniang was also quite astonished to see Eleventh Miss. “Why have you come, Miss? Are you alone, or with the Marquis?”

“I am alone, with the children, to pay New Year’s respects to Elder Brother and Fourth Brother. The Marquis had other matters.” Eleventh Miss replied, stepping forward to help Fifth Yiniang up at the same time. “Last night as soon as I returned, the Marquis went and told the Dowager Marchioness about your condition. The Dowager Marchioness said that adding new life to the household is a wonderful thing. She specifically gave twenty taels of silver for me to bring to you. The Marquis also prepared some medicinal herbs and cloth for me to bring along. I have already given them to Nanny Hang in First Young Mistress’s rooms.”

Fifth Yiniang exhaled in relief at hearing this, then turned to exchange greetings with Fourth Young Mistress. “Fourth Young Mistress, please sit.”

Seeing how enthusiastically Sixth Yiniang made her mouth-greeting but stood there without moving an inch, Fourth Young Mistress understood the warmth was purely verbal. She also reflected that Luo Zhensheng was Third Yiniang’s son, and that Eleventh Miss had come expressly to visit Fifth Yiniang — so her own presence here was not entirely convenient. She smiled, gave Fifth Yiniang and Sixth Yiniang each a brief greeting, and excused herself.

Words had been said; what would actually be done was another matter entirely.

Eleventh Miss did not detain Fourth Young Mistress. Smiling, she helped Fifth Yiniang back onto the bed. “You should rest as much as possible!”

Fifth Yiniang nodded and settled back against the bed.

Sixth Yiniang made the excuse of clearing away the bowls and chopsticks and went to the kitchen, leaving the space to the two of them.

Eleventh Miss then said quietly to Fifth Yiniang: “Sixth Yiniang and you are sisters under one roof, and Twelfth Sister and I grew up sharing the same rooms. Sixth Yiniang is clever and capable — whatever you need done, entrust it to her and it will be managed well.”

Fifth Yiniang, who understood Sixth Yiniang’s formidable nature, nodded with some hesitation.

Eleventh Miss could see that Fifth Yiniang did not entirely trust Sixth Yiniang. Knowing Fifth Yiniang’s temperament, if she said outright that she and Sixth Yiniang had struck a mutual arrangement, Fifth Yiniang would certainly be unwilling to have Twelfth Sister used as a bargaining piece. Since the truth could not be told, she had to fabricate a reason. “Sixth Yiniang wants to save up a sum of money toward Twelfth Sister’s dowry. I’ve agreed to contribute a portion of it…”

Fifth Yiniang, measuring others by herself, found this reason convincing. She nodded, then grew worried for Eleventh Miss. “That wouldn’t be a very large sum of money, would it? Please don’t stint on yourself on our behalf!”

“I am Marchioness Yongping now — a sum like that is well within my means.” Eleventh Miss reassured her. “You need only focus on resting and safeguarding the baby. Everything else has me to handle.”

The two chatted a while longer, then Fifth Yiniang urged her to go: “…The young masters are in the main courtyard.”

Seeing that she had conveyed everything she needed to, Eleventh Miss gave a few more reminders to take good care of herself and then went to the main hall.

Sixth Yiniang could not help sighing: “Fifth Sister has endured long enough — the clouds are finally parting to reveal blue sky. She is due to enjoy good fortune.” But a hint of bitterness crept into the voice beneath the feeling, and her words carried just a touch of sourness.

—