Nanny Tao sank slowly to her knees before Shiyiniang.

Her expression was somewhat vacant. “This was entirely my fault. Whatever punishment you see fit to give, Madam, I will accept it. I only ask that you spare me some dignity before Zhun Ge. I will be grateful to you all my life.” Her lips were pressed tightly together.

“I am glad Nanny still knows the value of dignity.” Shiyiniang sat as steady as a mountain, her gaze fixed on Nanny Tao. “This matter is closed and will not be spoken of again. Nanny may go and rest.”

Nanny Tao bowed and withdrew.

Shiyiniang let out a quiet, drawn-out sigh.

She truly had wished to live in harmony with those Yuan Niang had left behind — to discharge this responsibility with goodwill and ease, and eventually hand it over to Zhun Ge’s bride. But sometimes, things did not go as one wished.

The following afternoon, Fifth Lady came.

Shiyiniang heard the little maid’s announcement and instructed Hupo, “Keep your eyes sharp. If she starts pulling me into some scheme of hers again, find some excuse to call me away.”

Hupo pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh and nodded. “Madam, rest assured — I understand.”

Only then did Shiyiniang go out to welcome Fifth Lady.

“Fifth Sister, it has been a few days since you’ve come by. If there’s something you need, you could simply send a message through the nannies — there was no need to come in person.” She glanced at Fifth Lady’s very prominent belly, and a thought crossed her mind: surely it was not twins?

“Oh, nothing pressing, nothing at all.” Fifth Lady laughed. “It’s your brother-in-law — first-time father, terribly anxious about everything. There are still three or four months to go before the birth, and he has already hired a midwife to stay at the house. The midwife told him I should keep moving. So he will not allow me to do needlework — today Bai Yun Guan, tomorrow Huo Guo Si, running me around like a spinning lantern. My head has been spinning these days. And now today, he says he wants to go to Huo Guo Si again — something about how that is where he first laid eyes on me…” She raised her sleeve to hide a smile, her eyes soft with both joy and shyness.

Shiyiniang was not the sort to pour cold water on a moment like this. She smiled immediately. “Fifth Brother-in-Law truly dotes on you, Fifth Sister!”

“Oh, what is all this doting!” Fifth Lady feigned a pout. “How could I really just go gadding about every day without managing the household at all? Today the weather looked fine to me, so I used the excuse that my feet were tired, and slipped over here on the way — I remembered that you have quite a collection of embroidery patterns. I want to make your brother-in-law a pair of knee warmers.”

“Fifth Sister is wonderfully caring toward Fifth Brother-in-Law!” Shiyiniang smiled and helped her inside, settling her on the heated bed, then instructed the little maid to go and fetch Binju. “…Tell her Fifth Yitaitai has come and is looking for embroidery patterns. Have her bring the rattan basket of patterns with her.”

The little maid went off with a murmur of assent.

Hupo led the other maids and personally served Fifth Lady tea and refreshments.

Fifth Lady looked up at Hupo. “This girl — ever since she followed you, she has only grown lovelier and lovelier. Could it be that the food in the Xu household is especially nourishing?”

“Fifth Yitaitai flatters her.” Hupo smiled in reply, with a natural ease that was neither obsequious nor overbearing.

Fifth Lady nodded approvingly, exchanging idle talk with Shiyiniang. “I heard Dongqing has been betrothed — has a date been set?”

“Not yet.” Shiyiniang replied. “These past few days have been taken up with Tenth Sister’s affairs, and the matter kept getting pushed aside.”

“What is there to push aside? Just have Nanny Tao help arrange it.”

“After all, she is the first in my household to marry — I want it to be a little more dignified than the others. As for the trousseau and such, Nanny Tao has already been asked to see to it.”

They spoke for a little while, and then Binju came in with the pattern basket. Everyone gathered round to look through them for a time, and Fifth Lady selected several auspicious designs — “Step by Step Rising” and “Three Successive Triumphs” among them — before casting a meaningful glance at Shiyiniang. “We sisters are talking among ourselves — there is no need for so many people waiting on us. Send them off to play. Consider it a little treat from me.”

Shiyiniang knew the main business was about to begin. She sighed inwardly and dismissed the attendants.

Fifth Lady propped her elbow on the low table, leaning forward, and said in a lowered voice, as though this were some remarkable secret, “Well? I hear that Yiniang of yours in the household is with child?”

Shiyiniang barely kept herself from frowning. “Where did Fifth Sister hear this?”

Fifth Lady pressed her lips together and smiled. “Is it true?” It was clear from her expression that she meant: never mind who told me — I won’t say.

Who else could it be but someone from the Luo family?

Shiyiniang had no interest in pursuing it. Besides, pursuing it served no purpose. What mattered was understanding Fifth Lady’s reason for coming — that was the main point.

She gave a nod. “Qiao Yiniang’s happy pulse has just been confirmed.”

“Ah!” Fifth Lady sighed. “And what do you plan to do?”

“Look after Qiao Yiniang well and see that she has a safe delivery.”

“And what about the affairs of your inner chambers?” Fifth Lady asked with concern.

Could she have come as an advocate for the First Mistress?

Shiyiniang wondered, and feigned ignorance of what she meant, asking back, “My inner chambers? What could there be to speak of in my inner chambers?”

“You, you never think things through.” Fifth Lady shook her head with the look of someone grieved by another’s lack of foresight. “Concubines Qin and Wen are both getting on in years, and now Qiao Yiniang is with child and cannot attend the Marquis… Can you not think ahead? If you ask me — you might as well take two or three young and comely personal maids into your chambers. Take advantage of this time to keep the Marquis well attended…”

Shiyiniang found this tiresome to listen to and let it wash over her like the buzz of a mosquito near her ear, murmuring vague sounds of assent.

Just when she felt she could endure no more, Hupo came in. “Fifth Yitaitai, let me pour you a fresh cup of tea.”

Fifth Lady paused mid-sentence, full of things yet to say, and gave Hupo a nod of acknowledgement.

Hupo poured fresh tea for both of them and brought in some fruit. “Fifth Yitaitai, please try these — apples from Shandong, oranges from southern Jiangxi.”

Fifth Lady smiled and picked up an orange, bringing it to her nose to inhale the scent.

Once Hupo withdrew, she started in again. “…If you like, I could ask your brother-in-law to find you a few Yangzhou girls of refined upbringing? Do you know what those are? They say such girls are specially trained and then placed as concubines in grand households. They are pretty, gentle, and obedient…”

It seemed her marriage to Qian Ming had broadened her horizons considerably.

Shiyiniang cut up an apple and held it out to her. “Fifth Sister, eat more apple — it is good for you!”

“Mm!” She took a bite and carried on, “…Or else, there are the girls already at your side. Close to you, and loyal besides. I think Hupo is good, and Binju seems steady enough too. A pity about Dongqing — now that you’ve betrothed her, she is no longer a candidate. Otherwise she would have been quite suitable — just the right age, and the best-looking of the lot…”

There was simply no stopping her mouth.

While Fifth Lady held forth without pause, Hupo, listening from behind the curtain, was inwardly trembling.

From Fifth Lady’s lips, one moment she caught “Qiao Yiniang with child,” the next “personal maidservant,” and finally her own name — and Dongqing’s — being mentioned…

Then she heard Shiyiniang making sounds of vague agreement.

She was momentarily at a loss.

Yesterday, when Shiyiniang had returned to her maternal home, Hupo had gone along and had a chance to meet Shanhu. Shanhu had pulled her aside to the woodshed to talk. “…Has Eleventh Young Mistress said anything to you? The First Mistress is going through us girls to select a personal maidservant for the Marquis! The First Mistress was the one who originally placed you in Eleventh Young Mistress’s household — why is she now…? What on earth is happening?”

“Sister, do not worry. The Madam treats me very well.” Hupo smiled. “I manage most of the affairs in the household.” She furrowed her brow for a moment, then smoothed out into a smile. “I haven’t heard anything about the Madam selecting a personal maidservant for the Marquis.” She thought a little, then smiled again. “It is nothing. Even if the Marquis were to take a personal maidservant, it would still require our Madam’s approval!”

And then, seeing Shanhu’s brow knitted in worry like a little old woman, she teased her. “Could it be someone is eager to serve our Madam and is sending word through you?”

“Get along with you!” Shanhu laughed and made to pinch her cheek. “You little wretch, I’m worried about you!”

Yes — those who became personal maids rarely came to a good end. Truly being elevated to yiniang required some luck. For someone like herself, who dared not take such gambles, it was better to be an honest maid and no more.

She thought of what the Madam had said to her that night — she sensed, dimly, that the Madam hoped she would be her right hand and her left arm, not a maid kept for her appearance or her favours. Whenever she thought of this, she felt a deep pride, a sense that she was unlike the others.

But this was not something she could say to Shanhu — after all, it was nothing spoken aloud or written in ink.

What she had believed with such certainty seemed, in this moment, a little less certain.

She knew better than anyone what the Madam’s present situation looked like — these past two months, even when the Marquis had come to the Madam’s chambers, the bed had remained untouched.

With this in her mind, she moved quietly to the long table in the main hall, joined her hands before the seated Guanyin, and silently breathed a prayer of “Amitabha.”

She could only hope that Madam would come of age soon.

Once she was of age, all of this would resolve itself.

Perhaps even in the time that Qiao Yiniang could not attend the Marquis, she might quicken with a son…

“Hupo, what are you doing there?” The once-empty hall was suddenly broken by Nanny Tao’s voice. “Praying to the Bodhisattva for a good match?”

Hupo jumped and turned quickly.

“Nanny Tao, you walk without making a sound!” she reproached her, and glanced behind to see only Nanny Tao, alone. Knowing the little maid at the door, under Nanny Tao’s prestige, would not have dared stop her, she hastened to say, “Fifth Yitaitai has come and is in the room with Madam, speaking privately. “

Nanny Tao’s lips curved downward slightly. “Borrowing money, or pulling our Madam into some business scheme with her.”

Hupo made no comment.

“What does Nanny want with Madam? Madam has instructed me to have the small kitchen prepare the evening meal — I expect she means to keep Fifth Yitaitai for dinner, which means this conversation is not likely to end soon. Would you like me to pass along a message?”

“Nothing that cannot wait.” Nanny Tao smiled. “Madam asked me to help prepare Dongqing’s trousseau. I have gathered everything together and made a list, and was hoping to bring it to Madam to look over.”

Hupo thought of Shiyiniang’s instruction and dared not stray far. She stood beneath the eaves and spoke with Nanny Tao.

“In that case, once Madam is free, I’ll send a little maid to bring you word. How does that sound?”

Nanny Tao thought it over and said, “That is kind of you.”

“What a thing to say, Nanny.” They exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Nanny Tao went to the back wing.

Hupo immediately summoned every maid and matron serving in Shiyiniang’s courtyard and assembled them in the yard.

She stood at the top of the five-step staircase, looking down over the assembled servants who stood with hands at their sides, and swept her gaze across them. Then she pointed at the little maid who had been on door duty. “Hand her over to Nanny Cai in the laundry room. Tell Nanny Cai it is my word — she is to wash every single quilt and bedding in the entire household. Let her see whether she can still find the energy to be lazy.”

“Sister, I didn’t…” the little maid said, her face draining of colour, trembling with fright.

“You didn’t slack off? Then how is it that when Madam asked everyone to keep out, and Nanny Tao came, you couldn’t even be bothered to stop her? If that is not slacking off, what is?”

Everyone assembled in that courtyard was sharp-witted, and they all understood perfectly well whom this reprimand was truly meant for.

No one came forward to plead for the girl. More than anything, what filled the air was a watchful, assessing silence.

When the little maid was duly consigned, as Hupo had declared, to washing the entire household’s bedding without rest day or night, the atmosphere in Shiyiniang’s chambers shifted noticeably.

Hupo felt a distinct sense of relief.

It was fortunate that the two people who had escorted that little maid away today were ones she was on good terms with. Fortunate, too, that she had quietly lent three taels of silver to Nanny Cai that other day… But without those strokes of good fortune, she would have found it very difficult indeed to handle this little maid.

Whose bad luck was it to have stumbled into this?

It seemed Madam had been right after all.

Cultivate goodwill, and good fruit will follow.

But all of that came later, of course.

In point of fact, that day, once she had finished dealing with the little maid and Fifth Lady had gone, Hupo went directly to Shiyiniang’s inner room.

—