By the time Hupo followed them in, Binju and Nanny Tao were already inside the inner chamber, struggling with each other.

“Madam, Dongqing…” Binju blurted the words out in a rush, then looked up and saw Eleventh Miss — and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

Eleventh Miss stood by the edge of the heated platform bed near the window, her back perfectly straight, a faint smile resting on her lips with her eyelids slightly lowered. At the sound of the commotion she lifted her gaze. The eyes that were usually bright and warm were now full of grief and sorrow.

Binju felt a blade go through her heart.

When they were small, she used to pinch her own nose to swallow bitter medicine without complaint, then blink up at Binju with reassurance: “It’s all right — it’s not as if there’s candy every time, is there?” When they had moved to Lvyun Tower, and Tenth Miss upstairs had made things unbearable with her noise, she would tug gently at Binju’s skirt: “It’s all right — she has what I have, and what I have she doesn’t. Surely you wouldn’t begrudge her the right to blow off some steam now and then?” Then later, when Nanny Yao had tried to force Dongqing into a marriage with her nephew, and the Madam had used the First Madam to block it — offending Nanny Yao in the process — they had all worried about Nanny Yao’s revenge, but the Madam had only smiled at them: “You needn’t worry. She has her schemes, and I have mine.” Such difficulty. Such hardship. And through all of it, her eyes had been bright, even cheerful. But now… Binju could not help turning to look at Dongqing, and found her still kneeling at Eleventh Miss’s feet, twisting her body around in surprise at the sight of her.

Her own arrival had drawn nothing from Dongqing but surprise…

She stared at Dongqing, stunned. A storm of grief and fury rose inside her. All that rage with nowhere to go — her grip on Nanny Tao’s sleeve tightened without her realizing, and her eyes fell on Nanny Tao with blazing anger: “Madam, it’s her — she was the one spreading falsehoods, which is why Dongqing…”

Nanny Tao laughed coldly inside, though her face put on an aggrieved expression. She shoved Binju away sharply and stepped forward to kneel before Eleventh Miss: “Madam, you must stand up for me.” She brought out a handkerchief and began dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “I respect Binju as someone in your close attendance—” she named only Binju and not Hupo, partly because she knew there had always been a degree of friction between the two, and partly because she did not wish to expand the battle line and bring everyone against her at once — “but she accuses me without cause, saying I goaded Dongqing into competing for the Marquis’s favor as a chamber concubine. Madam, even if I had taken leave of all my senses, having served for over twenty years at the First Miss’s side, I would never be so confused as to overstep my bounds and interfere in your affairs…”

Binju had been pushed and nearly stumbled — if Hupo, who had come in behind her, had not caught her in time, she would have gone down. Seeing that Nanny Tao not only refused to admit fault but had managed to deflect all blame from herself, she was furious to her very core. Convinced more than ever that Dongqing had been manipulated by this woman, she leapt in and cut off Nanny Tao before she could say another word: “You say you didn’t goad Dongqing — then I ask you: what did you say to her after I left?”

Nanny Tao had been waiting for exactly this question.

She raised her head and looked at Eleventh Miss: “Madam, anything I say you may not believe. Fortunately, Dongqing is right here. You need only ask her what I said to her.”

All eyes in the room turned to Dongqing.

A flicker of panic crossed Dongqing’s face. Her lips parted and closed, but she said nothing.

Binju’s heart was pounding with anxiety, a faint, uneasy premonition settling in her chest. She moved forward and knelt beside Dongqing: “Dear Dongqing, with the Madam here, what is there to fear? Tell us the truth, plainly and openly. The Madam treats us unlike anyone else — why, the trousseau additions alone cost a hundred taels of silver…” She said it hoping Dongqing might speak.

But Hupo’s mind had jumped ahead.

If Dongqing were to lay all the blame on Nanny Tao right now — would that not at once resolve this humiliating situation and drag Nanny Tao down with her?

The thought flashed through her, and she too knelt beside Dongqing: “Dongqing, there are no outsiders here. What could you possibly not say?” As she spoke, she caught Dongqing’s eye and gave her a meaningful look.

Nanny Tao, kneeling across from Hupo, saw it perfectly. She ground her teeth in silent fury, inwardly cursing — but not a trace of it showed on her face. She cut across Hupo’s words and addressed Eleventh Miss directly: “Madam, you asked me to go and ask Dongqing whether there was anything else she wished added to her trousseau, so you could include it later. Have I told a single lie?”

Hupo and Binju, hearing Nanny Tao address Eleventh Miss, quickly let the matter drop.

Ever since she had caught sight of Nanny Tao, Eleventh Miss had felt a buzzing in her head that would not settle.

Dongqing had been changing, day by day — and she had not been unaware of it. But every time she thought about the bond between them, she would hesitate for a moment. Her hope was to find Dongqing a good husband, marry her out with all proper celebration and ceremony, and once Dongqing had settled into a comfortable life of her own, those lingering fixations would gradually fade. She would simply turn a blind eye to everything, and bring this Shu Nu Gong Lue – Chapter of their bond as mistress and maid to a dignified close.

But change always outpaced plans. In the end, everything had come undone.

When Dongqing had knelt before her, she had imagined many possible situations — had even searched her own conscience for what she might have done wrong. But never once had she imagined that Nanny Tao might be entangled in it. She had told Hupo, Dongqing, and the others on multiple occasions: Nanny Tao was Yuan Niang’s person; there existed between them an irreconcilable conflict; they were to keep their distance. How could Dongqing have…? How could she ever have…?

Surveying the chaos before her, she felt blood and breath roiling inside her, a dull ache spreading through her sides.

“Nanny is not wrong. It was indeed I who asked you to show Dongqing the trousseau list.” Eleventh Miss’s voice was composed as she raised her head and spoke.

She very much wanted to know what method Nanny Tao had used to make Dongqing cast all caution aside and come to offer herself so recklessly.

The room fell so silent that a dropping pin could have been heard.

Hupo and Binju stared wide-eyed at Nanny Tao.

Nanny Tao dabbed at her eyes, unruffled inwardly.

Did they think they could catch her out? Not a chance.

She turned to Hupo: “You had just stepped in to speak with the Madam. I wasn’t mistaken, was I?”

The hints to Dongqing had been clear enough. Yet Dongqing sat there dumbly without taking them — plainly she had not yet given up hope.

Hupo’s heart went slightly cold. She nodded quietly.

Nanny Tao then addressed Binju: “I went to find Dongqing, knocked a few times, and got no answer. I heard laughter coming from your side, and was going to ask you to pass a message along. In the end it was Shuangyu who fetched Dongqing. I told her that Hupo was with the Madam.” She looked toward Hupo. “That part is true, isn’t it?”

Before Hupo could respond, she turned to Binju: “I said that the First Madam was thinking of selecting a few more girls from among Shanhu and the others to send over for the Marquis to choose from.” She looked at Eleventh Miss. “I did not lie about this either — if you don’t believe me, you may ask Fifth Yiniang.”

Then looking at Binju: “The trousseau list went missing, and I went to search for it with you. When I was going out the door I did say one thing.” She looked at Eleventh Miss: “I said ‘what a pity’ to Dongqing. Those three words, and nothing more.” Then she took a solemn oath: “If I said even one word beyond that, may I die without peace — struck by lightning in my chair, or run down by a cart in the road…”

Eleventh Miss turned involuntarily to look at Dongqing.

She sat with her head lowered, her tears falling onto the blue stone tiles, spreading dark into the surface.

“What a pity.” Eleventh Miss murmured those three words to herself, and a smile curved her lips — yet she felt as though she had fallen into an ice pit, the cold spreading from her fingertips all the way to her heart.

One phrase of “what a pity” — and it had erased five years of affection between them. One phrase of “what a pity” — and it had stirred awake the desire that had lain dormant inside her. One phrase of “what a pity” — and it had made her sever all her bridges and charge forward with no turning back…

“What a pity.” Eleventh Miss smiled, and for the first time a look of contempt entered her eyes. “Truly — what a pity.”

Hupo bowed her head in quiet thought.

Binju cried out in disbelief: “Impossible — that can’t be true! You’re lying! Lying!” She turned to pull at Dongqing: “Dongqing, say something! Say something, please!” She was so desperate she was nearly in tears.

Dongqing knelt there in a daze, motionless.

Nanny Tao watched with a gleam of satisfaction in the depths of her eyes. Then her expression turned grave and solemn, and she addressed Eleventh Miss earnestly: “Madam, I spoke from the heart. I truly felt it was a shame for Dongqing to marry Wan Daxian.” Her gaze swept briefly over Hupo and Binju. “I will not fear giving offense to these young ladies — Hupo has every gift of talent and appearance, yet is perhaps too strong-willed; Binju is gentle and generous, yet perhaps too soft-hearted. Only Dongqing. Not only is she of outstanding appearance, but her temperament is pliant and yielding, and she is in the prime of her youth…”

“Nanny Tao.” Eleventh Miss cut her off, resolute as a blade: “Binju was in the wrong in this matter. Now that everything has been spoken openly, let it rest. You may go and rest.”

Though Nanny Tao felt some displeasure at hearing Eleventh Miss’s tone — which carried nothing but a desire to protect her maids — she was inwardly pleased, knowing she had achieved her purpose. She put on an expression of modest apology: “To have the Madam say so is far more than I deserve, truly…”

Eleventh Miss had no wish to hear another word from her. She shook her hand: “Nanny, go and rest.”

Nanny Tao curtsied and withdrew.

Binju launched herself at Dongqing: “How could you do this? How could you? Don’t you know what sort of person Nanny Tao is? She is in the First Miss’s camp. How could you have listened to her? How could you!”

The questions fell like thunderclaps on Eleventh Miss’s head. Her legs went soft beneath her, and dizziness washed over her. She stumbled backward two steps, groping blindly until her hand caught the edge of the low platform table behind her and she steadied herself.

“Binju — bring a small stool for Dongqing to sit on.”

Leaning against the platform table, she slowly settled onto the edge of the bed.

Binju stared at her with wide eyes still brimming with tears, unable to understand why Eleventh Miss would still ask her to bring a stool for Dongqing, and hesitated for a moment.

Hupo saw this at once and rose to bring a brocade stool, placing it beside the bed.

“Dongqing, sit down. I have something to say to you,” Eleventh Miss said gently.

After a long hesitation, Dongqing sat down on the brocade stool, her head lowered.

Hupo drew Binju to her feet, and both stood quietly at Eleventh Miss’s side.

Eleventh Miss took a deep breath and said: “Dongqing — do you truly wish to become the Marquis’s chamber concubine?”

Dongqing said nothing. The hands clasped on her knees twisted together.

Eleventh Miss felt her heart move, and said further: “You should understand — once you become the Marquis’s chamber concubine, things between you and me can never be as close as before. Do you still wish it?”

“It won’t come to that — it won’t.” Dongqing’s head jerked up sharply. “I would never compete with the Madam. I would help the Madam keep the Marquis in the main chamber…”

Eleventh Miss gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, her voice so light it seemed to drift: “What if one day the Marquis wanted to take you as a concubine — and I refused?”

Dongqing startled.

“What if one day you were with child,” Eleventh Miss continued, “and I did not wish to let you give birth?”

Dongqing opened her mouth wide.

Eleventh Miss’s gaze rested on her, as cool and clear as moonlight: “Would you still want to be the Marquis’s chamber concubine, even then?”

Dongqing avoided her eyes and muttered, head down: “But the Madam is not that kind of person.”

Eleventh Miss’s heart turned to ash. The tears she had held back through sheer force finally broke free and fell without a sound.

“Madam, Madam…” Hupo felt her heart ache. She covered her mouth and began to cry.

Binju, too furious to speak, stepped forward and struck Dongqing hard across the face.

Dongqing clutched her cheek, staring at Binju in shock.

Binju thought of how she had just dragged Nanny Tao back to confront her, all in an effort to defend Dongqing… only for it to end with Eleventh Miss stripped of all dignity.

She hated Dongqing for her weakness. She hated herself even more for her lack of sense.

She raised her hand and struck her own face.

Hupo looked up in alarm and rushed forward to grab her: “Stop, stop it…”

The two of them were in the midst of this turmoil when a voice suddenly cut through the room — Xu Lingyi’s voice: “What on earth is going on here?”

—