Xinglin smiled: “She is inside going over accounts with Nanny Hang! Let me take you there.”

Eleventh Miss hesitated: “In that case, I will not go in.” She then had Dongqing hand the parcel she was carrying to Xinglin. “This is a scholar’s robe I made for the Young Master, a gathered skirt for the First Young Madam, and a small padded jacket for Mu Ge. Please be so kind as to pass them on to the First Young Madam.” She then had Dongqing bring out a small box as well. “These are some pouches I made in my leisure time. Please distribute them among the young misses — it is a small token of my regards.”

Eleventh Miss’s embroidery was excellent, though she was not the only one who could match it. But Eleventh Miss often created her own new patterns, and in that she was beyond compare — even Teacher Jian frequently praised Eleventh Miss for her exceptional ingenuity… Since she had come expressly to deliver things, the pouches were surely crafted with care. Even without opening the box, Xinglin already knew these pouches would be sure to delight the eye. She happily dipped into a curtsy before Eleventh Miss: “Eleventh Miss, you are too thoughtful.” Then she took the parcel and smiled: “Of all the young misses, your hands are the most skilled. Last time you kindly embroidered a cloak for our Young Madam — she speaks of it to this day, saying your plum blossoms looked exactly like the real thing. When family visiting from Yanjing asked whose handiwork it was, she earned herself no small bit of admiration. And now you have gone to the trouble of making clothes for the Young Master, the Young Madam, and Mu Ge as well — the Young Madam will be so delighted when she hears! If she finds out you sent these things all the way here and did not even step through the door, she will blame Xinglin for not knowing her manners. Eleventh Miss really must come in for a cup of tea before leaving.”

Eleventh Miss was firm in her refusal: “I can come and visit the First Young Madam another time — there is no hurry.”

Unable to keep her, Xinglin saw Eleventh Miss to the door and then turned back toward the First Young Madam’s rooms.

The First Young Madam was reading from an account book and calling out numbers, while Nanny Hang’s fingers flew across the abacus beads. Xinglin dared not interrupt, and waited until Nanny Hang paused and announced a figure, the First Young Madam set it down in the book, before she stepped forward with a smile and paid her respects: “Young Madam, Eleventh Miss came just now. She says she made a robe for the Young Master, a skirt for you, and a padded jacket for Mu Ge.” She presented the parcel as she spoke. “Eleventh Miss heard you were going over accounts with Nanny Hang and insisted on leaving, saying she would come another day to visit.”

The First Young Madam looked up at Xinglin steadily: “Why did you not keep her?”

Xinglin was slightly taken aback.

The First Young Madam had already said: “Leave the parcel here and go outside to settle those accounts with the women.”

“Yes.” Xinglin’s expression turned slightly sober, and she curtseyed and withdrew.

Nanny Hang then smiled: “Xinglin is still young — Young Madam can teach her gradually.”

The First Young Madam shook her head: “She is eighteen already… I had originally thought to have the Young Master take her in, as I would have had a capable person to help me. Little did I expect…” She sighed. “She may be young in years, but she has a large heart. To treat even a young miss of the Luo Family with such disregard — I fear she will be no easy matter in the future.”

“Whether she lives or dies is still a single word from you,” Nanny Hang said with a smile. “Besides, our Young Master has never taken an interest in the women around him — when Taolin was there, he showed no particular attention, let alone toward someone like Xinglin in appearance and manner.”

Taolin — that was the maid who had once caused trouble with the First Master…

Hearing Nanny Hang mention her name, the First Young Madam’s expression darkened: “Truly a disgrace to our Gu Family — it made me unable to hold my head up before the Young Master.”

Nanny Hang glanced around to make sure the coast was clear, then lowered her voice: “Young Madam may set her mind at ease — Madam took care of it long ago. No one will ever know what became of her.”

The Madam she referred to was the First Young Madam’s own mother.

The First Young Madam’s expression did not brighten at Nanny Hang’s words — if anything, she was slightly irritated as she untied the parcel Eleventh Miss had sent: “Enough of these troublesome matters. Let us see what Eleventh Miss has made for us.”

The robe for the Young Master had fine, close stitching; an orchid cluster on the First Young Madam’s gathered skirt seemed to breathe with life; the fawn embroidered on Mu Ge’s cloak was vivid and full of spirit…

Nanny Hang could not help but sigh: “What a pity she was not born from the First Madam’s own womb!”

“Who would say otherwise.” The First Young Madam’s gaze also carried a touch of sympathy. “It is all fate.”

Both of them thought of Luo Yuanniang at the same moment.

For a time, there was silence between them.

After a while, the First Young Madam roused herself: “Right — have the local gifts for the Second Master and the Third Master been sent over?”

Nanny Hang quickly said: “They were sent out long ago on Nanny Xu’s instructions. By now they have likely already arrived.”

The First Young Madam nodded, and she and Nanny Hang returned to discussing the accounts from before.

—

That day, lunch was served a full hour earlier than usual. After eating, the First Madam told them to rest for a short while: “…Do not let the Xu Family’s people see the Madam’s sisters looking drooped and listless like frost-wilted eggplants! Get yourselves dressed and groomed, and come to my room at the start of the final afternoon hour.”

Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss naturally dared not disobey. Each returned to her room to rest briefly, apply face compresses, bathe, arrange their hair, and change their clothes. The First Madam meanwhile went over with Nanny Xu the various gifts and local specialties brought from Yuhang to present to the Xu Family later.

At the start of the final afternoon hour, everyone gathered in the First Madam’s room.

Fifth Miss wore a white silk inner jacket, a white embroidered skirt beneath, and over it all a rose-red outer robe with gold-woven interlocking branch patterns. Her glossy black hair was gathered into a neat coil, adorned with a twisted gold hairpin carved into a figure of an immortal playing the flute, and she wore a pair of purple jade eardrops. She looked elegant and dignified.

The First Madam looked at her with a slight frown: “Go and change that skirt for the goose-yellow one.”

Fifth Miss’s face flushed pink as she went to change.

The First Madam’s gaze then fell on Eleventh Miss.

Beneath she wore a pale green silk inner jacket, a pea-green embroidered skirt below, and over all the goose-yellow plain satin outer robe with the four-happiness ruyi pattern, her hair dressed in a double-swirl style, adorned with a few pearl flowers. The clothing was understated and simple, yet the effect was somewhat stiff.

The First Madam could not help pressing a hand to her forehead: “What has gotten into everyone today — one after another giving me trouble.”

“Perhaps it is nerves,” Nanny Xu offered with a smile, having personally inspected both their wardrobes earlier.

The First Madam sighed and instructed Eleventh Miss: “Wear a pink silk jacket, a lotus-gray outer robe, and a white embroidered skirt. Undo your hair and put it up in a coil, with a few pearl flowers… Go quickly!”

Eleventh Miss had no choice but to rush back to her room and change as the First Madam directed.

By the time she returned, Fifth Miss had already changed as well.

The rose-red outer robe paired with the goose-yellow skirt transformed dignity into something both poised and vibrant. And she herself — the pink silk jacket paired with the lotus-gray outer robe became something at once delicate and refined.

Eleventh Miss suddenly realized that within the Luo Family, she could find not a single opening to work with.

Her hand involuntarily clenched into a tight fist.

There had to be another way…

—

The carriage rolled slowly out of the Bowstring Lane of Bao’da Ward, turned left onto Bao’da Street, exited Bao’da Street and turned right onto the East Central Avenue. Then continuing west along the East Central Avenue, they passed through the Zheng’an Gate and the imperial garden of the Grand Pool Garden, and after the time it took to burn one stick of incense they reached Lotus Blossom Lane, where the Marquis Yongping’s residence was located.

This Lotus Blossom Lane had once been called Lotus Blossom Slope — it had been a small lake belonging to the Grand Pool. When Emperor Taizong built the Grand Pool Garden, he considered its position too remote, and it was acquired by Princess Imperial Ningguo, who enclosed the lake and constructed a private villa there. Later, the Princess was implicated in the “Zheng’an Wang Conspiracy Case” and after its failure took poison and died. Her family’s assets were confiscated, and the villa was reclaimed by the Imperial Household Office. In time, when the Xu Family had their title restored, the Xu Family’s original residence in Stone Lion Lane had already been bestowed by Emperor Xiaozong upon his own maternal uncle. So Emperor Yingzong granted the Princess Imperial Ningguo’s villa to the Xu Family.

“So Elder Sister’s home is in a royal villa?” Fifth Miss’s eyes shone with excitement upon hearing the First Madam’s account of where they were heading.

“Not entirely.” The First Madam paused. “At the time, many meritorious families had their convictions overturned in the ‘Zheng’an Wang Conspiracy Case.’ The Xu Family voluntarily proposed sharing the Princess’s residence with Duke Dingguo’s Zheng Family and Lord Weibei’s Lin Family. Otherwise, how would ‘Lotus Blossom Slope’ ever have come to be called ‘Lotus Blossom Lane’?”

Fifth Miss was slightly taken aback at hearing the Xu Family shared the villa with others.

The First Madam noticed her disdain and felt a touch of displeasure, saying: “Although the Zheng Family received the villa’s main rooms, and the Lin Family and the Xu Family divided the villa’s gardens, Emperor Yingzong, mindful that the Xu Family’s former residence was no smaller than the Princess’s villa, allotted only a third of the garden to the Lin Family and two-thirds to the Xu Family. That villa was built by the Princess for her own peaceful retirement in old age — the garden is a landscape of layered hills and cascading wisteria, remarkably refined. In terms of sheer size, the Xu Family’s residence is nothing remarkable among the noble families of Yanjing, but in terms of scenery, it is counted among the finest.”

Fifth Miss realized she had misspoken and quickly smiled: “I was just thinking — could Mother ask Elder Sister to have someone take me on a stroll around later… I have grown up all my life and never been to such an illustrious place. I would like to broaden my horizons.”

The First Madam’s expression eased somewhat: “We will be in Yanjing for some time yet. There will be plenty of opportunity.”

Just as she finished speaking, someone from beyond the carriage curtain said: “The kinsman Madam — we are just passing the Grand Pool Garden! Would you care to take a look?” It was a coarse-servant woman the Xu Family had sent to accompany the carriage.

Fifth Miss heard this and smiled, only to be met with a sharp glare from the First Madam. The First Madam then unhurriedly addressed the woman from behind the curtain: “No need. Looking from the East Central Avenue, one would only see a few stout old trees. In summer it might be worth a glance, but in this freezing cold, I think we may as well forgo it.”

The woman gave two soft chuckles and fell silent.

The First Madam then lowered her voice to advise Fifth Miss and Eleventh Miss: “Once we arrive at the Xu Family’s residence, do not let your eyes wander. Do not hunch your shoulders or hang your head. Do not panic. Speak when you should speak, and when you should not speak, remember to keep a faint smile. If they bestow gifts upon you, accept them graciously — do not push things back and forth like country folk. If refreshments are served, do help yourself freely, do not shrink and shy away as if you have never seen the world…” She went on at length, until even Fifth Miss grew tense. Seeing this, Eleventh Miss of course had to put on an expression of anxiety and unease herself. Only then did the First Madam stop: “In short, the Xu Family is of noble standing — do not disgrace the Luo Family name.”

Both replied respectfully with a “yes.”

The First Madam raised her hand and smoothed the hair at her temples, then straightened the hem of her garment, which was already perfectly neat.

Eleventh Miss stared at her in quiet astonishment.

The carriage had already come to a halt outside. There were voices speaking softly, and after a moment the noise faded. Then the carriage lurched as if it had rolled over something, and started moving again.

Inside the carriage, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was somewhat subdued.

Fortunately, after the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the carriage came to a stop again.

The curtain was lifted, and Nanny Tao’s smiling round face appeared before them: “First Madam, we have arrived!”

—