Shiyiniang said nothing.

At first hearing, the First Concubine’s words sounded candid. But on closer reflection, they were riddled throughout with self-justification.

Why had Yang Yiniang entrusted Shiniang to these two women in particular? What had these two women possessed that made Yang Yiniang see fit to commit her dying charge to them?

Shiniang had come to the capital, married Wang Lang, and then become a widow… Pursuing those old matters now would serve no purpose. What concerned Shiyiniang now was Lu Yongfu’s visit—the two concubines had a prior record, after all. As for “meeting someone from home in a strange place,” Shiyiniang was not convinced.

But what could she do, convinced or not?

She had simply stumbled upon this matter by chance. If there really was something amiss in all this, probing any further on her own would only alert those involved.

She rose to her feet: “The hour is not early, and I must still attend the Old Madam for the noon meal. I shall not trouble the two of you in your devotions further.”

The Second Concubine gave a slight nod. The First Concubine, however, smiled and accompanied her all the way to the courtyard gate.

Jining was not present, but had left a young novice to attend. Following the novice’s guidance, Nanny Song accompanied Shiyiniang back to the courtyard.

Hupo was watching anxiously for her return.

“Madam!” She hurried forward and paid her respects. “I caught a glimpse of a profile—eight or nine chances out of ten it was Steward Lu. But I could not catch him.”

“You gave chase?” Shiyiniang’s expression darkened slightly. “How did you do so?”

“At first I was not certain enough to approach. I brought a manservant and pushed through the crowd to get a clearer look. Just as his face became clear to me, he turned and headed toward the main hall. I did not dare make a sound and followed. But then he quickened his pace and plunged into the crowd. I could see I was not going to catch him, so I tried calling out. But that only made him walk even faster. By the time I reached the mountain gate, there was no trace of him.”

If he had nothing to hide, why would he have evaded them?

Shiyiniang’s expression settled into quiet gravity. She instructed Nanny Song: “The moment we return, call Lu Yongfu to me.”

Nanny Song bowed in acknowledgment.

On the other side, a young maidservant came out from the side room, saw Shiyiniang and the others standing in the courtyard, and visibly relaxed, then stepped forward smiling to pay her respects: “Fourth Madam, the Old Madam has woken.”

Shiyiniang exchanged a glance with Nanny Song and Hupo and stepped quickly inside.

The noon vegetarian meal was arranged in the side room. By the end of the wei hour, there was still no sign of the Xiang Family. Nanny Du, who had been sent on the errand of engineering a chance meeting with Madam Xiang, had gone back and forth several times and begun to fear she had simply missed them.

The Second Madam’s face remained composed, but a faint tension was evident in her brow: “Mother, you have been out since early morning and have eaten nothing but half a bowl of plain congee since then. Let us not wait any longer.”

The Old Madam was quiet for a moment, then laughed lightly: “Something must have come up to delay them. Besides, tomorrow Shiyiniang and I are still going to the Zhongqin Earl’s Mansion to see Lanting. Let us wait no longer.”

The nineteenth of the third month was Yuanniang’s third-year anniversary. The Old Madam had said only yesterday that she would wait until Yuanniang’s third-year anniversary had passed before going to the Zhongqin Earl’s Mansion… This was simply giving the Second Madam a way to preserve her dignity.

Shiyiniang turned and instructed a young maidservant to bring the vegetarian meal.

After eating, they set off back to the mansion.

The Second Madam continued to share a carriage with the Old Madam. Shiyiniang leaned against Nanny Song and dozed off, waking only when Nanny Song roused her as the carriage entered Lotus Lane.

She alighted from the carriage to find Xu Lingyi waiting at the gate.

The Old Madam laughed: “Everyone has had a tiring day. Tonight, each household takes its own supper. There is no need to come and pay your respects. Disperse.”

Xu Lingyi glanced at Shiyiniang upon hearing this.

Shiyiniang gave him a small, quiet shake of her head.

Xu Lingyi asked nothing, bowed in acknowledgment.

The Second Madam said nothing at all, then turned at once to face Xu Lingyi: “My lord, I am not certain why, but today my sister-in-law did not come to Cisource Temple.” Her gaze then moved to Shiyiniang. “I must return to my family home tomorrow. I would trouble Fourth Sister-in-law to arrange a carriage for me.” Then to Xu Lingyi: “I wish to go back and find out what has happened on my brother’s side.”

A strange flicker passed through Xu Lingyi’s eyes, but he quickly smiled and said: “Perhaps Master Xiang is setting off for his post, and Madam Xiang has too much to attend to. Elder Sister-in-law need not be alarmed.”

The Second Madam did not reply, simply nodded, curtseyed in greeting, and with Jiexiang went to a blue-curtained oil carriage and returned to Shaohua Courtyard.

Xu Lingyi and Shiyiniang then also boarded a blue-curtained oil carriage.

He asked his wife in a low voice: “What has actually happened?”

Shiyiniang gave him a full account.

Xu Lingyi was silent the entire way back to Chuilian Water Pavilion. Once Shiyiniang had freshened up and changed, Xu Lingyi beckoned her over, and the two sat together on the large kang by the window to talk.

“By the look of things, Siyu’s marriage prospects have likely taken a turn.”

“Perhaps something genuinely came up.” Shiyiniang smiled. “Let us wait until Second Sister-in-law returns before we speculate. Better not to guess.” Inwardly, however, she understood that Siyu’s marriage had most probably fallen through. She could not say these things aloud, though. In the end, nothing had been concluded yet. If the marriage did not come to pass, it would simply be a matter of the Second Madam’s dignity suffering somewhat. But if by some chance it did succeed, and Xu Lingyi were left with a grudge in his heart, she feared he might not treat the young miss of the Xiang Family well in the future.

Xu Lingyi said nothing. Seeing that Shiyiniang looked weary, he rose and said: “You rest a while. I am going to see Lord Jiang.”

Shiyiniang was astonished: “At this hour?”

It was nearly time for supper.

“I will not be back for supper.” Xu Lingyi nodded. “The matter of sending Siyu to Qianjian Academy—I must give him advance notice. If he has no objections, I intend, once the ceremony marking the end of Yuanniang’s mourning period has passed, to send him to Le’an.”

“Would that not be too hasty?” Shiyiniang said hesitantly.

From settling on an idea to making a decision, it had taken Xu Lingyi only a few days. But this was not a military command to be given and obeyed in an instant.

“Siyu is no longer young. The sooner certain things are made clear to him, the better.” Xu Lingyi reflected. “The longer it is delayed, the worse things will become.”

This was a father’s arrangement for his children. It was not Shiyiniang’s place to say anything. She saw Xu Lingyi to the door, then turned back and instructed Nanny Song to summon Lu Yongfu from the outer courtyard.

Lu Yongfu and Lu Yonggui shared similar features, but due no doubt to their different paths in life, Lu Yongfu’s expression was one of good-natured simplicity tinged with a careless, unhurried ease. He actually looked older than Lu Yonggui.

He entered and knelt at the doorway, bowing his head, respectful and composed, yet with a tremor of apprehension running through his deference.

Shiyiniang sat upright in the large armchair, gently skimming the surface of her tea cup with the lid to move the floating tea leaves aside.

The faint clinking of porcelain made the already perfectly still room seem even more hushed.

Shiyiniang saw Lu Yongfu shift uncomfortably, then spoke: “I have called you here for no other reason than to ask you a few things.”

Her voice was neither too high nor too low, neither urgent nor slow, and appeared perfectly at ease. Yet against the backdrop of that quiet room, it carried a quiet authority that made Lu Yongfu quite nervous.

The moment her words fell, he replied with an eager urgency: “Madam, please ask. Whatever I know, I will say.”

“I have heard that after your father passed away, both you and your brother received a great deal of help from Head Steward Niu, who then arranged for you both to enter the household as young manservants, after which you became companion servants of the eldest daughter. Is that so?”

Lu Yongfu’s face flashed with a look of surprise, as if this account struck him as unexpected. He replied: “It is true that after Father passed, we received a great deal of support from Head Steward Niu. However, Father had also served as the steward of the Luo household’s accounts, and had always been completely loyal to the First Madam. It was on the strength of that loyalty that the First Madam sent us to Yanjing.”

Shiyiniang gave a noncommittal “oh,” then said: “In that case, one might say you come from a family well-versed in the trade?” Then she asked: “Can you read? And do you know how to use an abacus?”

Lu Yongfu thought of Yang Huizu.

He had heard it said that it was because the Fourth Madam had taken notice of him that Yang Huizu had been assigned to the purchasing office—a plum position indeed.

He bent even lower: “I can read a few characters. And when I was young I practiced the abacus under my father’s guidance.”

Shiyiniang gave a quiet “mm,” then said suddenly: “Do you happen to know how Head Steward Niu’s nephew died? I have heard that in his lifetime this man was also exceedingly capable and sharp.”

Lu Yongfu let out a scornful laugh: “What good did all that sharpness do him in the end? He still let another man have his wife…” The words left his mouth, and then a trace of regret crossed his face—that young maidservant of former times, whatever one might say of her, was now a concubine of the Luo household. For a servant like himself to speak ill of her like this, the Madam would surely be displeased. He hurried to recover: “But then, all that was many years ago. I only heard it from others. I am not entirely clear on the details.”

Shiyiniang did not pursue the topic further and asked him about his duties at the stables—his monthly wages, whether the work was demanding, how many children were in his household, whether food and clothing were adequate, and such matters.

Lu Yongfu answered each question in turn.

After approximately two quarters of an hour, Shiyiniang lifted her tea cup in dismissal.

Hupo looked puzzled: “Madam, I found this Lu Yongfu to be far less capable than his brother—his speech was quite careless and unguarded. Why did you not press him further?”

“One is a minor second-grade servant in the stables; the other was entrusted by the eldest daughter on her deathbed to manage her companion servants’ assets. The difference between them is plain to see—that is precisely why I summoned him to ask questions. As for pressing further—he may not know very much. And even if he does, what he says may not be reliable. Besides, I was not actually trying to get anything out of him in the first place.”

Hupo was startled.

Shiyiniang did not explain herself further. She instructed Hupo to call Nanny Song in: “Regardless of whether the Old Madam’s words about visiting the Zhongqin Earl’s Mansion tomorrow are true or not, we should prepare early.”

Hupo did not dare ask more questions and called Nanny Song in.

Following her usual practice, Shiyiniang chose a pair of blue-and-white porcelain plum vases from the storeroom, valued at eighty taels of silver, to serve as a trousseau gift for Gan Lanting. She then discussed with Nanny Song the memorial observances for Yuanniang’s third-year anniversary.

“…I have no experience with such things. What does Nanny think needs to be prepared?”

“The administrative office will handle all the arrangements.” Nanny Song smiled. “Madam need not make any special preparations. It will be the usual—going to the grave to pay respects, and inviting Daoist and Buddhist priests to perform water-and-land ceremonies. Only for the ceremony marking the end of the mourning period a month hence, the young masters and young misses will need to change into everyday clothing. Madam will need to have new garments made for them.”

“The garments have long since been ordered from the needlework room.” Shiyiniang said. “Nanny need only go to the administrative office and inquire. See if they have drawn up a plan. I will follow their arrangements on this side.”

Nanny Song smiled and acknowledged the instruction.

Xu Siyu and Zhun Ge came from their lessons to pay their respects to Shiyiniang, and Nan Yong’s wife brought Xu Sijie over as well. Then Zhen Jie’er arrived too.

Shiyiniang kept the children for supper.

Xu Siyu remained as steady and courteous as ever; Xu Sijie continued to eat with the voracious speed of someone shoveling food in. Zhun Ge looked dejected and downcast; Zhen Jie’er looked at Shiyiniang with beaming smiles. After the meal, Zhen Jie’er handed Xu Sijie to Zhun Ge: “Lead him to kick the shuttlecock. I have something to say to Mother.”

Xu Siyu, seeing this, rose to take his leave.

Zhun Ge, as he led Xu Sijie off to the courtyard, muttered to himself: “Grandmother said we have to sit quietly for a while after meals before kicking the shuttlecock.”

But Zhen Jie’er and Shiyiniang had already put their heads together and were deep in conversation, and did not hear a word of what he said.

—