Eleventh Young Lady’s words surprised Xu Lingyi considerably. He sat up.

“Qin Yiniang was simply grasping at any remedy in her desperation,” Eleventh Young Lady sat up along with him. “You have already reprimanded her, and Siyu now knows your intentions. There is no need to make the matter any larger than it already is. When all is said and done, it was only because Qin Yiniang was too worried about Siyu.”

Xu Lingyi listened in silence for a moment, then said quietly, “During those years, there was so much going on outside the household, and all the inner affairs were left entirely to your elder sister. Her health was not good, and at times she was inevitably unable to keep her spirits up. Now that you are managing the household, some rules and standards ought to be properly established.”

He actually disagrees!

Eleventh Young Lady was somewhat taken aback. And hearing the weight behind his words, a thought stirred within her, and she asked, “Was it Elder Sister’s idea for Siyu to be raised by Qin Yiniang?”

Xu Lingyi paused before answering. “At the time, the household affairs were many and your elder sister could not manage everything.”

A sideways acknowledgment — so it had indeed been First Young Mistress’s arrangement for Xu Siyu to be left in Qin Yiniang’s care.

Eleventh Young Lady thought of Qin Yiniang’s limited outlook, then thought of the faint, elusive thread running between the Second Madam and Xu Siyu… She could not help but seek confirmation, and said with a smile, “I heard that Siyu received his early education from Second Sister-in-law. How old was Siyu at the time?”

Xu Lingyi did not answer, but his brow furrowed slightly. “Who told you this?”

“All the nannies in the household say so,” Eleventh Young Lady replied. “They also praised Siyu for being clever. Is there something wrong with that?”

Xu Lingyi’s expression darkened. “At the time, no one was looking after Siyu, and he spent every day running wild and reckless with the young manservants. One spring, just when the birds were nesting, he was led by those manservants to go and poke down every bird’s nest in the household — and they even turned it into a competition over who could knock down the most. The Second Madam saw that this was no good, and that was when the thought came to her to teach him to read — she was afraid that if he played completely wild, he would not be able to settle down to study when the time came. Later, as Siyu grew more sensible, the Third Madam saw this and sent Qin Ge and Jian Ge over as well. The Second Madam simply set aside her afternoons to go over the Young Scholars’ Companion with the three children. Later, when it came time for Qin Ge to begin formal schooling, the Second Madam worried that a sharp and worldly-minded teacher might not dare to exert proper discipline, while a gentle and broad-minded one might not be able to keep them in order — and so she put forward the recommendation of the current private tutor.”

So this meant that the Second Madam had begun teaching Xu Siyu to read before Qin Ge entered school. Xu Siyu was three years older than Xu Siqin, and Zhun Ge was eight years younger than Xu Siqin. Working it through — at that time Zhun Ge had not yet been born, and Xu Siyu had been Xu Lingyi’s only son.

Eleventh Young Lady began to understand.

First Young Mistress had certainly used her own poor health as a pretext to leave Xu Siyu in the care of Qin Yiniang — a woman of servant origins with little knowledge or experience of the world — and with the fawning and flattery of those around him, it was hardly surprising that Xu Siyu had grown reckless and unruly as a result.

She thought of Luo Zhensheng!

So it was exactly the same method as the first Madam Gao had used.

No wonder the Second Madam was so well acquainted with the children’s studies!

Was it because this matter was so closely bound up with First Young Mistress that Xu Lingyi did not like to hear such talk circulating?

Eleventh Young Lady thought of the night of the mourning-release ceremony, when Xu Lingyi had tossed and turned and only fallen asleep well into the night.

She smiled and said, “That was me believing hearsay without thinking!”

Xu Lingyi said nothing. After a long silence he lay down. “It is getting late. You should rest as well.”

It was only then that Eleventh Young Lady remembered the matter of Qin Yiniang had not yet been resolved, and quickly said, “Marquis, let us not have Qin Yiniang attend upon me to learn conduct after all. Even if it is to be done, it can wait until after Siyu has left for Le’an!” A delay to get past the immediate situation first.

Xu Lingyi looked at her, puzzled.

“Marquis!” Eleventh Young Lady pinched the sleeve of his robe and gave it a gentle shake.

Xu Lingyi had never seen Eleventh Young Lady do anything like this before.

He looked at her pale, slender fingers pinching his sleeve, and found it unbearably endearing.

Pressing down a smile, he rolled over to face away from her. “Go to sleep.”

“Marquis!” Eleventh Young Lady had no choice but to lean forward. “As you yourself said, the rules need to be established. You cannot be the first to go and break them…”

Xu Lingyi had already closed his eyes, and said in a muffled, drowsy tone, “Am I not helping you?” He sounded perfectly unconcerned, on the verge of dozing off.

“But the management of the inner chambers is mine!” Eleventh Young Lady knew that if she did not resolve this tonight, come morning Qin Yiniang would be trailing after her like a shadow.

The thought alone made her uncomfortable.

“Marquis…” Seeing no response from Xu Lingyi, Eleventh Young Lady shook his shoulder. “Marquis, Marquis…”

Through the thin fabric of his clothing, she could feel his body trembling slightly.

Eleventh Young Lady was bewildered.

Looking more closely — he was suppressing laughter.

“Marquis!” Eleventh Young Lady shoved him firmly. “Since you want me to establish the rules — then I shall follow the rules — from this day forth, if the Marquis has anything to say, he can say it directly to me. There is no need to make decisions over my head…”

She had barely finished speaking when Xu Lingyi rolled over and drew her into his arms. “How can you be so foolish!”

Foolish… Having lived two lifetimes, this was the first time Eleventh Young Lady had ever heard anyone describe her this way.

She was momentarily stunned.

And Xu Lingyi, watching her round, wide eyes staring back at him, found it all the more amusing. With a great laugh, he cupped her face in both hands and kissed her soundly.

But then Eleventh Young Lady was suddenly struck by a flash of clarity.

She truly had been foolish!

Establishing conduct rules, establishing conduct rules — naturally that meant Qin Yiniang had to do whatever she directed, however she chose to direct it! Whether she had her trailing alongside like a little maidservant was up to her. Whether she kept her confined to her room and prohibited from going anywhere — that too was up to her! It all depended entirely on how she arranged it!

She had only herself to blame for her own lack of perception.

Back in those days at the Luo household, when the various Yiniangs attended upon the first Madam to learn conduct — the Fourth Yiniang, for instance, had once stood at the first Madam’s side for an entire day like a little maidservant. Whereas the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Yiniangs would serve the first Madam in dressing when she rose in the morning, fan her during the noon nap, and remain by the bedside until midnight attending to tea and hot water… Eleventh Young Lady had never once thought of having Qin Yiniang subjected to any kind of penalty, and so her mind had naturally gone down an entirely different path!

Having worked through all of this, she settled herself again.

Freeing herself from Xu Lingyi’s encircling hands, she straightened the bedcovers. “Marquis, let us get some rest.”

Xu Lingyi stared at her — lying on her side with her back to him — and was dumbfounded.

She was sleeping with her back turned toward him… Could it be that he had called her foolish and she was now upset?

He leaned toward her and asked, “What is wrong? Is everything all right?”

“Everything is fine,” Eleventh Young Lady said, eyes closed, telling herself to fall asleep quickly. “Tomorrow morning, bright and early, Qin Yiniang will come to attend upon me for morning grooming!” she murmured, half already drowsy. “So that I am not too sluggish to rise… Marquis should sleep early as well!”

Xu Lingyi simply did not believe she could fall asleep that quickly. He pressed close against her face and said softly, “Moyan, I did not mean to interfere in your affairs. I was afraid you might have reservations… I want you to take the reins of the household…”

Eleventh Young Lady understood what he meant. Otherwise he would not have reprimanded Qin Yiniang so loudly in front of so many people — he could just as well have spoken to Qin Yiniang privately and quietly, or kept his voice lower.

She murmured her assent, then realized that facing the bright lamplight felt unpleasant to her eyes. She rolled over and buried her face against Xu Lingyi’s chest.

Watching her curl into him like a small cat, Xu Lingyi felt a warmth spreading slowly through him. And yet, looking at her face — serene and peaceful — he could not bring himself to disturb her.

After a long moment of deliberation, he did nothing but fold his arms gently around her.

…

The next morning, Hupo came in early to attend to Eleventh Young Lady’s rising — Xu Lingyi had gone to the grove by the waterside pavilion at first light to practice his swordsmanship.

“Qin Yiniang arrived before dawn and has been standing with the little maidservants beneath the eaves, waiting for you to rise.”

Eleventh Young Lady nodded and said thoughtfully, “Do you know why the Second Young Master was eavesdropping outside the window lattice?”

“Qin Yiniang learned that the Second Young Master was being sent to Le’an,” Hupo said quietly, “and ran in a panic to the Second Madam’s quarters. Wenzhu said that Qin Yiniang’s little maidservant was frightened and went to find the Second Young Master. The Second Young Master heard this and rushed over to the Second Madam’s quarters as well. When they arrived, the Second Madam was in the middle of scolding Qin Yiniang, saying that this was the Marquis’s decision and that Qin Yiniang ought not to harbor resentment. Seeing the Second Young Master arrive, the Second Madam left Qin Yiniang aside and took the Second Young Master to the study. Qin Yiniang then ran over to your quarters. The Second Young Master came out and, not finding Qin Yiniang, knew she had come here, and followed. When word came that the Marquis had arrived, he stood beneath the eaves and listened for a while.”

No wonder her hair was all in disarray…

Eleventh Young Lady gave Qin Yiniang a thorough scolding, then confined her to her own room for a month’s reflection — no leaving the room, and morning and evening attendance duties waived as well. She herself then went with the steward nannies and the outer reception office to begin arrangements for the matriarch’s birthday celebration.

When the matriarch heard what had happened, she gave a slight nod of approval. “She understands the larger situation. Though her approach is perhaps a touch too gentle.”

Nanny Du heard this and smiled. “Shall I go and give the Fourth Madam a hint?”

“No need,” said the matriarch. “A thousand people will take a thousand different approaches. Now that she is managing the household, we must do things according to her methods. If we go to offer guidance on every little matter, what standing will she have before those crafty old steward nannies?”

“That was muddle-headed of me,” Nanny Du said with a smile.

A little maidservant came in to report: “The Fourth Madam is here!”

“Invite her in quickly!” The matriarch smiled. Nanny Du went herself to lift the curtain.

Eleventh Young Lady had come to consult the matriarch about the birthday guest list. “…You have not held a formal birthday celebration for these past two years, so I have drawn up this list following the example of the banquet from the second year of Yonghe. Please look it over and let me know if anything should be added or removed.”

The matriarch took the list and looked it over, then said, “Draw up a fresh list. The second year of Yonghe was arranged on the Emperor’s orders — the Marquis had just won a great victory in battle and His Majesty wished to help mark the occasion properly. It was inevitably rather extravagant. Let us simply invite close family friends and some relatives by marriage.”

When Eleventh Young Lady had seen the guest list from the second year of Yonghe, she had also been startled — it had struck her as somewhat lavish.

She agreed with a smile and was just about to withdraw to finalize the revised guest list when the Fifth Madam returned.

The Fifth Madam had grown noticeably thinner than when she had left, yet she appeared far more spirited.

The matriarch chuckled. “I had calculated that you would be back about now!” She then had the baby girl Xin Jie’er brought out for her to see.

Xin Jie’er had grown and filled out, her dark eyes bright and lively, her cheeks rosy and full of color, looking robust and energetic. The matriarch cradled her, unwilling to let her go. Then she asked the Fifth Madam, “How are you? Are you feeling better?”

The Fifth Madam blushed. “Thank you for sending me home for a while, Mother.” She leaned against the matriarch’s shoulder in a coaxing way. “With you here, what is there for me to fear!”

“If you can think this way, that is the right of it!” the matriarch said with a smile, feeling a weight lift from her heart.

Sometimes a person simply falls into a fixation and cannot find their way out.

Allowing the Fifth Madam to return home had been done in the hope that the old Marquis could offer her some counsel. Now it seemed the effect had been worthwhile.

That evening, the whole family gathered together in warmth and celebration. Though the matriarch’s birthday was still two days away, the household already had the bustle of festivity about it.

—