The festive clamor faded away, leaving only the quiet stillness of the courtyard.

Shiyiniang murmured a few instructions to Nanny Song, then, surrounded by Yanrong and the others, made her way through the maids and matrons who were bent over tidying up the remnants of the celebration and passed out of Dianchun Hall.

At the turning of spring to summer, the night breeze came warm against the face, carrying with it the fragrance of a hundred flowers.

She could not help drawing in a long, deep breath.

Above her head stretched a sky full of stars — brilliant and gleaming, set like jewels against the deep blue of the night, dazzling and entrancing to behold.

From somewhere in the distance came the sound of the night watch drum.

“Madam,” Yanrong said with concern, “you’ve been on your feet all day. Whatever needs doing, just leave it to us. Please do rest early.”

Shiyiniang thought of the day’s guests and felt not the slightest trace of sleepiness.

“Have all the Marquis’s guests departed?”

“Not yet,” Yanrong replied. “The Marquis and Master Zhuo and Master Jiang are still drinking.”

Shiyiniang nodded and went back first to rest at Chuilun Water Pavilion.

She was roused in the middle of the night by Xu Lingyi.

“Shiyiniang, Moyan…” He was propped up on both arms above her, looking down at her, his bright eyes carrying the drowsy, unfocused look of someone still under the influence of wine, his words slightly slurred. “How can you sleep so soundly? I couldn’t rouse you at all.”

Couldn’t rouse her? Then what was she doing right now?

Shiyiniang complained inwardly, while at the same time sitting up and calling out loudly to the maidservants outside to bring a sobering broth for Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi heard this and smiled, then planted two firm kisses on her cheek.

His every breath was thick with the smell of wine.

Shiyiniang could not help wrinkling her nose. “Go wash up first — you smell entirely of wine!”

Xu Lingyi looked at her small face all screwed up in distaste and burst out laughing. Far from doing as she asked, he leaned in and began kissing her in a haphazard fashion.

“Marquis!” Shiyiniang, startled and flustered, was twisting this way and that to dodge him when she happened to look up and saw a young maidservant come in carrying a small red lacquer begonia-patterned tea tray.

She panicked.

“Marquis!”

Then she gave him a hard shove.

Xu Lingyi, unexpectedly off balance, stumbled and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed.

Shiyiniang stared at Xu Lingyi in astonishment — how had he been knocked over so easily by her!

Xu Lingyi also stared back at Shiyiniang in some surprise — he hadn’t expected her to push him off the bed like that.

The young maidservant holding the tray had gone white as paper with fright. She dropped to her knees with a thump, the covered cup on the tray trembling and clattering, sending a clear chiming sound ringing through the quiet room.

It was then that Xu Lingyi noticed the maidservant had come in.

Somewhat flustered, he steadied himself against the bed frame and stood up. “Nothing wrong, nothing wrong. I lost my footing for a moment.”

Shiyiniang came back to her senses and, seeing how he was bracing himself on the bed frame to rise, suspected he had drunk a great deal more than usual. She quickly got down from the bed and supported him to a seat on the edge, then turned to the maidservant with a composed air and said, “Bring the sobering broth over here.”

The maidservant, trembling slightly, carried the tray over.

Shiyiniang took the covered cup and passed it to Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi drank it down in one go.

Shiyiniang set the empty cup back on the tray and drew out a handkerchief to offer him.

The maidservant made a somewhat panicked retreat.

Xu Lingyi took the handkerchief, wiped his mouth, then let out a long breath and rose unsteadily. “Have a maidservant come in to help me change.”

Shiyiniang thought of how she had just pushed him, and felt a small flutter of unease. She moved forward to support him. “It is so late — allow this concubine to help the Marquis change instead.”

Xu Lingyi made no objection. The two of them went to the washroom.

Shiyiniang went to pour water for him.

“I’ll do it,” Xu Lingyi said, taking the wooden ladle from her hands. He scooped only cold water into the copper basin.

It was still a bit chilly in early summer.

“Marquis,” Shiyiniang hesitated.

“It’s fine,” Xu Lingyi said, dismissive. “I’ve often washed with cold water before.” He then bent down and plunged his face into the copper basin.

Water splashed in all directions.

Shiyiniang’s heart gave a start.

Xu Lingyi had already raised his head.

Droplets of water rained from his face down onto the front of his robe.

He let out a long, slow breath.

The relaxed ease that Shiyiniang had seen in his expression when she first opened her eyes was gone from his brow, and his gaze had become clear and lucid once more.

Thinking of how differently Xu Lingyi had been behaving compared to his usual self, Shiyiniang felt a thread of worry and called out hesitantly, “Marquis…”

Xu Lingyi did not turn around. His head was inclined slightly downward, his gaze resting on the copper basin before him. “Old Zhuo has returned to the capital to retire in comfort.”

In the small copper mirror on the washstand, his face was reflected — dim and indistinct.

Shiyiniang did not quite follow at first. “What?”

“When I first arrived at the military camp, the first person I met was Old Zhuo.” His voice was low and subdued. “By then, he was already a battle-hardened general.” His expression became grave and contemplative. “The loudest in his declarations and the bravest in cutting down the enemy — that was him… Later, when I campaigned in the northwest, he volunteered to serve as vanguard… In the battle against Gesang, he lost a leg… The Emperor rewarded valor and asked him what wish he had harbored throughout his life. He said he wished to stand sentinel in the northwest for the Emperor forever. The Emperor sent him to Yunnan and Guizhou to serve as regional commander…”

Was he speaking of the newly appointed Assistant Minister Zhuo?

“Not even two or three years have passed.” Xu Lingyi raised his head. “He has returned to the capital to retire. Feiyun’s reputation in the northwest has been half destroyed, and I…” He gazed steadily at that small copper mirror, and for a long moment said nothing.

Feiyun — was that Jiang Feiyun? The one who had suffered defeat in the northwest and been replaced on the battlefield by Xu Lingyi?

Was he lamenting the passing of an era, the transience of a great occasion now scattered to the winds?

Shiyiniang’s hand came to rest on his shoulder without her quite realizing it.

Xu Lingyi could not help turning his head, and found himself looking into a pair of eyes brimming with worry.

A smile softened his brow.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “Among the three of us — one has risen to Assistant Minister of War, one is Grand Commander of the Chief Military Commission, and one is Junior Preceptor to the Crown Prince. Compared to those who died in Miao territory and the northwest, I don’t know how much more fortunate we are.”

No bitterness, no resentment, no indignation, no complaint… Though there was a measure of feeling in his words, what came through most was a kind of open, unencumbered acceptance.

Shiyiniang was struck still, and found herself gazing at the man before her.

Those dark eyes, clear as water, seemed capable of holding the reflection of the fragility and uncertainty she had just witnessed in him.

Xu Lingyi, somewhat ill at ease, turned away with a smile. “That’s right — you saw Madam Zhuo today, did you?”

His words tugged at the thing that had been weighing on Shiyiniang’s mind. She caught hold of his sleeve. “I was just about to ask you about that. How old is this Master Zhuo exactly?”

Her tone was rather urgent, and Xu Lingyi looked at her in puzzlement. “What is it?”

“Madam Zhuo looks to be no more than twenty, and she said she wishes to seek a marriage between her household’s eldest son and Zhen Jie’er.” Shiyiniang said. “And just now you spoke of him retiring to comfort. What exactly is the situation with their family?”

Xu Lingyi burst out laughing. “Old Zhuo is fifty-six this year. The current Madam Zhuo is his fourth wife. The previous three all died of illness. His eldest son is fifteen this year, born of the third wife.”

“What a jumbled state of affairs,” Shiyiniang muttered under her breath, then asked Xu Lingyi, “Does Madam Zhuo have any children of her own?”

“She does,” Xu Lingyi said. “Old Zhuo has three sons. The second and third are Madam Zhuo’s.”

“And what family does the mother of Zhuo’s eldest son come from? What relatives does she still have?”

“That I don’t know,” Xu Lingyi said. “I only know that beside Old Zhuo there’s a bodyguard named Wan who is said to be his brother-in-law — though I have no idea which of his wives was the sister.”

Shiyiniang could not help reproving him: “Isn’t he one of your subordinates? How can you know so little about him?”

Xu Lingyi widened his eyes. “Why would I go asking after his wives? I only needed to know he had sons.”

Shiyiniang thought it over.

That was fair, she supposed — women working together tended to talk of husbands and children, but men working together did not necessarily concern themselves with such things.

“Then do you know what Madam Zhuo’s purpose was today?”

“I do,” Xu Lingyi said. “Old Zhuo mentioned it to me this evening.”

“What did you say to him?” Shiyiniang felt a small flutter of anxiety.

The Zhuo family situation was too complicated — not a suitable match.

“I haven’t even seen the boy yet. How could I give any commitment?” Xu Lingyi said. “I naturally gave a vague answer.”

Now that the Zhuo family had set their sights on this, there would likely be further approaches.

Shiyiniang drew Xu Lingyi toward the inner chamber. “Marquis, we need to think this through carefully. This year has truly been…” She turned the matter over in her mind before settling on a description: “One after another they come in succession!”

She was usually composed and gracious, and Xu Lingyi rarely saw her this flustered.

He smiled and let himself be led into the inner chamber. Seeing that Shiyiniang was wearing only a light lined jacket, he reached over and took a plain dark blue Hangzhou silk crane-cloak from the clothes stand and draped it over her shoulders.

The early summer night still carried a chill.

Shiyiniang gathered the robe about herself, wrapping up in the ample plain dark blue Hangzhou silk crane-cloak, smiled a “thank you,” and the two of them sat together on the broad daybed by the window, she on the right, he on the left.

“Madam Jiang came today as well,” she said, drawing two cups of warm water from the nearby warming vessel and handing one to Xu Lingyi, placing the other before herself.

Xu Lingyi took the cup. “I know. Feiyun even reproached me for not sending him an invitation.”

Shiyiniang took a sip of warm water. “Then did you know — Madam Jiang brought along a niece from her maiden family today.”

Xu Lingyi raised an eyebrow.

“From the tone of Madam Jiang’s words,” Shiyiniang said, “she wishes to arrange a match between the girl and Siyu.”

“Feiyun said not a word about it to me,” Xu Lingyi said, somewhat surprised. He considered for a moment. “Madam Jiang’s niece on her maiden family’s side… If I remember correctly, Madam Jiang’s father holds a hereditary position as commander of Xuzhou and is considered a prominent family in the region. Only I don’t know which branch of the family this niece comes from.”

“Which branch, I couldn’t say,” Shiyiniang said with a rueful smile. “From the way Madam Jiang spoke, this niece was orphaned early and has been raised by her. Her birth mother was from a well-established family in Changzhou, and when she married in, brought a dowry of seven or eight thousand taels of silver. Her maternal family made the arrangements and left it all for this niece as her dowry. It is now being held by Madam Jiang.”

Xu Lingyi could not help pressing a hand to his brow when he heard this, and thought of Madam Zhou. “Which family did she mention?” There was a faint note of hope in his voice.

“She said it was a nephew on her maiden family’s side,” Shiyiniang replied. “Of the same branch as the one currently serving as Provincial Administrator in Fujian. Three years older than our Zhen Jie’er, the only son of the family. She also said he is handsome and even-tempered. He passed the preliminary civil examination last year.”

Xu Lingyi’s brow furrowed slightly. “‘Of the same branch as the one in Fujian’ — that would make him a collateral line. Did she mention how many sisters he has?”

“She said he has three older sisters, all married.”

“Do you know who they married?”

“There were too many people around — there was no opportunity to ask in detail.”

“Three older sisters, and described as very even-tempered,” Xu Lingyi said. “I suspect he is a late-born son, long awaited, and likely very indulged — probably with little strength of will.” He let out a long sigh. “The two of us do need to think this through carefully.”

—