Shiyiniang smiled wryly at that. “That is exactly why I find it so troublesome.” She got down from the daybed and went into the outer room.

Xu Lingyi was wondering what she was about when he saw her come back in with sheets of writing paper draped over one arm and an inkstone cradled in both hands, atop which sat a large yellow bamboo brush holder.

“What are you doing?” He quickly went to take the inkstone and brush holder from her.

They were indeed rather heavy.

Shiyiniang flexed her wrist and murmured her thanks to Xu Lingyi. “We need to think this through properly,” she said.

Xu Lingyi was puzzled.

Shiyiniang had already settled herself on the daybed and, rolling up her sleeves, began to grind the ink.

Her wrists were slender and fair, her fingers long and delicate. She had ground several strokes and still the water was floating on the surface of the inkstone.

Xu Lingyi took the ink stick from her. “Let me.”

Shiyiniang did not argue the point, spreading the writing paper out on the low table before her and watching as the clear water gradually turned to a spreading wash of black. She picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote on the paper the character “Zhuo,” then a “Wang,” then a “Li,” then a “Jiang.”

The character Zhuo stood for the family of Assistant Minister Zhuo; Wang for the maternal family of Madam Zhou; Li for the family of General Li — these three families had all come seeking a marriage with Zhen Jie’er. The character Jiang represented Jiang Feiyun’s niece, whose family was hoping to form a match with Siyu.

Xu Lingyi finally understood her intent, and could not help smiling slightly.

Shiyiniang always liked to have things laid out in clear order.

He pointed to the character “Jiang.” “Cross this one off.”

Both parents deceased — thinking deeper into it, it spoke of an inauspicious birth chart, which was reason enough for Xu Lingyi to rule out the Jiang family as his first elimination.

Shiyiniang nodded and drew a circle around the character Jiang.

That left only Zhuo, Wang, and Li.

“This is well,” she said. “Let us settle Zhen Jie’er’s marriage first before turning to Siyu’s — there is no hurry.”

But Xu Lingyi said, “I suspect the Jiang family themselves find something not quite right about this match, and that is why they sent Madam Jiang to sound out your feelings.”

“What makes you say that?” Shiyiniang thought back to Madam Jiang’s manner at the time — she had seemed quite sincere.

“If they thought the match fully suitable, they would have done as Old Zhuo did,” Xu Lingyi said. “One would sound you out, the other would drop a word in my ear.”

Shiyiniang turned this over in her mind and found Xu Lingyi’s reasoning persuasive.

Madam Jiang had not only praised her niece’s needlework in front of her, but had even mentioned, indirectly, how large the girl’s dowry was.

Most likely they considered Xu Sijian a son born outside wedlock to the eldest heir, and assumed she would not place much importance on him. Perhaps, seeing that the girl’s dowry was substantial enough to acquit themselves well before Xu Lingyi, they thought that would be sufficient to make the match.

Shiyiniang gave a slow nod. The conversation turned quite naturally to the family of Assistant Minister Zhuo. “…Madam Zhuo only said that the young master is greatly esteemed by his father. She said little else. What did Master Zhuo himself say to you?”

“Much the same,” Xu Lingyi said. “Old Zhuo said that if this match could be made, Zhen Jie’er would enter as the managing mistress of the household upon marriage. He also said that the properties listed in his name, along with some modest landholdings, would all be left to his eldest son, and that this would be made clear on the gift list at the time of the betrothal. He said Zhen Jie’er would not be at a disadvantage.”

Shiyiniang found this rather unexpected.

“Old Zhuo is a straightforward man. He speaks plainly and keeps his word. I have no reason to doubt him,” Xu Lingyi said. “What is more, he holds a hereditary rank of fourth-grade commander. In times of peace as they are now, there are no battles to be fought, and advancement depends largely on connections. A son-in-law is half a son — I would not stand aside with hands folded. All the more reason I cannot let Zhen Jie’er be disadvantaged.”

Shiyiniang listened and found herself smiling.

It was not her usual faint, composed smile with its slight reserve. Her eyes and brows were radiant with mirth, her gaze dancing — she looked almost playful.

Xu Lingyi found it puzzling, though the corners of his own mouth curved up of their own accord. “What is it?”

“Nothing, nothing!” Shiyiniang waved a hand, but her laughter only grew.

She was thinking of Madam Li…

If the Xu family were to match with the Zhuo family, Zhen Jie’er’s circumstances would end up being rather amusingly similar to Madam Li’s.

Shiyiniang could imagine perfectly well how formidable Madam Li was, but she could not for the life of her picture Zhen Jie’er wielding that sort of domestic dominance.

Xu Lingyi looked at her with an expression full of bewilderment.

Shiyiniang found it even more amusing.

Xu Lingyi thought for a moment, looked down to inspect his own attire, and finding nothing out of order — remembering he had just been grinding ink — called loudly for a maidservant to bring in a hand mirror.

Shiyiniang was startled, then realized Xu Lingyi had misunderstood.

She quickly waved her hand. “No, no — I was thinking of Madam Li!”

“Madam Li?” Xu Lingyi said in surprise. “What about her?”

The words had no sooner left his mouth than understanding dawned on him.

Looking at her bright, sparkling eyes in the lamplight, he could not help shaking his head with an amused smile. “Of all things to tease me with!”

“No, no!” Shiyiniang denied it, but the laughter kept slipping out past all her efforts to contain it.

She pressed her lips together.

Her lips turned a vivid, lush red, like the ripest of petals.

Xu Lingyi looked at her, and something shifted in his eyes — the sense of being overlooked he had been carrying began to stir and revive within him.

The smile slowly faded from his face, and his gaze grew bright and intent.

Shiyiniang lowered her eyelids and murmured haltingly, “…So then — should we arrange to meet the Zhuo family’s eldest young master…” Her hand moved without thinking, drawing circles on the writing paper.

Xu Lingyi gently drew the brush from her fingers, tossed it onto the low table, then gathered her up and settled her into his lap. “That can wait a moment,” he said, his voice low.

Shiyiniang gripped the front of his robe tightly.

“The lamp…”

The room plunged into darkness.

Shiyiniang’s eyes took some time to adjust to the light in the room.

She looked at the low table that had been pushed to her side, and pulled close the sturdy form that moved within her — pulling him to her tightly.

His skin was flushed and warm to the touch, and there was a light sheen of perspiration on his back.

Did she truly affect him this strongly?

Shiyiniang felt a flicker of uncertainty and shifted slightly in unease.

“Is something wrong?” Xu Lingyi asked in a low, breathless voice, pausing, his large hand — roughened with calluses — gently stroking her back.

Something stirred in her chest, a sudden and unexpected surge of feeling.

“No,” she said, her voice soft and warm with just a trace of shy reticence. But her long, slender legs moved of their own accord to wrap around his waist, granting him easier access.

Xu Lingyi was greatly pleased.

But his movements became even more tender and attentive…

Shiyiniang closed her eyes.

In this moment, she felt her feelings respected, her body cherished, her emotions tended to… herself held precious.

She leaned softly against him, responding to his low, murmured sounds.

“Moyan, Moyan,” he whispered, kissing her cheek in slow, gentle succession, his voice husky. “My little darling…”

In the distance, the self-chiming clock ticked softly on and on. The ink-stained brush lay in silence on the writing paper. Everything, all of it, felt so still and tranquil and serene.

—

“Look — this is the situation with the Zhuo family.” Shiyiniang handed the Grand Madam a slip of paper written in her neat, flower-petal script.

The Grand Madam leaned the mirror frame to one side, held the paper in one hand, and moved to the window to read it carefully.

Their discussion with Xu Lingyi had ended without conclusion. Early that morning, an invitation had arrived from Master Zhuo asking Xu Lingyi to join him for a meal.

“Yesterday he brought up the children’s marriages, and today he invites you to dine. He certainly means to let you have a look at his son.”

It was first thing in the morning, and Shiyiniang was cradling a cup of goat’s milk with almond, reclining lazily against the daybed by the window.

“Then let him look,” Xu Lingyi said. He had gone out early to practice his forms for a time and changed into a deep teal blue Hangzhou silk robe, which made his figure look all the more upright and commanding.

“But what if you don’t like what you see?” Shiyiniang said with concern. “You and Master Zhuo are on such good terms…”

She was afraid he might give his consent out of loyalty to old comradeship.

“Don’t reach a firm conclusion on anything before you’ve had a chance to see for yourself,” Xu Lingyi said. Looking at Shiyiniang, whose brow had taken on a softer quality this morning, his eyes held a deep warmth. “See how things stand first, then decide.”

One could be impartial, but one could not be perfectly neutral.

Shiyiniang’s brow creased slightly.

Xu Lingyi could not suppress a smile.

“The Zhuo family should be manageable enough. It’s Madam Zhou’s side that presents a difficulty,” he mused. “If it works out, everyone is happy; if it doesn’t… we’ll need a good reason to decline. After all, she put the word in early.”

Yes — if the young man Madam Zhou had in mind also fell short, finding a graceful way to refuse would become its own problem.

The thought flickered through Shiyiniang’s mind, and she thought of the Grand Madam.

How had she forgotten about her?

“Perhaps we should ask for Mother’s thoughts,” Shiyiniang said, her eyes brightening. “She has far more experience than we do, and a keener eye for people.”

“That works,” Xu Lingyi agreed. “I’ll go to the Zhuo family for the meal. You tell Mother what’s been happening and see what she thinks. We’ll compare notes this evening.”

Shiyiniang nodded, saw Xu Lingyi to the door, then drew up a summary of each family’s situation. After that, she went to see the Grand Madam.

The Grand Madam had known all along that each of those families had other intentions behind their visits. But since her daughter-in-law had not raised the matter herself, she had simply pretended not to know. Now that Shiyiniang had come to discuss it with her, clearly unable to make up her mind, the Grand Madam would of course give it careful thought.

“The Marquis has gone to dine with the Zhuo family?” The Grand Madam set down the paper.

“Yes,” Shiyiniang said, refilling the Grand Madam’s teacup. “He will certainly meet the Zhuo family’s eldest young master while he’s there.”

“And what are the two of you inclined toward?” the Grand Madam asked, setting down her mirror stand.

Shiyiniang helped place it in the nearby gilded cloisonné enamel mirror box. “We thought to see the boy in person first before deciding. But we’re worried that if we don’t like what we see, it may be difficult to refuse.”

The Grand Madam listened and smiled. “You’re worried about refusing Zhou Sanniang, aren’t you?”

Shiyiniang laughed. “Nothing escapes you!”

“Don’t be hasty,” the Grand Madam said with a smile, lifting her teacup. “Any family with a modicum of discernment would not rush in to propose a match like this. The very fact that they have come this eagerly means they have had their eye on us for some time. Though our family is not what one might call enormously wealthy, we have a certain standing.” The Grand Madam spoke with deliberate understatement. “We see what is good in their family, and they see what is good in ours. That is how it should be when two families form a union. None of this is cause for worry. What matters above all else is the children themselves. Zhou Sanniang is a steady and reliable person. Since she has taken it upon herself to make this introduction, I think you should look into the matter carefully. As for the Zhuo family — the Fourth Master has spent many years in the military, and most people who come seeking a match from that direction have their own motives in mind. By comparison, their family situation is rather complicated. We may as well take our time and choose carefully.” She also cautioned Shiyiniang, “Don’t decide too quickly for now. If I know anything, now that the first approaches have been made, more families will come to seek a match before long.”

Shiyiniang nodded, feeling that the Grand Madam had considered things far more thoroughly. “When the time comes, you must look them over for us as well.”

The Grand Madam laughed warmly. “Zhen Jie’er is a child I have raised myself from infancy — even without your asking, I would have wanted to take a good look.”

Shiyiniang finally felt at ease.

—