That evening, she and Xu Lingyi compared notes.

Xu Lingyi seemed rather disappointed. “Old Zhuo and I are on exceptional terms, and if this could have come together, it would have been a fine thing. But when I saw the boy — he has a presentable appearance, but his manner lacks sharpness. He falls short as a match for our Zhen Jie’er.”

“What do we do, then?” Shiyiniang said.

“I didn’t refuse outright,” Xu Lingyi said. “Over the meal I just touched on the matter briefly, and only said that Zhen Jie’er has grown up under Mother’s knee, and that her marriage would most likely require Mother’s approval.”

Shiyiniang thought it over. “That’s the best way to handle it. It leaves us room to maneuver.” She then shared the Grand Madam’s words with Xu Lingyi. “The young man from the Wang family ought to be carefully investigated.”

“That is my thinking as well,” Xu Lingyi said. “I sent someone to make inquiries this afternoon. There should be a reply tomorrow.” He added, “In a few days, the youngest son of Elder Chen is getting married, and the Shun Prince’s household has had a new son and wants to hold a full-month celebration. Keep your eyes open when you attend.”

Shiyiniang agreed, and was curious about Elder Chen’s youngest son’s marriage. “…Who has he betrothed?”

Xu Lingyi smiled at her with an air of amusement. “He has betrothed the eldest daughter of Gansu Provincial Administrator Wan Chun.”

Shiyiniang was slightly startled, then recalled the first time she had heard the name Wan Chun… and her face colored faintly.

Xu Lingyi noticed and leaned in with a low laugh. “I wonder if the eldest daughter of Jinhua Prefect Wan Chun has any betrothal yet?”

Shiyiniang shot him a look. “Other people’s affairs — what business is it of ours?”

Xu Lingyi laughed heartily, swept her up in his arms, and leaned to murmur in her ear: “Nothing to do this evening — shall we discuss the matter further?”

From outside the door came the sudden voice of a young maidservant: “Marquis, Madam — Linbo has arrived!”

“Tell him to come back tomorrow,” Xu Lingyi said, striding toward the bed.

Shiyiniang gently pushed against him. “Linbo would not come this late without urgent business. You ought to see him first.”

Xu Lingyi hesitated.

Shiyiniang struggled to get down. “Marquis, do go and see what it is.”

Xu Lingyi set her down on the bed and said in a low voice: “Wait for me a moment.”

Shiyiniang gave a slight nod and watched Xu Lingyi leave the inner chamber, turning over his earlier teasing in her mind.

Last night’s intimacy had undeniably been beautiful — Xu Lingyi must have felt it too.

Her life’s experience had taught her that only through effort could one seize opportunities when they came… And so she had seized her opportunity, and had been rewarded for it. And so here, in this lonely sliver of time and place into which she had been cast, she followed the habits of success that had served her before — striving to recover her health; striving to become a chess piece of use to the First Madam; striving to marry into the household of the Marquis Yongping; striving to earn the Grand Madam’s affection; striving to earn Xu Lingyi’s recognition; striving to become the virtuous wife and devoted mother that society held as its ideal.

But she had forgotten — the heart has a will of its own.

In this world she had to strive so hard to fit into, when the splendor of the day was stripped away and she had to lay herself bare to receive a man who was utterly a stranger to her, her striving became something unbearably fraught. She had struggled instinctively… asking only that the one who held her would give her a measure of respect.

Shiyiniang gazed at the fine gauze bed curtains, light as smoke.

Last night, she had been able to open herself willingly because she had felt that respect.

And Xu Lingyi?

Just two days ago he had been teasing her as if she were a child.

While she was still turning this over in her mind, Xu Lingyi came back in.

His expression was troubled.

“What has happened?” Shiyiniang set aside her thoughts and asked him.

Xu Lingyi sat down on the edge of the bed, was silent for a moment, then said: “Shiyiniang, I must make a trip to Zhangqiu first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Zhangqiu?” Shiyiniang looked at him in some surprise.

Zhangqiu was a county in Shandong. She had read of it once in *The Nine Domains of Great Zhou*.

What was he going to Zhangqiu for?

Xu Lingyi seemed to find it somewhat difficult to say.

Shiyiniang did not press him, and said: “How many days will you be away? This concubine can help prepare your changes of clothing.”

“About seven or eight days,” Xu Lingyi said. He paused, then added: “I will be back before your coming-of-age ceremony.”

Shiyiniang had always thought that birthdays and birthday gifts were things that added flowers to brocade — she placed far greater value on a kindness offered in time of need.

“The Marquis needn’t concern himself with this concubine’s coming-of-age ceremony. It is far more important to handle your affairs without haste.” She said this, then called for Lvyun to come in, had her help Xu Lingyi pack his changes of clothing, opened the medicine chest, and said: “The weather is growing warmer. Take some Huo Qi Zheng Xiang Pills and Sang Ju Yin along.” She then urged him earnestly to take care on the road, to remember that the mornings and evenings were cold, not to be put off by the trouble, and to add or remove layers of clothing according to the weather, and so on.

Xu Lingyi nodded. Then he said suddenly, “Zhangqiu is the hometown of the Second Madam’s maternal family.” His voice held a trace of wistfulness.

The Second Madam’s maternal family? Why was Xu Lingyi going there? Even if something had happened in the Second Madam’s maternal family, it ought to be Second Master Xiang who handled it. The fact that Xu Lingyi had been drawn in as well meant it must be something serious.

Shiyiniang thought this over and immediately dismissed the attendants from the room, then asked Xu Lingyi quietly: “What exactly has happened? Please do tell this concubine, so that I may at least know where things stand — and not be caught off guard when the moment comes to think of how to respond.”

Seeing Shiyiniang braced as if for a great calamity, Xu Lingyi quickly said, “It isn’t exactly a crisis…” He hesitated, and after quite a long pause, said with some awkwardness, “When the Second Madam married into this family, she brought with her a set of pressed-down-the-box landholdings — part of the Old Madam Xiang’s dowry, set aside to remain in the Second Madam’s hands. At a time when the family was in great difficulty, the Second Madam privately sold the landholdings and used the proceeds to help the household…” He paused, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “Later, though I repaid the Second Madam the money she had raised by selling the land, the thought that the original estate had been part of Old Madam Xiang’s dowry and that the Second Madam had sold it secretly, in a hurry and at a poor price — less than three-fifths of its true value — weighed on me. I wanted to buy back some portion of it to make up the shortfall for the Second Madam. I have had people keeping watch in the area ever since. This trip to Zhangqiu is because word has come that one of those who originally purchased the land is now willing to sell…”

Shiyiniang was quite taken aback.

But had Nanny Tao not said that the Second Madam’s dowry was rather modest? How had a parcel of land suddenly come to light? And from what Xu Lingyi was saying — he had had people watching out for it all this time, afraid things might fall through, and now felt he must go in person… Was it because the sellers, knowing how eager he was, were deliberately driving up the price? Or had some other powerful family also set their sights on the land, making it uncertain that his stewards alone could secure the deal?

Her mind was in some disarray, and she said without thinking: “Who holds the land now? Is there any way to approach them? Perhaps we could speak with them directly, offer a better price. If they mean to sell in any case, it should not be too difficult.”

Xu Lingyi heard this and gave a wry smile. “If only it were so simple.”

Shiyiniang did not understand.

Xu Lingyi said: “Those landholdings amount to over six thousand mu, all prime farmland, and all in one continuous stretch. The Second Madam’s maternal family had spent considerable effort in building up that estate over the years. At the time, no one in the Zhangqiu area could take on such a large purchase all at once, so the land was divided into several dozen plots and sold off piece by piece. Easy enough to sell in parcels; but now that one wishes to buy them back…” He let out a sigh. “All these years have passed, and each of the original buyers has had his own fortunes since. Some have prospered more and more; others have fallen on hard times. Those who have fallen on hard times are easy enough to deal with — it simply takes more money. But those who have done well — why would they ever part with such fine land? There are things that cannot be accomplished even with silver.”

The words “over six thousand mu, all prime farmland” were reverberating through Shiyiniang’s mind.

“How can there be so much?” She heard her own voice stammer slightly.

Xu Lingyi said, with some circumspection: “These are the Second Madam’s family matters — it would not be our place to ask too many questions.”

Shiyiniang thought of the tension between the Second Madam and Madam Xiang… and felt there was likely more to the story, though she, too, could not properly inquire. She asked: “Have any of the landholdings been recovered by now?”

“About eight hundred mu have been recovered,” Xu Lingyi said. “But the Second Madam refuses to take them back. She says that when Old Madam Xiang gave her that land, it was with the hope that it could deliver her in a time of extremity. As things turned out, she sold it to relieve the Xu family’s pressing need — it was put to good use. And since I had already repaid her the money from the sale, she would not hear of accepting anything more. The land deeds have been sitting in Mother’s keeping ever since.” He added, “This next parcel to be sold amounts to over four hundred mu. Most people in the Zhangqiu area know that I wish to buy this land back. There are also certain scheming types who have been using fraudulent means to try to swindle those landowners into selling. So I am going to Zhangqiu first thing tomorrow morning, to prevent the situation where the land is never secured but a reputation for forced buying and selling ends up attached to my name instead.”

Was this not a case of knowing full well there were tigers on the mountain and heading straight for them?

“Since that is the case, Marquis, it would be wise to think it over carefully,” Shiyiniang advised him. “If it invites censure from the censors, that itself becomes a matter to reckon with. And if word spreads that the Xu family has been selling the property of its daughters-in-law — that would reflect far worse.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Xu Lingyi said with a helpless air. “That is why over all these years I have only managed to buy back eight hundred mu in bits and pieces. This trip is also just to assess the situation — if the purchase can be made, well and good. If not, I can only wait for another opportunity.” He added with considerable regret: “But the longer time passes, the greater the changes to these landholdings, and I fear it will only become harder to get them back.”

Shiyiniang could understand Xu Lingyi’s feelings, but what occupied her mind far more urgently was the relationship between thirty-six palanquins of dowry gifts and six thousand mu of the finest farmland.

The next morning, after seeing Xu Lingyi off, she immediately summoned Nanny Song to ask.

“I heard Nanny Tao say that when the Second Madam married in, the Grand Madam helped supplement her dowry. Is that true?”

“It is,” Nanny Song said with a smile. Then she leaned close to Shiyiniang’s ear and murmured quietly: “Second Master Xiang is an adopted son.” She then straightened up and smiled. “When the Second Madam married in, she brought several cartloads of books with her. Old Madam Xiang said, to avoid disputes later on, these items would not be entered on the gift list. The Grand Madam felt uneasy about this and gave the Second Madam a pair of white jade ruyi scepters about a foot long from her own dowry, along with some valuable jewelry. Old Madam Xiang was very pleased and said our Grand Madam was forthright and magnanimous. So when the Second Madam married in, she used the pair of jade ruyi that the Grand Madam had given her as the first piece in the ceremonial display. When the Third Madam first married in, she even quarreled with the Third Master over this.”

Not entered on the gift list — meaning all those books had been given outright to the Xu family.

“Did my sister know about this?” Shiyiniang pondered aloud.

“She should have known,” Nanny Song said, with some uncertainty. “The books the Second Madam brought in were kept at Shaohua Courtyard. When the Fourth Madam first married in, she had even borrowed books from the Second Madam.”

—