As was the usual custom, Yan Rong carried over a brocade stool and placed it before the kang near the window. Wen Yiniang smiled her thanks, curtsied to Eleventh Miss, and settled herself halfway down onto the seat.

Eleventh Miss told Wen Yiniang about how Fang Jie’er had been selected as the consort for the eldest imperial prince.

Wen Yiniang heard this without disappointment. She turned it over in her mind for a moment, then smiled and said, “So now the choice comes down to either the Zhuo family or the Li family?”

“Not exactly.” Eleventh Miss recounted how First Mistress Lin had played matchmaker for Shao Zhongran. “…Before, never mind First Mistress Lin—even I, upon hearing of it, felt it was not entirely reliable, and so my whole mind was set on refusing the match.” She then told Wen Yiniang of the chance encounter with Shao Zhongran and First Mistress Lin’s renewed proposal, detail by detail.

Wen Yiniang listened and was greatly startled. She gripped Eleventh Miss’s skirt tightly. “Then what is to be done?” Her face had gone slightly pale. “First Mistress Lin won’t go spreading things about, will she?”

“She won’t.” Eleventh Miss was not troubled by that. “If First Mistress Lin had any such intention, she would not have spoken so openly before me. She need only have formally sent a matchmaker to propose the match—with the fan incident already established, and Shao Zhongran’s birth and family standing being a compatible fit, the Marquis, mindful of the broader situation, would most likely have agreed to the match.”

Wen Yiniang had been thrown into confusion by her concern, but hearing Eleventh Miss put it this way, she nodded repeatedly. Then she reflected that Eleventh Miss had always maintained an even distance with all the concubines in the household—neither drawing especially close to any one of them, nor holding any at a particular remove, with even a faint air of respectful detachment about her manner. So when she had heard Eleventh Miss’s tone carry a note of consultation as she invited her to stay and talk, she had assumed Eleventh Miss needed her help with some matter of accounts. Now it was clear: she wanted to discuss Zhen Jie’er’s marriage.

A gentle warmth stirred in her heart—but the moment she thought of how this matter bore upon Zhen Jie’er’s future, and recalled how Third Sister-in-law had sent word just two days ago inquiring about Zhen Jie’er’s marriage prospects, that warmth vanished in an instant.

“And your meaning is…?” Her gaze toward Eleventh Miss held a touch of careful guarding.

Xu Lingyi had first spent a night away from home, and then—right before him—had burned the letter delivered by Linbo. That under such circumstances he had still found occasion to go look over Shao Zhongran spoke to how seriously he regarded Zhen Jie’er’s marriage.

This made her suddenly feel a sense of anxious reverence.

Between a man and a woman, feelings are like drinking water—only the one drinking knows whether it is hot or cold; no one else can feel it or take their place. Otherwise, the world would not be so full of lovesick, resentful women and tangled webs of passion and grievance. Whether it was Shao Zhongran or Li Ji—they were nothing more than flowers that had caught certain eyes; it was she and Xu Lingyi who found them pleasing. But what of Zhen Jie’er herself?

What kind of young man did she like?

Was she the sort who would be content to live out her days in the quiet simplicity of husband, children, and a warm kang? Or would she rather endure loneliness as the woman standing behind a successful man? No one could say. And yet this was precisely the question she could not discuss with Zhen Jie’er. For one thing, Zhen Jie’er was still young—there were things she might not yet fully understand. For another, it was contrary to propriety, and she did not wish to disturb Zhen Jie’er’s understanding of the values she had been raised with.

“Yesterday the Marquis went to meet that Shao Zhongran,” she mused aloud. “He also said that in terms of appearance, he is a compatible match for our Zhen Jie’er. Only in his manner and bearing he is not as composed and gracious as Second Young Master Li. He asked me to find time to have a look at Second Young Master Li.”

When forming a marriage alliance, compatibility of family standing is the first consideration. If one finds the young man’s family background or circumstances unsatisfactory, it is easy enough to refuse outright. But once one has reached the stage of looking the young man over, the matter becomes one of evaluating the child himself. Since such meetings are necessarily brief, people generally put their best face forward; unless the young man has some physical deficiency or a truly unruly temperament, it is very difficult to see anything of real substance. She had not met Li Ji herself, but she had seen Shao Zhongran. Reading between the lines of what Xu Lingyi had said, Shao Zhongran was likely more striking in appearance than Li Ji, but in his manner of engaging with people he lacked Li Ji’s calm and self-possession. And what Xu Lingyi valued in Li Ji was the young man’s own excellence of character, not the circumstances of his birth. Once she went to look Li Ji over, she would be hard-pressed to raise any objection that would carry conviction—a daughter-in-law is supposed to comply unconditionally with her mother-in-law; a man taking concubines is a sign of prosperous circumstances and capability. Otherwise, why would scholars who had suffered through ten years of cold study—the moment their name appeared on the golden roll—have taking a concubine as the very first thing they did? Questions of mother-in-law relations, of concubine complications—in a man’s eyes these were no problems at all; speaking of them aloud would only make one seem laughable. It would actually be easier for people to accept objections based on family standing or material circumstances than such concerns.

These were things men could not understand, but in the eyes of women like herself—women who spent their days navigating the domestic details of household life—they were matters of the utmost gravity. If they could be avoided, they naturally should be.

Wen Yiniang, of course, understood all of this as well.

Her expression shifted between shadow and light.

The people of the Xu household all looked down on Wen Yiniang somewhat—a reflection of the historical tendency to value the scholarly and look down upon the merchant. Eleventh Miss harbored no such preconceived notions. Furthermore, having had more contact with Wen Yiniang over this period, she had come to see that she was not only quick-minded and flexible, but also diligent, serious, dependable, and true to her word—possessed of a quality one might associate with a senior manager of considerable caliber. Compared to Qin Yiniang and Qiao Lianfang, Eleventh Miss found Wen Yiniang’s way of handling things more familiar to her sensibility, and easier to follow the thread of.

“I saw a quality in Young Master Shao—that refinement particular to children of established families,” Eleventh Miss reflected, then spoke plainly. “And I heard First Mistress Lin tell of the reason the Shao family came to propose the match. That he could notice Zhen Jie’er’s good qualities through such small things—that speaks not only to attentiveness, but to the fact that he approaches others with a friendly, open manner. Consider: that day Zhen Jie’er was plainly dressed, and with someone like Fang Jie’er—a heaven’s favored daughter—present, a suspicious-minded person might well have assumed Zhen Jie’er was merely trying to curry favor with Fang Jie’er and her kind. What kind of household raises what kind of child; the Shao family must be a warm and kindly house. Later, hearing the Marquis speak of Young Master Li, I found that he too seems to be a quite exceptional young man. All at once I find myself unable to make up my mind. As the saying goes: three cobblers put together surpass Zhuge Liang. I have no clarity in my own heart, so I have come to consult you. Speak your mind freely.”

Wen Yiniang looked at Eleventh Miss, her lips parting and closing, as if she wished to speak but could not bring herself to.

Whatever the difference in status, position, and authority between the two of them—vast as heaven and earth—and with Zhen Jie’er’s future at stake, it would actually be more suspicious if she showed no hesitation at all in speaking.

Eleventh Miss quietly drank her tea, waiting for her to begin.

After a good while, Wen Yiniang finally said, haltingly: “Madam… would it be possible… for me to first meet both young masters myself?”

Eleventh Miss stared at Wen Yiniang in astonishment.

But a flash of resolve passed through Wen Yiniang’s eyes.

“I know this is an outrageous thing for me to ask.” Her voice was low, but steady and composed; it was clear she had thought it through carefully. “There are certain things I don’t mind if you laugh at me for saying. When I was in the Wen household, I was the most favored by my grandfather. I was young then, and often kept him company; occasionally I would follow him to the shops to have a look. I even went once to Xuantong Prefecture. I would not dare claim any real skill at reading people, but I did receive some guidance from him in his old age. If I could contrive to see both young masters, even briefly, my heart would be more settled.”

This gave Eleventh Miss yet another surprise.

Such a request was truly outrageous!

Wen Yiniang knew it as well as anyone.

Her gaze was utterly candid as she looked at Eleventh Miss: “Everyone says that the quality of a life depends on the people in it. But I feel that no matter how sharp and capable a person may be, they still need the right fate. Choosing the right person at a critical moment—that is fate.”

Eleventh Miss was silent.

She thought of what Wen Yiniang had been through.

Had she ever railed against the injustice fate had dealt her?

“Whether it is Young Master Shao or Young Master Li, both come from military families,” Wen Yiniang said carefully. “Young men raised in such households all go to train in military encampments when they are young. And military encampments do not permit family members to accompany them… unless one has risen to the rank of Vice Minister or Minister of War.”

And the Vice Ministers and Ministers of War were customarily held by civil officials. The Vice Minister or Minister of War conferred upon a military officer was an honorary title.

How many years would that take!

Everyone had blind spots in how they saw a problem.

Eleventh Miss made up her mind at once: she would find a way to bring Wen Yiniang to see both Shao Zhongran and Li Ji.

She said slowly, “Contriving to take a quiet look at Young Master Shao—that I can think of a way to manage. But quietly looking at Young Master Li…” She thought of Lady Li’s hawk-like attention. “That may prove rather difficult!”

Seeing that Eleventh Miss had not reprimanded her for her fanciful notion, a flash of happiness rose in Wen Yiniang’s heart, followed swiftly by worry. “Then… then what is to be done?”

Eleventh Miss had no ready answer.

“What if we first go take a look at Young Master Shao? As for Young Master Li… we’ll think of something!”

Anything was better than sitting trapped in helpless anxiety.

Eleventh Miss immediately called for Hupo: “Go tell First Mistress Lin that I would like to ask Young Master Shao to help paint a hanging scroll of jade hairpin flowers for the central hall. I will go in person tomorrow afternoon to collect the painting—would that be too rushed a timeline?”

Hupo acknowledged the errand and departed; within the time it took to burn two sticks of incense, she returned with a reply: “First Mistress Lin says that when the time comes, you need only go to collect it.”

Eleventh Miss and Wen Yiniang both let out a breath.

Wen Yiniang rose and took her leave.

Qiu Hong, noticing the delight written all over her face, immediately came forward and lowered her voice: “Just now Third Mistress Wen sent someone again. Asking about First Young Miss’s marriage. She also said that the Wen family’s business has been growing larger and larger, and the need for ready cash is growing too. If this marriage could be arranged, the husband’s family has agreed to lend the Wen family one million taels of silver for a year, interest-free. And once that were done, the eighteen thousand taels owed to you could be repaid to you at once!”

Wen Yiniang listened and gave a cold smile, cutting off Qiu Hong’s words. “This matter is not to be raised again. No matter how poor the Wen family becomes, there is certainly no question of their not being able to manage without these eighteen thousand taels of mine. If they had only brought up First Young Miss’s marriage, I might still have believed they had some genuine feeling in the matter. But coupling the two things together like this—what they intend by it, I could see clearly enough even if I were blind. What’s more, I had been watching Madam’s methods with some apprehension, fearing she might find ways to obstruct First Young Miss’s marriage…” Her voice dropped a little. “But looking at it now, she is someone who keeps a clear account of gratitude and grievance—someone reasonable and good to deal with!”

Qiu Hong, hearing something more behind the words, asked curiously: “Did Madam say something to you?”

Though Qiu Hong was a trusted confidante, this matter was too important, and Wen Yiniang did not answer. She only instructed her: “Remember to send a reply to Third Mistress Wen tomorrow. Just say that I have no say in First Young Miss’s marriage. Let her go to the Marquis and to Madam.”

Wen Yiniang had arrived at where she was today largely thanks to the Wen family.

Qiu Hong could not help but feel uneasy. “But if Third Mistress…”

Wen Yiniang waved her hand, cutting off her words. “When First Young Miss is well married, what more would I have to ask of the Wen family? At Third Mistress Wen’s house, you need only go and reply as I have told you.”

“Yes!” Qiu Hong smiled brightly. “Then I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning to give Third Mistress Wen my reply!”

* * *