In autumn, the mornings and evenings were cool and refreshing, while the midday hours were oppressively hot; the sun felt even more dazzling than in summer.

Shiyiniang looked down in bewilderment at the small infant in her arms, swaddled layer upon layer within a bright red wrap: “Could it be that she is dressed too warmly?”

The Fifth Yiniang, having given birth and grown considerably fuller in figure, leaned against the headboard pillow, smiling as she gazed at her daughter and son; the lightness in her brow had given way to a settled, grounded contentment.

“The Seventh Young Master is still small and cannot yet tell whether he is hot or cold — it is better to dress him warmly!” The Sixth Yiniang smiled and patted the infant’s glossy black hair. “Just look at that little mouth — he really does look like our Eleventh Young Miss of the family.”

The Fifth Yiniang had given birth to a son on the tenth day of the eighth month. He had not yet been given a name; among the male cousins of his generation, he ranked seventh. On this day, his third-day washing ceremony was being held, and the family had already taken to calling him the Seventh Young Master.

Shiyiniang listened and looked the child over carefully.

His face was red and flushed, like a monkey’s backside. His eyes were still closed, and one could not tell whether they were large or small. His little mouth was a vivid crimson, like the upturned points of a water caltrop. Perhaps sensing that someone was watching him, he pursed his lips and blew out a small bubble.

“Yiniang, look, look,” she said, feeling it charming, and held the child up before the Fifth Yiniang. “He is blowing bubbles.”

“Perhaps he is hungry,” the Fifth Yiniang said with a laugh. A wet nurse then came to take the child away.

The Fifth Yiniang pulled Shiyiniang to sit beside her on the bed, and the Sixth Yiniang took her leave under the pretext of attending to other guests.

“How have you been these past days?” The Fifth Yiniang’s gaze held a shade of worry as she looked at her.

“I am quite well,” Shiyiniang said, taking the Fifth Yiniang’s hands in hers. “The household affairs have all come smoothly under my management — every five days I have two days of rest. Even so, sometimes there is nothing to attend to in the afternoons. Sometimes I do needlework in my room, sometimes I teach Jie Ge to recognize characters, and when I feel like doing neither, I go and keep the Grand Madam company at cards. Life goes by at a pleasant, leisurely pace. Zhen Jie’er’s betrothal and the Young Master’s betrothal have both been settled. Wen Yiniang is helping to prepare Zhen Jie’er’s trousseau. Just a few days ago she placed an order for a batch of porcelain pieces from a reputable kiln, and when I looked them over, they were actually finer than imperial workshop pieces. She attends to the task with great diligence, and I need not concern myself too much. The Young Master is young in years but an honest and steady child, raised personally by the Grand Madam; I only need to look in on things every few days. The Marquis is a man of principle, and all the yiniangare well-behaved and dutiful. You need not worry about me, Yiniang.”

“That is a relief to hear!” The Fifth Yiniang relaxed with an audible breath. “Because I was about to give birth, the plans for the whole family’s journey were delayed. Elder Master said yesterday that they would set out once the Seventh Young Master has completed his first month. Once you are alone in Yanjing, you will have only yourself to look after…” As she spoke, tears had already gathered in her eyes.

“There is still a full month left, is there not?” Shiyiniang quickly drew out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. “You are still in confinement — take care not to strain your eyes.”

The Fifth Yiniang, not wanting Shiyiniang to worry on her behalf, choked back her tears and steadied herself.

Shiyiniang pressed a small pouch into her hand: “Inside there are three hundred taels in bank notes, in denominations of ten and five taels each. When funds are short, send someone to the money house to exchange them and take out what you need. When your Seventh Young Brother turns one year old, I will send a household manager to offer congratulations, and I will have him bring you more bank notes at that time. Do not scrimp and deprive yourself.”

The Fifth Yiniang was greatly startled: “Where did you come by this silver?” She then grew anxious: “You must not touch the communal funds. If word were to get out, every shred of your dignity would be gone!”

“I know,” Shiyiniang quickly reassured her. “I manage the household accounts; beyond the family’s expenditures, I receive an additional hundred taels of silver each month. I also have my own monthly allowance of fifty taels, and the Marquis supplements me with another fifty. Not to mention that this year my farm plots yielded good crops of watermelon and peanuts — although no great profit was made, at least there was no loss either. At present I am not short of money. Even on the occasional occasion when cash flow is tight, it can be made up when the monthly allowances come in. There is no need for you to worry about me, Yiniang.”

The Fifth Yiniang was unconvinced, and kept her gaze fixed on the pale celadon hemp blouse Shiyiniang was wearing, embroidered with pale green interlocking vine patterns: “Is this yet another new garment? Since your marriage, I have never once seen you wear the same thing twice!”

“Our household has its own sewing room; following the household’s customary practice, I have twenty-four outfits tailored for the four seasons each year. If I wish to have additional garments made, I only need to provide the fabric — no labor cost. When I married, the Grand Madam provided some dress fabrics as part of my dowry, and after I arrived at the Xu household, the palace and the Grand Madam have often bestowed gifts of fabric. The garment you see on me today was made from fabric awarded by Her Majesty the Empress.” Shiyiniang explained in careful detail, seeing that the Fifth Yiniang remained unconvinced. “At home I dress simply; it is only when going out that I make myself presentable, so as not to dishonor the Xu household’s reputation. I am not wearing new clothes every single day.”

The Fifth Yiniang trusted that Shiyiniang was not the sort to be dazzled by wealth or status, and finding her words reasonable, she accepted them. But she still refused the money: “Master gave me fifty taels a few days ago, and all my food and clothing comes from the communal accounts — I have no use for this.”

“Since I am giving it to you, just take it,” Shiyiniang said with gentle reproach. “Here, I am the eldest daughter-in-law in charge of the household, and you have me in Yanjing, so naturally everything is manageable. But once you return to Yuhang… think of it not for yourself, but for the Seventh Young Brother.”

An expression of hesitation crossed the Fifth Yiniang’s face.

Shiyiniang seized the moment and tucked the pouch under the Fifth Yiniang’s pillow: “Raising the Seventh Young Master well — that is what truly matters.”

The Fifth Yiniang fell silent.

There was a knock at the door: “Fifth Yiniang, the Fifth Miss and the Seventh Miss have arrived.”

The Sixth Yiniang had dismissed the attendants from the room when she left. Shiyiniang rose and went to open the door. She saw the Fifth Yiniang’s personal young maidservant and asked her: “Your name is Jin Ju, is it not?”

The girl’s face flushed red. She curtsied to Shiyiniang and answered nervously: “In reply to Madam, this servant is indeed Jin Ju.”

Shiyiniang nodded: “Attend to the Fifth Yiniang well. When the time comes for you to marry, I will prepare your trousseau. If there is anything difficult that you encounter, you may also have someone send word to me. I will stand up for you.”

Jin Ju was so moved that she could barely find words, and could only keep saying, “Yes, Madam.”

Shiyiniang smiled and went to receive the Fifth Miss and the Seventh Miss.

The Fifth Miss had brought Xin Ge with her, but it was the Seventh Miss who was holding the child.

When she saw Shiyiniang, Xin Ge’s wet nurse stepped forward to take him, but the Seventh Miss hugged him and refused to let go: “Let me hold him a little longer.”

The Fifth Miss watched with amusement and told the wet nurse: “Never mind — she wants to hold him, let her.” She then greeted Shiyiniang: “You arrived so early!”

Shiyiniang saw that Xin Ge had a small gold lock hanging around his neck, along with a collar of solid gold hung with a good-fortune pendant, and knew the collar must have been a gift from the Seventh Miss. While exchanging greetings with the two sisters, she smiled and pinched Xin Ge’s hand: “Xin Ge grows more beautiful every time I see him.”

“He certainly does!” The Seventh Miss, unaccustomed to holding children, found her arms gradually slipping lower; the child slid down to her chest and began tugging at the jade pendant hanging from her outer jacket. Everyone burst into laughter. The Fifth Miss took the opportunity to reclaim the child into her own arms. “You had better stop causing me trouble. If Xin Ge’s stomach feels off today, I will hold you responsible.”

The Seventh Miss gave an awkward laugh and asked Shiyiniang: “Is Danyang at home?”

When had she grown close enough to the Fifth Madam to call her simply “Danyang”?

Shiyiniang was puzzled, and said: “You have good intelligence — she came back from Red Lantern Alley just a few days ago!”

“I heard her say she was going back to Lotus Flower Lane for the Mid-Autumn Festival,” the Seventh Miss said. “By my reckoning, it was about time for her to return.”

Beside her, a flicker of envy passed through the Fifth Miss’s eyes: “When did you and the Danyang County Princess become so close?”

The Seventh Miss shrugged lightly: “We have a rapport — we simply grew close, that is all.”

At the mid-seventh-month festival, Zhu Anping had invited Xu Lingkuan to go and set river lanterns afloat, and Xu Lingkuan had brought Danyang along. He had left Xin Jie’er with the Grand Madam. Shiyiniang, fearing the Grand Madam would be worn out, had helped look after the child for half the day. When the couple returned, she learned that the Seventh Miss had gone along as well. The two couples had spent the evening at the river setting off fireworks, then dined at a restaurant and listened to song performances, enjoying themselves to the full.

“Are you going to see the Fifth Madam for a particular reason?” Shiyiniang asked her.

“Was I not going to introduce a medical woman to her last time?” the Seventh Miss said. “The woman has arrived — I am taking her over to meet the Fifth Madam.”

Shiyiniang felt perspiration on her brow: “Is this medical woman competent? Xin Jie’er’s condition could not even be treated by the physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau!”

“Goodness!” The Seventh Miss dismissed Shiyiniang’s caution with a wave of her hand. “Do not trouble yourself over this. Xin Jie’er is Danyang’s daughter, after all.”

Shiyiniang was momentarily at a loss for words.

Going home, she told Xu Lingyi: “…Let us just hope nothing goes awry.”

“Danyang is not such a careless person,” Xu Lingyi turned around to reassure Shiyiniang. “There are hidden talents among the common people — who is to say the Seventh Miss might not be the very stroke of fortune that Xin Jie’er needs?”

“Let us hope so.”

Xu Lingyi then asked about her visit to her family home: “Have you sent the mid-autumn seasonal gifts? Was the Seventh Young Brother’s third-day washing ceremony lively?”

“Yes,” Shiyiniang replied. “All of the family’s relatives came.” She paused, then added, “Fourth Sister also arrived.”

The two of them were the best-married among the sisters. When it came to seating at the banquet, the two had been placed at the head table. Fourth Miss had once mentioned casually to her that a private scholar living near their house had a proper wife who had never conceived; now past fifty and still with no heir, he had long wanted to take a concubine but could not produce much of a betrothal gift. Fourth Miss had taken it upon herself to arrange it — not a single coin of betrothal gift was required, and in fact twenty taels of silver were given as a dowry supplement — and had sent Xiang Yun off to that scholar as a lesser concubine. The scholar was so overjoyed he could not stop bowing in gratitude, while the scholar’s wife wore a stony expression and said not a single word.

“Is she feeling better?” Xu Lingyi settled casually on the embroidered stool by the dressing table and chatted idly with Shiyiniang. “I have heard there is talk of the Emperor wishing to transfer Yu Yiqing to the Office of Diplomatic Correspondence — is there any truth to this?”

Since she had returned to her family home to attend her younger brother’s third-day washing ceremony, Shiyiniang had especially styled her hair into a fallen-horse bun, her jet-black hair piled against her temples, lending her small face an extraordinary clarity and brilliance.

“The Marquis did not mention it beforehand, so I did not ask,” she said.

Hong Xiu helped her remove the comb and the jade-and-kingfisher ornaments from her chignon.

“Madam Liang of the Liang household came by today, but did not catch you in. She left a message with Nanny Song.”

“Lan Ting?” Shiyiniang started slightly. “Did she come specifically?” She sent Hong Xiu to summon Nanny Song, and in the meantime quickly undid her hair and re-pinned it into a low coiled bun.

These past days, the Gan family’s dispute over the division of the estate had drawn Lan Ting back repeatedly; they were her brothers, each pressing her to have the Liang family speak in his favor. Torn between them, Lan Ting had found the situation a great source of distress, and yet she could not simply wash her hands of it. She had come to complain to Shiyiniang about it on one previous occasion.

“She came just past the beginning of the late afternoon watch. I encountered her at the decorative gate,” Xu Lingyi said. “By her manner, it did not look as though she had come with a particular purpose in mind.”

Could she have come again to unburden herself about the Gan family’s affairs?

* * *