Eleventh Miss hesitated for a moment. “No.”

Tenth Miss lowered her head and said nothing.

Eleventh Miss looked at Wang Chengzu — clutching the hem of Tenth Miss’s robe, his eyes filled with anxiety — and said, after some deliberation, “Why don’t you take the child and go home first? If anything happens, I will send word to you.”

Tenth Miss said nothing. She took Wang Chengzu by the hand and walked out.

Everyone who caught sight of her moved away from a distance.

Eleventh Miss let out a sigh and went into the inner chamber.

In the middle of the night, the First Madam passed away.

The next day, a formal document came down from the Ministry of Rites: Wang Chengzu was confirmed as heir to the title of Duke Maoguo.

* * *

The funeral rites were a great and solemn affair. Scholars and students from the literary world came for Luo Elder Master and Luo Zhenxing; nobles of the court, distinguished officials, and military commanders came for Xu Lingyi’s sake. Whether members of the Luo family or the Xu household — and even Yu Yiqing and Qian Ming — all were occupied with the funeral arrangements. Only the members of the Jiang family attended Wang Chengzu’s title-inheritance ceremony.

The First Madam’s funeral shook half of Yanjing. Months later, people in Yanjing were still speaking of that burial.

The Elder Master seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. Once the First Madam’s seventh-day mourning rites were observed, the Luo family began packing their things in preparation for the return to Yuhang.

During that time, Luo Zhenxing came once to call. He asked Eleventh Miss, “Have I not treated her well enough?” His eyes were full of uncertainty and confusion.

Eleventh Miss had no way to answer him.

It was early in the ninth month, when the osmanthus blossoms were at their fullest and most overwhelming — their fragrance so thick it was almost sharp. The sky was a clear expanse of blue, the weather crisp and refreshing. Yet Luo Zhenxing’s steps were slightly unsteady.

Eleventh Miss had already removed her hairpins and ornaments and changed into plain, subdued clothing.

She stood quietly watching Luo Zhenxing’s retreating figure and breathed in a long, slow breath of air — already carrying the faint cool of autumn. Only then did she turn and go back inside.

Xu Lingyi was sitting on the kang reading. When he saw her come in, he put down his book. “Has Zhenxing left?”

Eleventh Miss nodded and sat down across from him. “He says he is entrusting the Yanjing house to Third Brother to look after, and asks me not to worry — he will take good care of Fifth Yiniang and Seventh Brother.”

Xu Lingyi nodded. “Zhenxing is a man of his word. Whatever he says, he will do.”

After the First Madam’s passing, Luo Zhensheng had only stood to one side in a daze. If Luo Zhenxing were to treat the children of concubines the same way the First Madam had — suppressing and oppressing them — then by the time it came to young Mo’s generation, there might not even be anyone left to stand dazed to one side.

Eleventh Miss did not wish to speak of these disquieting matters with Xu Lingyi.

With the First Madam’s death, certain old grievances — those that could be set aside — should simply be let go.

“It is only that the Marquis had such a fine opportunity to celebrate his birthday at home, and yet we could not properly observe it — I feel uneasy in my heart.” She changed the subject.

The third day of the ninth month was Xu Lingyi’s birthday. In recent years he had been either away on military campaign or occupied with official duties and absent from Yanjing. The household had not properly celebrated his birthday for quite a number of years.

“When one’s elders are in mourning, what is there to celebrate?” Xu Lingyi said dismissively. “Besides, you rose early that morning and made me longevity noodles with your own hands.”

Eleventh Miss thought of him eating bowl after bowl — three whole large bowls of longevity noodles — and pressed her lips together in a smile. “If the Marquis enjoys it, I will make the Marquis longevity noodles every year.”

Xu Lingyi smiled a little but said nothing.

* * *

From that time on, Eleventh Miss declined all invitations to banquets and musical entertainments, devoting herself entirely to managing the household, seeking instruction in needlework from Master Jian, and occasionally going to visit Grand Madam Gan.

By the time the Luo family departed the capital, she accompanied them all the way to the outer gate of Xuanwu.

Watching the Luo family’s carriages grow smaller and smaller in the distance, Eleventh Miss had thought it would be only a small, passing sadness — and then it would be over. But unexpectedly, her tears had their own will and fell in a quiet stream she could not stop.

She did not know when she would see Fifth Yiniang again. Or that infant still in swaddling clothes — by the time they met again, surely everything would be changed, and it would all be a different scene entirely.

Xu Lingyi had never seen her cry like this.

She turned her face away. Though the tears fell like rain, she endured it without making a sound.

He let out a soft sigh, drew Eleventh Miss into his arms, and gently stroked her back — the way one soothes a small, wounded creature — his movements light and tender, carrying a trace of fondness and care.

The warmth of his embrace, the monotonous sound of the carriage wheels — Eleventh Miss wept and wept, and gradually drifted into a deep, heavy sleep.

By the time they returned home, it was already early in the hour of the Rooster.

Zhu Anping and Seventh Miss came to take their leave. “The autumn harvest is nearly upon us — we must go back and see to it.”

“But you—” Eleventh Miss looked at Seventh Miss.

Seventh Miss, however, looked at Zhu Anping and dropped her head, a faint color rising in her cheeks.

Zhu Anping smiled and said, “I told her to stay in Yanjing, but she insists on coming back with me to Gaoqing. In any case, she has a whole stack of medicines prescribed for her — if she wants to go, let her go. We’ll come back again in a little while.” He then looked at Seventh Miss. “She’s become much more cheerful since being in Yanjing.”

Seventh Miss, hearing this, pouted and went to look for Fifth Madam: “…I need to tell her I’m leaving.”

“She’s home,” said Eleventh Miss. She went with Seventh Miss to Fifth Madam’s quarters, leaving Zhu Anping and Xu Lingyi to speak together.

Fifth Madam, on hearing that Seventh Miss was leaving, took her hand. “When will you come back? A few days ago, when I went back to my parents’ home, I specially told Father to let me borrow the villa out by Shatisha Lake. I was thinking that after a while we could go there together to enjoy skating on the ice!” She asked urgently, “When are you coming back? Will you return to Yanjing?”

Still asking after their next meeting before the person had even left. This version of Fifth Madam rather surprised Eleventh Miss.

“Zhu Anping says that if there’s still no news from me, we’ll come back to Yanjing after the spring planting,” said Seventh Miss, and suddenly grew excited. “Or else — why don’t you come to our Gaoqing for a visit? Our Gaoqing is really a wonderful place. There’s Dingzu Mountain, Niu Mountain, and so many rivers. Oh — right now is just the season for picking grapes and harvesting apples. Why don’t you come with us to Gaoqing for a few days?”

Fifth Madam listened with longing, but her eyes quickly dimmed a little. “If I were to go, what would become of Xin Jie’er?”

The gilded cage of the inner courtyard — one could not travel freely wherever one pleased.

Seventh Miss understood this perfectly well.

She knew she had offered a suggestion that was nothing more than a vague and distant wish. She smiled with a touch of sheepishness.

Fifth Madam asked about Seventh Miss’s travel plans: “When do you set out?”

“The day after tomorrow,” Seventh Miss replied with a smile. “The house has been left in Third Brother’s care to look after. That way, when we come to Yanjing in the future, we’ll have somewhere to stay.”

Fifth Madam nodded. They chatted a while longer, then went to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

The Grand Madam, hearing that Seventh Miss was leaving, kept her for dinner. Xu Lingyi entertained Zhu Anping in the outer courtyard. At their departure, the Grand Madam bestowed many palace-gifted delicacies and small trinkets for Seventh Miss to take home. “Bring them back as gifts for relatives and friends.”

Seventh Miss offered thanks. Fifth Madam and Eleventh Miss saw her off to the ornamental gate.

The Grand Madam then instructed Fifth Madam, “You should go and see her off when the time comes.” Then laughed. “If she were to leave two days later, you wouldn’t even be able to go and see her off.”

Fifth Madam smiled. “I was afraid you wouldn’t permit it.” Then laughed again. “If she waits two more days, I won’t be able to go and see her off even if I wanted to.”

The elder prince’s wedding was in two days’ time. By court custom, on the third day after the wedding all officials would attend court to offer congratulations, and noble ladies were required to present themselves before the Empress Dowager and the Empress to offer blessings and receive a banquet.

“…Now that the weather is turning cool, you would do well to wear a large cloak when you go.” She looked at Eleventh Miss. “We should prepare some food to bring along in the carriage for everyone.”

“Very well,” Eleventh Miss agreed, and prepared the food a day in advance. As she herself was in mourning, she could not enter the palace. She saw the Grand Madam and the others off, then went to Master Jian’s quarters.

Master Jian was sitting with her spectacles on, embroidering a door curtain. Seeing Eleventh Miss enter, she smiled and took off the spectacles she had been holding against the bridge of her nose. “That thing you gave me is truly useful — every detail stands out sharp and clear.”

Eleventh Miss laughed and picked up the spectacles to look through them. “I’ll draw up a design, and then ask the craftsmen at Duobao Pavilion to help make a pair — see if they can be made to hang from the ears. Pinching them on the bridge of the nose is far too tiring.”

“You always have so many ideas,” said Master Jian. Qiuju brought in a cup of chrysanthemum tea. “Madam, this will cool the inner fire.”

Eleventh Miss looked at the chrysanthemum petals — pure white as jade, the stamens golden as burnished gold. “Are these from Second Madam’s gift?”

Second Madam had heard that Master Jian was here and had made a special visit to call on her. Master Jian had given her a double-sided embroidered table screen called “Clouds and Mountains Wreathed in Mist,” which she liked very much and often came to sit with Master Jian.

Qiuju smiled and nodded. “She said they were Hangzhou white chrysanthemums from Tongxiang.”

Eleventh Miss sat down to share tea with Master Jian.

“What made you think of embroidering a door curtain?” she said, looking at the large piece of crimson brocade that had been set aside — it looked like something made for a trousseau. “Your eyesight is not what it used to be. If it is a commission you cannot refuse, just tell me. I will step in and turn it away on your behalf.”

Eleventh Miss feared that someone was treating Master Jian like an ordinary embroidery girl and putting her to work.

“It is not someone else’s commission,” Master Jian said with a smile. “I am embroidering it myself.”

Eleventh Miss was momentarily taken aback.

“I noticed that the door curtains Binju embroiders sell quite well, though they take too long to make,” said Master Jian slowly. “I wanted to see if I could modify the technique — to find out whether the time could be shortened. As it stands, the results are not bad.” She took the curtain and showed it to Eleventh Miss. “Look at this ‘magpies on a branch’ section — here, I originally always used the overlapping stitch, but I switched to the cross stitch, and the speed is much faster. The effect is actually lighter and more airy than ordinary overlapping stitch.” She pulled out another piece and pointed it out to Eleventh Miss. “Now look at this ‘full pond of beauty.’ It used to be done in cross stitch, but I left it with open space and only outlined the edges — does it not still look lovely?”

But the more Eleventh Miss listened, the more something felt off to her.

Embroidery is a scholarly pursuit. Master Jian’s particular gift lay in double-sided embroidery and in braiding and knotting. By rights, having reached Master Jian’s level of mastery, one ought to be thinking of how to break new ground in those very areas — to pursue a legacy that would stand unrivaled before and after. In earlier times, it was the hardship of her circumstances that had prevented her from concentrating on that work. But now, as a guest in the Yongping Marquis’s household — with fabric and colored threads all at her disposal — why was she not properly pursuing what she was best at, and instead turning her efforts to these common auspicious patterns? Even if some innovation came of it, as Master Jian herself had said, that innovation brought only speed — and fine embroidery had never been about speed.

But Master Jian knew her well. Seeing Eleventh Miss’s silence, she smiled. “Don’t let your imagination run away with you. Let me be frank with you. I want to open an embroidery shop.”

Eleventh Miss was greatly startled. “Master Jian?”

Xianlinge had extended invitations several times; affluent merchants throughout Jiangnan had made suggestions — and each time, Master Jian had declined. How was it that she had suddenly decided to open an embroidery shop now?

Master Jian then dismissed Qiuju, who had been sorting threads nearby.

“In the past I lived alone, a single person with no one depending on me — one mouth fed, the whole family without hunger. But now with Qiuju beside me, I cannot very well let her end up like me: drifting without a home, embroidering until she is old and her eyes give out, and then going to the almshouse to finish out her days.”

Master Jian had always been self-reliant and independent. This was also why, after Master Jian had come to Yanjing, Eleventh Miss had never thought to invite her to come and live with them. But opening an embroidery shop — especially a woman opening one — was no simple matter.

She reflected for a moment. “Master Jian, where are you thinking of opening it? If you have not yet decided on a location, why not open it right here in Yanjing?”

“That is exactly what I have in mind,” said Master Jian with a smile. “Not only do I want to open it in Yanjing — I also want to drag you into it with me, as our chief investor.”

That was just like Master Jian.

Frank and open-handed.

“It seems you have had a plan in mind for a while.” Eleventh Miss propped her cheek on her fist and looked at Master Jian with a smile.

* * *