“There is no need for anything so fine,” Eleventh Lady said with a smile. “I still have a bolt of Songjiang embossed silk in my trunk — we can use that to make Jie Ge’s stockings.” She then instructed Lvyun beside her to open the trunk and pass it to Qin Yiniang.

Once a gift has been made, it can hardly be taken back.

Xu Lingyi smiled: “Then keep it for your own use.”

Eleventh Lady had no wish to make Xu Lingyi lose face, and smiled her acceptance. Privately, she could not help but murmur to him: “The children are all growing up. Some things must be thought through carefully. Just now, for instance — if you gave something to Jie Ge, you ought to have given something to Siyu and Sizhun as well.”

Xu Lingyi reflected: “Jie Ge is different — he’s the youngest!”

It was mostly because he was his own nephew.

Eleventh Lady thought of those servants who flattered and fawned over Xu Sijie to her face, yet whispered behind his back about how he was a child of unknown parentage.

She said tactfully: “There is no wall in this world that does not let the wind through. Rather than having the child later recall that we treated him differently from the others and feel saddened by it, it would be better to treat him as if he were our own child — firm when firmness is called for, indulgent when indulgence is in order.”

Xu Lingyi thought it over, then sighed and said, “Understood.”

Eleventh Lady smiled and changed the subject: “Fifth Elder Sister’s husband is to sit for the metropolitan examination this year. I was thinking of ordering a set of the four scholarly treasures from the Duobao Pavilion as a gift — what do you think?”

Xu Lingyi laughed: “No one sends the four scholarly treasures anymore. What’s fashionable now is sending a ‘Number One Scholar’ banquet. I think it would be better to order a table of dishes from the Chunxi Restaurant to send over.”

As they were speaking, a page came in to report: “Official Ma has come!”

Eleventh Lady’s heart gave a quiet start.

Ma Zuowen served in the Xingrensi bureau. For him to come calling on Xu Lingyi this late in the evening — this was certainly no trifling matter!

Xu Lingyi’s expression, too, became somewhat grave.

Eleventh Lady helped him change his clothes and silently walked him to the courtyard gate.

After roughly the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, Xu Lingyi returned.

He gave a wry smile: “The Emperor, using the Empress Dowager’s ill health as a pretext, has issued an edict cancelling this spring’s imperial selections. The imperial decree will be promulgated tomorrow.”

The Empress Dowager’s illness had shown no sign of improvement. There had been no fireworks at the palace for either the New Year’s Eve or the Lantern Festival, and the Lantern Festival celebrations on the fifteenth of the first month had consequently been far less festive than usual.

It had not occurred to her that the Emperor would use this as a pretext.

Eleventh Lady was somewhat taken aback, and seeing that Xu Lingyi did not seem any lighter for it, she said in puzzlement: “Is something not right? At the very least, the Empress Dowager now knows the Emperor’s position — she can no longer find a pretext to send women into the Emperor’s inner palace!”

“I would far rather she sent women to the Emperor’s inner palace.” Xu Lingyi said tactfully. “In the palace there is the Empress, and there is the Imperial Noble Consort, and there is Lady Xu, who has recently been in great favour…”

Indeed — the Emperor and the Empress were married as husband and wife from the very beginning, and the fact that the woman of the Qu family had risen to Imperial Noble Consort in just two short years, while Lady Xu had come up from behind as a new favourite, suggested that none of these women were to be trifled with. A Yang family girl entering the palace might not necessarily fare well at all.

The thought flashed through her mind, and Eleventh Lady’s heart stirred.

The Yang family had never held real power at court. If the Empress Dowager wished to secure the Yang family’s prosperity after her own death, the only way was to forge another marriage alliance with the imperial family. On this matter, the Empress Dowager would not give up. And Fang Jie’er had been married for over three months now, yet there had been no news of a pregnancy. Word had it that Princess Fucheng had personally gone to Ciyuan Temple to pray and seek blessings for Fang Jie’er.

She hesitated: “Are you worried about the side of the Crown Prince?”

Xu Lingyi nodded: “The Crown Prince is young after all. If the Empress Dowager were to succeed, I fear that in a moment of soft-heartedness he might allow a Yang family girl to bear his child — and that would be a great deal of trouble.”

There was love at first sight, and there was love that grew with time — such things were genuinely unpredictable.

Eleventh Lady, too, felt this was a rather thorny problem.

Seeing that Eleventh Lady was troubled by his words, Xu Lingyi smiled and reassured her: “Don’t worry too much. I’ve already sent word to Shizheng. He’s no pushover either. For the sake of the family’s future, he will certainly have his own calculations.”

Let us hope so.

Eleventh Lady had no brilliant ideas of her own, and let out a long sigh in preparation for retiring for the night with Xu Lingyi.

A page came stumbling in breathlessly: “My lord, Official Zhou has come!”

Both of them started.

From outside came the sound of boots scraping briskly across the ground: “Lingyi, I have something to say to you!”

It was Zhou Shizheng himself, who had come rushing in after the messenger.

Xu Lingyi threw on his outer garment and went to the main hall.

He did not return for quite some time.

“What happened?” Eleventh Lady stepped forward to meet him.

Xu Lingyi’s expression was somewhat stern: “Shizheng says that rather than letting a Yang family woman go to serve the Crown Prince, it would be better to select someone of outstanding character and gentle temperament from the Zhou clan’s own relations to serve the Crown Prince instead.”

Eleventh Lady was astonished: “Then your intention…”

“I will go to see the Empress tomorrow and convey the Zhou family’s wishes to Her Majesty.”

He had clearly consented to this course of action.

Eleventh Lady was silent.

Fang Jie’er had only been married for three months…

The next day Xu Lingyi went to the palace, while Eleventh Lady sat cross-legged on the kang doing her embroidery.

A young maid came in, smiling: “My lady, there is a letter from Yuhang.”

In mid-December, Luo Zhensheng had sent a letter saying they had arrived safely in Yuhang, and that the Eldest Master had given the seventh son the name Zhenhong.

Eleventh Lady’s low spirits — which had persisted since the previous evening — lifted at once. She eagerly tore open the letter.

This time the letter was written by Luo Zhensheng. He informed Eleventh Lady that the wife of Fourth Young Master Luo had given birth to a daughter on the tenth day of the twelfth month. The Eldest Master had been very pleased and personally given her the milk-name “Ying Niang.” He also wrote that everyone at home was well and that she need not worry.

A daughter! The first daughter of the “Jia” generation in the Luo family.

Eleventh Lady counted the days — Ying Niang had already completed her first month.

She called Hupo in, shared the news, and instructed her: “Have someone commission a solid gold ‘May All Go Well’ longevity locket and a pair of anklets with little bells as my gift to Ying Niang upon our first meeting. Then open the trunk and send along those few bolts of fine kudzu cloth that the palace gifted last summer — for Father and the two elder uncles and others to make summer garments.”

Hupo acknowledged with a smile and went off.

Eleventh Lady went to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

Upon hearing that Fourth Young Master Luo’s wife had given birth to a daughter, the Grand Madam nodded repeatedly, smiling: “First the flower, then the fruit — this child has come at a fine time!” She then had Nanny Du bring out twenty taels of her own private funds as a congratulatory gift, “to be carried to Yuhang in due time.” She also instructed Nanny Du to “let Fifth’s wife know as well” — meaning she was to send her share of the gift too.

This was a gesture of consideration to Eleventh Lady.

Eleventh Lady smiled her thanks, had lunch at the Grand Madam’s, and waited until the Grand Madam had settled down for her afternoon rest before returning to her own room.

Late in the afternoon, Xu Lingyi returned.

Eleventh Lady went to meet him: “Have you eaten lunch?”

If he had eaten in the palace, he had probably not had enough.

“I have.” Xu Lingyi took off his outer coat. “I ate at Shizheng’s.”

“What did the Empress say?” Eleventh Lady helped Xu Lingyi wash his face.

“The Empress told Shizheng not to worry.” He dried his face. “She said the Emperor has his own plans.”

The Emperor has his own plans? What plans?

Eleventh Lady felt an unease stir in her heart.

But Xu Lingyi flicked her nose playfully: “Don’t worry. It’s good news all around.” His gravity of the previous day had entirely vanished, replaced by a lightness and cheerfulness, and he asked: “Why is it so quiet today? Where are Sizhun and Jie Ge?”

“Master Zhao has returned,” Eleventh Lady said. “Sizhun has taken Jie Ge to Master Zhao’s.”

Xu Lingyi thought this over: “How about letting Jie Ge attend classes at the Shuangfu Courtyard as well? That way the two brothers can keep each other company.”

“Isn’t it a little early?”

Xu Sijie was only four years old.

“We don’t expect him to learn much.” Xu Lingyi said. “He can just muddle along for a couple of years before formally beginning his studies.”

He had noticed that during the New Year season, Eleventh Lady would hold Xu Sijie in her arms at every turn, kissing him now and then, and had never once raised her voice at the child. He worried she was being too indulgent and that Xu Sijie would become another Sizhun.

Eleventh Lady said nothing. She decided to wait until Xu Sijie returned and ask him properly whether he wished to attend classes with Xu Sizhun at Master Zhao’s before making any plans. But she had a vague feeling that Xu Sijie would very much enjoy having company. She then told Xu Lingyi about the birth of Fourth Young Master Luo’s daughter.

“Let us send a larger private gift,” Xu Lingyi said with a smile. “Zhensheng is not like Zhensheng — he has far fewer properties to his name.”

He meant that Luo Zhensheng had fewer resources than Luo Zhenxing.

Eleventh Lady agreed, and privately set aside two hundred taels of silver to send over.

That afternoon, when Xu Sijie returned from the Shuangfu Courtyard and Eleventh Lady asked him whether he wished to attend classes with Xu Sizhun under Master Zhao, he immediately called out loudly: “Mother, Master Zhao’s place has a swing, and a wooden horse, and a flute…!”

Eleventh Lady burst out laughing: “All you think about is playing!” She composed herself and said seriously: “But from now on you will have to wake up early every morning, rain or shine, cold or warm, and you may never skip a day. Can you manage that?”

Xu Sijie nodded vigorously: “I will do as Mother says!”

“Very well then,” Eleventh Lady said with a smile. “I will speak to your father.”

Xu Sijie immediately clamoured to go find Xu Sizhun: “I want to go tell Second Elder Brother!” He was clearly bursting with eagerness.

Eleventh Lady smiled and ruffled his head, then walked him over to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

The Grand Madam heard the news and gave a satisfied nod: “Into battle with father and son, and the brothers hunt the tiger together.” Xu Sizhun was so excited that he scooped Xu Sijie up and swung him back and forth, saying: “I’ll give you my big red cut-silk brocade satchel,” and added, “it’s even better than mine.”

Xu Sijie nodded enthusiastically: “Yes, yes!”

The Grand Madam watched them and chuckled warmly.

And so the matter was settled.

Xu Lingyi accordingly doubled Master Zhao’s stipend, which Master Zhao accepted with equanimity.

Xu Sizhun began coming every morning to call for Xu Sijie and walk together to the Shuangfu Courtyard, two figures — one tall, one small — sauntering along in the midst of a cluster of maids and serving women.

Eleventh Lady watched this and wanted very much to smile.

She recalled her own anxiety as a child going to school.

She thought they were not going to study at all, but simply to pass the time.

Not long after, an imperial edict came down.

The Crown Prince was proclaimed: the original Crown Prince’s wife, the woman of the Zhou family, was declared Crown Princess.

Eleventh Lady had a vague sense of understanding, and asked Xu Lingyi: “Was it already the Emperor’s intention at that time to name the Crown Prince as Heir Apparent?”

“He had said as much before the Empress at one point,” Xu Lingyi said with a smile. “But the matter was of such great consequence that until the very last moment, who would dare speak of it carelessly.” Then he said: “So you see — I told you there was no need to worry. The Emperor himself has no wish to accept Yang family girls, and he would even less consider accepting one for the Crown Prince. You must remember — the Crown Prince is the nation’s Heir Apparent, the future Son of Heaven.”

Indeed — no matter how the Empress Dowager calculated and schemed, without the Emperor’s consent, none of it could come to pass.

Eleventh Lady’s heart eased a little.

—