Qiao Lianfang was telling her that if she did not press Yang Shi down and keep her in her place, she herself would be pulled down from her own.
Eleventh Young Madam looked at the glimmer of moisture at the corner of Qiao Lianfang’s eye, and quite suddenly found herself missing the faintly haughty expression Qiao Lianfang had worn back when she first entered this room.
She slowly raised her teacup: “Everything Qiao Yiniang has said, I have understood. The Grand Madam is still waiting for me to go and discuss the arrangements for the Third Month Third Festival.” An oblique dismissal.
Qiao Lianfang, seeing Eleventh Young Madam’s expression remain mild and distant, and having said what she came to say, drew out her handkerchief and dabbed at the corner of her eye: “I hope my lady will pardon my momentary impropriety.” She then said a few words about “not wishing to take up my lady’s time” and the like, then curtsied and withdrew.
Eleventh Young Madam watched the retreating figure and gave a quiet sigh. A young maid came in to report: “Qin Yiniang is here!”
She glanced at the floor clock — there was still time. She had the young maid show Qin Yiniang in.
Qin Yiniang had come to bring Xu Sijie his summer clothes: “…I followed the old garments as a pattern and made a new one. But Fifth Young Master is still small and growing — the way children change day by day at that age — I am not certain whether anything needs adjustment. My lady, would you have a look?” She passed over a sapphire-blue Hangzhou silk bundle.
Lv Yun stepped forward to receive it, drew out the moon-white plain fine-kudzu-cloth straight-cut robe from inside and brought it before Eleventh Young Madam.
Fine, close stitches; cloud patterns embroidered at the collar. Very meticulous work.
“Qin Yiniang has gone to considerable trouble.” Eleventh Young Madam said politely. “Fifth Young Master will be going at midday after school to eat at the Grand Madam’s and rest there for the afternoon nap. Once he returns, I will have him try it on, and if anything needs adjusting, I will let you know.”
Qin Yiniang let out a long breath of relief, smiling: “Then I will wait for my lady’s word before cutting the next piece!”
Eleventh Young Madam gave a nod.
Qin Yiniang, however, did not hurry to leave, and instead began to speak of Xu Sijie: “…Kesi brocade, fine gauze-weave brocade of Shu silk, fine kudzu-cloth and flower-pattern gauze — he has worn them all. Without my lady beside him, how could Fifth Young Master have this kind of luxury? Everyone says Fifth Young Master is fortunate to have found my lady — but to my eyes, it is that he has benefited from my lady’s blessings.” She seemed faintly wistful. “When I think back to the beginning — when the Marquis had only Second Young Master in those days, even in hot weather there was nothing more than a finer bolt of cotton-like kudzu-cloth to make a few summer garments with.” Her words had barely left her lips when she seemed to suddenly realize what she had said and hurriedly amended: “I am not saying that your honored elder sister treated Second Young Master poorly. It is simply that she had no heart for it — in those days everyone was anxious about the matter of heirs!” And as she spoke, she watched Eleventh Young Madam’s expression closely.
This was truly a case of protesting too much.
Eleventh Young Madam raised her teacup with a smile.
Seeing this, Qin Yiniang showed a trace of anxiety. She hurriedly explained: “Second Young Master passed away in the first month, and your honored elder sister suffered a miscarriage in the second month. Within the span of three short months, the old Marquis had lost both son and grandchild in rapid succession — his illness began to worsen in the autumn. The Grand Madam was in such a state of distress that she had both Nanny Biyu and myself stop our herbal treatments. Yet even after half a year of recuperation, neither of us had managed to regulate our cycles. The Wen family had long been seeking to use the Xu family as a bridge to connect with the imperial family. They sent word several times through intermediaries to the Grand Madam, offering to send their eldest legitimate daughter to the Marquis as a concubine. At first the Grand Madam was hesitant, but after the old Marquis’s condition began to worsen that autumn, the Grand Madam could no longer hold back, and she consented.” She spoke as though recalling some of the hardships of the past, her eyes reddening. “It is also a matter of each person’s own fortune and fate. Nanny Biyu, for that reason, suffered from unstable pregnancies ever after, and I, since bearing Second Young Master, have never been able to conceive again…”
Eleventh Young Madam could not conceal her bewilderment.
The tense set of Qin Yiniang’s shoulders gradually eased.
She drew out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes. A forced smile spread across her face: “Here I go again — speaking out of turn in front of my lady. Now that a new person is coming into the household, the Marquis will have more and more heirs as time goes on. Yet here I am, bringing up old matters from the past, making my lady unhappy.” Then she crouched down and performed a steady and composed curtsy for Eleventh Young Madam: “My lady, I will take my leave then. Once Fifth Young Master has tried on the garment, do let me know.”
A thousand puzzlements rose in Eleventh Young Madam’s mind, yet none pressed upon her as urgently as the true intent concealed within Qin Yiniang’s words.
Her smile slowly faded, and her expression grew somewhat grave and composed. When Qin Yiniang made to take her leave, she only gave a quiet nod.
Qin Yiniang then withdrew, slowly dabbing at her eyes as she went, step by unhurried step.
Eleventh Young Madam stared at the gently swaying soft curtain with a grave and heavy expression, silent for a long while.
Was Qin Yiniang trying to use this matter to hint at something?
For a moment the room was perfectly still, the atmosphere oppressive enough to suffocate.
Hupo could not help biting her lip. She stepped forward a few paces and said in a low voice: “My lady — do you think — should we perhaps administer some herbal treatment to that Yang Shi…”
“Do not even think of it.” Eleventh Young Madam turned her head to look at her, her gaze flickering with a cold and sword-sharp light. “Yang Shi is the Empress Dowager’s niece, bestowed by the Emperor — this matter touches on the struggles of the court. One must not take matters into one’s own hands and act rashly.” As she spoke, a cold smile crossed her lips. First Qiao Lianfang, then Qin Yiniang — who knew what other people might still come popping up. Thinking of Hupo, who was usually her right arm, she feared that if she did not reason things through with her clearly, she might fall prey to manipulation. And so she lowered her voice: “It is the Marquis who rules this household. If the Marquis chooses to favor Yang Shi, even if she bears no children, he can take a child from a charitable home to be raised under her name. If the Marquis does not favor her, even if she has children, those children can be raised in the outer wing with no recognition from her. You are my attendant — you must not lose your head. Do not do something that brings pain to those who love us and joy to those who wish us ill.”
Hupo saw the full picture at once and nodded repeatedly: “My lady may set her heart at rest — I understand now. From this day forward, without my lady’s word, I will do nothing on my own. Not only that, but I will also keep the maids and matrons in line. I will not give anyone cause to make trouble and hand others a handle against us.”
Eleventh Young Madam was reassured. She gave her a few more instructions, and then Wen Yiniang arrived.
A wry, faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She instructed the young maid: “Show her in.”
“My lady,” Wen Yiniang stepped forward with a smile and greeted her with a bow, then set a large red lacquered cosmetics case decorated with gilded crabapple flowers onto the low kang table, “have a look — how are these combs and brushes?”
Hupo stepped forward and opened the case.
Bamboo combs, wooden combs, ivory combs, horn combs, a hexagonal bronze mirror — all present and complete, and each exquisitely crafted: some opulent and beautiful, some refined and elegant. The hexagonal bronze mirror was particularly fine — enamel painted with flowers and birds on a deep blue ground, vivid with color, and the surface of the mirror polished bright enough to reflect a clear image.
“Very fine,” Eleventh Young Madam said with a smile. “Are these for the First Young Miss?”
Wen Yiniang nodded with a smile: “They were specially ordered from Changshu.” She then picked up the hexagonal mirror: “I noticed my lady uses a bronze mirror — but the shopkeeper was very enthusiastic about this enamel one, so I was not sure which to choose and brought it for my lady to look at.”
She used a bronze mirror because that was what had come with her trousseau. Naturally the colorful enamel was more beautiful than a bronze mirror, and was also more suited to a newly-wed. Furthermore, since the shopkeeper was so enthusiastic in recommending it, it was most likely something fashionable at present.
“Let us go with the enamel one,” Eleventh Young Madam said with a smile. “I think it quite lovely.”
Wen Yiniang smiled. As she put the items away she said: “Since my lady is pleased with it, keep it to use yourself.” Then she added: “Even if it is only a small trinket, sometimes turning it over in one’s hands can lift the spirits a great deal!”
Was she offering comfort in this way?
A flash of surprise crossed Eleventh Young Madam’s eyes.
Wen Yiniang had already continued: “By the look of things, the Grand Madam’s afternoon nap should also be over by now. I will take my leave first. Tomorrow the Hangzhou silk I ordered for the First Young Miss will arrive. You must come and have a look — I have heard there is a new cherry-blossom red from the south this year, very bright and lovely…”
She went on chatting as she rose to leave.
Eleventh Young Madam was heading out as well, and so they left together.
Along the way, Wen Yiniang glanced at her expression several times, as though on the verge of saying something yet holding back.
Two people had already offered her their “warnings” — she was not short of a third.
Eleventh Young Madam thought it over and simply asked her: “What is it?”
Wen Yiniang hesitated for a moment before saying: “I heard the new rooms are to be set up in Second Young Master’s old residence?”
News traveled fast indeed!
“After considering it from every angle, that seemed the most suitable place.”
Wen Yiniang said: “I see my lady looking rather troubled — is it because of this?”
Eleventh Young Madam was somewhat puzzled.
Wen Yiniang said: “After all, she comes with the Empress Dowager’s endorsement and a decree to her name. A separate courtyard for her own keeps her as a concubine; Second Young Master’s old residence, at the same time, is a bit out of the way.” She paused, then said with measured care: “If my lady finds it difficult, why not swap with me? My quarters, though not large, at least face south and sit in the front position of the eastern small courtyard. If Yang Shi’s people have objections, my lady would at least have something to say in reply.”
Eleventh Young Madam was greatly taken aback. She stopped walking and looked at Wen Yiniang: “Wen Yiniang…”
Wen Yiniang gave an embarrassed smile: “The poor make a virtue of dignity. People like us always fear being looked down upon, and in the past I was always holding myself rigid — that too was for the sake of the First Young Miss. Now that the First Young Miss has found a good match, and my lady has always been generous and open-handed toward me, what more do I have to fight for? It matters not where one lives. That empty pride — it can go. Please tell Chief Steward Bai, my lady. I am free these next couple of days — I will pack up my trunks, and I can move as early as tomorrow.” She looked at Eleventh Young Madam, and her expression was entirely sincere.
Eleventh Young Madam found herself genuinely considering her suggestion.
From the moment the imperial decree was bestowed, this matter had already begun to veer off a normal course. No one could predict what lay ahead. A little extra caution could never go wrong.
“Then let the two of you swap.” She said after a pause. “Wait until Chief Steward Bai has made some repairs and freshened the place up before you move — do not be in a rush.”
Wen Yiniang smiled and agreed. She saw Eleventh Young Madam to the ornamental gate, and only after her figure had disappeared from sight did she turn and return to her own quarters.
“Qiu Hong, come quickly and pack up the trunks.” Her face was wreathed in smiles. “We are moving to Second Young Master’s old residence.”
“Moving to live behind Qin Yiniang?” Qiu Hong looked thoroughly baffled. “Yiniang — could it be that my lady…”
“It was not.” Wen Yiniang sat smiling on the kang. “It was my own suggestion.” She let out a long, slow breath. “Consider it repayment to my lady for all her trouble and effort on the First Young Miss’s behalf.” She thought for a moment, then added: “And it is also to steer clear of what is coming.”
Qiu Hong could understand what Wen Yiniang meant by “repayment to my lady” — but she could not make sense of “steering clear of what is coming.”
“What a stubborn little head.” Wen Yiniang reached out and tapped a finger against her forehead with a smile. “Yang Shi hasn’t even entered the door yet, and already Qiao Shi and Qin Shi are so unsettled they can hardly stand still. Once she does arrive — who can say what will be stirred up. Better for us to step quietly to one side early, and spare ourselves from being splattered from head to toe with mud.”
Qiu Hong heard this and nodded eagerly, at once urging the other maids to pack up the trunks.