Eleventh Young Mistress pressed her fingers to her brow.
But Lady Zhou’s eyes and brows were filled with radiant laughter: ‘Let us have a proper drink tonight.’
Eleventh Young Mistress smiled and walked with her through the latticed gate.
‘The Princess once said that at the time, she feared what might befall the Empress Dowager in the Ancestral Offering Hall, and that she could not be held accountable.’ Lady Zhou lowered her voice. ‘Now that the Empress Dowager has left the Ancestral Offering Hall, if there is anything amiss with the Empress Dowager — what has that to do with us? What has it to do with the Emperor? If anyone is to be accused of lack of filial piety, the fault lies with the Yang family, for saying things that provoked an ailing woman into anger when they knew perfectly well she was unwell.’ She finished and gave Eleventh Young Mistress a meaningful wink.
Eleventh Young Mistress could not suppress a laugh.
Lady Zhou then asked: ‘Has that upstart family been to call on you?’
‘A nanny was sent to present their respects,’ said Eleventh Young Mistress. ‘I did not receive her.’
Lady Zhou was briefly taken aback.
‘I told the nanny,’ said Eleventh Young Mistress, ‘that if there was nothing of consequence, I had an errand to the Marquis of Zhongqin’s mansion.’
Lady Zhou gave a scornful laugh: ‘I doubt she understood what you were telling her!’
‘Then there is nothing to be done,’ Eleventh Young Mistress laughed — and then another of Lady Zhou’s young manservants came running over: ‘My Lady, My Lady — wonderful news, wonderful news!’
The ones permitted to accompany the mistress on outings were all sharp-witted and alert — for someone to be this flustered, Eleventh Young Mistress and Lady Zhou both stopped in surprise.
The young manservant had already announced at the top of his voice, his face alight: ‘The Crown Princess is with child!’
‘What?’ Eleventh Young Mistress’s heart surged with wild joy. ‘Where did you hear this?’
Lady Zhou’s body swayed. Had the maidservants beside her not been quick-eyed and quick-handed to catch her, she might very well have stumbled.
‘The inner attendants from the Crown Princess’s side came to the house to announce the news,’ the young manservant said, his face brimming with elation. ‘The Princess sent me to bring word to the Madam, and to ask the Madam to pass along the news to the Grand Madam and Madam of the Marquis of Yongping’s household, so that the two ladies need not go on worrying themselves over the Crown Princess.’
Lady Zhou had already come back to her senses, and pointed to the young manservant as she instructed those beside her: ‘A reward — ten taels of silver.’
Eleventh Young Mistress also smiled as she instructed Hupo: ‘A reward — ten taels of silver.’
The young manservant grinned until his eyes were slits, bowing and kneeling again and again.
Lady Zhou had no attention to spare for him, and took Eleventh Young Mistress by the hand: ‘Let us hurry and go tell the Grand Madam — let her share in the happiness.’ Then she turned to the young manservant: ‘Have the palace inner attendants gone yet?’ She was so overjoyed she was becoming a little scattered.
‘They had not left yet when I set out!’ the young manservant quickly replied with a deferential bow.
Lady Zhou gave a quick nod, and with Eleventh Young Mistress rushed off to the Grand Madam’s rooms.
The Grand Madam heard the news and immediately went to the Buddha hall to offer three sticks of incense.
‘Now I can truly set my heart at rest!’
Not only did she not ask Lady Zhou to stay, she urged her to hurry back: ‘How many months along is she? How is her health? What does she wish to eat? When you have found out, report it all to me.’
Lady Zhou nodded repeatedly and, with her maids and serving women following in a great sweeping crowd, set off in full force to return home.
The Grand Madam went back to her rooms and scooped up Xi Jie’er, who had been playing with a wooden puppet on the kang, and laughed with unrestrained joy: ‘The imperial family has another new arrival!’
Xi Jie’er had been happily absorbed in her play and was suddenly interrupted, and twisted about in the Grand Madam’s arms, pointing at the puppet that had fallen onto the kang and babbling ‘ah ya ya.’ Eleventh Young Mistress quickly went over, picked up the puppet, and handed it to her, after which Xi Jie’er settled contentedly in the Grand Madam’s arms.
All the servants attending the room bent down half a head in unison, smiling as they offered their congratulations to the Grand Madam.
The Grand Madam was beside herself with delight and told Eleventh Young Mistress: ‘Give everyone a silver ingot.’
Eleventh Young Mistress smiled and assented, making the arrangements. On her way back, she caught the Grand Madam in the middle of giving Nanny Du an instruction: ‘…Starting from tomorrow, I shall observe a vegetarian fast.’ Hearing movement, the Grand Madam looked over — and seeing it was Eleventh Young Mistress, quickly cut off what she was saying and smiled, shifting the subject: ‘Yizhen and Danyang — you ought to go and give them the news as well.’
When had the Grand Madam made a vow?
Eleventh Young Mistress, seeing the Grand Madam looking as though she wished to conceal it from her and spare the younger generation any worry, decided she would find a way to ask Nanny Du for the particulars later, and smiled: ‘Word has already been sent.’ She added, ‘The Marquis has been informed as well.’
The Grand Madam’s lips parted slightly, just as she was about to say something, when Xi Jie’er — no one knew what she had knocked into — sent a clatter ringing out, and all the small decorative pieces arranged on the Grand Madam’s kang side table clattered to the floor at once, giving Xi Jie’er herself such a fright that she burst into tears.
Eleventh Young Mistress quickly went forward and gathered Xi Jie’er up: ‘Don’t cry, don’t cry,’ she murmured, patting her gently on the back to soothe her.
The Grand Madam found it amusing: ‘The very one who caused the damage is the one who has burst into tears — and I, the rightful owner, have not even said a word.’
The servants in attendance quickly stepped forward to tidy up the aftermath.
Xu Lingyi arrived.
His eyes fell at once on Eleventh Young Mistress, who was soothing Xi Jie’er.
Her fair and clear complexion, her expression serene and untroubled — it made Xu Lingyi think suddenly of the stillness of moonlight.
He gave a slight start.
The Grand Madam had already said with a smile: ‘You came quickly!’
The thought she had interrupted gave way, and he smiled: ‘Hearing news this good, even one’s step grows lighter.’
Then Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie came home from their studies, and Second Young Mistress-in-law arrived as well; the room filled with laughter and cheer, and everyone had an evening meal in high spirits.
On the way back, Xu Sijie had already fallen asleep, slumped against Nan Yong’s wife’s shoulder.
Eleventh Young Mistress glanced back and thought of Xi Jie’er’s fragile constitution, yet with her restless energy like a little monkey’s, and smiled: ‘Jie Ge is quiet and gentle as a little girl, while Xi Jie’er is lively and spirited as a little boy. What opposite temperaments.’
Xu Lingyi, in his mind’s eye, saw the many scenes of her playing together with the children. He thought of how they had been married nearly two years now with still no sign of any movement, and inwardly gave a quiet sigh — then smiled at Eleventh Young Mistress.
Within a few days, everyone had come to know that the Crown Princess was with child. The several households that were on close terms with the Xu family all sent people around to inquire. Eleventh Young Mistress was asked the same things so many times she could repeat them in her sleep. It was at this time that the Lady of the Marquis of Jianning came to call.
Eleventh Young Mistress thought it over and received her in the main reception hall.
The Lady of the Marquis of Jianning’s face was all smiles, but behind her expression it was difficult to conceal a certain air of self-importance.
The maids served tea. She proposed to pay her respects to the Grand Madam.
Eleventh Young Mistress declined graciously: ‘…The weather has been so hot, and the Grand Madam has been taking her ease in the water pavilion in the rear garden to escape the heat. These days she is not seeing any relatives or friends. Your kind regards are received — I will convey your greetings to the Grand Madam when I pay my respects to her.’
The Lady of the Marquis of Jianning was quite startled.
She had not expected Eleventh Young Mistress to refuse her, and even less had she expected the refusal to be delivered with such confident ease and matter-of-fact assurance.
Could it be that the Grand Madam had already handed over full management of household affairs to Eleventh Young Mistress?
She recalled that throughout Yanjing there were those who said that the Grand Madam of the Marquis of Yongping’s household valued the Second Young Mistress-in-law most, favored the Fifth Young Mistress-in-law most, yet placed the greatest trust in the Fourth Young Mistress-in-law.
When she thought of it in that light, there was nothing so very remarkable about Eleventh Young Mistress having taken charge of the household.
Still — this Eleventh Young Mistress was being a little too high-handed, was she not?
A flash of irritation passed through the Lady of the Marquis of Jianning’s brows. But remembering the Marquis’s instructions before she set out, and what she had encountered at Princess Fucheng’s mansion those few days ago — she forced a full-faced smile and steered to another topic: ‘I heard you went to the Marquis of Zhongqin’s mansion to see Gan Grand Madam — is she keeping well? It has been some time since I have seen her.’
‘Gan Grand Madam is keeping well in every regard,’ said Eleventh Young Mistress, and they exchanged pleasantries for some time, until the Lady of the Marquis of Jianning finally turned the conversation to Yang Shi: ‘How is it that she is not here attending at your side? Before she came, I did instruct her — to regard the Madam as an elder sister, to be respectful and diligent in all things, and not to let her upbringing in the Marquis of Jianning’s Yang family make her arrogant and willful, giving the Madam cause for displeasure.’ Her tone carried a few shades of probing inquiry, though the words themselves were all exactly what a proper concubine ought to do.
Eleventh Young Mistress was slightly surprised, though her face revealed nothing. She smiled and lifted her teacup, lightly skimming the floating tea leaves from the surface: ‘For the pouring and carrying of tea, there are maids enough for that. The household has many children, and the concubines are all proper and modest women — it is better for them to stay in their rooms and attend to some needlework. There is no need for them to stand in waiting like the maids.’
The Lady of the Marquis of Jianning was privately startled.
Lady Zhou kept her own niece standing in attendance before her every single day. But Eleventh Young Mistress was doing exactly the opposite. Yet while standing in attendance before the Madam at least allowed one to see the Marquis from time to time, being shut away day after day doing needlework — apart from the evenings when one was summoned to his bed, there would be precious few chances to see the Marquis at all!
This Eleventh Young Mistress — she was a shrewd one.
At this thought, her gaze shifted slightly, and she smiled: ‘My niece’s needlework was taught by the master embroiderers from the palace’s needlework bureau — it is quite creditable. Whatever the Madam wishes to have made, you need only bid her do it.’
Eleventh Young Mistress was famously fond of fine adornment and skilled at it. If she were moved by the offer and had Yang Shi embroider things for her, it would also be no bad thing if the pieces caught Xu Lingyi’s eye.
‘How could I fail to understand now why Yang Yiniang is so skilled with the chrysanthemum medallion pattern,’ Eleventh Young Mistress said with a smile. ‘If there is ever any need, I shall certainly bid Yang Yiniang to help.’
The Lady of the Marquis of Jianning, seeing her manner was agreeable and warm, felt rather better. She smiled: ‘I have come this time to see whether my niece is being well-behaved. If there is anything she has not done properly, the Madam need only speak to me directly, and I will come and scold her myself!’ Her tone held an undertone of extending goodwill.
Eleventh Young Mistress at once saw through it.
What the Yang family wanted was no more than Xu Lingyi’s full-throated support — a favored concubine was sufficient to achieve that purpose. There was no need to make an enemy of her.
Yet the words the Lady of the Marquis of Jianning had just spoken overstepped rather considerably.
‘You are too kind,’ she said with a smile. ‘How could I impose upon you to trouble yourself over the domestic affairs of my household.’ And she declined the Lady of the Marquis of Jianning’s proposal with gracious finality.
The Lady of the Marquis of Jianning’s expression turned somewhat ill-looking.
She had lowered herself in every way and sought to please, and yet Eleventh Young Mistress still refused to accept any of it — in that instant, she could no longer maintain the composure required to keep her face smooth. She gave a cold laugh, rose to her feet, and with the barest dip of her head said: ‘In that case, I shall take my leave.’ And turned to walk out.
Eleventh Young Mistress stood there, watching her figure recede in silence for a long moment before turning and walking back into her own main room.
On that side of the house, Yang Mama was in the middle of speaking to Yang Shi.
‘The Madam has come,’ she said, her expression carrying a few traces of anxiety. ‘What do you make of this — if the Madam learns that even now you are still…’
‘What are you in such a hurry for?’ Yang Shi lowered her head, embroidering a chrysanthemum medallion sock. This was already the fifty-sixth pair she had made. Wen Yiniang had received a pair, Qin Yiniang had received a pair, Xu Sizhun had received a pair, even Qiao Lianfang had received a pair — and yet Eleventh Young Mistress alone had received none. ‘The Madam will not let me see the Lady of the Marquis of Jianning.’
Yang Mama was somewhat surprised.
Yang Shi smiled: ‘Is there any household where a concubine goes out to receive guests?’
‘But…’
‘There are no buts about it,’ said Yang Shi with a smile. ‘Not unless the Madam disregards the dignity befitting a first wife.’
Yang Mama fell silent.
That evening, when Qiao Lianfang came to pay her evening respects to Eleventh Young Mistress, she gazed at her with a bright smile and said: ‘Madam, I heard that the Lady of the Marquis of Jianning came today? How is it that Sister Yang was not called to come and pay her respects? She is at least the Lady’s own kin!’ And she pressed her lips together in an amused smile.