Seeing her official mother ask a question, Eleventh Miss rose and replied with respectful composure: “Yes,” adding, “though I have only learned the bare rudiments.”

Madam saw her deferential manner and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“The twenty-fourth of the fourth month is the birthday of the Grand Dowager Madam of the Marquis Yongping household. I’ve asked your Fifth Sister to write one hundred ‘longevity’ characters in different scripts, and you are to use double-sided embroidery to render them on a decorative screen as a gift, to be taken to Yanjing as the birthday offering for the Grand Dowager Madam.”

The eldest daughter of the Luo family, Luo Yuanniang, had married Xu Lingyi, the Marquis Yongping.

The Grand Dowager Madam of the Marquis Yongping household was therefore Luo Yuanniang’s mother-in-law, and Madam’s kinswoman by marriage.

The Xu family’s eldest son had died in infancy, the second son had died of illness, and the third son had been born of a concubine — and so, in a turn no one had anticipated, the title had passed to the fourth son, Xu Lingyi. With the elevation of Xu Lingyi’s elder sister to Empress by the new Emperor two years prior, the Xu family had become one of Great Zhou’s most influential and powerful noble houses. Luo Yuanniang’s standing as the Marchioness Yongping had risen accordingly — she was now a figure of considerable weight, both among the aristocratic ladies of Yanjing and far away among her own family in Jiangnan. And the birthday gift for the Grand Dowager Madam had thus become the foremost pressing matter requiring Madam to rack her brains and make all the necessary arrangements.

Understanding the weight of the matter, Eleventh Miss could not help but hesitate: “Though your daughter is able to do double-sided embroidery, my technique is not refined. Yanjing is home to so many hidden talents — I fear I might bring shame upon Elder Sister…”

Before her words were finished, Madam had already smiled and said: “If we are speaking of exquisite craftsmanship, who could surpass the embroiderers of the palace needlework bureau? In sending a ‘Hundred Longevity Embroidered Screen,’ we are doing no more than expressing our heartfelt regards.”

Quite true. No matter how fine her own skill, it could not surpass those master embroiderers selected from across the realm who had spent their lives honing their craft; no matter how precious what the Luo family sent, it could not surpass gifts bestowed by the Emperor himself as marks of imperial favor.

Eleventh Miss was put at ease. Smiling, she asked Madam: “What auspicious date has Mother selected to send someone to Yanjing with the birthday gift?”

“The sixth day of the third month,” Madam said with a smile. “I consulted the almanac. On the sixth, the yearly calamity direction lies to the west, with prohibitions against opening granaries or breaking ground, while travel and meeting with friends is auspicious. Any earlier, and there is no day as favorable; any later, and I fear there may be delays along the road.”

Eleventh Miss considered this for a moment, and an expression of uncertainty crossed her face.

Madam saw it and asked with concern: “Is there some difficulty?”

Eleventh Miss hesitated: “Double-sided embroidery is not like ordinary embroidery — it takes three times as long… when I count the days, I find it rather tight!”

“What is to be done about this?” Madam frowned. “I’ve been thinking about this for the better part of a month before arriving at this idea. Does this mean we will have to choose an entirely different birthday gift? I wonder whether there will even be time. And deciding what to send instead is itself a cause for worry!”

The Luo family had been an official family for generations, with its foundations well established. Even without some rare and exceptional object, surely they could find something with an auspicious meaning to use as a birthday gift? Or perhaps there was something particular about the Grand Dowager Madam of the Marquis Yongping household’s birthday this time…

Eleventh Miss turned this over in her mind, then raised her eyes briefly to glance across at Fifth Miss.

Fifth Miss sat at Madam’s side, cup of tea in hand, eyes lowered to the tip of her nose and thoughts directed inward, sitting there as though Madam’s words were entirely unrelated to her.

A thought stirred within Eleventh Miss.

It was no easy task for Madam to ask her to embroider one hundred ‘longevity’ characters in double-sided embroidery — but it was equally demanding to ask Fifth Miss to write one hundred ‘longevity’ characters in one hundred different scripts. With such a difficult challenge set before her, the usually nimble and diplomatic Fifth Miss had suddenly fallen conspicuously silent.

She also recalled that just now, Madam had entered with Fifth Miss supporting her arm.

Looking at it this way, Fifth Miss had either found it no trouble at all and had agreed readily — or she had found it difficult, but reasoned that embroidering one hundred ‘longevity’ characters was far harder than writing one hundred, and was waiting for Eleventh Miss to refuse. That way, Madam would lay the blame for the matter falling through entirely at Eleventh Miss’s door.

Whichever it was, the situation now left no room for her to decline.

And besides, she had no intention of declining at all.

She simply had not wished to agree too readily — and let Madam assume that embroidering one hundred ‘longevity’ characters was an entirely simple thing, leading her to take no notice of the effort involved…

The thought flashed past in an instant.

She had already fallen into deliberate consideration: “Perhaps… Teacher Jian could lend a hand…”

“That simply will not do!” Before Eleventh Miss had even finished speaking, Madam immediately dismissed the suggestion. “Sending this Hundred Longevity Embroidered Screen is our way of conveying the genuine sincerity of our Luo family — if someone else does the embroidery, what meaning would it hold?”

Eleventh Miss’s face flushed crimson, and she murmured contritely: “Your daughter thought wrongly. Please do not blame me, Mother.”

Madam heard this and let out a sigh.

Eleventh Miss adopted an expression of distress, and quickly said: “Then… shall your daughter give it a try?”

Madam’s eyes brightened: “How confident are you?”

Eleventh Miss paused for a prolonged moment, then said softly: “If I rise early and sleep late, and have Dongqing help with sorting the threads and threading the needles… it should be somewhat faster.” She did not sound entirely confident.

Madam deliberated at length and gave no definitive answer.

Eleventh Miss watched this with a look of mild dejection.

Fifth Miss then smiled and spoke up: “I will rise early and sleep late as well — I can have the one hundred ‘longevity’ characters written in two days’ time. I wonder whether that might give Eleventh Sister somewhat more confidence.”

Eleventh Miss’s spirits lifted visibly, and she smiled: “I had originally estimated it would take Fifth Sister the better part of a month. If it only requires two days’ time, then naturally I can finish in time.”

What she actually had in mind was this: she would have the ‘longevity’ characters Fifth Miss wrote copied in duplicate, ask Teacher Jian to find someone to embroider one panel, while she embroidered another herself — whichever was finished first would be the one submitted. If Madam harbored any doubts, she would hold firm and not budge, and Madam could hardly call for a confrontation on the matter. And even if she did call for one, surely Teacher Jian would not contradict herself.

Madam, hearing this, was pleased as well: “In that case, let the two of you sisters work in concert to complete this Hundred Longevity Embroidered Screen together. It will also do honor to your elder sister. Let the people of Yanjing see that the daughters of our Luo family not only know the events and situations of past and present, but also uphold the rites and righteousness of the sages.”

The Luo family had a set of ancestral precepts composed by the founding patriarch, passed down specifically for Luo family daughters. Before a Luo daughter learned to read, she would first study the *Patriarch’s Precepts for Women*, then the *Admonitions for Women*, then the *Inner Teachings*. These two lines Madam quoted came directly from the precepts. But used at this particular moment, in this particular way, they struck Eleventh Miss’s ears as deeply awkward no matter how she heard them.

Yet who in their right mind would be foolish enough to question Madam about it?

Eleventh Miss and Fifth Miss rose, each performing a half-curtsy in a gesture of respect, and answered Madam with a deferential: “Yes.”

Madam was quite satisfied with the attitude of the two and gave a slight nod of approval. As though something had just occurred to her, she asked the serving woman Wu Xiaoquan’s wife standing beside her: “I recall that Eleventh Miss’s wet nurse remained behind in Fujian…”

Wu Xiaoquan’s wife stepped forward promptly to reply: “At the time, Eleventh Miss’s wet nurse was unwilling to leave her hometown, and so did not come along.”

“Mm!” Madam gave the faintest nod of assent. “In that case, let Hupo be transferred to Eleventh Miss’s quarters to serve her…”

Eleventh Miss was taken aback.

If Hupo was to be transferred to her quarters — then what of Dongqing?

Could it be that Nanny Yao had truly persuaded Madam to match Dongqing to her nephew, and so Madam was first sending Hupo over, so that they might grow accustomed to one another, ensuring that when Dongqing was married off, her own quarters would not be thrown into disarray?

At these thoughts, a turmoil of emotions surged through Eleventh Miss — and, quite unexpectedly, a stirring of resentment began to rise within her.

Three years of effort. It was only with great difficulty that she had cultivated genuine trust and understanding with those around her, until they could act according to her wishes — and now Madam had abruptly placed one of her own maids into the household beside her… It was like having someone snore on the other side of one’s sleeping platform. Even if there was no malicious intent, it set one on edge.

Yet not a fraction of this dared show itself on her face, and her lips did not falter for even an instant. She spoke with a look of anxious dismay: “Mother, how can this be right? Hupo is your most capable attendant — if she comes to me, how will you manage?”

Madam smiled and waved her hand, signaling that Eleventh Miss need say no more.

“In our household, there is a set arrangement for the number of people who attend each young miss,” she said in earnest tones to the maids and serving women around her. “Each is assigned two senior maids, two junior maids, one wet nurse, and two rough-work serving women. Now that Eleventh Miss’s wet nurse remained in Fujian, I am providing her with one additional senior maid to fill the wet nurse’s vacancy… This is not at all outside of proper precedent.”

Those around her said either “Madam is quite right” or “Madam has considered this so thoroughly.” And Wu Xiaoquan’s wife even smiled and added: “By rights, Madam ought to have filled this vacancy in Eleventh Miss’s quarters long ago. That it is only being mentioned now — I wonder whether Madam has been looking to save a few years’ worth of monthly wages, or whether it truly slipped her mind?”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Madam laughed as well.

Wu Xiaoquan was the chief steward of the Luo household — a house-born servant of the Xu family and one of Madam’s personal attendants who had come with her from her natal home.

Toward such people, Madam had always been exceptionally indulgent.

After the laughter subsided, Madam looked toward Eleventh Miss: “As for Dongqing in your quarters…” She paused for a moment.

Whether it was because Hupo’s imminent arrival had made her see with absolute clarity just how fragile the fortress she had so painstakingly built was in Madam’s eyes — or, to put it more precisely, in the hands of those who held power above her — she who had always been so capable of keeping her composure suddenly found herself seized by a restlessness she could not contain. In that brief pause, she felt herself break into a cold sweat down her back, and her heart hammered erratically, “thud thud thud.”

So this was what it felt like — to be the fish, while another holds the chopping blade.

The hand resting at the edge of her skirt clenched into a tight fist, her fingernails pressing into her flesh, and yet she felt no pain.

She had to find a way to change her circumstances… This feeling of having one’s fate surrendered entirely into the hands of another was too unbearable.

“…I will also excuse her from her other duties, so that she may devote herself fully to serving by your side, allowing you to put your mind entirely at ease while you embroider the Hundred Longevity Screen.” Madam’s voice seemed to come from somewhere far away, yet at the same time near as a whisper beside her ear, making her head hum. “Hupo is a capable woman — with her attending you, I shall also rest easier. From now on, let her take charge of the affairs in your quarters.”

The matter had come to this, and she had no power to resist — so there was no point in trying to think of any rebuttal.

Eleventh Miss forced herself to compose her feelings.

What was most immediately pressing was to manage the situation before her with care and composure.

Eleventh Miss put on an expression of humbled gratitude, performed a half-curtsy in a bow of acknowledgment, and said respectfully: “Many thanks, Mother!”

“Then that is settled!” A look of mild fatigue crossed Madam’s face. She gave instructions to Wu Xiaoquan’s wife: “When the time comes, tell both young misses the dimensions and design of the screen, so they aren’t left entirely without guidance. Once they have consulted and reached a decision, come and report back to me.”

Wu Xiaoquan’s wife assented with a smile.

Madam then raised her teacup: “You may withdraw.”

Not a single word had been said about Dongqing’s marriage.

Had she forgotten?

Or was this simply not the right moment?

Eleventh Miss could not help but glance across at Nanny Yao, who stood far off behind Madam.

Nanny Yao was looking across at her as well.

Their gazes met in midair. Eleventh Miss saw in those eyes an unwillingness to yield even a fraction.

She felt a sudden sorrow for herself.

Her capabilities now — they extended only as far as being able to spar with someone like Nanny Yao.

—