Though Tao Cheng’s expression showed some reluctance, he quietly answered in acknowledgment and went off to scrape together money as his mother had instructed.

A young maidservant came in to announce: “Nanny, Miss Hupo is here. The Madam wishes to see you.”

Moving so quickly!

A contemptuous smile spread at the corner of Nanny Tao’s mouth.

I would like to see exactly what you can do to me, Luo Shi’yi niang.

A personal attendant of the Luo family has gotten into trouble — the ones losing face are not only the attendants. You are the Yongping Marchioness who also came from the Luo family — can you really hold your head high through this?

She re-combed her hair, inserted a deep red pomegranate silk flower at her temple, changed into a parrot-green Hangzhou silk outer robe, and went to Luo Shi’yi niang’s rooms.

“I hear that Manager Tao has come in from Daxing.” Shi’yi niang said. “I assume you must already know that he has embezzled two thousand taels from the public funds?”

Her directness was so startling that Nanny Tao was left speechless for a moment before managing a smile: “I do not know where the Madam heard this. Tao Cheng came into the city merely because spring plowing is over and summer harvest has not yet begun — he came to visit me and to see childhood playmates he grew up with. This talk of embezzling public funds is utterly groundless.”

“That is a relief!” Shi’yi niang smiled faintly. “I had been thinking that if such a thing were true, for the sake of Elder Sister’s honor and Zhun Ge’s honor, it would be necessary for me to cover it up on your behalf. Since nothing of the sort has happened, I can set my mind at ease.” With that, she raised her teacup.

And that was the end of it?

Nanny Tao was dumbfounded.

After all that effort, just this one light sentence and the matter was done?

Anyone, one would think, would not let such a fine opportunity slip.

But seeing Hupo already helping Shi’yi niang toward the inner chamber, Nanny Tao had no choice but to withdraw.

She returned to her room feeling rather unsettled. She had barely sat down when the curtain was thrown aside and the maidservant who usually attended her closely came rushing in.

“Nanny, something terrible has happened!” Her face was somewhat pale. “The matron who guards the side gate specially came to tell me that the officials from the magistrate’s office have taken Tao Master away. She asked you to come and see quickly!”

Nanny Tao’s face went white, and she drew a sharp breath.

That Luo Shi’yi niang — had she cast aside all concern for appearances!

She hurried to the rear gate.

The gate matron was a maidservant she had been on good terms with from years past. Seeing her, the matron immediately came forward and grasped her hand: “This is something that has never happened before — to come and arrest someone right at our household’s side gate. The gate guards did not even stop them. Whatever has happened?”

“Did they say which court’s office it was from?” Nanny Tao had no time for pleasantries and asked urgently.

“They said it was the Shuntian Prefecture.”

Nanny Tao thanked her and went to see Chief Steward Bai.

“You have come at just the right moment.” Before she could even open her mouth, Chief Steward Bai spoke first. “The Shuntian Prefect’s bailiff’s office has presented an official warrant stating that Manager Tao privately embezzled his employer’s silver and has been reported to the authorities, and they have temporarily taken him to the Shuntian Prefecture.” He said this, and already something of anger showed on his face. “To come and make an arrest right at our estate gates. Even in the years when the household faced its worst difficulties, such a thing never happened. I hear he came to see you earlier, Nanny. You are also an old member of the household — for a matter of this kind, rather than discussing it with me, you at the very least should have informed the Madam so that we could be prepared. Yet you said nothing at all, and let the Shuntian Prefecture’s people slap us in the face. Nanny, I think you had better quickly get word to the Madam, ask her to write a note to the accounts office, and have this matter quietly resolved before it grows any bigger.” And without even mentioning who had reported it, he said he still needed to inform the Marquis of this matter and walked away.

This wretched little schemer — she has even talked the Marquis around.

So much for ‘having a father as well as a stepmother.’

Nanny Tao kept on inwardly cursing Shi’yi niang as utterly shameless, while outwardly she was completely at a loss, making her way toward the inner courtyard.

The Elder Master was in Yuhang — a distant river cannot quench a nearby fire.

Whom should she turn to?

As she was deliberating, she ran into Yang Huizu along the way.

“Nanny, I was just coming to find you.” He escorted Nanny Tao to speak beneath a large camphor tree beside the narrow passageway. “I heard that Tao Dage embezzled two thousand taels from the public funds and was therefore taken away by the Shuntian Prefecture’s people. I would not dare say this of others, but how could Tao Dage have gotten himself into something like this?”

Ever since Yang Huizu had gone to work in the outer courtyard, Nanny Tao had ceased to associate with him. But under these circumstances, Nanny Tao could not help but say: “Huizu, go quickly and find out for me who reported Tao Cheng!”

Yang Huizu went off at once.

Nanny Tao returned to the courtyard, and looking at the main hall of the late First Madam’s residence, her expression grew resolute.

If Shi’yi niang had no scruples whatsoever, she would have long since sent someone directly to dismiss her. The fact that she had taken such a circuitous route was merely because she wanted her to resign of her own accord. Now it was as though two people were on the same rope — one pulling east, one pulling west — with Tao Cheng standing on the very bank of the divide. As long as she kept the rope taut, Shi’yi niang would not let go of her end either, and Tao Cheng would not fall.

With this in mind, she set her jaw, went back inside, and began sorting through her trunks and cases. She gathered everything the late First Madam had gifted her over the years, made a mental calculation, and estimated that even at half their original worth, it would be more than enough to cover two thousand taels — and felt somewhat steadier in her heart.

That evening Yang Huizu came over.

His complexion was not good: “Nanny, the Shuntian Prefecture’s people say that Ying Da of Daxing killed a man, and on his person was found a large sum of money. They suspect it was a paid assassination. They traced the silver and found it had been given by Tao Dage…”

Before Yang Huizu had even finished speaking, Nanny Tao had already gone limp and slumped into the grand armchair.

Even a death only costs a nodded head — but Shi’yi niang not only wanted to destroy her completely while she was alive, she wanted her son to carry the stain of moral depravity even after death.

“Nanny, I see this matter is suspicious in every regard.” Yang Huizu asked her: “Think carefully — has Tao Dage offended anyone?”

Nanny Tao shook her head and did not wish to say more to Yang Huizu.

He was now a manager in the Xu household, eating the Xu household’s food — even if he knew the truth, he could probably offer no real help.

“Huizu, I thank you.” She said with weary resignation: “Let me think this matter over carefully. See if Tao Dage may have unknowingly offended someone.” She personally saw Yang Huizu out.

“Nanny, this matter could become serious or remain small — you must think of a solution quickly!” Half sighing, half worrying, as he walked out he kept chatting with Nanny Tao: “If someone were to use this to accuse you of raising a son without proper virtue, then it is afraid you could be implicated!”

Like a morning temple bell or an evening drum calling one to wake, Nanny Tao stood there stunned.

That was right. As long as Tao Cheng was caught up in a lawsuit, Shi’yi niang could use the charge of raising a son without virtue and improper conduct to drive both her and Tao Cheng out of the household… That was Shi’yi niang’s ultimate purpose. All this talk of summoning her for a conversation was merely to divert her attention.

Great beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

“Nanny, what is the matter with you!” Yang Huizu’s eyes flashed briefly with a look of sympathy, and he reached out to support Nanny Tao who was swaying on her feet. “At a time like this, you absolutely cannot collapse. If you do, Tao Dage’s situation will be impossible to suppress.”

Yang Huizu’s words were like a bucket of ice water in the depth of deep winter — chilling her to the bone while jolting her back to clarity.

That was right — at this moment, the most important thing was to suppress the matter.

She exchanged a few vague words with Yang Huizu — things like “I am all right” — sent him on his way, and wandered about her room in a stupor for quite some time, until the maidservant came in timidly to urge her to rest, and only then did she manage to catch her breath.

Was she really to leave just like this?

Nanny Tao looked around the side chamber where she had lived for more than a decade, thought of Zhun Ge’s innocent smile, and tears streamed down her face. She did not know whether to blame her son for being unworthy, or to blame herself for having underestimated Shi’yi niang and losing the battle through carelessness…

After this bout of weeping, her mood gradually calmed.

Leaving was unavoidable. The only question was how she would leave.

She sat quietly on the bed, watching the light in the room grow brighter little by little. Then she called the maidservant in to help her wash and dress properly, and went to wait on the path where Xu Sizhun walked to school.

The morning had a thin mist; small birds sang merrily among the trees. Xu Sizhun wore a plain Hangzhou silk robe in deep blue, his large red brocade book bag on his back, laughing and chatting with Xu Sijie as he came walking over.

“Nanny!” Seeing her, Xu Sizhun’s smile grew all the more joyful. He quickened his pace and came toward her, lifting a face as elegant and delicate as the late First Madam’s to look at her. “What are you doing here?”

Memory after memory surged through Nanny Tao’s mind, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

“Nothing, nothing.” Nanny Tao, as though holding something precious and fragile, carefully drew Xu Sizhun into her embrace and murmured: “Nanny just came to look in on you.” From the corner of her eye she suddenly caught sight of a pair of embroidered shoes in grass-green, embroidered with dark-plum colored wintersweet blossoms.

This was a color Shi’yi niang habitually wore.

She looked up — and saw that young maidservant called Xi’er, staring at her with a face full of wariness.

For some reason, Nanny Tao felt a bitterness rise in her mouth, and then became aware that Xu Sizhun had gently pushed her away.

“Nanny, I had a bowl of plain congee this morning, and Mother said that since I ate well today, she will make the winter bamboo shoot soup I like for lunch.” Xu Sizhun said with a cheerful smile. “Nanny need not worry about me — I am doing very well.” And then: “Go back quickly, Nanny — I must be off to school now. It would not do to be late and make Master Zhao unhappy.”

Nanny Tao nodded through tear-filled smiles and watched Xu Sizhun walk off toward the outer courtyard. Then suddenly it struck her — if Shi’yi niang had wished to harm Zhun Ge, she would have had so many opportunities to do so…

The thought flashed through her and left a spider-web of cracks in her hardened heart.

She went to Shi’yi niang’s rooms.

Shi’yi niang had just finished being sick and was being attended by Hupo, eating cherries.

Xu Lingyi saw her eat seven or eight in a row and smiled as he instructed Lv Yun: “Go and tell Chief Steward Bai that, by the calendar, the tribute white peaches should be arriving at the Imperial Household Office. Ask him to get a basket for us.” Then he looked at Shi’yi niang: “A taste of something fresh for you.”

“There is no need!” Shi’yi niang quickly took hold of Xu Lingyi’s sleeve. “My constitution is not well during this pregnancy — I cannot eat peaches.”

Xu Lingyi looked somewhat skeptical: “Are you saying that because you do not want me to go to any trouble?”

“It is true!” Shi’yi niang said with tender exasperation. “If you do not believe me, ask Nanny Tian and Nanny Wan.”

Nanny Tian was overseeing the young maidservants in arranging the Milan orchids, and upon hearing this, she curtseyed to Xu Lingyi and smiled: “It is better for a pregnant woman to eat fewer peaches!”

Only then did Xu Lingyi relent, smiling as he pushed the crystal dish of bright red cherries a little closer toward Shi’yi niang’s side.

A young maidservant came in to announce: “Marquis, Madam — Nanny Tao requests an audience!”

Shi’yi niang sat up straight and said with a smile: “Please show Nanny Tao in!”

* * *