Word had reached Xiuyuan’s ears, just as it had Hupo’s.

She paid it little mind.

Of all the girls around her age, Hupo was the most capable in Eleventh Young Lady’s service — whoever managed to marry Hupo would rise in the world overnight, and there was no telling how many eyes were already fixed on her. And since Eleventh Young Lady had always been fond of Hupo, an ordinary man would hardly be deemed worthy, making Hupo’s future prospects naturally brilliant. As for Hongxiu — though she lacked Hupo’s backing, she was still a maid serving in the main quarters, which set her apart from herself and Qiuhong, both of whom served a yiniang. And between herself and Qiuhong there were further differences. Wen Yiniang was well-liked throughout the household and had come from the Wen family of Yangzhou, with ample private savings — even if she could no longer remain in the household, she could still take refuge with the Wen family. But as for herself — she had no one, she had nothing. Qiao Yiniang, moreover, had been sent to a temple for meditation after her insolence toward Eleventh Young Lady, and who would dare bring trouble upon themselves by associating with her… She might as well accept that Eleventh Young Lady could, in a fit of displeasure, simply match her off to a blind man or a cripple.

At that thought, a shadow of dejection crept over her.

Zhurui was hovering at the doorway.

“What is it?” Xiuyuan set down her needlework. “What a manner you have.”

Zhurui came inside, her expression somewhat grave. “Xiuyuan, Yiniang only ate one bowl of plain rice congee today, and barely half a small dish of greens.”

Xiuyuan’s face fell. She dropped her needlework and went to Qiao Lianfang’s quarters.

Qiao Lianfang’s jet-black hair was neatly arranged in a round bun. She wore a half-worn moon-white jacket, and had grown even thinner since the New Year, the contours of her face now sharply defined, her large eyes appearing somewhat stark and isolated in her gaunt face.

The leftover food on the bed table had not yet been cleared away.

Xiuyuan glanced at it, stepped forward with a smile, and called out “Yiniang” with a note of surprise in her voice. “I specifically asked the kitchen to make you an egg tofu dish today. How is it you did not touch it? Was the kitchen’s preparation not to your liking?”

Qiao Lianfang had already set down her bowl. “The eggs had a very strong fishy smell today.”

The day before yesterday it had been a meaty smell in the pork; yesterday a fishy smell in the fish; and today even the eggs had a smell… Her heart sank, but she kept smiling. “How about I have someone make a slow-stewed chicken broth tomorrow?”

Qiao Lianfang showed not the slightest interest in this suggestion and rose to go to the inner room.

“Pour me a cup of light fragrance tea,” she instructed Xiuyuan, and seated herself on the large platform bed by the window, opening a copy of the Lotus Sutra that lay on the bed table and reading it with careful attention.

Xiuyuan gently placed the tea beside Qiao Lianfang. Qiao Lianfang kept her eyes fixed on the page without lifting them even once.

Zhurui’s gaze toward Xiuyuan was tinged with several shades of anxiety.

Qiao Lianfang had been abstaining from meat and fish for nearly a month now. She rose early and retired early each day, and when she had nothing else to do, she read sutras or copied them out — like a devout layperson living as if cloistered, a sight that filled the two of them with deep unease.

Xiuyuan had no remedy for it. She withdrew, and with a reluctant heart tasted a spoonful of the egg tofu.

It was smooth and silky, perfectly savory. There was not the faintest trace of any fishy smell.

“Xiuyuan, whatever shall we do!” Zhurui said anxiously from beside her. “What if we told her some news from the household? Maybe if Yiniang heard something, she would perk up a little…”

“That would only make things worse,” Xiuyuan said dismissively. “Nanny Tao was driven by the Madam to the farm estate; the manager who used to serve in the former Fourth Madam’s rooms has been replaced by one of the Grand Matriarch’s people, and all the furnishings have been put away… To not say anything is better — if we do say something, Yiniang’s heart will only grow colder.”

“Not that!” Zhurui lowered her voice. “I meant the Marquis…”

Xiuyuan was startled. “The Marquis? What about the Marquis?”

“I heard Nanny Tian say that the Madam should be well again by early next month,” Zhurui murmured. “When that happens, the Marquis won’t be spending every day in the Madam’s room anymore. And the Madam hasn’t taken in any new companion maids for the Marquis. When that time comes, our Yiniang might have a chance!”

Xiuyuan felt genuinely tempted by the thought, and had just looked up to ask more, when she saw Qiao Lianfang standing silently in the doorway behind the curtain — with no telling when she had arrived or how much she had heard.

“Yiniang!” Xiuyuan and Zhurui stopped mid-sentence in unison, both a little uncomfortable at having been caught speaking behind their mistress’s back.

Qiao Lianfang stepped briskly toward the outer room. “It is time to pay respects to the Madam!”

Zhurui quickly said “Oh” and hurried after her.

By the time they arrived, Wen Yiniang, Qin Yiniang, and Yang Yiniang were already there.

Qiao Lianfang paid her respects and quietly took her seat on the embroidered stool that had been left vacant for her, listening as Wen Yiniang, Yang Shi, and Eleventh Young Lady conversed.

A young manservant came in to report: “Madam, the Marquis says departure is at the third watch tomorrow morning, and asks you to assign a capable nanny to accompany Fourth Young Master.”

Eleventh Young Lady nodded, and the manservant respectfully withdrew.

Qin Yiniang calculated the days — tomorrow marked the completion of the first Madam’s twenty-one-day memorial rites, and Xu Sizhun was going to offer incense for the first Madam.

Eleventh Young Lady sent Nanny Song to accompany them.

Xu Lingyi and Xu Sizhun spent the entire day at the temple, returning to the estate only at dusk.

Xu Sizhun went to the first Madam’s former residence.

The leaves of the evergreen tree in the courtyard were thick and lustrous, still beautifully green. But the luminous treasures and glittering ornaments that had once filled his mother’s rooms were all gone. In their place stood bare black lacquer furniture and one empty black multi-tiered display shelf after another, draped on the side with half-worn bright blue curtains — they made even the once mirror-bright golden floor tiles look dim and faded, robbed of their former radiance. The whole room was like a beauty stripped of her adornments, her glory suddenly extinguished, grown old and plain.

Xu Sizhun stood in the center of the main hall, staring in silence at the five-room suite that still felt vast to him. For a long while he could not speak.

Nanny Wang stood to one side and explained in a low voice: “Fourth Madam said those items were all very precious — they were things left by the Young Heir’s mother — and if even one piece were to go missing, it would not be a trifling matter. So she had us put them in the storeroom, to be turned over to the Young Heir when he comes of age and takes a wife.”

Such fine things would naturally attract covetous eyes.

Xu Sizhun nodded, but for reasons he could not quite name, his heart felt heavy.

He stood before his mother’s portrait for a long time, reluctant to leave.

At dinner that evening in the Grand Matriarch’s quarters, everyone gathered in the western side room for tea. Xu Lingyi raised the matter of Xu Siqin’s mountain climbing expedition: “…These days the flowers are at their most vivid and resplendent, and with Zhun Ge’s good news to celebrate, it is fitting for you brothers to mark the occasion together — a stroke of good fortune adding yet more splendor. However, among you brothers there are elders and juniors; climbing mountains would be too tiring for Zhun Ge and Jie Ge. I think it best to have Master Zhao accompany you all to the West Mountain estate for a day. Siqin and the older ones who wish to climb may climb; the two younger ones, Zhun Ge and Jie Ge, can simply stroll about the estate.”

Xu Siqin and the others heard this and could not help feeling both surprised and a little disappointed.

The surprise was that Xu Lingyi had somehow learned of their plans and gone so far as to formally arrange the outing — they had originally intended to use the pretense of accompanying Xu Siyu to visit classmates from the same examination session and slip away for a day of fun on their own. The disappointment was that not only had Xu Lingyi found out, he had also arranged for their teacher Master Zhao to accompany them. With that, their every move would be constrained — what pleasure could there be in that? But since Xu Lingyi had spoken, they could only bow their heads and agree.

Xu Sizhun was quietly pleased, knowing that the words he had said to his mother had taken effect. Without waiting for those at the tea gathering to disperse, he hurried to take Xu Sijie back to Eleventh Young Lady’s quarters.

“Mother, Mother,” Xu Sizhun tugged at Eleventh Young Lady’s sleeve. “Father said today that we are going to West Mountain.” He then added, “But he did not say we could have a barbecue. Please speak to Father again — let us have a barbecue in the rear garden when we get there.”

“A barbecue is fine!” Eleventh Young Lady considered the spring season. “Only a small piece, mind you.”

Xu Sizhun nodded and promised repeatedly.

His stomach was not particularly strong, and his desire for a barbecue had less to do with eating than with the sheer enjoyment of it.

“I will have Yanrong help you prepare for it,” Eleventh Young Lady said with a smile.

Xu Sizhun had nothing left to wish for, and went off in high spirits.

Halfway along, he passed by the first Madam’s former residence.

His footsteps slowed, seemingly of their own accord.

“Fourth Young Master, let us hurry back!” Chaxiang disliked that room. The thought of those dazzlingly handsome objects belonging to someone deceased, arranged there just as they had been in life, made her skin crawl. “It is late, and tomorrow you still have to rise early for school!”

Xu Sizhun did not heed her urging and went to knock at the door.

The serving woman who came to answer was an old hand; seeing it was Xu Sizhun, she immediately ordered people to light all the lanterns under the eaves, took up an octagonal palace lantern, and accompanied Xu Sizhun to the inner room.

Xu Sizhun lingered a while before his mother’s portrait, and only then made his way back to the Grand Matriarch’s quarters.

The next morning when he came to pay his respects to Eleventh Young Lady, he seemed somewhat subdued and distracted. He asked her: “When will Nanny Tao come back?”

Eleventh Young Lady was mildly surprised.

The whole room fell utterly silent.

Xu Sizhun murmured: “I want to eat the poria cake that Nanny Tao makes.”

“Once Tao Cheng’s leg is a little better, she should be back,” Eleventh Young Lady said with a smile, patting Xu Sizhun’s shoulder gently. “When you come home at noon, I will make you poria cake!”

Xu Sizhun gave a soft sound of assent and brightened up again, talking with Xu Sijie about what they would bring to eat when they went to West Mountain in a couple of days.

At noon, Eleventh Young Lady made poria cake as promised.

Xu Sizhun broke one open — the inside was snow-white.

He lowered his eyelashes and ate it in small bites.

Eleventh Young Lady took note and had someone inquire how Nanny Tao made her poria cake.

On the second attempt, she added some grapes to the poria cake.

Xu Sizhun ate two of them, and from that point on never mentioned wanting poria cake again.

The children had not been back from West Mountain many days before it was the Grand Matriarch’s birthday, followed by sending Xu Sizhun off on his journey to Le Mountain, then preparing gifts for the Dragon Boat Festival, receiving the nanny sent by the Shao family to pay her respects, and one thing after another — though none of these required Eleventh Young Lady to handle them personally, she could not simply stand aside without any involvement at all. So she asked Yanrong to keep a close watch over Xu Sizhun: “…Whatever comes up, report to me first. Do not assume something is minor and let it slip by.”

Yanrong respectfully agreed and made a point of staying close with Chaxiang, the maid who attended Xu Sizhun.

The days turned, and the beginning of the fifth month arrived. A letter came from Yuhang. Whether from Luo Zhensheng or Fifth Yiniang, the words between the lines were full of joy over Eleventh Young Lady’s pregnancy. Xu Lingyi let out a small breath of relief, handed the letter to Hupo to place in his study, and then sat on the edge of the bed looking with a smile at Eleventh Young Lady’s gently rounding belly: “A blessed one indeed!” His tone carried genuine feeling.

Eleventh Young Lady was momentarily caught off guard.

Xu Lingyi had already smiled and taken her hand: “Your birthday is almost here. Is there anything in particular you would like?”