Xu Siyu let out a long, slow breath.

At least Qiu Luo’s death had nothing whatsoever to do with Qin Yiniang!

“At the hour of You, Qiu Luo gave birth to a baby boy!” Qin Yiniang murmured. “A little maid came to report the news; the Second Madam wished to go and see the child. I very much wanted to go as well. As was my habit, I fell in behind the Second Madam. She noticed but said nothing, so I followed her to Madam’s quarters.

“Just as the midwife had said, Madam was holding the child in the side chamber’s resting alcove. The Grand Dowager, the Marquis, the Third Master, the Fifth Master, the Third Madam, and all the serving maids, matrons, and attendants — save for Nanny Tao — were all present. When they saw us enter, Madam appeared quite pleased and carried the child over for the Second Madam to see. I took the opportunity to rise on my toes and steal a glance — the child was thin and small, looking as though it could not weigh more than three or four jin. It lay listlessly in the crook of Madam’s arm, like an eggplant wilted by frost, limp and without energy.

“The Second Madam glanced briefly at the child and said in an offhand tone a few words to the effect of ‘this child looks quite delicate,’ when a little maid came running in to say that Qiu Luo had suffered uncontrollable postpartum bleeding, and that Nanny Tao, who was attending Qiu Luo in the delivery room, was asking them to fetch a physician at once.”

Though he had long known the outcome, hearing of the events of that year still made Xu Siyu prick up his ears with close attention.

“Everyone was taken aback.” Qin Yiniang said. “The Third Madam gave an exclamation of surprise, saying that everything had seemed perfectly fine just a moment ago — how could there suddenly be uncontrollable bleeding? Everyone in the room turned to look at Madam. Only the Second Madam looked at me and lowered her head to drink her tea.

“The Second Madam had always been a formidable person; I did not know why she would look at me. I was frightened inside… I had no other intention. I only wished to see Qiu Luo… When Madam had married into the household, Qiu Luo had been but a girl of seven or eight, yet already grown into something remarkable… even a few shades more beautiful than Biyu… And now she had the benefit of Madam’s favor, having given birth to a son — in all likelihood she would be elevated to the rank of Yiniang, and if she were to have another child in the future… I did not dare look at the Second Madam. I lowered my head and stood there, holding my breath and keeping perfectly still. I heard Madam instruct someone to send for a physician, and also say to the Grand Dowager that she wished to go see the delivery room.

“The Grand Dowager heard this and rose to her feet. She told Madam that since she was occupied, everyone else should disperse as well, and that they would come back to attend the child’s third-day bathing ceremony in a few days’ time. Then she told the Second Madam that she had been feeling some pain in her back lately, and that the last time the Second Madam had helped by massaging it, it had felt much better, asking her to help again. The Third Madam immediately stepped forward to support the Grand Dowager, inquiring which part of her back ached, whether it was serious, and mentioning that she still had an ebony-inlaid white jade beauty hammer that had come as part of her dowager gifts from her family, said to be especially good for people of advancing years… her manner exceedingly attentive. The Fifth Master also stepped forward and pulled at the Grand Dowager’s sleeve to ask after her… and so, all at once, the matter of Qiu Luo was set aside, as everyone clustered around the Grand Dowager and escorted her out of the room.

“The Second Madam then instructed Jie Xiang to take me back to the room, also saying that she wanted me to help finish grinding the remaining ink.

“The Fifth Master asked curiously: at this hour, what was the use of grinding ink?

“The Second Madam said she wanted to add pomegranate blossom juice to the ink to see if it would make the color more vivid.

“The Fifth Master immediately clamored that if the ink turned out well, she must give him two blocks.

“They went off chatting and laughing to the Grand Dowager’s room. No one spared me another glance… I followed Jie Xiang back to the room.

“Jie Xiang brought a brocade footstool for me, and I sat before the writing table grinding ink. I was still at it very late in the night; only when the third drum beat did the Second Madam return. Seeing me still grinding ink, she gave a nod and went with Jie Xiang to the dressing room to wash up.

“By then I had been grinding ink for several days already; my upper and lower eyelids had long been waging war against each other. With the Second Madam like this, I was uncertain what to do — whether to keep grinding, with my hands already aching, swollen, and sore, or to stop, for fear of angering the Second Madam. After thinking a good while, I steeled myself, set down the ink stick, and crept on light feet to the dressing room.

“The Second Madam was saying something to Jie Xiang; hearing movement, she immediately broke off and turned to look in my direction — the Second Madam’s expression was very unpleasant. When she saw it was I standing in the doorway, her expression softened somewhat, and she asked what the matter was. I explained haltingly. The Second Madam told Jie Xiang to go to bed along with me, and had a little maid come wait on her as she washed up.

“Jie Xiang hesitated a moment, then returned to the room with me to rest.” At this point, a trace of pleased self-satisfaction crossed Qin Yiniang’s brow. “In truth, I had overheard the Second Madam speaking to Jie Xiang.”

It was as though, from the moment he had crossed the threshold of this room, he had pushed open a door sealed for ten years — behind which lay not only thick cobwebs, but unnamed creatures swooping toward his face.

And now, his Second Aunt had been drawn in as well!

Xu Siyu’s hands closed into fists: “What did Second Aunt — say to Jie Xiang?”

“Only a single sentence.” The pleased satisfaction in Qin Yiniang’s expression deepened. “The Second Madam said that just now, the chicken broth Nanny Tao had given Qiu Luo to drink was found to contain rhubarb root.” As she said this, she laughed. “Do you know what rhubarb root is?”

Xu Siyu did not know.

But he knew that his Second Aunt had some understanding of pharmacology. If the Second Madam felt something was amiss, then there was certainly a problem.

He gave a slight shake of his head.

Qin Yiniang could not see, yet her thoughts had arrived at the same conclusion as Xu Siyu’s: “I did not know what rhubarb root was. But seeing how dreadful the Second Madam’s expression was, I knew it was nothing good. I lay on the bed unable to sleep, yet afraid to turn over for fear of disturbing Jie Xiang beside me. I thought about the chicken broth containing rhubarb root, about Qiu Luo bleeding heavily after giving birth, and about that infant who was thinner and smaller than most newborns… I lay there watching the sky gradually lighten and wondered when word would come… Just as I was riddled with anxiety, a little maid came running to say that Qiu Luo had died of excessive postpartum hemorrhage.” She paused, and a smile spread across her face. “Not many days after, that child also passed away due to frailty.”

Xu Siyu’s face was expressionless.

His own birth mother — Qin Yiniang, honest and slow-witted, who trembled with fear before the Grand Dowager and his father — had been capable of kicking Tong Yiniang while she was down at the time of her calamity. Why then should his proud and arrogant official mother not be capable of becoming ruthless?

Nothing could surprise him now.

Xu Siyu heard himself say in a voice that was calm, almost wooden: “In order that the child would later know only the grace of the one who raised him and not the grace of the one who bore him — Nanny Tao gave Qiu Luo chicken broth containing rhubarb root. As a result, the mother died, and the child, being too weak, did not survive either.”

Qin Yiniang nodded: “Second Young Master, do you think this is the will of Heaven?” She fumbled for and took hold of Xu Siyu’s arm. “I am of humble birth and unremarkable appearance. It was only because I conducted myself with propriety that the Grand Dowager assigned me to the Marquis’s chambers. By a stroke of fortune, I was then designated to serve as the Marquis’s chamber attendant. By rights, once the Marquis had taken a proper wife and fathered legitimate sons, I would have grown too old, childless, and been let out to be matched with whoever came along. Yet who could have foreseen it — first, Madam suffered a miscarriage when the Second Master died without an heir; then came old Marquis’s critical illness, during which my medication was suspended…” Her voice paused slightly, skipping over certain events in the middle, before she continued: “I feared my son would not be the eldest, and so what happened to Tong Yiniang came to pass; I feared Madam would use Qiu Luo’s son to overshadow you, and that child died in infancy. I feared the Daoist Long Chun would obtain a son for Madam — yet Zhun Ge was born already sickly, with little certainty of surviving, and the pregnancy had hollowed out Madam’s constitution entirely. That day I had only meant to bury the thing given me by the woman Daoist Zhu in the vicinity of where Zhun Ge lived; yet afraid of being seen, I had brought along a face mask you used to play with as a child, intending to use it to frighten away anyone who caught sight of me. Who could have known that no sooner had I finished burying it and risen to leave, I would run directly into Zhun Ge, who had slipped out on his own with a little maid, wandering about outside… You tell me — is this not the will of Heaven?”

“What did you say?” Xu Siyu’s expression changed drastically; countless thoughts surged up at once in his mind. He turned and seized Qin Yiniang by the arm. “What woman Daoist Zhu? What did you bury? And Xu Sizhun — what does his illness have to do with you?”

He pressed her one relentless question after another. Qin Yiniang was so startled she froze in place; only after a long moment did she let out a sharp cry and struggle to wrench free of the arm Xu Siyu had seized.

Lian Jiao, watching from behind the curtains of the canopy, made to rush forward, but was caught by Xiao Luzi.

“Don’t — whatever you do, don’t!” His voice was weak, his forehead drenched in sweat, as if he had come down with some grave illness.

Lian Jiao opened her mouth to ask what was the matter, but Xiao Luzi covered it with his hand and whispered in her ear: “Say nothing — say nothing at all… We must think of a way to get out of here.”

At first, Xu Siyu was himself greatly startled. He had not expected Qin Yiniang to react so violently to his words, and he worried that someone outside might come in and overhear what they should not. Presently, however, finding the room completely still, he knew the servants had already withdrawn as instructed. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. He spent a long while speaking gentle and soothing words to Qin Yiniang before he finally calmed her down.

Yet everything Qin Yiniang had said was now deeply imprinted upon his heart, stirring waves within him that he could not still.

Was the “incident” his father had spoken of referring to exactly this matter?

At this thought, his thin lips pressed tightly together.

A man of principle knows what he must do and what he must not.

Better to understand than to avoid.

At the very least, he could hold the initiative when speaking with his father.

At this thought, Xu Siyu asked Qin Yiniang in a gentle voice: “The woman Daoist Zhu — what did she give you?”

Hearing this, Qin Yiniang’s face at once grew guarded. “Nothing — she gave me nothing!”

What sort of thing could make Yiniang so cautious?

Xu Siyu was more suspicious than ever; he knew that pressing further would yield no answers. He thought for a moment, then changed the subject: “So it was you who frightened Xu Sizhun?”

“Keep your voice down!” Qin Yiniang turned her clouded eyes about and lowered her voice. “This matter — you must not speak of it to anyone.”

Xu Siyu nodded: “I will not tell anyone.”

Qin Yiniang thought for a moment and beckoned to Xu Siyu: “Come here, and I will tell you.”

Xu Siyu leaned in close.

Qin Yiniang said in a low voice: “I frightened Zhun Ge’er to death. The Marquis flew into a great rage. Madam’s pregnancy was not going well — the fetal position was not yet settled — and she suffered a miscarriage too.” As she spoke, a look of delight spread over her face. “Second Young Master, now you are once again the Marquis’s only son — the heir of Marquis Yongping, and the future Marquis Yongping himself!”

Xu Siyu stared at Qin Yiniang in utter incredulity, his mouth agape and speechless.

* * *