In a half-waking dream, Eleventh Young Mistress seemed to hear the baby crying.

She sat bolt upright — but saw that Nanny Wan was sitting serenely on the kang, gently patting Jin Ge’er in her arms with an expression of unhurried calm.

“Madam,” said Autumn Rain, who had been attending nearby, quickly coming forward. “Whatever is the matter?”

Nanny Wan, hearing the sound, looked over.

Thinking of something all day brings it into one’s dreams at night. With the child refusing to eat, how could she sleep soundly?

“Nothing, nothing.” Eleventh Young Mistress slowly settled back against the bolster pillow. “How is Jin Ge’er?”

Autumn Rain’s expression grew subdued: “He woke up once in the middle. Nanny Wan had the wet nurse surnamed Gu try feeding the Sixth Young Master, but the Sixth Young Master would not eat. Nanny Wan could only give him a little plain water.”

Eleventh Young Mistress grew anxious: “What time is it now?”

Autumn Rain replied: “A quarter before noon.”

“Has Physician Wu come to examine him yet?”

Autumn Rain shook her head lightly. “The page boy says Physician Wu is on duty in the palace today. He will not be able to leave until mid-afternoon.”

After leaving the palace, the journey to Lotus Flower Lane — would that not put his arrival at early afternoon at the soonest?

Nanny Wan came carrying Jin Ge’er.

“Madam, do not worry — the Marquis heard about it and went straight to the palace!”

Eleventh Young Mistress was startled: “When did this happen?”

Nanny Wan replied: “He left at mid-morning.”

That is to say, he had been gone for half an hour.

To present his name card, seek audience with the Emperor, petition for an imperial edict, and return to Lotus Flower Lane — even if everything went smoothly, one step after another, it would be mid-afternoon before he was back. By that time, Physician Wu would have left the palace as well. Rather than going into the palace to petition the Emperor for an edict, it would have been more practical to simply send a steward to wait outside the palace gates.

Reckoning all this, Eleventh Young Mistress paused in quiet thought.

Xu Lingyi frequented the palace often and would understand the advantages and disadvantages far more clearly than she did — and yet he had gone all the same. Was it because, when there was nothing else one could do, taking some kind of action was more settling to the heart than simply waiting?

Eleventh Young Mistress took her son from Nanny Wan’s arms. Looking at his small face, which was deeply absorbed in sleep, she could not help but lean down and press her lips to his cheek.

His cheek was soft, soft and yielding, with the tender smoothness that only a tiny infant possesses.

From the moment of his birth until now, already seven hours had passed — and he had taken nothing but a few mouthfuls of plain water. What is the matter with you? Is it that you do not wish to take the wet nurses’ milk? Or is something uncomfortable somewhere? And yet you cannot speak a single word.

At this thought, she tucked in the child’s swaddling cloth with a trace of unease.

A young maidservant came in to report: “Madam, the First Miss has come!”

Autumn Rain quickly explained from beside her: “Madam, you had just lain down and the First Miss came. Seeing that you and the Sixth Young Master were both asleep, the First Miss looked at the child for a little while and then returned. She said she would come back to see you later.” At the time the Madam had been asking about the child, leaving no opening for her to speak. She also went to the tall cabinet where the child’s clothes were stored and took out a small box. “This was sent by the First Miss early this morning.”

Eleventh Young Mistress opened it. Inside was a pair of small pure-gold bracelets, from which hung a cluster of delicate sea-crab apple blossoms — extraordinarily beautiful.

She was quite surprised. “Please invite the First Miss in at once.”

Zhen Jie’er was dressed in a white silk padded jacket with a rose-red sleeveless vest over it — in the early winter season, she looked warm and bright.

Eleventh Young Mistress had Autumn Rain bring a brocade stool for her to sit on, and pointed to the box: “What is this? It is far too precious.”

Zhen Jie’er heard this and grew somewhat uneasy, lowering her voice to say: “It was Second Brother who gave it to me before he went to Mount Fallen Leaves. He said it was for the Sixth Brother.”

Is that so?

Eleventh Young Mistress looked at the sea-crab apple blossoms hanging from the bracelet.

Pendants of sea-crab apple blossoms were most often given to girls. The child had not yet been born at that time, and there was no way of knowing whether it would be a boy or a girl. Moreover, the child was the legitimate second son. With Xu Siyu’s cautious nature, even if he had wanted to give a gift, he would surely have given only something engraved with “Peace Year after Year” or “Auspicious Fortune” — something that could never go wrong. He would not have given bracelets hung with sea-crab apple blossoms.

Could it be that Zhen Jie’er had acted on her own initiative — that these bracelets were ones she herself had worn as a child?

At this thought, she smiled and asked: “Why have you come at this hour?”

Zhen Jie’er was only a few days younger than Xu Siyu. Although the two of them had not grown up together from childhood as the other siblings had, ever since she was old enough to understand, she had always heard the maidservants and matrons gossiping about “our Second Young Master” — and she had very much wanted to meet this second elder brother of hers. When she finally did, he was clever and lively, and had the boldness to plop himself down on the stone steps, which she herself would never dare do — she would always place a brocade cushion on the beauty chair before sitting, for fear of dirtying her clothes and displeasing the Grand Dowager. She had been full of admiration for him. Later, she came to feel he was rather pitiable — especially after Concubine Qin died, when neither her father nor her mother had disturbed Concubine Qin’s belongings. Xiulan, who had learned the abacus under Concubine Wen and was later transferred by Eleventh Young Mistress to Zhen Jie’er’s own service, had heard Concubine Wen say that aside from the items recorded in the household ledgers, Concubine Qin had squandered all of Second Young Master’s years of accumulated gifts and gold ornaments, leaving fewer than a hundred taels of loose silver. When she heard the attending matrons discussing what to send as a gift for the Sixth Brother, she was afraid it would put Xu Siyu in a difficult position. It happened that a few days before, Concubine Wen had returned to her all the accessories she had been safekeeping on her behalf. So she had searched among them and found this pair of pure-gold bracelets — sent by the Wen family at her own first-month celebration, and never worn. She was afraid the Second Madam might ask questions, so she had purposely come a little later.

She could not help feeling as though she were sitting on pins and needles. “I… I was waiting for news from this side all yesterday…I stayed up too late…and then woke a little late.” The more she said, the more unconvincing she felt. She remembered what Eleventh Young Mistress had always taught her — when you do not know what to say, say nothing at all. It is better than insincere words. She quickly sat up a little straighter, raised her voice slightly, and smiled: “Mother, I heard from Nanny Wan that Father has named the Sixth Brother ‘Jin’ — is that really so?”

Eleventh Young Mistress was now quite certain her guess had not been wrong.

Though she did not know what the two children were hiding between them, the fact that Zhen Jie’er was being so protective of Xu Siyu was still far better than adding insult to injury. She simply went along with what Zhen Jie’er had said: “Your father and I both think this name is fitting…”

Before she could finish, Jin Ge’er suddenly began to cry.

Eleventh Young Mistress quickly scooped up Jin Ge’er and called to Nanny Wan: “Has he wet himself again?”

Nanny Wan hurried forward and unwrapped the swaddling cloth — the nappy was perfectly dry.

“Does he want something to drink?” Nanny Wan asked uncertainly.

“Then give him a little water.”

Zhen Jie’er watched curiously from the side.

Jin Ge’er puckered his lips, and spat out the water that was fed to him.

“Is he hungry?” Eleventh Young Mistress asked.

Red Markings dashed off to call Wet Nurse Gu.

This time Jin Ge’er successfully latched on, but after two sucks, he burst into loud crying again.

Wet Nurse Gu’s face went somewhat pale.

Nanny Wan, not pausing to dwell on that, quickly called another wet nurse.

Jin Ge’er turned his head away and wailed, and not only that — he seemed to have choked on something, and began to cough.

Nanny Wan held the child upright against her shoulder, gently patting his back. He cried all the louder, and between sobs he kept coughing.

“Not wet, not thirsty, took two mouthfuls of milk and then would take no more — what on earth is the matter with him? Could there be some other ailment?” Thinking of the midwife’s remark that the shoulder had been briefly lodged during birth, Eleventh Young Mistress threw back the bedcovers and moved to get out of bed.

“Madam, you cannot get up!” Nanny Wan cried out in alarm. “The physician said you must lie still for several days — otherwise you will suffer from the lingering effects of confinement illness.” She wanted to bring the child to Eleventh Young Mistress, but seeing the child coughing so badly, did not dare let him lie flat. She wanted to go and stop Eleventh Young Mistress, but could not put the child down. She could only call out to “Autumn Rain” to come and help the Madam lie back down.

The child’s crying had already carved through Eleventh Young Mistress’s heart. She could not bear to hear it. She ignored all protests, got out of bed, took the child in her arms, and paced back and forth while gently patting him.

Nanny Wan felt beside herself.

She also thought of how Xu Lingyi had accompanied Eleventh Young Mistress in the birthing chamber, and then, upon hearing the child was ill, had gone rushing into the palace to petition for an edict…

If anything should happen to the Madam…

She could only pray that Nanny Tian, who was in the small kitchen directing the cook on what to prepare for Eleventh Young Mistress, would come back quickly.

And Zhen Jie’er, who had at first been embarrassed when the wet nurse came to feed Jin Ge’er and averted her eyes, now grew worried as Jin Ge’er’s crying grew more intense. She tugged at Nanny Wan’s sleeve and kept asking: “What is to be done?”

Nanny Wan was beside herself with worry, yet in that very moment a thought struck her. She steeled herself and said: “Madam, what if we were to have the midwife Peng come and take a look?”

Eleventh Young Mistress was somewhat startled: “Is Midwife Peng still in the household?”

Nanny Wan nodded: “Both midwives and Midwife Peng are all still in the household.” And fearing Eleventh Young Mistress did not understand, she added: “The Marquis was pleased, and had them stay through the Sixth Young Master’s third-day washing ceremony before leaving.”

The midwife who presides over the third-day washing ceremony receives all the gifts from the “adding to the basin” ritual to take away.

Remembering Midwife Peng’s conduct on the day of the birth, Eleventh Young Mistress hesitated.

At this moment, Nanny Wan’s only thought was to first pacify Eleventh Young Mistress and get her back into bed.

“That Midwife Peng said herself she does not do deliveries. Her Majesty the Empress sent her here solely because she is skilled at treating children’s ailments.” She stepped forward to support Eleventh Young Mistress toward the bedside. “Being someone who has come from the palace, she is bound to have some knowledge and experience — otherwise, the Imperial Medical Bureau physicians would never have tolerated her. Why not let her come and take a look? If what she says makes sense, we follow her guidance. If it does not make sense, we treat it as having simply consulted a physician.”

Eleventh Young Mistress looked at her son, who would not stop crying, and thought that even if everything went smoothly on Xu Lingyi’s side, there were still two hours before Physician Wu could arrive. Was she simply to watch her son cry on like this for two hours?

With this thought, she hesitated no longer: “Have her come and take a look.”

Red Markings, not waiting to be told twice, ran out before anyone could say a word.

Nanny Wan breathed a quiet sigh of relief, took the still-weeping Jin Ge’er from Eleventh Young Mistress’s arms, and began to soothe him patiently.

Eleventh Young Mistress felt a pain below, and allowed Zhen Jie’er to help her back into bed to rest.

In less time than it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Midwife Peng arrived.

She had changed into a jacket of true-purple color today, which still carried about it a trace of strangeness.

Nanny Wan brought the child for her to examine.

She had been told the reason for the summons on her way here, and as soon as she entered the room she took Jin Ge’er’s pulse.

The child’s arm was small, and Midwife Peng’s fingers thick and blunt. Eleventh Young Mistress saw that she had not placed her fingers on the proper pulse positions at the wrist, and a measure of doubt arose in her heart. Then she saw the woman’s eyes moving about, nothing like the composed manner of someone taking a pulse. She was just on the verge of questioning whether this woman could truly read the pulse at all, when Midwife Peng had already reached her conclusion: “The Sixth Young Master has inhaled something into his throat during the birth. I have an ancestral-formula reviving elixir — three pellets, and the Sixth Young Master will be well.” So saying, she produced from the pouch at her side three wax-sealed pellets the size of quail eggs. “Dissolve them in water and give it to him in three doses.”

At any other time, Eleventh Young Mistress would have pressed a few taels of silver into her hand and sent her on her way. But this time she was unable to contain her outrage.

If you want to swindle money, at least choose your moment. To produce medicinal pellets for a child to swallow — what if something went wrong? How could you be so utterly irresponsible?

Her expression darkened. Without having anyone accept the pellets, she said: “A floating pulse resembles wood drifting on the surface of water; a surging pulse is like the crashing waves of a flood; a deficient pulse floats yet has no force, being both large and slow. I wonder — what are the particular pulse characteristics of our Jin Ge’er?”