Shiyiniang smiled helplessly.

Back in her room, she recounted the entire affair to Xu Lingyi: “…I cannot imagine why Third Sister-in-law settled on me — asking someone with no experience whatsoever to go and act as matchmaker for Qin Ge’er.” She kept her tone light and easy, though amusement ran through her voice.

Xu Lingyi laughed when he heard it. “No experience? Did you not make the match for Zhen Jie’er? Did you not make the match for the Twelfth Aunt? If even you claim to have no experience, who would dare say they have any!”

“That was different,” Shiyiniang argued. “That was merely drawing a thread — whether the match came together or not depended on the two people’s destined affinity. What Third Sister-in-law is asking me to do is proper matchmaking. How would I know how much tea counts as a generous betrothal gift? How many sets of clothing constitute a substantial dowry? When I go to negotiate these things with the Fang family’s matchmaker, would I have to bring Nanny Song along at my side — the matchmaker saying one thing, and me turning to whisper a hurried consultation with Nanny Song before I can reply?”

Xu Lingyi found what she said so amusing he could not hold back his laughter.

A small maidservant came in carrying a bowl of medicinal soup.

Shiyiniang paid no attention to him, picked up the small blue-and-white porcelain bowl directly, and downed it in one go. She popped a salt-cured olive into her mouth to chase away the bitterness.

Xu Lingyi then asked her, “Are you feeling better?” His expression was very gentle.

“Much better!” Shiyiniang smiled and nodded.

The look Xu Lingyi gave her grew even more tender.

Nanny Gu came in carrying Jin Ge’er, who had just finished nursing.

At the sight of the child, the corner of Xu Lingyi’s mouth curved into a pleased arc. He took the baby carefully into his arms.

Jin Ge’er immediately broke into a smile, crowing happily at him with a stream of delighted “ohh ohh” sounds.

Xu Lingyi kissed his son’s little cheek and settled onto the kang, then reminded Shiyiniang, “Go and freshen up quickly. Rest early tonight, and go to Mother’s quarters first thing tomorrow morning — since Third Sister-in-law has set her mind on this, she is very likely to rise early tomorrow and get to Mother first. Better to destroy a temple than destroy a marriage — and yet your health is poor. If that happens, Mother would be in an awkward position whether she agreed or refused… It would put everyone in a difficult spot.”

Shiyiniang had already thought of this.

She smiled and said, “I have already instructed the night-duty matrons to keep an eye on Third Sister-in-law’s movements — no matter what, I must pay my respects to the Grand Madam before Third Sister-in-law does!”

“You little schemer.” He was all smiles.

Shiyiniang turned and went to the washroom.

Jin Ge’er, nestled in his father’s arms, started babbling and squirming with noisy enthusiasm.

“You are quite the little schemer yourself!” Xu Lingyi laughed and kissed his son again. He took him down from the kang and strolled idly about the room — pausing for a moment to look at the feather-grass plant on the flower stand, then heading to the main hall to admire the five-string large red lanterns hanging there, then stopping before the long table to examine the jade grape potted landscape.

Jin Ge’er grew quiet, his large round eyes gazing about with wide, curious interest.

Meanwhile, in the Third Master’s and Third Madam’s rooms, the couple had already settled in for the night.

“Shiyiniang refused!” The Third Madam furrowed her brow, looking somewhat sullen. “What are we to do about this matter?”

The Third Master was unconcerned. “What is there to worry about? If Fourth Sister-in-law won’t agree, then have your mother’s family’s eldest niece-in-law serve as matchmaker. Didn’t you say before that this niece-in-law of yours was a capable and resourceful woman — that you’d be perfectly comfortable with her handling it?” The fatigue of the journey made him yawn. “You should sleep soon too. When we pay our respects to Mother tomorrow morning, remember to tell her about this matter.” He muttered as he lay down. “The Fang family has specially invited the wife of Ministry of Justice Vice Minister Liu to serve as their matchmaker. Since we are already in the capital, we should call on Madam Liu sooner rather than later — it would look insincere otherwise. Whatever else one might say, Magistrate Fang is a fine man, and besides, you said Fang’s young daughter is remarkably pretty — not at all like the prefect’s daughter, who was short and stocky, dull-looking…” His voice gradually faded, and by the time the Third Madam leaned over to look, he had already begun to snore softly.

The Third Madam could not contain her exasperation.

She shook him repeatedly. “Don’t fall asleep yet! I still have things to say!”

The Third Master, disturbed by her prodding, cracked open his drowsy eyes. “Whatever it is, let’s discuss it tomorrow!”

“Third Master!” The Third Madam could not help raising her voice. “This concerns Qin Ge’er’s future prospects — are you going to take responsibility for this or not?”

The Third Master hurriedly widened his eyes at that. “How could I not take responsibility? You speak, you speak — I am listening!”

Only then did the Third Madam’s expression soften slightly. She lowered her voice. “Think back to when it all began — if the prefect had not rated your performance as ‘poor,’ I would never have had to go begging at the prefect’s wife’s door. If I had not gone to beg the prefect’s wife, how would I ever have encountered the wife of Magistrate Fang? If I had not struck up a conversation with the wife of Magistrate Fang…” At this point, she recalled the contemptuous sideways glance of the prefect’s wife and bit down on her teeth. “If the prefect’s wife had shown any graciousness and condescended to exchange a few proper words with me, why would I have needed to make conversation with the wife of Magistrate Fang? If not for that conversation, there would have been no occasion to speak of our children’s marriages — nor would the wife of Magistrate Fang have needed to complain that Magistrate Fang’s standards were too high and their daughter had been kept unmarried until sixteen; I would not have mentioned Qin Ge’er, saying that the Grand Madam had summoned him back to Yanjing and wished to personally arrange his betrothal…”

The Third Master had heard all of this many times before.

His wife had gone to beg the prefect’s wife, yet could not let go of her pride, and had managed to offend the prefect’s wife in the process. The prefect’s wife, after seeing off the wife of Magistrate Fang, had spitefully offered suggestions to his wife — saying something to the effect that Magistrate Fang’s elder brother and the prefect were not only former examination-year classmates but long-standing intimate friends. Rather than asking the prefect’s wife to whisper in the prefect’s ear, it would be better to request Magistrate Fang to speak on his behalf directly — after all, it was a man’s matter, and pillow-talk might not be effective. She had also said that Magistrate Fang was a man of upright character who would never intercede in such affairs. However, Magistrate Fang had one weakness: he was utterly under his wife’s thumb. Whatever Madam Fang said, Magistrate Fang never dared to refuse. And Madam Fang herself was a virtuous and reasonable woman who never meddled in official affairs. Under ordinary circumstances, such a thing would have been impossible. But at that particular moment, Madam Fang had one pressing worry — her eldest daughter’s marriage… If the two families were to become in-laws through a children’s match, that would be an entirely different matter… The prefect’s wife had also added some sardonic remarks along the lines of “your family may want theirs, but that doesn’t mean theirs would want yours.”

To think that at the time, even the prefect’s daughter — a girl of that quality and appearance — had looked upon them with an air of gracious condescension when her family had wanted to marry her to Qin Ge’er. The Fang family was a cultured and scholarly household with a long-standing reputation among the literati… No matter how fine Qin Ge’er might be, without the kind of scholarly distinction these men of letters prized — the passing of the imperial examinations — he would simply not be considered worthy. This was a truth the couple had come to understand after years of failed attempts to arrange marriages for their two children.

His wife had known the prefect’s wife was using the opportunity to humiliate her, and had returned home with her face flushed dark crimson.

But within days, word spread that “Magistrate Xu had sought to arrange the marriage of his eldest son with Magistrate Fang’s eldest daughter, only to be bluntly refused by Madam Fang”…

The couple knew perfectly well who had spread that rumor, yet there was absolutely nothing they could do.

What no one had anticipated was that Magistrate Fang and his wife personally called upon them to clarify the matter.

It was that visit which had given rise to the subsequent exchanges between the two families… And when his wife laid eyes on Magistrate Fang’s eldest daughter, she had truly been moved to seek the match. Even more unexpectedly, the affair had proceeded with remarkable smoothness — both his performance review and the children’s betrothal.

The Third Master closed his eyes.

In all honesty, he was very satisfied with this match. Both the character of the in-laws and the background of the future daughter-in-law.

With the eldest son’s marriage well arranged, the second son’s marriage prospects would naturally follow smoothly in turn.

He had no wish for any unexpected complications — he simply wanted to bring his daughter-in-law home as soon as possible.

The Third Madam, however, leaning against the headboard pillow, had not noticed her husband’s small movements. She continued, “I have thought this through very carefully these past days. Although the Fang family belongs to the scholarly class — the literati must eat and dress just like anyone else. Besides, Madam Fang’s eldest brother-in-law is already yesterday’s glory. The Fang family agreed to this match; they must have their eye on the Yongping Marquis household’s name and standing. Now, before the wedding has even taken place, people are already saying that Fang’s young daughter has married beneath herself. Once the marriage is done, how will our Qin Ge’er ever maintain his authority as a husband? Shiyiniang has always had a way with words — if she could be invited to serve as matchmaker, first: when it comes to negotiating the dowry, our side would certainly not come out the worse for it, and we might even be able to press the Fang family a little; and second: it would show the Fang family that our Qin Ge’er is the apple of the Grand Madam’s eye in the Yongping Marquis household. That would give the Fang family something to weigh carefully.” At this point, a trace of excitement crept into her voice. “Third Master, let me tell you — when I went to have celebratory wine at Magistrate Li’s home last time, I heard Magistrate Li say that the Fang family has set aside ten thousand taels of silver to send their daughter off in marriage. I don’t know whether it is true or not, but Magistrate Li’s wife is an honest person, so I do not think it is false. If Shiyiniang were to learn that our daughter-in-law comes with ten thousand taels in dowry — would she not hold our daughter-in-law in higher esteem?”

When the Third Madam finished speaking, she waited a long while but received no reply from her husband.

She leaned over to look.

The Third Master had fallen asleep.

The Third Madam shook him several times. “Third Master, Third Master…”

The Third Master turned over and sank deeper into sleep.

“Every time I try to discuss something important with him, he falls asleep!” The Third Madam had no choice but to blow out the lamp. In the darkness, she murmured to herself, “Qin Ge’er is after all the eldest grandson. Tomorrow I must still pay a visit to the Grand Madam!”

Early the next morning, Qiu Yu helped Shiyiniang freshen up and dress.

“The Third Madam has not yet gone out!”

Shiyiniang gave a slight nod. She ate a little porridge, kissed her son who was playing on the bed with Xu Lingyi, and then went to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

“Why have you come so early today?” The Grand Madam had someone bring warm goat’s milk for her to drink.

Shiyiniang made no effort to hide things from the Grand Madam, and recounted the whole affair of the Third Madam asking her to act as matchmaker for Xu Siqin. “…As his aunt, I should of course lend my assistance, but the timing is most unfortunately inconvenient.”

“She just wants face,” the Grand Madam said, and instead offered Shiyiniang reassurance. “You need not take it to heart. Even if you cannot serve as matchmaker for Qin Ge’er, having the Fourth One act as chief officiator would still be fulfilling her wishes. As for the matchmaking itself — if she comes to me, I will ask Third Madam Huang to make the trip. She is also known for her sharp tongue.”

Shiyiniang felt at ease.

The Grand Madam inquired after her health, and upon learning she was gradually recovering, urged her repeatedly to rest and take proper care of herself. She then kept Shiyiniang to have breakfast.

They had just set down their bowls when the Third Madam arrived.

Seeing Shiyiniang present, she was somewhat taken aback. She smiled and said, “After three years away, I had not realized the household routines had changed. Fourth Sister-in-law no longer comes to pay her morning respects to Mother at a quarter to the hour of the Dragon as she used to!”

Shiyiniang just smiled and made no response.

The Grand Madam asked the Third Madam with a smile, “Have you had your morning meal yet?”

“Not yet!” The Third Madam settled herself beside the Grand Madam. “It has been so long since I last saw Mother — I wanted to come and cadge a meal here!”

Hearing this, the Grand Madam instructed Yuban to lay out fresh chopsticks and bowls and bring out some side dishes for the meal.

Only then did the Third Madam realize that the Grand Madam and Shiyiniang had already eaten their breakfast.

She felt mildly ill at ease.

During those years in Shanyang, she had been the one in charge of all matters great and small in the household. Even when she called on other families, people had deferred to her as the county magistrate’s wife and accommodated her preferences. Now that she was back home, having to defer and accommodate in turn felt suddenly unfamiliar. This only strengthened her resolve to eventually set up her own independent household. But since the words about cadging a meal had already left her mouth, it was too late to take them back. She could only press on and take up her bowl. “I simply arrived too late!”

The Grand Madam had always found her third daughter-in-law lacking in composure, and had learned long ago that dealing with her carefully was only asking for grief. In others’ eyes, the Grand Madam therefore treated the Third Madam with particular indulgence and ease.

“You did not arrive too late — we simply ate too early!” the Grand Madam said with a smile. “Take your time and eat — no need to rush. The hour is still early.”

The Third Madam did not dare take her time at all. Without even considering whether she would leave the table full, she had a small maidservant ladle out a small half-bowl of porridge and ate it hurriedly.

Xu Sizhun came to pay his morning respects to his grandmother. Seeing his mother and the Third Madam present, he looked a little surprised. After completing his bow, he leaned close to Shiyiniang. “Mother, the tutor will be returning soon, and Fifth Brother and I haven’t yet mastered our flute pieces…” He fixed her with a mildly pleading smile.

Because practicing the flute might disturb Jin Ge’er, Xu Sijie would go to Zhen Jie’er’s room when he needed to practice. When Xu Sizhun said this, he was actually hoping to slip off to Zhen Jie’er’s place together with Xu Sijie.

The Grand Madam laughed when she heard this. “I’ll let you off for now. But when the tutor returns, you are not to let your flute playing become an excuse to neglect your studies.”

Xu Sizhun quickly replied, “I would never! I finished all the work the tutor assigned long ago.”

The Grand Madam gave a slight nod, her gaze holding a note of approval, and then looked toward Shiyiniang.

Shiyiniang shared Xu Lingyi’s view that Xu Sizhun could not go on forever looking like a boy who refused to grow up — but such things could not be rushed or forced.

“Be sure to come back for lunch at the start of the afternoon hour!” she reminded him with a smile.

Seeing his request had been granted, Xu Sizhun’s face lit up. He nodded eagerly and went off with a maidservant to find Xu Sijie.

The Third Madam watched with a shifting expression. She smiled and said, “Our Zhun Ge’er grows better and better day by day — schooling is truly the making of a child.”

When it came to Xu Sizhun — the grandson who had grown up in her own quarters and grown more sensible and well-mannered with each passing day — the Grand Madam’s face was wreathed in affectionate smiles. “A person is shaped by learning, after all!”

“Quite so,” said the Third Madam, following the Grand Madam’s lead. “I never noticed it much when we were at home — everyone seemed much the same. But since moving to Shanyang, I have come to realize what a difference it makes to have been properly educated versus not. No wonder my father always held it close to his heart that one day our family might see a son’s name on the imperial examination rolls. It would be the making of us.” As she spoke, she steered the conversation toward Xu Siqin’s betrothal. “…Yesterday, with all the children present, I couldn’t speak to you properly about it. I came early this morning precisely to have a chance to tell you all about it.”

The Grand Madam had also been puzzled by the match all along — the news had come out of nowhere, and the betrothal had been arranged in such haste.

She leaned forward with concern. “Tell me everything — what exactly happened?”

The Third Madam would naturally not speak as freely and plainly as she had with the Third Master. She spoke only of how upright and admirable Magistrate Fang’s character was, how deeply the Third Master admired him, how Madam Fang, unable to bear being parted from her husband, had brought their children to the posting a year earlier to tend to Magistrate Fang’s daily needs, how she herself had happened upon Magistrate Fang’s eldest daughter one day, how outstanding the young lady was in both looks and learning, how Magistrate Fang cherished her like a rare treasure and consequently left her marriage prospects unattended, how Madam Fang had been fretting over it, how she herself had gone about requesting the match, and finally, how the two families had settled on the arrangement. She laid it all out for the Grand Madam, piece by piece.

The Grand Madam listened, her fingers turning the sandalwood prayer beads in her hand.

“Are Magistrate Fang’s parents still living?”

The question carried a great deal of weight.

In most official households, it was customary for a husband serving away from home in an official posting to bring a concubine along to attend to his daily needs, while the principal wife remained at home to serve the parents-in-law and raise the children.

Madam Fang’s refusal to stay at home and her insistence on following her husband to his posting could, looked at charitably, be called strong attachment; looked at more deeply, it could be called a failure of filial duty.

The Third Madam was startled.

She was certainly not hoping that her eldest daughter-in-law would be unable to hold her head up before the Grand Madam and the younger aunts. She quickly said, “Magistrate Fang’s parents are still living, and all household affairs are managed by Magistrate Fang’s elder brother, who has retired from office. Magistrate Fang did bring a concubine with him to attend to him at his posting. It was only last spring, when Magistrate Fang fell ill after catching a chill and was not well looked after, and took to his bed for several months, that Madam Fang made the journey from afar, bringing the children, to care for him. If not for Madam Fang bringing medicines all the way from the south and nursing him back to health, Magistrate Fang would nearly have had to resign his post and return home!”

The Grand Madam’s expression cleared completely. She smiled. “Seen in that light, this Madam Fang is a woman of resolve and good judgment.”

“Indeed!” The Third Madam let out a breath of relief. She smiled and said, “Otherwise, the marriage would not have been arranged in such haste — Madam Fang said that now that Magistrate Fang has fully recovered, she is able to go back to Huzhou with peace of mind and devote herself to serving her parents-in-law. Once the eldest daughter is married off, she will return to Huzhou to see to the second daughter’s affairs.”

“Is that the eldest son of the Chengdu prefect?” the Grand Madam asked with a smile.

“Yes!” The Third Madam smiled and nodded. “The Fang family’s second daughter has been betrothed to the eldest son of the Chengdu prefect.” She felt a certain glow of pride that the Fang family’s connections were all presented scholars in official posts. Her face was flushed with pleasure. “The Chengdu prefect is not only Magistrate Fang’s classmate from the same examination year, but also a fellow provincial. The match was informally set four years ago. If not for Madam Fang’s wish to see the eldest daughter married first, the second daughter would have been wed long since.”

“Why is Madam Fang in such a hurry?” the Grand Madam said with a smile. “The second daughter is only two years younger than the eldest — she would be only fourteen this year, not yet having come of age.” She paused, then added with a wondering sound: “I wonder how old the Chengdu prefect’s eldest son is?”

“Sixteen this year!” the Third Madam said. “When you think about it, the age difference is not that large. It is just that the prefect’s wife wants to welcome her daughter-in-law into the home soon, so that her son has someone to look after him. The matchmaker has been coming around every other day, and now that the eldest daughter’s match has been settled too, Madam Fang found herself unable to hold out any longer and had to agree. However, Madam Fang also said she would return immediately to arrange the second daughter’s wedding — but what with the comings and goings, it would take no less than two or three years to see it all through!”

“The customs in the south are elaborate,” the Grand Madam remarked, glancing at Shiyiniang with a smile. “There is the tradition of the ten-li bridal procession — each family trying to outdo the next in grandeur. Seeing a daughter off in marriage can practically empty a family’s coffers.” The conversation shifted naturally to the various families’ wedding customs and arrangements.

Shiyiniang was thinking about Jin Ge’er and was looking for an opportunity to take her leave, but the Grand Madam was in the full flow of conversation and kept drawing her in with comments here and there, so she had no choice but to remain seated.

During the conversation, when the Third Madam brought up the question of who would make a suitable matchmaker, the Grand Madam recommended Third Madam Huang before she had even finished speaking. The Third Madam thought it over — Third Madam Huang was the wife of the eldest son of Marquis Yongchang, and having such a person come to put forward the proposal was no disgrace to her son. Moreover, Third Madam Huang was famously outspoken, which suited the Third Madam’s temperament far better than Shiyiniang did. By the time the Grand Madam mentioned that Xu Lingyi would serve as the chief officiator, the Third Madam had already made her peace with the arrangement. Beaming, she agreed, then expressed her profound gratitude to the Grand Madam with a ceremonial bow, winning the Grand Madam’s delight, before rising. “…Since we have invited Third Madam Huang to serve as matchmaker, the matchmaker’s gift cannot be skimped on. I will go and prepare it right away. This afternoon, I will pay a visit to the Yongchang Marquis household.”

The Grand Madam smiled and nodded. After the Third Madam had gone, she instructed Nanny Du to send a message to the Yongchang Marquis household. Then she kept Shiyiniang to speak with her.

“I suspect there is something not quite right about this affair.” The Grand Madam dismissed the attending servants and lowered her voice. “Think about it — if the Chengdu prefect and Magistrate Fang are both classmates from the same examination year and fellow provincials, and if their eldest son and eldest daughter are of a suitable age, why would the Chengdu prefect seek the second daughter rather than the eldest? And then there is Madam Fang — she only brought the children to her husband’s posting last spring after he fell ill. That eldest daughter had always been raised back home in the ancestral household. And the Third One’s wife is someone who only pays attention to the surface of things, without ever looking deeper…” The Grand Madam frowned. “Qin Ge’er is after all the eldest grandson. If there is some problem there, the wife who comes in afterward — our Zhun Ge’er’s wife — may face difficult circumstances.”

These were all merely speculations.

They had not even laid eyes on the young woman yet, so to speak of this now was perhaps premature.

Besides, the match had already been settled. Was it possible to dissolve it?

The harm that would do to a young girl would be immense.

“A thousand miles of fate tied by a single thread,” Shiyiniang said with a smile. “Whether this match was meant to be, one still has to see whether their birth characters are compatible. Perhaps Magistrate Fang’s eldest daughter and the Chengdu prefect’s eldest son simply were not compatible — otherwise, how is it that one had been fretting over an unmarried daughter and the other fretting over an unwed son, and they just happened, neither too soon nor too late, to come together like this? Perhaps this is precisely the destined affinity between Magistrate Fang’s eldest daughter and our Qin Ge’er!”

The Grand Madam was silent for a long moment, then let out a quiet sigh.

Shiyiniang could only try to console her. “Once she has married into our family, she becomes one of our own. You are experienced and wise — if she has any failings, you need only offer her guidance from time to time. Think of it this way: if you had not guided and shaped me when I first arrived, where would I be today?”

These words made the Grand Madam laugh.

“Flattery, pure and simple — and it always seems to work.”

Shiyiniang pressed her lips together in a smile.

At the hour of the Snake, Third Madam Huang arrived.

She first went to pay her respects to the Grand Madam, and accepted the matchmaking commission with cheerful willingness. She then bypassed the Third Madam entirely and came directly to Shiyiniang’s rooms.

Jin Ge’er, well fed and content, lay sound asleep wrapped in his cloud-silk quilt. Shiyiniang sat on the kang while Nanny Gu sat on the brocade footstool beside the kang’s edge — both of them doing needlework for him.

“I thought you wouldn’t come until tomorrow!” Shiyiniang laughed and invited Third Madam Huang to take a seat on the large kang by the west window, teasing her, “They say you have to formally invite a matchmaker to get them to come — but you, Sister, are the kind who needs no invitation and comes of her own accord. Our Third Sister-in-law has truly found the right matchmaker. Though I do hope, Sister, that you won’t waive the matchmaker’s gift when the time comes!”

Third Madam Huang was a frank and direct sort of person who relished exactly this kind of banter — she felt it was a sign of true closeness.

Shiyiniang had expected her to volley back a sharp retort. Instead, Third Madam Huang gave an oddly sheepish laugh and asked after Jin Ge’er: “…Is he asleep? Or has the wet nurse taken him out to play?” Her tone was somewhat distracted.

“He is asleep!” Shiyiniang smiled and set the teacup a small maidservant had brought in front of Third Madam Huang. She reached out and took a sip, yet made no mention of wanting to see Jin Ge’er — a marked contrast to her usual bright, attentive manner.

Shiyiniang felt quietly puzzled.

She watched as Third Madam Huang drew a long, deep breath, then said in a measured voice, “Is the Marquis at home?”

—