Eleventh Young Lady’s attention was diverted. She gazed up at the canopy overhead and let out a long breath: “So that is why it is better not to send daughters into the palace.” A somewhat melancholy look crossed her face.

Xu Lingyi had not said this to make her sad.

He had been afraid that if she continued playing around, he would lose all self-control — and then it would be Eleventh Young Lady who suffered for it.

The thought flashed through his mind, and his hand settled gently against her abdomen.

“The Crown Prince has only just received his appointment,” he said, shifting position and resting his chin on the top of Eleventh Young Lady’s head, drawing her close in an easy embrace. “He must show filial devotion and attentiveness to the Emperor and Empress; show broad-minded patience and forbearance toward his brothers and sisters; show intelligence and wisdom before his instructors; show steady composure and gravity before the hundred court officials… He has so much to attend to — how could he spare thought for taking additional consorts? The day after tomorrow is the new Princess’s washing ceremony. When you see the Empress, be sure to mention it. No matter how displeased she may feel in her heart, she must not rashly move to bestow a consort upon the Crown Prince at this time. Give Fang Jie’er a few years — the Zhou Family will know to be grateful. If things still do not improve after that, it will not be too late to consider then how to go about selecting a consort. Please ask the Empress to shield and make allowances with His Majesty as much as possible.”

The difference in station between them — he an outer court official, she an inner court consort — meant that although they were own brother and sister, it was not convenient for Xu Lingyi to frequently go to see the Empress. Moreover, one being an outer official and the other an inner consort made it all the more necessary to avoid any appearance of impropriety. If there was a matter to convey, Eleventh Young Lady making a palace call as a wife of rank during formal greetings and relaying the message to the Empress was a comparatively inconspicuous arrangement.

Eleventh Young Lady understood. She rested her head against Xu Lingyi’s shoulder: “Marquis, have no worry — I will convey the Marquis’s meaning to the Empress.”

Xu Lingyi gave a quiet “Mm,” then stifled a yawn: “Let us sleep quickly. Yesterday I still had to consult with Mother about going into the palace.” His voice was a little indistinct, clearly weary.

Eleventh Young Lady answered softly, “Yes,” and closed her eyes to rest as well. Xu Lingyi, as though remembering something, added: “If there is an imperial summons for Jin Ge’er to enter the palace, find some reason to decline — once he is in the palace, you cannot keep him at your side to look after him properly, and if he should bump or scrape himself anywhere, it would not be good.”

It was concern that the child might be neglected there.

Eleventh Young Lady put her arm around his waist and pressed herself warmly against his chest, answering a clear and bright “Yes.”

Only then did Xu Lingyi stroke Eleventh Young Lady’s hair and drift off to sleep.

Eleventh Young Lady tilted her head back, seeing only Xu Lingyi’s chin.

The line of his jaw was beautifully sculpted — pressed close like this, it was drawn slightly taut from pursed lips, yet conveyed a quiet, settled dignity.

Eleventh Young Lady smiled to herself, and gently leaned up to press a kiss to it.

Whether it was the resolve that comes from being a mother, or simply that Eleventh Young Lady had had too little contact with the Empress before and did not know her well — at the washing ceremony, Eleventh Young Lady had barely finished paying her respects to the Empress and saying, “The new Princess is truly beautiful — she and the Great Princess look as though they were cast from the same mold,” when the Empress smiled warmly and beckoned her over, taking her by the hand. She first asked softly about Jin Ge’er: “…Has he begun to cut teeth yet? He should be able to sit upright with support by now. Is he eating well? How much does he weigh? How tall is he?”

Eleventh Young Lady answered each question in turn.

Then she heard the Empress, in a voice so soft it was nearly inaudible, say: “Pass word to Lady Zhou. Let things proceed as they should. There is no need to worry. The matters of the palace — I will see to them.”

Eleventh Young Lady gave a slight nod and continued speaking of Jin Ge’er’s little ways, as though the Empress had said nothing at all just then.

The Empress watched her, a flash of pleased satisfaction crossing her eyes.

Eleventh Young Lady resolved to tell Xu Lingyi every word and action that had passed between herself and the Empress — so that he would stop treating the Empress as though she were a naive young girl who knew nothing of the world.

Lost in thought, she noticed the Great Princess enter surrounded by a retinue of eunuchs and palace maids.

Seeing Eleventh Young Lady standing beside the Empress in conversation, she ran over in small quick steps, tugging at Eleventh Young Lady’s sleeve: “Lady of Yongping Marquis, Lady of Yongping Marquis — why did you not bring Jin Ge’er with you?”

A teaching matron beside the Great Princess leaned in and murmured a reminder: “Great Princess, please let the Lady of Yongping Marquis pay her respects to you first before you speak.”

But the Great Princess paid the matron no heed, and told Eleventh Young Lady directly: “Jin Ge’er is so amusing! Last time, Father Emperor was holding him, and I poked his cheek with my finger — he turned his head and took my finger right into his mouth and began sucking on it vigorously!” As she spoke, she held out the index finger of her right hand for Eleventh Young Lady to see.

The Great Princess’s fingers were fair and smooth, her nails trimmed neatly without a speck of dirt, the small nails glowing with a soft rosy luster.

So that was why Xu Lingyi had looked somewhat displeased when he came home… Who knew what else Jin Ge’er had gotten up to?

With this thought, though Eleventh Young Lady kept smiling, her heart was a little uneasy. She felt Xu Lingyi’s decision not to let her bring the child into the palace had been the most correct one possible.

And at this moment, the Empress, whose eyes and heart were entirely fixed on the Great Princess, did not notice Eleventh Young Lady at all, nor did she reprimand the Great Princess for her rudeness. Instead she smiled warmly and said: “Furong, do you like Jin Ge’er very much?”

The Great Princess nodded emphatically: “He looks beautiful, and he is not at all like Eighth Brother — poke him once and he bursts into wails.”

A few days prior, Consort Song had given birth to the Eighth Imperial Prince for the Emperor.

The entire hall of ladies burst into laughter, and the palace maids and eunuchs each suppressed their smiles and bowed their heads.

The Great Princess felt that everyone was laughing at her, grew very unhappy, and said loudly to defend herself: “It is the truth! Jin Ge’er is the most beautiful person I have ever seen — the very most beautiful!”

The teaching matron’s face flushed a deep red; she could have wished for a crack in the earth to swallow her up, sweat breaking out across her brow.

The Empress, seeing the Great Princess upset, laughed and took her in her arms: “Very well, very well. We were not laughing at you. We only felt that you are very young and already have such a discerning eye — quite remarkable.”

The ladies in attendance all quickly chimed in: “Great Princess, everyone who has seen the Sixth Young Master of Yongping Marquis knows the Sixth Young Master is beautiful. We were not laughing at you — we thought you very clever!”

Only then did the Great Princess’s expression soften a little.

“This is destiny!” someone laughed suddenly. “Among all the children in the palace, the Third Prince, Fourth Prince, and Sixth Prince each have reading companions, yet one has not seen the Great Princess take a special liking to any of them. It seems to me the Empress and the Yongping Marquis might as well make it a closer match — have the Sixth Young Master wed our Great Princess!”

Everyone looked over in surprise toward the voice.

The speaker was the mother-in-law of Li Ji — the Princess Ancheng.

Eleventh Young Lady was inwardly furious.

What possessed Princess Ancheng to say something so entirely out of place? Setting aside that the two were cousins by the maternal line, only families of modest means ever betrothed infants in their cradles. One had to consider that in ancient times, the survival rate of infants was very low — if a betrothal were made too early and the girl passed away prematurely, the boy would be saddled with the reputation of a man who brought misfortune to his wives; if the boy passed away, the question of whether the girl should keep her fidelity or remarry was a thorny one. Families of any standing would generally begin making marriage inquiries when the children were eleven or twelve years of age — by that point, the children had taken some shape, and both sides could properly assess and negotiate a match.

She darted a quick glance at the Empress.

The Empress’s expression remained warm and composed, just as it had been, and she made no reply.

It seemed she, too, disliked what Princess Ancheng had said.

She looked toward the Grand Madam at her side.

The Grand Madam lowered her head to sip her tea, as though she had heard nothing at all.

Eleventh Young Lady exhaled quietly.

She hoped her son would find a person he himself loved… If he grew up and loved the Great Princess and wished to become a Prince Consort, she would not stand in his way. But any such thing must first be a decision the boy himself made.

The thought flashed past. Eleventh Young Lady’s lips barely parted — she was just about to say something light and witty to pass the moment over — when someone spoke ahead of her: “I see that Princess Ancheng, having found herself an excellent son-in-law, cannot help but try to play matchmaker whenever she sees a handsome young couple.” A peal of laughter followed, and then the voice asked: “Speaking of which, has your Shengping and her husband had any happy news yet, these three or four months?”

Eleventh Young Lady looked over.

The speaker was the mother of Ren Kun, Princess Changning.

Princess Ancheng heard this, and a hint of pride flickered across her brow: “Ji’er has been away serving the nation — barely home a few days after the wedding before he had to return to Fujian…”

“Now that is your failing,” interrupted Princess Changning, not waiting for Princess Ancheng to finish. “Young newlyweds — one in Yanjing, one in Fujian… Even allowing that the Li Family’s rule is to take no concubines, you as a mother-in-law cannot on that account keep your daughter-in-law by your side. A daughter married out is water poured away. I think you should send Shengping off to Fujian at the earliest opportunity.” She paused and shifted her gaze: “Or could it be that Lady Li wants the daughter-in-law to remain in the household to observe the proprieties of service before the in-laws, which is why she is unwilling to send her to Fujian?”

Under Great Zhou law, only the wives of military officials of the third rank and above were required to remain in Yanjing.

Everyone in this room was of the imperial family or high nobility. The officials’ wives were waiting outside the hall.

Someone hearing this laughed and said: “Ancheng, if you find it awkward to say something, let us today, with the Empress as witness, summon Lady Li here and help you persuade her. What do you say?”

Before Princess Ancheng could reply, someone else immediately joined in with righteous indignation: “Yes indeed! Although a daughter-in-law serving before her in-laws is as it should be, our Shengping is first of all not the eldest daughter-in-law; second, she holds the title of County Mistress; and third, the couple is newly wed — Lady Li is truly too unfeeling!”

All of them were matrons who had endured years as daughters-in-law before becoming mothers-in-law themselves, talking freely about others’ family gossip as spectators. Like a single stone dropped into a still pond sending ripples in all directions, they all began talking over one another.

And yet the Princess Changning who had cast the stone sat serenely on her silk stool, watching the commotion in the room with a smile, having stepped back from the fray of gossip.

Eleventh Young Lady watched, and something stirred in her heart.

For Princess Changning to have won the Emperor’s affection — it was surely not only because her birth mother had once nursed and raised the Emperor.

What followed became rather theatrical.

The Empress summoned Lady Li before her to speak.

Lady Li explained repeatedly that she had absolutely no such intention. It was only that Fujian was unsettled, and fearing the County Mistress might find life there difficult to adjust to, she had asked her to remain in Yanjing.

Princess Ancheng also explained without pause that it was not Lady Li who wished to keep the daughter-in-law at home — it was she herself who feared her daughter was young and inexperienced, and had asked Lady Li to keep her daughter nearby for two years to be guided.

Just as the exchange was in full animated swing, the head palace matron came in to announce that everything was ready on the Crown Princess’s side.

Everyone gathered around the Empress and made their way to Fang Jie’er’s quarters.

Along the way, Princess Ancheng wore a somber expression and seemed quite displeased. Lady Li, however, walked with composed dignity among the outer consorts, not sparing Princess Ancheng so much as a glance.

Eleventh Young Lady found it a little amusing.

As her gaze drifted amid the movement of the crowd, it fell upon Lady Zhou, who was supporting Princess Fucheng.

She had been all smiles and cheerful conversation with everyone while waiting for the Empress’s summons outside the hall. But once inside, she had remained silent until now.

Surely her heart must be heavy.

Eleventh Young Lady thought it over, then found an opportunity and gave Lady Zhou’s sleeve a quiet tug.