Fifth Madam heard this and smiled until her brows curved, then said softly to Xu Lingkuan: “Fifth Master, why don’t you choose a name for the child?”
Fifth Master adopted an air of deep thought.
Third Madam smiled. “The child has only just been born — what is the rush? There will be time enough once our Qin Ge’er is wed.”
Newborns were generally given a pet name first, and a formal name only when the child was a little older — for fear that too much good fortune too soon would be more than a small child could bear. But hearing Third Madam put it that way, Fifth Madam was very displeased.
Her child was born of a distinguished and noble family — what was there that he could not bear?
Besides, Shiyiniang’s Jin Ge’er had been named the very day he was born.
Xu Lingkuan was also not entirely comfortable with Third Madam’s words, but thinking it over, there was a reasonable point to it. He was just about to say something light-hearted to his wife when he noticed her face was full of grievance, and he immediately changed his mind. “I think we should call him ‘Shen’ — the character meaning abundant. He is one among his brothers, and in time will bring even more brothers along…”
*Shen* — carrying the meaning of many and plentiful.
The Grand Madam glanced at Third Madam, then smiled. “It is a fine name.” She then asked Fifth Madam: “What do you think?”
Among the cousins, the children ranked seventh in birth order, yet in their own household he was the eldest legitimate son. Fifth Madam felt Xu Lingkuan should have chosen a more distinguished name, but the Grand Madam had already given her approval, and Fifth Master’s words carried an underlying wish for her to bear more children. And so she smiled and nodded, then took the child from the nurse, kissed his cheek, and said tenderly: “Our Shen Ge’er has a name now!”
Nanny Shi was quick to say at the side: “Congratulations to Seventh Young Master on receiving his name!”
Fifth Madam raised her face and smiled.
The entire room of maids and matrons called out “Shen Da’ye” in chorus.
Third Madam could not help but raise an eyebrow.
She had given birth to two sons, and neither birth had been attended by such fanfare.
But the Grand Madam, who had now gained another grandson, saw nothing frivolous in it. She smiled warmly and reminded Fifth Madam: “Rest and recuperate properly. Nanny Shi will manage the rooms. Though the weather is hot, you must not open the windows and let in cold drafts on a whim…”
For each thing the Grand Madam said, Fifth Madam answered. It was not until the Grand Madam saw Fifth Madam beginning to show signs of fatigue that she finally stopped speaking, said with a smile “I will come see you again tomorrow,” and then was seen back to her rooms by Shiyiniang and Third Madam.
On the day of the bathing ceremony, a large group of people came from Hongdeng Lane, but as most were distant relatives, Fifth Madam introduced only the wife of the Heir of Marquis Dingnan — Madam Mu — to Shiyiniang and the others.
Madam Mu was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years of age, of medium build, with a fair complexion and pleasant features, but she was very shy — the moment she opened her mouth her face turned red.
“Look at that, look at that,” Madam Huang teased, “compared to Madam Sun, the rest of us might as well have no sense of propriety at all.”
Madam Sun was quite startled. She hurried to say: “It is I who am ignorant and inexperienced. The sight of all you fine ladies flustered me completely. Surely the ladies have more sense of propriety than anyone.”
“Sister-in-law, do not listen to Third Young Madam Huang,” said Fifth Madam, ever protective of her Elder Sister-in-law. “She is only teasing you.” Then she added: “Sister-in-law has not yet met Princess Fucheng — she is in my mother-in-law’s room, speaking with my mother-in-law at this moment.”
All the madams, ladies, and young mistresses here knew one another and were speaking of things Madam Sun could neither understand nor join.
Hearing this, Madam Sun exhaled with relief and said at once: “Then I shall go pay my respects to Princess Fucheng right away!” And she quickly took her leave of Madam Huang and First Young Madam Lin and the others, and went to the Grand Madam’s room accompanied by Nanny Shi.
First Young Madam Lin smiled and teased Fifth Madam: “Dandan, you have said everything your sister-in-law wanted to say yourself.”
Fifth Madam protested: “Surely I am not that talkative!”
Everyone turned their gazes toward Madam Zhou, who had been silent since the moment she walked in.
Ever since Fang Jie’er had given birth to her second daughter, Madam Zhou had rarely gone out.
Seeing the attention on her, she smiled. “When I speak, you find me too talkative. When I don’t speak, you find me too silent.” She sighed in mock helplessness. “Poor me — left and right there is no winning. Simply standing here earns me your reproach.”
At that, everyone burst into laughter.
Tang Fourth Madam stepped forward and took Madam Zhou’s arm. “Never mind these troublemakers — let us go speak by ourselves.” She led her to sit down in the grand armchairs to one side, and began talking about her daughter’s dowry: “…The Grand Madam left behind a double-stranded pearl bracelet — every pearl the size of a longan — truly rare and fine. Our girl’s wrists are so slender that it slides right down; worn as a necklace, it’s a touch too short; fashioned into hair ornaments, it seems a pity to dismantle it. I am at a complete loss as to what to do with it!”
Madam Zhou smiled. “You have found the wrong person — this is something you ought to ask Fourth Madam Xu.” She showed little enthusiasm for the conversation.
“You have seen much of the world, while Fourth Madam Xu has clever and skillful hands,” Tang Fourth Madam said in the most agreeable tone. “If I could have both of you to help think of something for our girl, what more could I ask for? It is only that both of you are of such distinguished standing that I did not presume to impose. But since you have brought the matter up yourself today, I will not hold back.” She then went to take Shiyiniang’s arm. “Would the two of you help me think it through — at the very least, see our girl decently married?”
Ever since Shiyiniang had learned that Master Zhao had left his post at the academy in dissatisfaction with the Tang family’s attitude, she had been on her guard with the Tang family and did not wish to grow too close to them. She smiled and said: “I really only manage to do things for myself at home. I have no ability to devise strategies for your household’s young lady. Better to ask Elder Sister Zhou to decide.”
But Tang Fourth Madam would not take no for an answer, and insisted on pulling Shiyiniang to sit beside Madam Zhou.
First Young Madam Lin watched this and leaned close to murmur to Madam Huang: “I have heard the Tang family is seeking to have the Third Young Master’s wife set aside in divorce. It looks as though the Tang family has set their sights on the Zhou family.”
Madam Huang gave a small dismissive curl of the lip, and said nothing.
These days she was often at the Xu household. Tang Fourth Madam had once sent over four stalks of century-old ginseng on the pretext that Shiyiniang’s health was poor — but Shiyiniang felt the gift too weighty and had forwarded it to the Empress. Afterward she had intermittently sent bolts of fabric and dress materials, all of which Shiyiniang entered into the household accounts and returned with gifts of equivalent value. Only these past few days had Tang Fourth Madam finally quieted down.
Over on the other side, a little maid raised the curtain, and Third Madam swept in surrounded by a cluster of maids and matrons. “The banquet tables on that side are all set — shall everyone move over to be seated?”
She had the day before proactively offered to the Grand Madam and Fifth Madam to help host Shen Ge’er’s bathing ceremony.
“Oh my, when did you get back to the capital?” said those who knew her, smiling.
“I returned in the first month,” Third Madam replied with a smile. “Our Qin Ge’er is to be married. The date has been set for the sixteenth of the ninth month — I must see this great matter through before going to Shanyang. You will all have to come and drink a cup of wine with us.”
“But of course, but of course.”
She extended her invitation to First Young Madam Lin, Madam Huang, and Tang Fourth Madam, then added a reminder to Tang Fourth Madam: “If by chance you see the Tang Ninth Young Mistress of the west courtyard, please let her know on my behalf as well. In a few days I will go in person to extend an invitation.”
Tang Fourth Madam smiled. “I will certainly pass the word.”
Madam Huang leaned close and asked Shiyiniang in a low voice: “Does your household have dealings with the west courtyard of the Tang family?”
The west courtyard of the Tang family housed a cadet branch of the Zhongshan Marquis family that had gone beyond the fifth degree of kinship.
Shiyiniang thought it over. “It may be that Third Sister-in-law has a personal acquaintance with them.”
It was only later, when writing out the invitation cards, that she learned what had actually happened — it turned out that once, when Third Madam had attended a celebration at the Tang family, the Tang Ninth Young Mistress of the west courtyard happened to be holding her daughter’s hundred-day ceremony, and Third Madam had sent over two bolts of satin as a congratulatory gift.
Fifth Madam was so furious her face went purple. “I knew it — why would she suddenly be so enthusiastic? Rushing to help manage Shen Ge’er’s bathing ceremony and full-month celebrations. So it was all so she could invite guests for her own Qin Ge’er’s wedding.” She then said to Shiyiniang: “Fourth Sister-in-law may not know this yet, but she even invited two distant sisters-in-law from my own family… in the end she will drop both children off at home and go off to Shanyang herself. If any of those two sisters-in-law’s families have a wedding or a funeral, can I really compel my nephews’ wives to put up the money to reciprocate the courtesy? Carrying on like this, making such a tasteless show of herself — where do I put my face?”
Shen Ge’er had a touch of stomach trouble, and Shiyiniang had come to visit. She had not expected Fifth Madam to tell her all this.
It was not the kind of thing Fifth Madam would do, nor the kind of thing Shiyiniang would do.
Shiyiniang gently patted Shen Ge’er and smiled. “Sometimes I envy those common market women — their way of crying and making a scene and threatening to do away with themselves is more satisfying than the way we are made to suffer in silence!”
Fifth Madam was momentarily taken aback, and then burst out laughing.
The look she turned on Shiyiniang softened with warmth.
“In September, when the sky is clear and cool, it is just the right time for admiring chrysanthemums and eating crabs. I had originally planned, on the occasion of Shen Ge’er’s hundred-day celebration, to invite Seventh Young Lady to come to the capital and stay a while.” She frowned. “But now it seems I had better wait until after Qin Ge’er’s wedding to write to her — otherwise she will come rushing here with all her eagerness and walk right into the middle of it all.”
Shiyiniang laughed. “Go ahead and write to her as planned — Third Sister-in-law has already invited not only my Fourth Elder Sister and Twelfth Younger Sister, but my Seventh Elder Sister as well!”
Fifth Madam was struck speechless, and after a long moment said: “We have truly underestimated her.”
Shiyiniang could not help laughing again at that.
In his swaddling cloth, Shen Ge’er wrinkled his little brow.
Shiyiniang quickly swallowed her laughter. “I nearly startled our Shen Ge’er awake!”
Fifth Madam, seeing the warmth mixed with a hint of fondness in Shiyiniang’s gaze as she looked at Shen Ge’er — the same look she gave Jin Ge’er — felt the corners of her own lips curve upward.
“Fourth Sister-in-law is not in the best health — let the wet nurse take him from you.”
Fifth Madam was always careful with her child, so Shiyiniang accepted without ceremony, smiled, and passed the baby to the wet nurse. Fifth Madam then told her about Seventh Young Lady.
“There has been no news at all. Old Madam Zhu nags and hints at home every day. Master Zhu can do nothing about it either. A little while ago, Seventh Young Lady even went back to her parents’ home and stayed for more than half a month before returning.”
None of this had Seventh Young Lady ever breathed a word of to Shiyiniang.
“And how is she now?”
“She hasn’t said. But I imagine her days cannot be easy.” Fifth Madam sighed. “That is why I wanted to bring her here to the capital to stay for a while. Perhaps we could find her a good physician to take a proper look at her.”
Shiyiniang felt a pang of shame.
She and Seventh Young Lady were sisters — yet she was not as close to her as Fifth Madam was.
“I have also advised her,” said Fifth Madam, “to simply take a concubine if nothing else can be done. She won’t hear of it. She says she would rather separate entirely. I don’t know what to say to her. When she comes, Fourth Sister-in-law, please have a word with her as well.”
Shiyiniang had a faint sense of understanding Seventh Young Lady’s feelings.
To Seventh Young Lady, Zhu Anping was not merely her husband — he was the one she loved. And so she found it especially impossible to bear, and would rather part than submit to such compromise.
When she returned to her room, she asked Xu Lingyi: “Is it possible to look into whether Zhu Anping has ever fathered children before?”
Xu Lingyi smiled. “It would be easier to simply take a concubine. At least the child’s origins would be clean.”
“It is not for that reason!” Shiyiniang mused. “Seventh Elder Sister has been seeking out physicians everywhere, and yet there has not been the slightest result. If the problem truly lies with Seventh Elder Sister, once she knows for certain, she can make up her mind about what to do.”
Xu Lingyi thought it over and agreed readily.
—