“Fifth Sister-in-law is close to Seventh Sister,” said Shiyiniang. “Knowing that Seventh Sister is in Yanjing, she wanted to come and see her too.”

But had she told Fifth Madam about Seventh Sister’s situation?

Siniang turned this over in her mind. Seeing that Shiyiniang said nothing more, and not wanting to press the matter, she finally let out a soft sigh and invited Shiyiniang inside. “Let’s go sit in the side room.”

Shiyiniang nodded.

A burst of loud sobbing suddenly came from the side room.

Siniang’s face filled with surprise.

Shiyiniang, on the other hand, breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

She had been afraid that Seventh Sister would say nothing at all in front of Fifth Madam. Now that she was willing to open up, things would be easier to handle.

Shiyiniang tugged lightly at Siniang’s sleeve. “Fourth Sister, let’s leave Fifth Sister-in-law and Seventh Sister to talk properly.”

Siniang thought for a moment, then went with Shiyiniang to sit in the inner room.

Fearing that Siniang might press her about what Xu Lingyi thought of the matter, Shiyiniang steered the conversation toward Yu Yiqing instead. “I heard that Elder Dou, who has just taken office, thinks very highly of your husband and wanted him to take up a position as a Supervising Secretary in the Ministry of Personnel, but your husband politely declined — is that true?”

This was precisely what had been troubling Siniang. The moment Shiyiniang brought it up, she said at once, “You must have heard it from the Marquis.”

Shiyiniang nodded.

Siniang said pensively, “Did the Marquis say whether your brother-in-law handled the matter well — or not well?”

Shiyiniang smiled. “The Marquis rarely discusses such things with me. It only came up because it concerned your husband, so he mentioned it in passing. I’ve never had a chance to speak privately with Fourth Sister, so I never thought to ask.”

Siniang let out a long sigh at this. “Your brother-in-law is an honest and upright man by nature. He says that Elder Dou, though resolute and upright, and exceedingly incorruptible, has a stubborn and harsh temperament —” She stopped herself abruptly, a flicker of regret crossing her eyes. Covering herself, she quickly pushed the blue-and-white porcelain dish in front of Shiyiniang. “What am I going on about. These are freshly roasted melon seeds — try them and see how they taste. If you like them, I’ll have some set aside for you to bring back for the Grand Madam.”

Words spoken in the intimacy of the bedchamber, touching on court affairs — even between sisters, it was not fitting to let them travel further. Siniang was ordinarily a very guarded woman. That she had let even this much slip today — either this matter weighed heavily on Yu Yiqing’s future, or Seventh Sister’s situation had unsettled her usual clarity.

“Of course!” Shiyiniang cracked a melon seed and fell to chatting about household matters. “It’s almost the start of Winter now, and there’s more and more to manage at home. The Marquis has asked me to take over running the household. I’m already wondering how to arrange this year’s New Year provisions. Fourth Sister, where did you buy these melon seeds? They really are delicious. I’ll ask the steward to fetch some for the New Year too.”

“From Mao Ji’s shop on East Main Street!” Siniang, relieved to be swept along in idle talk, was happy to follow wherever the conversation led.

The two of them sat and chatted for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn. Fifth Madam had still not come out. Seeing that the hour was growing late, Siniang gave instructions to the kitchen to prepare a meal, and rose to go and invite Fifth Madam and Seventh Sister to come out and eat.

Shiyiniang held her back. “Let them finish talking. Right now, even the finest delicacies would go untouched — Seventh Sister couldn’t eat a thing.”

Siniang considered this for a moment. “Then I’ll have the kitchen set aside dishes for them.”

Shiyiniang smiled and nodded. She stayed for lunch at Siniang’s house, rested through the afternoon, and played for a while with Qi Ge’er. As the sky gradually darkened and lamps were being lit, she found herself growing restless — Jin Ge’er had never been apart from her like this before, and she didn’t know how he was faring at home. She felt an urge to grow wings and fly back. At the same time, she thought of Fifth Madam, who had been in that room since morning and had eaten nothing but a few plates of pastries sent in by little maidservants — and a ripple of anxiety passed through her. She was just debating whether to interrupt Fifth Madam and Seventh Sister when a little maidservant came running in. “Mistress, Madam — Madam Zhu and the Countess of Danyang have come out.”

The two of them rose at once and went toward the back courtyard. Under the eaves, they met Fifth Madam and Seventh Sister walking hand in hand.

Fifth Madam wore a bright smile, her spirits visibly lifted. Seventh Sister’s eyes were red and swollen, but her face carried a faint, quiet smile.

Siniang felt a rush of gladness. Shiyiniang, too, broke into a smile.

“I thought you two were going to talk through the night by candlelight,” Siniang said, going forward to meet them. “You must be famished.” She turned to a little maidservant at her side. “Serve the meal quickly.”

“Madam Yu,” Fifth Madam said hurriedly, “it’s already late. We’ll come and trouble you another day.”

“That won’t do at all!” Siniang began, but Seventh Sister had already spoken up. “Fourth Sister, don’t bother keeping her. Shen Ge’er has been alone at home all day, and Danyang is worried about him. Let’s leave her dinner for another time.”

“What sort of thing is that to say!” Siniang said, caught between laughter and exasperation.

But Seventh Sister replied, “We’re not strangers, Danyang and I — why stand on ceremony and put everyone in an awkward position?” Her manner toward Danyang was noticeably warmer than before.

It seemed their conversation had gone very well.

Shiyiniang inwardly approved, while at the same time exchanging pleasantries with Siniang and Seventh Sister as they walked to the gate together, the others accompanying them out and onto the carriage.

Seventh Sister stood by the carriage, reluctant to part from Fifth Madam. “The moment there’s any news, I’ll send my personal nanny to bring you word.” Then she turned to Shiyiniang. “Tenth-First Sister, please put in a word for me with the Grand Madam. Tell her I’m feeling calmer now, and that I’ll come and kowtow to her once I’ve gathered myself. I shouldn’t rush over in this state — if I have no decent expression on my face, it’ll only upset her too.”

“Understood.” Shiyiniang bid her farewell.

The carriage clattered off down the alleyway.

Fifth Madam’s expression shifted, growing solemn.

“Fourth Sister-in-law, I think the best thing now is for you to go back to Bowstring Alley and discuss this matter with your maternal uncle.”

Shiyiniang felt a jolt run through her. “What’s happened?”

“The matter of adopting the Yu family’s youngest son to give to Seventh Sister — it’s half due to Zhu Anping going back on his word. He had made that promise to Seventh Sister, and now that he’s broken it, she can’t get past it. But the other half lies with Second Master Luo.”

“My Second Uncle?” Shiyiniang was taken aback.

Fifth Madam nodded, and chose her words with care. “According to what Seventh Sister told me, when she went back to her family home about this matter, Second Master initially scolded her for making a fuss. But when he heard that members of the clan had stirred up the Zhu family’s old matriarch to come and make a scene, he changed his mind. He said that the Zhu relatives had already divided from the main branch back in Zhu Anping’s great-grandfather’s generation; that only a small part of the Zhu family’s estate had come down from Zhu Anping’s father and grandfather, while the greater part was what Zhu Anping himself had built — so why should cousins nearly five generations removed be entitled to divide it up? He then wrote a letter for Seventh Sister to bring to Madam Yu.”

Before this, she had suspected that Second Master Luo and his wife knew about the situation — perhaps even that their excessive indulgence toward their daughter had led them to quietly condone Seventh Sister’s behavior — but she had never imagined that Second Master Luo had played an active role in fanning the flames.

A chill spread through Shiyiniang from head to toe.

And now even Siniang, so composed and sensible and righteous in all things —

She could hardly bring herself to believe it. She cut Fifth Madam off quickly, lowering her voice. “And what did my Fourth Sister say?”

“Madam Yu found the whole thing preposterous. Not just herself — even Master Yu would never agree to give his own son to the Zhu family as an heir. She urged Seventh Sister to go back to Gaoqing at once and hold her ground as the principal wife no matter what. She herself would follow shortly after to reason with the Zhu family on Seventh Sister’s behalf. As for adoption — don’t even think of it. Give Zhu Anping a concubine right away. If the concubine produces a son, go to the yamen to register it and raise the child under her own name. If no son comes, then the right and wrong of the matter would be entirely on the Luo family’s side. At that point, she could make those who raised the adoption matter deeply regret it.”

This was the Siniang she knew.

Shiyiniang exhaled.

“But Seventh Sister had come to Fourth Sister with such high hopes,” she said softly, “expecting her to uphold justice and make Zhu Anping keep his promise. Advice like that — she couldn’t possibly have taken it in.”

“No, she couldn’t.” Fifth Madam sighed. “At the time she thought Second Master’s reasoning was sound. She also said — since she married into the Zhu family, everything from her food to her clothing has been picked apart by the elders and sisters-in-law. They all knew Zhu Anping wouldn’t take a concubine for her sake, and every one of them was waiting to see her humiliated. How could she now take the initiative to bring a concubine into the house herself? That would be no different from slapping her own face.”

“And so she caused a scene then and there?” Shiyiniang guessed.

Fifth Madam gave a pained smile. “She grabbed a pair of scissors and plunged them toward her own chest. If the maidservant at her side hadn’t been quick-eyed and quick-handed, it might have…” Then, with relief: “As it was, she only pierced a hole through that maidservant’s hand.”

As it was, she only pierced a hole through the maidservant’s hand.

Shiyiniang looked at Fifth Madam and her matter-of-fact expression, and felt words forming in her throat that she could not bring herself to say.

Fifth Madam didn’t dwell on it.

Anyone would feel embarrassed to be caught up in a matter like this, involving a family elder’s wrongs — let alone since she was Shiyiniang’s sister-in-law. It was only natural that Shiyiniang found it uncomfortable. Fifth Madam pretended not to notice, and went on. “After Second Master Luo learned that Madam Yu was unwilling to give her youngest son to be adopted into the Zhu family, he sent letter after letter — and then personally dispatched one of his private advisors to Yanjing, saying that if Madam Yu refused, he would come in person to face the son-in-law he had once raised as his own. And so Madam Yu agreed.”

So that was why Siniang couldn’t say a word.

Shiyiniang lowered her eyes and sat there in silence.

Fifth Madam, seeing the grief and indignation that showed on her face, felt a twinge of sympathy.

She wished she could offer Shiyiniang some comfort, but their dealings had always been few, and she could find no fitting words.

In the silence, the clamor of voices outside the carriage grew louder, pressing in from all sides.

Past this stretch of West Main Street with its rows of shops and storefronts, it would be the quiet and solemn Zheng’an Street, and Lotus Lane would come into sight.

With this in mind, she said, “Fourth Sister-in-law, I think the heart of this matter still lies with Second Master Luo. It’s already beyond what we younger members of the family can settle on our own. You’d best make up your mind soon.”

Shiyiniang raised her eyes, a flash of gratitude crossing her gaze. “Fifth Sister-in-law, thank you for the reminder. I’ll go to Bowstring Alley first thing tomorrow morning.” Then she asked, “My Seventh Sister — what does she plan to do now?”

A trace of satisfaction came over Fifth Madam’s face. “I told her: rather than demanding that Zhu Anping honor his promise, why not hold him accountable for breaking it?”

Shiyiniang looked at Fifth Madam in surprise.

Fifth Madam looked pleased, as though she had just swallowed a cup of warm tea on a winter’s day.

The satisfaction in her eyes deepened further. “Men — when they’re in high spirits, they’ll say anything. We women would need a dedicated ledger and a little maidservant just to keep track of it all.” She laughed. “Seventh Sister has no children — that is her fault. But Zhu Anping promised Seventh Sister he would adopt from among her sisters’ sons — that is Zhu Anping’s fault. Set the two against each other, and they cancel out.”

Some people are simply born knowing how to manage the bonds between husband and wife.

Fifth Madam was one of those people.

All these years, Seventh Sister’s barrenness had made her feel guilty — and out of that guilt had come a desperate need to stir up trouble, to turn the smallest slight into a catastrophe. Fifth Madam’s words had given Seventh Sister a reason, a way to fill the hollow place inside her.

—