Afterward, Xu Lingyi called to Qiuyu, the night-duty maidservant, to have the kitchen make a bowl of noodles in chicken broth.

“No need,” Shiyiniang said quickly. “They’d have to relight the stove. There are pastries in the food box outside — I’ll have a couple of those to hold me over. Besides, it’ll be dawn soon.”

Xu Lingyi took no notice of her, and simply told Qiuyu to be “quick about it.”

Shiyiniang felt a little sheepish.

Xu Lingyi turned a straight face on her. “There are maidservants and servants all through this house, and you managed to go to bed hungry.” Seeing how she lay there listlessly, with a somewhat weary look about her, his expression softened into something tender, and he gathered her into his arms. “I’ve barely managed to get some flesh back on your bones, and you treat yourself like this.”

Shiyiniang, too embarrassed to speak, buried her face against his chest and said nothing.

Xu Lingyi looked at her, so childlike in her manner, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Her face burning, and looking to escape her embarrassment, Shiyiniang turned to talk about household matters. “When I went to pay my respects to Mother this evening, I ran into Third Sister-in-law. My Lord, did you tell Mother about Third Master’s wishes?”

Xu Lingyi knew she was flustered, and kindly helped her along, pulling the covers up more snugly around her and wrapping her in tight. He followed her lead. “I did. Mother’s feeling is — since they’ve already set their hearts on it, forcing the matter will only breed resentment. If they want to move out, let them.”

His tone was even, but it carried an unmistakable trace of displeasure.

Shiyiniang couldn’t help but regret raising the topic. Just then, Qiuyu brought in the chicken broth noodles, and Shiyiniang smiled and coaxed Xu Lingyi to eat with her.

“I won’t eat.” He draped a small padded jacket over her shoulders. “Have it yourself.” He got up and brought the bowl over, then sat beside her and watched her eat.

In the warm lamplight, Shiyiniang ate contentedly, taking small, delicate bites, an expression of deep satisfaction on her face.

The corners of Xu Lingyi’s mouth curved into a quiet, pleased arc.

He loved this about her — that such a small thing could make her so happy and so content.

He reached out and smoothed back the hair she had tucked neatly behind her ear. “Slowly. Mind you don’t burn yourself.”

She finished a small bowl of noodles, rinsed her mouth and washed her hands, and lay back down. The sky had already begun to pale.

Xu Lingyi went to the back garden to practice his swordwork. Shiyiniang lingered in bed a while longer, then rose as well.

A manservant came running in. “Madam, the eldest young master from Bowstring Alley is here.”

Shiyiniang was startled.

For him to come at this hour, could something have changed with Seventh Sister’s situation?

She told the manservant to “invite the young master to wait in the study,” urged Qiuyu to hurry with her hair, then went quickly to the study.

Luo Zhensheng was pacing back and forth in the study, his expression grave.

When he saw Shiyiniang, he came forward at once. “I’ve written a letter to Father — have someone ride it to Yuhang as fast as they can.” He pulled a sealed letter from his sleeve as he spoke.

The elder master’s letter had not yet come back, and now Luo Zhensheng was sending another one to Yuhang.

“What’s happened?” Shiyiniang asked Luo Zhensheng to sit and speak.

Luo Zhensheng gathered himself for a moment, then said slowly, “I received a letter from Second Uncle. Judging by his tone, he is considerably in favor of adopting Fourth Sister’s son to give to Seventh Sister, and he wants me to help speak to the Zhu family on Seventh Sister’s behalf. I feel this matter touches on ancestral rites, and there are certain customs and regulations I may not fully understand — Father really should be the one to take charge of this.”

So Luo Zhensheng had also noticed his second uncle’s intentions.

Shiyiniang told Luo Zhensheng what she had learned from Fifth Madam.

Luo Zhensheng listened with a deep frown, then lowered his voice and rebuked Shiyiniang. “Seventh Sister doesn’t know better — but how can you follow along in her thinking? Second Uncle simply feels that the Zhu family showed disrespect to the Luo family — opening the ancestral shrine without so much as sending word. That’s the resentment that’s been sitting in his chest. We as the younger generation — how can we speak ill of our elders like this.”

Shiyiniang was speechless.

Even now, he still had to maintain Second Master Luo’s dignity as an elder.

She murmured a soft assent and sent for the head steward, Bai.

Luo Zhensheng’s expression eased somewhat. “Do you have anything pressing these next couple of days? If not, go and talk to Seventh Sister — tell her not to act rashly on impulse. As for the adoption, I’ll handle it for her. Tell her not to say a word to her husband, and not to say anything to the Zhu family either. If anyone from the Zhu family comes to her, or if Zhu Anping brings up the adoption, she just pushes it back to me.”

He was afraid that if Seventh Sister kept causing scenes, things would spiral beyond control.

Shiyiniang then told Luo Zhensheng that she had invited Fifth Madam to go and reason with Seventh Sister.

Luo Zhensheng listened, and was quiet for a long moment. Then he said softly, “In that case, go and visit Seventh Sister with Fifth Madam when you have time.”

He was tacitly accepting Danyang’s plan.

Xu Lingyi returned from his swordwork.

“Something urgent, to come this early?” He smiled and called for a maidservant to set out breakfast.

“I need to trouble the Marquis to send a letter to Yuhang for me.” Brother and sister had, without consulting each other, chosen the exact same excuse. “These past few days, General Jiang has been sending victory dispatches from Fujian, and Elder Dou has asked us to write up some official bulletins to be distributed by the Six Ministries to all the provinces. I still need to get to the Hanlin Academy. I’ll come and share a drink with the Marquis another day.” Declining Xu Lingyi’s invitation to stay with a polite word, he rose and took his leave.

Xu Lingyi, hearing he had official business, did not press further, but walked him to the gate while asking a few questions about the situation in Fujian. Then he turned back and called for the head steward Bai. “Has the young master been having you send letters to Yuhang often lately?”

There were things that, if unasked, could simply be left unknown — but once asked, could not be concealed.

“This is the second time,” said the head steward. “The first time, it was at Madam’s instructions.”

Xu Lingyi gave a quiet nod, then went back to the main room. He found that after going to pay her respects to the Grand Madam, Shiyiniang had taken Jin Ge’er to visit Fifth Madam.

“Seventh Sister sent her personal nanny with a letter — it seems Seventh Brother-in-law will be arriving in Yanjing in the next day or two?”

Jin Ge’er had just learned to walk, and he refused to be carried — he absolutely had to walk on his own. In Fifth Madam’s spacious hall, he toddled along by himself and would not let anyone help him. Shiyiniang hovered behind him like a mother hen with her wings spread, ready to catch him if he fell, and glanced up now and then to look at Fifth Madam, who was sitting on the large kang by the window of the rest area.

“He’s coming,” said Fifth Madam, who felt Shiyiniang was far too anxious about Jin Ge’er. “Just have the wet nurse mind him. Come sit with me.” Then she said, “She’s asking what I think she should do?”

“He woke up yesterday evening and I still hadn’t come home — he was already asleep by the time I got back. This morning he opened his eyes and wanted me to hold him right away, and wouldn’t even go to the Marquis.” Shiyiniang explained. “I’d rather keep him with me. Otherwise he’ll just fuss and cry. You don’t know — when he cries, it could wake the heavens. It’s quite alarming.”

Fifth Madam laughed. “All children cry like that when they’re worked up.”

“I find Xin Jie’er very gentle and quiet,” Shiyiniang remarked. She saw Jin Ge’er stretch up on his toes to grab the fringe on the tablecloth, and hurried over to coax him into letting go. Once he finally released it, she resumed talking with Fifth Madam. “Yes, someone does need to go and have a word with Seventh Brother-in-law.” But Fifth Madam wasn’t the right person for that. For one thing, she was an outsider — and as the old saying goes, family troubles are not aired in public. If Zhu Anping knew the situation had spread so far that even Fifth Madam knew about it, he would lose face. For another, Fifth Madam had a mother-in-law above her and children of her own — she couldn’t go rushing over to Seventh Sister’s every few days. “What do you think — should I ask Fourth Sister to speak with him?”

Fifth Madam had come to look for Shiyiniang for precisely this reason.

To counsel Seventh Sister, she didn’t mind stepping in. But to confront Zhu Anping directly — in terms of standing, position, and connection, she was not well-placed to do so. And yet if she simply declined, she was afraid Shiyiniang and Seventh Sister would think she was unwilling to help. Now that Shiyiniang had said it first, she quietly exhaled.

“Fourth Sister is naturally the best choice,” Fifth Madam said with a smile. “As a sister-in-law, she can say whatever needs to be said. And if she goes too far, there’s also her husband to step in and smooth things over.”

“Then I’ll speak to Fourth Sister.” Seeing that Jin Ge’er had come to a stop, clutching the arm of a large armchair and refusing to budge, Shiyiniang guessed he was tired, and picked him up. “Sister-in-law, you speak to Seventh Sister.”

Fifth Madam had given Seventh Sister a plan that fit her wishes, that she could accept, and that could actually be carried out — which meant Fifth Madam’s words carried the weight of sacred truth for Seventh Sister right now. Anything else, Seventh Sister was in no state to hear.

“Gladly.” Fifth Madam also felt that Seventh Sister currently held some grudge against her own sisters, and it was better for her to go instead. “I’ll write her a letter. And if Madam Yu’s words don’t move Zhu Anping, I’ll ask my husband to go and speak to him too. That should set Seventh Sister’s mind at ease.”

Shiyiniang nodded, and the two of them settled on the details. One wrote a letter to Seventh Sister, the other wrote a letter to Siniang.

Nanny Shi was overjoyed and couldn’t do enough for them, bringing pastries and fruit without stopping. Seeing the two of them talking together about Seventh Sister’s business, she dismissed the maidservants and attended on them personally.

By the time lunch was approaching, Shiyiniang and Fifth Madam carried their children together to pay their respects to the Grand Madam.

Yupan caught their eye from across the room with a meaningful look. “Third Madam is in the inner room.”

Both of them paused in their steps, and faintly heard the sound of weeping.

A glimmer of amusement rose in Fifth Madam’s eyes.

She asked Yupan in a low voice, “What’s going on?”

Yupan glanced once at Shiyiniang, saw that she too was leaning in to listen, and then said quietly, “Last night, Third Madam played cards with her maidservants until the middle of the night, and Eldest Young Mistress stood in attendance the whole time. She must have been on her feet too long — her legs went numb. When she went to leave, she tripped and fell and sprained her hand. Being a new bride, she didn’t dare say a word. By this morning, her hand had swollen up like a steamed bun. The Grand Madam found out and was so angry she was shaking. She’s in there giving Third Madam a dressing down right now.”

Fifth Madam looked over at Shiyiniang with an air of vindication, and murmured, “What did I say? She’s always been too harsh with people — sooner or later something was bound to happen.” Then she pressed her lips together in a satisfied little smile. “Our eldest young mistress couldn’t have sprained her hand at a better time.”

Shiyiniang also felt that Third Madam had gone too far. She thought for a moment, then asked Yupan, “What did Eldest Young Master say?”

Yupan paused, then said with a smile, “It was actually Eldest Young Master who told Third Madam. And Third Madam was the one who went and called the doctor.”

Shiyiniang quietly sighed to herself, and went with Fifth Madam to wait under the eaves with the children. She suggested they go and look in on Madam Fang.

“Of course.” Fifth Madam said, her eyes bright and lively. “She’s just married into the family and already sprained her hand — how could we sit by and do nothing?”

Shiyiniang felt a twinge of unease at the look on her face.

Jin Ge’er took two steps, then turned back to look at Shiyiniang. Seeing that she was right behind him, he took two more steps, then turned to look again, with an expression of wanting to walk yet being afraid — utterly charming, drawing smiles from all the little maidservants and wives around the Grand Madam’s rooms. One little maidservant couldn’t help laughing aloud, which drew the attention of those in the inner room.

Shortly after, the Grand Madam had Yupan call them both inside.

Third Madam stood to one side, eyes red and swollen, looking dispirited. When she saw Shiyiniang and Fifth Madam walk in one after the other, an unmistakable flash of resentment crossed her eyes.

—