Lady Li, as a rule, never came without purpose.

Eleventh Young Madam, recalling that Xu Lingyi had gone into the palace, had a little maid invite Lady Li to wait in the flower hall, and summoned Steward Zhao from the household management office: “Has anything happened with the family of General Li, the commander-in-chief in Fujian?”

Steward Zhao replied respectfully: “It is said that General Li passed off civilians as enemy pirates to claim military merit, and this was discovered by General Jiang. The Emperor was furious. Several days ago, an imperial envoy was dispatched quietly southward to apprehend General Li and escort him back to the capital under guard. By the reckoning of dates, the envoy should have reached Fujian by now.”

General Li was extraordinarily brazen.

Eleventh Young Madam could not help but frown.

It appeared that Li Ji’s prospects were in serious jeopardy.

Having a clear sense of the situation in her mind, she went to the flower hall to receive Lady Li.

Lady Li made no mention whatsoever of General Li. She spoke only of the approaching New Year and said that knowing Eleventh Young Madam had grown up in Fujian, she had brought along some local specialties. She then brought up the subject of Xu Siyu’s marriage prospects: “…With such outstanding character, and a mother-in-law like you, the matchmakers must be wearing down your doorstep already!”

The Li family had always made much of their rule against taking concubines. A mother would naturally want to see her daughter married into a household with such a rule, but the mother-in-law receiving such a daughter-in-law might well feel otherwise. And so the Li family’s eldest son had quickly secured a match with a girl from a prosperous family before Li Ji’s marriage, while the Li family’s eldest daughter had been so particular in her searching that she remained unbetroved to this day.

With all this in mind, and with Steward Zhao’s words still fresh in her ears, Eleventh Young Madam at once became guarded, and deflected with preemptive words: “There have indeed been many proposals. And since they all come from close friends with whom we have long been acquainted, there is no urgency — I intend to make a careful selection from among them.”

Lady Li smiled and nodded: “Of course. The Second Young Master is, after all, the Marquis’s eldest son — this cannot be taken lightly.” Then she smiled and said: “I’ll be frank with you — it’s no secret that I don’t like to beat around the bush. May I ask whether the match for your second young master has been decided yet?”

“Not yet.” Such things could not be concealed, so Eleventh Young Madam acknowledged it, but added: “The main reason is that there are three candidates, and we are waiting for the Marquis to look them over carefully before making a decision.”

Lady Li leaned forward at this, smiling over at her: “Since it has not yet been decided, allow me to put myself forward — what do you think of my eldest daughter?”

So she was indeed angling for a marriage alliance!

Eleventh Young Madam inwardly let out a quiet sigh, and smiled: “Miss Li is lovely in appearance and lively in spirit — if she could be spoken of alongside our Zhun Ge’er, what more could one ask? However, as you well know, such matters in our household are decided by the Marquis. What Lady Li has said today, I must discuss thoroughly with the Marquis before I can give an answer.”

“This is indeed a major matter — of course it requires careful deliberation with the Marquis.” Lady Li understood that this was not something that could be settled in a moment, chuckled a few times, said “then I shall await your Lady’s news,” and rose to take her leave.

When Xu Lingyi returned from the palace, he brought two baskets of mandarin oranges, and also produced a small box for Eleventh Young Madam: “A gift from Her Majesty the Empress.”

Eleventh Young Madam opened the box — inside were five sinking-wood fragrance hairpins, four carved in bamboo-knot form and one carved with a lotus blossom.

She had Zhuxiang distribute the mandarin oranges equally among each household’s quarters, sent the lotus hairpin to Zhen Jie’er, and had the remaining four divided among the four brothers Xu Siyu and his siblings. Then she informed Xu Lingyi of Lady Li’s purpose in calling.

“Out of the question!” Xu Lingyi replied without a moment’s hesitation. “He makes general, then wants to be vice minister; makes vice minister, then eyes the ministership… With relatives like that, we’d never know a day’s peace — and might very well end up being dragged down by them in the end.”

“Your consort understands this as well.” Eleventh Young Madam smiled and helped Xu Lingyi change his clothes. “I only wanted to let the Marquis know, so he would be informed.”

Xu Lingyi listened, then said after a moment’s thought: “Li Da’xiaojie — she’s older than Zhun Ge’er, isn’t she?”

Eleventh Young Madam nodded: “By two or three years.”

“Then tell Lady Li that we had Zhun Ge’er’s fortune read, and it was determined that he cannot take a wife older than himself.” Xu Lingyi said. “Use that to decline.”

Eleventh Young Madam smilingly replied “yes.”

Xu Lingyi said: “You have been busy these past days as well. Once the New Year is behind us, let us sit down properly and think through Zhun Ge’er’s marriage.” He then spoke of Zhen Jie’er: “Next year happens to be a Dragon Year, when the military examinations will be held. Your son-in-law will come to the capital to sit the martial examination. Prepare some clothing and provisions in advance, so that we can send them over when the time comes.”

Eleventh Young Madam then thought of Qian Ming: “The Fifth Elder Sister’s husband — we should go and see him as well.”

Husband and wife talked through the domestic matters of the household. The following day when Lady Li came, Eleventh Young Madam declined her firmly, exactly as Xu Lingyi had instructed.

Lady Li appeared quite crestfallen and, taking hold of Eleventh Young Madam’s hand, broke into tears: “I’ll be honest with you — I feared that once word of my husband’s situation reached the capital, my daughter’s marriage prospects would become even harder to arrange.” She then wept through the whole account of General Li’s affair. “It was the Marquis who originally recommended him. I now ask that the Marquis step forward and put in a word with the Ministry of War on his behalf.” She looked at Eleventh Young Madam with tear-blurred eyes.

Eleventh Young Madam felt that General Li’s conduct was simply beyond any help worth giving.

She declined directly: “The Marquis cannot abide women meddling in such affairs. I’m afraid I am in no position to be of any assistance.”

Lady Li had gone knocking at door after door these past days and been turned away everywhere — but no one had refused her as bluntly as Eleventh Young Madam. She was momentarily taken aback and cried louder than before.

Eleventh Young Madam held firm throughout and refused to relent. In the end, Lady Li departed with a glint of faint resentment in her eyes.

Eleventh Young Madam was somewhat alarmed, and said to Xu Lingyi with a sigh: “Even if you had helped her a thousand times, the one time you did not, she would not only bear a grudge, but actually resent you for it.”

“Don’t let such things weigh on your mind.” Xu Lingyi comforted her. “Let her resent away — the real pity is Li Ji, suffering the consequences of his father’s actions.”

Eleventh Young Madam was unconvinced: “Whether it is purely suffering the consequences, or whether he himself was involved — that remains to be seen!”

“A parent’s conduct does carry great influence over a child,” Xu Lingyi explained his meaning of “consequences.” “How else would there be the saying, ‘When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too?'”

That was fair enough.

Eleventh Young Madam let out a sigh.

Within a few days, news of General Li’s crimes slowly spread, and all manner of talk circulated — though with one common thread of mockery aimed at the Li family’s rule against concubines: “…So it was all posturing — putting on a virtuous act just to build a fine reputation.”

But Eleventh Young Madam’s attention had turned to Shandong.

A letter came from the Seventh Young Madam, saying she had followed the Fifth Young Madam’s counsel — she looked for whichever family had been most eagerly jumping about in the matter of the adoption, and took a son from that family to be heir. The adoption ceremony would be held with the opening of the ancestral shrine on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month, the eve of the Little New Year. She asked Eleventh Young Madam to pass word along to the Fifth Madam.

The adoption had finally gone through after all.

From this point on, even if the Seventh Young Madam bore children of her own, the heir’s right of inheritance would take precedence over theirs.

She showed the letter to the Fifth Madam.

The Fifth Madam laughed merrily: “Seventh Young Madam had better not give up halfway — otherwise, by the time her hundred years are spent, this child will be the one lighting incense at her ancestral tablet.”

The two were still mid-conversation when a little maid came running in: “Madam, the nanny sent by Cangzhou with New Year gifts has come inside to pay her respects to you.”

Eleventh Young Madam took her leave of the Fifth Madam. Offerings were made to the Kitchen God, new charms were pasted up, the house was swept clean — and in a blink, it was New Year’s Eve. After the New Year’s feast, Xu Lingyi, Xu Lingyi, Xu Siqin, and Xu Siyu sat indoors talking. The Second Madam and Fang Shi accompanied the Grand Madam. Eleventh Young Madam and the Fifth Madam held Jin Ge’er and Shen Ge’er in their arms, standing beneath the eaves to watch Xu Sijian, Xu Sizhun, and Xu Sijie, each with their personal page boys, setting off fireworks in the courtyard.

The bright red lanterns cast everything in a warm crimson glow. Fire trees and silver flowers bloomed in the night. Life in the Xu household was, like the world laid out before them — abundant, peaceful, and serene.

On the first day of the New Year, they entered the palace to offer felicitations to the Emperor and Empress. That afternoon, the rounds of New Year calls began, and continued until the tenth day before finally settling down.

The maternal uncle of Xu Siqin came to call without warning.

“…Now that the child is older, it’s time to think about his future prospects.” He sat squarely in the grand armchair, blowing aside the tea leaves floating atop his cup. “His brother-in-law’s intention is for me to find the child a fine tutor, so he can close the doors at Sanjing Hutong and apply himself to his studies, and in time sit for the examinations to pass as a jinshi or a juren — bringing honor to the Xu family name. No suitable tutor had been found before, and then when one was found, the New Year was nearly upon us. So it was put off until today. I’ve come to speak with the Marquis especially, to work out when it would be convenient for the children to move. When the time comes, I as their maternal uncle will bring a few attendants over to help with the moving.”

It was perfectly reasonable for Xu Siqin to move out, but it could not come at Xu Lingyi’s initiative — lest people assume Xu Siqin was being driven away. Xu Lingyi had long been waiting for an opening. Now that the Gan family had provided the ladder, he naturally descended with it.

“Since it’s for the sake of studies, moving out is perfectly fine.” He considered a moment. “Why not wait until after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month to discuss further?”

It was little more than going through the motions, after all.

Xu Siqin’s maternal uncle thought little of it, having discharged his duty, arranged to discuss things again on the nineteenth day of the first month, exchanged a few pleasantries, and rose to take his leave.

Only then did Fang Shi learn of her mother-in-law’s plans. She felt deeply mortified, yet could only smile through it and begin packing her trunks.

Fortunately, as she had only just arrived, most of her trunks and cases had not yet been fully unpacked, so there was not much to do. She went through things gradually, and before long it was the tenth day of the first month.

Her eldest cousin, Fang Ji, suddenly arrived in Yanjing from the south of the Yangtze.

Xu Lingyi personally received him.

Fang Ji was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and bore a strong resemblance to Fang Shi — standing side by side, they were unmistakably siblings.

His manner was easy and composed, and he spoke without a trace of obsequiousness or arrogance: “…I have come to sit the spring examination this year. Thinking that reading ten thousand books cannot compare to traveling ten thousand miles, I set off early, hoping to take in the customs and character of Yanjing.” He then had someone present the specialties he had brought from Huzhou. “Aunt misses my younger sister greatly, and personally prepared some of her favorite foods for me to bring along.”

Xu Lingyi found Fang Ji a pleasing young man, refined and upstanding, and took a great liking to him. He introduced Xu Sizhun to him, and had Xu Siyu take Fang Ji to see Fang Shi.

Fang Shi was overjoyed. She brought out the palace-style Jing Eight Delicacies that the palace had recently gifted to the Grand Madam and the Grand Madam had in turn gifted to her, and served them to Fang Ji. She personally brewed some of the Grand Red Pao tea that Eleventh Young Madam had given her.

Fang Ji, seeing she seemed considerably more light-hearted than before her marriage, and observing that the room’s furnishings held nothing exceptional yet were tasteful and refined throughout — and that the tea and refreshments offered were all of fine quality — finally set his mind at rest: “It seems Aunt was right to insist on sending you to the Xu family against all objections — she made the right choice!”

Fang Shi’s cheeks colored, and she said with fond exasperation: “Elder Brother only knows how to tease me. What about speaking of yourself? Your last letter said you would not arrive until the middle of the second month — how is it you’re here so early? Could it be that old habit of yours has flared up again, and you made your escape?”

Lord Fang, the eldest branch of the family, had only Fang Ji as his surviving son, with all the other children belonging to the second branch under Magistrate Fang, and had perhaps been a touch overindulgent — raising in Fang Ji a fondness for collecting bronze inscriptions and ancient stones. Whenever he encountered a fine piece, he would often exchange the jade pendant at his waist or some other object for it, which inevitably drew his mother’s scolding.

Fang Ji, struck on a tender spot by his sister’s words, fidgeted somewhat and looked around: “The weather in Yanjing really is frightfully cold. And the food is so coarse. I think I’ll head straight back to the south of the Yangtze as soon as the examination is over!”

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