Eleventh Lady quickly took Fang Shi by the hand.

“What nonsense is all this?” she said in gentle reproach. “A matter as great as marriage is for the elders to decide. One cannot simply say ‘dissolve the marriage’ and have it dissolved, or say ‘beg to leave’ and go. Since you speak of your mother at home who misses you, all the more reason you must not be so willful.” Then she said, “Please withdraw for now — I have a few words to say to your mother-in-law!”

Fang Shi seemed to want to say something more, but in the end replied softly “Yes,” curtsied, and made to withdraw.

Across the room, the Third Madam could not hold back any longer, and said to Eleventh Lady: “There is nothing you need to say. This letter of repudiation is decided!”

The departing Fang Shi paused for just the briefest moment at the doorway, then lifted the curtain and walked out.

Eleventh Lady sent Nanny Song a meaningful look, signaling her to withdraw, while she said aloud: “Third Sister-in-law, please calm yourself. Whatever has happened, do at least tell me the whole of it so I can have some idea of what is going on.”

“Didn’t she just tell you everything?” the Third Madam said coldly. “She brings a curse upon men. The Fang family concealed this from us and married her into our household.” At this, she grew agitated. “If it weren’t for looking to arrange a match for Jian Ge’er, I would still be kept in the dark by the Fang family — I might never have understood even when I died…” With that, she told Eleventh Lady the whole story.

It turned out that after the Third Madam had returned to Shanyang, she began helping Xu Sijian look for a match, hoping to find a second daughter-in-law who could measure up to Fang Shi. But the moment people heard that her first daughter-in-law had come with twenty thousand taels of silver in betrothal gifts, they all expressed that they could not provide such a dowry. She had no choice but to instruct the matchmaker that she would only look at the girl’s character, and not mind the size of the dowry — yet those families still declined the matchmaker’s proposals with polite refusals. One thing led to another, and she began to grow anxious. Particularly in the case of the youngest daughter of the Prefect of Fengxiang, who was even more accomplished than Fang Shi. Though the Third Madam knew it would be reaching above her station, she felt it was not entirely without hope. So she seized upon the opportunity of a temple fair to engineer a chance meeting with the Prefect of Fengxiang’s wife — and that was when she learned about the curse of Fang Shi upon her husbands.

“…They deceived us in this marriage — a daughter-in-law like this, our family absolutely cannot keep!” the Third Madam said indignantly. “The Prefect of Fengxiang’s wife said her daughter would never agree to share a household with such a person. If anything were to go wrong, there would be no room for regret.”

Eleventh Lady was at a loss for words. She could only say: “Does the Third Master know about this?”

The Third Madam’s expression flickered, and she replied with a touch of guilt in her raised voice: “How could I possibly bring myself to tell the Third Master about such a thing? If Fang Shi had any sense of shame, once the matter came to light, she ought to have come forward of her own accord and asked to leave. Instead she has the audacity to summon her natal brother to come and talk of ‘dissolving the marriage’ with our family? Does the Fang family have any regard for Marquis Yongping’s household at all? If we do not teach them a lesson, I fear the Fang family will climb right on top of us!”

In other words, the Third Master did not know.

Could it be that since she was the one who had arranged this marriage, and now that trouble had arisen, she felt too ashamed to tell the Third Master?

Eleventh Lady pondered this, lifted her teacup for a sip, and said evenly: “Since Third Sister-in-law has made up her mind, I will say no more. But whether dissolution or repudiation, one ought to inform the Marquis and the Third Master. And the Old Madam should also be consulted.” She paused, then stood. “Time is getting on. If we leave any later, we’ll be caught by the curfew. Fang Shi remains your daughter-in-law for as long as one day passes. She is still the First Young Madam of the Xu family for as long as that holds. Whether for the monk’s sake or for the Buddha’s, leave her some dignity in this — bringing the hammer down this completely sheds no good light on Qin Ge’er either. I shall wait for Third Sister-in-law tomorrow so that we may discuss a plan together.”

The Third Madam kept saying “Yes,” and personally saw her out.

Fang Shi stood in the courtyard. Seeing the two of them come out, she hesitated for a moment, then came forward after all: “Fourth Aunt, allow me to see you out.”

The Third Madam did not spare Fang Shi a glance, but walked straight ahead while speaking to Eleventh Lady with a pleasant smile: “…When I left, Jin Ge’er had only just had his first-year ceremony. Children change so fast day by day — I expect he’s walking and talking all over the place by now!”

Eleventh Lady smiled and responded to the Third Madam while giving a small nod to Fang Shi: “He only just started speaking a few days ago. He opened his mouth and spoke in full sentences, loud and clear as a bell. These days I’ve been trying to get him to say a few more words, but it’s not going very well — I do wonder whether he’ll grow up to be a quiet, reserved sort.”

The Third Madam watched the exchange, and her manner toward Eleventh Lady grew all the warmer: “There has never been a quiet, reserved child in our family…”

She walked side by side with Eleventh Lady toward the inner gate, conversing as they went.

Fang Shi knew the Third Madam was trying to use this method to humiliate her and squeeze her out.

She said nothing at all, and followed silently behind the two of them to the inner gate.

A little maidservant came running up in a hurry: “Madam, the Third Young Master says his stomach is unsettled!”

The Third Madam grew anxious at once: “What do you mean, unsettled? What use is telling me? Go quickly — have the outer courtyard harness a carriage and send for a physician for the Third Young Master!” She turned to Eleventh Lady with an apologetic smile. “I won’t see you further. Please walk carefully.”

The little maidservant did not move, and looked to Fang Shi.

Fang Shi quickly drew a token from her sleeve and handed it to the maidservant.

Only then did the maidservant run off.

Eleventh Lady showed no reaction, and said, “Since Jian Ge’er is unwell, let me go have a look as well.”

The Third Madam was worried about her son and did not stand on ceremony with Eleventh Lady — the two went together to see Xu Sijian.

Xu Sijian looked well enough in color, just holding his stomach and saying it hurt. When he saw Eleventh Lady, he gave a slightly embarrassed smile: “I’ve put Fourth Aunt to the trouble.”

“Not at all!” Eleventh Lady had barely offered the polite reply when the Third Madam had already taken his hand and was pressing him urgently: “What have you been eating these past few days? When did the pain start? Are you having loose stools?”

“I’m all right,” Xu Sijian said. “Just a sharp pain now and then.”

The Third Madam could get nothing clear out of him, and looking up, she caught sight of Fang Shi standing silently to one side. She immediately turned on her with a barrage of scolding: “How are you managing the household? To let your brother-in-law eat something bad…”

Fang Shi stood there and bore the scolding without a word.

Xu Sijian tugged at his mother’s sleeve: “Mother, Fourth Aunt is still here.”

Seeing that Xu Sijian appeared in decent spirits, Eleventh Lady did not wish to stand there listening to the Third Madam berate Fang Shi, and took her leave of the Third Madam again.

The Third Madam, worried for Xu Sijian, exchanged a few polite words and had the wife of steward Gan Laoquan see her out.

Though Eleventh Lady was a sister-in-law by marriage, she was the head mistress of Xu family affairs, the Lady of Marquis Yongping’s household. To have the wife of Gan Laoquan see her out was really rather lacking in courtesy.

Fang Shi wanted to remind the Third Madam, but the Third Madam had already turned on her: “You just stand there looking blank — what did your mother teach you? Your brother-in-law is unwell, and this is how you wait upon him…”

She could not help but arch an eyebrow and say coolly, “You are right, Madam. My mother truly did not teach me — that a brother-in-law as close in age to me as he is should, when unwell, be waited upon by me.”

The Third Madam choked on her words and could not speak for a long moment.

Eleventh Lady, hearing this from just outside the doorway, gave a quiet little shake of her head, and followed the wife of Gan Laoquan out through the inner gate.

A figure suddenly darted out.

Eleventh Lady, Nanny Song, and the others all had the fright of their lives — they stumbled back several steps, and one of the more timid maidservants let out a sharp shriek.

“Aunt,” the figure bowed respectfully to Eleventh Lady. “It is me, Xu Siqin.”

“Oh, it’s you!” Eleventh Lady caught her breath, patting her chest. “Whatever possessed you to do that?” Then she added, “You’ll frighten someone to death doing that!”

He quickly stepped forward: “Aunt, I gave you a scare.” Only then did his face come into view, revealed by the great red lanterns hanging at the inner gate.

“Aunt, I have two words to say to you.” Xu Siqin looked at her with great earnestness, his expression carrying a gravity that made him seem serious beyond his years.

“What is it?” Eleventh Lady suspected what he wanted to say had something to do with Fang Shi.

Xu Siqin then instructed the wife of Gan Laoquan: “You may withdraw.”

The wife of Gan Laoquan glanced at Xu Siqin with some hesitation, then slowly withdrew.

Nanny Xu and the others moved discreetly to stand along the covered walkway inside the inner gate.

On an early summer’s night, the deep blue sky was scattered with stars like a riot of brocade.

Xu Siqin was silent for a long while, then said quietly, “Fourth Aunt, do you still remember my fourth cousin?”

Yuan Jie’er?

Eleventh Lady was startled.

Before she could answer, Xu Siqin had already said, “I still remember why she had to marry so far from home.”

His young face carried a weight that did not match his years.

“Aunt,” Xu Siqin’s voice was low and measured, like a small river held in ice. He clasped his hands and bowed deeply before Eleventh Lady, the bow going all the way to the ground. “Please speak for me before Fourth Uncle. I — I will not repudiate my wife.”

Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Siqin bowing before her, and could not say why — she suddenly felt her eyes grow wet.

She thought for a moment, then said gently, “Do you know that this decision of yours will make things very difficult for Fang Shi in the years ahead?”

“I know!” He straightened. “I will treat her well.”

“You must remember what you have said.” As she spoke, her gaze drifted from the corner of her eye toward the inner gate.

Fang Shi stood quietly on the steps of the inner gate. The hem of her skirt, caught by the night wind, fluttered like a butterfly poised to take flight.

—