“Has the pain in your heart eased any?” The Dowager Matriarch took the hot tea Shiyiniang offered and lifted the cup gently to her lips.

“Much better, much better!” Third Madam hurried over with a smile on her face. “I should have come to pay my respects sooner, but I feared worrying you, so I…”

Before she could finish her words, the Dowager Matriarch waved a hand and cut her off. “Shanyang is a thousand li from here. You are no longer young, and after such a long journey, with your health not quite right, it is only natural to want a few more days of rest before coming to see your mother-in-law.” Then she asked, “Why has the eldest young mistress-in-law not come with you?” Her tone was entirely gentle.

Both Third Madam and Shiyiniang were taken aback for a moment.

Shiyiniang knew the Dowager Matriarch and Second Madam had gone to the Bureau of Astronomy to have Fang Shi and Xu Siqin’s birth charts read together.

Unless they encountered a fool, the people at the Bureau of Astronomy might not cast the birth charts of an already-married couple in an especially favorable light, but they would not cast them as clashing and incompatible either — otherwise she would not have dared suggest such a thing in the first place. And yet from the Dowager Matriarch’s demeanor, she seemed clearly pleased with Fang Shi. Could it be that the Bureau of Astronomy had found the young couple’s charts to be an excellent match?

She could not help but glance toward the Dowager Matriarch.

And she saw Second Madam, standing just beside the Dowager Matriarch, give her a faint nod.

When Shiyiniang had heard that the Dowager Matriarch had asked Second Madam to accompany her to the Bureau of Astronomy, she had felt a quiet sense of anticipation.

By the standards of this society, Second Madam was something of an unconventional figure — widowed and living independently — and as such, she would likely regard the rumors about Fang Shi “bringing misfortune upon her husband” with disdain. Furthermore, she had been keeping entirely to her rooms of late, reportedly studying the study of celestial bodies. With her along, and with her learning, if she were willing, she could easily turn an unfavorable situation into a favorable one. And now it was clear that Second Madam had indeed lent Fang Shi a hand.

But standing as she was before the Dowager Matriarch, she did not dare exchange meaningful glances with Second Madam. She stood there with perfect composure, without so much as the flicker of an expression.

Second Madam glanced at her, raised an eyebrow slightly, and looked away.

Third Madam, however, was inwardly puzzling.

Had Shiyiniang arrived too late last night — and the Dowager Matriarch had gone out so early this morning — that there had been no chance to tell her about this matter?

She looked toward Shiyiniang.

Only to see Shiyiniang standing there with eyes fixed straight ahead, the very picture of studied blankness.

Could it be that Fang Shi, that vixen, had been coming to pay her respects to the Dowager Matriarch every day and had won her over with her sweet talk — and that the Dowager Matriarch, being on in years and fond of flattery from the young, combined with Fang Shi’s generous hand with gifts to those around her, had someone speaking in her favor, leaving the Dowager Matriarch muddled and remembering only Fang Shi’s good points and forgetting her faults, and had simply let the matter pass?

If that was truly the case, it would not do at all.

At this thought, Third Madam steeled herself and said, “Mother, I had her stay home and not wander about. You may not know, but this time I came back…”

The Dowager Matriarch raised her hand and cut her off once again. “Although I am your mother-in-law, I have never made it my practice to interfere in the affairs of your own household. It is precisely because I fear that the managing nannies and personal maids, seeing me get involved, might take advantage of the situation — looking down on you and making things difficult for you. A mistress is a mistress; a servant is a servant. I do not give you face because I am your mother-in-law — that is my prerogative. But it is certainly not the place of those servants to show you a cold face. If the eldest young mistress-in-law has done something wrong, you as her mother-in-law can correct her behind closed doors. Beyond that, say no more. Your sister-in-law is standing right beside you. However you conduct yourself, you should leave your daughter-in-law at least a measure of dignity in front of her elders.” Then she added, “Since your health is not quite right and there are a heap of matters at home to attend to, you need not come to pay your respects to me for the next few days. See to the household first.” Then she smiled and looked toward Second Madam, saying with a touch of humor, “Otherwise people might say I am an overbearing mother-in-law — making a sick daughter-in-law stand on ceremony before me!”

These words left Third Madam’s face cycling between white and red, her expression anxious. Her lips parted slightly as if she were about to say something. But Second Madam had already laughed and said, “Listen to you, Mother. If you are an overbearing mother-in-law, then nine out of ten people in all of Yanjing must be overbearing mothers-in-law. You can make a joke if you like, but mind you do not drag the others in with you. Be careful or someone will come and settle accounts with you.”

The Dowager Matriarch laughed heartily and lifted her tea. “You may go. I still have Shiyiniang here to discuss Zhen Jie’er’s wedding.”

Third Madam looked at Second Madam, who had not moved so much as a step, and her face darkened to purple. She murmured a quiet “Yes,” curtsied, and withdrew.

The Dowager Matriarch’s expression then grew serious.

“Your Second Sister-in-law and I went to the Bureau of Astronomy. Thanks to her, the Director of the Bureau and the Deputy Director each cast a reading for Qin Ge’er and Fang Shi. The readings they arrived at were identical. They said that Qin Ge’er is lacking in the wood element in his birth chart, and that between the ages of thirty and thirty-four there is a difficult juncture — if not careful, he may encounter the inauspicious influence of the water-official star. He needs someone with an abundance of earth in their chart to stand as a buffer for him. And as it happens, Fang Shi’s chart is not only rich in earth, but also rich in metal. Metal grows from earth — her chart is compatible with Qin Ge’er’s; not only does it augur well for the husband, it also augurs well for children.” The Dowager Matriarch looked at Shiyiniang, her expression carrying a certain weight of feeling. “It seems you were right after all — Fang Shi was born to be Qin Ge’er’s wife.” Her face then settled into a look of resolution. “Now we wait for Fourth Son’s news.”

Since she already trusted the reading from the Bureau of Astronomy, why still wait for the investigation from Huzhou? At the heart of it, the Dowager Matriarch still placed more faith in hard facts. The readings and star-gazing were no more than a means of reassuring herself.

At this moment, Shiyiniang could only hope that Fang Shi had not lied, and that her sincerity would earn her a secure place in this household.

“My lord says that news from Huzhou should arrive within half a month at most,” she said gently. “Mother need not worry too much. By the time you have gone to worship at the Medicine King Temple and come back, the half month will have passed in the blink of an eye.”

The Dowager Matriarch gave a slight nod and instructed Shiyiniang: “As for the Fang Family’s side — we must not give any ground. No matter what, the Fang Family’s elders must come in person with Mister Fang the Tan Hua to offer an apology.”

Shiyiniang replied respectfully, “Yes.”

Nanny Du walked in with a cheerful expression. Sensing the rather solemn atmosphere, she gently teased: “It is nearly midday now. You may not feel tired sitting there instructing your daughter-in-law, but I pity the two madams — their legs must be quite stiff by now.” Then she turned to Shiyiniang and Second Madam and said, “The palace sent down some fine quality tianma as a gift a couple of days ago. Today the kitchen has made tianma black chicken soup. The two madams cannot simply stand here for nothing — you must at least stay for a bowl of soup before leaving.”

Both Second Madam and Shiyiniang laughed.

The Dowager Matriarch pointed at Nanny Du and laughed, “Just look at you — using my things to win favor with Yizhen and Shiyiniang!”

“It is only because your things are so fine that they can keep the two madams here!”

The Dowager Matriarch laughed heartily at this and told Shiyiniang to “bring Jin Ge’er along too. I have not seen him once yet today.”

Shiyiniang smiled and had Zhuxiang go and fetch Jin Ge’er, then told him to call out “Second Aunty.”

Second Madam smiled and nodded politely, saying something to the effect of, “It seems he has grown a little taller again.”

Jin Ge’er, finding Second Madam’s manner rather cool, immediately flung himself into the Dowager Matriarch’s arms, crying “Grandmother, Grandmother!”

The Dowager Matriarch was warmed to her very core. She quickly had Yupan go and fetch the rose-petal candy that had been sent from the palace, then said to Second Madam: “You don’t know — he can eat a full bowl of rice at one sitting. Since he came into this world, he has never once needed a physician.” She quite ignored the way he had worried everyone during the days just after his birth. “If he had not been weaned, he would be even sturdier.” The Dowager Matriarch’s tone carried a note of wistfulness.

Shiyiniang had originally planned to wean Jin Ge’er at ten months, but due to the Dowager Matriarch’s objections, the weaning was pushed all the way past his first birthday celebration. Fortunately, Shiyiniang had carefully planned his diet, and though Jin Ge’er lost considerable weight after weaning, he had more vitality and energy, which finally put the Dowager Matriarch’s complaints to rest. Had she not managed it so well, the weaning would never have gone so smoothly.

Perhaps this was not a topic Second Madam felt at ease with. She smiled but said nothing.

Yupan brought the rose candy.

Shiyiniang smiled and took it. “I will keep it for Jin Ge’er. He can have it after eating his meal,” — a gentle refusal of the Dowager Matriarch’s wish to give it to him at once.

Nanny Du quickly said, “The Dowager Matriarch has several lovely blue-and-white porcelain jars — perfect for storing this rose candy. Sixth Young Master is sure to like them.” The topic then shifted to Jin Ge’er — the Dowager Matriarch was fond of collecting exquisite little trinkets, and for some reason Jin Ge’er also adored them and would insist on claiming anything he took a liking to. The Dowager Matriarch would often praise him for his cleverness on this account, saying he took after her and had an innate sense of what was fine and what was not — and would turn a blind eye and simply give the pieces to him whenever he fancied something.

Hearing Nanny Du say this, the Dowager Matriarch naturally burst into laughter.

Nanny Du seized the moment to have the little maids set out the meal: “We mustn’t let my Sixth Young Master go hungry!”

The Dowager Matriarch stroked Jin Ge’er’s head with great fondness, her smile full of warmth and tenderness.

Second Madam watched the scene before her and gave Shiyiniang a long, thoughtful look. Returning to her rooms afterward, she said to Jiexiang in a pensive manner: “I had thought Shiyiniang only knew how to comply with everything. I did not expect she would have her own moments of resolve.”

Jiexiang sat on the edge of the bed stitching a shoe sole, and upon hearing this lifted her head with a smile: “All mothers dote on their children. No matter how compliant Fourth Madam may be, when it comes to matters concerning her child, she would find her courage.”

Second Madam thought of Jin Ge’er eating his meal with a spoon, shoveling the food down eagerly, and could not help but smile: “That child is indeed very endearing.”

Jiexiang laughed. “If you are fond of him, just call Sixth Young Master over to play!”

But Second Madam shook her head: “No need.” Then she lay down. “I am going to sleep.”

Jiexiang set down her needlework, moved the lamp, and settled herself to rest on the chaise longue nearby.

The room was perfectly quiet. After a good long while, Jiexiang was just beginning to drift toward sleep when Second Madam’s voice drifted over — low and mournful as a soft weeping: “Do you think… if I had insisted back then that Second Master take a concubine, would there be even a drop of his blood remaining in this world?”

Jiexiang started, and sat upright: “Second Madam!”

Second Madam had already turned over to face the bed frame. “Go to sleep. Tomorrow, find me a copy of Records of Jingzhou Astronomical Observations. I need to make a transcription to give to Deputy Director Wang of the Bureau of Astronomy.”

Records of Jingzhou Astronomical Observations was a rare, surviving manuscript on the study of celestial bodies written by an ancient scholar — extremely precious, known to very few people. Second Madam had always treated it with great care, keeping it stored in a camphor wood chest. Why did she suddenly want to take it out now? And transcribe a copy to give to someone else?

Jiexiang found this rather strange. But the image of Second Master’s gentle smile floated into her mind, and her heart felt muddled and unsettled.

She had no wish to press for an answer, and replied in a low voice, “Yes.”

—

At this moment, Shiyiniang was looking at Xu Lingyi with a trace of bewilderment: “Not telling Mother? Is that really appropriate? She will find out sooner or later.”

“It is not that we will not tell her,” Xu Lingyi said with a long sigh. “It is that we delay a little. First, we give Third Brother some pretext — something like that he has had persistent trouble adjusting to the climate in Shanyang and his health has simply given out, and he wishes to resign and come home. That way, Mother has some mental preparation. If we let Mother know that Third Brother simply came back like this, I am afraid she will be too furious to bear it.”

—