Eleventh Miss voiced the confusion in her heart.

“It shouldn’t happen!” Xu Lingyi said with certainty. “Mother would never easily withdraw her hand from a daughter-in-law’s household affairs. She’d be afraid others would think the daughter-in-law incompetent. Otherwise, things on Third Brother’s side wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand.” As he spoke, both of them startled at the same moment.

Xu Sijian was only a few days younger than Xu Siyu. By all reason, marriage discussions should have begun for him as well.

However, the Grand Madam had been quite cold toward Third Madam lately, and thinking it over carefully, that possibility seemed rather slim.

Fortunately, Xu Lingyi was an open-minded man. He smiled and said, “Whoever the match is for, they’ll have to greet us parents first. Let’s wait until Mother brings it up.” He quickly freed himself from the speculation and asked about Jin Ge’er’s time at Yunju Temple: “…From the way he talked, you were with him the whole afternoon?”

“Yes!” Eleventh Miss smiled just thinking of her son. “He was fascinated by everything he saw. If I hadn’t drawn him some picture books beforehand—he’s smart enough, thankfully—he might not have even recognized chickens, ducks, cows, or sheep.” As she said this, she couldn’t help feeling a touch of wistfulness.

Xu Lingyi listened for a long while without speaking.

Two days later, Steward Bai sent over golden pheasants, mandarin ducks, white cranes, peacocks, and other such creatures.

“What is all this for?” Eleventh Miss couldn’t help but show a troubled expression. “Won’t the courtyard be full of droppings from all these birds and beasts?”

Jin Ge’er, however, let out an excited shout and lunged forward, grabbing hold of a peacock’s tail feathers. The peacock had been standing there in a daze and was caught completely off guard. Stung by the sudden pain, it startled and flew about in all directions. Yet Jin Ge’er proudly brought the plumes over to Eleventh Miss: “Fan! Fan!”

A fan made of peacock feathers hung in Xu Lingyi’s study.

Eleventh Miss didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She quickly crouched down to caution him: “These are the peacock’s clothes. Taking off all its clothes like that — isn’t that rather unkind?” She pointed to the white little shirt he was wearing. “Look, you’re still wearing yours!”

Jin Ge’er nodded eagerly, then went off chasing the peacock again, insisting on putting the plucked feathers back onto it.

The peacock, already agitated, was having none of it. It flapped and fluttered all over the courtyard, startling the golden pheasants into leaping up onto the garden rocks, sending the mandarin ducks scurrying to hide beneath the canna lily blossoms, and setting the white cranes flapping their great wings… The maids and matrons either screamed and covered their heads as they scrambled to the side, or rolled up their sleeves to help Jin Ge’er catch the peacock. Zhuxiang stood trembling in front of Eleventh Miss: “Madam, you’d best go back inside. Jin Ge’er has A’jin by his side, and we have enough people out here to manage. If one of these feathered creatures jumps on you, that would be terrible!”

Eleventh Miss, however, was worried about Jin Ge’er: “Hurry and bring him to me.”

Hongyun rushed to comply, but was knocked aside by the crane’s wings.

In the middle of all this commotion, Xu Lingyi walked in.

“What on earth is happening?” He stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

Eleventh Miss looked at him as though he were her salvation: “My Lord, quickly — catch that crane!”

Xu Lingyi stepped forward and grabbed the crane by both its wings. The crane let out a long, mournful cry that startled everyone in the Xu household, from top to bottom.

“Who keeps sacred creatures like these in a courtyard?” The Grand Madam was feeding Jin Ge’er — freshly bathed, changed into clean clothes — his mung bean soup, while laughing and scolding Xu Lingyi at the same time. “Have them moved to the rear garden at once!”

Xu Lingyi had originally planned to let Jin Ge’er enjoy them for a couple of days before moving them to the rear garden. He hadn’t anticipated it would turn into such chaos.

He replied somewhat sheepishly and instructed the newly assigned page boy Suifeng to have the cranes and the others moved to the rear garden.

Jin Ge’er, upon hearing this, quickly swallowed the mung bean soup in his mouth and urgently cried out: “Father, mine, mine!”

The Grand Madam burst into laughter and instructed Suifeng: “Go tie a red ribbon around the feet of each of those feathered creatures.” Then she gathered Jin Ge’er into her arms with fond indulgence. “All of those belong to our Jin Ge’er. No one else is to touch them.”

Jin Ge’er broke into a radiant smile.

His brilliant smile was brighter than sunlight.

The Grand Madam adored him so deeply she could hardly contain herself. She had Nanny Du fetch a jadeite carved cicada pendant for Jin Ge’er: “Isn’t it beautiful?”

The jadeite was translucent and lustrous, shimmering with a watery glow.

Eleventh Miss, who knew quality when she saw it, couldn’t help calling out, “Mother—”

Jin Ge’er turned it over in his little hands, peering at it with great curiosity.

The Grand Madam waved her hand dismissively: “Everything has its own affinity. I want to give it to him — he may not necessarily want it.”

And yet before the Grand Madam had even finished her words, Jin Ge’er had already tucked it into his pocket.

The Grand Madam burst out laughing and pressed two loud kisses to Jin Ge’er’s cheek: “I knew you’d like it.”

Eleventh Miss didn’t know what to say.

She looked over at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi was completely unbothered.

It was natural for elders to delight in small children. Jin Ge’er was so lively and adorable, and giving a child some harmless little trinket to play with was nothing worth making a fuss over.

He smiled and ruffled his son’s head, then went off to see how Suifeng was settling the creatures in.

Zhihong came in: “Grand Madam, Third Madam has arrived!”

The Grand Madam gave a slight nod and said indifferently: “Show her in.”

Eleventh Miss moved to take Jin Ge’er.

“No need,” the Grand Madam stopped her. “The child was just drenched in sweat. He’s only just sat down — let him stay here and drink his mung bean soup to cool off. Don’t let him run around after you again. This heat isn’t like ordinary weather.”

Eleventh Miss had no choice but to remain at the side.

Third Madam walked in with a smile. Seeing the Grand Madam feeding Jin Ge’er mung bean soup, she quickly exclaimed: “Our Jin Ge’er is here too!”

Jin Ge’er, seizing the moment before the Grand Madam’s spoon could reach his lips, called out loudly: “Third Aunt!”

“Oh my,” Third Madam’s smile grew even wider. “Our Jin Ge’er is so well-mannered — no wonder he’s become Mother’s most precious treasure.” Her tone carried a hint of exaggerated flattery.

The Grand Madam paid her no mind and continued feeding Jin Ge’er his mung bean soup.

Eleventh Miss felt somewhat ill at ease, stepped forward with a smile, and greeted her with a bow.

Only then did the Grand Madam look up and signal a young maid to bring a brocade stool for her to sit on. She then handed the now-empty bowl to Eleventh Miss beside her, took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of Jin Ge’er’s eyes, and finally looked up at Third Madam: “I called for you because there is something I need to discuss with you.”

Hearing those words, Eleventh Miss was somewhat taken aback.

She wondered whether this had anything to do with the matter between the Grand Madam and Fang Shi.

She quietly strained her ears to listen.

She heard the Grand Madam say: “Jian Ge’er is not young anymore, and you have yet to find him a suitable match. It just so happens that I know of a family…” The Grand Madam briefly introduced the matter of Miss Jin. “The young lady is of good appearance and good character — a fine match for our Jian Ge’er. I will make the decision for him on this matter. You should consider who to ask as the matchmaker, and go to the Jin family to formally propose within the next couple of days.”

Third Madam gaped, unable to recover her composure for a long while.

She had never in her wildest dreams imagined that the Grand Madam would involve herself in Xu Sijian’s marriage — let alone that the family in question would be of such modest standing.

“Mother, this won’t do!” Third Madam couldn’t help blurting out. “Having our Jian Ge’er call a man who manages grain measures and weighing scales on East Main Street his father-in-law…”

The Grand Madam fixed Third Madam with a cold, piercing gaze, sharp as knives and swords. Third Madam’s heart went cold. Yet thinking of her son, she forced herself to go on, though her voice dropped involuntarily lower: “…Our Jian Ge’er at least serves in the Imperial Guard. If his fellow officers were to find out, where would he put his face…” At that point she gave a sudden jolt and found she could no longer continue.

Her son’s position had been arranged by the Grand Madam — and now the Grand Madam was making the decision about his marriage match as well… Could it be that when the Grand Madam arranged her son’s position, she had already settled on this plan?

Third Madam couldn’t help but look up at the Grand Madam.

She saw a faint cold smile at the corner of the Grand Madam’s lips: “So you are saying you do not agree to this match?”

She did not agree.

A thousand times, ten thousand times, she did not agree.

But if she said so aloud, the Grand Madam would surely be furious — and would she then summon her husband for a stern reprimand? The matter of her lending money at interest had already blackened her husband’s name; because of it he had lost his official post and was idling at home… She might even have Xu Lingkuan put in a word with the Ministry of War to have her son’s position revoked…

Third Madam’s mind was a tangled mess. Her lips moved, but not a single word came out.

Jin Ge’er, though too young to understand, could sense the tension between the adults.

He carefully climbed out of the Grand Madam’s arms and threw himself into Eleventh Miss’s embrace.

Eleventh Miss held her son and gently patted his back, soothing him tenderly.

The Grand Madam watched, and a faint smile touched her lips: “Since you have no objections, it is settled.” She then called for Nanny Du. “Go and present my card to the Third Madam of Yongchang Marquis Mansion, Huang, and invite her to come. I thought she was most proper in the courtesies she observed when arranging Qin Ge’er’s marriage — so I’ll trouble her again to act as matchmaker for Jian Ge’er and go to the Jin family to propose.”

Nanny Du smiled and said yes, then lifted the curtain and departed.

The rustle of the curtain made Third Madam’s body give an involuntary shudder.

This would not do. The household already had a vixen in it — though her son had kept her in the warm room, he had not spared so much as a glance at the maid she had sent. Just yesterday morning, the maid Xingjiao had told her that when Fang Shi went to pay her respects and then left the room, she had actually exchanged lingering glances with her son in full view of everyone.

Utterly shameless!

In front of everyone present, she had behaved like that. Not the slightest bit of the reserve a well-bred young lady ought to have…

Thinking of all this made her blood rush to her head.

She had to find someone who was on her side no matter what. Otherwise, how could she ever keep Fang Shi in check?

A family like the Jin family — never mind Fang Shi, even she herself looked down on them. If a woman like that married in, wouldn’t she simply become an easy target for Fang Shi to run over?

She could no longer hold herself back. She stepped forward and knelt before the Grand Madam.

“Mother,” Third Madam took hold of the Grand Madam’s sleeve, “it’s not that I object to this match — it’s just that I haven’t met Miss Jin yet, and I feel a bit uneasy in my heart…”

“I have eaten more salt than the roads you have walked!” The Grand Madam pulled her sleeve free from Third Madam’s grasp. “Would I be unable to see what Miss Jin’s character is like?”

Third Madam quickly said: “It’s not that…”

“If it’s ‘not that,’ then say no more.” Without even letting Third Madam finish, the Grand Madam cut across her words. “This matter is settled. Remember to bring me Jian Ge’er’s birth characters tomorrow.” She then adopted a look of contemplation and said, “If I recall correctly, Jian Ge’er was born in the hour of Hai.”

A person’s birth characters represent their fate. If they fall into the hands of someone with ill intent, they can even be used in cursing rituals to bring harm upon the person. For this reason, when a newborn arrives, the family does not announce the birth immediately — they typically wait and choose a different hour to report, in order to mislead others.

By naming Jian Ge’er’s birth hour, the Grand Madam was in effect naming his birth characters outright. This meant that even if Third Madam refused to hand over Xu Sijian’s birth characters, the Grand Madam could write them out for the other family herself.

Third Madam replied with a dejected, “Yes.”

—