Xu Lingyi said quietly, “Tell me — where does the difficulty lie in Siyu’s marriage prospects?”

The crux of the matter was that Xu Siyu had been born into a noble household yet was the eldest son of a concubine, born of a maidservant.

Yet this, she could not bring herself to say before Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi did not appear to need an answer from her. He said gravely, “The difficulty lies in where his future lies.”

Luo Shiyiniang could not help nodding.

Xu Lingyi had spoken directly to the heart of the matter.

The sons of Xu Lingyi could be granted titles by grace, but those grace-given titles were limited in number. Moreover, Xu Lingyi still had her, a young second wife, and by all reason she would continue to add to the Xu family in time. The odds of such a title falling to Xu Siyu would only grow smaller and smaller with each younger brother or sister born.

As the old saying goes, a woman marries to be clothed and fed. For a poor family, ten taels of silver might see them through several years comfortably. But Xu Siyu had been born into a great family, and setting aside all else, social obligations alone amounted to several hundred taels of silver a year. Who would be willing to marry a daughter to a man who could not even guarantee basic clothing and food?

“If Siyu passes the licentiate examination, it is nothing extraordinary,” Xu Lingyi continued, seeing Luo Shiyiniang’s agreement. “But at the very least, he will not need to kneel before the magistrate in court, and he will be exempt from conscript labor and field taxes. Even without a grace-given title, with our family’s influence, would it be so difficult to arrange a minor official post for him? Moreover, he is the eldest son of a concubine, which means after marriage he may set up a separate household. So you see,” he said with a smile, “by then, all you need to do is wait and take your pick of prospective daughters-in-law!”

“Oh, the Marquis really!” Luo Shiyiniang said with a reproachful laugh. “You gave me such a fright. I thought you had already set your eye on a girl from some family and were only waiting for Siyu to pass his licentiate examination before sending a formal inquiry. After all that, it still turns out to be a flower in the mirror, a moon on the water!”

“No hurry, no hurry,” Xu Lingyi said with a reassuring smile. “A bit older is better — a more settled temperament, a better sense of how to manage a life together. Marrying too young means two children trying to build a home. Sometimes over things that could be let go with a little patience and a step back, words get exchanged, and it escalates into a quarrel. A grudge takes root, and what began as deep feeling grows thin and turns into a marriage of resentment.”

Was that his own experience speaking?

Luo Shiyiniang very much wanted to ask, but when she saw the faint trace of sadness at his brow, a melancholy came over her too, and she swallowed the question.

She turned to a lighter topic instead. “The Marquis may not yet have heard — a few days ago, Wen Yiniang and I sorted through a great many of Jin Ge’er’s baby clothes to send to Cangzhou. Those who came back said Zhen Jie’er is doing very well now. Her mother-in-law, concerned she might feel lonely, even specially invited a niece-in-law from her own family to stay — a chatty, cheerful woman who has given birth to four sons — to keep Zhen Jie’er company and attend to her daily needs. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up in a few days. I was thinking of writing a letter of thanks and sending it along with the Mid-Autumn gifts. What does the Marquis think?”

“Is a letter of thanks really needed for something like this?” Xu Lingyi said uncertainly. “She is a mother-in-law — however she chooses to treat Zhen Jie’er, we can hardly say anything about it!”

“Oh, it’s just a way of pleasing the mother-in-law on Zhen Jie’er’s behalf!” Luo Shiyiniang dismissed this lightly. “Who doesn’t like to hear kind words? If we do this, the mother-in-law gains face, and she will be more inclined to be generous toward Zhen Jie’er when there are things the girl can’t quite manage.” She then smiled. “By my reckoning, Zhen Jie’er should give birth in about two months. I don’t know whether it will be a girl or a boy. The matron I sent to deliver things to Zhen Jie’er came back and said, by the look of her, it should be a girl. But I always suspect she’s just trying to coax out a reward from me. When I was carrying Jin Ge’er, everyone kept saying by the look of it that it would be a girl…”

Xu Lingyi listened to her ramble on and then drew close to her cheek, asking in a quiet voice, “And what about you?”

“What?” Luo Shiyiniang did not catch his meaning at first.

Xu Lingyi laughed softly. “You’ve given away all of Jin Ge’er’s baby clothes — what will our own son wear when the time comes?”

“Jin Ge’er is older now, and those clothes are of no use anymore…” Luo Shiyiniang was saying, when she suddenly understood what Xu Lingyi was implying. She could not help feeling a little self-conscious. Her words faltered, and she said with a slightly abashed laugh, “Everyone says Jin Ge’er is a lucky child, that the Crown Princess was able to give birth smoothly to the Imperial Grandson because she was blessed by his good fortune… I also wanted to put Zhen Jie’er’s mind at ease…”

“The Imperial Grandson was blessed by Jin Ge’er’s good fortune?” Xu Lingyi stared at her in complete stupefaction. “Who said that?”

“You really don’t know?” Luo Shiyiniang covered her mouth and laughed. “A few days ago when I went to see Grand Madam Gan, I ran into Fourth Madam Tang from the Marquis Zhongshan family at Zhongqin Earl’s residence. She laid eyes on our Jin Ge’er and practically started glowing. She absolutely insisted we come visit her family. She said her daughter-in-law is already on her fourth pregnancy and every single one has been a girl. She wants our Jin Ge’er to sit on her daughter-in-law’s bed for a little while. If I hadn’t told her that Princess Fucheng had sent someone to ask me to come to the princess’s residence, I might not have been able to get away at all. Even as it was, she wasn’t quite convinced and walked with me all the way to Princess Fucheng’s gate before going her own way. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have gone calling on my elder sister Zhou so abruptly!”

Xu Lingyi burst out laughing, then teased Luo Shiyiniang, “I say, he should try sitting on his own mother’s bed first!”

Luo Shiyiniang could not help swatting him on the shoulder. “You scoundrel!”

“I’m speaking perfectly seriously,” Xu Lingyi said, laughing as he teased her. “Come now, tell me honestly — exactly how many of Jin Ge’er’s clothes have you given away…”

Luo Shiyiniang laughed so hard she could barely speak. “Who do you think you are, saying things like that… I gave some to Zhen Jie’er, two pieces to Fourth Madam Tang, and before that I gave two pieces to Princess Yong’an…”

The two of them talked and laughed, and for a time Xu Lingyi forgot the weight of Wang Jiubao’s sentencing.

When the eighth month came, fine, unceasing rain began to fall over Yanjing.

Luo Shiyiniang looked Xu Siyu over, taking in the fresh sapphire-blue pongee silk robe with dark-colored, continuously rising auspicious flower patterns, and smiled. “It’s a good thing your father reminded me — I took out your examination basket and examination curtain to air in June. Otherwise it would have been dreadful.” She added, “The Marquis said that since this examination basket and curtain accompanied you through the county examination and prefectural examination, they will surely accompany you through the provincial and metropolitan examinations as well.”

About to step into the examination hall, she wanted to give Xu Siyu a little more encouragement.

Xu Siyu smiled without speaking, yet his eyes brightened.

Xu Lingyi was not entirely accustomed to Luo Shiyiniang saying such things in front of his son. He gave a quiet cough and said calmly, “Very well. It is getting late. Go pay your respects to your grandmother and then you should set off. Otherwise, with everyone rushing at once, the road will be packed beyond passage. And in the rain, at that, you’ll have to walk to the examination grounds.” He then instructed Xu Sizhun, standing nearby, “Escort your elder brother with Chief Steward Bai!”

The two brothers clasped their hands and bowed, answering “yes” in unison.

Jin Ge’er came running over.

He took Xu Siyu by the hand and tilted his head back, blinking his large phoenix eyes up at his elder brother. “I want to come too!”

Xu Siyu broke into a smile.

He bent down and said warmly, “When you’re a little older!”

Luo Shiyiniang quickly scooped Jin Ge’er up. “Your brothers are busy. Don’t make a fuss. Mother will tell you a story in a moment.”

Jin Ge’er had reached the age when he loved stories, just like Xu Sijie at that age — one telling after another, and no matter how dry one’s throat grew, he never tired of them.

Though he did not insist on going, Jin Ge’er pouted all the same, clearly a little displeased.

Luo Shiyiniang, worried he might affect Xu Siyu’s mood, urged Xu Siyu toward the door. “Let me have Zhuxiang see you to your grandmother’s quarters! Your grandmother has been thinking about you going to the examination hall. She has surely been up since early morning by now!”

Xu Siyu replied “yes,” but did not leave immediately. Instead, he asked Jin Ge’er, “What do you like to eat? Elder Brother will bring some back for you!”

Jin Ge’er had never had food from outside, and unlike Xu Sijie as a small child — who could be delighted by even a single candy — he had never been fussy, but he had never clamored for anything in particular either.

He tilted his small head in thought for a long while, then looked up at Luo Shiyiniang and said, “Small crispy fish!”

Everyone could not help laughing.

That very morning at breakfast, small crispy fish had been fried.

When the laughter died down, Xu Siyu said earnestly, “Chunxi Tower should have small crispy fish. I’ll bring you some when I come out of the examination hall!”

Jin Ge’er beamed, snuggling contentedly against Luo Shiyiniang’s side.

Xu Lingyi then said, “Just focus on your examination. Have a manservant go buy him the small crispy fish.”

Neither father nor son had any intention of making an empty promise to Jin Ge’er.

Luo Shiyiniang felt a weight lift from her heart.

Her greatest fear was adults thinking a child too young to understand, making careless promises they could not keep. Over time, the child would lose faith in the adults around him.

When Xu Siyu came out of the examinations, he did indeed bring small crispy fish back for Jin Ge’er.

Unfortunately, Jin Ge’er had already fallen asleep.

Xu Siyu said apologetically, “I had meant to come back earlier, but Elder Brother Fang was waiting for me outside the examination grounds and pulled me away to drink tea… There were also some of his examination classmates and colleagues, so I had Sizi come back to send word… I had meant to give it to him in person, but the conversation ran longer than expected…”

One could easily imagine it.

Like the gathering of classmates the day after sitting the imperial examinations — no matter how well or poorly one had done, there was a sense that one could breathe again. Whether it meant being placed in the first tier or repeating the year was a matter to consider in a few days.

She smiled. “It’s all right. I’ll give it to him tomorrow.”

Xu Siyu took his leave with a look of apology.

Xu Lingyi, seated on the large kang by the window waiting for Xu Siyu’s return, set down his book and said, “Since when has he grown so close with Master Fang, the court examination graduate?”

He had had someone wait at the gate, and when Xu Siyu returned, he was to be shown in at once to give an account. But seeing Xu Siyu, Xu Lingyi had ended up asking nothing at all.

Luo Shiyiniang could not help smiling.

“Siyu and Master Fang have always been on quite good terms!” she said. “It was only that, earlier, over the matter of Qin Ge’er’s wife, they each held their own position. Now that the two families have reconciled, the two of them have grown closer again naturally.”

Xu Lingyi nodded and said nothing more.

The next morning, Jin Ge’er woke up to find a parcel of small crispy fish sitting at the head of his bed. He looked somewhat confused.

“Second Young Master went especially to Chunxi Tower to buy these for Sixth Young Master,” Nanny Gu quickly explained. “He brought them over last night, but you were already asleep by then.”

Jin Ge’er brightened up at once and snatched up the small crispy fish, running into Luo Shiyiniang’s inner chamber. “Mother, Mother, Second Brother bought me small crispy fish!”

Luo Shiyiniang smiled and kissed Jin Ge’er on the cheek. “Remember to thank Second Brother when you see him!”

Jin Ge’er nodded and obediently thanked Xu Siyu when he saw him.

“No need!” Xu Siyu laughed and ruffled Jin Ge’er’s head.

A small maidservant came running in. “Madam, Second Madam is asking whether Second Young Master has come to pay his respects yet. If he has, she invites Second Young Master to Shaohua Courtyard.”

Before she had finished, another small maidservant came running in. “Madam, Jade Tablet, the senior maid from the Grand Madam’s side, has come. She says the Grand Madam wishes to know whether Second Young Master has returned. If he has, please send him over!”

Xu Siyu had come back too late the evening before for the Grand Madam or Second Madam to see him.

They must be wondering how Xu Siyu had done in the examinations.

Luo Shiyiniang could not help smiling inwardly.

Yet Xu Lingyi had not asked a single word.

She told Xu Siyu, “Go quickly, or the Grand Madam and your Second Aunt will be kept waiting!”

Xu Siyu answered and went.

Several days later, word came from the Shuntian Prefecture that Xu Siyu had placed ninth and become a licensed scholar of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He was entitled not only to attend classes at the prefectural school but also to receive six dou of rice every month.

—