In the outer courtyard, a gift registry and a reception office had been set up. Jin Ge’er pointed toward the reception office in the western side room. “It was a steward in there. He was wearing a dark olive-green robe and had a thin mustache above his lip.”

Shen Ge’er stood behind him, eyes shining with excitement. “Are we going to go find him and then beat him up?”

Hongwen felt as though her back had gone damp with sweat again.

She smiled gently. “We’re not guards — who would we be beating? We go to find the General Steward Bai and let him deal with it.”

Jin Ge’er nodded and headed toward a two-room side building to the west of the main hall — because of Xu Siyu’s wedding, the General Steward Bai had temporarily set up there to manage all of the Xu household’s affairs, and head stewards could be seen coming and going. Seeing Jin Ge’er, they all bowed with smiles and called out warmly, “Sixth Young Master,” “Seventh Young Master,” all of them extremely friendly and welcoming.

One of the stewards bowed after greeting Jin Ge’er and said, “Does Sixth Young Master still remember me? The last time, at Fourth Young Master’s rooms, I was sent by Steward Zhao to deliver an invitation to Fourth Young Master. Then it rained, and I was the one who carried you on my back all the way to the decorative gate!”

Jin Ge’er looked at the steward blankly, clearly with no memory of him at all.

The steward promptly added, “I am called Wang Erhuo.”

“Oh!” Jin Ge’er replied offhandedly and walked on ahead.

A look of disappointment crept into the steward’s eyes.

As they reached the eaves of the side building, a young man came out — fair-skinned, handsome, dressed in the dark blue silk robe of a household steward. Seeing Jin Ge’er, the young man stopped short, then quickly came forward and bowed deeply. “Sixth Young Master, it has been some time since I’ve had the honor of seeing you. Are you well? Is Fourth Madam in good health? My wife and I have always kept Fourth Madam and Sixth Young Master in our thoughts.”

Jin Ge’er turned to look at Hongwen and asked her, “Who is this?”

Hongwen smiled and said, “This is Steward Cao An. He serves in the storeroom. His wife is called Yanrong — she once served the Madam, and was released when they married.”

Jin Ge’er gave Cao An a second look and said, “Mother is very well. I am very well too.” Then he instructed Hongwen, “Give him two taels of silver!”

Hongwen quickly took two silver ingots from her purse.

Cao An was hardly unfamiliar with two taels of silver. But this came from Jin Ge’er, and that was naturally a different matter. He accepted the silver respectfully, thanked Jin Ge’er warmly, and then carefully asked, “Are you looking for the General Steward Bai?”

Jin Ge’er gave a nod.

Cao An said, “I’m also here to see the General Steward Bai. He has just gone to the accounts room — someone has already been sent to fetch him and he should be back shortly.” He stood deferentially to one side. “Perhaps Sixth Young Master would care to step inside and sit for a moment?” He glanced at Hongwen. “It would be easier for Hongwen to attend to him there.”

Hongwen gave him a grateful nod.

This was the outer courtyard, and men were coming and going constantly. She had felt out of place since they arrived.

“Thank you, Steward Cao!” Hongwen followed him into the side room.

Several men who looked to be stewards were gathered inside talking, and when they heard the commotion and looked over, seeing it was Jin Ge’er, they all came forward to bow. Some, noticing Jin Ge’er was dirty, personally brought water for Hongwen to use in washing Jin Ge’er’s and Shen Ge’er’s hands and faces. Others personally went off to fetch the General Steward Bai for Jin Ge’er. Once everyone had been tidied up, tea was brought, refreshments were served, and conversation filled the room pleasantly.

Cao An asked Hongwen, with a thoughtful air, “I heard that after the summer, Nanny Gu returned to her home. Which Nanny is now attending to Sixth Young Master?”

Hongwen smiled. “We haven’t found a suitable one yet. Madam herself is managing affairs in Sixth Young Master’s room.” Even as she said the words, her thoughts drifted to the candidates that Second Madam, Fifth Madam, and Third Madam from Sanjing Hutong had been recommending to the Fourth Madam.

Those with gentle dispositions — Fourth Madam said too soft, she feared they couldn’t manage Sixth Young Master. Those with firm dispositions — Fourth Madam said too severe, she feared they’d make Fourth Young Master grow timid and dull-headed… It was hard to know what sort of person would suit!

“Then you must be carrying the whole burden on your own.” Cao An chatted with Hongwen, his eyes slipping now and then to the stewards fussing over Jin Ge’er.

Ever since Sixth Young Master had grown safely past the age of five, the mood around the household had shifted somewhat. There were quite a few who wanted to ingratiate themselves with Second Young Master, and quite a few who wanted to get close to Sixth Young Master as well. The Sixth Young Master was still a child, kept in the inner courtyard, and Fourth Madam watched over him closely, which gave those people no opening. Even so, there were still those who came to him and to Wan Daxian to curry favor.

When he mentioned this to his wife Yanrong, she had cautioned him, “Don’t think that just because you are one of Fourth Madam’s people, you can start giving yourself airs. The young miss from the Jiang family hasn’t even entered the door yet, and Sixth Young Master’s path ahead is still long. This is precisely the time when we must step carefully and not cause any trouble that could be used against us, bringing trouble to Fourth Madam and Sixth Young Master. You should take a lesson from Wan Daxian — keep your head down, do your duty and nothing else, and work toward becoming a second-tier steward, then a first-tier steward, and eventually the General Steward. When that day comes, you will truly be in a position to be of service to Sixth Young Master, and then we will have good days ahead.”

Thinking of this, he allowed himself a slight smile and directed his full attention back to his exchange with Hongwen.

The General Steward Bai walked in briskly.

“Sixth Young Master! Seventh Young Master!” He greeted Jin Ge’er and Shen Ge’er warmly.

Hongwen rose at once. “General Steward Bai, Sixth Young Master has something to tell you!”

That steward had not given the Sixth Young Master firecrackers out of genuine concern that the Sixth Young Master might hurt his hands — it was a kindness. If the Sixth Young Master were to lodge a complaint against that steward in front of so many people, then the next time the Sixth Young Master did something he shouldn’t, no one would dare to say a word. That would not be helping the Sixth Young Master — it would be harming him. She was one of the Sixth Young Master’s people: his fortunes and hers rose and fell together. She could not let the Sixth Young Master do something like this.

The General Steward Bai heard this and glanced at the stewards in the room.

Every one of them was sharp-witted — they immediately bowed and withdrew.

Jin Ge’er then, in a huff, told the General Steward Bai the whole story. “…Get me some firecrackers, and give that steward a proper scolding!”

As Jin Ge’er spoke, Hongwen kept signaling to the General Steward Bai with her eyes, indicating that he need only placate Jin Ge’er and nothing more.

The General Steward Bai understood perfectly.

He had heard a good deal about the affairs of the inner courtyard. Sixth Young Master’s rooms had never had a head serving woman — Eleventh Young Madam had personally raised this child herself. Having invested so much care, she naturally had great expectations for him.

But expectations alone were not enough. Jin Ge’er was the youngest son, and to make his mark in this world, he could only do so through his reputation. This kind of behavior — flying into a rage and demanding a household steward be reprimanded at the slightest provocation — would only earn Jin Ge’er a name for being unreasonable and arrogant, and that was surely the last thing Eleventh Young Madam wished to see.

There were many people in the household with petty schemes, and he was not unaware of them. But he had his own principles. He had served the Marquis for many years, and the Marquis was no fool — the Marquis simply preferred to keep things to himself. If he were to engage in any small maneuvers, with the Marquis’s sharp eye, they could not possibly escape his notice, and would only cause the Marquis to be disappointed in him. Rather than end his days in disgrace, it was better to serve the Marquis faithfully as he always had — whatever the Marquis said, he did accordingly. And in so doing, he could still earn the name of a loyal and steadfast servant.

The thought passed, and the General Steward Bai recalled what Xu Lingyi had said to him a few days prior: “…From the new year, Jin Ge’er is to begin his primer studies. Have Steward Zhao, in my name, ask several of the generals to recommend a master skilled in the martial arts.”

The Marquis had high hopes for this youngest son — naturally he would take care to protect the Sixth Young Master’s good name.

With this in mind, the General Steward Bai nodded at Hongwen with a slight incline of his head, then said quietly, “Sixth Young Master, please don’t be hasty — let me first go and find the steward you mentioned, then report back to you. As for the firecrackers — you may not know this, but in our household, everything is set to a fixed allocation. This way, the stewards and manservants cannot help themselves to things at will. Otherwise, why would those manservants be going around picking up unexploded firecrackers from the ground to set off? No one is authorized to open the storehouse past mid-afternoon, unless there is the Marquis’s authorization tablet. Of course, if it is the Sixth Young Master who wants to draw something, the Marquis will certainly give the tablet. But today is a special occasion — Second Young Master’s bride’s dowry will be arriving shortly — and even with the Marquis’s tablet, the storehouse staff will likely all have run off to watch the commotion and be impossible to track down.” He then addressed Jin Ge’er sincerely, “What if I draw up the requisition list tonight, and first thing tomorrow morning fetch the firecrackers and bring them to you personally?”

Despite the talk of allocations and regulations on one side, Jin Ge’er’s mind was perfectly clear.

What the General Steward Bai had said, at length, amounted to one thing.

Summoning that steward for a scolding was out of the question. Getting firecrackers from him was also out of the question.

He was so furious that his whole face went red. He leaped to his feet. “So it all comes down to needing Father’s authorization tablet? I’ll go get it!” And with that, he strode out in great steps.

Shen Ge’er saw this and tossed out a “We’ll go ask Fourth Uncle!” as he ran after him.

“Thank you, General Steward Bai,” Hongwen said urgently, bowing before hurrying after them. “I had no choice — if Sixth Young Master were to set a firecracker off anywhere on him, dying a ten-thousand deaths wouldn’t be enough for me!” And she trotted after them.

Xu Lingyi was sitting with Elder Grand Secretary Liang, Elder Grand Secretary Dou, Wang Li, and others in conversation, when a manservant came in to report that Sixth Young Master had arrived. A warm light of amusement immediately came into his eyes.

Though Elder Grand Secretary Liang and the others all appeared to take no notice — continuing to drink their tea and converse — the corners of their eyes all drifted toward the doorway.

Jin Ge’er walked in unhurriedly, bowed respectfully to each of the honored gentlemen in turn, and Xu Lingyi beckoned him to his side. “How did you come here? Where is your mother?”

“Mother is talking with the aunts and ladies.” He said in a clear, carrying voice, “I want to set off firecrackers, but the General Steward Bai says I need your permission first. So I came to find you.” He pouted at Xu Lingyi. “Father, I want to set off firecrackers!”

From the tone of his voice, Xu Lingyi could tell he had gone to many people before this, and none of them had given him what he wanted. Though he did not fully understand what had happened in between, the fact that his son — small as he was — had made his way all the way here, and in front of so many people, could still speak clearly and loudly and state his request without flinching… His thoughts drifted suddenly to Xu Sizhun… and he quietly let out a sigh in his heart.