“You’re still too young — firecrackers are dangerous.” Xu Lingyi spoke with gentle patience as he explained things to Jin Ge’er. “But firecrackers are a lot of fun. If you really want to set some off, wait until your eldest brother and the others come back, and let them do it with you. How does that sound?”

Jin Ge’er didn’t think that was a good idea at all.

He wanted to set off firecrackers right now.

But when he saw that the old men seated around the room were all straining their ears to listen while pretending to look perfectly casual — just the way the maids and matrons did whenever his mother spoke with his father — he reconsidered. Whenever that happened, his mother would sit with a serene smile, perfectly composed, and wait until the maids and matrons had withdrawn before continuing her conversation with his father.

Thinking of this, he took a page from Eleventh’s book and stood quietly at Xu Lingyi’s side with a pleasant smile on his face.

Xu Lingyi found it a little odd that his son hadn’t left, but seeing how well-behaved and sensible the boy looked, he smiled and ruffled his son’s hair, then lifted him up and settled him on his knee before turning back to Elder Dou. “Court matters have never been my strong suit. I’m a man of the battlefield. The way I see it, we might as well let the Marquis of Jinghai take command — he may be getting on in years, but the Qu family has been guarding Fujian for over a century, and his officers are formidable men. Having him lead the campaign against the pirates would be the best arrangement imaginable.”

Elder Dou was taken aback.

The rivalry between the Xu and Qu families, open and covert alike, was nothing new. Why would Xu Lingyi recommend the Marquis of Jinghai to lead the campaign against the pirates at a moment like this? He had to consider — if the Qu family truly defeated the pirates, their prestige and influence would soar to new heights, and the Xu family would have no hope of competing with them any longer. Or perhaps Xu Lingyi was probing his own position on the matter?

With a smile, Elder Dou lowered his head and took a sip of tea, while from the corner of his eye he glanced at Elder Liang.

Elder Liang was smiling fondly at Xu Lingyi’s youngest son. “Children are all the same — wherever the excitement is, that’s where they want to be. My Tong Ge’er is exactly the same. When my nephew got married, he saw other people setting off firecrackers and made a terrible fuss about joining in. We couldn’t talk him out of it, so we had to let his eldest cousin take him along. He ended up tossing a lit firecracker over the courtyard wall and nearly set the neighbor’s woodshed on fire.”

Tong Ge’er was Lanting’s eldest son.

“Thank goodness our courtyards are large!” Xu Lingyi laughed heartily. “Bring Tong Ge’er over to play sometime! I’m planning to start Jin Ge’er’s schooling next year, so this year I’m letting him run about freely. Once his studies begin, things won’t be quite so relaxed.”

“Wonderful!” Elder Liang laughed. “I think those two will get along splendidly.” He then added, “My lord, who are you thinking of engaging as a tutor for your child? Would you like me to ask the Hanlin Academy to recommend someone?”

“He’ll study with the family tutor for now,” Xu Lingyi replied with a smile. “We’ll see when he gets a bit older!”

The two men fell into conversation about their children, and the air between them somehow grew noticeably warmer.

Wang Li watched from the side, quietly amused.

These two — one unwilling to discuss the Fujian matter with Elder Dou, the other lobbing a cannonball and then washing his hands of it. Elder Dou had been hoping to use this occasion to persuade Elder Liang to approve his recommendation of the Gansu commander for the campaign against the pirates in Fujian, but it seemed that plan was now quite dead. Should he go over and join the conversation himself?

As he was weighing this, a young servant respectfully announced from behind the curtain: “My lord, gentlemen — the bride’s dowry procession has arrived!”

Of course none of them would go to inspect the dowry; the servant’s announcement was simply Xu Lingyi’s signal that the evening banquet could now begin.

Xu Lingyi turned to Jin Ge’er and asked softly, “Would you like to go see your sister-in-law’s dowry?”

“I want to set off firecrackers!” Jin Ge’er shook his head. “Second Sister-in-Law’s dowry has arrived, which means Eldest Brother should be back too.” He hopped down from Xu Lingyi’s knee, his eyes bright and sparkling as he looked up at his father. “So can I set off firecrackers now?”

“Of course!” It was rare for the boy to hold his tongue and endure so patiently for so long; Xu Lingyi agreed at once. “Have Huang Xiaomao and Liu Erwu take you to find your eldest brother!”

“But how will Eldest Brother know Father gave me permission to set off firecrackers?” Jin Ge’er, remembering what had happened before and what Steward Bai had told him, said, “Father has to give me the authority token!”

Xu Lingyi was momentarily startled, then broke into laughter.

Steward Bai must have used the authority token as an excuse to block Jin Ge’er’s earlier request to set off firecrackers!

Still, the boy was quite something — burned once, never fooled again.

The authority token was useful enough, but the people running things didn’t live by the token alone; they also recognized the person holding it. If Jin Ge’er lost it, they could always have another one cast!

Smiling, he had someone fetch the token.

Jin Ge’er skipped off happily toward the inner courtyard.

Xiang Family’s dowry had been arranged in the courtyard outside the bridal chamber for everyone to view. There was not an enormous quantity of things, but the style was simple and dignified, and everything came in matching sets, giving it a neat, pleasing, and quite impressive appearance.

Xu Siqin and Xu Sizhun were nowhere near the bridal chamber.

A young servant reported, “First Young Master and Third Young Master have gone to Second Young Master’s old quarters!”

Jin Ge’er went to Xu Siyu’s rooms to find them.

Hong Wen looked on in alarm and followed behind him with anxious little steps, terrified that he might lose the authority token.

And so Jin Ge’er ambled all the way through to the outer courtyard with the token swinging in his hand.

The stewards and servants who passed by all changed expressions slightly.

When they learned the reason for Jin Ge’er’s visit, Xu Siqin, Xu Siyu, and Xu Sijian exchanged glances in surprise.

Xu Sijian leaned down with a grin and looked Jin Ge’er in the eye. “You little rascal — you’ve got quite the clout. All this just to set off a few firecrackers, and you actually got Fourth Uncle’s authority token.”

Jin Ge’er hastily defended himself: “It was Steward Bai who said so — you need Father’s authority token if you want to set off firecrackers!”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Xu Siqin rose to take his leave. “Then let me take Jin Ge’er to set off firecrackers. You rest up — tomorrow is your big day. You need to save your strength.”

A flush spread across Xu Siyu’s face, and he saw the three of them out with a slightly bashful air.

Turning back inside, he found Wenzhu busy sorting through his belongings.

“These go into that carved wooden chest — they’ll be taken directly to Le’an. These go into the red lacquer gilt iron trunk — these are Second Young Master’s everyday things. Once Second Young Lady enters the household, hand them to her personal handmaid.” Each item was accounted for in precise detail, for fear the maids might mix things up.

Xu Siyu, in high spirits, couldn’t resist teasing her: “The way you’re carrying on, it looks like you can’t wait to hand everything over.”

Over the past few years, both Wenzhu and Mozhu had followed him back and forth on his travels, and feelings had gradually grown between them. But Mozhu was three years younger than Wenzhu, and the two of them waited on him together — if anyone said a word about it, no amount of explanation could clear the air, so nothing had ever been declared. They had only been waiting for him to marry, when he could arrange matches for the maids and servants in his household, and the two of them could finally wed.

“Second Young Master!” Wenzhu hurried forward and bowed, her face going bright red.

Xu Siyu smiled. “Don’t worry. Once Second Young Lady is through the door, I’ll ask her to settle things for you and Mozhu.”

It was hardly proper to feel this way, yet Wenzhu couldn’t help letting a joyful smile break across her face.

While Xu Siyu was talking with Wenzhu, Hong Wen was standing in the main hall of the small side courtyard next to Dian Chun Hall.

The women guests who had come to offer their congratulations had been watching an opera in Dian Chun Hall that afternoon, and now that the performance had ended, they had all gone to the flower hall for the banquet. Eleventh, however, was here meeting with the various head matrons to settle the arrangements for tomorrow’s wedding.

“…the money basin, the red felt mat for when the bride alights from the palanquin, the red dates, peanuts, and other items for the bed-scattering ceremony — all have been prepared.”

Eleventh gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.

One of the head matrons said, “The heaven-and-earth table, the deity tablets, and the incense and candles for dressing the bridal chamber have also been prepared!”

Another hum from Eleventh.

A head matron said, “The menu for the two-day wedding banquet has been drawn up as well. Does Madam wish to look it over?”

“That can wait until tomorrow,” Eleventh replied. “Today we discuss only tomorrow; tomorrow we discuss only the day after.”

The head matrons acknowledged respectfully, and another voice followed: “The ceremonial stand, the large crimson satin wedding banner for the ritual hall — all are ready!”

Reports and instructions tumbled over one another without cease.

I’ll wait until the Fourth Madam has a free moment and tell her about those servants, Hong Wen decided.

She thought it over, then quietly slipped out of the hall and made her way to the bridal chamber.

Jin Ge’er and Shen Ge’er were setting off fireworks.

The two of them clapped and cheered, clearly overjoyed beyond measure.

She smiled and took her place behind Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian, just as Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie came walking in.

“Where did you two disappear to?” Xu Sijian laughed. “The dowry procession came through the gate, and in the blink of an eye you were gone.”

Xu Sizhun replied with a grin, “I went to find Fifth Brother — we had agreed that once Second Sister-in-Law’s dowry arrived, I’d call him over to watch. But he was nowhere to be found. Turns out he had gone to Dian Chun Hall to hear the opera, and we searched for ages before we tracked him down.”

Xu Sijie looked a little sheepish. “I had promised Fourth Brother, but I got so caught up listening that I forgot all about it!”

Xu Sijian laughed at that. “Too bad — you missed the show!”

When the bride’s dowry was brought through the gate, it was spread out in the courtyard outside the bridal chamber for the groom’s relatives to view, and at the appointed auspicious hour, the women sent by the bride’s family to make up the bed would carry everything into the bridal chamber and arrange it, then lock the bridal chamber door — not to be opened again until the bride’s palanquin arrived the following day.

“There’s always tomorrow,” Xu Sizhun consoled Xu Sijie, then asked Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian, “Have you eaten?”

“Yes — we ate at Second Brother’s,” Xu Siqin said with a laugh.

The group watched Jin Ge’er set off fireworks, talking and laughing for a while, until they noticed how late it had grown and went their separate ways.

Eleventh had not yet returned, so Hong Wen coaxed Jin Ge’er to sleep. Around the first quarter of the Hour of Hai, Eleventh came back. She had barely given Jin Ge’er two kisses when Xu Lingyi appeared.

There was a faint smell of wine about him.

“This little one, he really is full of surprises.” Xu Lingyi sat on the edge of the bed and helped tuck the blanket around his son.

“What happened?” Eleventh settled into the armchair by the heated platform bed.

Hong Wen, seeing the two of them settling in for a talk, had no choice but to withdraw.

Xu Lingyi told Eleventh what had transpired that afternoon. “…Not only bold and careful, but utterly tenacious when he sets his mind on something — that is the rarest quality of all!”

Eleventh laughed in spite of herself. “If only he brought that same spirit to his studies!”

“Have no worries!” Xu Lingyi said with complete confidence. “The way a child goes about things shows the kind of person he will become. Jin Ge’er will take to his studies well when the time comes.”

The two of them sat by Jin Ge’er’s bed talking for a long while, until both were weary, and only then retired to the inner chamber to sleep.

The next morning, they were up again at first light.

Eleventh accompanied the auspicious matron the family had invited to the bridal chamber, where they ceremonially straightened the bedding and the table, then lit the long-life lamp. When the women guests arrived to offer their congratulations, she hurried over to the small hall on that side.

She was busy all day long, spinning like a top, and it was only in the late afternoon of the shen hour that the favorable time designated by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for the palanquin to set off arrived — when Qiuyu came rushing over in a fluster: “Fourth Madam, this is terrible — for some reason, the Grand Madam has lost her temper with Fifth Young Master and sent Nanny Du to bring him to the main courtyard.”

—