Shiyiniang’s impression of the Jiang family’s Ninth Miss had remained fixed at when she was small — fair skin, large eyes, and a voice like pearls of all sizes rolling across a jade plate. So when, in the bright glow of the dual felicitations, Shiyiniang found herself face to face with this beautiful young woman in a scarlet crepe gauze short jacket, her hair dressed in a peony-bun and adorned with a cascade of pearls and jade, she was startled for a moment before breaking into a warm smile. Just then, Madam Jiang, having served tea to Xu Lingyi, was guided by the full-blessing matron Madam Huang the Third, and from a large red lacquer tray held by a maidservant she took up a crimson teacup in the pattern of intertwined dragon and phoenix and raised it high above her head: “Mother-in-law, please take the tea!”

Her voice was as clear and pleasing as ever.

Shiyiniang smiled and accepted the teacup, and as she had done when Madam Xiang first entered the household, presented a gift of ninety-nine taels’ worth of solid gold head ornaments and a bank draft for nine hundred and ninety-nine taels as a greeting gift. The only difference was that Madam Xiang’s ornaments had been in the form of jade-white flowers, while Madam Jiang’s were fashioned in the shape of peonies.

Madam Jiang thanked her quietly with a flush on her cheeks, and offered as her gift for the opening of the bridal chest two pairs of embroidered slippers and two pairs of stockings for Shiyiniang.

Two pairs of embroidered slippers — one green, one purple. The green pair bore embroidery of pink plum blossoms, dotted with pearl-sized pearls for the stamens. The purple pair bore embroidery of pale yellow orchids, their outlines traced in white silk thread. It was clear that both the color combinations and the workmanship had been given considerable thought. The Huang and Xu households were on excellent terms, and Madam Huang the Third was the sort who loved to heap praise upon the already praiseworthy, let alone when these slippers were genuinely exceptional — she gave several admiring exclamations: “This truly bears out the saying, it takes a whole family to make a family. Look at my Fourth Young Mistress’s needlework — I’d say it is no worse than the Fourth Madam’s own.” She laughed and added: “This is wonderful — mother-in-law and daughter-in-law can compare embroidery together. No need to worry they will have nothing to talk about.”

Everyone joined in the merriment and burst out laughing.

Madam Jiang recalled her mother’s words: “…Your mother-in-law was born a concubine’s daughter, and moreover entered as a second wife — and for her to be where she is today, she must be no simple woman. When you go in, remember to be cautious at all times. Say less and do more, follow the rules, and do not give your mother-in-law cause for displeasure.”

“I spent half a year making these slippers,” she said with a slight flush. “I would not dare accept Madam Huang the Third’s praise.”

She had neither made an excessively self-deprecating display, nor had she simply flattered Shiyiniang wholesale — and she had drawn attention to how much importance she had placed on the gift for her mother-in-law’s bridal-chest opening.

Madam Zhou, who had been listening, raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Shiyiniang, who was seated smiling serenely.

Madam Huang the Third, for her part, felt that this newly-entered Fourth Young Mistress knew just how to say the right thing. After laughing twice, she led Madam Jiang to stand before the Third Madam: “This is your Third Aunt.”

Madam Jiang knelt and performed the full bow, and served tea.

The Third Madam looked dispirited, but took Madam Jiang’s hand and praised her looks several times, offering a greeting gift in accordance with the precedent set when Madam Xiang had entered.

Madam Jiang thanked her quietly; the gift for the opening of the bridal chest was two handkerchiefs.

Then Madam Huang the Third led her before the Fifth Madam… the full round took more than an hour in total. Though she had received a great pile of things, she was also thoroughly exhausted. Madam Jiang dared not let any of this show in the slightest, but made every effort to keep her smile gentle and respectful, and followed her mother-in-law toward the reception hall where the wedding banquet was laid out.

Among the female guests in attendance, Madam Zhou — as the mother of the Crown Princess — held the most distinguished rank, and Shiyiniang walked beside her at the head of the procession. Madam Huang the Third and Madam Gan walked chatting and laughing on either side. Fifth Madam deliberately fell a few steps behind, joining the ranks of her own sister-in-law, the Third Madam, Luo Da Nainai, and the others. Not only was Madam Jiang pushed to one side — she found herself falling behind the rest of the party.

Someone gently pressed her hand, and released it just as quickly.

Madam Jiang’s attention had been focused entirely on Shiyiniang, and the sudden touch gave her quite a fright. She looked up — and found it was Xu Sizhun.

And Xu Sizhun was looking back at her, his gaze filled with undisguised concern.

She suddenly thought of the previous night, their wedding chamber… her face flushed all the way crimson, like a length of silk.

Xu Sizhun was thrown into complete consternation.

“Are you… are you all right?” he said in a murmur. “There is a stone curb beside you… you might catch your foot on it…”

Her heart grew warm.

The sorrow of marrying far from home, the fear of what the future held — all of it receded into a great distance with that one sentence of his.

“I… I am fine…” Madam Jiang spoke, but then it suddenly occurred to her that Xu Sizhun ought to be accompanying his father in attending to the male guests — what was he doing here? The scene just now had been somewhat chaotic, but there had been many eyes around them. It was difficult to be sure no one had seen. She had heard that her husband was a courteous and gentlemanly man — and here he was, right upon her entry into the household, watching over her like this. If word reached her mother-in-law, she did not know whether her mother-in-law would think her to be a frivolous sort… Her gaze drifted to Shiyiniang.

Madam Zhou had said something — she did not know what — and Shiyiniang, Madam Huang the Third, Madam Gan, and the others were all laughing behind their sleeves, apparently not having noticed what was happening here.

Madam Jiang let out a quiet breath of relief. She was just about to ask Xu Sizhun something when a suppressed laugh sounded at her ear.

She felt guilty and flustered, and turned instinctively toward the sound. She found herself looking into a pair of eyes that were smiling without quite smiling.

It was the eldest sister-in-law, Madam Fang.

Madam Jiang felt her cheeks burning, and was just deciding whether or not to go and link arms with Madam Fang and make light conversation — to put on an air of indifference and let the whole moment pass — when Madam Fang had already asked Xu Sizhun: “Is Fourth Uncle here to escort the Fourth Young Mistress to pay her respects to the Grand Madam?” All while smiling a little.

The Grand Madam was an elder, but she was also a widow, and on an occasion such as this it was not fitting for her to receive the formal obeisance of the newlyweds in the ceremonial hall.

Though it was a family banquet, there was still the separation between men and women. The male guests had been in the smaller hall where the earlier ceremony had taken place; the female guests were in the warm sitting room adjacent.

Xu Sizhun had been sent by Xu Lingyi to see off a departing guest, and on his way back, noticing Shiyiniang and the others heading toward the warm sitting room, he could not help searching the crowd… and had come upon Madam Jiang left alone and fallen behind the rest of the group…

Naturally those paying close attention to the new bride had noticed, and in the exchange of question and answer, several had already glanced over.

“Yes!” Only now did Xu Sizhun become aware of his impropriety. He cast Madam Fang a glance of heartfelt gratitude and said in a low voice: “Father asked us to go and pay our respects to the Grand Madam.”

Shiyiniang had arranged this with Xu Lingyi in advance. After the bride and groom had escorted the guests to the banquet, they were first to go and pay their formal respects to the Grand Madam, and then return to take their seats — in the afternoon, they were to go and pay their respects to the Second Madam.

“Then be quick about it!” The circumstances were always in flux — although the bride and groom had not escorted the guests all the way to the banqueting hall, they had seen them partway, and that was not altogether improper. Shiyiniang smiled and gave her instructions to Xu Sizhun and Madam Jiang.

The two acknowledged together, nodded to Madam Fang, and went off together to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

After the three days’ return visit, Shiyiniang saw off the guests from Nanjing, then took Madam Jiang, Wen Concubine, and Zhen Jie’er to go outing and sightseeing at the Grand Xianguo Temple, Baiyun Pavilion, and other places. Food, clothing, accessories, and playthings were piled into two large fully-laden carriages before Shiyiniang and the others saw Zhen Jie’er off with great reluctance.

Jin Ge’er then whispered to Shiyiniang: “Mother, let us go and visit Elder Sister next year. Elder Sister’s husband said their fields are planted all over with jujube trees. At this time next year, it will be just the right season to knock down jujubes. I have never knocked down jujubes before!”

Getting out and broadening one’s horizons was a good thing for a child.

Only this was quite a difficult thing to arrange.

She could not possibly leave all the old and young at home and take only Jin Ge’er to Cangzhou, nor could she bring everyone along together… and Xu Lingyi was even less able to do so. When he went out, he represented the Marquis Yongping household, and certain courtesies could not be avoided, certain social obligations could not be declined, and certain things could not be done… the whole journey would completely lose the meaning of travel.

She was still mulling this over when Xu Siyu came.

“I have already discussed it with Father — we will be setting out back to Le’an in the next couple of days,” he said with some embarrassment. “Madam Xiang — I can only ask Mother to take care of her.”

“Do not worry,” Shiyiniang said with a smile. “I will look after her well.”

The two were still speaking, and the matter of Jin Ge’er’s wish was pushed aside.

That evening, Jin Ge’er squeezed into Xu Lingyi’s blankets and whispered secrets with his father: “…Let us go and visit Elder Sister!”

Xu Lingyi laughed and tweaked his son’s nose. “Tell me the truth — is it that you want to see Elder Sister? Or that you want to go out and play?”

“Both!” Jin Ge’er muttered. “Jing Ge’er and I made a pact — if I go to Cangzhou, he will take me to meet his Third Elder Brother… his Third Elder Brother has already beaten six martial arts schools in a row in Cangzhou, he is incredibly skilled…”

Xu Lingyi burst out laughing. “Wait until you are older!”

Jin Ge’er was very disappointed.

Yet when the first snow fell on Yanjing, Xu Lingyi took him to Baoding.

The Grand Madam, gazing at the endless falling drifts of snow thick as goose feathers, could not help but feel regret: “Had I known it would be like this, I should never have agreed to let him take Jin Ge’er along. He may be tough and thick-skinned and unafraid of anything — but our Jin Ge’er has never seen such conditions!”

“The Marquis and Jin Ge’er are both wearing fur-lined padded coats, and brought a whole cartload of silver frost charcoal.” Shiyiniang quickly soothed the Grand Madam. “They are resting at relay stations all along the way, and have so many guards with them — nothing will go wrong.”

The Grand Madam listened, and instead furrowed her brows all the tighter.

“Shiyiniang,” the old lady took Shiyiniang’s hand, “you are with him day and night — has he said anything to you?” She paused thoughtfully. “I have been thinking this over for a long while. With the year-end approaching, the managers from all over the country will be coming back to present their accounts. If there were not some serious matter at the horse farm in Baoding, why would he make this journey at this time? And then saying that he is taking Jin Ge’er along for company on the road… If you ask me, he has put on this whole performance precisely because he does not want me to worry…”

This is also what Xu Lingyi had said to her, but in her own assessment, he was simply a man who could not bear to stay cooped up at home and had seized on a pretext to take Jin Ge’er out for a ride. Otherwise, why would his spirits have been so noticeably light and easy in those few days when he was deciding to go to Baoding?

“If there were truly something serious at the horse farm, going by the Marquis’s nature, he would very likely have galloped there at full speed,” Shiyiniang said with a smile, taking a seat beside the Grand Madam. “He would not have taken Jin Ge’er along.” She added: “The Marquis has been at home for the past two years — it is good for him to get out and stretch his legs.”

He had been the patriarch of this great household for so long that everyone seemed to have forgotten that Xu Lingyi was only a man in his thirties.

The Grand Madam seemed to understand, and let the matter drop, turning to chat with Shiyiniang about the everyday affairs of the household.

Madam Jiang came in.

“Mother is also here.” She smiled. “How fortunate.” With that, she took a red lacquer box painted with lotus flowers from the hands of a young maidservant and handed it to the Grand Madam. “This is agarwood incense — best for use during Buddhist devotions.” Then she took a red lacquer gilt-painted box and handed it to Shiyiniang: “And this is a blend of hundred-flowers incense — it is best burned while reading.” She smiled and added: “These were made by my own mother, and are somewhat different from what one finds in the shops. Grandmother and Mother may try them and see if they are to your taste.”

The Jiang family had sent over their new year’s gifts this morning — the incense had no doubt come with that delivery.

The Grand Madam and Shiyiniang smiled and expressed their thanks.

Madam Jiang then gestured to the young maidservant who still stood holding a whole armful of red lacquer boxes: “These are for Second Uncle, Fifth Aunt, and the others!”

“Off you go, then,” the Grand Madam said with a warm smile, and instructed her: “Come and have supper here with Zhun Ge’er this evening.”

Madam Jiang answered brightly and cheerfully, and went first to Fifth Madam’s rooms, which were closest to the Grand Madam’s.