Shiyiniang laughed. “Are you finding a wife for Sijie, or finding me a companion? If it’s for Sijie, I think we need to take a closer look at this. If it’s for me, then there’s really no need. Siyu’s and Sizhun’s wives are both very filial…” As she spoke, she clasped Xu Lingyi’s hand. “Parents will leave before us, and the children still have long lives ahead of them. The meaning of a life companion is the hope of having someone by your side in old age…” With her words, Xu Lingyi’s eyes gradually lit up like summer sunlight, and seeing this, Shiyiniang’s heart gave a sudden start, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.

“I know!” Xu Lingyi clasped her hand in return. “I’ll do as you say.” Then feeling those words were not quite clear enough, he added, “I will be with you often from now on.” The gaze he fixed on her was very earnest.

Shiyiniang had not been asking for a promise from him.

She had wanted to tell Xu Lingyi that it was a spouse who would walk alongside one to the very end of life — there was no need to match Yingniang with Sijie merely out of consideration for her feelings. Of course, if Yingniang and Sijie had made an impression on each other, that would be another matter entirely.

Yet the hand that gradually tightened around hers seemed to be conveying something through this gesture…

Shiyiniang gazed at Xu Lingyi with uncertainty.

His hand was warm and strong, steady as a great rock. It made one feel safe, with a sense of solid reassurance of being carefully held.

Shiyiniang felt a warm glow in her heart.

Outside the room came the sound of a managing matron asking Hupo to announce her. Through the window, the clear autumn sunlight fell brightly into the courtyard, where several young maids who had not yet put up their hair stood smiling on small stools, picking pomegranate blossoms.

The world was so full of complexity, yet her heart was tranquil as it had never been before.

After that, Xu Lingyi did not raise the matter again, but Shiyiniang began to think seriously about Xu Sijie’s marriage.

Xu Sijie was fourteen this year. By rights, it was time to start looking for a match. Yet she had a quiet, lingering hope that he might first pass the examination to become a licentiate — that way, finding a match would be easier.

To propose Yingniang for Xu Sijie, linking the next generation of the Luo Family with the Xu Family through another marriage… Ancient times were nothing like the modern era. In ancient times, no matter how loving a husband and wife might be, if the mother-in-law disliked the wife, she could order a divorce on the spot. Conversely, no matter how loveless a marriage might be, if the mother-in-law was fond of the wife, a divorce was out of the question. As long as you were a daughter-in-law of the household, that family’s clan was bound to protect you. So choosing a mother-in-law was more important than choosing a husband. She was Yingniang’s aunt — if the Xu Family came to propose, the Luo Family would certainly have no objection. Her consideration was Xu Sijie…

Among all the brothers, he was the loneliest. If Yingniang were proposed to him… The Luo Family was flourishing with children, Xu Sijie was sensitive and emotionally perceptive, while Yingniang had an open and bright personality… Xu Sijie was neither the eldest nor the youngest, so he received less attention from his elders, and felt less pressure. By comparison, his character was steady and good-natured, yet lacked sufficient drive and ambition. Yingniang, however, was the eldest legitimate daughter, her parents’ first child, and a model for her younger siblings — not only was she greatly valued, but much effort had also been invested in her education. Children raised this way tended to be highly responsible and knew how to care for others…

From all these considerations, the two of them actually complemented each other quite well. With another marriage alliance between the Luo and Xu families, whether it was Luo Zhensheng or Xu Sizhun, each would feel an extra degree of closeness toward Xu Sijie.

The more Shiyiniang thought about it, the more she felt this match was an excellent one.

When Xu Sijie came to pay his respects, she could not help looking him over from head to toe.

“Mother!” Xu Sijie, not understanding why, bowed his head and checked over his clothes and shoes carefully, finding nothing amiss, and felt all the more puzzled. “Is there something you wish to tell me?”

“No, no.” Shiyiniang smiled and beckoned him over. “Come, sit down and talk… How have your studies been lately?”

Shiyiniang rarely asked him so directly about his studies. She would usually ask what he had studied that day, whether he had understood what the teacher explained, or whether he needed to go to Bowstring Lane to seek guidance from his maternal uncle. Xu Sijie felt a little nervous. “Everything else is going well enough, except that my essays have not been satisfying the teacher.”

“If it really isn’t working, then take the well-written essays of others and memorize more of them. Commit to memory how they open and how they conclude. Then practice imitating those methods step by step. Over time, you’re bound to get something out of it.”

“Is that any way to teach a child?” Before Shiyiniang had finished speaking, Xu Lingyi walked in, smiling as he spoke. “Listen properly to Master Chang. However he tells you to practice, that’s how you should practice!”

Whenever Father and Mother spoke with each other, there was always a warmth between them that existed with no one else. Everyone in the household could feel it — all the more so Xu Sijie.

He smiled and glanced at his mother, responded respectfully with “Yes,” answered some of Xu Lingyi’s questions about his studies, then rose and went back to his room.

Shiyiniang moved to sit beside Xu Lingyi. “My lord, I think what you suggested earlier is quite good. But I’d still like to look at the child more carefully first. What do you think — what excuse might we use to bring her to Yanjing for a visit?”

Xu Lingyi thought for a moment before it came to him, and he smiled. “That’s simple enough. Just say that Jin Ge’er is about to move to the outer courtyard, and you feel lonely on your own — ask Yingniang to come keep you company, wouldn’t that do? And if you send the letter to Yuhang now, they can set out after the New Year, arriving around March. The two of you can even go enjoy the temple fair and take a spring outing.”

Such a simple reason — and yet she hadn’t thought of it.

Because of a guilty conscience, perhaps?

Shiyiniang felt embarrassed.

“That’s an excellent idea, my lord. I’ll write the letter to Yuhang at once.” She gave a vague, noncommittal reply and quickly changed the subject. “Has Prince Yong’s money been gathered in full?”

“It has.” Xu Lingyi smiled. “That proprietor of Dafeng Trading House is truly no ordinary man. Twenty thousand taels of silver, and he didn’t ask for a single cent of interest. On top of that, he sent back a gift of fifty thousand taels of silver to Steward Bai. With that kind of generosity, how could his business fail to thrive?”

“With generosity of that scale, one must also have capital of that scale.” Shiyiniang frowned slightly as she listened. “My lord, do you know anything about the background of this Dafeng Trading House?”

“Don’t worry — I know what I’m about.” Xu Lingyi said. “I gave him a promissory note for two hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver, at one percent annual interest. The return is a little modest, but it’s above reproach on the surface. As for background — no matter who he is or where he comes from, he wouldn’t dare play tricks on us to our faces.” As he spoke, a trace of imperious authority showed in his brow.

Seeing him wandering about the house every day, she had nearly forgotten that he was still a Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince.

Shiyiniang couldn’t help but smile.

Those of the common people do not contend against officials. Whatever the Dafeng Trading House’s background might be, as long as Xu Lingyi did not greedily take their silver without cause, the Dafeng Trading House truly had no way of doing anything to him.

Xu Lingyi gave Shiyiniang instructions. “Isn’t Prince Yong’s consort’s birthday in a few days? Help me bring a box of gold bars to her. Tell the consort to find a reputable century-old silversmith’s shop to exchange them for cash. Better to take a small loss than to become entangled with a trading house like Dafeng. And if money runs short, hold celebrations in turns — children’s one-month birthdays, one-year birthdays, adults’ birthdays, elders’ longevity banquets — whatever comes around. Whatever she does, she must not borrow silver again.”

Seeing the gravity in his expression, Shiyiniang hesitated. “My lord, has something happened?”

Xu Lingyi was silent for quite some time before speaking in a low voice. “Last spring, Prince Yong recommended the supervising secretary of the Ministry of Works as the magistrate of Gaochun County, and the Ministry of Personnel quickly issued the appointment. I only learned of it when Shizheng mentioned it to me — turns out the Crown Prince had, through him, recommended a Hanlin academician by the surname Li… ” He shook his head with a bitter smile. “And now this year, when the Crown Prince wanted to recommend his own teacher’s student for the post of magistrate in Jiaxing, someone went to Prince Yong’s side to seek that same position.”

Shiyiniang was startled. “My lord, are you suspecting that…”

“It’s not suspicion.” Xu Lingyi said. “Otherwise, Shizheng would not have sought me out specifically over this matter.”

“Then what is the Crown Prince’s intention? Have you gone to Prince Yong’s side to give him a warning?”

If the Crown Prince and Prince Yong were to come into conflict, no matter which one emerged victorious, the damage to the Xu Family would be severe. What was most to be feared was the Emperor feeling that the two lacked brotherly affection and, in a rage, sweeping them both away at once. If that happened, the Xu Family’s situation would become even more difficult.

Seeing his wife’s look of worry, Xu Lingyi regretted somewhat having told her about this matter.

“Don’t worry. Prince Yong is a perceptive man. I’ve already spoken with him about certain things.” Xu Lingyi said quietly. “This is also my way of giving him another reminder.”

For a long while, the Emperor had, whether deliberately or not, kept a certain distance between the Crown Prince and Xu Lingyi. Because of this, Xu Lingyi and the Crown Prince maintained a courteous, distant relationship — very little of the warmth of uncle and nephew, and mostly the formality of lord and subject. With Prince Yong, on the other hand, there was ordinarily little contact, yet whenever something arose, Prince Yong’s first thought was always to turn to this maternal uncle of his, Xu Lingyi.

“I understand!” Xu Lingyi’s words had not reassured Shiyiniang — if anything, her worry deepened. She turned things over carefully in her mind, thinking through what she should say when she next saw Prince Yong’s consort.

A young maid called from behind the curtain: “My lord, my lady, the Fourth Young Master has come.”

Ever since that day in the study when Xu Lingyi had left in a fit of anger, Xu Sizhun had not gone back to the study in the outer courtyard, and Xu Lingyi had said nothing about it. So, quite naturally, Xu Sizhun had taken over the household’s miscellaneous affairs. To outsiders, it simply looked as though Xu Sizhun had helped manage the household for a few days while the Marquis was away, and now that he had returned, matters had been handed back to him. And because of this, Xu Lingyi left early and returned late each day. When Xu Sizhun and Jiang Shi came several times to pay their respects, they did not even manage to see him. Only Jin Ge’er complained: “Father doesn’t practice calligraphy with me anymore either.”

In all these recent days, this was the first time Xu Lingyi had come home so early. Xu Sizhun had come over at once — it was clear he had been watching for an opportunity to see Xu Lingyi.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Xu Sizhun walked in.

He bowed, then stood before the kang somewhat at a loss, twisting his fingers together. “Father, I, I…” He seemed very ill at ease.

Xu Lingyi sighed inwardly and pointed to the armchair beside him. “Come down and sit. Let’s talk.”

Xu Sizhun hesitated for quite some time, then shook his head slightly.

“Father, while you were away from home, you entrusted the household’s miscellaneous affairs to me to manage.” He said this loudly, his eyes fixed on the tips of his shoes, not looking at anyone. “But instead I went and made lanterns. That was wrong of me. Please, Father, forgive me this once. I will never do it again.”

Though they had expected Xu Sizhun might have something to say, no one had anticipated he would be so direct in coming to apologize.

Xu Lingyi felt a wave of emotion.

This child had, after all, come to face up to the mistake he had made.

“You say you were wrong — in what way were you wrong?” Xu Lingyi fixed a cold gaze on him, not so much as a flicker in his brow or at the corners of his eyes, seemingly unmoved by Xu Sizhun’s apology.

Father was still willing to hear him out… The tension that had gripped Xu Sizhun’s heart finally eased a little. “I should not have confused my priorities — I neglected the household’s affairs because of making lanterns. I should have finished handling the household matters first, and then made lanterns. Father,” he raised his head and said sincerely to Xu Lingyi, “I will truly never do such a thing again!”

“Good, as long as you know where you went wrong.” His tone was still somewhat cool, but his expression had softened considerably. “What matters most is to learn from this, and not repeat it in the future. You must understand — with your second elder brother away from home, you are the eldest here. You must set an example for your younger brothers…”

—