Her mother-in-law was delivering a warning.

All color drained from Jiang Shi’s face.

Asking whether she had read history and classical texts — that was a way of saying she was a hen who tries to crow at dawn; that she had read books she ought not to have read, harbored thoughts she ought not to have harbored, and interfered in men’s affairs. Bringing up the story of the Wang family’s young lady was a way of reproaching her for questioning Xu Sizhun’s decision in front of her aunt, tarnishing Xu Sizhun’s face before his own family, and making herself look coarse and ill-bred, without proper upbringing.

Deep inside, she felt wronged.

“A daughter follows her father; a wife follows her husband.” A married woman, no matter how distinguished her family was, shared the same fate as her husband’s household — rise and fall together, glory and ruin alike. She understood this principle well enough. But Xu Sizhun… if it were not for her worry about him, why would she have gone to all that extra trouble? What woman does not long for a husband who stands like a great tree to shelter her, keeping her from wind and rain, so she can be a dutiful wife and obedient daughter-in-law beneath his shade?

But these words — how could she possibly say them in front of her mother-in-law?

And if she said them, that would be another count against her.

A wife’s honor rises with her husband’s. Everyone in Yanjing says her mother-in-law is virtuous and gentle, mild and steady — but without her father-in-law’s steadfast protection, could her mother-in-law have earned such a reputation?

“Mother, I was entirely in the wrong.” Jiang Shi slowly rose to her feet, feeling a sudden dizziness. “I did not think things through carefully enough.” As she spoke, she slowly sank to her knees before Shiyiniang. “I will never dare do such a thing again. Please, Mother, do not be angry.”

The deaths of Cui’er and Tao Mama had left Shiyiniang with much to reflect on. There were things she understood and could empathize with, yet could not bring herself to act upon. In that regard, she was not well-suited to managing the inner household of the Xu Family. She had long hoped Xu Sizhun would marry early, and hoped Jiang Shi would be capable and accomplished — someone who, once she entered the household, could help manage the Xu Family’s inner affairs. Then she herself could step back from these trivial matters and live a more leisurely life.

Of course, she also knew the gap between ideal and reality.

Capable and accomplished people tended to be strong-willed; strong-willed people tended to have their own ideas. That was precisely why she had placed her own trusted people in key positions early on. That way, she could advance or retreat as circumstances demanded. As long as Jiang Shi gave her the respect she was due, she would give Jiang Shi the respect she deserved in return.

So from the moment Jiang Shi entered the household, Shiyiniang had intended to give her some household duties to manage, to observe her character and ability. Though Xu Lingyi had not agreed to that at the time, Shiyiniang had kept a careful eye on Jiang Shi throughout.

Helping Xu Sizhun recognize his mistake, using the matter of New Year gifts to consider the relationship between the Crown Prince and Prince Yong, keeping Xu Sizhun from acting rashly… Shiyiniang felt that Jiang Shi was not only perceptive, but also quite adept in her approach. If she could just learn to better judge the proper measure of things, having someone like her by Xu Sizhun’s side might not be a bad thing at all.

That was what had prompted her to deliver this warning to Jiang Shi.

“Get up quickly,” Shiyiniang said evenly. “If there is something to say, say it properly. Kneeling like this won’t solve anything.”

Jiang Shi’s heart churned like a wheel — up and down, utterly unsettled.

From the tone of her mother-in-law’s voice, a simple apology was not going to resolve this easily.

She felt as if she had a bitter pill lodged in her mouth.

“Mother is absolutely right to rebuke me,” she said in a trembling voice as she stood up, not knowing what awaited her next.

“I have always felt that it is good for a girl to read history and classical texts,” Shiyiniang said, lifting her tea bowl and sipping it lightly, her manner perfectly composed — a striking contrast to Jiang Shi’s anxious state. “It means she won’t be completely ignorant of the world outside, and even if she wants to help her husband, she has some idea of how to go about it. When I first heard the words you used to counsel Zhun Ge’er, I was truly pleased. I thought: Zhun Ge’er has found a good wife. With an elder sister-in-law like you, the younger brothers and sisters will follow your example, and the relations among the sisters-in-law will be harmonious and pleasant. That would not only be Zhun Ge’er’s blessing, but a blessing for the Xu Family as a whole.”

Jiang Shi stared at Shiyiniang in astonishment.

She had not expected such a high assessment from her.

Under ordinary circumstances, she would naturally have been overjoyed. But placed in this present situation… To praise first and censure after — she feared the words that came next would not be easy to hear, and what was more, they were the real point.

“That you were able to remind Zhun Ge’er about the matter of Prince Yong’s household — that was also well done.” Shiyiniang looked steadily at Jiang Shi. “Zhun Ge’er is still young, and hearing about all this rattled him, leaving him unable to make up his mind. Your father has passed the highest examination and served as a ranking official — he understands the affairs of the court far better than women of the inner household. With my lord away from home, you wanted your father to help work out a course of action, and that in itself was not wrong. But why was it your aunt who came to counsel you?”

Jiang Shi’s expression changed drastically.

“Which shows that there are still things you have not fully thought through.” Shiyiniang continued. “And then today’s matter. In front of your aunt, you questioned Zhun Ge’er about why he wanted to give Young Master Wang those cricket gourds. I understand what you meant by it. For Zhun Ge’er to give a gift, and to give cricket gourds of all things — if Young Master Wang became addicted to play, Zhun Ge’er would naturally be seen as the friend who led him astray, and that would be very damaging to Zhun Ge’er’s reputation. Family matters, your aunt knows them all — there’s no need to hide them from her. ‘A good wife honors her husband; a foolish wife shames him.’ You are someone who has read the Precepts for Women and the Biographies of Exemplary Women — you certainly understand that principle. How is it that you could do such a thing today?

There are things you would do well to think carefully about.”

Shiyiniang said all this with measured gravity, then raised her tea bowl. “It is late. Go and rest early. I am still counting on you to take on more of the burden and manage the household affairs for me.”

“Yes.” Jiang Shi replied in a voice barely above a whisper, and walked out of the main courtyard in a daze, her mind elsewhere.

“Fourth Young Madam, Fourth Young Madam—” Yuan Baozhu’s wife, seeing her expression was wrong, felt a surge of worry. She had no idea what the Fourth Madam had said to the Fourth Young Madam inside. “What’s the matter with you?”

The urgent voice, cutting through the cold wind, struck Jiang Shi and made her shudder, clearing her head considerably.

Yes — how had she come to this state?

Nothing more than one thing after another going smoothly, everything working out as she had hoped, and she had gradually grown careless and a little arrogant. When it came down to it, she simply could not keep a steady head — not enough self-discipline and cultivation. If she went on behaving this way…

At that thought, she was seized with a cold fear, and only then realized that her back was already drenched in perspiration, though she had not noticed when it had happened.

Hupo slipped in quietly to clear away the tea things. She found Shiyiniang sitting on the large kang beneath the window, gazing into space at the courtyard outside.

“My lady, will you be going to pay your respects to the Old Madam now, or would you prefer to wait a while?” she reminded Shiyiniang softly.

“Oh!” Shiyiniang turned her head. “Let’s go now. Looking at the sky, it seems like snow may come later. Better to go early and avoid getting caught in it.” Then she said, “I wonder where my lord and Jin Ge’er have gotten to by now. When my lord goes out, he takes advantage of my not knowing what’s out there and doesn’t give me a single true word.” Half-complaining, half-playfully, she got down from the kang as she spoke.

Hupo just laughed and brought over a fox-fur cape. “My lord is just afraid of being nagged by you. The letter you sent to Jiayuguan last time ran to over ten sheets, all reminders about food, clothing, and keeping warm — and how you have to make do with whatever is available when you’re on the road. My lord must not want to tell you any falsehoods, so he speaks in vague and roundabout terms.”

Shiyiniang knew perfectly well what Xu Lingyi had in mind. It was just that waiting at home like this, watching the wind blow and snow fall outside, and thinking of Jiayuguan being even colder than this, made her heart uneasy.

She knew there was nothing to be gained from saying any of this. Hupo and the others always defended Xu Lingyi with one voice, as though afraid she might get cross with him.

“Don’t come tomorrow,” Shiyiniang said briskly, changing the subject, and instructed Hupo, “Your family must have guests too. I have Qiuyu here — that’s enough.” Hupo replied “Yes” with a smile. “Is there anything you’d like me to bring for you, my lady?”

Though the household manager in the outer wing was responsible for purchasing, Shiyiniang still liked to have Hupo pick up small personal items for her.

“It’s the New Year — every household has their doors shut. Where would you go to bring me anything?” As she spoke, Shiyiniang suddenly stopped walking.

By rights, even without her saying anything, the Jiang Family should have advised Jiang Shi — so how had they allowed her to go on making one mistake after another like this?

Could it be that this was precisely what the Jiang Family wished to see?

When the Jiang Family allied with the Xu Family through marriage, it was tantamount to waving a white flag before the Emperor — yet all these years had passed, and the Jiang Family had gained nothing from it. The Emperor’s attitude toward the Jiang Family remained exactly as it had been: neither distant nor close.

The Jiang Family was likely running out of patience.

Now it would all come down to Jiang Shi’s own choices.

A husband caught between his mother and his wife has a hard enough time of it — how much harder would Jiang Shi’s future be, caught between two great families.

Shiyiniang could not help but give a quiet sigh.

After the Lantern Festival, Shiyiniang received a letter from Xu Lingyi, saying he planned to set out for Yanjing in mid-March. He asked about how the preparations for Jin Ge’er’s courtyard were coming along. He did not include a single word of New Year greetings for her.

Shiyiniang muttered a few complaints about Xu Lingyi under her breath and wrote back her reply.

By mid-second month, Yingniang had arrived in Yanjing.

Xu Sijie was with two young manservants, in the middle of planting caladiums.

Shiyiniang asked Yingniang, who had not yet gone inside: “What do you think?”

Yingniang looked carefully, then smiled. “I think banana trees would be nice too.”

Xu Sijie heard this and glanced over. He hastily wiped his hands and came walking over quickly. “Mother! Big Cousin, you’re here!”

Yingniang curtsied to Xu Sijie and called out with a smile, “Fifth Cousin-Brother.”

“I noticed there’s a camphor tree over there,” Xu Sijie said with a smile, “so I thought caladiums would go well with it.”

“I thought, given that the Lake Tai stones don’t come up to waist height, banana trees might look better,” Yingniang said. “If the stones were as tall as a person, then caladiums would certainly be the better choice.”

Xu Sijie turned at her words and looked things over again. “Big Cousin makes a fair point. How about changing to banana trees then? And I’ll move the caladiums to my own courtyard.” That last part he said as a question directed at Shiyiniang.

Shiyiniang looked at Yingniang.

Yingniang smiled. “Fifth Cousin-Brother needn’t go to the trouble — caladiums look lovely too. It’s just that I happen to like banana trees, and so I’d love it if everyone everywhere planted them.”

Xu Sijie was puzzled. “But Big Cousin, why do you like banana trees so much?”

“The sound of rain on banana leaves is so beautiful!” Yingniang laughed brightly.

Xu Sijie paused, and then broke into a smile.

Shiyiniang, watching them, smiled too.

“All right, go inside and freshen up first.” She said to Yingniang. “After you’ve washed up, we’ll go and pay our respects to the Old Madam.”

Yingniang smiled and curtsied, then followed the maids and matrons to the western wing of the rear courtyard.

The personal maidservant of the Fifth Madam came over.

“Fourth Madam!” She curtsied. “Our Madam asks you to come over — she says there is something urgent she needs to discuss with you.”