When Her Highness the Empress caught sight of Jin Ge’er, she was visibly moved.

“The resemblance is remarkable!” She studied Jin Ge’er intently. “He looks so much like the Old Marquis!”

The Old Marquis was Xu Lingyi’s father — Jin Ge’er’s paternal grandfather.

Jin Ge’er bore the scrutiny with perfect composure. “My maternal grandmother says I look like Grandfather too. She also says that when I grow up, I’ll be taller and cleverer than Father.” His large phoenix-shaped eyes sparkled, bright and guileless as a child’s.

The Empress laughed. Whatever trace of sadness had lingered in her heart scattered at once like clouds blown away by the wind.

She took Jin Ge’er’s hand and settled with him on the throne seat, then reached into a small lacquered dish on the side table and took out a handful of candies to press into his palm. “Here — have some spun-silk candy.”

Jin Ge’er put the candies into the pouch at his side.

The Empress was mildly taken aback.

“The spun-silk candy made here in the palace is finer and sweeter than anything outside,” Jin Ge’er said with a smile. “I want to bring these back for Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother, Ting Ge’er, and Ying Ying.”

“What a child!” The Empress laughed and put her arm around Jin Ge’er’s shoulders, telling Huang Xian Ying, “Remember later to pack a box of spun-silk candy for the Sixth Young Master to take home.”

Huang Xian Ying smiled and agreed, then quietly reminded the Empress, “The hour for the morning reception has arrived.”

The Empress heard her and hesitated for a moment. Then she said gently to Jin Ge’er, “Wait here for me a little while — I’ll be right back.” She instructed one of the palace maids, “You stay here and keep the Sixth Young Master company,” and went to the main hall.

The palace maid was about twenty years of age, her appearance dignified and composed. She brought over a padded stool for Jin Ge’er to sit on and placed some pastries before him with a smile.

Jin Ge’er said, “Happy New Year, Elder Sister,” and without any hesitation helped himself, eating osmanthus cake while striking up a conversation with the maid. “Elder Sister, what is your surname? Have you always been in service in Her Highness the Empress’s palace? What is your current post? Are you kept very busy? Are you permitted to leave the palace?” He was like a child brimming with curiosity, a torrent of questions, and the maid covered her mouth and laughed. “My surname is Tan — you may call me Tan Auntie!” As for the rest, she said nothing, but turned the questions back on him: “Do you like osmanthus cake very much? This osmanthus cake is quite good too.”

“Really?” Jin Ge’er immediately picked up a piece of the osmanthus cake and tasted it, full of praise. “Delicious — sweet without being cloying.” As if drawn in entirely by something good to eat, he seemed to forget the questions he had just been asking.

There was a commotion outside, and a voice rang out loudly, asking where the Empress was, as its owner entered the side hall.

Every palace maid in the hall sank into a curtsy, addressing the newcomer respectfully as “First Princess.”

Jin Ge’er looked up and saw a girl dressed in a scarlet robe embroidered with a hundred birds facing the phoenix, surrounded by a cluster of palace maids in blue-green palace dress, sweep into the room.

“And who is this?” Finding an unfamiliar boy in her mother’s side hall, the First Princess looked at Jin Ge’er with undisguised curiosity.

“This is the Sixth Young Master of Marquis Yongping’s household!” Tan Auntie had barely gotten the words out before Jin Ge’er had already knelt to pay his respects to the First Princess.

“So it’s you!” The First Princess blinked in mild surprise, then immediately became lively with interest. She walked up to Jin Ge’er. “Hey — do you still remember who I am? Weren’t they saying you were in poor health and couldn’t go out in winter? How did you come today then? You don’t look unwell to me at all…”

The First Princess had fair, delicate skin, a high-bridged nose, and a pair of eyes as dark and bright as jet. Perhaps because she had been walking quickly, her cheeks were flushed a warm pink — she looked full of life and charm.

Jin Ge’er naturally had no idea what the First Princess looked like. He sidestepped the uncomfortable question with a smile. “I’m well again now, so I came to pay my respects to Her Highness the Empress.”

The First Princess’s eyes lit up at those words.

“Wonderful!” She grabbed Jin Ge’er by the hand and started running toward the door. “We’re playing cuju — we’re one player short!”

“First Princess!” Tan Auntie hurried after them. “Her Highness the Empress asked the Sixth Young Master to wait in the side hall.” Then she added, “You still have to go and pay your respects to His Majesty the Emperor!”

“Just let Mother know,” the First Princess said, running even faster. “I’ve already gone to pay Father my respects.”

Tan Auntie stamped her foot, said a few words to a nearby palace maid, and rushed after them.

By the time the Empress returned with Shiyiniang to the side hall, Jin Ge’er and the First Princess had already been gone for nearly half an hour. The Empress thought at once of the First Princess’s mischievous ways and quickly sent Huang Xian Ying: “Go and bring Jin Ge’er back quickly — tell him the Marchioness of Yongping is ready to return to the estate!”

Huang Xian Ying recalled two previous occasions when Jin Ge’er was young and the two had crossed paths, both times causing the First Princess to cause some sort of stir. She grew anxious as well, asked where the First Princess had gone, and hurried off.

“Don’t worry,” the Empress said, comforting Shiyiniang. “There are palace maids and eunuchs with them — they won’t be allowed to run about freely.”

There was no use in worrying now.

Wherever Jin Ge’er went, he had never been one to hang his head. Being in the company of these children of the imperial line would itself be a test of how he handled himself.

Shiyiniang respectfully answered “yes” and perched on the edge of the padded stool the Empress had offered her.

The Empress then asked after the Grand Madam’s condition.

Shiyiniang answered each question in turn. Presently Noble Consort Wang, Imperial Concubine Song, and several others came to pay their respects to the Empress.

The Empress introduced Shiyiniang to them.

After the exchange of greetings, everyone sat gathered around the Empress, chatting idly, when a commotion arose from outside.

In the Empress’s palace, the only person capable of causing such a stir was the First Princess.

Shiyiniang was still turning this over in her mind when a bright, clear girl’s voice came drifting in, displeased: “…It’s not as if I’m asking him to stay at my estate. Would it really be that improper for him to stay with Eighth Brother? Besides, he’s my cousin — what’s wrong with that…” The voice grew nearer and nearer, and then she entered the side hall. In came the First Princess, her face flushed with displeasure, followed by Jin Ge’er, who wore an expression of distinct awkwardness, and behind them, Huang Xian Ying and Tan Auntie, both visibly flustered.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Empress’s expression grew stern.

“Mother!” The First Princess showed not the slightest trace of fear. She ran straight to the Empress. “Please let Jin Ge’er stay overnight in the palace? We’ll send him home after the fifth day of the New Year.” She then tugged at the Empress’s sleeve and wheedled.

When Jin Ge’er came through the door, Shiyiniang had already looked him over from head to foot with great care. She saw that his face was flushed, with the look of someone who had run several li at full speed and was covered in sweat, and her heart gave a nervous lurch. Then she heard what the First Princess said, and her eyes fixed themselves to her son.

Jin Ge’er quickly caught his mother’s eye and signaled to her — he was fine.

The First Princess was already saying, “I’ve made an agreement with the Ninth Prince to play another match on the fifth day. If Jin Ge’er isn’t here, it won’t be nearly as much fun!”

At those words, the Empress frowned. “How old are you, still playing cuju with your younger brothers? Never mind that there’s no precedent for overnight guests in the palace — even if there were, we can hardly keep Jin Ge’er here in the palace just so you can play cuju, especially over the New Year.” Her expression grew serious. “Say no more about this matter.” Then she picked up her teacup. “It’s getting late. Marquis Yongping is still waiting outside the palace gates for the Marchioness and Jin Ge’er.”

Shiyiniang saw the moment and quickly drew Jin Ge’er forward to take their leave.

Walking out of the Empress’s palace, she asked her son urgently, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Jin Ge’er said with a quiet laugh. “I just played a round of cuju with the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince.” Then he told Shiyiniang the whole story.

As it turned out, the First Princess was very fond of cuju and often played together with several of the princes. The one who played best was the Eighth Prince, and the Eighth Prince therefore often paired up with the First Princess. On New Year’s Eve, the First Princess had again arranged a match with several of them. It so happened that the Eleventh Prince had caught a chill and was unable to play that day. The First Princess spotted Jin Ge’er, had a quick idea, and on the spur of the moment pulled him in to pair with the Ninth Prince against herself and the Eighth Prince.

Thinking of the First Princess’s attempt to have Jin Ge’er stay in the palace, Shiyiniang smiled. “Did your side lose?”

“Of course not!” Jin Ge’er said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. “The Ninth Prince and I won!”

Shiyiniang was quite taken aback.

“I could see from the First Princess’s manner that she had pulled me in just as a stopgap,” Jin Ge’er said. “And that Eighth Prince was quite clearly not taking me seriously either. If I didn’t show what I was made of, how would they ever take notice of me?”

“Why do you need them to take notice of you?” Shiyiniang would have preferred Jin Ge’er to stay as far from these people as possible. “Weren’t you afraid of making the First Princess angry?” She thought back to the scene just now — the First Princess had not, actually, seemed angry at all. She was inwardly surprised and couldn’t help asking, “What exactly happened?”

“Nothing much,” Jin Ge’er smiled and told Shiyiniang the whole story.

When Jin Ge’er had first heard that he was to play cuju, he thought he would just be kicking the ball around casually for the Princess’s entertainment. When he realized it was actually a competitive match, he felt a little uncertain about his own skill. But once he had a look at the Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince, he had a fairly good sense of what he was dealing with, and started turning over in his mind whether he would win or lose. After drawing out of the Ninth Prince that these matches weren’t always played with the same fixed pairings — only that because the Eighth Prince was the best player, the First Princess usually preferred to pair with him, though sometimes on a whim the First Princess would pair with the Ninth Prince or the Eleventh Prince instead:

“…So I didn’t stand on ceremony with them,” Jin Ge’er said with a smile. “That way, if there’s a next time, the First Princess would have the option to change partners.”

Shiyiniang was baffled. “You — you want to come back to the palace and play cuju with the First Princess and the others?”

“It doesn’t have to be cuju,” Jin Ge’er said. “Just leaving an impression on the First Princess and the princes is enough.”

By the time they reached the palace gates, they had finished speaking.

“Father! Fifth Uncle!” Jin Ge’er called out cheerfully and ran over.

Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan, the two brothers, stood between two black lacquered flat-roofed four-wheeled carriages, talking together. At the sound, Xu Lingyi strode toward them.

“How did it go?” He clapped his son on the shoulder, and a flicker of concern passed almost imperceptibly through his eyes.

Jin Ge’er gave him a wide, bright smile. “I played a round of cuju with the First Princess. The First Princess lost, and she’s asked me to come back on the fourth day of the New Year to play another match with her.”

“Oh?” Xu Lingyi raised an eyebrow slightly. “Let’s get in the carriage and you can tell me.”

“If the palace sends word for Jin Ge’er to come on the fourth day, just let him go,” Xu Lingyi said, lying on the bed, satisfaction evident in his expression. “Our Jin Ge’er can handle himself.”

“Going to the palace is, at the end of the day, only for the sake of playing,” Shiyiniang said, sitting at the edge of the bed. “His lessons must come first. We can’t let the child’s heart go wild with all this play.”

Xu Lingyi smiled. “It’s the New Year — let him enjoy himself.” Then he sat up. “Mo Yan, there’s something I want to discuss with you.” His expression grew serious.

Shiyiniang was mildly startled. “What is it?”

“When the New Year turns, Jin Ge’er will be twelve. I want to send him to Jiayuguan Pass.”

“Jin Ge’er is only twelve this year!” Shiyiniang stared at Xu Lingyi in shock. “Isn’t that much too early? If he goes to Jiayuguan Pass, what would he even be able to do?”