Xu Sijin nodded and laughed: “Mother, you did not expect that, did you? Neither did I!”

Shiyiniang could not help asking with concern: “What exactly happened? Is the Wang family not in Liaodong? How did they suddenly turn up near the Yulin Guard?”

“After the Wang family’s people arrived in Liaodong, they had been trading steadily with the Mongols and the Tatars. When the city of Xuantong was breached, Father feared the Mongols might seize the opportunity to push south, working in concert with the Tatars — one to the north, one to the west — to threaten the court from both sides. So he asked the Wang family’s people to help gather intelligence on the Mongols’ movements. Sixth Uncle Wang — that is, Chang Shun’s uncle — received Father’s letter and personally selected capable men and led the Wang family’s people into the grasslands.” He paused and laughed. “Mother, Father is truly remarkable. Had it not been for his one letter, never mind capturing the Duoyan chief — even I might never have found my way out of those grasslands. No wonder Lord Gong says the person he admires most in his life is Father — not only a warrior of great valor, but a man who sees far ahead and leaves nothing to chance. There is so much I need to learn from him.” His voice toward the end carried unmistakable admiration.

All of this — Xu Lingyi had never once mentioned it to her.

Shiyiniang thought of the many times he had seemed about to speak to her, while she had deliberately looked away, and the crestfallen look on his face — and for a moment she felt as though she were standing in a dream.

With Xu Lingyi’s temperament, he would never speak of something until it was settled. She had always known this about him, yet she had let the small frustrations of daily life turn into grievances directed at him… He must have been deeply hurt.

And yet, throughout all these days, he had continued to speak to her gently and warmly, never once betraying the slightest impatience. She felt a heaviness settle in her chest, a deepening discomfort she could not name.

She was able to express her feelings openly because in the deepest part of her heart, he was the person she trusted completely — the person who could share in her joys and sorrows. Yet when he suffered such unfairness, why could he not show her even a little of that pain? Was it because he felt they did not yet share that kind of closeness?

“Your father truly has his ways,” she said, and her voice was tinged with something distant. “Someone else — who would have thought to turn to the Wang family!”

“Indeed, indeed!” When Xu Sijin had been at home before, he had never particularly thought his father was anything special. But after venturing out into the world and passing through the ordeal of life and death, he had begun to perceive his father’s extraordinary quality, and his admiration for him was growing like grass in spring — wild and unchecked. It never occurred to him that his mother, who had always shown such great esteem for his father, might at this moment be holding a grievance against him. Nor did he detect the quiet distance concealed in his mother’s words. He laughed on: “What a pity I did not get to see Chang Shun. Sixth Uncle Wang said Chang Shun is in Tieling, studying accounting under one of the Wang family elders.” He paused. “From what Uncle Wang said, it sounds as though Chang Shun will be doing nothing but bookkeeping work until he comes of age.” Perhaps this image of Chang Shun struck him as rather amusing, and he broke into a hearty laugh.

“I thought you slipped back here in secret?” Suddenly Xu Lingyi’s voice sounded in the room. “It seems to me you are laughing rather loudly!”

Shiyiniang and Xu Sijin both turned toward the sound.

Xu Lingyi stood at the doorway with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression somewhat stern.

“Father!” Xu Sijin had never been the least bit intimidated by Xu Lingyi’s cold expression. He sprang down from the kang in excitement, flung open his arms, and embraced Xu Lingyi. “When did you arrive? You did not make a sound — you gave us both quite a fright.”

How many years had it been since anyone had dared to embrace him like that?

Xu Lingyi felt slightly self-conscious and gave a quiet, restrained cough. “It was Gong Dongning who sent you back?” he said — his tone entirely gentle. As he spoke, he moved to sit down in the armchair beside them.

Xu Sijin smiled and nodded, and quickly went over to sit at Xu Lingyi’s right hand: “How did you know?”

“The presentation of captives is almost upon us — whatever was to be given to you has already been given. At that point, the only thing left to bestow is some other form of reward. Positions are opening up, and there will certainly be people scheming to claim them.” Xu Lingyi’s manner was that of someone who had long since seen through such things and remained entirely unruffled. “And you, with a private mine at stake, are absolutely determined to act. Rather than waiting until later to manage competing interests on all sides, it is far better to move early, while everyone else is still only guessing at His Majesty’s intentions.”

Xu Sijin gave his father a hearty thumbs up: “Father, you are extraordinary — a single word, and you hit the mark!”

Regarding his son’s obsequious display, Xu Lingyi said with grave solemnity: “Do you speak this way with Lord Gong as well?”

Xu Sijin grinned: “Our Lord Gong actually loves when I talk to him this way — especially when I say, ‘If my father were here, even he might not have thought of this,’ he gets even more pleased with himself.” A glint of cunning appeared in his eyes. “Whenever I need a favor from him, all I have to do is bring out that line, and he agrees every time without fail.”

Xu Lingyi could not suppress a laugh.

Xu Sijin pressed his advantage at once: “Father, since you already see through it all, please help us! Setting aside entirely the bond between our family and Lord Gong — just for the sake of my own future, as my superior officer, you cannot stand aside and do nothing. And beyond that, Prince Yong is involved in this matter as well. Moreover, the Guizhou Regional Command distinguished themselves greatly in this campaign — it is entirely thanks to them that Lord Gong was able to achieve such extraordinary merit. To elevate someone from within the Guizhou Regional Command to the post of Guizhou Regional Commander would benefit the morale of the men enormously, and the advantages are endless. After all, Lord Gong will be garrisoning the northwest henceforth — and if the Tatars invade again, Lord Gong may be a general reborn, but even such a general needs men he can rely on. A general who has fought through blood and fire for no reward — who among his men would ever follow his commands without question?”

“Quite the eloquence!” Xu Lingyi said, smiling as he looked at his son. “It seems you truly have learned a great deal from staying at Lord Gong’s side.”

“Father, hearing you say that makes me feel very uneasy!” Xu Sijin looked up at his father with an expression of pitiful suffering. “To my ears it sounds remarkably like the tone those military supervisors used when they refused Lord Gong!”

“You little scoundrel!” Xu Lingyi could no longer hold back, and gave his son a flick to the forehead. “Comparing me to a military supervisor.”

The military supervisors in the army were eunuchs.

Xu Sijin clapped a hand to his head and darted over to Shiyiniang’s side: “Mother, Father hit me!”

Xu Lingyi followed his son’s gaze toward Shiyiniang.

Shiyiniang, however, turned her head away.

He came in and completely ignored me — if not for Jin Ge’er, he would probably not have glanced my way even once.

“Good — he should have hit you!” She kept her eyes fixed steadily on her son. “Who told you to talk such nonsense? Say it again and I will give you another two!”

Xu Sijin put on an exaggerated expression of aggrieved misery.

Xu Lingyi looked at Shiyiniang’s cold, composed face, and in the depths of his heart let out a long, quiet sigh. “All right,” he said. “Stay by your mother’s side these two days and do not go wandering about. Wait until the main army has entered the capital — there will be time enough for you to appear then.” Then he stood up. “I will not be back for dinner tonight — I am going to meet with Elder Chen first.”

Xu Sijin was overjoyed beyond expectation.

From Father’s tone, it was clear he was going to help with this matter.

He immediately leapt to his feet and enthusiastically took Xu Lingyi’s arm: “Father, let me see you out!”

“Stay here and keep your mother company,” Xu Lingyi said, at once exasperated and amused. “Otherwise you will complain of boredom and go wandering off on your own.”

Xu Sijin assented repeatedly, yet still insisted on seeing Xu Lingyi all the way to the front hall before turning and making his way back to the inner room.

“Mother,” he said, running to Shiyiniang’s side, “have you and Father quarreled?”

Shiyiniang’s heart gave a start. She said with mock reproach: “There you go talking nonsense again!”

“I am not talking nonsense!” Xu Sijin argued, unconvinced. “Normally when Father comes into the room, you always smile and pour him tea. Today you did not even acknowledge him…”

“Was I not simply letting the two of you speak about your business?” Jin Ge’er had come home so rarely — Shiyiniang had no wish for him to leave for camp carrying a shadow in his heart. She papered over the matter with a light reply, then changed the subject. “You are sixteen today — old enough for the question of a wife to be raised. Have you given any thought to what kind of wife you would want?”

Xu Sijin was generally bold and outspoken, yet on this particular subject, his face turned red enough to drip blood. “I — I do not want a wife. I want to stay with Mother!”

“You could stay with me your whole life!” Shiyiniang teased, looking at him. “Consider yourself warned — I have asked you now. If you say nothing, I will just choose someone for you myself. And when that time comes, you had better treat her well and not quarrel over small things…”

“Oh, Mother!” Xu Sijin, overcome with embarrassment, scrambled to his feet. “I have been riding day and night to get here — I have not slept a wink — I am going to sleep!”

Jin Ge’er was actually embarrassed — the sun truly was rising in the west today!

Shiyiniang could not help hiding a smile behind her sleeve.

Xu Sijin disappeared into the inner chamber in a flash.

Fearing the inner chamber might not be properly tidied, Shiyiniang followed him in — and found Xu Sijin lying on his back, arms pillowing his head, staring up at the canopy with an expression that held a trace of expectation and a trace of contentment.

It must have been her own words that stirred something in her son.

Shiyiniang felt the faintest pang of wistful sadness.

Her son was growing up, day by day. All the care, the tenderness, the gentle teasing — all of it would one day belong to another woman.

She leaned quietly against the latticework partition of the inner chamber and looked at her son for a long while, then turned and slipped away without a sound.

When Xu Lingyi returned, everyone had already retired for the night.

Hearing the movement, Shiyiniang thought of her son sleeping in the inner chamber and got out of bed.

“My Lord has returned!” Whether it was the pregnancy, Shiyiniang was not sure, but the smell of alcohol on Xu Lingyi made her deeply uncomfortable. Her brow furrowed slightly. “My Lord has been drinking?” As she spoke, she instructed Leng Xiang to go prepare a sobering broth.

“Go back and rest,” Xu Lingyi said, momentarily taken aback, then smiling. “You need more rest now. Leave these small things to the maids.” With that, he gave Shiyiniang a smile and turned to go to the bathing room.

Shiyiniang looked for a while at the solitary ram’s-horn palace lamp on the kang table, then got back into bed.

When the second-watch drum sounded, Leng Xiang crept quietly into the room. Seeing Shiyiniang sitting up against the large bolster pillow at the head of the bed, she seemed a little surprised, and said softly with a smile: “Madam, the Marquis says he had too much to drink and will rest on the kang by the window.” She added, “The Marquis must be worried about the smell disturbing Madam.” As she spoke, a faint look of admiring envy crept into her eyes — the Marquis truly was so thoughtful and considerate of Madam.

Shiyiniang gave a nod.

Leng Xiang took out bedding from the nearby black-lacquered tall cabinet and carried it out.

A moment later, Shiyiniang heard the sound of the door being shut, and the room fell into complete and soundless stillness.

Shiyiniang turned over. A long while passed before a vague drowsiness began to drift over her — then through the gauze bed-curtain came a loud clatter of porcelain and the low, muttered grumbling of Xu Lingyi.

What had happened?

Shiyiniang was instantly alert, and stepped out of the bed curtain, slipping her feet into her shoes.

The magpie-perching-on-a-branch painted porcelain tea bowl was rolling about on the kang table, tea splashed across the surface and dripping steadily off the edge onto the bedding beside it.

It was plain that Xu Lingyi, parched from the drink, had reached for tea in the night and knocked the bowl over by accident.

—