In Yanjing, the fourth month brought clear winds and warm days. On the rare occasion it rained, it was nothing like Yuhang — where the rain fell in a thin, relentless drizzle that left the air heavy with moisture. Here a shower would pass, and the sky would clear at once: a deep, brilliant blue, the air carrying the fresh fragrance of grass and trees — remarkably crisp.

Eleventh Miss drew in a long, deep breath, and felt as though her whole being expanded in that air.

More than a year had passed since Yuan Niang’s death, and Fifth Miss’s marriage had been brought up again. Senior Madam had still been disposed to hold off a while longer, but Senior Master grew quite impatient: “How old is Fifth Miss this year? Are you planning to keep her home and let her become an old spinster?”

Madam Huang, on hearing this, was overjoyed, and came to the Luo household to hover about for three days running.

Senior Madam, feeling her dignity had been sufficiently honored, relented — and Fifth Miss’s wedding date was set for the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month.

Today was the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month in the fourth year of Yonghe — the day Fifth Miss’s trousseau was to be laid out.

“Miss, Miss — Third Madam is here! She’s asking for you, and First Madam says to come and pay your respects.” Qiuju came running in. “Fifth Master and Sixth Master are here too!”

“Understood!” Eleventh Miss smiled and followed Qiuju to the main courtyard.

Third Madam was standing at the gate of the ornamental entrance talking with First Madam. Drawing closer, Eleventh Miss discovered that just outside the gate, near the place where Fifth Miss’s trousseau had been laid out, two small boys were making a commotion. One had planted himself on top of a chamber pot, and the other was clinging tightly to a bed curtain, yelling: “…This is mine — Fifth Sister’s future husband doesn’t get it until he pays!”

The two of them sent everyone into gales of laughter.

Who else could be this mischievous but Luo Zhenkai and Luo Zhenyu?

The previous year in the fifth month, Third Master had been appointed Education Commissioner of Sichuan. Third Madam had just engaged a tutor surnamed Zhao to teach Luo Zhenkai and Luo Zhenyu as resident scholar, and not wanting to interrupt their studies, had stayed on in Yanjing.

Eleventh Miss stepped forward to greet Third Madam with a bow: “Third Aunt, you have come.”

Third Madam looked her over approvingly. “You’ve grown taller again. And lovelier.”

Eleventh Miss smiled with ease: “Many thanks for Third Aunt’s kind words.”

Third Madam smiled, then asked First Madam, “When is Fifth Miss’s husband-to-be sending someone to collect the trousseau?”

First Madam smiled. “The auspicious hour is midday.”

Third Madam glanced at the sky. “It looks like it will be soon… good thing I haven’t come too late.”

Before the words were out of her mouth, the ceremonial caller was already announcing: “Third Master, Fourth Son-in-Law, Third Madam, and Fourth Young Madam arriving to offer congratulations!”

Third Madam’s brow creased slightly at this. “Is your Second Aunt not coming back?”

The previous year in the sixth month, Second Master had been appointed to fill the vacancy of Provincial Administration Commissioner in Shandong. Second Madam had taken Seventh Miss with her to the posting, leaving Third Master and Third Madam behind in Yanjing. Upon learning of this, Senior Madam gave a cold laugh: “Does she fear I shall move into Laojun Temple Lane? If she has the energy to worry about that, she might better spend it thinking about how to get her son through his examinations!” — for the previous year Luo Zhenda had once again failed the preliminary examinations.

Senior Master had found this tiresome. “Mind your own household — what is all this fussing over other people’s affairs?”

After the incident with Di Jin, Senior Master had given Luo Zhensheng a severe beating with a two-finger-wide bamboo cane that eventually broke from the force of the blows. Had Fifth Miss not thrown herself over him to plead for his life, Luo Zhensheng might well not have survived. He lay in a daze for the better part of a month before regaining his senses. Even so, Senior Master could not bear to look at him, and before summer had ended, he had Wu Xiaoquan send the boy back to Yuhang. For the entire second half of the year, Fifth Miss had been anxious over Luo Zhensheng’s injuries and wrote him one letter every ten days asking after his health. Whether it was the severity of the beating or the disruption of being sent back to Yuhang mid-recovery, Luo Zhensheng had not been able to walk until the middle of the third month of this year. It was also on this account that Third Yiniang could not make it to Yanjing in time for Fifth Miss’s wedding.

“Said she’s due to arrive any day now.” Shandong was not far from Yanjing — Senior Madam had written to Second Madam informing her of Fifth Miss’s wedding date, and Second Madam had said she would come back. But for some reason, there was still no sign of her. First Madam smiled as she replied.

Third Madam was about to say something more when she saw Third Madam and Fourth Miss walking in together as sisters-in-law and swallowed her words with a smile.

Greetings were exchanged, pleasantries passed, and First Madam invited the three of them to the side room for tea.

Outside, gongs and drums began to beat.

Someone called out: “The son-in-law has come to carry away the bed curtains!”

The older female guests clustered at the steps of the ornamental gate to watch the fun.

Luo Zhenxing, Luo Zhenda, and Yu Yiqing blocked the gate, calling out: “Red envelopes first! Red envelopes!”

Luo Zhenxing had passed the court examination and been appointed to the Hanlin Academy as a supplementary compiler, where he was to study for three years. Senior Master, though still waiting for a posting, had lost the urgency he once felt — he seemed instead almost to be enjoying himself like a leisured traveler temporarily settled in Yanjing: attending poetry gatherings today, admiring the mountain scenery tomorrow, living quite contentedly.

Outside, someone pounded on the gate until it rang out. “Open the gate and we’ll give the red envelopes!”

Luo Zhenyu and Luo Zhenkai were stuck inside and could not get out. Hearing this, they were at once anxious and indignant, shouting at the top of their voices in unison: “Don’t forget mine! Don’t forget mine!”

The whole courtyard burst into laughter — it was wonderfully lively.

After much coaxing, the gate was finally opened. The matchmaker came in to say her auspicious words, handed over the red envelopes, and amid the laughter and cheer, the Qian Family porters filed in one after another to carry out the trousseau.

First Madam, serving as the ceremonial attendant, followed along to the Qian household to lay out the bedding and bridal furnishings for Fifth Miss.

Watching the now empty courtyard, Eleventh Miss felt a chill of loneliness.

The Wang Family had come several times now to discuss the marriage arrangement. From the tone of Senior Madam’s words, it sounded as though once Fifth Miss was wed, she would set a date to formalize the betrothal with the Wang Family.

It was truly as the saying goes — fine glassware breaks easily, beautiful clouds scatter quickly.

The three of them as sisters would likely be parted in all directions before long.

Still, word had it that Wang Lang had secured a position in the Imperial Forest Army this past ninth month. And though he had gotten into brawls more than once over quarrels, he did still report for duty every day… Perhaps when one grows older, one’s temper settles.

Eleventh Miss allowed herself a somewhat wishful thought.

As long as her sisters could marry well, that was surely a good thing.

Like Fourth Miss — Fourth Miss’s husband Yu Yiqing was serving as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, and had won the Emperor’s favor not long after. Word was that the Emperor often summoned him to lecture on the Book of Changes.

Just then, a small maidservant came to find her: “Eleventh Miss, the feast is about to begin!”

Eleventh Miss started back toward her own room.

Coming the other way was Ziwei, who looked at her as though grasping at a lifeline: “Eleventh Miss, our Young Miss has been asking why you haven’t come back!”

Eleventh Miss paused. “Fifth Sister is looking for me?”

“Yes!” Ziwei nodded.

Eleventh Miss went to Fifth Miss’s room.

The everyday belongings had all been sent with the trousseau to the Qian household, and the room felt somewhat hollow. On the black lacquered clothes rack hung a wedding gown of deep red silk embroidered with golden phoenixes — resplendent and dazzling, radiant to the eye.

Fifth Miss had been sitting properly on the kang, but when she saw Eleventh Miss, she actually climbed down.

She grabbed Eleventh Miss’s hand: “Where did you go? Why didn’t you come back to eat lunch?”

“I was just on my way back to eat!” Eleventh Miss had barely answered when Fifth Miss was already talking a torrent: “…I waited for you all of lunch and never saw a trace of you. What did you eat at noon? The kitchen sent me a braised snow vegetable with yellow croaker, a Dragon Well prawn stir-fry, a shredded chicken with jellyfish head, and a ginger white cabbage… I don’t know which catered kitchen they used. The yellow croaker wasn’t fresh, the prawns were overcooked, the jellyfish had the texture of candle wax, and the cabbage wasn’t tender…”

In short, many complaints!

Eleventh Miss suddenly understood.

Fifth Miss was afraid.

Going to a stranger, going to a strange place, beginning a new life with a new identity… who could face all of it with complete equanimity?

She could not help but grip Fifth Miss’s hand tightly, wanting through this gesture to offer her some comfort.

“…I don’t know how expensive renting a house in Yanjing is — renting will never be a proper arrangement. And who is like me — married off with nothing but worries about food and clothing from day one. And I don’t even know how Fourth Brother is doing now. He’s become so muddleheaded! Getting himself besotted by Di Jin like that. If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have had to go back to Yuhang. I’m getting married, and he can’t even be here to see me off!”

Fifth Miss was speaking now, and she had started to cry — softly, in small sobs.

Eleventh Miss knew she was only venting the worry in her heart, and seeing her cry it out, she felt it was actually a good thing. She called for the maidservants to bring water for her to wash her face.

After washing, Fifth Miss’s mood improved considerably.

“Tenth Miss locks herself in every day — I don’t know what she’s doing,” she said. “I’m getting married, and she won’t even come to see me once. We are sisters after all. Even if there’s some terrible grudge between you, at least come be normal for the sake of the fact that we’re all about to be scattered to different places…”

For more than a year now, Tenth Miss had gone about indifferent to everything, doing as she pleased. It was unclear whether it was because Senior Madam had already settled on a way of dealing with Tenth Miss, but there was an unnerving kind of forbearance in Senior Madam’s attitude toward her. Take the time Seventh Miss of the Gan Family had invited them all to view the snow — Senior Madam had kept Eleventh Miss home while letting Tenth Miss go. This had even prompted Seventh Miss of the Gan Family to write and ask whether it was because Eleventh Miss was to be married into the Xu Family that Senior Madam would not allow her to go out in public.

That was how Eleventh Miss had come to learn of what Yuan Niang had said on her deathbed.

From the tone of Seventh Miss of the Gan Family’s letter, it was not only she who knew of the agreement between the Xu and Luo families — the news had spread throughout the noble families of Yanjing, and everyone was simply waiting to see when the Xu Family would come to the Luo Family to formalize the betrothal.

In the fifth month of the previous year, the Emperor had dispatched troops to the Northwest, at first using Jiang Feiyun, the Grand Commander of the Five Military Commissions. But by the seventh month the campaign was going badly. Against the opposition of his ministers, the Emperor replaced the commander at the last moment — conferring upon Xu Lingyi the title of General of the Western Expedition to take command of the Northwest campaign. It was not until the tenth month that favorable news began to arrive. The fighting had continued all the way until the third month of this year, and though victories had been reported one after another, the losses had apparently been heavy as well. There had even been censors impeaching Xu Lingyi for inadequate command. Though the Emperor had shelved all such memorials without action, Eleventh Miss had been quietly worried.

She hoped Xu Lingyi would return safely.

After all, her word that she would marry into the Xu Family had already been spoken aloud to the world — if something were to happen now, she did not know what lay ahead of her.

With that thought, Eleventh Miss could not help but sigh.

Senior Madam had said nothing to her about any of it.

Yet she had had Eleventh Miss do a great deal of needlework — including what she had said were pieces for Fifth Miss’s trousseau, all of which had since been collected into Eleventh Miss’s own chests. She only said that Eleventh Miss worked too slowly, and had Fifth Miss’s trousseau done entirely by the needlework workshop instead.

It all looked very much like preparation made well in advance…

Just then, Hupo, seeing Fifth Miss holding Eleventh Miss in an endless conversation, had no choice but to interrupt with a smile: “Eleventh Miss, shall I have the food brought over here?”

Only then did Fifth Miss realize Eleventh Miss had not yet eaten. She quickly said, “Then go eat quickly!”

Eleventh Miss finally made her escape.

She had just returned to her room and eaten two mouthfuls of food when a small maidservant said, “Eleventh Miss, Third Madam from the Xu Family has arrived. Senior Madam is asking you to come.”

Eleventh Miss could not help but frown.

A few days earlier, when Senior Madam had wanted her to come along to the Grand Madam’s birthday celebration, she had pleaded feeling unwell and made her excuses. She had not expected that now, with Third Madam coming for Fifth Miss’s wedding, Senior Madam would arrange for her to go and meet the guest again.

Was she not being a little too eager about it!

Though somewhat reluctant, with the small maidservant urging her repeatedly, she thought it over and went anyway.

—