The Grand Madam quickly invited Luo Zhensheng inside.

Luo Zhensheng paid his respects to the Grand Madam and presented her with a red lacquered gold-trimmed food box containing a porcelain bowl of glutinous rice, two silver carp, and a plate of meat patties.

Nanny Du received it and attended to Xu Lingyi and Eleventh Miss as they ate the homecoming meal.

The Grand Madam then invited Luo Zhensheng to sit and converse.

Xu Lingyi and Eleventh Miss ate a token amount, then took their leave of the Grand Madam and followed Luo Zhensheng to Bowstring Hutong.

Luo Zhenda, Yu Yiqing, and Qian Ming waited at the main gate. Seeing the carriage approach, they came forward to greet it.

After descending from the carriage and exchanging greetings, Xu Lingyi and Eleventh Miss went to pay their respects to the First Master and First Madam.

The Second Madam, Third Madam, Fourth Miss, Fifth Miss, Tenth Miss, First Young Madam, Third Young Madam, as well as Luo Zhenkai, Luo Zhenyu, Wang Lang, and the others were all waiting inside the room.

Eleventh Miss was quite startled to see Tenth Miss, but seeing that her expression appeared normal, she felt a measure of relief.

Wang Lang’s expression shifted somewhat unsteadily upon seeing Xu Lingyi, but he still stepped forward to pay his respects.

Xu Lingyi responded with a smiling nod toward Wang Lang, his manner exceedingly cool.

The female members of the family were different — they surrounded Eleventh Miss and all spoke at once, and Second Madam even laughed aloud: “Our First-Rank Lady has returned!” This left Eleventh Miss rather ill at ease. After all, having been ignored for so long and then suddenly thrust into the spotlight was something anyone would need time to adjust to. Fortunately, Eleventh Miss had encountered all manner of peculiar situations. Smiling, she called out to each of them in turn — “Second Aunt,” “Third Aunt” — which neatly buried Second Madam’s remark.

Third Madam then smiled and pulled Eleventh Miss by the hand: “Come now, let’s go inside — First Uncle and First Sister-in-Law are waiting for you!”

Xu Lingyi and Eleventh Miss went to the western side chamber.

First Master and First Madam were already seated on the large kang by the window, waiting.

Xu Lingyi and Eleventh Miss knelt and kowtowed to the two of them.

Luo Zhensheng and First Young Madam helped them up respectively.

First Master gazed at them with a face full of smiles, and warmly asked Xu Lingyi: “Has Eleventh Miss caused the Marquis any trouble?”

Eleventh Miss could not help but break into a cold sweat.

As a father-in-law, was First Master’s attitude not just a bit too deferential?

And Xu Lingyi’s answer surprised her even more.

“Eleventh Miss is gracious and courteous. Everyone at home is very fond of her.”

Eleventh Miss could not resist glancing at Xu Lingyi.

His gaze was calm and his expression grave — he evidently did not consider this a joke or a pleasantry. Yet it was precisely this manner of his that left First Master momentarily at a loss for words, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face.

First Madam watched this and smiled, saying, “Master is worrying for nothing! The Marquis has always been generous with people — when has he ever spoken ill of anyone!” Then she turned her gaze to Eleventh Miss. “When you were still at my side, I told you to read the ‘Precepts for Women’ and the ‘Biographies of Exemplary Women,’ did I not? When your husband is gracious, you must be all the more reverent. When your mother-in-law shows you love, you must be all the more careful. Do not grow haughty because of his favor, do not grow sycophantic because of his affection…” and she proceeded to deliver quite a lecture to Eleventh Miss.

Eleventh Miss naturally stood attentively and listened.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat oppressive.

Xu Lingyi furrowed his brow ever so slightly.

Qian Ming immediately laughed and cut in on First Madam’s words: “Mother-in-law, those of us accompanying guests have been waiting since yesterday on an empty stomach for this meal — our stomachs have long been staging a protest. If you continue lecturing, I’m not sure we can bear it much longer.”

First Madam’s expression darkened slightly, but the others burst into laughter, and she found herself unable to say more, offering only a vague “mm” in acknowledgment.

Qian Ming then tugged at Xu Lingyi: “Let’s go drink, let’s go drink!” And he said to Luo Zhensheng: “Today we sons-in-law are the honored guests — you had best not tell me you haven’t prepared good wine and food.”

This drew another round of laughter from everyone, and the atmosphere grew lively.

First Master, Xu Lingyi, and the others went to Luo Zhensheng’s quarters, while Eleventh Miss remained with the female members at First Madam’s.

The maids set up a black lacquered drum-leg table in the main hall.

First Madam then took Eleventh Miss by the arm and seated her at the head: “Today our young lady has come home…”

Second Madam and Third Madam smilingly took seats to her left and right further down the table. Fourth Miss sat beside Second Madam, Fifth Miss beside Third Madam, and Third Young Madam and Tenth Miss sat across from First Madam and Eleventh Miss.

First Young Madam called out to the maids to bring the dishes.

Fifth Miss’s bright eyes darted around, fixed on Eleventh Miss without stopping.

Unlike her usual plain and understated style, Eleventh Miss was dressed magnificently today. Her jet-black hair was styled into a peony chignon, adorned with a hair band of solid gold inlaid with purple gemstones, a topaz ornamental knot, and a golden phoenix hairpin gripping a red gemstone in its beak. She wore a crimson robe with gold thread woven throughout and full-length sleeves, over an apricot-yellow skirt with embroidered plum, bamboo, and orchid borders.

The purple gemstones on the hair band were each the size of a fingernail; the topaz stones on the ornamental knot varied in size and depth of hue, yet layered together they created a magnificence that was almost overwhelming. And the red gemstones clasped in the phoenix hairpin’s beak were each the size of lotus seeds, shimmering and radiant, dazzling the eye.

Envy crept involuntarily into her eyes.

Fourth Miss, seated across from her, could not help but smile slightly and said: “Fifth Sister’s eyes are fixed on Eleventh Sister without so much as a blink — could it be that you fear the Marquis has wronged your little sister?”

Having her manner called out so plainly, Fifth Miss felt a touch of awkwardness, and forced a smile: “I was just looking to see what a First-Rank Lady looks like. No matter how you see it, Eleventh Sister is the first among all of us sisters.”

The others could not help but laugh at this.

The first, the first — that title ought to belong to Yuan Niang… yet at a moment like this, who still remembered her?

A cold light flickered in the depths of First Madam’s eyes, yet she smiled and raised her cup: “Come, come, everyone drink!”

With the exception of Tenth Miss, everyone raised their cups in response to First Madam — Tenth Miss had already started helping herself to the dishes.

And so the banquet formally began.

First Madam was first to pick up a piece of dried salted fish and place it in Eleventh Miss’s bowl: “This was brought all the way from Yuhang — once you’ve left, I’m afraid you’ll rarely have the chance to eat it again.”

Eleventh Miss smiled and replied: “As long as you are here, there is no need to worry about not being able to taste it.”

First Madam listened, nodded in satisfaction, and then picked up a crab roe lion’s head meatball and placed it in her bowl too: “This is your favorite!”

Eleventh Miss smiled at First Madam and murmured softly “Thank you, Mother.”

First Madam chuckled warmly with motherly affection.

A trace of melancholy crept into Fifth Miss’s gaze.

Third Madam, however, sighed with feeling: “That whole group of little girls used to scurry about before my very eyes. Who would have thought that in just a few years, they’ve all grown up and married off — and now they even know how to look after their mothers.”

Second Madam heard this and laughed: “You needn’t be envious — in a few more years you too will be a mother-in-law. You’ll have someone looking after you too.”

Third Madam laughed and shook her head: “A daughter-in-law can never compare to a daughter of one’s own…” And so the topic shifted to Luo Zhensheng’s marriage. “…Kai Ge and Yu Ge are too wild — I simply cannot manage them anymore. Father happened to write saying he was missing his two grandsons, so I consulted Master Zhao and plan to have him take them back to Datong to be managed by Father, and study alongside my nephews. The two children will set off on the eighteenth day of the ninth month, and I will follow to Sichuan afterward — my husband has no one to look after him there, and I worry. It’s likely I won’t be able to return to Yuhang for Zhensheng’s wedding.”

As she spoke, Third Madam looked at First Madam with an expression full of apology.

First Madam just smiled and said: “Third Uncle’s matters are more pressing. Just remember to give your nephew’s bride-to-be a good, generous red envelope.”

Third Madam quickly assured her: “Of course, of course.”

Second Madam, listening to this, began to complain: “Why did you settle on the Zhou family? I hear the entire family owns no more than three acres of paddy fields, and there are still four or five younger brothers at home.” Second Madam was rather dismissive of this. “Had I known you’d agree to such a family, First Sister-in-Law, I would have stepped forward and arranged a match for Zhensheng myself! To say nothing else, a few thousand taels in dowry could at least be had.”

Second Madam was also from Yu County and had a half-brother on her father’s side who had made a great fortune in business. She had long hoped to matchmake his daughter with Luo Zhensheng, but the idea was shelved when they entered the mourning period for the old family patriarch. She had not expected First Madam to quietly arrange such a match for Luo Zhensheng without a word, and naturally had to voice her objections.

Everyone’s gaze fell on First Madam.

First Madam smiled lightly and said: “You all know Zhensheng’s temperament well enough, don’t you? He needs someone older who can keep him properly in line. The Zhou family’s reputation is still clean, and they are relatives of Prefect Zhou of Hangzhou. I thought it might be useful to have someone to call upon in times of need, and so I agreed to the match.”

Second Madam then put on an exaggerated air of disappointment and exclaimed, “How unfortunate, it simply wasn’t meant to be,” and sighed: “Things have worked out in such an inconvenient way. As you all know, the seventh girl’s wedding has been set for the tenth day of the tenth month — I cannot possibly leave. By then I’m afraid we will only be able to send Da Ge back to Yuhang to represent the two of us.”

“Is Third Brother coming back to Yanjing for the New Year?” Fifth Miss suddenly said with a smile. “If he’s coming back to Yanjing, that would be perfect — he could escort me back here!”

Everyone was momentarily taken aback, yet a glimmer of amusement flickered in the depths of First Madam’s eyes.

Fifth Miss looked at Eleventh Miss with a hint of smugness: “My husband has said that I should accompany Mother back to Yuhang. But Father and Mother will be staying in Yuhang while I’ll need to return to Yanjing for the New Year. If Da Ge is going back to Yuhang, it would be perfect for him to escort me back.”

Eleventh Miss was quite taken aback that Qian Ming would actually let Fifth Miss return to Yuhang.

Second Madam’s smile became a little forced: “Fifth Son-in-Law really is a thoughtful man! Da Ge is naturally returning to Yanjing for the New Year — otherwise who would look after the house in Laojun Hall. You can have your Third Brother escort you back when the time comes.” As she said this, she couldn’t help glancing at First Madam.

It was precisely because she had nursed her parents-in-law at their bedside that all three Luo brothers held her in high regard. Now she had one son-in-law who was a licentiate, another who was heir apparent of a Duke’s household, and another who was a Marquis holding the power of the realm — she would practically be able to walk sideways in the family now.

“First Sister-in-Law is truly fortunate,” she said, unable to keep a certain sourness from her tone. “Married daughters can still come home to serve at your side. Not like our Fourth Miss — she has parents-in-law above and children below.”

The implication was that First Madam, relying on Qian Ming’s need for the Luo family’s support, had let Qian Ming get away with putting his foot above hers, leaving her daughter a woman with a maternal home but no marital one worth speaking of.

First Madam kept smiling warmly, as though she hadn’t heard Second Madam’s words at all, and simply urged everyone to eat: “…These mushrooms were sent along with the Marquis’s betrothal gifts — you can’t buy them even with money ordinarily — everyone try some!”

And so everyone’s conversation turned to Eleventh Miss.

Second Madam smiled and said: “I heard that someone else also has the foot ailment — is that true?”

The news certainly travels fast!

Eleventh Miss smiled: “That is what the Imperial Physician said.”

“That truly is a troublesome matter!” First Madam looked quite worried and asked after Xu Lingyi’s condition: “Which Imperial Physician made the diagnosis? What prescriptions were given?”

Eleventh Miss told them everything she knew, and everyone listened with sighs and expressions of sympathy. The topic then shifted to a recent case that had been circulating in Yanjing — it was said that an Imperial Physician had detected signs of pregnancy in an unmarried young lady, and the matter was brought before the Shuntian Prefecture, whereupon a midwife confirmed that indeed there was a pregnancy. After that, the conversation moved to what medicines and clothing Third Madam ought to bring with her to Sichuan…

After that, no one brought up Xu Lingyi’s foot ailment again.

—