The Fourth Young Master and Fifth Young Master returned to the Xu family on the twenty-fifth day of the eleventh month.
This pair of precious golden grandsons were already nineteen months old—by the traditional counting method, nearly three years old. Both children were robust and could walk more than thirty steps under adult supervision. The Fifth Young Master could even run a few small steps, and their speech was already quite clear and complete.
Upon entering the residence, they were immediately carried to Leshan Residence to see Grand Madam Ni. Seventh Miss did not join in the commotion, instead staying in Qingping Courtyard to chat with Madam Xu. Before long, Duke Pingguo also came in from Menghua Pavilion: “To spare the grandsons from traveling such a long distance to the outer courtyard to see me in this cold weather.”
He actually already had three grandchildren, and during their daily morning greetings, he didn’t show particular warmth toward the First, Second, or Third Young Masters. But at this moment, his face displayed the utmost kindness and affection. Seeing this, Seventh Miss couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
It seemed that in Duke Pingguo’s eyes, his affection was distributed according to rank and title.
This couldn’t exactly be called wrong—after all, Xu Fengjia was the legitimate son, and one of the Fourth or Fifth Young Masters would certainly be the heir. It was only natural for Duke Pingguo to show them extra favor… It was just that weighing out emotions by measure seemed rather cold-hearted.
Before long, a crowd of servants in brocade garments came supporting wet nurses, each carrying in their arms two pink, tender little snowballs into the main hall of Qingping Courtyard. Madam Xu immediately wanted to throw off her covers and get down from the kang. “I’ve missed them to death!”
The sallow complexion on her face from prolonged illness seemed to fade in that moment, eclipsed by her joy.
The two little treasures, identically wrapped in silks and satins, reacted completely differently.
The Fourth Young Master seemed rather shy with strangers. Seeing a room full of unfamiliar people, he immediately turned his face away and timidly buried his head against his wet nurse’s shoulder. The Fifth Young Master, however, looked left and right with a curious smile. With just a subtle hint from his wet nurse, he called out crisply.
“Grandfather, Grandmother!”
These words had undoubtedly been taught by the wet nurse countless times, so the Fifth Young Master spoke them quite fluently and clearly. Apart from a small mole at the corner of his mouth, his appearance was almost indistinguishable from his brother, the Fourth Young Master. But their personalities and temperaments were already distinctly different, even at such a young age.
These two snow-white little soft bundles made Madam Xu fall in love at first sight. She hastily stopped the wet nurse’s movements. “Children this small shouldn’t be forced to kowtow. Their bones haven’t fully formed yet—such difficult movements are beyond them! Having them each perform a bow will suffice for the greeting!”
The wet nurse smiled. “The Grand Madam said the same thing.” So she led the two children to perform wobbly bows to their grandparents, then to pay respects to Seventh Miss.
Seventh Miss saw that although the Fourth Young Master was shy, he at least knew to follow the wet nurse’s instructions with animated gestures. A large stone in her heart finally settled.
It seemed his intelligence hadn’t been too badly affected by that fever after all.
“Mother!” After greeting Duke Pingguo and Madam Xu, the Fifth Young Master’s wet nurse taught him to bow to Seventh Miss.
Dressed in a small robe embroidered with gold thread, the Fifth Young Master blinked his large eyes and looked curiously at Seventh Miss, then suddenly laughed. “Seventh Aunt!”
This wasn’t their first meeting. The Grand Madam had previously taken Seventh Miss to the Qin family to visit these two grandsons. At that time, the Fifth Young Master could already say a few words, and everyone had playfully taught him to address the Grand Madam and Seventh Miss.
That was half a year ago, yet the Fifth Young Master still remembered. Clearly, this child was truly intelligent.
Seventh Miss glanced at the Fourth Young Master and saw that the similarly jade-carved little face, bearing considerable resemblance to Fifth Miss, showed only bewilderment, as if he had no recollection of Seventh Miss’s appearance at all. Her heart rose with concern again.
Alas, it had to be the older brother.
While pondering this, she smiled at the Fifth Young Master and reached out to playfully touch his cheek. “Yes, Fifth Young Master is very clever.”
The Fifth Young Master’s wet nurse immediately looked proud, yet still tried to teach the Fifth Young Master: “It’s ‘Mother.’ Come, Fifth Young Master, say ‘Mother.'”
Though the Fifth Young Master was intelligent, he was still just a child. Hearing the wet nurse say this, his face also showed some confusion, as if he wasn’t quite certain of his own memory. Seventh Miss simply waved her hand at the wet nurse and smiled. “How one addresses someone is a small matter. Calling me ‘Seventh Aunt’ in private isn’t exactly wrong.”
Duke Pingguo watched this and his eyes dimmed slightly.
He’d only ever heard of second wives forcing stepchildren to call them mother—he’d never seen a stepmother like Yang Qi who pushed away the title of “Mother” when it was offered.
Madam Xu, however, had eyes and heart only for the two grandsons. Seeing that the Fourth and Fifth Young Masters had greeted Seventh Miss, she signaled for the old servants to bring the two children to her side. She first coaxed the Fourth Young Master, smiling: “Fourth Young Master, do you still recognize Grandmother?” Though she had visited the Qin family to see her grandsons several times, her health was poor, and she had only seen the two children a few times.
Several pairs of eyes in the room suddenly fixed on the Fourth Young Master.
The Fourth Young Master tilted his head and looked seriously at Madam Xu. After a long moment, he shook his head, but kept his lips pressed together and never spoke.
His wet nurse couldn’t help feeling embarrassed. “Madam, you know about the Fourth Young Master’s high fever…”
Seventh Miss immediately frowned and swept her gaze over both wet nurses.
People truly engaged in rivalry everywhere—even two mothers caring for children competed openly and covertly, already showing signs of playing favorites.
“When children begin speaking early or late cannot be predicted. There are plenty of cases of children who only began speaking at four or five years old who went on to achieve great merit as adults.” She interrupted the unfinished words. “I see the Fourth Young Master’s expression is clear and bright, and he understands what adults say. Even if he’s temporarily unable to speak, what does it have to do with that fever?”
Both wet nurses immediately stiffened, exchanged several glances, then formed an alliance again, both showing aggrieved expressions.
Seventh Miss naturally understood: Noble families treasured their children dearly. Wet nurses who raised children from infancy wouldn’t be easily replaced without major faults. These two wet nurses had been personally selected by Madam Xu and Fifth Miss back then, and with their charge being the marquis’s golden grandsons, they probably didn’t think much of her as a stepmother. They likely figured they could neither be beaten nor scolded and would have to endure several frustrations from them—insolent servants bullying their mistress was nothing new.
Madam Xu glanced at Seventh Miss, her eyes flickering, but she also chimed in with a smile to Duke Pingguo: “I think Xiao Qi is right. Though the Fourth Young Master doesn’t talk much, he’s quite sharp-minded!”
She casually grabbed a handful of osmanthus pine nut candy to coax the Fourth Young Master. “Want some?”
The Fourth Young Master looked back at his wet nurse, then timidly bit his lip and nodded. The Fifth Young Master was more direct—giggling while reaching out to grab the candy from Madam Xu’s hand, shouting: “Want some, want some! Want!”
Seeing that Madam Xu showed no intention of releasing it, his voice grew louder and louder. The Fifth Young Master’s wet nurse hurried forward to hold him and softly soothe him: “We’ll have a whole handful later, alright? Young Master, please don’t cry…”
Having grown up in special circumstances—though Uncle Qin of the Qin family had cared for them well, it still wasn’t their own home—these two children were more dependent on their wet nurses than others. With the wet nurse’s coaxing, the Fifth Young Master quieted down, though tears already hung at the corners of his eyes as he whimpered: “Want some.”
Madam Xu’s heart melted at the sight. She quickly gave each child a piece of candy. The Fourth Young Master took the candy, put it in his mouth, then turned to be held.
Watching this, Seventh Miss felt much more reassured.
As long as his intelligence wasn’t seriously impaired, learning to speak a bit late wasn’t a major issue. What she feared most was establishing from childhood the notion that “being inferior in every way due to the fever is only natural,” which would subtly influence the Fourth Young Master to think less of himself, or cause the Fifth Young Master to think too highly of himself… Either would be a hidden danger for future conflicts.
“We should still arrange a few maids around the Fourth Young Master who are naturally talkative and cheerful.” Lost in thought, she heard Madam Xu turn to instruct her, her expression tinged with hidden relief. “I see this child isn’t dull—he just doesn’t like talking and is rather shy. But he understands everything clearly in his heart.”
As she spoke, she looked at Duke Pingguo.
Duke Pingguo was also gazing at the two children in a daze. Hearing Madam Xu’s words, he smiled: “The children are still young—what’s the rush? My daughter-in-law is right. We’ll see more clearly in a few more years.”
Seventh Miss immediately realized that regarding the succession rights of the Fourth and Fifth Young Masters, the heads of the Xu family were prepared to make some arrangements.
Previously at Uncle Qin’s residence, the family had little contact and they were still so young that intelligence couldn’t really be assessed. But now, both over a year old and nearly two, the differences between the two children were indeed obvious. Considering the Duke’s future, which of these twins was qualified to inherit the title had undoubtedly become one of Duke Pingguo’s concerns.
She only briefly considered this matter before setting it aside. She let Madam Xu play with the two children a bit more, then rose to take her leave: “It’s getting late, and tomorrow is Mother’s birthday. Though we’re keeping it simple, there are still some ceremonies to observe. I should take the children back to familiarize them with their quarters, lest they return too late tonight and lack energy tomorrow.”
Though Madam Xu was reluctant to part with them, she nodded in agreement and instructed Seventh Miss: “The children are still small—there’s no need to carry them in and out every day for morning and evening greetings. When I miss them, I’ll send someone to fetch them. Otherwise, don’t bring them out of Mingde Hall unnecessarily. The weather is cold—catching a chill or cold is no joke.”
Seventh Miss couldn’t help glancing at Duke Pingguo before composing her expression, acknowledging the order, and leaving the room.
Duke Pingguo also wore an ambiguous smile. After this large group had left Qingping Courtyard in great commotion, he personally tucked in Madam Xu’s bedding. “This daughter-in-law is indeed rather interesting.”
Madam Xu’s face showed a vague smile. “Interesting? So what if she’s interesting? I told you so many times—Fengjia had his reasons for doing things. You just wouldn’t believe it. Now she’s entered the household, but with a completely detached attitude… Even I feel somewhat embarrassed facing her, unable to assert a mother-in-law’s authority!”
“She’s already entered the household,” Duke Pingguo was rather dismissive. “What trouble could she stir up? If she’s truly sensible, she’ll settle down and live properly. She’ll naturally have her place in the future. If her Fifth Sister hadn’t been proposed first, she couldn’t have secured the position in Mingde Hall!”
Madam Xu wanted to speak but hesitated. After pondering for a long while, she finally asked Duke Pingguo: “What do you think the Imperial Consort truly means? I’m not badmouthing my sister-in-law as her elder sister-in-law. Just with Fengjia’s marriage alone, how much commotion did she stir up using it as a pretext? First the Da family, then the Han and Xie families, and finally, after agreeing to let me decide, she still overstepped by having the Princess Consort of Minyue come propose… If the daughter-in-law hadn’t been sensible back then, once both sides compared notes, it would have become a scandal…”
At the mention of Imperial Consort Xu, Duke Pingguo felt inexplicably irritated. “The Consort has her difficulties in the palace. Let’s not dredge up old matters. If you think the daughter-in-law is good, then in a few months, have her take over household management. I’ll naturally speak to Mother about it.”
Madam Xu gave a satisfied hum and stopped pressing her husband. She yawned, showing some fatigue, yet still worried: “I wonder where Fengjia is now and whether his assignment… is going smoothly.”
At the mention of his legitimate son, this middle-aged man with refined features, bearing considerable resemblance to Xu Fengjia, also sighed and said softly: “It doesn’t matter if the assignment takes longer—what’s most important is his safety.”
Madam Xu let out a long breath. “After this matter is over, let’s try to keep Fengjia in the capital for a few years, shall we? The household has become such a mess—it’s truly unseemly.”
Though she used an inquiring tone, her inflection was quite certain. Duke Pingguo showed a weak, bitter smile and said quietly: “But the matter of going to the Southern Seas—His Majesty has hinted…”
Madam Xu also sighed. “We can only take things as they come!”
#
Seventh Miss led a large entourage back to Mingde Hall in great procession, then had the two wet nurses carry the Fourth and Fifth Young Masters to the small shrine in the innermost part of the eastern wing. In front of Nanny Liang, she instructed the two wet nurses: “From now on, every morning after rising, bring the two young masters here to pay respects to Fifth Sister, and let them remember their birth mother’s appearance… Don’t neglect this matter.”
After all, she was the Young Madam. Though the two wet nurses might have other thoughts, they dared not show the slightest disrespect to her face and obediently agreed with lowered brows and docile expressions. Only then did Seventh Miss continue: “The rooms have been prepared. Each child has four maids and two matrons serving them. Chunfen and Guyu—you know them—will each supervise one child, taking turns keeping night vigil with you. At all times, there must be at least two people in the room. If you need to go out for anything, ask me first.”
She paused, then asked: “Can you both read?”
The two wet nurses exchanged glances, both growing cautious, and shook their heads: “We barely know a few characters.”
Seventh Miss frowned slightly, her face showing some displeasure, and sighed: “Ah, illiterate.”
She immediately instructed Xia Yuan: “You can read. From now on, whatever the two young masters eat for each meal and how much they eat, tell her and she’ll naturally arrange to have it recorded. Feel free to mention any food restrictions—they’re both weaned now, correct?”
This rapid-fire series of questions, all strange ones at that, with even stranger arrangements, left the two wet nurses at a loss, dazedly shaking their heads: “Both are weaned.”
Only then did Seventh Miss smile slightly and say mildly: “Good. Then take the children down to rest first. Nanny Liang, show the wet nurses around, then come back to see me.”
Having observed throughout, Nanny Liang dared not say much, but inwardly she had exclaimed “formidable” a thousand times. Hearing Seventh Miss’s instruction, she naturally mustered twelve parts respectfulness and led the two wet nurses out of the western side room.
Only then did Seventh Miss change clothes and wash up, smiling as she discussed with Lixia: “After all, being illiterate makes one rather crude. Having lived at the Qin family for so long, they really think they’re guests.”
Lixia also rather looked down on those two wet nurses. She pursed her lips but didn’t say much more. She simply followed Seventh Miss’s instructions, opened a small box, took out flower tickets worth twenty taels of silver from her private funds, and prepared small red envelopes. She smiled: “This time when Nanny Liang returns, the in-law Grand Madam can rest easy, right?”
Hearing Lixia change how she referred to the Grand Madam, Seventh Miss couldn’t help but pause slightly.
She smiled, then said: “Also find that scroll from the bottom of the box. Tomorrow, send it out to be remounted and find a place to hang it.”
Lixia’s hands paused slightly before she smiled in acknowledgment: “Alright.”
Then added: “It’s about time.”
Seventh Miss and she exchanged a smile. Neither said anything more.
By the time Nanny Liang led several matrons to settle this group of newcomers, the sky had visibly darkened. She hastily ate a few bites of rice before hurrying to report to Seventh Miss: “The Young Madam truly thought of everything… With these arrangements, no one can find fault. When I withdrew, the two children were playing happily!”
She wiped her tears again: “When the Grand Madam learns of this, she can rest easy!”
How could Seventh Miss not detect the hidden meaning in Nanny Liang’s words?
She smiled nonchalantly and beckoned to Nanny Liang. “Nanny, sit and talk.”
Nanny Liang carefully settled herself on the small round stool beside Seventh Miss.
“These two months at Mingde Hall must have been hard on you, Nanny.” Seventh Miss first exchanged pleasantries with Nanny Liang, then smilingly took out the small red envelope and tucked it into Nanny Liang’s hands. “Though the Grand Madam will certainly reward you, I can’t let you work these months for nothing. Ninth Brother is getting married, and there’s much to do at home… I’ve already spoken with the Grand Madam. The day after tomorrow, you should return home to attend to things.”
Whether it was Seventh Miss or the Grand Madam, now that their purpose in having her come to the Xu family had been achieved, it was time to return to the Yang family. Nanny Liang understood this. Through the lamplight, she caught a glimpse of the color of the banknote in the red envelope and was overjoyed. She smiled and declined a few times, but unable to resist Seventh Miss’s insistence, she accepted it. Still modest, she said: “Actually, I’ve only caused trouble for Seventh Miss…”
Seventh Miss chatted idly with Nanny Liang for a bit, then asked: “The small portrait of Fifth Sister—did I paint it well?”
“Excellent, excellent.” Nanny Liang naturally praised without reservation. “Previously when Seventh Miss painted flowers and plants in her leisure, we all thought them good but didn’t know what made them so. Today, seeing Fifth Miss’s memorial portrait, I finally understood—it’s the word ‘lifelike’!”
Seventh Miss smiled: “Yes. I have another portrait here. Look, Nanny—did I paint it well?”
She then took the scroll from the small cabinet and casually unrolled it on the Eight Immortals table.
When Nanny Liang looked closely, she saw a young woman in the painting with delicate features tinged with haggardness, wearing a ramie outer garment, holding needlework in her hands, raising her head to smile gently at the viewer—yet her brow seemed to carry a trace of sorrow… Who else could it be but Ninth Concubine?