Mister Li only came in to pay his respects to the Grand Madam before withdrawing.

He was a very honest country scholar. Though his dress and appearance had the look of a wealthy household, his manner couldn’t compare to the easy grace of city folk.

Hearing the sisters’ soft murmurs, sweat broke out on his fair face. After bowing to the Grand Madam, he dared not lift his head. Standing with hands hanging at his sides beside First Miss, he looked like a servant boy.

The Grand Madam couldn’t help but find it amusing. She asked Li Yixing gently, “What did your father-in-law say?”

“My esteemed father-in-law has many matters to attend to. We only exchanged a few words before someone came waiting urgently to see him.” Sweat rolled down Li Yixing’s face like pearls as he stammered and stuttered his reply.

Third Miss covered her lips and laughed silently.

Looking at First Miss, her eyes held more sympathy.

Marrying into such an unsuitable family, no wonder her parents-in-law doted on her and her younger sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law deferred to her.

The Li family and Yang family were completely different worlds. No matter how humble First Miss’s status, marrying into the Li family made her like a fairy descended from heaven.

Yet First Miss seemed completely oblivious to the strange expressions on her sisters’ faces. She gazed at Li Yixing with a smile, her eyes filled only with tenderness.

The Grand Madam instructed Nanny Wang, “Escort the eldest son-in-law to Yurong Courtyard to rest properly! He’s tired from the journey—we mustn’t exhaust him.”

Li Yixing felt as if granted amnesty. Wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve, he followed Nanny Wang out of the hall.

The Grand Madam smiled as she explained to First Miss, “Your father has been extremely busy lately. The court is in a time of treacherous winds and clouds… He inevitably neglected your husband.”

According to Jiangnan customs, a son-in-law visiting should be treated as an honored guest. With no sons in the household, the Grand Master should personally keep him company for conversation.

Regardless of the reasons, for the Grand Master to dismiss Li Yixing after just one meeting and send him in to pay respects was somewhat discourteous.

First Miss nodded casually. “We’re all family—why be so formal, Mother?”

Everyone then chatted about family matters.

First Miss remained just as amiable toward Third Miss, as if unaware of Third Miss’s earlier rudeness.

Watching this, Seventh Miss raised her assessment of First Miss several notches.

Whether First Miss truly didn’t mind or was deep enough to conceal her displeasure, she was not someone to be underestimated.

Among sisters, there might be no conflicts before marriage, but after marriage, weren’t they all competing over their marital families?

Before marriage, First Miss had received all of the Grand Madam’s favor, yet married into such a family. By rights, facing Third Miss’s contempt, she should have reacted.

To achieve such a happy life from concubine-born origins involved little luck indeed.

Seventh Miss remained quite silent in the conversation.

The sisters mostly discussed events from before First Miss’s marriage.

Picking plum blossoms at Fragrant Snow Sea to brew plum wine the following year, though more than half turned sour like vinegar.

Boating on Lake Tai, where First Miss led her sisters in catching a fish weighing over ten pounds, then releasing it back into the lake…

In these past events, there was no place for Seventh Miss.

First Miss also took note of Seventh Miss’s silence.

“Seventh Sister lives in the western side courtyard now, right?” She asked Seventh Miss with a smile. “I once lived there too.”

The best way to bridge the distance between two strangers was to find common ground.

Seventh Miss smiled and nodded in response to First Miss. “Yes, I live in the western side courtyard now, sleeping in the very bed Eldest Sister once slept in.”

First Miss laughed. “Ninth Brother and Fifth Sister both wet that bed several times!”

Fifth Miss’s face flushed. “Eldest Sister! You’re so grown now, yet still dwelling on childhood matters.”

Everyone talked and laughed, and soon it was nearly lunchtime.

“First Miss, join me for lunch!” The Grand Madam was in high spirits. She carefully returned the baby girl to the wet nurse. “After bustling about all morning, rest well this afternoon. This evening, we’ll invite Second Aunt over to hold a welcoming banquet for First Miss and her husband.”

The concubines and daughters then rose to take their leave, filing out of the room.

They could still hear the Grand Madam instructing First Miss, “In the mid-afternoon, also go pay respects to Second Aunt—she’s been thinking of you!”

Seventh Miss began to wonder: the speed of reconciliation between Second Madam and Grand Madam was truly too fast, wasn’t it?

#

After her afternoon nap, someone came to deliver the festival gifts First Miss had brought.

Freshly harvested large watermelons, big dark bayberries, sweet crisp white cherries… all were rare and precious fruits for this season.

There were also exquisite longevity cords, five-poison sachets, and artemisia tiger hairpins—various items that filled the table.

Nanny Yao, who came to deliver the festival gifts, was in no hurry to leave. She smiled as she reminisced with Bailu about their separation.

“I still remember when I left with First Miss, you were just a third-rank junior maid… Now you’ve become so respectable!” She smiled and curtsied to Seventh Miss. “This girl is quite careless. If she’s been offensive in any way, please don’t take it to heart.”

Seventh Miss couldn’t help but be somewhat surprised.

Bailu explained, “Nanny Yao is my second aunt…”

Seventh Miss suddenly understood.

Speaking of which, since Nanny Yao was First Miss’s dowry attendant, she must have served in the main courtyard back then.

She probably had some friendship with Nanny Liang too.

Nanny Yao then asked a favor of Seventh Miss. “I haven’t seen my niece in a long time and miss her parents very much. I ask that Seventh Miss grant her half a day’s leave so I can take her back to the Yao family to visit the elderly!”

Having gone to Yuhang as part of the dowry and returning to the Yang household for the first time in several years, she would certainly want to gather with relatives. Seventh Miss naturally wouldn’t dampen the mood.

“Very well, a family reunion!” She smiled and asked Nanny Yao, “Which households still have festival gifts to deliver? Or shall you visit your relatives now?”

Nanny Yao’s face was full of joy. “First Miss also gave me half a day’s leave. If Seventh Miss has no other matters, I’ll come fetch Bailu tomorrow afternoon!”

“What matters could I possibly have—Nanny Yao, please sit.” Seventh Miss smiled as she invited Nanny Yao to sit. After four refusals, Nanny Yao finally perched on the edge of the embroidered stool. “Shangyuan, serve Nanny Yao tea.”

While demurring, Nanny Yao carefully observed the hall’s furnishings. “Seventh Miss has grown so much since last year.”

Shangyuan silently brought up two cups of cool tea. “Nanny Yao, please have tea.” After speaking, she clasped her hands and retreated in small steps.

The room was elegantly decorated, the maids conducted themselves with proper measure.

Seventh Miss took a sip of tea and chatted idly with Nanny Yao, then asked, “Is Eldest Sister in the hall?”

“Yes!” Nanny Yao came back to herself. “Mother and daughter haven’t seen each other in years—they have much private conversation.”

Seventh Miss wasn’t very surprised.

The veteran strategist had returned. The Grand Madam certainly had a bellyful of things she wanted to discuss with First Miss.

But First Miss had sent Nanny Yao here, seemingly intending to pass messages through Bailu… What was her intention?

By rights, she and First Miss had no conflicts in either position or interests.

She would just meet force with force and adapt as needed!

#

The Grand Master dined with the eldest son-in-law in the outer courtyard that evening, and brought Ninth Brother along as a small guest.

Since entering this year, the Grand Master increasingly treated Ninth Brother as a little adult, often having him visit the outer courtyard to mingle among the Grand Master’s literary guests and advisors.

The women gathered around the Eight Immortals table. The Grand Madam and Second Madam sat at one table with their daughters. The Grand Madam found the concubines troublesome and had dismissed them all to their quarters early on.

After three rounds of wine, talk inevitably turned to court affairs.

“Looking at it now, the Wang family escaped early enough,” the Grand Madam couldn’t help but sigh. “At least they secured an honorary title. Those officials who recently fell didn’t even get honorary titles, and some unlucky ones even had their homes confiscated!”

Surrounding the issue of the Crown Prince’s coming of age, the capital had seen successive bloodbaths. The first batch of fallen households now all felt immensely fortunate—at least they’d preserved their lives and property. In today’s white-hot struggles, being ousted wasn’t simply a matter of losing one’s hat—the danger of having one’s home confiscated and clan exterminated was very real.

Everyone sighed.

All being scholar-officials, even those they’d never met inspired the feeling of mutual dependence.

“Who knows how long this will continue!” Second Madam also felt deeply moved. “Now in the capital, everyone lives in constant fear, never knowing when misfortune will strike them.”

The Grand Madam took the opportunity to educate her daughters. “A virtuous wife brings her husband fewer disasters. Among these fallen families, some had womenfolk running around forming alliances and being greedy for unjust gain, thus bringing trouble upon themselves. Life should be lived steadily and securely to feel at ease. One must never covet more while having enough, expecting summer rain after spring wind, hoping to reach heaven in one step… Do you all understand?”

The daughters all assumed serious expressions and agreed.

Fifth Miss asked with concern, “I wonder how our aunts’ and uncles’ families are doing!”

The Grand Madam smiled. “That’s not for you to worry about.”

Instead, Second Madam answered Fifth Miss. “They’re all fine. These families are deeply rooted and always conduct themselves cautiously, leaving no vulnerabilities!”

Fifth Miss breathed a sigh of relief.

First Miss watched this and teased her sister. “One trip to the capital, and you’ve become a little adult, learning to worry about such things.”

Third Miss laughed and joked about Fifth Miss. “Perhaps she’s thinking of Cousin Xu!”

Fifth Miss was quite frank. “The family has few brothers, and I get along well with my cousin, so naturally I think of him!” She asked, “How has Cousin been lately?”

The Grand Madam’s gaze flashed as she looked at Fifth Miss with deeper meaning. “He’s well! I heard the Xu family is about to petition to have him formally invested as heir apparent. In the future, this child Fengjia’s status will be even more prestigious.”

Second Madam couldn’t help but smile. “This child Fengjia hasn’t had it easy. Though his elder brothers are concubine-born, they’re all quite capable. I imagine securing the heir apparent investiture required considerable effort behind the scenes.”

Mentioning Madam Xu’s difficulties, though the Grand Madam said nothing outwardly, she naturally felt some consolation inwardly.

“We shouldn’t discuss others’ family affairs,” she said in a tolerant tone. “Fengjia is the same age as the Crown Prince and has gained the Empress’s favor. Being invested as heir apparent is only a matter of time.”

Gatherings of womenfolk from great households typically involved such gossip about the movements within circles of power—this family’s affairs, that family’s news.

“I heard the marriage between the Quan family and the Da family has stalled again,” Second Madam discussed the Quan family affairs with the Grand Madam. “The Quan family has always been low-key and cautious. I wonder what wind they’ve caught—with matters at hand, they seem to have second thoughts…”

“Madam Zhang mentioned it to me too!” The Grand Madam nodded.

The children found this somewhat tedious—court affairs were closely tied to their interests. But such gossip about matchmaking and marriages rarely sparked their interest.

Sixth Miss pulled Seventh Miss outside the Eight Immortals table to chase butterflies.

“I heard the Quan family’s Second Young Master is handsome and refined, possessing the elegant spirit of the Wei and Jin dynasties!” She whispered to Seventh Miss. “When he came to treat Ninth Brother’s illness, did you see him?”

“He is indeed quite good-looking,” Seventh Miss smiled, satisfying Sixth Miss’s desire for gossip. “As for Wei-Jin elegance, perhaps a bit.”

“How does he compare to Cousin?” Sixth Miss asked with great interest.

Poor daughters of wealthy families—the males they saw in a year could be counted on one hand. Even after Seventh Miss entered the main courtyard over a year ago, she’d only seen the Li family brothers, Feng Jin, Xu Fengjia, Quan Zhongbai, and a few others. Sixth Miss had seen even fewer.

Though the Li family brothers had regular features, compared to Xu Fengjia they lacked some appeal. With Sixth Miss using Xu Fengjia as the standard, Seventh Miss found it difficult to say anything for the moment.

“Cousin is five years younger than Second Master Quan—there’s nothing to compare,” she deflected casually.

“How can you say that? You can tell from age three what someone will become. Cousin isn’t a babe in swaddling—surely we can see what he’ll look like later?” Sixth Miss disagreed.

Seventh Miss humored her casually. “When Cousin reaches fifteen, I’ll tell you who’s better looking.”

“Alright, alright.” Sixth Miss was pleased, then caught on. “You wretch, tricking me!”

The two young ladies chased and frolicked, their bell-like laughter hovering low under the eaves, casting a faint tinge of joy over the gauze-like dusk.

Fifth Miss couldn’t sit still. “These two silly girls, being so unruly in front of Eldest Sister… I’ll go catch them and bring them back!”

With that, she left the table herself.

First Miss couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

“Fifth Sister seems less stubborn now!” She remarked to the Grand Madam.

The Grand Madam brightened too. “This past half year, she’s gotten along much better with her sisters. After all, she’s grown—that strange stubborn temper has subsided considerably.”

First Miss glanced at Third Miss.

Third Miss’s smile carried three parts disdain.

She whispered intimately with Fourth Miss, their conversation quite lively.

Third Miss had reached marriageable age too… With her marriage prospects troubled, she inevitably found everything somewhat disagreeable. With wine added, she became even less able to hide this cynicism.

First Miss was about to speak.

But Second Madam spoke first, asking, “Will the eldest son-in-law take the autumn examinations this year?”

First Miss quickly smiled and replied, “Yes, he plans to test his skills.”

Second Madam nodded thoughtfully. “If he passes, next year he’ll need to go to the capital for the spring examinations… When that time comes, leave early. Once in the capital, our master has quite a few friends he can introduce him to.”

Second Master’s friends were naturally mostly civil officials from the Hanlin Academy.

When examination candidates went to the capital to prepare, their greatest worry was having nowhere to submit their portfolios. With Second Master’s introductions, he might even submit them to the chief examiner’s household, letting his future mentor review his writing samples first.

First Miss quickly rose with a serious expression to thank Second Madam. “Thank you so much for Second Aunt’s support!”

This was no ordinary favor. Even though the Grand Master had classmates and fellow provincials in the capital, they couldn’t compare to the convenience of Second Master actually being in the capital.

Second Madam smiled at First Miss. “We’re all family—naturally we should support each other.” She then invited First Miss, “Tomorrow, bring your husband next door for a visit. There are several madams and mistresses originally from Yuhang you can meet.”

One could never have too many friends, only too few.

Families that associated with Second Madam wouldn’t have humble origins. Meeting First Miss at Second Madam’s residence, they would naturally maintain contact after returning to Yuhang.

First Miss thanked Second Madam again. “I’ll certainly visit tomorrow.”

Nanny Wang came in to hand the Grand Madam an opera program. “Half the troupe is serving the Master and son-in-law in the outer courtyard today. We could only assemble these few performances.”

The Yang family also maintained their own troupe, though usually they primarily entertained male guests.

The Grand Madam glanced at it with Nanny Wang’s assistance. “Let’s have them perform ‘Bubu Jiao’ then!”

First Miss took the opportunity to be supported by Nanny Yao’s hand and gracefully left the hall to visit the privy.

Emerging from the privy, as the night wind struck her, First Miss felt the heat on her face dissipate somewhat.

The slight tipsiness was also blown away by the wind.

“Why has Second Aunt suddenly become so attentive?” She seemed to murmur to herself. “In past years when she saw me, she practically wanted to devour me…”

Nanny Yao only smiled without responding.

First Miss asked Nanny Yao again, “Did Seventh Sister grant your niece leave?”

“Yes!” Nanny Yao quickly gestured and described to First Miss the furnishings of Seventh Miss’s room and the appearance of her maids.

The more First Miss listened, the more mysterious her expression became.

Nanny Yao had only described half when the Grand Madam’s voice came from inside. “Where has First Miss gone?”

First Miss quickly arranged a smile on her face and hurried into the room with Nanny Yao. “I stepped away to wash my hands…”