Madam Chen returned from Old Madam Luo’s quarters to find Luo Yixiu sprawled across the table, having barely touched her meal. She instructed a servant to clear away the dishes and asked, “What did you eat at your Seventh Sister’s that’s left you with no appetite?”
“Half a chicken—” Luo Yixiu mumbled, still slumped over the small table. Madam Chen swatted her hand, scolding, “Look at your poor posture! Sit up straight!”
Yixiu glanced across at Yiyu, who was eating with deliberate grace. As the eldest among the sisters, Yiyu was strikingly beautiful. Her pointed chin, snow-white skin, and delicate eyebrows gave her an air of proud dignity. Yixiu straightened up and asked Yiyu with a smile, “I heard that after Xuan’er broke the aquamarine, Second Uncle punished Yilien by making her copy women’s teachings. She can’t even leave her room. Fourth Sister, do you feel sorry for her?”
Yiyu cast a cool glance at her sister. “Why must you always chatter so much?”
“That’s what you get for being so close to that little hussy!” Yixiu said with a hint of schadenfreude. “Now you’re implicated too.”
“Yilien has always been well-behaved and sensible, unlike you and Yining!” Yiyu retorted. “You failed to look after the aquamarine, allowing Xuan’er to get hold of it, yet you blame Yilien? If you ask me, Yining was there too. Why didn’t she stop Xuan’er from breaking it? I think she let it happen on purpose.”
Madam Chen, irritated by her daughters’ bickering, slapped the table. “Enough! Your squabbling never ends. What kind of sisters are you? We’re not to mention the aquamarine incident again, lest we cause friction with your Second Uncle. Moreover, your brother is preparing for the autumn imperial examinations. If you disrupt his studies, I’ll flay you alive. And Yixiu, where did you learn such vulgar language? What kind of young lady from a good family speaks like that?”
Madam Chen’s authority was undeniable. Yixiu dared not argue further with Yiyu but, unwilling to look at her sister, huffed and flopped onto the bed.
Madam Chen observed Yiyu. Indeed, her daughter had grown more beautiful over the past two years. No wonder the son of the Liu family’s assistant magistrate was so smitten after seeing her true appearance. Yiyu’s recently made clothes were all becoming, and her face was dusted with the finest powder—pearl powder with a hint of pale yellow that Madam Chen had specially ordered from the capital at twenty taels of silver per box. It lent Yiyu’s complexion a lustrous whiteness.
“Yiyu, you’re growing up now,” Madam Chen gently admonished. “You must learn to be dignified and reserved. Don’t quarrel with your sister over such trifles.”
Yiyu rose and acquiesced.
Madam Chen instructed a servant to bring nourishing soup to Luo Huaiyuan and Luo Shanyuan, as they would be studying late into the night.
Yiyu, claiming she could eat no more, retired to her room.
Her maid was waiting for her and discreetly handed her an item. “Fourth Young Miss, this is Second Young Master Cheng’s reply.”
Yiyu’s heart fluttered like a trapped rabbit as she lit a candle and unfolded the note. A smile played on her lips as she read. “He says my new clothes are beautiful… Bring me a brush.”
The maid hesitated. “Fourth Young Miss, perhaps we shouldn’t write back. If Madam finds out, I’ll be beaten to death, and that’s the least of our worries. Besides, Second Young Master Cheng can’t be with you. You’re betrothed to Young Master Liu, after all.”
Yiyu glanced at her, suppressing her anger. “How could Liu Jing be worthy of me? Yet Mother and the others insist on this engagement.” Unlike Yixiu or Yining, Yiyu had been pampered since childhood. Among the young ladies of Baoding’s elite families, she excelled in talent, beauty, and poise. Why should she marry the son of a mere assistant magistrate? Moreover, Cheng Lang… Yiyu had fallen for him at first sight.
Cheng Lang was the most handsome man she’d ever seen, surpassing even her Third Brother. His gaze was deep and seemingly filled with passion, his demeanor gentle and warm. Whenever his eyes swept over her, she felt light as air, filled with indescribable joy.
And surely… he wasn’t entirely indifferent to her.
Yiyu took a deep breath. “Don’t worry about it. Only the three of us know, and no one else will find out. How could anyone discover…”
The maid wanted to say more but was silenced by Yiyu’s cold stare.
She could only comply and fetch the writing materials for her mistress.
The next day brought a pleasant summer breeze and cool weather. After afternoon lessons with their tutor, the young ladies gathered at Old Madam Luo’s to practice needlework.
As Yining was just beginning to learn, the matron gave her a handkerchief to embroider as she pleased. Old Madam Luo had instructed that the focus should be on teaching Yiyu and Yilien. There was little hope for Yixiu; if she could sit still for an hour, it would be considered an achievement.
“Just looking at these needles gives me a headache,” Yixiu complained. “Mother always says I don’t apply myself, but it’s like you with calligraphy—you get drowsy. I feel sleepy as soon as I pick up a needle.”
Yining turned to glare at her. “When have I ever gotten drowsy practicing calligraphy?”
“You told me last time… that copybook your Third Brother gave you. You said it was hard to trace and made you dizzy…”
Suddenly, someone coughed behind them.
The two young girls turned to see Luo Shenyuan, Cheng Lang, and others standing there. Luo Huaiyuan was smiling at them, while Luo Shenyuan’s expression remained impassive. The young ladies quickly stood to greet their brothers.
Luo Huaiyuan teased Luo Shenyuan, “Third Brother, it seems Seventh Sister finds your copybook lacking.”
Seeing no emotion on Luo Shenyuan’s handsome face, Yining hastily explained, “Actually, Third Brother’s copybook is excellent. I was just tired that day, which is why I felt drowsy.”
Her explanation only made the others laugh harder, even drawing a faint smile from Luo Shenyuan.
Yining was puzzled by their amusement. She could only turn back to glare at the equally bewildered Yixiu for speaking out of turn.
Cheng Lang, recognizing Yining as the little girl he had given the prayer beads to, smiled and said, “This little one is quite amusing. The Luo family is known for its scholarly tradition, yet how did they produce such a child?”
After speaking, he didn’t linger but strode into the main hall. The others were presumably there to pay respects to Old Madam Luo, with Luo Huaiyuan and Luo Shanyuan following suit. However, Luo Shenyuan approached Yining, who put on a sincere expression. “Third Brother, I do like those copybooks. They’re in your handwriting, and I promise to complete them all.”
“You can recognize my handwriting?” Luo Shenyuan asked.
Yining nodded. “I know your writing style.”
As she said this, Yining thought she saw a faint smile on Luo Shenyuan’s face. He said softly, “No one has ever recognized my handwriting before.” He patted Yining’s head. “I’m going to pay respects to Grandmother. Come to my quarters tomorrow; I’ll give you some books.”
He entered the main hall and disappeared from view. Yixiu nudged Yining’s elbow. “Didn’t you once tell me that this Third Brother of yours was born to a concubine, lowly and base and that you disdained to play with him? But now I feel like…” Yixiu pondered for a while before finding the right word, looking at Yining oddly and hesitating before saying, “Why do I get the feeling… that you’re a bit afraid of him now?”
Yining inwardly sighed. If even Yixiu could notice, was it really that obvious? In truth, she both respected and feared Luo Shenyuan. She simply didn’t show it, as he was currently just a fifteen-year-old boy, not yet the cold-hearted Grand Secretary he would become.
Yining often recalled stories she’d heard in her past life. Xu Laogong, the mentor who had supported Luo Shenyuan, was beaten to death for offending the then-Grand Secretary Wang You. His bloodied corpse was displayed at the palace gate, and Luo Shenyuan’s sedan chair passed by without even pausing. Or how, upon becoming Grand Secretary, he ruthlessly initiated political reforms, forcing the emperor to arrest and execute over a thousand people, with their families either enslaved or exiled to Hainan.
She indeed wanted to curry favor with him, unsure of what the future Luo Shenyuan might become. Besides, he treated her well, even if he was taciturn and reluctant to express emotions.
“Third Brother is good to me, so naturally, I should be good to him,” Yining told Yixiu. “You should respect him more too. He is your Third Brother as well.”
Yixiu remained unconvinced, yawning as she picked up her embroidery hoop to continue working on the hundred flowers pattern. After a while, she had only managed to embroider half a butterfly wing. Slacking off, she looked up at the other two students, who also seemed distracted.
Yilien, having recently made a mistake, was cautious and subdued, speaking less than usual. But her sister Yiyu seemed particularly listless in her studies…
Yining also glanced at Yiyu, who was staring in the direction Cheng Lang had left, not even looking at the needle in her hand as it nearly pricked her fingertip.
Yining said nothing.
Yiyu suddenly yelped, coming to her senses and hastily dropping the embroidery hoop.
The matron, seeing a tiny drop of blood on Yiyu’s delicate fingertip, quickly called for a maid to bring gauze. “Fourth Young Miss, how did you suddenly injure yourself? If you’re tired, take a rest. Don’t force yourself.”