That night’s quarrel was something both of them were quite content to forget. She was simply who she was — and that was the reality of it. Since it could not be changed, Gu Tingye had no choice but to accept it with resigned helplessness. In the days that followed, Minglan remained as dutiful as ever, and Gu Tingye continued to be the responsible master of the household.

One day when he was on his way home from the ministry, he happened to pass by a wine shop and caught the familiar fragrance drifting from inside. Moved on a whim, he bought a pair of plump crystal pork knuckles to bring home. Wrapped in fresh green lotus leaves, rich with the savory perfume of deeply simmered meat — the little chubby one, who had been drowsing in his wet nurse’s arms, suddenly came wide awake. He blinked his large, black-and-white eyes and stared straight at the knuckles.

Minglan was seized by a mischievous impulse. She took the baby from the nurse and lifted him toward the knuckle with a perfectly grave expression — but the poor little round creature had only sprouted six or seven rice-grain teeth so far, his front teeth entirely absent, and absolutely could not manage the smooth and glistening skin of the meat.

By the time Gu Tingye came out of his bath, he found his son sitting cross-legged on the chaise, on the verge of tears, while his thoroughly mischievous mother was laughing so hard she could hardly stay upright: “…Now you must be reasonable — it’s not that I won’t let you eat it, you simply can’t bite through it yourself…”

Then she laughed until she was practically falling sideways, thoroughly enjoying herself tormenting the child with the oil-covered knuckle — but the moment she turned and saw her husband standing just a few steps away, she immediately put on an expression of shy, well-behaved innocence.

At this sight, Gu Tingye could only sigh. To have found himself a mole-rat of a wife like this — who just needed to scoop up a handful of earth and pile it over her own head to feel as though the whole world was at peace — he must truly be blessed with an unusual kind of fortune.

The Marquis and his Marchioness made peace. Within the household, some were pleased, and some were not. Nanny Cui and Cuiwei were pleased, of course. Only Xiaotao was puzzled: that night she had been standing watch outside the door and had heard the muffled sounds of quarreling from within. She had been on pins and needles — and yet somehow the Marquis had ended up climbing back into the Marchioness’s bed of his own accord in the middle of the night. Why was it that when the Marchioness had been gentle and deferential, the Marquis had refused to come back — and after such a great quarrel, he had quietly moved back in? Did quarreling work, then? In that case, if you gave the man a good beating, wouldn’t that be even more effective?

Xiaotao gave a small sigh: Madam was honest and gentle-natured — or so Xiaotao believed — and would probably not dare beat the Marquis. But perhaps in the future she herself might give it a try.

Once word spread, Qiu Niang came to pay her morning respects with a hint of wistfulness. A few days later, she timidly produced two newly made moon-white inner shirts: “The heat has been terrible lately — I made one each for Madam and the Marquis. My hands are rough and clumsy — please don’t be displeased with them.”

Minglan took the clothes and examined them carefully. The man’s shirt had been made with obvious care and fine workmanship. The woman’s shirt was also decent — soft and neat — but one look from the experienced Cuiwei was enough to tell it had been rushed: the stitches were a little uneven and hurried.

Looking at Qiu Niang’s mournful appearance, Minglan felt irritation rising before she could help it. This woman was clearly cut from the same cloth as that legendary Wang Baochuan — unshakably convinced that eighteen years of patient waiting in a cold cave would one day be rewarded by the return of her lord, and that even if he brought a princess home with him, she would not mind.

Although Gu Tingye had knocked a bowl off the table at her the other day, she held not a trace of resentment and simply set to sewing his clothes. Unfortunately, before she could finish attaching the sleeves, he had already moved back to Jia Xi Residence — so she had to wipe her tears and start a second shirt.

That evening Minglan handed Qiu Niang’s handiwork to her husband. Gu Tingye held up the shirt and shook it in front of her with the expression of a man saying “if you don’t want it, plenty of others do” — and when he saw Minglan’s mouth begin to pout, he put on a show of asking solemnly: “Why is Madam displeased?”

Minglan brooded. “Better to fear a thief who steals than a thief who schemes.”

“There is no shortage of people who scheme after Madam too,” Gu Tingye said evenly.

Minglan had nothing to say to that, and inwardly raged — this was the price of having been so honest.

Even when the lamps were out and they were settled for the night, she was still feeling moody. Gu Tingye tucked a warm arm beneath her neck. “What is it?”

“I am thinking of something rather shameless.”

“What thing?”

“When you can’t finish eating something yourself — you spit in the bowl so no one else can eat it either.”

The bed curtains went still for two silent beats. Gu Tingye smiled without a sound, then rolled over and pressed down over her, reaching a hand inside her night clothes, his voice low and rough: “You eat more, and there won’t be anything left for others.”

……

In the end, that summer shirt of Qiu Niang’s was never worn even once by Gu Tingye. Xiaotao was told to put it away, and it disappeared to no one knew where.

Luzhi’s spirits soared. She made a special trip to have a casual chat with the female servants at Kou Xiang Courtyard, and let something “slip” in the course of conversation. When Qiu Niang found out, she hugged her pillow and wept for half a day. When Cuiwei heard about it, she jabbed Luzhi in the forehead. “What am I to do with you — can’t you be more steady and composed about things?”

Luzhi said stubbornly: “Madam always treated her generously enough in the past — but the moment Madam and the Marquis had their little spat, she couldn’t wait to sidle over. If I don’t let her suffer a little, I won’t feel right!”

When the seventh month arrived, the day of Danju’s wedding came. Minglan specifically allowed Xiaotao, Luzhi, Cuixiu, and a few others to go and enjoy the feast. The girls came back chattering all at once with a great telling of how lively and festive it had been — the gongs, the drums, the firecrackers, the bride’s crimson wedding clothes and pearl-studded hairpins, so bright and vivid and red… Cuiwei’s ears were quite full by the end of it all, and the whole room of young maids were either full of envy or delight, chirping and chattering nonstop before finally quieting down.

After everyone had dispersed, Bisi murmured wistfully: “Sister Danju has found such a good match. I wonder what will become of the rest of us.”

Luzhi gave her a sidelong look. “Madam always has something in mind. But you — you love to scheme for yourself too much. I imagine you’ve already had your own plans figured out for a while.” Though they had grown up together, she had never been able to stomach Bisi’s lazy and pleasure-seeking ways.

Bisi’s face went red immediately. “What nonsense are you talking about!”

Less than four days later, Danju brought her new husband to the Marquis Mansion to kowtow in respect. Minglan saw that her color was healthy and her brow was soft with a shyness and happiness that could not be concealed, and her heart felt settled: “Next year you must send me red-dyed eggs.” The room and the corridor outside were packed with Danju’s old sisters from the household, their light laughter flowing endlessly. Danju was so embarrassed she nearly wanted to sink through the floor — in the end it was practically her husband who took her by the arm and led her out.

Around this time it seemed there was an abundance of auspicious days, for the Fourth Room’s Tingying was also to be married. The Fourth Master, afraid that delay would bring complications, pressed to have the wedding within the year. Minglan had a set of red-gold headdress inlaid with jade ordered from Cuiwei Pavilion, along with two ingots of silver to add to the wedding gifts, which was quite respectable. Since Tingying was marrying someone outside the capital, her eldest brother Tingxuan had to see her off personally — but fortunately the in-laws were not far away, and could be there and back within half a month.

With his only biological daughter married away, the Fourth Master had not stopped weeping for days. Minglan had no choice but to go and pay a visit, and in doing so happened to catch a glimpse of Yiniang Liu, who had been run ragged doing errands, as well as the Fourth Master, who was “well taken care of” — he knew everything that went on around him, but could not move at all.

Minglan could not summon a single thread of sympathy. Living for pleasure and indulgence for the better part of a lifetime — it was time to start repaying the debt.

The wheel of fortune turned, and not only for that household. Two women — one doing better, one doing worse. Minglan strongly suspected they were cosmically at odds with each other — Zhang Shi had rallied and was now exercising her authority over the household, raising her child with care, and living with a full and savored life. But Xiao Shen Shi had never fully recovered from the earlier period of oppression hanging over the Shen family. Her belly grew larger and larger, yet she herself grew thinner and thinner. Her spirits were low, her emotions unstable, and she lived in constant dread — a sight that made anyone who saw her anxious.

“How can she go on like this?” Minglan said in a low voice after the woman had been helped to sleep.

Zheng Da Furen sighed: “A while ago, some rumor spread — no one knows from where — saying the Emperor intended to depose the Empress and strip the National Uncle of his position. It frightened this child nearly out of her wits. She’s been crying several times a day, talking nonsense too…”

Minglan said nothing. She knew — Xiao Shen Shi was terrified that if the Shen family fell, the Zheng family would abandon her. With that kind of fragile constitution, to have dared go up against a woman like Zhang Shi — she truly did not know the weight of what she was up against.

Before Minglan had finished sighing over this, the ripples of the Shen-Zhang affair had already reached her own home.

Ever since Shen Congxing was confined to his house in self-reflection, the tasks that had been his fell to Gu Tingye once more — and on top of that, he had to take on part of the workload of the old Duke of Ying. He was often away for several days at a stretch, sometimes the western suburban camp, sometimes the Armaments Bureau, sometimes the horse training grounds beyond the passes. Five days away at the shortest; seven or eight days at the longest.

“Zhong called by today while you were out, talking about how busy the Marquis has been, and feeling envious,” Minglan said, folding clean clothes and packing them one by one into the bundle. “Is General Zhong really so idle?”

Gu Tingye sat before the mirror and tied his hair. “You raise troops for a thousand days so you can use them for one. When troops are actually in use, there’s no being idle.”

“I’d much rather the Marquis be busy every day, as long as he’s not going to battle.”

He let the dark purple and white double-threaded gold crown ribbons hang at his shoulders, and turned his head toward her with a faint smile — this sentence, he believed, came from her heart. Just before going out the door, he gathered her up and kissed her again and again — in truth, if one didn’t dig too deep into things, living like this for a lifetime seemed rather all right.

Gradually, Minglan began to grow accustomed to managing the Marquis Mansion on her own. When free time came, she would go every few days to Zheng General’s residence, pay a call at Xuan Da’s household, or occasionally go to the National Uncle’s Mansion to take stock of things. Life was quite full.

On this particular day she returned from outside to find Cuiwei craning her neck, waiting at the door of Jia Xi Residence. The moment she caught sight of Minglan, she hurried over: “Madam — you’re finally back. Grandmother has come.”

Minglan was both startled and delighted. She walked quickly into the room, and found a vigorous, sharp-eyed old woman seated in the center of the room, playing with Tuan Ge’er, whom Nanny Cui was holding. She had a jade toad on a red silk thread in her hand, dangling and swaying, while the baby reached out his small hand to grab at it with all his might — if he touched it, he broke into excited giggles; if he missed, he crinkled up his little round face in a grumpy pout, to the great and laughing delight of the old woman.

Minglan rushed forward and knelt at the old woman’s knee, coaxing sweetly: “Grandmother came specially today just to see me, didn’t she? It’s been so long — you must have been missing me.”

Sheng Lao poked a finger against her forehead. “Missing you? As if!” Then she hung the jade toad around Tuan Ge’er’s neck and said to Nanny Cui: “Have the silk thread changed to a red cord, and tie it tightly — mind the child doesn’t swallow it.”

“Grandmother, something so valuable…” Since marrying Gu Tingye, she had seen no small number of fine things and her eye had improved considerably. This jade toad was smooth and deep green, translucent without a single flaw — clearly a treasure rarely seen.

“Be quiet.” Sheng Lao said sternly. “I am the great-grandmother giving something to my great-grandson — what business is it of yours?” Then she turned to Nanny Cui and Cuiwei: “The rest of you go out. I have a few words to say to this little troublemaker.”

Minglan gave a few heh-heh laughs and obediently moved to sit to one side. Nanny Cui suppressed her smile, agreed, and carried Tuan Ge’er out. Once the door was closed, Sheng Lao turned around. “Tell me honestly — did you and your husband have a quarrel?”

“…Where did Grandmother hear that?” Minglan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Sheng Lao’s face went dark as a pot bottom: “They’re saying your husband isn’t sleeping in the same room with you anymore?”

“He moved back long ago!” Minglan blurted out without thinking.

Sheng Lao took a deep breath. “So in other words — there was a quarrel? And he did move out for a time?”

Minglan’s face went red. She hedged and muttered: “Couples always quarrel — but… he moved back more than half a month ago!” What kind of source was feeding this information, with such a delay?!

A thought stirred in her, and she quickly asked: “Could it be that it was Kang Maternal Aunt who told Grandmother?”

Sheng Lao said without delight: “It was that useless one. Though her sister had a part in it too.” After a pause for breath, the old woman puzzled: “But how did this get outside at all?”

Minglan wore an expression of pure bad luck: “It was that Cai Huan who was sent to my household. I had her placed at the estate, thinking that if nothing came of it, this year I’d return her to her mother and let her arrange her own marriage. But it turns out she bribed one of the female servants in my household to keep feeding her information.”

“That vile little slave!” Sheng Lao raged, bringing her hand down hard on the armrest. “What do you intend to do with her?”

Minglan hesitated. “I… haven’t decided yet…” In truth, she was not very good at dealing harshly with people.

“Hand her over to me,” Sheng Lao said firmly. “I’ll find her a good place to go.”

Minglan waved her hands again and again: “No, no need. I should be learning how to manage my own servants — and she was sent as a gift after all. If Grandmother deals with it personally, it won’t look right.”

Sheng Lao gave a short laugh: “Her face hasn’t looked right a day in her life. After I handed the household management over to your elder sister-in-law, you should have seen how sour your expression was. It’s not that I don’t trust her — it’s that Wang’s side of the family has come back, and those two sisters are thick as thieves again. I can’t very well say too much about it… but…” She stamped her foot. “Hmph — nothing good will come of it in the end!”

Minglan said helplessly: “Without Kang Maternal Aunt, things really were quite all right.”

“Who says otherwise!” Sheng Lao raged. “Nothing but petty and vicious tricks. A while ago, that wretched woman instigated something — and had Xiang Yiniang kneeling under the blazing sun for a full hour!”

Minglan was shocked: “Whatever for? Xiang Yiniang has always been quiet and well-behaved.” After all these years — Wang Shi had not struck while Xiang Yiniang was young and beautiful, so why make trouble now?

“Isn’t it because your Fourth Brother passed his county-level examination,” Sheng Lao said, sipping her tea. “Our fine Maternal Aunt’s thinking is that she needs to stamp him down while she still can, before he becomes too important to manage later!”

“He’s only passed the first round — really now.”

Sheng Lao said with indignation: “And that boy you recommended — the one called Chang Nian — he’s bright, tested well. Your father was doing his very best to encourage Dong Ge’er in his studies, and then this had to happen right at that moment. Your father was furious too!”

Grandmother and granddaughter both fell into silence, and sighed in unison.

“Enough of these irritating things. Tell me — what did you and your husband quarrel about.” The old woman’s expression softened with care.

Minglan lowered her head, a little embarrassed: “He said I wasn’t sincere enough with my heart.”

The old woman was puzzled.

Minglan had no choice but to sketch out the most important parts, and then said with some resentment: “Tell me — isn’t this man strange? Everything is perfectly fine, and he has to go digging around at trivial things! As if I should also scold and nag him — pry into what he does every day, who he’s seen, what he’s been through? Aren’t men supposed to find that the most tiresome thing possible?”

Sheng Lao laughed until she was rocking forward and backward, pointing at her: “You, you! Truly a child who understands nothing.”

At last the laughing subsided, and she steadied herself with a hand at her chest: “How can everything in this world go the unconventional way? You don’t need to pry and interrogate him — but at least ask a few more questions! Go out and listen to what other women do. Which wife doesn’t love asking her husband about his goings-on, and cursing the ‘old wretch’ two or three times for good measure? Look at you — nothing asked, perfectly polite and well-mannered. Do you think that’s treating him as your husband — or as your supervisor?”

Minglan nearly said: you’ve guessed it — I really have been treating him something like a boss.

After all the laughing, the old woman was too lazy to keep picking at these small matters between husband and wife. “Well, it’s all right. Your husband has been worn down and softened by you — that’s your good fortune.” She then frowned: “It’s just that these military men and their constant absences from home are troublesome.”

Minglan shook her head. “Officials are no easier — they come with formidable mothers-in-law.”

Sheng Lao turned from a smile to a sigh: “Rulan has grown so much more settled in her ways.”

As the time for Jingwai’s posting approached, Sheng Lao had more and more things to attend to. One moment she needed to go to the countryside to escape the heat; another moment she was going back to the old family home to visit relatives, and she dragged Rulan along everywhere. Rulan bore it all patiently. Only Wang Shi went once to make a loud and fierce declaration — if they didn’t let Rulan go along to her husband’s posting with him, she would make such a scene that she’d turn everything upside down and ruin her son-in-law’s position without hesitation.

“Fifth Sister has grown up,” Minglan said with feeling.

Sheng Lao pinched her nose with tender, full affection: “You were sensible and composed from childhood — a little grown-up. Now you’ve grown back the other way, getting younger.” A wave of sudden wistfulness came over her, and her eyes showed a warm satisfaction: “For a daughter, after she’s married, to be able to grow younger and younger — that is truly a blessing.”

Hard times force a child to grow up fast; having someone to protect and cherish her allows her to grow back toward innocence and ease. Like Elder Madam Yu, who had reached such an age and was still much the same as she had been as a young lady in her boudoir.

Minglan was quiet. She understood what was meant.

Since marrying Gu Tingye, she had never had to please anyone, endure anything. She oversaw an enormous Marquis Mansion — money was hers to spend as she wished, servants hers to replace as she saw fit. If she wanted to go out, she went out; if she wanted to lie in bed until late, no one would say a word. Everyone competed to curry her favor; no one dared give her airs or looks. Behind the gates of the Marquis Mansion, there was nothing she could not do — Gu Tingye had given her virtually every power and every trust.

Of course, she herself was diligent and careful too. But compared to that concubine-born daughter who had once walked on eggshells at every step — these days were genuinely much better. Such days were tiring at times, but free.

Thinking of all this, she found herself missing more and more the source of these good days. She wondered what he was doing right now.

She had been gloomy and unsettled for two days just like this when, on the night of the second day, she had just coaxed Tuan Ge’er to sleep. Luzhi came rushing in from outside in a hurry, followed by the already-married Cuiping, who threw herself to her knees the moment she saw Minglan, weeping: “Young Mistress — please come quickly. Grandmother is not well!”

Minglan felt as though her heart stopped a beat. She cried out sharply: “What did you say?!”

Cuiping wept: “Everything was fine, and then from this afternoon she started feeling unwell. At first Grandmother wouldn’t let anyone call a physician — but just when dinner was being set, Grandmother fainted. Right now…”

Minglan sat back down hard on the edge of the bed, her head in chaos. She had to be calm, calm… She snapped at Luzhi: “Take my visiting card — go summon Physician Lin! Now, quickly — have the carriage prepared, and send someone directly to the Sheng Mansion!”