The Shi family banquet ended amid great merriment. By the time the day was over, all of Shun Cheng knew that the Commander had wed the beautiful and talented eldest daughter of the Qian family.

That evening, the Commander and Miss Qian rested together in Zhuo Xin Courtyard, while in Xuehua Courtyard, San Yitai Du Linghua wept through the entire night.

Yan Qing had expected that San Yitai might not attend the tea ceremony the following morning, but no sooner had she and Shi Ting arrived than San Yitai appeared, supported by a maid.

The Commander and the new Madam had not yet come, and the old Madam had only just arrived herself.

When the old Madam saw Du Linghua, she immediately frowned. “You are about to give birth. What are you doing here?”

The Shi family’s line was not robust, so the old Madam placed great importance on the continuation of the bloodline. The matter of Shi Qian had long left her dissatisfied, and she was no longer as warm toward Luo Huaimeng and her son as before.

Luo Huaimeng cared nothing for this. What could the old Madam do if she disliked her? Luo Huaimeng kept largely to her own courtyard in devotion to Buddhism, rarely involving herself in outside affairs. If the old Madam had grievances, she would have to swallow them.

Du Linghua put on a forlorn expression. “Mother, the Commander has taken a new wife. Propriety demands that I come to present her with tea. If I do not, I shall surely be criticized.”

“You are with child. Who would dare criticize you? Who would be so unreasonable?”

Du Linghua fell silent.

The old Madam narrowed her eyes and said, “You are carrying the Shi family’s bloodline in your womb. The child’s safety must take precedence over all else. From now on, you are excused from paying respects and all such formalities.”

“Thank you, Mother.” San Yitai was helped by a maid to a seat nearby, where she picked up a cup of restorative tea and began to drink.

Shi Ting and Yan Qing sat together, an array of tea settings arranged on the small table between them.

They had woken early and dressed with care before coming, yet they were still the first to arrive.

One by one the people from each courtyard made their way in, until the reception hall was filled to capacity. Though the room was crowded, it was nearly silent — the only sound an occasional clink as someone lifted a teacup or touched a lid.

Before long, footsteps were heard outside, and the Commander appeared at the doorway with Qian Lan at his side.

Qian Lan wore a red-collared jacket and skirt in her bridal attire, a rosy blush on her cheeks, her right hand held gently in the Commander’s. She had the look of a bashful young girl.

Luo Huaimeng glanced up briefly, then quietly lowered her gaze.

She thought back to when the Commander had married her — it had not been so splendid an occasion, but she must have looked much the same as Qian Lan did now.

Yet time had carried it all away. The feelings of that day were so completely forgotten she could no longer even recall them.

As soon as Qian Lan entered the room, Du Linghua’s gaze fixed on her face. This was Du Linghua’s first time seeing Qian Lan, and she was exactly as she had imagined — truly beautiful, her beauty tinged with a delicate fragility that easily stirred a man’s instinct to protect.

She looked at the Commander’s hand, holding hers so firmly, and wave after wave of sourness rose in her chest. The hand gripping her teacup tightened steadily, until the tea within was nearly spilling over the rim.

The Commander led Qian Lan to stand before the old Madam, and the two of them knelt on the cushion already set in place. A maid promptly brought forward the tea tray.

The Commander and Qian Lan presented the tea together. The old Madam smiled warmly and presented them with two large red envelopes.

The only person the Commander and Qian Lan owed tea to was the old Madam; by seniority, everyone else would be offering tea to them.

Shi Guang, being without a wife, rose and walked to the Commander and Qian Lan alone, respectfully presenting his tea. Qian Lan had a maid bring forward a gift, which she placed in his hands herself.

“Thank you, Madam.” Shi Guang accepted the gift and stepped back.

Shi Ting and Yan Qing also went forward to offer tea to Qian Lan and the Commander, and Qian Lan likewise presented them with gifts.

Though neither of them opened their boxes, the weight was considerable, and it was clear at a glance that the contents were of considerable value.

Given the Qian family’s wealth, such gifts were a trifling gesture.

Shi Ting murmured quietly, “A windfall.”

Yan Qing stifled a small smile. Had Commissioner Shi truly sunk so low as to feel enriched by the receipt of a gift?

Just then, San Yitai made her way forward with the support of her maids, moving slowly. The Commander saw her and quickly said, “Ling Hua, you need not present tea.”

But Du Linghua was utterly resolute. She raised the cup in both hands and respectfully offered it to Qian Lan with a full bow.

Qian Lan, seeing this, quickly stepped forward to help steady her. The moment she touched Du Linghua, Du Linghua suddenly cried out and clutched her belly, the tea in her cup spilling over.

“What has happened?” The old Madam quickly rose to her feet. “I told you not to come and present tea, and you would not listen. Quickly, have a physician come and examine her — make sure the child has not been harmed.”

Two maids steadied Du Linghua, while Qian Lan stood to one side looking rather at a loss, her eyes beginning to grow faintly red.

The sudden development of Du Linghua’s stomach pain threw the reception hall into chaos. The Commander stepped forward himself to help Du Linghua, settling her on the small couch by the window.

The new bride Qian Lan was left standing to one side, with no one attending to her.

Du Linghua lay on the couch, crying out in pain. The household had long since arranged for two midwives, and they were now summoned at once.

Maids drew a curtain screen around the area, and the midwives quickly began to assess Du Linghua’s condition.

Through the curtain, Du Linghua’s cries could be heard intermittently.

Yan Qing glanced over at Qian Lan, who stood outside the circle of people. She did not appear frantic or bewildered, nor did she seem distressed at the slight of a new bride being ignored. On the contrary, she was entirely composed, quietly directing the maids around her to prepare hot water and towels.

Seeing this, Yan Qing’s misgivings about Qian Lan deepened further.

For a woman who had spent her life in a sheltered household, to handle an unexpected crisis with such perfect composure was truly remarkable. Any ordinary young lady confronted with such a scene might not have been frightened outright, but would have at least felt slighted and showed it plainly. Yet none of those emotions appeared on Qian Lan’s face. Her quiet efficiency instead commanded a kind of impressed respect.

After a careful examination, the midwife concluded that Du Linghua had simply strained herself inadvertently, causing the pain, and that she would recover with a period of rest.

Du Linghua took the opportunity to seize the Commander’s hand, her face a picture of misery. “Commander, just now it was my own carelessness — this cannot be blamed on the Madam. It was I who insisted on coming to present tea, and so this happened. Madam, I must apologize to you.”

No one had seen exactly what transpired during the tea presentation. With Du Linghua’s words, it seemed as though there might be more to the matter.

Every gaze in the room turned instinctively toward Qian Lan. Qian Lan had been asking Du Linghua’s maid Cai Yue about San Yitai’s recent health, and now, feeling everyone looking at her, she glanced back in puzzlement.

The old Madam narrowed her eyes, a flicker of something unfriendly in her expression.

Could this new daughter-in-law truly be so impatient that on her very first day, she could not even tolerate the child San Yitai was carrying?

Qian Lan still had no idea what had just been implied. The Commander’s expression had already grown cool. “Ling Hua, I saw clearly what happened. All the child did was try to steady you, for fear that your weight might cause you some trouble. Your stomach pain has nothing whatsoever to do with her. What are you suggesting by saying this? Are you accusing her?”

The Commander’s tone was not particularly harsh, but in the ears of Du Linghua, who had been so long favored, it was nothing less than a public slap in the face.

She forgot to think. She simply stared at the Commander with her mouth open, as though looking at a stranger.

Was this truly the Commander?

The Commander had never spoken to her in such a tone. He would never have reproached her in front of everyone for the sake of a woman who had hardly mattered.

Just as the atmosphere grew unbearably tense, Qian Lan stepped forward and said, “Commander, this is not San Yitai’s fault. Just now I was the one at fault for not taking hold of her in time. And I did not think things through — I failed to consider that San Yitai would come to present tea in such an advanced state of pregnancy. San Yitai, I offer you my apologies.”

Du Linghua had not anticipated that Qian Lan would step forward, not only without retreating, but to openly offer her an apology. It made Du Linghua look as though she had been making a fuss over nothing and trying to frame someone unjustly.

What surprised her even more was that the Commander rose immediately and crossed the room to Qian Lan’s side. “This is not your concern. You have nothing to apologize for.”

As he spoke, his eyes were filled with concern and tenderness.

Qian Lan shook her head. “It was my failure to be thorough. Had I sent word in advance to San Yitai, this situation would never have arisen. Whatever the case, I cannot escape blame.”

The Commander, hearing Qian Lan’s words, felt a deeper pang of guilt, and in the same moment, the look he turned toward San Yitai grew more reproachful — as though the entire incident had been San Yitai’s doing deliberately.

Under the Commander’s faintly cold gaze, San Yitai’s whole body shivered. She felt as though she had been placed inside an ice cellar.

Fortunately, San Yitai recovered her composure quickly and let out another groan, clutching her stomach.

The sound brought the old Madam back to attention at once, and she quickly instructed someone to help San Yitai.

“Enough. What good does it do to argue about right and wrong at a time like this? Have a physician come and examine her thoroughly — the birth is almost due, and we cannot afford to let anything go wrong.” The old Madam continued, “From now on, San Yitai is to be protected above all others in this household. There is no need for her to attend occasions such as this. Qian Lan, you are the Shi family’s new bride — you have just arrived and are not yet familiar with everything. I will not hold this against you on this occasion. But in the future, think matters through carefully in advance.”

Luo Huaimeng knew the old Madam’s character well. Where the bloodline was concerned, everything else became insignificant. Even though this incident was not Qian Lan’s fault in the slightest, the old Madam still had to make her point — to let Qian Lan know that the continuation of the Shi family line came above all else.

Qian Lan heard this and, rather than showing any resentment or grievance, replied with composed respect, “Mother’s guidance is entirely correct. This daughter-in-law will remember it.”

Qian Lan’s manner thoroughly satisfied the old Madam, while making the Commander feel even more protective of her.

Yan Qing watched all of this unfold, and felt more than ever that Qian Lan was a person of unfathomable depth.

—