The news of He Xiao’s utter ruin spread before long through every street and alley of the capital.

The celebrated Luoyang talent, it turned out, was a fraud who had employed a ghostwriter all along. In these tension-filled times, this counted as the most stirring piece of gossip to emerge outside of political affairs.

When Nanny Yao brought the news in, her face was wreathed in smiles — the expression of someone offering thanks to heaven and earth. She said, “Duke, Madam, the young miss of the western residence has finally had her revenge.”

At the time, Yun Pan and Li Chenjian were having their meal. Because the weather was poor and going out was inconvenient, the main kitchen had distributed food to each person’s small courtyard.

The two of them sat before the food table in the front hall. The silver lamp stand held candles burning brightly. Upon hearing this, Yun Pan set down her chopsticks and asked Nanny Yao to recount the details from beginning to end. After listening, she felt nothing but relief and gladness. She smiled and said, “Praise be — this matter is at last resolved. The day I passed the information along to Cousin Mei Fen, I honestly had no certainty in my heart. I was afraid that when the moment came, she would shrink back again. I never imagined she would have such mettle — to expose He Xiao right in front of the Prime Minister himself.”

Li Chenjian gave a slight smile. “People are prone to inertia. Only when pushed to the edge will they fight back.”

Yun Pan sighed at this. “But the grievances she has suffered in all this are immense. He Xiao truly has a blackened heart — to have done something so unconscionable.”

For someone long accustomed to seeing the dark side of things, this came as no particular surprise. He gave a mild sound of acknowledgment. “The evil in the human heart is beyond what you can imagine. If you could live your whole life without having to witness it, that would be the true blessing.”

And yet who could spend an entire lifetime without such encounters? Before, she had thought that Liu Shi barring her from the door was already the worst of it — yet He Xiao’s conduct had proven a hundred times more malicious than Liu Shi. Now, at least, it was over. Having personally dispatched the enemy who had tormented her, the knot that had long entangled Mei Fen’s heart should at last be untied. Thinking it over carefully, it had not been easy at all — how much effort of heart and mind had she poured into seeing this through? From here on, she was a reborn, whole person. Perhaps she could at last say goodbye to the fate of being confined within a small courtyard, and face her new life with courage.

She was very happy. So with a smile she said, “Duke, shall we have a drink?”

Li Chenjian rarely drank at home, but hearing her say this, knowing she was joyful, he naturally couldn’t dampen her good spirits.

A maidservant brought a wine flask and cups, filling them both. Yun Pan said, “This is the coconut wine that Hui Cun gave me. I tasted two small sips of it before and have been reluctant to drink it since — saving it for today.”

Among girls who enjoyed wine, exchanging their supply with one another carried a kind of camaraderie between kindred spirits. He smiled and touched his cup to hers. “Madam, please.”

Yun Pan took a careful, savoring sip. The full fragrance of coconut filled her mouth. She had only just set down her cup when he gave a soft sound and said, “That matter concerning Hui Cun — I had someone look into it. There does indeed appear to be such a kept woman. She was originally a maidservant from Elder Madam Geng’s quarters, given to Geng Fangzhi when she was sixteen. She has been kept in his chambers now for four years.”

Yun Pan was displeased to hear this. “Older than Hui Cun, and a former maidservant of the elder madam’s — if she’s the docile sort, perhaps it’s manageable. But if she’s the ambitious kind, using her years of seniority to go head-to-head with the new wife, that would be a disaster.” She looked at him. “What does the Duke intend to do about it?”

Li Chenjian said, “Ordinarily, inner-household matters ought to be handled through the matchmaker as intermediary. But on reflection, there’s really no need. I see Geng Fangzhi often enough — I might as well find an occasion and speak with him directly, see how he intends to handle things. Keeping an established kept woman in the courtyard is going to be a problem. If he can’t bring himself to let her go, then this match will simply be called off — better that than letting disputes in the household go on creating trouble later. Hui Cun is a commandery princess drawing an imperial salary. There’s no reason for her to enter someone’s household and be subjected to that kind of petty humiliation.”

Just as they were discussing this, from outside on the veranda, Bi Xie came to report: “Master, a messenger has come from the Duke of Chenguo’s residence, saying that the young son of the household has had an accident. The Duke and Madam are asked to come and look in on them.”

Both Li Chenjian and Yun Pan were startled. This meal would have to wait. They quickly instructed the gatekeepers to ready the carriage, straightened their clothes, and went out to board the carriage and make their way to the Duke of Chenguo’s residence.

The two residences were at some distance from each other. Even with Bi Xie urged to drive faster, it still took the time of two cups of tea to arrive. Upon reaching the gate, they could hear the sound of weeping from within the compound. The household steward came out to receive them, bent at the waist. “The Duke and Madam have come? Quickly, please — go and console our master and mistress.”

The two followed the household steward toward the rear courtyard. Along the way, Li Chenjian asked, “What has actually happened?”

The steward said in a mournful voice, “It is the First Young Master… he fell ill two days ago, running a fever and talking in his delirium, which gave the master and mistress no small fright. This morning he seemed much improved. Then somehow, as night was coming on, he… passed.”

Yun Pan heard this and looked in alarm at Li Chenjian. He could see the apprehension in her eyes, and quietly took her hand.

The household was in the grip of a great misfortune — lamps were lit everywhere. In the moment when night had not quite yet fallen, the lamplight broke through the deep blue dark, linked one after another in a continuous string from front to back. The place was bright in every direction, and yet an inexplicable heaviness still pressed down on the heart.

Entering the main room, they found Duke Chenguo slumped in a round-backed chair looking utterly dejected. Duchess Jing was in the inner chamber, where she had already fainted dead away and revived again several times over, beside herself with grief.

Duke Chenguo saw them arrive and managed to rouse himself. “Fourth Brother, sister-in-law — it’s so late; I’ve disturbed you.”

Li Chenjian said, “Elder Brother, what are you saying? With something like this happening, how could we possibly sit quietly at home?”

Duke Chenguo could only keep sighing. “Such a good child…” He covered his face and broke into weeping. “How can he be gone just like that… how can he just be gone…”

Yun Pan, knowing the two brothers had things they needed to say to each other, said, “Elder Brother, I’ll go in to look in on Sister-in-Law.” Duke Chenguo gave his assent and gestured to a serving woman to show her the way, then bowed his hands toward Yun Pan and said, “I will leave it to Sister-in-Law. Please help me comfort your sister-in-law well.”

Yun Pan agreed and followed the serving woman into the inner chamber. Looking around, she saw no sign of the child — he had presumably already been wrapped and placed in the coffin. Only a circle of women surrounded Duchess Jing, most likely Duke Chenguo’s concubines and the like. When they saw Yun Pan arrive, they all moved aside.

Yun Pan stepped up to the bed and called out, “Sister-in-Law.” Duchess Jing opened her eyes in a daze. Seeing her, she gave a soft sound of recognition. “Sister-in-Law has come.” She reached out to take her hand, and then hot tears began to pour down her face.

Seeing her like this, Yun Pan herself could not hold back tears — but the more she wept at a time like this, the more distressed it would make Duchess Jing. So she stopped herself and said, “Sister-in-Law, please restrain your grief. If the young master could see you like this, his heart would be troubled too.”

Duchess Jing sobbed without cease. “My Xuandu… such a fine child…”

Duke Chenguo had two sons. The elder, Xuandu, was born of Duchess Jing; the younger, called Xuantong, was born of a concubine. The sudden loss of the legitimate firstborn son was a tragedy beyond ordinary measure — the grief was not simply the pain of a child dying young. Behind it lay entanglements of circumstance and the political situation, things that could not be said openly, and that contained many dangerous implications.

“Sister-in-Law, think of Elder Brother.” Yun Pan patted Duchess Jing’s back gently and spoke in a soothing tone. “How could Elder Brother be at peace either? If you are like this, Elder Brother will be even more at a loss for what to do.”

Duchess Jing was still consumed by self-reproach. “It is all my fault. I didn’t look after the child well enough. How did he come to fall ill in such hot weather?”

And yet the cause of the child’s death — who could say, in a moment, what it truly was? Whatever comforting words Yun Pan had to offer could not provide any real relief to a mother who had just lost her beloved son.

At this moment, Jing Cun came in from outside, her eyes swollen red from crying. She saw Yun Pan and called her Third Sister-in-Law, then turned to Duchess Jing and said, “Everything outside has been arranged. The young master is laid on his resting bed now. Sister-in-Law, please don’t grieve — there are many things that still need you to see to, and you will only harm your health if you carry on like this.”

The concubines in the household, grasping at conversation to fill the silence, went over and over the same stretch of events — from when the child had first fallen ill to when he had breathed his last — one saying “but he was still perfectly fine,” another saying “this very morning he seemed well on the road to recovery,” until Duchess Jing felt her heart wrung even more unbearably.

It was Jing Cun who finally spoke up. “All of you may return to your quarters. Too many people and too many voices only make things worse — leave two close nannies to attend here.”

The concubines had no choice but to make their bows and withdraw from the inner chamber.

Only now could anything resembling proper conversation take place. Duchess Jing said to Yun Pan, “In households like ours, one must tread carefully at every step. Even a child cherished and guarded in the palm of one’s hand can meet with disaster. If one’s heart grows even a little larger than it should — one will find it all the harder to survive.”

The deeper meaning in those words, Yun Pan could plainly hear. Of the three ducal princes at present, only the Duke of Chuguo’s household still had a legitimate son in good health. Whether a son and heir was flourishing or not carried, in these times, many tangled implications. But the inner workings of things could not be stated too plainly — after all, there was no hard evidence to use in accusing anyone of anything. The child’s death had been examined by the head of the Imperial Physicians, and the conclusion was that there were no signs of foul play. But as a mother, she knew in her heart: a child of six or seven years old, whose constitution had been well-nourished and strong — how could he fall inexplicably ill and be gone within just two days?

There was always too much scheming lurking within these great households, inflicting endless grievances on those caught within — and yet what could one do? To demand justice, from whom? There was no one to go to.

On the way back from Duke Chenguo’s residence, Yun Pan was downcast throughout. Li Chenjian asked, “Are you still troubled by the injustice of Xuandu’s death?”

Yun Pan nodded. “I saw Sister-in-Law surrounded by a ring of concubines, and not one of them was genuinely grieving the child’s death. They chattered and gossiped endlessly. Knowing Sister-in-Law’s heart was in pain, they still kept dwelling on the boy’s life — isn’t that pouring salt into an open wound?”

Li Chenjian, hearing this, gave a quiet sigh. “You only see the scheming within the inner quarters. What I am worried about is the entanglement this death will drag out beneath the surface… I can only hope that Elder Brother will not, because of this, grow estranged from me.”

Yun Pan was taken aback. “What does the Duke mean by that? We have no child, and Elder Brother’s firstborn son is gone — there is nothing in that which benefits us at all…”

Li Chenjian said nothing. He only raised his eyes and looked at her with an expression of quiet significance.

Yun Pan suddenly understood. “Are you worried… that Elder Brother will suspect you of sitting back and watching the tigers fight?”

“The Duke of Chenguo and the Duke of Chuguo each have legitimate sons. Now the Duke of Chenguo’s legitimate son has died under mysterious circumstances. Looking at it superficially, the one who benefits is the Duke of Chuguo — but if one thinks deeper, then who is it that profits when the two of them fall into conflict with each other? Right now what I fear is that Xuandu’s death is not simply an illness. If someone pushed things along from behind the scenes, then it is one stone striking three birds — and no one ends up benefiting.” He spoke, then slowly leaned his head back against the inner panel of the carriage wall, letting his heavy lashes fall as he looked at her. “You see, Madam — the disadvantages of being married to me are gradually beginning to make themselves known. This is only the beginning. The road ahead is full of thorns at every step, and there is no knowing how far along it we will be able to hold on.”

Yun Pan sat up straight, her voice steady and quiet. “The Duke need not try to frighten me. Long before the Empress Dowager arranged our match, I already knew the dangers that came with it.”

People say that marrying into a household of such high rank and prestige grants a woman glory of the first or second order — but who can know that accompanying such glory is an endless darkness before any light can be reached? Every day spent in careful caution, every day in fear of misstep. The Duke of Chenguo’s loss of his beloved son was the greatest obstacle in his life. And as for herself — even that time Li Chenjian had gone to Xizhou to mobilize troops, when there was no word of him returning, she had sat on a bed of needles the entire time, terrified that something might befall him on the long journey.

Only these inauspicious thoughts she had never dared to speak aloud. Back when she was still in the family home, she had always told herself that even after marriage she would not give her heart completely — she could not repeat her mother’s path. Yet now that she had truly settled into a home together with a husband, being one in body and in spirit was no idle phrase — it was the most real and tangible of bonds.

He suddenly smiled slightly. “Are you not afraid?”

Yun Pan said, “What use is being afraid?”

He slowly nodded. “True — being afraid does no good.”

In truth, he had his moments of exhaustion too. Only he never said so. After the Loyal and Heroic Prince Liang passed away, he had learned to bear everything on his own.

Yun Pan reached over and took hold of his cold fingertips. In weather like this, his hands were never as warm as an ordinary person’s — when going out, he needed to wear his cloak, and even his complexion was pale with little color.

“I am not afraid — and the Duke need not be afraid either.” She stroked gently over those long, slender fingernails. “Others take one step and think two ahead. We take one step and think three ahead, and that will do. Tomorrow I will go to help Sister-in-Law manage the mourning arrangements. She is a perceptive woman — I need not say anything, and she will understand our hearts on her own.”

He listened, then turned his palm upward and gently enclosed her hand in his. “There will be many more things ahead that will require your efforts. I have already begun to feel that I owe you a great deal.”

Yun Pan gave a soft laugh. “If you feel you owe me, then…”

He listened attentively to her words. Yet after a long pause, she said nothing more. He pressed her: “What?”

Yun Pan paused briefly, then smiled. “Then take good care of your health.”

What she had truly wanted to say was: if you feel you owe me, then do not take concubines. But she stopped herself. In truth, her thinking on this had shifted over time. There was a time when she had considered it — as long as the concubines were well-behaved, carefully selected and properly arranged, there would be no great harm in it. But as the days they spent together grew deeper, a possessiveness had gradually taken root inside her. Her husband — she was unwilling to share even a fraction of him with anyone else.

Yet still she could not say it. After all, their feelings for each other had not reached a point of such depth. If he were to have thoughts of taking a concubine, that would be his prerogative — it would simply mean that in her heart he was no different from all the other men in the capital, just another ordinary person rolling through the mortal world.

His hesitant gaze lingered on her face. He could hear that she had something left unsaid, something she had not told him. But he could not press her. The carriage came to a stop. He climbed out first, then reached back to help her down, and said quietly, “Between us as husband and wife, there should be no concealment of any kind. If there is anything you are uneasy about or dissatisfied with, you must tell me — do not keep it bottled up inside yourself alone.”

He said it with great seriousness. Yun Pan smiled. “What could I possibly be uneasy or dissatisfied about? I only ask that the Duke come home safely each time he goes out — that is all I ask.” And as she spoke, they walked hand in hand through the gate and into the residence.

The next day the weather turned clear, though it no longer blazed with the fierce heat of before. The wind that met them head-on even carried a faint thread of coolness.

That morning, Yun Pan saw Li Chenjian off as he left, then went to pay her respects to her grandmother-in-law and mother-in-law, asking permission to go to Duke Chenguo’s residence to keep Duchess Jing company.

The princess consort said, go ahead. “If it weren’t that elders shouldn’t attend the funeral rites of those who die young, I would have wanted to go and see her myself. But the child is only seven years old, and there is to be no formal mourning ceremony — it would be inconvenient for us to pay a visit to the residence. When you go, take Hui Cun with you, and convey our regards to their couple on behalf of myself and the Elder Madam.”

Yun Pan agreed, withdrew from Mao Garden, and called for Hui Cun. The two of them went back to their respective quarters, changed into plain and subdued clothing, then gathered at the gate.

The two sisters-in-law boarded the carriage together. On the way, Yun Pan told her, “The Duke said he will find an opportunity to speak personally with the Geng young man about that matter — so you needn’t worry.”

She hadn’t stated the matter plainly, but Hui Cun understood well enough what she meant. If her elder brother was going to seek out a meeting, then what had been rumored about the kept woman was confirmed to be true.

Just thinking about it made her feel sick. She furrowed her brow. “I won’t conceal it from Sister-in-Law — I’ve lost all desire to marry into that household. What kind of family is this? The rightful wife hasn’t even crossed the threshold yet, and already there’s a kept woman he can’t bear to part with. What we know now may not even be the full picture. If there’s a hidden concubine-born eldest son already quite grown, I’d walk in and have someone calling me ‘Mother’ right away — wouldn’t I be livid with indignation?”

Yun Pan understood her feelings well. If one were to speak from the heart, a match with a man who was truly unsuitable ought simply to be broken off. But that was how Hui Cun herself saw it — and she had no idea what the elders’ thoughts on the matter were. The Geng family’s status was not low. Geng Fangzhi’s father was the Military Commissioner of Dingzhou, and Geng Fangzhi himself currently held the post of Left Guard General — his future prospects were considerable. When this match had first been settled, it was after the Elder Madam and the princess consort had deliberated and chosen from five or six candidates. If it were simply broken off now, and a replacement found of lesser standing than the Geng family, it would be hard to preserve one’s dignity.

“Let us first see how the Duke’s conversation with him goes. If he proves difficult, then the matter will be brought before the Elder Madam and the princess consort — they would not stand by and watch you leap into a fire pit with open eyes.”

Hui Cun cheered up at this. “As long as my brother speaks up for me, the Elder Madam and Mother will give it second thought. And stepping back ten thousand paces — if things don’t work out in the future, there is always separation. I don’t care what outsiders might say. As long as I myself am not happy, I care nothing for reputation.”

That was a fine way to be — like the second daughter of the Jin family, free and unrestrained, parting ways with her husband’s household the moment she chose to. Though of course, if things could be stopped before the wedding, that would naturally be even better.

As they talked, they arrived at Duke Chenguo’s residence. Because it was the death of a child, there were no signs of formal mourning at the gate — the whole residence was simply shrouded in a heavy, mournful air. Relatives and friends who had come to pay their respects were all led inside by the household servants.

To say that occupying such a position was not easy — it truly was not easy. After such a great misfortune, Duke Chenguo still had to attend court as usual, leaving only Duchess Jing behind, barely managing to hold things together.

Yun Pan and Hui Cun went forward to pay their respects. Duchess Jing took them by the hand and led them into the inner chamber to talk. She settled them into seats and said, “Coming all the way here so early — I have put Sister-in-Law and Little Sister to such trouble.”

Yun Pan said it was only right. “Is there anything we can do to be of service, Sister-in-Law? If there is anything you need, please do not stand on ceremony.”

Duchess Jing shook her head. “All the preparations are just about complete. We only need to wait for the auspicious hour, and once the burial plot is consecrated, the interment can proceed.” And then she bowed her head and began to weep again.

A lively, energetic child — just days before still calling “Mama, Mama” as he circled at her knee — and now he was suddenly gone. When words associated with death were applied to him, it felt like a needle being driven into the heart.

Yun Pan and Hui Cun hastened to comfort her, but before they had said more than a few words, an announcement came from the veranda that the Duchess of Chuguo had arrived.

The Duchess of Chuguo, Madam Deng, entered to find Duchess Jing weeping, and went forward to wipe away her tears. At the same time she said, “Sister-in-Law, please restrain your grief. The dead cannot be brought back to life. Even if you weep your very entrails out, he will no longer be able to hear you. It is simply that the child and his parents were not fated to share a long bond. He came into this family, received your doting care and affection, and then departed with a kick of his heels — that is his way of repaying the debt of tears he owed to his parents. Seven years old and not yet fully formed — he doesn’t truly count as a person yet. Sister-in-Law, let yourself grieve for a time and then set it aside. Don’t weep yourself into illness. You are still young — try again for one after a little while. As for a child like this, once he’s sent off, be done with it — best not to keep any of his belongings in the house, lest he linger and pull at those who come after him.”