Minglan, having grown up in a household that owed its standing to the imperial examinations, had always assumed that noble titles were an iron guarantee — that as long as one did not involve oneself in struggles over the succession or form illicit factions with high-level conspirators, one could comfortably live on one’s inherited prestige until the end of one’s days. Minglan had more than once expressed this envy to Changbai in conversation, only to receive, in return, one of Changbai’s most thoroughly contemptuous looks.

The founding Emperor, in order to reward capable officials, brave generals, and those of strategic talent, had enfeoffed five princes of different surnames, nineteen dukes, forty-two marquises, and fifteen earls, along with an uncountable number of hereditary generals. But the founding Emperor was a suspicious man. Within a single generation, he had stripped titles and executed three of those differently-surnamed princes and more than half of the dukes, marquises, and earls. After that, the Ancestral Emperor — the late Emperor’s predecessor — came to the throne. He struck north against the Tatar tribes, swept south against the southern barbarians, and opened up vast territories in all four directions by land and sea. In the course of these campaigns he gradually conferred more titles. But these fell into two categories: ‘flowing’ titles, which diminished with each generation, and ‘hereditary’ titles, which were passed down unchanged — not all were of the perpetual kind.

After the Ancestral Emperor pacified the four frontiers, the first among his counselors, Grand Counselor Zhang, took the lead in submitting a memorial: ‘reward boundless merit with supreme wealth and honor.’ The supreme military commander of that time, the Duke of Ying, head of the military nobility, led the agreement. The Ancestral Emperor then, with the tide in his favor, divested these military aristocrats of a large portion of their governmental power. From that point on, authority in state deliberation tilted toward the official-scholar class.

However, wealth is finite while descendants are endless. By the fourth generation, titled households were awash with people — more than anyone could manage. By then it came down to which family had stronger influence in the military and in the palace, and which family produced outstanding talents generation after generation. When a family’s prestige declined, and members indulged themselves during mourning periods, dressed beyond their permitted rank, or encroached upon common people’s land and property — any of these was grounds that censors and remonstrating officials could cite in a memorial. And then it was a matter of the Emperor’s mood.

The founding Emperor had many sons. When the Ancestral Emperor came to the throne, the Prince of Ruyang, together with a number of powerful nobles, submitted a memorial proposing that ‘nine princes govern jointly as regents.’ The Ancestral Emperor moved with an iron fist, personally leading a thousand cavalry in a night raid on the Western Mountain Grand Camp, crushing the Prince of Ruyang’s main forces in a single stroke. He then traced the matter to its root and abolished the titles of a dozen or so princes who were implicated — among them, as collateral damage, the Zhongqin Earl household, which had only been tangentially involved.

The late Emperor reigned for a relatively short time. Not long after the death of Empress Jing’an, he followed her. The current Emperor, being merciful by nature, restored a handful of the titled households that had not been among the primary offenders in the years following his accession. But these families were already greatly diminished — like birds startled by the bow — and no longer dared to stir.

The first time Minglan visited the Zhongqin Earl household, she let out a soft ‘oh’ of surprise. A compound of four or five courtyards, with two small gardens to the left and right — only slightly larger than the Sheng mansion, and situated in a less prestigious location. It was only later that Changbai told her: the original Zhongqin Earl household had been confiscated and awarded to other meritorious nobles. The current residence had been separately granted to them by the old Emperor later.

Today, the Zhongqin Earl household was hosting the full-month banquet for their second grandson, with sixteen tables laid in all — a number chosen to carry the auspicious meaning of ‘six-six, great fortune.’ As the maternal grandfather’s family, the Shengs were naturally among the honored guests. Minglan and the others got down from the carriage and into sedan chairs, then walked on foot after passing through the inner gate. Rounding a large decorative screen carved with good fortune and auspicious imagery, they entered the welcoming hall. Coming to meet them was a girl in a rose-red embroidered jacket with gold thread detailing, who smiled and said, “You have finally come! I have been waiting since this morning — and you are still late!”

Molan stepped forward first, all smiles. “Had we known Elder Sister was waiting, we would have flown here!”

Rulan gave a half-smile. “Ying Jie’er is the host — naturally she waits for her guests. Would it be proper for the guests to wait for the host?”

Yuan Ying’s face was oval, pale and pretty, with an easy, generous manner. She paid no attention to Rulan and instead went to take Minglan’s hand from behind her, smiling. “Sixth Sister Minglan, you are quite the rare guest. Since your family moved to the capital, your two elder sisters have come to visit often — but you, in all this time, have only come to our home twice!”

Minglan rubbed her temple, still feeling a little dizzy, and confessed honestly, “Ying Jie’er, I am lazy — please do not hold it against me. Though I may not have come in person, I have sent a pouch and a fan pendant for each season, entrusted every time to Fifth Sister to bring along.”

She said it with a gentle smile. That smile stopped Yuan Ying short.

In the space of these few months, the girl’s skin had grown so pale it seemed one could pinch water from it. Her cheeks held a faint, barely-there blush of color. Her lips were a soft pale pink, like the juice pressed from a lotus bud — as though it had been lightly pressed onto fragile snow-white paper, enough to make one’s heart feel tender. Her hair, black and dense, was loosely gathered into a gently curving crescent moon bun, fastened simply with one long jade faceted double-joint pin. Against her temples rested a single sprig of water crystal flowers threaded with fine gold wire and tiny seed pearls. In a room full of vivid color and lively company, the eye could only find her — pure and quietly radiant.

“…In so short a time, younger sister has grown even more striking,” Yuan Ying said with sincere feeling. “You really should come out and about more often.”

Molan’s expression darkened — though she quickly smoothed it back to its usual look — and she immediately said, “This sister of mine is the laziest thing. She does nothing but sit with our grandmother to chant sutras and pray. You need not encourage her.”

Yuan Ying gave a light laugh, then turned back to Minglan. “I heard Second Sister-in-law say that you had poor health when you were small — I hope you are better now. It is cold today. Otherwise we could go fishing together.”

Seeing that Yuan Ying was being so warm, Minglan could no longer maintain her bashful facade. She went to take Yuan Ying’s hand in turn and said, “Thank you for remembering me, Ying Jie’er. My health is long recovered. It is just that… it is just that I did not sleep enough this morning.” She stuck out her tongue in mild embarrassment.

Yuan Ying burst out laughing. “That is exactly it. I was dragged up at the crack of dawn today — I have been yawning ever since!”

Rulan, who had been ignored for some time, could bear it no longer. “Are we going inside or not?”

Yuan Ying was well acquainted with Rulan’s temperament and merely raised an eyebrow. She led all the girls into the inner room, where a lively buzz of voices and laughter was already in full swing.

Hualan today was radiant with joy, dressed in a richly embroidered crimson jacket with a design of butterflies among flowers, edged in gold thread. On her head she wore a Five Phoenix gold crown set with precious stones. Beside her, a plump wet nurse held a large red brocade bundle. The girls went over to look. The infant inside was plump and delicately pretty, eyes closed in sleep, its tiny bud of a mouth softly blowing milk bubbles — altogether charming and endearing.

A gathering of noble ladies offered their congratulations and well-wishes. Several pairs of hands adorned with jeweled rings reached out to touch the baby’s cheeks. Before long Shi Ge’er was crying, and Hualan had the wet nurse take him away.

Wang Shi was genuinely happy. A rosy warmth was spread across her face. She was already seated in the place of honor and the moment she saw Rulan, she beckoned her over and drew her daughter into conversation with the assembled ladies. Beside them, Lady Yuan, wife of the Zhongqin Earl, wore a composed expression, watching her second daughter-in-law rise in standing as her own family’s fortunes rose. Deep in her heart, she was displeased. In the past year, Hualan had also become more careful — she feigned illness to show weakness, and pushed the household management back to her. Neither she nor the eldest daughter-in-law was willing to use her own private resources to subsidize the household.

And lately, her son no longer listened to her as he once had.

“Father and I have turned over our full salaries, and all the farmland, estates, and shops are in Mother’s hands. When Hualan was managing the household, she had to ask for household funds — and Mother blocked and refused her at every turn. What kind of household is there left worth managing?” Yuan Shao was a military man, and by nature the most devoted of sons. Ordinarily he never lost his temper. But when his mother’s partiality went too far and truly upset him, he said quietly and stubbornly, “If Mother wants Hualan’s dowry, just say so openly. If the household finances are genuinely in difficulty, I will take the humiliation of having outsiders look down on us and having our own family-by-marriage show contempt — and still hand it all over with both hands. There is no need to go through all these pretenses. It only hurts both the body and the relationship.”

When the old Earl heard about this, he summoned his wife and gave her a stern dressing-down. “A grand household — do you think anything stays secret? Do you think you have done all this without leaving a trace? The outside world has been laughing about it for some time. It is not as if we cannot keep the household going — we have no large expenditures. And you scheme against your daughter-in-law’s dowry without any regard for my dignity. As for the eldest daughter-in-law — she was eating five meals a day before Yuan Shao’s wife arrived. Now all of a sudden she has become delicate and precious, lying down and moaning at every turn. Since she cannot manage, you manage it. And if you truly insist on having Yuan Shao’s wife manage things, hand over the farmland and the shops to her as well.”

Lady Yuan was furious but had no recourse. Later, when Hualan became pregnant, she began sending one pretty, graceful maidservant after another into her son’s room. Hualan endured this too — she simply ordered the matrons to brew the appropriate herbal tonics and administered them to each one in turn. She gritted her teeth and waited through it all until she gave birth to a son. Seeing which way the wind had shifted, Lady Yuan then moved to bring in a formal side consort for Yuan Shao.

Hualan wept her way to the old Earl’s presence. “Though it is said that a gentleman taking three wives and four concubines is a commonplace matter, Mother ought at least to be even-handed. Elder Sister-in-law’s rooms have not a single person added to them. Yet into my rooms, Mother has placed seven or eight — all said to be there to serve my husband. What is that, if not implying that this daughter-in-law is inadequate and does not know how to please her husband? And now, when all is going well, there is talk of bringing in a formal side consort. If the two elders truly find this daughter-in-law wanting, then this daughter-in-law will simply ask to leave.”

Yuan Shao had just been blessed with a healthy, plump son and was in the most delighted of moods. He also said with displeasure, “Elder Brother has only one wife and one concubine. Yet my rooms are crowded with attendants. Those who know the circumstances know it is Mother’s doing — those who do not might very well say it is I who am depraved and lecherous.”

The old Zhongqin Earl was startled. The great upheaval had only just passed, and he was still trying to find good prospects for his junior relatives. He could not afford to make an enemy of the Sheng family. He hastily placated his son and daughter-in-law, then turned around and sharply reprimanded his wife, forbidding her from interfering further in his daughter-in-law’s rooms.

Given all this, how could Lady Yuan be in a pleasant mood today? She sat there, all surface smiles and no warmth beneath, going through the motions. Wang Shi paid her no mind and happily drank tea and made conversation. Everyone present knew that within the Zhongqin Earl household, only the second son Yuan Shao was of any distinction, and Hualan had produced a son — so there was no shortage of people seeking to cultivate the connection.

Lady Yuan grew more and more irritated. She lowered her head and spoke quietly with a middle-aged woman seated beside her who wore a silver step-ornament with a double happiness design. Near them sat a young girl in a pale apricot-colored diagonal-lapel long gown shot through with silver threadwork clinging vines — quite pleasing in appearance, refined and quietly pretty. Molan noticed them and asked Yuan Ying in a low voice. Ying was in the middle of discussing with Minglan the twelve ways of making broth from grass carp — Minglan had already put eight of them into practice — and the two were so engrossed their mouths were practically watering. Hearing Molan ask, Ying glanced over and answered, “Those are my eldest sister-in-law’s maternal relatives — my aunt and my cousin, surnamed Zhang.”

She pursed her lips slightly and turned back to continue talking with Minglan.

Molan had no interest in the topic of grass carp. She endured it for a while, then finally, impatient, said, “You girls — how can you spend all day long talking about food? You are really a pair of gluttons.”

Ying turned around with a laugh. “You were the one who spent half a day telling me all about rouge and face creams last time.”

“That is entirely different,” Molan said, frowning.

Minglan shook her head emphatically. “On the contrary — what could be more fitting? Beauty comes from within and shows on the surface; a clear, rosy complexion is better cultivated through food than applied with powder or cream. When one eats with care and precision, the complexion and the skin improve naturally, without the need for any cosmetics at all.”

Molan’s heart stirred. She looked at Minglan’s skin — nearly as smooth and lustrous as polished porcelain — and hesitated. “Is that truly so?”

Before she could say another word, a commotion stirred at the front of the room. Two middle-aged ladies in grand attire, adorned with ornate jade and plumes, swept in. Lady Yuan rose to meet them with a face full of smiles, personally offered tea, and gestured for them to be seated in the most honored places — she was clearly making an effort to please. Yuan Ying immediately explained to Molan and Minglan: the one with the genial, well-fed appearance was Lady Huang, wife of Earl Shoushan, and also the elder sister of old Zhongqin Earl. The other woman, whose expression was measured and whose dress and adornments were elegant without being showy, was Lady Liang, wife of the Yongchang Marquis. She said little, simply letting Lady Yuan carry the conversation by herself.

“Is that not your aunt?” Molan teased Ying with a smile, envy flickering in her gaze. “An aunt who becomes your mother-in-law — Ying Jie’er, what good fortune!”

Ying’s face flushed crimson. She refused to answer and turned away in annoyance. Minglan came quickly to her rescue, changing the subject. “Does Lady Liang also have some connection to your family?” Today the full-month banquet had not been lavishly expanded — only a few close and trusted families had been invited. Even in Minglan’s ignorance of such matters, she knew that the Yongchang Marquis household was in quite a different league from the Zhongqin Earl and Shoushan Earl households. Though they held no high positions at court, their family was numerous, their marriage connections far-reaching, and their roots deep and solid.

Ying let out a quiet breath of relief and answered, “One of my aunt’s daughters married into the Yongchang Marquis household.”

On the other side of the room, Lady Yuan had already led a young woman over to present before the two ladies. She smiled. “This is my niece, Xiumei. Come, child, pay your respects.” Zhang Xiumei made a proper and graceful bow, smiling with gentle warmth. Lady Yuan then sat down beside them and began to praise Zhang Xiumei, moving from her looks and family background to her needlework and poetry, speaking in a way that subtly carried the suggestion of a match — until Yuan Ying’s brow began to crinkle.

Minglan had caught on and said quietly with a smile, “Does your aunt have any other sons?”

Ying watched her mother’s behavior grow increasingly awkward and found it mortifying. She pulled irritably at her handkerchief. “That is not my aunt — that is the Yongchang Marquis’s wife. She has a youngest son. Right now my second elder brother is bringing him along and getting him placed in a position in the Five-District Constabulary as an assistant deputy commander.”

Molan’s ears perked up. She turned and asked, probing carefully, “That young gentleman… what sort of person is he?”

Ying thought back to what she had heard. “His name is Liang Han. He is probably seventeen or eighteen years old — the old Marquis and Lady Liang’s late-born son.” Then she shot a glare at the Zhang mother and daughter nearby and said under her breath with barely concealed venom, “My mother has introduced goodness knows how many prospects to my aunt’s family. Zhang Aunt always finds something to object to — it has to be a distinguished family, a good match. All of this is because Lady Liang once said offhandedly that her youngest son is wild and reckless, and that when he marries, she cares nothing for wealth or connections, only that the bride be presentable and of good character. Once Zhang Aunt heard that, she started pressing my mother day and night to court Lady Liang’s favor — dragging my aunt’s name and face into it as well. Hmph — not that I mean to be unkind, but Uncle passed away some time ago and my cousin’s wanting to find a good match is perfectly understandable. Even so, she ought to look at her own standing. Let her hold up a basin of water and see her own reflection first — whether she measures up or not.”

After Ying had said all this, Minglan could not help glancing over at Molan. She saw Molan’s face go suddenly and thoroughly crimson without any apparent cause. Molan forced a laugh and said, “My, Ying Jie’er is not even married in yet — already you’re looking out for your mother-in-law?”

At this moment, Lady Huang of Shoushan truly did need someone looking out for her. She watched her sister-in-law praise this Zhang Xiumei for what seemed like the hundredth time, the language sliding by degrees toward suggesting a match — and she had begun to grow visibly uncomfortable where she sat. Then she glanced at Lady Liang of Yongchang, whose expression had grown noticeably colder. Lady Huang felt her own displeasure sharpening. She spoke up, cutting in. “And where is my eldest nephew’s wife?”

Lady Yuan paused, gave a light sigh. “She is not well, resting.” Her eyes slid briefly toward Hualan, and she added without much warmth, “I am just a workhorse — there is no one to help me manage the household.”

Hualan’s expression went rigid for a moment. Lady Huang immediately picked up the thread before anyone else could. “Just two days ago I had Dr. Hu come to check the pulse of my eldest nephew’s wife. I asked him everything myself. There is nothing seriously the matter with her. Could it be she is unwell in her heart? And you — do not keep your eye only on the older one. She can wrinkle her brow and you treat it like a great illness and wait on her. Show some care for the younger one as well. She was already seven or eight months along in her pregnancy and you still had her standing at attention to greet you. How do you call that being a mother-in-law? Look at her — still pale in the face. She must not have fully recovered yet!”

Wang Shi and Hualan were secretly grateful. Lady Yuan’s expression grew awkward. This eldest sister-in-law had always been the sort who liked to deliver lectures, and since she was the older woman, Lady Yuan could not very well talk back. She had no choice but to sit there and take it.

In truth, she had only made Hualan stand there for half an hour before her husband came barging in and berated her. Later, amid all the weeping and complaining, Hualan claimed the stress had disturbed the baby, and she could not even get out of bed. Her son came and wept another round. When word spread, the relatives and friends in their circle were already making quiet remarks — that Lady Yuan was playing favorites, keeping everything for her own family’s niece, and not treating her son’s wife as a proper person.

Lady Yuan twisted a smile onto her face. “My eldest daughter-in-law is not as capable as Hualan, so I thought I would have her practice more…”

She had barely finished when Lady Huang cut her off. “After your time, this title and this house will all be for the eldest son and his wife to manage. No matter how capable your second daughter-in-law is, she cannot step in and run things in her elder sister-in-law’s place, can she? If your eldest daughter-in-law is truly not up to it, I will go and find someone suitable — someone to manage things properly for the eldest son’s household. You cannot hand an Earldom over into incompetent hands.”

The moment she said this, Lady Yuan and Lady Zhang both went pale. Wang Shi felt as though warm comfort had settled over her, smooth as anything. Hualan buried her face lower, desperately hiding the upward curve of her mouth. Lady Huang spoke sharply, but with every word carrying the manner of someone genuinely concerned for her brother’s family. All the ladies present knew the ins and outs of this household, and no one was particularly surprised.

This Lady Huang was the eldest daughter of the family, capable and steady from childhood, held in high regard by her parents. Her younger brother, the Zhongqin Earl, had always relied on her judgment. She had given up what might have been a considerably better marriage for her son, and chose instead, for the sake of her brother’s wishes, to agree to Ying’s betrothal into the Yuan family. Lady Yuan had always looked slightly up to this eldest sister-in-law, and Lady Huang on her part got on unusually well with Hualan.

Lady Huang knew not to press the attack — she was also worried that her sister-in-law, with her unreliable judgment, might turn around and harass Lady Liang of Yongchang. She caught Wang Shi’s eye and smiled. “I must be making a spectacle in front of our guests.”

Wang Shi shook her head quickly. This sort of spectacle she could watch day and night and never tire of it. She moved cheerfully over toward Lady Huang. “You are only thinking of your own family — we are all one family here, nothing is out of place to say.”

Lady Huang smiled back at her, then pointed at Rulan who was nearby. “Your family’s daughter is growing lovelier all the time. But wait — where is the other one?”

Molan, who had been watching intently from across the room for quite some time, heard this and immediately came forward with a smile, half-shy and gently poised, made a graceful bow and offered her greeting. Lady Huang pointed Molan out to Lady Liang of Yongchang and said, “This child writes poetry very well, and is charming in her manner.”

Lady Liang of Yongchang nodded. “A delicate, pretty child. The Sheng family has good fortune.” Nothing further followed.

Molan immediately said with a smile, “Your Ladyship is too generous with her praise. Molan dares not presume.”

She had a belly full of things she wished she could say, but seeing Lady Liang’s cool composure, she could not find an opening.

Hualan’s gaze flickered. She covered a smile with her hand. “Aunt, my youngest sister is here today as well.”

Lady Huang said with pleasure, “Let me have a look at her.”

Hualan immediately drew both Minglan and Ying forward from where they had been standing toward the back. Ying had already been introduced, but the moment they saw Minglan, both Lady Huang of Shoushan and Lady Liang of Yongchang could not help but pause and stare for a moment. After a beat, Lady Huang took Minglan’s hand and said to Hualan with a laugh, “No wonder you praised her to me a hundred and eight times. She is indeed a lovely, refined creature.” Then she said with mock reproach, “Your family’s Old Madam is too stingy — hiding away a girl like this. Is she afraid someone will steal her?”

She drew Minglan to sit at her own side, and asked carefully about her birth date, what she did to pass the time, what she liked to eat and wear. Minglan bowed her head and answered each question honestly and in turn. Lady Huang found Minglan open and natural, with a charming wit and cleverness that showed through her words — all of it very much to her liking. She grew more and more pleased with her, until the poor Zhang Xiumei and Molan had both been thoroughly forgotten.

Zhang Xiumei’s eyes flickered with the shimmer of unshed tears. She stepped back a few paces and retreated behind Lady Yuan, whose own expression had grown difficult.

Molan was deeply unwilling to be set aside. She thought of what Lin Yiniang had once told her of the first time she met Wei Yiniang — how even in coarse hairpins and plain cloth, her stunning beauty could not be concealed. Though she was timid and simple-minded, she had still bewitched half of Sheng Hong’s heart. Molan cursed these two noble ladies inwardly for being unable to see past outward appearance — for not recognizing her own exceptional talent and refinement.

Lady Huang of Shoushan had been praising Minglan for quite some time. Then she turned and gave her companion a light prod. “You still haven’t said a word. What is this — have you been struck mute?”

The cool and restrained expression on Lady Liang of Yongchang’s face eased at last into a faint smile. She said slowly, “If I had a daughter as striking as this, I would hide her away as well.”

Wang Shi added pleasantly, “This child has been raised since small at the side of our family’s Old Madam. The Old Madam is loathe to be parted from her even for a moment, which is why she rarely goes out. If there are any lapses in her manners, please do not hold it against her, both of you.”

Lady Liang of Yongchang said with a faint smile, “Your family’s Old Madam is known for the strictness of her household rules. Any girl she has raised — how could she possibly fall short?”

Wang Shi stole a glance at Molan standing with her head bowed to one side, and became all the more gracious in her words. Hualan chimed in from the side, and the atmosphere warmed pleasantly. Only Minglan felt a tingling at her scalp, as though the back of her head were about to be scorched through by several pairs of fiery, furious gazes. This truly was undeserved trouble. Seizing a moment when the ladies were absorbed in conversation, she made up an excuse — saying she had a small gift she wished to bring to Zhuang Jie’er — and asked Hualan to have a maidservant show her the way. Ying also put in a few words on her behalf, and only then did Minglan manage to make her escape.

Passing through a small half-moon gate, she came to Zhuang Jie’er’s room. There she found the little girl dressed in a short padded jacket of deep red feather-patterned fabric scattered with gilt pomegranate flowers, sitting with a disconsolate expression, lost in her own thoughts. A matron in a slate blue sleeveless overjacket and deep red inner robe stood beside her, coaxing her without success. Zhuang Jie’er’s face was downcast and forlorn. When she saw Minglan come to visit her, she finally showed a small smile and called out softly, ‘Sixth Aunt.’ Minglan took a small bundle from the maidservant’s hands and brought out a cloth doll she had made for Zhuang Jie’er.

It was a plump little doll of pure cotton, with cheerful eyes, nose, and mouth embroidered in colored threads, dressed in a tiny silk outer garment — its features sweetly curved and altogether endearing. Zhuang Jie’er rubbed her rosy apple of a cheek against it, then hugged it to herself without letting go, her face breaking into a wide, joyful smile. She jumped up and down on her little feet, hopped down from the kang bed, and dragged Minglan by the hand insisting she go outside. The nearby maids and matrons hurried to drape a small red velvet cape over Zhuang Jie’er, its edges cut with cloud-and-gold patterns.

Minglan understood the little girl’s feelings. In one stroke, she had gone from being an only child to being a ‘pave-the-way-for-a-brother.’ It was natural to feel some loss. So she indulged the child and took her small soft hand. Aunt and niece, one tall and one small, walked along at a gentle pace, smiling as they went.

“Sixth Aunt, does Mama not like me anymore?” Zhuang Jie’er lowered her head. “Ever since little brother came, Mama doesn’t spend as much time with me.”

Minglan gave a sympathetic pat to Zhuang Jie’er’s little head. “That is not so. Your little brother just arrived — everyone is finding him fresh and new. It is the same as when you get a new doll — you love it very much at first, isn’t that so? After a little while it will be just the same as before. Our Zhuang Jie’er is pretty and clever — you are your mama’s dearest treasure. How could she not spend time with you?”

Small children are easy to reassure. Once her heart settled, she skipped along merrily, pulling Minglan toward the garden and chattering away with silly little children’s jokes as they walked. Noticing that Minglan’s brow was slightly creased, she asked, “Sixth Aunt, why do you keep frowning?”

“Sixth Aunt is thinking about something.”

“What is it?”

Minglan paused a moment, then crouched down and asked, “Zhuang Jie’er, let Sixth Aunt ask you something. Would you rather have lots of new clothes, lots of nice things to play with, and good food to eat — but have your mama and papa’s love shared among many brothers and sisters? Or would you rather have nothing much to wear, nothing much to eat, nothing much to play with — but have your mama and papa love only you?”

The little girl tilted her head, her soft white face scrunching up like a small dumpling. She thought very hard and very painfully for a while, then said in distress, “Could I maybe have the nice things and also have Mama and Papa love only me?”

Minglan laughed in spite of herself, then put on a grave expression. “Everyone wants that. But it is not possible. You can only choose one.”

Zhuang Jie’er agonized over her choice for a good long while, then hesitantly said, “I think I would rather just have Mama and Papa love only me.”

Minglan smiled gently, nodded, and breathed a long sigh. “That is what Sixth Aunt would choose too.”

They walked a few more steps. Zhuang Jie’er suddenly stopped, raised her head, blinked her large eyes, and asked with equal gravity, “Sixth Aunt — what if there were no nice things anymore, and also lots of brothers and sisters to share Mama and Papa? What should one do then?”

Minglan stumbled and nearly slipped. She steadied herself before answering, “That… probably would not happen. Surely things would not be so unlucky.” She thought of He Hong, whose warmth was like a gentle spring. Inwardly she gave a small shake of her head. Nothing in the world was ten-thousand-percent certain — it was only a matter of how high the risk was. A homebody’s rate of straying was at least lower than that of a chief executive.

Aunt and niece played for a little while longer. Minglan looked up and saw the sun was already directly overhead. She recalled that Ying had mentioned the wine banquet would be held in the side flower pavilion, and thought that by now things ought to be underway — she could not keep hiding indefinitely. So she told a maidservant to take Zhuang Jie’er back inside, and then walked slowly and leisurely toward the pavilion.

She had been to the Zhongqin Earl household twice before and knew her way around. The compound was not large, and Ying had walked her through every part of it. There was no fear of getting lost. She strolled along a row of crabapple trees that had just put out their first buds, planted all along the edge of the garden, taking in the blossoms at her ease. She was walking along in comfortable peace, admiring the flowers, when she caught sight of a slender, upright figure standing beneath a lush and graceful crabapple tree up ahead — dimly visible, yet somehow familiar.

The figure seemed to hear her footsteps, and turned around. Minglan looked up and got a clear view — and her heart gave a sudden sharp jolt.