After seeing Gu Tingye off at the door, Minglan half-heartedly listened to several head servants report their matters: the shared wall between the two mansions had been fully demolished, and only the lumber and bricks and tiles needed to arrive before construction could begin… The monthly allowances had been distributed, but a few accounts had discrepancies… The cotton cloth and silk had been purchased, and the purchasing manager requested that Minglan come inspect the goods; the embroidery department said work could begin the next day on making the mansion’s winter clothing… The foreman from the outdoor construction site came to file accounts… There were also the routine requests for approval tablets — a long and scattered string of things. Minglan endured through them all, addressing each one by one.

Glancing to the side, she saw Danju sitting by the window working through the accounts. Over the years, her skill with the abacus had grown sharper and sharper; she cleared through several entries in no time at all.

Liao Yong’s wife knew people well and had already identified some promising young men for potential matches. There was some progress: there were families of modest means with decent livelihoods, families of landholders with plentiful fields, and the sons of the mansion’s own stewards who had come through intermediaries to propose — all positions where the bride would have servants to attend her from the day she arrived. After the new year, the merchants who managed the outer shops would also be coming to the capital for their annual gathering; perhaps some young men of ambition and promise might be found among them.

Minglan thought until her head ached, and was about to ask Danju for her personal opinion, but Danju blushed scarlet and turned away at once. When cornered and pressed with questions, she flew into a temper on the spot and refused to speak to anyone.

“It is Madam who is in the wrong,” Nanny Cui said with a smile. “How can one ask a young woman to speak up herself about her own future husband and marriage?”

Minglan wrinkled her smooth cheeks: “Surely there’s no harm in saying a word or two. Otherwise, how am I to know what kind of person she likes — scholarly, straightforward, steady and reliable, or someone who can make her laugh and knows how to be thoughtful? This is a matter for her whole life. What is she being coy about?”

What if their personalities turned out to be incompatible after marriage? Hmm…perhaps she was overthinking things.

“In the past, the old Madam used to be this busy arranging things for the people below her. Madam has now mastered a full ten out of ten, and the servants of this household are truly fortunate.” Nanny Cui’s gaze was gentle, her expression growing ever more fond as she watched Minglan. Minglan had no experience in such matters and feared making mistakes for Danju’s sake, so she asked Nanny Cui to help assess and plan; judging by the matches Nanny Cui had found for her own several nieces, she was very reliable indeed.

“Madam, rest easy. She and Xiaotao were both raised by me, and Madam has given her instructions — this old woman will be mindful.” Nanny Cui said.

After Nanny Cui withdrew, Minglan leaned back on the day bed, holding an account ledger in the posture one might use for a poetry collection, and stared blankly into space, brow furrowed. If one was to be said to be the least troublesome — that would be Qinsang. A short while ago, her family had traveled a great distance from the countryside and, through a steward, passed a message to Minglan: Qinsang had come of age and should be married, and they begged the mistress’s grace to allow them to redeem their daughter. Minglan had very readily had them brought in to meet with her.

Qinsang’s parents and elder brother all appeared to be honest, decent people. Plainly and neatly dressed, they had walked trembling into the room, and the moment they laid eyes on Minglan, they fell to their knees, weeping and prostrating themselves, giving Minglan quite a fright.

Minglan asked what family they had found for their daughter, and upon learning that the match was financially comfortable, she felt somewhat reassured.

“…Heaven has opened its eyes, and we have met a benefactor. She has good food and clothing, and has even been taught to read and write.” Qinsang’s mother’s face was reddened and creased from sun exposure, filled with humble gratitude, simple and genuine. “The great kindness of Madam and the old Madam of the Sheng Family — our family will remember it for this entire lifetime, and in the next life we will repay it even if we must become grass or carry rings in our mouths.”

She kept saying that selling their daughter had truly been something they had no choice but to do — separated from flesh and blood, not knowing where their daughter would end up or what she would endure, the whole family’s hearts had ached as though being fried in oil. Qinsang’s father and brother were straightforward, plain-spoken farmers who were not good with words; they simply wept and prostrated themselves, and only after much coaxing did they agree to stand, shrinking to one side with tucked-in hands.

When Minglan said there would be no need for a redemption payment, the whole family collapsed to their knees again in a cascade of gratitude, kowtowing until their foreheads touched the floor again and again, weeping and giving thanks. Minglan had never received so many kowtows in her entire life — she felt her scalp go numb. She exchanged a few more pleasantries and quickly sent someone to take them below to speak with their daughter. Having received Minglan’s word, Qinsang’s family gave a thousand thanks and ten thousand expressions of gratitude before departing, setting their hearts at ease and returning to prepare Qinsang’s room and make ready for the wedding. They would come back to collect Qinsang around the middle of next year, and that would be about right.

“I wonder what kind of family has been found for her? What is the man like?” Minglan rested her head on the bolster of the day bed, murmuring to herself.

Luzhi came in just then carrying two throw pillows freshly warmed by the sun and fragrant with heat. Catching these words, she smiled: “Madam, don’t worry too much. Didn’t you send Qinsang home for a visit before you married out? Her mother was with her the whole time, and she already went herself to look the young man over.”

Minglan was mildly surprised: “Qinsang has already seen him for herself?”

“Who says otherwise!” Luzhi tucked the warm, soft, plump throw pillow behind Minglan’s waist and smiled. “That family is a well-off household in the village, all decent people, with plenty of fields and tenant farmers. And the young man is quite handsome too.”

“That little wretch — she’s willing to tell you all this, but in front of me she keeps her mouth shut like a sealed old clam!” Minglan felt somewhat relieved, and then quietly murmured, “…I wonder if his family will look down on her for having been a servant girl.” To have been sold into service in childhood, to have spent nearly ten years in the capital, and to be marrying now to a place she barely knew — if anything went wrong, Minglan would be too far away to help.

Luzhi exclaimed with a laugh: “Madam, what are you saying? They know she came as the personal serving maid of a young lady from a distinguished official household in the capital, and that she has since entered the Marquis’s mansion as a senior maid. Just look at Qinsang’s bearing and manner — and she’s not one to put on airs, only honest and pleasant. They like her tremendously. Look down on her? Do you think they’re the sort of sour scholars from the outer courtyard?”

Minglan shot her a sidelong look, knowing exactly whom she was obliquely referring to. Luzhi was a sharp and capable girl, upright in character, but lacking a certain generosity — her tongue never let anyone off easily. And it happened that Ruomei was also one who wouldn’t let things go; the two of them bristled at each other every single day. Yet fearing the mistress would grow angry and scold them, they never dared quarrel openly — only competing silently and stubbornly, while flatly denying any friction between them, as though they were children. It was both exasperating and amusing to watch.

Lately, her mind had been growing less and less sharp. She had only been up for a short while since early that morning, and already she was growing drowsy again. Minglan drooped her head and drifted off on the day bed. Luzhi was tidying with her head down and only realized, mid-task, that the conversation had gone quiet. She looked up, took in the scene, and smiled to herself, quietly tucking the thin blanket snugly around Minglan before tiptoeing out.

This nap left her whole body feeling soft and languid, as though she had wandered endlessly in a sweet, dark dreamland. It was nearly the middle of the sishi hour before she gradually came back to her senses. Just then, Danju lifted the door curtain and entered, smiling: “A guest has arrived, Madam. You should get up quickly.”

“We have just come from the palace. Since we had to observe all the proper rules and did not dare make a single unnecessary move, we came here to beg a cup of tea.” Little Shen Shi said with a charming, vivacious smile, her voice clear and bright as a silver bell, youthful and lively.

The water pavilion had been set with a full table of tea, fruits, and refreshments. The autumn air was crisp and refreshing, and the surface of the pond shimmered with reflected light. A few red-leafed trees, transplanted from the Western Hills, grew along the bank; a light breeze drifted past, scattering a sparse few crimson leaves — some settling onto the dry yellow-green grass, others floating on the gently rippling green water. It was truly a beautiful sight that filled the spirit with delight.

“You, observe the rules? You didn’t dare make a single move?” Madam Geng, seated to one side peeling an orange, glared at her. “From childhood to now, whether climbing hillsides or rolling in mud puddles, Her Majesty the Empress never laid so much as a single finger on you in reproach. How can you have the nerve to say such things!”

Little Shen Shi laughed happily, her delicate brows playfully raised: “But today the Empress Dowager was there as well, wasn’t she? If it had been only the Empress, you would never pull a face like that. My elder sister is such a kind and gentle person — when has she ever put any of you on edge?” She turned to Minglan with a grin: “We stood for over an hour, and I could see everyone was exhausted and weary, so I suggested we come rest here at your place. You won’t be unhappy about that, will you?”

Hearing this, Minglan smiled wryly: “Second Madam Zheng, you honor this humble abode by gracing it with your presence. Please come whenever you like — don’t hold back on my account.” Little Shen Shi said nothing in return, only smiled cheerfully and pleased with herself.

Figures moved through the water pavilion as seven or eight serving maids brought in hot water and warm towels.

Madam Duan took a warm towel from a young maid’s hands and passed it to Madam Geng, her expression kind and gentle: “Wipe down your neck quickly — you always perspire so much, and your powder is smudged. People will laugh at you. You might as well give your face a proper wash.”

“Many thanks, and you should wash up as well.” Madam Geng accepted the towel without ceremony, pressed it to her shoulders and neck, then had a maid wrap a cloth around her chest while another brought a mirror and basin to help her wash and reapply her makeup.

Madam Duan considered this for a moment, then said with easy good humor: “Fair enough.” She bent at the waist, lowered her head, and let the maids attend to washing her face as well.

Nearby, Madam Zhong watched as the serving maids tended to everyone with perfect attentiveness — respectful and proper, practiced and gentle, their movements making no sound, only the soft rustle of their garments. She pressed a damp towel to her own forehead and turned to Minglan: “I meant to say this the last time I came here — even your lowest-ranking serving maids are better than the personal attendants in my own rooms.” Her gaze passed over each girl as they stood with downcast eyes, and a smile crossed her narrow face. “Good-looking, talented, and with excellent manners to boot.”

Minglan gave a light, mock-reproachful look and assumed an expression of great satisfaction: “Madam Zhong, you are so sweet-tongued. Your words make one’s heart feel wonderfully at ease. I have a few hampers of fresh bamboo shoots just brought in from the mountains — do take some home to taste when you leave.”

Madam Zhong laughed, and before she could respond, Little Shen Shi cut in: “What a soft ear you have! The moment someone flatters you, you’re all smiles. What about those of us with clumsy tongues? Do we get nothing?”

“You do, you do — a share for everyone who is present. Will that do?” Minglan quickly waved her hands in surrender, looking for all the world as though she’d been robbed, and Little Shen Shi and Madam Zhong burst out laughing together.

Madam Geng had already finished washing her face and was tilting her head to one side as a maid fastened her hairpins and bracelets. The moment her mouth was free, she spoke up at once: “Not long ago, I went out looking for a few slave traders again, and said I wanted such-and-such fine servant girls — and caused a great embarrassment! They told me that properly trained senior maids from good households are cultivated from a young age — several years of watching their character before they are selected to serve the young masters and young ladies of the house. Ah… I can only hope to find a few formidable and well-mannered governess-type women to slowly train the girls myself.”

Hearing her story, everyone laughed together. Little Shen Shi was especially delighted, gripping the chair’s armrest and shaking with laughter. Madam Duan suppressed her own amusement and teased: “What do you need to go searching for? You yourself are the most formidable rascal there is!”

Both Lord and Lady Duan hailed from distinguished families in Sichuan — though from a branch line, they had received all the proper upbringing and understood all the necessary rules of conduct. On this visit to the capital with her husband, she had been sent by both his family and her own natal family with a number of capable household servants, which had made everything go smoothly.

After a good round of laughter, Madam Geng furrowed her brow again and sighed: “Coming to this capital, there’s nothing else much wrong — it’s just that I find it so hard to manage, so I’ve been buying servants on all sides. But the older ones, sharp as they are, have their own schemes; the honest ones are simply dim; and the young ones are completely useless. The capital has its own rules, and the last time I hosted a banquet, something went wrong here, something went wrong there, and it nearly caused a scene.”

“Perhaps it’s that your standards are simply too high — in one month you’ve bought and sold servant girls five or six times already. It really isn’t that hard. They may not be perfect, but they can manage well enough,” Madam Zhong said softly, her gaze drifting over the surface of the lake.

Madam Geng pursed her lips and gave a disdainful snort: “And what — let those scheming little foxes corrupt my young masters and bring chaos to the household?”

“For a man to have several wives and concubines is the natural order of things. You’re nearly old enough to be welcoming a daughter-in-law, and yet you’re still so rigid about it,” Madam Zhong said with a half-joking smile.

It should be said that General Zhong and Lao Geng were like brothers, bound by deep loyalty. After they had each married, Zhong Dayou could not bear to watch his dear friend be completely dominated by his wife and reduce himself to such a sorry state — and as a result, Madam Zhong also frequently gave Madam Geng a jab or two.

“All right, all right, here you go again!” Seeing that Madam Geng was about to lose her temper, Madam Duan quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “The wife may set the table, but it still depends on whether the husband is willing to eat what is served. Every household has its own way of living — both of you say a little less!”

This topic was one that had a generational divide, and younger wives who had not yet borne children were not in a position to interject. Minglan and Little Shen Shi, without consulting each other, both raised their teacups to hide their faces and quietly drank their tea with lowered heads. After playing the timid bystander for a good while, Minglan finally remembered she was the hostess today and could not simply go on acting oblivious, so she cleared her throat and changed the subject: “How was it that your palace visit to give thanks took so long this time?”

When she had gone to give thanks, the whole thing had been over in about half an hour — and that included the intermission and the unplanned detour.

Giving thanks to the Emperor followed established protocol. Outside of the major annual celebrations, a large crowd of people could not simply pour into the palace together — it would disturb the solemn order of the imperial court. They had to come in separate groups. As a newly minted Marquis’s wife who had also received additional imperial gifts for a seasonal festival, Minglan had been included in the first group, happily basking in the imperial favor — and had incidentally played a minor supporting role in what turned out to be quite the dramatic scene.

The second day’s audience was to have followed immediately — but… well, something of a small, minor incident had occurred.

“What other reason could there be? The one in the Yining Palace has been displeased these past few days.” Madam Geng was blunt by nature and quick to speak: “The Empress Dowagers are locked in a standoff above, so how would we dare stir — we stood there for quite a while.”

Madam Zhong blew lightly on her tea leaves: “Madam Geng, mind your words.”

“Mind what? When we came out through the palace gates, your own face was pulled longer than the face of the horse tied to the front of the carriage!” Madam Geng gave a cold snort.

Madam Zhong’s face flushed red, and Madam Duan coughed several times in rapid succession.

Minglan was very nearly about to sigh. She turned to Little Shen Shi: “What exactly is going on? I haven’t been out these past few days and don’t know anything… Is it convenient to speak of it?” She deliberately lowered her voice on the last sentence.

Little Shen Shi was in high spirits lately, and hearing this, she said boldly: “What is there that can’t be said? Just this morning, His Majesty already issued an imperial decree — everything has been decided. Two thousand palace servants are to be released from the palace.”

“That is a good thing — beneficial to the nation and to the people.” Minglan smiled with genuine pleasure. With the inner palace population reduced by half, quite a bit of expenditure could probably be saved.

Madam Duan nodded gently, her tone warm: “It truly is a good thing. Those low-ranking palace maids — they spend the best years of their lives waiting in vain, with no prospect for the future. Those with family to return to are the fortunate ones, but most end up pitiable in old age. His Majesty is enlightened; the Empress Dowager and the Empress are both benevolent and magnanimous. This is truly a blessing from Heaven — a blessing for the state and its people.”

“But those being released this time are not only the lower-ranking palace servants.” Madam Geng lowered her voice, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Minglan smiled, showing two endearingly white little teeth: “Naturally — if only the lowest-ranking palace maids were released, how could two thousand be gathered? And if that were really the case, who would be left to do the rough work in the palace?” The normal and sensible approach to downsizing would be to reduce a portion from every level.

Madam Zhong could not help laughing. Minglan’s smile had caught her off guard — that sort of childishly sly, mischievous grin, she usually only saw on the face of her own five-year-old daughter at home. She laughed: “Her Majesty the Empress has said that with military campaigns underway and the rivers being repaired, money is needed everywhere. Not only must the palace staff be reduced, but the main consorts in each palace must also scale back. From the Emperor and Empress on down to the consorts and imperial concubines, as well as the imperial princesses — each is to keep only a set number of maids, and the rest are all to be dismissed. Naturally, the two palaces of the Empress Dowagers are the same.”

“But…doesn’t the Yining Palace have the most…” Minglan’s head swam a little, her heart stirring. As the longest-established senior figure of the inner court, the Empress Dowager Shengde had far more attendants around her than the newly minted Empress Dowager Sheng’an and the Empress combined.

“And who says otherwise?” There was unmistakable schadenfreude in Madam Geng’s voice.

“The Empress Dowager…agreed?” Minglan was uncertain and apprehensive.

“I heard there was debate at court for several days,” Madam Duan said gently. “But with the national treasury depleted and the audit of funds not yet producing results, and with His Majesty himself willing to reduce palace expenditures, how many people would dare speak out against it? Furthermore, the number of attendants the two Empress Dowagers are permitted to keep is already the highest — even more than the Emperor himself.”

Minglan’s mind became very clear all at once. She was silent for a long moment. This move of the Emperor’s was truly ruthless.

The water pavilion fell quiet for a good while, until at last Little Shen Shi’s voice broke through.

“It has been very lively in the Yining Palace these past few days. A few of those extraordinarily lovely young women are particularly devoted to their mistress — weeping and wailing that they don’t want to leave the palace, throwing themselves about dramatically.” Her voice was light and bright, as though it might float away. “This morning, the Bureau of Internal Affairs went to the Yining Palace with the imperial decree to collect the relevant people — oh, and right at the front of the line were those two most exquisitely lovely and charming ladies—” she drew out the words with cheerful deliberateness. “Yet didn’t the Empress Dowager herself say not long ago, ‘They are getting on in years — it would be a shame to delay their futures’? Well then — this is exactly what they wished for.”

The water pavilion fell quiet again. After another long pause, Minglan murmured softly: “I wonder who they will end up marrying?” She couldn’t understand why she kept worrying about this question today.

Madam Geng, who harbored firm indignation toward any woman who set her sights on becoming a concubine, gave a cold laugh: “What else is there to their days? Work, bear children, manage the household inside and out — is that not how every woman lives? As long as they are willing to live honestly and don’t harbor crooked schemes, they can live peacefully and well. The men who are eligible to marry women released from the palace are hardly the worst sort. But if they don’t—hmph, hmph…”

That “hmph, hmph” carried a certain weight — likely touching upon the content of those clauses in the marriage laws prohibiting domestic violence.

Come to think of it, once they were thousands of li away in the remote northern frontier, a tiny soldier’s wife could not stir up much trouble in any case. If she were the sort of plain woman content to live simply, that would actually be a good thing. But if she were the sort of extraordinary woman who measured happiness by material wealth and set her sights on maneuvering among the powerful — that would be hard to say. And what’s more… Minglan swiftly glanced at Little Shen Shi. Once those women were out of the palace, the marriages of certain specific women would likely no longer be within the palace’s power to decide.

Madam Duan laughed and steered things back to lighter domestic topics; the atmosphere grew harmonious once more. The conversation continued a while longer, and Minglan invited them to stay for lunch, saying with a smile: “The Marquis said today he won’t be back. Let me set out a proper spread — there’s mountain game as well. Let us enjoy a cup of wine together.”

The invitation was sincere, but they all declined.

“No, no, that won’t do.” Madam Duan waved her hand with an open smile. “I know the food here is good, but I have matters this afternoon and must return.” Madam Zhong smiled: “Quite so — we only just came out of the palace today, and the family at home is waiting to hear the news.” Madam Geng also said: “Next time — once the garden here is finished, we’ll pick a day and gather to have a drink.”

Minglan smiled and turned to look at Little Shen Shi, giving her a mock-reproachful look: “And what about you? You don’t have a whole household of old and young to attend to!”

But to her surprise, Little Shen Shi also shook her head and waved a hand, sighing heavily: “I must go to Ziyanzhai. My little niece is about to leave the inner chambers, and I promised my sister-in-law I would go with her to choose the four treasures of the study for a young lady’s room. I specifically ordered a set in green jade in advance.”

“My, what a thoughtful sister-in-law,” Madam Duan teased. “The Zheng Family has truly found a fine daughter-in-law.”

Little Shen Shi’s face colored, and she said, flustered: “The elder sister-in-law is as a mother.”

The most speechless and frustrating part of her situation was this: her mother-in-law was gentle and frail and not at all difficult to please. But there was a sister-in-law who was among the most strictly proper and decorous women in all of the capital — reserved and dignified, and considerably older. Everyone among their acquaintance admired First Madam Zheng’s rectitude and virtue without reservation; and when that woman cast even a single stern gaze in her direction, Little Shen Shi was more frightened than she would be before the Emperor himself.

Minglan personally saw everyone to the door, and said goodbye to Little Shen Shi last, with great sympathy: “You know I’m the laziest person there is and dislike going out. If you feel bored, come find me for a chat.”

“As if I need telling. You lazy creature — two of the times I came to find you, you had to crawl out of bed.”

Little Shen Shi was genuinely moved. She had come from a more remote place, and whether in customs, accent, rules, or manners, she had not yet found it easy to fit into the circle of capital noblewomen. In front of others, she had to maintain a proper composure for fear of being laughed at; only in front of Minglan could she let herself relax.

Minglan immediately withdrew her sympathy: “Nonsense. That was only the day bed.”

Little Shen Shi didn’t have the chance to ask “what’s the difference?” before she was pushed by a straight-faced Minglan into the carriage.

Having been somewhat stimulated by the day’s events, after lunch Minglan felt it was not good to be lazy, and so did not rush to take a nap. She sent someone to summon Rong Jie’er so she could check on her studies. She set herself up in full readiness with great enthusiasm — only to find that Rong Jie’er hesitated and stumbled, unable to answer a single question.

When she couldn’t recite passages from her books, that was one thing. But the most outrageous part was that she couldn’t even recite the Twenty-Four Acts of Filial Piety — she fumbled and improvised, stringing together a few on the spot, managing to cobble together barely a third of the total. There is one about “tasting excrement out of worry for a parent’s illness” — she invented one called “tasting feces out of vexation.” There is one about “burying a son to support a mother” — she invented one called “slaughtering a daughter for meat.”

Minglan nearly collapsed.

Without娴姐儿 by her side to encourage and supervise her, Rong Jie’er’s studies had slid rapidly back downhill once more.

“…Perhaps those things really did happen,” Rong Jie’er said, her expression uneasy, defending herself in a small voice. “They just haven’t been passed down.”

Minglan looked at the little girl, utterly drained of energy. Very well — the child couldn’t be entirely blamed.

She had already noticed long ago that Gong Hongxiao’s store of learning was genuinely quite shallow. Not only was her teaching dry and dull, but her knowledge was limited and she could not hold up under questioning — and beyond that, she sometimes even got things wrong. One might assume that whatever she had once known in childhood had long since faded away. Given this, the girl naturally lacked both respect for her teacher as a person and admiration for her teacher’s knowledge. Teaching under such conditions was inevitably going to fail.

In truth, Minglan herself was more than capable. The complete set of texts proper to an educated young woman — The Four Books for Women, The Regulations for Women, as well as Accounts of Faithful Wives, Odes to Exemplary Women, and an entire stack of feudal ideological works — she had studied diligently. And from sitting in on Master Zhuang’s classes, she had benefited even more greatly.

Teaching a handful of young girls would have been well within her abilities. But she was unwilling.

The longer they spent together, the more clearly Minglan saw that Rong Jie’er was by nature like her father — wild and stubborn, filled with a vigorous enthusiasm for challenging established rules, with a head full of unconventional arguments. Just the other day, when Minglan was explaining to Rong Jie’er the chapter in Analects for Women about “the sun is a zhang high and still not out of bed,” the little girl had immediately fixed her with a look of fascinated interest.

Minglan had felt a wave of awkward discomfort, and had expended considerable effort explaining to her the importance of “applying things appropriately to life.”

In her previous life, Yao Yiyi had dealt mostly with oblivious victims and calculating defendants — she was severely lacking in experience with children. Even if she had borne a child of her own now, she probably wouldn’t know how to raise it properly. Let alone this illegitimate daughter?

Her thoughts turned around and around, weighing and re-weighing the matter. Between all of this deliberation and the fragments of information she had picked up earlier in the day — and for the sake of her own mental hygiene and psychological wellbeing, as well as the child’s comprehensive development into a complete personality — Minglan decided it was best to leave this matter to a professional.

“All right then.” Minglan let out a long breath. “You shall go to school.”

Rong Jie’er blinked her large, bright eyes — innocent and unaffected, like a small wild creature, unpolished and natural.