Lin Yiniang swayed gracefully to the center of the room, first curtsied to Sheng Hong, then addressed the nanny in a soft, gentle voice: “Please do not take offense, Nanny. There is ordinarily no place for me to speak here, yet my heart is heavy with guilt and I cannot rest until I have said my piece — I humbly beg your forgiveness. Today’s matter, when all is said and done, was stirred up entirely by Molan’s lack of propriety; she is truly the root cause of it all. In particular, the Sixth Young Miss — she is so young, yet was dragged into this and punished. I am truly troubled by this, so why not let Molan take the ten strokes on the Sixth Young Miss’s behalf…”
Lin Yiniang already appeared frail by nature, and now her eyes glistened with unshed tears, her manner apologetic and utterly sincere as she gazed at Sheng Hong. He was considerably moved; he turned to look at Molan. Molan was still young after all, and had not yet grasped the full implication — she stared at Lin Yiniang in astonishment. It was Hualan who stiffened her neck and declared loudly: “I am the eldest sister; whatever wrong my younger sisters have done is my wrong too. I will take the Sixth Sister’s strokes.”
Minglan sighed inwardly and firmly refused: “No, no — Elder Sister still has her trousseau to embroider; I’ll take my own strokes.” Hualan looked at her, deeply moved. At this, Molan finally caught on and rushed to say: “Let me take them instead, let me…”
For a moment, volunteering to be beaten on Minglan’s behalf had become the most sought-after occupation in the room.
Seeing his daughters behave like this, Sheng Hong finally felt his anger ease somewhat, and his admiration for Nanny Kong’s methods deepened further. He bowed to her once more in gratitude; Nanny Kong gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, but remained entirely unmoved: “Lin Yiniang’s words are mistaken. I punished all the young misses together precisely to mend the bond of sisterhood. Having been punished together today, they can put this behind them and start fresh. To make exceptions would only breed more resentment. Lin Yiniang’s intentions are good, but your reasoning falls short of proper principle.”
Lin Yiniang’s hands tightened around her handkerchief, and her eyes seemed to shimmer with the faintest tears as she said sorrowfully: “Nanny Kong is right — it is this concubine who was ignorant. Yet seeing the young misses all punished because of today’s affair, I truly cannot bear it. It was all because I failed to raise Molan properly. Why not punish me along with them — it would at least serve as a small measure of atonement.”
Sheng Hong, seeing her delicate and poignant appearance, was moved even further — but before he could finish being moved, he heard Nanny Kong let out a cold laugh.
Nanny Kong felt nothing but scorn inwardly. This was precisely the moment she had been waiting for. She said coolly: “It seems Lin Yiniang is in great need of proper discipline — the more you speak, the more improper it becomes. You say you ought to be punished because you failed to raise Molan, yet Hualan and Rulan were also raised by someone, and Minglan is raised by the Old Mistress herself. Are you implying that the Old Mistress should be punished alongside them? And as for me, the governess nanny, I would surely be equally culpable! Is that what Lin Yiniang means?”
Lin Yiniang’s face turned ashen, her voice trembling: “No, no, no… I did not mean that… how would I dare… it was my ignorance…”
Sheng Hong hastily waved his hand: “Nanny, how could you say such a thing…” and inwardly cursed Lin Yiniang for giving offense.
Nanny Kong showed no anger; she simply said in a measured tone: “Lin Yiniang, I will say one thing to you today: understand that the most valuable quality a person can have is self-awareness. Today you have demonstrated two failures of awareness. The first: you ought to know your own station. I was speaking directly with the Master, and you barged in and interrupted in this reckless manner — was that appropriate or not? It happens that the Old Mistress and I are old acquaintances. Were I anyone else, would this not make outsiders laugh at the Sheng household’s want of propriety?”
Each word cut like a blade; Sheng Hong could not help but shoot a glare at Lin Yiniang.
Nanny Kong continued: “The second failure: you knowingly repeat your mistakes. You said at the outset that you should not have spoken, yet you spoke anyway. You said again and again that you were ignorant — but if you already knew yourself to be ignorant, why did you go ahead and meddle in matters of the young misses’ upbringing? You clearly understood everything, yet you violated every rule. Is that not knowingly breaking the law — a transgression deserving an even heavier penalty? Could it be that because you have borne a son and a daughter for this household, you consider yourself a cut above everyone else?”
As she spoke, she cast a meaningful glance at Sheng Hong — a look that carried the faintest note of gentle reproach.
Sheng Hong felt thoroughly ashamed under that gaze. He knew Nanny Kong was reproving him for having indulged Lin Yiniang too excessively. He also found Nanny Kong’s words entirely reasonable, and recalling Molan’s behavior, he felt deeply that Lin Yiniang’s manner of raising her children was improper and her judgment shallow — after all, an appreciation for poetry and moonlight was no substitute for genuine cultivation of character. He therefore barked sternly: “Stand aside and watch! With the Old Mistress and Nanny Kong here, who gave you the right to speak!”
Wang Shi had long since stopped crying; her eyes now shone brightly as she watched Nanny Kong. Lin Yiniang’s face flushed and then drained in turns. From the day she had entered the Sheng household she had never suffered such humiliation. She ground her back teeth in fury, but her expression revealed nothing — she simply wept softly and stepped to one side. Seeing Lin Yiniang trembling with suppressed rage, Hualan and Rulan felt enormously gratified, thinking that even ten extra strokes of the rod would have been worth it. Minglan was nearly ready to ask Nanny Kong for her autograph.
Nanny Kong addressed the sisters with quiet authority: “Your willingness to yield to one another is commendable — it shows you have understood. But understanding one’s error is one thing; the punishment is another. Very well — extend your left hands.”
Sheng Hong rose and spoke with stern authority: “All of you kneel properly. Hold out your left hands and accept every stroke without flinching. Then go back and copy your texts.”
The girls all knelt obediently, eyeing the discipline rulers with piteous expressions. Then Nanny Kong gave a sharp command, and a flurry of sharp, rapid sounds erupted as four rulers flew up and down. Minglan immediately felt her palm erupt in searing pain. Molan let out a sharp wail. Rulan wept with exceptional drama, calling out as though the heavens themselves were collapsing. The thin yet supple bamboo paddles struck the palms with a pain that felt as though flesh was being peeled from bone. Even the composed Hualan could not hold out; by the sixth or seventh stroke, Minglan was in such agony she could only suck in cold gasps of air.
Wang Shi’s heart ached so much that she could not stop her tears from falling. The maids and matrons around them all wore expressions of distress. Sheng Hong turned his face away. Before long, the strokes were done. Lin Yiniang, for all her self-possession, could endure no longer — she threw herself over Molan and wept quietly. Wang Shi, too, set aside all propriety and gathered Hualan and Rulan into her arms, clutching them as though they were the most precious things in the world.
Yet Sheng Hong noticed that little Minglan sat alone on her prayer cushion, her small body wracked with pain, cold sweat covering her pale face, her expression bewildered and forlorn — and not a single person went to comfort her. It was only on this day that Sheng Hong truly understood what the Old Mistress had meant by her words all those days ago. He hardened his heart against his other daughters, first respectfully seeing Nanny Kong out, then walked over and gently lifted Minglan into his arms, coldly ordering everyone else to return to their rooms. He then carried Minglan in the direction of the Hall of Longevity and Tranquility.
After the great commotion of that day, the girls were utterly spent. Now that everything had concluded, Rulan and Molan collapsed into the arms of their respective mothers and fell asleep. Hualan, too, was helped inside by her wet nurse to rest. Minglan was tired as well — as Sheng Hong carried her out, she still did not forget to call back over her father’s shoulder to Xiaotao, who was waiting by the outer gate, instructing her to tidy up the small book basket and bring it along.
Sheng Hong could not help but laugh: “It doesn’t seem we managed to hurt you at all — you still have the energy to worry about your things.”
Minglan had been kneeling for a long while, had been paddled, and had spent the whole afternoon copying texts. Now a cold wind blew outside, and her mind was not quite clear. She rubbed her small hands absently and said in a dazed, guileless way: “I already copied more than half of the ‘Precepts for Women’ just now — I just need to copy a little more later, so of course I need to bring it. Otherwise, how will I face Nanny Kong tomorrow?”
By the light of the lantern being carried ahead of them, Sheng Hong looked down at his youngest daughter. Her features were delicate and bright, her eyes like polished jet — faintly reminiscent of Wei Yiniang in her day. He also caught, in the slight upward tilt of her nose and the clarity of her gaze, the ghost of his own face in his youth. He recalled that when she had first come into the world, he had held her and kissed her and cherished her. But then Wei Yiniang had died so wretchedly, and so many things had happened since — toward this daughter he felt both guilt and pity, which had made him reluctant to look upon her too often. He had remembered to provide for her material needs, but had never loved her as he loved Hualan or Molan.
Yet now a different tenderness welled up in him, and he said to her with gentle warmth: “Nanny Kong punished you — aren’t you angry with her? And yet you still rush to seek out more suffering?”
Minglan gave a small sigh: “All my sisters were punished — how could I alone escape without consequence? If one girl commits an offense, all the girls bear the consequence. Though I suppose it’s not entirely a bad thing — next time my sisters won’t dare quarrel so freely. Alas—”
Sheng Hong burst out laughing and flicked his finger against Minglan’s little nose: “You babbling little girl, sighing away like a little adult! What do you know about collective punishment?” As he spoke, he freed one hand and wrapped it around Minglan’s left hand. It felt warm and swollen to the touch. His heart aching with tenderness for his youngest child who had suffered so, he asked gently: “Does it hurt?”
Minglan sniffled and said in a tearful voice: “It hurts.” She paused, and the grievance inside her surfaced unbidden — the tears slipped down of their own accord, her voice thick with crying: “It really hurts.”
Sheng Hong pulled his little daughter close in his arms and soothed her: “Next time your sisters quarrel again, come and tell Father quietly. If Father is not home, stay well out of it, or go find the Old Mistress. Our Minglan is a good child — don’t concern yourself with them, all right?”
Minglan buried her small face in the crook of her father’s neck. The night wind was cold, yet pressed against him she felt warm. There was a scent about him — her father’s scent — and it made Minglan think of when she was very small, of how Uncle Yao used to carry her on his back and gallop around like a horse. She wrapped her short little arms around Sheng Hong’s neck and nodded vigorously: “Mm!”
Father and daughter chatted and laughed all the way to the Hall of Longevity and Tranquility. As they entered the main gate, Sheng Hong said to Danju, who was waiting by the door: “Go to the second gate and find the steward Laifu. Tell him to go to the study and find a jar of ‘Purple Gold Bruise Dispersing Ointment’ and bring it at once.”
Danju gave a start and hurried off. Sheng Hong carried Minglan into the main room and found the Old Mistress sitting on the heated bed platform waiting for them. He set Minglan down, and the Old Mistress reached out and drew Minglan to her side. The moment her hand touched the child she felt how ice-cold she was, and promptly wrapped her in the dark gold and black eight-medallion auspicious soft felt robe from her own shoulders, cocooning her thoroughly. After Sheng Hong had paid his respects, the Old Mistress said: “Nanny Kong already had someone come and explain everything from beginning to end. Master, you have had a tiring day — you came straight here without even getting to rest after leaving the office. Go back and take your ease.”
Sheng Hong’s expression carried a trace of shame: “I am not so very tired. But I have made Mother worry — I imagine you haven’t even had dinner yet.”
The Old Mistress held the drowsy Minglan in her arms, looked at the exhaustion on the child’s small face, then turned to Sheng Hong and said: “Nanny Kong spent years in the palace overseeing palace regulations — her manner of speaking and acting is inevitably rather blunt and direct. I hope the Master will not take offense.”
Sheng Hong quickly replied: “How could I? Even if I were foolish, I am not so far gone that I cannot tell good from bad. Nanny Kong is not well, and had originally intended to retire to her hometown — it was only through Mother’s connections that we were able to invite her here. I have the deepest respect and admiration for the Nanny’s virtue and conduct. How could I think otherwise? When all is said and done, it is I who am at fault for failing to raise my daughters properly.”
The Old Mistress watched his face carefully; his expression was sincere and showed no sign of pretense. She was greatly satisfied. She and Sheng Hong had been mother and son for many decades and she understood his character well — she knew he meant what he said. Then she saw that he had just now carried Minglan back in his arms with genuine affection, and felt somewhat more at ease.
Mother and son spoke for a while longer, and then Sheng Hong took his leave.
A short while later, Nanny Fang directed the maids and matrons to bring in several food boxes and set out the dinner that had been kept warm in the heated chest, arranging everything on the bed platform. The Old Mistress was just nudging Minglan awake: “Eat first, then you may sleep.”
Minglan was tired and murmured vaguely: “I’m not hungry, I don’t want to eat.” The Old Mistress would not hear of it and pulled Minglan upright. Nanny Fang wrung out a hot towel and pressed it to Minglan’s face, which finally roused her. The Old Mistress personally applied a cold cloth to her injured hand, while Nanny Fang, seeing the red swelling on Minglan’s little palm, took the ointment that Danju had fetched and spread it on carefully and evenly. She clicked her tongue reproachfully: “That Nanny Kong really — our young miss didn’t even do anything wrong. Being punished along with the rest was already an injustice, and she couldn’t even go lighter on her!” Even as she scolded, she gently blew on the hand.
The Old Mistress was in truth tender-hearted about it too, but kept a straight face: “What ‘along with the rest’ — a child who doesn’t observe proper conduct being disciplined by a governess nanny is perfectly ordinary. Even when I was small I was scolded by nannies plenty of times.”
Minglan, thoroughly bewildered, tilted her head and stared at her grandmother for a good long moment before the realization dawned on her face: “Oh — so we were beaten because we didn’t behave properly? Oh, well then — we deserved it.” And just like that, the whole affair of the sisters’ quarrel was quietly buried.
Nanny Fang instantly stifled a laugh. The Old Mistress, hearing this, also privately found it amusing, knowing that the child understood everything perfectly. She felt comforted, and gently ruffled her granddaughter’s hair: “Good child. The days ahead will be smoother.”
Lin Cottage, lamplight flickering softly over still waters — yet the inner room was brilliantly lit. Molan lay half-reclined on the bed platform, still weeping. Her hand was wrapped tightly in pale green medicinal gauze that carried the scent of genuine herbal remedy. Lin Yiniang held her daughter close and murmured: “It is mother who was wrong — I kept pushing you to fight and strive, but forgot the need to bide one’s time and keep a low profile. Now we have crashed headlong into the crest of the wave.”
Molan’s face was a sickly white. Anxiously she said: “They all say Father dotes on me — yet this time he pleaded for Minglan’s sake and didn’t say a single word for me. Could he be angry with me?”
Standing to one side was a fair-complexioned, slender-faced young woman in a dark plum-colored jacket embroidered with apricot-yellow auspicious ruyi vines. She smiled and said: “Young Miss, do not fret. The Master was constrained by Nanny Kong’s presence just now, which is why he appeared to reprimand you. In his heart he still dotes on you — see, he has already sent ointment over for you!”
Molan felt slightly reassured. Lin Yiniang gave two cold laughs: “If it were any ordinary day the Master would have come over by now. Yet today he actually scolded me as well… Hmph. What a formidable Nanny Kong. What a formidable Old Mistress. Xue Niang, surely you can see it too?”
Xue Niang said in surprise: “My Lady, what do you mean? Is there yet another layer to this?”
Lin Yiniang smoothed the hair at her temple, a cold smile at the corners of her mouth: “This time I walked right into a trap. I was so set on making Molan stand out that I forgot how formidable the one at the Hall of Longevity and Tranquility can be. Today Nanny Kong went through each of the four young misses in turn and reproved them all — on the surface it sounded like she was holding the scales even. But look more closely, and the difference between them is vast. The two younger ones, Rulan and Minglan, were barely put through their paces — it was mostly a formality. As for what she said to Hualan — though it sounded stern, it was in truth entirely beneficial counsel; she was teaching her how to conduct herself in the world. But what did she say to Molan? Every sentence was a blade aimed at the heart — she stopped just short of spelling out plainly that Molan is selfish and has no thought for her sisters! Hmph. ‘Each person has their own allotted fortune’ — what she meant was: my Molan is of concubine birth; she had better stop dreaming of a match as fine as Hualan’s!”
Xue Niang thought it over and said: “My Lady means that all of this was arranged by the Old Mistress?”
Lin Yiniang gave a derisive sound: “Not far off the mark at all. Nanny Kong said everything the Old Mistress wished to say but could not say herself, and did everything the Old Mistress wished to do but could not do in her own name. She made no enemy of her daughter-in-law, yet accomplished every purpose — a single action with two benefits. Just wait and see — this matter is far from over.”
Molan’s face went pale with alarm: “If that is truly so, what am I to do? Will Father come to despise me?”
Lin Yiniang smiled gently: “Foolish child, what is there to fear? When soldiers come, deploy the general; when floods come, raise the embankment. As long as we keep hold of your father, everything else will take care of itself — that is the one thing you fail to see.”
In the Flourishing Pavilion, Wang Shi had already fallen asleep holding Rulan, but Hualan was still copying the ‘Precepts for Women.’ Wang Shi’s heart ached for her daughter: “Didn’t you finish your fifty copies long ago? Why haven’t you rested yet? The ointment the Master sent hasn’t even soaked in yet.”
Hualan straightened her neck and said with conviction: “I am the eldest in this family. If there is fault to be had, then mine is the greatest. My sisters were penalized with fifty copies — I ought to give myself a heavier penalty still.”
Wang Shi both adored and felt proud of this eldest daughter of hers — seven parts love, three parts pride — and said: “My Hualan has grown up. She already understands these things. Tomorrow when Nanny Kong sees your dedication, she will naturally be pleased.”
Mention of Nanny Kong made Hualan’s eyes light up immediately: “Mother, today I finally witnessed for myself what it means to have skill without showing it! Look at Nanny Kong — ordinarily she never raises her voice, and is the most amiable and generous of people. Yet when she disciplines someone, she is so thorough and methodical that no one can find anything to argue with, and those who hear her are fully convinced in their hearts. And look at how she operates — knowing we had done wrong, she did not rush to strike. Instead she turned the flame to a low simmer, slowly bringing us all to heel. Truly formidable! Without saying a word, she had already prepared prayer cushions for us to kneel on, discipline rulers for the paddling, and even cold cloths to apply afterward — one could only call it perfect foresight with nothing left to chance! Starting tomorrow, I intend to spend twice as much effort learning from Nanny Kong so I may broaden my understanding!”
She was saying all this with the liveliest animation when she happened to dart a glance at her mother. She gave a sigh: “Mother, if you had even half of Nanny Kong’s ability, that woman surnamed Lin would never have had the chance to be so insufferably arrogant.”
“That mouth of yours needs reining in — I fear you’ll be the same way when you go to your husband’s family.” Wang Shi was more worried than amused.
Hualan gave a coy smile: “I take entirely after Mother.”
Wang Shi was even more worried: “What I fear most is this temperament of yours — afraid of nothing and no one. Said generously, you are forthright and quick; said unkindly, you are sharp and cutting. When I married your father I was marrying up — but you will be marrying into an even higher station. Do you think every mother-in-law is as easygoing and uninvolved as your grandmother? Stuffing the household with concubines, favoring one daughter-in-law over another, cutting back on the household funds — all manner of things, and you’ll get your fill of them in time.”
Hualan raised her chin proudly: “I refuse to be afraid. In the future — whether inside the house or outside it — no one shall be permitted to meddle!”