After Nanny Fang had taken on the role of chief matchmaker, she had been waiting for a reply ever since, and the moment Minglan gave her nod, no more than two days had passed before Nanny Fang arrived with Danju’s aunt and uncle and the young man from the Lu Family, all of them coming to pay their respects. Minglan observed carefully from behind the curtain and saw that the young man had large hands and feet, was robust and honest-looking, and her heart warmed a few degrees more. Then she glanced at Danju beside her, who was beaming with such shy happiness that she could barely contain herself, and Minglan decided not to delay further. The marriage was settled then and there.

The young man was clearly overjoyed — the kowtow he gave struck the stone floor of the hall so hard that it rang out, drawing a burst of laughter from the maids in the room. Luzhi especially laughed loudest, and even as she laughed, she kept peeking behind the curtain toward Danju.

For ordinary folk arranging a marriage, the formalities were never particularly elaborate — anywhere between half a year and a month was the norm — and since the young man from the Lu Family was already getting on in years and could not afford to wait, the auspicious date was set five months hence. The parents of the Lu Family had originally hoped to find their son a modest, well-matched daughter of a small household, but now, seeing the generosity Minglan had shown and how Danju had grown into such a virtuous and lovely young woman, the small regrets they had harbored before simply melted away.

From then on, all the arrangements were handled step by step by Danju’s aunt and uncle. Minglan entrusted the silver to Nanny Fang and kept a close eye on things — with her watching, she doubted they would dare skim anything from the household goods. When a full bolt of fine bright-red satin arrived at the mansion, Minglan gradually reduced Danju’s duties and asked her to focus entirely on embroidering her trousseau: mandarin duck pillow covers, dragon and phoenix wedding garments, brand-new inner robes, undergarments, embroidered shoes, and even the pouches and shoe fronts she would give to her future husband, parents-in-law, and sisters-in-law — everything was to be sewn by the new bride stitch by careful stitch.

Because Danju had always been generous and good-natured, all the maids in the courtyard were genuinely happy for her. Bisi was especially envious, but of them all, it was Luzhi who was the most elated. Ever since Danju had gradually stepped back from her position as the head maid, Luzhi had carried herself with the air of someone whose moment had finally come. As Minglan came to rely on her more and more, Luzhi moved about as though she had the wind at her heels — Cuiwei had to scold her several times before she settled down.

“Once we see Danju off, it will be your turn, and Xiaotao’s,” Cuiwei teased.

To everyone’s surprise, Luzhi, bold-natured as she was, lifted her chin without a trace of shyness: “I won’t deceive you, Elder Sister — I’ve already made up my mind. I will not be married out. I intend to serve Madam for several more years yet.” For maids who married within the household, senior maids of the inner courtyard were generally kept on until they were twenty, and those who were especially valued might be retained well into their mid-twenties.

Cuiwei was somewhat taken aback, then laughed: “You stubborn girl — speaking such firm words now. Wait until Madam finds you a good family, and then see if you change your tune.”

Luzhi said: “Elder Sister knows — my younger brother is simple and a little slow. Now that I am here, there are still people who don’t know better and try to bully him. If I were to leave for somewhere outside, there is no telling how he would get on.” She sighed. “Our parents died early, and now there is only the two of us. If I don’t look after him, who will? My only wish is to serve Madam faithfully. If one day I am blessed with her favor and she arranges a kind and thoughtful wife for my brother, then I will be able to face our parents in the afterlife with a clear conscience.”

Cuiwei was quite moved: “My dear sister, you have truly suffered.”

While some rejoiced, others grieved. When Ruomei heard that Danju’s happy occasion was drawing near, she came to offer her congratulations. But at the sight of the bright red silk and lacquered boxes on the table, and the scarlet wedding garment hanging on the stand — only half-sewn — she found it all glaringly painful to look at. Ever since that day when Danju had relayed Minglan’s words and tried to counsel her, Ruomei had instead fallen into a gloom that lasted several days.

Watching Danju’s face glow with a soft blush, the corners of her eyes and brows alive with an unspoken joy and happiness, Ruomei felt as though something had pricked her to the core. After a few polite words, she made her excuses and went to visit Minglan.

“It has been a long while since I came to pay my respects to Madam. Seeing that Madam is as well as ever, I am more glad than I can say.” After performing her obeisance, Ruomei said her dry, formal words and then did not know how to go on.

Minglan let her gaze drift over Ruomei — her dress and adornments were still neat and bright enough, but her complexion was poor, a shadow of gloom gathered between her brows. “Sit down. Xiaotao, go and brew a bowl of Lan’an Maojian — you remember what she likes.”

Ruomei perched carefully on the edge of the round stool: “How kind of Madam to still remember.”

In a moment Xiaotao came in carrying a small tea tray, her round face bright with a smile: “Elder Sister, it has been so long — but you look lovelier than ever! Your whole person is radiant, golden through and through!” Her tone was entirely sincere.

Ruomei’s hand stilled on the teacup for a moment and she looked faintly embarrassed. Minglan gazed wordlessly up at the ceiling. To be fair — Ruomei was certainly wearing a great many pieces of jewelry, and all of them were certainly very much gold… but did she truly have to be quite so honest?

Having said all this with complete innocence, Xiaotao stepped lightly out of the side room and went to wait in the outer room. Ruomei slowly composed her embarrassment and said quietly: “Younger Sister Danju has already spoken to me. This servant is grateful to Madam for her guidance and protection.”

Minglan looked at her steadily. She had said thank you, yet her posture had not shifted in the slightest — not even a half-curtsy offered — and from that, Minglan knew she still had not truly understood. She was still the same Ruomei, admiring only herself. “That is good that you know. In future, serve Master Gongsun well, and in time bear children for him — both the Marquis and I will reward you generously.”

Ruomei felt a bitterness in her heart. Just now she had deliberately referred to herself as “this servant,” half-expecting Minglan to say something in response — yet, as it turned out… she had only to answer: “This servant understands.” Then, gathering her courage: “But this servant is foolish, and often displeases Master. I humbly ask Madam to offer some guidance — how should this servant conduct herself to be appropriate?”

The fact that she could swallow her pride and ask that question meant there was still hope for her. Minglan smiled a little and pointed toward the doorway through which Xiaotao had just exited: “Do you remember when we first arrived here, and Xiaotao once served in the outer study for a time?”

Ruomei, not knowing what Minglan meant, nodded: “Yes — Master also said that Xiaotao was very useful.” She had privately nursed a pang of envy over that at the time, quietly resentful that she had not been chosen instead, since she was clearly the one most capable of reading and writing.

“In truth, Xiaotao is not a particularly clever person,” Minglan said, slowly stirring the tea leaves.

This was hardly a secret — there was probably no one between Mucang Study and Jiaxi Residence who did not already know it. Ruomei widened her eyes and waited for Minglan to continue.

“Especially in those early days, when she had never once served in a study before. During that stretch, the Marquis and Master truly went through a great deal of suffering. Ask her to warm a jug of wine and it would come out either scalding or cold. Ask her to sort through some drafts and she would take them apart page by page, stack them neatly, and hand them back. ” Remembering Gu Tingye’s exasperated complaints from those days, Minglan could not help smiling inwardly even now.

“I recall that when she first came to Nanny Fang’s care, there was one particular task — Danju would hear it once and have it committed to memory, while Xiaotao needed to be told twice before she understood.” Minglan smiled leisurely. “I had sent such an obtuse person to serve there, and I was genuinely worried Master might reproach me. Yet, as it turned out, Master later praised her.”

Ruomei gave a dry little laugh: “Master said Xiaotao is a loyal maid.”

“Master has a discerning eye,” Minglan said with a nod. “I once instructed Xiaotao that whatever she saw or heard inside the study was not to be breathed to anyone outside. You tried to get information from her about affairs in the study quite a few times — even when you were truly irritated with her, did she let slip a single word?”

Ruomei fell silent. At the time she had admired scholarly pursuits and had only been asking about inconsequential things — yet even when she inquired what kind of tea the Master preferred, Xiaotao had refused to say a word. The two of them had fallen out over it, and went a full half-month without speaking.

“And that was toward you. Now, the procurement matron An was always fond of Xiaotao, and one day, too lazy to go and check things herself, she simply asked Xiaotao whether the silver-thread charcoal in the study had run out — and even that, Xiaotao refused to tell her.” Minglan fixed her gaze firmly on Ruomei. “The truth is, it matters very little what kind of person you are. What matters is: what kind of person does Master want?”

Ruomei gave a faint tremor, raised her head and looked at Minglan, and for a long moment could not find a single word to say.

…

Watching Ruomei’s retreating figure, Minglan shook her head.

Ruomei was a clever woman — how could she not know what kind of concubine Gongsun desired? It was no more than eight words: obedient, sensible, dutiful, and composed. Above all, she must stop filling her head with fanciful and romantic nonsense day after day. These past days, what Ruomei had envied was not the quality of Danju’s match, but the wholehearted happiness that Danju carried within her.

“If things feel hard to bear in the future, try to recall why you wanted to marry in the first place. Perhaps that will make it a little easier to endure.” — That was the last piece of counsel she would give Ruomei. From here on, it was up to Ruomei’s own fortune.

In the days that followed, Danju devoted herself to instructing the younger maids — reminding them, urging them with care, explaining each matter patiently and thoroughly one by one. Time flew by, and a little over a month later, her aunt and uncle came to bring her home to prepare for the wedding. They said the house had been freshly renovated and the wedding could be held in proper style. Nanny Fang, who came along, confirmed that the household furnishings were being made up nicely.

Minglan gave Danju a set of solid gold hair ornaments and several bolts of fine fabric. Following the same standard set for Cuiwei, she also gave an additional ten taels of betrothal silver. She then quietly had Xiaotao slip two banknotes of one tael each into Danju’s traveling chest — Xiaotao might be slow in the head, but she was nimble-handed, and for this sort of errand she was perfectly reliable. After that, Madam Shao, always eager to join in, presented a pair of shrimp-whisker gold bracelets, and Qiu Niang also contributed a small ornamental gold-leaf hairpin.

When the others had been dismissed, Minglan burned Danju’s bond of indenture right in front of her, then pressed a flat box into Danju’s hands and said gently: “Inside are your household registration papers. The matter at the county office has already been settled. Go and live a good life from now on.”

Danju dropped to her knees and wept aloud. It was a long while before Minglan coaxed her tears to a stop. Danju slowly rose to her feet and was about to turn away when she suddenly looked back, her eyes full of tears: “Young Miss — back then, you always loved to sit on the corridor railing to read.”

Minglan blinked back tears and smiled: “You were afraid I would fall off, so you sewed a little cloth pouch from scraps through the night and tied it to the railing.”

“The pouch was poorly made and it split apart — it made you take quite a bad tumble. Nanny Fang wanted to punish me. It was wrong of you, and instead of trying to reason with you, I only made things worse with my suggestions.”

“I lay in bed for three days, and you cried beside my bed for three days. By the time I had recovered, you had fallen ill yourself.”

“Young Miss promised me you would never sit on the railing again.”

“And you even made me pinky-swear on it.”

Danju could no longer hold back. She dropped to her knees with a thud and wept: “Young Miss — let me kowtow to you once more.”

Then she lowered her head in a deep bow, and when she lifted it her face was streaked with tears. She wrapped her arms around Minglan’s legs and cried brokenly: “Young Miss, I truly cannot bear to leave you!”

Old memories rose all at once, and Minglan felt such a surge of sorrow she could not contain herself. Tears streamed down her face and she half-covered them with her sleeve, steeling her heart and pushing Danju away: “Go on, go on. From now on you will have children, a harmonious home, a long and happy life. Go now, go…”

Watching Danju move slowly toward the door, pausing to look back at every step, Minglan suddenly recalled the first time they had met. At the time, Minglan had had only one person by her side — Xiaotao, who had not the faintest idea how to do anything. Nanny Fang had brought Danju before Minglan, and she had turned to look back just like this, again and again.

“Sixth Young Miss, I am going to fetch some pastries for you to eat.”

“Young Miss, please sit still — there are many empty rooms here, so do not go wandering.”

“This servant will be right back. Little Sister Xiaotao, please watch over the Young Miss.”

A small little girl, speaking in a soft, child-like voice, her face radiating a tenderness and thoughtfulness far beyond her years, chattering on and on without end. Minglan’s heart was seized by a wave of sorrow she could not suppress. She turned her head away with great force and did not look as Danju stepped out the door.

Xiaotao walked Danju all the way to the outer gate, nearly following her all the way to her home. When she returned, her eyes were swollen to the size of large peaches. She came inside, buried her head in the bedding, and refused to come out.

That night, when Gu Tingye returned to the room, Minglan was still looking listless. He felt a pang of tenderness for her and said: “Since you miss her so terribly, why not keep Danju here in the mansion and match her with some capable young manservant?”

Minglan was using a cloth towel to help him dry his damp hair, and said quietly: “They are the ones who followed me earliest. I only wish them well — that is the least I can do for so many years of affinity.”

Gu Tingye was holding his son, tossing the boy lightly up and down again and again, making little Tuan Ge’er giggle without stopping. Hearing Minglan’s words, he felt rather puzzled — in his mind, a master bestowed grace upon a servant; what was there in the way of affinity?

He set the boy down on the bed to crawl on his own, then drew Minglan close and examined her face carefully. Seeing her eyes red and swollen, he let a shadow of displeasure cross his expression: “You have treated them generously all these years. Given that she could see how reluctant you were to part with her, she should have asked to stay of her own accord. Behaving like this — it seems she is a rather ungrateful one!”

Minglan forcibly pried open his large hand, her voice carrying the hint of tears: “Don’t say such things!”

Gu Tingye startled slightly, then broke into a rueful laugh: “All right, all right — I won’t say it.” Then he teased: “With so many maids, if you go through this every time one of them gets married, how will you ever manage?”

Minglan lightly wiped her tears. At his words, she gave a self-deprecating little laugh: “It is only her and Xiaotao. As for the rest… ah, never mind.”

Gu Tingye leaned back slowly, his curiosity piqued: “Because these two followed you earliest?”

Minglan fell into thought for a moment before answering: “…Because back then, every one of us was genuine.”

At those words, Gu Tingye was moved. He could not help asking: “Do you mean that the maids who came later did not serve you with genuine hearts?”

Xiaotao had been an unexpected prize from the worst days of her life. Danju had been a word of encouragement during the uncertain days before her future was decided. By the time things improved — as the Old Master grew more and more fond of her and she found her footing within the Sheng household — feelings had begun to grow complicated.

Minglan thought carefully, organized her words, and then replied: “After I became the Marchioness of Ningyuan, whether it was genuine or not ceased to matter very much.”

Gu Tingye looked at her quietly for a moment, then said, with a touch of wistfulness: “How I wish I had met you then.”

Minglan heard this and blinked her large eyes twice. An odd expression crept across her face and she stared at the man, her face gradually reddening. Gu Tingye did not understand at first, but in a moment it came to him — when Minglan was a small child who had just learned to run, he was already galloping through the streets on horseback, doing as he pleased.

The husband and wife stared at each other for a long while, neither knowing quite what the other was thinking — yet they both burst out laughing at the same moment. All of Minglan’s earlier sorrow was swept away. She laughed until her lips trembled, and tilted her head, thinking back to her early childhood: “When I was small, one time I went out with Father and Grandmother to watch the lantern festival. Several young men in fine, splendid clothing came galloping on horses down the street at full speed. Nanny Fang pulled me in close and whispered in my ear: ‘Look, look, Young Miss — those are bad people!'”

It was a very accurate description of events. Gu Tingye’s mouth twitched. He reached out and grabbed little Tuan Ge’er, who had been trying to climb over his head, his own expression going rather dark.

Minglan saw his displeasure and hurriedly made amends, changing the subject: “A calling card came today from the Duke of Qi’s estate — the Old Duke will be holding a birthday banquet in a few days. Seventy years of age is rare in any age, and the Old Duke having lived to such a great age is indeed remarkable. This year marks his sixty-ninth birthday banquet, and they say he will not host another after this. For that reason, they have specifically invited us to attend.”

Come to think of it, Wang Shi had known Princess Pingning for so long, yet Minglan herself had still not once visited the Duke of Qi’s estate.

“The manor of the River East?” Gu Tingye raised an eyebrow at those words, a gleam of amusement in his dark eyes.

Minglan was momentarily baffled: “What River East manor?”

“Madam, with your vast knowledge, have you not heard of the roar of the River East lion?”

…