There was no time to waste. Fearing that the New Year festivities would keep every household’s mistress too busy to accommodate them, Minglan sent out the invitations before the end of November. Once all the households had given their consent, she had Cuiwei begin preparations.
On the second day of the twelfth month, Liu Shi and Hualan arrived early in the morning, unable to conceal their excitement. Hualan dipped her finger in her tea and set down her handkerchief. “When I married out, Fourth Brother was still this small, and couldn’t even speak clearly. Now, in the blink of an eye, he is already looking for a wife.”
Liu Shi’s face showed a touch of weariness. “Indeed so. When Sixth Sister sent word, my husband and Elder Brother were both stunned — it took them half a day to collect themselves. My father-in-law told me to help look over the candidate, which has been truly difficult for me. I am not old enough or experienced enough to be choosing a wife for my younger brother-in-law. I was unsettled all last night. I am grateful to have Elder Sister and Sixth Sister helping.”
Hualan smiled. “With neither Grandmother nor Father at home right now, only you are left to manage the household. If today’s meeting goes well, there will be many more occasions needing your attention for Fourth Brother from here on out — you must not refuse.”
Minglan put her hands on her hips and leaned lazily against her elder sister, grinning ingratiating. “Fourth Sister-in-law, put your mind completely at ease. With Elder Sister here today, whether things go well or not, none of the blame can fall on us, can it?”
Liu Shi, worried about being blamed if the match turned out unsatisfactory, felt greatly reassured upon hearing this.
Hualan reached over and pinched Minglan’s ear, giving her a look of amused exasperation. “No wonder they always called you a little vexation. With one move you’ve passed everything off, and if something goes wrong, only I will be blamed by Father and Fourth Brother, while the two of you walk away clean.”
Liu Shi quickly said, “Elder Sister, please don’t put it that way. Setting aside how much Father relies on his eldest daughter, you have simply eaten more years’ worth of experience and wisdom than we have. With Elder Sister leading, we have something to stand behind.”
“You two had better stop sweet-talking me. If I have to be the one standing at the front, so be it.” Hualan pretended to be annoyed.
The three women laughed for a while, and then Cuiwei came to announce that the Marchioness of Weibei and the Shen mother and daughter had arrived.
Shen Furen was nearly fifty years old. Her complexion was somewhat dark, her features not unpleasant, but even careful grooming and fine clothing could not entirely conceal the weathering of years of hard work. The Shen family’s young lady, however, was clear-browed and lovely-eyed, charming and pretty.
Judging by appearance alone, both Hai Shi and Liu Shi compared rather unfavorably to her. But the young lady was painfully shy — when Hualan gently asked her what she liked to eat and what she enjoyed doing, her answers were barely above the level of a mosquito’s buzz, so that Minglan and the others nearly had to read her lips to understand.
Shen Furen felt embarrassed, smiling inwardly with a touch of bitter humor. Her daughter’s disposition was actually rather lively and bright, but ever since learning that a match was being discussed with a family of scholars — and having heard over and over that every male in the Sheng family had scholarly achievements, and that the family’s connections were distinguished — she had become like this, terrified of saying one word too many, of raising her voice even slightly, lest it give someone cause to look down on her.
Hualan kept smiling on the outside, but inwardly she was thinking of her own children — she had both legitimate and concubine-born sons — and couldn’t help slipping into the mindset of a mother-in-law. Shen Miss’s meek and tongue-tied manner genuinely didn’t suit her own straightforward tastes. If she were choosing for her own legitimate son’s wife, she would certainly not pick this one, afraid she would be unable to hold up the household in the future. That said, for the purpose of keeping the family at peace, for a concubine-born son’s wife, such a disposition was actually quite acceptable — shy and yielding was far better than fierce and combative.
On the other side, Liu Shi had already given a quiet “acceptable” in her heart. When dealing with a sister-in-law, the most fearsome kind was one who was constantly competing for dominance. Elder Sister-in-law Hai Shi was already formidably strong; adding another difficult sister-in-law would make Liu Shi’s own life impossible. A girl like Shen Miss was exactly right.
Minglan maintained a relaxed and pleasant demeanor, chatting and smiling naturally. She was quietly studying Shen Miss’s still-girlish face — this girl was only two years older than Rong Jie’er, yet her family was already discussing her marriage. Minglan felt a twinge of guilt — there was something a little like corrupting a tender young shoot about the whole thing.
She had already asked Zhang Shi thoroughly about everything: embroidery and similar questions were secondary — a genuinely good and kind heart was what mattered most. Sheng Changdong, that young man, though he appeared plain and somewhat slow, actually had a clear sense of purpose within himself. As long as wife and husband could be loving and respectful with one another, it would be fine — even if Shen Miss didn’t understand things at first, she could learn gradually.
After receiving Minglan’s thorough message, Zhang Shi had praised Shen Miss effusively, declaring the girl completely reliable, and that when she had been living in the countryside with her family, she had often helped elderly people across ditches and streams — which made her a perfect match for Sheng Changdong, who was known for enthusiastically carrying elderly people down the mountain.
Minglan said nothing in response to that. …This was clearly someone making their first attempt at matchmaking.
While they were appraising Shen Miss, Shen Furen was also quietly observing the Sheng family women. Seeing Hualan’s dignified grace and elegance, and Minglan’s warm and gentle approachability — both of exceptional bearing and upbringing, marking them as daughters of fine breeding — she then looked at Liu Shi: plain in looks, but with an air of steady propriety and respectability. She seemed like someone who would not be difficult to get along with.
Shen Furen found herself nodding inwardly. These were indeed people of substance — learned, reasonable, and cultured, without being pedantic, stuffy, or the sort to use rules to pressure others with false propriety and sour vinegar.
After four rounds of tea, Zhang Shi and Shen Furen rose and bid their farewells. Minglan escorted them all the way to the inner gate, lavishing them with kind words, and only then did the two parties take their leave. Returning to the room, Liu Shi and Hualan had already exchanged their assessments — one said Shen Miss was well-presented and sweet-looking, the other noted that the Shen family was well-off and her father and brother were capable. In short, both expressed that this match was a good one.
“After all, Sixth Sister made this match herself — there was no need for us to fuss so much about it. We should have known it would be sound.” Liu Shi at last took Minglan’s hand and thanked her once more, then said her farewells, adding she needed to go back and report to Sheng Hong.
Watching Liu Shi depart, Hualan turned back with a smile. “She is a slippery one — she’s pulled you in along with her.”
Minglan sighed. “She is only a sister-in-law by marriage, neither legitimate nor eldest. Having to manage Fourth Brother’s marriage negotiations, she is afraid of being blamed on all sides — that is understandable. We are Fourth Brother’s own elder sisters — even if we are one step further removed, we might as well take on a bit more of the burden.”
“…Grandmother always said you were a generous soul, destined for good fortune. Now I believe it too.” Hualan was quiet for a moment, then also sighed. “You are right — being a stepmother’s wife is genuinely not easy. You don’t know this: that good-for-nothing Third Brother — just a few days ago, one of the maids in his rooms was found to be with child. Father was furious!”
“How can this be? Elder Sister-in-law has not yet given birth.” Minglan was shocked. “How could Elder Brother be so muddleheaded? Everyone in the household knows what Father’s intentions are. He and Elder Sister-in-law are both still young — the firstborn absolutely must be legitimate. Aren’t there medicines for this sort of thing?”
“Of course there are. That maid was crafty and secretly poured them away, trying to use the pregnancy to climb higher.” Hualan clicked her lips in disapproval. “Father was not a little furious — he scolded Third Brother for wasting his time in the company of women instead of applying himself diligently. He had Third Brother caned as punishment on the spot. It was Third Sister-in-law who knelt and pleaded beside him for half a day before he was spared having to kneel and perform penance at the ancestral shrine.”
“…And the maid?”
Hualan said contemptuously, “She was given a remedy and then sold through a broker. As I said, it’s all because Third Brother was spoiled. The maids in his rooms all developed airs grand as imperial consorts, not knowing their place, even daring to defy the rules of the household!”
Minglan sighed but said nothing more. Without a sentimental Jia Baoyu, no sharp-tongued Qingwen would have emerged either. And Liu Shi was no simple person — she would likely take this opportunity to make a thorough sweep of Third Brother’s rooms. A pack of servant girls was probably in for a rough time of it.
“It was the same with Ke’er back then, and with Ruomei too. Ah — if only Elder Brother could rein in that sentimental, soft-hearted nature of his. It only gave those maids ideas they should never have had, and in the end it was the girls themselves who suffered for it.”
Hualan’s brow furrowed slightly and a note of contempt crept involuntarily into her voice. “Raised by Lin Shi — what good could come of it?”
After a pause, she added, “And Fourth Sister’s affairs are a great deal of trouble lately as well. The imperial decree registering the hereditary title has still not come through, and the whole family is just waiting with nothing to show for it. Your brother-in-law says that Fourth Sister’s husband’s eldest son is now greatly favored by the Commander-General of Xuanda. Ah, poor Madam Liang…”
Minglan stayed quiet for a long while, then said, “That marriage was what Fourth Sister sought out through great difficulty. Whatever good or ill comes of it, no one else is to blame. If the Liang family runs into trouble, we need only do what kinship requires of us — no more than that.”
Hualan nodded approvingly. “Exactly so.”
To keep the New Year from feeling too cold and quiet, Minglan had given the task of making winter clothing well in advance to Rong Jie’er and Jian Jie’er, sending both girls bustling back and forth — now going to inspect freshly purchased cotton and cloth, now asking the sewing rooms for instruction, even insisting on distributing the finished garments themselves. The whole affair was lively and cheerful, but in the end it ran ten extra taels of silver over what Minglan had accounted for.
Shi came and brought her daughter along with Rong Jie’er to apologize, admonishing them reproachfully, “These two foolish girls — you were only focused on having fun and amusing yourselves, and nearly delayed the proper work. If Younger Sister-in-law hadn’t already ordered some ready-made garments from the tailor’s shop earlier, I’d like to see how you two would have dealt with the situation!”
The two girls stood there with red faces, hands twisted together, heads not daring to lift.
Minglan leaned against the headboard on the kang and smiled. “A few dozen taels of silver to buy the girls a lesson — that isn’t expensive.”
Jian Jie’er lifted her head happily, admitted her mistake with sincerity, and Rong Jie’er followed shyly after her, both expressing their willingness to have the sum deducted from their monthly allowance.
Minglan found it amusing. She patted her chest and said, “Now you understand — reading books is one thing, managing affairs is quite another. Remember the mistake you made this time, and don’t make it again next time. That is enough — there is no need to deduct your allowances.”
She added, “The two of you were doing this for the first time and made errors. I had thought you might end up blaming each other. But now I see that you are bearing it together, and you are getting along well as little sisters. That is very good.”
The two girls received this praise, and their earlier regret dissolved like melting frost. Smiling and holding hands, they skipped out like happy little birds. Shi watched them go and could only shake her head with a fond smile.
On the twentieth of the twelfth month, Minglan led the senior household managers in making offerings to the Kitchen God. The entire household shared soup noodles together, cleaned and swept each courtyard, and prepared food for New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Eve night, everyone gathered to eat dumplings together. A few lucky maids and servant matrons found small silver ingots weighing two qian inside theirs, and everyone was overjoyed. Fearing loud sounds would startle the pregnant women, the maids went to the far corners of the courtyard to set off firecrackers. Rong Jie’er was bold enough to set off double-bang crackers by herself; Jian Jie’er was held tightly in her mother’s arms and could only light two sparkler sticks.
Minglan pulled Tuan Ge’er along, leaning against the edge of the kang and peering through the window at the brilliant fireworks filling the sky. The little chubby one stretched out his pudgy little fingers, babbling and pointing at the sky — no one knew quite what had caught his delight.
Early on the first day of the New Year, Matron Liao Yong and Hao Dacheng led the full household of managers and servants to kowtow to Minglan for the New Year. As was customary, Minglan had several basketfuls of copper coins carried in to distribute as New Year money, with an extra portion for each of the senior managers.
In the days that followed, relatives and friends came in succession to pay their New Year calls. Everyone was tactful — with Gu Tingye away and Minglan heavily pregnant with an air of fatigue about her, the visitors did not linger long. They chatted briefly and then took their leave. Che Niang, however, was in exceptionally high spirits these few days, having just received a letter from her husband sent from far away, which said only that the matter of the military grain was settled and he would soon be returning to escort her back to the Jianghuai region.
After the New Year began, the Emperor also sent New Year gifts. Apart from the imperial clansmen and royal relatives, households like Minglan’s — whose husbands were fighting at the front — such as the Duan family, the Geng family, and the Bo family, all received bestowments. Minglan received a large mutton-fat white jade bowl, along with several potted kumquat trees in full fruit, raised in the warm palace hothouses.
In the depths of winter, seeing such bright, living plants — and faintly fragrant with fruit as well — the two girls were both delighted. But little Tuan Ge’er stared at the round, vivid fruits with hungry longing and kept reaching out to grab them. Minglan didn’t bother trying to distract him — she neatly plucked one, peeled it, and tore off a sliver of the flesh for the little chubby one to taste.
…
…
Little Tuan Ge’er was soured into a daze. His eyes swam with tears, his small mouth puckered, and his face crinkled into twelve wrinkles like a freshly steamed crabmeat soup dumpling, soft and glistening.
And no one coveted those kumquats any further. Truly, imperial grace is boundless. Amen.
Beyond this, there were other imperial favors — among them, an edict confirming Yong Chang Marquis’s eldest legitimate son as the hereditary heir.
Madam Liang finally set her heart at rest. Since the mourning period had not long passed, only a modest celebration banquet was held. Minglan sent the appropriate congratulatory gifts. Molan also did not forget to return to her maternal family to show off once, but unfortunately Liu Shi received her coolly, while Sheng Changfeng’s injury to his hindquarters had yet to heal and he was not fit to be seen.
Sheng Hong, however, was genuinely delighted — now that the in-laws’ peerage was secured, he naturally continued urging his daughter to hurry up and produce a child, lest she hold no standing in her husband’s household. This was truly salt in a wound. Molan was full of grievance, thinking it would have been better not to have come to show off at all.
There were many happy events in the first month of the New Year. Within days, a report of victory arrived from the front — the Commander-General of Xuanda had annihilated a small band of nomadic Jie raiders roaming the areas of Xuanfu and Datong, driving the remaining remnants out to the northwestern frontier beyond the border. It opened a fine portent for the major campaign ahead.
The Emperor was greatly pleased. In the rewarding of merit, the eldest son of the Liang family appeared prominently near the top of the rankings. In an instant, the Marquis of Yong Chang’s residence swept away its former bleakness and became once again a place of bustling visitors and constant traffic.
Unfortunately, this flourishing state lasted only about ten days.
One day, Liu Shi came to find Minglan and, in a few words and a flat tone, reported that the Marquis of Yong Chang’s household was going to divide the family. It had already been in an uproar for several days, and since it involved Liang Han and Molan, she asked whether Minglan would like to go and see.
Minglan was silent for a good while before saying, “Ask Elder Sister which day she plans to go. I will follow along.”