They returned to the Youyang Sheng residence by evening. He Hong left behind a large package of dried tangerine peel prepared using a method of grass curing. Minglan found it sweet and pleasantly cooling. As soon as she got back, she divided out half of it to send over to Lan — only to find that Lan was not in her room. The maids hemmed and hawed before saying that the young mistress had gone back to her maternal family. Minglan immediately sensed something was wrong. She hurried over at once to Shulan’s original room. Stepping into the inner chamber, she found Shulan lying slumped against the bed, her face covered in tear stains, her complexion ashen and haggard as an old woman’s, barely conscious. Lan was pacing in tight, furious circles around the room. Minglan quickly asked what had happened. Lan ground her teeth and explained everything.

It turned out that Sun Zhigao’s kept mistress was with child. Sun’s mother was overjoyed and immediately moved to bring the mistress into the household. Shulan, though mild and gentle by nature, had a sharp-eyed maidservant who recognized the danger at once and without delay had taken Shulan home to her maternal family.

That very afternoon, Sun’s mother had come charging over with demands, insisting with arrogance that Shulan allow the mistress to be formally brought in. Sheng Lao had not yielded a single step, and had given her four words in reply: the child stays, the mother leaves. Sun’s mother let out a few cold laughs, turned on her heel with great ceremony, and departed.

Lan, too furious to contain herself, had run outside and railed at a yellowed willow tree for half an hour. Minglan stood beside her but could not think of anything useful to say. They stayed until the sky was turning dark, and then the two of them made their way back to the room, heads low and hearts heavy. Just as they reached the doorway, they heard from inside a voice broken with grief and Li Shi’s helpless sounds of soothing.

“…Since the wedding, my mother-in-law has said not to disturb my husband while he is studying… In a month, fewer than five days together… she blames me for being incapable… I tried to bring in someone for him… he found even those ones dull…” Shulan’s sobbing reached Minglan in fragments, broken and incomplete. Lan was young and innocent and understood only half of it — but Minglan understood all of it.

Shulan’s looks were plain, and her nature was mild and timid. Sun Zhigao fancied himself a man of refined talent and taste, and found both his wife and his household attendants beneath his regard. When at last he encountered a beautiful woman who understood a man’s moods, had a touch of talent, and existed at the edges of respectability — he was inevitably captivated.

Minglan let out a soft sigh. This world was always gentler with men than with women. It seemed Shulan was in for a difficult time ahead.

And difficult it proved to be. In the days that followed, the Sheng household was thrown into commotion by wave after wave of visitors. First came members of the Sun clan attempting to intercede on the family’s behalf. Then came female relatives from the other branch, clearly there to enjoy the spectacle. Then came respected local elders renowned for their standing in the community, coming to mediate — though when all was said and done, the broad consensus amounted to the same thing: Shulan should be magnanimous, let the woman come in through the proper door, and any son she bore would be registered under Shulan’s name.

The Sheng family refused to yield a single inch. As the days wore on, rumors and gossip began to fly in the world outside. Tongues wagged in every direction, pointing fingers at the Sheng family daughter for being jealous and unwilling to accommodate others. Sun Zhigao had not once come to bring his wife home — and went so far as to simply take the entertainer into his own house, treating her inside and out as though she were the proper mistress of the household. Li Shi was beginning to wear thin under the pressure, while only the Great Madam remained steady and immovable as bedrock, saying nothing no matter who came to speak to her.

Half a month later, the Great Madam suddenly announced that she wished to see the entertainer. Sun’s mother assumed the Sheng family had finally lost their nerve, and came the very next day with a buoyant step, bringing the entertainer along. But the Great Madam neither spoke nor acted — she simply looked the entertainer over from head to foot for a long time, asked her a few questions, then turned and went inside. Before Sun’s mother had even come to her senses, she was being seen out the door.

Then one day, as Lan sat half-absorbed watching Minglan trace a flower pattern onto the belly wrap, she kept glancing distractedly toward the door. Suddenly a little maid came hurrying in and whispered something into Lan’s ear. Lan sprang up like a coiled spring, grabbed Minglan’s hand, and took off running as though her feet had wings. Minglan was nearly dragged off her feet. The embroidery hoop dropped to the floor — there was no time to retrieve it. With no idea what was happening, she ran along behind.

They ran stumbling and breathless for a long stretch — through flower clusters and past stands of trees — and then the path grew narrower and narrower. Before long they abandoned proper walkways altogether, threading through muddy ground one footfall deep, one shallow, pushing into ever more remote and secluded corners. Winding around several of the main buildings, they came at last to a dim thatched-roof structure.

Minglan finally shook free of Lan’s hand, gasping: “I truly cannot go another step. What on earth are you trying to do?”

Lan’s small face was flushed bright red, and her eyes glittered with excitement: “Ever since Sun’s mother came that day, Grandmother has shut herself in the Buddhist hall for several days. She only spoke a few words with your grandmother, and she won’t even see my mother. I’ve had someone keeping watch the whole time. Today Grandmother finally summoned Mother to come to her. Unless I’m wrong, they’re about to discuss what to do about Sister.”

Minglan nodded along rapidly. This cousin of hers did have a clear head for analysis. Then she asked: “So then what?”

Lan let out a dramatic wail and seized Minglan’s sleeve with both hands: “My sister’s life and death hangs in the balance — and you have the nerve to ask ‘so then what’?! I ought to thrash you! Now — I’m going to go listen to what they’re saying. Are you coming or not?”

Minglan stared at her in astonishment, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. A well-bred young lady of good family was not supposed to pry into other people’s private affairs — let alone actually eavesdrop. Well — she had eavesdropped a few times before, but that was always when the opportunity had been dropped directly in her lap by Heaven itself!

Minglan hesitated nervously: “This… this can’t be right, can it? How could we eavesdrop! And besides — how would you even manage it? Your grandmother isn’t going to open the windows and shout the conversation out for all to hear.”

Lan flung out an arm: “Don’t worry about that — there’s a dog door here. I used to sneak out through it when I was shut inside the Buddhist hall as punishment. It’s very well hidden. I think of you as my own sister — good sisters share fortune and hardship alike. The last several times you got into trouble right alongside me, and that was very loyal of you — so when I have something good, naturally I don’t forget you either!”

Minglan nearly staggered sideways and fell over. Was there any logic in this — was crawling through a dog door and eavesdropping someone’s idea of “sharing the good”?!

Lan paid no heed to Minglan’s sputtering protests. With deft hands she parted a curtain of overgrown weeds and tangled vines to reveal a gap a little over a foot across. She fixed Minglan with a look that allowed no argument, then yanked her over toward the opening. Minglan steeled herself, rolled up her sleeves and tucked up her skirt, and crawled forward flat on her stomach like a dog scooping up mud. After a moment, Lan ahead of her straightened up — and then reached back and pulled Minglan out from the opening. Minglan turned to look — the hole she had just come through was concealed behind a large water jar and thick clumps of weeds.

Lan grunted as she hefted the water jar back into place: “I made sure they didn’t fill this jar with water these past few days.”

Then the two girls crept stealthily through a courtyard. Lan slipped through a narrow doorway with practiced ease. Then darkness. Lan crouched down, and Minglan followed in an awkward crawl for several feet before squeezing into what felt like the inside of a cabinet.

Lan pressed close to Minglan’s ear and breathed out in a mosquito-thin voice: “This is the space behind the Buddhist shrine altar. Don’t worry — this room is quite large.”

Minglan’s heart was pounding harder and harder. She felt more and more certain she had made a reckless mistake today. She reached out and gave Lan a sharp pinch. The two of them lay still and waited.

After a while, they heard the sound of the door curtain being lifted, followed by Li Shi’s voice dismissing the attendants. The mistress and her daughter-in-law seemed to have sat down quite far from the Buddhist shrine.

Then Li Shi said quietly: “Elder… you called for your daughter-in-law to come… could it be that…?”

The Great Madam replied: “I have thought it over carefully for several days. My mind is made up. Let Shulan have the marriage dissolved.”

Minglan gave a violent start. In the darkness, she could feel Lan’s breathing grow heavier. She heard Li Shi say in a soft, tearful voice: “Elder, please think it over once more. Shulan is still young — for the rest of her life, how would she manage…?”

A long silence followed. Then the Great Madam’s voice came, dry and level: “Do you think I am willing? I turned it over and over in my mind, night and day without rest, and truly there is no other way. Better to end this while she is still young — after this she may yet have good years ahead of her.”

Li Shi gave a soft sob. The Great Madam continued: “A woman’s whole life rests on her reliance on men — father, husband, son. You have seen what the mother of the Sun family is made of. With a mother-in-law like that and a husband like that, how is Shulan supposed to endure an entire lifetime? If she had a child to hold onto, she might still manage to outlast the hardship by leaning on that child. But right now she has nothing to anchor her. When you and I and her father have closed our eyes, when her brother and sister-in-law are a degree removed from her — how do you think her days will look?”

Li Shi could hold back no longer and wept aloud: “My poor Shulan — it is I who brought this upon her. When I was blinded by foolishness back then, I saw something promising in that Sun wretch. I thought — since his family was poor, he would value the good treatment we showed his mother, and surely he would treat Shulan well in return. Who could have thought — who could have imagined — that he would turn out to be no better than a beast!”

The Great Madam let out a long sigh: “I was not without reluctance myself. I thought to wait and see how that wretched young man would conduct himself. And you have seen it. Shulan has been back at her maternal family for this many days now — and he has not once come to look in on her! I have given up hope. Now, with her elders still living and in good health, he already dares to treat Shulan this way. If the day truly comes when he gains some post or position — what then? Enough, enough — clear your mind of him. He is not worth hoping for.”

Lan gripped Minglan’s wrist tightly. Minglan felt the pain but said nothing — she could well understand Lan’s feelings — and without ceremony, she pinched her back equally hard.

Li Shi said in a mournful voice: “It’s not that I’m unwilling to let go of that wretch — it’s that I fear it will harm the family’s name. If we make an open break and he refuses to settle it cleanly and insists on issuing a formal repudiation, what then?”

The Great Madam gave a cold laugh. Then, in a steady and unhurried voice: “The Sun family has been flattered and indulged for years — they’ve long since forgotten where they stand. He thinks other people value him for his own sake. Hmph — let him take a good measure of himself. It’s nothing more than a few coins’ worth of people going along for the spectacle. As things stand, are we afraid of him? If we want to keep it quiet, we have people who can manage it. If we want to go public, we have the money for it. And if it comes to a lawsuit — does our family have no one in official circles? If he is willing to part cleanly and allow Shulan a proper dissolution of the marriage, we will leave him half the dowry. If he is not — hmph, we will see to it that the Sun family is returned to exactly what they were before.”

Li Shi fell quiet and said nothing for a time, apparently still wavering. The Great Madam continued: “I had originally hoped that whichever of the women below him might give birth to a son, Shulan could take the child into her own name and hold on that way. But you’ve seen that kept woman too — she’s coquettish and clever-tongued, skilled at flattery and scheming. Do you think she’ll be easy to manage? Once she has a son, Shulan will be swallowed whole — skin and bones and all!”

Li Shi fell silent. But her weeping had gradually ceased. Minglan sensed she was beginning to waver toward agreement. The Great Madam let out a long, mournful breath: “Daughter-in-law — you did not live through what I did in those years. The whole family, top to bottom, was in the grip of that vile woman. I called out to Heaven and it would not answer; I called out to the Earth and it would not respond. My eldest daughter — all it would have taken was a single dose of medicine for a small chill, and she could have been saved. Instead she was worn away and died. That was when I steeled my heart, took your husband and Yun and fled to the countryside. If it had not been for your second aunt stepping in to protect us, keeping your father-in-law from signing the letter of repudiation — the two of us, mother and children, might have starved in the countryside before finally making our way…”

Her voice seemed to catch. Minglan felt a wave of sorrowful empathy, and her mind went to the Great Madam’s gaunt face, every deep line of it carrying years of suffering and grief. Beside her in the darkness, Lan seemed to be biting down on her teeth very quietly.

Li Shi said gently: “Elder, I understand all of it. Shulan is flesh of my flesh — watching her suffer is like a knife inside me. But… but… I only fear… fear that the marriage being dissolved will harm the child. She is grown now — and if people use that against her when it matters most, and no one will have her, what then?”

Minglan suddenly felt a rush of wind beside her. Lan could hold back no longer. She gave Minglan a quiet push toward the inner corner, then scrambled out of the hidden space in one swift motion. She threw back the heavy door curtain and called out in a carrying voice: “I am not afraid! Let Sister dissolve the marriage! Even if I never marry at all, not for my whole life — I would rather that than have Sister suffer in the Sun household!”

Minglan lay on the ground in a dog-like sprawl, feeling every hair on her body stand on end. She was so terrified her soul nearly left her body. She cursed Lan silently, a thousand curses in a row. Her hands and feet had gone ice-cold with fright. If they were discovered… actually, what would really happen? Probably not much. Minglan forced herself to stay calm, and remained completely still in her dog-flat position.

Fortunately she was tucked into the far inner corner of the wooden compartment, with another layer of curtain and a fringe of tassels between her and the room. The mistress and her daughter-in-law had not noticed there was still someone inside — they were only startled by Lan suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Then Li Shi flew into a furious scolding of Lan, and Lan argued back — though she would not, naturally, reveal that there was a second listener. Li Shi and the Great Madam did not think to wonder whether there might be two.

Then it seemed Lan was struck — but she was iron-boned, and did not cry out even once. There was a thud as she knelt, and then she cried out in a loud and ringing voice: “A person’s fate is fixed by Heaven. If I am fortunate enough to find a good marriage, then even if Sister’s marriage is dissolved, it will not matter. But I would rather remain a deity forever without any joy than watch Sister live a miserable life!” And then she knocked her head against the floor in repeated kowtows, begging Li Shi.

Minglan, still in a state of shock, barely took in the words. In the end it seemed the mother and daughter dissolved into each other’s arms, sobbing. And it seemed as though they had steeled their resolve to go to war with the Sun family.

Once Minglan managed to collect her wits, Li Shi had already left with Lan. The room outside was very quiet. But Minglan was still afraid to make any sound at all, and lay there praying silently in her heart, beseeching every celestial being that the Great Madam might decide not to recite her sutras today — that she might please, please just go back and rest, and let Minglan slip away.

Her prayers were not answered. She lay there for the better part of a cup of tea’s worth of time, and the Great Madam showed no signs of leaving. All that could be heard was the sound of her fingers passing over her prayer beads. Minglan’s knees had gone completely numb. The cold sweat had dried against her skin, leaving her body racked with intermittent chills. She was in the middle of lamenting her situation in silence when Sheng Yun arrived.

Mother and daughter were both straightforward and direct by nature. A few pleasantries, and they went straight to the heart of the matter. Sheng Yun asked: “Has Mother spoken with sister-in-law and come to a decision?”

The Great Madam said nothing. Minglan guessed she had given a nod. Then she heard Sheng Yun continue: “Well then, it was sister-in-law who was not thinking clearly to begin with. She did not want to seem as though she relied entirely on Elder Cousin Brother’s family — just because Wang Shi’s sister-in-law gave her a few cold looks! What of it? She dared to slight her own mother-in-law, to say nothing of us in trade. And Second Aunt and Cousin Brother have always been good to us — all help and support, never a second thought. What is the problem with that? But sister-in-law would insist on producing an official from their own family, and that’s how the Sun family was allowed to get so out of hand! …All right, all right — enough said. Mother, when do you plan to act?”

The Great Madam sighed and replied: “Everything has been prepared — it’ll be within these two days. Once it is done, have Shulan move in with you for a time and talk some sense into her. A woman who is spineless and does not stand up for herself will be looked down upon wherever she goes. If you see an opportunity, you might also send her to the Cang Village family of Guijie — that woman and I go back a long way, and she is about the best a person can be. She would never make Shulan feel unwelcome. Let Shulan go to the countryside for some fresh air.”

Sheng Yun gave what sounded like a grunt: “Shulan was good as a little girl — climbing mountains and herding cattle with my Guijie, bold and spirited and sharp. It was sister-in-law who pressed and squeezed her into what she is now. So much for ‘a proper young lady’ — and look at what that’s got her! Look at my Guijie — her in-laws and husband are honest people, her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law are all warm and close. She has such a sweet little life!”

Her tone carried no small measure of satisfaction. The Great Madam said with a light laugh: “That’s because her belly was obliging — that family has had a single son to carry on the line for nine generations. Guijie came in and gave them a son in four years. Now she’s expecting another one. That household treats her like a bodhisattva. But you must also remind her not to get complacent — careful not to slack off, or she’ll pay for it later!”

Sheng Yun, having made her mother laugh, threw in a few more anecdotes about her eldest daughter. Then she suddenly asked: “Oh, by the way, Mother — …that’s right, has all this been cleared with Second Aunt?”

The Great Madam replied: “Obviously! Did you think it was for nothing that I insisted on her coming this time? The old woman has her ways, but these years we’ve bent over backwards to accommodate her — surely we can manage her. From the moment that wretch set up a mistress outside, I had already made up my mind about this. This time your Second Aunt brought a letter from your Cousin Brother to the county magistrate, and Jinling is her own family’s home ground — her old connections are everywhere. I’d like to see what tricks that little wretch can manage.”

Sheng Yun said with hatred: “Hmph — the Sun family, those despicable people. Once Shulan is free of them, let’s see if they still have so much to strut about! Oh, speaking of which — Second Aunt is truly a good person.”

The Great Madam gave what seemed like a murmur of agreement: “Relatives ought to be like this. As long as we stand on firm ground and have something of worth to offer, we do right by Second Aunt’s family, and relatives help one another — you give a little, I give a little. That’s what it means to be family. Your sister-in-law has simply never understood this. And another thing — don’t pretend innocence with me! Do you think I don’t know? You wrote to your Second Aunt and had her come here, and you went and sang your Taisheng’s praises to her sky high. Be careful — if your sister-in-law and your Aunt both find out and turn on you!”

A clear sound of a teacup being set down. Sheng Yun seemed to be unhurriedly pouring herself some tea: “I know what plan you have in mind. You waited for Changwu to get married first, then sent him off to the capital, so now only Lan is left here — she’s just twelve, it’s too soon to talk of a match for her yet. Take advantage of this moment to get Shulan’s marriage dissolved, and in a few years when everyone’s forgotten about it, when Lan’s match is being discussed, there won’t be any interference. And even if there is some, it won’t matter — there’s still my Taisheng, isn’t there! Heh heh…”

The Great Madam seemed to be losing her temper: “You’re putting on this whole act — for whose benefit?! What’s wrong with Lan and your Taisheng — marriage within the family, making the bond even closer — what’s the objection?!” Sheng Yun gave a peal of bright laughter: “Oh my, Mother, you’ve got that backwards, haven’t you? It’s not me objecting to Lan — it’s that sister-in-law objects to my Taisheng! She looks down on your son-in-law because he comes from a farming family background. She wanted to get her hands on the Li family’s Young Yu! The Li family then couldn’t take to Lan, and she turned back around and decided my Taisheng was good after all. Hmph — sister-in-law is insufferable! My Taisheng may be second to none, whether you’re talking money or person — and for years, for Lan’s sake, I’ve turned away how many good families who came to propose for him! She treats it like nothing — wanting him, not wanting him, letting her pick and choose whenever it suits her? This time I’m simply not going to indulge her anymore!”

Sheng Yun seemed to have genuinely worked herself up. She set her teacup down with a firm clunk on the table.

The room was quiet for a good while. Then the Great Madam said very softly: “So you wrote to your Second Aunt and talked up your Taisheng at length.”

Sheng Yun admitted it straightforwardly: “Exactly. I know what plan you’ve been running. I know there are a few girls in Cousin Brother’s household — I wouldn’t dare set my sights on Wang Shi’s precious daughter. But the one raised at Second Aunt’s side — surely it’s within my rights to hope for her?”

Inside the hiding place, Minglan’s heart was in her throat. She silently cursed Lan over and over — for dragging her into this eavesdropping in the first place! For leaving before she could hear the part that mattered most! The part that concerned Lan’s own lifelong happiness — and she’d missed the whole second half. Serve her right! And Minglan was not going to tell her about it when they got back!

On the other side of the wall, the Great Madam said coolly: “And now?”

Sheng Yun gave a carefree laugh: “All right, I’ll admit it — when I originally asked Second Aunt to come, I wanted to knock sister-in-law down a peg or two. But afterward… ha ha, Mother, I won’t hide it from you — I really have started to mean it. Second Aunt has raised that child well. And she doesn’t affect the airs of a great lady either. She’s natural and composed. Her manners and bearing through and through — Mother, did you see how she eats, walks, and pays her respects? That’s what comes of being trained by palace attendants. Every movement is both lovely and proper. She is warm and gracious to people, and she can do embroidery and manage a household too… Mother, don’t give me that look. Don’t think of Taisheng as your grandson — think of him as your own son. If you were choosing a daughter-in-law, which would you want?”

Minglan heard herself praised so highly that her heart floated a little. Taisheng truly was a good boy, but — why, oh why, did he have to be a relative within the prohibited degrees? Lan, do you really intend to marry him? What about genetic concerns?

The Great Madam seemed to be struck speechless again. After a while, she said in a low voice: “But then what about Lan?”

Sheng Yun said with an airy wave: “Mother, don’t take it to heart. This is nowhere near settled yet — even if I like Minglan, Second Aunt still has to like my Taisheng. And by the way — Mother, have you noticed? It looks like the maternal aunt from the Li family has a few thoughts about Minglan herself?”

The Great Madam said without much patience: “Even you could see it — did you think no one else would? Not just that family — I hear your Second Aunt, when she was in Jinling, happened to run into an old close friend from her girlhood, and that family also has a son who seemed quite to your Second Aunt’s liking.”

Sheng Yun did not seem troubled: “That’s just it! So let’s wait and see what happens. If my Taisheng is fortunate and Second Aunt takes a liking to him, wonderful. If Second Aunt’s thoughts lie elsewhere, it’s all fine — there’s still Lan, isn’t there! Ha ha… does this count as what they call fortune turning full circle?”

The Great Madam scolded: “Now all of a sudden you’re not upset with your Second Aunt for being choosy about your Taisheng?”

Sheng Yun said in an unhurried drawl: “It’s different. For everything Second Aunt has done for me — as long as she doesn’t cook my Taisheng and eat him, it’s all fine.”