First Young Madam had a quiet disposition. Throughout the journey, she spoke no unnecessary words, silently accompanying Seventh Miss into Qingping Court in the southwest of Xiao Cuijin. An old nanny from Madam Xu’s side had already emerged from the courtyard with a smile, welcoming Seventh Miss and the two nannies into the main hall.
“Your timing is unfortunate—Madam just took her medicine and went to sleep.” The old nanny smiled as she served tea to Seventh Miss and First Young Madam, then stood to the side with lowered hands to deliver her report.
Seventh Miss glanced at the old nanny, then swept her gaze around the room.
The blue brick floor was polished to a mirror shine. The curio shelves lining all four walls were filled to capacity with precious trinkets. In terms of value, they were in no way inferior to the furnishings in Grand Madam Ni’s quarters. Though the old nanny was a servant, she wore tribute satin rarely seen even in ordinary official households…
It seemed that though Madam Xu was often ill, she ultimately hadn’t lost her real authority.
First Young Madam lifted her tea and took a sip, then rarely spoke up—her Shanxi accent still unmistakable. “Mother didn’t sleep well last night? When I came to pay respects this morning, they said she was still sleeping. How is it that…”
The old nanny sighed along with her. “First Young Madam is thoughtful. Last night Madam suffered from insomnia again. She only managed to fall asleep this morning, so naturally she rose late.”
She then apologized to Seventh Miss. “This has made Miss Seven come for nothing. Oh my, you’re truly a grown young lady now. That year in Suzhou, you were just this small…”
After exchanging pleasantries with Seventh Miss and chatting a few idle words, First Young Madam rose to take her leave. “I won’t disturb Mother further. I’ll take my in-law sister to see Sixth Sister-in-law.”
When mentioning Fifth Miss, the form of address she used was “Sixth Sister-in-law.”
The old nanny was also very cordial toward First Young Madam, showing no contempt due to her Shanxi accent. She smiled as she saw First Young Madam and Seventh Miss out of Qingping Court, watching them depart before turning back inside.
The failure to meet Madam Xu at Qingping Court left Seventh Miss somewhat uneasy. Madam Xu’s illness seemed to have manifested five or six years ago, but from the onset, the condition had been severe. According to Fifth Miss’s letters, just in the one year since she’d entered the household, Madam Xu had come close to death several times.
With her health deteriorated to this extent, she naturally couldn’t manage household affairs. Fifth Miss was the Heir’s Wife—by rights, after a full year of marriage she should take charge of household management, but unexpectedly she’d become pregnant in her first year. The household affairs seemed to have returned to Grand Madam Ni’s hands…
Forget it—she could ask Fifth Miss about such matters in a moment for the clearest answer. Seventh Miss shook her head slightly and made conversation with First Young Madam. “Why doesn’t Fifth Sister live within Xiao Cuijin? I thought all the family’s womenfolk resided in the rear garden.”
First Young Madam smiled faintly. “Oh, actually Xiao Cuijin is by custom merely a place to enjoy scenery. None of us live inside it. We all ordinarily reside in the outer courtyards. Sixth Brother’s family lives in Mingde Hall…”
She casually introduced a few details to Seventh Miss, then fell silent again.
The atmosphere at Duke Pingguo’s estate was truly far more oppressive than the Yang household.
The two walked slowly for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before exiting Xiao Cuijin. They proceeded along a pathway beside the side rooms of the main courtyard, then turned a corner to see a five-bay hall with carved beams and painted rafters situated in the center of the compound. Seven pairs of roof beasts in various postures adorned the eaves. The plaque reading “Mingde Hall” hung high, its inscription and seal even gilded—the current Emperor’s own calligraphy. The maids accompanying First Young Madam hurried ahead to announce them. Before long, Fifth Miss emerged from the house holding her belly, personally coming out to greet them.
“Elder Sister-in-law, Seventh Sister!” She called out with a smile. “Seventh Sister, it’s been so long!”
Fifth Miss had grown slightly plumper, her face rounder, but her manner hadn’t changed much—still spoiled with a touch of willfulness, though a hint of innocence still flickered between her brows.
Seeing Seventh Miss, her smile held genuine joy from the heart. Disregarding First Young Madam, she rushed forward to grasp Seventh Miss’s hand and pull her inside. “Finally seeing family from home! Yang Qi, let me tell you—though I sometimes found you annoying at home, this past year I’ve actually missed you quite a bit!”
Still so frank and outspoken!
Seventh Miss couldn’t help but laugh aloud. She glanced apologetically at First Young Madam and gently chided Fifth Miss. “Fifth Sister, you should also greet First Young Madam…”
First Young Madam smiled and waved her hand, rarely revealing a trace of mischief. “I know that seeing her own sister, Sixth Sister-in-law certainly won’t remember to greet me—which is perfect, as Brother Guang had some stomach trouble this morning. I apologize to my in-law sister, but I’ll return to the courtyard to check on him first and come back for you later.”
Fifth Miss and Seventh Miss smiled as they saw First Young Madam off together, then returned hand in hand to the main hall to talk. Fifth Miss pulled Seventh Miss’s hand as she introduced things. “The east wing is the Heir’s area. From last year until now, it’s only been occupied for about ten days. I usually stay in the west wing. Come, come, I’ll show you.”
This was a typical northern-style main hall—the eaves relatively low to retain warmth. The blue brick floor was toasty warm, heat rising from below: underfloor heating had been installed. The hall had no curio shelves. Several precious furnishings were casually placed on small standing tables in the corners, displaying a careless sort of wealth. Entering from the hall led to a long corridor with doors opening on both sides. The west wing alone had five rooms, alternating bright and dark. Fifth Miss pulled Seventh Miss straight into the western inner room by the outer wall—clearly this was where she received guests. Several types of tea snacks were already arranged on the small kang table. Guyu and Chunfen were busy pouring tea. Seeing Seventh Miss enter, they greeted her with smiles. “Seventh Miss has arrived! Our mistress has been thinking about preparing good food for you since early morning! Hearing you were coming today, she didn’t sleep well last night! She got up early to tidy the room, just waiting for you!”
Fifth Miss laughed and spat lightly, supporting her waist as she sat by the kang, then exchanged warm greetings with Nanny Liang and Nanny Tai. “Two nannies, how long has it been!”
Nanny Tai was composed enough, but Nanny Liang’s face was already covered in tears. “Over a year without seeing Miss—Miss has truly grown up…”
She had watched Fifth Miss grow up, so their bond was different from others. Fifth Miss naturally didn’t treat her as an ordinary servant. Smiling, she patted Nanny Liang’s hand. “Seeing each other is a happy occasion—why are you crying? Chunfen, take Nanny Tai outside for tea. You’ve worked hard half the morning—sit and rest a while!”
She then urged Seventh Miss to eat the snacks. “Later at Leshan Residence during the meal, you definitely won’t be able to eat much. Fill your stomach first so you don’t get hungry in this cold weather and fall ill when you return.”
Seventh Miss couldn’t help but smile. “Oh my, Fifth Sister has become considerate after getting married!” She examined Fifth Miss’s complexion carefully, then reached to touch her belly. “Is the baby well-behaved?”
Fifth Miss waved her hand casually. “It’s just a lump of flesh—what does well-behaved or not mean? But it’s growing fierce! The midwife says that though it’s only six months, it’s already as big as others at full term.”
Mentioning the child, her spirits visibly dropped. Instead, she was very concerned about the family situation, asking urgently, “Is everyone at home well? I heard Ninth Brother didn’t come to the capital—what happened? Are Father and Mother’s health good?”
Seventh Miss and Nanny Liang together gave Fifth Miss a detailed account. Ninth Brother had stayed behind to go directly to the Northwest for the examination this summer rather than make the trip to the capital. First Master and First Madam were both in good health. First Madam still had her old problem of coughing and wheezing. First Master had developed a habit of taking short naps over the past year, but with medication, nothing serious…
Fifth Miss was very relieved. “Safe and sound—that’s good!”
She suddenly raised her head with a somewhat haughty air. “Hmph, the affairs of this world are truly unpredictable. Just this past April, who knew Father would join the cabinet as minister? The Xu family looked down on me for nothing—you should have seen their faces. In June, Grandfather passed away… By July, well then, once the transfer order came down, everyone who saw me wore a different face—people in the capital really have no character at all!”
Seventh Miss couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Nanny Liang.
In ancient times communication was inconvenient. Many things weren’t suitable to write in letters, especially for married daughters who customarily reported good news but not bad to their natal families.
After marrying into the Xu family, Fifth Miss’s letters contained only the two words “all is well,” at most adding a few sentences about trivial Xu family matters. About her own circumstances in her husband’s household, she never mentioned a word.
First Madam’s greatest worry was whether Fifth Miss had suffered hardships at the Xu household. Sending Seventh Miss to visit as a guest—the most important purpose was for her most trusted confidante to see Fifth Miss’s situation with her own eyes.
Seventh Miss asked in a low voice, “So at the Xu household… are you happy or unhappy?”
Fifth Miss lowered her head without speaking. After a long while, she finally smiled. “These snacks were specially prepared for you—eat!”
Seventh Miss’s heart immediately sank.
She had long known the Xu household was no shallow estate. A new bride entering the family would inevitably suffer some grievances.
A century-old aristocratic family at the eye of the storm, with sisters-in-law all legitimate daughters of prominent families, each with their own backing, and the grandmother-in-law and mother-in-law at odds… Though extremely wealthy, private conflicts and disputes would certainly be abundant.
However, Fifth Miss was after all related to her mother-in-law. As long as Madam Xu was willing to protect her somewhat, she shouldn’t suffer too much at the Xu household. To put it bluntly, the several sisters-in-law merely held the title of elder sister-in-law. In terms of family background and dowry, not many surpassed Fifth Miss.
How could she be unwilling to even mention this…
Seventh Miss lifted the blue-and-white small cup of beef bone tea and took a sip, gazing at Fifth Miss without speaking. Fifth Miss propped her chin on the kang table. After quite a while, she wiped her eyes. “Sigh.”
Then she looked at Nanny Liang.
Nanny Liang understood tactfully that the sisters had private matters to discuss. She rose and made small talk with Chunfen as they left the room. “Let’s see what the Heir’s east wing looks like…”