Regarding Liniang's visit to the Marquis of Dingbei's residence, Madam Yu observed that Sheniang showed no sign of disappointment. She remained as composed as ever—a far cry from the little girl who once vied for her parents' affection.
"Sheniang, how about I take you to visit your maternal grandparents tomorrow?" Madam Yu suggested.
Sheniang quickly shook her head. "No need, Mother. I have lessons tomorrow."
In truth, these days were the most leisurely she'd had—studying, exercising, and playing without any burdens. She only needed to keep a watchful eye on her mother and those around her, to understand the situation. Everything else could wait until the crisis passed.
With that thought, she noticed Madam Yu looked well today. And her father had no concubines, which meant no rivalry between wife and concubines. Could the threat then come from someone outside their branch?
Once this idea took hold, she racked her brain but couldn't think of anyone her mother had offended. Her mother neither managed the household nor sought to stand out—even the servants spoke highly of her.
Unable to puzzle it out, Sheniang didn't dwell on it and carried on as usual.
Yiniang, however, was different. When paying her respects to Madam Cao, she voiced her thoughts: "In a few days, it will be my mother's death anniversary. I beg you, Madam, to arrange a memorial rite for me. It would fulfill my filial duty."
"We already held a joint memorial during the Double Ninth Festival. Do you think I wouldn't have thought of it? This was your father's instruction." Though Madam Cao's expression was displeased, she still said the words.
Yiniang couldn't tell truth from falsehood, but in the days since her arrival, she'd observed that Madam Cao was narrow-minded, deeply calculating, and intolerant of others. Perhaps she was deliberately making trouble. The priority now was to win her father's trust—otherwise, with her low standing, nothing she said would carry weight.
Suisui, being straightforward, spoke up as they left: "Third Miss, Madam is definitely fobbing you off."
"And what can I do about it? Look around—how many in this household are willing to speak up for me?" Yiniang sighed softly.
Nanny Chang nodded. "Indeed. The Old Madam dotes on Fourth Miss and Sixth Miss, while Second Miss has her own mother and elder sister looking after her. As for Fifth Miss, she has her mother and brother. But for you, it's difficult—one tree cannot make a forest."
Yiniang said slowly, "That's exactly what worries me. For now, I must use one force to counter another."
After Yiniang and her attendants had walked far away, Madam Cao said to her trusted confidante, "She thinks I'm the one blocking her, little knowing it was her father's order. If the girl stays obedient, so much the better. But if she doesn't, we might as well let slip something about her mother—let her know how her mother came to bear her."
Her confidante giggled knowingly.
Madam Lu, having stirred the pot with no reaction from the Fifth Branch, inwardly cursed Yiniang for being useless. Passing through the corridor, she caught sight of Song Xianhui, the niece of Madam Lu of the Third Branch, and let out another cold snort, leaving Song Xianhui flustered and confused.
Song Xianhui ordinarily lived with her aunt, Madam Lu. Because Madam Lu was a widow, she was rather frugal with money and not generous toward her niece. But Madam Lu had one good quality: she was pragmatic.
Seeing that Second Miss, who was about the same age, had gone to the Marquis of Xin'an's residence—presumably to have her elder sister scheme on her behalf—and knowing that Miss Meng was ambitious and that Madam Meng, as the eldest daughter-in-law, held higher status than herself, Madam Lu realized she couldn't compete. Her niece's marriage prospects could not be delayed any longer.
But being a widow, she couldn't easily move about in society. This made her think of someone.
Meanwhile, Liniang had returned from the Marquis of Dingbei's residence. Word had it that both the old marchioness and the marchioness had sent gifts: a pair of white jade entwined-branch bracelets, a gold-and-jade ring, a pair of gold-inlaid eight-treasure earrings, and a gold-inlaid jade hairpin shaped like a peach branch with a parrot.
Sheniang watched as Liniang displayed the gifts to Madam Yu, who nodded slightly and had Nanny Chen put them away.
"Mother, Grandmother also asked if I wanted to keep Sixth Sister company. I declined—our own home is better," Liniang said with a smile.
Madam Yu felt somewhat comforted, though she said, "Your grandmother is fond of you."
Liniang shook her head. "I don't know what Grandmother sees in me."
Sheniang's expression didn't change upon hearing these words, but Nanny Xia felt distressed for her young mistress. When Sheniang came out and saw her wet nurse like this, she recalled how it had been in her previous life—Nanny Xia had worn the same worried look when Noble Consort Liu was in favor, squeezing Sheniang, then Empress, into a corner. But in the end, Sheniang had turned the tables.
Besides, her grudge with Liniang was from a past life. In this life, as long as Liniang didn't provoke her, she wouldn't make a move.
Otherwise, falling prey to jealousy would make her unable to bear others' good fortune and cause her to lose her composure.
Still, one shouldn't be too petty in dealing with people, but one must be meticulous in handling affairs. Having been reborn, she had taken first place in her studies this time—excelling in poetry, lyrics, and rhapsodies alike. Neither Yiniang nor Liniang had expected this and were quite astonished.
When Madam Yu learned of it, she personally paid to have the small kitchen prepare two of Sheniang's favorite dishes, waiting for Sixth Master Pei to return before dinner. At this hour, he would normally already be home.
Today they had waited a full half hour, and the dishes had been reheated once, before Sixth Master Pei finally returned from outside. It turned out that a fire had broken out along the route he had taken, and the soldiers of the Five City Patrol had sealed off the road, which was why he was late.
"That household's fire was bad enough, but it also spread and burned the neighbor's house. At least no one was seriously hurt," said Sixth Master Pei.
Sheniang looked at Sixth Master Pei. "But I heard that according to our Great Qi Code, setting fire to one's own house warrants forty strokes of the cane, and if the fire spreads and burns another's home, it warrants at least fifty strokes."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yu exclaimed, "How pitiful! Their own house caught fire, and they still get beaten."
"That's why they say to guard against trouble before it happens," said Sheniang, who also felt sorry for them. She had once known a wealthy young lady whose family had lost everything due to a house fire.
Fortunately, Sixth Master Pei explained, "The law is not without regard for human sentiment. Such matters are not necessarily handled that way."
Only then did Madam Yu and Sheniang feel at ease. But Sixth Master Pei suddenly noticed his youngest daughter's extraordinary qualities. He saw that when Liniang received a reward, she was neither jealous nor angry, and no matter what happened, she never made a fuss. At such a young age, she actually knew the penal code. This reminded him of someone—the Empress Mingde, who was called "a Yao and Shun among women" in the history books.
It was said that in Empress Mingde Ma's early years, when her elder brother died and her mother fell ill, she, at only ten years old, managed household affairs and directed the servants, handling matters both great and small within and without as if she were an adult.
His youngest daughter's conduct truly astonished him!
After the meal, once the daughters had left, Sixth Master Pei said to Madam Yu, "I always feel that our Sheniang's future prospects are limitless."
Madam Yu laughed. "What are you saying? Why bring this up out of nowhere?"
"I'm serious," said Sixth Master Pei, who prided himself on having a discerning eye.
Madam Yu, however, did not wish to continue this topic and brought up another matter instead: "Second Sister-in-law asked me to arrange a match for her niece. What do you think we should do?"
The main issue was that the Song family held no official rank, and the dowry would likely be meager as well—a disadvantage in the marriage market.
Sixth Master Pei disagreed. "It's not that we won't help, but where would we find such a person? Our daily associations are all with official families, and those people would be particular even about marrying our own daughters, let alone a Song girl. Besides, when she asked you to find someone, she may well have wanted a good match, but if the one you choose doesn't suit her, it will breed resentment in the future."
In a great family, the most important thing was not how to distinguish oneself, but to protect oneself first in all matters.
Madam Yu found this reasonable as well. Song Xianhui was actually excellent in learning and character, but her looks were not particularly outstanding. Even merchant families would consider appearance and bearing, and she had no confidence in that regard. Thus, she had no choice but to politely decline to Madam Lu.
"Third Sister-in-law, it's not that I won't help, but I don't go out much. I've considered all the eligible young men I know, and either they don't measure up to Miss Song, or their ages don't match. So there's really no way."
Madam Lu had placed all her hopes on Madam Yu, since Sixth Uncle held a capital post and had wide connections, but Madam Yu's explanation showed she had done her best. Though somewhat disappointed, Madam Lu still said, "Thank you, Sixth Sister-in-law, for your trouble. I'll take my time looking."
Seeing that Madam Lu bore no grudge, Madam Yu breathed a sigh of relief. She returned to her own courtyard after leaving the Third Branch, but unexpectedly Fourth Madam Huo came by. Since the Fourth and Sixth Branches were full brothers, Madam Huo had always been on good terms with Madam Yu, and she was very well-informed.
"Sixth Sister-in-law, in my view, it seems the Old Madam may intend to betroth Fourth Girl to her natal family's Marquis's household in the future."
Madam Yu had the same suspicion, but she had always thought Shunniang was the Old Madam's most beloved granddaughter, so how could such a good thing fall to their Liniang? Yet this time, Old Madam Pei had taken Liniang along of her own accord, which did seem to hint at something. But nothing was certain yet, so she only said, "In any case, Fourth Girl is only eleven (by nominal age), not too old. She still has two elder sisters above her, so talk of betrothal is who knows how far off."
Madam Huo agreed. She had no children of her own, and her husband was full brother to Sixth Master, so in the future she would inevitably rely on the Sixth Branch. Since Madam Yu was also easy to get along with, she actively drew closer.
Thus, she added, "Last year Father-in-law celebrated his sixtieth birthday. This year we'll need to prepare for his birthday again. I plan to make a pair of knee pads and two pairs of shoes and socks."
Madam Yu smiled. "Fourth Sister-in-law, we think alike. I was also planning to have Liniang and Sheniang make some needlework pieces as well."
"How are their needlework skills?" Madam Huo asked.
Madam Yu said in a low voice, "Liniang's isn't good. Last time she made a pouch herself, and the threads were loose and sloppy. Sheniang is younger, but her work is quite good."
Madam Huo laughed along.
Sheniang had indeed begun preparing a birthday gift for her grandfather. It wasn't that her skills were good because she had been reborn—in her previous life, her needlework had always been excellent. Even many of the emperor's personal garments had been made by her.
Of course, if one were to speak of who in the family had the finest needlework, it would have to be Second Sister Yueniang. Her hands were the most nimble; the butterflies she embroidered were lifelike, the flowers she embroidered were dewy and vibrant, and the birds and fish she embroidered seemed almost alive.
However, Yueniang had gone to the Marquis of Xin'an's residence—who knew if she'd even have time to do the needlework.
Qiuju and Dongmei both brought over bolts of fabric. "Miss, we've brought some of our usual cloth. Which ones would you like?"
Sheniang shook her head. "These aren't right. I want yellow silk gauze. Qiuju, open the money box and go buy some outside—be discreet, don't let anyone know. If anyone asks, say you're buying pastries for me, understand?"
Qiuju was the senior maid, tight-lipped and reliable in handling matters, and she understood immediately.
Sheniang knew her grandfather favored cool, airy clothing and disliked using an umbrella on rainy days. She would make him a raincoat from yellow silk gauze—this was all the rage now, and such raincoats were also called "Amber Rain-Coats."
There were plenty of people making shoes and socks, and knee pads were worn underneath, and even pouches were probably made by the dozen. But a raincoat alone—it had to both suit his tastes and be one of a kind.
Her grandfather was devoted to Daoist cultivation in his daily life, so she could also select a scripture and embroider it on the outside of the raincoat—thus killing two birds with one stone.
On the other side, Liniang directly told Nanny Chen, "Better leave this needlework to Xiahe. Last time I did a piece, it came out loose and sloppy, and everyone said it didn't look like my handiwork."
Nanny Chen smiled. "Your poetry is excellent. Why not write a poem and have Xiahe embroider it on a pouch or handkerchief? With such a clever idea, the Old Master is sure to appreciate you."
Though everyone now flocked to curry favor with Old Madam Pei, it was Old Master Pei who truly held sway in the household—this, Nanny Chen understood well.
Therefore, one had to first win the Old Master's favor, and then Old Madam Pei wouldn't favor Sixth Miss Shunniang. This would surely let their own young miss stand out and secure a good marriage with the Marquis of Dingbei's household.
Whether it was prestige or dowry, she could get first pick. Otherwise, if they waited for Madam Yu to arrange things, their young miss would have to share with Fifth Miss, and there wouldn't be much left.
And only if the young miss was honored could she, as her nanny, be honored too!