“This line needs to be a little finer.”
Wen Yunyi stood behind the dressing table, her fingertips gently lifting Xu Mingshu’s chin as her gaze rested on the floral mark on her forehead, just on the verge of completion.
The morning light outside the window was just right, making the reflection in the bronze mirror appear brighter than usual. Today was Xu Mingshu’s coming-of-age ceremony, and Pear Moon Pavilion had been bustling since before dawn. Those arranging her hair, carrying garments, adjusting hairpins and crowns, bringing water and handing towels—people moved back and forth without a moment’s pause. Yet at the dressing table itself, there was an unexpected quiet, broken only by the soft sounds of cosmetic boxes opening and closing.
Xu Mingshu sat before the mirror in her inner robe, her back straight, though her eyes kept darting toward her reflection.
“Sister-in-law, is it not done yet?” she asked, though her tone already carried barely restrained anticipation.
“What’s the hurry?” Wen Yunyi held a fine brush, her expression focused. “A forehead ornament is not like applying lip rouge—you cannot finish it with a casual dab. Today is your coming-of-age ceremony, not a trip to chase butterflies in the garden.”
Xu Mingshu was silenced by the remark. She gave a soft huff but did not dare move again, sitting obediently.
Bai Lan stood to the side, holding the prepared gold powder and ornament box for Wen Yunyi. Looking at the mirror, her eyes brightened slightly.
This particular forehead design had been finalized by Wen Yunyi only the night before.
She had not followed the usual patterns of peonies or plum blossoms, nor had she chosen the traditional dense styles that covered the forehead. Instead, she took inspiration from pear blossoms and a crescent moon. Above the center of the brow, she drew a delicate, faint arc of gold—a slender new moon. Beneath it, she dotted three tiny pear blossoms, highlighting their centers with fine pearl powder and softening the edges with a light blush tint. On its own, it was not striking, but on Xu Mingshu’s small face, it perfectly brought out the liveliness, lightness, and youthful innocence of a girl on the cusp of adulthood.
This was something Wen Yunyi had long mastered when she studied painting.
Composition, spacing, balance, color layering, and focal points—she understood them instinctively. Whether on paper or on the small space of a young lady’s forehead, the principle was the same.
Thus, this crescent and three blossoms carried more spirit than any crowded floral design.
“It’s done.” Wen Yunyi finally set down her brush and stepped back.
Xu Mingshu immediately lifted her eyes to the mirror.
In the reflection, the young girl’s complexion was clear, her eyes bright. The crescent moon and pear blossoms rested lightly upon her brow, neither vulgar nor overly mature—it was as if she had been born with such an ornament.
She stared for a moment, stunned.
“This…” She blinked, her voice softening. “This is too beautiful.”
Qing Tao, who had been craning her neck to look, immediately laughed. “When Young Lady steps out today, she might just dazzle everyone in the entire residence.”
This time, Xu Mingshu did not bother to argue. She reached up to touch her forehead but hesitated, afraid of smudging it, and quickly withdrew her hand. “Sister-in-law, did you paint this?”
“Who else would it be? Governess Tao?” Wen Yunyi placed the brush back into its case, her tone indifferent.
Yet that very indifference made her skill seem effortless.
Xu Mingshu gazed at her reflection, a smile gradually spreading across her lips. Even the lingering frustration from being disciplined by Governess Tao over the past days faded. At her age, she loved brightness and excitement, and having such a unique ornament for her coming-of-age ceremony delighted her immensely.
“No one else will have this design, right?” she asked again.
“You are coming of age. Naturally, it is only for you,” Wen Yunyi replied calmly. “If everyone had the same, what would be the point of the ceremony?”
The words were light, yet they warmed Xu Mingshu’s heart. She tried to maintain her composure, huffing softly. “That’s more like it.”
With the makeup complete, the garments and hair ornaments were brought in one by one.
For this ceremony, Wen Yunyi had overseen everything from beginning to end. The fabrics had been chosen early, the main color a soft yet vibrant apricot red, with delicate gold patterns along the hem—bright enough for a young lady, yet not frivolous. Hairpins, ceremonial items, seating arrangements, and floral decorations had all been carefully planned. Two days prior, she had even personally inspected the flowers for the banquet, rejecting the usual pomegranates and peonies as too gaudy, and instead choosing half-bloomed gardenias paired with slender white porcelain vases—fitting for summer without overshadowing the young lady herself.
As the auspicious hour approached, the entire Duke’s Manor seemed to glow with the occasion.
Light gauze curtains had been newly hung along the corridors before the Main Chamber, swaying gently in the breeze. The floral arrangements in the courtyard were simple, yet their freshness lent an understated elegance. When the visiting ladies entered, they first saw order—and within that order, subtle ingenuity.
The Duchess sat at the head, dressed more formally than usual.
Seeing everything proceed smoothly—the tea service, pastries, guiding maids, and seating arrangements all perfectly in place—she could not suppress her satisfaction.
As the guests gathered, the household members took their places.
Zheng Lingyun sat toward the end among the ladies, watching the ceremony unfold.
She wore her usual understated attire, the smoky blue dress enhancing her delicate beauty. Yet all the brightness, festivity, and grandeur filling the hall and courtyard were not hers. As she watched Xu Mingshu receive the rites step by step, saw the Duchess’s smile, and observed how every gaze in the room fell upon that apricot-red attire and the pear blossom crescent on her brow, she first felt admiration, which slowly sank into bitterness.
She recalled her own coming-of-age day.
The Zheng family had not been incapable of holding a ceremony, but it had been a strained display of propriety. The banquet had not been shabby, and the clothing and jewelry had been acceptable—but “acceptable” was all it had been. Nothing compared to what lay before her now, where even the flowers behind the screen, the incense burner on the table, and the ornament on the young lady’s forehead had been specially chosen for this single day.
Sitting here now, she did not merely envy Xu Mingshu.
She envied the Duke’s Manor itself, a family of such standing. She envied a mother like the Duchess. She envied the ease of having everything prepared for her.
As this thought settled, Zheng Lingyun’s gaze drifted toward Wen Yunyi.
Wen Yunyi was not dressed extravagantly, wearing only a few jade and gold hairpins. Yet this simplicity made her appear even more composed.
Watching her, another thought slowly took shape in Zheng Lingyun’s mind.
In terms of beauty, she did not believe herself inferior to Wen Yunyi.
As for etiquette and bearing, after studying under Governess Tao these past days, she did not think herself lacking. Wen Yunyi’s position in this household was not due solely to her background—but neither did Zheng Lingyun think herself inherently lesser.
With that thought, her earlier admiration for Xu Mingshu transformed into something heavier, more intense.
She must not marry beneath her station.
After the ceremony, it was time for gift-giving.
The Duchess presented a set of red-gold kingfisher-feather jewelry, dignified and befitting the mistress of the household. Xu Jinzhi gave a jade-inlaid ruyi scepter—modest in appearance yet appropriate to his status. Wen Yunyi gifted a delicate pearl necklace she had commissioned according to Xu Mingshu’s preferences, pairing pearls with white jade in a design both youthful and refined.
Xu Mingshu’s eyes lit up at the gifts.
But when Jiang Yunzhi’s offering was presented, even the assembled ladies could not help but take notice.
She had given a pair of red-gold bracelets set with southern pearls, along with a finely crafted white jade longevity lock. Each pearl was round and luminous, clearly of exceptional quality. The Jiang family, being salt merchants, possessed considerable wealth, and their generosity surpassed that of ordinary official households.
Standing among the guests, Jiang Yunzhi smiled gently. “Today is Young Lady’s coming-of-age ceremony. I have nothing particularly fine to offer, only a few items with auspicious meaning. May Young Lady’s future be safe and smooth.”
Her words were modest yet gracious.
Xu Mingshu, straightforward by nature, wore her feelings plainly. Seeing such beautiful and valuable gifts, she beamed. “And you call this nothing fine?”
The room filled with laughter.
Even the Duchess looked at Jiang Yunzhi with a hint of approval.
Wen Yunyi stood to the side, her heart calm.
Jiang Yunzhi had wealth, fortune, and popularity—she was practically endowed with the advantages of a favored heroine. Wen Yunyi would have to be foolish to compete with her in such areas. Lavish gifts were Jiang Yunzhi’s strength. Trying to surpass her would only lead to frustration.
She had long come to terms with this.
Survival mattered most.
Managing the household, organizing ceremonies, receiving guests—what others saw as power within the inner quarters felt increasingly like a job to her. The Duchess was like a female superior, Xu Jinzhi a male superior, Xu Mingshu a troublesome but not malicious child of the bosses, and Jiang Yunzhi a colleague blessed with resources and good fortune.
She did not need to win against anyone.
As long as she performed her duties well, avoided mistakes, and steadily maintained her position, it was already far better than her previous life.
At least in this life, she had not started from the very bottom.
She had begun as a supervisor.
At the thought, Wen Yunyi almost laughed to herself, the corners of her eyes softening slightly. She adjusted her sleeve, her expression returning to calm, as if that fleeting thought had never existed.
After the ceremony, the liveliness shifted toward the banquet.
Xu Mingshu, however, was reluctant to remove the forehead ornament. She pulled Wen Yunyi toward the mirror again, sitting and admiring herself repeatedly. She raised her hand but did not dare touch, her eyes shining.
“Sister-in-law, this is really beautiful.” She turned, her tone carrying rare sincerity. “Will you paint it for me again in the future?”
“You are not coming of age every day,” Wen Yunyi replied, though her tone was gentle.
Xu Mingshu huffed but did not take offense, continuing to admire herself in the mirror.
The Duchess entered from behind, a smile in her eyes. She had already been satisfied with the day, and seeing her daughter still so delighted made it all the more worthwhile.
Zheng Lingyun stood at a distance, watching the reflection of that radiant face adorned with the ornament, then glancing at Wen Yunyi standing calmly behind.
The envy, jealousy, and unwillingness in her heart slowly sank to the depths.
She neither lingered nor stepped forward, simply retreating quietly and lowering her gaze.
Yet within her sleeve, her fingers slowly clenched.