On the third day after Xu Mingshu’s coming-of-age ceremony, an extra gilded lacquer tray appeared in the Duchess’s main chamber.
Several invitation cards were pressed inside the tray, along with two neatly folded floral note papers. All had been delivered over the past two days under the pretense of paying respects, exchanging gifts, or visiting old acquaintances.
Not one sentence openly said seeking marriage, yet the winding hints between the lines were enough to place the meaning plainly before one’s eyes.
The Duchess reclined against the couch, turning her prayer beads as she instructed Guiqiong to spread the cards out.
“It has only been a few days.” She gave a soft snort. “And one by one, they’ve already caught the scent and come.”
Wen Yunyi sat below her, with the newly organized storehouse ledgers and summer clothing lists beside her hand. Hearing that, she lifted her eyes and first looked toward the topmost floral note card dusted with gold.
The paper was fine and smooth, carrying a faint scent of agarwood. Clearly, it had not been written casually.
“Mother wants me to look?” she asked.
The Duchess glanced at her and did not bother to circle around the matter.
“Now that you manage the household, these matters will pass through your hands sooner or later.”
As she spoke, she pointed to the leftmost invitation card in the tray.
“This one came from Earl Anping’s Manor. Their words are polite. They say the old madam of the house heard Mingshu has come of age and wishes to have their young lady visit to speak with her.”
Wen Yunyi lowered her eyes and smiled faintly.
“Surely not for conversation.”
The Duchess said, “If one only looks at rank, Earl Anping’s Manor is not bad. But that household is too crowded. The old madam is still alive, the countess is someone who loves to suppress others with rules, and below them is a pile of sons and daughters by concubines. With Mingshu’s temperament, if she entered there, she would be angered to tears within three days.”
The words were blunt, yet entirely accurate.
Wen Yunyi nodded and casually moved that card to the right side.
“Then that one is unsuitable.”
The Duchess pointed at another.
“This family belongs to an Academician Reader of the Hanlin Academy. Refined and honorable, with a good reputation. I hear their son is proper as well. But he is too proper, and physically frail. He looks as though a gust of wind might knock him over. If Mingshu truly married there, one loud shout from her would probably startle him.”
Even Danzhi, serving nearby, nearly failed to suppress her laughter.
The corners of Wen Yunyi’s eyes bent slightly as well.
She took the invitation card and glanced at it, though in her heart she had an entirely different system of sorting.
Family rank, household population, elders, the groom himself, family customs, complexity of the inner residence…
If one really thought about it, it was not much different from screening résumés.
The hardware was birth and prospects.
The software was family values and character.
As for whether married life would be smooth, that depended on whether the household’s organizational structure was a chaotic pot of porridge.
Looking down at the card, she sighed silently.
Seeing her quiet, the Duchess had Guiqiong hand over the bottommost invitation.
“This one—look carefully.”
Wen Yunyi accepted it.
Compared to the others, it was much plainer, written on clean bamboo-patterned stationery. It was signed from the residence of the Left Vice Censor.
The wording inside was proper, merely stating that the lady of the house had some acquaintance with the Duchess from years past and wished to choose a day to pay a visit.
After reading it, Wen Yunyi asked, “Mother thinks this family is worth considering?”
This time the Duchess did not answer immediately. She raised her teacup and took a sip first.
“Their standing is respectable, and the household is simple. I have met that madam a few times. She is not one who enjoys tormenting others. As for her son, I hear he is fairly capable. He can write well enough, and his riding and archery are passable. Most importantly, his temperament is not frivolous.”
Only then did she raise her eyes to Wen Yunyi.
“But all of this is what I’ve heard. If hearsay can be trusted halfway, that is already good enough.”
Wen Yunyi understood her meaning.
This was one worth truly investigating.
Just then, the curtain outside stirred, and Xu Mingshu first poked her head in.
“May I come in?”
The moment the Duchess heard that tone, she knew Xu Mingshu had most likely caught wind of something. She gave a cold laugh.
“In your own home, and you’ve learned to pretend to be obedient outside the door?”
Xu Mingshu grinned and lifted her skirt as she entered.
Today she wore a tender willow-green blouse with a moon-white skirt beneath. Her hairstyle carried two more traces of a young girl on the verge of womanhood than before.
Yet that innocent liveliness remained. The moment her eyes turned, they went straight toward the gilded lacquer tray.
“Mother, are you talking about my marriage?”
“You’ve grown long ears indeed.” The Duchess set her prayer beads on the table. “Since you know it concerns you, why don’t you sit properly first?”
Xu Mingshu obediently sat down, but the curiosity in her eyes could not be hidden.
She looked at the Duchess, then at Wen Yunyi, held herself back for a moment, but ultimately failed.
“Who are they all?”
The Duchess could not be bothered to explain in detail.
“Some are only testing the waters. Once your coming-of-age ceremony was finished, naturally many people remembered you.”
The moment Xu Mingshu heard that, her face reddened first, then she wrinkled her nose.
“How troublesome.”
Wen Yunyi had been flipping through the invitations. Hearing that, she raised her eyes.
“What is troublesome?”
“It just is.” Xu Mingshu twisted the handkerchief in her hands. “I’ve only just come of age. Why is everyone so eager to watch me get married? Don’t their families have anything else to do?”
The words were so childish that both Danzhi and Guiqiong lowered their heads.
Even the Duchess was amused into anger.
“You think everyone is like you, spending all day wondering whether today’s hairpin is pretty or whether tomorrow’s sweets are sweet enough? Marriages among noble families were never decided in a day or two.”
Xu Mingshu puffed her cheeks at being scolded, but she also knew she could not pretend not to hear about such matters. She could only sit there sullenly.
After a while, she could not resist asking in a roundabout way:
“Then… one should at least choose someone pleasant to look at, right?”
The moment those words were spoken, even Wen Yunyi glanced at her.
“You think rather practically,” she said.
Xu Mingshu immediately lifted her chin.
“Of course. His family standing should be good, but he cannot look too terrible either. If I had to stare at a block of wood every day, I’d rather not marry at all.”
The Duchess’s temple throbbed.
“Try speaking one more nonsense sentence.”
Xu Mingshu instantly closed her mouth, though her eyes drifted pitifully toward Wen Yunyi, as if waiting for her to defend her.
Wen Yunyi did no such thing. She merely placed the Censorate invitation gently back into the tray.
“Family standing, family customs, household structure, temperament—all must be considered. Appearance naturally counts as one item too, but it does not rank first.”
Xu Mingshu immediately became dissatisfied.
“Why not?”
“Because a handsome face might only please your eyes for a few glances. Bad family customs, however, can make you miserable for a lifetime.”
Wen Yunyi’s tone was calm.
Even the Duchess nodded at those words.
Xu Mingshu was left speechless. After a long pause, she muttered softly:
“But he still can’t be too ugly.”
Her expression—fearful and curious, disdainful yet unable to stop asking—lightened the atmosphere in the room.
Just then, another servant came to report that Concubine Jiang had arrived.
When Jiang Yunzhi entered, she still carried that soft and gentle manner. Only a slender white jade hairpin adorned her bun, and because the weather was turning warmer, even her makeup was lighter than usual.
She first performed a courtesy greeting. Seeing the room full of people, she showed no awkwardness, only smiled.
“Has this concubine come at an inconvenient time?”
“Not particularly,” said the Duchess. “We were speaking of Mingshu’s marriage. Sit as well.”
Hearing that, Jiang Yunzhi’s gaze swept across the lacquer tray once, and she immediately understood.
She was naturally intelligent, and being born into a merchant family, had seen more of worldly dealings than ordinary women of the inner household.
After sitting down and listening to only a few lines, she softly said:
“As for these families, this concubine has heard my natal family mention one or two things.”
The Duchess looked at her.
“Speak.”
Jiang Yunzhi first spoke of Earl Anping’s Manor.
“The Earl’s household naturally has excellent standing. But recently, when my aunt returned from a banquet, she casually mentioned that the principal madam of that house most loves displaying authority before sisters-in-law and younger generations. The young ladies of that family are not especially harmonious either.”
She spoke lightly, without judgment.
“Mingshu’s temperament is straightforward. If she truly went there, I fear she would feel constrained.”
Those words coincided exactly with what the Duchess had said earlier.
She then mentioned the Hanlin household.
“That young master’s writing is said to be excellent, but I hear his constitution truly is weak, and his mother protects him too tightly. Someone as lively as Mingshu may not necessarily suit him.”
As the Duchess listened, her expression softened another measure.
What was most valuable about Jiang Yunzhi was not merely that she could speak, but that what she said was always exactly appropriate.
She did not rush to be the first to speak, nor pretend to know everything. She merely filled in what she knew, seeming well-informed without becoming annoying.
Listening from the side, Wen Yunyi understood as well.
Jiang Yunzhi did not merely possess money. She truly had information and connections.
Merchant families had merchant-family channels. They did not necessarily know less than noble ladies.
She was the kind of high-level player who came with her own resource package.
Since that was so, each should manage their own sphere.
Jiang Yunzhi could supplement intelligence; she herself would make decisions.
Only when leadership divisions were clear could the project advance smoothly.
At that thought, Wen Yunyi nearly laughed at the phrase project advance in her own mind. She had to lower her eyes to the invitations to hide the trace of amusement.
But in this room, someone could not laugh.
Today, Zheng Lingyun had originally come to pay respects to the Duchess after finishing lessons with Governess Tao.
She had arrived half a step late. Just as she reached the corridor outside, she heard words like “Earl Anping’s Manor,” “Censorate,” and “Hanlin Academy” from inside.
Her footsteps involuntarily halted.
Standing outside the curtain, she did not rashly enter.
Bi Xuan followed behind her and heard enough that even her breathing grew lighter.
Zheng Lingyun lowered her eyes, her fingers slowly tightening inside her sleeve.
Of course she knew what those names meant.
They were all proper, prominent families in the capital.
If it were the Zheng family, even passing word to them would require pulling strings.
Yet now, one after another, they were sounding out Duke’s Manor—for Xu Mingshu alone.
And the Xu Mingshu inside was still complaining it was troublesome, even wanting to choose based on whether the man was handsome.
Standing outside the curtain, Zheng Lingyun felt as though something had lodged in her throat.
Both were unmarried young ladies.
One had only just come of age, and a whole room of people was carefully selecting marriage prospects for her—rank, refinement, prospects, family customs—every category laid out for her choosing.
The other had been delayed until now, and could only barely stand near the shadow of such families by relying on her maternal aunt’s status and the excuse of etiquette lessons.
The wind passed beneath the corridor, making the curtain edge sway gently.
Behind her, Bi Xuan softly called,
“Young Lady…”
Only then did Zheng Lingyun return to herself.
She lifted the curtain and entered as though she had heard nothing at all, walking in with perfect propriety.
“Maternal Aunt.”
The Duchess saw her, expression still mild and distant.
“Finished with lessons?”
“Yes.” Zheng Lingyun lowered her head in reply. “Governess Tao explained things in detail today. Lingyun was delayed a little and has come late.”
The words were steady, revealing not the slightest trace that she had heard anything outside.
After sitting, she did not once look toward the lacquer tray again. She merely listened quietly, responding when appropriate, placing herself exactly into the role a visiting cousin young lady ought to have.
After speaking for some time, the Duchess saw the hour had grown late and had Guiqiong gather the invitations again.
“No need to decide immediately,” she said. “It does no harm to look more. Mingshu’s marriage may be slower, but it cannot be mistaken.”
The words landed firmly.
Wen Yunyi answered once, while silently ranking the families again in her heart.
When the gathering dispersed and everyone began leaving, Xu Mingshu still tugged at Wen Yunyi, asking:
“Sister-in-law, did you think the Censorate family was rather good?”
“Only worth considering, not good,” Wen Yunyi replied evenly.
“Then what counts as good?”
Without stopping her steps, Wen Yunyi only answered:
“When you truly meet it, you will naturally know.”
The answer was as good as no answer at all.
Xu Mingshu stamped her foot in irritation, yet still followed behind her, unwilling to let go, like a little cat with its appetite teased.
Zheng Lingyun walked behind them, her face still carrying that same unhurried calmness.
Only after returning to her own courtyard did she slowly place the handkerchief in her hand upon the table.
Bi Xuan removed the jeweled flowers from her hair and carefully asked,
“Was Young Lady tired today?”
Zheng Lingyun looked at her own reflection in the mirror. After a long while, she suddenly asked:
“The families mentioned in the room earlier—did you remember their names?”
Bi Xuan froze, then quickly lowered her voice.
“This servant remembered two of them. One more I only heard roughly.”
Zheng Lingyun nodded lightly.
Outside, the sky was still bright. Sunlight fell across the gauze curtains, filling the room with warm white light.
Yet her gaze was calmer than the sunlight itself.
“It is enough that you remembered.”
Hearing those words, Bi Xuan’s heart tightened slightly, and her hands removing the hairpins grew even gentler.
Zheng Lingyun stared at the face in the mirror, slowly raising a hand to brush the corner of her eye.
Her voice was so low it was nearly self-talk.
“My cousin may choose because others place these choices before her.”
“But if I wish to choose, I must first make them see me.”