Qingyuan said she had never harbored any improper thoughts about that young gentleman. For a moment she had admired how rarely one met such a complete man in Hengtang, and once that moment passed, she had not given him another thought.
"The old lady is worrying far too early," she said to Baoxian with a smile. "I'm only fourteen."
They had gone to the spring banquet and did not return until late afternoon. By the time the old lady was settled and the Fourth Miss was back in Danyue Pavilion, it was already dusk. Baoxian had just helped her change and was gathering up the clothes one by one, to hand over to the maids in the lower quarters for washing. Hearing this, she turned to look at Qingyuan and laughed. "Fourteen is still a child? In another year you'll have your hairpin ceremony, and then they'll start discussing a match. Miss doesn't know this, but when families look for a bride these days, they begin watching girls your age. The days fly by, and one careless moment can cost you the match."
Qingyuan lay at ease on the beauty couch, listening to Baoxian's endless counsel. The lattice window with its carved railing stood half open, and a branch of plum blossom reached in from outside, giving off a faint fragrance. A sliver of a moon had climbed into the sky, a thin thread of light, delicate and spindly.
Marriage... She smiled to herself. Her own mother had given her heart to the wrong man, and how many matches in this world could be relied on? In her years in the Chen household she had watched her grandparents grow old together, but her grandfather had kept several concubines in his youth. In any wealthy family, hardly anyone was spared worry over her husband.
Seeing that she did not answer, Baoxian concluded that she truly had no mind for such things. She passed the clothes to the young maid outside the door, then came back in to light the incense with a fire-starter.
A young miss needed guidance. If the old lady had agreed to let in the personal maids who had come from the Chen household, Baoxian would not have had to worry about this. But now Miss was on her own, and Baoxian and Chuntai would depend on her in the future, so she could not let Miss be careless.
"What does Miss think of that young Marquis of Danyang's son?"
Qingyuan answered without much interest. "We spoke only a few words. I can't tell what sort of man he is."
But within Shengzhou, a marquis's household like that was already about as good as one could hope for. Baoxian smiled again. "Miss is usually so careful. Why are you so careless about your own lifelong happiness? Why did the old lady say the Marquis of Danyang's family is not our kind? Could the two houses have had a quarrel before? If they really had, the young marquis wouldn't be so friendly toward you. Miss, listen to me. The Eldest Miss's match with the Earl of Kaiguo's family is more or less settled, but the Second and Third Misses still have nothing. The Third Miss was raised under Madam's name, but her mother came from lowly origins, so her standing is below the Eldest Miss's. I'm afraid the old lady considers the Second Miss's marriage the most important of all. She was born to the principal wife. If she married beneath her, wouldn't it disgrace the family?"
Baoxian had not spelled it out, but Qingyuan understood. She thought the old lady meant to save the good matches for the Second Miss, and that the Fourth Miss's marriage mattered little and could be put off.
Qingyuan couldn't help smiling. Baoxian hadn't heard what the old lady had said. She was clearly planning to keep her mistress at home as an old maid, and if she had heard it, who knew how indignant she would have been on her behalf.
She turned onto her side, in a mood to joke. "Actually, the Second Miss's standing would suit the Marquis of Danyang's son very well."
Baoxian looked at her, unable to find a way to explain the real stakes. She said only, "No one in this house plans for Miss, so Miss should think more about herself."
Qingyuan understood this, of course. But there was no urgency about the marriage yet; discussing it in two or three years would still be in time. She slowly closed her eyes and began working out when the Earl of Kaiguo's family would send their proposal. She meant to use the congratulations as an excuse to visit Concubine Lian at Hanxiang Lodge.
But five days passed and there was no sign of movement from the Prefect's wife. The old lady was steady and patient, yet Qinghe grew anxious and uneasy, and she had no one she could say so to. One morning, after paying their respects, she quietly took Qingyuan's hand. "Fourth Sister, let's stroll in the garden."
Qingru and Qingrong happened to be passing by and glanced over at them. Qingru gave a snort of a laugh. "Eldest Sister is so close to Fourth Sister now? What do you have to say that you can't let us hear?"
Qingrong waved her round fan, the tassels at its edge flying with her quick movements. She turned her gaze away with contempt, up toward the sky, and said with a sneer, "Second Sister doesn't know? Eldest Sister is about to be betrothed to the Earl of Kaiguo's family, and Fourth Sister has latched onto the young master of the Marquis of Danyang's house. Their worth is equal now. Why would they lower themselves to speak with us?"
Qingru couldn't stand to hear it. Qinghe landing a high branch was bad enough, and now this wretch Qingyuan wanted to climb up too. She ground out a few words through clenched teeth. "As if she deserves it!"
In this world, perfection by design is hard, but ruining things is far too easy. Qingrong was in no hurry. She smiled without warmth. "Oh, the Earl's family is taking their time. I'm anxious for Eldest Sister. We all saw them with our own eyes that day, didn't we? Could something have displeased them, so that they need to deliberate again? As for Fourth Sister, a marquis's household is completely out of reach. If people find out what your mother did, getting a cold reception would be the lightest outcome. What if they drove you out with sticks?"
The two sisters went off laughing, leaving Qinghe pale with anger. She spat, "Rotten-mouthed things, getting more shameless by the day, with no sense of limits!"
Qingyuan's expression did not change. She only comforted her. "Eldest Sister, don't be angry. Those who are never envied are mediocre. Try to see it lightly."
Qinghe sighed. "You're so generous."
If she weren't generous, how could she have held her ground in the Xie household? She would hear plenty of cruel remarks like these, and if she took offense every time, she would anger herself to death first. Qingyuan smiled. "Let's go."
They took another path, and just ahead was the garden. The Xie residence's gardens were cleverly laid out, with a distinct Jiangnan character. There were eaves that pierced the sky and corner beams that touched the clouds, and also hidden courtyards full of light, and winding streams that looped around. In spring, one walked the bluestone paths pushing aside flowers and willow branches, and in the distance lay one moon gate after another. Looking at them from this end, they seemed like linked rings.
Qingyuan drew her down onto a stone bench by the path and studied her face. "Eldest Sister, are you unhappy? Why do you look so troubled?" She had her own reasons for steering her toward the subject, and lowered her voice. "What Third Sister said just now was unpleasant, but there's some truth in it. With no word from the Earl's family, it's hard not to feel uneasy. Why doesn't Eldest Sister send someone out to find out?"
Qinghe had a mild temper, quite unlike her mother's. Concubine Lian was a fierce, outspoken woman, but because she had borne no son, she had been kept down all these years. She had hoped her daughter would have her day and bring her honor too. But there was no news of the match, so naturally she was even more anxious than Qinghe. She had said several times that she wanted to send someone to ask. Unfortunately, Qinghe was a stubborn blockhead, bent on keeping up the airs of a lady of good family. Whenever she heard about sending someone out, she wept and made a scene and refused to agree under any circumstances.
Now, hearing Qingyuan say the same thing, Qinghe wavered. "You think so too?"
Qingyuan nodded. "A household like that must have many servants coming and going. All you need to find out is whether they're preparing the betrothal gifts."
Qinghe sat dazed for a while, and at last made up her mind. She said nothing more and hurried back to Hanxiang Lodge.
"Miss..." Baoxian called softly.
Qingyuan smoothed the corner of her robe and stood up, hands tucked into her sleeves. "Go and see to it."
A person who comes prepared will always catch the prey that rushes blindly onto the spear point.
Concubine Lian had instructed him again and again to be careful in making his inquiries. If even a hint leaked out, then even if the match went through, the Eldest Miss would be a laughingstock once she reached the Earl's household. People's mouths were only two flaps of skin, and their mockery could leave a person with nowhere to hide. They would say: look at the Xie family's Eldest Miss, so eager to marry into our house that she couldn't wait five days, and sat at home unable to stay seated or standing, as if she'd never seen a man in eight hundred years. Has she no pride? So the servant she sent out had to be extremely careful, loitering around the Earl's residence as if by chance. But half a day passed and he hadn't seen so much as a wild goose feather.
He was just trying to think of a way to strike up an acquaintance with someone coming and going from the residence when someone patted him on the shoulder from behind. "Isn't this one of Concubine Lian's people!"
The servant jumped. "Who are you, sir?"
The man, dressed as a servant, said, "You don't know me, but my family has some history with the Xie household. My younger sister is called Qingmei and used to work in your house. Tell Concubine Lian and she'll surely know her. What is it? I've watched you hang around here for half a day. Is something the matter?"
The servant had been worrying about finding someone to ask. Since he'd been caught, there was no point hiding anything, so he asked how the Eldest Young Master's marriage arrangements were coming along.
"Oh, that," said the man. "It'll be within these couple of days. They'll be going to the Xie house. We're hoping for the betrothal too. When the Eldest Miss marries in, whatever slips through her fingers will be enough to keep the rest of us comfortable."
So the servant went back to report, face full of smiles, hands clasped. "Congratulations, Madam. I've found out everything. The Earl's household has finished preparing the betrothal gifts, but the day in the almanac was unlucky, so they deliberately pushed it back two days. Once they choose an auspicious day, they'll send a respected matchmaker to the door. Madam can simply wait for the good news!"
Concubine Lian listened, and a pleased smile spread across her usually stiff face. "Who did you ask? Is it true?"
The servant said it was as true as true could be. "It was the sister of an attendant in the Earl's household, called Qingmei or something, who used to work in our house. He said if I told Madam, you would know her. They clearly have some connection, so he wouldn't have lied to me."
"Qingmei?" Concubine Lian thought about it and had no recollection at all. Officials' households had a rule for naming servants: if it wasn't the four seasons, it was plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, those eight characters broken up and recombined. Unless someone had served her directly, she wasn't likely to remember. Anyway, whoever it was, what she wanted was a definite answer. Learning that the Earl's family would soon send the betrothal gifts, she felt her heart settle back into place. She rewarded the servant with a few coins, sent him off, and hurried to tell Qinghe.
The servant came out of Hanxiang Lodge weighing the coins in his hand and ran into Nanny Shang from the kitchen. The old woman was his mother's cousin by marriage. She produced a roast squab out of nowhere, stuffed it into his arms, pulled him aside, and asked in a low voice, "Did you mention Qingmei to Concubine Lian just now? Does she remember her?"
The servant was a little dazed. "How does Auntie know about Qingmei?"
"Aiya, that girl was thrown out for some offense, and now she wants to come back. Her brother found me and asked me to learn what Madam thinks," Nanny Shang answered offhandedly. "So? When you mentioned Qingmei, did Madam react?"
The servant said, "React how? Concubine Lian thought for half a day and couldn't remember her at all. This road is closed. Auntie should tell them to give up."
Later this was relayed to Qingyuan. She had arranged the whole round just to see Concubine Lian's reaction. If Lian had handled that business back then, even after more than ten years, hearing that name suddenly would surely have unsettled her for a moment.
Nanny Tao was very disappointed. "Concubine Lian has such a fierce temper that I thought she was the most likely suspect. I never expected to be wrong."
The dog that bites doesn't bark. With Concubine Lian ruled out, only Madam Hu and Concubine Mei remained. Baoxian looked at Qingyuan and asked, "What does Miss plan to do next?"
Qingyuan stood before the plum vase, arranging peach blossoms she had just cut, one long branch and one short. She turned them patiently this way and that until she had the arrangement she wanted. "Master will be back in a few days, and Third Master marries next month. Madam and Concubine Mei will both be busy. Better that they're busy. When people are busy, they make mistakes, and when things are in disorder, it's easier to act."
When she said this, she did not sound at all like a fourteen-year-old. Her composure and calculation were something the people who bullied and underestimated her would never have imagined.