In the weather of the Fourth Month (of the Chinese calendar), thousands of acres of peony fields in the western outskirts of the capital city are in full bloom, creating a scene as if from a fairyland.

In the Xu family’s flower fields, Xu Nian’an, with a youthful figure and striking features, stood on the ridge with her clothes fluttering in the wind, calmly instructing the steward of the flower fields:

“Wang family and Hai family both had elders pass away at the end of last year, and haven’t completed their mourning period. Peonies in red must not be sent over to them. Chen Family Lao Taitai will be celebrating her seventieth birthday next month. Besides the varieties listed on the list provided by their family, send over four pots of Five Blessings Coming to the Door…”

"五福临门" (Five Blessings Coming to the Door) a traditional Chinese decorative motif symbolizing the arrival of blessings, typically depicted with five bats surrounding the Chinese character for "blessing" (福).

The steward listened and took notes, silently sighing in his heart. He marveled at how Da Xiaojie’s mind seemed to have developed. With so many households and so many matters to attend to, she remembered everything so clearly and accurately. Such ability, not to mention a young girl like her, would be hard to find even among the experienced Furens who had managed households for many years in ordinary families.

When they reached the edge of the field, Xu Nian’an had almost finished giving her instructions. She was about to go for a stroll in the nearby peony field when she suddenly saw the servant Baokang rushing over in a hurry, stumbling as he ran.

“Da Xiaojie, it’s bad news! Furen has fainted. Please hurry back home and check on it (the situation)!”

“What’s the rush? Take a breath and tell me the details calmly,” Xu Nian’an was worried in her heart but did not show it on her face. She quickly walked towards the carriage. Mingli, her close maid, hurriedly followed with the peony flowerpot they were supposed to take back to the mansion.

Amidst the rumbling sound of the carriage, Baokang urgently explained, “This morning, Yin Furen from the Jing Guogong Residence came and spoke with Furen for a while. After Yin Furen left, Furen instructed Zhiqiu, who was by her side, to go to the Count Residence to find Zhidong. In the afternoon, Zhidong came over, not sure what was discussed, but then Furen suddenly fainted. Yisu Jiejie instructed Xiaode to find Da Xiaojie and bring you back home.”

The ‘You’ used here was ‘您’ (nín) which is the formal/courteous you, usually used when speaking to someone of higher superiority, while the informal/usual one is '你' (nǐ).

“How was Furen when you left? Has a physician been summoned?” Xu Nian’an inquired.

“As soon as Furen fainted, Nanny Zhang immediately sent someone to fetch Wang Daifu. When I left, Furen had not yet regained consciousness,” Baokang replied.

Xu Nian’an nodded, clutching her handkerchief tightly, and refrained from asking further questions.

“Xiaojie, you are back,” Yisu greeted.

“En, how is my mother now?”

“Wang Daifu has already come and treated her, and Furen has regained consciousness,” Yisu replied.

As they approached the Furen, Zheng Shi’s courtyard, Xu Nian’an had just stepped through the main gate of the main hall when she heard her mother’s low sobbing from the inner room: “…knowing it’s just to climb the social ladder, but this marriage proposal didn’t come because we begged with our heads held high. Why should they treat my Da Jie’er like this?”

氏 (Shì)- to address a married woman with their maiden family name.
姐儿 (jiě'r) - An affectionate yet formal way for a mother or family member to refer to a daughter. Adding 'Da' (大) at the front signify this is the eldest one.

Nanny Zhang comforted from the side: “Furen, don’t think like that. Yin Furen who came this morning, her attitude seemed quite sincere…”

“Sincere? It’s nothing but honey-mouthed with a dagger in the belly! Clearly, her precious son at home was throwing a tantrum over another girl, demanding to break off the engagement with us, nearly getting himself beaten to death by Guogong Yé. It made Guogong Yé scolded their First Branch from top to bottom. It was only after that they hurriedly advanced the wedding date by two months. Yet, she didn’t utter a single word about it in front of me! If I hadn’t asked around, I wouldn’t have known what kind of suffering my child would endure in the future!” Zheng Furen choked with tears, “I know that their Zhao family is prestigious and wealthy, but I never hoped for my Da Jie’er to marry into such prestige and wealth in her lifetime. All I wished for was for her to marry a husband who cherishes and loves her, so they can live a peaceful and happy life without worries…”

In a traditional Chinese aristocratic or wealthy household, the "Branch System" (分房 - Fenfáng) is the structural DNA of the family. It determines everything from inheritance and living quarters to social prestige. Each son of the family head starts his own "branch" or "house" (房- Fáng). The numbering follows the birth order of the brothers.

Xu Nian’an felt her eyes welling up with tears and her nose tingling. She blinked a few times to force back the tears, then turned around, waved her hand to dismiss Yisu and Mingli, and pulled back the curtain, entering the room filled with the scent of medicine.

While Nanny Zhang was comforting Zheng Furen with gentle back rubs and soft words, she caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw Xu Nian’an and quickly said to Zheng Furen, “Furen, please don’t cry anymore. Da Xiaojie has returned.”

Little did she know that upon seeing Xu Nian’an, Zheng Furen burst into tears even louder, saying, “My unfortunate child…”

“Mom,” Xu Nian’an walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She let Zheng Furen cry for a while, and when she seemed to have vented her emotions enough, Xu Nian’an spoke up, “Mom, I overheard a bit of your conversation with Nanny Zhang outside the door. Please don’t worry about me. It’s nothing serious.”

“Is this still considered nothing serious?” Zheng Furen, who had been wiping her tears with a handkerchief, paused in surprise at Xu Nian’an’s words. “Before you even stepped inside (their house), that Zhao Gongzi was throwing a tantrum over another girl. As soon as you entered, they would have you drink the tea brewed by that girl, and then immediately propose to you to make her concubine? How can you survive the days to come?”

Xu Nian’an smiled as she picked up the steaming bowl of medicine from the side, stirring it with a spoon while blowing on it, and said, “If what you and Nanny Zhang said is true, then Zhao Gongzi’s affection for that girl must be genuine. She is likely a virtuous young woman from a respectable family, not someone easily sold. Moreover, she probably has some backing in the Guogong Residence, which is why this matter has escalated to such a degree.”

“That’s right. One heard that the girl is a distant Biao cousin of the wife of the First Branch’s Da Yé, who is the half-brother of Zhao Gongzi.” said Zheng Furen, who felt a wave of stifling disgust, as if she had swallowed a fly, upon remembering this matter.

In Chinese kinship terms, there are two main types of cousins:
Tang cousins: the children of your father’s brothers.
Biao cousins: the children of your mother’s siblings or your father’s sisters.
If this feels confusing, a simple way to remember it is that in the traditional Chinese patriarchal system, Tang cousins usually share the same surname as you, while Biao cousins usually do not.

“Then Yin Furen must surely dislike that girl,” Xu Nian’an asserted, handing the cooled medicine spoon to Zheng Furen’s lips.

Zheng Furen subconsciously opened her mouth and drank the medicine, then asked in confusion, “How can you be so sure?”

“Yin Furen gave birth to four daughters before having Zhao Gongzi as the only legitimate son. Zhao Family’s Da Yé is twelve years older than Zhao Gongzi. Compared to Zhao Gongzi, who is still young and hasn’t accomplished much, Zhao Family’s Da Yé is at the prime of his life, being both strong and capable. Moreover, that girl is the Biao cousin of the Zhao Family’s Da Yé’s wife. If Zhao Gongzi falls into her grasp, what’s the difference between that and being controlled by Zhao Family’s Da Yé and his wife?” Xu Nian’an analyzed as she fed another spoonful of medicine to Zheng Furen.

Realizing the validity of the argument, Zheng Furen said, “If that’s the case, why doesn’t Yin Furen simply kick that girl out of the residencs directly? Wouldn’t that solve the problem cleanly? After all, she’s not a real relative.”

“Yin Furen hasn’t kicked that girl out of the mansion for two main reasons. Firstly, the Zhao Family’s Da Yé holds significant influence with Da Laoyé, not just regular influence but exceptionally strong influence, to the extent that even his wife’s distant Biao cousin isn’t someone Yin Furen can easily dismiss. Secondly, it’s possible that Zhao Gongzi is willing to go to great lengths for her.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Furen became anxious again.

“Mom, please don’t worry, and listen to me. Zhao Gongzi is only sixteen years old, the same age as San Di. He has been spoiled by Yin Furen and his four sisters since childhood, so his character is undoubtedly weak. Moreover, the fact that he can cause such a fuss over a girl who obviously isn’t favored by his mother shows that he’s not very clever and lacks cunning. A weak and foolish young master like him, marrying me, why should you worry about me? Shouldn’t it be Yin Furen worrying about her son instead?”

Zheng Furen stared in astonishment at her daughter.

“And besides, since Guogong Yé insists on me marrying his grandson, he must take care about my life-and-death matter. Your daughter won’t suffer any losses by marrying into that family, so please rest assured,” Xu Nian’an said with a smile as she fed the entire bowl of medicinal soup to Zheng Furen.

Zheng Furen couldn’t help but speak up, her voice hoarse with reproach, “Only you can still manage to smile in this situation.”

Pouting playfully, Xu Nian’an said, “Then what should I do? Whether One cries or laughs, a day will pass. Mom, you say, should I pass the time crying or laughing? I’ll listen to you.”

Seeing her daughter like this, most of the gloom in Zheng Furen’s heart dissipated. She hugged Xu Nian’an and said, “Of course Mom hopes you spend every day with a smile and live your entire life with laughter.”

Xu Nian’an also hugged her mother and said, “Mom, rest assured, no matter how tough the road ahead may be, Nu’er will never give up easily.”

After comforting Zheng Furen, Xu Nian’an returned to her own room, but couldn’t help but feel troubled.

Two years ago, when people of the Guogong Residence came to finalize the engagement, the wedding date was supposed to be set. However, Xu Nian’an used the excuse of a family member’s illness to request postponing the wedding for a few years. At that time, Zhao Huanxi was only fourteen years old, and the Guogong Residence was willing to wait, so they agreed.

She had originally planned to hold on until the end of the major examination two years later, regardless of whether her third younger brother could pass or not. By then, she would have arranged a marriage for him, handed over the household to his wife to manage, and she could then leave without delay. After all, Zhao Huanxi was two years younger than her, and in another two years, he would only be eighteen years old, which wasn’t considered too late for marriage.

However, she hadn’t expected such a turn of events, forcing her to marry early. Her fourth younger sister, Qi’an, was already sixteen and engaged, set to marry in just a few months, while her fifth younger sister, Hui’an, was only fourteen. After she got married, who would she entrust the family to?

After pacing back and forth in her room for a while, unable to come up with a solution, she had no choice but to send Mingli to fetch Xu Qi’an and Xu Hui’an.

No one is born knowing how to manage a household’s finances. The year her father passed away, she was only thirteen years old. Didn’t she have to rely on her mother’s guidance to manage the household and keep it running?

After she got married, she could only leave the management of the household to her mother, while Xu Qi’an and Xu Hui’an would assist her from the sidelines.

At any rate, the least they can do is to survive these two years.

✦

In the Jing Guogong Residence, after a busy day, Yin Furen returned to Jiaxiang Courtyard in the evening. Zhao Huanxi’s wet nurse, Nanny Hou, hurriedly approached her from the corridor and whispered anxiously, “Furen, San Yé refuses to eat. He threw out both lunch and dinner, saying if he can’t see that little witch surnamed Pang, he’d rather starve to death.”

Yin Furen choked with anger, her fury burning within her. She lifted her foot, intending to go to the western courtyard to deal with her son. However, Nanny Su, who was following her, hurriedly advised, “Furen, please don’t be hasty. San Yé is very stubborn now. That day, when Guogong Yé tried to beat him to death, he showed no fear. If One forces him now, it may not achieve anything, and it might damage the relationship between you and San Yé. It would only amuse the other side.”

Yin Furen took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the fire burning in her chest. While continuing to walk towards the main residence, Jiashan Courtyard, she said, “What else can we do? I’ve tried all sorts of persuasion and reasoning. I don’t know what that woman surnamed Pang has done to him. It’s like he’s completely changed in the past month. He never had this kind of courage before.”

“From what Laonu sees, it might be because you got angry with that little witch before, scolding and driving her away. San Yé is now deliberately opposing you out of anger. In that case, why not ask San Guniang to come back and persuade San Yé? At present, perhaps only San Guniang’s words can still get through to San Yé.”