Zhao Huanxi returned to the warm, cosy room of Shenhui Courtyard. Ignoring the fact that the maids were present, he excitedly picked up Xu Nian’an, spun her around, and said, “Dong Jiejie, Ling Gelao has agreed to help me find Shang Xiansheng to teach me painting! I’m so happy! I’m overjoyed! Hahaha!”

The maids, seeing the scene, blushed and giggled as they hurried out of the room, even closing the door for the two of them.

“Put me down quickly. The maids are laughing at us,” Xu Nian’an said, lightly punching his shoulder.

Zhao Huanxi put her down, grinning as he held her face and kissed her several times on the forehead and cheeks.

Xu Nian’an complained, “Your hands are so cold!”

Zhao Huanxi kissed her on the lips one last time and smiled as he looked up. “Your face is so warm!”

Xu Nian’an helped him take off his cloak and shot him a sideways glance. “Satisfied now?”

“En!” Zhao Huanxi moved behind her, hugging her from the back, dragging his steps to follow her wherever she went.

“What are you doing?” Xu Nian’an said, half annoyed and half amused.

“Dong Jiejie, I don’t want to go to Canglan Academy,” he suddenly said.

“Why?” Xu Nian’an turned her head to look at him.

“Because if I go to Canglan Academy, I’ll only be able to come home once every ten days. That means I can only see you once every ten days. I don’t think I can handle that,” he said.

Xu Nian’an raised her hand and flicked his forehead with her finger. She laughed as she scolded, “You’re thinking way too far ahead. Let’s talk about whether you’ll even pass the exam first!”

“If I do pass, will you be willing to let me go?” Zhao Huanxi turned her around to face him, staring intently as he asked.

Xu Nian’an wrapped her arms around his neck, looked up, and said, “I won’t want to let you go. But I still hope you’ll go.”

Zhao Huanxi felt a little upset and asked, “Why?”

“Because parting is temporary, but the benefits of studying at Canglan Academy will last a lifetime. Besides, even if you go, it won’t be ten days before we see each other, I’ll visit you at the academy often.”

Zhao Huanxi silently leaned down and hugged her, resting his face against her ear. After a long moment, he finally said, “Since it’s what you want, I’ll do my best.”

✦

In Dunyi Hall, Guogong Yé sent off Ling Gelao and then had someone summon The Fourth Branch’s Zhao Mingpei and his wife to meet him.

Si Laoyé and Si Taitai made their way to the study in Dunyi Hall with trembling hearts. Unexpectedly, Gougong Yé began by saying, “I have arranged a marriage prospect for Shutong. It is the youngest son of Count Wuwei, named Yin Rui, who is eighteen this year. Tomorrow, Countess Wuwei will bring him over to meet Shutong. Go back and make proper preparations.”

The character for the surname Yin (尹 or yǐn) here is different with Yin Furen's 殷 (Yīn).

Si Laoyé and Si Taitai were overjoyed and said in unison, “Thank you, Father.”

Guogong Yé looked at Si Taitai and said with a stern tone, “From now on, you must foster harmony with your sisters-in-law and maintain peace in the household. Don’t let your own misconduct drag down the children. If you continue to act recklessly, behaving without respect for your elders, how can others regard your daughter?”

Si Taitai, both ashamed and regretful, blushed deeply and said, “It was Erxi who blinded before by foolishness. Gongdiē please rest assured, Erxi will certainly change One’s ways and become a better person.”

Guogong Yé, feeling exhausted by his daughter-in-law, saw that he had said everything necessary and waved his hand, signaling for them to leave.

Si Taitai and Si Laoyé, walked to the Fourth Branch laughing and talking excitedly. When they arrived at the door of the Fourth Branch, they bumped into Wu Taitai.

Si Taitai didn’t even glance at her. She turned her body and headed straight into the courtyard.

“Si Sao,” Wu Taitai called after her.

Si Taitai paused for a moment and said to Si Laoyé, “You go ahead.”

Si Laoyé gave Wu Taitai an impatient glance but said nothing, then walked into the courtyard himself.

Si Taitai turned around, walked up to Wu Taitai and looked at her with a stern face, saying, “What do you want from me now? After what you and your daughter did, do you still have the face to seek me out?”

“Si Sao, we really had no choice, it was just that…”

“You have no way out, so you think I have a way out? You think I have a way instead of begging you?” Si Taitai sneered, her face turned cold. “I have helped and protected you all these years, only asking for this one thing from you. In the end, this is how you treat me and Shutong? Don’t say anything, I don’t want to hear it! You don’t have to worry about Shutong. Guogong Yé himself has found a match for her, the youngest son of Count Wuwei’s family. Them mother and son will come to visit tomorrow. Go back and ask your precious daughter if she regrets it? If she regrets it, she can wear her embroidered golden peacock-feather zhuanghua dress again tomorrow and come take a walk around my Fourth Branch courtyard!”

Si Taitai finished her sharp words in rapid succession, then looked at Wu Taitai’s pale face and sneered. She spat on the snow before turning and striding back to the Fourth Branch.

✦

As the end of the year drew closer, Jiaxiang House became increasingly bustling. From all directions, those coming to settle accounts and report on matters arrived in an endless stream throughout the day. This year, Yin Furen had the assistance of two capable aides, Zhao Jiazhen and Xu Nian’an, so she felt a lot more lightened.

With the New Year approaching, each branch of the family needed to prepare a substantial amount of goods, so there are more and more frequent visits to Jiaxiang House. In the past, the Fourth and Fifth Branch would always come together for such matters. However, now that Si Taitai and Wu Taitai had fallen out, Si Taitai came alone, looking rather embarrassed.

Yin Furen, busy with her affairs, saw Si Taitai shyly coming in person to apologise. Naturally, she had no time to dredge up old grievances, especially since there was no fundamental conflict of interest between the First and Fourth Branch.

When Si Taifai saw that Yin Furen was magnanimous and didn’t hold grudges, she felt even more that she had been blind in the past. Why had she ignored such a good sister-in-law and instead sided with the Fifth Branch, who was so morally lacking?

Thus, she eagerly shared a piece of news with Yin Furen: “I’m afraid Lao Taitai might be coming out soon.”

Yin Furen’s attention was immediately caught upon hearing this and she asked, “What makes you say that?”

“Today, Fifth Branch’s Huanxu took the whole day off. I heard he went to pick up Jiu Laoyé. Lao Taitai’s maiden family is in Guangningwei, and in this freezing weather, with Jiu Laoyé also being quite old, why would he come all the way here? Isn’t it because he got the news and came to plead on behalf of his sister? Although our Father-in-law is fair, he’s also sentimental about old ties. Just wait and see, once Jiu Laoyé arrives, the guards in front of Lao Taitai’s courtyard gate will surely be removed,” Si Taitai said with a sneer and squinted sideway.

After sending off Si Taitai, Er Taitai arrived. When Xu Nian’an came over, Er Taitai had just left.

“Nom, what’s wrong with Er Shenshen? She looks so troubled,” Xu Nian’an curiously inquired once she saw there were no outsiders in the room.

Yin Furen took a sip of tea and said, “Her younger daughter, Chengke, is engaged to the legitimate youngest son of the Minister of Revenue, the Jiang Family. Recently, there’s been news that a situation similar to what happened with Huanxi before has occurred over there. The difference is that this time, there was physical intimacy, and the Biao Xiaojie’s pregnancy only became apparent later. Officials value their reputation, so they couldn’t casually deal with the pregnant Biao Xiaojie. Instead, they beat their own son nearly to death.

“Chengke and the Jiang Family’s son’s wedding was originally scheduled for early spring next year. But with this incident, won’t the date have to be moved forward? Er Shenshen is now fretting over whether to cancel the engagement or to bring the wedding date forward.”

“What does Mother think? Will Er Shensen choose to call off the engagement or move the wedding date forward?” Xu Nian’an asked with a smile.

Yin Furen stroked her teacup and said, “Whether it’s cancelling the engagement or moving the wedding date forward, it’s a troublesome matter. If it were up to me, I’d call off the engagement cleanly. For the groom-to-be to do such a thing at home with a relative staying under the same roof before marriage shows what kind of character he has. Forcing the marriage through wouldn’t likely bring any good.”

Xu Nian’an knew that Yin Furen, having been hurt by the blow from Zhao Jiazhen’s marriage situation, was now unwilling to tolerate even the slightest moral flaw in prospective sons-in-law, hence her stance.

“What do you think? Will your Er Shenshen choose to call off the engagement or move the wedding date forward?” Yin Furen turned the question back to Xu Nian’an.

Xu Nian’an replied, “I don’t know Er Shenshen’s temperament very well. If she’s a loving mother, she’ll surely choose to call off the engagement to protect her daughter. If she’s opportunistic, she’ll undoubtedly agree to the Jiang Family’s request to move the wedding date forward, so that the Jiang Family owe her a favour. If she has the patience to wait, she’ll drag things out, neither calling off the engagement nor moving the wedding date forward.

“The Jiang Family was at fault first, and according to Mother‘s word, they value their reputation highly. They are unlikely to initiate calling off the engagement, nor would they do something as disgraceful as taking a concubine before marriage. So, dragging things out might be the best option. Once that Biao Xiaojie gives birth, if Chengke marries in afterwards and that Biao Xiaojie enters the household with the child as a concubine, she’ll be a lifelong laughingstock, and the child’s legitimacy will always be questioned. For Er Shensen, the best outcome would be for the Biao Xiaojie to lack the fortune to survive childbirth—like Yunjin Biao Ge’s wife—dying during labour with both mother and child gone. Wouldn’t that be as if the whole matter never happened? If they wait long enough, Chengke can still marry in happily.”

Yin Furen disagreed and said, “Childbirth is dangerous for women, yes, but cases of dying in labour are rare. How could things be so coincidental?”

Xu Nian’an smiled and said, “Mother is right.”

Yin Furen furrowed her brows again and said, “According to Si Taitai, Lao Taitai might be making a comeback. Zhao Huanxu has taken leave to pick up Jiu Laoyé. The Yu Family’s Lao Taiyé was once like a brother-in-arms to Guogong Yé. Now that his son is coming to rekindle old ties with Guogong Yé, with some tears and pleading, Lao Taitai is bound to regain her position.”

This was the first time Xu Nian’an had heard of such a matter, and she said, “I never knew that Zumu’s maiden family had such a connection with Zufu.”

Yiin Furen sneered, “If it weren’t for this kind of connection, with Lao Taitai’s looks and status, even if it’s Guogong Yé‘s second marriage, she wouldn’t stand a chance.” After saying this, she sighed, “It’s been two peaceful months in the residence.”

Xu Nian’an also sighed and said, “Let’s hope Zumu saw Zufu’s determination last time, and that after she comes out, she can behave more calmly.”

Yin Furen glanced towards the door and asked Xu Nian’an, “Where’s Jiazhen? Did she go out again in this cold weather?”

Xu Nian’an said, “Mom, I was just about to tell you. San Jie and I are planning to help Wu Mei break off the engagement with the Ni Family.”

Yin Furen was surprised and asked, “What made you suddenly think of doing that?”

“Last time, when San Jie and I went to the Plum Ridge to pick plum blossoms, Shen Yiniang came with Jiarong to ask San Jie for help. It was truly pitiful to see. Afterward, San Jie and I discussed it, and we agreed that instead of letting Jiarong be married off to the Ni Family as a concubine to pave the way for Father-in-law, it’s better to break off the engagement. This way, we can save her life, and secondly, by helping her this time, the mother and daughter will surely realise who in the residence is their true pillar of support. In the future, finding a proper marriage for Jiarong will also be helpful for Sanlang. Why not do it?” Xu Nian’an explained.

Yin Furen had always felt that Jiarong’s engagement was just like Jiazhen’s, an exploitative situation that would only harm her. However, at the time, since Zhao Mingkun was at home, she couldn’t be bothered to argue over a shu daughter. Now that Zhao Mingkun was no longer around, if they could cancel the engagement, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Have you two thought this through?” Yin Furen asked.

Xu Nian’an nodded, “We’ve inquired through some people, and plan to approach Yan Shi‘s maternal family. Yan Shi is the deceased first wife of the Ni Family. Yan Shi‘s eldest brother is a gambler. When Yan Shi passed away, they said that he once came to the Ni Family and made a fuss there, but it was later settled with money given by the Ni family. This time, we’ll have someone persuade him that the only way to extract more money from the Ni family is by reporting them to the authorities. As long as Yan Shi’s eldest brother files a complaint with the authorities accusing the Ni family of beating their first wife to death, we can immediately go to the Ni family and demand the engagement be called off, regardless of the outcome.”

Yin Furen thought through the plan carefully in her mind and said, “This plan is feasible.” She then reached down and smoothed the non-existent crease on the stone-blue silver-marten fur skirt on her lap, adding, “Let’s not talk about Jiarong for now. There’s also another one. She’ll be sixteen after the new year. It’s truly troublesome!”

Yin Furen is referring to Zhao Jiahui, Concubine Du's daughter (younger sister to Zhao Huanchao and Zhao Huanyang).

“What’s the matter? As the legitimate mother, although it’s hard for Mother to avoid handling matters like finding a match for her, Gongdiē may not be willing to let Mother take the lead in this. Now that Gongdiē is not in the capital, you can casually find a family for Si Mei and then write a letter to Gongdiē, praising the young man as if he’s unparalleled in this world. When he reads the letter, he’ll surely be suspicious, and will write to ask the two people in the side courtyard (Concubine Du’s children’s courtyard), and will find out that the family is just ordinary. He’ll inevitably question your intentions and will reject the match. Since they don’t approve of the match Mother arranged, this is the perfect opportunity to pass the responsibility onto Gongdiē and let him figure it out himself. After all, one has already done the duty as a legitimate mother, and if Gongdiē disapproves, it’s no longer your concern.” Xu Nian’an said leisurely while peeling melon seeds.

Yin Furen couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this.