Chapter 552

Chapter 558: Lowering One's Head (Part 1)

The next day, Eleven Miss took eight varieties of gifts to Sixiang Lane (a residential area).

Fifth Miss was directing the servants to pack the trunks. When she saw her arrive, she instructed Zhuotao to tidy the large kang (a heated brick bed common in northern China) in the eastern chamber and invited her to sit there for a chat.

“I was planning to send someone to inform you this afternoon. I didn’t expect you to come first. There are a few matters I’d like to entrust to you.” She then called in a simple and honest-looking couple. “Qian Ercai and his wife. They’re relatives of the master. After we leave, they’ll be in charge of this house. If anything arises that we can’t decide from afar, Qian Ercai’s wife will report it to you. Please also visit periodically to check on things.” She added, “I originally intended to entrust this to Eldest Brother, but with Eldest Sister-in-law away, I don’t trust Concubine Wang. I’ll have to trouble you, Eleventh Sister.”

Fifth Miss was simply afraid someone might take her belongings.

“I’ll inform the household managers,” Eleven Miss said with a smile. “I’ll have them come by regularly.”

Fifth Miss nodded, then pulled her into the inner chamber to discuss what to bring along. She also insisted on her staying for lunch before Eleven Miss returned to Lotus Lane (the Xu family residence).

However, the Elder Madam was not at home.

Eleven Miss was surprised.

She had been fine when she left in the morning—how could she have gone out so suddenly?

“Did the Elder Madam say anything before leaving?” Eleven Miss asked Yu Ban.

Yu Ban shook her head lightly. “The Elder Madam chanted scriptures in the Buddhist hall as usual, but when she came out, she suddenly said she wanted to visit Old Marquis Sun at Red Lantern Lane (the residence of Old Marquis Sun). She left both me and Zhihong at home and only took Madam Du to attend to her.”

What reason could there be for visiting Fifth Madam’s father out of the blue?

Eleven Miss returned to her room, puzzled, but before she could even sit down, a young maid came in. “Madam, Lady Fang Shi from Sanjing Lane (the residence of the third branch of the Xu family) is here.”

“Third Uncle’s matter was all thanks to Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle’s help,” Fang Shi said respectfully, sitting halfway on the armchair. “Following Father-in-law’s orders, I’ve come specifically to thank both aunts.” She then had someone present gift boxes and took out two pongee garments (a type of silk fabric). “These are for Sixth Uncle. The sewing is humble, so please don’t mind, Fourth Aunt.”

Eleven Miss smiled and had Zhuxiang accept them, then asked about matters in Sanjing Lane.

“Father-in-law and Mother-in-law are both very pleased,” Fang Shi said with a smile. “Mother-in-law originally intended to come personally to express her thanks, but Uncle and the others heard the news and came to congratulate us today. Father-in-law also had to go to the Ministry of War with Fifth Uncle to handle some formalities, so they sent me instead.” She added, “Xu Sijian was supposed to come along, but Mother-in-law said he’s already fifteen and shouldn’t be running around the inner quarters so freely, lest people say he’s improper, so she kept him at home.”

The words spoken yesterday had already reached the Gan family by today?

This was either an excuse or Third Madam couldn’t resist sending someone to the Gan family overnight to share the news.

Eleven Miss smiled faintly and asked Fang Shi, “Have you been to Fifth Madam’s side yet?”

Fang Shi looked slightly uneasy and explained, “When I came to Fourth Aunt’s place first, I was told you had gone to Sixiang Lane. So I went to Fifth Aunt’s side first…”

Eleven Miss nodded with a smile. “You should also visit Second Aunt. I heard she copied a copy of *Jingzhou Divinations* and gifted it to the Imperial Observatory.”

Fang Shi froze.

Eleven Miss had already raised her teacup with a smile. “I just returned from outside, and you also have your mother-in-law’s instructions to attend to, so I won’t keep you. Come visit another day.”

Fang Shi hurriedly stood to take her leave.

Eleven Miss had thought Fang Shi would take her hint and visit Second Madam, but there was no sign of her visiting. She couldn’t help but wonder if her words had been too subtle—perhaps Fang Shi hadn’t understood at all.

A few days passed like this. The Elder Madam went to Madam Lin, Marchioness of Weibai, one day, to Madam Huang, Marchioness of Yongchang, another, and even visited Madam Tang, Marchioness of Zhongshan, once, leaving everyone baffled.

Xu Siyu came to bid farewell to Lord Xu and Eleven Miss.

“I’ve already sorted out the materials Teacher assigned,” he said, standing straight before Lord Xu, his smile warm and bright. “It’s been over a year since I last heard Teacher’s guidance, so I’d like to return to Le’an (a place name) earlier.”

Xu Siyu’s eager attitude pleased Lord Xu greatly. “Then return by September. We’ll accompany Zhenjie to Cangzhou then.”

Xu Siyu bowed and replied, "Understood."

When he left, Lord Xu instructed Xu Sizhun to take Xu Sijie and Jin Geer to see Xu Siyu off.

Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian also came upon hearing the news.

"Write to us as soon as you arrive," Xu Siqin reminded him. Xu Sijian, excited about his upcoming assignment in the Imperial Guards’ Banner Division (an elite military unit), thumped his chest boisterously, "Next time you return, Second Brother, I'll host a banquet at Chunxi Tower (a renowned restaurant) to welcome you back."

Xu Siyu laughed heartily and patted Jin Geer's head.

Jin Geer, still too young to understand the sorrow of parting, clamored for Xu Sijie to play cuju with him as soon as Xu Siyu left.

Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian saw Xu Siyu off to the city gates, while Xu Sizhun invited Xu Sijie and Jin Geer to his courtyard with a smile, "My courtyard has plenty of space. Father also assigned me a servant named Wang Shu, who’s good at cuju."

Xu Sijie, who hadn’t visited Xu Sizhun’s place in a while, readily agreed.

As the group headed toward Xu Sizhun’s residence, they saw Manager Zhao hurrying toward the study with a name card. Spotting Xu Sizhun and the others, he quickly bowed respectfully.

Xu Sizhun asked him with a smile, "Who has arrived?"

Manager Zhao replied, "Elder Fang from Huzhou has come."

"Who is Elder Fang from Huzhou?" Xu Sijie asked, puzzled, looking at Xu Sizhun.

"He’s Eldest Brother’s wife’s relative," Xu Sizhun explained before turning back to Manager Zhao, "But I wonder who exactly this Elder Fang is to Eldest Brother’s wife?"

"He is the eldest uncle of the Eldest Young Madam," Manager Zhao said with a smile. "He once served as an Imperial Censor but later resigned and returned to Huzhou. This time, he brought Tanhu Fang (a title for a top-three imperial examination graduate) to visit Lord Xu."

Meanwhile, Jin Geer grew impatient, shouting, "Cuju! Cuju!"

Xu Sizhun quickly excused himself from Manager Zhao and led his two younger brothers back to his courtyard.

Later, Xu Sijie recounted the incident to Eleven Miss.

Eleven Miss silently calculated the time—it would take over twenty days of pushing hard on horseback from Huzhou to here. It seemed the Fang family had prepared long in advance. Still, she was taken aback that Elder Fang had come personally to apologize.

By dinnertime, Lord Xu sent a messenger to Eleven Miss that he would be holding a dinner for Elder Fang and wouldn’t return for the evening meal.

After dinner, Eleven Miss took the children to greet elder madam.

Elder madam seemed absentminded and merely gave a vague "Hmm" upon hearing the news. She kissed Jin Geer, asked about Xu Sizhun’s lessons, then lifted her teacup—a gesture indicating the audience was over.

As Eleven Miss led the children out, she happened to meet Madam Du.

Madam Du had just emerged from the eastern chamber, carrying a calendar book.

Eleven Miss asked with a smile, "What’s this for?"

Madam Du replied cheerfully, "Elder madam wishes to check for favorable dates in the coming days."

There were favorable dates for travel and others for weddings—what exactly was elder madam looking for?

Returning to her quarters, Eleven Miss sat beside Xu Sijie as he practiced calligraphy on the kang table (a heated platform common in northern China), telling stories to Jin Geer. After sending Xu Sijie off and putting Jin Geer to bed, Lord Xu finally returned.

"That Elder Fang’s a heavy drinker," he said, his face flushed.

Eleven Miss quickly brought a basin of cold water for him to wash his face. "What did you discuss?"

"Formal apologies and reparations," Lord Xu replied, wiping his face and feeling slightly better. "He also brought gifts for everyone."

"Then I'll go talk to Mother first thing tomorrow," Eleven Miss said with a smile as she fetched him a change of clothes. "As for Third Madam, I'm afraid only Mother's intervention will do."

Lord Xu nodded. After freshening up, he handed Eleven Miss the gift from the Fang family—a narcissus hairpin carved from Hetian jade. The pin's stem was as fine as a hair, and the flower was exquisitely lifelike, clearly a rare treasure.

"This is so extravagant!" Eleven Miss was astonished.

"This is nothing?" Lord Xu chuckled as he got into bed. "Do you know what the Fang family gave Second Sister-in-law?"

His tone suggested something extraordinary.

Eleven Miss’s curiosity was piqued. "What did they give her?"

"A book called *Kaiyuan Treatise on Astrology*," Lord Xu said. "At first, I didn’t know what it was. After reading it, I realized it’s a text on celestial phenomena. The Fang family only gave her three volumes, but according to Master Yu, even these three are invaluable rarities." He mused, "Why would the Fang family suddenly give Second Sister-in-law such a book? It seems far too lavish."

Had Fang Shi not followed her advice to visit Second Madam because she lacked a suitable gift, or did she think this was a better way to express gratitude?

Eleven Miss smiled. "A sword for a hero, a gem for a beauty. Perhaps the Fang family believes such things are best given to someone like Second Sister-in-law, who truly appreciates their worth."

"Perhaps," Lord Xu said, though his confusion remained. He couldn’t find a reason but chatted idly with Eleven Miss. "If they’d given it to me, I wouldn’t have known what it was and might’ve just stored it away carelessly."

Eleven Miss nodded. "Maybe the Fang family wanted to demonstrate their sincerity this way?"

"I saw no sincerity," Lord Xu said with a laugh. "They gave the elder madam a chi-tall black jade carving of the God of Longevity, gave me a Longquan sword, gave Little Five a zither crafted by Lei Xiao, and gave Fifth Miss a suet-white jade bamboo plaque... We know nothing about the Fang family, yet they seem to know everything about us. We’re always a step behind—no wonder things turned out this way. Had the Fang family not opposed the separation, who knows how much worse it could’ve gotten?"

Clearly, the Fang family had come fully prepared.

Eleven Miss didn’t want to dwell on it, fearing it might stir Lord Xu’s resentment toward the Fang family and complicate matters further.

"Should I speak to Mother tomorrow, or will you?" she changed the subject.

"You go ahead," Lord Xu said. "Mother entrusted this matter to you in the first place."

"Alright," Eleven Miss smiled. "I’ll go talk to her right after breakfast tomorrow."

The elder madam seemed preoccupied. When told that the elder of the Fang family had brought Fang Ji to visit, she only gave an absentminded "Hmm." When Eleven Miss presented the gifts from the Fang family, the elder madam barely glanced at the black jade God of Longevity lying in its crimson velvet box before having Yu Ban put it away. After doting on Jin Geer for a while, she raised her teacup to signal the end of the audience.

Eleven Miss left with the children.

On her way out, she ran into Madam Du emerging from the eastern chamber, still carrying a calendar.

"What’s this for?" Eleven Miss asked with a smile.

"Elder madam wants to check for auspicious dates and times," Madam Du replied.

There are auspicious dates for travel and others for weddings. What kind of date is elder madam looking for?

The next day, Eleven Miss brought eight varieties of gifts to Sixiang Lane.

Fifth Miss was directing her household in packing. When Eleven Miss arrived, she had Zhuotao tidy the large heated platform in the eastern room so they could sit and talk.

"...I was going to send someone to inform you this afternoon, but you came first. There are a few things I’d like to entrust to you." She then called in an unassuming couple. "This is Qian Ercai and his wife, kin from my husband’s clan. After we leave, they’ll look after this house. If anything comes up that we can’t decide from afar, Qian Ercai’s wife will report to you. Please check in on the place from time to time." She added, "I originally planned to leave it to my elder brother, but with his wife away and that concubine Wang in the picture, I don’t feel at ease. I’ll rely on your help, Eleventh Sister."

Fifth Miss was likely just worried about her property being misused.

"I’ll inform our household managers," Eleven Miss said with a smile. "They’ll come by regularly."

Fifth Miss nodded, then led her to the inner chamber to discuss what to bring along. She insisted Eleven Miss stay for lunch before she finally returned to Hehuali.

The elder madam was out.

Shiyiniang was somewhat surprised.

She had left in the morning when everything was fine—how could the Dowager have gone out so suddenly?

"Did the Dowager leave any instructions before going out?" Shiyiniang asked Yuban.

Yuban shook her head gently. "The Dowager recited scriptures in the Buddha hall as usual, but upon coming out, she suddenly said she wanted to visit Old Marquis Sun at Hongdeng Hutong. She left me and Zhihong behind and only took Mama Du along to attend to her."

Why would she visit Fifth Uncle’s father-in-law out of the blue?

Shiyiniang returned to her room full of confusion. Before she could even sit down, a young maid came in. "Madam, the eldest daughter-in-law from Sanjing Hutong has arrived."

"Thanks to the care of Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle regarding Third Brother's matter," Fang Shi said respectfully, perched on the edge of the master's chair, "I was sent by my father-in-law to express gratitude to both aunts." She then had someone present a gift box and took out two garments of pongee silk. "These are for Sixth Uncle. The stitching is rough, so please don’t mind, Fourth Aunt."

Shiyiniang smiled and had Zhuxiang accept the gifts, then inquired about matters in Sanjing Hutong.

"Father-in-law and mother-in-law are both very pleased," Fang Shi replied with a smile. "Mother-in-law originally intended to come personally to thank you, but when my uncles heard the news, they came today to offer congratulations. Father-in-law also had to go to the Ministry of War (the Board of War) with Fifth Master to handle some formalities, so they sent me instead." She added, "Originally, Sijian was supposed to come along, but mother-in-law said he’s already fifteen and shouldn’t be running around the inner quarters so freely, to avoid gossip about impropriety, so she kept him at home."

Did the Gan family already hear about yesterday’s affairs?

Either she’s making excuses, or Third Madam couldn’t resist sending word to the Gan family overnight.

Shiyiniang smiled faintly and asked Fang Shi, "Have you visited Fifth Madam yet?"

Fang Shi looked slightly uneasy and explained, "When I came to Fourth Aunt’s place first, they said you had gone to Four Symbols Alley. So I went to Fifth Aunt’s place instead..."

Shiyiniang nodded with a smile. "You should also visit your Second Aunt. I heard she copied a book called *Jingzhou Divinations* and gave it to the Court Astronomers."

Fang Shi was taken aback.

Shiyiniang had already lifted her teacup, signaling the end of the visit. "I just got back from outside, and you have your mother-in-law’s instructions to attend to. I won’t keep you. Come visit another day."

Fang Shi hurriedly rose to take her leave.

Shiyiniang had thought Fang Shi would take her hint and visit Second Madam, but there was no sign she’d acted on it. She couldn’t help but wonder if her words had been too subtle—perhaps Fang Shi hadn’t understood at all.

A few days passed like this. The Dowager went to visit Madam Lin, the wife of the Marquis of Weibei one day, Madam Huang, the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang another, and even Madam Tang, the wife of the Marquis of Zhongshan on another occasion, baffling everyone.

Xu Siyu came to bid farewell to Lord Xu and Shiyiniang.

"I’ve already sorted out the materials Teacher assigned," he said, standing straight before Lord Xu with a warm and bright smile. "It’s been over a year since I last received Teacher’s guidance, so I’d like to return to Le’an earlier."

Xu Siyu’s eagerness greatly pleased Lord Xu. "Then make sure to return by September. We’ll be sending Zhenjie to Cangzhou then."

Xu Siyu bowed and acknowledged the instruction.

When he departed, Lord Xu had Xu Sizhun take Xu Sijie and Jin Geer to see him off.

Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian also came upon hearing the news.

"Send us a letter as soon as you arrive," Xu Siqin urged him. Xu Sijian, excited about his upcoming assignment in the Banner Guard of the Imperial Army, thumped his chest heartily. "Next time you return, Second Brother, I’ll host a feast at Chunxi Tower to welcome you back."

Xu Siyu chuckled and patted Jin Geer’s head.

Jin Geer, oblivious to farewells, clamored for Xu Sijie to play cuju with him as soon as Xu Siyu left.

Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian saw Xu Siyu off beyond the city gates, while Xu Sizhun invited Xu Sijie and Jin Geer to his courtyard with a smile. "...Our place is spacious. Father assigned me a servant, Wang Shu, who’s also good at cuju."

Xu Sijie hadn’t been to Xu Sizhun’s quarters for ages, so he readily agreed.

The group headed towards Xu Sizhun's residence when they saw Manager Zhao hurrying towards the study with a calling card in hand. Spotting Xu Sizhun and the others, he promptly bowed respectfully.

Xu Sizhun asked with a smile, "Who has arrived?"

Manager Zhao replied, "The Fang family’s elder master from Huzhou is here."

"Who is the Fang family’s elder master from Huzhou?" Xu Sijie looked at Xu Sizhun blankly.

"He's from eldest sister-in-law's family," Xu Sizhun explained before turning back to Manager Zhao. "But I wonder what relation this elder master is to eldest sister-in-law?"

"He is the eldest uncle of the first young madam," Manager Zhao said with a smile. "He formerly held the post of censor but later resigned and returned to Huzhou. This time, he brought Tanhu Fang to visit the marquis."

Meanwhile, Jin Geer grew impatient. "Cuju, cuju!" he clamored.

Xu Sizhun quickly bid farewell to Manager Zhao and led his two younger brothers back to his courtyard.

Later, Xu Sijie recounted the incident to Eleven Miss.

Eleven Miss counted the days silently—it would take over twenty days of pushing a horse hard to travel from Huzhou here. It seemed the Fang family had planned this long ago. However, she was mildly taken aback that the Fang family’s elder master had come personally to apologize.

By dinnertime, Lord Xu sent word to Eleven Miss that he would be holding a banquet for the Fang family’s elder master and wouldn’t be returning for the meal.

After dinner, Eleven Miss took the children to pay respects to elder madam.

Elder madam seemed distracted and merely gave an absent-minded "hmm" upon hearing the news. She kissed Jin Geer, inquired about Xu Sizhun's studies, and then signaled the end of the audience by raising her teacup (a traditional gesture).

As Eleven Miss led the children out, she ran into Madam Du.

Madam Du had just emerged from the eastern chamber, holding an almanac in her hand.

Eleven Miss asked with a smile, "What’s this for?"

Madam Du replied, "Elder madam wishes to check for auspicious dates in the coming days."

There were auspicious dates for travel and for weddings—what exactly was elder madam looking for?

Returning to her quarters, Eleven Miss sat beside Xu Sijie as he practiced calligraphy on the kang table (a heated platform common in northern Chinese homes), telling stories to Jin Geer. After seeing Xu Sijie off and putting Jin Geer to bed, Lord Xu finally returned.

"That Fang family’s elder master can really hold his liquor," he said, his face was flushed.

Eleven Miss quickly brought cold water for him to wash his face. "What did you discuss?"

"Apologies and gifts," Lord Xu replied, wiping his face and feeling somewhat better. "He also brought presents for all of you."

"We’ll inform Mother first thing tomorrow," Eleven Miss said, helping him fetch a change of clothes. "As for Third Sister-in-law, only Mother’s intervention will likely settle the matter."

Lord Xu nodded. After freshening up, he handed Eleven Miss the gift from the Fang family—a daffodil hairpin meticulously carved from Hetian jade. The pin was exquisitely crafted, with stalks as thin as hairs and blossoms so lifelike they seemed real, clearly a rare treasure.

"Such an extravagant gift?" Eleven Miss was astonished.

"That’s nothing," Lord Xu said with a laugh as he retired to bed. "Do you know what they gave Second Sister-in-law?"

His tone suggested something extraordinary.

Eleven Miss’s curiosity was stirred. "What did they give her?"

"A book called *Kaiyuan Divination*," Lord Xu said. "At first, I didn’t know what it was. After reading it, I realized it’s a tome on astrological phenomena. The Fang family gave her only three volumes, but per Scholar Yu’s assessment, even these three are invaluable treasures." He mused, "Why did the Fang family suddenly gift Second Sister-in-law such a book? It’s excessively extravagant."

Did Fang Shi avoid visiting Second Sister-in-law because she lacked a suitable gift? Or did she think this was a more fitting way to show gratitude?

Eleven Miss smiled and said, "A fine sword is gifted to a hero, and fine gifts for a beauty. Perhaps the Fang family believes such treasures are best suited for someone like Second Aunt, who truly values such things."

"Perhaps," Lord Xu replied, though still puzzled. He chuckled and continued chatting idly with Eleven Miss. "If it were given to me, I wouldn’t even know what it was—I’d probably just stash it somewhere."

Eleven Miss nodded. "Maybe the Fang family intended this as a gesture of sincerity?"

"I didn’t see any real sincerity," Lord Xu remarked with a laugh. "They gifted Elder Madam a black jade carving a foot tall of the God of Longevity, gave me a Longquan sword, presented Little Five with a qin crafted by Lei Xiao, and gave Fifth Sister-in-law a creamy white jade bamboo plaque... We know nothing about the Fang family, yet they seem to know everything about us. It’s no surprise we’ve been at a disadvantage. If the Fang family hadn’t already ruled out divorce, who knows how much worse things could’ve gotten?"

Clearly, the Fang family had prepared thoroughly in advance.

Eleven Miss didn’t wish to dwell on the topic, fearing it might stir Lord Xu’s resentment toward the Fang family and complicate matters further.

"Should I speak with Mother tomorrow, or will you?" she shifted the conversation.

"You handle it," Lord Xu said. "After all, Mother entrusted this matter to you."

"Very well," Eleven Miss replied with a smile. "I’ll go speak with her right after breakfast tomorrow."

Elder Madam seemed lost in thought. When told that the Fang family’s elder had brought Fang Ji to visit, she merely gave an absentminded "Hmm." Even when Eleven Miss presented the gifts from the Fang family, Elder Madam only glanced at the black jade God of Longevity lying in its crimson velvet-lined box before instructing Yu Ban to put it away. After playing with Jin Geer for a while, she ended the visit by raising her teacup.

Eleven Miss left with the children.

On her way out, she encountered Madam Du emerging from the eastern chamber, still holding an almanac.

"What’s this about?" Eleven Miss asked curiously.

"Elder Madam wishes to check for auspicious dates and times," Madam Du explained with a smile.

There are auspicious dates for travel, weddings—what kind of date is Elder Madam looking for?