Chapter 556

Chapter 562: Marriage (Part 2) 562

What followed went surprisingly smoothly, beyond Eleventh Miss's expectations.

Madam Huang the Third went to the Jin family to propose the marriage, and the Jin family agreed without hesitation. They invited the wife of Commander Wei of the Five-City Military and Police Office to act as the matchmaker and accepted Xu Sijian's horoscope (for marriage compatibility). On the Xu family's side, Third Master had already come early to pay his respects to the Eldest Madam, happily placing Miss Jin’s horoscope in the ancestral hall. He took the initiative to discuss Xu Sijian's wedding with the Eldest Madam: "Zhenjie’s wedding is set for October. I think we can have our Sijian's betrothal ceremony at the end of the year and the wedding next spring. What do you think?"

The Eldest Madam sipped her tea leisurely and said, "Rich or poor, a wedding before New Year brings good fortune. Zhenjie's preparations have been underway for two or three years already, so there’s not much left to do. I think we can hold the betrothal in July and choose a date in August for the wedding."

Third Master looked at the Eldest Madam in surprise but quickly composed himself and smiled. "August is when the osmanthus blooms—neither too hot nor too cold, perfect for a celebration. Mother’s foresight is unmatched."

The Eldest Madam then told Madam Du to bring the almanac: "I think the 20th of September would be good. Zhenjie will marry on the 20th of October, and the dowry can be sent on the 6th of October. After two days of tidying up, it’ll be Jin Ge’er’s third birthday." As she spoke, a smile appeared on her face. "Then everyone can celebrate together again!"

Third Master smiled stiffly and acquiesced.

The Fifth Madam brought over a list: "Mother, please take a look!"

In just over ten days, it would be Shen Geer’s first birthday, and Xu Lingkuan and the Fifth Madam had decided to host a grand celebration, preparing well in advance.

Seeing this, Third Master stood up to take his leave. "These are matters for the inner household women. As a man and the child’s uncle, it’s not appropriate for me to stay here."

The Eldest Madam didn’t keep him and smiled. "Lady Danyang has grown quite capable. This list looks well-prepared. When Sijian gets married, you and your fourth sister-in-law can go to Three-Well Lane to help."

Third Master paused mid-step, one foot inside the door and the other outside, before slowly stepping out completely.

The Eldest Madam watched him go, took a sip of tea, and returned the list to the Fifth Madam with a smile. "Take this to your fourth sister-in-law. She’ll know how to help you arrange things."

The Fifth Madam agreed cheerfully and went to Eleventh Miss’s quarters.

"...June is hot. I have a glass screen in my storeroom—we can place it in the flower hall. We should also instruct the greenhouse to arrange fresh flowers in the vases!"

The Fifth Madam nodded eagerly. "We’ll use blue-and-white porcelain for the tableware and cover the tables with bright red cloths!"

"Bright red?" Eleventh Miss pondered. "What about lake blue? It may not be as festive as bright red, but it looks refreshing."

"Lake blue?" The Fifth Madam’s eyes lit up. "But what if wine spills and stains it? It might be hard to clean." She seemed tempted nonetheless.

Silk and satin took lake-blue dye best, and if stained, they couldn’t be washed.

Eleventh Miss smiled. "Why not use coarse linen instead? If it gets stained, it can be washed!"

"Come on!" The Fifth Madam tugged Eleventh Miss’s sleeve. "We’ll ask the sewing room."

Eleventh Miss was also intrigued and wanted to see if coarse linen could be dyed lake blue. The two passed the whole afternoon in the seamstresses’ quarters and even had dinner together, finalizing the arrangements for Shen Geer’s first birthday celebration.

Their visit to the Eldest Madam ran late.

The Eldest Madam shook her head at them, smiling. "All this fuss over table drapes? Can they even be dyed in ten days?"

"Mother!" The Fifth Madam protested. "After Shen Geer’s first birthday, we won’t be able to gather relatives and friends like this again until his capping ceremony at twenty. Please let us dye the cloth!"

"When did I say you couldn’t indulge in this?" The Eldest Madam laughed, pulling Jin Ge’er, who was sitting beside her engrossed in his nine-linked rings, into her arms. "Go ahead and dye it. I’m just worried that if the cloth doesn’t turn out well, you’ll switch to green tablecloths and replace the blue-and-white porcelain with sweet white porcelain, leaving us no peace!"

"Not at all!" The Fifth Madam quickly assured her. "The sewing room said the dyeing workshop can work overnight, and we’ll have a sample in at most five days. If it doesn’t work, we’ll just switch to water blue. My fourth sister-in-law and I tested it today—water blue is pretty too, if less vivid than lake blue."

Seeing her daughters-in-law discussing things so harmoniously, the Eldest Madam couldn’t help but smile warmly. Glancing at Jin Ge’er, who was pouting as he struggled with the nine-linked rings, her heart swelled with joy. She pressed a kiss to Jin Ge’er’s forehead and said, "I won’t interfere. Have your fun. As for me, I’ll just play with our Jin Ge’er and our Shen Geer!" She kissed Jin Ge’er’s cheek again.

The Fifth Madam took her son’s hand. "Shen Geer, did you hear that? Hurry and grow up—your sixth brother sets the filial standard!"

Shen Geer turned his head and pointed at a plate of lotus seed cakes on the Elder Madam's kang table, babbling eagerly as if asking for some.

Fifth Madam lightly tapped her son's hand. "You little foodie!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

When the room was empty, Madam Du quietly reminded the Elder Madam, "You're getting older, and Jin Geer’s getting heavier. Let Yu Ban and the others carry the sixth young master."

The Elder Madam dismissed the concern. "I know my limits." She paused, then couldn't help defending herself, "Jin Geer had a difficult birth, but he's grown so strong and lively—just like Fourth Young Master when he was young. Looking at him reminds me of those days..." Her expression turned nostalgic. "Back then, Second Master was also..." Her eyes dimmed with sorrow.

This was a painful memory for the Elder Madam, like an unhealed wound that bled when touched. No one dared to bring it up lightly.

Madam Du quickly changed the subject. "Would you like to try the small embroidered robe with white lotus flowers that the fourth madam made for you the other day..."

"No need to divert me." The Elder Madam smiled, knowing her old servant too well. "I used to be upset seeing this household in disarray, always thinking—if Second Master hadn’t left... things might have been different. But now, I’ve come to accept it. It’s all fate’s design. If he hadn’t passed, the title wouldn’t have gone to Fourth Young Master. And if not for Fourth Young Master inheriting, this family’s fortunes might have already collapsed." She sighed softly and confided in Madam Du, "The late marquis once said, 'Second Master is gentle, kind, and sincere. With him safeguarding our legacy, though we might suffer small losses, we’d never lose our integrity. With Yizhen by his side, our family’s reputation would remain untarnished.'

"'Fourth Young Master is resolute and resourceful, and Eldest Miss (Yuan-niang) is shrewd and decisive. No matter how the world changes, they’ll thrive. Let them establish their own household. If the emperor favors them, let them secure a title for Little Five—he’s the youngest, spoiled more than disciplined. Don’t expect greatness from him, just that he avoids disgrace. That’s why we arranged his marriage to Dan County (Danyang) early.'"

The Elder Madam paused.

"'Third Young Master is honest but easily swayed, lacking conviction, always trying to please. We originally wanted him to marry a scholar’s daughter, hence hiring a tutor for him. But such matches are hard to find. Noble families scorned his lack of rank and his status as a concubine’s son. Impoverished families would’ve made us seem neglectful. So we settled for Gan Shi.'

"'At first, Gan Shi followed every rule, and I was pleased. But the late marquis noticed her eyes often flickered uneasily when looking at her sisters-in-law (saozi/dimu). He warned she might stir trouble and urged me to keep her in check.'

"'I dismissed it. She was my daughter-in-law; I was her mother-in-law. The tutor said Third Young Master wasn’t cut out for books, so I thought he’d spend decades trying to pass the exams—plenty of time to keep an eye on her. Besides, I treated Yizhen and Eldest Miss with kindness—how could I single her out for harshness?'

"'The late marquis and I butted heads over this often.'"

The Elder Madam smiled bitterly.

"Yet, everything he predicted came true."

This was the first time Madam Du had heard such details.

But as a servant, she knew her place. The Elder Madam’s trust honored her, but she couldn’t overstep. To meddle would ruin their bond.

She chose comforting words. "The late marquis had sharp insight. Among the young masters, only the current marquis matches his foresight."

Sigh... The Elder Madam shook her head faintly. "When Eldest Miss wanted to establish their own household, I was upset by Fourth Young Master’s hesitation. I thought, 'Let them go—the late marquis intended it anyway.' But he refused, saying the court was too unstable, and Second Master needed support. With our lineage sparse and the Nanjing branch too far to rely on, splitting now would weaken us further. 'Keep them a few more years,' he said. He once mused, 'In peaceful times, it’s fine. But if chaos comes, only Fourth Young Master can restore our glory...'"

Her eyes grew moist.

"Sometimes I think... perhaps this was fate."

Before she could finish, tears fell in fat drops.

...

While the Elder Madam and Madam Du spoke of their sons and daughters-in-law, the latter were also discussing her.

"So, Mother intends for Xu Sijian to marry at Three-Well Lane (Sanjing Hutong)?"

Third Madam’s face turned red, then white, as she paced like a caged animal.

Though Third Young Master kept his face calm, his brows betrayed frustration. "Three-Well Lane isn’t so bad. Everyone knows we’ve moved out anyway."

"How can it be the same?" Third Madam protested. "The guests, the gifts, the ceremony’s grandeur—everything will be lesser! Xu Sijian wedding a deputy commander’s daughter is already a slight, and now..." She turned away, sank onto the kang, weeping.