◎Thank you, Father and Mother, for your efforts.◎

The next day, before dawn, Lán Zhu carried a basin of steaming, hot water and knocked on the door. “Miss, Miss, are you awake? It’s already the hour of Mǎo.”

The hour of Mǎo—just six o’clock.

Wrapped in her quilt, Chu Yufu sluggishly opened her eyes. After a moment, she rasped softly, “Awake.”

In the Great Yan Dynasty, it was customary to pay morning and evening respects to elders. When the first light appeared, one would visit the matron’s quarters to greet her and then return to their own rooms for breakfast.

Getting up this early in bitter cold was almost lethal.

At exactly a quarter past the hour of Mǎo, Chu Yufu stepped into the Yúnxī Hall. Inside, a table was set with pastries and porridge. Her father and Madam Wu sat at the main seats, and Chu Jinhe had already arrived.

She stepped forward with a respectful bow. “I pay my respects to Father and Mother,” then turned slightly to perform a parallel courtesy to Chu Jinhe.

Her father gave a small nod in acknowledgment, leaning back with eyes closed while Madam Wu adjusted his collar.

After a while, her third brother Chu Jūnzé and the fourth young lady, Chu Línglán—daughter of the household’s secondary concubine—arrived. After greetings, everyone took their seats.

Her father, Chu Chāngrú, aged forty-one and currently an official in the Ministry of Works, usually allowed the younger members to greet him and then return to their own rooms. But on his days off, like today, he would remain to have breakfast with the children.

At the round carved redwood table, everyone focused on their meal. The occasional clinking of bowls and chopsticks punctuated the quiet. When the meal was nearly finished, Chu Chāngrú turned to examine his third son’s studies: “Where has the master reached recently?”

Chu Jūnzé put down his chopsticks and answered honestly, “Master is teaching the Dàxué, reaching the line: ‘The king of Shang, Tang, inscribed on the dish: If one can renew oneself daily, one can be renewed every day, and keep renewing.’”

His father nodded, took the cloth handed to him by a maid, and dabbed at the corners of his mouth. “Then explain it. What does this passage mean?”

“….”

Chu Jūnzé glanced at his father, then looked pleadingly at his mother. Madam Wu saw his expression and instantly lost her appetite.

Seeing his mother silent, Chu Jūnzé scratched his head, stammering, “King Tang of Shang, inscribed on… on the basin: if… if one can renew oneself daily, then one can be renewed every day… constantly renew?”

“Anything more?” his father asked.

“Anything more?” Chu Jūnzé panicked, racking his brain. He had only listened up to this part in class before his mind wandered.

Chu Yufu picked up a piece of jujube cake, silently rolling her eyes.

The Yan Dynasty in this world was loosely modeled after the Tang and Song. Pre-Tang history had been adapted by the original author, so children still studied the Four Books and Five Classics.

Chu Yufu remembered this passage from her high school studies. King Tang of Shang had overthrown the Xia tyrant Jie to establish a new regime; the key was constant reform and self-improvement. Hence, he engraved this line on a basin as a reminder to himself.

Her third brother clearly had no talent for studying. Even if he could explain the meaning, what use would that be? Such a person was hardly worth dedicating a lifetime to.

Then Chu Chāngrú sighed deeply, tilting his head. “How was the banquet yesterday?”

Madam Wu discreetly shot her son a glance, then placed a pastry on her husband’s plate and smiled.

“The third son of the Li family, I saw him. A good boy, both in character and appearance. Madam Li also favors our Fú girl. After dinner last night, they sent word that they would come to submit a formal proposal in a couple of days.”

At this, everyone at the table looked toward Chu Yufu, who had been quietly eating.

Today, the girl wore a pale yellow skirt patterned like coins, with a moon-white silk robe over it. Her temperament was soft and clean, completely different from yesterday. Hearing the news, she froze in disbelief for a moment, her face blank. Then joy and excitement shone in her eyes. She immediately stood, blushing, and respectfully bowed to her father and stepmother.

“Thank you, Father and Mother, for your efforts.”

Her expression was shy yet touched.

Around the table, reactions varied. The twelve-year-old fourth young lady, Chu Línglán, looked at her second sister with pure envy.

Third brother Chu Jūnzé’s eyes widened; he glanced at his sister, then at his mother, and couldn’t help but smile foolishly.

As for Chu Jinhe, her expression was complex—some pity, some happiness, and some displeasure. She pursed her lips, picked up a porcelain spoon, and scooped a spoonful of mung bean porridge into her mouth.

Chu Chāngrú, pleased, said, “Very good. Thanks to Madam for managing everything.”

Chu Yufu’s gaze swept across everyone’s faces one by one, but she showed no expression as she lowered her head and sat down.

After breakfast ended, the others left one after another, except for the eldest Miss Chu, who stayed behind. She sat by the small side window, took up the embroidery frame on the table, and began her needlework.

Madam Wu loosened her thin jacket, wearing only a narrow-sleeved apricot-colored blouse, half-reclining on the beauty couch, her hands holding silver scissors as she arranged flowers and plants.

After a while, the maids cleared away the dishes and bowls, swept and tidied the hall, and left. Jinhe looked up at her mother, frowning, and said: “Eldest sister hasn’t even begun her marriage arrangements yet, but the second sister is already up for discussion. What will people outside say?”

Madam Wu didn’t raise her head. Snipping the chrysanthemum stems in half with a click, she said casually, “Then I’ll give you the third son of the Li family. Do you want him?”

Jinhe put down the embroidery frame, pursed her lips, and said nothing.

The scissors’ snipping echoed intermittently in the quiet room. After trimming the flowers and plants, Madam Wu stood, brushed off the clippings from her clothes, and sat at the table, smiling wryly:

“Alright, your mother only wants what’s best for you. If your younger brother can enter the Imperial Academy smoothly, learn from renowned teachers, and make connections, he’ll rise steadily in life. With capable family members, you’ll have confidence wherever you marry.

Who comes first or later, what’s there to discuss? Could our famous ‘Little Lotus Fairy’ in the capital possibly be inferior to a little girl of low birth?”

She reached out and brushed aside a few stray strands of her daughter’s hair.

The eldest Miss Chu inherited her mother’s beauty: phoenix eyes with long lashes, fair skin, willow-shaped brows. She usually wore white dresses, giving her a refined and elegant aura. Skilled in poetry, painting, and graceful manners, she had a notable reputation in the capital.

The Li family initially admired her. Madam Wu had inquiries made and discovered that their third son had a bad reputation—a reckless wastrel. Naturally, she didn’t want her real daughter to marry him, but she couldn’t pass up the match, so she sent the second daughter instead.

“Don’t worry, I’ll choose someone even better for you.”

Hearing this, Jinhe’s expression brightened. She bit her lip, as if wanting to say something, but in the end just got up and leaned against her mother, saying: “Thank you, Mother.”

Madam Wu comforted her daughter, then picked up each trimmed flower and placed them in a celadon vase. She called out: “Madam Meng.”

“Madam.” The door opened, and the plump Madam Meng, hair styled in a low bun, walked in.

Madam Wu lifted her chin and pointed at the vase on the table. “Take these flowers to Third Young Master’s study, and tell him to go see the tutor and study properly, making sure to understand anything he didn’t catch in class.”

“Yes.”

“Wait a moment.”

Madam Meng lifted the vase to leave, but was called back. Madam Wu raised her orchid-like finger and tapped the table twice, thinking for a moment before instructing again:

“Later, assign a clever maid from our house to go to Zhuyu Courtyard and look after the second miss properly. Make sure she doesn’t get into any more trouble.”

“Yes.” Madam Meng replied.

Madam Wu sat back on the beauty couch and sipped her tea, her voice tight with annoyance. “Thinking about that second girl makes me angry. Yesterday at the banquet, the expressions from Madam Zhang and Madam He—I barely dared to look.”

Jinhe walked to her mother’s side, massaging her shoulders. Remembering the second sister’s embarrassed face at the dining table, she smiled:

“She’s foolish, but you’ve known that for a long time. A little foolishness isn’t bad. Look at how happy she just was—she’s probably deeply moved inside! Once she marries, you won’t need to worry about your brother anymore.”

…

Elsewhere:

After stepping out of Yunxi Hall, Chu Yufu didn’t hurry back to the small courtyard to nap. Instead, she turned and went straight to Cishou Hall.

Last night, she had thought through many things, pondering who in this household she could rely on. Excluding Madam Wu, those with real influence were her father, Master Chu, and her grandmother, Lady Wei.

At the breakfast table, her nominal father first questioned her younger brother about his studies. Seeing he hadn’t done well, he immediately asked about her marriage, showing he was aware of Madam Wu’s plans—perhaps even conspiring with her.

The only person left for her to lean on was her grandmother, who spent her days eating vegetarian meals and chanting prayers in Cishou Hall.

She had originally planned to stay as far from her cousin as possible to avoid trouble, but now circumstances wouldn’t allow it. Not only could she not avoid the family, she had to actively seek a connection, using her cousin as a way to interact with her grandmother.

As she approached Cishou Hall, even before passing through the flower-adorned gate, she could smell the faint scent of sandalwood and hear the soft tapping of the wooden fish coming from the small western shrine.

Chu Yufu lightened her steps, stopping outside the east wing room. She felt the scented sachets in her sleeves and smiled sweetly at the maid standing guard at the door. “Sister is awake?”