The Third-Day Washing Ceremony
Chunhaeng's mother had barely set foot in the Zhenguo Commandery Princess Estate when she heard from the servants that her daughter had been locked in the woodshed the night before. In an instant she sensed something had gone badly wrong, and slipping a pouch of silver into the old gatekeeper's hand, she asked in a small, deferential voice, "Forgive me, but did my girl commit some offense against Her Highness? I heard she was shut up in the woodshed."
The old gatekeeper weighed the pouch in his palm, glanced left and right, and hastily stuffed it into his sleeve. "Your family's girl stole something belonging to the Eldest Miss. She's being punished for it, I heard."
Chunhaeng's mother went white to the lips. "That's impossible! I know my own daughter. She's never been so short-sighted. She's about to enter the Minister of Revenue's household as a concubine—any ornament she could want would be hers for the asking. Why on earth would a girl like that steal from Her Highness?"
Alarmed by her raised voice, the old servant looked around nervously, then fixed her with a glare. "The Eldest Miss showed your Chunhaeng mercy by not summoning the slave traders. That was grace enough—and now you raise your voice here, of all places?"
With that, he brushed off his sleeve and stalked inside.
Chunhaeng's mother's face hardened. The worry churning in her chest was enough to drive her mad. If the Ministry of Revenue learned that Chunhaeng had been expelled from the Zhenguo Commandery Princess Estate, they would never take her in—and then wouldn't the silver they had promised simply go to waste?
The Minister of Revenue wanted a concubine for his son. She had bent a hundred times over to agree to send her daughter into that household, but if Chunhaeng was no longer a maid at the Commandery Princess's side, why would the Minister's family choose her for their son? Bastard-born or not, he was still a young master of the Minister's house.
Her eyes darted as the scheme took shape. Her Highness had spared the girl and refused to make the matter public—so they would bury it. To the outside world, the Commandery Princess had shown her favor and graciously released her from service.
Once she was married into the Minister's household, the water would be spilled beyond recall anyway. Surely a young master who had already taken a girl to his bed wouldn't come knocking to demand his betrothal silver back.
Resolve settled, Chunhaeng's mother waited by the side gate.
Before long, Chunhaeng emerged looking haggard and hollow-eyed after a night in the woodshed, a bundle slung over her arm. At the sight of her mother, tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Not one word!"
Her mother seized her by the wrist and whispered, "The Eldest Miss showed you mercy and let you go—what are you crying for? This is a good thing!"
Catching her mother's meaning, Chunhaeng fought back her tears. "But Mother... I haven't even received my indenture papers back yet."
Her mother started, shot a furtive glance at the estate's black gates, then gripped her daughter's hand tight. "Come home first. We'll talk there!"
Chunhaeng nodded and climbed into the carriage her mother had borrowed, and the two of them rolled slowly away from the gates of the Zhenguo Commandery Princess Estate.
Bai Jingyan finished her walking drill in the courtyard and lifted the Red-Tasseled Spear. Nanny Dong approached just then and reported that Chunhaeng's mother had come to take her daughter away. Bai Jingyan nodded, accepted a handkerchief from Chun Tao's tray, and wiped the sweat from her face and neck. "Nanny Dong, look into this for me. Pick out a maid from among the bond-servants to fill Chunhaeng's place."
"Yes, my lady!"
After offering her respects, Nanny Dong went on. "Just as you instructed, I asked old Lu the gatekeeper how things went when Chunhaeng's mother arrived. He said Chunhaeng was accused of theft, and her mother raised her voice right at our gates—declaring her daughter would soon enter the Minister of Revenue's household as a concubine. Then something seemed to occur to her, and she suddenly went quiet. And when Chunhaeng left in tears, the mother told her not to cry. So I'm holding back her indenture papers for now. Once the Eighth Miss's Third-Day Washing Ceremony ends this afternoon, I intend to deliver them in person myself."
"On the way," she continued, "I'll let Chunhaeng's neighbors know that not a single soul connected to her family will ever be employed by this estate again. We can't have the girl doing something disgraceful later and splashing ink on the Eldest Miss's good name. If it pleases Your Highness, I'll send someone secretly afterward to return the indenture papers."
Nanny Dong knew the whole story well. She had meant to return the papers straight away, exactly as Bai Jingyan had instructed.
But remembering how thick-skinned Chunhaeng's mother had been, she had changed her mind. Only by letting the matter be widely known could they prevent Chunhaeng and her family from ever trading on the Eldest Miss's name for profit. Otherwise, when trouble eventually surfaced, everyone might lay the blame at the Eldest Miss's feet.
"You think of everything, Nanny. Do it as you said."
Bai Jingyan set her handkerchief on the tray Chun Tao held out and took a sip of tea. "Since Grandmother is returning today, that will be all for now."
Chun Tao nodded and sent a maid to bring in breakfast.
Today the Grand Princess was to bring the young Miss Lu to the estate. Though it was partly for show, the Grand Princess seemed genuinely taken with the girl—she had even sent Nanny Zhang ahead with a special request: it would be a bother, but could Lady Dong please clear out the courtyard Bai Xiaoqiu had once used and prepare it for the Miss Lu to stay in?
Lady Dong had been astonished. Bai Xiaoqiu's Qiushuang Court had been left exactly as it was all this time—servants sent daily to keep it clean, and whenever the Grand Princess missed Bai Xiaoqiu, she would sit there a while in silence. The persimmon tree Bai Xiaoqiu had planted in that courtyard had long since grown tall and full, its branches reaching beyond the garden wall.
Everyone was curious about the young Miss Lu. Even Bai Jinxiu had arrived by carriage early in the morning, eager to see what the girl at the center of the rumors sweeping Dadu actually looked like—rumors, no less, that the newborn was Bai Xiaoqiu returned to life.
Ironically, it was Bai Jinchi—who had already seen Miss Lu alongside Bai Jingyan at the Grand Princess's residence—who arrived at Longevity Court last of all. Having paid her respects to the Grand Princess with uncharacteristic docility, she took her place at the side without so much as glancing at the girl beside her grandmother.
Watching her daughter's steadied bearing, Third Madam Li privately marveled that hardship on the frontier had matured the girl, and was quietly pleased.
Together they all went with the Grand Princess to meet the newborn granddaughter. The Grand Princess pressed a red gemstone into Bai Wanjing's tiny hand as a first-meeting gift, and gazing down at the infant, she could not stop smiling.
Even if, deep in her heart, a faint regret lingered that the child had not been born a boy.
And yet—precisely because she was not a boy, the peace of the entire family might be preserved. Relief and a bitterness she could not quite suppress wrestled within her all at once.
As the elders cast their coins and blessings—dates, lotus seeds, longan, peanuts, chestnuts—into the basin of water boiled with mugwort and elm branches, the midwife poured out a full stream of auspicious words. When the lively rite finally wound down, she collected her reward and withdrew.
"Looking at this child, I'm reminded of the day Aiyan was born."
The Grand Princess spoke with reddened eyes, smiling all the same. "Just as rare a beauty then. Just as white, just as clear and pure."
nestling in the Grand Princess's arms, the infant waved her tiny fists about, then clutched the Grand Princess's finger in a tight grip. The Grand Princess burst out laughing. Watching, Third Madam Li spoke up.
"It seems this child shares your deep bond, Madam—just like Aiyan did!"
The Grand Princess nodded and handed the baby back to the wet nurse, then instructed Fifth Madam Xie to rest well through her confinement.
Before long, a sister-in-law from Fifth Madam Xie's own family came calling.
Fifth Madam had never intended to hold a grand celebration for the baby's Third-Day Washing. With the Grand Princess returning that very day, she had planned to simply mark it with a family meal.
Old Madam Xie arrived all smiles and made her jests with Fifth Madam. She and Fifth Madam had quarreled the day before, she said, and being one who hated to lose, she had stayed away this morning—but then she missed her daughter and granddaughter so that she ended up sending herself along after all. So please, she begged, do not cast her out.
One cannot spit in a smiling face. Lady Dong returned the pleasantry warmly and welcomed her in, still smiling.
By the time a pot of tea had come and gone, Lady Song—yet another of Lady Dong's sisters-in-law—arrived with her daughter in tow.
Fortunately, Lady Dong had told the servants to prepare a generous spread, and so the Third-Day Washing Ceremony for Bai Wanjing, the eighth daughter of the Bai clan, was held amid cheerful bustle after all.
And quite unexpectedly, the Crown Princess sent a gift of congratulation as well.
Bai Jingyan knew exactly what it meant. Under the pretext of sending congratulations, the Crown Princess had dispatched someone to sneak a look at what the young Miss Lu actually looked like.
The noble families of Dadu were remarkably quick to judge which way the wind was blowing. Each household matron sent servants or nannies under the pretext of delivering gifts, with orders to steal a glance at Miss Lu and report back.
But the Grand Princess kept the girl carefully hidden. When everyone pressed Nanny Zhang, who attended the Grand Princess, she only said that Miss Lu had injured her arm while gathering medicine for Her Highness and was recuperating at Qiushuang Court.
At the ceremony, the Grand Princess drank several cups of osmanthus rice wine for the first time in ages, and her cheeks flushed rosy.
After escorting the Grand Princess back to Longevity Court, Bai Jingyan and Bai Jinxiu ordered a maid to serve tea. It was then that the Grand Princess spoke.
"I hear you dismissed the senior maid who attends you."
"I had meant to marry her into a good family, but she set her sights so high that she begged me to dissolve her indenture instead. She's gone to the Minister of Revenue's household—said she would be the young master's concubine."
Bai Jingyan answered as she took the teacup Nanny Zhang held out.
The Grand Princess and Bai Jinxiu were far too sharp to miss it. The moment those words were spoken, they both sensed there was more beneath the surface.
For why else would the Minister's household raise a maidservant to concubine status, bastard-born son or not? What reason could there be to elevate a low-born slave who had sold her body for coin?
"Don't you worry, Grandmother. Nanny Dong will send someone along later with Chunhaeng's indenture papers, and on the way she'll spread the word that from now on, the Bai family will never again employ anyone connected to Chunhaeng's household."
"Oh, you child! Your heart is far too soft!"
The Grand Princess pointed at Bai Jingyan, her eyes calm—but her voice carried a bold, cutting edge. "With low-born slaves like that, you must beat them to death, or the trouble only follows you."
Setting down her teacup, the Grand Princess went on. "Nanny Zhang, go and make sure Nanny Dong understands this perfectly. Have her go to that low-born girl's house and say it plainly: the girl stole an ornament from the Commandery Princess's own chambers, and that hairpin is a relic left behind by the late Empress—a gift I myself presented to Her Highness long ago.
When the Commandery Princess left it untouched for so long, the girl took it for forgotten, stole it, and meant to trade it for silver! But Her Highness is too kindhearted—she worried that if she returned to the estate today, she might put the girl to death after all, and that is why she cast her out so hastily!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Nanny Zhang answered at once.
Nanny Dong was swift and capable, and the moment Nanny Zhang's message reached her, she understood exactly how it had to be handled. Nodding again and again, she climbed into a carriage and set off for Chunhaeng's house.