"Is there really such a thing?" Madam Jiang was so surprised she couldn’t speak: "Given Lord Han’s situation, marrying a good family girl should be easy. Surely many are hoping to wed him. Why would he seek your Fourth Sister?" If it were the Eighth Sister, perhaps she wouldn’t be so shocked; after all, Tong Xiyan is not a maiden waiting for marriage but a woman who has already been divorced.

"Could it be..." Madam Jiang was startled, suddenly recalling a possibility, her face turning unpleasant: "Have they met?" With such strict gender separation, and Tong Xiyan’s special status, if this gets out, her reputation would be ruined.

Xiqiu gently said, "Don’t be alarmed!" Pausing, she continued, "At first, I had the same thought as you. Last night I thought it over and remembered that two years ago, at Zhi’s one-year-old celebration, when Third Brother was drunk, didn’t Fourth Sister stay in the room..."

Madam Jiang froze upon hearing this but then slowly loosened her breath: "I remember, I remember!" She nodded repeatedly, astonished as she asked, "Could it be from that time?"

"It should be." Xiqiu nodded slightly: "Otherwise, why would he specifically ask to marry Fourth Sister, unless they had met." After Xiqiu finished, seeing Madam Jiang’s expression improve, she added: "Sister-in-law, we both know Lord Han’s family background. At home, he has two legitimate sons, an illegitimate daughter, an illegitimate son, and a concubine along with two additional wives. His parents passed early, and now Lord Han’s younger sister-in-law manages the household affairs. Compared to others, his family situation is not too complicated..." Xiqiu expressed no personal opinion: "I haven’t mentioned this to Fourth Sister yet. I wanted to discuss it with you first to get your thoughts."

Madam Jiang frowned, thought for a moment, sipped tea lightly, and after a while, she looked at Xiqiu, replying, "Considering Lord Han’s circumstances, accepting his proposal for Fourth Sister is not really overreaching, but for Fourth Sister... I need to discuss this with your elder brother and will reply in a few days." Pausing, she continued, "When the time comes, you should talk to Fourth Sister. If I brought it up, she might suspect me of some ulterior motive."

As a sister-in-law, with Tong Xiyan living at home, if Madam Jiang were to ask, Tong Xiyan might mistakenly think Jiang couldn’t tolerate her and was eager to marry her off. Xiqiu understood and nodded, saying, "There’s no rush on this matter. According to Fourth Master, Lord Han has been waiting for Fourth Sister to finish mourning, having remained unmarried for two years for this reason, so a few more days won’t matter."

Still unable to suppress her surprise, Madam Jiang sighed secretly. In the family, the ones eager to marry have no suitors, yet there’s a proposal for someone unwilling to wed. If the marriage is arranged, it could stir up a commotion.

"First Young Madam, Sixth Lady, Fourth Miss, and Eighth Miss are here." A maid outside the curtain reported, and Xiqiu and Madam Jiang exchanged glances, changing their expressions to halt the discussion. Madam Jiang smiled, saying, "Invite them in!"

Thereafter, Tong Xiyan and Tong Xiyu entered one after the other. After everyone exchanged greetings, they sat in the room, and Madam Jiang asked, "Did you come from the main quarters?"

"Yes, Master is conducting a ritual; we’ve come to see Sixth Sister." Saying this, she looked at Xiqiu and asked, "I heard Xing is here? Is he in the study or playing with Seventh Brother?"

"In the outer courtyard with Seventh Brother." After Xiqiu spoke, Tong Xiyan nodded and smiled, asking, "Sister-in-law and Sixth Sister were just discussing something. The room was empty, and it seemed quite secretive."

Tong Xiyu also displayed a curious expression.

Madam Jiang’s eyes shifted, smiling as she said, "Nothing secretive, just discussing your elder brother’s duties with Sixth Lady..." Upon hearing this, Tong Xiyan raised an eyebrow and refrained from further questions.

"Sixth Sister." Tong Xiyu looked at Xiqiu and asked, "They say Consort Le is pregnant in the palace? Is it true?"

Xiqiu was taken aback, not knowing why Tong Xiyu suddenly showed concern for Consort Le, and nodded, saying, "Yes, it’s only been a few days, and they say it’s a happy pulse!"

"That’s wonderful news," Tong Xiyu smiled gently, "She finally made it through."

As these words came out, Madam Jiang, Xiqiu, and Tong Xiyan all looked quizzically at Tong Xiyu. Tong Xiyu, noticing their gazes, blushed awkwardly and lowered her head, saying, "Well... it’s like this, before she entered the palace, we exchanged letters once. Since then, we’ve lost contact. I wasn’t sure how she was faring. Yesterday, upon hearing of her pregnancy, I wanted to ask and felt happy for her."

"So that’s it." Xiqiu frowned inwardly, but on the surface, she smiled and said, "I heard Eighth Sister has been embroidering the ’Rich Mountain Residence’? Is it ready to show us?"

"It’s not ready yet, not presentable," Tong Xiyu blushed, "When it’s done, I’ll bring it to you, Sixth Sister."

"For me?" Xiqiu was surprised, looking at Tong Xiyu, who nodded and replied, "I intended it as a birthday gift for you, but with only three months left, I’m not sure I’ll finish in time." Pausing, she looked at Xiqiu: "Speaking of embroidery in front of you is indeed showing off one’s skills."

"Not at all!" Xiqiu’s smile was radiant, concealing emotions: "Eighth Sister’s kind thought makes me very happy, even if it’s a bit meticulous, sorry for your trouble."

Tong Xiyu lowered her head again, shaking it: "It’s fine, I’m idle anyway."

Xiqiu and Tong Xiyan exchanged glances, smiled, and said no more.

In the afternoon, everyone went to Lady’s main quarters, taking down the white banners and mourning lanterns, symbolically putting away Lady’s belongings into storage, which Madam Jiang would later organize further... After finishing, Xiqiu met with Master Puning. In front of Madam Jiang, the conversation remained brief and not overly cordial, after which she returned to the Governor Mansion with Fourth Master Xiao, while Xing directly returned to the South Arch.

A few days later, Madam Jiang visited. As soon as she sat down, she spoke to Xiqiu, "Father’s suggestion is for you to find out whether the Han family’s concubine lives permanently at the Han Mansion or returns home."

This was also one of Xiqiu’s concerns. With Madam Han deceased, the younger sister-in-law managing the brother-in-law’s household affairs continually was intriguing, requiring careful investigation.

"Does Sister-in-law mean that Father is not opposed?" Xiqiu asked.

Madam Jiang nodded, replying, "Father says Lord Han is upright and decisive, a good man worthy of trust. If there’s no concealed agenda with the Han family’s concubine, this marriage is worth considering." With Tong Xiyan having little leverage to be selective, the proposal is quite favorable, unsurprising given First Master’s attitude.

Nobody cared for the legitimate sons, illegitimate daughters, or two wives of Lord Han’s household... Xiqiu sighed inwardly, thinking she might be nitpicking. Unlike her, neither First Master nor Madam Jiang deemed the presence of concubines a weighing factor. Even Fourth Master Xiao didn’t consider concubines a barrier to remarriage. Raising such points would make her seem overly critical, given how common it was for men to take concubines in those times.