Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A gust of wind swept past the window, swirling peony petals against the screen.

I recalled that spring day years ago, when I saw Second Sister’s maid leading Scholar Xue through the corridor.

Eldest Sister’s kite string had snagged on a flowering branch. Scholar Xue happened to find it and approached her, reciting her favorite verses.

I had closed my book then, watching Second Sister hide behind the rockery, her fingertips twisting her handkerchief tight.

Second Sister’s scheme was nothing more than an attempt to make Father lose hope in Eldest Sister, using that as her entry point into the grand chess game.

I saw it clearly, yet I said nothing.

If I hadn’t been afraid that Eldest Sister would truly fall for him, I wouldn’t have even uttered that seemingly casual remark during dinner: “Eldest Sister has been quite free lately; she’s always taking me out to fly kites.”

From the moment I knew everything, I had maintained the posture of a mere bystander.

Yet at this moment, I could no longer tell.

In the depths of that spring long ago, was it my calculated words that reached my parents’ ears, or had they known all along and simply watched from the sidelines?

Mother smiled slightly, as if seeing through my thoughts.

“Your father often says that in chess, one must know when to sacrifice a piece to gain the initiative.”

“Sometimes, what seems like a struggle for a single step is actually a setup for a killing blow ten moves later.”

She brushed away a non-existent stray hair from my ear, her tone earnest and instructive.

“The light and shadow, the warp and weft of this world, cannot be explained in a few words. Seeing too clearly is not necessarily a blessing.”

How could I not know that?

It was simply that in these sprawling estates, there was no room for the dull-witted.

To soberly calculate every gain and loss-was that not its own kind of cruelty?

“Do you know why I kept only you behind today?”

She moved to speak, but the words stopped at the tip of her tongue. Instead, she reached out and pulled me into her arms, tracing the character for ‘Kong’ stroke by stroke in my palm.

“Remember, it is precisely because you are daughters of the Kong Family that the Lord Chancellor goes to such great lengths to plot.”

I caught the faint scent of jasmine on Mother. Her voice was as soft as when she used to coax me to sleep as a child.

“Of all my daughters, you are the one who resembles your father most.”

“You must understand that the way of a true Great House lies not in temporary gains or losses, but in a legacy that lasts for a thousand generations.”

Outside, the evening drums sounded, and birds settled under the eaves for the night.

It wasn’t until years later, when I was draped in a ceremonial robe and phoenix crown, traveling to the distant Bizhou for my marriage, that I suddenly realized the truth.

It turned out that the hand holding the chess pieces-Father’s hand-had long ago traced the warp and weft of everyone’s fate.

On the day Second Sister was wed, Consort Rong went out of her way to request an imperial decree, bestowing upon her the title of Lady of Rank.

This preserved the dignity of the Kong Family while ensuring that the Feng Family’s empty peerage did not seem too shabby.

I watched Second Sister don her phoenix crown and ceremonial robes, a perfect smile gracing her lips.

But those expressive, almond-shaped eyes were tempered with an unyielding coldness.

In this contest with Eldest Sister, she had ultimately suffered a crushing defeat.

At first, my two older brothers were sick with worry, sending trusted confidants to the Feng Mansion every month to check on her.

It wasn’t until a year later, when the joyous news of Second Sister giving birth to a legitimate son arrived, that their brows finally unfurled.

As time passed, the sharp edge in Second Sister’s eyes gradually wore away.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, when she returned to the estate, I actually saw her personally wipe the sweat from General Feng’s brow, her expression filled with gentleness.

Even more unexpectedly, she took the initiative to ask Mother to take her along the next time she entered the palace, so she could kowtow to Consort Rong.

At this moment, she was embroidering a tiger-head cap for the young son in her arms, displaying a soft tenderness I had never seen before.

Upon hearing this, the smile on Mother’s face deepened.

Mother and daughter shared a look and a smile; everything was understood without a word.

I couldn’t tell if Second Sister had finally understood, or if she had simply buried her resentment deeper.

It didn’t matter anymore.

The pieces on the board either found their place or were removed from play.

Clearly, she had chosen the former.