However, harboring displaced refugees within Lin’an’s jurisdiction was no small matter after all. The wealthy households of Lin’an had all, to varying degrees, sheltered a few families of refugees—people who didn’t need to be registered in the household rolls, who only had to be kept from starving, who could be ordered about however one pleased, and who were far more useful than tenant farmers. The Li Family affair was like a stone stirring up a thousand waves: some feared that Magistrate Tang would be determined to make political achievements from this matter and would refuse to let it go; others feared that once these refugees learned that the yamen could actually help them gain household registration and free them from being at others’ beck and call, they might resort to rioting, looting, and pillaging, endangering the interests of their own families. After conferring together, several of Lin’an’s well-off gentry who possessed considerable family wealth sought out the Pei Family.
“Third Master,” one gentleman said with tears and snot running down his face, speaking as though he were utterly heartbroken—as if he hadn’t been the one who had unconscionably deceived those refugees into signing indenture contracts privately without going through the yamen. “We only took them in out of pity, sheltering nothing but the old, weak, sick, and disabled. Who could have known the Li Family would be so bold as to have thirty or forty able-bodied adults? When the yamen went to investigate, someone even died! This shows complete disregard for the safety of Lin’an and for the Pei Family! No matter what, you must speak to Magistrate Tang about this and severely punish those refugees. Otherwise, we common folk of Lin’an won’t be able to sleep at night!”
Pei Yan sat sprawled in his grand master’s chair, gently blowing at the Biluochun tea leaves floating on the surface of his covered tea bowl, not even glancing at the gentlemen before him—the youngest of whom was already past forty.
He had heard about this matter long ago.
That the Li Family was up to no good—he had known that long ago as well.
However, when the Pei Family had moved here from their ancestral home years ago, it was because they had committed outrages in their old territory, wielding absolute power, encroaching upon the interests of the majority, and even incurring the court’s displeasure. Only then had they sacrificed pawns to save the king, bringing just a bit of wealth to flee to Lin’an, where they reestablished their household and registered their residence. From that time forward, the entire Pei household began strictly practicing the doctrine of the golden mean—dominating only within Lin’an and no longer extending their reach elsewhere. Precisely because of this, the Pei Family’s guiding principle had always been to maintain good relations with their neighbors, leaving some space for others to survive. They even deliberately propped up one household publicly to stand in opposition to the Pei Family, lest the Pei Family become solely dominant, arousing jealousy and causing trouble.
And the Li Family was precisely the target they had set up during this period.
Pei Yan naturally couldn’t let them fall.
He drank a few sips of tea, and after the several gentlemen had finished venting their dissatisfaction, only then did he say in an unhurried manner: “I’ve heard about what you’re talking about. As for Magistrate Tang, I spoke with him beforehand—this matter will stop at the Li Family and won’t be investigated further. As for those refugees, I’ll speak with Magistrate Tang again according to everyone’s wishes and have people find a way to drive them all out of Lin’an. Although granting household registration is the court’s lenient treatment of refugees, one must also consider the circumstances, right? So many able-bodied adults—if something were to happen, we prominent families of Lin’an would bear an inescapable responsibility. Our Pei Family couldn’t bear the emperor’s wrath either!”
Though Pei Yan’s expression appeared indifferent, his words hit exactly the right note. The several gentlemen couldn’t help but bloom with joy, expressing one after another: “With these words from Third Master, we can rest easy.”
Some even fawned over him, saying things like “When Lin’an has any trouble, we still need Third Master Pei to step forward” and “With Third Master in charge, the Pei Family will surely flourish in literary accomplishments and rise even higher.” Some even said things like “Without the Pei Family, how could there be the Lin’an of today?”
Listening to this was like swallowing a chunk of fatty meat for Pei Yan—so cloying he couldn’t stand it. He hastily stood up, using the excuse that he needed to entertain Zhou Zijin, who was a guest at the house, and sent this group of gentry packing.
The pudgy Third Steward Hu Xing, whose protruding belly made him look pregnant, walked in with a beaming smile. He said: “The scholar from Azure Bamboo Lane, Scholar Yu, sent over a calling card saying he wants to see you. Seeing that you haven’t been very patient about dealing with outsiders these days, I took it upon myself to ask Scholar Yu his purpose. He said that since his wife ate the health preservation pills prescribed by Imperial Physician Yang last time, she’s been doing quite well. Hearing that Imperial Physician Yang has come to take Eldest Madam’s pulse for peace and well-being, he wants to ask Imperial Physician Yang to go see his wife again to examine her health and see whether the prescription needs to be changed.”
Medicinal prescriptions for health preservation differed greatly between winter and summer.
And now the weather was growing increasingly cold.
Listening to this, Pei Yan knitted his brows but didn’t make a sound.
Though Hu Xing’s face still wore an amiable smile, cold sweat broke out on his back.
This Third Master of theirs had been willful since childhood. Even when the Old Master was alive, he could hardly control him. Now that the Old Master was gone, the Second Master had closed his doors to guests and spent every day copying Buddhist scriptures for the Old Master. Not only that, he made Second Madam, the eldest young lady, and the third young master all copy Buddhist scriptures together. The eldest young lady was one thing—she had begun her education at three and was already twelve—but the third young master had only just turned six and could barely hold a brush properly… Then there were Eldest Madam and the two young masters, obediently staying in their Tinglan Water Pavilion residence without coming out, not making a single sound.
To say that Third Master hadn’t done something underhanded in private—he would be the first not to believe it.
Serving such a master, and being someone who had only preserved his position as chief steward because “the immortals were fighting,” how would he dare play any tricks before Pei Yan?
Third Master was frowning—this was displeasure at him making decisions on his own initiative, wasn’t it?
In his mind, Hu Xing carefully went over everything he had done these past few days and found that apart from this matter, there really wasn’t anything he had done wrong. Only then did he say cautiously: “Third Master, this matter was handled improperly by this lowly one. Next time…”
Who would have thought that Pei Yan would wave his hand, interrupting him, and say indifferently: “Wait until Pei Man arrives before we discuss it.”
Pei Man had gone to see the guests out, and after waiting a moment, he returned.
Pei Yan asked him: “That matter with the Li Family—are you certain it was Scholar Yu who exposed it?”
Pei Man respectfully replied: “I went to confirm it myself. It was indeed Scholar Yu who went to speak with Magistrate Tang about it.”
Pei Yan nodded, the corners of his mouth revealing a hint of a smile as he said: “I didn’t expect Scholar Yu to have such integrity. Isn’t he afraid the Li Family will come after him?”
Only then did Pei Man say: “The Yu Family had previously gotten into a very unpleasant dispute with the Li Family over their daughter’s marriage. Even if Scholar Yu hadn’t gone to Magistrate Tang to lodge this complaint, the Li Family probably wouldn’t have let the Yu Family off anyway.”
Pei Yan’s mind suddenly conjured up Yu Tang’s face.
Yu Tang’s eyes, bright as stars, in that instant when she learned she had been rescued… the gradually dimming gaze when she realized it was he who had saved her… the cunning that flickered in her eyes when she thanked him… He had never seen anyone whose eyes were like those of the restless young lady of the Yu Family, as if they could speak. When looking at anything, they always carried a measure of curiosity, as if… as if she were a child… When she saw him at the pawnshop, she observed him calmly, extremely curious; on Long Prosperity Street that night when she discovered it was him, she secretly peeked, extremely curious; at the Shaoxi wharf when she spotted him, she pricked up her ears to listen to his movements while pretending everything was calm and nothing had happened; at the North Gate night market, wanting to eat pig’s trotters yet repeatedly hesitating with her chopsticks, quickly glancing at him, thinking he hadn’t noticed, immediately showing a relieved expression, quietly grabbing a pig’s trotter and gnawing on it…
He couldn’t help but ask: “What exactly happened between the Yu and Li families regarding the marriage?”
Pei Man said: “This lowly one hasn’t inquired into it carefully. What I’ve heard is all gossip and hearsay. As for how matters truly stand, this lowly one isn’t very clear either.”
This Pei Man was someone Third Master had brought back from the capital. What he used to do, where he was from, how he came to sell himself to the Pei Family, and how he came to take the surname “Pei”—they knew nothing about any of it. But from the several matters he had handled, one could see that he was quite capable.
Hearing him answer this way, Hu Xing was greatly alarmed.
Even if it’s hearsay, when the masters want to know, you can still tell them for their amusement!
Given Third Master’s temperament of nitpicking everything, wouldn’t he be scolded?
Unexpectedly, not only did Pei Yan not scold him, he even said good-naturedly: “Just now Hu Xing told me that the Yu Family wants to ask Imperial Physician Yang to go examine Madam Yu’s condition. In a bit, go tell Imperial Physician Yang that in the future, when he comes to take Eldest Madam’s pulse for peace and well-being, he can stop by the Yu Family as well.”
Pei Man was evidently somewhat surprised and confirmed: “Stop by the Yu Family every time he comes to take Eldest Madam’s pulse in the future?”
Yang Douxing was the physician Eldest Madam had designated to take her pulse for peace and well-being. The Pei Family also gave him appropriate courtesies—not only providing generous consultation fees each time but also having the chief steward personally escort him to and from. Yet the Pei Family lived in the eastern part of the city while the Yu Family lived in the west—there was no way it could be “on the way”!
Pei Yan seemed not to have realized this either. Hearing Pei Man put it this way, he actually froze for a moment, then lowered his head to think before saying: “We’re all neighbors in the same community. Just tell Imperial Physician Yang to make a special trip then.”
All of Yang Douxing’s expenses for coming to Lin’an were borne by the Pei Family, so naturally when he went to examine patients at the Yu Family, the sedan chair and bearers would also be arranged by the Pei Family.
Pei Man responded with “Yes.”
Zhou Zijin shuffled in wearing slippers that made slapping sounds, his eyebrows raised as he said: “What’s there to discuss at length about such mundane matters? And don’t try to avoid me either. I came specifically to talk with you about your last imperial lecture on the ‘Spring and Autumn Annals’—why did you choose the ‘Guliang Commentary’ instead of the ‘Gongyang Commentary’? Your second senior brother has always promoted the ‘Gongyang Commentary’ among Confucian scholars while rejecting the ‘Guliang Commentary.’ I saw your second senior brother sitting below, his face turned green. You being able to give an imperial lecture before the emperor—it was all thanks to him fighting for that opportunity for you. Since you returned home for the mourning period, I’ve noticed that your second senior brother hasn’t even sent a single word of greeting, and you and your second senior brother no longer correspond as frequently as before. Tell me the truth—have you and your second senior brother fallen out? Do you still want your second senior brother’s help when you’re restored to office later? Among all your senior brothers, your second senior brother is doing the best. Don’t be foolish!”
Pei Yan looked very displeased. He stood up with a stiff face and said: “Didn’t you say you wanted to go to Green Mountain Lake? Are we going or not?”
“You and your dog temper!” Zhou Zijin said angrily. “I’m talking to you about serious matters—don’t try to change the subject on me. If you don’t explain this clearly to me today, I’m not going anywhere.”
“It’s just as well if you don’t go,” Pei Yan said nonchalantly. “I’ve been exhausted these days running here and there with you. If you don’t go, I can rest for a few days instead.” Having said this, he stood up and left.
Zhou Zijin was stunned. It took him a long while to recover, and he chased after him, calling out from behind: “What do you mean by that? If it weren’t for your second brother inviting me, I wouldn’t have come at all!”
Pei Yan didn’t even turn his head back as he said: “Then go find my second brother. He stays home every day playing at ghosts and spirits. You can keep him company.”