Having come to understand Shaojin’s feelings, Lin Shi sent a calling card to the Lu Mansion — to pay a visit first and lay the groundwork, so that the matter of the marriage could be settled before Shaojin departed south to study.
Lin Shi and Concubine Shen had also made inquiries, and learned that this Miss Lu had been raised in her grandmother’s quarters from a young age, studying reading and calligraphy alongside her brothers under their grandfather’s tutelage. She was learned and well-mannered, pretty in appearance, and a young woman of considerable talent.
The eldest granddaughter of the Lu Family in the main line — such a match was one the Pei Family was wholly delighted by.
Yet after the calling card was sent, several days passed with no reply from the Lu Family. Lin Shi found this strange: when dealings passed between great households, even a refusal would be accompanied by someone sent to convey the message. Could it be that some careless steward had misplaced the calling card?
With this thought in mind, she had another calling card sent — and again, no reply came.
A quiet unease began to grow in her heart. It was possible that Miss Lu of the Lu Family had feelings for Shaojin, and yet the Lu Family elders might harbor other intentions.
During this time, Shaojin had grown visibly low in spirits — he had truly lost his appetite, and had grown thinner by several degrees.
Concubine Shen comforted him, saying: “Do not be anxious — do not lose your footing. Miss Lu of the Lu Family has long had feelings for you, and the Lu Family cannot be unaware of this. Since there has been no definitive refusal, there is still room to turn this around. Perhaps it is only some difficulty in the middle that has gone wrong.”
Two days later, Lin Shi and Bamboo Sister went specially to the temple to pray, seeking the blessings of the gods for Pei Bingyuan’s southward journey to Taicang Prefecture to go smoothly, when they happened upon Old Madam Lu of the Lu Family.
Going forward to exchange pleasantries, they found Old Madam Lu all smiles, and she even took Lin Shi’s hand and sincerely proposed they go and sit down for a cup of tea in the pavilion. In that instant, both Lin Shi and Bamboo Sister’s hearts became clear — the calling card matter had been concealed from Old Madam Lu by someone.
That made things far easier to handle.
At parting, Old Madam Lu maintained the dignified reserve befitting her household’s standing, yet her meaning had already been made evident. And so Lin Shi said with a smile: “Conversing with you today has been like a clearing of the mind — I feel there is still so much more to be said. May I impose upon you and call at your home, to continue seeking your guidance?”
“Why wait for another day when this day will do — come tomorrow,” Old Madam Lu replied with a warm laugh.
The two were in perfect agreement. Lin Shi, right there in front of Old Madam Lu, instructed one of the servants to go back and have someone write a calling card and send it to the Lu Mansion at once, saying it was the Pei Family requesting to call — such proprieties could not be neglected.
After Old Madam Lu returned home and waited and waited with no calling card from the Pei Family arriving, she turned over in her mind what Lin Shi had said and began to understand something, her expression growing somber.
She summoned her eldest daughter-in-law, Zhou Shi, and asked her whether there was anything she had been concealing.
Zhou Shi attempted to cover it up with a clumsy performance, whereupon Old Madam Lu said directly: “Was it you who intercepted the calling cards the Pei Family sent?”
Seeing she could not hide it, Zhou Shi confessed. She knelt and wept as she spoke: “Mother may punish me as you see fit… Your daughter-in-law did as she did only out of concern for Yao’er. With all her learning and talent, there are many fine families in the capital who seek to marry her — why should she not choose a position as the wife of an eldest son in the main line, a proper first-rank daughter-in-law, befitting her looks and abilities?”
When all was said and done, it came down to her disdain for the Pei Family’s second young master being a concubine-born son.
“Foolish woman,” Old Madam Lu scolded.
This eldest daughter-in-law of hers was not ill-natured — she simply thought about things in a coarse, heavy-handed way.
Bearing in mind that she had acted out of concern for her daughter, Old Madam Lu took pains to explain things to her at length: “Let me ask you — when we used to speak of Yao’er’s marriage, what did you tell me you wanted to find in a son-in-law?”
“I said… I wanted to find someone for Yao’er who could study well, earn a degree, and have good prospects.” Zhou Shi replied.
“In which respect does the Pei Family’s second young master fall short?”
“But…”
“But he is a concubine-born son?” Old Madam Lu finished the thought for her, and said: “You found out from others that the Pei Family’s second young master is concubine-born — why did you not also find out what official rank that young man whom Father appointed as top graduate of the provincial examination during his last term as an examiner holds today?”
Without waiting for Zhou Shi to respond, Old Madam Lu said: “He has already reached the fifth rank.”
Zhou Shi was struck speechless. The Pei Family’s second young master had also been the top provincial graduate selected by her father-in-law.
Old Master Lu’s eye for talent was exceptionally accurate.
“You became a daughter-in-law of the main line yourself, and you only know that this position is advantageous — you do not know that in a troubled household, the daughter-in-law of the main line is outwardly in charge of domestic affairs and glowing with prestige, while privately she uses her own dowry to fill the holes. Old Madam Lu continued: “I said long ago — do not listen to those careless, boastful words from outside. You are forever preoccupied with legitimate birth versus concubine birth… Those with ability need not worry whether they are born of the main wife or a concubine; those without ability may be born of the main wife and still not live well. I have told you to go out and socialize more, not to collect all that gossiping chatter — that the Yang Family intends to form a marriage alliance with the Pei Family, I have already heard about it; how is it that you go out every day and know nothing of it?”
Zhou Shi was jolted awake by this. She slapped her knee in sudden realization, a wave of regret washing over her. She asked her mother-in-law: “Mother — have I caused harm? Have I ruined Yao’er’s match?”
Old Madam Lu rolled her eyes at her, but much of her anger had dissipated. She teased Zhou Shi: “Fortunately, Yao’er only inherited your talent in the kitchen.”
Then she added: “When Madam Pei comes to call tomorrow, the matter of the concealed calling cards is as if it never happened — do not let anything slip. Mind your words carefully when you speak and respond.”
A false alarm averted. Zhou Shi replied: “Your daughter-in-law understands.”
Thus, Shaojin’s marriage was also essentially settled. They had only to wait until after Pei Shaohuai’s spring metropolitan examination before inviting a matchmaker to formally call upon both households one after the other to arrange the marriages.
The spring snow had melted, and Pei Bingyuan was to travel south first, returning to the Taicang Prefecture to take up his duties.
Situ Yang’s family was also to return to Shanhaiguan Pass. The day before their departure, Situ Yang came to call on Pei Shaohuai.
Whether it was because he had become the father of three children, or because he was leading troops and fighting battles in the military, Situ Yang’s bearing had grown considerably more mature and composed — yet the moment he entered Pei Shaohuai’s study, that composure “collapsed,” and his words and manner became just as they had been in his younger days. He flung his legs up on the table and picked up the tea cup from the desk to drink from it.
“I am bound by my post and cannot often return — I am leaving tomorrow, so I came to have a word with you.” Situ Yang said.
The subject, as it always was, amounted to reminding Shaohuai that if in the future he should encounter “outstanding scholars,” he must remember to recommend them as husbands for his two nieces. Situ Yang said: “You gave me your word, after all — no going back on it.”
In the matter of selecting men of learning, Situ Yang was of the opinion that the Pei Family had the finer judgment.
Pei Shaohuai asked with a smile: “Why does Brother-in-law have such a preference for scholar sons-in-law? It is still far too early for this — one ought to leave it to fate.”
“Finding a scholar is naturally best — in short, I cannot have one who is like me, a military man.”
“Is being a military man not good?”
Situ Yang sighed and said: “The northern frontier has enemy troops making frequent incursions, seeking to breach the pass and advance south. Whenever it falls to me to lead troops and hold the strategic point, your second sister stays at home caring for the three little ones, unable to sleep through the night.” And so he added: “The two girls have been timid since childhood — I do not want them to suffer like that.”
Beneath that rough exterior, there was the heart of a devoted father.
“And what about Qianting?” Pei Shaohuai asked.
“Him? He is not the scholarly type — he still needs to practice the military arts.”
At the end of the first month, the metropolitan examination drew near.
During this period, Pei Shaohuai had ceased calling on the Xu Family, for with scholars from every corner of the empire converging on the capital, the metropolitan examination was grand in scale and lofty in protocol — it had always been under the unified administration of the Ministry of Rites.
Although Senior Xu was not a chief examiner and was not involved in marking papers, it was still best to keep a certain distance, lest the censors find cause to suspect and impeach him.
With a great influx of candidates pouring into the city, the streets had grown lively — a liveliness that was, if anything, a match for the Lantern Festival.
“The capital draws people from all five directions, each gathering by their native place” — the candidates mostly lodged in the communal association halls. These halls, organized by regional affiliation, were establishments similar to inns that were built by groups of fellow natives for one another: ordinarily used for gatherings of people from the same native place, they were provided free of charge to candidates from their region during examination periods.
Sitting for the examination together with one’s fellow provincials, sharing a few cups of wine and exchanging a few words in the home dialect, was enough to draw people close — forging alliances for the officialdom one day to come. Before and after the examinations, the halls hosted various poetry and literary gatherings to strengthen the bonds among fellow provincials.
Tian Yonglu had also come to the capital to sit for the examination. Pei Shaohuai went to the Jiangnan Association Hall and found his old friend; the two were drinking tea and chatting when they heard commotion outside, as though something were being hotly disputed. Seeing many of the students inside the teahouse streaming out to join in the argument, Pei Shaohuai pieced together roughly what it was about — the Ministry of Rites had posted the examination regulations, and the rules had changed substantially from previous years.
Tian Yonglu paid out some silver coins and obtained two handwritten copies of the regulations; he and Pei Shaohuai examined the changes together. “Essays are to be of a genuine and refined nature, substantive in content, with no florid or empty language permitted”; “sentences must not quote from erroneous or heterodox texts”; “those who discuss affairs must demonstrate a thorough command of practical governance”… “the second session is to add one question on mathematical calculation, to be graded alongside the edicts, proclamations, and judicial judgments”… and so forth.
The chief examiner was Grand Secretary Shen Yizhang, the second grand secretary in the inner cabinet. These specific regulations had been put forward by him.
It was evident that Grand Secretary Shen was a man who valued the substantive content of an essay over its ornamental language — a standard that was also more in keeping with what a metropolitan examination ought to require.
The students outside were making a great fuss over nothing more than the addition of a mathematics question, unsure of its difficulty, and filled with uncertainty. All the clamor in the world could not change anything — mathematics had always been on the list of examination subjects; it was simply that in previous years it had rarely been tested with a dedicated question.
Pei Shaohuai felt a quiet surge of satisfaction.
His satisfaction was not because he was skilled in mathematics and thus had a slight advantage over others — it was because within the inner cabinet, there was a grand secretary of such rank and influence who could see the value and utility of mathematics, and had gone so far as to set a dedicated question for it.
In the days that followed, Pei Shaohuai began preparing and checking off the items he would need to bring — he was to spend a full nine days and nine nights inside the examination compound, and this could not be done carelessly.
The most important items were clothing and bedding. The examination compound regulations stipulated a specific quantity, and only single-layered garments were permitted — no garment with any lining of any kind could be brought in, lest it be used to conceal cheat sheets. Violators were banned from the examination.
This meant that jackets padded with warm down could not be brought — only the thickness of the fabric could be relied upon for warmth against the cold.
Ying Jie’er, when preparing bedding for Chen Xingchen, had specially commissioned tightly woven fabric and had a set made for her younger brother as well. On the day she brought it to Shaohuai, it happened that a matron sent by the Yang Family arrived with a quilt as well.
Ying Jie’er whispered to her mother with a teasing laugh: “I must be getting slow in my old age — Younger Brother is no longer a solitary soul as before. Naturally, the quilt from Miss Yang is the one to use.”
That quilt had been worked on both sides with fine needles threaded through many fine fibers to increase its thickness — remarkably soft and warm to the touch. For a single-layered quilt to have been crafted with such an elaborate technique was proof enough of how much care and effort Yang Shiyue had put into it.
On the night of the eighth day of the second month, long lines stretched from the twelve great gates of the examination compound on all four sides. The officers began verifying the candidates’ identities and checking their belongings, arranging their entry.