Madam Ji was momentarily flustered. She helped her sister up and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. “Sister, don’t panic. Tell me what happened to my brother-in-law in detail.”
Madam Li gradually composed herself and slowly revealed the truth.
Her husband was from a branch of the imperial clan. Though without an official position, Master Li held the title of Lord Yichuan, receiving income from Yichuan County while residing in Chang’an. With military governors dividing up territory, the Emperor’s life wasn’t easy. The imperial clan’s life was even harder. Lord Yichuan’s title was empty, and the stipend barely covered household expenses. He owned a silk shop in the East Market and had connections with palace eunuchs, supplying two thousand bolts of silk to the palace. Relying on his imperial clan status, he conducted business without capital, only paying a hundred taels deposit for inventory. Unexpectedly, torrential rain collapsed the warehouse roof, and water ruined all the silk.
The merchant had some connections and accused Lord Yichuan of colluding with Tibet, leading to his imprisonment. They clearly stated he would be released once the debt and interest were paid.
Fortunately, there was still a two-month deadline from the palace. The principal wife, considering it was her daughter’s matter, only agreed to lend five hundred taels. Madam Li remembered her sister ran a dye house and came to Yi Prefecture with eight hundred taels of silver.
“Sister, my Yan’er is about to marry. Without her father to oversee the wedding, Yan’er will surely be rejected. If we pawn the house to ransom my husband, we won’t have the means to supply the palace. Offending palace personnel would endanger my husband’s life.”
Madam Li continued weeping as she described Lord Yichuan’s imprisonment, her daughter’s impending marriage, and the palace awaiting their goods.
She knew that with her eight hundred taels, asking Madam Ji to advance money for two thousand bolts of plain silk, dyes, and shipping to Chang’an would be difficult. Madam Li offered her sincerity: “Sister, here are the deeds to our Chang’an residence and silk shop. They’re worth eight thousand taels. I’ll keep only a hundred taels for expenses and give you the other seven hundred first. As long as we could dye fine silk within two months and receive payment from the palace, we could not only pay the merchant to free my husband but also earn two thousand taels. If my sister helps me through this crisis, all profits are yours. I’ll later bring thirteen hundred taels to redeem the deeds.”
Madam Ji had been troubled at the thought of providing thousands of taels out of nowhere. Hearing Madam Li’s proposal, with property as collateral and seven hundred taels for operating capital, she felt relieved.
She didn’t covet the profits from her sister’s business. Thinking of the late Master Ji and seeing Madam Li apologize for past wrongs, her resentment over the marriage scheme had long dissipated. If it was just emergency aid, Madam Ji was largely willing.
“The household is now managed by my eldest son. Sister, please be patient while I discuss this with him. After all, the Ji family’s means are modest—several thousand taels would empty our coffers.”
Seeing Madam Ji hadn’t outright refused, Madam Li covered her face and wept again in excitement: “Sister’s treatment makes me truly ashamed of what I did back then…”
If not for your scheme to switch marriages, how could I have ended up with my husband? Madam Ji felt emotional, remembering their childhood days as concubines’ daughters looking after each other, her heart slightly aching.
Ji Yingying heard her mother call for water for her aunt’s toilette and knew there would be nothing more to hear. She stuck her tongue out at the three elderly maids and rushed toward the front shop, holding up her skirts.
“Brother, do you know what happened back then?” Ji Yingying looked hopefully at Ji Yaoting.
Seeing her bright eyes, Ji Yaoting rapped her head in warning: “No discussing mother’s affairs.”
Ji Yingying rubbed her head, dissatisfied: “I just want to know if aunt is worth our family helping.”
Back then, the Xu family’s principal daughter was about to marry into the family of Fengyang’s Military Commissioner. Two concubines’ daughters remained unmarried—Madam Ji and Madam Li. Madam Xu wanted to marry off her youngest daughter and hurried to find matches for the concubines’ daughters. She first chose Lord Yichuan’s Li family, and then hastily selected the young Master Ji. By age order, Madam Ji should have been betrothed to the Li family.
One was an imperial clansman with a title and stipend. The other was a merchant far away in Yi Prefecture. Madam Li schemed, inviting Madam Ji to look at silks, having people lock her in the courtyard with Master Ji, and successfully switching the marriages.
Besides status, Master Ji’s character and appearance were no less than Lord Yichuan’s. Madam Ji’s grievances were soon soothed by Master Ji’s comfort. In contrast, Madam Li married Lord Yichuan, whose household originally had seven concubines. Later, unable to make ends meet, they were gradually sent away. Madam Li had no sons, only one daughter. She had no choice but to rely on Lord Yichuan.
Life is unpredictable—who says marrying an imperial clansman guarantees a splendid life? Ji Yaoting didn’t want his sister to know these things and smiled: “Business matters are for brother and mother to decide. Don’t worry about it.”
Seeing his confident, relaxed manner, Ji Yingying was reassured but deliberately sighed: “I’m just worried that if we help aunt, brother won’t have money to marry sister-in-law at year’s end.”
She ran before Ji Yaoting could hit her.
“Needless to worry!” Ji Yaoting’s face reddened.
That evening, Ji Yaoting and Madam Ji had Old Woman Li bring the account books to calculate.
Old Woman Li got the results and worried: “Madam, after autumn’s wage settlements, we have only 2,300 taels in silver. Young Master’s wedding expenses at year’s end need 500 taels. Even with Third Miss’s 700 taels, it’s not enough to buy plain silk. Dye prices are low in winter, but come spring when silkworms produce, dye prices will rise at least thirty percent.”
“We must set aside money for dyes and the young master’s wedding. Don’t touch that 700 taels. There are also 500 taels the principal wife lent to Third Miss. Calculating this way, we can use at most 1,000 taels,” Madam Ji thought and said, “Son, for the 2,000 bolts of plain silk, let’s follow our usual practice and buy on credit from familiar weaving houses. Make it a six-month contract with lower interest. Autumn and winter are slow seasons for dyeing—we can split the work with other dye houses. It should take about half a month. By water to Chang’an takes a month for sure. Your aunt can get the money and send it before the year’s end. How does this sound?”
Ji Yaoting calculated mentally: “Mother’s thinking is thorough. Let’s do it this way.”
Madam Ji added: “Don’t buy on credit from the Zhao family.”
Knowing his mother was determined not to ally with the Zhao family, Ji Yaoting smiled and nodded.
After he left, Old Woman Li put away the account books, served Madam Ji tea, and said softly: “Madam, do you truly not resent Third Miss anymore?”
“I did resent her then. If she wanted that marriage with the Li family, I would have yielded it. I only hated that she disregarded sisterly feelings and made me lose face in public.” Madam Ji thought of the late Master Ji, her face showing gentle tenderness. “But without her, how would I have met my husband? When I saw her yesterday, I no longer resented her. I hope Third Miss can weather this crisis and live peacefully thereafter.”
The next day, Ji Yaoting bought 2,000 bolts of plain silk on credit, distributing them among familiar weaving houses and paying wages. Multiple dye houses rushed the work for half a month, dyeing various colors of fine silk. In early October, Madam Ji took Ji Yingying and Ji Yaoting to see Madam Li at the Jinjiang Dock. Before departure, Madam Ji pressed two gold ingots into Madam Li’s hand: “A hundred taels of silver might not be enough for expenses. I’ve exchanged your seven hundred taels into gold for easier carrying.”
Madam Li was stunned, tears flowing: “Sister, you make me feel utterly ashamed.”
Madam Ji smiled: “I’ll wait for you to come retrieve your deeds at year’s end.”
Madam Li nodded: “Rest assured, sister. Perhaps everything will be settled before year’s end.”
The two thousand bolts of silk were loaded onto the boat. Madam Li boarded with her maid and departed.
At dusk, Madam Li’s boat stopped at the dock where the South River met the East City Prefecture River. A line of lanterns swayed, escorting a sedan chair to the shore. A thin middle-aged man emerged from the chair and boarded the boat via a wooden plank at the bow.