When Madam Jiang arrived with a stern face, accompanied by her maidservants, the girls were preparing to leave.
They appeared somewhat uncomfortable but showed no signs of having been in a fight.
Seeing Madam Jiang, the girls properly curtseyed and bid their farewells. A few girls hesitated, then said to Madam Jiang: “We’ve been troubling you so often, Aunt. My mother says we must invite you for a banquet.”
Madam Jiang was quite surprised. Their Chu Garden had hosted many dignitaries—both from the capital and from other regions—but she was rarely invited to these dignitaries’ homes. She might receive a few invitations a year, but they always seemed perfunctory.
The young people who associated with Chu Tang and Chu Ke always maintained proper etiquette with her but kept their distance.
Madam Jiang understood that these people appeared to be associating with the Chu family but were just interested in visiting the Chu Garden. She didn’t mind—as long as they could establish connections and secure a place in the capital, the family would ultimately benefit.
What was happening now? How could these young ladies dare to make decisions on behalf of their mothers and invite them?
What had happened?
Madam Jiang asked with concern: “Did you enjoy yourselves?” Looking around, she added, “Did Zhao come? Did she misbehave?”
The girls’ expressions were unnatural. They didn’t answer her questions but simply said: “Zhao has gone back.” With that, they said no more and took their leave.
Madam Jiang had the housekeeper personally see them out, then looked at Chu Tang and asked: “What happened? Did Zhao hit or scold them?”
Chu Tang was sitting in the pavilion, gazing thoughtfully at the lake. Only when she heard her mother’s question did she turn her head.
“Mother,” she didn’t answer the question but instead asked, “Our garden is so beautiful—has anyone tried to buy it?”
What was she thinking? Madam Jiang smiled and said: “Of course, there have been offers, continuously since the beginning.”
“Not talking about our ancestors’ time,” Chu Tang said. “Has anyone wanted to buy it in recent years?”
Madam Jiang’s expression turned proud and pleased: “Every year there are offers. Who wouldn’t want our garden after seeing it? There are many interested buyers. Some even went to inquire at the academy where your father teaches.”
Chu Tang asked: “Then why hasn’t it been sold?”
Madam Jiang laughed: “Because we couldn’t bear to part with it. How could we sell such a beautiful garden?”
Chu Tang said: “So just because we’re unwilling to sell, it can’t be bought?”
What else could it be? This child was speaking so strangely. Madam Jiang reached out to feel her forehead. Had she bumped into something in the garden?
Chu Tang lowered her mother’s hand. Though her mother hadn’t yet grasped her meaning, Chu Tang had already thought of many things.
She was a child, but a child raised in the capital who had seen and heard much of the world’s ways, especially how the powerful seized property by force, taking houses, land, precious antiques, even rare peony flowers. If you had no power or influence, you’d have to endure forced sales or purchases, or even be schemed against until your family was ruined—
“Mother, if we’re unwilling to sell but someone insists on buying by force, what would we do?” Chu Tang asked softly.
Madam Jiang quickly asked: “Who? What happened? Which family has been talking to you about this?”
Which young lady had come to probe on behalf of her family?
“Don’t worry about her,” Madam Jiang stroked her daughter’s shoulders. Had she been frightened? Ah, her daughter had such a difficult time navigating among these wealthy young ladies. With a face full of concern, she comforted her, “Don’t be afraid. No matter who she is, we don’t need to pay her any mind.”
Chu Tang asked: “What if it’s someone from the Zhao family who wants our garden?”
Madam Jiang was stunned. The Zhao family—when her daughter mentioned the Zhao family, she must be referring to Noble Consort Zhao—
Could it be?
Before she could ask, Chu Tang counted on her fingers.
“What if the Yang family wanted it?”
“What about the Crown Prince? Or the Third Prince? The Third Prince especially loves gardens—he even monopolizes the Emperor’s Spring View Garden.”
Madam Jiang had been worried, but hearing this, she relaxed and smiled: “What’s gotten into you? Such wild thoughts. How could those people forcibly seize property?”
Chu Tang looked up at her: “Mother, don’t joke. How could those people not forcibly seize property? Not to mention them—a few years ago, wasn’t Father at the academy trying to monopolize the mountain spring? He just couldn’t prevail over the landowner at the foot of the mountain—”
Even a scholar like Chu Lan coveted nice things; how much more those powerful people?
Madam Jiang’s expression stiffened, looking quite embarrassed: “What are you saying? How could your father forcibly seize anything? That was… that was a negotiation. Besides, that mountain spring should have belonged to the academy.”
Chu Tang ignored her mother’s explanation. She didn’t just stay in the inner quarters of the capital, socializing with secluded young ladies. She spent more than half the year at the academy and had seen much of the human dynamics in the small towns outside the capital.
Her father could have taken control of that mountain spring, but unexpectedly, the landowner eventually brought up a distant relative who had connections to the Zhao family, forcing her father to give up.
At that time, her father and brother had complained, saying it was all Second Uncle’s fault for not upholding the family’s reputation, causing the family to bow their heads and live in humility.
While her mother continued to chatter, Chu Tang had stopped listening. With her hand propping up her chin, she gazed at the lake. This garden was truly beautiful, with its winding waters, exquisite pavilions, lush flowers and trees, hiding the beauty of all four seasons.
If no one had tried to seize it by force, it wasn’t because they were kind-hearted, but because they couldn’t.
So who in the Chu family made it impossible for others to seize their property?
It certainly wasn’t her father, a mere teacher.
She raised her hand and slapped her face. How had she not thought of this all these years?
If she had realized earlier, she would have long ago treated Chu Zhao as her sister and urged Second Uncle to treat her as his daughter!
“Oh my child!” Madam Jiang grabbed her hand. “You must have bumped into something! Quickly, summon the Taoist priestess Liu!”
…
…
That day, many girls at home spoke of past events.
“Mother, Mother, don’t you agree? Isn’t Chu Zhao’s father, Chu Wei, a criminal official?” Qi Leyun tugged at her mother’s sleeve.
Qi’s mother smiled and agreed, pushing a plate of pastries towards her: “Have some more. Why aren’t you eating? Did someone say you’re getting fat again?”
“Never mind that,” Qi Leyun pushed the pastries away and said indignantly, “Why didn’t His Majesty punish him back then? Otherwise, Chu Zhao wouldn’t be so arrogant now. Mother, do you know what she said? She said her father wasn’t guilty, that His Majesty hadn’t convicted him, and that anyone who said otherwise was being disloyal and disrespectful to the sovereign!”
Qi’s mother looked somewhat helpless and said to a nearby maidservant with a smile: “Now my daughter is also starting to comment on court affairs?”
As they were talking, Clerk Qi strolled in and asked curiously: “What is our Cloud directing? Tell me so I can learn from her.”
Qi Leyun quickly grabbed her father and hurriedly repeated what she had said earlier. Clerk Qi heard only “Chu Wei, Chu Wei” in his ears, his expression changing from surprise to thoughtfulness.
“What’s going on?” he said. “Recently, everyone’s been mentioning Chu Wei. This name has been dormant for over a decade.”
“Because his daughter hit the Liang young lady,” Qi Leyun said.
Qi’s mother smiled and handed tea to Clerk Qi, saying: “Because His Majesty spilled tea all over Minister Liang.”
These seemed like two separate matters, but Clerk Qi, seasoned in official circles, immediately understood: “I’ve heard about this too.”
“Father, look, Chu Wei doesn’t discipline his daughter and instead goes to His Majesty to complain about Minister Liang. Isn’t that outrageous and unreasonable!” Qi Leyun said, adding resentfully, “Today Chu Zhao even asked how nice their garden was and why no one dared to seize it, implying it was because of her father—how ridiculous.”
As she said this, the smiling Clerk Qi suddenly made a noise of realization, his expression thoughtful: “Speaking of this, I seem to recall something.”
Qi Leyun was interrupted and asked: “What is it?”
Clerk Qi stroked his beard, seemingly trying hard to remember: “It was a long time ago. I believe it was shortly after Chu Wei wrote a memorial criticizing His Majesty. His Majesty was furious and rebuked him. Not long after, Wang Zhuang, the Dyeing Director from the Imperial Workshops, was suddenly exiled because a chest full of evidence of his crimes was placed on His Majesty’s desk.”
Qi Leyun stamped her foot: “Father, we’re talking about Chu Wei! Why are you bringing up the Dyeing Department?”
Clerk Qi gestured for her to be patient and continued: “At the time, it was very sudden, and no one paid much attention. Officials, you know, they rise and fall. But later, I heard an official curse that the Dyeing Director, saying he deserved it for being black-hearted and greedy, always plotting to seize others’ property. Before he was caught, he had even said he wanted to change ‘Chu Garden’ to ‘Wang Garden’ because Chu Wei had fallen from favor and his property could be divided—”
Qi Leyun looked at her father and stamped her foot again: “We’re talking about Chu Wei—”
Clerk Qi looked at her thoughtfully: “Yes, because you mentioned Chu Wei, I suddenly realized: could it be that Director Wang was punished and exiled because he tried to seize Chu Wei’s property?”