What Qiao Yunsheng said at the banquet quickly reached the ears of the Qiao Family’s Second and Third Branches. Since the matter of the betrothal gifts had already reached the Emperor’s ears, how could they dare to defy it?

Not only did they have to prepare the betrothal gifts on Qiao Yunsheng’s behalf, they had to prepare them generously. If the gifts were meager, it would invite suspicion of neglect — after all, when Qiao Yunsheng’s father had met his end in those years, the assets of the Nanping Earl’s estate had been far from thin.

When Qiao Yunsheng next had an audience with the Emperor, this gift list would need to be presented for the Son of Heaven to review.

Qiao Yunsheng addressed his uncles with a smile that carried a cold edge: “I thank the two uncles for their trouble.” The Second and Third Branches departed with flicks of their sleeves, their faces ashen.

After the spring’s ice and snow melted away, the days grew gradually warmer.

Pei Ruozhu received the “homework” that Qiao Yunsheng had sent over — a draft of the gift list. The figures written on the paper were more than sufficient to show his sincerity.

News of the Nanping Earl seeking to marry Pei Ruozhu soon reached Taicang Prefecture by letter. Pei Ruozhu expressed her wishes in the letter in a veiled manner. Upon reading it, Pei Bingyuan felt a joy that was not quite complete — he had originally wanted to make proper amends to his third daughter, yet little had he expected that Pei Ruozhu would choose the Qiao Family: an Earl’s estate that was nothing but an empty shell.

“If Official thinks this way, I’m afraid you haven’t understood our Zhu girl’s mind.” When husband and wife spoke privately, Lin Shi was more forthright, saying, “Once Zhu girl marries in, she will be the Earl’s wife from the moment she enters the door. Above her, there are no parents-in-law to constrain and manage her; below her, she holds full command of the household. And the young couple already have feelings for each other… For Zhu girl, a household like this couldn’t be more fitting.”

She continued: “What’s more, with such generous betrothal gifts, and adding the dowry on top of that, Zhu girl won’t suffer any hardship after marrying in.”

These words dispelled Pei Bingyuan’s doubts.

He said with some guilt: “It is always the case that when my children’s marriages are imminent, I, as their father, only then think to consider whether the son-in-law is good or not…” He let out a long sigh when he finished speaking.

Lin Shi gently massaged his temples and said in a soft voice: “Official toils away from home, working for the benefit of the people — the merits you have established are the greatest support your children could have.”

She added: “All of them are intelligent and capable. They will understand.”

With the marriage essentially settled, Lin Shi began to manage the various affairs of returning to the capital. She and Shaohuai would go back first, while Pei Bingyuan would have to wait until the year’s end, when his three-year term was up and he could return to the capital to report back. Thus, Pei Ruozhu’s wedding date would most likely be arranged for the end of the year.

Lin Shi settled the affairs at the Taicang wharf, then hired an escort convoy with ships, loading all the fine things she had accumulated over half a year and shipping them back to the capital — within the shipment were Pei Ruozhu’s dowry and the betrothal gifts for the two young men of the family.

There was no room for carelessness.

It turned out to take no fewer than three large ship holds to barely be sufficient.

Knowing that the parting was near, Pei Shaohuai frequently visited the Zou residence over those two or three months to chat leisurely with Grand Chancellor Zou and his wife, each visit being most pleasant.

Pei Shaohuai and Grand Chancellor Zou were kindred spirits. When the Grand Chancellor said half a sentence, Pei Shaohuai already grasped the deeper meaning and could complete the other half. One might say it was a friendship where “the bond between kindred souls knows no barrier of age; true friendship need not begin from shared sentiment” — Grand Chancellor Zou resolved Pei Shaohuai’s uncertainties, Pei Shaohuai’s essays advanced in quality, and he gained a deeper understanding of the official path that lay ahead.

When summer arrived, the water lotuses in the stone pavilion pond of the Zou residence once again emerged from the silted depths of the pool, and after being washed clean by the water, they blossomed in pristine splendor, their fragrance permeating the heart.

Pei Shaohuai could not bring himself to utter the words of farewell for a long while. It was as though something were lodged in his throat. He gazed at the water lotuses in the pond in a daze — after this parting, with the Spring Examinations, the Palace Examinations, and entry into officialdom ahead, he did not know when he would return to the Jiangnan region.

Grand Chancellor Zou, having passed sixty, saw things with greater clarity. He laughed and said: “The Poet Immortal once wrote, ‘Heaven and earth are but a waystation for all things; time is but a passing traveler through the ages.’ The rivers and mountains of this world are vast. Having seen these water lotuses here once is enough. Young Friend Pei need not feel melancholy… Rather than chatting with the young friend, this old man looks forward even more to hearing of the young friend’s name resounding throughout the world.”

Grand Chancellor Zou had always understood — he was merely a passerby along a young man’s road.

Imparting everything without reservation, cherishing one another as men of letters without regard for age — Grand Chancellor Zou was a man of the highest moral character. Thinking on this, Pei Shaohuai’s eyes grew clear and glistening with moisture. He made his pledge: “This student has learned a great deal from Teacher Nanju, and will certainly apply what has been learned, contemplated, and understood to the benefit of the people, the nation, and the world.”

Grand Chancellor Zou and his wife both showed expressions of warm satisfaction.

Their “desire for nothing” did in fact contain a desire — not that the young man would repay his debt of gratitude with rich gifts, nor that he would top the imperial examination rolls and attain high office, but rather a desire for the transmission of a certain spirit and ideal.

That Pei Shaohuai could understand it at this level was enough to satisfy Grand Chancellor Zou and his wife.

Grand Chancellor Zou’s parting gift to Pei Shaohuai was two characters. With one hand held behind his back and a brush in the other, his white hair still full of vigor, he wrote the characters “争” — “contend” — and “疑” — “suspect” — and said: “These are two characters that this old man in his time was never able to break through. I hope the young friend will surpass the blue from which he was made and break through them one by one.”

This was the final counsel.

Pei Shaohuai understood inwardly — “contend” referred to factional strife; “suspect” referred to the sovereign’s suspicion of his ministers.

It was for this that Grand Chancellor Zou had retired from office.

“Go now, young lord from the north. Beneath the apricot blossoms, within the golden palace hall — it is only the beginning.” The old lady of the Zou household spoke with warmth and kindness, and presented him with a painting.

Pei Shaohuai nodded, then bowed three times in farewell and departed.

His blue robes fluttered as his figure grew ever more distant — just as it had been on that spring day of the year before, when the east wind had carried a young man beneath the willow branches.

After returning home, Pei Shaohuai unrolled the painting and looked — it was that very scroll of “River Mouth Meeting the Sea.” At the place where the sea and sky met, a few strokes of dawn’s rosy light had been added, the brushwork sweeping and bold, quite unlike the fine and delicate lines elsewhere in the painting, yet blending in with perfect harmony.

In the Donglin Academy, Tian Yonglu helped Pei Shaohuai pack up his study desk, reluctance written across his face, at a loss for what to say.

When they had finished, Pei Shaohuai said: “Elder Brother Tian, when the Spring Examinations come next year, let us meet again in the capital.”

“Until we meet again.” Tian Yonglu tried to lighten the mood with a jest, smiling and saying: “If you write any new essays, don’t forget your old friends in Jiangnan — Master Northern Traveler.”

There is no banquet in this world that does not end.

Walking out of the academy gates, he found a group of young students in blue robes had come to see him off — all of them junior schoolmates from the Yi, Bing, and Ding smaller classes.

They held out willow branches as gifts and said to him one by one: “We thank Senior Brother for answering our questions and resolving our doubts all this time. May your journey be smooth, and may you top the imperial examinations next year.”

The sentiment was simple and sincere.

The following day, with his father seeing him off, Pei Shaohuai boarded the northbound official vessel together with his mother and returned to the capital.

Watching his father wave from the dock, Pei Shaohuai recalled how he had only just made the journey south — in a blink, nearly three years had passed.

When Pei Shaohuai and Lin Shi returned from Taicang Prefecture, the whole family came out to welcome them. Joy and tears mingled together — there is no need to say much about that.

Once they had settled in, Pei Shaohuai greeted his family members one by one, feeling once again the passage of time.

Shaojin had taken on a greater sense of independence and steadiness. His scholarship and essays had advanced at a remarkable pace. Reading them, Pei Shaohuai felt that compared to when he himself had sat for the Autumn Examinations three years ago, Shaojin was even more accomplished. One could well anticipate that Shaojin’s participation in this year’s Autumn Examinations would in all likelihood secure him the position of top graduate on the provincial list.

His elder sister Pei Ruoying was murmuring quietly with their mother, her cheeks faintly flushed, and their mother glanced at Ruoying’s belly from time to time. Whenever Ruoying got up to walk, her husband Chen Xingchen hovered like a guard, hovering carefully behind her to protect her, his gaze more focused than when he was working through mathematics problems.

Pei Shaohuai smiled. No wonder his fourth brother-in-law had not rushed to find him to discuss mathematics.

What was not yet suitable to announce openly had been made quite apparent by Chen Xingchen’s obvious behavior, and everyone had guessed, covering their mouths with silent smiles.

Pei Ruoying gave Chen Xingchen a few reproachful light taps.

His eldest brother-in-law, Xu Zhan, and his eldest sister were composed and measured. They came over leading their pair of children.

Yan Gui had grown considerably taller. He greeted Pei Shaohuai respectfully: “Little Uncle Huai.”

Xu Xing’er also followed her brother’s lead, tilting her head up to call out: “Little Uncle Huai.”

Pei Shaohuai tucked a small bag of gold leaves into each of their sleeves, then raised his hand out of habit to pinch Yan Gui’s plump cheeks — only to find that Yan Gui’s face had begun to show the definition of a young man’s features. Another boy had grown up.

His raised hand stopped.

Yan Gui proactively leaned forward, sighing dramatically: “Although much of the chubbiness is gone, it’s still barely enough to pinch… Little Uncle may as well treat it as nostalgia.”

Pei Shaohuai gave a token pinch and laughed: “Let me draw on a bit of the talent of our double district-topper.” Yan Gui had sat for the county examination and the prefectural examination in the second and fourth months of spring, securing top place in both.

“Please don’t tease me, Little Uncle Huai.” Yan Gui was a little embarrassed. “It’s only because there were fewer seasoned examination-takers competing this year.”

His third sister had come out of the palace, and her eyes carried a deeper sense of understanding and clarity, though they softened warmly when she looked upon her family.

After everyone else had dispersed, she came before Lin Shi at the Zhaolu Courtyard and knelt in gratitude: “All these years, Mother has been planning on my behalf without ceasing. Words cannot fully express it, but I hope Mother understands the depth of my gratitude.”

While she had been in the palace, Lin Shi had passed money and messages into the palace on her behalf; after she came out, she had arranged her dowry. Between a stepmother and a stepdaughter, to have gone this far was truly rare.

Pei Ruozhu did not weep, but her words were heartfelt.

Lin Shi quickly helped Pei Ruozhu to her feet and said: “We are family — to say such things is to create a distance between us.”

After the two of them sat down, Lin Shi added: “Though you and I share no blood, the six of you girls and boys are true brothers and sisters.”

Pei Ruozhu nodded, understanding what Lin Shi meant.

The following day, Pei Shaohuai brought gifts and went to pay his respects to Teacher Duan. As soon as he entered the Xu household, he spotted from a distance the teacher wearing that water-patterned blue robe with black satin boots.

The teacher also looked toward him, the furrows on his brow smoothing out.

Three years had passed, and the teacher had aged further — and yet, dressed in that blue robe, he somehow seemed a few years younger, his spirits more vigorous than before.

The corners of Pei Shaohuai’s eyes grew moist. He strode quickly to stand before the teacher and bowed: “Teacher, your student has returned.”

“Your essays — I have read every one of them… Good. Very good.” The teacher said.

Xu Yancheng, who stood to one side, said with a teasing smile: “Since Teacher switched to lighter-colored robes, the family has had quite a few made for him — but the one Teacher favors most is still the one Shaohuai sent back.”

Yancheng was still the same as ever — in front of Shaojin and Shaohuai, he could not help but open up. The corners of his eyes were always lifted in delight.

It was not only the Pei Family that had happy events approaching; the Xu Family did too. Shaojin had told his elder brother the previous night that the eldest grandnephew had already settled on a betrothal — the eldest granddaughter of the Director of the Imperial Academy — and was only waiting until after this year’s Autumn Examinations to conduct the six rites of marriage.

The eldest grandnephew was already eighteen.

When the three of them — Shaohuai, Shaojin, and Yancheng — were chatting, Shaohuai teased: “You and your eldest grandnephew — not a word, and just like that the great matter is settled.”

Yancheng pulled Shaojin over, and before he even opened his mouth, Shaojin grasped what Yancheng was about to say and frantically tried to cover Yancheng’s mouth.

The two of them tussled — one with ears flushed scarlet, the other laughing and dropping hints one at a time — and Shaohuai pieced it together.

Shaojin had a young lady he was fond of, and the feeling appeared to be mutual.

Since Pei Ruozhu and the Nanping Earl were already mutually enamored, all other families who had come seeking her hand could only be politely refused.

Because the Yang Family’s mistress had been the most sincere — submitting visiting cards on several occasions — the Earl’s estate had, toward the end of the previous year, already sent word in an indirect manner to make its position clear, so as not to delay the Yang Family’s young man.

The Yang Family mistress was a forthright woman. Knowing that the old matriarch of the Pei household was unwell, she made a particular point of expressing her good wishes and said she would pay a visit when it was convenient at a later time.

Upon learning that Lin Shi had returned from Jiangnan, the Yang Family’s visiting card was sent over once more.