The fifth was the auspicious day itself. Many ladies of prominent capital families observed a vegetarian fast on the first, the fifteenth — and the fifth as well. And so, true to custom, the Shen family’s Spring Reception was set for the sixth. The Shen family’s banquets were never anything short of spectacular — every lady in the capital who could attend came. Even the Grand Princess herself graced the occasion in person. The Shen family was well practiced at receiving royal visits — at the time of the young master’s wedding, the Empress Dowager herself had come in person, and they immediately readied the main courtyard to receive the august presence.
Naturally, all the Ye sisters attended. As Han Yueqi had put it: “This is our own family’s banquet — we do as we please.” So unlike the frosty treatment they had received at earlier banquets, the Ye sisters were honored guests today, given the head seats directly. Qinglan herself was seated as a companion to the Grand Princess, at the same table as Princess Pingjun’s consort, Shen Furen, and Chen Furen.
Chen Furen, of course, still harbored resentment over the matter of Chen Mengliu, and with studied carelessness asked: “How is it that the Ye family has sent the younger generation to attend the banquet?”
Han Yueqi answered without a beat’s delay: “The Ye household is currently managed by the concubine, so the eldest young mistress attends the banquets.”
Her support for Qinglan had never wavered. The younger matrons who habitually followed her lead naturally understood. The most adept among them, Young Madam Wang, immediately said: “Speaking of Elder Sister Ye, we all simply admire her — managing the household entirely on her own, to this degree. If you put all of us together, we still couldn’t match her.”
“Quite so, quite so — one wonders which family will be blessed with such good fortune this year.” The others echoed in agreement. Qinglan only demurred modestly: “You ladies flatter me.” Chen Furen also recognized this was Han Yueqi’s ground — there was nothing she could do — and had no choice but to hold her tongue and take her seat.
Lu Wenyin was placed three full tables away. The Shen family was now the leader of the court’s civil officials, and Han Yueqi was the foremost among the capital’s younger matrons — she had her own manner of authority. As she herself had said: at other people’s households there were still proprieties to observe, but today’s was their own family’s banquet, and what was there to be guarded about?
Young as she was, her looks were striking, her family name illustrious, her abilities real, and her temperament genuinely forthright — nothing like Lu Wenyin’s smile concealing a blade. Shen Furen was exceptionally pleased with this daughter-in-law and had done everything to elevate her — she would not have handed over the household management otherwise. In an occasion like this, Han Yueqi was naturally the one in charge. She lived up to that trust. The banquet was brilliantly managed — receiving the royal guest, the banquet itself, the theatrical performance, and even the reception of male guests outside, every aspect handled faultlessly. Thirty-odd tables of guests, without a single mishap, calmer than even a palace banquet, with no opportunity for someone like Lu Wenyin to demonstrate her ability to manage crises. Lingbo even instructed A’Cuo: “This is what it means to say: the greatest strategist wins without glory.”
But she had not expected the unexpected to arrive at precisely this moment.
The ladies were all seated in the main hall — ten tables there, ten in the flower hall, another ten or so in the warm side rooms, the three sides encircling the stage. In the courtyard, a hundred or more potted forsythia plants were arranged in display, blazing gold — rushed in overnight from heated greenhouses on the outskirts of the capital, a testament to the Shen family’s wealth.
And it was then that the woman appeared.
All ten tables in the main hall were occupied by ladies of standing — every seat placement had been arranged in advance. The arrival of an unfamiliar face was already strange. More so because she was so beautiful: a face like a hibiscus, a waist like a willow, her hair dressed in the capital’s most fashionable swallow-tail coiffure. Only there was something slightly off about her manner — she did not carry herself like a proper lady of the house.
And indeed she was not.
At that moment Han Yueqi was personally serving soup to the Grand Princess, and Shen Furen was attending to her dishes, about to turn to receive a handkerchief from a palace maidservant — the moment of their highest honor. And that was when the woman swayed gracefully toward Han Yueqi, dipped in a gentle bow, her voice like the trill of an oriole:
“This humble concubine, Su Yanliu, pays her respects to Furen and to Young Furen. May Furen and Young Furen be blessed with every fortune.”
The entire hall fell briefly silent at those words. Young Madam Wang reacted fastest, turning immediately furious: “Who is this person? How dare she presume upon the royal presence? Someone — drag her out at once!”
The woman called Yanliu instantly appeared stricken, fell to the ground, and cried out: “Please have mercy, Young Furen! I had no such intent!”
It was at this moment that Yang Qiaozhen stepped in.
“Oh dear, what a dreadful misunderstanding!” she said to Han Yueqi with a syrupy smile. “I heard that Young Master Shen had taken a kept woman in Little Flower Branch Lane and even brought her to the men’s banquet — I assumed Shen Young Furen already knew. It seems she did not.”
She also turned to Yanliu and said: “As for you — why aren’t you staying put in Flower Branch Lane? What are you doing coming here?”
“I heard that Furen was hosting a flower banquet today, and wished to come and be of service.” The woman looked earnest: “Yanliu may be of humble origin, but she knows that living outside is no proper arrangement. She came to ask Young Furen to take her into the household — if Young Furen would consider…”
Shen Furen cut off her words and bowed before the Grand Princess.
“Today’s Spring Reception was meant to be a joyous occasion. This subject’s wife failed to keep proper watch over the household servants, and an intrusion upon the royal presence has occurred. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”
“Not at all,” said the Grand Princess, her expression as cold as ice. “A flower banquet is inevitably accompanied by matters of the inner household. Shen Furen is too hard on herself.”
The dignity of a second-rank lady of the court still carried weight. Had it been anyone else, the Grand Princess would likely have risen and departed then and there, and the hostess’s standing in the capital would have plummeted from that day forward.
Seeing how the situation was turning against her, Yanliu was just about to speak again when a look from Shen Furen brought the serving women forward, seizing her on both sides, stuffing cloth into her mouth, and dragging her away.
Shen Furen’s health was not strong. Though she was the Duke of Yongguo’s only daughter, she had kept to her own quarters for many years now, even having transferred management of the household to Han Yueqi long ago. It had been years since the capital’s ladies had seen her act decisively. Seeing her move so cleanly and without hesitation, they were shocked — and yet privately impressed.
Though the tiger was ailing, its remaining authority was still felt.
“Yueqi,” she called her daughter-in-law by name. Han Yueqi stepped forward with lowered head, and Shen Furen could not help but inwardly sigh.
She was young, after all — she had not yet been through enough. Normally sharp as anyone, she was not quite herself in this moment. Even so, she was already better than the Ye sisters in her usual company: Qinglan’s expression was grave, Lingbo’s gaze sharp as a blade — both had clearly already formed a response, constrained only by their standing as unmarried young ladies and unable to step forward.
“I haven’t the strength for this anymore.” She made her stance clear before the full hall of ladies, transferring authority into Han Yueqi’s hands: “I leave this servant to you to deal with.”
Han Yueqi was still sharp. Though the incident had been sudden and she had needed a moment to collect herself, she had now recovered her bearings.
“Very well. For now, Concubine Su is to kneel in the inner study until my husband returns to deal with the matter. Intruding upon the royal presence is an offense worthy of ten thousand deaths. Niangzi Han, please go and ask my husband to return home immediately to face the punishment, and await His Highness’s judgment.”
“As for your husband’s father…” Shen Furen prompted, as she might guide her own daughter.
“A word is also to be sent to inform Father-in-Law.” Han Yueqi, having issued those orders, turned and knelt before the Grand Princess: “I was remiss and allowed a household servant to intrude upon the royal presence. I ask Your Highness to punish me.”
The Grand Princess naturally had no intention of punishing Han Yueqi, and let it pass lightly — but she left early. Once the Grand Princess departed, what reason had anyone else to stay? They all understood that the Shen inner household had suffered a great upheaval. Taking a concubine was, in itself, a small matter, and kept women were known to exist here and there — but today was a banquet hosted by the principal wife, before a hall full of officially titled ladies, and the kept woman had publicly appeared at the flower banquet the mistress herself had organized, a deliberate provocation. This meant Han Yueqi had lost control of the inner household — and that, truly, was the most devastating part.
Lu Wenyin naturally could not resist the chance to kick someone while they were down. She was one of the first to bid farewell, taking Yang Qiaozhen and her companions with her, and her parting words were delivered beautifully: “Elder Sister Han, something like this has happened at your banquet — we sisters are heartbroken for you. What a pity about the Spring Reception. Whenever Elder Sister Han has set the inner household in order, we sisters will gather again — no rush.”
To use Ye Lingbo’s words: “What is she still performing for here? This is almost certainly her doing. Yang Qiaozhen’s little remark was set up beautifully in advance — they must have planned all of this. The whole point was to catch Elder Sister Han off guard today. Truly revolting. And Shen Yunze is just as useless — an Exploration Candidate, and still does something that brings joy to enemies and pain to loved ones. What a contemptible man!”
She could only fume, while Ye Qinglan helped Han Yueqi pick up the pieces. Han Yueqi was, after all, a daughter of a great family — even after something like this, she held herself together outwardly. It was only when Han Furen, who had been helping in the flower hall, came over that her eyes reddened and she called out: “Mother.”
Han Furen’s tears immediately fell. She embraced and comforted her on one side, while turning to her own household stewardess and saying in fury: “Go and ask Shen Furen what rule her household follows — and what was said when we gave our daughter into marriage. After something like this — how is she to account for it to me?”
Han Furen said all this in the small side room, with no one else present. Han Yueqi, hearing it, turned around to comfort her instead: “Mother, please stop — Furen is actually behaving well. You must not blame her wrongly. Furen turned the matter entirely over to me to handle. I know what I’m doing.”
She was decisive, and Han Furen, though full of motherly anguish, could only relent. She said: “My girl, don’t worry — your father and I are always here. If anyone could get away with mistreating our family like this, then your father’s decades of work would have been for nothing. Don’t be afraid — our family has no shortage of means. I’ll go right now and summon your brother back. We’ll impeach whoever needs impeaching.”
But exactly who to impeach — Han Furen didn’t quite know. Shen Furen’s stance had already been so cooperative, and her daughter was still Shen family’s principal wife. If the Shen household fell to internal conflict, they’d only be providing amusement for others. Who had directed Yanliu from behind the scenes still needed to be uncovered, and hardest of all was halting the present loss of ground.
Han Yueqi’s expression held a fleeting moment of uncertainty. But Qinglan reached out and took her hand.
“When wisdom and benevolence cannot be fully encompassed together, attend to what is most immediately pressing,” she said to Han Yueqi, calmly. “Don’t be afraid. Things must be done one at a time. The evening banquet is two hours away. Let us first resolve the evening banquet — then deal with the rest.”
“All right.” Han Yueqi gripped her hand in return. Even after four years as the young mistress of the household, she was still only twenty-four by nominal reckoning — a young woman. Her palm was faintly damp with perspiration, yet her expression had begun to firm, like a general who has rediscovered her resolve, strengthening bit by bit.
“Mother, would you please go and take stock of which ladies have left and which have stayed?” Han Yueqi said. “The Chen, Xue, Lu, and Sun families — those who follow Lu Wenyin’s lead — don’t bother with them. If they want to go, let them go. The Wang, Ye, and Peng families are all on good terms with me — no need to worry about them either. The key is the families led by the He family, and the royal households. I ask that you please keep them, Mother. If anything comes up, send someone to find me at once.”
“Understood,” Han Furen said. “Don’t worry. They will give face to your mother. Anyone who jumps ship now — don’t blame me for being hard-handed with them afterward.”
“The Wei family — I’ll go,” said Qinglan. “The women from the Northern Suppression Army families, as well as several Ministry of War households, all take Wei Furen’s lead. I know her — she is close with Lu Wenyin, but she is not a person who cannot distinguish right from wrong.”
“It is a great deal to ask of you.” No one understood better than Han Yueqi what this meant.
After the offense Wei Furen had committed against her — and her own refusal to explain herself to Wei Furen over the matter of the old engagement — she was still willing, for Han Yueqi’s sake, to go and act.
“Lingbo as well — I need to borrow her,” she said to Ye Lingbo, who had been radiating an aura of battle-readiness from the sidelines. “This has come on suddenly. I’m afraid I must trouble you to go and find out what you can.”
“Don’t worry. Wherever there’s action, there’s a trail.” Lingbo didn’t wait for more instructions. She had barely spoken when Xiao Liu’er came hurrying in and whispered something in her ear. She frowned and then told Han Yueqi: “Elder Sister Han — this wasn’t Yang Qiaozhen. It’s Lu Wenyin’s handiwork. That Chen Yaoqing of hers has been hosting lavish banquets since before the New Year, entertaining all manner of people on behalf of Prince Pingjun — Northern Suppression Army commanders, officials from the Six Ministries, newly graduated scholars. Your Shen Yunze was brought along by a colleague, led in like a plump oblivious lamb. Lu Wenyin found out, and naturally couldn’t resist setting a trap. This Yanliu was sent by her. The Chen husband and wife are a fine pair — he acts the pander, she the procuress. They’ve been procuring young women from Yangzhou under the name of ‘trained beauties,’ polishing them up and distributing them in all directions. This Yanliu’s origins are likely the same. Don’t worry — I’m sending people down to Yangzhou to investigate right now. Half a month — and I guarantee I’ll have her family’s story going back eighteen generations.”
Han Furen had known for some time that the Ye sisters were close to her daughter, and she had heard that Qinglan was widely read, but that Lingbo was the most formidable — she simply hadn’t understood how formidable. At these words, she was so stunned she could scarcely speak.
The method itself was one thing. But listening to this account — it had full command of the larger picture and the precise details both; not a word of it showed the slightest deference to the capital’s matrons or its princely sons. And yet this was plainly only a girl of nineteen or twenty — speaking with more ruthless clarity than any of the older, seasoned ladies present.
Han Yueqi, seeing her own mother rendered speechless, couldn’t help but laugh.
“All right, Mother — you go on ahead. I still need to see Furen.” She pressed her gently.
Once Han Furen had gone, Lingbo had not the slightest need to hold herself back. She said with distaste: “Where is Shen Biwei? She’s always meddling in everyone’s business, and now, precisely when she’s actually needed, she’s nowhere to be found.”
Niangzi Han came forward and murmured a few words in Han Yueqi’s ear. Han Yueqi heard it and couldn’t help smiling.
“Her perspective is far broader than ours,” she told them. “The moment the incident broke, she went and hauled her brother back — he’s currently pinned down in Father-in-Law’s study. Right now she’s rushing Father-in-Law back home as well. Some commotion has broken out among the male guests outside too, but it’s under control. And she’s asking me if I need her to go and fetch the old gentleman as well.”
“Which old gentleman?” Ye Lingbo was confused.
“The Duke of Yongguo, naturally,” said Han Yueqi, lowering her eyes: “She’s worried I won’t be able to manage, and wants the Duke to come and support me.” She paused. “Her heart is true in this — but it is a pity…”
A husband’s family, however fine, was still one step removed — not like the bond she shared with the Ye sisters, a bond as genuine as that between true sisters.
“What is there to pity? Elder Sister Han, if you hadn’t been dazzled by his family in the first place, you wouldn’t have fallen into such a trap,” Lingbo chose precisely this moment to joke. “Never mind — the worst case is throwing Shen Yunze out, and you and your household go on living well just the same.”