On the way back, sitting inside the carriage — even though they were alone — he did not press her to tell him what the Empress Dowager had said.
Yun Pan looked at him quietly from the corner of her eye. He sat with eyes lowered, his lashes dark against his face, lost in thought. He was often like this — too still, as if the noise and tumult of the ordinary world had nothing to do with him.
He was someone who, on the surface, seemed clean and uncomplicated, without desire or ambition. And yet how could anyone in his position be truly free of desire? She simply could not see through him. He would never easily reveal what he was thinking. His joys and his sorrows, his love and his hate — all of it was hidden behind that calm, gentle smile. Cold to the point of detachment, and with an undercurrent of quiet pessimism. He lived in the manner of a refined scholar and planned for the very worst outcomes. That was the small measure of understanding Yun Pan had come to form of him after two days in each other’s company.
She breathed a quiet sigh. If she said nothing, he would not ask — and that could not go on. It would only create a real distance between them.
So she shifted slightly and asked: “His Grace — would you like to know what the Empress Dowager said to me?”
His gaze was clear and still as water. “If Madam wishes to tell me, she will.”
She fell silent in turn for a moment, then said: “His Grace has no doubt anticipated it already. The Emperor has the six reins of governance firmly in hand — he has his own means of keeping everything in order. I have only one thing to say: please, His Grace, look after yourself. Within the inner household, storms arise that His Grace may not know of. An offhand remark, carelessly spoken, can take on a very different flavor once it reaches someone else’s pillow. If that day comes, and you go down into the abyss while I rise to the clouds — that would ruin His Grace’s standing. So the wisest course of all is to be cautious, and never to conspire with others.”
She spoke at an easy, unhurried pace. Something in the quiet certainty of her voice softened the expression in his eyes.
A girl raised in the inner chambers, untouched by the world’s affairs — and yet she had seen this far. He was genuinely surprised.
He wanted to test her further. “What if one were to appear to join in a great scheme, while privately reporting it to the palace? Could one not destroy one’s rival that way — the mantis catching the cicada, while the sparrow waits behind?”
Yun Pan’s lips curved. “No. The sparrow waiting behind will always be the one who took no part at all. To lay a trap and draw others into it, thinking oneself very clever — in truth one’s own shoes are already wet. The palace would rather kill a hundred by mistake than let one go free; in the end, one would only be destroying oneself. So meeting change with no change is the wiser course. Better to keep a gem hidden in the box than to let it be seen above all others. Speak to no one of the affairs of this world, and you become a person for whom the world has no affairs…” She smiled a little shyly. “I have only these shallow thoughts. I have made His Grace laugh.”
But he shook his head slowly. “You are right. Ever since learning that the Emperor intended to choose among the three of us, I too have tried wherever possible to stay out of troubled waters. But when one stands at the eye of the storm, one is often carried along despite oneself. I had thought this kind of outlook was perhaps too much to ask of a wife. Now, hearing you say it, I am very glad. I no longer need to worry about you forming friendships with unsuitable women, or worry that you will pour your heart out to someone and let the household’s affairs reach the ears of outsiders.”
Ah — so when he married, he had quietly worried about all of this too. He must have assumed that a father as muddled and drifting as hers would produce a daughter equally careless and unrestrained, dull-witted and obstinate.
A small, proud look came over Yun Pan’s face, and she turned her head away. The figure across from her watched her quietly, smiling — knowing that girls ought to have a little temper. When one was unhappy, it was right to make a small show of it to someone close; the vexation would not linger long in the heart. Once the mood passed, it would be gone like wind over still water.
The horses’ hooves struck steadily against the stone paving; the small bells on the lead horse’s neck rang out their cheerful, rhythmic chime, shaking loose a corner of the busy human world. But outside, the sky had begun to change. When they had set out in the morning, the sun was blazing clear; now, on the way back to the manor, thick clouds had piled up along the western horizon, and a strange sight had appeared overhead — one half bright, the other half dark.
Fortunately, the carriage driven by Bi Xie moved quickly. They had barely stepped through the gate of the manor when thunder and lightning broke and the rain came pouring down.
Yun Pan, in her heavy ceremonial robes, walked more slowly and was caught by a few drops. She raised her sleeve to shield herself and ducked under the eaves, laughing: “That was close — another half-step and my hair ornaments and ceremonial robe would have been drenched…” She wiped her face. A pearl from her slanted cheek ornament was lying in her palm. “Oh! This one fell off too!”
He turned back to look, and tried to stick it back on for her — but several attempts all failed. He gave up. “Never mind.”
Yun Pan then peeled off the one on the other side as well and handed them very carefully to Qin Dan, saying: “Give these to Mingke to keep — be very careful not to lose them.”
As for the two small round half-pearls on her beauty spots, she forgot to remove those. Each time she smiled, they became two sweet, round dimples.
The maidservants gathered around to bring them back to the rear courtyard. This Duke’s manor had five separate courtyard residences. Apart from Senior Madam Hu’s Mao Garden, the other four each had an elegant name: Hui Cun’s was called “Sweep the Snow,” the courtyard that had been Princess Consort Liang’s home with the Prince of Liang was called “Seeking Spring,” Yun Pan’s courtyard was called “Prolong the Day,” and the last, where the old Prince’s two concubines lived, was named “Light the Lamp.”
Nanny Yao was already waiting at the gate. Seeing them return, she hurried down the steps to meet them and led them inside the upper rooms.
Maidservants attended His Grace to change his clothes. Mingke and Ruolan came to help Yun Pan remove her knee panel and ceremonial belt. Nanny Yao stood to one side and asked: “Was the palace difficult with Madam?”
Yun Pan said: “Everything was still manageable. Please do not worry, Nanny.”
Nanny Yao let out a long breath. “That is a relief. I will not deceive Madam — since you walked out the door, I have been on tenterhooks, afraid that with no experience of those matters, Madam would be caught off guard. The people of the palace — they are all extraordinarily shrewd. Give a single wrong answer and it can bring disaster down on you.”
Yun Pan smiled. “I know nothing else. I simply pledge my loyalty, and that cannot go wrong. The Empress Dowager brought up my maternal grandfather and grandmother, and at that moment I thought — what a pity they died so young. If they were still alive, my mother would certainly be alive too. If she had suffered any indignities, she could have gone back to the Grand Princess’s residence. She would not have had to remain in the Marquis’s household and endure those years of bitterness.”
And so — the cruelest thing is to be left with no parents at all. A woman who has lost her maternal family, if she wishes to dissolve a marriage, finds that her husband has the excuse of the “three exemptions” to hide behind. With nowhere to return to, and unable to support herself, the reason her mother later held on in the Jiang family in spite of everything was for the sake of her own future marriage prospects.
Nanny Yao sighed. “Ten thousand things are decreed by fate, and not one half-point is up to us. I watched the County Mistress grow up. All those years I thought she had found someone she could rely on for the rest of her life. I never imagined it would turn out like this.” Then the sadness on her face shifted to comfort. “The blessings the County Mistress never had time to receive will gather and pass down to Madam. Just look at the fine husband she has found — his speech is gentle, his manner is considerate. You’d search the world with a lantern and not find another like him.”
Yun Pan said nothing in reply. Her heart held to the same thought as always: don’t expect too much. Without hope, there can be no disappointment.
Mingke brought her a thin gauze jacket in the color of frost-green and helped her put it on. She walked to the inner room, took out a stack of currency drafts, and handed them to Nanny Yao. “I have already made inquiries. Incense materials and silkworm goods are in short supply in the capital. Send these drafts through a reliable person to the trading market on the south lane of the official street to find buyers. Don’t go through the official exchange — goods that go in there don’t sell for a good price. I want to convert them to cash and use it to lease several storefronts on the Nanqiao market, knock out the walls to open the space, and run a business serving female clients. The noble ladies and wives of officials in the capital find it inconvenient to go to wine houses and tea establishments — but a place like this, dedicated to tea, wine, and handmade goods, would give them somewhere to pass their leisure time and, at the same time, help build connections across the inner households of the whole capital.”
Qin Dan clapped her hands in delight. “Just like the Fanhua Banquet!”
Yun Pan nodded, then gave further instructions to Nanny Yao: “Handle this carefully — it is not a small amount, after all. When the rain stops, ask Nanny Shi to appoint a couple of trustworthy people to go along. My thought is to gather the funds first. If I truly want to open the shop later, I’ll still need to ask Grandmother and Mother’s opinion before doing anything. For now, don’t let word of it spread.”
Nanny Yao acknowledged this, accepted the assignment, and went out to see to it.
Outside, the rain continued to fall heavily. After half a month of blazing sun, one great downpour had cooled and refreshed the entire courtyard. The blue-grey paving beneath the covered walkway, soaked through, glistened like lacquer.
Yun Pan had been thinking of sitting on the reclining chair behind the house, taking a cup of fragrant drink in quiet leisure — but she could not. The Senior Madam and the Princess Consort were surely both waiting for word. If she kept them waiting too long without going to report back, they would think her ignorant of propriety, and the elders would be displeased.
So she asked Qin Dan to bring along the imperial gifts and set off toward the Mao Garden. She walked along the covered walkway to the moon gate and passed through the curtain of rain. From a distance she could already see Yu Li, who attended on the Senior Madam, standing at attention in the corridor. At the sight of Yun Pan approaching the gate, she came out at once with an umbrella, saying: “In such heavy rain — why has Madam come over at this hour?”
Yun Pan said: “I have just returned from the palace. I am here to pay my respects to Grandmother.” And then asked: “Is Mother here as well?”
Yu Li said she was. “Not just the Princess Consort — the Princess is here too, along with the two concubines. They are all keeping the Senior Madam company playing cards.”
Good — she could see them all in one visit and save herself the trouble of going to several different courtyards.
She lifted the hem of her skirt and stepped up onto the terrace. She could already faintly hear Hui Cun’s laughter: “Grandmother has lost again!”
Yun Pan smiled to herself. Hui Cun was a forthright soul — in her eyes, things were exactly as they were. No one could use seniority to get her to concede a hand, not even Grandmother.
She changed into soft indoor shoes at the entrance and went in. Sure enough, there they all were, gathered around the round mother-of-pearl inlaid table playing cards. She gathered her skirt and gave a full bow to the company: “Grandmother, Mother, honored concubines — I have returned.”
Everyone set down their cards at once. Hui Cun leaned forward eagerly and asked: “A’Jie, the rain was so heavy outside — did you get wet?”
Yun Pan said no. “The rain didn’t come down until I reached the gate — barely a step ahead.”
The Senior Madam moved to the couch and settled herself there, pressing her hand down to invite Yun Pan to sit, and asked: “What did the palace say? Did Empress Dowager Zhang make things difficult for you?”
When it came to her old rival, the Senior Madam’s expression became displeased. Yun Pan said only that she had not. “The Empress Dowager mentioned my maternal grandfather and grandmother, and sent her regards to Grandmother and Mother.”
The Senior Madam gave a dry, short laugh. “Remarkable that she still remembers these people.”
Yun Pan said yes, and gestured for Qin Dan and Mingke to open two brocade boxes and present them before the Senior Madam and Princess Consort. Inside were various hair ornaments and accessories, along with perfume sachets and jade pendants. Yun Pan said: “Grandmother, please look — these are the gifts bestowed by the palace.”
The Senior Madam looked them over. At least that Empress Dowager had the manners not to treat her grandson’s wife poorly, and a measure of her inner displeasure retreated.
Hui Cun loved all the clever, delicate trinkets. Yun Pan chose a gilded incense ball in the shape of a gourd with birds and flowers for her, and lowered her voice: “I have Suzhou embroidery’s ‘Spring Tidings in Snow’ at my place. I’ll have it sent over to you.”
The Princess Consort laughed: “Her rooms are already overflowing with things — why keep spoiling her! Keep it yourself. If she likes it, she’ll have a husband to give her things in due time.”
Hui Cun pouted and wheedled: “I only love things A’Jie gives me. A’Jie’s things are always the finest — even the infusions and the fragrance preparations are better than anyone else’s.” A full and wholehearted display of love for this new sister-in-law.
The two concubines sat and accompanied the gathering for a while, then rose and excused themselves. Once they were gone, Yun Pan carefully broached with Senior Madam Hu the matter of opening a shop.
The Senior Madam and Princess Consort were both very set in their ways, and hearing this idea for the first time, both appeared somewhat startled. The Senior Madam said: “A household of our standing — how could we carry on business like people from the market streets, greeting all comers? What would people say!”
Even the Princess Consort’s face showed a note of difficulty, as she folded her hands and said: “I have never heard of a prince’s or duke’s wife opening a shop… How did you come to think of such a thing?”
Yun Pan knew they would not easily agree, but she was unhurried. She said warmly: “Grandmother, Mother — today when I entered the palace, it was something I heard from the Empress Dowager and the Empress that gave me this idea. This shop would be something like the Golden Pheasant Banquet here in the capital, yet different from it. The Golden Pheasant Banquet is held once a year; my shop would open every day. The Golden Pheasant Banquet is only for the wives of marquises and dukes; my shop would welcome even the families of officials below the official ranks.”
This alarmed both elder women even more. The Senior Madam and the Princess Consort looked at each other, while Hui Cun, in her straightforward way, declared: “A’Jie must have her reasons. I have nothing to say — open it!”
This earned her a sharp glance from the Senior Madam. “No talking nonsense.”
“Grandmother, please hear me out.” Yun Pan spoke calmly. “My aim is to use this shop as a means of widening our access to information. The more people who come, the more word arrives. Events at the Fanhua Banquet or the Golden Pheasant Banquet will already be common knowledge by the time they reach our ears — those circles have their thresholds. But the minor clerks of the eighth and ninth ranks — the kind who hold actual working posts — the news that comes out of their inner households tends to be faster and more reliable than anything from the households of high officials.”
The Senior Madam and the Princess Consort were not foolish women. Even without her saying it plainly, they understood the meaning immediately.
At this moment, what was most precious? Information, of course — the movements and conditions of all parties. People like them, living deep within the inner household, could only exchange news at banquets. The rest of the time they were all effectively sealed off from the world. Rather than waiting to attend banquets hosted by others, why not host one’s own every single day — profiting from it, while also keeping an accurate, continuous hold on information?
As for what the Senior Madam and Princess Consort had been worried about, Yun Pan understood, and spoke with care: “I am His Grace’s wife, and I would not sit in the shop myself. I would only select trusted nannies and maidservants to look after it on my behalf. For important guests, I would go and accompany them personally. Day to day, there would be someone to oversee the management without requiring my constant involvement.”
Since the plan was sound and the method of operation already thought through, there was no further reason to hold back. The Princess Consort was also very pleased: this daughter-in-law had only just entered the household, and already she was planning so far ahead. Si Si had truly inherited the Yuyang County Mistress’s gifts in this regard.
Now that she thought about it, she was even more grateful that heaven had intervened and changed the match. Had they married the Duke of Shuguo’s legitimate daughter — that girl who shrank from society — never mind managing affairs outside the household; she would likely have been unable to manage even the family inside it.
As for Senior Madam Hu — she had originally been deeply unsatisfied with the Empress Dowager having arranged the match, and had carried a measure of displeasure toward this new daughter-in-law as well. Now seeing that this young woman’s whole heart was turned toward Ji Fu’s benefit, the resentment furled its banners and fell still.
The Senior Madam spoke: “Very well. In that case, let the common household account pay for the shop.”
Yun Pan could not simply accept this outright and declare she needed no contribution from the Senior Madam, so she said: “Many thanks to Grandmother. I still have some private funds of my own that can serve for now. If it proves insufficient, I will draw from the household account.”
This was exactly the right way to handle it. A new daughter-in-law who had not yet endured three winters and four summers in the household could not expect to be fully trusted. Without true closeness, financial entanglement was to be avoided — otherwise, if there were gains or losses, she would leave herself open to the accusation of coveting her husband’s family’s wealth.
To say she had her own funds was to tell them: I have not come to your household empty-handed to make my way in life. Regardless of what state her family home was in now, she remained a lady of the nobility, and her dowry had not been lacking in a single item. She did not ask to be looked upon with special esteem, but at least she would not be looked down upon.
Both sides were in full accord — and that was the best possible outcome.
Yun Pan took her leave from the Mao Garden. Once she returned to her own courtyard, she sorted through the imperial gifts and selected a few distinctive pieces to be sent to each of the other courtyards. A hairpin each for the two concubines; a length of sea-red silk brocade for the Princess Consort. As for the Senior Madam — since she would not care for anything associated with Empress Dowager Zhang, Yun Pan decided to prepare homemade rose-amber incense instead, packed carefully into a celadon glazed pot with a lid, suited both to the Senior Madam’s refined tastes and to Yun Pan’s own sincere filial regard.
Qin Dan stood watching all this and thought to herself that her young mistress had such a hard lot. Being a new bride, it seemed, required a hundred kinds of alertness. Nothing could be neglected, nothing exceeded its proper bounds — even sending gifts to people had to be weighed carefully three times over for fear of overstepping. It made her think of their old life in the home of Yun Pan’s birth, where even with all its unhappiness, at least they had not needed to be this painstakingly careful. People truly do carry their difficulties one chapter at a time; perhaps once this stretch was through, the life ahead would be freer.
The rain was still falling, heavy against the banana leaves outside the window, the sound rushing and soft. When everything was attended to, Yun Pan finally had a moment of leisure and lay down on the daybed to rest.
She loved rainy weather like this. The whole world turned grey and muted, and every table and chair inside the room took on a heavier quality, like an ink painting not yet filled with color. She closed her eyes. The sound of rain came winding into her mind, and she pulled a small quilt around herself and drowsed. The rain fell and fell, driving away the summer heat. She pressed her bare feet to the cool woven mat, and it was a pleasure that reached all the way through her.
Li Chenjian had gone off somewhere — probably back to his study to read, she supposed. She had no intention of asking. This comfortable arrangement between them, each untroubling the other, each tending to their own affairs — it suited her quite well.
She drifted slowly to sleep to the sound of rain. In her dream she sat beneath the eaves, grinding fragrant herbs with a stone roller. The roller came and went with a low, hushing sound, and that sound merged with the vast sky, shifting slowly into an immense and tranquil shade of celadon blue.