Jiang Heng was still immersed in the joy of forming a bond with the Dongchang Commandery Duke’s household and of his own impending elevation to the rank of father-in-law.
Coming out from the morning court session, he walked with his tablet being slid back into his sleeve, and tilted his ear toward several colleagues who were discussing an evening banquet.
Regional Transport Commissioner Cao Muqing said: “The crabapple trees in the back garden of the Privy Council are in splendid bloom. The day Assistant Minister Han invited me for wine, I arrived a little early and only half the trees had opened — but now, five or six days on, they must surely be in full and magnificent flower. How about this — I shall be the host today and invite everyone to admire the blossoms. The poet He Xiao of Luoyang, whose Ode to the Gold Belt Bloom made a sensation in the capital — I have learned he is here on a visit to study, and have already sent him an invitation. If any of you do not come, you shall regret it.”
In this age when literary culture was prized above all and poets and scholars flourished in great numbers, the officials heard this and one by one readily agreed: “If for nothing else than to meet the man himself in the flesh, one must go.”
Cao Muqing laughed heartily and turned to see Jiang Heng, promptly calling out: “Marquis Jiang — are you coming?”
Jiang Heng smiled and waved him off. “Commissioner Cao knows my situation — the household is busy just now, and I fear I cannot spare the time in this period. I will not join this evening — but in a little while, I shall host everyone at the Liang family garden for a banquet.”
Cao Muqing then remembered and quipped to his colleagues: “I very nearly forgot — Marquis Jiang is giving his daughter in marriage next month, and my wife is the matchmaker at that…” Just then, he spotted the Dongchang Commandery Duke passing by on the eastern path and raised his voice at once: “Bo Ru — how are the preparations at home? If there is anything you need help with, just tell my wife. She is idle at home every day and keeps fretting about when our eldest son will grow up and when he will marry — my eldest son is only thirteen.”
Those present, learning that the two households were to hold a wedding celebration, naturally offered congratulations. Jiang Heng returned the courtesies with polite clasped hands, his smile warm and genuine. The Dongchang Commandery Duke, by contrast, appeared somewhat perfunctory — bowing in return while answering: “Many thanks to Commissioner Cao for the concern. We have plenty of hands at home and are managing well enough… I still have some pressing matters to attend to in my office — I will not delay everyone further. Please continue at your leisure — I shall take my leave first.” With that, he departed in haste toward the gate.
Jiang Heng found the attitude of this future in-law rather puzzling. Then it occurred to him that with the wedding celebration only some twenty days away, the preparations were indeed urgent — so he dismissed it without giving it further thought. He then bid his colleagues farewell, and the attendant who had been waiting by the Imperial Avenue stepped forward to receive him. He climbed into his carriage and, unlike his usual habit of stopping at a tea house for a while, pointed east today and gave the order: “Back to the residence.”
The journey from Youzhou to the capital took some distance. If the carriage traveled at a brisk pace, one could arrive home in a day. Under the present Emperor, court was held for five consecutive days followed by five days of rest, and the officials living in Youzhou were able to travel back and forth between the two places. But from the following year, the arrangement would change to sessions on every other day — and they would need to prepare to move the entire household into the capital.
After a full day of jolting travel, they finally arrived at the gate of the residence. Liu Shi had long been waiting at the foot of the steps. Seeing him descend from the carriage, she immediately came forward to support him.
Jiang Heng had rushed back without even having time to change out of his court robes — his square-cut collar had slipped crookedly off one shoulder. Still stepping down from the mounting block, he straightened his collar and said: “I have found a fine residence in the capital. The price is very reasonable…”
Liu Shi’s expression was not quite right. She lowered her voice: “The matter of the residence can wait. There is something urgent at the moment…” She half-covered her mouth and leaned close to Jiang Heng’s ear to speak.
Jiang Heng’s face went through a whole palette of colors — eyes bulging, whiskers bristling — yet he could not give vent to his feelings here. He suppressed himself with great effort and waited until he had returned quickly to his courtyard before erupting into curses: “Li Xin, that treacherous wretch — no wonder he had a guilty look when court was dismissed. So this is what it was! Grand Councilor… a Grand Councilor of the Zizheng Hall, no less — quite impressive — and I am someone easy to push around? If the match was not to be made, why go through the charade of agreeing on a date — and now to produce some withdrawal from the engagement! Do they truly think they can trample on this Jiang as they please!”
Jiang Heng was beside himself with fury, and Liu Shi could not hold him back. With great effort she finally managed to calm him, only for him to leap up again: “I am going to find Li Gan and demand an explanation!”
“Master — oh, my goodness, Master!” Liu Shi threw herself upon him to hold him back. “Things have already come to this point — whom do you intend to go and argue with!”
Jiang Heng said: “They have calculated very cleverly — have us withdraw from the engagement, then return the betrothal gifts to the last coin. They get to call off the match and lose nothing at all — what a fine arrangement!”
Liu Shi, however, had her own thinking. She kept urging him to calm down, and said: “The wrong lies on their side. To want both to dissolve the engagement and to recover the betrothal gifts — is there any such advantageous deal in this world? My thought is this: Master should write a letter formally releasing the engagement, and send it back along with the gift baskets, the geese, and the rest. These items are not worth much in themselves — and yet the gesture will make a public statement. Once people know that the two families have dissolved their betrothal, that will be the end of it.”
Hearing this, Jiang Heng at last slowly reined in his temper. After a long, heavy exhale, he muttered: “I search and search and finally find a fine match — and it comes to this. What wretched luck!”
Liu Shi also wore an expression of helplessness, standing to the side with hands tucked in: “Lady could not have known at the time what sort of person the second young master of the Li family truly was. Had she known, would she have let Miss suffer this grievance?”
The engagement was to be dissolved — there was nothing further to deliberate. While Jiang Heng was at home, all items except gold and silver were returned in their original form to the Commandery Duke’s residence.
The nanny sent out to gather information came back to report: the news was already known throughout all of Youzhou that Miss had broken off her engagement with the Commandery Duke’s residence. Since the bride’s family had taken the initiative in withdrawing, it reflected no harm on Miss. The Commandery Duke’s household, knowing themselves to be in the wrong, raised no objection whatsoever to the returned items. This matter could now be considered closed. Miss was free to make new arrangements for her marriage going forward.
Yun Pan heard this and gave a faint, slight pull of her lips. “A perfectly good match, dissolved like this — I do not know what people will say behind our backs. I was not originally all that troubled about the dissolution — what I find fault with is the way they conducted themselves, with such lack of propriety. To retain those betrothal funds makes people say we have never seen money in our lives. The Yong’an Marquis’s household has not fallen so low that we must live on such a sum. It gains us a petty advantage at the cost of our dignity.”
Qin Dan could only offer comfort: “Miss, do not trouble yourself with any of that. Let them handle it however they will. Even if our household becomes a subject of mockery behind closed doors, Miss is born of the County Princess — no one would dare to look down on Miss.”
Yun Pan fell silent, thinking to herself that the legitimate daughter of a marquis’s household would certainly find another match without difficulty. The only question was whether the match would be a good one or a poor one.
Liu Shi was, as ever, adept at seizing the opportune moment. That same afternoon she came to Pi Xiu Courtyard and sat on the reclining couch to speak with Miss, urging her to set her heart at ease: “With Miss’s family background, there is certainly no lack of suitable young men to come. As for the betrothal funds — I discussed it carefully with your father, and the reason we kept them is simply to teach the Commandery Duke’s household a lesson. Miss is a well-bred young lady of good family, and should not be humiliated by them without any consequence. In the future, when Miss leaves to be married, those funds will be used entirely as additional dowry for you. Miss may not realize, but once you have your own household, the expenses are numerous indeed. With more reserves on hand, you will be better able to manage all manner of things.”
All of that was a matter for the future. Yun Pan did not dwell on it and only asked: “Father has gone to the capital?”
Liu Shi said he had. “There is a court session tomorrow. He left without wishing to disturb you, and said you should set your heart at ease and not take this matter to heart.” She paused and then asked: “The Fanhua Banquet is tomorrow — is Miss going?”
Yun Pan said she would. “Not going would only invite gossip. Surely I cannot withdraw from the engagement and then hide away from the world for the rest of my life.”
Liu Shi said: “I share that view exactly. It was we who withdrew from the Commandery Duke’s engagement — we have nothing to be ashamed of. Miss should not only attend, but should do so with grace and ease, giving those who came to watch the spectacle nothing to say.” As she spoke, she rose and said: “I will go and arrange the sedan chair and carriage for Miss. In past years, all the young ladies of good family brought spring platters to share at the gathering — I will have the kitchen prepare a few of their specialties, so we need not fall behind the others.”
Liu Shi departed with her maidservants. Mu Xiang watched her retreating figure and turned back to say to Yun Pan: “This Liu Niang, on the surface, seems to be very considerate of Miss.”
Qin Dan gave a quiet laugh. “If she were not skilled at appearing considerate, how could she have lived so comfortably in this household for all these years?”
A person who remains in good standing for a long time has her own method of survival. Yun Pan had long since grown accustomed to watching her fawn upon the head of the household — outwardly cautious and meticulous, while behind the scenes surely wearing a very different face. But the inner chambers were no place to pry too deeply into such things. Even when A’Niang was alive, she had never allowed Yun Pan to be troubled by her father’s concubine. Once Liu Shi had gone, Yun Pan turned her mind entirely to preparing her dress for the following day.
Qin Dan brought out a crimson red layered skirt with a short upper garment of lotus-root silk for the summer — neither too eye-catching nor too understated. Yun Pan had attended the Fanhua Banquet every year from the age of twelve onward, but because her A’Niang had passed away the previous year, she had kept to her rooms in mourning and missed the gathering. This year, some of the noble young women she was acquainted with had probably already married off.
In any case, she was full of anticipation for the following day’s outing. She had not gone out once since the mourning period ended. She retired early that night — as A’Niang had said: the better one sleeps, the better one’s complexion.
But she was shaken awake by Qin Dan at the fourth watch of the night. For some reason, all the dogs in the city had broken into frenzied barking, accompanied by the neighing of horses and the crowing of roosters. Youzhou city was stirring awake much earlier than usual.
“What has happened?” Yun Pan asked, heavy with sleep.
Qin Dan said she did not know. “Could bandits have broken into the city?”
In this day and age, where would bandits come from? Youzhou was close to the capital, and military defense was exceptionally well maintained. If bandits were running rampant even in Youzhou, would the world not be in utter chaos?
Yun Pan climbed out of bed and slipped on her soft shoes to look outside. The sky had not yet brightened, and the clouds were thick — not a single star could be seen. She was just about to turn back inside, thinking it would likely rain, when a flash of white light suddenly erupted from the southeast — but it lasted only an instant, and then quietly extinguished itself. She stood there uneasily for a while. The sounds of the restless livestock gradually died down too, and the city suddenly became completely still, as if nothing at all had happened.
Qin Dan let out a long breath. “It is still early, Miss — please go back and rest a little more.” After attending her to sleep, she glanced at the water clock: it was nearing the start of the fifth watch. She pulled the door shut and went out to begin preparing the morning’s necessities and breakfast.
When Yun Pan rose again and looked out the window, the weather appeared more or less as usual, only rather stuffy and close. Sitting there combing her hair, she found herself reaching for a fan — as if summer had arrived all at once.
Once everything was in order, Yun Pan set out with Qin Dan. At the foot of the steps, a finely crafted carriage already stood waiting, its canopy bordered with a row of five-colored hanging tassels — the carriage appropriate for attending the Fanhua Banquet, which every young lady’s household would provide.
Liu Shi had also come to see her off. She looked over the food boxes being carried out, then reminded Qin Dan to bring an umbrella: “The weather has turned so abruptly hot — there may well be a heavy downpour. Miss, if it should rain on your way home, it is better to wait a while. These days, rain comes and goes quickly — there is no need to walk through it.”
Yun Pan nodded. “Thank you, Yiniang. Please go in.” She turned and, with Qin Dan’s help, stepped up into the carriage.
As the carriage gradually moved away into the distance, Xue Pan walked out from the gate, frowning: “A’Niang is being altogether too attentive. You can do this again when the day comes I get to attend the Fanhua Banquet.”
Liu Shi shot her a look. “All that chatter — get back inside!” Mother and daughter continued bickering as they retreated into the inner residence.
The carriage made its way directly to the outskirts of Youzhou city. The Fanhua Banquet was set in the Ten-Li Pear Garden, a spot that offered scenic mountains and water and a truly delightful landscape. Years ago, the eldest daughter of Chief Minister Han Ran had founded the gathering, inviting close friends to attend. In the beginning it was simply a gathering for the entertainment of noble young women, but over time it grew — when the Minister’s daughter married and became the Consort of Prince Yan, the Fanhua Banquet became a yardstick of status among the noble ladies of Youzhou. Everyone took pride in being invited to the Fanhua Banquet. Yun Pan’s deep fondness for it came from its abundant and splendid food, and from the exhilarating freedom of playing polo on the grounds.
Youzhou city was vast, however, and the streets leading out of the city were lined with shops and filled with people — the carriage could not go quickly and had to make its way with difficulty through the crowds. At last they reached the city gate, and once through the pass, the world opened up into a broad expanse. The attendants then urged the horses into a gallop, and gradually the lush, dense forest appeared ahead. A little further on, the sweeping sea of pear blossoms in the orchard rushed into view.
The banquet grounds were enclosed by curtains, with only a single entrance. The Consort of Prince Yan and several noble young women were waiting at the gate to receive guests. Seeing Yun Pan come, the Consort’s face was wreathed in smiles — she reached out her hands from a distance to take hers, asking how she was, her affection and concern overflowing in every word.
To lose one’s mother in youth is always a matter for sorrow. And then to have the engagement with the Commandery Duke’s household dissolved on top of that — this troubled fate only made her situation all the more cause for sighing.
Yun Pan had assumed they would not know the inside details of the matter, but a young woman from the Prefect’s household spoke up indignantly: “The whole story has been circulating loudly everywhere — you are the only one who didn’t know. I have met that Third Miss of the Yan family — she looks as if a gust of wind would blow her away, and she is truly an eyesore. She also has an elder sister from the same mother — another one who stole someone else’s intended… For a household that prides itself on being a scholarly family of cultivation, how could they have raised daughters with such a family conduct!”
In large part because the Yan family was not within the Youzhou social circle, and the noble young women of the capital and those of Youzhou were two separate factions — and so they sided entirely with her.
In any case, Yun Pan’s spirits were not dampened. She smiled and said: “I suppose it was simply a lack of fate — having the engagement dissolved is perfectly fine.”
The noble young women vented their indignation on her behalf for a while, then comforted her in turn, assuring her that a good young man awaited her ahead. They had just finished and were about to enter the pavilion when the sky turned dark in the blink of an eye — a wild gust of wind roared up, sending sand and stones flying, and the earth beneath their feet began to rumble and heave… heaving and trembling… until the pear garden shook into double images around them.
Qin Dan cried out in terror for Miss. Yun Pan was seized with panic — she felt as if she had become a pea inside a shaking basket, tossed so violently she could not keep her footing.
All around, cries and weeping erupted. The great tent was overturned. Dishes and platters on the banquet table clattered and crashed to the ground and shattered. Everyone fell into complete chaos.
A male servant ran shrieking with his arms over his head: “Earthquake! An earthquake!”
In the darkened sky another blinding flash of white light appeared — unlike the brief flicker of the night before, this time everyone saw it. The light filled everyone with dread, blazing with a relentless rhythm: one flash… then another flash… before it gradually dimmed away.
And then the quaking grew even more violent. There was no place to hide, beneath heaven or upon the earth — one could only prostrate oneself and submit to whatever fate decreed.
This boundless trembling lasted roughly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the shaking gradually subsided. By now, the noble young women were every one of them disheveled, dust-covered, their hair in disarray — with no thought to spare for appearances, they stumbled and lurched toward their own carriages.
Yun Pan pulled Qin Dan to her feet and made quickly toward the outside of the grounds, calling out as she ran: “Hurry back — who knows what state the city is in.”