Shen Xi smiled and said: “At the New Year’s banquet I heard some idle talk—saying that the Zhao family’s eldest son has served as a compiler for three full years and will be promoted to the Ministry of Rites this year. It also said that the eldest Miss Zhao is betrothed to the son of the Vice Minister of War and will marry at the end of spring. Shen is without talent, merely a deputy director of the Court of Imperial Stud. That I can stand here today and speak with the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief is only by virtue of my already declining family background. How would I dare make decisions before you, my lord?”
The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War were the only two departments that didn’t much take sides. Zhao Yan placing his children in these two offices clearly showed he wanted to remain neutral.
Shen Xi’s words seemed to say nothing definitive, but actually that phrase “declining family background” already hinted at his current predicament.
Zhao Yan said: “Lord Shen jests. Zhao has been an official for decades and understands that family background is the least important thing. Given Lord Shen’s talent, character, and appearance, if Ah Jiu could marry you, it would truly be the Zhao residence reaching above its station. However, Ah Jiu has been betrothed since childhood to one of my students. This person’s surname is Gu, currently serving as investigating censor of the Shandong Circuit. At the end of the third month he’ll return to the capital to report on his duties. Zhao was planning to take this opportunity to set a date for Ah Jiu and Student Gu’s marriage. I’m afraid the Zhao residence and Lord Shen have fate but no portion.”
Outside, a sudden rainstorm fell, accompanied by rumbling thunder. Heaven and earth became dim and dark.
Hearing Zhao Yan’s words, Shen Xi nodded: “That’s good—a talented scholar and a beautiful lady, it also settles one matter weighing on Lord Zhao’s mind.” He glanced through the window at the rain’s shadow, then bowed again: “Since you’ve already decided, my lord, then Shen won’t disturb you further.”
Zhao Yan thus rose to see him off, saying as he did: “Today happens to be our old matriarch’s birthday celebration. The front courtyard is hosting guests for a banquet. Lord Shen has nothing pressing—it won’t be too late to leave after dining.”
Shen Xi turned back leaning on his staff: “Very well.”
After Shen Xi had gone far, Zhao Yan closed the study door again, turned around, and looked without a word at Miss Zhao kneeling in the middle of the room, trembling slightly.
After a moment, he sighed and said to Zhao Qian: “Yuda, write a reply to the Gu residence in Shandong immediately, accepting the marriage between Yunjian and Ah Jiu.”
Zhao Qian couldn’t help saying: “Father, have you forgotten? Yunjian lived at the Zhao residence for two years as a child—he has a stutter. To so hastily marry Ah Jiu to him—wouldn’t that wrong her?”
“That’s still better than keeping her in the capital,” Zhao Yan said. “The current court situation is difficult, everyone fears for themselves, everyone fears being implicated with the Eastern Palace. Never mind how many officials from the Hanlin Academy and the Eastern Palace Administration have been dismissed—just the other day the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices merely spoke a word on behalf of the Thirteenth Prince and was immediately charged with a crime, dismissed and investigated. Ah Jiu has this unclear entanglement with Shen Qingyue—leaving the capital early is what’s urgent. If exploited by someone with intent, who knows if it wouldn’t harm her?”
Having said this much, Zhao Yan looked at Miss Zhao again, softening his tone to counsel: “Ah Jiu, you’ve been a child who understands propriety and obedience since small. Father believes you sheltered Qingyue out of momentary kindness. Let this matter end here. Whatever you have in your heart, these next few days you should wipe it away and erase it. As for Yunjian, though he stutters, his character is rarely so upright and progressive. After you marry into Jinan Prefecture in the future, he certainly won’t treat you poorly.”
The rain darkened heaven and earth; inside the room, lamp shadows flickered.
Since entering the study, Miss Zhao had kept her eyes lowered. Though Zhao Yan couldn’t clearly see her expression, he could see that with every opening and closing of her eyes, teardrops rolled down her cheeks.
But she said nothing contrary, only bowing with her forehead to the ground, performing a prostration to Zhao Yan: “Your daughter understands.”
The midday flowing banquet dragged on messily until the hour of the Goat. Just as the rain was about to fall, someone came to invite the high officials who had come to celebrate the birthday to move to the flower hall for tea.
These officials weren’t of the very highest rank; some who didn’t work in the palace hadn’t been seen for quite some time. Now gathering at the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief’s birthday banquet, they inevitably sought to cultivate connections. Thus the flower hall formed groups of three to five, speaking freely with you saying one thing and I another. Unexpectedly the hall door was suddenly pushed open. Two servants led a person leaning on a staff to the hall entrance, saying most respectfully: “My lord, this way please.”
The person who arrived was precisely Shen Xi.
In former times, if the eldest son of the Shen household, the Left Vice Minister of Revenue, appeared before this crowd of mere fifth and sixth rank officials, everyone would have knelt in greeting. However, times had changed. Even though Shen Xi had considerable difficulty crossing the threshold with his staff, the officials great and small in the flower hall only exchanged glances with each other. Not only did no one call out a greeting, much less step forward to help.
After a moment, a pale-faced man wearing the regular attire of a fifth rank official came forward, took Shen Xi’s wooden staff, and gave him a hand, saying: “Lord Shen, mind the threshold.”
Shen Xi looked at this person’s honest appearance—it seemed very familiar. Just as he was puzzling over where he’d seen him, he heard the man say: “Lord Shen is an important person who forgets many things. This humble one’s surname is Zhou, given name Ping, currently serving as prefect of the capital’s yamen. Two years ago when still serving as adjunct magistrate, I had a brief encounter with Lord Shen.”
Only then did Shen Xi vaguely recall: “Su Shiyu’s old friend from the Yingtian Prefecture yamen?”
“Yes, yes,” Zhou Ping said. “I’m flattered Lord Shen actually remembers.”
While leading Shen Xi toward a lantern-hung chair at the side of the flower hall, he wiped the chair seat clean with his sleeve: “Lord Shen, please sit.”
At this moment, someone in the hall suddenly raised his voice: “Lord Zhou, even if you don’t serve in the palace, at least you’re a prefect of the fifth rank. Attending so obsequiously before and after to a seventh-rank horse keeper—isn’t that rather inappropriate?”
The speaker’s surname was Lu. He had a square face and broad lips and was approaching his fortieth year.
Shen Xi remembered this person—several years ago he had actually been a director in the Ministry of Justice, originally able to be promoted to vice minister. However, because he had shown favoritism and wrongly judged a case, he was charged with a crime by Shen Tuo. Rather than being promoted, his official rank was reduced to secretary. Thus he had always harbored resentment toward the Shen household.
This phrase “seventh-rank horse keeper” elicited a round of laughter from those around.
Shen Xi didn’t care at all. He set his wooden staff against a tall table, sat in the chair Zhou Ping had wiped clean for him, and said with a grin: “I wondered who it was—turns out to be Secretary Lu from the Ministry of Justice. What’s this? Back then you deliberately judged wrongly and sentenced lightly for the sake of your concubine’s family’s case and were demoted but retained. All these years have passed with no progress—you’re still just a secretary?”
“That’s still better than Lord Shen—falling from third rank to seventh rank, with a lame leg not yet healed having to go tend horses. Though I suppose,” Secretary Lu said, “the Court of Imperial Stud’s Stable Administration is at the Yunhu Mountain grasslands on the capital’s outskirts. When Lord Shen assumes his post tomorrow, the wind will blow the grass low to reveal cattle and sheep. Herding horses and singing heartily will be several degrees more carefree than us people of the court. Looking at it this way, letting Lord Shen mock us a bit is only natural and proper.”
Having said this much, he laughed coldly: “Lord Shen should be careful not to fall from horseback. If that unhealed leg breaks again, I fear you’ll never be able to leave that wooden staff for the rest of your life.”
“Lord Lu’s words are rather mean-spirited,” Zhou Ping said. “The Court of Imperial Stud’s Stable Administration maintains a thousand warhorses. How can its deputy director be dismissed with the three words ‘horse keeper’? Moreover, Lord Shen he—”
Before finishing, Shen Xi raised his hand to stop him.
Shen Xi looked at Secretary Lu, seeming to remember something, then suddenly grinned again: “After Lord Lu was demoted to secretary, he once knelt outside the Shen residence kowtowing for a full day and night, saying he had been blinded by greed. Just now Shen thought Lord Lu had made no progress all these years, but looking at it now, I spoke wrongly. Lord Lu is deeply sincere and genuine—the greed in his heart has been washed clean by blood through all these years and is completely gone.” He cupped his hands to Secretary Lu: “Shen has taken your words to heart, my lord. Your reminder was correct—Shen will definitely be careful to heal his leg injury well before herding horses and singing heartily. I definitely won’t disappoint your most earnest heart, liver, and lungs.”
There had long been an admonition in court: don’t engage in verbal sparring with Shen Qingyue.
Secretary Lu, having taken this soft knife strike, felt as if he’d been cursed but didn’t know where exactly he’d been cursed. Fury swelled in his heart, but he couldn’t find a place to retort. Looking up out the window, the rain had stopped at some point. Flowing clouds were brilliant; the hour of the Monkey had long passed, dyeing heaven and earth an almost glaring dark gold.
Secretary Lu had already heard that for the evening birthday banquet, quite a few important court officials would come. Just as he was eagerly hoping someone would come to deal with Shen Xi, his eyes suddenly brightened. He saw two servants leading the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, Huang Zhiyan, heading this way.
Minister Huang’s face still bore the color of fading flattery—he must have just encountered some important personage. Seeing Secretary Lu push open the flower hall door to greet him, he was startled before saying: “Secretary Lu, no need for such courtesy.”
Secretary Lu said: “Why was Lord Huang also invited here? Did an honored guest arrive at the main hall?”
Minister Huang said solemnly: “Yes. Just now when this official descended from his sedan outside the residence, unexpectedly—” He cupped his hands in a bow toward heaven, “I actually encountered the Tenth Prince’s grand procession. Right now the Tenth Prince has been invited to the main hall. I also heard that presently Lord Liu from the Imperial Censorate and Lord Zeng from the Ministry of Personnel will arrive. This official naturally shouldn’t intrude.”
Speaking thus, he swept his gaze around the flower hall and caught sight of Shen Xi sitting nearby. Instinctively about to step forward in greeting, he was stopped by Secretary Lu and only then remembered that the former Vice Minister Shen had been reassigned to the Court of Imperial Stud. He couldn’t help but halt his steps and coughed twice.
Secretary Lu thus prompted Shen Xi: “Lord Shen, Lord Huang is at least your superior. That you don’t greet him or pay respects is one thing, but you’re sitting while he stands—what kind of propriety is this?”
Hearing that Zhu Yiheng had arrived, Shen Xi was pondering the cause and effect in his heart. When Secretary Lu spoke thus, he didn’t pay much attention at present. Making a sound of acknowledgment, he rose and yielded his seat to Minister Huang.
Though Minister Huang obtained the seat from Shen Xi’s hand, seeing him seemingly deep in thought with an expression that didn’t put him in his eyes at all, dissatisfaction arose in his heart again. He coughed twice more.
Secretary Lu said seriously: “Lord Shen, that you don’t put this official in your eyes is one thing, but Minister Huang is at least your superior. Right now this is also your first meeting with Minister Huang. Kowtowing and performing the proper courtesies—that’s not excessive, is it?”
Only upon hearing these words did Shen Xi return from his thoughts. Before he could speak, he heard Minister Huang say somewhat anxiously: “Performing courtesies is appropriate, but kowtowing… that’s not necessary, is it?”
Secretary Lu smiled: “You and I are at least high court officials. The proper etiquette should not be lacking. If we were familiar, waiving it would be fine, but Lord Shen will have constant dealings with Lord Huang in the future. Being thorough with propriety today, showing sincerity from the heart—won’t that prevent much misunderstanding in the future?”
Though anxious in his heart, Minister Huang momentarily felt Secretary Lu made sense. Moreover, to receive a bow from Shen Qingyue would truly bring great face.
With this thought, he was eager to try: “Then… Deputy Director Shen, why don’t you perform a courtesy to this official? Just a token kowtow will do?”
Shen Xi smiled rather indifferently: “Very well. If we’re performing courtesies, we should do them properly—no need for mere tokens.” He handed the wooden staff to Zhou Ping beside him, and was about to bend his knees: “This subordinate Shen Xi pays respects to Minister Huang—”
Before finishing, the flower hall door was pushed open with a “bang.” Before Shen Xi could complete his bow, someone who had rushed in quickly grasped his arm and supported him.
Su Jin cast a cold glance at Minister Huang, then looked at the person beside him, saying in an icy voice: “Secretary Lu, as your superior, this official is also meeting you for the first time today. There’s no time like the present—kneel down now and kowtow three times to this official. Until the courtesies are properly performed, don’t bother rising.”