Eleventh Miss heard the words within those words.
Xu Lingkuan, the fifth young master of the Xu family, was only eighteen years old this year, holding the rank of platoon commander in the Imperial Guard’s Heavenly Strategy Camp — a fourth-rank military officer. Three years prior, he had married the legitimate daughter of Marquis Ding Nan, Sun Kang. In Madam’s words, this Xu Lingkuan was a good-for-nothing wastrel who knew only falconry and horse-racing, coasting along on his ancestors’ merit…
Could Lady Qiao have been speaking of Xu Lingkuan?
The Madam Dowager smiled without answering and led everyone into the flower hall.
The flower hall was warmed by underground heating ducts, as pleasant as spring. The table was set in the western side-room, already laid with dishes and chopsticks, and the serving maids and women stood in composed rows to one side.
Third Madam warmly invited everyone to be seated.
After a round of polite exchanges over seating, the Madam Dowager, Madam, Lady Qiao, and Third Madam sat at one table.
Madam Luo, Fifth Miss, the Sixth Young Miss of the Qiao family, and Eleventh Miss sat at the other.
Wen Yiniang withdrew to stand outside the hall.
Maids brought water infused with osmanthus blossoms for everyone to rinse their hands. Jun Mountain Silver Needle tea was served to the Madam Dowager’s table; Lushan Clouds and Mist tea was served to Madam Luo’s table. Then maids brought a continuous stream of refreshments, assorted platters, small dishes, cold plates, hot dishes, and a hot pot.
Third Madam poured Jin Hua wine for the Madam Dowager, Madam, and the others.
The Madam Dowager courteously remarked to Madam that it was “just a simple home meal,” then raised her cup to toast everyone.
Madam and Lady Qiao returned the toast.
The banquet formally began.
At Eleventh Miss’s table, though the dishes were plentiful, no one dared to crane their neck and stare at dishes far away — for a servant standing by to help serve would immediately extend long chopsticks and bring the dish over, which would inevitably give the impression of being greedy… And so everyone ate in a dignified manner from whatever dishes were placed before them.
As for the Madam Dowager, pleading ill health, she took only one more small cup of wine and then set down her cup. Despite looking much the same age as Madam, she was in truth past sixty, and no one dared press her to drink more. Madam then set her sights on Lady Qiao. After several cups, Lady Qiao’s face had turned red, yet Madam’s expression remained unchanged.
Unexpectedly, Madam had quite a remarkable capacity for wine!
Eleventh Miss sat to one side enjoying the spectacle.
Before long, Lady Qiao’s speech became incoherent.
Seeing that things were going amiss, the Madam Dowager sent Third Madam repeated glances. Third Madam raised her cup to drink on Lady Qiao’s behalf; Madam also had no desire to cause a scene at her relative’s banquet, and so the matter was let go.
By the time the meal was over, it was past the start of the wei hour, and everyone moved to the western corner room for tea.
Perhaps because of the wine, Lady Qiao was exceedingly talkative.
“…To be allied by marriage to you is truly a blessing. Setting aside everything else — consider the Sun family. Were it not for having a mother-in-law like you, how could a married-out daughter live half a month at the husband’s family and half a month at her own family?”
The Madam Dowager chuckled. Seeing Madam’s look of bewilderment, she explained: “The Marquis of Ding Nan has only this one daughter, as precious to him as life itself. In agreeing to the match with our family, he was looking precisely at the fact that we have many sons — so that his daughter and son-in-law could come home to visit often. I too have raised children of my own. One understands the hearts of parents everywhere. So I let them spend half a month at home and half a month at the Marquis of Ding Nan’s residence on Red Lantern Lane. Both sides can enjoy the novelty of it. You have come at an inopportune time — it is the second half of the month, so they are still at the Marquis of Ding Nan’s residence. When they return, have them come and pay their respects to you!”
“I would not dare,” Madam said hastily. “The Fifth Madam has been granted the title of Danyang County Princess by the late Emperor — her status is distinguished. How could I have her come and pay her respects to me!”
The Marquis of Ding Nan’s elder sister had been a favored consort of the late Emperor; having no children of her own, she often summoned the young Sun girl into the palace for company. The late Emperor had grown fond of her as well and bestowed upon her the title of “Danyang County Princess” — the first of its kind among these houses of marquises, earls, and dukes.
“Madam is too modest,” Lady Qiao said with a laugh. “Even the Emperor has a few impoverished relatives — how much more so you and I? Moreover, our County Princess is a woman of consummate virtue — from the day she married into the Xu family, she would never allow anyone to address her as ‘County Princess.’ She has always been generous and warm toward family and friends, and everyone adores her…”
Madam, hearing her talk in this manner, was inwardly furious. Yet hemmed in by being a guest in the Madam Dowager’s home, she could not give vent to her feelings, and merely laughed coldly to herself.
A real frog in a well, a fool certain of her own greatness. In over a hundred years since the founding of the Great Zhou dynasty, those so-called founding meritorious families — in the late Taizong years, most had been executed, demoted, or stripped of their titles on account of the “Conspiracy of Prince Zheng’an,” their assets confiscated or sold off. The few that remained had been living in fear, like stray curs without a home, with no end to their days of misery. In the Xiaozong era, though a few had their titles restored, they had by then become like birds frightened by the bow — wanting only to preserve their lives, not daring to make any contribution at court. Over a hundred years, the great majority were all imposing facades with hollow interiors, barely maintaining their daily expenses on ancestral landholdings. How could they compare with these official and scholarly families whose sons and grandsons had achieved distinction — who besides acquiring fields and opening shops, even managed capital from the Imperial Household Agency for trade… The Cheng Guo Duke family, had it not been for the money earned in the northwest military campaigns these past years, would have been just another such household. Yet this woman had the audacity to brag like this in front of her…
The more she thought, the worse her expression became.
The Madam Dowager saw it all clearly, and inwardly sighed. She rose to her feet with a smile: “Shall we go take a look at the newly built theatre stage? It will help us digest our meal!”
Madam understood that the Madam Dowager was coming to her rescue and cast her a grateful glance. The group went to view the new theatre stage.
The stage was small — two bays — with whitewashed walls and gray tiles, the four corners of the eaves curling upward like flying swallows. The screen wall of the stage was decorated in five-colored lacquer inlaid with large clusters of peony blossoms, magnificently ornate. Behind the stage was a row of seven bays of side rooms; to the left were three bays of side rooms; to the right was a connecting passage; opposite were seven bays of principal rooms, with covered walkways on all four sides constructed with rolled awnings.
Third Madam smiled and said: “Fifth Master’s idea. In the summer, when curtain fans are hung along the rolled awning eaves, one can listen to opera while the breeze fans past — a refreshing comfort in the heat. In winter, slatted curtains can be hung or rolled up as needed; with braziers lit and sweet potatoes and beans roasting over them, one can play and amuse oneself in ease and contentment…”
Madam Luo could not stop praising it: “Truly a wonderful and ingenious idea.”
Everyone else also said it was splendid.
Fifth Miss’s eyes shone with envy; the Sixth Young Miss of the Qiao family smiled with mild composure; Eleventh Miss took in the surrounding furnishings carefully.
The threshold panels and window lattices were all ornamented in five colors inlaid with gold leaf — some carved with flowers, some with birds and beasts, some with a hundred infants at play, some with antique objects. Quite unlike the commonly used five-bats-holding-longevity or five-sons-passing-the-examination motifs — they were lively yet conveyed a sense of weight and dignity. One could see that considerable effort had been invested.
The Madam Dowager chuckled: “The effort put into this theatre stage — one cannot imagine how much. Look there,” she said, pointing to the seven-bay row of side rooms behind the stage, “without building this row, one would have gone straight through to the garden. And there,” she pointed at the connecting passage, “half of the fourth young master’s study was demolished for it. Were it not that he has a good temper, he would have gotten a thorough dressing-down from the old Marquis, had the old Marquis been here.”
Lady Qiao gave a sound of interest, her gaze shifting: “Then when operas are performed here, would they not disturb the Marquis?”
“Disturb whom?” the Madam Dowager laughed. “He moved out long ago. When Fifth Master took his wife, he moved — moved to ‘Banyue Pan’ in the back garden. Otherwise, Fifth Master would not have had the nerve to undertake such a large construction here.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
The Madam Dowager then led them through the connecting passage.
Inside was a small courtyard — just three principal rooms facing north, with gray tiles, whitewashed walls, black-lacquered floor-to-ceiling posts, and white-paper lattice windows. In the courtyard, a few pieces of Taihu stone were placed as accents; to the left grew several stalks of elegant bamboo; to the right stood a few plantain trees — quiet and refined.
Madam remarked with appreciation: “A lovely place.”
“Indeed,” the Madam Dowager said, turning to smile at Third Madam. “Were it not for Third Son’s wife intervening — saying that if honored guests should come, they could rest here — Fifth Master would have demolished it long ago.”
Third Madam covered her mouth with a laugh: “Our master saw the Marquis’s face go dark at the sight of it, so he stepped in to say something.”
Everyone laughed and exited the courtyard, passed through the side rooms behind the theatre stage, and stepped onto a path paved with bluestone slabs. To the left of the path ran a wall with decorative windows — some round, some square, some in the shape of crabapple blossoms — through which one could glimpse layered greenery, clear springs, and curious stones in the garden beyond. Strolling along, each window framed a different scene, giving the feel of a southern garden where every step offered a new view.
Lady Qiao said with a laugh: “Fifth Master truly went to great lengths — even this wall was remade.”
The Madam Dowager gave a slight laugh and pointed to several green branches extending over the whitewashed wall not far to the right: “That is Fifth Master’s residence.”
Eleventh Miss looked over and saw five stone steps leading up, with two or three young maids who had not yet put up their hair tossing cloth bags in play.
Seeing the Madam Dowager approach, they came forward to pay their respects. A woman in her fifties, wearing a pale lavender plain brocade jacket, standing at the Madam Dowager’s side, took candies from her pouch and distributed them to the young maids, who each broke into delighted smiles and ran off. The Madam Dowager then pointed to a stretch of white wall ahead: “That is Yuan Niang’s courtyard.”
Bamboo tips were visible above the wall.
Third Madam smilingly pointed to the white-walled enclosure at the end of the path: “I live there!”
Behind the Madam Dowager’s quarters was the flower hall; beside the flower hall lived Xu Lingkuan; beside Xu Lingkuan was Xu Lingyi; and further on was Xu Lingning… The Xu family should also have a widowed sister-in-law — where did she live?
Eleventh Miss wondered. Following along past Yuan Niang’s courtyard, she saw a broad, impressive gate in the decorative-window wall — the main gate and the left side gate were both firmly shut; the right side gate stood open. Two women were seated on a long bench at the gate, talking; seeing the Madam Dowager, they hurried over to pay their respects.
The Madam Dowager exchanged a few cordial words with the two women, then pointed to the grand gate and said to Madam: “Going through here leads to the back garden.”
Madam nodded.
Third Madam said with a smile: “We have been walking for a while — shall we go to my place for a cup of tea?”
The Madam Dowager looked at Madam. Madam, not wishing the Madam Dowager to tire herself, smiled and agreed: “Of course!”
They walked south along the white-walled path that Third Madam had pointed out and arrived at Third Madam’s residence.
Third Madam’s residence was five bays across and four courtyards deep — larger even than the Luo Family’s house on Gongxian Hutong. Whitewashed walls with gray tiles, black-lacquered ruyi-pattern gate; the south-facing rooms had been partitioned into a study and a flower hall; straight ahead was a connecting hall. Passing through the connecting hall, a cross-shaped bluestone path ran through the courtyard, planted with plantain trees and apricot trees, with a flower trellis overhead. The three main rooms with ear rooms and a covered walkway connected to the east and west side rooms, where the Xu family’s eldest grandsons, Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian, resided. The third courtyard was where Xu Lingning and his wife lived, with jade magnolia trees and pine and cypress in the courtyard. The fourth courtyard held the rear service rooms.
They had tea in the main hall of Third Madam’s residence.
The tea was a clear, luminous pale gold, with a sprinkling of green leaves, drifting with threads of rich osmanthus fragrance.
Eleventh Miss paused.
She raised the cup and sipped lightly.
The distinctive bean-flower fragrance of Dragon Well tea intertwined with the sweetness of osmanthus — full-bodied, mellow, and lingering on the palate.
This was osmanthus flower tea.
Though the flavor was unusual, she did not care for it.
Eleventh Miss preferred plain tea — each tea had its own nature; with other things mingled in, she always felt it had lost something of its original purity.
While she was thus reflecting, someone had already expressed admiration: “What a wonderful tea!”
Eleventh Miss looked toward the voice — it was the Sixth Young Miss of the Qiao family.
“This is the newest flower tea from Lingxiu Tower this year!” She closed her eyes slightly, her expression one of deep satisfaction.
Third Madam smiled and said: “Sister truly has a refined palate. But this is not Lingxiu Tower’s tea — Second Sister-in-law personally gathered the blossoms last autumn from a century-old osmanthus tree in the garden and scented the leaves herself.”
—