“You’re saying you want an outpost appointment?” Xu Lingyi glanced at Eleventh Lady.
Luo Zhensheng nodded.
Xu Lingyi felt that Luo Zhensheng should first spend time in the Six Ministries, building up connections in the capital, before seeking an outpost. On one hand, it would mean having someone in Yanjing to speak for him if anything came up outside. On the other hand, it offered more opportunities for advancement. But certain matters were “laid in the hands of man, accomplished by heaven” — no one could know what opportunity might arise at what moment, and he didn’t want to speak in absolutes.
“Think it over carefully,” he said judiciously.
“I’ve been thinking about it the entire journey here,” Luo Zhensheng replied. “A man’s deeds must outlast him; a wild goose leaves its cry behind on every shore. If serving as an official brings no benefit to the people, what is the point of it?”
A look of appreciation flashed in Xu Lingyi’s eyes, though he said nothing.
This concerned Luo Zhensheng’s future. But the official world was treacherous. These past years the Emperor had held power firmly in hand: Fan Weigang in the north, He Chengbi in the south, Jiang Yunfei in the Five Military Commissions, and Ouyang Ming commanding the Imperial Guards. Xu Lingyi had kept a low profile, and the Emperor’s attitude toward him had gradually grown more favorable. If the Baoding posting had been unintentional, then the visits to Xuantong and the Jiayuguan Pass were a deliberate stroke of two birds with one stone — both affirming his son’s abilities and gauging the Emperor’s current view of him. But if he were now to meddle in the appointment and dismissal of civil officials, the Emperor would likely grow wary of him at once.
On Luo Zhensheng’s matter, he could offer no guarantees at present, and so he would not voice an opinion.
Xu Lingyi held his silence.
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat still and weighted.
Eleventh Lady glanced at her brother, then at her husband, and said with a gentle smile: “Brother, how was Fifth Sister’s husband getting on out there? The last time he came to Yanjing to report on his work, he said he had some matter to take up with Elder Grand Secretary Chen, and only had a brief meeting with the Marquis before hurrying off.”
“He’s grown lean and fierce-looking,” Luo Zhensheng replied, and with his sister’s interruption the air in the room lightened considerably. “But his spirit is good. When I arrived, he was sitting on a field embankment chatting with a few old farmers about this year’s harvest. On seeing Jin Ge’er, he was delighted beyond words — had Jin Ge’er ride an ox around the paddy fields, and kept asking him whether he often saw Xin Ge’er, how tall Xin Ge’er had grown, whether he was good at his studies…” At this point, his brow furrowed slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, he said to Eleventh Lady: “When you have the time, go and speak to Fifth Sister. Zichun has been working himself ragged all these years — tell her to stop this quarrel with him and take their children to Wendeng to live with Zichun properly. She was born into comfort and doesn’t know it. There are those who wish nothing more than to follow their husbands to their posts and cannot. She, on the other hand, says she can’t find good teachers in Wendeng, and insists on staying in Yanjing — what kind of a wife is that?” His tone was stern, and plainly displeased.
“It would be better if Brother were the one to speak with Fifth Sister,” Eleventh Lady said with difficulty. “I am her younger sister after all…”
Luo Zhensheng couldn’t help thinking of the First Lady of the Luo household.
If she were here, he wouldn’t need to worry about any of this himself.
He let out a long sigh and didn’t press the matter. Xu Lingyi, seeing the hour was late, invited Luo Zhensheng to a nearby small dining room and arranged a banquet in his honor. Eleventh Lady offered a cup of wine to Luo Zhensheng in thanks for his care of Jin Ge’er, then returned to the main courtyard.
The banquet there had already ended. The Grand Madam, Fifth Madam, and several children were all seated in the resting room adjoining the eastern side chamber, listening to Jin Ge’er recount his travels. The younger ones kept breaking in with cries of “Oh!”, “Really?”, and “Tell us more, Sixth Brother!” — and while the room was quiet, a lively warmth came rushing to meet her.
Eleventh Lady stood beneath the eaves, a soft smile on her face.
When Xu Lingyi returned home, he saw only Eleventh Lady. He was taken aback. “Where’s Jin Ge’er?”
“He’s gone to spend the night with Mother,” Eleventh Lady said with a smile, and helped him change his clothes.
“And he didn’t wait for me to come back!” Xu Lingyi muttered under his breath.
Eleventh Lady remembered the look of disappointment on Jin Ge’er’s face when he’d left while Xu Lingyi still hadn’t appeared, and said reproachfully: “The child waited for you a long time — it was you who kept not returning… he was a little downcast when he left.”
“Then let me go and pay Mother my respects,” Xu Lingyi said uncertainly.
“It’s too late for that,” Eleventh Lady said. “Mother and Jin Ge’er have been talking for half the day — she didn’t even sleep through the afternoon. She’s probably already given out by now. The Marquis had better go tomorrow morning.”
“I was in the middle of working out the matter of Zhensheng’s outpost posting,” Xu Lingyi muttered as he went to the washroom.
Eleventh Lady followed. “Has Brother finally decided on the outpost?”
“Mm.” Xu Lingyi washed his face. “Let him go. I can’t make any guarantees about the rest, but if the time comes and he needs to return to Yanjing to take a position as a remonstrating official, his qualifications being what they are, that much I can still help arrange. I just worry that by then he might choose to retire from the whole enterprise… of this whole generation in the Luo family, only Zhensheng passed the metropolitan examination.” He paused and walked over to her. “I told Zhensheng — back in Yuhang, they ought to engage a good teacher.”
That was true enough. If the next generation of the Luo family produced no more metropolitan graduates, they were likely to fall into decline after Luo Zhensheng’s era.
Eleventh Lady gave a small nod.
Someone knocked on their window.
Xu Lingyi and Eleventh Lady looked at each other in bewilderment.
Who had the audacity…
The thought flashed through his mind, and Xu Lingyi’s eyes lit up: “It’s Jin Ge’er…” Thinking that at this hour the boy ought to be in the Grand Madam’s room serving her, he quickly opened the window and saw Jin Ge’er’s grinning face.
“Father, have you missed me? I’ve missed you so much!” He rested his elbows on the windowsill. “Have you still been going to the riding grounds to gallop your horse as before? All these days I was in Jiangnan, everything was by boat — I kept dreaming of riding with Father on horseback across the northwest…”
Jin Ge’er hadn’t finished his sentence before Xu Lingyi’s eyes had already grown slightly damp. As if to mask it, he patted his son’s shoulder: “How did you end up here? Why come tapping at the window instead of using the front door? Where’s your grandmother? Has she gone to sleep? Does she know you’re here?”
“I just thought Father might be missing me so much he couldn’t sleep,” Jin Ge’er said with a cheeky grin — though in Xu Lingyi’s eyes it felt nothing but endearing. “Using the washroom as an excuse, I slipped away to let Father have a look at me. Don’t go on about it.” He said this, then turned and bolted: “I have to go back — or Grandmother will wonder why I haven’t returned, and come to the washroom herself to look for me. Then Zhihong will be in trouble!”
Xu Lingyi stood frozen.
By the time he came to his senses, Jin Ge’er had long since vanished.
“That boy — faster than a rabbit!” His eyes brimmed with unrestrained fondness. “The cheek of him, using the washroom as an excuse to come and see me!”
Eleventh Lady also couldn’t help laughing behind her sleeve.
—
Over the next few days, husband and wife said nothing about Jin Ge’er’s future plans. They simply listened to him recount his journey to Jiangnan, helped him sort through his belongings, and on a newly chosen auspicious day moved him into the Qingyin Residence — and just like that, the Little New Year arrived.
The household gods were sacrificed to, the courtyards swept, peach wood charms pasted up, and the New Year was underway.
This year, the family gathered more completely than it ever had. Xu Lingyi was in fine spirits and drank several extra cups at the New Year’s Eve banquet. When he came back that night, he and Eleventh Lady made merry into the late hours — so much so that when Eleventh Lady went to the palace the next day to offer New Year’s greetings, she found herself repeatedly stifling yawns behind her sleeve. As a result, the Empress, before all the assembled noble ladies, inquired with concern whether she had caught a chill.
When she returned home, Xu Lingyi was greatly amused, and took her in his arms to tease her: “In the old days, certain poets composed verses by imperial command — you might as well follow their example and convalesce by imperial command.”
“Convalesce yourself!” Eleventh Lady gave Xu Lingyi’s arm a light pinch.
Xu Lingyi clutched the spot she’d pinched and toppled onto the bed: “I can’t lift my arm anymore — quick, summon the imperial physician.”
Summoning an imperial physician on the first day of the New Year…
Watching Xu Lingyi behave like a child, Eleventh Lady was somewhere between tears and laughter: “No wonder Jin Ge’er is such a handful — it turns out he takes after the Marquis.”
“But of course,” Xu Lingyi said, striking a smug and frivolous pose. “Just look at whose son he is!”
Eleventh Lady doubled over laughing.
It was only when Denghuo came to ask what time they would be setting out to pay New Year’s respects to Elder Marquis Sun on Hongdeng Lane that the two of them finally reined themselves in.
In this festive spirit, they laughed and jested through until the fifth day — and then news arrived that Princess Changfu had passed away.
The prominent households of the capital all made their way to the princess’s residence.
Such news struck particular sorrow in the hearts of the elderly. The Grand Madam personally went to the princess’s residence to pay her condolences, where she encountered Lady Zheng, who was even older than herself. The two old ladies sat together and grieved for some time. When the Grand Madam returned home, she began to feel unwell.
Xu Lingyi attended to her at her bedside.
After two days with no improvement, Xu Lingkuan took leave from his duties, and the Third Branch also hurried over.
Rousing from a half-dreaming sleep, the Grand Madam would ask “where is Zhun Ge’er?”, “where is Jin Ge’er?”, and occasionally “where is Shen Ge’er?” The three boys took turns keeping watch in the room. Together with the three Xu brothers, the serving maids, and the young wives, the air in the room grew stuffy and close. Seeing that this wasn’t working, Eleventh Lady consulted with Xu Lingyi, and they arranged for the family to take turns watching over the room.
Considering that the rear garden was too far from the Grand Madam’s quarters, Eleventh Lady arranged for the Third Branch to rest in a small courtyard beside the Dianchun Hall.
A family of eight, along with maids and matrons, made for rather cramped quarters.
Jiang Shi, who had been helping Eleventh Lady manage the household in recent weeks, saw Eleventh Lady’s energies devoted to the Grand Madam’s side, and took the daily household affairs upon herself. Seeing the situation, she proactively suggested to Eleventh Lady: “Why not let First Brother and Third Brother stay over in my courtyard? The first inner court there is sitting empty anyway.”
Eleventh Lady thought it over and agreed.
But Third Madam insisted on keeping Fang Shi nearby to attend her: “I’ve been feeling a little unwell myself these days.”
Third Master had been very quiet throughout — perhaps the sight of the Grand Madam, who was always so robust, suddenly so frail and pale, had shaken him. On hearing Third Madam’s words, he cast her an unexpectedly cold glance: “Not well again? Then go home. If you’re truly in a bad way, I’ll send you to your family to recover.”
In front of so many people, and with juniors present too, Third Madam could not hold her composure. Tears came streaming down her face, but she didn’t dare say a word.
Fang Shi quickly said: “Father, Mother truly has been unwell these days — I’ll attend to her here.”
The usually mild-tempered Third Master showed a firmness that surprised them all. He instructed his eldest son, Xu Siqin: “Go — have your uncle sent for, and ask him to take your mother home to recover.”
Both Xu Siqin and his wife, Xu Sijian, were dumbstruck.
Third Madam turned in tears and disappeared into the inner room, loudly calling for her maids to pack up. The maids didn’t dare actually pack anything and shuffled about dragging their feet; the two sons knelt and pleaded, and the matter was eventually let go.
But this was the Marquis Yongping’s household — nothing could be hidden from Eleventh Lady.
The news reached her ears before long.
Eleventh Lady couldn’t help but sigh.
She thought back to the first time she’d met Third Madam… such a quick-witted, clever woman — how had she managed to do something so inappropriate at a time like this? It was plain to see: temperament, too, is something that gets nurtured.
She made a quiet note to herself to be more watchful.