Xu Sijin was afraid these men would kick up enough of a fuss to ruin his posting to Guizhou altogether. “Wang Sheng is right about this. At a time like this, not making any move is better than making one.” He scratched the back of his head. “The real headache right now is Father… yesterday he gave me a thorough dressing-down for two full hours. I was standing so long my legs went completely stiff — they’re still trembling now.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Wang Sheng’s family was also related to the imperial family by marriage — though his ancestors were the brothers of the founding empress, the Wang Empress. The hereditary title of Regional Military Commissioner was still passed down, but the family’s fortunes had long since dwindled, and they had suffered no small amount of condescension from the powerful. He asked Xu Sijin with genuine concern: “Are you going to the Military Commission, or to a garrison post?”

“Most likely a garrison post.” Xu Sijin said with a touch of resignation. “Father says I need to temper my disposition.”

“No matter!” Wang Sheng reassured him. “You go first. Meanwhile, have your mother cry to your father a few times, and your father will certainly soften his heart. A year at the shortest, two at the most, and you’ll be back in the capital. When that time comes, the Western Camp at West Mountain, the Imperial Guard — won’t they all be yours to choose?”

Xu Sijin put on a look of uncertainty: “Let us hope it goes as you say, Elder Brother Wang.”

“Going to Guizhou may not necessarily be a bad thing!” said Xie Yan, who had been silent until now. “I’ve heard that even a small circuit magistrate at the lower levels can take in three or four thousand taels a year. In my view, rather than thinking about how to come back, you’d be better off trying to find yourself a real post — chances are it would yield more than staying in Yanjing.”

Though they held the ranks of Regional Military Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner, it was rank without real authority. Living on salary alone was not enough for a single meal at the Chunxi Tower.

Wang Sheng’s eyes lit up: “Brother Xie has a point.” Then he turned to Xu Sijin: “I think Xie’s suggestion is a good one. At your standing…” His voice trailed off, and he quickly caught himself. “It’s mainly that you’re still young… at your age, even if you went to the Western Camp at West Mountain or the Imperial Guard, you could only start as a standard-bearer. But going out to the regions is different. However you look at it, you’re coming from the capital — we won’t go near the Military Commission, so as not to create headaches for Gong Dongning, but surely they can give you a proper appointment as a full or deputy Chiliarch? Anything less would really be too much to explain.” He smiled and patted Xie Yan on the shoulder. “Brother Xie — who would have thought, you’ve quite the head for strategy.”

Xie Yan said modestly: “Elder Brother Wang praises me too highly — I was only putting forward a last-resort suggestion, offering Jin Ge’er some rough ideas.”

“I think this idea has merit!” Wang Sheng pondered. “I know a registry clerk in the Bureau of Military Selections. We can invite him out for a meal, slip him some silver, and have him find a way to arrange an appointment certificate for you as a Chiliarch. It doesn’t matter whose face he looks at — I don’t believe Gong Dongning would go out of his way to contest the Bureau of Military Selections over something like this.”

The Bureau of Military Selections was responsible for the selection, appointment, promotion, transfer, and award of military officers. A registry clerk was merely an official handling specific administrative tasks — if Xu Sijin wanted to arrange a position as a full or deputy Chiliarch, he would need at minimum a Vice Minister, not a clerk. From the way Wang Sheng spoke, it was clear he was thinking of handling this privately, using silver to buy the appointment. But that sort of thing could not be done openly. Gong Dongning was a senior general from the western campaigns, a man of long experience and a notoriously explosive temper — if by any chance he refused to play along and made a scene… The thought flashed past, and Xu Sijin’s heart stirred. “Gong Dongning once followed Father on the western campaign — Father must know him quite well. Jin Ge’er, now that you’re going to Guizhou, Father must have given you some idea of what to expect? How does this Gong Dongning stand with your family?”

As his words fell, everyone’s eyes turned to Xu Sijin.

Xu Sijin gave an inward nod of approval.

This Xie Yan — he looked all smiles and joking on the surface, without a serious bone in his body, yet when it came to considering a matter he could cut straight to the heart of it.

Though Father had not said anything to him outright, after returning home he had sent a letter to Gong Dongning, and had also asked him whether he had the confidence to pass the trials — which clearly meant Father had some hold over Gong Dongning.

The Emperor’s words from within the inner study had already made their way out. Some said the reason the Emperor had not wanted him to go to Guangdong was that he did not want him serving under Xu Li, Father’s old subordinate, and if that was the case, it was better not to make the connection to Gong Dongning too obvious.

With this in mind, Xu Sijin gave a light shake of his head: “Father has been busy with one thing or another since coming back, and hasn’t said anything to me yet. I don’t know what Gong Dongning’s relationship is with our family.”

Then it was all the more impossible to go through the registry clerk’s back channel…

“Hearing that Jin Ge’er was going to Guizhou, I had someone look into Gong Dongning’s character.” Xie Yan spoke with measured care. “He is a man of extremely hot temper — he once struck a general serving under him to death in a moment of anger, which is precisely why he has been stuck in Guizhou for over ten years without a transfer. But if you are one of his own people, he is fiercely protective and cannot bear to hear a single word against you… A man like that is best not provoked. I have also learned that the Minister of the Bureau of War, Minister Lu, was a classmate of Grand Secretary Dou — ” He looked meaningfully at Xu Sijin. “If Minister Lu cannot be reached, one could try approaching Grand Secretary Dou. When it comes to your future, I imagine your father would certainly step forward in person.”

Wang Sheng, listening, went slightly rigid, a cold gleam passing through his eyes for just a moment.

Xie Yan had not noticed. But the man beside him, Wei Xun, had caught it clearly, and his heart gave a sudden lurch.

“Father is still in the middle of his anger,” Xu Sijin said with an awkward laugh. “I’ll have to wait a few days for a chance to go before him and sound things out.”

“All right, enough of this — what is the point of talking about it now?” Wei Xun interrupted them with some impatience. “The way I see it, the most pressing matter is packing your luggage — first, bring plenty of silver drafts; second, bring several capable maids. Guizhou is full of savages — if you don’t bring enough capable maids, forget decent food, you’ll probably have trouble finding a properly sewn set of clothes.”

“It can’t be as extreme as you make it sound,” said Xie Yan. “I’ve read the local gazetteer — though it’s largely inhabited by tribal peoples, they have gold mines there, and since it borders Sichuan, it produces medicinal herbs as well…”

“That’s right, that’s right!” Wei Xun cut in excitedly, turning to Wang Sheng: “What if we pooled together and went into business with Jin Ge’er? Those travelling merchants have to pay tribute to every garrison along the way — which one of them isn’t pocketing a handsome sum?” He scooted closer to Wang Sheng and sat beside him. “What do you think of my idea?”

“That’s the way!” Wang Sheng’s face flushed with excitement as he turned to Xu Sijin. “Jin Ge’er, I say you should stay a good few years in Guizhou. If you find a gold mine, you’ll be rich.”

“Finding a gold mine is not very realistic,” Xie Yan said with a laugh. “Even if we did find one, there is still Gong Dongning to contend with — he has operated in Guizhou for decades, and his people are everywhere, top to bottom. Trying to go around him would be rather difficult.”

Wei Xun could have kicked Xie Yan.

He had said it to draw Wang Sheng’s attention away, and then Xie Yan went and stepped right back into it.

“If we can’t do the gold mine, surely we can do the medicinal herb trade?” Wei Xun shot Xie Yan a pointed look. “I refuse to believe that Gong Dongning has everything sewn up so tight he won’t share a single bite.”

Xie Yan still seemed about to say something, but Xu Sijin had already sighed: “What use is any of this talk right now — the urgent thing is to find a proper official post. Otherwise, even if there’s a mountain of gold and silver sitting in front of me, it wouldn’t be any of my business.”

“What kind of post are you looking to get?” came a mild voice tinged with warmth, and Xu Sizhun walked in.

“The Young Master!” “Fourth Brother!” Everyone quickly rose to greet him.

“You are all Sixth Brother’s good friends — no need for so much formality. Call me Fourth Brother, just as Sixth Brother does.” Xu Sizhun smiled and returned the greeting. They ushered him to the seat of honor, and he smiled as he said, “I just stepped up to the door a moment ago and heard Sixth Brother say he wanted to find a post. What exactly is the matter?”

Both Xie Yan and Wei Xun looked at Xu Sijin, waiting for him to speak. But Wang Sheng stepped in before Xu Sijin could and recounted the whole affair from start to finish: “…The people in the Bureau of Military Selections all have their eyes on the top of their heads. Unfortunately, we’re still young — if we need anything from them, they just wave us off and tell us to have the elders come forward.”  He exhaled a long sigh, his eyes from the corner stealing a glance toward Xu Sizhun.

“I see.” Xu Sizhun put on a thoughtful look. After a moment, he smiled and said, “The people in the Bureau of Military Selections are indeed not easy to deal with.” He then asked, “The weather is fine today — what do you say we have the midday meal set out at Liufang Bower? The silver-edged willows and the flowering quinces are just coming into bloom — what do you all think?”

The Liufang Bower had silver-edged willow trees planted on both sides, with several clumps of flowering quince growing amongst them.

“As Fourth Brother says!” Xie Yan and the others answered with cheerful smiles. Only Wang Sheng — a trace of disappointment crept into his eyes.

After the evening meal, the group at last dispersed.

Xu Sijin went to pay his respects to the Old Madam.

The courtyard was bright with lamplight. Xu Lingyi, Xu Lingkuan, Shi’yiniang, the Fifth Madam, the Second Madam, Xu Sizhun, and the younger generation — all of them were standing out in the courtyard. The inner room of the Old Madam’s chambers was dark — not a lamp lit inside.

Xu Sijin was startled: “What has happened?”

“Jin Ge’er, you’ve come at just the right time!” The Second Madam rallied at the sight of him. “Your grandmother heard you are going to Guizhou and blamed your father for not trying hard enough. No matter what any of us say, she refuses to see us — she keeps calling for us to bring Her Highness the Empress to come. And she says if we won’t go, she will go to Shuntian Prefecture first to report your father for being an unfilial son, and then she will go to the palace and submit a name plaque herself. Hurry and talk your grandmother around.”

Report Father for being unfilial?

Xu Sijin barely managed to suppress his laughter. His gaze, with a mind of its own, slid toward Xu Lingyi.

His father stood there as calm and composed as ever — yet at the very bottom of his eyes there was a trace of embarrassment.

Xu Sijin stepped forward and knocked on the door: “Grandmother, it is Jin Ge’er — open the door quickly. If you don’t open it, Father will go to the authorities and report me for being an unfilial son!”

Everyone except Xu Lingyi covered their mouths and lowered their heads. The Fifth Madam simply fled outright, and Shen Ge’er turned to give Xu Sijin a thumbs up.

A lamp was lit inside, and the door creaked open. Zhihong stepped out, visibly anxious: “The Old Madam says to let the Sixth Young Master in.”

Xu Sijin quickly stepped inside.

“I want to go too!” Shen Ge’er darted in after him.

“I want to go too!” Cheng Ge’er saw the others go and, after a quick calculation, ran in as well.

“Seventh Uncle and Eighth Uncle both went in,” Ting Ge’er said in a milky little voice. “I want to go too.”

Jiang Shi quickly scooped her son up. “The uncles have matters to attend to — you stay here to keep Grandfather and Grandmother company.”

Ting Ge’er reluctantly pulled his gaze back.

It was fortunate that it was spring — the courtyard was warm.

Shi’yiniang quietly instructed a young maid to bring embroidered stools for the two women who were with child — Xiang Shi and Ying Niang. The two of them demurred at length, but in the end it was Xu Lingyi who frowned at them, and only then did they sit.

Ying Ying and Ting Ge’er were, after all, very young, and after a while they began to fidget. Xu Sijie led them out to the edge of the courtyard, plucked bamboo leaves and blew tunes on them, and played with the two children.

After roughly the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, the Old Madam’s door finally opened again.

Zhihong curtsied to the assembled company: “The Old Madam asks everyone to come inside and sit.”