Treat them with dignity, and they shall be respectful.
Xu Sijie’s firstborn son was given the name “Zhuang.”
After Zhuang Ge’er’s third-day washing ceremony, Xu Sizhun sought out Xu Sijin privately: “Tomorrow morning, go to Prince Yong’s residence. Word from someone at the Ministry of Personnel is that Prince Yong intends to have you posted to Guizhou as the Right Deputy General of the Superintendent of Qinglang. Though the official documents have not yet been issued, now that we know, we ought to go to Prince Yong’s residence and express our gratitude.”
Under the Great Zhou’s official system, Guizhou had one Military Commissioner and one Deputy Military Commissioner, two Deputy Generals — one the Right Deputy General of the Superintendent of Qinglang, one the Left Deputy General of the Superintendent of Chuan-Gui Yi-Xi — seven Regional Commanders, and one Middle Army Officer of the Pacification Inspector… Deputy General was an extremely important position. And Xu Sijin was only thirteen years old this year…
He couldn’t help staring in astonishment.
Hadn’t Father said he was going to Pingyi Post under Pu’an Garrison? How had a Right Deputy General of the Superintendent of Qinglang suddenly appeared?
“How did Fourth Brother come to know of this?” Xu Sijin pondered. “Is the news reliable?”
“I had originally intended to work through the Ministry of War to keep you within the Regional Military Commission. But the Minister Lu at the Ministry of War gently told me that Prince Yong had already spoken to him and asked for you to be posted as Right Deputy General of the Superintendent of Qinglang in Guizhou. The current Right Deputy General was originally the Regional Commander of Pingyue and had been promoted to Right Deputy General less than three months ago. Prince Yong had specifically pointed to that very position, and Minister Lu was in the process of finding a way to move that Deputy General elsewhere. When I came saying I wanted to keep you in the Regional Military Commission, he asked whether we wanted the Regional Military Commission or the Military Commissioner’s headquarters.” He paused, a shadow of regret crossing his face. “Now that I think about it, what I said made no sense — with that Right Deputy General post being so difficult to secure, if Minister Lu had taken the opportunity to fob you off with a mere Administrative Officer or Registrar position in the Regional Military Commission, we’d have wasted all of Prince Yong’s goodwill entirely. And handed Minister Lu an easy way out at that. If Prince Yong found out, he’d likely blame me for meddling.” He fell silent a moment. “If it were merely being blamed for meddling, that would be one thing — but I fear it might implicate you and draw Prince Yong’s displeasure onto you as well. My thought is: while the official documents haven’t yet come through, use the occasion of going to thank Prince Yong to smooth things over — otherwise Minister Lu might really end up posting you to the Regional Military Commission.”
Xu Sijin had finally understood the full picture.
He hadn’t imagined that Prince Yong had quietly gone to lobby the Ministry of War on his behalf, nor that Xu Sizhun had also gone…
Xu Sijin threw a warm arm around Xu Sizhun’s shoulder and laughed: “Fourth Brother, so you were also pulling strings for me!”
“And I didn’t even manage it properly!” Xu Sizhun said with an embarrassed laugh. “I may even have made things worse!”
“It’s all right, it’s all right.” Between brothers, the thought is what counts. Xu Sijin reassured him: “I’ll go to Prince Yong’s residence first thing tomorrow morning and make sure this is handled cleanly.” In his heart, however, he was already thinking: once Fourth Brother was gone, he needed to go quickly and consult with Father — if he was truly made Right Deputy General, the Pingyi Post was out of the question!
Xu Sizhun then thought of another matter: “I heard you all talking earlier about finding gold mines and going into the medicinal herb trade. You’re a stranger in that land — why seek trouble by competing for profit with the local officers and soldiers? If you’re short of silver, just ask me for it. I can’t promise a great deal, but two or three thousand taels a year is manageable. Don’t go taking reckless risks for the sake of money and offend Gong — do you understand?”
He could hardly rely on others for the rest of his life.
Xu Sijin grumbled inwardly, but seeing his brother’s face full of sincerity, and thinking that the gold mine and herb trade were still nowhere in sight, he saw no point in dampening his brother’s goodwill just now. He nodded with a smile: “I understand, I understand. I’ll let you know if I’m short of silver.”
Xu Sizhun was satisfied, and asked about Xu Sijin’s packing, and whether there was anything in his quarters that needed to be seen to… They talked for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn before Xu Sizhun finally took his leave.
Xu Sijin hurried to find Xu Lingyi.
Xu Lingyi was clearly also surprised by Prince Yong’s activity at the Ministry of War, and by Xu Sizhun’s visit there. He pondered for a moment, then smiled: “It seems Prince Yong has his own views on your being sent down to Guizhou. Though I don’t know why, as for Prince Yong’s residence — you’d best wait until the official documents come through before going.”
Xu Sijin was puzzled.
Xu Lingyi smiled: “My plan is to post you to Pingyi Garrison. If you go to thank Prince Yong now, and then when the documents come through you don’t receive the Right Deputy General position, won’t Prince Yong be furious and humiliated? And if that leads to a dispute at the Ministry of War, you might truly have no choice but to take up the Right Deputy General post. Better to act as though you know nothing, and once the official documents are formally issued, go to Prince Yong to bid him farewell.”
Xu Sijin nodded, waited two days, and once the Ministry of War’s documents were formally issued, went to Prince Yong’s residence to take his leave.
Prince Yong’s expression was most unhappy. He urged Xu Sijin repeatedly: “It’s nothing serious. Stay there a few months and I’ll find a way to bring you back. Think nothing of it.” He then gave two thousand taels of silver as a parting gift.
Xu Sijin knew that previously he had not been taken seriously — but if Prince Yong truly applied himself, it was possible he could be recalled before even reaching Guizhou. Thinking of how Prince Yong was always short of funds yet had given him two thousand taels, Xu Sijin considered for a moment and quietly mentioned the medicinal herb trade in Guizhou: “…Don’t be in a rush to bring me back — let me go and scout things out first. If it comes to nothing, you can always bring me back then.”
Prince Yong’s eyes lit up at once: “You’re serious? Then don’t come back too soon — first probe Gong Dongning’s position. A business this good — there’s no way Gong Dongning hasn’t gotten his hands in it. Once you’ve gone, we’ll plan things out properly together.”
The two of them deliberated at length, then parted in excellent spirits.
Xu Sijin did not arrive in Guizhou until the end of the sixth month. By the time Prince Yong received his letter, it was already mid-December. The marriage of the Grand Princess and Wang Xian had been settled, with the date set for the sixth day of the third month of the coming year. Wang Xian was from Pengcheng, and the Empress did not wish to see the Princess married off to Pengcheng, so the Emperor had appointed Wang Xian’s father as the Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, in charge of ritual ceremonies. The Wang family was urgently searching for a house in Yanjing, and Prince Yong could not avoid lending a hand. When Prince Yong received Xu Sijin’s letter saying that Gong Dongning was the largest medicinal herb merchant in Guizhou, he felt somewhat deflated and set his attention first on the matter of finding a house for the Grand Princess.
The Xu household had all received letters from Xu Sijin as well. Learning that he had settled in and that both he and Chang’an had quickly adapted to life at Pingyi, Xu Lingyi wrote back instructing him to spend his time outside of training studying the records of the past several years’ campaigns against the tribal peoples from the various garrison posts, and to analyze the reasons for the victories and defeats.
Since the New Year was approaching, Eleventh personally took Nanny Song along to tidy up Xu Sijin’s room. Seeing A’jin sewing a New Year outfit for Suifeng, and thinking that the only two of his people left to keep watch over his quarters were A’jin and Suifeng, her heart stirred and she had Nanny Song go and quietly sound out their feelings. A’jin blushed and kept her head down without a word. Suifeng’s father and mother soon came to call on Eleventh, asking her to show them the kindness of betrothing A’jin to Suifeng. Eleventh approved the match, wrote to inform Xu Sijin, and prepared a few things for them.
The Grand Matriarch wrote to ask if he was short of silver. Second Madam, after the Grand Matriarch’s letter, added a line of her own advice, urging him to spend more time with Gong Dongning and find an opportunity to transfer to the Military Commissioner’s headquarters in Tongren Prefecture. Ying Niang wrote on behalf of herself and Xu Sijie, and the letter was entirely devoted to how adorable Zhuang Ge’er was. Then there was Shen Ge’er, who wanted to go to Guizhou in the spring to visit Xu Sijin, but was scolded by Fifth Madam — who was already in a poor mood over Cheng Ge’er’s impending move to the outer courtyard — and in a fit of anger went off to lodge with the Grand Matriarch and refused to go home. Jiang Shi and the others went to coax him back, and meanwhile Fang Shi of Three-Well Lane gave birth to a second son — no sooner had the third-day washing ceremony been done than the full-month celebration had to be prepared as well — and on top of all that, Madam Xiang’s firstborn son Qing Ge’er was reaching his hundredth day, all while everyone was busy preparing for the New Year. Between celebrating here and drinking at banquets there, amid laughter and lively chatter, the Lantern Festival arrived in the blink of an eye.
Xu Lingyi and Eleventh were invited into the palace to view the lanterns.
They were all familiar faces, gathered around the Empress in the Wanchun Pavilion in the Imperial Garden to watch the fireworks.
Madam Zhou whispered to Eleventh beside her: “I hear Elder Statesman Liang is about to retire?”
Eleventh nodded: “Lantian says Elder Statesman Liang has grown old — his hands tremble so badly he can no longer write steadily. He submitted a request to the Emperor to retire, and the Emperor quickly approved it.”
“In that case, won’t they be returning to their hometown of Fengshui?” Madam Zhou said with some wistfulness. “What a pity — not one of Elder Statesman Liang’s three sons passed the imperial examinations.”
Eleventh had nothing to say to that.
For families like theirs — families of scholars and officials — if the next generation produced no successful examination graduates, it meant the family’s fortunes were on the wane.
Madam Zhou also felt it was unseemly to speak of such things during the New Year, and quickly smiled and asked: “I heard from my husband that your mother’s brother is to be promoted to Prefect of Hanyang after the New Year?”
The news travels so quickly.
“The official document from the Ministry of Personnel has yet to come through!” Eleventh answered diplomatically, when someone came rushing to their side.
Both fell silent and looked toward the newcomer.
Wearing her hair in twin coiled loops, dressed in a crimson robe with golden embroidery of colorful cloud-and-dragon patterns — who else but the Grand Princess would dare to dress so?
Both smiled and curtseyed to the Grand Princess.
But the Grand Princess took Eleventh’s hand: “Marchioness Yongping, I — I will definitely bring Jin Ge’er home soon!”
In the brilliant burst of multicolored fireworks, her eyes shimmered with a glint of tears.
She must have thought that Jin Ge’er had been punished on her account.
Eleventh smiled gently and patted the Grand Princess’s hand: “It’s nothing — it was his father who felt his temperament was too impetuous and wanted to send him to Guizhou to be tempered. Besides, he is doing very well in Guizhou now. Your Highness need not worry.”
The Grand Princess pressed her lips together, and just as suddenly as she had come, she turned and left.
Eleventh had meant to call after her, but the Empress had already turned to address the gathered company: “I wonder where the fireworks tonight are from — they are truly magnificent!”
Everyone laughed and agreed.
Eleventh had no choice but to let the matter drop.
Princess Changning laughed heartily: “I think for the Grand Princess’s wedding, they ought to use this same supplier of fireworks!”
There were those eager to oblige who immediately called for palace maids to go and ask, and others who flattered: “…A dowry of thirty thousand acres of fields in Jingzhou — how vast that must be! You could gaze as far as the eye can see and still not find the end!”
“And what of that?” someone else laughed. “Have you not seen the jewelry the Empress has prepared for the Grand Princess? All solid gold — looking at it had my eyes dazzled; even now I’m still seeing golden stars!”
Everyone burst into laughter, praising the Wang family’s good fortune. The Grand Princess, face flushed, ran off.
A stream of palace maids and matrons went hurrying after her.
The Empress watched her daughter’s retreating figure with a composed smile, though the depths of her eyes betrayed a tenderness touched with reluctance to let go.
—