The Metropolitan Examination was generally held in the middle of the second lunar month; this year, as the Emperor’s health was not particularly robust, it was pushed back to the beginning of the third month. Changbai and Qi Heng set out in the middle of the second month. After he left, Wang Shi burned incense and prayed every single day — at home shrines and Taoist temples alike — filling the rooms with so much smoke that people outside nearly thought the Sheng household was on fire and almost sent someone to douse it. Every time Minglan went to pay her respects to Wang Shi, she came out with her eyes streaming red. Sheng Hong at first said a few words against “consulting the supernatural and unorthodox,” but according to reliable intelligence, he had himself secretly kowtowed to a deity or two as well.
This type of examination was a three-day ordeal — every sitting felt like a punishment, and even those who passed came out having shed a whole layer of skin. Qi Heng walked out of the examination hall and was carried back horizontally by the Qi ducal house servants; Changbai, the hardier of the two, walked on his own two feet to the waiting carriage and was met by Changwu — then serving as a trainer at the capital’s garrison — who took him home to rest. As a result, the good news arrived before the candidate himself: Changbai had placed fifth in the second rank of metropolitan examination graduates.
Wang Shi was overjoyed and immediately wanted to set off firecrackers and scatter coins and distribute rice — only to be stopped in haste by Sheng Hong. Qi Heng had not passed.
Qi’s father was still relatively composed. He knew that passing on the first sitting, as Changbai had done, was extraordinarily rare — most candidates needed a second attempt, and some sat the examination for a decade or more. The Princess of Pingning, however, had a face as black as the bottom of a cooking pot.
The Qi family had connections enough that even in failure they wanted to understand the full picture. The late Duke Qi sought out the chief examiner of this sitting, and that official — pulling at his beard — gave a fairly pointed remark: other examination candidates, in preparation for the Metropolitan Examination, had simplified everything and shut themselves in studying from the Autumn Examination onward. The Qi household, however, seemingly afraid Dengzhou wasn’t lively enough, had rushed back to the capital to celebrate the New Year, letting Qi Heng spend the intervening month or two attending banquets and parties, going about on horseback, seeing the sights and being thoroughly entertained — and then crammed in earnest only for the last half-month or so. How could he possibly pass?
The Princess of Pingning was filled with regret. Qi’s father slapped his knee with sudden realization: No wonder the Sheng household was so quiet and uneventful over the New Year — so that was the reason! He wished they had let the boy spend the New Year in Dengzhou, and found himself looking at Sheng Hong with new respect. A man who came up through the proper examination route is truly experienced in these matters.
A few days later, the Hanlin Academy held its own selection examination. Changbai was chosen as a probationary Hanlin compiler, to remain in the Academy and was assigned the rank of compiler. He would take up his post after the New Year. Arriving with this news was word that Changbai’s marriage was settled: the chosen bride was the second legitimate daughter of the head of the Hai family of Jiangning — a family of scholarly distinction, entirely refined and reputable, with father and brothers all serving at court.
Sheng Hong and Wang Shi’s reactions to these two pieces of news were like fire and ice.
“Changbai has done so well on the examinations — why not be assigned an outpost position as an official? Why go to sit quietly in that bleak Hanlin Academy!” Wang Shi wept and complained, even blaming Sheng Hong: “Didn’t the master say that the family elders would help Changbai call upon the right people and make the necessary connections? And all that effort produced only a low-ranking probationary compiler!”
“What a shallow view! What do you understand? The Hanlin Academy’s distinction is unparalleled — Changbai is still young, and if he were dispatched to a local post, it would actually lower him in the ranks!” Sheng Hong, having his carefully laid plans dismissed by Wang Shi in a single breath, was incensed.
Wang Shi didn’t see anything particularly distinguished about the Hanlin Academy — she only knew that its scholars lived frugally, plainly, and, frankly, poorly. But she also knew that Sheng Hong had more experience and discernment in these matters than she did, and said nothing further. Yet there was another matter that weighed on her more deeply.
“This I’ll set aside — we women don’t understand such things. But Changbai is my own flesh and blood — surely I should have a say in the matter of choosing his wife. Yet the master arranged everything without so much as a word to me, went ahead and sent Elder Geng to negotiate the match, and I — his own mother — only learned whose daughter the girl was at this late hour! Where does the master place me?!” Wang Shi felt ever more aggrieved and burst into tears.
Sheng Hong sat beside the kang table and picked up a pale green tea bowl with pink enamel paintings, drank a sip, and said coolly: “Don’t think I don’t know — you had your eye on your elder sister’s daughter. If I hadn’t moved first, I imagine you’d have arranged for the niece to come stay with us this very month.”
Wang Shi’s intentions were laid bare in an instant. She immediately slapped the handkerchief down on the kang, both eyes flashing: “What is wrong with Yun’er? She’s knowledgeable and proper, beautiful within and without, and she and Changbai are cousins — they know each other through and through. I think it’s a perfect match!”
“Exactly! They know each other through and through!” Sheng Hong brought his teacup down hard on the kang table: “Say nothing else of it — Brother-in-law Kang has such an excellent family background and yet his position is lower than mine even now. He spent the mourning period for his father actually taking concubines during the prescribed abstinence — the Censorate impeached him for taking a concubine during official mourning, and he was stripped of his post and has been idle at home ever since. Rather than spending that time working out how to reconnect and secure a new appointment, he spends his days composing poetry with a set of idle hangers-on and commenting on court affairs! Do you really want in-laws like that?”
Wang Shi was stung with mortification, and shot back: “Even if the master finds the Kang family too reduced now, you had no reason to choose the Hai family. Their family rules explicitly forbid taking concubines before a man reaches forty without a male heir — to marry into their household would be the finest thing for their daughters. But then, how could we possibly ask for one of their daughters? I’ve heard that after the Hai family’s eldest daughter married, she continually defied her mother-in-law and would not permit her husband to take concubines. With the Hai family’s prominent standing — if such a living Bodhisattva is brought into the house, what am I supposed to do as a mother-in-law?”
Sheng Hong snapped: “Nonsense! If that weren’t the case, how would our family be able to ally with the Hai family in the first place? As long as you don’t go out of your way to put girls in Changbai’s room without reason, and simply conduct yourself properly as a mother-in-law, there’s no problem!”
Husband and wife had a great quarrel and parted in mutual displeasure.
Wang Shi was most unwilling to accept this and went straight to weep before Grandmother Sheng, asking her to decide in her favor.
Grandmother Sheng reclined against the soft divan, eyes half-closed. She listened to Wang Shi’s tearful account to its end, gently patted her back, and sighed: “The master does not speak without reason. What is the Kang family’s situation now? Though the Kang family and ours are kin by marriage, it still cannot take precedence over Changbai’s prospects — caution is warranted.”
Wang Shi knew that Grandmother Sheng, for all her appearance of detachment from worldly matters, was sharp and clear about everything. Since her head was throbbing from crying, she simply laid it all out plainly: “…My brother-in-law has also proved disappointing. The number of concubine-born sons and daughters at my sister’s side has now grown to over a dozen — all sorts of women giving birth here and there, filling the house to bursting. Every one of them requires my sister’s attention: the sons need betrothal gifts for marriage, the daughters need dowries. And my brother-in-law only knows how to hold an official title without generating any income — my sister’s dowry has been poured in without knowing how much has already gone. And if my sister ever refuses, the clan’s uncles and elders who do nothing but eat and never contribute will accuse her of being unvirtuous. By now I fear the Kang household is already just an empty shell. The one saving grace is that my sister’s son is reasonably capable — he was assigned to the Ministry of Rites a few years ago. As his younger maternal aunt, I’m obliged to lend some assistance. And besides, the Kang family’s standing isn’t beneath ours.”
Grandmother Sheng looked at the smoke from a gold floral-patterned incense burner on the table curling and drifting in all directions, and gave a quiet sigh: “You mean well — but if I speak plainly: a sister may be close, but she’s not as close as your own son. Ahhh — I too have been a mother-in-law. I understand a mother’s heart — it’s nothing but fear that the Hai family’s power is too great, and the daughter-in-law may be impossible to keep in line. Am I right?”
Grandmother Sheng’s clear, piercing gaze swept toward her. Wang Shi’s heart quailed. In truth, her feelings toward her elder sister were not particularly deep — in their girlhood days there had been quarrels and falling-outs between them. But later, as the Sheng and Kang households gradually shifted in fortune, the tables had turned; her sister had taken to writing letters lamenting her troubles, and had been sounding out the possibility of a marriage alliance for several years now, always with such flattery and praise that Wang Shi found it very gratifying.
Grandmother Sheng looked at Wang Shi’s unsettled expression and gently patted her shoulder: “When I was young, there were relatives from the Xu family who came to propose a match for the master with other girls — but I turned them all away. Your Wang family had no prior dealings with ours, yet I still sought you out as the daughter-in-law. In the early days, when the master’s career was going smoothly, your father-in-law’s assistance was considerable — and you have born sons, raised daughters, and managed the household. I will say this honestly today: I have never once regretted that I arranged for you to come as his wife. A mother’s heart is the same everywhere — which matters more: Changbai’s future prospects, or your own peace of mind?”
Wang Shi was flushed through with those words. Thinking back on herself as a daughter-in-law, she had not been entirely dutiful, and felt ashamed, quietly dabbing the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief.
Grandmother Sheng continued: “You needn’t worry. Nanny Kong has spoken with me before about the second young miss of the Hai family’s character and virtue — all very fine. You and she will certainly be able to manage a harmonious relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. As for that young miss of the Kang family — she is your own niece. Would you really be able to set yourself up as the stern mother-in-law and discipline her firmly? When the time comes and Changbai has made his mark, titles and honors will certainly follow — wouldn’t that be all the better?”
Wang Shi was moved by the reasoning, and thought it over carefully — it made sense. She remembered Sheng Hong’s blunt and simple-minded way of communicating, and said with a sense of grievance: “It’s not that I’m an unreasonable person — if the master had spoken to me this way himself, how would I have come before Grandmother to make a scene?… But what is to be done about Yun’er? She’s already seventeen, and with her father holding no official position right now and the family’s standing uncertain, I’m afraid the girl’s prospects may be affected.”
Grandmother Sheng smiled with gentle warmth and took Wang Shi’s hand: “What do you think of Changwu from our family branch?”
Wang Shi blinked in surprise: “Grandmother means…?”
Grandmother Sheng said, calmly and evenly: “Though the Kang family is a great family in name, the only one currently serving in official capacity is your nephew. As for household wealth — your elder sister at the Sheng Wei household understands this better than I do. But the Sheng Wei household has only two brothers between them — when the time comes for Changwu to establish his own household, even if the family divides, he’ll have more than enough. As for what kind of person Changwu is, you who are his uncle’s wife know him best. All these years he’s lived a solitary life in the capital — honest, upright, and ambitious, not a trace of any dissolute habit. And speaking of which, it would be a good union between relatives.”
Wang Shi hesitated: “But… after all, they are from a merchant background…”
Grandmother Sheng saw Wang Shi’s expression and the corner of her mouth curved slightly — she had words she wanted to say, held them back, and said directly: “Changwu has already been recommended for a posting as the commander of the Zhongwei Guard. He’ll be taking up his official post very soon. He has both official status and upright character, and his family assets are substantial. If it weren’t for his unfortunate luck in matters of marriage, such that no suitable match had come along, my old sister-in-law would never have had to ask me for help. If you truly feel it isn’t suitable, forget it — I’ll ask someone to look into other possibilities for a girl elsewhere.”
Wang Shi startled at that: “Grandmother, please don’t be hasty — I’ll write to my sister this very day. This is truly a fine match, and I’m sure my sister will see the good in it.” With that she hurried to take her leave.
Grandmother Sheng watched Wang Shi’s bustling, swift departing figure and gave a long, unhurried sigh. Then she heard the curtain stir behind her. Without turning her head, she said: “Little creature — you’ve heard quite enough. Come out.”
Minglan came padding out of the inner room, rubbing her eyes, her small face flushed and adorable from sleep, still bearing the faint impression of a pillow on her cheek. She was wearing only a pink jacket embroidered with intertwining jade magnolia blossoms in twisted silk, and came bouncing in on quick feet to throw herself into the old woman’s arms. She snuggled and burrowed against the kang like a little round squirrel working her way into position. Grandmother Sheng hurriedly stretched out her arms to catch the little granddaughter and settle her, then put on a stern face: “I told you to go take your afternoon nap — and here you were, clinging to me and refusing to leave. Got woken up, did you?”
Minglan threw her arms around her grandmother’s neck in a soft, sweet voice: “Grandmother — I’m getting a new sister-in-law?”
“What are you playing dumb for? You heard every word, didn’t you?” The old woman gave Minglan’s back a firm pat.
Minglan’s eyes twinkled with mischief: “Grandmother, actually — it was you who found the Hai family young miss yourself, wasn’t it?”
Grandmother Sheng gave Minglan a sideways look, then let her gaze sweep across the doors and windows. Cuixi beside her caught the signal immediately and turned to make a quiet circuit of inspection. When she had done so, Grandmother Sheng stroked Minglan’s hair and said: “Your Grandmother also gets into other people’s business, it seems. Finding a daughter-in-law is the mother’s business, and yet here she has to trouble your grandmother — but then, Changbai is after all our household’s eldest legitimate grandson, and cannot be handled lightly.”
Minglan looked up with her most luminously innocent smile: “Father and Mother are so perfectly suited — a harmonious union of qin and se — and so mutually respectful. They must be thoroughly satisfied with Grandmother’s matchmaking abilities.”
Grandmother Sheng steeled herself to deliver a reprimand and couldn’t stop herself from laughing first. She gave the granddaughter a couple of light pinches, shook her head, and said: “Your elder brother is in a far better position now than your father was at the same age — he has a father who’s just been promoted to the fifth rank, a brother-in-law from the Zhongqin Marquis household, and a respected maternal family. Even the scholarly Hai family cannot afford to look down on him.”
In truth, at the beginning the Hai family had not looked favorably on Changbai, feeling the Sheng family background was somewhat thin. But Grandmother Sheng had been quite confident. All those years ago, the Wang family had also wavered over Sheng Hong’s match — until Grandmother Sheng brought Sheng Hong in person for a visit, and the Wang patriarch took one look at the graceful, refined, and elegant young Sheng Hong and agreed on the spot — as the saying goes, a mother-in-law who sees her future son-in-law only grows fonder with every look.
Grandmother Sheng had considerable experience in these maneuvers. This time she again arranged for Elder-in-law Geng’s wife to bring Changbai along for the call. The Hai family took one look at Changbai — upright bearing, magnanimous air, and tall, straight figure — and was already half-agreed in their hearts. Whether the Hai family’s second young miss had stolen a peek from behind the curtain was unknown, but if she had, she had probably been quite taken with him as well.
Of course none of this was known to Minglan. Grandmother Sheng continued: “That Hai family’s second young miss was mentioned to me by Nanny Kong several years ago — character, appearance, speech, and conduct, all very respectable. The only difficulty is that the Hai family’s men are all sworn off taking concubines, and so they have raised their daughters to likewise not tolerate concubines. This has made Hai family women difficult to marry out. But your elder brother isn’t concerned about that. All these years he has had only one secondary chamber-maid — what was her name again…?”
“Yanghao,” Minglan supplied.
Grandmother Sheng gave a quiet, faint smile: “That one is manageable enough. Those other outlandish names your elder brother came up with — it’s a wonder he could bring himself to say them to a decent girl — pig and wolf and chicken and mouse and all the rest… That Yanghao is only of middling looks, and she’s an honest sort. When the time comes, whether she stays or is sent away can be arranged without difficulty.”
Listening to Grandmother Sheng decide a girl’s entire life in such offhand, casual tones, Minglan’s eyes gradually dimmed. Girls like Yanghao, who had been taken into the master’s service without any formal status — their futures were genuinely precarious. The best outcome for them was to be elevated to concubine status. After the first wife had born children, if the master’s affection still held, there might be another child. But if the marriage between master and mistress was harmonious, she would become a permanent fixture — growing old and slowly spending her youth. If the mistress couldn’t tolerate her presence, she would be sent away — either freed, or given in marriage to someone else.
But what kind of good marriage could she make? Nothing beyond the household’s own servants, some coarse men of the streets, woodcutters of the hills, and farmers of the fields. Any man with the means and standing to properly take a wife would not want a woman who had already been compromised.
And yet one couldn’t simply endure and concede on all sides either. Minglan knew of the tragedy of Grandmother Sheng’s earlier days — in large part, it had been the manipulations and machinations of Sheng the elder’s chamber-maids and concubines that caused it. Maids of this kind, raised within the household since childhood, knowing everyone above and below, with a deep and long-standing bond with the male master — they were often firmly entrenched before the new wife arrived, and sometimes even laid traps and placed obstacles in the new mistress’s path.
Minglan asked herself honestly: when that day came — could she deal with her rivals without hesitation?
Author’s Note:
In Dream of the Red Chamber, there are these lines: “The old master is quite lustful too — any woman with a passable face in the household he doesn’t let pass…” “A perfectly fine body not taken care of, going off to collect one little wife after another…” “Unable to get Yuanyang, he purchased a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl named Yan Hong…”
In ancient times, as a bondservant with a household contract, a maidservant had no recourse if the male master wished to bring her to his bed. I often think about this: a man as old as Jia She — what would these girls’ later lives look like?
…
On a related note, the deeply unfortunate marriage fate of Elder Brother Changwu. In ancient times, with poor communication and no way to do background checks on a person, blind marriages were very difficult to avoid. Betrothals in ancient times were often arranged by working outward circle by circle from one’s own immediate relatives and acquaintances — specifically to ensure one knew the other party well and to minimize the risk of getting a daughter paired with a bad husband, or bringing in a fierce wife.
But relatives and acquaintances didn’t always happen to have children of the right age to betroth, and so one would need to expand one’s social network to find suitable prospects.
The Sheng Wei household had few connections of its own in the capital, and without wishing to take a match rashly, they could only rely on others to make inquiries everywhere.
Much of the blame for the decline of Xue Baochai’s household in Dream of the Red Chamber rests with her mother, Xue Yima. She failed to fulfill a widowed mother’s duties: she didn’t keep her son properly in hand — and that one failure aside — she didn’t take up management of the family business, either (a matriarch in her capacity as a manager would not have been particularly criticized for this; but Baochai as an unmarried young woman could not have stepped too far forward). More critically, she also failed to secure a good daughter-in-law, someone who could revitalize the family — and the arrival of Xia Jingui only made things worse for the Xue household.
All of this was the result of Xue Yima’s passive acceptance of whatever came along. The Xue household was nothing like the Jia household, with its vast and tangled population making reform nearly impossible — if Xue Yima had been even somewhat more resilient and capable, the Xue family could at least have preserved some assets for the daughter. As it stands, the fall was utter and complete. When one thinks of it, Xue Yima was after all a daughter of the Jinling Wang family — how did she come to be so utterly without capability?
And so, a good daughter-in-law matters greatly.