When Laifu, the steward, went to wait outside the Censorate for Sheng Hong, Sheng Hong had just been about to take the newly assigned young recruits out for a few drinks — both to socialize and to cultivate personal loyalties. But Laifu came rushing over with urgent news, and Sheng Hong had no choice but to hurry home.
Molan had been confined, leaving Lin Yiniang with no way to align their stories or make any arrangements. She planned to wait at the mansion’s front gate to get ahead of Sheng Hong and pour out her grievances first. But Hai Shi had anticipated this — she sent Laifu, the steward, to intercept Sheng Hong on the pretext of a shortcut, leading him in through the side gate and first taking him to Mu Cang Study to see Minglan.
Sheng Hong saw Minglan leaning against a padded couch, a vivid palm print stark against her jade-white little face. The child seemed frightened into a stupor, gripping his sleeve and trembling, tears dripping steadily down her cheeks. He listened as a sharp-tongued maidservant beside him wept through the full account of events, then surveyed the room — a scene of wreckage, smashed cups and broken bowls strewn across the floor. His expression darkened at once.
“Where are they?” Sheng Hong said in a low, grave voice.
Hai Shi curtsied respectfully and said softly, “Lin Yiniang, anxious and distressed, refused to let Fourth Young Miss be taken away, dead set against it. So your daughter-in-law took the liberty of bringing Fourth Young Miss to her own room, to await Father’s return and his decision.”
Sheng Hong nodded in approval. Thinking of the years of enmity between Wang Shi and Lin Yiniang, he worried there might be some hidden scheme at play. His expression wavered uncertainly. Hai Shi caught his look from the corner of her eye and added gently, “Your daughter-in-law arrived after the fact — she doesn’t know the full details either. Father should ask Fourth Young Miss himself; we mustn’t wrongly accuse anyone.”
Sheng Hong agreed with this reasoning. He instructed a few small maidservants to attend carefully to Minglan, then swept out. Hai Shi quickly followed, and she also summoned Danju and Luzhi. The whole party made their way to the main room, which Hai Shi had already arranged in advance.
Inside the main room, Wang Shi sat above, pressing a hand to her chest and wheezing steadily. Beside her stood Liu Kun’s wife; below stood Lin Yiniang with her child, and Xiang Yiniang with hers. All the other maidservants and matrons had been cleared out; only a few trusted serving women stood at the door. Sheng Hong knew that family scandals should not be aired publicly, and inwardly praised his daughter-in-law for her discretion.
Sheng Hong walked in without a word. Lin Yiniang, who had been wiping her eyes all along, saw him and immediately reached out to pull at him, crying, “Master —” Before she could say more, Hai Shi stepped forward, moved in front of Lin Yiniang, drew her back, and said with a smile, “Father had to set aside important official business to rush home. Surely we should at least let Father speak first.”
Lin Yiniang’s eyes brimmed with tears. She said in a trembling voice, “First Young Madam, does this mean this concubine isn’t even allowed to speak? Surely someone should stand up for Fourth Young Miss when she’s been wronged.”
Hai Shi’s brows and eyes were gentle and kind. “Today everyone has been gathered so that each person can speak clearly before Father. We are all family, flesh and blood — surely there is nothing that cannot be made clear. If there has been a fault, Father will deal with it accordingly. If there has been a misunderstanding, once we have spoken plainly, we can still return to harmony, can we not? However, Lin Yiniang, I understand you also arrived after the fact, so you likely did not see what happened between Fourth Young Miss and Sixth Young Miss. What is it that you… wish to say right now?”
Lin Yiniang was at once rendered speechless. Hai Shi hadn’t even said anything yet, and she had already lost any opportunity to cry injustice.
Sheng Hong walked forward and sat in the seat of honor. He first looked at Molan — her body appeared undamaged, not a mark on her, though her expression was somewhat flustered. He then looked at young Changdong beside her: the child’s left cheek had raised a few blisters, as if from a burn, and his right hand was wrapped in gauze, a look of pain on his face. Finally he looked at Changfeng — who stood hunched and shrinking into himself. Sheng Hong’s fury boiled up at once. He raised his hand, and a tea bowl flew past Changfeng’s feet and shattered. Changfeng stumbled back several paces in fright.
Sheng Hong raged: “Look at you — are you proud of yourself?! Instead of studying properly in the study, you waste your days playing with flowers and grass, and now you’ve gone and meddled in the affairs of the inner quarters’ women. Have you no sense of shame? Have you crammed every word of the sages’ teachings down a dog’s gullet?! What use are you! Get out — we’ll settle accounts with you later!”
Changfeng turned ashen with fright and stumbled out.
After venting his fury on his son, Sheng Hong turned his gaze to Molan and snapped, “Fourth girl, kneel.”
Molan dropped to her knees with a thud, tears in her eyes, and immediately began to defend herself: “Father, please see clearly. I merely had a few words of argument with Sixth Sister, and in the heat of anger I lost track of how hard I was striking — it was not intentional. Then someone wanted to apply family discipline, and Yiniang couldn’t bear it, which is how things escalated. I know I was wrong; I ask Father to punish me. But please do not blame my brother or Yiniang — they were only worried about me.” She wept with a gentle sobbing sound, a picture of pitiful helplessness.
Sheng Hong’s expression faltered slightly. Thinking that children fighting might indeed lose track of how hard they were striking, he frowned and said, “But that is not what others have said.”
Lin Yiniang pressed her sleeve to her face and quickly cried out, “The maidservants in Sixth Young Miss’s courtyard naturally take their own mistress’s side.”
Sheng Hong’s expression turned uncertain. Seeing this, Hai Shi suddenly gave a light smile, bowed respectfully toward Sheng Hong, and said, “Father, Fourth Young Brother was there at the time — why not ask him?” Sheng Hong was a cautious man by nature; since taking the post of Tongzhi, he rarely relied on a single account. He found his daughter-in-law’s suggestion sensible, and immediately turned to ask Changdong, “Tell me — what exactly happened?”
Lin Yiniang and Molan exchanged a glance, both of their faces falling.
Xiang Yiniang lowered her head and gave Changdong a subtle pinch on the arm from within her sleeve. Changdong understood, and stepped forward with bowed head. He lifted his face — no tears, but his voice carried the sound of crying — and clearly recounted the events from beginning to end: “…I was just about to head out, but I was afraid I’d forgotten something, so I went to ask Sixth Sister what else I ought to bring for the trip to Yuyang. Xiaotao had just brewed a bowl of hot tea when Fourth Sister arrived…”
Changdong was not particularly articulate, but his account was so thoroughly detailed — every small particular, every action laid out precisely, even down to the words “little wretch” and “little harlot” that Molan had hurled at Minglan — that such detail could not have been fabricated. His halting recitation, with all its stumbling and catching, only made it more credible. Several times Lin Yiniang tried to interrupt, but each time Hai Shi deflected her.
Sheng Hong’s expression grew darker and darker. When Changdong reached the point where Minglan had been about to leave and Molan had chased after her and slapped her, he could contain himself no longer. He slammed his palm on the table and raged, “You wretched creature!”
Molan trembled violently and could no longer form words. Seeing the situation turn desperate, Lin Yiniang immediately knelt down as well, and turned to Changdong through her tears: “Fourth Young Master, everyone in the mansion knows you have always been close to Sixth Young Miss. In the winter, her cotton shoes; in the summer, her handkerchiefs — Sixth Young Miss made them all for you. Your Fourth Sister has been remiss, not attending to you — but surely you need not do this… this… You are not trying to harm your Fourth Sister, are you?”
Even a child as simple as young Changdong could hear plainly that Lin Yiniang was accusing him of speaking falsely out of bias. His little face flushed a deep red at once. He dropped to his knees before Sheng Hong with a thud, craned his neck, and declared, “Every word I said is true! …If I have spoken one false word, let me — let me —” Changdong felt his conscience was completely clear. He called out in a ringing voice: “Let me fail the examinations for the rest of my life!”
“Don’t say such things!” Hai Shi hurried over and clapped a hand over Changdong’s mouth, scolding him lightly, “Is this any oath to make?”
Xiang Yiniang also wept and knelt, kowtowing again and again before Sheng Hong. “Master, who knows a child better than his father? You know Fourth Young Master better than anyone — he is an honest boy through and through, who can barely string words together on a regular day. How could he ever make something up?!”
For a man with ambitions in the official world, this oath was as devastating as wishing the annihilation of one’s entire family. Though Sheng Hong was inwardly vexed that his young son lacked composure, he was now fully persuaded. He softened his expression, offered a few words of comfort, and had people support Xiang Yiniang and her child out. As they passed through the doorway, young Changdong added in a choking voice: “…And after that, Fourth Sister picked up a shard of broken porcelain from the floor and was going to slash Sixth Sister’s face…”
The words faded away as they left. Yet in the room, every person’s face changed at once. Sisters fighting was, at worst, a matter of upbringing. But deliberately trying to ruin a sister’s appearance — that was a matter of character. Liu Kun’s wife was sharp-eyed and quick; she reached out, grabbed Molan’s right hand, and turned it swiftly over. In the lamplight, there on Molan’s thumb, index finger, and middle finger were faint shallow scratches. No need for a forensic expert to declare — anyone could see these were made by gripping a sharp fragment.
Sheng Hong’s gaze turned to ice. His voice shot toward Molan like a blade. He said quietly: “Fourth girl, I will ask you one final time as your father. What Changdong just said — do you admit to it or not?”
Molan’s face was frightfully pale; she swayed as if about to faint. She looked up at the father who had always doted on her, now glaring at her with a fierce and unfamiliar fury. Her lips trembled. She said in a low voice: “Yes.” Then her body tilted and she slumped to one side. Lin Yiniang wailed to heaven and flung herself forward, wrapping her arms around her daughter’s body.
Sheng Hong’s face was dark as iron. Without sparing them so much as a glance, he was about to call for the family discipline to be administered. Lin Yiniang wept and flailed, batting away the serving women on either side, and cried out shrilly: “Even if Fourth Young Miss struck first, Master should at least ask why! Ask how partial and unfair things have been, and what injustices have been done!”
“Rubbish!” Wang Shi, who had held herself in check for so long, finally burst out, “Your own daughter is worthless, and yet you want to heap the blame on others. A base woman begets a base child — Fourth girl is cut from the same cloth as you!”
With victory almost in sight, Wang Shi had once again been unable to resist the provocation. Hai Shi nearly wanted to sigh. She suddenly recalled a quip Minglan had made once in jest: “I’m not afraid of opponents like wolves — I’m afraid of allies like pigs.” She found herself wholeheartedly agreeing with that statement now, but then felt it disrespectful to her mother-in-law, and firmly suppressed the thought.
As expected, the moment Sheng Hong heard Wang Shi’s outburst, his brow creased. In that instant, Lin Yiniang had already crawled on her knees to his side, clutching the hem of his robe, and was sobbing piteously: “Master, I know you have never looked kindly upon me. But these twenty years — I have bowed my head to pour your tea, knelt to serve your water, waited upon you faithfully without daring to be the least bit careless. Even if I have committed ten thousand wrongs, surely you cannot take out your grievances on Fourth Young Miss for my sake. She is still your flesh and blood. Even if she cannot compare to Fifth Young Miss, she is just as much your daughter as Sixth Young Miss! Fourth Young Miss has already come of age. When a distinguished guest came today, why was Fourth Young Miss not invited to meet them? My poor Fourth Young Miss — both her sisters above and below her have secured their futures, yet she alone is left in the dust, simply because she was born of my worthless womb and has drawn your dislike. She has been kept waiting all this time. It was nothing but pent-up resentment that led her to pick fault with Sixth Young Miss. Even if the act was improper, surely the circumstances make it understandable! Master, the entire household is pressing down on us — you must stand up for us!”
As she spoke, tears fell in pearls down her lovely face. Lin Yiniang wept with blossoms trembling in the rain, and Sheng Hong could not help but waver. Wang Shi was shaking with fury, pointing a trembling finger: “You — you — how can you be so utterly shameless? The wife of the Marquis of Yongchang came to see Minglan of her own accord. What does that have to do with me? She took no interest in Fourth girl — surely that isn’t my fault too?!”
With victory seemingly so close, Wang Shi had succumbed to the provocation yet again. Hai Shi was almost moved to sigh. She thought again of the quip Minglan had shared with her in jest — “I’m not afraid of opponents like wolves; what I fear is allies like pigs” — and felt it rang truer by the moment, though she then felt it was disrespectful of her to think such a thing of her mother-in-law, and quickly suppressed the feeling.
Lin Yiniang pressed her face into an expression of aggrieved sorrow and said in a choked voice, “I cannot go out and move among the ladies, but even I know that when people are choosing a daughter-in-law, seven parts is done by word and three parts by appearance. If you had put in a few more kind words for Fourth Young Miss, things would not have come to this. Please, show some mercy — for the Master’s sake, help Fourth Young Miss. This is the matter of her entire life! Whether you punish me or beat me, I will accept it — I am kowtowing to you right now!”
With that, she knocked her forehead against the floor with a hollow thud, again and again, until her brow was red. Sheng Hong’s resolve visibly softened. Molan slowly stirred back to consciousness, clutching at Lin Yiniang and weeping gently — a scene of genuine, heartbreaking pathos.
From the moment she had entered, this was the first time Hai Shi had witnessed the full extent of Lin Yiniang’s talents. She could not help but feel a grudging inner admiration. No wonder her mother-in-law had been held off for twenty years — this woman truly had both ability and cunning. What was plainly a clear-cut matter, she had managed to twist upside down. Minglan had been the one wronged; and yet somehow, after Lin Yiniang’s appeals, the tables had turned and Molan had become the one deserving of sympathy.
Thinking this, Hai Shi exchanged a glance with Liu Kun’s wife. The latter understood immediately, went over and gently supported Wang Shi, quietly rubbing her back, with the firm intention of keeping Wang Shi from opening her mouth again.
Seeing Sheng Hong’s face clouded with indecision, Hai Shi composed her expression, stepped forward a few paces, and bowed before him, saying quietly, “Father, allow your daughter-in-law to say a few words.” Sheng Hong was still for a moment, then gave a slow nod.
Hai Shi first had a maidservant help the half-prostrated Lin Yiniang to her feet, then said politely, “Lin Yiniang, I am of the younger generation, and there is a matter I genuinely cannot understand. Would Yiniang be willing to enlighten me?”
Lin Yiniang stared blankly, dabbing at her face. Hai Shi looked at her steadily and said quietly, “By Yiniang’s reasoning — whenever Fourth Young Miss perceives some inequality among her siblings, she may freely beat and curse her sister, injure her brother, smash the household furnishings, and defy her stepmother?”
At these words, Sheng Hong jolted, and Lin Yiniang’s face changed color.
Hai Shi turned to face Sheng Hong and said evenly, “Father, in your daughter-in-law’s own family there is only one elder sister, and yet even so, I know that among siblings living together day after day, there will always be minor frictions. To say nothing of harsh and ugly quarreling — even a war of words would invite ridicule. And yet simply because Fourth Young Miss was not included in one occasion, she responded with vile and filthy insults hurled at her own flesh and blood, and then attempted to ruin her sister’s face. If something had gone wrong today, Sixth Young Miss’s face would have been —”
After his fury had spent itself, Sheng Hong’s mind had grown clearer, and his gaze toward Molan now held a deep disappointment. Lin Yiniang, as sharp and alert as ever, was about to open her mouth again, but Hai Shi quickly cut in: “Moreover, Yiniang — ask your conscience honestly. Since we came to the capital, every time we have gone out, has Fourth Young Miss not been included? And Sixth Young Miss — how many times has she actually been taken along? Besides, in the matter of marriage, it has always been for the family of the prospective bride to wait for the other side to approach. Who has ever heard of the bride’s family eagerly running after a match? How exactly are we supposed to help Fourth Young Miss?”
Hai Shi spoke plainly, but every word struck precisely at the matter’s heart. Lin Yiniang’s face was full of unresigned distress. She said plaintively, “Then what is to become of Fourth Young Miss? Am I simply to watch as sister after sister takes flight while she alone remains in the mud?”
Hai Shi burst into involuntary laughter and lightly covered her mouth. “Yiniang, what are you saying? Fourth Young Miss has the Old Master above her and her brothers and sisters-in-law below. How could she end up in the mud? Besides — marriage is fated. Another person’s match is what they cultivated in a previous life. There is no use in envying.”
The words stopped in Lin Yiniang’s throat. She could no longer maintain her pitiful expression. Behind those beautiful eyes a fierce light flashed. She said in a hoarse voice, “What high-minded talk from First Young Madam. Of course it’s easy to say, when it’s not your own flesh who would be marrying off to some impoverished scholar or lowly provincial official.”
Hai Shi gave a faint sigh. “Every high official at court today was once a scholar or a minor official, was he not? Who starts out as a Grand Secretary or First Minister? Even Father himself — he passed the imperial examinations, ranked among the two lists of presented scholars, then worked diligently and devotedly, accumulated experience, served the people of localities, and gradually became a pillar of the state. Why should Yiniang look down upon scholars and petty officials?”
This flattery landed very comfortably with Sheng Hong. He could not help but think — if he had only ever been a small scholar or minor official, would Lin Yiniang have been so disdainful of him…?
Lin Yiniang was brought to a sharp halt mid-tirade. She saw Sheng Hong’s expression turn unfavorable and his sharp gaze sweep the room. Her thoughts moved quickly; she immediately changed course, lowered herself, and began to speak in soft, placating tones of apology: “First Young Madam is right. This concubine has been foolish and unreasonable. I offer my apologies. Fourth Young Miss will go and apologize to Sixth Young Miss in turn. If Master considers this insufficient, a few strokes of the rod would do — let Fourth Young Miss remember the pain. But surely she should not be confined to quarters — she still needs to be prepared for a proper marriage.”
Her tone was sincere, every word a model of contrition.
Hai Shi laughed coldly to herself. You think things can simply pass like this? She composed her expression, curtsied respectfully before Sheng Hong, and said with due gravity, “Father, there are words your daughter-in-law perhaps ought not to speak. But what happened today — though small in itself — carries within it the seeds of disaster for our family clan. Though the offense may seem minor, it could leave an enduring mark on generations to come.”
Sheng Hong had always been well-pleased with his daughter-in-law. He said warmly, “Speak.”
Hai Shi stood upright, but kept her head respectfully bowed. “Fourth Young Miss’s outburst today — even if the circumstances were understandable, it is still unforgivable in principle. Fourth Young Miss is grown now; she cannot remain at home much longer. If she marries into a husband’s family behaving as she has today, she will not fare well there. The behavior of Fourth Young Master is even more absurd — a man, inserting himself into a quarrel between women of the inner quarters. Alas… though, I suppose, after all, he was raised by Lin Yiniang, and could hardly bear to watch his Yiniang and sister suffer a loss — yet it remains most improper. And the maidservants and serving women who assisted them are most detestable of all. No matter what, she is the mistress of this inner household — regardless of right or wrong, how dare they obstruct and interfere? If their tongues grow any looser and the matter spreads outside, will that not be a stain upon Father’s reputation?”
Sheng Hong’s heart gave a sharp lurch. Hai Shi added one more blow, speaking quietly: “Father, the Yongchang Marquis’s household may not be set upon our family specifically. If Fourth Young Miss causes another scene, I fear it could ruin even Sixth Young Miss’s prospects too. And most important of all — as Father well knows, when a new Emperor has just ascended the throne, there is nothing He dreads more than… the blurring of lines between the legitimate and the secondary.”
Several beads of sweat immediately rolled down Sheng Hong’s forehead. He thought of the nobles who had been stripped of titles and positions these past months, of several Grand Secretaries and high officials who had met with repeated setbacks, and his palms grew damp.
Wang Shi had finally grasped the drift of things. She pressed a handkerchief to her face and wept softly, “The Old Madam, before she left, charged me again and again to take good care of Sixth girl. She said Sixth girl is honest and gentle-natured and wouldn’t know to speak up if someone were mistreating her. Now Minglan is about to set out for Yuyang — if the mark on her face has not faded by the time the Old Madam sees her, who knows how grieved she will be?”
Wang Shi was not practiced in the art of weeping. After a few dry howls she could cry no further, and inwardly lamented: truly, different people excel at different things.
By the time everyone had finished speaking, Sheng Hong’s mind was perfectly clear. All the source of this household’s troubles lay in one place. He was a quick thinker; after a brief pause for reflection, he delivered his final judgment: “Molan has bullied a sibling, spoken vile and foul words, and shown not a trace of the propriety and virtue becoming a well-bred young woman. From this day forward she is confined to her courtyard, and is to copy out Admonitions for Women carefully, to cultivate her character. She is not to come out.”
At first Molan had been bracing herself for a beating, and her heart had lightened with relief. But Lin Yiniang’s heart seized with dread — if there was no beating, there must be a worse punishment waiting; and since no end to the confinement had been specified, did that mean she could be kept inside indefinitely?
Sheng Hong turned to Wang Shi and said, “Molan has come of age. That scholar Yan Jing I mentioned to you before — I think well of him. In the next few days, make an arrangement to visit the old Marquis Household and inquire about the young man’s birth date and any personal prohibitions. If all goes well, once the national mourning period has ended, let us see the matter settled.”
Molan and Lin Yiniang were struck with horror and immediately screamed and begged Sheng Hong. Sheng Hong shot them a sidelong glare and said harshly, “My decision is made. There is nothing more to say. Speak one more word, and I will consider myself to have no such daughter!”
Molan crumpled where she knelt. Lin Yiniang stared at Sheng Hong in disbelief. Wang Shi bowed her head and rejoiced in secret.
Sheng Hong swept his stern gaze around the room and added, “Lin Shi’s management of the household has been lax and improper. From this day forward she is confined to quarters until Fourth Young Miss has been wed. Should you meet with Molan before that time, I will have a written dismissal order drawn up on the spot, and you will be driven out of the mansion immediately. From this day forward, without my express instruction, you are also forbidden from meeting with Feng Ge’er. A person of such poor virtue as yourself has already led good children astray — there is no call for you to burden them further!” Sheng Hong’s voice was stern and fierce. Lin Yiniang lifted her face to wail, and instinctively reached toward his robe. Sheng Hong shook her hand off with contemptuous distaste, not deigning to acknowledge her. Lin Yiniang felt all hope crushed to ash, and this time truly broke into inconsolable sobbing.
Sheng Hong also felt thoroughly exhausted. He rose, walked slowly over to stand beside Lin Yiniang and her daughter, and looked at Molan. He spoke quietly: “I have doted on you since you were small. I taught you poetry and verse, yet your mouth is filled with filth. I taught you to read and write, hoping you would learn to reason and understand what is right — yet you are cruel, unruly, full of festering grievances, and ready to bully your siblings at any provocation… As your father, I am profoundly disappointed in you.” Sheng Hong fixed Molan with a cold and disenchanted look, deep with disapproval. Molan felt as though she had fallen into a pit of ice, barely managing not to lose consciousness entirely.
He then turned to Lin Yiniang and said quietly, “The Old Madam said it well — the root of all this is a single word: greed. If I had not doted upon you so excessively, you mother and daughter would never have harbored such delusions.” Having said this, he paid no further heed to Lin Yiniang’s tugging and weeping, and walked straight toward the door. At the threshold he turned back, looked at Wang Shi and Hai Shi, and said deliberately, word by word: “You should see to cleaning up the maidservants and serving women. Those to be sold, sell. Those to be disciplined, discipline. The inner quarters ought always to be kept in order.”
This time Wang Shi was genuinely overjoyed. Liu Kun’s wife immediately gave her arm another firm pinch. Wang Shi with great effort bowed her head and bit down with all her might to suppress her smile. Hai Shi’s expression remained unchanged throughout. She even offered a comforting word: “Father, please don’t take it too much to heart. Not to flatter ourselves, but among all the households in the capital, how many are as peaceful and tranquil as ours? These are nothing more than a few small blemishes — they will mend in a few days.”
Sheng Hong felt somewhat soothed, turned, and walked out.
Danju and Luzhi returned, the case concluded — the evidence no longer needed to be kept. Danju hurried to find a salve to apply to Minglan’s bruised and aching face. Luzhi, who had a sharp tongue, stood with her hands on her hips and gave a lively, detailed account of everything that had just transpired.
“First Young Madam is truly formidable! She always seems so composed and even-tempered in ordinary times — who knew she could speak with such force? Word after word landed on Lin Yiniang’s weak points; there was no way to counter any of it!” Luzhi was all starry-eyed admiration. “Now things will finally quiet down for us. Fourth Young Miss won’t dare come causing trouble again, and Master will surely have grown disgusted with her. I hear that scholar’s family is very poor as well.”
Minglan listened quietly, then shook her head. “Father fears Fourth Sister will do something wrong again — this is for her own good. As long as she manages to endure it, and if her future husband proves capable and his career goes smoothly, Fourth Sister can still have a good life.”
Luzhi shook her head and gave a gloomy prediction: “There are so many scholars in the land. Year after year of examinations — even if one becomes a presented scholar, one must still become an official. How many of them ever manage to make something of themselves? Most likely he’ll end up relying on the Master and the eldest young master for support.” She had been purchased from outside, originally from a village, where she had seen her share of destitute scholars and provincial officials — men who had served a few terms in office but, lacking the skill to navigate and curry favor, had been dismissed and sent home; the better-off ones managed to acquire a little property and live as local gentry, while the worse-off ones had to find some other livelihood.
Minglan still disagreed. On the whole, Sheng Hong’s judgment was reliable — looking at his assessments of Yuan Shao, of Hai Shi, even of the political currents, they were almost always on the mark. Any young man he looked upon favorably could not be all that bad. And yet… having Molan live through some days of straitened poverty and reduced circumstances would be tantamount to taking her life! Well then — call it part of the punishment.
Danju gently massaged Minglan’s elbow, which was bruised and aching from a collision, and looked up with a smile. “Whatever the case… Lin Yiniang has had a very bad day of it. From now on, it all depends on whether her son has any future in him. If not, she has no one to depend on.”
This time Minglan agreed. She thought of Changfeng’s timid, cowering appearance, and could not help but nod.