The setting sun slowly sank. Lanterns lit one after another, table after table filled with countless people. It was dinnertime — a grand banquet much like the ones held every New Year season, when the Su family’s relatives and friends gathered together, and the attendees were more or less the same crowd as usual. But tonight the atmosphere carried something different.
The noise of voices was lively enough — festive, in its way — but gone was the usual freewheeling clinking of cups and carefree laughter of past years. The main, second, and third branches each occupied their own invisible zones. Only the most carefree, unbothered souls among them dared pick up wine jugs and drink freely — everyone chatted and smiled, greeting familiar faces one after another, but few actually drank. Beneath this lively surface, everyone was sizing each other up, guessing at each other’s intentions, undercurrents swirling, the atmosphere tinged faintly with tension.
Su Yu sat in the seat of honor, watching all of this quietly, his gaze sweeping over the second and third branches, and when it turned toward the main branch’s side, one could clearly sense a mixture of despondency and quiet stillness there — only Su Yunsong and a few others were smiling and trying to liven up the mood. Su Tan’er and Ning Yi sat together, eating and talking quietly. The two of them were also rather subdued; Su Tan’er’s expression was calm, occasionally glancing around at her surroundings, but her attention while chatting remained fixed on Ning Yi.
Su Yu’s gaze lingered on Ning Yi for a moment longer, then someone approached with a wine cup — it was Xi Anzhi, a manager of the second branch. The old man smiled, drew back his gaze, and nodded, exchanging words with him.
This banquet wasn’t particularly long.
Once most had eaten their fill, it moved into the stage of breaking up. There was no solemn ceremony or symbolic speech here — everyone already understood roughly what would follow. Several stewards went around notifying, one by one, the members who were to attend the clan assembly. The banquet grounds grew somewhat chaotic; some people rose early and had already begun heading toward the meeting hall beside the ancestral shrine, small clusters of people chatting amid the noise, seemingly a bit disorderly, some rising while searching through the scattered crowd for someone, giving instructions of one kind or another.
Around fifty people in total were eligible to attend this clan assembly; most of the others at the banquet were family members, or the Su household’s managers and stewards — even those who couldn’t sit in on the meeting would mostly wait nearby in the square or garden for news. Rounding the eaves ahead, the lanterns spread out around the small square of the Su residence. Su Boyong was being pushed forward in his wheelchair through the crowd, and slightly behind him, Su Tan’er and Ning Yi were also heading that way.
“Husband, tonight… will you find it a little boring?”
“Not at all.”
“But…” Su Tan’er lowered her head slightly, as though about to say something, but in the end only smiled. In the evening breeze, she quietly reached over and took hold of Ning Yi’s sleeve, the couple walking side by side looking rather affectionate. After a while, Su Tan’er even swung her arm playfully, like a child, shaking Ning Yi’s hand along with it a few times. At that moment, as though remembering something, she turned to glance to one side, and her gaze grew quiet.
Xi Junyu was also in the crowd, talking with a shop manager from the main branch, occasionally glancing toward Su Tan’er’s direction — the conversation was actually about tonight’s worries and questions of allegiance going forward. As they’d walked about halfway across the square, a figure came over from the crowd, smiling and greeting him — this was Guard Geng, one of the main branch’s most trusted men.
“Miss has arranged some matters for tonight — around a quarter past the hour of Xu, Manager Xi, please would you step out with me. This is important. There’s still about a quarter hour left, so if Manager Xi has anything on hand right now, please arrange it accordingly — tonight might run quite late.”
Off to the side, Guard Geng spoke in a low voice.
“Important?” Xi Junyu frowned. “What… exactly is happening tonight?”
“Can’t say for certain yet. In any case, it’s Miss’s arrangement.”
Xi Junyu thought it over, and a look of pleasure crossed his face. “Is there still a chance for a turnaround?”
“Hard to say. Manager Xi will know once you come with me…”
“Heh, all right.”
Xi Junyu nodded, and as his gaze drifted toward Su Tan’er, he saw she had already left Ning Yi’s side and was now leaning over her father’s wheelchair, saying something to him. Noticing his gaze, she smiled faintly and nodded toward him and Guard Geng, and then Su Boyong too turned his head and gave a slight nod in their direction.
Xi Junyu smiled and nodded back in response.
By now the two parties were somewhat far apart. Watching Su Tan’er’s retreating figure as she turned toward the ancestral hall’s meeting room, he suddenly thought he should have gone over earlier to offer a few words of comfort about tonight’s matter — but well, never mind, he could do it later.
He watched her figure vanish into the crowd.
But still — a chance for a turnaround? How could that be possible?
He began frowning, deep in thought…
Not long after, the sound of the first round of ancestor worship began ringing out from over there.
…
In the meeting hall, the lamps blazed brightly, illuminating every corner of the vast room.
“…By old custom, we all gather here at least once a year, and each time, there are important matters to decide. In past years, meetings were held after the year-end accounting was settled. This year, why has it been moved up by more than a month? To trouble the clan head and all our elders to preside, and everyone to rush back from all corners — it’s because, over this recent stretch of time, our Su family has run into many problems. Perhaps some are small, but some may be large… though right now, everyone feels the trouble might well be a serious one…”
A booming voice rang out in the meeting hall, and the various seats fell utterly silent. Below the row of clan elders sat the members of the third branch; Su Boyong, seated in his wheelchair, looked in poor spirits, eyes lowered, deep in his own thoughts; Su Zhongkan sat upright and formal; Su Yunfang seemed lost in his own musings. The one speaking in the center of the hall was the man everyone called Seventh Uncle, Su An. Having said this much, he paused briefly.
“As for these matters, as for what’s happening in this family — ultimately, the clan head understands it best of all…” He turned back. “Third Brother, would you like to speak?”
Su Yu frowned, glancing around at everyone in the hall, and after a moment, raised a hand. “Seventh Brother, why don’t you continue.”
Su An nodded, then after a moment turned and gestured toward someone. “For the specifics… let’s have the head steward explain, he understands it best.”
He was, of course, referring to the head steward who managed the actual affairs of this great household — a middle-aged man who was also a distant relative of the Su family, generally low-profile in manner, not involved in matters like the fight over the estate. But nowadays, most of the practical, day-to-day business of the Su household in Jiangning eventually funneled through him for compilation. Though the main, second, and third branches all kept certain things hidden, the accounts in his hands remained, in the end, relatively objective.
Before long, that voice rang out.
“As for how big or small these matters really are, I can’t say for certain, but as for what’s come to my attention recently, it’s roughly as follows: First, over the past three months, our Su family’s various goods sold in the Jiangning area, our market share, has seen a certain decline, though overall, less than five percent… The main problem lies in future profits. Recently, close to sixty percent of the suppliers and partners in the Jiangning area have begun requesting negotiations with our Su family — raising the price of raw silk, lowering the fees for goods taken. I have a list here: the Qi family is requesting…”
The head steward’s voice wasn’t quiet; it carried out of the meeting hall, echoing in the night wind, faintly audible in the nearby square and along the edges of the garden. Su Wengui and others gathered not far off, listening and discussing as they went; a bit farther away, Su Danhong was chatting with the family members of a few managers close to the main branch, occasionally frowning.
Everything was proceeding exactly as expected. The problems the Su family now faced, the demands being raised from every side, and the crises hidden behind those demands — she understood it all clearly too. Turning her head, she happened to spot Ning Yi walking past over there — the man seemed a bit bored, stretching his limbs a little as he walked farther off.
Su Danhong followed after him.
Passing through the courtyard gate, the sounds from over there grew faint in the distance, only the lantern-light around the meeting hall still visible over the courtyard wall. Ning Yi’s figure at this moment seemed somehow different from usual — still relaxed, but… as if he were also sensing something. He sat down by the small pavilion in the courtyard, tilted his head back to look up at the star-filled sky. Footsteps occasionally passed along the alley near the courtyard. Su Danhong frowned.
Could this man be… savoring the last moment before the main branch’s fall from power?
She frowned…
…
In the meeting hall, the account continued. Anyone with some understanding of business could sense the danger lurking behind these figures. The Su family’s problems — hungry wolves circling, people ready to kick them while they were down — the head steward spoke for a long while, finished laying it all out, then returned to his seat. No one below spoke; only up among the elders did a few finally begin to speak.
“This is… suggesting our Su family has no hope left, that something serious is about to befall us…”
“The problem needs solving — let’s all discuss it, find some reasons…”
The elders looked around at each other, and the hall fell silent again. Su Chonghua sat among the crowd, watching quietly too — he could probably guess roughly what would happen next, though ultimately none of it required him to speak up or take a stand. His mood was rather relaxed at the moment, just watching, and when his gaze swept past the doorway, he suddenly thought of Ning Yi again.
Where was he now, and how was he feeling. That “Calming the Waves”…
“How this whole affair began, ultimately, traces back to when Eldest Uncle was attacked — of course, the responsibility doesn’t lie with Eldest Uncle himself, and I think our Su family should do everything possible to find out who’s behind the assassin. But as for why things have come to this exact point, Wenxing has some thoughts…” Below, the one lighting the fuse stepped forward. Though he was of the third generation of the Su family, having recently taken on management of certain second-branch affairs, he was now eligible to participate in this meeting.
“This whole affair, at its root, comes down to our Su family’s high-profile but ultimately failed bid for the imperial merchant title…”
“Such enormous fanfare, such enormous investment, and in the end, nothing to show for it…”
“So people outside have already started to doubt us…”
Just as planned, once Su Wenxing kicked off the topic, wave after wave of discussion began spreading out. After he finished speaking, several other members of the second and third branches joined the discussion, followed by Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang — words of debate, words of doubt, spreading out in ripples.
“So the question now is, exactly how much did Tan’er spend managing this imperial merchant business…”
“The main branch — starting from Manager Liao and working down, the specifics… unfortunately Manager Liao isn’t in Jiangning today…”
“The situation on our end right now is like this, there have been some problems too, unrecoverable ones, and if this continues long-term…”
“Over the past two years — no, three years — we know there have been some issues with the books on this particular operation. Eldest Brother’s side should know more about this…”
The scripted performance unfolded, one person after another stepping in to speak. The main branch’s side remained relatively silent throughout, with Su Tan’er and the others occasionally speaking up. The starry night hung low; this evening, the whole affair was clearly destined to take a long while. Outside the meeting hall, Su Wengui and the others talked and laughed, some leaving and returning: “It’s only just getting started tonight…” they said.
…
A few streets away from the Su residence, up on Yuexiang Tower, Xue Yan and the others were eating and chatting about recent events, and at this point they glanced toward the direction of the Su residence too. “Come to think of it, things over there should be underway by now.”
Luo Miaomiao, one of Jiangning’s four great courtesan queens, was smiling nearby. “Master Xue and everyone here — what you’re all concerned with tonight doesn’t sound much like matters of romance and moonlit charm.”
“Ha ha, Miaomiao’s sharp eyes see right through us. Tonight we do indeed have some matters weighing on our minds. Has Miss Miaomiao heard of that textile family, the Su family?”
The textile trade was, after all, only of concern to those within the industry — Luo Miaomiao, though now an esteemed courtesan queen, knew little of it. But the first thing that came to mind for her was still that foremost talent behind “Prelude to Water Melody” and “Green Jade Cup.” Xue Yan and the others were momentarily taken aback, then burst out laughing.
“Right, right — speaking of which, this does have something to do with him at the moment. Has Miss Miaomiao heard, a few months ago, during the siege of Jiangning, there was an assassination attempt that caused quite a stir…”
The Su family’s clan assembly had already begun following its predetermined script, and here at Yuexiang Tower, they too began recounting the ups and downs of Jiangning’s textile industry over these past few months. Under that same starry sky, in a place otherwise entirely unconnected to these matters, not far from Yuexiang Tower stood the rather large Changyun Pavilion, where tonight a gathering hosted by the Puyang family was taking place.
As Jiangning’s wealthiest family, the Puyang clan had, over these many years of cultivation, secured the courtesan queen Qilan as a fixture, and had by now built up considerable connections with many of Jiangning’s literary talents. Today wasn’t any particular special occasion, so once the gathering began, many notable scholars made their way over as well, including Cao Guan, Liu Qingdi, and others — this was, essentially, a poetry gathering among literary men. Puyang Yi, hosting the gathering, was a man who generally handled things smoothly, but some things simply couldn’t be controlled, and at this point, a small incident occurred.
Liu Qingdi, in a foul mood for some reason today, had had a fair bit to drink, and his poetry composition grew rather wild. During the gathering he accidentally bumped into another attendee, and the two ended up arguing. Though Puyang Yi soon stepped in to smooth things over, a faint whiff of tension lingered among some of the attendees afterward.
A middle-aged man calling himself the Recluse of the Empty Mountain, not particularly renowned for his talent, was also present. He’d originally meant to step in and mediate a little, but soon found himself swept up in the dispute with Liu Qingdi as well.
The poetry gathering continued on amid the somewhat discordant atmosphere caused by this incident, both sides beginning to compete with their literary talent, gradually heating up. Puyang Yi, for his part, was quite pleased with how things were going.
Of course, at this point, none of them had the slightest connection yet to the trajectory of the Su family’s affairs…
…
“Crack” — Ning Yi cracked open a peanut and tossed it into his mouth, humming softly the opening bars of “The Japanese Invade the Village,” which gradually morphed into the wedding march.
Su Danhong walked over from nearby, some irritation in her heart, and simply stood there watching him.
“Cousin Danhong, sit down, no need to be so formal. Peanut?”
“I don’t know what’s going through your head at all.”
“Just soaking in the atmosphere…”
“The thing Tan’er has been fighting for all these years without ever giving up is about to slip away from her — do you understand that?”
“You’ve guessed wrong.” Ning Yi answered flatly, turning to glance toward the meeting hall, where lamplight spilled out and spread toward them, carrying with it a restless energy. “Things should be just about wrapped up soon enough…”