Wave after wave of discussion and clashing arguments spread out from the meeting hall, converging into a fierce, chaotic tide of sound that gradually spread to the small square outside the hall and the surrounding area. All manner of discussion echoed out, each following its own logic and reasoning, occasionally sparking small disputes here and there — nothing that would escalate further, but even so, this was an unusual sight for the Su family in the past.

“Fifty thousand taels, ten thousand taels… and over there another twenty-thousand-odd — I always said the main branch’s been running things recklessly all these years…”

“That batch of red fabric business out in Raozhou back then, I saw it coming even at the time, always saying there’s no spare money, no spare money — if it weren’t for that…”

“This kind of thing is just reckless mismanagement, look, from today on, who knows how many more problems will surface…”

“I’d guess the shortfall’s at least two hundred thousand taels, maybe more… I really don’t know how they managed to keep it hidden this long…”

“There’s no way Second Sister can keep going after this…”

From the moment Su Tingguang first stepped forward with the accounts in hand, to the second and third managers who followed after him, it was as though something long buried beneath the surface had exploded like a bomb. Similar rumors and speculation had already begun spreading uncontrollably outside, a buzzing clamor rippling through the crowd. Inside the meeting hall, members of the main, second, and third branches argued over the causes behind these accounts.

In truth, in a situation like this, where a single family’s business had been split into three separate branches, this sort of thing wasn’t uncommon. If one truly went through every last tael and traced where it had gone, these funds might not actually represent such a massive shortfall — when the year-end accounts were tallied, the main branch’s profits and growth over the year might not necessarily fall short of the second or third branches’ — that in itself was proof enough. It was simply that Su Tan’er had indeed sacrificed a greater potential for growth in order to divert funds toward the imperial merchant affair, and now, with no way to make up for it, once exposed, it inevitably looked like one of the uglier entries in the Su family’s books.

Outside the meeting hall, Su Wengui and the others had no need to consider any of this — even if Su Tan’er’s shortfall were said to run into the millions, it wouldn’t weigh on their conscience at all. But for those inside the meeting hall, once several of the main branch’s own stewards had come forward and made their confessions, the matter no longer seemed to require purely rational consideration — from the moment Su Tingguang first stepped up, all sorts of arguments erupted into a chaotic uproar.

By this point, the argument continued, but the key figures leading each branch had gradually gone quiet. Su Zhongkan had returned to his seat, resting and sipping tea; Su Yunfang was frowning, discussing something with Yu Daxian. On the main branch’s side, Su Yunsong had by now gradually recognized the irreversible nature of what was happening — he’d argued over the accounts for a while himself, but eventually realized further argument was probably useless.

Certain things, by this point, had already begun to show through the still-raging argument — regardless of how the argument itself concluded, what now lay before the elders above was the simple fact that the main branch was no longer favored, that sentiment had begun turning against it. For anyone else, there might still have been a chance, but as a woman, Su Tan’er’s position couldn’t withstand a setback like this — this had nothing to do with right or wrong.

With all eyes turned toward her, Su Tan’er could only sit quietly beside her father, occasionally lifting her head to observe it all.

Su Zhongkan finished his tea, stood, and attempted to step into the middle of the still-arguing crowd to mediate, then walked back and sat down again.

The argument still seemed intense — some main branch members, knowing they’d surely lose standing if this matter settled as it appeared it would, kept fighting, while many from the second and third branches, equally animated, kept right up with them. Su Zhongkan wasn’t really there to calm things down, of course — the arranged sequence of events had more or less played out already; in a little while, the argument below would settle, and it would be time for the elders above, including his father as clan head, to reach the natural conclusion.

Since this meeting had begun, his father’s mood hadn’t been high — he’d let Seventh Uncle handle most of the talking, simply watching, occasionally growing serious. Su Zhongkan understood the reasons well enough. His second niece had ability, and his father had put a great deal of thought into her — moreover, the old man had always hoped, over these years, for the household to remain in good order. This sudden crisis in the main branch, even outright division, would naturally leave him disappointed and dejected.

But regardless, Father, when all this lies before you, in the end there’s really no other way, is there? My move and Yunfang’s haven’t been particularly aggressive — we’ve simply gone with the flow. Tan’er really has lost too badly this time, and on top of that, Eldest Brother’s had this happen to him too… surely you can understand, in the end…

Over these past two months, things had finally developed to this point, to this stage — the situation was now perfectly clear. Father, surely, should be able to accept all this by now. Su Zhongkan sighed inwardly, waiting for this final quarter-hour or half-hour to pass. He glanced over at Su Yunfang, who merely smiled and spread his hands silently. A moment later, Su Zhongkan noticed a small change taking place up above, amid all this clamor and argument…

Su Chonghua, somewhat bored, happened to be the first to notice this change among the clan elders above.

From the moment Su Tingguang had stepped forward, the crowd below had erupted into chaos, while the elders above hadn’t intervened, though they too had begun frowning, occasionally murmuring quietly among themselves. This was entirely normal — the crowd below kept arguing, while those above kept summarizing and drawing conclusions from it all. The two elders seated beside Su Yu were the family’s Second and Fourth Brothers. Occasionally, the usually quiet Second Uncle would lean over, frowning, to exchange a few words with Su Yu — presumably worried about the family’s fate — and Su Yu would offer a word or two in reply, but his gaze remained fixed on the chaos below, showing no sign yet of preparing to take a stance.

This old man had always been the center of the entire family — even to force his hand, everyone had to give him a proper period to psychologically prepare. Everything on display here tonight was, in fact, meant to pressure these clan elders, and ultimately to pressure him into drawing conclusions and declaring his position.

Because he’d remained so consistently calm throughout, one small action of his nearly went unnoticed amid the fierce, chaotic scene. At one point, as Second Uncle leaned over to speak quietly with him, Su Yu turned his head and replied with a few words, then pulled several sheets of paper from his sleeve and handed them to the old man beside him to look at.

This was perhaps the first clear, purposeful gesture Su Yu had made since the meeting began — though at that moment, everyone below remained too absorbed in the argument to notice, all understanding that the more clearly things were argued out below, the more it would help those above reach their conclusion. Su Chonghua, too, felt little curiosity toward those few sheets of paper at first — it was only a moment later that he noticed the change in the old man’s expression as he read them up above.

This elder brother of Su Yu’s had already begun frowning by the first page — he glanced at Su Yu, and after turning the page, exchanged a few more words with him before continuing to read. The further he read, the more serious his expression grew.

Perhaps… that’s the draft outline of Third Uncle’s decision, Su Chonghua thought to himself. But what followed proved to be somewhat different from that.

The other elders nearby began noticing those sheets of paper too, and more came over, seemingly asking Su Yu something with concern. Su Yu turned his head and answered a few words, and then, one, two, three — these clan elders seemed to have stopped paying attention to the argument below entirely, gathering around to discuss those few sheets of paper.

By the time Su Zhongkan noticed, the entire scene had already shifted to this state — those few sheets of paper had drawn in several of the elders around Su Yu, and those seated nearby had noticed too, coming over to look, their expressions turning to surprise.

Su Yu gazed down at the crowd below, letting his clan brothers around him continue their discussion, and the argument below, in the midst of some faint confusion, began to die down as well.

Before long, the argument below had largely subsided. The discussion above, however, continued, and one or two of the elders, having looked at those papers, cast complicated glances down below. Su Zhongkan looked at Su Yunfang, not quite understanding what those sudden sheets of paper might mean, then looked over toward Su Tan’er’s side — Su Boyong, still weak from his injury, remained silent, head lowered, while Su Tan’er sat quietly as well, her thoughts unreadable. It was at this moment that the sound of a cane striking the floor finally rang out from above.

As clan head, having watched all of this unfold from beginning to end, Su Yu now finally rose from his seat. Having sat for so long, he looked somewhat weary too, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall.

“Are we… done arguing? I’ve heard about enough.” The old man slowly made his way over. Once the meeting hall fell quiet, the noise outside gradually subsided too. Su Wengui and the others peered in from the doorway, waiting for the outcome.

“Over these past four months, our Su family has been through a great deal — external threats, and after that, internal troubles too.” He sighed, and began speaking, slowly, one sentence at a time. “I’ve grown old. Sometimes, I feel I’m no longer quite up to it. Ever since Boyong was attacked, I’ve more or less sensed this coming.”

“Over the past four months, the Su family’s troubles have, in truth, been plain to everyone. Everyone’s rushed back from wherever they were today to resolve these matters. Some of you have told me — old brother, I know you’re reluctant, but some decisions simply have to be made. I understand that too…”

Noticing their father’s tone, Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang felt themselves relax inwardly. Ah, this is about settled then…

“A few years back, I’d actually already begun thinking about all this. Our Su family’s situation has always been a bit strange — among the third generation, the children have been fine at preserving what we have, but lacking in the drive to expand. Perhaps it’s something wrong in how our Su family raises its children. Years ago, the one who seemed to show the most ideas and potential was a girl. I hesitated a great deal back then too, but, well, one day when I’m gone, when Boyong, Zhongkan, and the others take over running the household, it’s always better to have one capable person than none at all. Tan’er has weathered her share of hardship too, so at the time, I figured there was no harm in letting her try…”

The old man paused. “But in matters of business, a girl simply can’t get the same advantage that others do — where others might accomplish something with one part effort, she has to spend three. Because of this, Tan’er’s marriage was delayed too, back then, and there was all sorts of idle gossip outside as well… In any case, this has always weighed on my mind. If one day, when Boyong steps back, could we really let a girl manage so much business? Honestly, none of us had much confidence in that…”

“Tan’er, this child, has always aimed high, and how she’s managed the businesses under her these past years is plain for everyone to see. But she’s still rather young after all, especially now, after everything that’s happened to Boyong — what everyone’s been telling me, I’ve kept turning it over in my mind. At this point, can she still keep managing all this? Once Boyong steps down, will she still have the ability, the standing, to give everyone confidence in her? Today… I have to make this decision…”

The old man closed his eyes; everyone inside and outside the meeting hall waited. When he opened his eyes again, he glanced back. “Tan’er, get yourself ready.” Su Tan’er nodded, leaned down and took a small box out from behind her father’s wheelchair, then rose and began walking forward. The old man turned back and walked toward his seat, his cane tapping against the floor.

“From today onward, everything that was previously under Boyong’s management — the businesses and accounts across all the prefectures.” He spoke thus. “All of it, will be handed over to his eldest daughter, Su Tan’er, to manage.”

Su Yunfang stood up. Su Boyong hesitated for a moment, then rose to his feet as well. An uproar swept through the room. In his seat, Su Yunsong’s eyes went wide; on the second branch’s benches, Su Chonghua sat frozen in place, something rising up from deep within him — certain images flashing back through his mind, one after another: a little girl, rice paper, a poem.

“Uncle Headmaster, that’s mine.”

“Teacher traded it with Little Seven.”

Bamboo staff and straw sandals outpace a horse with ease — who’s afraid!

The chill spring wind sobers me from wine, a little cold — but the slanting light atop the hills comes to greet me all the same…

— Calming the Waves.

Ahead, Su Tan’er opened the small box on the table before the clan elders, taking things out one by one — papers, banknotes, contracts. She bowed toward the elders before her, then turned back, her calm gaze sweeping over everyone present. Both inside and outside the meeting hall, some people found themselves unconsciously stilled by the weight of that gaze, no longer murmuring in astonishment, simply waiting to see what she would say.

“Everything you wanted to see is right here,” she said. “And this is only the first batch.”

…

“You… no, Tan’er… you’d already anticipated all of this happening today?”

In the still-quiet courtyard, the sounds from the meeting hall could be heard faintly in the distance. In the pavilion, Ning Yi had finished his peanuts and was growing a little bored, while Su Danhong found herself caught in some confused, complicated mix of emotions. Throughout their conversation, some of what Ning Yi had said seemed strange, as though he’d anticipated the current situation all along, even arranged for it — as though some hidden turning point lay quietly beneath the surface of tonight’s events. But Ning Yi seemed unwilling to say things plainly, so she could only run back and forth, occasionally checking on the argument at the meeting hall, and whenever her anxiety peaked, she’d find herself drawn back here again.

“Always so anxious — that’s just proof that deep down, you don’t believe Tan’er can turn this around, because she’s a woman. Those managers, people like Uncle Tingguang, probably think the same way too — not necessarily out of any ill will, but…”

“Tan’er really is a woman, and that’s how everyone else sees it — I care about her, so naturally I’d think the same way too…”

“But there’s no way around it — you have to make them stop thinking that way. There’s no reasoning to it, really; even though she’s a woman, once she takes charge of this, people have to be made to abandon that way of thinking, to feel that even as a woman, she has ability that loses to no man. If you can’t make people forget she’s a woman, you have to make them remember something else, something more striking instead… Listen, it’s gone quiet over there now.”

Then, the roar of noise came again.

“That’ll certainly leave a deep impression on them this time.” Ning Yi laughed.

“What… what’s going on…”

“More than four hundred and seventy thousand taels in banknotes, over twenty land deeds, property and shop transfer contracts, business contracts, roughly five fabric formulas, and a few other things I’m not entirely sure about, but… these should be enough to silence everyone for now…”

Ning Yi brushed the peanut shells off himself and stood up. “Let’s go, let’s go watch the turnaround.”

“You, you, you — what exactly are you talking about, what… banknotes and land deeds… hey…”

…

“This… impossible!”

Su Zhongkan shook his head, examining the banknotes and contracts on the table — as for the fabric formula, Su Tan’er had already tucked it away into her sleeve, not showing it to anyone. “Where could you possibly have gotten all this — wait, this piece of land is… how could it be this particular plot?”

“Grandfather.” Tan’er spoke a word toward the front. Su Yu retrieved the sheets of paper he’d first taken out and handed them to her. Su Tan’er placed the pages on the table. “Second Uncle, Third Uncle, everyone, take a look for yourselves. This one… is a contract signed by Wu Chenghou himself. Everything is laid out on it. And what’s ultimately owed is more than what’s on the table here.”

Su Zhongkan and the others pored over the documents. Above, Seventh Granduncle frowned and asked, “The Wu family, of all people… how could they possibly hand over something like this to you?”

“That would leave the Wu family with next to nothing left!” someone in the crowd exclaimed.

“There’s no way this could be true…”

“But their fabric — it’s fading.”

“The Wu family, of all people… ah…”

Everyone froze. Su Yunfang looked up at his niece before him. “What did you say?”

Su Tan’er smiled. “Their fabric is fading. If he doesn’t come begging me for help, what other choice does he have?”

“The Wu family’s fabric…” Su Yunfang thought it over, his eyes shifting. “The imperial merchant fabric? It’s fading?”

“Mm.”

A silence fell. As everyone processed this sudden turn, they looked at the smiling young woman before them, her expression carrying something almost childlike in its sincerity — after all, she was still only nineteen — her smile at this moment genuine and full of amusement.

“So you’re saying, more than four months ago, you’d already…”

“The Wu family stole a fake formula?”

“And the real formula’s been with you this whole time?”

“These past few months, you’ve been putting on an act? Waiting for the yellow fabric to fade?”

An uproar of astonished voices rose up. Su Tan’er merely smiled, neither confirming nor denying, and within moments, the crowd inside and outside the meeting hall had begun piecing together the full outline of the scheme. Above, Su Yu let out a sigh.

“Now, no one need question the outcome of the imperial merchant bid any longer… Four months ago, when Boyong was attacked and Tan’er fell ill as well, the main branch settled on this plan — a desperate gamble. I knew of it at the time…”

“This matter had to be kept in strictest confidence. For it to succeed was no easy thing either — many people contributed their efforts, and everyone else remained in the dark… I know too that all of you cared deeply for our Su family, and that this came from genuine feeling. In truth, had our Su family’s situation not come to this point, this matter should rightly have waited to be revealed only after everything was fully settled…”

Su Yu rose to his feet, recounting to everyone the course of events over these past four months, then speaking of just how difficult it had been to pull off successfully, the meticulousness of the scheme, the mastery and manipulation of people’s hearts involved: “…After this affair, I’ve finally learned that our Su family had two internal traitors. The first: Qi Guangzu! The second: Han Qi, who currently manages the warehouse over on Shengxing Street! Both have already been placed under guard, and tomorrow they will be handed over to the authorities for prosecution!”

Everyone was still reeling from the shock of this reversal, and when the old man suddenly bellowed out the names of the two traitors, some finally began to stir back to awareness, glancing over at Su Tan’er — this affair had not only played the Wu family for fools, and dealt a crushing defeat to the second and third branches, but had also, in one stroke, rooted out the traitors within the family itself.

Off to the side, Su Tingguang and the others who’d stepped forward earlier at Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang’s urging now looked flustered too, their eyes darting about, lost, with nowhere to settle.

“As for how difficult this whole operation was to pull off, and how great the gains, everyone can see clearly for themselves. Outside, the Xue, Lü, Chen families and so many others, who’ve kept their eyes fixed on our Su family this whole time — all of it, for nothing. This success owes everything to the unified effort of our entire Su family.” This much was, of course, the expected diplomatic phrasing.

“Tan’er’s command of the overall situation and her execution of it.” This, naturally, was true.

“But most important of all…” the old man paused, “…was Liheng’s masterful strategizing behind it all.”

At this name finally spoken aloud, Su Zhongkan looked up at his father, wondering if he’d misspoken. Su Yunfang, Su Yunsong, and the others all widened their eyes; Su Chonghua slumped back against his chair. By the table, Su Tan’er, who’d been smiling faintly all this while, froze too, her expression locking in place on her face. The woman turned her head, looking with some astonishment toward her grandfather seated slightly behind her. Su Yu smiled at her, his gaze unwavering.

“Tan’er, you have a fine husband. Brother Zi’an… has a fine grandson.”

“Grandfather…”

…

Su Danhong and Ning Yi came around the small path, and as they approached the little square, they finally began to sense a certain atmosphere in the air.

Ning Yi wasn’t walking particularly fast; as he walked, he glanced at the clusters of people passing by, most of them gathered near the entrance of the meeting hall, their expressions carrying a certain quality — inside, people were talking, too indistinct to make out clearly, but he could roughly guess what it was about. It had to be said, watching it all now, it really was rather amusing.

Just as he began drawing closer, the buzz of astonished voices began to spread, and people started turning their heads, glancing his way; some began murmuring among themselves, some pointing — including Su Wengui and others, who stared at him with expressions as though they’d seen a ghost. More and more people turned to look his way — all Su family relatives, but their gazes were clearly fixed on him, not on Su Danhong beside him.

He stopped, his gaze shifting, pressing his lips together slightly.

This kind of gawking wasn’t something he particularly enjoyed seeing — it felt, honestly, like a bit too much.

Su Danhong looked around at everyone, then turned to look at him too. “What… what’s going on.”

“Doesn’t seem like a good idea for me to be walking with you right now, might not look good…” Ning Yi shook his head, turning and trying, as smoothly as he could manage, to head toward some secluded corner.

Ah well, better to lie low for a bit.

Su Danhong was left standing there alone, glancing back and forth in confusion, at herself, and at everyone else…