Perhaps because he had little real experience with formal courtship, Ning Yi’s relationship with Yun Zhu tended to swing between two extremes—either a rather proper, serious formality, or Ning Yi finding it amusing to do something a bit childish. That evening’s provocation of the old man had been nothing more than a spur-of-the-moment prank, and Yun Zhu, in the end, could never really scold him for it. But whether one called it good or bad, mature or reckless, by the standards of a later age, it had at least left them with a memory to keep.
That night, once back at Wenhui Tower, Ning Yi sought out Su Wenyu for a talk. The two hadn’t been especially close on personal matters before, and Su Wenyu seemed a bit hesitant—understandably reluctant to admit that his romantic attempt had failed. Ning Yi worked around the subject with him for a good while before Su Wenyu finally opened up: yes, he had indeed confessed to Yuan Jin’er.
Su Wenyu’s acquaintance with Yuan Jin’er hadn’t begun only on this northward journey. Back when the Su household had first come under attack, Yun Zhu had also been injured, and afterward, Su Wenyu had glimpsed Jin’er from a distance a couple of times. At the time, he’d simply thought her a beautiful girl; it was only through talk among certain relatives that he learned her background—once the reigning beauty of the Golden Wind Tower, who had later reformed herself, bought her own freedom, and now lived with Nie Yunzhu running a shop together, and so on. These impressions had all come together during the journey north, when Jin’er once brought him tea and exchanged a few words with him. That had been enough to stir something in Su Wenyu’s heart.
“…Wait.” Ning Yi paused, startled. “You two had only… exchanged a few words before this?”
“Mm, actually… just a few words. But I felt, um, I felt…” In the courtyard of Wenhui Tower, Xiao Chan brought tea to the two of them seated in the pavilion. Su Wenyu’s face flushed slightly, and he explained, somewhat hesitantly, “At the time… it was during the operation setting the ambush for the Liangshan men. Second Brother-in-law, you had me stay behind to keep watch. Afterward I rushed back to bring word, ran a long way, and even fell once along the way. By the time I got here, I ran into… Miss Yuan and Miss Nie. I asked them where you were, and Miss Yuan brought me tea, told me to rest a while, and… she even gave me a handkerchief…”
Su Wenyu lowered his head, pointing bashfully at his temple. “This… I’d scraped it here…”
“Uh…” Ning Yi rubbed his ear, not quite sure how to respond, then spread his hands. “Well, um, that is…” But thinking it over, the matter really was simple enough. In truth, in this era there was no such thing as free courtship as people would come to know it later; most men and women married after seeing each other only once or twice. In most romance novels of the time, love at first sight between men and women wasn’t some literary exaggeration—it was simply that, in this era, there was no such thing as dating or getting to know someone gradually; a man trying to take a woman out anywhere would essentially be seen as harassment. Su Wenyu and Yuan Jin’er’s little exchange of tea and a handkerchief was, in fact, more than enough to satisfy the ordinary conditions for a budding attraction.
As for what had happened between Ning Yi and Yun Zhu, that was purely an exception—rather like how even the most reserved young woman, if she went to sell vegetables at the market, would still end up chatting with the vendors nearby and eventually growing familiar with them. What Ning Yi had done, in truth, had simply been taken far too much for granted—most men, after all, wouldn’t think to run off and kill a chicken on a woman’s behalf…
“So then, how did Miss Yuan respond to you?” One topic having grown awkward, Ning Yi steered toward another.
Unexpectedly, Su Wenyu didn’t seem all that dejected about it. “Actually, Second Brother-in-law, I don’t think Miss Yuan dislikes me all that much.”
Jin’er was likely quite good at sparing others’ feelings, Ning Yi thought, smiling as he poured tea and patted Su Wenyu’s shoulder. “Of course she doesn’t dislike you. What did she say?” He picked up his tea to drink.
“She said… that I’m a nice guy…”
“Cough… cough cough…”
The lighting wasn’t particularly bright, but Ning Yi’s whole body gave a visible jolt, and he had to force down the tea he’d nearly choked on. He glanced at Su Wenyu, who seemed to be wearing an expression of faint self-satisfaction. “Right? Second Brother-in-law?”
“Mm… cough, you make a fair point, I think she might actually like you…” Ning Yi reached out again, patting his knee reassuringly, and after a moment, finally found his words. “Really, these things can’t happen that fast. You two have only known each other a little while—there’s still a chance, you just have to give her time, let her get to know you. And girls need to be pursued, you know…”
“Pursued?”
“Win her over. Find out what she likes, buy it for her. Help carry things when she’s out shopping. Little acts of thoughtfulness here and there, roughly like that…”
“That doesn’t seem right…” Su Wenyu said quietly. “She’s already turned me down. If I push any further… she’ll come to dislike me for it.”
Ning Yi stared at him. “You’ve been to a pleasure house before, haven’t you? Of course you pursue a woman relentlessly—”
“How could I do that to a respectable woman?”
“Fine, you win.” Given the customs of the age, when it came to courtesans, men of this era displayed a degree of openness that would put later generations to shame—but love and marriage remained, by contrast, restrained and conservative. Su Wenyu’s worry wasn’t unfounded; having formally proposed marriage and been turned down, pressing further without restraint risked earning her genuine dislike, and a matter like that could easily balloon into something touching on reputation and honor, for better or worse.
Ning Yi nodded and sighed. “Well then, let’s do this—these next few days, focus on your actual business. Also, whenever we go out to look at houses or buy things, I’ll call for you, and we’ll see how things go from there. Don’t overdo it, take it slow—I’ll ask around on your behalf. If she really does come to like you, I’ll help arrange the proposal, but it has to be as primary wife. And if she truly doesn’t feel that way about you, don’t dwell on it—it’s simply not meant to be. A real man need never worry about finding a wife… That’s about as much help as I can offer.”
“Of course, naturally. Thank you, Second Brother-in-law.” Su Wenyu nodded, his face breaking into an open, accepting smile.
And with that, the matter was more or less settled, and the night passed uneventfully after that. The next morning, at the crow of the rooster, Lu Junyi was already out in the courtyard going through his boxing forms. Before long, Ning Yi came out yawning as well, washing up briefly with well water—Xiao Chan had been busy sorting things the night before and had also been rather worn out afterward by his attentions, so he’d let her sleep in—and once done, began his morning calisthenics in front of Lu Junyi.
The morning had little enough to occupy them. Ning Yi sent the shopkeeper who had traveled with them out to inquire about any houses for sale, then spent the time organizing the gifts for the afternoon’s visit to the Qin residence. After lunch, the group set out for the Right Chancellor’s residence. The rain had cleared by now, sunlight blazing bright, cicadas droning throughout the city, the weather quite hot.
The visit to the Qin residence proceeded as a fairly ordinary formal call—gifts were presented, and Lu Junyi was shown to a side hall to wait until the Chancellor had time for him, while Xiao Chan, Yun Zhu, and Jin’er were taken to the back courtyard, received by Madam Qin and Yun Niang and the others. In truth, they could have brought only Yun Zhu, but since Ning Yi would soon be heading to Shandong and Xiao Chan and the others would remain in the capital for some time, it made sense to establish familiarity now—especially since Xiao Chan, now his concubine, counted as family as well.
Ning Yi himself was received in the main hall and served tea; Wenren Buer was already waiting there and introduced him to the several advisors currently serving Qin Siyuan. After brief pleasantries, the first order of business was seeing to Lu Junyi—since he was a surrendered man, whatever his talents, proper face still needed to be given.
This was likely the highest-ranking official Lu Junyi had ever met in his life, and when he was shown into the reception hall, he visibly drew a sharp breath, then cupped his hands and knelt in formal obeisance—appropriate given that he was, technically, still a man under charge of crime at this point. Qin Siyuan hurried over to help him up, but Lu Junyi insisted on kneeling regardless. Though this era lacked the extreme deference to authority of later dynasties, it was hardly shameful for a man under a criminal charge to bow before the sitting chancellor—especially given that Lu Junyi had always prided himself on his martial background and had long wished to serve in the army for his country. It could only be called respect, nothing more.
Once he rose, Ning Yi once more explained Lu Junyi’s situation to Qin Siyuan, this time entirely in flattering terms—his formidable martial skill, his framing by Liangshan, his choice to abandon darkness for the light, and so forth. There was also the matter of restoring his family’s confiscated property, though naturally that was not something that could be arranged just yet.
“In that case, let Squire Lu stay for now as a guest in my own residence. Once the matter of Liangshan has been fully settled, I’ll arrange for someone to accompany him to Daming Prefecture, and see about a proper post for him within the army thereafter—how does that sound?”
Having asked this, Qin Siyuan made the decision on the spot, and Lu Junyi naturally accepted. The chancellor’s residence was quite large, and having just defected, being invited to stay within Qin Siyuan’s own household counted as a considerable mark of trust—his abilities would, of course, still be tested further down the line, which was only to be expected. With Lu Junyi’s matter settled, Qin Siyuan had the middle-aged man named Ji Kun see to his hospitality and help him find lodging, while Ning Yi followed Qin Siyuan to the study, where the real business concerning Liangshan finally began—covering the resources that could be mobilized, and the Secret Investigation Bureau’s manpower across the Shandong region.
“…As it stands, the Bureau’s man responsible for monitoring both the Eastern and Western Circuits of Shandong is the grandson of an old friend of mine—his name is Wang Shanyue…” Kang Xian had already mentioned this name to him before, and Qin Siyuan went on to briefly explain the background of the Wang family—how the great Confucian scholar Wang Qisong had been killed resisting the Liao, his skin flayed and his corpse displayed before the enemy lines, leaving behind only a household of women and children, with this grandson as the sole surviving male heir.
“The Wang clan now lives mainly at Giant Pine Manor outside the capital, still named after old Master Wang from his lifetime. Though the household today consists mostly of women and children, some of the women do practice martial arts—the kind of skilled fighters you spoke of, Liheng. They’ve taken in a few men as matrilocal sons-in-law; none especially outstanding, but between them all, the family manages to hold itself together well enough. As for that boy Shanyue… he’s carried heavy burdens since childhood, and his temperament has grown somewhat extreme and eccentric as a result. He’s organized a band of bandits near Liangshan, going by the name ‘Wolf Bandits’—you’ll understand once you meet him. Here’s his portrait…”
As Qin Siyuan spoke, he drew out a scroll. Ning Yi unrolled it and looked—the brushwork wasn’t old-fashioned, done in a fairly realistic style. Looking it over, he frowned slightly. “He looks rather…”
“Delicate?” Qin Siyuan laughed. “In person, he’s truly a striking, elegant young man, the sort you’d call a beautiful gentleman of a troubled age. He’s had a somewhat feminine appearance since childhood, but after old Master Wang passed, he became the only male left in the family—the future of every elderly, weak, or widowed member of the household came to rest on his shoulders alone. Afterward… his temperament grew rather twisted…”
Ning Yi nodded to show he understood. “Is there anything specific I should be careful of with him?”
“Hard to say for certain right now. But you needn’t worry too much—just be yourself. Given your character, Liheng, and how clean and decisive you are in getting things done, I doubt he’ll dislike you.” Qin Siyuan’s expression grew rather complicated, and he shook his head with a wry smile. “It’s not the kind of eccentricity that requires special caution, exactly. He has no particular taboos, and he’s genuinely warm toward his own people. I’ll write you a letter of introduction, and he’ll trust you on the strength of it. Just… be mentally prepared not to be too startled by him…”
Watching the old man’s rather suggestive smile, Ning Yi felt a twitch at the corner of his eye… That fellow looked like a woman in the portrait—could old Qin possibly be hinting that this Wang Shanyue was gay?