Old Madam Xie quickly told Zhengze and the others to help the master up. Mother and son had not seen each other in two years, and she meant to take a good look at him.
Xie Shu had first served as Regional Inspector of Jiannan Circuit and was later given the additional post of Military Governor. In camp he oversaw the troops; on campaign he took command as marshal. The frontier had been unsettled for years, with Tubo raiding again and again. Two years earlier he had met and driven back the Tubo elite forces that seized Shibao Fortress, and since then he had been building defensive works around the Jishi Mountains. A soldier living in the open could hardly be as well kept as a man at home, and the old madam felt a pang of sorrow. "You are getting old," she said wistfully. "However busy the army keeps you, you must take care of yourself."
Xie Shu supported her by the arm as they walked toward the hall, smiling. "Beyond the pass, the whole world is wind and sand. I inspect five or six times a day, and the moment I step out of the tent, my helmet fills with grit. It isn't that I don't want to look after myself. Conditions out there are harsh, and there's no room for such things."
The old madam nodded, resigned. "Our ancestors were soldiers for generations. Your father managed well enough in Youzhou in his day, but you had to be posted to Jiannan. I always said men should serve the country with loyalty and not mind a little hardship. Now I see that nothing else matters much, except that you age faster." She studied his temples and clicked her tongue. "You even have white hair."
"So Mother hasn't looked at her son properly all these years," Xie Shu said playfully. "I had white hair before I left for the frontier. You only find out today?"
There was a trace of wistfulness in his words, the tone of a son starved of affection, coaxing his old mother. Seeing how light the mood had become, everyone laughed along.
Once the older generation had had their moment, it was time for husband and wife. Madam Hu led the two concubines forward to greet Xie Shu and said, "Master, you have had a hard two years away."
In a great household, only the principal wife counts on formal occasions, never the concubines. Xie Shu looked at Madam Hu and said with a smile, "You have honored Mother and taught our children on my behalf. If anyone should speak of hardship, it is I." His eyes were only for Madam Hu. The two concubines did not receive so much as a glance.
The concubines were used to being treated this way. They wept all the same, tears streaming, their sobs bitter and fervent. And since both their branches' children now had marriages arranged, they could answer to the master, and they felt their backs a little straighter than before.
Next came the children. Zhengze led his younger brothers and sisters forward to pay their respects. Xie Shu was at ease with his children, and they were happy to be close to him. They called out "Father" over one another, some bowing deeply, some curtsying, a picture of a kind father and devoted children.
Qingyuan still stood at the very edge. By seniority she ranked last and was the least noticeable. The old madam told Xie Shu of Zhengjun's and Qinghe's engagements, a note of satisfaction in her words. "The Prefect Liu's wife acted as matchmaker for both. Third Young Master is to marry the fifth daughter of the Transport Commissioner's family, and the eldest girl will marry the eldest son of the Founding Earl's house. They are excellent matches. The ancestors be thanked, every one of the younger generation has found good fortune. When I go below one day, I can face your father." Then, as if it had suddenly occurred to her, she raised a hand and beckoned Qingyuan over, nudging her toward the master's seat. "This is the fourth girl I wrote to you about. Through some twist of fate, the child wandered outside until now. We won't speak of the past. From here on the family is whole, so let us live well together."
It was strange, really, that a father and his own daughter needed an introduction. This was not the first time Qingyuan had seen the military governor, but it was the first time Xie Shu had seen her. Perhaps she looked very much like her mother. Xie Shu was dazed for a moment, and something like grief showed in his eyes. When Concubine Jin first entered the house, she was a pure, lovely girl who filled his whole sight. Later others came, and his attention was drawn away. Somehow things had ended up the way they did.
But the child was, after all, his own flesh and blood. Xie Shu looked at Qingyuan, sighed deeply, and after a long silence asked, "Have you settled in since coming back?"
"Yes," Qingyuan said. "Everyone in the family has been very kind to me. There is nothing I'm not used to."
That was always her temper. However great the grievance in her heart, nothing of it ever showed on her face. The old madam had once remarked to Yuejian that the girl kept her composure well, and that if nothing changed in three or five years, she might make something of herself.
Xie Shu never concerned himself with household affairs. Even if she had complained that things were bad, he would have heard it and let it go, with no follow-up. Qingyuan caused him no trouble, and that put him at ease. He nodded. "You grew up outside, so you probably have many rules to learn now. Ask your elder sisters for guidance. Cultivating yourself is what matters."
Qingyuan answered "Yes" and stepped back. The first conversation between father and daughter was over.
It was getting late, and the master, tired from his long journey, ought to rest early. Everyone dispersed. Xie Shu saw the old madam back to Huifang Garden, then went with Madam Hu to her courtyard. After such a long separation, husband and wife had much to say. As she helped him change, Madam Hu asked in a low voice, "Master, did you return by the court's grace, or..."
Only now did worry show on Xie Shu's face. He turned and sat down by the table, his hands clasped in a fist. "I didn't dare say much in front of Mother, for fear of worrying her. This homecoming is officially a visit to my family. In truth, I've been suspended from my post pending investigation."
Madam Hu was startled. "Investigated? Why? You have served the court diligently. When the old master died and you asked to be relieved of your post, the court refused. Only two years have passed, and your military merit counts for nothing? What went wrong that they want to investigate you?"
Xie Shu only sighed. "The Emperor and I do not agree on policy."
Madam Hu nearly dropped her jaw. "You and the Emperor... disagree on policy?" What was this? For a minister to disagree with the Emperor was almost unthinkable.
Xie Shu had always been stubborn. All his years in officialdom had not taught him to be accommodating; whenever he believed something was right, he argued it to the end. Madam Hu had been his wife for many years and knew he held to principle in public matters, but a real dispute with the Emperor was no good thing.
Still, she must not add fuel to the fire. She softened her tone. "Don't be anxious, Master. Tell me what happened, and I can help you think it through."
Xie Shu let out a long breath and struck the table. "The battle a few years ago was meant to take Shibao Fortress. After we dealt the Tubo a heavy blow, we pinned them back in the Jishi Mountains and built more than fifty natural barriers, large and small, linking the northwest defenses into a single line. But Shibao Fortress was never retaken. As things stand, the northwest line is complete. Shibao Fortress is no longer worth fighting for, and a foreign army is entrenched there. Attacking again would be a battle that only sends men to their deaths. Unfortunately, His Majesty did not accept my advice. If I won't attack Shibao Fortress, I'm afraid the Emperor will attack me next."
Madam Hu was stunned. She sat down beside him and took a long while to collect herself. "In your eyes, Master, those soldiers are comrades who live and die together. In the court's eyes, how are their lives different from stones hurled from a sling? In the end, lives in this world are valued unequally. If you want to keep the family's fortunes, you should give way a little."
Xie Shu fell silent. In truth he regretted it somewhat. After a while he said, "My memorial can't reach the throne, so fretting now is useless. Fortunately they haven't removed me from my post yet. Otherwise I'd have nothing to say to Mother, and it would drag down the children's marriages too."
The couple had lost all joy in their reunion. Each was weighed down with worry, heads propped in their hands.
"Master, do you have any close colleagues at court?" Madam Hu said. "Or perhaps we could find some way to ask someone to smooth things over. With you away from your post so long, things can change in a blink. Preparing before the rain is the best course."
This only made Xie Shu's head ache more. "It isn't like before. After Prince Yi's rebellion, the Emperor promoted new confidants and made the capital as tight as an iron barrel. Those men are not like the high officials of Shengzhou. Each holds real power in his hands. Asking favors of them is no easy matter!"
Madam Hu thought it over and came up with the old reliable method. "Winning people over with empty words won't do. We'll have to spend some silver. Since we're making the effort anyway, we may as well go straight to the Emperor's closest attendants, the ones who can speak to him face to face."
Xie Shu began to go through the candidates one by one. "Among the rising men, the most prominent are the Palace Command. They guard the imperial city, and everything inside the palace is arranged and handled by them... Shen Run!" He said the name in a low voice, his fingers tapping on the table. "He is the Commander of the Palace Command, and his star is rising in the capital. But officials posted outside like us have nothing to do with capital officials, and Shen Run has a terrible reputation. To try to befriend him..." He paused, shook his head, and smiled. "I'm afraid it would be like walking up to feed a tiger. The matter wouldn't be settled, and not even a bone would be left."
Madam Hu came from a military family herself, and there was a ruthless streak in her. In her view, if you don't act, don't, but if you act, you strike at the vital spot. She had heard of the new Palace Command Commander. "Is his father the Deputy Chancellor Shen Zhibai, who was dragged into the succession dispute and executed in the marketplace?"
Xie Shu nodded. "Shen Zhibai's crime reached his whole household, and Shen Run and his brothers suffered a great deal. The more a man has been through that, the harder and crueler he is once restored. I fear he is hard to deal with."
"Won't even money work? He has to spend to rebuild his house. Who in the world has too much money?"
Xie Shu smiled. Women's vision was short, after all. "Money and power always grow together. From the day he became commander, he has had more gold and silver mountains than he could ever spend. How much silver do we have to fill that hole?"
So they discussed it back and forth and still saw no way out. Madam Hu worked out how much the family had in reserve, while Xie Shu went through the powerful men of the capital again from beginning to end. Neither slept well that night; they lay side by side, murmuring until dawn.
The next day there was a banquet for relatives and friends, and the people of the east and west households all came. The shadows under Madam Hu's eyes needed a thick layer of powder to hide, which drew a jibe from Madam Jiang. "Elder sister-in-law's makeup is especially fine today. The eldest master must be back, and you are working harder than ever."
Madam Jiang's background was not high among the sisters-in-law. She liked to tell crude jokes and thought herself witty. Madam Hu looked down on her somewhat, and replied half in earnest, "A woman with a granddaughter ought to be more careful. Don't let the younger ones laugh at you. I notice you don't wear much powder yourself. With the second master so seldom at home, your complexion is surely splendid."
The second master was a model of bad conduct from the top down. He was versed in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and spent every day at the pleasure houses. How could Madam Jiang control him?
Madam Hu normally didn't bother with her, but when she hit back, one retort could leave a bruise. Madam Jiang was momentarily embarrassed. She said she had left her fan behind and must go back for it, and left the garden with her maid. Walking down the narrow lane, she spat hard and cursed, "That wretch, putting on airs with me! Why did the eldest master have to come back now? Does she think no one knows? Our second branch was raised by a concubine and had no face to begin with. When the household was divided, they drove us out like beggars. Only because the old madam decided it did we not argue. Now she thinks she's somebody. When the moon is full, it wanes; when water is full, it overflows. The main branch has been glorious all these years, and now it's their turn for bad luck. Soon their property will be confiscated, they'll be exiled, the men made slaves and the women prostitutes, and there will be a day for it, you'll see. Just watch!"
Madam Jiang was the kind who, once angry, cared nothing for consequences and would curse eighteen generations of ancestors. Having cursed to her heart's content, she thought nothing more of it. She had believed the lane was empty, with only her and her maid. But walls have ears. Two people stepped out through a side gate: Qingyuan and her personal maid.
"Second aunt, what's the matter? Did someone make you angry?" she asked with a smile, her round face full of innocence and childishness.