Preparing the funds and leading his men besides: it was plainly a hint. He was to stockpile enough silver, and someone would come to collect it later.
Xie Shu left the Commander's residence and stood a while on the steps. June was almost here, and the sun burned against his skin. When he looked up, the ring of golden light swelled endlessly, then shrank to the size of a pupil, and a wave of dizziness hit him.
His attendant hurried over to steady him. "It's hot, master. Be careful of heatstroke. Let's go home."
Xie Shu waved him off. The heat rose in thick waves and left his mind foggy. He tugged at his collar and walked quickly to the carriage, climbed in, ordered the driver to take him home, then leaned against the side panel with his eyes shut and concentrated on his breathing.
Old Madam questioned him closely about what had happened, then let out a long sigh. "I always said there must be an old grudge, or Shen Run wouldn't have made things so difficult. Now that you are the one asking a favor, you went to his door, and of course he would lash you with words. Don't take it to heart. Nobody gets everything as they wish. If you have to turn sideways to squeeze through a narrow place, then as long as you come out without a bloody nose, you have kept your dignity."
"Yes," Xie Shu said. "I don't mind any of that. But I expect Shen Run will name an enormous price. How much of our family wealth can fill a hole like that?"
"Then there is nothing to be done. Since it has come to this, who is counting the cost? If he will take the matter on, we will sell the pots and pans to feed him. If we hesitate now and wait until the Emperor actually orders Fu Chunshan to attack Stone Fort City, it will be too late." She turned to Madam Hu. "Go and get ready. No banknotes; I want cash silver, packed in big wine jars. I know how things are done in Youzhou. Bribe money doesn't go through the money houses. That way nothing is left behind to trace."
Madam Hu had seen a good deal in her time, but a crisis like this at her own door was a first. She was stunned for a moment at Old Madam's instructions, then recovered and answered yes, and hurried out to make arrangements.
A flatbed cart brought in a dozen or so black wine jars. Madam Hu looked at them and felt a chill. How much silver would it take to fill them? Five hundred taels each, at the very least. All of it would come out of the common funds, and what were the common funds? Her husband's salary, the income from the estates attached to his post, and the imperial rewards granted to the noble ladies each season. The money had to be spent, and there was no avoiding where it went. But if it came out of her accounts alone, sooner or later someone would open her mouth and say, openly or by insinuation, that she managed the household badly. She would swallow a silent loss for nothing.
Madam Hu stood under the eaves, her face set like a shell of ice, her eyes cold and fixed as knives. Nanny Sun understood her mistress well and offered her advice carefully. "Everyone in this house lives in comfort and leisure, and they all bore the master's children. Who should worry about this, and who should stand safely on the bank? If you ask me, madam, invite the two concubines over and talk it through, so each household shares some of the burden. Let them learn how hard it is to run a family. Why should your accounts be bled dry while they grow fat and sleek? Especially the one in Pomegranate Blossom Court. Her two sons are already married. At the Fourth Miss's coming-of-age ceremony she had the means to rival you. Now that the master is in trouble, does she plan to fold her arms and watch?"
Madam Hu ground her teeth at the mention of it, and felt that Nanny Sun was right. In ordinary times the household was peaceful and she had no pretext to touch that woman. Now that trouble had come, it would be a waste not to use the chance to stretch her sinews a little.
Still, she said, "The one in Hanxiang Lodge was carried in as a concubine and cries poverty all day long. I doubt we could squeeze any oil out of her."
Nanny Sun covered her mouth and laughed. "Madam has forgotten. The First Miss has only just been betrothed, and the betrothal gifts from the Founding Earl's household are all kept in her room."
"Ah!" Madam Hu saw it at once. She turned and told Cailian, "Go yourself. Invite both concubines here. I have urgent business to discuss with them."
Cailian said yes and went off to pass on the message.
Before long the two concubines arrived at Madam Hu's courtyard. Tea was served. Madam Hu sighed and groaned, looking as though she had something she couldn't bring herself to say. Concubine Lian glanced at Concubine Mei. Both knew the madam wasn't brewing anything good. "Madam, what is it?" Lian said with a smile. "Say what you have to say. All this sighing is making us anxious."
Madam Hu took her opening. "It's hard to say... Today the master went to the Commander's residence. He did see the man, but there is a whole string of things to follow, and we must buy peace with money. Old Madam gave the order just now, and a dozen or so big wine jars have been delivered. They're all standing in the courtyard. Silver has to be poured into them. Old Madam doesn't handle the accounts, so how would she know what is left in them? This year we had the third young master's wedding, then Old Madam's birthday banquet, and money has flowed out like water. I looked at those jars and truly didn't know what to do. So I've asked you both here, to think of something together, so we can at least get past this difficulty."
It was obvious enough: she meant to bind them and make them pay. The two concubines exchanged another look. Lian spoke first. "Madam knows my circumstances. I have no standing with the master. I get two taels a month for myself, and I have to think twice before ordering a plate of toon shoots with eggs. Where would I have any savings?"
Madam Hu had expected exactly that. She glanced at her. "You're too modest. Old Madam, the master, and I, who among us doesn't hold you in regard? You know the master's situation now. If the skin is gone, where will the hair grow? If the master really loses his rank... If you won't think of yourself, think of Miss Qinghe."
That left Concubine Lian speechless. Concubine Mei said nothing at all. She kept her head down over her teacup and played the fool.
"The master's career concerns more than our own wealth and honor. It concerns the prospects of all the young masters and misses below him." Seeing that neither would answer, Madam Hu gave a short laugh. "The boys are all about to sit the military examinations. If the master keeps his post as military governor, think how many advantages that brings them. Yet everyone just stands and watches. If I can't manage this on my own, the most I can do is fill fewer jars. And if the Commander is not properly appeased and thinks our offering is stingy, he may well set a trap for the master later. Think about it: which of you would come out any better?"
Nanny Sun chimed in on cue, with an ingratiating smile. "At a time like this, we must all be of one mind. Once this difficulty is over, there are long days ahead."
Madam Hu said, "My idea is that every household contributes something to make up the amount. I won't take it for nothing. After the autumn harvest on the estates, you'll get your money back as usual. Even when a mother's family hits a rough patch, one can't ignore it, and the Xie family is the root of everything. If this household falls apart, never mind wealth and prospects. I'm afraid we'd lose our lives."
The lady of the house was best at frightening and coaxing in the same breath. They had lived under one roof for so many years; who didn't know her ways? She was a bodhisattva before others and a demon behind their backs. Once she set her mind on you, you were caught in a spider spirit's web, and no struggling would free you from her hands.
Saying she would repay them after autumn was only a pretty phrase. When the time came she would find some way to put them off. Concubine Lian tried to evade. "In all my years since entering the Xie family, my income has been very limited..."
"Then shift Qinghe's share over. Let us get the master through this first." Madam Hu cut her off flatly, then turned her eyes to Concubine Mei. "And you are even easier to deal with. Both your daughters-in-law brought dowries when they married in. Gather a little from them. It won't be difficult."
The two concubines left Madam Hu's courtyard full of resentment, though neither could say anything. As she walked, Concubine Lian spat. "She has the nerve to say it! Telling me to touch my daughter's betrothal money. Is there any other stepmother like her under heaven?"
"That creature is all smiles on the surface and has a heart blacker than coal," Concubine Mei said through her teeth. "She's even scheming for my daughters-in-law's dowries. If I did as she says, how could I ever face anyone again?"
The two had never gotten along. They walked the same road, one behind the other, each cursing in her own way, and at the fork they parted and went back to their own courtyards.
Nanny Tao did rough work and moved around the servants' quarters often, so her news was quick. She came back and told the Fourth Miss, "The one in Hanxiang Lodge and the one in Pomegranate Blossom Court both hate Madam so much their teeth itch. Madam really is something. She's forcing them to hand over the First Miss's betrothal money and the dowries of the Second and Third Young Mistresses to make up the shortfall."
Qingyuan was sitting in a goose-neck chair reading. Hearing this, she said, "It's just Madam's way of shutting the concubines' mouths. She knows neither of them will touch that money. In the end the concubines will bring out their own savings."
Baoxian was watering the flowers nearby. The water wet the leaves, and the greenery was fresh and thick. "With this stunt of Madam's, the two concubines are probably even more resentful of her."
Qingyuan smiled. Resentment had to be built up bit by bit; only when it became unbearable would the house be thrown into uproar. Madam Hu always cared about appearances, but for two women who were concubines, appearances were a show they couldn't afford. Now that she was extorting their money, she had struck at their own interests. The next time something unfair happened, there would surely come a day when the whole sky was full of stars from the quarrel.
What went on outside Pale Moon Pavilion she heard only as entertainment. What she cared about more was the result of her father's efforts. "Has the Commander agreed?"
Nanny Tao had only gotten a rough idea herself and didn't dare state it outright. She tucked her hands into her sleeves. "The kitchen has got busy just now. They say there's to be a banquet tonight. Madam had the gatekeeper's boys buy a dozen or so big wine jars. I heard Nanny Shang say silver is to be put inside them. I'd guess the matter is half settled."
Qingyuan nodded. Since the Commander was willing to come to the house, he would surely not leave empty-handed. Hiding silver in wine jars was only trying to cover up what everyone knew, but it was better than using chests. She felt some relief herself. She sincerely hoped her father would survive this disaster. If silver could solve it, no one would turn their thoughts to her again. She saw Old Madam's mind quite clearly: if it ever came to a last resort, she would be sacrificed. Throughout history, how many girls had been married off to ally their families with others? Old Madam was certain of one thing: a daughter who married out needed her birth family as a backer. So even if she was wronged, Old Madam wasn't afraid she would cut off her own way back and rebel.
"If this succeeds, Miss will have earned some credit," Baoxian said quietly. "Maybe they'll remember her kindness and let Miss have a few peaceful days."
Chuntai had the temper of a young calf and blurted out, "The one who earned the credit is the third son of the Marquis of Danyang. Without that register of his, we couldn't have reached the Commander's residence. They must have seen it by now. Who does the third young master have his eyes on? Once he arrives in Youzhou and the master's post is safe, let's see what excuses Old Madam has left for turning him away."
Everyone around her hoped she would find a good future. By status and standing, the Marquis of Danyang's legitimate son was the best choice, and he had been willing to lend a hand in a crisis. That was real loyalty and feeling. Qingyuan was grateful to him too. She had earlier disliked how he'd made decisions on his own and dragged her into things, but this episode had shown her his sincerity, and she no longer rejected him as firmly as before. Yet the greatest problem between them remained, and it couldn't be changed easily. Gratitude was one thing and marriage another; the two could not be mixed together.
Summer in Youzhou turned stifling by afternoon. Willow branches swayed gently by the pond, and sunlight slanting through the thin leaves rimmed each one in gold.
Qingyuan always grew sluggish in this season. She had read half her book when her eyelids grew heavy, and she moved to the cloud-pattern couch in the inner room to nap. She hadn't slept long when she heard Xiazhi's voice outside, low and murmuring, too faint to make out.
A message from Old Madam's side drove the sleepiness out of her. She propped herself up and saw Xiazhi head back toward the courtyard gate, so she sat up and waited for Chuntai to come in and report.
The bead curtain at the door stirred, and Chuntai poked her head in. Seeing she was awake, she said, "Did Miss hear? Old Madam wants tonight's banquet to be a family dinner. She has invited several old friends of the Shen family and their wives, and the feast will be held in Yi Ou Chun in the front. The young ladies are all to get ready and go over when the time comes."
Qingyuan sighed when she heard it. What a careful mind Old Madam had. She had invited old friends of the Shen family to mediate, so any grievances could be dissolved amid talk and laughter. And Youzhou was not Hengtang; so many eyes were on the Xie family's movements. Inviting only the Commander and his brother might not stop the gossip, but with more guests, the occasion would smooth itself over. Besides, the circle of noble ladies could never be allowed to lose contact. Men maneuvered in the officialdom, while the women behind them wove a vast network of connections. Unseen, but tightly bound. Good terms made today could help bridge a gap tomorrow.
In any case she couldn't hide. Her own background might not win her much affection, but it spared her a good deal of trouble. Even if Old Madam meant to use her to fill the hole, others would have to weigh her status. This time she sincerely felt that Qingru could be the centerpiece of the banquet. If she herself kept a low profile, she should be able to get through unharmed.
So she had Chuntai change her into a plain blue overshirt with a front opening and pin up her hair with an ordinary hairpin. When the sun had sunk a little lower, she went to the garden in front where guests were received.
The old house in Youzhou was certainly grander in layout than Hengtang. The long wooden corridors and the row of lattice doors thrown open across the main hall had an airy, imposing beauty even in the glow of sunset.
Seating was divided east and west, as was the custom for banquets in households like theirs. Male and female guests were kept apart. A delicate little courtyard lay between them, and they didn't dine together, but each could see the other side. When the hour was near, the invited guests arrived one after another. The women were received in the painted pavilion to the west, and the men went east.
The circle of high officials was in fact not as large as one might think. Even if people didn't know each other well at first, a few words of conversation soon turned up mutual friends and relatives. Qingyuan and Qinghe chose an inconspicuous corner and sat with polite smiles on their faces, listening to the women's small talk. The wife of a censor-in-chief took a keen interest in Qingru and eagerly asked how old the Second Miss was and whether she had been betrothed.
"Oh, she must have a fine match, so as not to waste such talent and looks. Commander Shen is still unmarried, though he is a few years older..."
Qinghe glanced outside and lowered her voice to whisper in Qingyuan's ear. "Hasn't the real Buddha arrived yet?"
Qingyuan glanced out too. "It seems not."
"Even Father has to humble himself to ask a man like that. Could he put up with Second Sister's temper?" Qinghe said. "I'd almost like to see her married to someone like that. The family can't teach her, so let someone else discipline her. When they start beating each other senseless, then it'll be lively."
Qingyuan only listened with a smile and did not answer. Then she heard Old Madam call, "Fourth girl, go and see how things are coming along at the table next door. If everyone on the other side has arrived, tell the kitchen to serve the dishes together."
Qingyuan said yes, stood up, and went out.
It was about the same hour as the day before yesterday, the sun about to set but not yet gone, and servants were hanging lanterns at the four corners of the courtyard. She had gone only a few steps when she saw a steward leading several people onto the corridor across the way. Her steps slowed and she turned to look. The one in front was Shen Run, in a plain black everyday robe that set off his startling paleness.
He was looking at her too. His deep eyes narrowed slightly, and the shadows in them were dark, as though a demon lay hidden there.
Having met him before, Qingyuan was not as flustered as most young ladies would have been. She smiled openly, and even though the man looked dangerous, she smiled brightly. Then she bowed slightly and made him a curtsy.