Chapter Twenty-Five
Cui Lanyin had slept poorly through the night, and when she rose that morning, a dull ache had returned to her head.
Just as dawn was breaking, she had Sangzhi prepare a decoction to ease the pain. By breakfast, the medicine had gradually subdued the ache, and it never developed into a full attack.
She had barely finished eating when Granny Sun came hurrying in, her face alight with excitement. “Master, Madam, Second Miss—the in-laws’ madam has arrived with the eldest miss and her husband.”
The whole family hurried toward the eastern gate to welcome them. There they saw Madam Hong, Cui Lanzhi, and Hong Ji. Aside from their wrinkled clothing, all three looked to be in good spirits.
After an exchange of greetings, Lady Jiang took Madam Hong by the arm and led her inside.
Cui Lanzhi had been married for more than a year. Though they had kept in touch by letter, the family had not seen her in all that time and had missed her terribly. Cui Lanyin slipped her arm through her sister’s. “Sister, stay with us for a good long while this time.”
Cui Lanzhi leaned close and whispered, “Until the autumn examinations.”
Cui Lanyin gave a delighted little cheer. “That’s wonderful! I’m certain Brother-in-law will pass with flying colors. Then he can stay here until next year’s metropolitan examination.”
Hong Ji, walking behind them with Cui Sheng, laughed. “Then I’ll borrow Second Sister’s good wishes.”
Only then did Cui Lanzhi realize that he had heard them. She turned around and chided him with a smile. “You certainly dare to dream, husband.”
Hong Ji immediately straightened his back. “If a man doesn’t even dare to dream, what is the point of taking the examinations?”
Cui Sheng was very much in agreement. “Exactly.”
The Hong family and Cui family’s first branch were maternal relatives, and the two families had become related by marriage as well. There was no need for excessive formality between them, so they all went to the main reception hall to sit and talk.
After drinking a cup of tea, Madam Hong said somewhat apologetically, “I should have sent word ahead of time. It’s just that things have been rather unsettled in the courtyard belonging to our second uncle’s family lately, and the disturbance has made it impossible for Zhengze to study. With only a few months left before the autumn examinations, I was afraid it would delay him. So I thought he might stay here with his in-laws for a while, and he can also visit his maternal uncle in the Tan family to seek guidance in his studies.”
Worried that they might misunderstand, Madam Hong quickly added, “I thought that since our relatives haven’t visited one another in so long, it would be a good opportunity. Since the two of them were coming, I decided to come along and stay for a couple of days, so we wouldn’t become strangers with time.” In other words, she made it clear that she would not be staying long.
Though Lady Jiang was not a woman of many words, she was sincere to the core. Taking Madam Hong’s hand, she said, “It’s not easy for you to make the trip. You really ought to stay longer so we can catch up. If you ask me, you should stay until Zhengze has finished the autumn examinations and then return home together.”
Madam Hong’s face brightened, and much of her weariness faded. “There are still piles of matters waiting for me at home. I’ve had to force myself to make time even for these few days. I’ll stay longer next time.”
They had traveled for three days. Even without stopping to rest, they needed to wash and change their clothes, so rooms had to be prepared at once.
Although Cui Lanyin was the only one living in the rear section and there were spare rooms available, she was an unmarried young woman. There was no way to have her brother-in-law and sister share the same courtyard with her.
By the same reasoning, it would not be proper to move her out either. An unmarried girl’s boudoir was not a place where an unrelated man could stay.
Thus, Cui Sheng cleared out the study in his southern courtyard. It consisted of two rooms and two adjoining side rooms, enough space for the married couple. It was also the quietest place in the eastern section, making it ideal for Hong Ji to concentrate on his studies.
Cui Lanyin might not have liked having people disturb her, but she could only arrange for Madam Hong to stay in the eastern wing behind the main residence.
Hot water had already been prepared below. The three visitors went their separate ways to wash and change, and when they gathered again, they looked considerably more refreshed.
Cui Sheng and Hong Ji remained in the main hall to talk, while Lady Jiang invited Madam Hong to sit with her on the luohan couch in the family sitting room. Cui Lanzhi and Cui Lanyin sat on the chairs below, keeping her company.
Cui Lanyin noticed that even after washing, Cui Lanzhi still looked somewhat haggard. “Sister, are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m perfectly fine.” Cui Lanzhi answered readily enough, but a hint of embarrassment colored her face.
Cui Lanyin assumed that her sister was too shy to speak in front of her mother-in-law. She was just about to take her away so the two sisters could talk privately when Madam Hong could no longer contain her laughter.
“Yin is going to be married soon. She’s old enough to hear about such things now. Your sister is going to give you a nephew.”
“Zhi is with child?” Lady Jiang pressed both hands to her chest. “What wonderful news! Has it been more than three months?”
Madam Hong smiled. “She has just passed the three-month mark. If she hadn’t, how could I have let her travel?”
Lady Jiang could only nod, her joy plain for all to see. Ever since her elder daughter had married, she had been anxiously waiting for news of a pregnancy. She had feared that Lanzhi, too, might have difficulty conceiving, and that would have been enough to torment her with worry.
Cui Lanyin was genuinely delighted for her sister. Leaning against Cui Lanzhi, she said, “I’m going to start putting things aside for my nephew right away…”
In her heart, she preferred the idea of a little girl. But in this world, Cui Lanzhi would only have an easier life in the Hong household if she gave birth to a son. So she could only swallow the word “niece” before it escaped her lips.
Cui Sheng had also heard the news in the main hall from Hong Ji. He came over beaming, his teeth nearly on display, and told Cui Lanzhi to ask for anything she felt like eating. If Cui Lanyin had not shot him a warning look, he would nearly have blurted out, “Your father will make it for you.”
While the family was enjoying the happy occasion, Granny Sun came hurrying in again.
“Second Miss, the gatekeeper says Princess Kang has sent people with many gifts for you. They refused to stay and wait for a reply; they simply left the things and went.” Granny Sun paused to catch her breath. “Second Miss, the gifts are far too valuable to leave at the gatehouse, so I took the liberty of having them carried here. Should we bring them inside, or move them to the back?”
Were these people determined to cling to her no matter what? Cui Lanyin clenched her fists, doing her utmost to suppress the anger surging within her.
Whether Prince Kang had acted on his own or Prince Duan had given the order, this was going too far.
She had clearly refused them. Did these people truly think they could pretend not to hear her? Did they believe that someone like her could be squeezed and molded however they pleased?
“I heard all about it in Wuxi,” Madam Hong said with great interest. “Yin won Empress Dowager Chen’s favor, and Prince Wei even acknowledged you as his grandniece. I never imagined that Princess Kang would now be sending you gifts as well.” She sounded almost eager. “It’s rather embarrassing to admit, but I haven’t seen fine imperial wares in a long time. Thanks to Yin, I’ll have the chance to broaden my horizons today.”
Lady Jiang had not given the matter much thought. She assumed that Cui Lanyin must have encountered Princess Kang in the palace the previous day, and that Princess Kang had sent the gifts to put on a show for Empress Dowager Chen. To avoid any problems in between, they would probably have to inventory everything after returning them. Without thinking, she said, “Bring them in.”
By then, stopping them would serve no purpose. Cui Lanyin allowed Granny Sun to lead the servants inside with the gifts.
Granny Sun’s report had already made it clear that there were many items, but when the gifts were actually carried in, everyone was still stunned.
There were eighteen bolts of fabric, more than a dozen large and small sandalwood boxes inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and over ten varieties of local specialties from both the north and the south. Before long, every chair and table in the room was covered.
Madam Hong was not nearly as ignorant of such things as she had claimed. “How generous of Princess Kang.” She sifted through the fabrics. “These are all the finest imperial brocades. Apart from princely households and the homes of dukes and marquises, ordinary families would consider themselves extraordinarily fortunate to receive even one or two bolts as a gift. These red ones are especially beautiful. It’s a pity there isn’t a proper scarlet one, or it would make such a lovely bridal gown for Yin. But how could someone like Princess Kang have overlooked that?”
When she saw that Lady Jiang had not moved, Madam Hong assumed she did not know where to begin. She reached out and opened the largest mother-of-pearl-inlaid sandalwood box.
“Let’s see what’s inside this one… Oh, heavens…”
She immediately covered her mouth.
Lying in the box was an exquisitely crafted golden phoenix hairpin, its five tails spread as though ready to take flight. The golden radiance it emitted was dazzling to the eyes.
Everyone in the room stared at Cui Lanyin in alarm and confusion. Lady Jiang and Cui Lanzhi clutched her hand even more tightly. “Yin, is it from Prince Kang…?” Their voices trembled uncontrollably.
Hong Ji had studied the regulations of court ceremony. He stepped over and looked into the box, then said solemnly, “A prince’s secondary consort wears a phoenix hairpin with three tail feathers. A five-tailed phoenix hairpin without pearl tassels should be for a crown prince’s Liangdi.”
Though no crown prince had been formally appointed yet, everyone knew it would be Prince Duan—and that his appointment would come soon.
Under such circumstances, the only person who could send out a golden hairpin signifying a promise of this nature was Prince Duan.
Families of scholars placed great importance on their reputation. Thus, even when it came to becoming a prince’s secondary consort, respectable scholarly families looked down on the position and would not send even a daughter of lesser birth to fill it.
Imperial consorts and a crown prince’s Liangdi or Liangyuan, however, were another matter entirely. The Yao family had sent Yao Fei into the palace, after all. And in all of Great Yong, how many scholarly families could compare with the Yao family in status and purity of lineage?
Madam Hong’s expression changed as she looked at Cui Lanyin. “Yin is going to become a noblewoman!”
Cui Lanyin’s face turned cold. She walked over and snapped the box shut with a sharp clap. Then she raised her voice and said, “Call Geng Shun and Geng Dayou here.”
There was no need to trouble Aiye. Zhichun immediately ran outside to call for Geng Shun.
Only then did Lady Jiang and Cui Lanzhi come back to themselves. “Yes, yes. Have Geng Shun return the things at once.”
Cui Sheng added, “Don’t worry about anything. Whatever happens, the family will bear it with you.”
Cui Lanyin smiled at Cui Sheng. “Father, don’t you have an unused Daoist robe? Have Zhichun alter it for me later. From now on, I’ll be the Unattached Daoist.”
Lady Jiang stared blankly for a moment before reacting. “But why go that far? Don’t you still have Prince Wei and Empress Dowager Chen to stand up for you?”
Cui Sheng had already understood. He pressed down on Lady Jiang’s hand. “It wouldn’t be wise to seek help from Prince Wei and Empress Dowager Chen over this. Going to them would only put them in a difficult position.”
With her own family, there was no need for formalities. Cui Lanyin turned to Hong Ji. “I’ll stay at home and live as a Daoist for now. If that still isn’t enough, I’ll go to the Return-to-Truth Abbey. Surely that won’t implicate my brother-in-law.”
Hong Ji glanced at Cui Lanzhi. “Second Sister, you needn’t go that far.” He pointed upward toward the court. “If the person above us turns out to be that petty-minded, then I’ll return home with your elder sister and take up farming.”
Cui Lanyin felt somewhat comforted. She was happy that Cui Lanzhi had found such a good husband.
Cui Sheng and Lady Jiang felt the same way. They thought that if the whole family stood united, they would surely weather this crisis as smoothly as they had all the others.
Once Geng Shun arrived, Cui Lanyin ordered him to take people and return everything to Prince Kang’s residence immediately.
After watching Geng Shun leave, Cui Lanyin said to Geng Dayou, “Go to Prince Wei’s residence and tell them that I received guidance in a dream last night. To break the fate that says I bring misfortune to my six relations, I must spend several years as a Daoist nun. So I won’t be going over for a while. Once I’ve gained some understanding of the Dao, I’ll go and explain it to my great-uncle.”
At this critical juncture, she especially could not go to Prince Wei’s residence or Empress Dowager Chen’s palace. The moment she did, everything she had done would appear, in Prince Duan’s eyes, to have been directed by Prince Wei.
With that, it was best for matters to end here. Her position as an easily exposed and unconvincing grandniece should now quietly be withdrawn.
