Chapter 131

Fu Tingjun felt a quiet sense of curiosity, wanting to ask Xiuzhu's Wife whether there was any news of Bi Bo's Wife, yet also feeling somewhat afraid. Several times she opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, and it was not until she had seen Xiuzhu's Wife off that the question still went unasked.

As she turned back, she heard the crackling sound of firecrackers going off somewhere.

"Whose household is it—a wedding or a birthday celebration?" Zheng Sanniang murmured.

Fu Tingjun paid it no mind.

The next day, two serving women came to clean the rear wing rooms. After they left, Zheng Sanniang came to tell her: "The second young master of Lord Ji's household—the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review who lives next door to Lord Li—has passed the provincial examination. Once his ranking is confirmed, they'll be hosting a continuous banquet."

Fu Tingjun suddenly understood.

This year was the year of Jiaxu, a year of the grand triennial examination.

Then a thought struck her.

Last year was the year of Guiyou, when the provincial examinations were held.

Could Xiuzhu's Wife's hesitation have something to do with this?

Fu Tingjun called Yuwei over to speak in private: "I recall that Young Master Yu's father serves as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, overseeing all officials and impeaching all departments. If one were to make inquiries, it should be quite easy, shouldn't it?"

Yuwei was startled, and said, "Miss, what do you intend to do?" Her tone was tense.

Fu Tingjun smiled and said, "I'm merely a bit puzzled as to why Xiuzhu's Wife, having confirmed that Ninth Master has neither married nor taken a concubine, still showed a trace of regret..."

Yuwei interrupted Fu Tingjun's words with a slight breach of propriety: "Even so, Miss should not go making inquiries. What if word of it reaches Zhao Ye's people and gets back to him?" She showed a hint of worry.

Zhao Ling, was it?

Fu Tingjun thought of how he had spoken frankly to her—that ever since she agreed to follow him to Zhangye, he had made up his mind to marry her, which was why he had grown more intimate with her and dispensed with some of the formalities... A man so confident should hardly take such a thing to heart, should he?

At the thought, a sweet warmth spread through her heart.

"I'm just curious," Fu Tingjun said, now less inclined to pursue it. "If you think it's improper, then let's drop it."

Yuwei had grown up alongside her since childhood, and recalling the trouble Fu Tingjun had stirred up each time she claimed to be "curious," she could not help but feel a headache coming on. After some deliberation, she nevertheless went to inquire about the affairs of the Yu family of Fengle Ward in Nanjing.

It turned out the Yu family was so renowned in the capital that when she asked, everyone could offer a bit of information here and there. She quickly learned that last spring, the second master of the Yu family, Yu Guoliang, had been appointed to the Grand Secretariat and promoted to Minister of Rites; the eldest master, Yu Guocai, had risen through the ranks to become the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Fujian; and the third master of the Yu family had also entered official service, serving as Prefect of Shaoxing in Zhejiang. But what was most enviable of all was that the Yu family had worthy successors—last autumn, the eldest young master of the Yu family placed first in the provincial examination of Zhili, and this year, in the palace examination, he again placed first. Moreover, he was only twenty-one this year. Everyone was saying that if Young Master Yu was not made the top scholar (zhuangyuan), he would certainly be the third-ranked (tanhua).

Fu Tingjun was quite surprised and said with a smile, "Father always said the eldest young master of the Yu family was brilliant and had boundless prospects. I never imagined it would prove true."

By comparison, Zhao Ling seemed to pale.

She hoped her father would not compare Zhao Ling with Young Master Yu.

Yet she also felt it was unlikely he would not.

Fu Tingjun could not help but let out a long sigh.

Seeing this, Yuwei cautiously added, "But I hear Young Master Yu married last winter!"

Fu Tingjun was taken aback.

So soon!

Although her own death had been announced in July of the year before last, and Young Master Yu had only married last winter, for a prominent family, the process from selecting a bride to negotiating the match to sending the betrothal gifts would take at least a year or more. Moreover, Young Master Yu was a man whose betrothed had "died"—families with any regard for propriety would have certain reservations about marrying their daughters to him, and this was before he had even passed the metropolitan examination...

She could not help but ask, "Do you know which family's daughter Young Master Yu married?"

Yuwei, hoping only that Fu Tingjun would let the matter go, said, "It is the second daughter of Fan Dajin, the renowned Confucian scholar of Jiangnan, Fan Kun."

That explained it.

The two families knew each other well, and Young Master Yu had studied composition under Fan Kun, who would naturally have a thorough understanding of his student's character, temperament, and learning. Though Young Master Yu's betrothed had "died of illness," to Fan Kun it was surely but a slight flaw in an otherwise flawless jade.

Still, between negotiating a marriage, sitting for the provincial examination, taking a wife, and attending the palace examination—all these matters converging at once—Young Master Yu had still managed to achieve such excellent results. It showed that his skill came from steady effort and that he truly possessed real ability!

She found herself growing concerned about the palace examination.

When the results were posted in mid-April, the eldest young master of the Yu family, Yu Depu—Yu Jingxiu—was indeed named the top scholar (zhuangyuan).

A twenty-one-year-old zhuangyuan.

In an instant, Yu Jingxiu's name resounded across the length and breadth of the land.

But within a few days, the excitement that had gripped the streets and alleys was overshadowed by news that the Emperor, due to illness, could not hold morning court. Everyone's attention quickly shifted to whether the Emperor would recover, when Zhuang Wang—his only son—would be named Crown Prince, and whether Shen Shichong, the current Grand Secretary, could keep his position if Zhuang Wang ascended the throne, given that Mo Yingbo, the former Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and Minister of Rites, had always supported Zhuang Wang's succession... Even the two coarse maids hired to do odd jobs at the house would whisper a few words to Zheng Sanniang about it.

Fu Tingjun, however, paid no mind to such matters.

The Emperor had only one son, Zhuang Wang, and by all reason and propriety, he should be the one to succeed. Moreover, the Marquis of Yingchuan and Zhuang Wang were brothers-in-law, and Zhao Ling served under the Marquis's command. When the throne changed hands, even if the Marquis did not rise in rank, he would not fall into obscurity.

Her only concern was whether this would delay Zhao Ling's journey to the capital.

Adding to her unease, Xiuzhu's Wife from Sixi Hutong had not sent word since her one visit. On the eighth day of the fourth month, the Buddha's birthday, when the entire capital turned out for the temple fairs, Fu Tingjun sent Yuwei to keep watch at the mouth of Fu Family Lane, but she did not catch sight of any women of the Fu household leaving their residence.

She decided she must find a way to meet her elder brother, Fu Tingzheng.

If she could persuade him, she would gain another ally.

If Zhao Ling traveled quickly, he should reach the capital by the fifth month. She did not want him to suffer humiliation before her father on her account.

She wrote a letter and had Yuwei deliver it to her brother along the route he took to his studies.

Just then, a visitor arrived.

Fu Tingjun was somewhat surprised.

The neighbors on either side were all families of officials, acutely sensitive to the slightest shifts in the court. First, the wife of Shi Wenbin, Commander of the Tengji Guard, had celebrated her birthday; then the new imperial examination results had been announced; and now the Emperor was ill. Between attending birthday celebrations, hosting banquets for fellow provincials who had passed the exams, and fretting over what Zhuang Wang's succession might mean—some rejoicing, others worrying—no one had come to call on her at all.

"Please, show them in!" She set down her brush and instructed Zheng Sanniang.

Zheng Sanniang hesitated. "It's the Third Shopkeeper of Datong Number. Where would you like to receive him?"

"Ah!" Fu Tingjun could hardly conceal her astonishment. "Quickly, invite the Third Shopkeeper to the reception hall in the south wing. Have A Sen keep him company for a moment—I'll change my clothes and be right there."

The south wing had six rooms: one served as the gatekeeper's quarters, one opened onto the main gate, three formed the reception hall for outside guests, and the remaining two were partitioned off with a courtyard, serving as a study and inner chamber, typically used for resident tutors or young men of the family pursuing their studies.

A Sen was now Zhao Ling's sworn younger brother and had turned eleven this year. Fu Tingjun had arranged for him to stay in the study of the south wing.

When Fu Tingjun arrived, A Sen was asking after Shopkeeper Ye San's injuries, looking every bit the little adult—a sight that brought a faint smile to Fu Tingjun's face.

Shopkeeper Ye San rose hastily at the sight of Fu Tingjun and cupped his hands to bow.

Fu Tingjun quickly stopped him. "Shopkeeper Ye, you are older than I, and a good friend of our Ninth Master. Such formality I cannot bear."

Ye San, a man who had traveled widely, possessed both a careful, cautious side and a bold, forthright one. Seeing the sincerity in Fu Tingjun's words, he smiled and let it go. "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."

They exchanged pleasantries and took their seats as host and guest.

Before Fu Tingjun could ask the purpose of his visit, he spoke first: "After I returned, the elders of my family felt I was no longer suited to remain in the northwest, so they sent me to the capital to assist my eldest brother in managing the business here. I arrived in the eleventh month of last year. Two days ago, I received a letter from Lord Zhao saying you had come to the capital, and asking that if I had the time, I should come by and see you—that if there was anything you needed, I might be of some assistance. So here I am, the moment I got the letter." He added with a laugh, "And you needn't stand on ceremony with me. I'm idle these days anyway—coming by to visit is just a bit of exercise for these old bones."

It seemed the Ye family had set him aside.

Fu Tingjun suddenly felt a kinship with him—two souls adrift in the same boat. "If Shopkeeper Ye has the time, do come by whenever you wish. As it happens, Shopkeeper Lyu is also in the capital. Though he may not command a caravan of a thousand men as you once did, he is still in the same trade, so you should have much to discuss."

"Miss Fu flatters me," Shopkeeper Ye San said with a smile. "Those days are behind me. Now I'm merely a steward who keeps an eye on the warehouse."

Fu Tingjun noted the ease in his expression and nodded inwardly. She had Zheng Sanniang fetch Shopkeeper Lyu, exchanged a few polite words with Ye San, and then returned to the main hall.

At noon, Shopkeeper Lyu kept Manager Ye for lunch on Fu Tingjun's behalf. After seeing Manager Ye off, Shopkeeper Lyu came in to discuss with Fu Tingjun: "Manager Ye wants us to go into the grain business with him. I think it's worth doing." He then laid out a full analysis—how many official households there were in the capital, how much grain allowance each received annually, the exchange rate between grain allowance and new rice, and how well Manager Ye was connected with the canal transport people. Fu Tingjun listened and realized that Manager Ye had already done his homework long ago; today he had only come to persuade her to join this venture.

Officials received their salaries partly in silver and partly in rice and cloth, known as grain allowances. These were usually old, stale grain that official households could hardly stomach, so they would typically sell the grain allowance at low prices to grain shops or exchange it for new rice at a set ratio. The margin in between was staggering. But the business required a shop with exceptional connections—otherwise, if one ran into unreasonable customers who insisted on a one-to-one exchange, the trade would become unviable.

She couldn't help but feel suspicious: "Besides us, who else does Manager Ye plan to bring in as investors?"

"Just the two of us," Shopkeeper Lyu said after a moment's hesitation. "He said the capital isn't much—just ten thousand taels of silver. In business, a fifty-fifty split is the worst arrangement; when the two parties disagree, the business falls apart. Knowing we've just bought a house, he proposed an eighty-twenty split—him eighty, us twenty..."

If it worked out, it would be like manna falling from heaven.

Fu Tingjun mused, "Did you ask clearly—are we doing business with the Ye family, or with him personally?"

Shopkeeper Lyu hesitated. "It's with Manager Ye himself."

Then on what basis could he pull off this deal?

Fu Tingjun said nothing.

Shopkeeper Lyu's face flushed with embarrassment. "If you think it won't do, Miss, I'll go and turn Manager Ye down!"

"That would be for the best," Fu Tingjun said quietly. "We mustn't get dragged into the infighting of the Ye family!"