News that the civil examinations would begin in the middle of the sixth month spread throughout the entire north-west region in less than t...
News that the civil examinations would begin in the middle of the sixth month spread throughout the entire north-west region in less than three days. For scholars, this was an immensely joyful event. However, the suddenness of the announcement also posed a challenge for them.
When Jiang Hongfu received the news, his eyes flickered as he said, "Han Shi intends to break away from the Imperial Court and turn the Northwest into an independent state." By organising the civil service examinations themselves, were the authorities of the Northwest not openly announcing their intention to become independent?
Mr Gao remarked, "Han Shi is highly ambitious." How could someone without great ambition possibly control the entire Northwest?
Jiang Hongfu nodded. "Han Shi is not only ambitious; she also possesses the abilities to match her ambition. That is what makes her truly formidable. I remember meeting her twice when I was young, but I did not notice anything unusual about her." At the time, he had merely thought she was a well-behaved young girl and otherwise had no particular impression of her.
Mr Gao recalled, "I remember that the Old Madam once wanted the Second Master to marry Han Shi. Fortunately, it never happened. Otherwise, after marrying such an ambitious woman, the Jiang family would never have known peace."
Jiang Hongfu smiled and commented, "Speaking of which, Grandma truly had eyes as discerning as blazing torches1. She saw early on that Han Shi was no ordinary person." If Han Shi had married into the Jiang family, she would only have been able to stir things up within the inner household.
Mr Gao was in no mood to joke. Deeply troubled, he stated, "The Imperial Court is now completely under Yan Wushuang's control. Even though the realm still bears the surname Zhou2, that may no longer be true a few years from now." No one believed that Yan Wushuang was truly uninterested in that chair3. By acting this way, Yan Wushuang was merely retreating in order to advance4.
Jiang Hongfu remained silent for a moment before saying to Mr Gao, "Sir, I would like to ask you to stay and assist me. I do not know whether you would be willing. Should you agree, I will write to Dad and inform him." With Mr Gao there, he would be spared a great deal of trouble.
Mr Gao was somewhat surprised upon hearing this and asked, "Eldest Master, do you intend to remain in the Northwest permanently?" If Jiang Hongfu intended to stay there, it would be tantamount to pledging allegiance to Yun Qing.
Looking outside through the gauze-covered window, Jiang Hongfu replied calmly, "The moment I rejected Yan Wushuang, the Northwest became the only place where I could stay." Yan Wushuang had already sent two groups to contact Jiang Hongfu, but both were rejected.
Mr Gao pointed out, "Eldest Master, no matter how capable Han Shi may be, she is still a woman. As for Yun Qing, apart from warfare, he is not skilled in other matters."
Jiang Hongfu asked, "Do you truly believe that a woman capable of governing the Northwest so well can be judged by ordinary standards?"
In response, Mr Gao asked him back, "Have you noticed that Yun Qing has no intention of conquering the realm?" Judging solely from Yun Qing's actions, it was evident that he merely wished to live peacefully within his one mu and three fen of land5 in the Northwest. He had no ambition to wage war for control of the realm.
Jiang Hongfu reflected, "Previously, no one expected my Biaoge6 to seize the Northwest, yet the Northwest is now under his control. Therefore, whether he possesses ambition is not important. When one is compelled by circumstances7, one must act even if one has no desire to do so."
Mr Gao pointed out, "There is another problem. Han Shi presently has only two daughters and no son. Her body was also severely injured, so it will be difficult for her to bear any more children. Han Shi is such a jealous person that she would never tolerate the existence of an illegitimate son. Without a son, even if they conquered the realm, who would inherit everything?" Surely they could not allow some yellow-haired little girl8 to inherit it. Even if Yun Qing wished to do so and the officers and officials beneath him did not object, would that girl be able to keep everyone under control?
Jiang Hongfu frowned. "The claim that Han Shi's body was so severely damaged that she can no longer bear children is only a rumour. None of us knows whether it is actually true."
Mr Gao acknowledged this and responded, "Unless Han Shi gives birth to a son, the rumour must be treated as true. Wind does not come from an empty cave9. There must be some reason why such a rumour exists."
Mr Gao added, "Han Shi is not someone who would sew another person's wedding clothes10. If Yun Qing took another wife, fathered a son, and betrayed her, husband and wife would turn against each other and become enemies. At that point, forget about seizing the realm; they might not even be able to retain the Northwest. Therefore, even if you intend to pledge allegiance to them, you must wait until Han Shi gives birth to a son."
Jiang Hongfu nodded. "Then we shall follow your advice and set the matter aside for now." After all, the future of his entire household was at stake, including the old and the young, so they had to proceed cautiously.
Mr Gao nodded and began discussing Yan Xi with Jiang Hongfu. "According to the information we obtained, this man probably left Haocheng at the end of the fourth month. Eldest Master, I believe there is something suspicious about this matter."
It was indeed highly suspicious. If Yan Xi was in Haocheng, how could someone as capable as Yun Qing have failed to locate him, unless Yun Qing had never searched for him in the first place? Jiang Hongfu asked, "Mr Gao, what are you suspecting?"
Mr Gao shook his head and wondered aloud, "Eldest Master, do you think this Yan Xi might be working for Yun Qing?" Apart from that possibility, Mr Gao could think of no other explanation.
Jiang Hongfu shook his head. "That should be impossible. Yun Qing has plenty of other options, so why would he resort to hiring a bandit? Besides, if Yan Xi really worked for my Biaoge6, he would have even less reason to target Hongjin. Yun Qing and Hongjin have no grievances or enmity towards each other."
That was precisely the part Mr Gao could not understand either.
Liu-er, the little lazy bug11, had spent nearly two months learning to walk and could finally walk steadily. When Yuxi saw Yun Qing arrive at the doorway, she immediately put Liu-er on the ground, pointed at Yun Qing, and said with a smile, "Be good, Liu-er. Go to your Dad."
Moving her little legs, Liu-er walked forward one step at a time, steadily approaching Yun Qing. Unlike Zaozao when she was learning to walk, Liu-er did not trip and fall frequently.
Yun Qing picked Liu-er up and exclaimed with a smile, "Look! Liu-er can walk perfectly well now! You were simply worrying for no reason."
Yuxi lightly stroked Liu-er's little face and said, "Now that you can walk, you must walk more often from now on. Do you understand?"
Liu-er turned her head away and refused to look at Yuxi. It was obvious that she didn't care about Yuxi at that moment. This made Yun Qing burst into laughter. "This girl is much cleverer than Zaozao was." When Zaozao was Liu-er's age, she could only make babbling sounds and simply could not understand what they said. Although this child, Liu-er, was normally quiet and unobtrusive, she appeared to be precociously intelligent.
The corner of Yuxi's mouth twitched. "You're imagining too much. This girl just thinks I nag her too much and doesn't want to listen to me!" During this period, Yuxi set aside two quarter-hours every morning and evening to support Liu-er while she practised walking. Whenever Liu-er refused to walk, Yuxi would lecture her at length until she almost became a chatterbox.
Of course, the main reason Yuxi deliberately spoke so much to Liu-er was that she hoped it would influence her and encourage her to start speaking sooner. Unfortunately, this approach was not very effective.
At this point, Yuxi could not help but sigh emotionally. "Mom used to say, 'Even when a child reaches one hundred years of age, a parent worries for ninety-nine years of them12'. Now I understand it deeply from my own personal experience." Now that Liu-er could walk, Yuxi had begun to worry about her speech instead.
Yun Qing shook his head helplessly. "Didn't Mama Lan say that everything about Liu-er is normal and that she's just developing a little later than other children her age?" Although Liu-er could not speak, she could cry and laugh, and everything else about her was normal. She simply had not reached the stage where she could speak yet. When the time came, she would naturally begin to speak.
Yuxi also knew that she was worrying excessively, so she hurriedly changed the subject. "The preliminary civil service examinations will begin in another ten days or so. I hope we can select a group of talented people this time." The more capable and dependable people they selected, the less they would have to worry about a future lack of personnel.
Yun Qing assured her, "We certainly will." If they could not select enough satisfactory candidates, the officials below them would simply have to work a little harder.
Yuxi murmured to herself, "I hope so."
Footnotes Full List
- 慧眼如炬 (huì yǎn rú jù) — wise eyes like torches; to possess exceptional judgment and insight
- 天下还姓周 (tiānxià hái xìng Zhōu) — the world still has the surname Zhou; the Zhou imperial house still nominally rules the realm
- 那把椅子 (nà bǎ yǐzi) — that chair; a metaphor for the imperial throne
- 以退为进 (yǐ tuì wéi jìn) — use retreat as advancement; to yield temporarily as a strategy for gaining a greater advantage
- 一亩三分地 (yī mǔ sān fēn dì) — one mu and three fen of land; a metaphor for one's own limited territory, sphere, or domain
- 表哥 (biǎogē) — Older male cousin via the maternal side or paternal aunts.
- 形势所逼 (xíngshì suǒ bī) — forced by the situation; circumstances leave someone with no choice
- 黄毛丫头 (huángmáo yātou) — yellow-haired girl; a disparaging expression for an inexperienced or immature young girl
- 空穴不来风 (kōng xué bù lái fēng) — wind does not come from an empty cave; rumours usually arise for a reason and are rarely entirely baseless
- 为他人作嫁衣裳 (wèi tārén zuò jiàyīshang) — make wedding garments for someone else; to work hard only for another person to reap the benefits
- 小懒虫 (xiǎo lǎnchóng) — little lazy insect; an affectionate nickname for a lazy or reluctant child
- 养儿一百岁,常忧九十九 (yǎng ér yī bǎi suì, cháng yōu jiǔ shí jiǔ) — raise a child to one hundred years, worry for ninety-nine; a proverb meaning that parents continue worrying about their children throughout their lives
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