Second Young Master Fu must have had his mouth blessed at some temple, no sooner had the words left his lips than Fu Shuang’er’s marriage was settled half a month later.
The in-laws were by no means of humble standing; it was the Fang family of Chuzhou, a truly distinguished and prominent clan.
In the mortal world, everything seems to have its ranking: even bonsai has its “Seven Worthies,” and among tea merchants there are four outstanding houses; the Fang family of Chuzhou, the Tao family of Yizhou, the Hu family of Mingzhou, and the Fu family of Jingzhou. Of these four, the Fang family stands foremost; even the tea and grain consumed by princes and nobles come from their estates. Madam Liu bustled about tirelessly before finally securing this match. With a glib tongue, she boasted that she had personally chosen an outstanding husband for Fu Shuang’er; not only was she marrying into the Fang family, but she was also to wed Fang Zesheng, the head of the household himself as well! Yet it was a secret to no one that the current head of the Fang family was a cripple who had been confined to a wheelchair for over a decade. Whether he was even capable of performing his husbandly duties was a matter of debate.
As night fell, a small bamboo-woven lantern hung before the narrow gate. Beneath it, on a mud-plastered stove, rested in a horizontally handled pot kept warm, with fragrant tea powder simmering inside. On the ground lay bamboo tongs, a sieving box, and a copper tea grinder still dusted with bits of crushed leaves.
Fu Jingxuan had not stepped out all day. After lunch, he sat alone in the courtyard playing chess against himself with white stones in his left hand and black on his right. With “two-for-one” captures and “four-ko” loops unfolding across the board, several hours passed without a winner. He tugged at the thin robe over his shoulders, feeling a bit of a chill.
San Bao brought over a cup of hot tea and said, “Young Master, isn’t it time to rest?”
Fu Jingxuan deliberated for a long while before settling a piece. “Wait a bit longer.”
The outcome of the endgame could not be determined in a short time. If things truly went according to his temperament, he likely wouldn’t even enter the house by next year. San Bao pondered for a moment and sat across from him. “I heard from the kitchen staff that even the First Madam has agreed to the Fifth Young Lady’s marriage. What’s wrong with the First Madam? Second Madam Liu is clearly pushing the Fifth Young Lady into a pit of fire; why isn’t the First Madam doing anything about it?”
The young servant had intended to disrupt his Second Young Master’s train of thought to persuade him to go to bed early but instead, he started nagging incessantly, growing more indignant as he spoke. “Second Madam Liu truly has a heart as cold as ice and as venomous as poison. I’ve heard people say the Head of the Fang family has a peculiar temperament and is prone to mood swings; sometimes even acting crazed, sometimes foolish. The Fang family’s business has also plummeted these past few years, long losing its former glory. Marrying the Fifth Young Lady off to him now is truly ruining her life…”
This was not mere hearsay; the Fang family was indeed not what it once was. In the past, the Four Great Families still had some dealings with one another, led by the Fang family to hold tea-tasting assemblies and gather friends from all directions in a harmonious atmosphere. But ever since the change in leadership, the Fang family had closed its doors to guests and ceased social contact with others.
After all, there is no cripple in this world who enjoys wandering about outside.
“Young Master,” San Bao asked, “have you ever met the head of the Fang family?”
Fu Jingxuan said, “I met him a few times when we were younger.”
“Is he truly as wretched as the rumors say?”
Fu Jingxuan picked up a translucent black piece, rubbing it beneath his fingertip for a long while before letting out a huff as if in a fit of pique. “How would I know? Besides, you said it yourself that they are rumors, so why take them seriously?”
San Bao said, “If it were anyone else marrying into that family, I certainly wouldn’t care if he were a cripple, a stray, good, or bad. But the one marrying over is our own Fifth Young Lady, and she even has a sweetheart! Who knows how miserable she’ll be by forcing her to marry like this? Isn’t Young Master worried?” As he spoke, a few soft sounds came from the back gate. It was just past Haishi[mfn]9-11pm.[/mfn] and it was already time for sleep. San Bao didn’t ask who it was and walked over carrying a lantern. Not many knew of the Fu family’s back gate, and even fewer would come calling at this hour; he reckoned it was Kang Lin, coming to seek help after learning that Fu Shuang’er had been forced into an engagement.
With a “creak,” a tall, sturdy man in a grey cloth short coat appeared outside, just as expected; it was indeed Kang Lin.
He nodded to San Bao and walked hurriedly toward Fu Jingxuan.
The Second Young Master Fu took a sip of tea, motioned for Kang Lin to sit, and asked, “Why have you come at this hour?”
Kang Lin said, “Second Master, I… I am still a bit worried.”
Fu Jingxuan couldn’t distinguish a winner or loser in this chess match and grew frustrated with himself for a while. Tossing down the black piece in his hand, he asked, “What are you worried about?”
Being an honest man, Kang Lin stammered, “My father clearly never arranged a marriage for me, yet you told Shuang’er the opposite. Second Master, if she gets angry and refuses to leave with me and really ends up marrying that cripple from the Fang family, what will I do…”
Fu Jingxuan said, “Do you not trust Shuang’er’s feelings for you?”
“No, no,” Kang Lin said. “Even if my bond with Shuang’er is as, as…”
“As firm as gold.”
“Right, right, that’s the one. But I’m still afraid. If Shuang’er fails to escape and is forced into marriage, what will become of me!” Kang Lin was so anxious his eyes reddened; the hulking man looked ready to burst into tears on the spot.
Fu Jingxuan habitually handed him a fresh sweat cloth to wipe his face and stood up. “Go back. Within these few days, Shuang’er will certainly go to find you. Take good care of her in the future and have her take good care of my sparrow-brow bonsai as well.”
San Bao was left completely bewildered. Once Fu Jingxuan had returned to his room, he pulled Kang Lin aside and asked, “When did the Young Master ever talk to you about the Fifth Young Lady’s engagement?”
Kang Lin originally had no tears, but in order not to waste Fu Jingxuan’s kind gesture, he forced out a few drops. “He told me before the end of last year.”
“Last year?!” San Bao exclaimed in surprise. “But we hadn’t heard anything about the Fifth Young Lady’s marriage back then?”
“I’m not sure either,” Kang Lin said, feeling apprehensive but also happy. “The Second Master just told me to be prepared to take Shuang’er and go far away when the time comes.”
San Bao remained puzzled. After seeing Kang Lin off, he absentmindedly grabbed a tree branch and sat on the steps. He was clever and sharp. As a child from a poor family, he had fallen to begging and was caught red-handed stealing a bun by Fu Jingxuan, who then took him in as a servant. Having served closely for these past few years, he felt he knew his master fairly well yet as he retraced the matter from the beginning, he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what the Young Master was scheming.
Fu Shuang’er’s marriage was settled in such a rush, clearly because Fu Jingxuan had made Madam Liu and her son look like fools in the ancestral hall. Harboring a grudge but unable to confront Second Master Fu, Madam Liu had deliberately arranged a marriage to a cripple, using Fu Shuang’er as a pawn to vent her anger. But if Kang Lin claimed that Fu Jingxuan had anticipated this outcome since last year, could it be that his Young Master was some sort of fortuneteller?
Or perhaps… had the Young Master intentionally stirred up Madam Liu and provoked her anger from the start? Was it all to help Fu Shuang’er and Kang Lin; a pair of ill-fated lovers with such a disparity in status, be together? After all, no matter how much they loved each other, it was impossible for them to be joined; the Young Lady’s marriage would have been settled sooner or later; it was only a matter of timing! By advancing the matter and fabricating a story about Kang Lin’s own engagement, was the Young Master trying to provoke the Fifth Young Lady into eloping for love? To break free from her constraints?
Yes, yes, yes! That was it!
San Bao jumped up and dashed toward his Second Young Master’s room while praising him in his heart: The Young Master is truly selfless and principled! Going to such lengths for his younger sister is genuinely moving! I’ve undoubtedly chosen the right master in this life!
He burst through the door, intending to express his loyalty, only to be so startled by the sight before him that he stumbled and fell to the floor.
On the pearwood dining table that had just been cleared at noon, a bronze mirror had appeared at some point, with stone powder and rouge placed beside it. Second Young Master Fu was leaning in front of the mirror with a brush, meticulously painting his eyebrows. He spared a glance for San Bao and gestured for him to be quiet. San Bao slowly crawled up from the floor while shaking and uncertain before whispering, “Young Master, what are you doing?”
Fu Jingxuan said, “Applying makeup.”
San Bao asked in astonishment, “Why apply makeup?”
Fu Jingxuan replied, “When a bride enters the sedan chair, isn’t she supposed to wear makeup?”
