Chapter 87

Chapter 87

After assessing the fortunes of the household's women and the group of siblings, Li the Immortal extended his divine grace to the maidservants who were raised like daughters, observing their faces as well. Some were extremely auspicious, some extremely inauspicious, and others neither here nor there. Qiu Fang was dealt an extremely dire fate of great calamity, yet she said cheerfully, "Great disaster means great fortune—that's a good fate indeed!"

Li the Immortal took his leave, and Zhang Ailian offered him twenty taels of silver. He waved his hand, refusing the money, and said that if she could prepare some dried food for the road, that would be enough. Zhang Ailian then had people bake flatbreads on the spot and packed plenty of dried fruits for Li the Immortal, and also sent Lian Cheng to escort him out.

On the way out of the estate, Li the Immortal praised the scenery and plants of the Lian family compound all along the path, then turned his gaze to Lian Cheng and said, "Though your fate is extremely noble, you must endure three life-threatening trials."

Lian Cheng thought for a moment and said, "I've already died once—so does that mean two more to go?"

Li the Immortal stroked his beard but just smiled without a word.

Neither spoke further, and on the road they encountered Old Master Guan Lian, who was weaving straw sandals under the eaves. Lian Cheng hastily pulled Li the Immortal over. "Li the Immortal, this is my teacher. I'd like to ask you to read his face too."

Seeing a guest, Guan Lian put on his shoes and wiped his hands with a handkerchief. After they exchanged greetings, Li the Immortal read his face, saying nothing bad—only that his early years would be difficult, with his rise to prominence coming in his later years. Guan Lian immediately burst out laughing three times, cupped his hands in a farewell salute, then strode out of the corridor with his hands behind his back, soon disappearing into the rain.

Li the Immortal also laughed. "Even if I couldn't read faces, I could still tell why he rises to prominence in old age."

Lian Cheng was also frustrated by his teacher's temperament—the man was a stubborn old mule. He asked Li the Immortal whether his teacher's late-life rise was because his temperament had mellowed. Li the Immortal said no, no. "He's found a powerful patron and become a grand father-in-law."

Noble patrons again—how many are there, and who could put up with Guan Lian's temper? Lian Cheng thought to himself that perhaps his teacher actually had an impressive illegitimate son out there somewhere.

After seeing off Li the Immortal, Lian Cheng strolled back to Orchid Garden. The whole household had not yet dispersed, still chatting lively as they teased about Lian Biyun's fortune. Lian Cheng leaned on Zhang Ailian once more and asked what sort of fortune his aunt had. Lian Biyun shot him a glare, pretended to throw a fruit at him, and said, "What business does a child like you have prying into the affairs of elders?"

Wu Huajie said bluntly, "Li the Immortal said the young mistress likely has one more husband in her future. She was just saying she intends to die in the Lian family and has resolved never to seek another."

Lian Cheng let out an "ah," automatically thinking of Zhang Xian, cleared his throat, but said nothing.

After this matter was settled, Zhang Ailian set down her teacup and said that since the wedding dates had been selected, they should also consult the opinions of the two grooms' families. According to proper custom, the grooms' families ought to choose several auspicious dates and invite the brides' families to select among them. Today, by lucky coincidence, they had encountered Li the Immortal, so they might as well settle on the dates themselves, saving the grooms' families the trouble of seeking another diviner.

"This time, for the two girls' dowries, apart from the household's portion, as their mother and aunt, I'll add another share for each of them. It's just a small token of my affection—don't think it's too little."

Lian Yu and Ceng Yi hastily set down their teacups, rose, and curtsied deeply in thanks.

Lian Yu said, "Whatever Mother gives me, nothing compares to her taking good care of herself after I marry and leave home. If your health remains sound, that is worth more to me than a thousand pieces of gold—I would not trade it for anything."

Ceng Yi said, "I gratefully accept Aunt's kindness, but I do not want your things. Keep them for Third Brother—he loves to show off and spend money, even perfuming his official robes. In the future, this cousin of yours might have to smuggle her husband's family's things back to her own family for his sake."

Zhang Ailian only smiled faintly at Lian Yu's words, but after Ceng Yi finished speaking, she laughed so hard she couldn't stop.

"Mother, just go ahead and laugh at your son using Cousin's words as an excuse!" Lian Cheng draped himself over Zhang Ailian's knees. It was his day off, and he had dressed very simply—a moon-white round-collar robe of dark-patterned gauze over a pale blue sheer sleeveless jacket. He wore no net cap, just his hair bound up with a pin, and a gold-thread headband inlaid with cat's-eye stones. It looked extremely noble, yet also quite lively. Zhang Ailian was delighted at the sight and could not bear to scold him for his childish ways—she only gave him a push, telling him not to slouch.

Lian Cheng obediently allowed himself to be pushed away, but the moment she withdrew her hand, he flopped back down bonelessly. "I want to lean on Mother. If Mother won't let me, could it be she wants Fifth Sister on one side and Cousin Miaozhen on the other?"

He had no bearing of an adult, nor of a stalwart man, and certainly not of someone serving as Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—you'd never guess it. He made the whole room laugh.

"You wicked smooth-talker, what nonsense are you spouting now." Zhang Ailian pinched Lian Cheng's cheek. "For your own good, I'll have someone fetch a stick to beat you."

Then she ignored him, flicked her sleeves, and said that Orchid Garden had recently received a small basket of jade plums, and when they left, they should follow Qing Zhu to take some home to taste. Everyone rose, made a deep curtsy thanking the mistress, and followed Qing Zhu out through the ceremonial gate. Watching the guests leave, Zhang Ailian pushed Lian Cheng and asked why he wasn't going.

"I don't care for that taste. I still have sword practice with Old Qiu Fang later," Lian Cheng said.

Zhang Ailian, recalling what Li the Immortal had said earlier, pulled Lian Cheng to his feet and stood up herself. She said, "Come, I have two things to show you."

-

It had been nearly a year since Lian Cheng had last set foot in Zhang Ailian's bedchamber. It was not elegant or quaint—the vases, door curtains, and bed drapes had no particular flair, nor were they luxurious. It was rather austere, giving no impression of a woman's room. He looked around left and right until Zhang Ailian scolded him in a low voice for being restless, and he hurriedly trotted over to his mother's side.

"Mother, what fine treasures do you want to show me?"

"Come, help me move this bed out."

Mother and son together dragged the bed out. Lian Cheng strained as he pushed, thinking to himself, thank goodness it's not a canopy bed—how would he ever move that?

Zhang Ailian seemed truly to have resolved upon some decision. She stepped with the firm, charging stride of one advancing into battle, threw back several layers of bed curtains, removed tier after tier of drawers, and groped up and down the plain wall behind. Finally, her palm paused, and she pressed down. Hidden within the wall was a secret compartment. From it she produced several white porcelain bottles, which she set carelessly beside her.

"Mother, what are these?" Lian Cheng bent to pick up the bottles, poured out a few small red pills, sniffed them, and frowned. There was a fishy smell.

"Look if you like, but don't put them in your mouth," Zhang Ailian continued to feel along the wall. "One bottle, taken, extends life and years. One can make a postpartum woman bloom like a virgin again. One can make a man fight without tiring."

"..." Lian Cheng put the pills back. In his understanding, one was male aphrodisiac, one female aphrodisiac, and one vitamin C.

Why would Zhang Ailian hide such disreputable things in the wall? Lian Cheng could not fathom it. These three bottles did not fit his mother's character—they seemed more his father's style.

This round of searching was evidently more difficult. After a long while, from within the secret compartment, an even flatter and longer compartment sprang open. Zhang Ailian's expression this time was far more solemn. From it she lifted out a pear-wood brocade box and held it before Lian Cheng, signaling him to open it.

Lian Cheng glanced at Zhang Ailian, then lifted the heavy lid. He had expected the contents to be similar to those bottles of pills—something disreputable—but to his surprise, within the box lay a sword. The scabbard was of red sandalwood, wrapped in sharkskin and adorned with pearls and jewels, and carved upon it was even a five-clawed golden dragon!

Zhang Ailian bade him take it up and handle it. Lian Cheng's heart was already pounding. Such a precious object—he carefully took it in hand and drew the blade from its sheath.

Lian Cheng raised the sword. The blade gleamed like a deep pool of light, bright as silver, white as frost at the edge, with faint tortoiseshell patterns shimmering upon it, and bright yellow tassels at the hilt swaying to and fro. Lian Cheng knew this was no ordinary object. He turned his head to Zhang Ailian. "Mother, where did you obtain such a treasure?"

"It was part of my dowry from the Empress Dowager. I have kept it well, thinking only that when I pass, I would pass it into your hands." Zhang Ailian said with a slight smile.

Lian Cheng was puzzled. "But this is an imperial sword. Why would it be given to you as dowry?"

Zhang Ailian sat down on a chair nearby and told her son the story of those years. Originally, Li Jiao had been the Crown Prince, but heaven was jealous of talent. As a child, Li Jiao had fallen into water and been rescued by Li Xi. Afterward, his constitution weakened, and years of treatment failed to restore him. Thus it came about that she was appointed to teach Li Jiao swordsmanship. Her bond with Li Jiao as teacher and student was deep. But good times did not last—Li Jiao's health deteriorated further, worsening year by year. On the day he left the palace, the Empress Dowager had two of Li Jiao's possessions brought out of the palace with her. She said she did not wish for Li Xi to lay hands on Li Jiao's beloved items, and bade her hide them well, never letting them see the light of day.

"This sword is fine—it handles smoothly for me," Lian Cheng said, but he quickly furrowed his brow. "Your son was once ordered to search the estate of the Grand Princess. From her words, it seems the current Emperor has been searching for some possession of Crown Prince Jiao all these years. Could it be that what he seeks is hidden by Mother in this wall?"

"I have no idea what trinkets he seeks," Zhang Ailian said with a mocking smile. "Whatever Li Jiao had, he always clamored to have as well. Even if it were the only one in the world, he would have craftsmen make him something similar. Let me tell you a joke—even the women in his harem were once painted in portraits presented before Li Jiao."

Lian Cheng, however, cared nothing for the Emperor and his women. He only looked at Zhang Ailian and said, "Mother, did you suffer wrongs at his hands in your youth?"

"Never." Zhang Ailian said. "I taught Li Jiao swordsmanship and was his teacher. Li Xi could do nothing against me."

"But you look very grieved, and very angry..."

"Li Xi is unfilial as a son, disrespectful as a younger brother, unmerciful as a sovereign, and unjust as a husband. Of course I am indignant." After Zhang Ailian finished speaking, when she looked at Lian Cheng again, her gaze softened once more. "You and... this sword—your mother gifts it to you today. Can you keep it safe?"

Lian Cheng was startled. Naturally he was delighted, but this object was perhaps more frightening than a hot potato. A hot potato burns the hand; this one costs lives. He hesitated for a long while. "Would the Empress Dowager permit it?"

"So long as it does not fall into Li Xi's hands, she would be a million times willing." After saying this, Zhang Ailian made to put the drawers back.

"Mother, there is still one more item you haven't shown me." Lian Cheng hastily called out to her.

"No rush." Zhang Ailian busied herself with her task, then called Lian Cheng over to help move the bed back into place. After resting for a while, she made an agreement with Lian Cheng as to when they would open the secret compartment again.

—When husband and wife are in harmony. When father is kind and son is filial.

Lian Cheng thought to himself, it's over—this time it's not up to him. It depended on when that fellow Lian Xiusheng would let him off.

But Lian Cheng was still cheerful. If he could not have both, one was still a priceless treasure. He carefully returned the sword to its sheath, placed it in the wooden box, and hugged it tightly. "On ordinary days I'll still use my old one. I'll only handle it when alone in the courtyard, and I'll make sure no one sees it."

After he finished speaking, he seemed to have more to say but hesitated. Zhang Ailian sensed something was off and asked what else he had to say. Lian Cheng said, "Mother, why have you had no contact with your maternal family?"

"All because of foolishness in youth," Zhang Ailian said. Mentioning her mother's family, she was clearly no longer angry, but instead showed a dejection unusual for her. She walked to the table at the center and sat down at its edge. "At that time, I reached marriageable age. Mother had found a suitable match for me, but I was unwilling. I packed a bundle and ran away from home. Yet who would have thought that my nephew, only four or five years old, so small a child, would go out alone to search for me—and was taken by someone, never to be found..."

Zhang Ailian paused. Tears slid down her usually stern face. "My father's subordinates found me. I was still stubbornly defiant, but when I heard my nephew had gone missing, I realized the gravity of the matter. My family and I searched desperately for three months, but of course the child was never found. I thought I could no longer remain at home, and with the intention of searching elsewhere, I packed my bundle, intending to inform my parents and leave again. But just as I stepped out of my room, Mother came carrying a bundle and a sword, saying the household could no longer keep me."

Lian Cheng stood with his feet together by the door curtain, watching the tears on his mother's face. Even when she had spoken of Crown Prince Jiao, she had not wept.

"Mother, you were also young and reckless back then. If you must blame someone, it's not your fault," Lian Cheng thought. "Why not paint me a picture of my cousin? The Embroidered Uniform Guard has many connections; we might just find him."

Zhang Ailian wiped her tears and, indulging in Lian Cheng's suggestion, had Qiu Fang bring over brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone. She then painted a portrait of the boy.

"...Mother, if Cousin looks like this, I could tell you where he is right now," Lian Cheng said, holding up the painting that barely looked like a person. "He's in the mule shed in our stables, the one with the crooked neck."

Zhang Ailian clutched her handkerchief, laughing and crying as she scolded Lian Cheng, "I was never good at painting or music when I was young. How about I describe him and you do the painting?"

Lian Cheng rolled up his sleeves, dipped the brush in ink, and said, "Please, go ahead, Mother."

"A little general with a fierce tiger face, a pair of tiger eyes, and ears like a Buddha statue. Thick eyebrows hiding a dark red birthmark, a high forehead, a thick chin, a nose that's not too big or too flat, and a chubby nose tip."

"Done." Lian Cheng was great at sketching a person in just a few strokes. When he saw Zhang Ailian staring at the painting in a daze, he knew he'd nailed the likeness.

After receiving Zhang Ailian's approval, Lian Cheng put away the painting and asked if she wanted to patch things up with her mother's family. Zhang Ailian shook her head and said it wasn't necessary. "These are troubled times, and the Lian family has plenty on their plate. Your grandfather is the military commander of Lu Prefecture. Even when I was young, before he became Commander, he was dead set on fighting the Japanese pirates. Since we're all safe and sound, why stir up trouble and make people mad?"

Lian Cheng said no more, gave a respectful bow with his hands clasped, and lifted the curtain to leave.

Outside in the courtyard, Lian Xiusheng was holding an umbrella, bending over to look at the lotus flowers in the pond.

-

"Spying on us!" Lian Cheng walked under Lian Xiusheng's umbrella, and the brothers returned to their courtyard together.

"I was a good few yards from Mother's room; how could I have heard you two?" Lian Xiusheng grabbed his third brother by the arm. "Walk slower, Third Brother, or you'll get caught in the rain."

Lian Cheng wasn't about to suffer for no reason. Feeling the rain on his shoulder, he scooted closer to Lian Xiusheng and turned his head to look at him, suddenly asking, "Have you grown taller recently?"

"I haven't noticed," Lian Xiusheng replied, looking down at the fine mist of water droplets on his third brother's face, finding it totally adorable.

Lian Cheng continued, "For Fifth Sister and Cousin Miaozhen's weddings, I'll give each of them a set of gold and jeweled hair ornaments. How does that sound?"

Lian Xiusheng thought for a moment and then said, "You didn't give a thing for Fourth Sister's wedding. If you go all out for Fifth Sister and Cousin, Fourth Sister might get jealous."

"But if I do three sets, and Seventh Sister's coming-of-age is right around the corner, I won't have enough cash."

"The court pays officials well, especially in the capital. Did you blow through all your salary, Third Brother?"

Caught off guard by his brother's question, Lian Cheng got flustered and stammered for a while before saying, "Ah, you wouldn't get it, bro. My wallet's full, but the spending never ends. Do you understand that principle?"

"Nope," Lian Xiusheng said coolly, ticking off on his fingers. "Third Brother, you earn four hundred taels a year. Besides silver, you get twenty dan of grain (a Chinese measure) monthly, silk and fabric every quarter, tea, wine, and firewood every month, and rent from two hundred mu of official land (about 33 acres). Not to mention the usual bonuses and family handouts. Third Brother, where's all your money going?"

Lian Cheng's head was spinning from all the nagging. He glanced around, leaned in close to Lian Xiusheng's ear, and whispered, "I've been saving up lately."

"For what?" Lian Xiusheng asked.

"For that little venture we're planning, we'll need a decent chunk of cash," Lian Cheng said in a low voice.

Lian Xiusheng's eyes lit up with understanding, and he couldn't help but chuckle. Then, under his third brother's confused stare, he said, "Big moves cost millions in silver, Third Brother. Even if we pinched pennies, we couldn't save that much."

Lian Cheng's face went red at the teasing, and he kicked at him. "I know big plans cost big money, but every little bit helps. What are you laughing at?"

"So much so that you can't even swing two sets of hairpins now?"

Lian Cheng pressed his lips together, dropping the joking tone. "It's not that I can't afford it, but today I'm buying for one sister, tomorrow for another. And after buying for my siblings, I can't skip the mothers. It's easy to go from frugal to flashy, but hard to go back. You know the saying: a tiny leak can sink a great ship."

Lian Xiusheng tugged his third brother along as they kept walking. "Just get some small, nice trinkets then. Mother and the others can handle the hairpins."

Lian Cheng nodded. Lian Xiusheng then asked what was in the box he'd been holding onto the whole time.

Lian Cheng was silent for a moment before saying, "Let me think it over, and I'll get back to you later. If I don't tell you, you'd get it, right?"

"Of course, I wouldn't make things hard for you, Brother."

"...Bullshit!"

Ever since they moved into the shared compound, their bedrooms were almost right next to each other, with just a warm room between them, which they now used as a tea room in the summer heat. As they came in soaked, Man Cai and Huqiu brought dry clothes for the two young masters. Lian Cheng changed slowly, and by the time he was done, the guy next door was already gone.

Lian Cheng asked Huqiu if Lian Xiusheng's study was still where it used to be. Huqiu said it had just been moved; the Pavilion of Penglai had more and nicer empty rooms than before, and the young master's study was now pretty roomy.

Lian Cheng was drying his hair with a cloth when he heard footsteps in the tea room outside. Lian Xiusheng came in carrying a box as big as his sword case. He set it on the little table on the couch, and Lian Cheng leaned over to peek. "What's this?"

Lian Xiusheng opened the box, and Lian Cheng went "wow"—it was full of gold and silver scraps.

"You said you're strapped for cash, Third Brother. Take all of this."

"I'm not broke if I don't save; I don't need your handouts."

Lian Xiusheng closed the box, propped his elbow on it, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at his third brother, whose hair flowed like silk. "Why are you being so distant with me, Third Brother? This isn't charity; it's just household expenses."