That night, Ying Xiaoman slept restlessly. She dreamed all night long.
Her dreams were a chaotic mess. At one point, her mother sat atop a grave, quarreling like fighting roosters with her father who had emerged from underground.
Then the dream suddenly shifted, and Seventh Young Master was offering wine to her father. After drinking the wine brought from the capital, her father was no longer angry. He happily patted Seventh Young Master's shoulder and praised him in a loud voice: "He's a fine young man!"
The dream shifted again, suddenly turning to a wedding scene.
The view was filled with red everywhere, bright dragon and phoenix candles were lit, two red paper horoscopes were placed in front, and many jumbled voices laughed and said: "The groom is here!" "The bride is here!"
Ying Xiaoman's gaze floated in midair. She saw herself standing in the hall wearing a bright red wedding dress, while Seventh Young Master wore the groom's attire, holding a love knot outside the courtyard gate. Her mother held Zhi's hand, talking cheerfully with Seventh Young Master.
She was happy even in her dream and was about to go out to greet them when suddenly a cloud of black smoke appeared before her, and her father slowly floated up from underground...
Just as the sky began to brighten, Ying Xiaoman jerked awake in her dream and suddenly opened her eyes.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw her own horoscope paper.
Zhi, who woke up earliest in the family, came bouncing into the room with the red paper.
"It's from Seventh Young Master," Zhi gestured, saying, "I told him big sister was still sleeping, and he said not to disturb you, just to accept it. He didn't even come in, just turned and left."
Ying Xiaoman hurriedly flipped through the horoscope paper while getting dressed.
It was still that extremely good regular script handwriting, clearly detailing his family situation.
Late Father: Ying Dashuo. Mother: Madam Huang.
Native place: Xiaoyu Village, Longkou County, Hanyang County, Jingzhou.
Only daughter in the family.
Birth date and time: Year of Wu Yin, 20th day of the fifth month, born at noon.
Last night, his own horoscope paper had been placed by the Buddha shrine in the main hall. Ying Xiaoman tossed the second horoscope paper to the same spot and ran out the door.
"Wait!"
Yan Rongshi had already walked far along the pebble path. He paused, stopping in the faint morning light.
He turned and opened his arms, embracing the young woman who rushed towards him.
"Why are you running so urgently?" They were close enough that he could clearly see the fine beads of sweat on Ying Xiaoman's nose tip from her hasty run. One of the frog closures on her autumn-scented jacket was unfastened, revealing a large patch of snow-white skin on her neck.
He discreetly blocked her front with his body, held down the open collar, and carefully fastened the frog closure for her.
"Did you find any errors in the horoscope paper? I'll take it back to correct."
There wasn't a single error in the horoscope paper.
But the questions suppressed in Ying Xiaoman's heart were about to overflow.
"You haven't even gone back to our hometown to pay respects at the graves yet!" she said, so anxious she could hardly catch her breath. "My father has never met you, how could we... how could we be engaged in the capital? My mother was drunk last night! When she sobers up..."
"Auntie wasn't drunk last night," Yan Rongshi told her with certainty.
"She asked very carefully about the capital's engagement customs last night. I answered in detail, and only then did she agree to exchange horoscopes."
Ying Xiaoman: "Huh?"
Her mother had gone straight to bed when she returned to the room, without saying a word to her...
"Don't try to fool me." Her bright eyes held a hint of doubt. "I saw mother was very drunk."
"I'm not lying to you at all," Yan Rongshi said, wiping the fine beads of sweat from the tip of her nose, both concerned and amused.
"How fast did you run just now to be sweating from such a short distance?"
Was it fast? Ying Xiaoman thought for a moment: "Just like when I used to chase doves and golden pheasants in the mountains. I didn't run too fast, you walk much slower than mountain pheasants."
"..."
Yan Rongshi reached out and gently pinched her rosy cheek. "That's a very good description, but don't say that to others in the future. You'll make enemies."
In the gradually brightening morning light to the east, he took Ying Xiaoman's hand and walked a few steps forward. The two stood in a secluded bamboo grove corner near the corridor, where he explained in detail the engagement customs of the capital.
"My privately sending the horoscope paper doesn't count as an official exchange."
"The union of two families through marriage has profound meaning. The capital's engagement customs are complex and require the presence of elders from both families. After the first step of proposing marriage, the elders must give their consent in person and exchange horoscopes, which is the second step of asking the name."
"After asking the name, the third step of submitting an auspicious date is considered the formal engagement, also called the small betrothal. After that, there's still the betrothal gifts, choosing the wedding date, and welcoming the bride. Only after completing all six rites is the marriage between the two families officially concluded, so..."
His gaze fell on the charming face of the young woman before him.
Ying Xiaoman, who had been listening in a daze, slightly parted her red lips in the morning light.
A tender kiss fell on the corner of her mouth.
"By the second step, when exchanging horoscopes and asking the name, the two families are not yet formally engaged. When you take me to pay respects at your father's grave in your hometown, you needn't feel guilty towards your father."
... So that's how it was.
Knowing that the exchange of horoscopes didn't count as a formal engagement, Ying Xiaoman felt much better.
But the kiss on the corner of her mouth didn't leave. At first, it was just light pecks, but gradually it deepened and intensified. Ying Xiaoman's breathing quickened, feeling a bit short of breath. She leaned back slightly, but was pursued again.
Faint sounds could be heard from the secluded bamboo grove. One voice spoke urgently, while the other coaxed gently.
"...Seventh Young Master, I'm a bit short of breath..."
"Don't panic, it's still just kissing, only a different method."
"Hmm...?"
The secluded bamboo grove fell silent for a long while. Then vague voices of conversation were heard again.
"Why the rush to exchange horoscopes in the capital? I had originally planned to take you home to see my father, then return to the capital next spring..."
"It takes half a year to travel from the capital to Jingzhou and back. Another half year to complete the six rites."
"Seventh Young Master thinks that's too long?"
The bamboo grove fell quiet. The embracing couple within were attempting deep kisses.
Continuous kisses fell on soft, fragrant lips, gradually deepening. At first, Ying Xiaoman laughed from the ticklish sensation, but as she laughed, she became short of breath and began to push him away. Her push wasn't very forceful, like a small animal playing in the forest.
Yan Rongshi slowly caressed the moist, colorful lips of the young woman before him.
Xiaoman would turn seventeen after the New Year.
Day by day, she was shedding her immaturity before him, like a snow lotus atop a mountain, carefully nurtured for long, slowly blossoming in the light.
The proposal would begin in autumn. By the time the six rites were completed, the earliest they could marry would be next spring.
Xiaoman wasn't used to deep kisses. He kissed the soft corner of her mouth lightly, in the way Xiaoman liked best, like a dragonfly touching water.
"It's too long."
The proposal and asking the name were considered the beginning of the two families' union.
Ying Xiaoman had asked carefully, and learned that the person coming to discuss matters with the Ying family in a few days was actually Elder Han, whom Seventh Young Master had introduced her to on the day she entered the palace.
She recounted in detail to her mother: "Elder Han is very old. He looks to be over seventy, with all white hair and beard. I heard he's the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and also the current Grand Tutor, a senior official who has served three emperors. Seventh Young Master learned calligraphy from Elder Han when he was young, so he's considered half a teacher."
Her adoptive mother was startled: "This old gentleman has such a high position, we don't have anything good to serve him."
"Our small courtyard doesn't even have a kitchen, mother, don't worry about it. Just go out and buy some good tea and pastries to prepare."
And so it was settled.
In Ying Xiaoman's imagination, Elder Han would probably come on a late afternoon after finishing his duties, just like Seventh Young Master usually did. He would bring a box of gifts, stroll over from some office of the Ministry of Justice to the small courtyard where the Ying family was temporarily staying, knock on the gate, come in and chat casually with her adoptive mother, and the two sides would propose and ask the name.
Therefore, on a clear and crisp autumn morning three days later, when the Ying family opened the courtyard gate to welcome a long, grand procession of people, with so many chests and boxes for the proposal that they filled the small courtyard to the brim leaving no place to step, the three members of the Ying family - from the adoptive mother to Ying Xiaoman and Zhi - stood under the long eaves of the main hall, completely dumbfounded.
There were sixty-four pairs of large and small chests and boxes, with the largest being four feet square. They occupied all the open space in the small courtyard and still couldn't fit, leaving only a narrow path for people to walk.
Elder Han, with his completely white hair, slowly walked along this path from outside the small courtyard to the main hall, smiling in greeting.
"Madam Ying. I am Han Xingji, and I've come unannounced today to seek a joyous matter on behalf of a late friend's descendant."
Concerning her daughter's marriage, the adoptive mother forced herself to remain calm, pretending to be experienced with grand occasions. She exchanged pleasantries as she invited Elder Han into the room, served the newly bought fine tea and pastries, and the two sides sat down.
Zhi also helped, running back and forth, occasionally bringing up a few more pastries for her aunt.
Elder Han smiled and patted Zhi's little head, handing her a large bag of candy he had prepared in advance. "Good little girl. Thank you for your hard work, go outside and enjoy these."
The elders from both sides sat in the main hall, talking. Two horoscope cards were placed on the table near the Buddhist shrine, retrieved by the adoptive mother. Elder Han smiled and waved his hand, first placing a bright red betrothal letter on the table.
Elder Han appeared kind when smiling. But when not smiling, his whole demeanor exuded an air of authority accumulated over many years.
The adoptive mother, unable to understand the cards handed to her, nervously picked up her teacup and gulped down half of it.
Three rooms with blue-tiled roofs stood side by side, with the central hall separated from the side rooms by lattice windows. At this moment, behind the lattice window of the eastern room, a finger pushed down the green gauze covering the window, quietly revealing a bright, dark eye.
Ying Xiaoman's eyes were wide open.
Today's ceremony... such a grand occasion...
Elder Han first handed over the groom's betrothal letter in person, then picked up the two horoscope cards and began to explain the Yan family's situation to the adoptive mother in detail.
"I am not a member of the Yan family. By rights, it would be most appropriate to invite the Yan family elders to present the betrothal gifts today. However, Seventh Young Master's grandfather and father are no longer in this world, and the boy has entrusted this task to me. Rather than having his uncles come to present the gifts, it's better for me to come in person, relying on my old friendship with his grandfather and my role as Seventh Young Master's half-teacher, even if it means putting my old face forward."
The adoptive mother understood the gist of it and replied, "Since Seventh Young Master has entrusted this to Elder Han, Elder Han is certainly the most suitable choice. We are very much at ease with this."
Elder Han nodded with a smile, "A marriage alliance between two families is a great matter, honoring the ancestors above and continuing the family line below. It's best to explain everything clearly. It's rare for Seventh Young Master to entrust me with this task, so this joyous event must be handled with the utmost care."
For the next half hour, Elder Han indeed held the Yan family's horoscope card and clearly explained the Yan family's ancestral home, the names of three generations of fathers and grandfathers, the mother's family background, Seventh Young Master's birth date and time, which branch of the clan he belonged to, and his official position, all face to face.
As he spoke, he became more enthusiastic, and went on to describe to the adoptive mother in detail what Seventh Young Master looked like at his full-moon celebration, and the scene of his first birthday ceremony...
"In front of a room full of people, little Seventh Young Master crawled back and forth on a long table filled with over a hundred objects. He ignored the rattles, gold and silver cakes, and various exquisite little trinkets around him, and went straight to his grandfather's side, grabbing and refusing to let go of the imperial-bestowed sword hanging at his grandfather's waist, hahaha..."
When Elder Han laughed, he looked like a kind old man, no longer the stern, authoritative chief judge.
The adoptive mother's tense shoulders relaxed, and she too began to vividly describe the scene of her own daughter's first birthday ceremony.
"Country folk don't have many objects, so the table was set with ordinary things used at home. A wooden spoon, a small pot, copper coins, needles and thread, flowers, and boiled eggs. Xiaoman didn't like any of them. She sat on the table, looking this way and that, not taking anything for a long time. Her father got anxious and put all his hunting gear on the table, including many things that little children shouldn't touch. I was just scolding her father when, guess what, Xiaoman moved! She crawled quickly from one end of the wooden table to the other, grabbed her father's shiny iron claws, and started gnawing on them, hahaha..."
The two elders' conversation veered off topic from there.
They took turns recounting embarrassing stories of both children from their early years, talking for a whole hour. Ying Xiaoman, listening from the eastern room, couldn't help but twitch her mouth.
By the time both sides had finished talking to their hearts' content, it was almost noon. Elder Han looked up at the sky, smiled, took one of the horoscope cards, pushed it towards the adoptive mother, and kept the second one for himself before standing up to take his leave.
"I will now go to a prosperous Buddhist temple to place both families' horoscope cards before the Buddha. After matching the eight characters, I will come back to formally propose the marriage."
The adoptive mother politely saw him off outside the door: "Just to let Elder Han know, we will be returning to our hometown at the end of August to visit Xiaoman's father's grave. We'll be back in Beijing in spring next year."
"Seventh Young Master mentioned that," Elder Han said with a smile, stroking his beard. "It's not a problem."
The adoptive mother didn't quite understand how it wasn't a problem. In any case, she had passed on the information to prevent the old man from making a wasted trip while the Ying family was away from Beijing.
On this morning of Elder Han's visit, the door of the Ying family's small courtyard remained open throughout. The boxes and trunks that were delivered couldn't fit in the courtyard and were gradually piled up outside.
When the adoptive mother saw the visitors off, she suddenly realized that the usually quiet small courtyard outside was surrounded by three circles of people, packed tightly.
Apart from the officials and clerks from the Ministry of Justice itself, many officials from various departments who frequented the Ministry of Justice had also specifically come to the west side of the government office to watch the excitement...
"Elder Han has come to propose marriage, whose happy event is approaching?"
"Don't you know? The young lady staying here is from the Ying family. Of course, the joyous occasion is for Young Lord Yan."
"Where is Young Lord Yan? Let's go and congratulate him in person."
...
When Ying Xiaoman went out to close the door, her ears were filled with the discussions from outside.
She returned to the room along the small path created by the piled-up boxes and trunks, and asked her adoptive mother in bewilderment, "How did it turn into such a big commotion?"
The adoptive mother was also confused. The six etiquette procedures in Beijing were completely different from what the Ying family had imagined.
The brief questions were quickly pushed to the back of their minds, and Ying Xiaoman began to worry about the courtyard full of boxes and trunks of various sizes.
"So many boxes and trunks, are we taking them all back to our hometown? That doesn't seem possible."
Of course, it wasn't possible. Transporting so many boxes and trunks back to their hometown over thousands of miles would exhaust countless mules.
The adoptive mother pondered for a while. "Let's open them first and check against the gift list. After verifying each box, we'll lock it up. We should ask if Seventh Young Master has any spare space where we can store the boxes. We'll leave them in Beijing for autumn and winter, and deal with them when we return in spring next year."
It made sense.
The mother and daughter, one holding the gift list and the other opening the box lids, began to check the items against the list.
Ying Xiaoman read from the list: "One jade Buddha statue of Thousand-Hand Guanyin."
The adoptive mother opened a wooden box near the courtyard gate, revealing a bright red two-foot-tall coral bonsai.
"Wow~" Zhi squatted beside the wooden box, curiously touching the red coral. "It's so beautiful. Can we eat it?"
Ying Xiaoman's eyelid twitched, and she quickly picked up the little girl.
"No, we can't eat it. This coral is very expensive. The last time I entered the palace, I saw a similar red coral bonsai on the bookshelf in the Empress Dowager's palace."
The Thousand-Hand Guanyin jade Buddha sounded valuable, so the adoptive mother thought for a moment and opened the largest four-foot box in the courtyard.
A loud "Honk!" came from inside.
The adoptive mother's eyelids twitched violently. The large box actually contained a pair of live geese!
She quickly closed the lid.
"Tell Zhi to stay away from the largest box. Be careful not to get pecked by the geese."
Zhi sat on the stone table while Ying Xiaoman read the gift list and the adoptive mother opened each box on the ground, roughly counting the contents.
"Sending so many valuable gifts before the two families have formally agreed?" The adoptive mother pondered in surprise. "Is arranging a marriage in Beijing so expensive?"
Ying Xiaoman couldn't say. She had never arranged a marriage before.
"Anyway, since Seventh Young Master sent them, we'll keep them for now. A few mornings ago, Seventh Young Master told me that once our two families start the betrothal process, he can ask for leave from the court and come back to our hometown with us."
As lanterns were being lit, the most prestigious brothel in Beijing welcomed a long-absent guest.
Laughter and noise filled the air, with voices rising in a clamor. However, the large room on the third floor, reserved for distinguished guests, was eerily quiet.
The dancing girls offering their performances, the courtesans offering wine, and even the many young nobles of Beijing who had come to join the excitement after hearing the news, were all unceremoniously driven out by the distinguished guest in the room.
Only Third Son Mo remained, looking awkward, unsure whether he should offer a toast with the wine cup in his hand.
"Ahem, Second Young Master, don't be angry. This time, you were set up in the palace, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. You dominated the situation and came out on top, so I must offer my congratulations..."
Across from Third Son Mo, Yan Erlang sat alone by the table, drinking. He laughed, clearly not in high spirits.
"What's there to congratulate? If a dog bites me, should I bite the dog back? I just kicked the dog and that was the end of it."
To be honest, he did indeed turn misfortune into fortune this time. The old lady in the palace, departing from her usual amiable non-interference, conducted a thorough investigation.
He had been fixated on Ying Xiaoman for too long, and the news of him angrily smashing Yuqing Tower for a beauty had spread too far. Everyone at home who needed to know, knew.
In the Yuqing Tower incident, Yan Erlang had accidentally rendered a great service. Although the rewards hadn't been announced yet, and he had only been invited to a banquet in the palace, rumors in the palace suggested that his military position in the Imperial Guard would be restored to its original rank, and the word "Deputy" might even be removed from his title of "Deputy Commander."
The Marquis of Xingning rarely showed such a pleasant demeanor towards this usually disobedient son.
Just these two things were enough to give many people at home quite a shock.
At this critical moment, he again sought an audience with the old lady in the palace and said those widely circulated words about "pure and natural quality" to her face.
His stepmother at home immediately began to scheme.
She wanted to "help" Yan Erlang marry beneath his station.
For the eldest son of the Marquis of Xingning to seek marriage with a poor girl from a humble family, without any social backing, was enough to cause a father-son upheaval.
His stepmother spared no expense in bribing a lady-in-waiting close to the Empress Dowager, attempting to persuade her to arrange the marriage.
But while the stepmother was quietly maneuvering behind the scenes, his half-brother from the same father was also secretly plotting.
"You know that good brother of mine," Yan Erlang said to Third Son Mo as they drank together.
"He's jealous that the Empress Dowager only dotes on me, and he's racking his brains to make me lose face in front of her, hoping she'll come to despise me."
"But in the end, he administered the drug too early."
"That simpleton my dear brother bribed with a hefty sum saw me get up to use the restroom midway through the banquet. Thinking I was going to see the Empress Dowager, he hastily brought me a cup of drugged wine. But Yan Rongshi from Changle Alley was watching me outside. I went back to continue drinking at the palace banquet."
"I went out to relieve myself three times, and the fool poured me three cups of drugged wine. Hah, I had barely stepped out of the hall when the drug took effect, right in front of a bunch of imperial guards."
Third Son Mo wanted to laugh but didn't dare. He studied Yan Erlang's expression, feeling something was off, and spoke carefully.
"In that case, Yan Rongshi from Changle Alley did you a favor. If he hadn't stopped you, and you'd reached the Empress Dowager's chambers only to have the effects hit you mid-conversation in front of the palace servants, you'd have had no way to explain yourself."
Yan Erlang took another drink on his own.
His dear brother's intentions were even more sinister. Ying Xiaoman was dining with the Empress Dowager. If the drug had taken effect in front of her, he might not have been able to control himself.
"I should thank Yan Rongshi in person," Yan Erlang said, his lips curling into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"He persuaded me with words and exposed the whole affair. I stayed in the palace to investigate thoroughly. Hah, and he was outside taking care of Ying Xiaoman. I hear they're engaged now? When did that happen?"
Third Son Mo laughed awkwardly.
"It happened yesterday morning. You came out of the palace this afternoon. What a coincidence, just a day and a half apart..."
"How did it all happen in just half a month? Tell me the details."
Third Son Mo then vividly described, with a mix of guesswork and imagination, what he believed had transpired over the past few days.
"That Yan Rongshi from Changle Alley may not join us in our revelries, but when it comes to pursuing a young lady, his methods are truly formidable."
"Who knows what excuse he used, but he managed to arrange for the entire Ying family to stay at the Ministry of Justice. That's what you call 'the one closest to the water tower gets the moonlight first.' Conducting trials by day, whispering sweet nothings by night."
"He moved the young lady into the Ministry of Justice at the beginning of August, and by mid-August, they were engaged. Tsk tsk."
"Erlang, take your brother's advice. If you're unlucky in love, be lucky elsewhere. You've dealt with your brother this time, and your inheritance of the title is secure. You haven't lost out..."
"I haven't lost out?"
These three words somehow triggered Yan Erlang's darker side. He smashed his half-empty wine cup on the ground with a bang, splattering the ruby-colored grape wine everywhere.
He grabbed the newly issued Imperial Guard Commander's token from the table and strode out of the chamber.
Third Son Mo, alarmed, chased after him, shouting, "Erlang, what are you going to do? You've just been promoted to Imperial Guard Commander, your position isn't secure yet. Be careful!"
As Yan Erlang mounted his horse to leave, he had already resumed his usual carefree and rakish demeanor. He lazily tossed two sentences back at the pursuing Third Son Mo.
"Isn't it just the proposal and asking of the name? Only two of the six etiquette steps have been completed. The betrothal gifts haven't even been exchanged. How can you call that engaged?"
"Just you wait and see."