Chapter Seven: The Fish That Took the Bait Willingly

If the memories he had inherited were correct, Yuan Qingqi’s father, Yuan Jie, currently held the post of Prefect of Jinling, with the honorary title of General of the Left Army, an esteemed fourth-rank official. The state of Chu had inherited the bureaucratic system from Wei, but the hierarchy was muddled, and the distinction between civil and military offices was not strictly observed. To enhance one’s credentials and reputation, or to display virtue and prestige, it was common to be granted both civil and military titles. For instance, Yuan Jie, as Prefect of Jinling, held a fifth-rank civil position, but with the added honorary title of General of the Left Army, he was elevated to the fourth rank in name. However, this title was purely honorary and did not confer actual military command.

The visitor left his retinue and horses outside the courtyard, entered alone, and upon seeing Xu You from afar, offered a respectful clasp of his hands and said with a smile, “Greetings, my lord!”

Xu You recognized him; he was indeed Yuan Household’s steward, Feng Tong. He had sold himself as a child into the Yuan family as a servant, later serving as Yuan Jie’s study attendant. When Yuan Jie entered officialdom and established his own household, Feng’s status naturally rose, and he became the chief steward.

Yet, in the past, this steward of the Yuan family had always been extremely deferential upon seeing Xu You, not as casual and brusque as today. As the saying goes, adversity reveals true character—first Chen Mu, now Feng Tong—such is the way of the world; without power, how could one expect respect?

After returning the greeting, Xu You deliberately asked, “Steward Feng, you seem in a hurry—have you come to inquire after my illness?”

Feng Tong coughed dryly and said, “The wind is strong outside, and since you have only just recovered, my lord, it would be better to speak inside.”

With a sweep of his long sleeves, Xu You turned and led the way. “Follow me.”

Feng Tong stared at Xu You’s back, his expression sour. The Xu clan had fallen to such a state—they had lost even their gentry status, become commoners, offended both the Crown Prince and the Shen family; who knew if they would survive another day—yet he still put on the airs of an old noble house. Still, remembering his master’s instructions, Feng forced himself to swallow his resentment, snorted, and followed Xu You into the house.

Xu You gathered his robe and knelt on a worn mat, gesturing to the one opposite. “Sit.”

Feng Tong glanced at the obviously threadbare mat, frowned slightly, and forced a smile. “How could a servant sit in the presence of my lord? I shall answer standing.”

Xu You did not insist, nor did he waste time on pleasantries. “Since Master Yuan has sent you, I presume he has something to discuss. Please, speak plainly.”

He and Yuan Qingqi had already completed the five marriage rites: proposal, exchanging names, betrothal, confirmation, and setting the date. All that remained was to welcome her to his home on the seventh day of the third month next year—by all accounts, the marriage was already settled. Even addressing Yuan Jie as ‘father-in-law’ would not be amiss. Yet times had changed; to call him so now might well turn Feng Tong’s face all shades of red and green. Xu You was prepared for this, but it was best to preserve some dignity; thus, “Master Yuan” was a respectful yet measured term—entirely appropriate.

Feng Tong deliberated for a moment, then replied, “My lord did not specify the details, only commanded that I invite you to Jinling for a meeting.”

Since the Wei dynasty, it had been customary for servants to address their master as “lord.” The Yuan clan had fled from Chen Commandery, crossed the river, and settled in Jinling. In less than ten years, they had become the preeminent family in the region, ranking alongside the Xiao clan of Lanling, the Liu clan of Hedong, and the Yu clan of Yingchuan—the four greatest émigré families south of the river. This was the strength of such aristocratic houses; as long as the family learning endured, even in chaos and exile, they could rise from the ashes and stand once more at the forefront of society.

Xu You apologized, “Since Master Yuan summons me, I should go at once, but I have only just recovered from serious injury and am afraid I cannot travel far just yet…” In truth, none wished more than he to see Yuan Jie straightaway, but the first rule of negotiation is to maintain composure—the calmer one is, the more impatient the other becomes, and thus, the advantage is gained.

As expected, Feng Tong quickly urged, “My lord has important matters to discuss with you. In a few days, you will be moving to Qiantang, making a meeting even more difficult. Jinling is only seventy li from Yixing. I have prepared a carriage with the best driver. Once out of the city, we’ll take a boat up the creek, enter the canal, and go straight to Jinling. You may rest all the way; the journey will be smooth and comfortable.”

Xu You feigned indecision. “Prefect Li has ordered me to Qiantang within three days; only two remain. If I go to Jinling to see Master Yuan and return, I fear there won’t be enough time…”

“This…” Feng Tong had not anticipated this. “At most, a one-day delay—surely Prefect Li would not blame you…”

Xu You shook his head. “It’s not Prefect Li compelling my departure, but someone else. Should I delay, the consequences are impossible to predict.”

Feng Tong’s disappointment was plain. He was not quick-witted but had served Yuan Jie for many years, valued for his loyalty, which earned him the position of chief steward. Even matters as weighty as this, affecting the Yuan family’s reputation, were entrusted to him. But Yuan Jie had only instructed him to bring Xu You to Jinling, not what to do if he refused.

Xu You waited, but when Feng Tong still said nothing, he grew anxious for the man’s intelligence. The problem he’d posed was only a matter of holding back a little, and anyone of average cleverness would find a solution in an instant. But it seemed he’d encountered a fool.

As dusk fell, they could not simply stare at each other in silence. Xu You, half-intentionally, remarked, “Is the Yongping River east to Jinling navigable these days? I recall when I traveled with friends through Jinling to Wu Commandery last time, the riverbed was so silted that hundreds of boats were held up for five days before passage was allowed…”

“Perfectly clear now! The Yongping River is dredged every three months. My lord personally appointed the river inspector for Yongping, commanding over a thousand laborers to regularly patrol, build levees, clear channels, cut off water, set up locks—nothing is neglected. If you travel that way again, you won’t be delayed.”

In Chu, the Waterworks Bureau was headed by the Commissioner of Waterways, responsible for river management. Subordinates were called River Embankment Inspectors, and for specific stretches, they were referred to as “Stewards.” So, the “Yongping Steward” was the chief official for that stretch. Xu You knew a bit about these obscure offices, mostly from his fondness for history in his previous life; otherwise, he would not have understood Feng Tong’s references. As for the original owner of this body, his memories contained none of these trivial matters.

It was during that journey to Jinling that Xu You had encountered Yuan Qingqi on the street. So struck was he by her beauty that he could not forget her even while reveling in Wu Commandery. Upon returning to Yixing, he immediately told his father that he would marry no one but a daughter of the Yuan family. Elders then took charge, and after some unknown negotiation, the Yuan family—who never married into local clans—agreed to the match.

News of this caused a stir at court. Yuan Qingqi was celebrated for her talent, skill in letters, and mastery of metaphysics, her beauty unparalleled. The renowned monk Tanqian, famed for his judgments of character, had called her “radiant-hearted and dazzling, graceful and gifted,” and she was much admired. Xu You, though tall and handsome, was a man of arms—hardly a fitting match. Yet, by the customs of the time, marriages were determined by family status. “Among all the great houses of Jiangdong, none surpass the Shen and Xu.” The Xu house’s standing was in no way inferior to the Yuan’s, and its roots in Jiangdong ran even deeper. After a few days’ debate, people accepted the engagement.

Again, a vision of a woman in red appeared in Xu You’s mind. But ever since he had first recalled Yuan Qingqi last night, her figure, though it returned again and again, remained indistinct—near yet far, shrouded in mist. However he strained, he could not see her face. He only remembered vaguely that her voice was clear and melodious, like spring water over stone, untouched by the world’s noise.

“That is excellent news, all thanks to Master Yuan’s benevolence and good governance…” Xu You replied, his eyes flicking toward Feng Tong, thinking: I’ve hinted so clearly—if you still don’t respond, Yuan Jie must truly be blind to trust such a dimwitted servant as his confidant.

Suddenly, Feng Tong started as if struck by lightning, his eyes lighting up. Xu You finally relaxed as he heard the steward exclaim, “My lord, I have thought of a plan! You need not disobey Prefect Li’s command, and you can still visit Jinling!”

“Oh? Pray tell, Steward Feng. If you truly have such a fine solution, I shall gladly accept your invitation.”

Feng Tong pondered a moment, then seemed to understand the phrase “gladly accept your invitation,” and looked at Xu You in surprise. “My lord, your words are so vivid—‘gladly accept your invitation’—how amusing.” He made a mental note to tell Third Miss when he returned; it was sure to amuse her. Yuan Qingqi was third in her family, and both relatives and servants called her Third Miss. As the old servant who had accompanied Yuan Jie the longest, Feng Tong had watched her grow up and was deeply attached, all the more unwilling to see her marry Xu You.

The Xu family, though renowned, were after all southerners—“Chu barbarians” with little learning, in Feng Tong’s eyes. Only the scions of cultured northern clans such as the Liu of Hedong, the Xiao of Lanling, or the Yu of Yingchuan were worthy of her.

This, of course, touched on the subject of regional prejudice between northerners and southerners. After the fall of Cao Wei, when the gentry crossed south, the northern émigré families were called “guest surnames,” with the Liu, Yuan, Yu, and Xiao clans held in highest regard. The local Jiangdong nobility—like the Zhu and Zhang of Wu, or the Kong and He of Kuaiji—looked down on them, calling them “northern bumpkins” (with the implication of coarseness and vulgarity). The northern gentry, for their part, scorned the wealthy southern families as “Chu barbarians”—wild men! Even more absurdly, earlier émigrés would look down on later ones, calling them “wasteland bumpkins”—a literary play on the original insult. Both sides attacked each other and could hardly bear the sight of one another. If not for the ever-present threat of northern Wei invasion, which made a stable southern regime essential, civil war would likely have broken out long before the enemy arrived.

Xu You had not expected that in this brief exchange he had already suffered psychological regional discrimination. He vaguely recalled that the earliest appearance of the phrase “gladly accept your invitation” in historical records was in the Northern Song monk Shi Zanning’s “Bamboo Shoots Treatise.” He silently chided himself, then smiled, “It’s just a local saying in Yixing… But Steward Feng, you haven’t yet explained your clever plan?”

“Oh, yes… My lord, why not inform Prefect Li that you will first follow me to Jinling, and then, instead of returning, travel directly from Jinling via the Tang River to Wuxian, then from Wuxian through Jiaxing, following the Grand Canal straight to Qiantang? The route is longer, but the scenery along the way is elegant—rivers sparkling, mountains veiled in mist…”

Truly, families steeped in culture are different—even their servants speak with refinement. Xu You frowned, pondering for a while, then sighed, “That is a solution, but there are still two difficulties, and I must trouble you, Steward Feng, to help resolve them…”