CH 4

TN: Psst…I didn’t like the sound of “Old Master Gu”, so I decided to change some forms of address.

It took a long time for Liu Yuru to recover her senses.

The ladies in the store were too busy choosing their rouges to pay heed to the conversation between Gu Jiusi and her. Yinhong went to pick up a box too. On her return, she saw the rouge in Liu Yuru’s hand and said with a smile, “Aren’t you going to choose another, Miss?”

“Oh yes…right.”

Liu Yuru lowered her eyes. The ladies in the store were picking out their rouge. She would’ve stood out if she didn’t follow suit.

She quietly slid the rouge into her sleeves and went up to select a couple more. The shopkeeper smiled at her and said, “Miss Liu, that’s Young Master Gu’s temper for you, try not to let it get to you. That’s just the way he is—sharp of tongue but soft of heart. I’d wager he came to vent his spleen on you after your brother bested him in the gambling den. Just bear with it a little and he’ll have vented his fill before you know it. It’s nothing, really. See? After working that bit of hot air out of his system, he has gone off to buy happiness with his silver.”

“I see your point,” Liu Yuru sighed. “I’ve embarrassed myself. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

As Liu Yuru selected her rouges, Gu Jiusi continued gambling in the gambling house. Meanwhile the conversation between the two swiftly made its way back to the Gu family: Gu Langhua was in the living room angrily complaining about Gu Jiusi to his wife, ”That little brat doesn’t know what’s good for him. He should have thought of why I want him engaged: his uncle might drag him off to the palace, to recommend him as prince consort. With looks like that, he might just catch some princess’ eye. If that were to happen, I just know he wouldn’t be able to put up with that.” 

“Come now, it’s time you cooled off.”

Lady Gu, Jiang Rou, sighed. “Jiusi has a point—it is his marriage after all. He should find someone he loves. By getting him engaged without his knowledge, he’ll end up marrying someone he doesn’t care for. That would not be right.” 

“What, then, would be considered ‘right’? Would being forced to marry a princess be considered ‘right’?!”

As the two argued, the Gu family housekeeper burst in with great haste.

“Master! My Lady!” The housekeeper shouted joyfully. “I’ve found her!”

“Who have you found?” Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou were both confused. The housekeeper replied brightly, “Young Master’s one true love!”

Jiang Rou was the first to speak. She cried out incredulously in a louder voice, “Jiusi has someone he loves?! Why didn’t he tell us?” 

Gu Langhua asked in a voice that was more composed than Jiang Rou, “How did you know Jiusi has a lady love?” 

The housekeeper repeated the words related by a guard and said happily, “Young Master said he would marry no one but this girl. What else could that be, if not true love? Master, I’ve heard about this girl. I’ve inquired about her—she’s from a good family and is said to have the most agreeable temper. Her looks are a tad plain, but they’re not bad by any means. It is said that in marriage, one should seek a wise and virtuous wife. That Young Master likes her is more important than anything else.” 

“Well put,” said Jiang Rou. She promptly added, “You’d better get ready then, and best be quick about it. I want you to find out more about this girl. If she’s truly as good as you say, your master and I will call on her family on the morrow; we’ll make a marriage offer right there and then.”  

The housekeeper speedily withdrew. Gu Langhua meditated over the housekeeper’s words and turned to Jiang Rou, “My Lady, something’s off about this.” 

“It is odd indeed,” Jiang Rou replied with a sigh. “Jiusi always tells me everything, yet I’ve never heard him mention anything about liking a girl, much less a girl quite so ordinary. I do wonder how they got to meet.”

Gu Langhua said nothing and sank into deep thought. Then he said to Jiang Rou, “Keep this marriage business from Jiusi for now. He did say he would marry no one but this girl. The priority is to nail the engagement. There will be no more tomfoolery this time.”

“This…” said Jiang Rou hesitantly. “Marriage is a major life event. Would it really be alright to leave him in the dark?”  

“It’ll be fine,” Gu Langhua said as he waved his hand dismissively. “If we drag this out too long, your elder brother would suggest sending Jiusi to the capital. It’ll be too late for us to refuse by then.” 

Jiang Rou understood: Gu Langhua no longer cared to know the reason behind Gu Jiusi’s words. All that mattered was that it gave him an excuse to quash whatever objections his son may attempt to advance.

Liu Yuru was a born and bred native of Yangzhou. She had an ordinary past and was the archetypical lady. Wasting no time, the Gu family’s housekeeper brought a portrait of Liu Yuru and an account of her life story back to the Gu family the very next day. It gave Lady Gu immense pleasure to learn that her unreliable son had found such a reliable girl.

“There is, however, one rumour,” the housekeeper said, hesitating, “Word is that the Ye family’s elderly matriarch is remarkably fond of Miss Liu, that the families have a certain… understanding.”

Jiang Rou grew anxious. “They have an engagement?”

“No,” The housekeeper was quick to add, “They’re just rumours, is all.”

“Let’s see,” said Gu Langhua. He considered for a moment and said calmly, “We will pay the Lius a visit in person and find out the truth of the matter. If an engagement does exist between the two families, we shall back out graciously as we should. If no engagement has been fixed, we’ll leave the final choice to the Lius.”

Armed with an understanding of Gu Langhua’s intentions, the housekeeper drew up a list of bridal gifts with Jiang Rou the very next day. As soon as they were done, the Gu couple went straight to the Liu family’s manor.

By the time Master Gu and his wife arrived in Liu Yuru’s home, Liu Yuru was taking care of Su Wan inside the house.

No one had marriage on their minds when Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua came to visit, so Liu Yuru was not summoned forth by Liu Xuan to greet the guests.

The Gu family was rich and influential in Yangzhou, and that made Zhang Yue’er and Liu Xuan uneasy. They inwardly guessed at Gu Langhua’s intentions while making idle chit chat. After some banter, Gu Langhua smiled and spoke up, “Days ago, I heard there’s been cause for celebration in your household—an engagement between your eldest daughter and the Ye family’s son, I believe. Is it true?”

Liu Xuan and Zhang Yue’er exchanged looks. She instantly grasped Gu Langhua’s reason for coming. 

She had wondered at their coming. So Liu Yuru was the reason.

Liu Yuru was Su Wan’s daughter. Zhang Yue’er had never been much fond of her, though she treated her well enough to keep up appearances. She had seen the effort Liu Yuru had poured into her own marriage; she knew of Liu Yuru’s desire to marry into a good family.

The more well-to-do Liu Yuru’s husband was, the more generous the bridal gifts would be. Once these bridal gifts crossed the Liu family’s door, they’d all go to her son some day. Thus, Zhang Yue’er was perfectly happy to let Liu Yuru exert herself as much as she desired in service of her marriage. She was, to begin with, very much pleased with the Ye family, whom Liu Yuru was originally promised to. The Ye family did not stint on the bridal gifts, which contributed to a great eagerness on her part to get Liu Yuru married off as soon as possible. But now that the Gu family had come along, the Ye family’s fortune had lost its original shine.

Zhang Yue’er weighed her options rapidly. Taking advantage of Liu Xuan’s pondering silence, she broke in with a smile, “Oh no, they’re just rumours, nothing more. Our Yuru has always been very dear friends with the Ye family’s eldest daughter, and while that has brought the two families closer, marriage has never been on the table. The Ye family’s eldest son is far too busy with the imperial exams at any rate; they haven’t got the time to speak of such matters. 

Liu Xuan was discomfited by Zhang Yue’er’s blatant lies, but what was done was done, and he did not want to embarrass Zhang Yue’er. Thus he simply nodded and said, “There’s no engagement.”

Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua locked gazes; each breathed a small sigh of relief. Jiang Rou went right to the heart of the matter: she said, “We will be frank. We have come today to propose marriage between our son Jiusi and your eldest daughter.”

Jiang Rou complimented Liu Yuru liberally, did the same for Gu Jiusi, before finally arriving at the main point: She waved at the maid beside her, turned to Liu Xuan and said, “Our Gu family is a straightforward family. We try to be sincere in all that we do. Should the two of you agree to this marriage, this will be the Gu family’s list of bridal gifts, and we shall formally send the gifts out on the morrow. Should you find anything unsatisfactory about our arrangement, please do not hesitate to let us know. We will do our utmost to address any worries that you may have.”

Zhang Yue’er’s eyes lit up at these words. She looked at the list that Liu Xuan had received with a delighted smile on her face. The sheer length of the list was very impressive to begin with. The actual amount listed was positively staggering for an ordinary mercantile household like the Lius. Zhang Yue’er searched Liu Xuan’s face. Though he had made a valiant attempt at affecting composure, his expressions betrayed his true feelings, which Zhang Yue’er noted silently.

Liu Xuan passed the list over to Zhang Yue’er after reading through it. Zhang Yue’er felt her breath hitch as she processed the figures she was seeing. Still, she merely coughed lightly, donned a regretful expression and said, “Although I’m not Yuru’s birth mother, Yuru is a trueborn daughter of our family, and I have always treated her as I would my own blood. Money is not what’s most important here. What matters most is Young Master Gu’s sincerity.” 

Jiang Rou had done an exhaustive background check on the Liu family before coming, and was thus under no illusions as to the kind of person Zhang Yue’er was; she knew what she meant by “sincerity”. She glanced at Gu Langhua and smiled pleasantly, “You see, we are not good at talking; flowery words are quite beyond us; silver and gold is our way of conveying our sincerity. Please be assured that we have absolutely no intention of insulting the young lady. In life, only tangible things can be grasped within our hands. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Alright,” Gu Langhua gave a light cough. “We have five stores on East Street. We’ll include those in this list. How does that sound?”

East Street was the busiest, most prosperous street in Yangzhou. A single store was worth a lot, let alone five.

This was a generous offer, even for the Gu family.

Zhang Yue’er knew not to push her luck. She cast a quick glance at Liu Xuan and repressed her bubbling excitement as she answered, “Young Master Gu is a promising young man. It is Yuru’s good fortune to be deemed worthy of this match. What are your thoughts, Master?”

Liu Xuan’s gaze fell upon the list. He was worried about Liu Yuru’s future, but he found it hard to part with the silver and gold.

After a long internal struggle, he finally asked, “Pardon my boldness. May I ask what Young Master Gu’s thoughts on this match are?” 

The Gu couple seemed easy enough to get along with. Liu Yuru probably wouldn’t have a hard time if she married into their family. And although Gu Jiusi’s conduct could be…preposterous at times, the distinguishing factor that determined how well a woman lived was whether her husband loved her.

Jiang Rou smiled. “Our son is in love with your eldest daughter. Why else would we put ourselves through all this trouble?”  

Liu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. That explained it. By his reckoning, the Gu family ought to have gone to a family like the Liews first even if they wished to marry down.

Liu Xuan smiled. He was just about to say that he would ask for Liu Yuru’s opinions on the matter when Zhang Yue’er exclaimed, “Then it’s a match made in heaven, one appointed by the god of marriage Yue Lao himself! Our Yuru once said, ‘Young Master Gu is handsome and has a heart of gold. A good man like him is few and far between’!”

Liu Xuan’s expression stiffened. Jiang Rou asked, “Did Miss Liu really say that?”

“Why of course she did,” replied Zhang Yue’er. She turned to Jiang Rou, “Though our Yuru and Young Master Gu are but slight acquaintances, she has spoken most favourably of him.”

“Excellent,” Jiang Rou turned to look at Liu Xuan, “It’s settled then. Master Liu, we’ll send the betrothal gifts on the morrow. I trust we are in agreement?”

Liu Xuan could muster no argument in opposition. After some serious consideration, he came to the conclusion that parents should have the ultimate say when it came to marriage. Liu Yuru had always been gentle and obedient. Whether her husband was Ye Shi’an or Gu Jiusi probably made little difference to her. 

And so Liu Xuan nodded and smiled as he said, “I will welcome your esteemed selves on the morrow.”

Liu Xuan got up. He and Jiang Rou saw Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou off together. Then he sighed, turned around, and said, “I would like you to inform Yuru about this. Some things are better said woman-to-woman.”     

Zhang Yue’er smiled, took Liu Xuan’s hand and said, “Worry not. The Gu family is far superior to the Ye family. There are many more rules to be followed in the Ye family. The Gu family is easygoing, powerful, influential and has Gu Jiusi as the only son. Gu Jiusi does get rather absurd at times, but no one is perfect. So long as Gu Jiusi loves our Yuru, she’ll live a comfortable life.”

“It is as you say,” Liu Xuan sighed. “That was well considered.” 

“So set your mind at ease. I will break the news to Yuru,” Zhang Yue’er said pleasantly. “Yuru is still young, and marriage is such a tremendous deal. As elders, it is only right for us to look out for her.”

With Zhang Yue’er’s reassurances, Liu Xuan was able to set aside his misgivings, so with a newfound peace of mind he went about attending to his business. After Liu Xuan left, Zhang Yue’er sent someone to find out what happened between Liu Yuru and Gu Jiusi. In this way she learnt about the rouge store incident.

Zhang Yue’er chuckled upon hearing the story. She sat on a chair and said to the maid beside her, “Su Wan may be incompetent, but the same is not to be said of her daughter. Alright, ground her with this as an excuse. Tell her that she has misbehaved, and as punishment she’s to be grounded for half a month. We’ll set this union to rights before dealing with her. Make sure the servants keep their mouths shut. I will sell off anyone who lets slip of this matter to her before the engagement is done.”

The maid knew Zhang Yue’er was serious and said hurriedly, “You can count on me, not a single tongue will wag.”

Zhang Yue’er nodded, thought for a moment, and added, “See that you’re tactful about it. She’s still anxiously waiting for Ye Shi’an to come and ask for her hand. Comfort her, placate her. I’ll talk sense into her once the match with the Gu family is settled.”

“Understood,” the maid said smilingly. “Rest assured. It will be done, and properly. She’s to be Lady Gu after all; I will be careful not to offend her.”

“Pity,” Zhang Yue’er sighed. “How regrettable that I have no daughter of marriageable age… Xue’er’s¹ far too young, else the Ye family would have made a fine choice too.”

“I must say,” Zhang Yue’er peered down at the list of bridal gifts, a wry smile on her face, “This Liu Yuru’s worth a pretty penny.”

Xue’er¹: “-er” is a diminutive suffix, it’s a term of endearment when attached to the end of a given name, usually used on women or children.