Chapter 12: Opportunity

"Mother," Yang Mingjing said in a low voice, "what I said just now was merely a matter of expediency."

It was impossible for Yang Mingjing to make an enemy of the Xie family for the sake of "Xie Shiniang." He didn't even need to weigh which side was more important.

As for those things "Xie Shiniang" said...

Madam He whispered, "When I was close to her just now, I saw that there were indeed calluses on the Xie woman's hand from holding a brush."

Madam He's father had passed the imperial examination to become a *xiucai* at nineteen, but unfortunately, for the twenty years that followed, he failed every attempt. By the time the family had fallen into such disrepair that they could no longer afford to support his studies, everyone urged him to give up. Unwilling to resign himself to fate, he married his daughter, Madam He, to Yang Mingjing, and only then did they scrape together enough money for him to travel to the examinations.

The Yang family's second branch was not as prosperous back then as it was now; they had no land within the clan and relied on the third branch to make a living. Because she was the daughter of a *xiucai*, she was held in high regard by the old mistress of the third branch and was arranged to handle clan affairs early on.

Having benefited from this, Madam He was very concerned with the affairs of scholars and understood more about them than the average person.

When Xie Shiniang was speaking, she had deliberately stared at her right hand.

There was a patch of rough skin on the middle finger—something that only comes from years of writing—and she also faintly exuded a scholarly air. She was certain that the Xie woman had studied; there was no mistake about that.

Only high-ranking, wealthy families had the financial means to allow a woman to write like that.

From this, she inferred that the Xie woman did not come from an ordinary household.

Madam Yang the Second had just breathed a sigh of relief at Yang Mingjing's words, but hearing Madam He mention these things made her heart tighten once more, and her eyes turned slightly red.

"How did she ever end up married into our house?" Madam Yang the Second asked indignantly.

They had known all along that the Xie family would produce a corpse to act as a substitute, but they hadn't expected the Xie family to make a mistake in this regard. Women passed away in Daming Prefecture every day; why did they have to pick one who wasn't actually dead?

"What are we to do then?" Madam Yang the Second asked. "Are we just going to let her wreak havoc on the Yang family like this because of all this?"

Madam Yang the Second thought of an old saying: It is easy to invite a god, but difficult to send one away.

"Even so," Madam He said, "it only proves that the Xie woman lived a good life in the past."

Madam Yang the Second did not understand.

Madam He continued, "Every year, the Great Liang executes officials, and those men are scholars too. Only when a family falls from grace do their female relatives end up drifting outside."

"Yes, yes," Madam Yang the Second said, never having felt Madam He was so thoughtful. "She must have fallen from grace! Just look at the things she said—that is not how a proper family would raise a daughter. Her family's fortune is destined not to last."

She had been riding on her neck the moment she entered the door today. For the sake of the bigger picture, she could concede once, but she would never endure such humiliation again.

Madam Yang the Second wished she could receive news sooner; the best outcome would be that the Xie woman's father and mother were dead, and her entire clan had been wiped out.

Yang Mingjing understood the old mistress's thoughts. "Regardless, we must find out the Xie woman's identity as soon as possible. I have thought it over, and this matter must be handed to the Xie family."

"The Xie family transports grain from south to north, which makes it convenient for them to gather information," Yang Mingjing said. "Some things are hard to investigate, but it's not as if there are no clues. If we take a portrait of 'Xie Shiniang' and the general circumstances to ask around, we might get results very quickly."

Madam Yang the Second's eyes lit up. "The Xie family hates that 'Xie Shiniang' even more than we do; I don't fear they won't put in the effort. Once everything is clear, just watch how I deal with her."

She would make "Xie Shiniang" regret defying her like this today.

Compared to Madam Yang the Second's joy, Yang Mingjing was of mixed feelings. The Xie family would investigate "Xie Shiniang's" identity, but what about He Tan? Inspector He was clearly standing on "Xie Shiniang's" side.

He had a premonition that He Tan wasn't just acting for the sake of "Xie Shiniang's" case, but was using this matter to change the situation in Daming Prefecture.

He had heard that the imperial court intended to investigate merchants, though he did not know exactly how they would go about it.

In any case, the Yang family could not be the first to bear the brunt of it.

Could it be that his fourth brother was right, and he would have to ask the He clan to intercede with He Tan on his behalf?

Yang Mingjing was unsure. Did He Tan know about the He family's businesses or not?

Yang Mingjing's mind was in a mess. The Yang family could not afford any more trouble, but that Xie Shiniang was not a person who would save him any effort. To make her behave and stay in line—he feared that was impossible.

"Mother, Husband," Madam He spoke up at this moment, "if you are afraid that 'Xie Shiniang' will cause more trouble, why not find some things for her to do?"

Madam Yang the Second looked at Madam He. "Do you have a good idea?"

The corners of Madam He's mouth curled up, revealing a smile.

...

The room belonging to the mother and son of the third branch was in the northwest corner of the Yang ancestral home.

It was a tiny room containing only some dilapidated furniture. The only thing worth looking at was a table in the corner, and even that had been patched many times, showing just how frugal their lives were.

As soon as Yang Qin entered the door, he went to fuss with the charcoal brazier.

"I was away for the day, so the room is a bit cold," Zhang said. "It will be much better once the charcoal brazier is brought over."

In his previous life, Yang Qin had mentioned to Xie Yuyan that his mother, Zhang, had died on a very cold winter day.

Zhang found the two thickest quilts and spread them on the bed, telling Xie Yuyan to lie down and rest. "Your injuries haven't healed yet, and your body is frail. Tomorrow, I'll have Qin-ge'er go invite a physician to prescribe some medicine for you to build up your strength."

Usually, Zhang would not have had the money for this, but after Yang the Sixth had fallen in battle, the imperial court had sent a pension—grain, silk, and over sixty strings of cash.

"Can we buy anthracite?" Xie Yuyan asked.

Anthracite was not charcoal burned in a kiln, but coal mined from deep underground. People had started selling it the year before last. Anthracite burned longer than charcoal, but the price was also extremely high.

"The clan sells some to us," Zhang said, "but it's not very good."

"Where is it?" Xie Yuyan asked. "Take me to see."

Every year, the Yang clan would purchase some anthracite. They kept the good stuff for the second branch to use themselves and sold the inferior quality to the clansmen. By the time it reached Zhang, she could only afford the dust with her money.

She had to buy it, though; it was the clan's "care" for the mother and son. Such things were too numerous to count. The money Zhang earned working for the clan each year was barely enough for them to survive.

"It is indeed cheaper than what is sold outside," Zhang said.

"But it has to be usable," Yang Qin snorted. "This coal dust is so fine that when you throw it into the fire, the smoke is so thick it stings your eyes, and if you smell it for too long, you get dizzy. Scholar Zhang says that anthracite is poisonous and shouldn't be used; it can kill people."

Scholar Zhang was the "wild teacher" Yang Qin had found for himself. He didn't need to pay tuition; as long as he kept the man happy, he would teach him a few characters and explain the obscure passages in books. Although most of the time Yang Qin still didn't understand after the scholar explained, he was already satisfied—after all, it didn't cost any money.

Xie Yuyan looked at the piles of coal dust and followed Zhang around the small courtyard before returning to the room.

Yang Qin had already lit the charcoal brazier and moved it to the foot of Xie Yuyan's bed. His eyes were filled with worry, fearing that Xie Yuyan would see how dilapidated his home was and turn to leave.

"What are your plans?" Xie Yuyan asked. "I know the court gave you some pension money. What do you intend to do with it?"

Zhang shook her head. "I... haven't thought about it." This money sounded like a lot, but seeing a physician and buying medicine was also very expensive; it would likely be gone in no time.

"The ward gates are about to open," Xie Yuyan said.

Zhang had heard this news as well. In recent years, the ward walls in many places had been demolished. Daming Prefecture was the northern gateway of the Great Liang, and because of the wars, it had been unable to implement the new policies. Now that the wars in the north had subsided, Daming Prefecture might become like those prefectural cities in the south...

"After the ward walls are demolished," Xie Yuyan continued, "the next step will be the lifting of the curfew."

Zhang was bewildered. "You mean... going out to do some small business?" She had heard that in some prefectural cities, one could still encounter merchants selling goods at night.

"Not just selling goods," Xie Yuyan said. "The imperial court has promulgated new policies, and we must respond to them before anyone else. In the future, when people mention the new policies in Daming Prefecture, they should think of us."

Zhang understood, but she stood there in a daze.

When people mention the new policies, they should think of them? This... how could that be possible? Where would they get the ability to do that?

After a long while, Zhang said, "We... we have nothing. How are we supposed to?"

"Who says we have nothing?" Xie Yuyan looked out the window. "Don't we still have the Yang family?"

No sooner had Xie Yuyan finished speaking than a voice called out from outside: "Is the Third Mistress in the room? My Second Mistress invites you to the small storeroom in the south courtyard tomorrow at the hour of the dragon."

Zhang looked at Xie Yuyan, and Xie Yuyan nodded. "It seems the things we want must be found there."