Chapter 112

Chapter 112: A Powerful Assist from Xin An

Compared with Tang Gang’s lonely evening, Madam Wang was delighted: the cuju match was thrilling to watch, the dishes at the restaurant were excellent, and being with her daughter-in-law and her natal family felt wonderfully easy and free, so even she, who rarely drank, took two cups.

After the meal, Tang Mo proposed that they stroll the night market; thinking that they had come all this way and it was rare to feel so relaxed, the Wang Family all agreed. As the party walked along chatting and laughing, Wang Shi, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally could not help himself and asked Tang Mo in a low voice: “Could I borrow a few books to read?”

He knew the marquisate housed a fine library, but he had never asked, worried about putting his aunt in a difficult spot; besides, the old Tang Mo had been more polite than close to them, which made it even harder to open his mouth.

Wang Shi spoke apologetically, cupping his hands: “If it is inconvenient, Cousin, just pretend I never asked.”

Tang Mo paused in surprise, then smiled and said: “It was my oversight. The residence has many books, and I, being no natural scholar, will not miss them. Cousin, your talent is excellent; given time, your name will surely be on the list.”

He added, matter-of-fact: “Tomorrow I will have someone send you some books. There is only one thing: they are my grandfather’s collection from his lifetime. Handle them with care and do not damage them. When you finish, send them back to me and I will give you new ones.”

Wang Shi was overjoyed and bowed deeply as he thanked him: “Many thanks, Cousin.”

Tang Mo waved it off with warmth: “We are brothers; there is no need for courtesy.”

Madam Wang chided her nephew with fond annoyance as she looked him over: “Child, if you wanted to borrow books, why did you not say so earlier?”

Wang Tu explained with a grin that he had only thought of it today; many of the books available on the market he had already read, and he figured noble households would certainly have rarities tucked away, which was why he took the chance to ask upon seeing Tang Mo.

Madam Wang encouraged him with a smile: “If you need anything in the future, come straight to your aunt; if I do not have it, your cousin can help you find it.”

Toward this nephew, Madam Wang had always been attentive.

Wang Bao’er, who had been sticking close to Xin An, piped up in a whisper as she tugged at Xin An’s sleeve: “Cousin-in-law, is the Xin Family very rich?”

Xin An laughed as she asked back, amused: “Why do you ask?”

Wang Bao’er replied with candid delight: “You gave me so many gifts.”

Raised in comfort from childhood, Xin An had an easy hand with money and never quibbled over price when she bought things; she bought by liking. Wang Bao’er was so well-behaved that, in her good mood, Xin An had bought her quite a few things that, in Xin An’s eyes, were hardly worth anything at all.

Xin An answered with a gentle squeeze of the girl’s hand: “My family does business, so we are better off than most.”

Wang Bao’er nodded with a squinting smile as she asked, hope shining in her eyes: “May I come to the marquisate to visit you in the future?”

Xin An agreed without hesitation, squeezing her hand again as she promised: “Of course. You are welcome to come to the marquisate often as a guest.”

Madam Wang then turned and told her sister-in-law that when the weather cooled, they could bring Wang Bao’er to the marquisate for a short stay; the girl was ten, not yet at the age to discuss marriage, but preparations should begin early, and living for a time at the marquisate would raise her standing. The Wang Family’s Madam Wang did not agree, answering steadily: “There is no hurry. For our Wang Family to prosper we must rely on Bao’er’s two elder brothers. You do not have it easy in the marquisate; in the future we will simply have Bao’er visit you often.”

The Wang Family did not know the inside story of the exchanged marriages; they assumed that Madam Wang and her son were being bullied. Wang Mian, though angry, could not back his elder sister with force because the Wang Family was in decline; he pressed responsibility onto his two sons instead and admonished them not to bring trouble to their aunt. Becoming a second wife is not easy; if her natal family adds burdens, life becomes even harder.

Madam Wang did not insist, though [her heart felt a touch sour].

After finishing the night market stroll, they parted ways. Wang Bao’er, reluctant to leave, climbed into the carriage hugging a pile of small trinkets. Wang Mian, cheerful, exchanged a few words with Tang Mo and urged him to take Madam Wang back, lest returning too late make Tang Gang unhappy.

When Madam Wang returned to the marquisate and learned that Tang Gang had been waiting for her, she sent Tang Mo and Xin An off to rest; tonight, she and Tang Gang had plenty to say.

Back in their room, Tang Mo sighed as he loosened his collar and spoke with rueful humor: “Is it not strange how people are? When I had no post, the days felt endless and I did not know how to pass the time. Now it feels as if the days fly by; in the blink of an eye, one is gone.”

Xin An agreed with a small nod as she loosened her hairpin: “That is why a person must have work to do.”

She shifted, then suggested briskly: “Come, let me tell you about yesterday’s banquet.”

From the end of the Water Blossom Banquet until now, the two had not compared notes; it was very necessary to exchange views on this matter.

After washing up, they sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, each idly fanning, and spoke in low voices as they settled on their next steps.

Tang Mo glanced over and asked in a murmur: “Are you really going to send a message to Father-in-law?”

He was not surprised that the Xu Family wanted to buy sugar; what surprised him was that they had come to the Xin Family.

Xin An considered for a moment, then answered frankly: “I think there is a deeper reason behind it. I will write to my father and ask; that will put us at ease.”

She added with calm seriousness as she tapped the fan against her palm: “I think you should have an adviser. In matters that are too complex, neither of us is certain to grasp everything.”

Tang Mo blinked at the new idea and asked with curiosity: “Me? An adviser?”

He chuckled, half self-deprecating: “Even if I tried to hire one, I might not be able to get him.”

Xin An sat up straighter and spoke plainly: “What you and I seek is not easily attained. I am a woman of the inner residence; what I was taught and what I have experienced are not enough to support far-reaching schemes. You are the same. Do you truly have that wisdom?”

Tang Mo had no retort and scratched his cheek as he listened, [admitting to himself that he did not]. Xin An continued, her tone level: “That man next door has simply not yet realized how dangerous you are to him. If he resolves to deal with you, you may not be his match.”

She tipped her chin and gave him his path forward: “But you can hire help.”

Tang Mo’s brows lifted as he asked, already guessing: “You have someone in mind?”

Xin An smiled: “Of course.”

She named him with crisp certainty: “Luo Qi Wen. He should now be studying at Wang Ping Academy in the west of the city. The Luo Family’s house is also in the west. Their ancestors were once affluent; he still has his elderly mother and young brothers. Later something happened and they had to sell the ancestral home. He does have ability. That man next door was able to inherit his title smoothly and later advance in the Imperial Court; Luo Qi Wen’s contributions were indispensable.”

She concluded with a practical edge: “After that, by that man’s recommendation, he obtained his scholarly status. You can intercept him now.”

Xin An winked at Tang Mo as she teased lightly: “We may not have peerless stratagems, but we have money; we can buy his.”

Tang Mo was delighted and shot her a thumbs-up as he praised her from the heart: “You truly are a bringer of fortune.”

Xin An arched a brow in pride: “If you can recruit him, you and I will have a much easier time ahead.”

She remembered something and added with casual competence: “By the way, you have almost spent the money you put aside. I put more in that drawer.”

She gave him a sidelong look of mock disgust as she scolded him: “Honestly, you saved hardly any money, yet you have such a reputation for fighting over spoils; the name does not match the reality.”

Tang Mo laughed sheepishly, conceding that he was indeed not especially wealthy: “I still have those bottles and jars and some antiques and paintings; I am not too poor.”

At that hour the moon was bright and the stars sparse, yet the lamps in Tang Gang and Madam Wang’s room still burned. Madam Wang had no intention of letting the news rot in her heart; she would have Tang Gang hear clearly what sort of household he had arranged a marriage with.