"My Lord is a strange person."
"Hmm?"
Snowflakes fell as the couple stood on either side of the pillar, gazing at the expansive courtyard around them. Turning her head slightly, Su Tan'er lowered it a bit, a faint smile blooming at the corners of her lips.
"In fact… it's not that my Lord is strange. When I was little, I liked standing up here to look out too. Have you noticed? The view from this side is the best." She pointed into the distance. "Look, that's the courtyard where my father and mother live… the second concubine's… and grandfather's is a bit blocked… and there's my third uncle over there… that lantern should be from Wen Ying's group…"
Under the night sky, Su Tan'er delineated each area of the Su residence, identifying various figures moving around with lanterns. After a moment's thought, she continued, "I didn't live here when I was young, but I often liked coming here to play. I'd sit up here, looking around. Whenever my nurse couldn't find me, she would come looking for me here. When I saw her approach, I often hid inside. Hehe, every time I would hide in a different place, and my nurse would be so silly; once I changed hiding spots, she couldn't find me and called out for a long time outside…"
"She would always say it was windy up here or that it was time to eat. My Lord might not know, but I was quite healthy as a child; just a bit of wind wouldn't make me sick. I loved running around like a boy, playing and chasing, but eventually, they all stopped playing with me. As for eating, sometimes I didn't feel hungry at all. I would ask my nurse, but she didn't know either. Hehe, when my mother gave birth to me, my father said he wanted a son to inherit the family business, but what he got was a daughter. He said it was fine; at least they had a proper young lady. But I never really felt like a proper young lady…"
She tilted her chin up and laughed, but there was no shadow in her smile. Even though she had little knowledge, in terms of appearance and demeanor, she certainly had no issue with "looking like a proper young lady."
"So later… well, later when I could choose my own courtyard, I moved here with Xiao Chan and the others. My Lord might not know, but when I dared to move in, I was staying in this room because the view was better here. But… I moved over there later. Do you know why?"
"You can't see anyone, and no one can see you, right?"
Ning Yi casually replied, and Su Tan'er fell silent for a moment. "My Lord, did you ever have any dreams or ambitions in the past?"
"Me?" Ning Yi thought back to long-ago memories. "I wanted to build houses."
"Uh?" This answer clearly surprised Su Tan'er. After a moment, she asked, "Build houses? Like a mason?"
"Haha." Ning Yi chuckled, looking up. "Exactly, a mason, a carpenter, something like that… well, pretty much."
"I never thought of that…" Su Tan'er murmured. Ning Yi lightly tapped his fingers on the railing, then pulled out a peeled Century egg and held it out to her across the wooden post. "By the way, try this."
"A duck egg?"
Snow fell gently, and the light filtering in from below illuminated the corridor well enough, but it was hard to distinguish the unique patterns on the duck egg shell. Su Tan'er didn't mind, taking the egg and gently tapping it against the railing before slowly peeling it. After peeling a few pieces, she paused.
"I… when I was little, I actually wanted to be a magician… hehe, of course, that was just a thought. Our family would invite troupes to perform every year, and I found it so magical as a child. I always dreamed that if I learned, I might be able to fly or become a deity. Eventually, I learned some tricks, just like that…." She paused, glancing at Ning Yi.
Reaching out her left hand, her slender wrist glimmered in the snow, as if it could emit light. Delicate fingers pinched the pieces of eggshell she had just peeled. As she stroked them, a shimmering dust floated down from her fingertips like fine threads, magical and beautiful. This was probably some secret she learned from those performers. After her little show, she giggled softly, clearly pleased.
"Of course, my father and mother would never allow me to become a performer. When I was very young, I couldn't quite grasp things, but as I grew older, I noticed my parents seemed unhappy. My father wanted a son, but even after marrying two concubines, he still couldn't have a son or daughter. Sometimes, my father would… well, he would certainly feel…"
"Perhaps because this is a difficult topic to broach, Su Tan'er paused for a long time before finally taking a deep breath. 'Anyway... from that time on, I found it strange... why can't girls inherit the family business? They clearly don't do anything as well as I do. Even when I ran off to school to learn poetry, literature, and arithmetic, I dressed up as a boy... Of course, I was seen through, but no matter what, I never went outside. I wouldn't be scolded or hit, I just had to sit there and finish my lessons. Fortunately, it was a school set up by my family, and later my grandfather also made a point about it... So now, those girls like Little Qi can attend classes because I stubbornly insisted on it...'
As she spoke, she slowly peeled the eggshell, smiling slightly. Suddenly, as if discovering something, she exclaimed, holding up the half-peeled century egg, its amber yolk and patterns shining in the light below.
Ning Yi turned and leaned against the railing. 'Century egg, you can eat it.'
'Hmm?'
Having never seen such a duck egg before, Su Tan'er thought for a moment and then brought the century egg to her lips, taking a bite before returning to the main topic.
'I know these words might not please you, my lord. Men usually don't like to hear women talk about such things. I've never mentioned it to anyone else, but I feel… it's important to share this with you, even if you don't like it. Tan'er wants you to know that I am not an overbearing and unreasonable woman. After spending six months together, I feel you might be able to listen to these strange thoughts. I truly want to... manage the Su family well, but it's just that feeling. Tan'er and you are husband and wife, bound by a promise for a lifetime. I don't want you to have too many grievances against me... If only... if only...'
She carefully chose her words, and Ning Yi smiled. 'What if I really went to become a mason?'
Su Tan'er thought for a moment and replied, 'I also want to be a juggler.'
'Ha, actually...' Ning Yi pulled out a folded piece of xuan paper from his pocket, waved it in the air a few times to open it, and handed it to Su Tan'er. 'Look at this.'
The lighting was dim, and the xuan paper was covered with strange drawings made with a brush, along with various patterns that were a bit blurred. Su Tan'er looked at Ning Yi with mild confusion, then took the drawing and carefully examined it under the faint light...
The objects depicted on the xuan paper were odd, and many parts contained completely incomprehensible lines and characters, resembling a bit of Persian script. After looking for a while, Su Tan'er admitted she couldn't understand it and looked up. 'My lord, is this... about studying objects?'
Though she couldn't understand the drawings, she could guess their category. Her family was in silk weaving, so she had naturally seen many schematics for weaving machines, but distinguishing which was more complex was difficult.
In this era, Confucianism emphasized culture over practical studies, and Su Tan'er could hardly imagine that her usually unassuming, seemingly inscrutable husband was seriously researching these things. In fact, the Su family had specialists for improving weaving machines, but they were mostly treated as repairmen. Craftsmen held a low status in society, and even if they were elevated slightly by the term 'studying objects,' others wouldn't understand. Many years later, the term '格物致知' would be associated with a more scientific side of Confucianism, but in this time, studying objects was largely disconnected from that; they explored the inherent laws of things as a direction for philosophical discussion, while physical studies would be seen as mere tricks and looked down upon.
However, as a merchant who understood the value of craftsmen, Su Tan'er clearly had no prejudice against this matter. Ning Yi smiled, 'I do it when I'm bored; I wonder if there will be results in two or three years...'
Su Tan'er said, 'Actually, there are a few skilled masters in the family who have some insights on these matters, but...' She didn't disdain them, but since craftsmen had a low status, if her lord spent all his time chatting with them, even if those old men were respected in the Su family, Ning Yi would still be subject to criticism. At this moment, she hesitated, but thankfully, Ning Yi shook his head.
'It's not urgent; I just like to think about these things when I have free time.'
'But I don't know, what exactly are these drawings for?'
Ning Yi paused, 'For eating; it's hard to say right now.'
He looked at the object in Su Tan'er's hand, and she then noticed and reacted, looking at the remaining piece of century egg. 'Could it be... that this is also my lord's...?'
'Yes, basically.'
Su Tan'er was stunned for a moment, then slowly placed the remaining piece of the century egg in her mouth, chewing slowly and swallowing. Ning Yi turned his gaze to the distant courtyard, while Su Tan'er leaned her hands on the railing, lowering her head, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, she quietly smiled, that smile somewhat dazed, as if she felt she had done something unnecessary.
'In fact, my lord already knew what I wanted to say, didn't you?'
After a moment, Ning Yi nodded, 'I could probably guess some things.'
'You're not a bookish man.'
'Ha...'
'You have deeper intentions when telling stories in the school.'
'That indeed was just offhanded.'
Su Tan'er ignored him, gazing into the distance, continuing, 'The "Shui Diao Ge Tou" isn't spoken by Taoists, either.'
'...'
'You're a learned man.'
'Cough, I truly don't have that...'
Su Tan'er had convinced herself of some things and had begun to talk to herself. After a while, she tilted her head and asked, 'But, my lord, that day at the He residence, did you really see through the He family's intentions and guess about the Xue family's matters?'
Ning Yi met her gaze for a few seconds. 'If I said yes, would you believe me?'
'Then you must be born with knowledge, and all of Tan'er's experiences over the years would be of no use...'"
Su Tan'er wrinkled her nose and laughed brightly. Clearly, she had found her answer, and in this regard, she felt quite confident, a confidence that had its basis. In fact, for Ning Yi, it wasn't that he had truly guessed right; he had simply happened upon a collision of ideas with the He family's thoughts due to some incomplete pieces of information. Since Su Tan'er could think this way, Ning Yi naturally didn't feel the need to explain anything.
"My lord is a strange person," she summarized.
"So is my wife," he replied.
"Hehe." Su Tan'er laughed happily. "I'm at ease now."
Snow fell silently, blanketing the entire Jiangning City. In this bustling world, their laughter seemed to open a fragrant window in a corner, gently embraced by the warmth of this realm.
In the winter of the seventh year of the Jinghan era, the passage of time felt like an exquisite painting, with the heavy snowfall enveloping everything in serenity.
In the courtyard where Song Mao resided.
The lantern in the room flickered, casting shadows that danced on the window panes. A young man had just entered to pay his respects. By the side of the room, a middle-aged man with a honest and upright appearance sat at the table, writing while casually chatting with the young man, but it seemed that not a single word had truly registered in his mind.
Su Wenxing didn't dare to question this uncle of his. For now, he could only follow along with the conversation, hoping that his uncle would provide some clarity at some point.
After an unknown period of time, the distant sound of a bell rang out. Song Mao set down his brush, lifted his head, and pressed down the xuan paper.
"This letter isn't finished yet; I'll write it when I get back," he said with a smile, standing up and turning to look at his absent-minded nephew. After a moment of silence, he approached him and asked, "Wenxing, how difficult do you think it would be to defeat your sister Tan'er and take charge of the Su family?"
Su Wenxing was preoccupied with thoughts of Ning Yi, but upon hearing the question, he pondered seriously, "I can't deceive my uncle. Sister Tan'er truly possesses outstanding abilities. If she were to really take charge of the main house, I... would have no confidence at all..."
It was difficult to say such things, but honesty was clearly most important in front of his uncle. After speaking, Song Mao shook his head and patted his shoulder. "You think too much. Remember one thing: your sister Tan'er is just a woman."
"I... I understand, but what she does is indeed..."
"Why do you all want to defeat her?" Song Mao chuckled. "The Su family is still led by the old patriarch. Even after he passes, there will still be his brothers. Even if they are from the side branches, they still have a voice. You should think: if Su Tan'er really takes charge of the Su family, when she stands alone, she will face the greatest pressure from the outside due to her identity as a woman. The old patriarch gives her the opportunity now and lets her manage things, but ultimately, she is still under your uncle's wing. Do you think the pressure she faces within the Su family is greater than that which she would face from the outside if she were in charge?"
Su Wenxing was confused. "You mean..."
"Haha, you don't need to surpass her in ability or defeat her in business. As long as she can't smoothly take over the Su family, swallow your second and third branches, or directly suppress them, that is the key to breaking the deadlock. In the end, she is just a woman; her abilities must exceed yours by dozens of times to accomplish what you can do. All you need to do is maintain the status quo. If her abilities can't secure the second and third branches but only keep the main branch, the old patriarch will never hand over the family to her, because as a woman, she can't bear the responsibility of the Su family. Wenxing, will your second and third branches quietly let her take over?"
Su Wenxing suddenly understood and felt a rush of excitement. "How... how is that possible? How can we just sit and wait for defeat!" This was a battle that could be won by simply sitting.
"Your father understands this, and your third uncle does too, but they won't say it to you directly. They're afraid you children will lose your fighting spirit. Now that you understand the reasoning, don't spread it around. You still need to fully commit to what needs to be done, understand?"
Song Mao patted his shoulder. "Come on, let's go visit your father and mother."
"Okay." Su Wenxing nodded, about to follow, when he suddenly remembered, "But uncle, what about Ning Yi? He is Tan'er's husband; if he wanted to cause her trouble, wouldn't this be the best opportunity?"
"This matter..." Song Mao walked over to pick up the already cold tea and took a sip while carefully considering his words. Someone who could banter with people like Qin Siyuan and Kang Xian, whether he had talent or not, was not someone a kid like him could easily engage with. Years of experience in official circles had taught him to filter things automatically, and he usually avoided speaking harshly, but looking at his nephew's expression and recalling the genuine feelings built over the years, he sighed.
"This matter... it doesn't matter how others handle it. I want you, Wenxing, to keep your distance. Regardless of whether Ning Yi has talent, you must remember this." He paused before saying the words he least wanted to utter that night: "...to avoid humiliation."