Chapter 198 — Cultivating Goodwill

Once May came to the capital, .

Mrs. Cai, all smiles, saw the matriarch of the Changxing Marquis's household into her carriage. Only then did she dab at her sweat-beaded brow with her handkerchief and turn to instruct her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Ding: "Let's head home as well."

Her smile faded, and a trace of weariness showed in her expression.

Mrs. Ding hurried forward to support her mother-in-law and said solicitously, "In such heat, the Changxing Marquis's matriarch has to arrange rites for the late Marquis—she merely happened to run into you and asked which master at Wanming Temple chants the sutras well, and you came along with her. Our family has no dealings with the Changxing Marquis's household, so why show them such courtesy?" With that, she took the round fan from the maid's hand and fanned Mrs. Cai vigorously. "Mother, you're getting on in years. Baoshan has told me time and again to take good care of you—whatever needs doing, just tell me."

Baoshan was Cai Bi's eldest son.

Mrs. Ding glanced at the maids and serving women clustered around them.

The maids and serving women, quick to take the hint, dispersed.

Only then did Mrs. Cai speak: "Everything must be prepared in advance. We have no dealings now—but can you swear we won't in the future? By accompanying the matriarch to Wanming Temple this time, haven't I already made a connection? Don't be so shortsighted!" Then she lowered her voice. "The Changxing Marquis runs wild in his post—who knows how many have impeached him, yet he stands unshaken. Is that something an ordinary man could manage? There is only benefit, no harm, in befriending the Shi family. One generation plants the tree, the next rests in its shade—I'm doing this for your sake." She went on, "Do you remember Old Master Lin Guanlan, the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, who was once so close to our family? Master Lin passed away three years ago, and his grandson got into trouble in Jiangnan. The Lin family wrote a single letter to Tao Zeyu, the Jiangnan provincial governor, and not only did the young master come to no harm—he returned to the capital with a thousand-tael silver draft from Tao Zeyu as a farewell gift. Why, do you suppose? Only because, back when Tao Zeyu had just been selected as a Hanlin bachelor and Old Mrs. Tao had come to the capital to live with her son, her capital accent tinged with Fujian was treated with disdain. The Lin matriarch had once spoken up for her." Then she admonished Mrs. Ding, "Remember this: make things easy for others, and you make them easy for yourself. Even if you cannot help someone, you must never offend them. Bringing you along today was also meant to let you cultivate a bit of goodwill with the Changxing Marquis's household."

"I'll remember your words, Mother!" Mrs. Ding nodded again and again, and with her own hands set the mounting stool that leaned against the shaft and helped Mrs. Cai into the carriage.

But just as Mrs. Cai set one foot on the stool, someone in a carriage parked alongside suddenly reached out and drew back the curtain. A woman bedecked in pearls and jade poked her head out and called with a smile, "Mrs. Cai? Are you Mrs. Cai?"

Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law both turned to look.

Mrs. Ding's face was full of puzzlement; she could not recall where she had seen this woman. Mrs. Cai, however, thought for a moment and smiled. "You must be the Seventh Mrs. Dou? I said to myself, with looks like that, how could I not remember her?" With that, she took her foot down and stood beside the carriage.

How very snobbish.

Wang Shuying cursed inwardly.

If it had been the Fifth Mrs. Dou greeting her, she'd likely have come scurrying over at once, wouldn't she?

Smiling, she stepped down from her carriage and came forward to exchange greetings with Mrs. Cai and her daughter-in-law. After a few pleasantries, Wang Shuying saw that the mood was warm and took Mrs. Cai affectionately by the arm.

Both Mrs. Cai and Mrs. Ding were somewhat taken aback, but Wang Shuying was already saying with a smile, "Mrs. Cai, an encounter beats an invitation. I had meant to call on you at your residence in the next few days—I never expected to run into you here, so I won't stand on ceremony. There is a matter I'd like to ask your help with..." She signaled for her to step aside and talk.

Mrs. Ding had seen plenty of such things. She withdrew to the side with the maids and serving women, smiling without a care.

Wang Shuying invited Mrs. Cai to sit in her carriage.

Mrs. Cai thought it over, then smiled and climbed in with Wang Shuying.

Mrs. Ding waited outside for about two hours, during which she now and then faintly heard sounds of weeping from within the carriage.

Mrs. Cai's personal attendant asked Mrs. Ding with some concern, "Nothing's wrong, is there?"

Mrs. Ding smiled. "Even if something is, the Dou family still has the Fifth Mrs. Dou—it wouldn't fall to us to step forward!" Then she guessed, "Perhaps she's been wronged somehow and wants the Fifth Mrs. Dou to speak for her, but can't bring herself to say so directly, so she wants Mother to pass along a message!"

The attendant thought it over and found Mrs. Ding's words quite reasonable. Her expression relaxed, and she stood waiting at her ease.

About a quarter of an hour later, Mrs. Cai stepped down from Wang Shuying's carriage. Wang Shuying would have seen her off, but Mrs. Cai stopped her. "Seventh Mrs. Dou, go on ahead. I'll think this matter over carefully and give you an answer."

Wang Shuying said hurriedly, "Thank you, Mrs. Cai!" Her eyes were red and swollen, her expression mournful.

Mrs. Ding thought to herself, "I wonder what the Seventh Mrs. Dou wanted with Mother," as she stepped forward to support Mrs. Cai.

Mrs. Cai's face was drawn tight, and she looked somewhat grave.

The moment she got into the carriage, she ordered the driver, "Hurry back!"

Mrs. Ding was badly startled and asked anxiously, "Mother, what's happened?"

Mrs. Cai seemed not to have heard her. Her expression was dazed, and she kneaded her handkerchief into a ball, smoothed it out, then kneaded it into a ball again.

Mrs. Ding knew her mother-in-law had run into a serious difficulty. She scarcely dared breathe and sat quietly to one side.

The carriage sped along and soon arrived at Zhima Alley, where the Cai family lived.

Yet Mrs. Cai sat in the carriage without moving.

The serving women outside waited a long while and, seeing no one alight, were about to draw back the curtain and speak, but a look from Mrs. Ding stopped them short.

The sun gradually sank toward the west, and a cool breeze blew through the alley, yet inside the carriage it was unbearably hot and stuffy. Mrs. Ding felt certain her back was soaked through with sweat. She picked up the round fan to fan Mrs. Cai a few times, and took the chance to cool herself as well. Suddenly Mrs. Cai came back to herself and asked in a low voice, "Tell me—if we had a chance to earn ten thousand taels of silver, would we do it, or not?"

Mrs. Ding turned pale with alarm. "I fear the risk would be no small thing either?"

Mrs. Cai nodded, and seemed about to speak but held back.

Mrs. Ding, heedless of the stifling heat, moved over and sat close beside Mrs. Cai. "Does it have to do with the Dou family's affairs?" she whispered.

Mrs. Cai whispered a few words into her ear.

Mrs. Ding went white with fright, and the round fan in her hand dropped with a smack to the floor, drawing the serving woman who followed the carriage to jerk back the curtain in haste and ask anxiously what was the matter. A sharp rebuke from Mrs. Ding sent her retreating again.

"Mother, what do you have in mind?" Mrs. Ding's voice trembled a little. "I fear there'll be a rift with the Huai Shu Alley household afterward!"