056. Before Departure

What does it mean to be arrogant from favor? At this moment, Mu Yaxin was the very embodiment of it.

Li Xi glanced at her once, paid her no more attention, and proceeded to pay his respects to Madam Yang, receiving the return salute from the two ladies.

The old madam smiled and asked, "I heard you spent the whole afternoon drinking with five beggars outside. You are becoming more and more capable, daring to make friends with anyone!"

Li Xi replied with a laugh, "You mustn't look down on them. In the eyes of the people of Chang'an, they are living Bodhisattvas."

He then described, embellishing as he went, all the good deeds the Beggar Clan had done over the years. When she finished listening, Madam Yang snorted coldly, "They do this to win people's hearts. That Huang Dalong is up to no good. Such a society is not a good society, and I see no good ending for them. You mustn't get too close."

Li Xi replied, "I know my boundaries. That's why when Huang Dalong wanted to come in and bow to you, I didn't allow it."

Madam Yang nodded, "It's good that you can make decisions. When do you plan to set out? The king's orders must not be delayed. You must weigh things in your heart and leave when you must. Well, it's getting late, I should sleep, and so should you all."

The three bade farewell to the old madam. As they stepped out, they suddenly felt a trace of awkwardness among themselves, though it was only temporary. That afternoon, in the study, husband, wife, and concubine had already divided the main tasks for the next three years: Cui Yingying would manage the household, Mu Yaxin would focus on bearing children. After three years, Cui Yingying would both manage the household and bear children, while Mu Yaxin would continue to bear children. As for Li Xi, naturally, he would fulfill his duties as a minister, assisting the king in governing the country, and in his leisure, write poetry, paint, plant grass, tend flowers, guide Cui Yingying in household management, and help Mu Yaxin with childbearing.

Thus, not long after leaving the western courtyard, Mu Yaxin knelt to bid farewell to Cui Yingying and returned to the study in the rear garden. Cui Yingying also left, taking Ruhuasi Yu with her, leaving Li Xi alone. He pondered whether it was too cruel to leave the bride alone in an empty room on the second night of their marriage. Should he be sentimental and go to her, exchange some words or comfort her? After a moment's inner struggle, he suddenly burst out laughing, thinking, "What nonsense! Going there would be beastly."

Having figured it out, Li Xi clasped his hands behind his back, humming a tune, and walked leisurely to the rear garden.

According to the wedding customs of the time, a new bride was not required to handle household chores for three days after entering the house. But Cui Yingying changed this rule and, on her second day after entering, rolled up her sleeves to take charge of the mistress's duties. Early in the morning, she led her two maids, Ruhuasi Yu, to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. The young lady of the Cui family, whose delicate fingers had never touched spring water, worked herself into a mess, but at last completed her first breakfast in her life.

This made Li Xi feel rather ashamed. When Ruhuasi Yu came to call him for breakfast, he was still lying in bed, not yet risen, while Mu Yaxin lay across him, sleeping sweetly. He woke Mu Yaxin, and the two, as if guilty of some secret misdeed, hurriedly washed and rushed to the dining hall. Mu Yaxin, ever sharp-eyed, noticed from afar that the old madam's face seemed unwell and dared not approach.

Li Xi, too, felt Mu Yaxin's late rising was closely related to himself, so he "sent" her off to fetch pickles from the kitchen, shielding her from scrutiny.

Madam Yang's face was indeed not good, looking quite lost and disheartened, but not because of Mu Yaxin's tardiness. That morning, she had received terrible news: last night, at the fourth watch, Lady Qi had died at home from illness.

The old lady sat there, dazed, sighing deeply, murmuring, "How can a perfectly healthy person just be gone? Only thirty-nine years old. Two years ago she told me her chest hurt, and I told her to rest at home for a few days. How can a person's life be like a leaf on a tree—gone in an instant? If only I had urged her to see a doctor, perhaps..."

Cui Yingying knelt at her side, not daring to interrupt the old lady's muttering. Lady Qi had served Madam Yang for over thirty years, and her sudden passing was a grief that words could not assuage.

Both Cui Yingying and Mu Yaxin were orphans; each had suffered the pain of separation between life and death. No one dared to speak, all kept silent, accompanying the old madam in her sorrow.

Li Xi, however, felt a peculiar unease. Lady Qi's sudden death was so abrupt as to be baffling, uncanny. Was it truly just misfortune? Who could say?

After the meal, the old madam, despite her age, insisted on going to Lady Qi's house to pay respects. Li Xi offered to accompany her, but she refused, instead pulling Mu Yaxin along, saying, "You come with me," and left Li Xi and Cui Yingying behind.

After seeing the old madam off, Cui Yingying began clearing the dishes, but Li Xi stopped her, too lazy to admonish further, simply telling her, "Go back and dress yourself, you'll accompany me to visit friends."

Cui Yingying took half an hour to dress. The girl did everything this way—once she set her mind to something, she had to do it perfectly, quite different from Mu Yaxin's carefree temperament.

During the long wait for her to finish dressing, Li Xi sent Wangcai to summon Li Shisan. Two days prior, Liu Motong had given Li Xi a receipt for a thousand pounds of fresh lychees. Li Xi instructed Li Shisan to pick them up. Once the new lychees arrived at the Yang residence, finding no place to store them, Li Shisan borrowed an empty room from Shopkeeper Chang, who ran a woodworking store.

Though nothing was said, Li Xi understood Liu Motong's intent in sending him lychees. After receiving gifts from guests, it was customary to reciprocate. Though merely a gesture, expressing it well was no simple matter.

If the return gift was too lavish, it was unnecessary; too modest, it would seem disrespectful, making people feel slighted. These thousand pounds of lychees were perfect. They were a specialty of Lingnan, and as the Assistant to the Governor of Shaozhou in Lingnan, Li Xi giving them as gifts was fitting. In peak season, lychees were not expensive, but at this time of year, the market had long run out. Even with money, they couldn't be bought. Sending them now was rare, tasteful, and would make the recipient feel valued.

Understanding this, Li Xi had the accountant sort the guest list according to invitations, gift lists, and accounts: categorized by closeness, status, and amount given, each listed in order. He then sent Li Shisan to recruit several idle men to deliver the gifts, household by household.

Li Xi did not treat Li Shisan as an outsider, assigning him this task. Li Shisan, for his part, tackled it with gusto, leading several men and driving carriages from house to house, delivering promptly and properly, leaving all recipients satisfied. On the second day after the wedding, he completed eighty percent of the deliveries, finishing the rest on the third morning. That morning, as he was tallying the list and preparing to report to Li Xi after breakfast, Wangcai arrived first.

Following Wangcai, he came to see Li Xi, briefly reporting the situation. For the important contacts—Li Deyu, Qiu Shiliang, Wei Mo, Zhao Xiao—Li Shisan gave a detailed account of each.