BOUND IN MARRIAGE

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Chapter 45

As they journeyed north along the river, they did not find the warmth of a quickening spring. Instead, the lingering chill of the northern spring forced everyone to wrap themselves in heavy furs once more.

Yet compared to being confined within the small walls of Qinglong County, the scenery of this northern journey was limitless. Yang Zhen was as lively as a carp in the river, darting here and there with inexhaustible energy.

Tan Jian wished to leap along with her, but having recently received a severe lashing of the hand-board, he had grown much more subdued. Each day, he stole glances at his elder brother’s expression, only daring to suggest a moment of play when he saw a hint of clarity in Tan Ting’s face.

Fortunately, the Master’s mood had been quite fair these past two days. Today, he gave the order to halt for half a day at the approaching Huguo County.

There was another reason Tan Ting paused at Huguo. The locale housed the Miaoyin Temple, a renowned sanctuary for those seeking auspicious marriages. Before their departure, Zhao Shi had adamantly instructed Tan Jian to visit the temple and seek a "Marriage Stone" for Tan Rong, praying the Bodhisattva would manifest grace so that the young girl’s upcoming betrothal would proceed smoothly.

Tan Rong was the only younger sister left unmarried in the Tan household; naturally, her affairs were of the utmost priority.

Furthermore, the region produced a variety of green jade, most suitable for carving seals. Seeing that Xiang Yi’s leg injury had almost entirely mended, Tan Ting decreed the ahalf-day's rest.

Huguo County happened to be holding a market fair, with bustling crowds stretching from the docks straight into the heart of the town. Given Yang Zhen’s temperament, she naturally wished to explore the city first. Tan Ting, now well-acquainted with his sister-in-law’s nature, granted his permission.

Tan Jian thanked his brother with great elation, promising that after a turn through the streets with Yang Zhen, he would immediately head to Miaoyin Temple to seek the stone for Tan Rong, neglecting neither duty nor delight.

When it came to such matters, Tan Jian displayed a spirit five times greater than that he applied to his studies, arranging things with such meticulous care that he seemed even more thorough than Xiang Yi in her household management.

Watching him, Tan Ting could not help but feel a surge of irritation. Yet, remembering his wife’s quiet counsel before they left, he suppressed the annoyance in his chest.

He had already sent word ahead to reserve a private room at a city tavern. For now, the four of them would stroll through the town before heading to the meal.

As Tan Jian and Yang Zhen entered the marketplace, they naturally took each other by the hand. They walked and talked, looking left and right, their joined hands never parting.

Tan Ting’s gaze fell upon his brother and sister-in-law’s linked hands. Though he was still vexed by that useless brother’s lack of scholarly focus, he could not help but lower his head, his eyes falling upon the hand of the wife beside him.

Her hand was fair and slender. It had been nimble and light when applying medicine to his wounds, yet precise and powerful when carving jade. Tan Ting did not know what it would feel like to hold it within his own palm...

He stole a glance at her. At that moment, several sturdy men hurried through the street, jostling passersby. Seeing this, Tan Ting shifted his step to move closer to Xiang Yi’s side.

Xiang Yi noticed nothing. It had been a long time since she had been able to wander freely like this. From street stalls to established storefronts, this small county boasted nearly twenty shops selling jade. Across from them stood a jade emporium with a particularly grand facade.

Just then, her hand, hanging at her side, was lightly brushed by someone.

Tan Ting looked at his wife, seeing that she seemed to have noticed something as she looked back at him. A trace of anticipation rose in his heart. Just as his palm was about to quietly enclose her hand, she suddenly withdrew it and offered him a formal bow.

Tan Ting’s hand froze in mid-air.

The crowd hummed with noise, pressing close together. Xiang Yi sensed no anomaly; amidst the dazzling array of jade shops, she could not help but address the Master beside her.

"Master, would you permit me to wander the street for a moment? I shall surely return within half an hour."

With such a prime opportunity, how could she not seek out some fine jade? Moreover, the locally produced stones would surely be much cheaper than those in the capital.

Xiang Yi’s heart was full of the hunt for treasure; she did not notice the man beside her go stiff.

Tan Ting cleared his throat and was forced to retract his frozen hand. Hearing her seek his permission so formally, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Did she still not understand? The very reason he had ordered the ship to halt was not merely for Tan Rong’s marriage stone.

Tan Ting pressed his lips together and looked down at her. He said nothing for several breaths, merely watching her. Xiang Yi did not know what he meant. Did he have other plans?

Though she dearly wished to browse the jade, she did not want to impose. Just as she was about to say she would let the matter drop, she heard him let out a sigh, a sound full of a strange helplessness.

"I shall accompany you."

Xiang Yi’s first instinct was to refuse. Buying stones was her private affair and had nothing to do with the Master. But looking up at him, she saw he had already started forward toward the jade emporium across the street.

Huguo County produced jade and also imported stones from various regions for resale. The town was small, but the jade shops were numerous and their varieties complete. Xiang Yi had barely entered the brightly-lit shop when she set her eyes on several pieces.

Previously, she had relied on Shopkeeper Jiang to find good stones for her; now, she finally had the chance to select them herself.

She questioned the prices of the pieces she liked. Finding them reasonable, she quietly calculated her funds. After setting aside the travel expenses for Xiang Yu’s examinations and the cost of Xiang Ning’s medicine, she still had enough for five or six fine stones.

She deliberated hover the pieces repeatedly, finally settling on three. After haggling with the shopkeeper, she prepared to pay, but Zheng Ji hurriedly approached.

"Allow me to pay," he said.

Xiang Yi looked at Zheng Ji in surprise. Under her gaze, Zheng Ji instead asked her, "Does the Madam have any other instructions?"

Seeing him truly pulling coins from the family purse, Xiang Yi waved her hand.

"I have brought my own money. There is no need for you to pay on my behalf."

Having said this, she produced her own silver. Zheng Ji was the one who looked astonished now. He watched his mistress pay from her private accounts and looked toward the Master with a sense of utter helplessness.

Tan Ting had been observing a piece of blood-jade with an excellent grain, but at those words and Zheng Ji’s look, he could not help but turn his gaze toward her.

She, however, noticed nothing, settling her bill with great efficiency. Zheng Ji did not even dare to speak.

As Xiang Yi tucked her three jade stones away, she turned to find Tan Ting staring at her. His face was grim, his eyes fixed on her. To an outsider, it might have looked as if she had tried to fool him with filler essays like Tan Jian.

Yet there was something different in that look, a subtle bitterness, like a neglected wife in a deep courtyard. In the next breath, he turned without a word and strode out of the shop.

Xiang Yi froze, then whispered to Zheng Ji, "What is wrong with the Master?"

Zheng Ji wore a pained expression, unsure how to answer. "I suspect... the Master perhaps wanted me to pay for the Madam?"

Xiang Yi did not agree with this speculation. After all, she kept her public and private accounts strictly separate; Tan Ting had always known this. Why would he suddenly confuse them?

Seeing his mistress shake her head, Zheng Ji did not know how to be any clearer. He looked back at his Master, who stood on the street with his hands behind his back, looking profoundly displeased. Zheng Ji did not dare approach.

Fortunately, the Madam stepped forward. Xiang Yi looked at the man whose face was exceptionally dark and asked, "Is the Master tired?"

Tan Ting pressed his lips thin and did not answer.

Xiang Yi saw he was truly angry, yet since he would not speak, she did not know where she had offended him. She could only ask again, "Is the Master thirsty? Or perhaps hungry?"

Tan Ting was neither thirsty nor hungry. He remained stifled and silent.

After asking twice without a response, a faint understanding dawned on Xiang Yi. She lowered her head, her voice losing its spark as she spoke tonelessly.

"It seems I have wasted the Master’s time. In that case, let us return to the tavern."

The moment the words left her lips, Tan Ting turned his head sharply.

"It is not that—"

How could he possibly mean that? He wished for nothing more than for her to be like Tan Jian and Yang Zhen, playing and laughing with joy.

He said it was not so, and Xiang Yi looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion. She truly could not guess his mind. Tan Ting gave her a look full of grievance. Just as he was about to speak, someone hurried past, colliding with them.

Tan Ting quickly reached out to pull Xiang Yi close, turning to glare at the person who had bumped them. The man was a laborer in coarse clothes, his face frantic. Seeing he had hit someone, and nobles in fine silk at that—he hurriedly apologized.

Tan Ting did not intend to make a scene. Seeing Xiang Yi was unhurt, he merely offered a stern warning. "Watch your step."

The man apologized repeatedly, his anxiety resurfacing. "It is my fault... it is just my first day out and I have lost my child. My heart is in a panic..."

As he spoke, he vanished back into the crowd to search.

Markets were crowded and chaotic; such things happened. But the interruption broke the tension between Tan Ting and Xiang Yi. Tan Ting wanted to explain further, but the moment had passed. Xiang Yi, too, was affected by the man's grief over his lost child, and her interest in wandering vanished.

"Let us return to the tavern," she said, turning toward their destination.

Seeing her truly unwilling to browse further, Tan Ting stepped forward quickly. "Yizhen, I—"

Before he could finish, Xiang Yi suddenly turned and ran toward a side alley. Startled, Tan Ting followed close behind her.

In the canal on the other side of the alley, the broken, high-pitched cries of a child rang out. By the time they reached the water’s edge, a small child was almost entirely submerged.

This time, without waiting for Xiang Yi to speak, Tan Ting called for his men. "Save him, quickly!"

Two guards leapt into the river instantly, pulling the child to the bank in a few strokes. The child was about four or five years old. Perhaps from the near-drowning, his eyes were rolling back. Xiao Guan stepped forward and pressed the water from the child's belly. With a sudden choke, the boy's life was saved.

In such cold weather, the child shivered uncontrollably in his soaked clothes. Xiang Yi immediately untied her own cloak and wrapped it around him.

The commotion drew a crowd, and soon, the man who had bumped into them earlier came running.

"Mu Shuang! My son!"

The boy was indeed his. Seeing his son nearly dead but saved by Tan Ting’s party, the man fell to his knees to kowtow. Tan Ting signaled Zheng Ji to lift him up.

"There is no need for thanks. It was merely a chance rescue."

Despite his words, the man continued to offer his gratitude. Xiang Yi, seeing the child's pitiful state, could not help but remark, "The marketplace is crowded. You must take better care of the child."

The man nodded repeatedly, his face a mask of bitterness. "It is just that... this is the first time I brought the child to the docks to work. Working provides a meal, but the child has nothing to eat at home. I brought him to share some food, but I dared not let the overseer see him. I told him to hide carefully, but then... he was gone."

As he spoke, Xiang Yi noticed the other men searching with him were all dressed in the coarse cloth provided by the docks. They did not look like seasoned laborers; they looked like farmers.

At that moment, Tan Ting asked, "Your first time working the docks? Where were you before?"

The man let out a heavy sigh. "Because of the extreme cold last year, we sold our fields. The money was just enough to survive the winter, but now we have no land to plant, no grain. The local great clan that bought my land said we could be tenants, but the rations they give are too meager, and they treat us like slaves. We were unwilling to serve them, so we came to the docks."

The men beside him were the same. They spoke of how the local elite had bought their land for a pittance. Now the money was gone, the land was gone, and they refused to be driven like cattle.

"But work at the docks is hard to find. Too many people are looking; the docks don't lack for hands and pay very little. At most, one gets a meal!"

Several farmers who had lost their land sighed with faces of woe. In their words, Tan Ting and Xiang Yi instinctively looked at each other, their eyes meeting for a brief second.

Indeed. The tragedies that had not happened in Qinglong because of the Tan family's presence were happening elsewhere. The noble clans were using the opportunity to hoard land, and the commoner class was finding no way to survive.

But the bitter winter had passed, the land had been sold. Who could force those great clans to spit out the land they had swallowed? The resentment between the two classes would only grow deeper and deeper...

The group fell silent for a moment. Tan Ting called his steward over, saying that since the Tan ship needed supplies, they should hire these men as porters. The steward understood the Master’s meaning and quietly raised the temporary wages for these men.

Seeing there was work to be done, even if only for an afternoon, the men were overjoyed and offered continuous thanks. One could not help but say, "We can carry as much water and rice as the Tan family needs! We missed the job of moving the jade destined for the capital today, so at least we haven't come up empty!"

The jade they mentioned was a carving for the first birthday of the eldest great-grandson of the Li clan of Huaichuan. For the celebration of a prestigious family's heir, a branch of the family had specifically ordered a great piece of green jade. But such a thing was precious; laborers who had just arrived like these men didn't even have the right to carry it.

A noble child’s birthday required six months of preparation; yet the children of the common people had to hide in shadows for a single meal, nearly drowning in a river.

Xiang Yi and Tan Ting remained silent for a long while, only quietly tucking some silver into the child’s waist-band.

That evening, back on the boat, Xiang Yi was distracted as she ate. She could not help but wonder if her elder brother had successfully reached the capital. Had the evidence they gathered from Jiangxi been successfully placed upon the Crown Prince’s desk?

While she awaited news, Qin Jiao came to remind Tan Ting during the meal.

"Master, our ship will reach Denghe County tomorrow. We can pick up those two relatives then."

Tan Ting had not been focusing on this, but Tan Jian, sitting nearby, asked, "Denghe County? People from the Huang clan of Denghe?"

Qin Jiao nodded repeatedly, his eyes sweeping quickly over Xiang Yi.

"Exactly. Two young ladies from the main branch of the Denghe Huang clan."

The next day, at the Denghe County docks.

The pier had been cordoned off, with only members of the Denghe Huang clan remaining. The sun beat down on the river, reflecting like fish scales.

A younger girl in green threw a carved walnut she had been playing with into the water. She was full of spirit, her throw creating a sharp splash. Beside her, an older girl in yellow looked at her and laughed softly. "Is Liu-niang still angry? It is merely sharing a boat."

"Hmph. It takes a hundred years of merit to share a boat, so how did I earn the merit of sitting with such a thick-skinned woman? That Tan family is truly something, making such a woman their matriarch. It seems they aren't such a fine family after all..."

The older girl said nothing, but the nanny beside her stepped forward and whispered in her ear.

"Si-niang must not think like Liu-niang. No matter what, the Tan family is a premier clan. Our Great Master said that if you can replace that Xiang woman as the Tan family's matriarch, your dowry will surely be doubled."

The Great Master the nanny referred to was Huang Si-niang’s uncle, the head of the Denghe Huang clan. The nanny smiled at Huang Si-niang. "This is a great joy for you, Miss!"

A cold wind blew off the river. In response to these words, Huang Si-niang said nothing, but her gaze lingered for several breaths toward the south, from where the ship was approaching.

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