Chapter 586: Spring Awakening

The spring chill at Taoye Ferry in Nanjing still bit sharply; the peach blossoms had yet to bloom, and rows of weeping willows stood bare, their naked branches swaying gently in the early spring breeze.

Amid all the desolation, however, a stretch of lush foliage flourished in a courtyard on the bank — among the evergreen oleanders, a few red plum blossoms dotted the scene.

A pair of slender fingers rested on a flowering branch, as if about to pluck it, but then stopped abruptly. The fingers paused for a long moment, and finally withdrew with a light tug — Crack! — the branch snapped off from the plum tree.

"I do not know if I will ever see this garden's scenery again. Even if I return to Nanjing, this place may belong to another household by then, and whether they would permit me to look is uncertain. So I bid farewell to Mei Lou, and break off a branch to keep as a memento."

The plum blossom moved with her fingers to beneath a delicate nose, and she inhaled its fragrance lightly.

"This place bears your name, miss. It is because of you that this courtyard is filled with spirit. Wherever you go, there Mei Lou shall be. You and Mei Lou cannot be parted. It is we, the servants, who must bid farewell to Mei Lou."

Gu Mei lowered the plum blossom and turned to look at Li Ping'er beside her with a smile. "Ping'er, after all these years of experience, your tongue has grown ever more artful. My heart was full of melancholy, but with those words of yours, it has all scattered away."

"What I said is the truth. Half of your heart, miss, is melancholy, and the other half is the joy of meeting a good man. As for my heart, half is reluctance to part, and the other half is bewilderment and helplessness. It was because you were here, miss, that all the talents under heaven vied to come to Mei Lou. If you leave, this place will fall into decline, and the people in this courtyard will not know where to seek a livelihood."

Gu Mei reached out and took hold of Li Ping'er's sleeve, about to speak, but Li Ping'er continued, "But we servants have long known that the world of wind and dust is no place to settle. You were always going to find a household and leave this life. You have supported everyone in this courtyard for all these years, and now that you have found a good home, we are all happy for you."

Gu Mei's eyes reddened, and two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. Following the line of the sleeve, she grasped Li Ping'er's hand. "It was not I alone who supported everyone — you, Ping'er, also put in great effort. Back then, when Li Mama passed away so suddenly, the news struck like a bolt from the blue. Mei Lou had lost its pillar, and I was at a complete loss, not knowing what to do. Fortunately, you shouldered the heavy burden. All the troubles Mei Lou faced these past few years, you held things together and carried us through. Only then did the people in this courtyard find a way to survive. These years have been hard on you, Ping'er, and hard on everyone in the courtyard."

Li Ping'er held Gu Mei's hand in return. The two gazed at each other through tears, both choking up and unable to speak for a moment. The maids beside them also wept.

After a long while, Li Ping'er wiped the tears from her face. "You have found a good match, miss. This is a time to be happy. Don't be sad anymore, or you'll make everyone cry. Li Xiang Army and Dong Xiaowan are coming this evening. Don't cry your face into a mess, or they'll think they've become the Flower Queen themselves."

Gu Mei let out a puff of laughter. "This title is of no use to me anymore anyway. If they want it, let them take it."

"As long as you are still here for even one more day, no one can snatch away the title of Flower Queen of Qinhuai. Only after you become an official's wife will it be their turn to fight over it. The courtyard is not receiving guests now, and you still have a few days before leaving for the Capital. You have never traveled far, miss. The journey by boat and carriage is exhausting — you must first rest and take care of your health." Li Ping'er extended her sleeve again to wipe Gu Mei's cheeks. "I will go arrange the evening banquet now. Please rest, miss."

Gu Mei nodded, tears in her eyes. After Li Ping'er went to the back, Gu Mei took a handkerchief from the plump maid beside her, carefully dabbed away the tear stains on her face, and then slowly looked around at the courtyard scenery, as if trying to etch Mei Lou into her memory.

After gazing for a moment, Gu Mei said softly, "Come with me for a walk outside the gate."

The maid assented and supported Gu Mei as she walked out the door. In the past, Mei Lou had been as bustling as a marketplace, with hardly an idle moment. The halls inside were filled with guests and friends, while outside, carriages and horses gathered, and the side courtyards were full of the servants and household slaves of honored guests. Now that Gu Mei was declining visitors, Mei Lou had suddenly grown desolate.

A swing hung from a tree on the riverbank. Gu Mei went over, sat on it, and swayed gently, her gaze fixed on the opposite bank of the Qinhuai River.

The plump maid wept quietly to herself and said to Gu Mei, "In the past, I often felt stifled here. Now that we are leaving, why is my heart full of nothing but reluctance? Fortunately, there are still a few Old Hands who will stay by your side, miss, so we can look after one another."

Gu Mei, her tear stains still wet, suddenly said calmly, "Of the maids and household slaves who came after Li Lihua died, I will not take a single one with me."

The plump maid stared at Gu Mei in shock. Tear stains still lingered on Gu Mei's cheeks, but she showed no trace of sorrow. She swayed gently on the swing and said softly, "Li Ping'er was originally just an adopted daughter. Li Lihua never took her along when handling affairs, so she understood nothing of outside connections. But the moment Li Lihua died, she suddenly became adept and tactful in every direction. Whether dealing with the yamen, the gentry, or the Riffraff, everything she handled went smoothly, and she single-handedly propped up Mei Lou so that no one could seize it. Someone must be helping her from behind."

The plump maid lowered her voice. "Miss, do you mean that Li Mama's death and Sister Ping'er..."

"She does not have that kind of ability, but she is no ordinary person either. After Li Lihua died, Ping'er, quietly and without a sound, had already replaced nearly everyone in this Mei Lou. Only you few, who are close to me, remain — it was simply inconvenient for her to act against you."

The plump maid lowered her head and thought for a moment, then said, "What you say makes sense, miss. I often wondered how Sister Ping'er suddenly became so capable. So it turns out someone was backing her. I wonder who that person behind her is."

"When she handles matters outside, there are always traces to be found. Yu Huai helped me inquire. When Ping'er does business in the city, she goes through the channels of that outstanding talent from Anqing."

"Young Master Yu is himself from Tongcheng, so what he says should be reliable." The plump maid suddenly understood. "So that's how it is. No wonder she handles things so smoothly. But why would that outstanding talent help Sister Ping'er?"

"At first, I couldn't figure it out either. But later, I understood. Whatever business that outstanding talent had with Li Mama before, it's the same business he has with Li Ping'er now — nothing more than the silver bank and the gambling den." Gu Mei lightly dabbed her cheek with her handkerchief. "But what concerns me is that Ping'er has never once mentioned to me her connection with Anqing. She always says she asked the Old Hands that Li Mama had previously cultivated. Since she wants to hide it from me, there must be shady dealings she cannot let me see."

"When I sometimes attend to the household slaves of those honored guests, I overhear them talking outside. Some say Li Mama was killed by people from Anqing, and some are even more explicit — they say it was that outstanding talent."

Gu Mei immediately turned her head to look at her. "You are never to mention this matter again."

The plump maid stuck out her tongue and quickly ducked her head lower. Only after Gu Mei turned her head away did the plump maid raise her head and say, "That Yu Huai used to run to Mei Lou every few days, but now that you've just announced you've found a good match, miss, he's nowhere to be seen. Could he be holding a grudge?"

"Young Master Yu is wild and unrestrained. Over the years, he has helped me greatly, but he has never once brought up the matter of marriage. Our friendship is built on poetry and letters, and does not involve romantic feelings between man and woman. Naturally, he would not be angry."

The plump maid craned her neck to look at Gu Mei. "Young Master Yu is just a bit too wild and unrestrained. Although his talent is exceptional, he has spent all these years on useless pursuits. Even Fang Yizhi has returned his heart to the proper path, yet Young Master Yu still goes his own way, without half an official rank to his name. Otherwise, he might well have been a good match for you, miss."

"In the end, it was simply not fated." Gu Mei sighed softly. "The reason you haven't seen him for so long is not that he bears Dissatisfaction toward me. It's because he was entrusted by that Editor-in-Chief Liu of the Great River Times with some business in Anqing, I hear. Perhaps because he is from Tongcheng and familiar with the Anqing region. I just don't know how long it will be before he returns. I fear I won't have the chance to bid him farewell this time."

The maid asked curiously, "That Mr. Liu, when he came to Mei Lou that time, he was single-mindedly trying to curry favor with that outstanding talent. He didn't seem likable. Who would have thought he could accomplish such great things? I heard he also took the Provincial Examination — I wonder if he passed?"

Gu Mei shook her head. "Mr. Liu is a man of great righteousness. For the sake of the righteous path under heaven, he offended the Eunuch Faction. In this examination, someone deliberately made things difficult for him, and it was again that outstand... Given Mr. Liu's talent, he should have placed highly. That he did not pass this time was not due to insufficient learning — it is merely a bright pearl covered in dust. One day, he will surely achieve scholarly rank."

The maid supported Gu Mei's arm. "You still know how to choose best, miss. Mr. Gong became a Presented Scholar long ago, and now, after just a few years, he is entering the Capital to take office. No Young Master Fang, Young Master Yu, or Young Master Liu can compare."

"It is Military Supplies Supervising Secretary." Gu Mei looked toward the riverbank, her eyes brimming with joy at the mention of her beloved. "He became a Presented Scholar seven years ago. Not only does he hold scholarly rank, but he also excels in both poetry and prose, and is peerless in calligraphy and painting. He served as an official in Qichun County, that chaotic battleground of a place, and for all these years held back the incursions of the Roving Bandits, protecting the peace of the common people there. The court naturally wants to put him to important use — the Military Section is the most suitable place. He was always a man of both literary and martial talent, and needs no comparison with those young masters. Do not speak such words in the future; if overheard, it will only invite trouble for no reason. Especially that Fang Yizhi — after he and Mr. Gong met in Huguang, they became close friends. The last time Mr. Gong stayed a few extra days in Nanjing, it was also to seek out Fang Mizhi. It's a pity he had returned to Tongcheng. Mr. Gong was still deeply regretful when he departed."

The maid pouted. "Why is it always people from Tongcheng, back and forth? Even that outstanding talent comes from there."

"Then why don't you also say that Ruan Dacheng is from Tongcheng too? Outstanding talent this, outstanding talent that — don't just look at that handsome appearance. Setting aside his calligraphy, painting, and literary talent, one must still look at how he conducts himself..."

Gu Mei stopped abruptly at this point. The plump maid could tell clearly that she had not finished speaking.

After a moment, Gu Mei shook her head gently. "Li Mama's death was murky and unresolved. What support could a woman of the wind and dust like me have? Although the people coming and going were all gentry and high officials, and Mei Lou was the foremost den of extravagance in the Southern Capital, where everyone fawned over you, I understood clearly in my own heart. The so-called Talented Woman, the Top of the Southern Music — it was merely using a famous courtesan to decorate their facade. In the end, I was still just a woman of the wind and dust. When real trouble came, all these people would flee as fast as they could, afraid to be implicated. It was only Mr. Gong who did not abandon me, and I finally have a home to return to. Fortunately, Ping'er did not obstruct me, nor did she demand an exorbitant sum of silver."

"You belong to Li Mama's household, miss. Even if silver were to be collected, it wouldn't be Ping'er's place to do so."

"In principle, that is true. But with the realm now in chaos and military men growing arrogant and hard to control, if the Anqing side truly wanted to make trouble, it would certainly create countless complications. No matter what, even if he has secret dealings with Li Ping'er, he did not make things difficult in this major affair. Whether he is good or bad, I, a mere woman, cannot control it. In the end, there are those great men to deal with him." Gu Mei dabbed her face lightly with her handkerchief once more. "We shall simply mind our own affairs. Prepare plenty of silver. Li Ping'er insists on arranging people to accompany me, but once we leave this city of Nanjing, I will keep only you few. All the others will be given silver and sent away. I will only take those I trust to the Capital."