Chapter 28: Section Seven

The pure white jade ring gave off a soft glow in the sunlight. Huang Shi gently squeezed it, and a cool sensation came through his fingers. The glossy outer layer of the jade created an illusion of transparency, and the silky wisps solidified inside shifted their form as his fingers turned it, like a wisp of smoke trapped within, still faintly billowing.

Silky wisps — thoughts and feelings, a fine meaning indeed. Somewhat reluctantly, Huang Shi put away the jade ring. The maid who had brought it stood quietly beside him, hands folded. She had kept a faint smile on her face the whole time, and only when she saw Huang Shi place the ring into a silk pouch did she ask in a soft, delicate voice, "Young Master, do you like it?"

"Very beautiful. Give my thanks to the Young Lady." Huang Shi returned her a smile. Earlier, when the maid had presented the gift pouch, he had intended to take it away unopened, as was the Ming custom, but the maid had indicated that the Young Lady hoped he would open it in her presence. Though he found it a bit odd, he did as she asked. The jade ring in his hand looked quite expensive.

The servants around them had all withdrawn to a distance. This personal maid of the Young Lady clearly held considerable sway in the Sun household. In front of Huang Shi, however, she was very well-behaved — even more so than last time. Huang Shi guessed that the girl already knew she would be accompanying her mistress as part of the dowry, and now, facing her future master, she naturally wanted to make a good impression.

Since his status was now firmly established, Huang Shi felt a surge of confidence. He straightened himself, assumed the dignity of a household master, puffed out his chest with great poise, and asked with authority, "Is there anything else?"

"In reply to Young Master," the maid said, bowing obediently. Her soft, gentle voice rose again: "This servant presumes to speak. The Young Lady said that Young Master would surely understand the meaning of this jade ring."

What meaning? Could it be Yang Yuhuan? Impossible. Huang Shi was momentarily stunned. A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind: compose a poem, write a lyric, or match a couplet? Surely Miss Sun wasn't one of those girls who'd read too many romance novels — like those female classmates back in Huang Shi's junior high who got addicted to Qiong Yao, spending all day tormenting the boys who had crushes on them with so-called romantic gestures from the books.

What romantic reading from this era mentions a jade ring? Huang Shi rapidly searched his memory, rifling through the ancient classics he had read: The Plum in the Golden Vase, The Monk of the Lamp, and the like, but he could not recall any passage featuring a jade ring.

What on earth was the meaning?

Huang Shi racked his brains for a long while, then sighed inwardly and was about to tell the maid he did not know. As he turned his head, he saw the maid beside him gazing at him eagerly. Her large eyes did not blink, her lips slightly pursed, and she looked a little nervous too. That playful expression suddenly reminded Huang Shi of someone — a girl of similar status to the one before him: Hongniang.

"Jade is chosen for its firmness and luster, never fading —"

Huang Shi recited in a drawn-out voice, all the while watching the face of this second-generation Hongniang. The maid's slightly tense expression melted away at once; her pouting lower lip drew back, and her long lashes fluttered a few times before lowering, instantly hiding those glistening eyes behind them. Her lips pressed together, revealing a trace of a smile. A fan of The Romance of the Western Chamber, no doubt about it. Now fully assured, Huang Shi smiled and continued:

"The ring is chosen for its endless circle, never breaking."

Never fading, never breaking — did such love truly exist in this world? Huang Shi smiled at that face brimming with delight and said, "Go back and relay that to the Young Lady."

"Yes." The Hongniang nodded firmly, her voice, with that uniquely girlish clarity, brimming with an indescribable joy.

Huang Shi gave a helpless smile and walked away without looking back. Along the way, he repeatedly chuckled to himself, drawing several puzzled glances from Jin Qiude, who had accompanied him. The Sun family's young lady knew full well that whether he could answer or not, he was already hers — yet she still insisted on testing him. Even funnier was that maid: the joy ought to be your mistress's, rejoicing that her betrothed was no unromantic brute. What was a maid getting so excited about? He hadn't realized the girl was so close to her mistress.

When Huang Shi stood once more in Sun Degong's study, it was already the third day of the new year. The holiday had passed without incident. Before the new year, Sun Degong had been promoted to Assistant Regional Commander, and during the festivities, Huang Shi had paid his respects to Sun's wife with the courtesy due from a junior kinsman. The meal had been sumptuous; Huang Shi disliked drinking, so Sun Degong did not press him to drink much, letting him go after just a couple of casual cups.

In the study, Sun Degong held a military order in one hand and was reading it aloud. It was Wang Huazhen's commendation for Huang Shi:

"Having reviewed the conduct of Huang Shi of the Guangning Army: he performs his duties with sincere dedication and has achieved outstanding merit. This Provincial Governor, upon hearing of this, is greatly comforted. In the Great Ming's military administration, merit is always rewarded and faults are always corrected — this is why the imperial armies are invincible under Heaven. Huang Shi is specially awarded ten taels of silver, five bolts of cloth, and one fine blade. Upon the recommendation of Guangning Assistant Regional Commander Sun Degong, Huang Shi is hereby appointed as Training Regional Military Commissioner under Guangning Assistant Regional Commander Sun Degong. It is expected that he will not forget the deep grace of the state and will diligently fulfill his duties. This is the order. Provincial Governor of Liaodong, Great Ming."

Another rank-four Regional Military Commissioner post had landed in his hands. A position like Training Regional Military Commissioner was theoretically responsible for drilling the troops under Sun Degong, but Huang Shi knew that the role's more practical significance was that of a staff officer to the Assistant Regional Commander. It was also a waypoint and a necessary path on the road from low-ranking officer posts like Company Commander and Squad Commander to higher ranks like Mobile Corps Commander and Assistant Regional Commander.

"This commendation will be immediately circulated to the entire army."

After Sun Degong finished reading, he let go, allowing the military order to drift lightly down onto the desk. He and Huang Shi stared at each other; neither glanced at the falling order. Huang Shi did not ask about the rewards mentioned in the order, and Sun Degong seemed to have forgotten about them as well. The two men gazed at each other in silence, each trying to discern something in the other's eyes.

These rewards had also been earned by Huang Shi's reports. Although his report to Wang Huazhen was not entirely truthful, it did contain an analysis of unit combat effectiveness. He had even adopted later-era statistical tables, separating out each figure clearly. Wang Huazhen knew nothing of military affairs, and this style of writing was both novel and concise, which pleased him greatly. After questioning Sun Degong for details, Wang Huazhen had cursed Sun Degong for being stingy, and in his delight, His Excellency had directly granted Huang Shi a rank-four Regional Military Commissioner post.

It was Sun Degong who first broke the silence: "Do well as Training Regional Military Commissioner, and the next step is Mobile Corps Commander. And whether you do well or not — that is entirely for this Assistant Regional Commander to decide with a single word. You little bastard, you're actually about to become a general."

Sun Degong's form of address had reverted, back to that intimate tone. Huang Shi noted the change in his mind, chewing over the hidden message within it.

"It is all thanks to your patronage, my lord. But still… what is so good about being a general of the Zhu family?"

"Is that so?" At these words, Sun Degong carefully produced another sheet of paper. "Then what about this? This is a commendation for you from the Khan."

Huang Shi immediately sprang to his feet and received the slip of paper with both hands, showing the utmost deference. In front of Sun Degong, Huang Shi never begrudged displaying his reverence for the Later Jin and his contempt for the Ming. The opportunity would come only once; the more complacent Sun Degong became, the greater Huang Shi's chance of victory.

This was a commendation from Nurhaci for both Sun Degong and Huang Shi. It lavishly praised Huang Shi's high efficiency in gathering intelligence and repeatedly extolled the accuracy and timeliness of the information. One bout of diligent work had earned him commendations from both the Great Ming and the Later Jin simultaneously. Praise from both sides still made Huang Shi feel rather proud.

Finally, Sun Degong handed Huang Shi a sealed letter. "This is from the Fourth Beile, written to you. He specified that only you may open it."

"Yes."

Huang Shi lowered his head and took the letter. A flicker of doubt flashed in his eyes. There seemed to be a strange note in Sun Degong's tone — was it jealousy, or something else? Turning his own concerns over in his mind, Huang Shi tucked the letter into his breast pocket.