Chapter 16: CH 16

Cui Que had not come home early from work for several days now. When Xu Furen heard the report in the inner courtyard, she hurriedly ordered the residence’s kitchen to cook up some delicacies for him. She even personally peeled a few crabs and poured a cup of transparent dark green chrysanthemum wine, personally bringing it to his hand.

夫人(fū ren): the mistress/wife, also a general term to refer to an official’s wife/madam.

Cui Que had no appetite. He reluctantly picked up the freshly peeled crab roe, but then put down his chopsticks to ask, “Did you arrange for someone to send the monthly allowance to Xie-ge?”

Reminder: Usually, -ge is used to call someone who is their older brother. However, in this time period, official and noble households called the sons of the household with their name and then a -ge at the end. It it just a custom and term to do so, anyone in the household can do so. It is considered quite colloquial and very intimate (more used for closer servants and relatives).

Xu Furen smiled slightly and replied in a lowkey voice, “Cui Ming has been sent. Xie-ge lives in the county and it is inconvenient to send rice, food, clothes, and bedding. I asked Cui Ming to directly exchange them with silver instead and had him send it over. I also instructed him to visit the village and also distribute this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival gifts over to Xie-ge. Master, is there anything else that should be arranged for Xie-ge?”

Cui Que retorted with a heavy expression: “Just what could be missing! Even if there was something lacking, the jinyiwei would have long sent it to him! This elder will just be considered nosy and meddlesome!”

Jinyiwei: means the ‘Embroidered Uniform Guard’; and was essentially the imperial secret police that served the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty. They are given the authority to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecutions with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating, and punishing anyone, including nobles and the emperor’s relatives. The guards would usually don a distinctive golden-yellow uniform with an identifiable plaque hanging near his torso and carrying a special blade weapon. 

Jinyiwei? Xu Furen’s heart trembled, her eyes darted around and she asked with a guilty conscience: “Jinyiwei? What kind of relationship could there be between Xie-ge and the jinyiwei?”

Marquis of Yongkang’s smile flashed before Cui Que’s eyes. Feeling depressed and reluctant to mention the commendation any more, he only perfunctorily replied, “My Cui family has always cultivated and studied to bequeath our titles to the next generation, a clear and reputable scholar family, how could we have anything to do with the jinyiwei? Even though my esteemed teacher and Commander Wan are clan kin, I and they have not…no matter, there is no need for you to listen to outside affairs. Next time you send something to Xie-ge, send a bit less so his temper can be worn down!”

Xu Furen, hearing his indifference and disgust, her quickened heartbeat began to slow down. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, chuckling softly. She then softly said, “Xie-ge is simply young, it’ll be perfectly fine for Master to discipline him a few times. Let’s do that. When it’s time to send the monthly allowance next month, I will arrange for one of the family’s old servants to teach him the rules and teach him to be sensible. This way he can come back before the New Year.”

Cui Que icily snorted: “If he comes back, then the ancestors might as well not even celebrate the New Year. Tell him to deeply reflect on himself at the ancestral home. He can return once the people in the capital forget about this matter!”

Xu Furen was overjoyed and served him diligently. She only ate a small bowl of rice with tea and two pieces of braised glutinous herring.

After using dinner, Cui Que headed to the inner courtyard. This time, she did not feel as sour as she normally would. Instead, she could not wait to call Di mama and her face shining with happiness, she instructed, “These past few days have really made my Heng-ge uncomfortable. Quickly go and tell him that he no longer has to pretend he is injured anymore. Just tell him not to make too much noise at home and don’t let Master run into him.”

嬷嬷(mā mā): while it is pronounced mama, it refers to old female servants, and is used similarly to pozi

Di mama beamed and said. “Amitabha, it’s finally over. That one will never be able to turn over from this to create stormy waves.”

Here, Amitbha is the Chinese version of the Sanskrit word for Buddha. It means infinite/boundless light and in Buddhism, it refers to the Buddha of the Western Paradise. People who believe in Buddha use the Buddha’s name for chanting to express prayer or thanks for the blessing of Buddha.

Xu Furen did not even care about the Master any more, instead, she anticipated Cui Ming’s return and the news of Cui Xie’s irredeemable reputation that would make him unable to peek his head out of the ancestral home. But after waiting and waiting, not only was she unable to wait for the good news, she only waited to receive the news that a coachman had brought a letter from Cui Xie. The contents of the letter informed that Cui Ming had been arrested by the order of the Qian’an County and was sentenced to a hanging due to his criminal charge of stealing his master’s monthly allowance.

Xu Furen broke out into a cold sweat, and the letter in her hand fluttered to the ground. She felt as if a noose was closing in around her neck, making her breathless.

She dismissed several of the nurses and maidservants, clutching Di mama’s hand tightly, “This little murderer is hating on me for making him suffer thousands of knife cuts! How is this teaching Cui Ming a lesson, he is killing the chicken to warn the monkey to let me see!”

‘Suffer thousands of knife cuts’: cutting flesh away from the bone, indicating crime is serious and death is justified

‘Killing the chicken to warn the monkey’: idiom; to punish an individual as an example to others.

Di mama comforted: “Furen, heed no mind to his ruckus, can he still climb his way back to the capital? Our Master pays attention to other Official’s whispers the most. By sending Cui Ming off to the official, that one has lost Master’s face and the Master will surely hate him for being ignorant. On the other hand, won’t it highlight that our Young Master is more obedient and sensible?”

Xu Furen picked up the letter and waited for the Master to come back to complain. But, there were others who were one step earlier—the Minister of the Ministry of Justice had personally notified Cui Que that his servant had been accused by Cui Xie of slandering his master and stealing property from his master’s house. The Magistrate’s office in Qian’an County had sentenced Cui Ming to death by hanging, and the Yongping Residence had already delivered the documentation to the Ministry of Justice.

Yongping is a county in the Yunnan Province; this Yongping Residence was a prefecture-level administrative division in the Ming and Qing Dynasties where government officials and envoys deal with the court/political matters and oversee the counties they are assigned.

Two Officials who worked in the same office and the Ministry Councillor who had submitted the dossier and files had long caught wind of it.

Cui Que was so ashamed that he could not stay at work any longer. He immediately asked for a leave, returned home, and asked someone to search Cui Ming’s residence. They ended up finding several hundred ingots of silver and numerous gold and silver ornaments as well as several banknotes containing loans.

He immediately asked for someone to call for a broker to sell the entire family away and returned to the Cui Residence, fuming in silence for a good half of a day. He did not know if he was angrier that Cui Ming had embezzled his property or if he was angrier that Cui Xie had gone to the county office to file a complaint.

Ugly family affairs should not be publicized….how could this child, just for a monthly allowance, send Cui Ming to the yamen…it would have been better to kill Cui Ming on the spot!

yamen: administrative government office of a local bureaucrat/official

He became irritated and upset whenever he thought of Cui Ming when he returned to the residence, and adding to that, whenever he went out, people were gossiping of how his own servants deceived their masters. It just so happened that Gao Liang taijian and Xie Ying of the Jinyiwei, who had been sent to deliver the commendation, had accidentally come across the scene and legendarily meted out justice for Cui Xie on the spot. The family and servants inside and outside of the Cui Residence all had a stomach full of anger. The one who was the most uneasy was Cui Que’s mother who had been recuperating for many years. She summoned him and his wife to her quarters.

Eunuchs, who were men that were castrated, are not the same as taijian as taijian refers to specific positions in the Imperial palace and government which were occupied by men that were castrated

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Cui Que had always been a filial son, so he headed straight there without even changing his clothes.

Old Master Cui was lying on the bed, and seeing Cui Que enter, he turned his face to him and made a few ‘Ah’ noises. Cui Que was not disdainful of the room’s heavy sandalwood fumes, the smell of medicine, and the elderly body odor permeating through his nose. He first greeted his parents and thoughtfully asked: “Why has Mother called for this son? If the two elders are not feeling well, this son can call for an Imperial Physician.”

Beside him, Xu Furen graciously poured some tea and water into cups, handing it over to the two sickly elders. She then asked Old Master Cui’s maidservant whether he had eaten and slept well, as well as if the medicine used was effective. This was all to show her filial heart.

Old Cui Furen shook her head: “I summoned you today was not for this reason. I am getting old and your father remains sickly. The two of us are old and have outlived our usefulness, one does not know when one day my breath will halt. If I do not handle some matters, I am afraid I will not even be able to close my eyes during death.”

These words had been severely heavy and Cui Que quickly comforted: “If Mother says these words, is it not shaming your son? Although this son is incompetent, I will continue to ask the Physicians to prescribe medicine so that the two elders can live forever.”

The Old Furen deeply sighed, “What is the use of a human being living so long? Isn’t it still to be treated as old and confused, and even unable to control their grandchildren? Back then, I was unable to handle his studies and unable to protect him from beatings. Now that he has been banished, some people still think he is living too well and even sent someone to repeatedly torment him…”

Cui Que’s eyes flickered and he stiffly smiled, “What does Mother mean by this…”

“You have already searched through Cui Ming’s residence, everyone on the streets is talking about this ugly matter that occurred in our household, who has not caught wind of it? Do you think your father and I are not breathing anymore!” The Old Furen heavily slammed her palm on the table, “If it wasn’t for that good Furen of yours who sent someone to the countryside to bully your son and use rags to abuse him, would such an honest child like Xie-ge really go to the yamen to file a complaint?”

Xu Furen fell to her knees with a ‘bang’ and she repeatedly defended, “This concubine did not, that was all because that evil servant Cui Ming possessed an evil heart and stole our family’s property. This concubine is Xie-ge’s mother, how could I harm him?”

Old Cui Furen had lashed out just now, and she was exhausted. She panted for a long time with a quivering breath and coldly said, “He did not crawl out of your stomach, and I do not blame you for not wanting to get close. But, Xie-ge is the eldest son and grandson of our Cui household. In the future, he will be the one to look after his aged grandparents and arrange a proper burial after they die. Even if I have to give up this old face, regardless, I must give him a way to survive. Otherwise, in the future, who will burn paper and hang up white banners for us!”

The ancient Chinese funeral process contained many rituals and customs. Generally, the ceremony is carried out for seven days and the mourners wear the proper funerary dress that is usually white. It was customary for family members to do so in order to show respect for the dead and to strengthen the familial bonds. Usually, there is a chief family member who is in charge of holding the funeral and performing the rites. In this case, Cui Xie’s grandmother has the intention for her grandson to do it, even though usual norms would have it be hosted by her own son, Cui Que.

Old Master Cui was also panting, his head trembling slightly as if he was nodding. 

Xu Furen lay sprawled on the ground, sobbing and weeping. Cui Que irritably sighed, “What is Mother saying, who wants to harm him? It was he himself who injured and scolded his younger brother and rebelled against his parents. This son only asked him to make a trip to the ancestral home to reflect on his actions.”

But he had not reflected. Otherwise, why else would Cui Ming be sent to the yamen over a few petty silvers of monthly allowance and even involved the jinyiwei and taijian in this matter?

The Old Furen glared at the married couple, her chest heaving up and down for a long time before she sighed, “Are you blaming him for putting Cui Ming in jail and losing your face as an official? But did you ever think that when Cui Ming scolded him for being unfilial outside the ancestral home, whether the child wanted to keep his face or not? If you as an elder cannot hold a bowl of water level, only seeing Heng-ge in your eyes, you can still blame the child for not handling matters properly?”

‘Hold a bowl of water level’: idiom; meaning to be impartial

“He is different from Heng-ge and the others. Since he was in Liu shi’s belly, he had already caused his father to fall ill. Even after he was born, he hindered the peaceful death of his mother. Later, when mother raised him for a few years, mother also fell prey to illness….if it hadn’t been for him residing in that single-door courtyard for him to grow up in, I still do not know if I could have given birth to Heng-ge or He-ge!”

氏 (shì): shi means clan name. Women, upon marriage, are identified by their surname and it is very rare that their personal name is recorded. This is the case even for princesses. They would then be referred to as ––shi, to identify the family they came from.

Cui Que’s voice contained uncontrollable anger, and it became louder and louder. Hearing it made the Old Furen’s heart skip and hirt. The Old Cui Master was so anxious that he nearly spat out some phlegm.

She rubbed her temples, gritting her teeth to say: “What do you mean by these words! I know that you married a young woman from an Official’s household and even have a courtyard full of favored concubines, so you look down on your eldest son. I will not even beg you to take him back. If you take him back, us two elders cannot even protect him. I will just ask you this one question—do you even listen to your mother and father’s words anymore?”

“As long as you still care for us two bags of bones, then don’t let him beg for the food clutched in your wife’s hands. Give him his mother’s dowry and the shops that had accompanied her over.”

Xu Furen cried aggrievedly and sorrowfully lamented: “Does Mother really think I am the kind of person who covets the first Furen’s dowry? Our Xu Residence did not let me marry naked over, nor did I touch the things that had accompanied Sister Liu when she married over. However, according to the great Ming law, the dowry should be equivalently distributed between the concubines in the inner courtyard. Our Heng-ge was never greedy, does your esteemed self not even care about your little grandson and Yun-jie?”

Like with -ge, -jie means older sister, but in this case, it is merely a term used by family members and servants to refer to the daughters of a household

Cui Que also added, “What kind of dowry could Liu shi have? The residences in the dowry were all located outside the capital. When we first settled down into the capital, didn’t we think that it was inconvenient to go back and forth from them, so they were sold off? Then there was a bookstore but was damaged by floods and the books inside were all bleached with water, which even affected a lot of our family’s capital.”

The Old Furen closed her eyes, leaning her whole body onto the back of the chair. She wearily said, “I know you are now all Masters and Madams, looking down on this sick old lady. My words count for nothing. But, Xie-ge is this one’s eldest grandson, that second wife’s shu born cannot even compare with him. I have already discussed it with your father. As for the other assets in your hands, I have no say, but the land deed of the old residence and his mother’s dowry will be kept in my safekeeping. I will make the decision to give it to him, none of you will rob him of it!”

庶(shù): children born of a concubine, as opposed to those born from the main wife as di.

This confirms that although Xu Furen is considered the Madam of the household, in reality, she is still a concubine and can never fully replace Liu shi’s position.

“Mother, what does Xie-ge know? If you give these to him, aren’t you just telling him to squander—”

Cui Que shouted in annoyance and helplessness. Old Cui Furen’s eyes snapped open suddenly, her turbid eyes glaring at them, a frightening glint hidden within its depths, “I have already instructed Zhang pozi to send these items over, and there is no need for you to come back. Otherwise, it is not only your son that can file a complaint, me, as your mother can also ask someone to go to the yamen!”

婆子(pό zi): literally old woman. There are three primary meanings: baggage – a despicable/pitiful woman, a wife, or an old female servant. Only the last meaning is relevant in this case. Po zi are usually lower ranked servants, used for common-labor or other tasks. (1)

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