After the Wedding

"My lord."

A shadow fell across the letter Mao Yuan was writing. He lifted the brush up quickly before the ink bled too heavily onto the paper, and laid it down on its porcelain rest.

"What did Lord Yang say?" Without looking up, he folded his sleeve back delicately.

Han Sheng bowed. "He will do it. I have placed one of my men in the Yang Manor to watch him. He will report to us on whether Lord Yang is trustworthy." He cleared his throat. "We also have Xiaojun, if needed."

Mao Yuan did not answer immediately. "Find another girl to go in as a maid for Xiang Er. Xiaojun is young and naive. She cannot be relied on for something important. Get Jiyue a place serving Xiang Er. She's a clever girl, and has a pretty face. If Lord Yang tires of Xiang Er one day, there is a chance he might take a fancy for Jiyue."

He thought for a while. "And have a man watch Lord Yang's movements these few days, to see if he visits Lord Jin or sends any messages to him. This is the crucial time now. I cannot afford to be backstabbed by anyone. If Lord Yang stays on my side as he promised, it should only be a matter of time before Sir Guan and Minister Kang waver."

Mao Yuan sighed. "How is Xiang Er?" he said abruptly.

Han Sheng replied readily. "Lady Yang has not gone out of the manor as Lord Yang does not want her going out so easily, but she is treated very well by Lord Yang. Her chambers are luxurious and he gives her everything she wants. I did not manage to speak with her this time, but I caught sight of her with Xiaojun, walking in the courtyard."

He waited for Sir Mao's reply respectfully, but the sight flashed over his mind once more. The willows made a pretty backdrop for the new Lady Yang, dressed exquisitely in silk robes of a rich, shimmering red like fine wine. She had not turned to look at him, and he had only seen her profile as she stared at the wall of the courtyard. Xiaojun had raised her head, however, wide startled eyes in a pale, narrow little face like a deer's. Then a shadow had fallen across her face, and the eager expression that had been on it died away.

Lord Mao was wise, he thought to himself. Han Sheng did not think Xiaojun would be a good spy either. There was something too transparent and naive about her. She was dedicated to the Young Mistress, and seemed a loyal creature, but that was all. It would be better to have Jiyue there to rely on when they needed something done.

Mao Yuang nodded thoughtfully. He waved his hand dismissively. "You may go."

As Han Sheng left Mao Yuan stared unseeingly at the letter in front of him. "Perhaps I was too lax with her, letting her have so much freedom." he murmured. "Well, she will have to remember that she is Lady Yang now." He stroked his beard. "The gifts have been exchanged, the marriage has been consummated, now all she has to do is to please Lord Yang. Nothing must go wrong. Not after all the sacrifices I made for it."

The scholar's stone in front of him slowly came into focus. His thoughts wandered far from the letter he was supposed to finish writing. For some reason he thought of his wife, and frowned. She had died when Mao Xiang was five, and Mao Xiang had been brought up by a series of incompetent nannies since, none of which had lasted more than two years with her temperament. Lady Mao had been very pretty--Mao Xiang's beauty was from her--but there the resemblance ended. She had been a spineless creature, always intimidated by her husband, so much so that she could barely speak informally to him. Her bland nature and timid personality had not appealed to Mao Yuan, who had married her for her family's wealth, and he had been rather relieved when she died. At first, he had been disappointed that she had borne him a daughter instead of a son, but he found himself growing fond of Mao Xiang's feisty personality, seeing much of himself in it.

More so than Mao Jin, the son his concubine had borne him, a weak-minded boy who had swallowed too much Buddhist teachings from his stupid mother. He had been a fool to take Liu Rong as a concubine. Who would have known she would turn out to be such an idiot, chanting prayers in the temple all day, and that the son he had longed for turned out to be spineless just like her. Disgusted, he had packed Mao Jin off to study, hoping it would clear some of the piety from his brain, and let his mother go to the temple to become a nun as she wished. Mao Jin was grown now but Mao Yuan had no desire to bring his son back. There was no place for a soft-headed fool in the Mao manor. What use would he be?

It was a pity that she had not been a boy. She could have stayed by his side and helped him with his plans. He would have trained her and taught her everything he knew. He found himself thinking this several times in the few days after the wedding, especially when the Mao manor seemed too quiet, and he found himself missing her. Well, as a woman she was still useful. If Xiang Er stopped sulking and put her mind to it, she could play a very valuable role as Lady Yang. But first she had to master her influence over Lord Yang.

He picked up the brush and dipped it resolutely into the ink once more. He had to finish this letter so that Han Sheng could deliver it to Sir Guan by nightfall. The evidence had been painstakingly prepared, and stealing from tax money was a serious crime. If Sir Guan wavered and came over to his side, Lord Jin might well be dead in two days' time.