Chapter Nineteen: Standing Up for Justice

Ten bushels of rice, two baskets brimming with fresh, green seasonal vegetables, ten pounds of mutton, two plump rabbits, along with two bolts of silk and two silk garments—all these things were delivered to the thatched cottage by orderlies from the county office in Dengfeng. When Du Shisanniang heard Bamboo Shadow report these tidings, her brows immediately arched in surprise. Upon learning that only two lowly officials had come to deliver the goods, her expression darkened with annoyance. Yet before she could utter a word, another voice sounded from outside the house.

“Is this a market for selling rice, vegetables, meat, and cloth? How shameless they are!” The voice gave a cold laugh, then suddenly rose in volume. “Du Nineteen, are you there? If you don’t answer, I’ll come in unannounced!”

Du Shisanniang heard a stir from the inner room, and soon saw her elder brother emerge from behind the lattice screen, striding to the door to lift the bamboo curtain high. Through the gap as Du Shiyi raised his hand, she caught sight of a youth in the courtyard clad in a robe of fine summer ramie. Although she had met this Eleventh Master Cui a few times while following her brother, each time she beheld that face, even more delicate than her own, and those phoenix-like eyes, she could not help but feel she was gazing at a maiden; this time was no exception.

“What a rare guest! I can’t believe you’ve found your way here, Eleventh Brother!”

“What, am I not welcome? Don’t forget, you still owe me several strings of cash for scouring the countryside for ducks. I don’t care whether this concerns the county office—your debt is owed to me!”

“How could I not welcome such a rare guest as you, Eleventh Brother? Please, come in, come in. My home is humble and may not do you honor.” Hearing Cui Jianxuan’s blunt words, Du Shiyi could only laugh, stepping aside to invite him in.

As soon as Cui Jianxuan entered, he cast a sweeping glance over the various bamboo furnishings in the house, his brows arching in appreciation. But when he caught sight of Du Shisanniang, unable to retreat in time, he stopped short. He himself was said to possess a feminine beauty, and so a few days ago, seeing the boyishly dressed Du Shisanniang following Du Shiyi, he had thought her a handsome young servant. But now, though she wore no pins nor bound her hair, she was clearly dressed as a woman—there could be only one explanation.

“This is my younger sister, Shisanniang,” Du Shiyi introduced. “Previously, as I was often away, she refused to be left behind and insisted on following me. Unable to dissuade her, I let her dress as a boy. Eleventh Brother, I beg you, say nothing of this.”

Under Cui Jianxuan’s gaze, Du Shisanniang felt acutely uncomfortable. After a demure bow, she retreated at once to the inner room. Yet the partition was but a thin paper screen; from outside, Cui Jianxuan’s words carried in all too clearly: “So this is the sister who knelt and begged at Songyang Monastery to seek a cure for you? No wonder she moved the Lord of the Underworld himself—her sincerity shines true. Were it any other young lady, those pampered daughters would not bear a moment beneath the sun for fear of marring their snow-white skin! Like brother, like sister—well, you’re both admirable!”

He cast a thoughtful glance at the screen, and though he could not see Du Shisanniang’s expression, Du Shiyi could well imagine that his little sister would not be pleased by such praise—indeed, she was probably muttering complaints at Cui Jianxuan’s bluntness. Just now, when the county office’s orderlies saw Cui Jianxuan, they had fled as if from a viper. With a raised brow, Du Shiyi invited Cui Jianxuan to be seated, settling himself cross-legged in the seat of honor before asking, “What brings you here today, Eleventh Brother?”

“Must there be a reason to visit?”

With a snort, Cui Jianxuan watched as a lovely young maid brought in a cup of sour plum drink. He took it absentmindedly, sipped, and then spoke, “If you were still that famed prodigy of Fan River, composing poems and essays, I wouldn’t have bothered to come today. Du Nineteen, let me be frank: do you know why County Bailiff Qian insisted on sending you back to this cottage to recuperate?”

These days, the court’s debate over the locust plague has finally settled. Minister Yao emerged the clear victor—even Governor Ni of Bianzhou, who had resisted most fiercely, was forced to lead his own men in catching locusts after receiving a direct order from the Secretariat. And soon, an imperial censor dispatched by the court will arrive in Dengfeng. My seventh uncle, along with all the county’s officials, are accompanying him on a tour of the countryside. Otherwise, when the censor comes to inspect the fields himself, if he should see you, an outsider, leading the work, all their efforts in eradicating locusts would come to naught!”

No sooner had he finished than a faint gasp of surprise escaped from behind the screen. But Du Shiyi found this explanation entirely reasonable and showed no surprise. “So that’s how it is. Since the court is determined to deal with the locusts, it seems famine will be averted this year.”

Cui Jianxuan stared intently at Du Shiyi, who met his gaze with calm composure. Incredulous, Cui asked, “You’re not angry?”

“If it were you, Eleventh Brother, would you disregard everything and lead the villagers to display your prowess before the censor, showing that the locust eradication in Dengfeng was all your doing?”

Seeing Cui Jianxuan nod without hesitation, Du Shiyi realized he was questioning the wrong person—Eleventh Brother’s nature was just so. Smiling, he continued, “You’ve been with me these days, running across the countryside and witnessing firsthand the difficulties of catching and killing locusts. Even when I have exhausted myself persuading people, there are still those unwilling or afraid to join in. And that’s with the county’s authority behind me! If I relied only on myself, no one would heed me. Now that the court has sent a censor, more people will respond—the results will be far greater than what we could achieve alone. Doing good need not always be rewarded or praised. Besides, having you come specially to champion my cause is already an unexpected delight!”

“Who says I came to champion your cause?” Cui Jianxuan arched his elegant brows, but under Du Shiyi’s half-smiling gaze, he blustered, “I merely saw how hard you’ve worked these days and thought to give you a heads-up. Since you care not, it’s none of my concern.”

Though he’d initially felt distant toward Cui Jianxuan, seeing this refined, almost girlish nobleman traipse through the fields at his side these days, Du Shiyi’s impression of him had changed. Even now, as Cui’s old habit of sharp words surfaced, Du Shiyi could only laugh. “Then count it as my mistake. By the way, Eleventh Brother, you don’t seem native to Dengfeng—how long do you plan to stay?”

“What, are you trying to drive me out?”

“Has anyone ever told you your tongue is too sharp?” Seeing Cui Jianxuan flush with annoyance, Du Shiyi sighed. “Let’s set that aside. I simply meant to ask whether you’ve come to Dengfeng to sightsee, visit relatives, or for some other reason. How is it you have so much time to join me in locust eradication? Now that others are taking over, what do you plan to do?”

Cui Jianxuan was about to retort, but as Du Shiyi finished, his anger vanished, and he replied dully, “I’m not from Dengfeng—I hail from the Eastern Capital, but am temporarily lodging at the county office. My grandmother wanted me to study with Lu Haoran at Xuanlian Peak, but I have no interest in poetry or essays. Roaming the countryside with you was just a way to pass the time! I’ve heard Lu Haoran is a strict teacher—if I can’t bear it and am sent home, it would be a disgrace to the Cui family…”

Realizing he’d unwittingly voiced his deepest worry, Cui Jianxuan grew vexed and stood up abruptly. “Enough, I came only to inform you the imperial censor is coming to Dengfeng. Since you don’t care, it’s not my concern. Farewell, Du Nineteen!”

“Hey, you come and go as you please—what do you take my home for?” Before Cui Jianxuan could reach the door, Du Shiyi sprang up to block him, smiling. “If you hadn’t mentioned Master Lu at Xuanlian Peak, I wouldn’t have brought this up. But since you did, I just found someone to discuss it with. To tell you the truth, I too was recommended to seek out Master Lu. I wish to study, yes, but—first, I cannot abandon my sister, for we depend on each other; second, my temperament is much like yours, not suited for constraint.”

“Is this true?” Cui Jianxuan eyed Du Shiyi warily, but before he could reply, Du Shiyi had pressed him back into his seat, fetched a bamboo tube from the book chest, and handed it over. Seeing the inscription—“To Brother Lu Haoran, from Sima Ziwei”—Cui Jianxuan drew a sharp breath.

“A letter of recommendation from Master Sima of the Shangqing Sect?” At Du Shiyi’s nod, Cui Jianxuan’s expression grew odd. “What a coincidence… My grandmother went to great lengths to obtain one for me from Master Puji of Songyue Temple. So, one letter from a Buddhist patriarch, one from a Daoist master, yet neither of us is monk or priest. It seems we are brothers in misfortune!”

At this, Cui Jianxuan’s spirits revived. “Go? Of course we’ll go! If I were alone, I’d just tour Henan’s prefectures, then return to the Eastern Capital and face my grandmother’s and parents’ wrath. But with you as company, let’s go together tomorrow to see this Master Lu Haoran, the reclusive gentleman! If we don’t take to him, we’ll quietly slip back, and I’ll build a thatched hut near yours—we could be neighbors, wouldn’t that be grand?”

If I had to live next door to you, wouldn’t your chatter drive me mad?

Seeing Cui Jianxuan make decisions on his own, Du Shiyi felt both exasperated and amused. Still, a visit would not waste Sima Chengzhen’s letter, so he nodded. “Very well, tomorrow it is. I’ll take Shisanniang for an outing.”

“It’s settled then!” Cui Jianxuan beamed, dusted his robe, and added, “I’ll send a carriage at dawn. And by the way, in Chang’an and Luoyang, noble ladies ride about unveiled, accompanied by maids, unconcerned with such distinctions. Your sister needn’t be so restrained. Song Mountain’s seventy-two peaks are all summer retreats—the perfect chance to enjoy ourselves!”

At these words, Du Shiyi was quite certain: whatever Cui Jianxuan said about visiting Master Lu, he clearly cared little for study and merely wanted to roam the mountains for pleasure!