Song Caitang, Where Are Your Manners

Time flies quickly when one is busy. In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed. It was already past the 10th day of the 12th month.

The market had already started selling things for the new year celebrations. New fabric, red flowers, door statues, new year couplets, gold and silver papers for paying respects to ancestors, window decorations, nuts, candies and cookies, rice cakes, fried beans, red lanterns… There were all sorts of things available, so there was everything you needed and even things you didn’t know you needed.

This was the best time of the year for businesses. All merchants were fully stocked and selling their wares hard, hoping to make a lot of money before the eve of new year. The people had worked hard for an entire year, so they had some extra savings and time, plus they usually felt a little more generous during the holiday season. The market was overflowing with people and not even the bitter winter could dampen their excitement.

Song Caitang got dragged to the market by Guan Wan too.

Guan Wan had volunteered to be the head chef for the big new year’s eve dinner in order to show off all her skills, she had promised to make sure everyone had an exceptional new year this year. She was going to make sure the food was to everyone’s liking and they would be both full of food and delight. This was an important dinner, so it couldn’t be as simple as their everyday meals. She was going to be very particular about everything, so the ingredients available in the kitchen weren’t enough at all! She had to buy more!

When this girl went shopping, she didn’t care about new clothes or new jewelry. The only shops that made her eyes sparkle were those that sold food and condiments.

Of course, Song Caitang looked out for everything else. She could leave anything within the kitchen to Guan Wan, but she had to help with all the other things that Guan Wan either didn’t think of or didn’t have time for.

Things like what would be needed during the festive season, the tokens of appreciation for the servants, the presents they had to bring along when they visited the homes of others, new clothes and accessories for the family members…

The Guans had plenty of money and shops, so they didn’t have to worry about how much they spent. But neither her uncle nor her cousin cared about these things or had the time to care, so Song Caitang had to settle them.

And even if she wasn’t sure about anything, she could get answers easily from the auntie that served her. She didn’t even have to ask Old Madam Li about anything.

On top of that, Butler Hu was a capable butler too. With everyone’s cooperation, everything could be settled in a smooth and orderly manner.

Two things happened within the family during this time.

The first one was with regard to Guan Qing. She had performed exceptionally well during this year’s drought. She had made many adjustments and workarounds and had an excellent understanding of the circumstances and how to deal with it. She even managed to prevent a riot. For her contributions, she was given an award by the government and the Guans stood a chance to become a royal supplier the next year. The family’s future was bright.

And because of that, Guan Qing decided that she wasn’t going to hide in Luanze anymore. She sent a letter to say that she was going to come to Bianliang with her grandmother, Madam Bai, so that they could be reunited over the new year and won’t return anymore after that.

That’s why Guan Wan and Song Caitang didn’t go back to Luanze.

The second thing was about Madam Zhang and Guan Rongrong.

Thanks to Madam Zhang’s goading, Guan Rongrong set her eyes on Wen Yuansi. She tried to pull all sorts of tricks, but Wen Yuansi did not fall for her at all. No matter how elegant he was or how gentlemanly he was, he wasn’t stupid. He refused to meet her privately, and if they ran into each other at a party, he would avoid her and avoid being found with her alone. He made sure he was never put in a compromising situation.

Nobody knew if Guan Rongrong had made a mistake, or if she had given up and changed target, but instead of ensnaring Wen Yuansi, she found an unlucky guy. During a party in autumn, she lost her innocence. She had been in a room alone with a man and… a lot of people had seen them.

Guan Rongrong had been brought up by Madam Zhang, so while she could be a little rash sometimes, she wasn’t dumb. She wasn’t going to admit to having done anything at this point, so she just kept crying and whined, even threatening to kill herself to prove her innocence. Of course, Madam Zhang put up a big show with her daughter. In any case, her own daughter was the victim and everyone else was at fault.

The unlucky man was actually from a pretty good family and was an official based in Bianliang. He had just completed a posting in another city and had come to visit relatives during his holiday. For him, he hadn’t suffered any losses in this situation and he couldn’t hold up against the antics of Madam Zhang and her daughter, so he decided to take Guan Rongrong as a concubine.

Yep. A concubine.

The man already had a wife and she was from a pretty good family too, so they were a good match. Given Guan Rongrong’s status and how all of this happened, she couldn’t possibly be anything else besides a concubine, really.

Madam Zhang and Guan Rongrong were rather pleased with this marriage, since that was the best they could get with their schemes. The man was from a family better than theirs and he wasn’t too old, so Guan Rongrong didn’t have to feel too bad about it. But… Song Caitang had a hard time understanding the logic behind this.

Madam Zhang had so many tricks up her sleeve and was constantly plotting, while Guan Rongrong always had such high standards. Also, the Guans were rich. Was it such a bad idea to just find a man she liked and married him as his wife? Why would she rather become another man’s concubine?

Song Caitang’s uncle, Guan Song, and cousin, Guan Lang, clearly did not approve either. Guan Lang remained at the academy to study because he was preparing to take the exams the next year, so he didn’t go back to see his sister off to her new home. Then again, when it came to marrying a concubine, even if she were a royal concubine, there wouldn’t really be any big wedding or even a bridal procession from the bride’s house.

Guan Song had gone back in a great hurry, but ended up staying only two days there. He instructed Madam Zhang to watch the home and not to bother to come to Bianliang for the new year. He was clearly very displeased with this matter and displeased with Madam Zhang.

But Madam Zhang didn’t say anything. She was very quiet and very unaffected.

At the same time, that was the only reaction she could possibly have in such a situation. After all, it was the men who were holding up the household, so she had to listen to her husband. Of course, it wasn’t as though she really couldn’t do anything. Guan Rongrong was pretty and good at buttering others up. After the new year, she would return to Bianliang with her husband, and only Bianliang had vacancies for her husband. It wouldn’t be long before Madam Zhang could find a reason to come to Bianliang too.

She was merely going to be delayed by a few months or so. She could wait.

Song Caitang could see right through Madam Zhang’s logic and tactics from the letters she exchanged with Guan Qing. But while she was happy to spend the new year without Madam Zhang, her cousin’s mood was a little…

That was his mother after all. Song Caitang felt bad for him.

Everyone was now in Bianliang, so it wasn’t nice to leave Madam Zhang all by herself in Luanze and she was bound to come over sooner or later. Thinking about how much trouble she was able to create gave Song Caitang a headache.

But when she thought about it more, things weren’t going to be that bad, since her grandmother and Guan Qing would be here too, so Madam Zhang wouldn’t be able to do much, especially since Guan Qing’s status had risen. Song Caitang decided to just quietly take care of Guan Wan and to show more concern for Guan Lang.

Guan Lang… was a really good boy.

Song Caitang and Guan Wan were walking along the streets when they suddenly heard the neighing of a horse. It was a happy and excited neigh, and it was also a very familiar neigh.

“Blackie?”

Song Caitang spun around with a start to find that the neighing was really coming from that handsome, black steed with a lightning bolt on its forehead and a touch of white above its hooves. It was indeed Zhao Zhi’s horse.

But it didn’t have anybody on its back as it trotted toward her. Several servants were running after the horse as though they were faced with a terrible enemy…

They were afraid that the horse would stir up trouble! There were so many people along the streets. What were they going to do if the horse injured someone? Besides, Blackie also ran too quickly. Even if it ran slowly, they wouldn’t be able to catch up!

They had no idea that Blackie was a horse with principles that would never create trouble for nothing. It was playful only with certain people too. Not everyone was worthy of that kind of attention!

It just happened to spot a beautiful lady it knew and wanted to say hello.

Blackie came to a stop in front of Song Caitang. It looked at her with its bright, black eyes, then nudged her with its head and licked her hand with its tongue. After that, it spun around on the spot and raised its head proudly, as though it was asking Song Caitang if it looked handsome today.

Song Caitang noticed that its tail and mane had been trimmed and groomed, and its body had been scrubbed clean too, so its hair was smooth and shiny. She burst out laughing and patted its head. “You’re so handsome today, Blackie!”

When it saw how she was admiring its smooth, neat and clean hair, Blackie became even prouder. It had been right about Song Caitang! She was indeed a young woman with great taste! It was the most handsome horse in the world, the horse with the most playful spirit, and only those who understood it were worthy to be called its friends!

It snorted happily. It was going to protect this woman from now on!

In a teahouse along the street, in the private room on the third floor, the window overlooking the street was open and two men stood by the window. One was in dark clothing, a tall and broad man with gorgeous eyes and extraordinary charisma. It was Zhao Zhi. The other man was around his age, dressed in a dark purple robe and white jade accessories. He seemed to be dressed very plainly, but if you looked very carefully, you would notice that everything about him was extraordinary, from the fabric of his robe, the discreet embroidery, the quality of his accessories, his commanding gaze, to the elegant way he stood. It was obvious that he was no ordinary person.

“I think your horse is about to run away with someone else.”

The young man in purple raised his eyebrow and spoke in a mocking tone, but he was also clearly amused.

Zhao Zhi looked a little awkward as he rubbed his nose. “Sorry you had to see that, Your Highness. I… really can’t control this horse.”

The young man in purple smiled faintly and looked at Song Caitang. “That’s the girl you told me about the last time?”

“Yes,” Zhao Zhi replied without hesitation.

“You intend to marry her?”

“Yes.”

The young man in purple kept his hands in his sleeves and spoke slowly “Hmm. She’s quiet, carries herself well and is very intelligent. She’s definitely someone you would fall for.”

Zhao Zhi’s intense gaze landed on Song Caitang and his lips curled upward slightly. “She’s wonderful.”

“But I’m afraid the Consort… will not agree to this.”

Zhao Zhi got a little anxious. “That’s why I…”

“HAHAHA!” The young man in purple burst out laughing when he saw how anxious Zhao Zhi looked, as though he had purposely brought this up just so he could catch a glimpse of this expression. “Zhao Zhi, Zhao Zhi, it’s been so many years! I finally get to see this expression on your face again!”

Zhao Zhi sighed. “Your Highness…”

“Are you begging me?” The young man in purple fluttered his eyes.

“I am.”

“Call me Elder Brother.”

“Elder Brother.”

“Oh my… HAHAHA!” The young man in purple laughed so hard he was about to cry. “The young commandery prince famous for fighting anybody he sees fit and known for not crying even when he’s bleeding, yet for the sake of a young woman he’s… HAHA! Zhao Zhi! I never thought I’d see this day come!”

“Alright, alright,” the young man in purple was finally done laughing and wiped his eyes. “It’s rare to see you so docile and helpless in front of me and I think it’s rather interesting. That’s what it means to be brothers, isn’t it? You’ve seen me at my worst, and now, I’ve seen you when you’re weak, pitiful and helpless – but of course, I’d like to see you like this more than once! Since I would like to see you like this more often, I’m going to make sure you get the girl.”

Zhao Zhi was speechless.

But while they were having a fun conversation upstairs, someone had arrived downstairs with trouble.

“Gosh, some people really have no self-awareness. They think they can touch anything under the sun.”

The voice was shrill, nasty and very familiar too. Song Caitang turned to see an imposing Ling Qianqian in a red dress.

Ling Qianqian wasn’t alone. Next to her stood a frail, young woman in a white dress and a white fox fur cape. Her gaze was filled with worry and she carried herself elegantly. She was a familiar character too – Lu Yuxue.

Ling Qianqian marched toward Song Caitang with Lu Yuxue trying to pull her back. Her voice was soft, as though she was afraid that Ling Qianqian would cause a scene. “Blackie just likes her, that’s all. There are a lot of people here. Don’t kick up a big fuss, it’s unbecoming.”

Of course, Ling Qianqian wasn’t going to listen to her. The more Lu Yuxue tried to hold her back, the more motivated she became. “Xue-jiejie, you’ve got a good temper, so you’re willing to let others do whatever they want. But I can’t stand that!”

Blackie didn’t care about them either. It raised its head high and sneezed really hard, so its mucus nearly hit Ling Qianqian and Lu Yuxue in the face despite the distance.

How dare you call me Blackie, it seemed to be saying. You think you’re pretty enough or you understand me enough to call me that? Tsk! You’re not worthy to even talk to!

Ling Qianqian wiped her face and got even angrier. “Song Caitang! How dare you instruct an animal to spit on me!”

Guan Wan’s eyes widened. “You’re so unreasonable! You’re the one who’s come marching toward us so angrily like you’re picking a fight, so you must have frightened the black horse. And you’re blaming us for that?”

Ling Qianqian ignored her and stared straight at Song Caitang as she took two steps forward. “Do you know what place this is? This is the city of Bianliang! The footstool of the emperor! You’re just a little bug who came out from some tiny swamp out there and uses your filthy hands to touch those disgusting dead bodies. Don’t you know that you shouldn’t be coming near other people and you’re not to touch things you can’t afford to damage?”

“This horse,” she pointed at Blackie, “is of a very rare and valuable species, the best among horses, and is a horse that the commandery prince personally subdued and trained when he fought along the border. There’s only one in the whole country, so you can only imagine how precious it is! Do you think you can afford to hurt it?”

“Song Caitang, where are your manners? Didn’t you learn how to be a lady? Where did all that learning go? Into your stomach?”

When faced with Ling Qianqian’s fiery gaze, Song Caitang just felt like laughing. “Oh…”

“Humph!” Ling Qianqian scoffed and hooked an arm around Lu Yuxue’s as if to talk down to Song caitang. “Xue-jiejie is of such high standing, yet she’s given you so much respect and never makes any trouble. Who do you think you are!”

On the third floor, Zhao Zhi furrowed his brow. He flipped his robe and was about to head downstairs when the young man in purple held him back. “Don’t be in such a hurry to help her. I think Miss Song is very steady by herself and isn’t bothered by this situation at all. Let her have some fun, don’t ruin it for her.”