Chapter 1398 - 1313: Xie Xiangrong

Xie Xiangrong’s grandfather was the teacher who first opened Xie Shi’s mind to learning. He was a free and broad‑minded man of letters; though he regretted having no grandson, he was not obsessed with it. On the contrary, he tried to persuade his son and daughter‑in‑law, saying it was a matter of fate.

"The reason you have no son is that fate has not yet arrived. Children are Heaven’s gift. Since you already have your eldest daughter, why not raise and educate her well? Would that not also be the joy of being parents?"

Unfortunately, his son and daughter‑in‑law refused to accept their lot, and kept tossing and turning over the idea of having a son.

So Mr. Xie kept his granddaughter by his side. The girl said, "I had a dream. In it I ought to dress as a boy and be called Xiangrong. Then perhaps a younger brother will come."

Thus Mr. Xie changed her name to Xiangrong.

The granddaughter said, "Maybe younger brother doesn’t like the geomancy of Yangxia. I’ve heard Langya is a place of outstanding people and spiritual energy. If Father and Mother were to go live in Langya, perhaps they might attract a spirit child."

So the whole family followed Mr. Xie, who had been recruited to office in Langya, and moved there together.

When war flames erupted everywhere, Mr. Xie fell ill and died, weighed down by sorrow and indignation. Then Xie Xiangrong said, "Grandfather drifted half his life. Now the fallen leaves ought to return to their roots—this is the heaviest kind of filial piety."

So her parents, who had originally planned to flee south, had no choice but to follow her, supporting the coffin back to their native place. They were lucky enough to avoid the Xiongnu armies along the road, and together with a band of displaced refugees reached Yangxia. There they quickly contacted Xie Shi’s kin, who sheltered them and helped them escape that calamity of war.

After that, Xie Xiangrong began a period of mourning for her grandfather. Using mourning as her pretext, she rejected many proposed matches. Last year, in mid‑year, her term of mourning formally ended, and her parents wanted to arrange a marriage for her. She in turn tried to persuade them, saying they were still in their prime and still had hope of extending the Xie Family’s bloodline.

"If I deepen my mourning, perhaps Heaven will take pity and send Father and Mother a son." Taking this as her reason, she remained at home to continue her mourning for Grandfather. "Others mourn for three years. I’ll mourn for six, for twelve. I believe a daughter’s filial heart will surely move Heaven to grant my parents a fine son."

Her parents were persuaded, and so turned down all matches and let Xie Xiangrong stay at home to keep mourning.

But Xie Shi said, "In name she is observing mourning; in truth, she is sorting our grand‑uncle’s manuscripts and commentaries, and wants to imitate the disciples of Confucius in compiling books and leaving records for him."

This is a vast undertaking. Over his lifetime Mr. Xie read so many books and left behind so many annotations; his insights differed at different periods, and his casual jottings were scattered everywhere.

She has to gather them, compare them one by one, select among them, and then annotate the texts. For some phrases there are no notes, so she recalls Grandfather’s words when he taught and uses his voice to supply the commentary. At times she even has to write to Xie Shi and Wang Nai, those fellow pupils, to ask for the reading notes they took...

She began this work during her mourning period, but this is not something accomplished in a single day. To do it well might take eight or nine years, or even longer.

Xie Shi admired her endurance and temperament, and said to Zhao Hanzhang, "She is erudite and well‑read, quick‑witted and resourceful. She honors mourning yet can keep faith. No one could be more suitable for Second Son."

He understood what sort of girl this emperor, Your Majesty, appreciates and favors. In the end, even if the marriage does not come to pass, for Xie Xiangrong it is still an opportunity.

Her parents hold her back from going to the Talent Examination, and she herself has no ambition for officialdom. But what if one could have a world of one’s own even without entering court as an official?

In Yangxia, after reading Xie Shi’s letter, Xie Xiangrong lowered her eyes in thought, and after a moment decided to make a trip to Luoyang.

In the letter Xie Shi wrote to Xie Xiangrong, he mainly introduced Zhao Erlang and listed the advantages of this match.

He wrote, "You can glimpse something of Your Majesty’s character from the National Policies. She truly loves her younger brother. Zhao Yong is not clever, yet neither is he stupid. He merely suffers from an illness of the mind and cannot recognize written characters, which makes reading difficult. But if you explain principles to him, speak of military strategy, he can understand and remember."

"He can already recite The Art of War by Sun Tzu backwards, which shows he is not dull—only misunderstood by the world. If you want to discuss poetry and rhapsodies with him, that is naturally impossible; but if you speak of formations and military manuals, you could talk for an entire night." Xie Shi wrote with a sigh, "I know your plan. You want to devote yourself wholly to writing for our teacher."

"With your intelligence, you naturally have many ways to dodge marriage. If worst came to worst, you could even marry someone fated to die young. But Fifth Sister, to survive in this world one needs money. Do you have assets enough to guarantee a lifetime of food and clothing, so that even if your husband dies you could still live comfortably, quietly compile your book, and finally see it published?"

Of course not.

The Xie Xiangrong household is not wealthy.

Her family is poorer even than Xie Shi’s. They are merely a collateral branch of the Xie Family. The highest office her grandfather ever held was Literary Officer in Xuzhou, only seventh rank. Her father teaches in a school, and her mother manages the family fields and shops.

They are all very frugal. Daily expenses come from her father’s stipend; the rest of their income is saved, used to buy books and to seek Heaven’s favor for a son.

Xie Xiangrong has calculated it herself: when she marries, her parents will at most give her ten mu of land and twelve strings of coins as dowry. She would have to work hard to maintain her present standard of living.

But if so, she would have no time to compile books.

That is why Xie Xiangrong has been finding ways to stay at home and live off her parents, not marrying.

She has it all planned out. If one day her parents truly will not allow her to remain at home, she’ll find some pretext to establish herself as a female head of household, then go to the school and become a teacher. That income would cover her expenses. Though her time for book‑editing would be cut by two‑thirds, she can accept that.

But it is very hard for a woman to be registered as an independent household. Even though the court has issued new laws now, it is still very difficult to get past her parents.

Xie Xiangrong does not want to be branded unfilial. If she is deemed unfilial, the school will reject her, and she will not even be able to sit the Talent Examination. She would have no retreat.

So she is very careful to protect her reputation. To win Father and Mother’s consent for these heterodox schemes is extremely difficult and very likely to backfire.

And now Xie Shi has given her a better choice.

Not only the path of marrying Zhao Yong. She can also go to Luoyang and step directly before the emperor.

She will not go into officialdom, yet there are still many things she can do.

Xie Xiangrong wants to work in the archives as a clerk. She could not only edit books for her grandfather, but also for the emperor, for others as well.

Xie Xiangrong carefully picked and chose, selecting only two pages of the letter to put into an envelope. Then her mouth split into a grin; all smiles, she went to find her parents. "Father, Mother, Cousin Shi has written."

Father Xie was preparing his lessons. Hearing this, he immediately put down his brush and reached out his hand. "What does he say in the letter?"

Right now Xie Shi is the most successful person in the Xie Family, surpassing even those of the main line. The clan is scattered far and wide; now in Yangxia there are only eight Xie households gathered, all collateral and distant branches, and among them his family has the closest ties with Xie Shi.

Father Xie has always secretly hoped this cousin‑nephew might recognize his talent and then take him into officialdom to soar together.

Could it be that he has finally recognized his talent now?

Father Xie’s eyes shone. Xie Xiangrong, face alight with excitement, said, "Cousin has secured a marriage for me."

Father Xie’s smile faded a little. Xie Xiangrong went on, "It is with Your Majesty’s own younger brother, Prince Qin."

Father Xie’s eyes flared wide, shining bright. He exclaimed, "Truly?"