New Year's Eve.
The Minister of Revenue, Zhou Yanqing, was hosting a New Year's Eve dinner at his residence.
The spacious front hall was filled with the joy and festivity of a family reunion.
Minister Zhou's elderly mother, Old Madam Zhou, sat in the seat of honor at the main table, with Minister Zhou and Madam Zhou to her right, and Minister Zhou's brothers and their wives to her left.
Below the head table were the seats for the legitimate sons and daughters of the household.
The next few tables were for the household's concubines and illegitimate sons and daughters.
Eight or nine tables were arranged in order of precedence.
Servants shuttled between the kitchen and the hall, serving dishes, pouring tea, and refilling drinks for their masters.
Outside the bright red main gate, adorned with large red lanterns, a carriage stopped.
A mother and son alighted from the carriage. The mother was in her twenties, beautiful and gorgeously dressed, and the boy was about seven or eight years old.
Mother and son held hands, paused at the steps, and then walked up.
Looking at the green-eyed beast-faced tin ring on the main gate, the woman took a deep breath and raised her hand to shake the door knocker forcefully.
After a long while, the main door creaked open. A young gatekeeper peeked out and sized up the woman and boy from top to bottom. Seeing that they were still handsomely dressed, he patiently asked, "Who are you looking for?"
The woman assumed an air of authority, her voice carrying a hint of sternness, "I am the Master's outer consort, Qing Xiang. The Master sent me to find him tonight for New Year's Eve, as he wants to introduce us mother and son to Old Madam and Madam, and let our child acknowledge his ancestors."
A flicker of confusion crossed the gatekeeper's eyes. After a moment of thought, he said calmly, "Please wait, I will go and announce you."
The gatekeeper was also quite sharp-witted. Without making a fuss, he bowed and went to the steward's side, whispering the report in his ear.
The steward's face also showed confusion. He glanced at the Master, who was cheerfully chatting with his wife at the head table, then bowed and went to the Master's side, whispering in his ear.
Master Zhou's smile froze, and his expression changed slightly. He quietly instructed the steward a few words, then acted as if nothing had happened, smiling and continuing to drink and eat.
Madam Zhou, sitting beside him, took in everything. She exchanged a glance with her trusted nanny, who nodded slightly and followed her out.
Madam Zhou had received an anonymous letter that afternoon, stating that Master Zhou had a secret he was hiding from her on New Year's Eve and urging her to pay close attention to Master Zhou's every move, lest her position as the principal wife be jeopardized.
The steward walked to the doorway and told the gatekeeper to quickly drive away the mother and son, as the Master did not know them.
The nanny, hidden in the corner, heard the steward's words clearly. She turned and went back to report to Madam Zhou.
The gatekeeper, having received the order, opened the main door and harshly rebuked the mother and son, "Who are you tricksters? Be gone! The Master doesn't know you!"
A mere servant dared to yell at her. Surely, this servant hadn't informed the Master but had instead told that shrewish old woman!
Qing Xiang's anger flared. She took out the Master's personal letter and a jade thumb ring, and said angrily, "You dog slave, see clearly who is standing before you. This is the Master's personal letter and token! If we don't see the Master today, we mother and son will not leave!"
She had followed the Master for ten years and had always wanted to be officially recognized as a concubine. However, the Master had always made excuses, saying that the shrew at home and other concubines would cause trouble, and Old Madam would punish him, and they would never allow it.
It wasn't until the day before yesterday that the Master, perhaps out of conscience, had sent someone to deliver a letter and a token to her, asking her to bring their child to acknowledge his ancestors on New Year's Eve.
She recognized the Master's handwriting, and it was indeed his personal letter. She had also seen the Master wear the jade thumb ring, the token.
As the gatekeeper was about to grab a club to drive them away, he saw another carriage stop at the main gate.
A pretty woman holding a swaddled infant alighted from the carriage, followed by a little girl of about five or six years old.
The woman's brow furrowed when she saw Qing Xiang and her son at the gate. Then, with an arrogant expression, she stepped forward and ordered the gatekeeper, "I am the Master's woman, Su Wan. I am holding the Master's own son in my arms, and this is the Master's own daughter. The Master wants me to bring the children to acknowledge their ancestors today."
The gatekeeper and Qing Xiang's eyes widened.
"You are also the Master's woman?" Qing Xiang asked in disbelief. The Master had clearly told her that besides the women in the household, she was his only outer consort, and he would always love only her.
"You too?" Su Wan's shocked gaze swept over Qing Xiang's son. The boy was clearly older than her daughter.
Her heart ached. The Master had clearly said that besides the women in the household, she was the only one he loved most.
Before Qing Xiang could reply, several more carriages arrived, and several more women alighted.
One was heavily pregnant, seemingly close to labor.
Another's belly was not large, but she vomited once or twice from time to time.
And three women, only fourteen or fifteen years old, were already styled with married women's updos.
They all produced the Master's personal letters and tokens, and the tokens were indeed the Master's possessions.
Because they had all seen them before.
Could it be that the Master intended to take them all in today?
The Master had so many women outside! Although they were angry, they could do nothing. Wasn't it normal for men to have three wives and seven concubines?
Seeing this scene, the gatekeeper's legs went weak. He immediately scrambled to find the steward, who, wiping cold sweat, turned to find Minister Zhou.
The Master really… when he went out to have fun, he didn't even clean his mouth, attracting all this trouble. The Minister's mansion was unlikely to be peaceful tonight.
When Minister Zhou heard this, his face turned deathly pale. The wine glass in his hand clattered to the ground, shattering into several pieces with a particularly crisp sound.
He did indeed have many women outside, but he had never considered taking them as concubines, they were just for fun. He already had eleven concubines, which was the highest among court officials, and the shrew at home was extremely jealous.
There was no way he would have let them show up at his door on New Year's Eve!
What… what in the world was going on?! Who?! Who was framing him!!!
The old nanny had already informed Madam Zhou of what had happened outside. Madam Zhou's hand, clutching her handkerchief, trembled violently, and her gaze towards Minister Zhou was extremely cold.
Outside the door, about a dozen women had gathered, all clamoring to see Minister Zhou. They banged on the main gate with resounding thuds, and many women simply started wailing.
And somehow, someone with a loose tongue started shouting in the nearby residences, "Walk by, pass by, don't miss out! Come and watch the excitement! Minister Zhou's outer consorts have all come looking for him!"
The Zhou residence was located on Imperial City Street, and almost everyone on the street was a powerful court official. Hearing the commotion outside, those who loved gossip all came out to watch the show.
Since the New Year's Eve dinner was almost finished anyway, coming out to watch the excitement was a good way to aid digestion.
Soon, the area in front of the Zhou mansion's main gate was filled with onlookers. To get a clearer view of the spectacle, everyone held a large lantern, illuminating the Minister's mansion brightly.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye also mingled in the crowd. All of this was the result of their two months of hard work. It would be a shame not to admire it after all their diligent efforts.