Chapter 126: Eating Crab (Thanks to Canned Winter Melon Tea for Becoming a League Leader)

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Zhang Yue followed Ouyang Fa to a side hall to wait, and the two chatted for a while. They waited there some time longer for Ouyang Xiu, until someone came to report that, just as Ouyang Xiu had been changing clothes, Cao Yi, the younger brother of Empress Cao, had sent someone to the residence.

Zhang Yue had heard many stories about Empress Cao. Though she was the empress, she was far from favored by Emperor Shenzong of Song.

Two years earlier, when the emperor had fallen gravely ill and lost his senses, he had shouted, “The empress and Zhang Maoze are plotting treason!”

Zhang Maoze, an imperial eunuch, had intended to hang himself to prove his innocence, but Han Qi had intervened. “His Majesty is ill and speaking nonsense. If you die like this, how will the empress be able to face the world?”

In any case, the discord between His Majesty and Empress Cao was known throughout court and country. Yet she seemed to maintain good relations with the ministers, no doubt because of her illustrious birth. Empress Cao came from the Cao clan of Zhending and was the granddaughter of Cao Bin, a founding general of the dynasty.

Since the emperor’s maternal uncle had sent someone to the residence, the matter was clearly important, and it had interrupted Zhang Yue’s meeting with Ouyang Xiu. Zhang Yue understood, however, that a man of Ouyang Xiu’s standing must be burdened with official affairs. That he had managed to spare time to see him at all was already a rare favor.

Zhang Yue and Ouyang Fa were discussing ancient inscriptions and seal carving when a maid served them osmanthus tea. Zhang Yue was thoroughly familiar with it. The fragrance of the blossoms brought back memories of the road to South Peak Academy, where the scent of osmanthus had filled the air when he had gone there to study.

“This…”

Ouyang Fa took a sip and smiled. “This osmanthus tea must have been prepared by my wife. She knows that you, Third Young Master, are also from Pucheng, so she brought tea from our homeland to entertain you.”

Zhang Yue sighed. “They say that a letter from home is worth ten thousand in gold. This osmanthus tea has stirred up my longing for home. I wonder how my family is faring. I must thank your good lady.”

Ouyang Fa laughed. “It is nothing worth mentioning. My wife knows that you and I took to each other at first meeting. Serving this tea also means that she does not regard you as an outsider. Come, drink your tea.”

Zhang Yue lifted his cup and took another sip. The tea was sweet, its fragrance soothing and penetrating. He was deeply touched by Madam Wu’s thoughtfulness, but then suddenly said, “Osmanthus tea is best when freshly made. Yet the osmanthus blossoms have not opened this year, so these must have been picked last autumn.”

“Indeed,” Ouyang Fa replied with a smile. “Seventeenth Sister brought them to the capital. I forgot to mention that Seventeenth Sister is my wife’s youngest sister. Though she is a daughter of a secondary wife, she is greatly doted upon at home.

“She is especially fond of peonies, and the finest peonies in the empire are found in Luoyang. Each year, therefore, the Wu family sends fast horses to Luoyang to bring peonies back for her enjoyment.”

“They transport them by horse?” Zhang Yue asked in astonishment.

Ouyang Fa nodded. “There are six relay stations between Luoyang and the Eastern Capital. In former years, flowers were not sent by relay. It was only when Chancellor Li Zhaodi served as governor of Luoyang that relay horses began carrying peonies to the imperial court.

“Nowadays, it is not only His Majesty who enjoys peonies. The eminent and wealthy families of Bianjing delight in them as well. The people of Luoyang pack the flowers in bamboo cages filled with vegetable leaves, then cover them over so that they will not be shaken during the journey. They seal the stems with wax, allowing the blooms to remain fresh for several days. The horses are changed along the way, and the flowers are driven at full speed from Luoyang to Bianjing. They can arrive within a single day and night. Thus the wealthy families of the capital can enjoy the beauty of Luoyang’s peonies.”

Zhang Yue shook his head. “How much money must be spent merely to admire a single peony? It is terribly extravagant.”

What he meant was: What family could afford to support a young lady from such a household?

Ouyang Fa took a sip of tea and laughed. “The empire is at peace on every side, and the people of Bianjing naturally enjoy the prosperity of these peaceful times. Take tea, for example. Wax tea is abundant in Jianzhou, while loose-leaf tea is plentiful in the Two Zhes. As for the finest loose-leaf tea, that would be the White Buds of Shuangjing in Hongzhou. In recent years, the workmanship has become especially exquisite. The tea is wrapped in red gauze, and there may be no more than one or two ounces of it. The nobles of the capital usually nurture it with more than ten pounds of ordinary tea, using it to dispel heat and dampness. If fortune gives us the opportunity, you and I must properly savor some together.”

When Zhang Yue heard that more than ten pounds of ordinary tea were used to nurture one or two ounces of finer tea, he found the extravagance astonishing.

He suddenly remembered the jasmine tea he had loved in his former life. The Song dynasty did not yet seem to have invented the method of scenting tea, so he said to Ouyang Fa, “Tea is very good at absorbing other fragrances. If jasmine or osmanthus were sealed together with fresh tea, then, once the tea had fully absorbed the floral scent, the dried blossoms could be sifted out. Tea prepared in this way would surely possess a rich and powerful fragrance.”

Ouyang Fa pondered this for a moment, then slapped his thigh. “Third Young Master, you truly have a gift for ingenious ideas. I shall certainly give it a try.”

Just then, Ouyang Xiu entered in an informal robe and asked with a smile, “What were the two of you discussing so happily?”

Ouyang Fa immediately told him Zhang Yue’s method of making scented tea. Ouyang Xiu was equally delighted by the novelty of it.

“Third Young Master, you are truly remarkable. To devise such a refined method!”

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The maids soon brought the dishes to the table. Ouyang Xiu and Ouyang Fa continued discussing the art of tea with Zhang Yue as they took their seats.

Zhang Yue could not help sighing inwardly. Socializing among scholar-officials was truly troublesome. Had Jianzhou not been famous for producing tea, had he not known a little about it from hearsay, and had he not possessed some knowledge of tea from his previous life, he would not have been able to take part in such a conversation at all.

Ouyang Xiu had four sons. His second son, Ouyang Yi, was in Yingzhou. Ouyang Xiu had never bought a house in Bianjing, for he had long resolved to retire in Yingzhou.

At the age of forty-two, Ouyang Xiu had finally purchased his first house in Yingzhou, and thereafter continued buying more. Historical records state that by the end of his life he had acquired more than a hundred houses there, which he then rented to others, successfully making the leap from indebted homeowner to landlord.

His second son, Ouyang Yi, was now settled in Yingchuan, studying in accordance with his father’s wishes—and managing the family’s rental properties.

His third son, Ouyang Fei, was studying at the Imperial Academy, while his fourth son, Ouyang Bian, was still young. None of them could accompany their father. He also had a daughter who had long since married Pang Yuanying, the son of Pang Ji.

Once the three men had sat down, the most conspicuous dish on the table was a large platter of fermented crabs.

Ouyang Xiu smiled. “When I was governor of Yingzhou, I lived beside West Lake. The mutton of Yingchuan was neither cheap nor as fresh as that of the capital. Only the crabs were truly exceptional. After I retire, I shall certainly live beside West Lake. When fresh crabs are available, I shall eat fresh crabs; when there are none, I shall eat fermented crabs.”

It seemed Ouyang Xiu was fond of crab.

Ouyang Fa laughed. “Father’s love of crab is famous throughout the capital. I doubt there is another official in the Great Song who enjoys crab as much as he does.”

Zhang Yue remembered that Su Shi had also loved crab. The famous saying that each crab was worse than the last had originated with him. But Zhang Yue naturally could not mention Su Shi. Since Ouyang Fa had said that no official in the Song dynasty loved crab as Ouyang Xiu did, Zhang Yue merely said, “I do happen to remember another man who was fond of crab.”

“Oh?”

“Once, Qian Kun, a descendant of King Qian Liu of Wu and Yue, was appointed governor. When His Majesty asked where he wished to serve, he replied, ‘Anywhere there are crabs, so long as there is no vice magistrate.’”

At this, all three men burst out laughing.

It was a joke that depended on a particular piece of historical knowledge. Without some background, no one would have understood it.

Before long, wine was brought in, and Zhang Yue drank several cups with Ouyang Xiu and Ouyang Fa.

Ouyang Xiu’s capacity for drink was indeed as poor as the rumors claimed. The historical record that said he became drunk after only a little wine was no exaggeration. After just a few cups, he was already showing signs of intoxication. Zhang Yue could only marvel. With such a drinking capacity, how had he dared call himself the Old Drunkard?

Ouyang Xiu lifted his wine cup and intoned slowly:

“With wine cup in my right hand,
A crab claw in my left,
Floating in the wine boat—
That would be enough for a lifetime.”

Ouyang Fa and Zhang Yue both laughed.

After the meal, Zhang Yue took his leave.

Ouyang Fa, having drunk some wine, saw Zhang Yue out and then returned to the room. Madam Wu was sitting before the window, gently waving a round silk fan.

“What are you thinking about, my lady?” Ouyang Fa asked.

Madam Wu turned her head. “Have you finished drinking with Third Young Master Zhang and Father? Someone, bring a basin of washing water.”

A maid helped Ouyang Fa wash and comb his hair. Madam Wu then scolded him lightly. “Do not drink so much next time.”

Ouyang Fa smiled. “We were happy today. I only had two or three small cups. The last time I drank at Fan Tower, I had much more, and you said nothing about it.”

Madam Wu smiled behind her fan. “Could this be a case of the wine not making the man drunk, but the man becoming drunk on his own happiness? Tell me, did Father say anything about Third Young Master Zhang?”

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Ouyang Fa replied, “Father was already drunk. How could I have asked him? But judging by his literary talent, I cannot yet tell much about Third Young Master Zhang, since he has not studied literary composition. His mastery of the classics and commentaries, however, is extremely high. Such talent and insight are truly rare.”

“How does he compare with Zhang Ziping and Zhang Zihou?”

Ouyang Fa laughed. “My lady, you jest. Those two are prodigies of the age. Third Young Master is still young; he cannot yet be compared with them.”

“Then after drinking together all night, did you really discover nothing about him?”

“The fact that he could drink with us all night already puts him above many others. In the friendship of gentlemen, literary talent is only one consideration. From drinking tea and wine to discussing anecdotes at the table, Third Young Master observed all the proper courtesies and made no mistakes. He responded promptly and appropriately. Is that not already far better than most?”

Madam Wu nodded. “It is indeed rare.”

Ouyang Fa then told her about Zhang Yue’s method of scenting tea. Madam Wu had a discerning eye; after hearing it once, she knew that it could be done.

“In my opinion,” Ouyang Fa said, “Third Young Master is no creature meant to remain in a shallow pond.”

“Then we should not choose a marriage match for him yet.”

“Why do you say that?”

“If he were destined to remain in a shallow pond, we could now arrange a suitable match for him. But if he later passes the imperial examination and rises above his station, the match would no longer be suitable. Do you think he might then blame us for arranging his marriage too early?”

Ouyang Fa paused. “That is true. What, then, should we do?”

“When it comes to marriage, there is the command of the parents and the word of the matchmaker. We are half parents and half matchmakers. If we choose one match after another for him, he may not favor any of them. It would be best if he took a liking to someone himself, and then we helped arrange the match. Would that not be ideal?”

“That is reasonable. I have said as much to Third Young Master, but he told me to leave everything to our judgment. What do you think?”

“That makes matters difficult.”

“It is no problem. We can think about it slowly. Ah, Third Young Master said today that the osmanthus tea had stirred his longing for home. You truly were ingenious, my lady. How did you know to serve that tea at precisely that moment? Even I failed to notice.”

Madam Wu smiled with considerable satisfaction. “It was only a fortunate coincidence. The tea was brought from Fujian by Seventeenth Sister, and there happened to be enough to serve. Did Third Young Master Zhang truly enjoy it?”

“Of course. Speaking of Seventeenth Sister, the wedding of Fifteenth Sister is drawing near. What gift shall we send? Father has been friends with Minister Wen for decades; perhaps we should ask his opinion.”

“Certainly.”

Madam Wu’s two younger sisters had married into the households of the two chancellors, Xia and Lü, but neither marriage had gone smoothly. Now Fifteenth Sister was to marry into the household of Wen Yanbo, and Madam Wu feared that her sister would suffer the same fate.

Ouyang Fa did not notice that Madam Wu’s mood had darkened. He continued, “After Fifteenth Sister, it will be Seventeenth Sister’s turn. Still, there is time. Girls from the great families of Bianjing may marry somewhat later, but not so late as eighteen or twenty. As for young men, there are many who marry at fifteen or sixteen.”

Madam Wu said, “My husband, please let me have some peace and quiet.”

P.S. My thanks to Canned Winter Melon Tea for becoming the eleventh honored supporter of this book.

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