A long time ago, there was a bigwig from Hubei named Tuan Zhitai, who had previously served as the top judge in Yunnan. At that time, the provincial governor of Yunnan was a Han Chinese man named Liu Jinji. These two had a good relationship, both working in Yunnan, and became sworn brothers. Later, Tuan Zhitai's career skyrocketed, moving up from top judge in Yunnan to governor of Guizhou, then to governor of Jiangning, and shortly after to governor of Jiangsu, eventually becoming the governor of Huguang. Liu Jinji, on the other hand, faced more challenges. He worked in Yunnan for eleven and a half years before being transferred to governor of Hunan, which happened to be under the jurisdiction of the governor of Huguang. According to tradition, as sworn brothers who were now in a superior-subordinate relationship, they had to exchange brotherhood tokens. When Liu was on his way to report to the capital and passed through Wuchang, he presented the brotherhood tokens exchanged with Tuan Zhitai, sealed in a red envelope, to be delivered to the yamen. Tuan Zhitai, upon seeing that Liu Jinji had arrived, immediately had him summoned. The servant explained the purpose of the visit, and Tuan Zhitai, wanting to maintain their relationship, said, "Tell him official business is official business, but this brotherhood thing? Nah, we're still brothers." The servant relayed the message, and Liu Jinji had no choice but to take back the brotherhood tokens before meeting with Tuan Zhitai. During their meeting, Tuan Zhitai warmly welcomed Liu Jinji, even calling him "elder brother" and referring to himself as the younger brother. Liu Jinji, feeling reassured by this, decided not to mention the brotherhood tokens again. After staying in Wuchang for five days, Tuan Zhitai invited Liu Jinji to a meal. Later, Liu Jinji bid farewell and crossed eastward, taking a boat to Shanghai, then transferring to Tianjin before boarding a train to Beijing. After arriving in Beijing, high-ranking officials like governors and judges had to pay their respects in the palace and visit members of the Grand Council. After socializing in Beijing for half a month, Liu Jinji, being a stick-in-the-mud who didn't know the ropes, was quickly reassigned. After a warm send-off from Tuan Zhitai in Wuchang, he finally arrived in Changsha to take up his post.
Liu Fansi was old, tall, and fat. He'd only been in the job for three months when, on the day of the Wanshou Festival (the Emperor's birthday), he followed the governor to pay his respects. While bowing deeply, he accidentally had his robe stepped on and fell headfirst. This fall caused a stroke, leaving his mouth drooped, one eye wonky, and he was foaming at the mouth. The governor was frightened and had him carried back to the office. His eldest son, Liu Yibo, who held a junior official post in Hubei and was in Beijing for his official introduction, was not in Changsha. At the office, there were only a few mistresses, his youngest son, eldest daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Seeing their boss have a stroke, they all freaked out and wired Liu Yibo immediately. After finishing his introduction, Liu Yibo immediately returned to Changsha. Liu Fansi changed several doctors and took many medicines. Eventually, he came to, but his body was weak and he couldn't work. He asked the governor for a month's leave to recover. After a month, he still couldn't return to work. Realizing he was old, his son held a position, and he had enough money, he decided to retire and enjoy his remaining years in peace. He wrote the governor asking to retire on account of ill health. The governor initially tried to keep him on, knowing how valuable he was, but eventually agreed to his request. After the approval came through, the governor put someone in temporarily until Liu Fansi could hand over his work. After the handover, he stayed in Changsha for a bit and felt a lot better.
So, Liu Yibo, the eldest son, saw that his father's illness had improved, and because his leave was time-limited, he said his goodbyes and left his dad to go report back in Wuchang. Before leaving, Liu Fanzisi, using his connection with Tuan Zhitai, wrote a letter for his son to deliver, mostly to ask Tuan Zhitai to look out for his son, saying he was staying in Changsha for a bit and would join Liu Yibo once he got a job. Once he was done with the paperwork, Liu Yibo took off. After arriving in Wuchang, he saw Tuan Zhitai and gave him the letter. Tuan Zhitai was really interested in him, asking him all sorts of questions. You know how it is in the office; seeing how well Tuan Zhitai treated Liu Yibo, everyone said he'd get a promotion any day now. Liu Yibo figured that with his old man's connections, he'd land a job no problem. But three months went by, and nothing. Tuan Zhitai was friendly enough, but when it came to a job, he clammed up. Liu Yibo even got someone to ask Tuan Zhitai, who said, "First off, everyone knows me and his old man are brothers, and second, Liu Dao's still pretty green. Let him get some experience under his belt before I give him a job, or people will start talking." Liu Yibo heard what Tuan Zhitai said and knew he was stuck. Then, a letter showed up from Changsha. His dad was bored and wanted to visit Wuchang for a few days. So Liu Yibo sent someone to get him.
The night before his father was to leave, while cooking in the mansion's kitchen, a cooking fire accidentally spread to the firewood pile, engulfing the house. It burned two streets from evening until the next morning. Liu Jinji's lifetime savings were all burned, and he barely escaped with his family. At the height of the blaze, Liu Jinji was ready to throw himself into the flames, crying out that he didn't want to live anymore, but luckily his youngest son and steward stopped him. The fire raged all night, with city officials and soldiers battling the blaze until dawn, and the governor himself came to survey the damage. Upon learning of the former magistrate Liu's misfortune, officials arranged for temporary housing and provided clothing and food at county expense. The governor, remembering their past association, donated one hundred taels, and other officials contributed, bringing the total to seven or eight hundred taels. The ordeal left the already frail and elderly Liu Jinji bedridden. His son, Liu Yibo, arrived from Wuchang after receiving a telegram, only to find his father unconscious. After securing medical attention, he gradually regained consciousness after several days of treatment. After two weeks, Liu Jinji was insistent on returning to Wuchang, so his son, having scraped together the funds, moved the family back.
The old man thought that the provincial governor in Wuchang, Tuan Mou, was his old friend, believing that since he was in trouble, Tuan would definitely not ignore him. When he arrived in Wuchang, he sat in a sedan chair, leaning on a cane, and went to the governor's office to ask for a meeting. He felt that he was no longer an official, so he didn't need to be so formal, and called him "my old friend" directly when they met. Governor Tuan appeared warm on the surface, insisting he stay for tea and dinner, but in fact had no intention of securing a job for Liu Yibo, Liu Jinji's son. Liu Jinji became anxious and brought up the matter of his son's job to Governor Tuan. Tuan replied, "Look, we're old friends. Your son has only been here a short while, so if I find him a small position, you might think I'm not doing enough for you. But if I get him a good one, people will talk. You understand my predicament, but others won't. Don't worry, I'll look out for your son in the future." Liu Jinji had no choice but to return home.
Later, Liu Yibo learned that Governor Tuan was very particular about etiquette. The first time Liu Jinji came to Wuchang, he did not present his official documents, which made Governor Tuan unhappy. More importantly, the character "Yi" in Liu Yibo's name clashed with the name of one of Governor Tuan's ancestors. These two issues left Tuan bothered. One day, Tuan said to a fellow official, "Liu's given name shares a character with one of my ancestors; it's quite awkward to address him." He wanted Liu Yibo to change his name. Unfortunately, the fellow official was forgetful and did not inform Liu Yibo. Liu Yibo never knew about this and did not change his name. Governor Tuan assumed Liu was deliberately defying him, which only fueled his anger.
Liu Yibo later learned about this matter and told his father. Liu Jinji got angry again, but for the sake of his son, he dared not resist. However, everything in the house was burned in the big fire in Changsha, so where was the ancestral register? Liu Jinji was very anxious. Fortunately, Liu Yibo came up with a solution. He knew that the magistrate was illiterate, so the ancestral register must have been written by the clerk. "Just forge a new one, copying the three generations of ancestors' details. As long as it’s about his ancestors, he can't refuse, right?" Hearing his son say this, Liu Jinji had no choice but to comply. There was an Old Lu in the clerk's office who was Liu Yibo's fellow villager and often went to the mansion, so Liu Yibo asked him for help. Old Lu said, "This is simple. I'm familiar with the magistrate's details. I recently helped General Jingzhou write one. Just remember the year of the magistrate's change of ancestral register, and don't write the age wrong, and there won't be any problems." Liu Yibo was overjoyed and quickly asked the old man, then told Old Lu the year. After Old Lu went back, he wrote a new one and sent it over. When Liu Jinji saw it, he said, "As long as the names of the three generations of ancestors are correct, he probably won't recognize the other characters." Liu Yibo simply changed his name to Liu Qibo—a small detail, but one that could save them a lot of trouble. The next day, father and son went to the government office together; the old man returned the ancestral register, and the young man reported the name change. The officer went in, came back smiling, and said nothing, not even inviting them in. The officer just shrugged them off, and the pair went home empty-handed.
Because Nie Tai is quite reasonable and understanding, and his relationship with Tuan Zhi Tai is also good, the next day, Liu Qibai went to visit Nie Tai, explained the situation, and asked for his help. Nie Tai readily agreed. The next day, Nie Tai went to see Tuan Zhi Tai and explained the situation again. Tuan Zhi Tai smiled and said, "Before, his son was not under my command, so I overlooked his failure to submit the required paperwork. Now that his son is working under me, if people gossip, saying that I’m friends with someone and yet I favor his son, I can’t afford that kind of gossip. So, this time he must pay his respects, and I won’t be lenient. As for the issue of his son having the same name as our ancestors, you know we Manchus take this matter very seriously. They're both officials in the same province; they'll be meeting, so they need a way to address each other. If he doesn't change it, what should I call him? Since he has changed it, then so be it." Nie Tai continued, "Old Master Liu is elderly, frail, burdened with family responsibilities, and lost everything in the fire. Liu Dao has been in the province for several months now, hoping that the General can arrange a good job for his son, so he can retire in peace." Tuan Zhi Tai said, "Need I say more? What kind of relationship do I have with him! Go tell him, consider his son my own; he can rest assured!" Nie Tai passed the word to Liu Qibai, and that was that.
So, two days later, Tuan Zhitai indeed met Liu Qibo. They chatted a bit first, asking about Liu Qibo's recent health with genuine concern. Then they talked about the job. Tuan Zhitai said to Liu Qibo, "The Silver Bureau is one of the best gigs in Hubei. Wei has been working there for two years, and somehow, it is said that he left with a deficit of over twenty thousand. This morning, Fan Tai told me that he wants the next person to make good on that. Honestly, I don't have much of a relationship with Wei, but I gave him this job mainly to keep Xu Zhongtang happy. Now I want to ask you, can you agree to help him cover his losses?" Liu Qibo thought to himself, "Sounds like he wants me to guarantee that he can cover the deficit before giving me this task. The Silver Bureau is known to be a good opportunity, rumored to earn twenty to thirty thousand a year. If that's true, this deficit is nothing. I'll agree to it. If it really can earn that much, this amount of money is nothing at all; if it doesn't earn much, I'll find a better opportunity in the future." With his decision made, Liu Qibo said, "Thank you for looking out for me. You don't need to worry about Wei's deficit; I will find a way to cover it myself." Tuan Zhitai was very pleased to hear this: "It's great that you can cover it." Liu Qibo thanked him and left. He told his dad about it, and the whole family was thrilled.
Two days passed, but the appointment letter had not arrived. Liu Qibai asked the director again to inquire about the news. "The day before yesterday, I asked him if he could raise twenty thousand yuan to bail out Mr. Wei. He said he could do it, which means he's financially secure and not in a hurry for a job. So, I have already given the position at the Silver Bureau to Hu Dao." He added, "Liu Dao doesn't really mind. He's young; he can afford to wait a couple of years for a better position. Besides, someone as fair as the governor, as long as he is cautious and keeps to himself, shouldn't worry about missing out on promotion opportunities. So, Liu Dao has accepted the situation regarding the Silver Bureau job. But his old father is getting on in years and always hopes his son can secure a good position, which would give him peace of mind. The ministry wanted to help him get a good position." The official found these words reasonable and said, "In that case, the Likin Bureau is currently short-staffed, so let's give him this job for now. If better opportunities come up later, I'll arrange them for him." The director informed Liu Qibai of this matter. Although Liu Qibai was not happy, he had no choice but to wait for the appointment letter to arrive, and the next day he would go through the motions of formally accepting the position.
What kind of person is Hu Dao, who was appointed as the head of the Silver Yuan Bureau by the Provincial Governor? He used to be a wealthy merchant in Jiangxi; although his family wealth isn't what it used to be, he still has a fortune of several hundred thousand. After taking over, Hu Dao's business declined year by year, suffering serious losses, and he gradually couldn't hold on. Thinking that being an official would bring in money quickly, he sold off all his assets, donated money to obtain the title of a low-ranking provincial official, and came to Hubei waiting for an appointment. After several years, he still hadn't landed any good opportunities. He was used to the high life, spent like a drunken sailor, and couldn't make ends meet, even with a thick family background. Later, feeling anxious, he consulted with friends. They advised him to use connections and spend money to bribe the Governor, so he could make more money and grow his wealth. Hu Dao thought this made sense, so he asked someone to find a clerk responsible for handling official documents. He first gave the Governor twenty thousand taels of silver, specifying that he wanted the position of head of the Silver Yuan Bureau; after taking office, he would give another ten thousand; if he could continue to hold the position, he would give twenty thousand every year. In addition, he gave the clerk eight thousand taels as a reward. All set, just waiting for the official word.
Just when things couldn't get any worse, that Tang Er, always causing trouble, arrived in Hubei for a new job. Since they had spent money on him before, the gofer of the Tuanzhi Tai informed Tang Er about this opportunity and introduced them to each other. Although this young gofer was still in his teens, he had significant influence because the Tuanzhi Tai listened to him, and he wielded a lot of power; everyone in the yamen followed his lead. Moreover, this young gofer was a real whiz at reading people. He didn't flatter those wives; he only buttered up Madam Twelve. Madam Twelve was looking for a backer, so the two of them clicked and kept it from the Tuanzhi Tai. At that time, many of those waiting for postings in the province had gained benefits through the back door thanks to the young gofer. Tang Er hadn't been in the province long and wasn't sure which jobs were good and which weren't. Everyone saw him making a nuisance of himself, but no one was willing to tell him the truth. In fact, he still wanted to curry favor with his superiors. He noticed those big shots visiting the provincial governors every day. The little guys in the yamen flattered them. When they went out, they were escorted by guards, looking like a big deal, and he envied them a lot! So he discussed with the young gofer and wanted to land a cushy position. At that moment, Madam Twelve was busy raking in the bribes, and the young gofer helped him come up with a plan, asking Tang Er to cough up twenty-five thousand taels of silver to guarantee him a position at the Silver Bureau. At first, Tang Er didn't know how much money could be made at the Silver Bureau. After hearing the young gofer's explanation, he was shocked and quickly checked it out. It was true, so he decided to pay the young gofer to grease some palms. Little did they know, just as they had reached an agreement, someone surnamed Hu had also struck a deal with the steward and was waiting for the appointment letter to come down and pay the money. When the young gofer heard this, he thought, "Uh oh," and quickly put the kibosh on any more gifts, telling everyone to hold off and wait for his message. He was in power at the time, and no one dared to disobey him. Then he went back to figure out a plan with Madam Twelve. After brainstorming for a while, it was Madam Twelve who came up with an idea. She said, "Wait for the master to come back tonight and follow my lead." The young gofer understood and promised to make arrangements.
So, one day, Tuan Zhitai finished a job and was in a good mood, just waiting for the money. He had the steward tell the gatekeeper that the manuscript would be delivered today and payment would be made tomorrow. After nagging them a few times, it got dark, and still no manuscript. Tuan Zhitai was too busy to sweat the small stuff. Besides, he'd get the money, so a few reminders were all he needed. After finishing his official duties in the evening, he'd been crazy about his twelfth concubine for the past two months – couldn't go a day without her. So, he went to her room again. Sitting down, he remembered the events of the day and started scolding the gatekeeper for being inefficient: "I asked for the manuscript to be delivered at noon, and it still hasn't arrived! This is ridiculous!" Before he could finish speaking, the young master yelled from outside: "Why hasn't it been delivered yet? I'll go remind them now!" After saying that, he dashed out.
After a while, Xiaoyier returned with the gatekeeper and brought the official documents. Tuan Zhitai saw it and scolded the gatekeeper: "Where the hell have you been? You're only delivering it now!" Then, he dove into the document under the lamp. Just as he was about to write Hu Daotai's name, Twelve Yitai suddenly stood up, ran over, and swatted the pen from Tuan Zhitai's grasp. Tuan Zhitai hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?" Twelve Yitai didn't say anything, only exclaimed, "What time is it? There's a huge mosquito!" Tuan Zhitai finally understood that Twelve Yitai was helping him kill the mosquito and quickly asked someone to light a lamp and find a pen. While she was at it, Twelve Yitai inquired, "What urgent matter is this? Does it have to be written tonight? Can't it be done in the signing room tomorrow?" Tuan Zhitai replied, "This is an urgent matter." She pressed, "What matter?" Tuan Zhitai retorted, "What business is it of yours? It's official business; even if I tell you, you won't understand." Twelve Yitai insisted, "I want to understand!" Tuan Zhitai said, "It's fine to tell you; it's about appointing someone to handle a matter." Twelve Yitai asked, "Why does it have to be done tonight? Can't it be done tomorrow?" Tuan Zhitai said, "It's crucial; it must be settled today." Twelve Yitai pressed further, "What exactly is the matter? Who are you appointing? If you don't tell me, I won't agree!" Tuan Zhitai exclaimed, "You're such a pest! Do I need your approval to appoint someone? I'll tell you, it's the Silver Bureau in the provincial capital; the former chief Ding Jian needs someone to take over." Twelve Yitai eagerly asked, "Who are you appointing?" Tuan Zhitai said, "I want to appoint someone surnamed Hu; he is a Daotai." Twelve Yitai replied, "Wait, I want to appoint someone surnamed Tang, also a Daotai. Give me the task for the Tang surname; don't give it to the Hu surname. Next time, if there's a good task, give it to the Hu surname, how about that?" Tuan Zhitai said, "Don't talk nonsense! Can you women manage the task assignments? The one you mentioned surnamed Tang, I know him; he's that infamous Tang Er Luanzi. Is he suitable for this task? I absolutely disagree; stop messing around. Pick up the pen! This needs to be copied tonight, stamped and annotated tomorrow, so it can go out first thing."
When Tuan Zhitai refused, Twelfth Madam instantly flipped, her eyes narrowed and she glared. Forget the pen, she pounced on Tuan Zhitai like a tiger, nuzzling into his armpit. Tuan Zhitai always spoiled her, and though he couldn't get angry, he could only frown and say, "Look, I'm the boss here, not you!" Twelfth Madam shot back, "I want to appoint Mr. Tang! If you don't, I'm not having it!" With that, she grabbed a teacup and smashed it on the floor, then glared around, ready to wreck the place. Tuan Zhitai replied, "I'm not appointing that Tang fellow, so what's the big deal?" Before he could finish, Twelfth Madam snatched the official document that had just been delivered and tore it in half. "You can't tear up official documents! That's outrageous!" Tuan Zhitai exclaimed. Twelfth Madam ignored him, throwing a tantrum and demanding Mr. Tang get the job. They argued, and Xiao Er Ye watched the whole thing unfold. Seeing Twelfth Madam rip up the document, Xiao Er Ye winked at the messenger and said, "Get out of here, we'll get another copy tomorrow." Xiao Er Ye grabbed his pen and left too.
Aunt Twelve saw that the gatekeeper and the second young master had both gone out, and she put on a different act. The steward didn't know what to do with her. She demanded he tell her about the Mint, then insisted he write out a character for her, and finally quizzed him on how to write Tang Er's name. The steward said, "If you want to assign him a task, don’t you even know how to write his name?" Aunt Twelve glared at him, "I can write; I've already written it down, you don’t need to worry." The steward had no choice but to write it for her to see. Aunt Twelve complained that it wasn't written nicely and wanted it in block letters, not cursive. She found a blank space in a torn official document and asked the steward to write Tang Er's name. Seeing it was a scrap of paper, he carefully wrote the name. After Aunt Twelve read it, she said, "I got it, no need to write anymore. It's late, let's go to bed." The steward was relieved, quickly undressed, and got into bed. Aunt Twelve balled up the torn paper and the steward's writing together, stuffed it into the drawer, and dimmed the lamp. The steward didn't notice. They lay down, and a hushed conversation followed.
After resting for a while, Tuan fell asleep. Aunt Twelve listened for any movement in the room, quietly put on her clothes, got out of bed, walked to the table, lit the oil lamp, gently took out the pile of papers from the drawer, arranged them neatly under the lamp, and spread them out one by one. Luckily, the papers were all folded in pairs and came with ready-made paste, making them easy to repair. She patched one up with some extra paper and paste, flipped it over, and found it looked as good as new. The three characters "Tang Mouren" on it were written by Tuan herself. Aunt Twelve was overjoyed. By this time, Xiao Er Ye had been waiting outside the door, and when he saw that Aunt Twelve had finished, he quietly lifted the curtain and stepped in. Aunt Twelve handed him the official document and pointed to the door. Xiao Er Ye got the hint and immediately went out to handle the matter quietly, not mentioning what happened last night. Aunt Twelve then went back to bed. Tuan was still dead to the world, completely unaware.
The night passed, and morning came. Tuan got up. Aunt Twelve pretended to still be asleep. Tuan didn't call her either; he washed his face, brushed his teeth, ate breakfast, and naturally had maids and servants waiting on him. Halfway through breakfast, a document was suddenly delivered from outside, saying that the newly appointed head of the Silver Bureau, Tang Mouren, was waiting outside to express his gratitude. Tuan was taken aback and asked, "Who’s coming to thank me?" The messenger replied, "The substitute head Tang Mouren is here to thank you for the appointment." Tuan was flabbergasted, "Thank me for what appointment? Was it appointed by the Governor? Why didn’t the Governor inform me?" The messenger answered, "It’s the newly appointed Silver Bureau." Tuan was even more puzzled, stopped eating, put down his chopsticks, and said, "I didn’t appoint him; who did?" The messenger smiled and didn’t say anything, leaving Tuan completely baffled.
Things were at a standstill. Suddenly, Madam Twelve sat up from the bed, rubbed her eyes, and asked, "What's going on?" Tuan Zhitai remarked, "Didn't you take on the task of getting Mr. Tang the silver coin job last night? It's been a night, and he already came to thank you. That's weird, huh?" Madam Twelve replied with a stern face, "So what? That's what you'd expect." Tuan Zhitai was even more confused and responded, "I don't understand what you mean!" Madam Twelve sneered, "How can you not remember what you did? If you didn't authorize him, how could he dare to pretend to be you?" Tuan Zhitai asked, "When did I authorize him?" Madam Twelve shot back, "Who wrote Mr. Tang's name on the official document yesterday?" Tuan Zhitai insisted, "When did I write Mr. Tang's name?" Madam Twelve retorted, "Seriously? You forgot something you did yourself! You scribbled something I couldn't read, then wrote a proper version for me to see. That's the one!" Tuan Zhitai said, "That paper was ripped, wasn't it?" Madam Twelve replied, "To tell you the truth, I repaired it after you fell asleep. I fixed it, copied it, stamped it, and got it to Mr. Tang's by five. He received the document and immediately came to thank you. This person is really sincere in his work. You did it yourself, so don't act surprised!"
This speech made Old Tuan so angry that his whiskers bristled, and he said angrily, "You lot are a bunch of fools! This is outrageous! How can things be so chaotic? That Tang fellow is too restless! I'll report him, see if he keeps his job!" The twelfth aunt sneered, "If you report him, I think you should report yourself first. It's one rule for the rich, another for the poor. You’ve sold official positions and made quite a profit. Share some business with us. The deed's done, so just drop it. If you must report Tang, I’ll be the first to disagree. If things go south, we’ve got your back. Just play along, pretend you don’t know, but don’t be stupid. You sold this position to Hu, took his money, and when Tang takes office, I’ll have him give you another ten thousand taels of silver." Old Tuan was so angry that he sat there in silence. He thought to himself, "If I blow my top, she’ll be involved, and that’ll ruin my reputation. Better to keep my mouth shut, let them finish this, avoid future trouble, and still get ten thousand taels. Even if Hu doesn’t pay up, I can fix him up with another job and get at least half. It all evens out. Whatever, I’m not losing out, so let them be." After thinking for a while, his face calmed down. The messenger was still waiting there. Old Tuan said angrily, "Still waiting? Tell him to wait! What's the big rush? He can wait till I've finished breakfast!" After that, he picked up his chopsticks, finished his breakfast, washed his face, changed his clothes, and went out to meet Tang.
After he left, Twelfth Madam pointed at him and said, "He himself loves selling out offices and titles; how can he tolerate others? If you ever have any trouble, just come to me. I will naturally have a way to deal with it, so don't worry about him not listening." The family members all smiled and said nothing. From then on, Twelfth Madam became more and more bold, and the Tuanzhi Court (the head of the household) was completely outmatched by her. More on that later.
As for the Tuanzhi Court going out to meet Mr. Tang, although his expression was not good, he couldn't turn his face on the spot, so he had to make polite small talk and then see him off. Mr. Tang left.
Mr. Hu drew a blank. Fortunately, it was agreed beforehand to settle the accounts, so no money was paid. Later, when he saw that the Silver Bureau had appointed Mr. Tang, he went to the steward to question why he'd gone back on his word. The steward had to go to the Tuanzhi Court. The Tuanzhi Court couldn't pin it on Twelfth Madam, so they had to be evasive and try to cover it up. Later, the steward was pressured to the point where there was no way out, so in the end, he gave him a less important job and more than ten thousand taels of silver to settle the matter. To be continued.
