By the fifteenth day of the third month, the spring chill had receded, and tender shoots had emerged.
In the front courtyard of the Wei Residence's Ancestral Hall, the bluestone paving had been sprinkled with water and swept spotless.
Two old locust trees had put out new branches, their tender green leaves gleaming in the sunlight.
The Ancestral Hall's doors stood open. Inside, candles blazed, ancestral tablets flickered in and out of view, and incense smoke curled through the air.
Dressed in a plain, immaculate robe, Wei Mingde waited in the outer reception room off the Ancestral Hall's front courtyard.
He had dressed more formally than usual that day, with a jade belt at his waist and a square scholar's headcloth, yet there was little joy on his face.
Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye since his return from the Feng Residence.
Wei Mingde had long since sent riders galloping at full speed to invite the Wei Family's patriarch and elders to the Capital to discuss the adoption.
Yet after receiving the message, the clan had stubbornly held the matter up until today, when they finally agreed to come.
"Have they still not arrived, husband?" Cui Shi frowned. "The clan really did drag this out until today!"
"Perhaps they had their own considerations!" Wei Mingde replied sheepishly.
As they spoke, a carriage covered in blue cloth came to a steady halt outside the Wei Residence.
The carriage curtain lifted, and several elders with white hair and beards were helped down.
The arrivals were the clan patriarch, Wei He, and four highly respected clan elders.
Wei He led the way, wearing a somewhat worn traditional robe, his hair combed without a strand out of place.
Leaning on the jujube-wood cane that rarely left his hand, he walked slowly but steadily.
He was seventy-five that year. In terms of seniority, he was Wei Zheng's younger paternal cousin, and no one in the Wei clan now outranked him by generation.
He had studied in his youth and had even passed the first round of the imperial examinations, the Autumn Provincial Examination.
But after repeatedly failing the Provincial Examination, he had abandoned his hopes of an examination career and returned home to manage clan affairs.
For all the years since Wei Zheng had risen in the world, his official rank had grown higher and higher, yet he had never helped the clan's younger men advance.
He had merely sent some silver back each year to repair the ancestral temples and halls and assist impoverished households.
Wei He never spoke of it, but the matter had always sat uneasily in his heart.
Seeing the patriarch and elders arrive, Wei Mingde went forward and bowed. "Thank you for making the journey, uncles."
In response to Wei Mingde's polite greeting, Wei He merely waved a hand. His gaze passed over him toward the Ancestral Hall, and he said meaningfully,
"Mingde, have you finally remembered to keep the incense burning for the eldest branch? Your father's spirit in heaven should be comforted."
Wei Mingde smiled awkwardly. "Yes, yes... I have been remiss all these years."
Wei He said no more and let himself be helped toward the Ancestral Hall.
As he walked, he surveyed the grandeur of the Wei Residence.
Though it could not compare to the homes of the truly powerful, to ordinary people it already represented the very pinnacle of wealth.
Meanwhile, the other elders following Wei He began murmuring among themselves, each chiming in.
"Patriarch, the three hundred mu of fertile land and five shops belonging to Wei Zheng's eldest branch, together with the profits from all these years of clan management, amount to no small sum."
"Indeed! Once the adoption is complete and those properties belong to the heir, can the clan still manage them?"
"If the heir is underage, naturally we can."
"But if the heir is an adult..."
"Quiet, all of you. I am the patriarch. Just do as I say."
After silencing the others, Wei He deliberately glanced at Wei Mingde behind them, then gave a soft sigh and a cold smile.
"This nephew of mine is hardly a lamp that burns little oil, either. I fear we'll have to thrash things out properly today."
Tea and refreshments had already been prepared in a side room of the Ancestral Hall.
Before the adoption ceremony, the elders had to settle the terms with the household.
That was the rule.
Wei He therefore took the seat of honor, with the elders seated on either side. Wei Mingde and Cui Shi sat nearby to attend them, while Wei Shouzheng was told to stand outside the door.
Not long after sitting down, Wei He lifted the cup of tea a maid had poured, took a sip, and spoke unhurriedly.
"Mingde, your letter said you wished to have your second son adopted by your elder brother Mingyuan. Did Wenyue ever mention this in his day?"
"He did, he did!" Wei Mingde hastened to say. "Before Father passed away, he hoped my eldest brother would have an heir."
Wei He nodded. "Since it was Wenyue's dying wish, we should naturally honor it."
"Only..." He paused and set down his cup. "The eldest branch has some properties Wenyue left behind.
"As you know, of course, the clan has managed the eldest branch's properties all these years.
"Now that an adoption is to take place, how should they be handled afterward?"
Wei Mingde had clearly prepared for this question and answered at once. "Uncle, that is precisely what I wished to discuss with you.
"My second son, Ni Sheng, is only ten this year. After the adoption, the clan will naturally continue managing the properties. We can discuss it again when he comes of age."
A keen glint flashed in Wei He's eyes, and he was about to speak...
Cui Shi stepped in with a smile. "Uncle, you have worked tirelessly for the clan all these years, managing the eldest branch's properties. Your efforts and accomplishments have been considerable.
"As your niece-in-law, I have always been deeply grateful. Once the adoption is settled, the clan will receive every last coin of its due."
It was beautifully phrased: she acknowledged the clan's contributions while hinting that it could continue receiving what was "due."
Hearing this, Wei He's expression softened somewhat.
But he had lived more than seventy years and was not so easily hoodwinked.
Especially since he had already wrangled with Wei Mingde and his wife over the eldest branch's properties many times before. Wei He turned to Wei Mingde again.
"Mingde, tell me honestly. Do you have some other purpose in having this child adopted out?"
Wei Mingde froze, then hurriedly waved his hands. "You are worrying too much, Uncle. I am merely honoring my late father's wishes..."
"Heh." Wei He gave a cold laugh. "Don't think I know nothing. I have made inquiries!
"That second son of yours is now famous throughout the Capital as the 'Fiery Child.'
"At ten, he drew a sword and killed a servant. His Majesty praised him personally, and his 'Partridge Sky' stunned everyone at the Apprenticeship Banquet.
"Can you really bear to give away such a promising young sapling?"
Wei He's move had come far too suddenly.
Wei Mingde could barely keep the smile on his face.
Cui Shi, however, reacted quickly and hurried to smooth things over. "There is something you do not know, Uncle. That is precisely why... the child's temper is too fierce, and he cannot get along with Shouzheng.
"Rather than keep him at home stirring up trouble, we would have him succeed to the eldest branch. That would also fulfill Father's dying wish."
Wei He looked at her, then slowly shifted his gaze to Wei Mingde's face.
Now he understood. This couple wanted to kick away this scalding-hot potato.
At the same time, they did not want to let go of the eldest branch's properties.
At that thought, Wei He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
This time, however, he did not even use Wei Zheng's courtesy name.
"Mingde, your father moved his entire household to the Capital back then.
"How many of the clan's younger men did he help along?"
Wei Mingde's expression stiffened.
"Still, he was clever," Wei He continued leisurely. "He knew to send silver home each year to repair the Ancestral Hall and relieve the poor.
"But what could that silver accomplish? Repair the hall's facade and hand out a few measures of rice, and it was gone."
He paused, his voice sinking. "The clan's younger men still had to rely on themselves if they wanted to rise above the crowd."
"You are right, Uncle..." Wei Mingde replied sheepishly.
"Right about what!"
Wei He barked, slamming his cane hard against the floor.
He fixed Wei Mingde with a gaze as sharp as a blade. "Now you want to establish an adopted heir, and you say the eldest branch's properties will be 'managed by the clan.'
"But what exactly does this 'management' entail? How long will it last? Who gets the profits it produces?"
Wei Mingde and Cui Shi exchanged a swift glance.
Here it came.
The real meat of the matter had been waiting for them right here.
Wei Mingde took a deep breath and ventured, "Uncle, how do you think they should be managed?"
Stroking his beard, Wei He spoke without haste, as though discussing something utterly commonplace.
"According to the rules, while the heir is underage, the clan manages the properties.
"Thirty percent of the annual proceeds goes to the household, and seventy percent remains as communal clan funds."
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