mother, he continued,
“I will be in a month anyway.” He added proudly, “I’m in the American
school.”
Li laughed. “You like being in school with the children of Westerners?”
“Father says it’ll make me important in the world.”
Li glanced at his son-in-law, Yu Yongfu, who sat rigid in one of his
suede armchairs. Still, despite his obvious tension, Yu was smiling at
his son.
Li said, “Your father is an intelligent man, Peiheng.”
From where she stood near the door of the study, Li Kuonyi interrupted,
“You have a granddaughter, too, Father.”
“So I do, daughter. So I do. And a most beautiful little one.” Li smiled
again. “Come, child. Stand with your brother. Tell me, are you, too, in
American school?”
“Yes, Grandfather. I’m two grades higher than Peiheng.”
Li feigned astonishment. “Only one year older, and two grades ahead? You
take after your mother. She was always smarter than my sons.”
Yu Yongfu spoke sharply, “Peiheng learns his numbers quickly.”
“Another businessman.” Li chuckled with pleasure. He stroked the faces
of both children as if touching rare and delicate vases. “They will go
far in the new world. But it’s past their bedtime, eh?” He nodded
gravely to Yu and his daughter. “It was kind of you to allow them to
remain awake.”
“You don’t visit us often enough, Father,” Kuonyi told him, an edge to
her voice.
“The affairs of Shanghai keep an old man busy.”
“But you are here tonight,” Kuonyi challenged. “At such a late hour.”
The father and daughter stared. Kuonyi’s gaze was as hard and bold as
that of her powerful father, demanding an explanation.
He said, “The children must be in bed, Daughter.”
Kuonyi took their hands and turned toward the door. “My husband and I
will return.”
“Yongfu will stay. He and I will speak together,” he said. Now the edge
was in his voice. “Alone.”
Kuonyi hesitated. She straightened her back and took the children away.
Above the mantle in Yu’s Western-style office, the Victorian clock
ticked quietly. The two men sat for some minutes in silence. The older
man stared at his son-in-law until Yu Yongfu said politely, “It’s been
too long since your
last visit, honored father-in-law. All of us have missed your wise
counsel.” Li said, “A man’s first responsibility must be to his family.
Is that not so, son-in-law?”
“As has long been written.”
Li fell silent again.
Yu waited. The old man had something on his mind, perhaps an important
position for Yu that might be seen as favoring his own family too much.
He needed to be sure Yu was equal to the task. Yu wanted good news
tonight. His problems with the Empress were draining him.
At last, Yu echoed, “A man must never bring disrepute to his family.”
“Disrepute?” The older man lifted his head and repeated the word in a
tone almost of wonder. “You have a wife and two children.”
“I’ve been blessed, and they are my soul.” Yu smiled.
“I have a daughter and two grandchildren.”
Yu blinked. What had happened? What was he supposed to say to that? His
mouth turned dry as the deserts of Xinjiang, because something had
changed in the room. Fear riveted him. He was no longer looking into the
eyes of the indulgent grandfather of his son and daughter. Instead, this
was the flinty, unrelenting gaze of an official of the Shanghai Special
Administrative Zone, a politician who was owned by the immensely
powerful Wei Gaofan.
“You’ve made an irredeemable mistake,” Li told him in an emotionless
voice. His large, fat-encrusted face was as still as a waiting snake’s.
“The theft of the true manifest to The Dowager Empress puts us in grave
jeopardy. All of us.”
Yu felt himself dissolve in fear. “A mistake that’s been corrected. No
harm has resulted. The manifest is locked in my safe upstairs. There is
no–”
“The Americans know what the Empress carries. An
“I will be in a month anyway.” He added proudly, “I’m in the American
school.”
Li laughed. “You like being in school with the children of Westerners?”
“Father says it’ll make me important in the world.”
Li glanced at his son-in-law, Yu Yongfu, who sat rigid in one of his
suede armchairs. Still, despite his obvious tension, Yu was smiling at
his son.
Li said, “Your father is an intelligent man, Peiheng.”
From where she stood near the door of the study, Li Kuonyi interrupted,
“You have a granddaughter, too, Father.”
“So I do, daughter. So I do. And a most beautiful little one.” Li smiled
again. “Come, child. Stand with your brother. Tell me, are you, too, in
American school?”
“Yes, Grandfather. I’m two grades higher than Peiheng.”
Li feigned astonishment. “Only one year older, and two grades ahead? You
take after your mother. She was always smarter than my sons.”
Yu Yongfu spoke sharply, “Peiheng learns his numbers quickly.”
“Another businessman.” Li chuckled with pleasure. He stroked the faces
of both children as if touching rare and delicate vases. “They will go
far in the new world. But it’s past their bedtime, eh?” He nodded
gravely to Yu and his daughter. “It was kind of you to allow them to
remain awake.”
“You don’t visit us often enough, Father,” Kuonyi told him, an edge to
her voice.
“The affairs of Shanghai keep an old man busy.”
“But you are here tonight,” Kuonyi challenged. “At such a late hour.”
The father and daughter stared. Kuonyi’s gaze was as hard and bold as
that of her powerful father, demanding an explanation.
He said, “The children must be in bed, Daughter.”
Kuonyi took their hands and turned toward the door. “My husband and I
will return.”
“Yongfu will stay. He and I will speak together,” he said. Now the edge
was in his voice. “Alone.”
Kuonyi hesitated. She straightened her back and took the children away.
Above the mantle in Yu’s Western-style office, the Victorian clock
ticked quietly. The two men sat for some minutes in silence. The older
man stared at his son-in-law until Yu Yongfu said politely, “It’s been
too long since your
last visit, honored father-in-law. All of us have missed your wise
counsel.” Li said, “A man’s first responsibility must be to his family.
Is that not so, son-in-law?”
“As has long been written.”
Li fell silent again.
Yu waited. The old man had something on his mind, perhaps an important
position for Yu that might be seen as favoring his own family too much.
He needed to be sure Yu was equal to the task. Yu wanted good news
tonight. His problems with the Empress were draining him.
At last, Yu echoed, “A man must never bring disrepute to his family.”
“Disrepute?” The older man lifted his head and repeated the word in a
tone almost of wonder. “You have a wife and two children.”
“I’ve been blessed, and they are my soul.” Yu smiled.
“I have a daughter and two grandchildren.”
Yu blinked. What had happened? What was he supposed to say to that? His
mouth turned dry as the deserts of Xinjiang, because something had
changed in the room. Fear riveted him. He was no longer looking into the
eyes of the indulgent grandfather of his son and daughter. Instead, this
was the flinty, unrelenting gaze of an official of the Shanghai Special
Administrative Zone, a politician who was owned by the immensely
powerful Wei Gaofan.
“You’ve made an irredeemable mistake,” Li told him in an emotionless
voice. His large, fat-encrusted face was as still as a waiting snake’s.
“The theft of the true manifest to The Dowager Empress puts us in grave
jeopardy. All of us.”
Yu felt himself dissolve in fear. “A mistake that’s been corrected. No
harm has resulted. The manifest is locked in my safe upstairs. There is
no–”
“The Americans know what the Empress carries. An
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