Having gotten Tion on the team and with my and Xi information on a storm brewing, we together put a picture of the situation that is not pretty. “So we know the men in the taverns are making fun of the lord,” Xi says and holds up one finger on his hand. “Ha tells us that the servants know something is brewing in the city.” He says and holds up another. “So what does this mean and what do we do?” I say when he stops and does not go on. I look to Tion who joined us early in the morning. “There are rumours going around that the lord is impotent and his son is not his,” Tion says and I nod. “Why does he not just squash such rumours?” Is my next question. “I do not think he feels like he has the support to do so,” Tion says it is obvious and true. Another reason might be that serves a purpose, but there is no reason to speculate. “How do we get what we want from him and not be too noticed while doing so?” Is my next question.
We ponder this a while and decide to wait for Tiong to come back with news instead of rushing off and doing something stupid. While we wait I give Tion a massage, it starts on her reward for all the help. Ha meditates and from time to time ask me questions about what I am doing. Xi tries to read a cheap manual on the path of the sword. He picked that manual since the one on archery was too expensive. Even with as much money, we have earned we are not exactly rich by city standards.
Tiong comes back closer to lunch and launches into a tirade about the foolishness of bureaucrats. It seems he has spent the whole morning working the mysteries of rank and privilege in the hallowed halls of the learned. I have no idea why he did not send his butler Tuan instead. “Tuan did the same song and dance yesterday and got even shorter than I did.” answers the question and finishes Tiong’s tirade. “What it means is that while the Lord's servants are more than happy to let a school be started they do not want it restricted to women with a male head. And even so, large bribes are required.” He tells us.
“What do we get for such a large bribe?” I ask Tion when Tiong is off getting his shoulders rubbed by Ha while Xi ostensibly intrigues him about the manual on the sword. “Well, some land, rights and of course most of all a veneer of respectability in the region.” She answers me and I have to nod. It is all I am looking for and no need to dawdle or trick entities higher up than I. “Anything we need to do before we pay the bribe?” I ask and Tion smiles at me like I am a fool, which I probably am. “Of course. First, you need to see if you can join any of the other schools as a master and then you need to haggle with the bureaucrats till they squeal.” I feel my hopes of an easy victory get squashed. “Well, needs must,” I say and look at her. “want to make a list and work on my pitch before going further?” Again she smiles at me, and this time I lift the corner on my mouth back. Why could she not have been real women, we could really have gotten along. Not like Xia whom I barely know, even as we have had sex.
A week, a whole fucking week just to get an appointment at this crummy little no one knows the school. I fume in my mind as I think of the inefficiency and face giving rituals needed. Tion has worked miracles if I listen to others talk. Even Xi and Ha are impressed, but they are more of this world than I am. After all, I have a distance and perspective that show me how idiotic this all is. First was the dancing around for a couple of days and then the blatant lies. Face, they talk of the face, but what about my honour. I am bored out of my mind and angry about it since it is someone's fault.
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“Calm, count to ten,” I tell myself while walking into the grounds of the first school I am to visit. “Open fury closed palm” is the school's name, the most prestigious and learned school in the region. Focusing on the art of combat. I have to visit here before anywhere else, out of respect. The worst part is that we are all waiting to be laughed out of here, and planning on it.
“It has been a pleasure to meet you and I look forward to meeting you again.” The master says and I can see he is as bored with this as I am. I hope I can hide it better, but the whole meeting has been a dance around the subject without saying anything really. The real negotiations have been through mail and servants. This meeting is for keeping face. “That went well,” Xi says and I can see the hurt in his eyes over our treatment. “Yes, it did. Do not, at all, like it, however.” I tell him and see the infuriating look on my sisters face beside me. “It was not so bad, a woman would have done much more to your pride than that.” Are her remark and I believe her, living in the Nuin household for the past week has shown me how heartless and ambitious women can be.
“Hate it,” I tell Xi while we walk to what has become our favourite hangout. The bar I have begun calling the comedy club. “I know, the first was the worst, after that the bite was taken a bit out of it.” He tells me and I nod back. I can feel the rejection grounding on my poor nerves, however. The first I hear from in the club does not help, however. “A man walks into a school, he is a man with a woman's job…” It is a bad rhyme and coined on me “On second thoughts I am not thirsty tonight.” I tell Xi who has also become red in the face and turned. “I will show them, someday” I can hear him mutter under his breath. “They are fools and like all fools, they will never see, but their descendants will laugh,” I say in a weak attempt to cheer us both up. It is not as successful as I hoped.
“Thank you for this honourable,” I say and clutch the document tight to my chest while bowing to the man. He bows back and smiles. Probably because of the hefty sum of money I left in his office. “It is I who should thank you for being willing to share your wisdom in our humble region.” He says back and we both bow again before I exit the room. I want to skip on my way home, but hold it in. Trying instead to look like the perfect gentle gentleman I supposedly am. On this whole trip no one has asked for my age, just treated me like a young master. Even Tuan and Tiong never questioned my age, just looked down on me.
“We are done,” I say and hold the document up in the air like a trophy taken in battle. “Finally,” My sister says and take the document from me. “Is it all here?” She asks and begins reading. “Yes, all, even the small provisions of being able to run our own industry on the compound,” I say and smirk. That one is the real biggie, even as it was the easiest provision to get. Rights to license or hold festivities were way harder to come to an agreement over. I teach a Dao, it is not just for healing. Getting a right to teach both, however, was a right pain. Tradition working against me. Nothing compared however to naming Ha my vice-master of the school, however. There only the fact of the method was in the end enough to overpower the tradition of women not being able to do basically anything.