The Lawyer Interested in History

A moment later, footsteps sounded in the room. A young clerk in a dark coat opened the door. His gaze rested briefly on Xialuote; then he bowed his head and said, "Miss Suolun? Mr. Dulang is waiting for you." Xialuote nodded, lifted the hem of her skirt, and walked into the room. Laila followed quietly behind her and stopped near the door. This was as far as Lawuer would go in letting his daughter go out alone. Unless she was in a truly public place, or several people were present at once, Xialuote had to have her personal maid with her. Baron Suolun clearly wanted to prevent another occasion like the one at the hunting ground, when she had been alone with Luosaier. Xialuote herself felt she really ought to mend her credibility a little in her father's eyes, and so she accepted the requirement quite cooperatively. The more obedient she appeared on the surface, the more easily her father would set his mind at ease; and when something truly urgent came up that had to be handled in private, it would be all the easier to win his trust... She muttered this inwardly, while her face still held the propriety a young noblewoman ought to show. The lawyer's workroom was not large, yet it was quite properly furnished. On the long desk by the window lay pens and ink, a paper knife, sealing wax, and several bound contracts. One wall bore a huge oil painting of a war in which knights were the principal figures. The other was taken up by wooden bookshelves, crowded with heavy volumes, handwritten manuscripts, and documents. Xialuote's gaze swept the shelves. She soon saw that the books were not stacked at random, but arranged neatly by category and title. Their spines and corners showed clear signs of having been read. They were plainly not the usual ornaments set out to display an owner's cultural standing. Drawing her eyes back from the room, she looked toward Moerwan Dulang, who was just rising from his chair behind the desk. The lawyer had not changed much since Xialuote had seen him at the hunting camp the week before. He had only changed into the charcoal-black formal coat lawyers commonly wore, cut to the knee, with a white curled wig on his head. He wore no excess of splendid ornament: only a brass-cased pocket watch hung from the waistcoat beneath the coat, and a ring with a slightly darkened rim circled the ring finger of his left hand. The whole of him looked grave and professional. "Good morning, Miss Suolun," Moerwan said, inclining slightly. "His Lordship the Baron has mentioned you to me many times. It is an honor to meet you formally today." "Good morning, Mr. Dulang," Xialuote returned the courtesy. "My father also mentioned the help you gave in the matter of Aidian. I have long wanted to thank you." When the greetings were done, Xialuote sat in the straight-backed chair in a corner of the room, set there for guests. Laila took the tea the young clerk had brought and served her mistress herself. At a gesture from Moerwan, the clerk quietly closed the door and left the office, leaving the three of them to wait in silence for the remaining visitors. Xialuote had come today, of course, to sign the cooperation contract for that newspaper. Over the past week, Xialuote, Luosaier, and Gelin had already met twice and settled their intention to cooperate on the Suxite Weekly. Xialuote would secure the publication permit and head off risks involving the Municipal Hall, the Church, and noble reputations. Luosaier was leading the plan. He would handle the content of the pages and improve the processes of printing, paper, and typesetting, so as to bring those costs down as far as possible. Gelin Lande'er's family would put up the money and provide the printing plant, the workers, and a public-facing identity as the operators. The channels the family had built over many years in the silk trade could also help distribute the newspaper. Combinations of this kind were common in the various countries. Nobles did not object to making money through commerce; compared with running a business themselves, they preferred to be silent investors and enjoy a share of the profits without showing their faces. But the less a cooperation like this was meant to be made public, the more it needed a contract that set out the capital to be contributed, the obligations, the division of profits, and the means of withdrawal, so that those who put up the money need not fear their interests being harmed, and the partners need not fear the fruits of their labor being taken from them. This world did not even have joint-stock companies or shares. Cooperation was still the ancient practice of dividing profits by agreement, and it was so even in Yindisi, which had a faith in the "Guardian of Commerce"... Xialuote lamented once again the inconvenience caused by backward institutions, and her thoughts soon wandered off to things that affected the quality of life even more, such as privies with no flush toilet. Just then Moerwan, who had sat back down at the desk to look through the papers, raised his head toward Xialuote and asked calmly, "Forgive my presumption, Miss Suolun. Why are you so enthusiastic about a local gazette of this sort? "Most of the noble young ladies I have met like to talk of clothing, perfume, and balls, and of the popular culture of Telier and Beikelande. In private they take more interest in romance, gossip, and measuring themselves against one another." I'm no ordinary noble young lady. Strictly speaking, I'm not even a girl... Xialuote grumbled once to herself, weighed her words, and answered, "The Suolun family can't draw its income from the fief and the rents alone, and Father has no interest in these matters. I can only share the burden for him, and make some preparations for my own future as well." Moerwan smiled when he had heard her. Whether he believed this half-true account was unclear. Xialuote did not explain further, lest the family's real financial situation be exposed to an outsider. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and under that cover examined the books on the shelves—only to find that most of the volumes, neatly sorted by category, were not what a lawyer's work required, but historical works of every kind. Among them were quite a few manuscripts and restored ancient books concerning the Southern Continent and the ancient Bailang Empire. Between the Southern Continent and the Northern Continent, where Yindisi, Luen, and the other countries lay, stretched the dangerous Raging Sea. Those waters were wrapped in storms all year round and riddled with chaotic currents. Any ship bold enough to attempt the crossing went and never returned, so that the nations' exploration of the ocean had for the most part remained in regions close to the Northern Continent, such as the Mist Sea Archipelago, the Dixi Archipelago, and Sunia Island. It was said that, more than a thousand years ago, there had been a powerful state there no less mighty than the Northern Continent's Suoluomen Empire, Tuduo Dynasty, or Telunsuosite Empire, called the Bailang Empire. But ever since the storms had cut north off from south, no one knew what that ancient empire had become. Only people of Southern Continent blood scattered through the various countries, and certain Fourth Epoch relics unearthed from the ground, proved that those records were not entirely fiction. Her gaze passed over many ancient books that were very likely the only copies of their kind, and Xialuote could not help asking, "Mr. Dulang is very interested in the history of the Southern Continent?" Moerwan followed her gaze to the shelves and said, "I am interested in all history. It is only that a consensus on the Northern Continent's historical materials concerning the Black Iron Age was reached long ago, leaving little room for the imagination. The Southern Continent is different. It has blanks enough for me to study. "And for someone who likes history, a blank is often more attractive than a settled conclusion." The "Black Iron Age" was the present epoch—that is, the Fifth Epoch, already 1,143 years old... Xialuote, who had read through the history of recent times, nodded thoughtfully. She felt that what he said left considerable room for the imagination. Of course, that did not mean she had taken an interest in history. As a scion of the nobility, some study of her own country's history over the last few centuries was already enough. As for anything still more remote—even the Fourth Epoch, where even the specific years and the borders of states were indistinct—that lay entirely outside her consideration. She was just finding a suitable excuse for her own dislike of study when she suddenly became aware that Moerwan was looking at her. The lawyer's gaze was not offensive, yet it carried a kind of scrutiny and interest, as if he were observing the "blank history" he had spoken of. Did he have something to say, or did he mean no good? But Moerwan was not one of those young nobles at the hunting ground. He was older even than her father... Xialuote kept her expression unchanged, while her thoughts kept turning. They shifted to the remnants of the evil cult hidden among the familiar people around her, and she felt some urge to open the "spirit vision" she had only recently learned, and look him over. If there were anything unusual about Moerwan, the warning of spirituality would surely leave him nowhere to hide. But before she could do anything further, a measured knock sounded, and Luosaier's voice came from outside the door. "Mr. Dulang, may we come in?" Both of them drew back the gazes they had secretly turned on each other. Moerwan said in a clear voice, "Please come in." The door was pushed open, and Luosaier and Gelin entered the room one after the other. Once everyone was present, this lawyer who was interested in history quickly moved into the formal business. He had the clerk bring two chairs, then spread out a blank sheet of contract paper, took up a quill, and said, "Please state the matter of the commission." Luosaier looked to either side, then spoke for the three of them. "We wish to draft a tripartite cooperation contract for jointly publishing a local periodical gazette, to be named the Suxite Weekly. At first it will be sold only locally, and later the print run will be expanded according to the returns. The relevant contributions of capital, responsibilities, and division of profits are all to be written into the contract." Texts for contracts of this kind were already well established and followed a set form. The clients needed only to set out the key parts; the lawyer would supply the rest. Before long, Luosaier came to the proportions for dividing the returns. "Of all the returns from the Suxite Weekly, I will take forty percent, Miss Xialuote Suolun twenty-five percent, and Gelin Lande'er thirty-five percent." At that proportion, Xialuote shot Luosaier a surprised glance. She had originally thought that, responsible only for policy risks such as the publication permit and a noble's guarantee, she could take at most ten to fifteen percent. She had not expected Luosaier to give her double that return outright. By comparison, Luosaier had to handle a great many technical matters and questions of content, while Gelin was providing most of the funds and would have the Lande'er family serve as the operator in public. Both the risk and the contribution were higher than hers. This is far too generous. Or does he think the Suolun name behind me is worth that price... The thought flickered through Xialuote, but she did not rashly raise an objection in front of Moerwan. Gelin seemed to have no objection. He had clearly known this division in advance. Moerwan, however, was in no hurry to write this crucial portion into the contract. He first asked what proportion of the capital each of the three parties would bear, then pressed on about the amount of the first sum, the scale of the printing plant, the inventory, the channels of distribution, and other matters bearing on cost. At first Xialuote felt the funds the Lande'er family was providing ought to be enough to get started. Only as she heard Moerwan list the items one by one did she realize that buying, or merely using, printing equipment was only the first step. Improving the process, forcing costs down, and selling the newspaper throughout the city would all require additional outlay. She looked at the other two and found that Luosaier had realized the problem as well; his expression had changed. Gelin, as the party putting up the money, showed his difficulty even more directly. Watching the three of them react, Moerwan at last set down his quill. "By my estimate, if you go on like this, you will run a great risk of breach of contract." Xialuote frowned and asked in return, "What do you suggest, Mr. Dulang?" Moerwan did not answer at once. He set aside the contract, of which he had already written more than half, took up a fresh blank sheet, and raised his head. His gaze passed over the faces of the three young people and settled again on Xialuote. His tone remained as level as before. "I have some interest in this Suxite Weekly of yours. If none of you objects, I could become one of the partners as well."