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There were much more urgent things that he could be doing, Li Shang thought as the matchmaker's servant ushered him to a table with a tea set on it. But he knew that his father wanted him to marry and have children before the next invasion came. War was dangerous, and his father's reasoning was understandable.
The problem was that every single marriage prospect was vapid - pretty, and possibly capable of running a household, but not someone Shang wanted to spend the rest of his life with. For everything's sake, why weren't the daughters of military officers taught to shoot bows and swing swords?
It would at least make them more interesting.
He glanced at the matchmaker. She was a dour woman, used to arranging marriages between military families, and was highly regarded for her ability to match up couples. He hadn't exchanged words with her because she had her duty and he had his, but there was some reassurance there that she wouldn't advocate for a match unless she saw something there.
The door on the other side opened, and in walked Fa Mulan. He knew little about her, other than she was the daughter and eldest child of Fa Zhou, renowned war hero. She was possibly less graceful than the other women he'd had to meet - a likely minus in the matchmaker's book - but at least that made her a bit different. He knew that for some reason pairing them together was considered risky, but not enough to stop this meeting from happening.
Fa Mulan bowed at the correct angle for their respective stations, and proceeded to serve him tea. It was something she was obviously more used to, with proper moves and etiquette. Something about her said that she was a little rough around the edges, but she had hospitality down. Probably because of her father.
"I will be away often," he said without preamble. "I need someone who can manage my household when I'm gone, entertain any guests, and raise my children."
She didn't flinch. Either she was too well-mannered, or resigned to such a fate.
"Can you do that for me?" he asked, leaning forward a bit.
"I am trained in maintaining a household," she responded. "I know what herbs are used for minor maladies, I care for my father and help care for my younger brother. I can sing, and I know how to play xiangqi, if that is wished."
Xiangqi? Most women were not taught the game. But it made sense that a war hero might indulge the curiosity of a daughter, especially if he had few that were good enough to oppose him.
"Did your father teach you tactics? Strategy?" he asked, leaning forward.
"Not beyond knowing how to play xiangqi," Fa Mulan responded. "He said learning more was inappropriate for a girl."
Inappropriate, yes. But her father had clearly indulged her a little. And Shang would take a wife who knew how to play xiangqi any day over one that didn't care about the duties of a warrior.
Suddenly, he wished he had a set there so that they could play a game. But this was not the place for that. Besides, this interview was as much for his father and hers as it was for him.
"I know of your father," he said. "He no doubt taught you to play well." His words were calculated - when Fa Zhou got the report he would both appreciate the compliment and be aware of the manipulation.
"My father taught me very well," Fa Mulan said. "While I am not up to his level, I play decently." Which could mean she maybe beat her father at xiangqi sometimes. Not an admirable trait for a woman, but he honestly would not complain if he got a fighter of some type for a wife.
And the flicker of expression told him that she appreciated him asking about that rather than whether she could dance well. They were both being careful in what they said, speaking more stiffly than they would if they were alone.
"What would you do if bandits came while I was training recruits or at war?" he asked. Not the usual interview question he knew - he could practically see the matchmaker frowning - but it was something that he was interested in knowing.
"I would barricade the gate, and arm whatever servants could fight if needed." She answered his question without hesitation, raising her head up.
The answer should have been "I would send a dispatch to you and wait for your command," but her answer fit more into what Shang would want from a wife. Someone who would follow orders but would also be able to act independently in a crisis. The matchmaker was surely frowning as she wrote her notes, but Shang didn't care.
It was a shame Fa Mulan's father had never taught her tactics or strategy beyond a game board, but if they got married, he intended to make sure she learned something of the sort. Keeping one's lands safe could require as much knowledge of battlefield strategies as actually being at war.
"How would you make sure any servants you hired were trustworthy enough to wield these weapons?" he asked. After all, hiring of servants, while needing a man's approval, was often left to the woman. And there had been more than one family lost to bandits with an inside man in the household.
She paused at that, as if considering her next move. "I would verify their reputations first, making sure they were who they said they were and that they were trustworthy. I'd also keep an eye out for any suspicious activities."
He didn't have experience hiring people. His soldiers had been conscripted. So he had to hope her answer was correct - it at least made sense, based on his experience. In xiangqi, the general could not move outside a certain area on the board. It was up to the other pieces to finally conquer the opponent and provide defense.
Fa Mulan had the unfortunate luck of being born a woman. He thought she might have made a marvelous soldier, even a commander, if born a man.
"Do you know how to fight?" he asked. "Could you defend our children?"
"My father taught me the staff," she said, looking at him not at all demurely. Any attempt at that had just disappeared while they were talking. "And while I use knives to cut meat, I could also use them to cut flesh."
She was a soldier's daughter for sure. It was evident to Shang that she was proud of that. And even if women of any rank deemed worthy weren't normally taught the bow and the sword, he would make sure she would be. His home would be defended as well as China would be.
"Good," he said. And he meant it.
He didn't know what the matchmaker's evaluation would be. Maybe she recognized as he did that Fa Mulan had the heart of a soldier, the perfect attitude to be the companion of a warrior, the perfect compliment for him.
And even if the matchmaker wasn't pleased with Fa Mulan's answers, he knew that he could persuade his father. Maybe even hers; her father might be so relieved to find a family for Fa Mulan to marry into.
The decision was ultimately their parents'. They had no say in the matter. But Shang knew, as he looked at Fa Mulan, that he had found someone who he could spend his life with. There would be time for many, many games of Xiangqi as they grew old together, and maybe that was the most wonderful thing of all.