Though Feng Jiu had no wish to treat Nanmen Ye, Nanmen Ye was nonetheless Nanmen Xu’s grandfather. Now that his grandfather had fallen ill, it was only right for Nanmen Xu to go back and look in on him.

Nanmen Xu’s fingers tightened slightly around his cup. After a long moment, he shook his head: “There is no need. My going back would only make things worse, not better.”

To a grandson who had not returned home for nearly half a year, everyone had most likely already put him out of their minds. Going back now would only draw more resentment from all sides.

“That simply means they do not know how to treasure a talent like you.” Feng Jiu poured him another cup of tea.

Nanmen Xu — on the surface, he always appeared quiet and understated, the kind of person who never drew attention to himself.

Yet no one had expected that he would turn out to be an extraordinary talent for commerce.

When he had said, back then, that he would wait for Jiu’er to return, Feng Jiu had treasured that sentiment — though she had not known whether she would ever truly come back.

What she had not imagined was that by the time she did return, the modest sum of money she had left with him had, within a mere three months, grown into tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Over the three months that followed, with Feng Jiu’s return renewing his drive and resolve, Nanmen Xu threw himself into his work with full force and without restraint — and the wealth he earned grew by a measure that defied easy reckoning.

In the short span of half a year, the assets of Tianji Hall — though Feng Jiu had not personally tallied the figures herself — were, as best she could estimate, well over one million taels.

Setting aside his identity as the Young Lord of the Nanmen Clan, Nanmen Xu was utterly at ease in his dealings with people on the outside world. He was no longer the lowly Young Lord of the Nanmen Clan, dismissed and overlooked. He had become the Young Master Xu whom everyone outside spoke of with admiration.

His unique eye for opportunity, his sharp commercial mind, his meticulous way of conducting business, and his integrity — which had earned him universal recognition — had, in the span of barely half a year, carved out a genuine reputation for him within the circle of medicinal herb merchants.

Doing business with Young Master Xu meant: first, no fear of being cheated or deceived; second, a certainty that both parties would profit handsomely together; and third, a chance that Young Master Xu’s standing in the trade would reflect well on one’s own name — so why would anyone not welcome it?

The two heads of the Nanmen household were truly blind to what stood before them. With such a remarkable talent in their grasp, they had utterly failed to recognize his worth — lavishing their favor instead on a few pampered young scions from distinguished families.

The Nanmen Clan nowadays could not claim even a shadow of its former glory. Whether it could continue to hold even a single foothold in the imperial city was still very much an open question.

Previously, they had offended Ninth Prince. And now that Ninth Prince had returned — as everyone knew — whether the Nanmen Clan could still fare well from this point forward, no one could say.

The influential officials and powerful ministers who had once fawned over and curried favor with the Nanmen Clan were now keeping their distance from them one by one. Just how much further the Nanmen Clan could go — truly no one knew.

When the topic drifted to the Nanmen Clan, Nanmen Xu invariably appeared utterly indifferent — visibly without any desire to speak of it.

Noticing that Feng Jiu looked even thinner than before, he reached into his pocket and produced a small pouch, setting it before her: “Have a servant prepare a serving of this for you every day — it is very beneficial for a young woman’s constitution.”

“Blood-red swiftlet nests?” In this era, there was no technology for counterfeiting such things — what sat before her was absolutely authentic.

Feng Jiu had always half-assumed blood-red swiftlet nests were nothing but legend. Back in the twenty-first century, she had never actually seen the real thing with her own eyes.

The blood-red nests circulating on the market were, by all accounts, fraudulent — every one of them artificially dyed and smoked.

But the blood-red nests before her now — they were genuinely and unmistakably real.

“The local people say this is especially beneficial for a young woman’s constitution, and it is not easy to come by. Just have a servant prepare one serving for you daily — it will not cost you much effort.”

“I understand. I will remember to take it — are you satisfied?” Feng Jiu put the items away with great care.

Nanmen Xu never exaggerated when he spoke. If he said something was difficult to obtain, then it was certainly difficult to obtain — so naturally she would cherish it.

“By the way — Ninth Prince has returned. The Nanmen Clan is likely to face serious repercussions. Are you truly going to leave it alone?”

Feng Jiu studied his eyes, seeking to read something from their depths.

But Nanmen Xu’s gaze held not a single ripple: “I heard of this matter some time ago and knew it was inevitable. Even so, the affairs of the Nanmen Clan have nothing to do with me any longer.”

“But you carry the Nanmen name, in the end.” There was one more thing — Feng Jiu hesitated a moment before adding: “I am afraid they also know by now that Young Master Xu is you. Even if you do not go back, I fear…”

Before she could finish, a sound of urgent, hurried footsteps came from outside.

In short order, the newcomer halted at the entrance to the inner hall and addressed the two of them respectfully: “Young Master, Young Master Xu — the people from the Nanmen Clan have come again. This time… they are here looking for Young Master Xu.”

As they say: speak of someone and they appear.

It was unclear whether those coming to summon him were acting on behalf of Nanmen Ye or Nanmen Ding — one a grand lord, the other a great general, and either was possible.

In the past, the Nanmen Clan had deferred entirely to the patriarch, Nanmen Ye. But after the whole affair involving Ninth Prince, the Nanmen Clan was no longer a one-man enterprise run solely by Nanmen Ye.

Because of Nanmen Ye’s grave misjudgment, the blame for the scheme against Ninth Prince had fallen almost entirely on his shoulders. As a result, this former Grand Lord had not only lost standing at court, but had also seen his influence within the clan significantly eroded.

The Nanmen Clan now split into two factions. The Nanmen General — Nanmen Ye’s son, and Nanmen Xu’s own father — had formed his own camp.

As for Nanmen Rong, who had been demoted from Honored Empress to Noble Consort, she naturally continued to stand beside her father, who had always cherished her most.

But even Nanmen Rong’s position was now precarious. The only one she could still depend on was her own son — Crown Prince Zhan Yuheng.

Yet whether the Crown Prince was willing to assist Nanmen Rong was something no one could say with certainty. In the past, certain actions that Nanmen Rong had taken had enraged the Crown Prince as well.

Perhaps the Crown Prince would still protect this mother consort of his, but whether he would do anything on her behalf — no one could be sure.

In any case, at this moment, whoever within the Nanmen Clan was coming to seek out Nanmen Xu — their motive would undoubtedly be tied to their own future grip on power.

Still, Nanmen Xu was, in the end, a junior member of the Nanmen Clan. Whether it was his father or his grandfather who came calling, he might evade it for a time, but not indefinitely.

What was more — now that they knew Nanmen Xu was working for Tianji Hall, if he refused to return, the days ahead for Tianji Hall itself would likely be difficult as well.

In business, one does not cross those in power. Even though the Nanmen Clan’s strength was but a shadow of what it once was, a dead camel is still larger than a living horse. To deal with a small and modest establishment like Tianji Hall — that would still be an effortless matter for them.

“Don’t wear that expression — otherwise, going back will yield nothing good for you.” Feng Jiu was not speaking out of sarcasm; it was genuine concern.

She could never forget the sight of Nanmen Xu beaten nearly to death by Nanmen Ye, all because he had helped her escape.

Were it not for the fact that he still bore the Nanmen name, Feng Jiu would truly have been unwilling to let him go back.

“How about this — tell them you are unwell?” The people of their Tianji Hall had just humiliated the Nanmen Clan’s steward only yesterday. Going back at a time like this would likely end badly.