Second Master Yang swore he had checked the plum garden thoroughly—there was no one around. He could also swear that with Yang family’s high walls and numerous guards, no stranger could have possibly sneaked into his bedchamber before he and Madam Zou retired for the night. Yet Young Master Sheng’s display of prowess made Second Master Yang’s eye twitch nervously.
“Tell your men to lower their bows and step back! Otherwise…”
An arrow whistled through the air, followed by a dull thud and the clang of a falling sword. Second Master Yang’s eye twitched again, his eyelid still raised. When his loyal servant had tried to threaten Young Master Sheng with a sword, the arrow struck the servant’s wrist before anyone could see where it came from, forcing him to drop his weapon.
The servant clutched his right wrist, his brow beaded with sweat from the pain. The arrow hadn’t pierced his wrist—it was a headless arrow with its arrowhead removed.
Young Master Sheng gazed at Second Master Yang and said calmly, “I don’t wish to harm your people. This is my show of sincerity.”
“Who exactly are you?!” Second Master Yang remained suspicious.
The Yang family rules had been passed down through generations. To preserve the family business, descendants were to stay united. The main branch of the family inherited eight-tenths of the Yang family’s brocade business through successive generations. The family elders and closely related branch families within five generations shared the remaining two-tenths.
When it came to this generation, the main branch had split into three households. Old Master Yang had divided the estate before his death. The eldest branch managed the family registry and ancestral lands, served as the family head, and inherited the Yang family’s traditional brocade pattern books. The weaving factories, shops, and mulberry forests all went to the eldest branch. The second and third branches each received five shops and two estates as their private property.
In this generation, the eight-tenth share was divided into ten portions. Master Yang’s household received eight portions. Since Second Master Yang and Third Master Yang were legitimate sons, the late Old Master Yang had given the remaining two portions to the brothers.
As legitimate sons of the main branch, Second Master Yang and Third Master Yang had also received the family head’s education in their youth and learned about brocade weaving and identification. However, their eldest brother was fifteen years their senior. The age gap was too great for the three brothers to play together as children. By the time Second Master Yang was old enough to understand things, First Master Yang was already married and learning to manage the family business under their father’s guidance.
Twenty years ago, Second Master Yang had no ambitions to become the family head. But when First Master Yang became infatuated with Concubine Liu and became an absentee manager, leaving the family business to his son and First Madam, Second Master Yang grew discontent. He was only ten years older than his nephew—why should he, in his prime and as an elder, have to bow to his nephew’s whims? Fourth Young Master was six years older than Yang Jingshan’s eldest legitimate son—would Fourth Young Master also have to be subservient to his young nephew in the future?
Madam Zou’s constant whispers in his ear had affected him. Second Master Yang felt that if he didn’t make an effort now, even though they were still part of the main branch’s eldest line, in three generations they would have to live at the mercy of his elder brother’s line.
His elder brother was old now, having reached his sixtieth year. He didn’t have many days left. Second Master Yang had developed ambitions.
Could this mysterious Young Master Sheng be his elder brother’s man? What if his elder brother was plotting against him and his Third Brother, trying to take back the two-tenths share from both households to clear all obstacles for his son?
Going back two generations in the Yang family, the legitimate branch had experienced brothers fighting for the position of family head, resulting in only two survivors out of six brothers. Their great-grandfather had only one legitimate son, Old Master Yang. The illegitimate sons had been given their share and left the family upon marriage.
Second Master Yang had to guard against First Master Yang’s schemes.
Young Master Sheng waved his hand. The archers in the plum garden silently withdrew.
Since all four guards were his confidants, Second Master Yang decided not to let them know too much: “You may leave.”
Even the servant brewing tea and warming wine moved away from the pavilion. Second Master Yang looked around, fully convinced that no third party could hear their conversation.
“Who I am is not important. Second Master Yang can take my words as he wishes,” Young Master Sheng had no intention of revealing his identity.
As Fourth Young Master had said, today wasn’t good weather for appreciating plum blossoms. Heavy lead-colored clouds pressed down from above, and the snow fell heavily like rain instead of floating down like flower petals. The snow particles were driven by the cold wind, striking the pavilion with a rustling sound.
Long after Young Master Sheng had left, Second Master Yang sat alone in the pavilion, lost in thought. Like a spark falling on dry hay, his eyes suddenly blazed with fire. He gripped his wine cup, drained the last of the cold wine, and exhaled deeply: “How vicious!”
——…——
In the afternoon when Young Master Sheng had arranged to meet Second Master Yang at Tazi Mountain to view plum blossoms, A-Ning finally arrived at the Ji family home with a cart of dyes.
Madam Ji had already made up her mind. With the weight lifted from her chest, her illness had improved somewhat. The mother and her two children sat in the main hall waiting.
A-Ning’s appearance today was quite different from their last meeting. She wore her black hair in a neat bun, adorned with a string of ruby ornaments, the center jewel hanging over her smooth forehead. She wore a red wide-lapeled narrow-sleeved hu-style dress and embroidered deerskin boots. A short sword hung slanted at her waist.
Ji Yingying also wore hu-style clothing, but compared to A-Ning, she lacked the same presence. She knelt beside Madam Ji and suddenly realized—A-Ning wasn’t like ordinary young ladies. She was more like a warrior.
Entering the hall, A-Ning performed a man’s greeting this time, cupping her hands and bowing to Madam Ji: “Madam looks much better.”
“Please sit.”
That day when the government officials came to make arrests, Young Master Sheng had sat exactly where A-Ning was sitting now, calmly observing. Whenever Madam Ji thought of that day, she felt a surge of vengeful satisfaction.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t see Young Master Sheng’s expression now.
Old Nurse Ji brought forward a heavy wooden box and placed it on the table in front of A-Ning.
A-Ning was mentally prepared and reached out to lift the lid.
“There are four hundred and fifty taels of gold in total, equivalent to four thousand guan. Two thousand guan is to repay the debt to Jucai Chamber. Another two hundred taels are to repay the ginseng my daughter borrowed from Young Master Sheng. Fifty taels is interest. Manager Mu can bring the debt notice to collect half the gold at any time. As for the remaining gold, please tell Young Master Sheng he can exchange it for the contract. Regarding the Zhao family’s debt, the Ji family will settle it separately.” After Madam Ji finished speaking, she felt thoroughly relieved.
A-Ning closed the lid and lightly tapped her fingers on the table.
Ji Yingying’s eyelid twitched, remembering Young Master Sheng making the same gesture. What was her relationship with Young Master Sheng? Was she also contemplating how to threaten the Ji family?
A-Ning looked directly at Madam Ji: “Madam Ji, are you breaking the agreement?”
“Not breaking it—I’m refusing to be blackmailed by your master any longer,” Madam Ji replied sharply. “Young Master Sheng set up an extensive trap, leaving my family isolated and forced to hand over the secret formula. Now that his net has broken, the fish naturally returns to the river. What a shame about my sister, who sought excessive profits and, after twenty years, still tried to harm me, the sister she despised, ultimately losing her life! Tell Young Master Sheng that doing such evil things for personal gain will surely lead to retribution!”
With a sharp “shing!” of metal, A-Ning’s composure shattered at Madam Ji’s curse against her master. She drew the sword from her waist and pointed it at Madam Ji, her eyebrows raised: “If not for my master’s orders, I would cut out your tongue!”