With clarity in his heart, Luo Wenqian maintained his usual composure, though with Xiao Qi gone south to collect grain, he spent more time at the goods division each day.
The autumn wind gradually arose.
“How is it? Has Luo Jiu shown any unusual movements?” In the study of the Yan residence, Yan Xilai paced back and forth with a profound expression, while the second manager of the goods division stood beside him.
“He comes by daily to look around, and occasionally checks the accounts, but doesn’t interfere with our work. It’s the same as usual. Nothing seems unusual. It appears Master Luo still trusts Manager Yan and Manager Xiao,” the second manager reported, hands hanging at his sides.
“Bah, you understand nothing! Think about the timing – Lord Zhang has just died, how many eyes are on Yi Housheng? Given Luo Jiu’s nature, how could he possibly take no action? This lack of action is more suspicious.” Yan Xilai said, then waved his hand, dismissing the second manager back to the goods division.
Indeed, the sky cannot have two suns, a country cannot have two rulers, and this business can only have one voice of authority. Now that he still couldn’t take control of Yi Housheng, the Prefecture Governor wouldn’t take him seriously. Originally, he had planned to wait for Luo Jiu to make trouble and then counter-attack, but now that Luo Jiu was silent, he would have to make the first move.
Calculating the time, the elder brothers would arrive soon.
It was time to act… Yan Xilai muttered to himself, though his tone carried a hint of melancholy as if reaching this point hadn’t brought the joy he had anticipated.
A fine drizzle fell all day, only letting up by evening. A streak of sunset glows slanted across the long street, painting half of the ivy-covered bluestone wall a brilliant red, creating a magnificent scene.
Zhen Niang and Young Master Lin were helping Ugly Po move flower pots from the corridor to the back courtyard.
“Great-grandaunt, don’t you get tired of moving these flowers in and out?” Lin muttered to Ugly Po as he moved the flowers. The scenery outside was so nice – he had planned to go skip stones by the river with Tian He and the Cheng family’s little Shuyue, but his mother had caught him for this chore. Though he didn’t mind, having his plans disrupted left him somewhat dejected.
Little Shuyue, was so sweet and lovable, though her family kept her too confined. Unlike his little sister who, though mischievous to the point of headache-inducing, at least seemed spirited. Little Shuyue just didn’t get to play enough.
“The noble orchids, you see, don’t tolerate dampness. Too much water will rot their roots. With a full day of rain, naturally, they must be moved. As for the peonies, they’re blooming now – if we don’t move them, the rain will ruin the beautiful flowers, just like little Shuyue would look disheveled if caught in the rain.” Ugly Po squinted her eyes, muttering away. The little rascal’s slight crush was as clear as a mirror to her.
Zhen Niang smiled with narrowed eyes at the side. The Cheng family’s eight-year-old Shuyue had visited once, and since then, Young Master Lin seemed to have taken quite a fancy to her. However, the Cheng family was a great house from Huizhou, strict in their neo-Confucian principles – Shuyue rarely got to go out. Perhaps due to the old relationship between Third Master Cheng and the Li and Luo families, Madam Cheng occasionally brought Shuyue to play with Miss Yu at the Luo house.
Young Master Lin now thought seriously, imagining Shuyue with a rain-soaked face, and decided in his heart that indeed, flowers should be moved on rainy days.
Ugly Po asked Zhen Niang: “Where’s Wenqian? Still in the ink workshop?”
“Yes, he wants to make the ink himself.” Zhen Niang nodded. Some time ago, Luo Wenqian had drawn the ink line drawings for the Six Righteousness Ink, and then personally made the ink molds and plates. He’d been in the workshop making ink this whole time, refusing even Zhen Niang’s help, preferring to work alone. Zhen Niang understood – Brother Luo was reminiscing about the brotherhood sworn with his brothers in the North years ago.
Just then, Luo Wenqian hurried out from the ink workshop, his robe still tucked into his belt, his face smudged grey-black, completely disheveled.
“Zhen Niang, Zhen Niang, look at how this ink turned out. I must say, though I haven’t done this for years, my skills haven’t deteriorated much!” Luo Wenqian emerged from the family’s small ink workshop excitedly, holding up the ink for Zhen Niang to see.
It was the set of Six Righteousness Ink.
“Brother Luo, what wonderful ink!” Zhen Niang looked at the set of Six Righteousness Ink in her hands, praising sincerely. Brother Luo’s ink recreated the exquisite craftsmanship of the Luo Ink “Little Taoist Ink.”
“Mm, not bad. The Luo Ink techniques haven’t been forgotten.” Ugly Po nodded as well. For her to say this meant Luo Wenqian’s ink had truly won her approval.
“Xinghua, is my Ninth Uncle here? Is he in the ink workshop?” Wu Zi’s voice came from the front.
“Not in the workshop, he’s in the back courtyard,” Xinghua replied from the front.
Soon after, Wu Zi entered the back courtyard, gave everyone a formal greeting, and then said to Luo Wenqian: “Ninth Uncle, someone from Yi Housheng has come to request your presence. They say the masters from the North have arrived.”
Luo Wenqian and Zhen Niang exchanged glances – what was coming had come.
“Alright, go prepare the carriage. I’ll tidy up and go.” Luo Wenqian told Wu Zi, then turned and went back inside. Zhen Niang quickly followed.
Inside, Brother Luo placed Yi Housheng’s seals, leisure seals, inscriptions, as well as various relationship registers and account books into a cloth bundle, then pulled the corners together and tied them.
He handled each item meticulously, even arranging the tied corners of the cloth perfectly neat.
Then Luo Wenqian picked up the bundle. Turning around, he saw Zhen Niang standing by the door, and went forward to embrace her: “Zhen Niang, don’t worry. When I left Huizhou for the North back then, I had nothing. Now, even without Yi Housheng, I have you, Young Master Lin, and Miss Yu – I’ve already earned more than enough.”
Though this withdrawal was meant to step outside the situation and prepare for Yi Housheng’s future dangers, it also meant Luo Jiu was giving up control of Yi Housheng. In the future, he would at most receive some dividends from Yi Housheng.
Today’s departure meant Yi Housheng would change leadership. Luo Wenqian’s era was over, and Yi Housheng would enter Yan Xilai’s era.
Hearing Luo Wenqian’s words, Zhen Niang smiled, her eyes curving like crescents.
Luo Wenqian kissed Zhen Niang, then picked up and kissed Miss Yu who had run over to join the excitement. The little girl’s eyes curved just like her mother’s. Mother and daughter looked exactly alike, making Luo Wenqian laugh heartily before heading out.
“Luo Jiu, I’ll go with you. Yan Xilai has gone too far this time. I’ll speak with the eldest brother – I support you.” As soon as he left the door, Luo Wenqian met the hurrying Imperial Son-in-law Li He.
Clearly Li He had learned what happened, and as the third sworn brother, though he usually didn’t involve himself much due to his position as Imperial Son-in-law, at this moment he had to stand up and support Luo Jiu. No one understood better how much Luo Jiu had done for Yi Housheng over the years. As for Yan Xilai, he was someone who could handle affairs but not someone who could lead them.
Li He’s support at this moment touched Luo Jiu deeply. However, Luo Jiu didn’t want Li He entangled in this. After all, the Great Ming Princess and her consort were often caught in difficult positions amid various political situations. Luo Wenqian wanted Li He to take this opportunity to withdraw his shares from Yi Housheng so that if anything happened to Yi Housheng in the future, it wouldn’t drag Li He into trouble.
“Third Brother, I’ve managed Yi Housheng for so many years and I’m tired. Since Fourth Brother wants to take on this responsibility, I’m glad to let him. I plan to withdraw from Yi Housheng. Third Brother, since you support me, why don’t you withdraw as well?” Luo Wenqian said calmly.
Hearing these words, Li He grew suspicious. This wasn’t like Luo Jiu – he wasn’t the type to retreat when pressured. No one understood better than he what Yi Housheng meant to Luo Jiu; it was like another Young Master Lin. Given Luo Jiu’s nature, he wouldn’t easily give up, and if forced to abandon it, he might entrust it to him rather than advise him to withdraw. Something was wrong here.
“Luo Jiu, tell me honestly. Does Yi Housheng face a major problem?” Li He asked seriously.
Luo Jiu knew he couldn’t fool Li He – someone capable of serving as the Great Ming’s Imperial Son-in-law was extremely sensitive to situations. So he said: “The current situation is too complex. With Lord Zhang’s death, Zhang’s faction needs to maintain their power, while others want to take advantage of the opportunity. But this isn’t the main issue – the main issue is the Emperor. The Emperor wants to rule personally, and I think his first move will likely be to eliminate Lord Zhang’s influence at court…”
Luo Wenqian stopped there, knowing Li He could understand the rest.
“You mean the Emperor might move against the Zhang family, possibly involving Yi Housheng, and you want me to withdraw my shares to avoid being implicated?” Li He asked rhetorically, though his tone was already certain.
Luo Wenqian neither confirmed nor denied.
“If such consequences come, what do you plan to do?” Li He asked again.
“Someone needs to remain outside to save people and preserve Yi Housheng.” Luo Jiu’s gaze was distant.
Hearing this, Li He was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward and clapped Luo Jiu’s shoulder heavily, saying: “It’s fine, I’ll keep my shares in Yi Housheng. With me there, others will still have some reservations.” With that, Li He strode away.
Luo Jiu watched Li He’s retreating figure without speaking, then got into the carriage and headed straight for Yi Housheng.
At this time in Yi Housheng Money House, Old Mo, Gu Paozi, and Yan Xilai sat drinking tea, quietly awaiting Luo Jiu’s arrival, though feeling somewhat conflicted. Though they had some issues with Luo Jiu when it came to the moment, they still felt uncomfortable speaking up – after all, Yi Housheng had been built up by Luo Wenqian’s efforts.
When Luo Jiu entered carrying his bundle, he smiled at the three, helped himself to a cup of tea, and then stood and gave them a formal bow. He drank the tea in one go as if it were wine, then opened the cloth bundle, revealing everything inside.
Luo Wenqian gently pushed the bundle to the center of the table: “Elder brothers, here are Yi Housheng Money House’s seals, signatures, inscriptions, account books, and everything else. I’ve been Yi Housheng’s leader for over ten years and I’m tired. It’s a good time to rest.”
“Fifth Brother, you…” Before Luo Wenqian came, they had been wondering how to broach the subject, but unexpectedly, they didn’t need to speak at all – Luo Wenqian had handed over these vital items of the money house.
After handing over the items, Luo Wenqian didn’t stay at Yi Housheng – staying would only have made things more awkward.
Watching Luo Wenqian leave, Yan Xilai stared intently at the items in the bundle on the table. This was what he had blindly sought, yet now that he had it, it didn’t feel quite right. Beside him, Old Mo opened an ink box from the bundle, containing a neat set of collected inks – the Six Righteousness Ink that Luo Wenqian had just made.
Old Mo fell silent, then slapped the table and stood up: “In this matter, we should still inform Third Brother. I’ll go visit Third Brother.”
By evening, Old Mo returned without saying anything more, but he rented a house in Nanjing and stayed, not returning to the North for now.