◎ The Shop ◎

Qu You said nothing — in truth, this tactic wasn’t unfamiliar to her at all.

In several of the dynasties that came after Great Yin, particularly closer to more modern times, emperors often did exactly this — choosing trusted confidants to form units outside the normal bureaucratic structure, with authority that bypassed the entire civil and military hierarchy, answering only to the throne itself.

That was how the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had come into being; that was why eunuchs later came to seize such power in their wake. The tightening grip of central authority — she’d never expected to see its beginnings already taking root here in Great Yin.

In other words, Emperor De’s interest in this case wasn’t really about wanting Zhou Tan and the Three Judicial Offices to genuinely uncover the truth for him. He simply wanted to use the opportunity to further consolidate his own power.

“With the factional strife between the chief minister and the executive having reached this point, why does His Majesty still feel so uneasy?” Qu You sighed. “When Chancellor Gu was still in power, the court was clean, and the remonstrance bureau still had some ability to push back. Now, I imagine, they wouldn’t dare.”

“The criminal code is written vaguely enough. The remonstrance bureau and the Censorate can only offer advice — whether the sovereign chooses to act on it is another matter entirely,” Zhou Tan said.

“His Majesty values his own authority over the law itself. This case was simply chosen as a target.” Qu You gave a bitter laugh. “Even if Old Fu never anticipated this particular development, the trap he wove for you was never going to work anyway. No wonder you’ve been so composed through all this.”

“Once I stepped into his trap, he could no longer stay uninvolved himself.” Zhou Tan glanced out of the carriage. “These days, fewer and fewer people at court are willing to speak the truth directly…”

He stopped himself there, then changed the subject instead. “A rest day doesn’t come easily. Let’s go take a look at Physician Bo’s new medicinal food shop.”

Bo Ying’s medicinal food shop hadn’t opened on North Street — North Street was too chaotic and mixed, with no market for high-priced medicinal cuisine there. He’d originally only lacked the funds to rent a proper space, but had since teamed up with the ever-wealthy Ai Disheng, and the two of them, hitting it off at once, had rented a small two-story building along the Bian River.

Qu You had visited once before, right after it opened, but this time she found the shop rather quiet. Zhi Ling was in the main hall doing the accounts. Seeing the two of them enter, she quickly set down her ledger and came over with a smile. “Sister Qu is here!”

Since Qu You and Zhou Tan’s relationship had once been distant, Zhi Ling had always called her “Sister.” She glanced at Zhou Tan’s expressionless face and bowed. “Lord Zhou.”

“Mm,” Zhou Tan replied.

Qu You asked quickly, “Where’s your boss? Why are you the only one minding the shop?”

The mere mention of it made Zhi Ling huff in irritation. “Don’t even get me started. Physician Bo may have opened this shop, but all he’s ever wanted, even in his dreams, is to sit back and collect the profits without lifting a finger to manage anything. Sister Dingxiang and I are the ones actually running this place, and honestly, neither of us is very skilled at business — we’ve been struggling to figure it out on our own. We’ve been meaning to ask Proprietress Ai for some advice lately. Physician Bo promised to bring someone in to help, and then vanished again — probably out wandering the streets with his medicine box, treating people for free.”

She grumbled, but there was no real accusation in her tone. Bo Ying, though he loved money dearly, still enjoyed treating the poor even after opening his shop — a genuinely good thing to do, nothing to fault him for.

It was just that the shop, as things stood now, was undeniably quiet.

Qu You looked around the shop, and Zhi Ling walked with her, saying, “Sister Dingxiang is upstairs going through old texts, teaching the newly hired boy to copy out the medicinal recipes. Sister… would you like to go up and see her?”

So the two of them went upstairs.

It had originally been Qu You’s suggestion for Bo Ying to open a medicinal food shop in the first place. While Zhou Tan’s injuries were still healing, she’d had Bo Ying write out a number of recipes for her, and had found that these medicinal dishes, drawn carefully from old texts, were not only excellent for one’s health but tasted good as well.

The idea of “nourishing the body through food” wasn’t a popular one in Great Yin. Since Bo Ying was short on money, she’d mentioned the idea offhandedly, and he’d taken to it eagerly, opening the shop almost immediately.

Though Bo Ying had put thought into writing recipes suited to different purposes, medicinal cuisine still fell somewhat short compared to ordinary food and wine, and repeat customers were few.

Dingxiang was upstairs teaching the newly hired assistant to copy out the recipes. Qu You chatted with her for a bit, and an idea began to take shape in her mind.

Bo Ying really should explore some business strategies together with Proprietress Ai. Since the original idea had been hers to begin with, she had a few thoughts of her own on the matter — perhaps there’d be a chance to discuss it further.

Zhou Tan accompanied her back downstairs, but had only taken a few steps before he caught the hem of her skirt. Puzzled, Qu You looked up and saw two guards standing at the entrance, heads lowered.

There must be some person of high status visiting the shop.

She fell silent at once, peering down through the gap. She saw Zhi Ling carefully attending to an elegantly dressed female guest, and after a moment’s thought, said in surprise, “That looks like… the Crown Princess.”

She had once caught a glimpse of the Crown Princess from a distance at the Gao family banquet, and the impression had stuck with her. Crown Princess Li Yuanjun, though born into a prominent military family, carried herself with an unusually delicate air, like a dodder vine, staying quietly at Grand Princess Pingxi’s side, eyes downcast, saying little.

“With the Crown Princess here, I won’t go down,” Zhou Tan said in a low voice. “Do you want to go greet her?”

Qu You hesitated a moment, then went down anyway.

Seeing her descend the stairs, the Crown Princess called out, somewhat surprised, testing the words. “Madam Vice Minister?”

“Greetings to Your Highness.”

Qu You bowed in courtesy, a little surprised that the Crown Princess still remembered her face.

“What brings you here as well, Madam?” the Crown Princess asked, taking hold of her arm to help her rise. “Did the Vice Minister not come with you?”

She carried herself with quiet elegance, her manner gentle, and though her looks were only ordinary, every movement of hers carried the refinement of a well-bred lady. Qu You found herself warming to her at once, and said, lowering her hands respectfully, “I come here often. If Your Highness would like something, allow me to help you choose.”

“Wonderful,” the Crown Princess said warmly, taking her by the arm as the two of them strolled together past the wooden placards displaying the various recipes. “Lately I’ve often felt a heaviness in my chest. The physicians we usually see in the household aren’t skilled in this area, and I didn’t wish to trouble the imperial physicians over it. A few days ago Yunyue came to visit and recommended this place to me.”

Qu You helped her look through the shop’s offerings, and noticed that the wooden placards Bo Ying had written held no particular order — just a rough listing of each dish’s name and its intended use, making it quite a chore to choose anything.

She went through them carefully with the Crown Princess, tossing in a few playful remarks along the way — a bit of experience gained from dealing with her advisor, back in her old world — and managed to put the Crown Princess thoroughly at ease, laughing freely by the end. In the end, the Crown Princess selected three sets of recipes, along with some medicinal pastes and dried goods.

The imperial family rarely dined outside the palace, so the Crown Princess didn’t stay for a meal, taking her leave reluctantly, inviting Qu You to visit the residence sometime for a gathering. Qu You took a chart of food compatibility and conflicts that Dingxiang had just finished copying out and gave it to her as a gift, seeing her off.

She went back up the stairs and found that Zhou Tan had ordered a bowl of shredded chicken soup, carefully lifting his sleeve as he sampled it. Seeing her come up, he handed her a spoon. Just as she sat down, she heard Zhou Tan ask, quietly, “What did you think of the Crown Princess?”

She glanced around at once and realized that, at some point, Zhou Tan had already sent everyone else out of the upstairs hall. The only ones nearby now were He San, keeping watch at the top of the stairs, and her own two young maids.

“The Crown Princess doesn’t seem like someone from a military family,” Qu You said after some thought, carefully. “She seems more like the dignified, composed daughter of a scholarly official.”

Zhou Tan gave a low laugh. The motion of him drinking his soup was so graceful that not a single drop of oil clung to his lips. Qu You, sitting close beside him, found the phrase “a feast for the eyes” surface unbidden in her mind, and quickly shook her head, taking up a handkerchief to dab at her own lips instead.

“I’ve known the Crown Prince for a long time. Given his temperament, he wouldn’t be drawn to a woman like the Crown Princess,” Zhou Tan said. “This marriage happened by accident. Executive Gao once served as the Crown Prince’s tutor, and the two shared a close bond — there was even a time when a match between Miss Gao and the Crown Prince was nearly settled. The Crown Princess is a maternal cousin of the Crown Prince, the only daughter of her generation in that family. As it happened, she fell into the water, was rescued by the Crown Prince, and naturally became his official consort not long after.”

“If the Executive’s family were to become in-laws with the Crown Prince, would His Majesty feel at ease with that?” Qu You asked, puzzled.

“At the time, the Executive held no real authority — he was only serving as tutor,” Zhou Tan explained. “It was only after that match fell through that His Majesty elevated him to his current position, to stand against Fu Qingnian.”

“Ah… that is interesting, then. So was this marriage engineered by the Li clan to preserve their family’s standing, or was it His Majesty deliberately blocking the Crown Prince from forming his own faction?” Qu You lifted the teapot before her and poured Zhou Tan a cup. The tea inside seemed to be steeped with roses, the liquid a rich, vivid color inside the white jade lotus-shaped cup.

Zhou Tan took a sip. Slightly sour.

“No one truly knows the answer to that. But… I find myself somewhat relieved by it, all the same.”

“Why is that?”

Zhou Tan dipped a finger in water and traced a single character on the table: “Caution.”

“The Executive is a good and capable minister.”

Qu You understood the meaning behind his seemingly disconnected words.

That he’d been willing to attend the Gao family’s autumn banquet said it all — in Zhou Tan’s eyes, Gao Ze was a man of upright character. Though not without his own ambitions, he could still be counted among the honest, principled officials.

The Executive was a good minister. But the Crown Prince was not destined to be a good sovereign.

Just as she finished piecing together the meaning behind his words, she heard He San give a small cough, and then a familiar voice drifted up from downstairs. “What? Lord Zhou and his lady wife are here?”

And then another voice, one that surprised them both. “Xiaobai’s here too?”

It seemed Bo Ying had come back together with Ai Disheng.

She just hadn’t realized the two of them had grown so close so quickly.

Somewhat surprised, Qu You went downstairs to greet the two of them. Zhou Tan raised an eyebrow slightly at Ai Disheng, who immediately bounded over to his side. “Xiaobai, it’s rare to see you away from the Ministry of Justice! Let’s have Physician Bo treat us to some drinks today!”

“This is a medicinal food shop — where would I get wine from? Do you want to get drunk on ginseng liquor?” Bo Ying called out. “You’re the one who should be treating us.”

Zhou Tan tilted his head to glance at Qu You, and, to her surprise, agreed. Zhi Ling and Dingxiang sent the staff away and hung a “closed for business” sign outside the shop’s front door. Watching the two of them work, Qu You said to Bo Ying, “You care so little for this shop — I’m afraid it won’t be long before it goes under.”

“Exactly — that’s exactly what I’ve been worrying myself sick over lately!” Bo Ying slapped his thigh, his face full of woe. “That’s why, when I ran into Proprietress Ai on North Street today, I dragged her over at once to give me some advice.”

Zhi Ling cleared a larger table for the group, smiling as she ushered everyone to sit. “Physician Bo doesn’t know the first thing about running a business, and neither Sister Dingxiang nor I are very skilled at it either. Proprietress Ai will really have to put in some effort here. Earlier, when the Crown Princess came in person, it was thanks to Madam’s company and patience that we finally satisfied her — if it had just been me alone, I never could have managed it.”

“So much trouble, so much trouble.” Bo Ying clasped his hands together with an apologetic smile.

Qu You propped her chin on her hand, looking around the room. “No need to be so formal. I do hope Proprietress Ai can offer plenty of solutions today — otherwise, I’m afraid all the silver Lord Zhou and I have spent here will soon be lost right back out again.”

Author’s Note:

Thanks to all the little angels who cast overlord votes or watered with nutrient solution between 2022-08-01 19:29:06 and 2022-08-02 23:38:08~

Thanks to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Alice 5 bottles; Good Luck Please 2 bottles; Le Wei, Chengcheng, 243094691 bottle;

Thank you all so much for your support — I’ll keep working hard!