Whether tea was prepared or not was beside the point — the important thing was that there was tea to drink. And Shen Ruzhan had not actually conceded.

Anyone who thought she had conceded had probably not thought it through. What she had done in her exchange with Gao Xining was a subtle replay of a strategy she had used before.

Her tactic with Li Chi had been deliberate coolness — maintaining detachment right until the crucial moment, when she revealed her decisive value.

In her own words, this strategy was called: suppress first, then reveal.

Just now she had simply done it again.

First, she let slip what seemed like a slightly cool, slightly sharp and unkind remark about Li Chi.

This prompted Gao Xining’s response — an entirely predictable reaction, well within her expectations.

Then she allowed a moment of visible reflection, as if she had been brought to her senses. And she capped it with the line about having also read books on the art of tea, signaling to Gao Xining her recognition and approval.

This was far more effective than meeting Gao Xining directly and immediately declaring her intentions. It left a better impression.

Shen Ruzhan had always presented herself as a merchant, and so she consistently looked at things through a merchant’s eye.

Negotiating an alliance, for instance. Walking in and immediately projecting an attitude of I’m happy to cooperate produced far inferior results to projecting an attitude of you’ve won me over.

Show willingness too readily, and your counterpart feels the deal came too easily — and things that come easily tend not to be prized.

But let the other party feel they had to work for you — and you give them a sense of satisfaction, a feeling that the outcome came from their own capability.

So Shen Ruzhan left the carriage company looking rather content, and Gao Xining looked rather content as well.

Not long after Shen Ruzhan’s departure, Xiahou Yili appeared at Gao Xining’s side. She had been worried about Gao Xining’s safety — Gao Xining’s martial arts were, well, as they were. So throughout the entire exchange, Xiahou Yili had been sitting in the inner room of the tea chamber, and had heard every word without missing any of it.

“You were remarkable,” said Xiahou Yili. “You actually left someone like Shen Ruzhan at a loss for words.”

Gao Xining smiled lightly. “She’s the remarkable one. Being at a loss for words was something she did on purpose — she wanted me to feel that she had started out unwilling, and was won over only by my abilities.”

Xiahou Yili blinked, genuinely unable to hear any of that in what had just been said.

Gao Xining raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I’m also quite remarkable — because I let her believe she’s the one I had to win over.”

Xiahou Yili blinked again. She replayed the conversation between Gao Xining and Shen Ruzhan in her mind, and concluded she could not possibly have followed all of that.

She muttered to herself, “Are you two immortals or something?”

Gao Xining clasped her hands behind her back, ponytail swaying as she walked forward.

She said with a smile, “Even if we are both immortals, I am the younger one.”

Xiahou Yili laughed along.

“Hmph,” she said. “Who isn’t?”

—

Outside the carriage company, Shen Ruzhan climbed into her carriage. Her guard, Lü Qingluan, sat up front, cracked the whip, and the carriage set off at a gentle roll.

Halfway along the road, Lü Qingluan couldn’t hold back and asked, “Mistress, how did it go?”

From inside the carriage Shen Ruzhan smiled. “The matter itself may not be so important now. What is important is that I’ve found an interesting person. I like that extraordinarily clever girl — she truly is someone anyone would adore. She knows how to make people feel at ease, and she does it so naturally.”

Shen Ruzhan closed her eyes, but the smile remained at the corner of her lips.

“I enjoy dealing with people like that — it’s easy, and we both come away satisfied… When you get back, tell the staff to prepare a batch of wound medicine. I want it delivered to the carriage company no later than tomorrow afternoon. Whoever brings it should make clear that this is a belated introduction gift from me to my younger sister Gao Xining. And send along the pair of gold ornaments I bought yesterday as well.”

Shen Ruzhan never bought jade or similar pieces. When it came to jewelry, she bought only gold. In her view, no antique or fine jade, no pearl or precious stone, no matter how ostensibly valuable, compared to gold. Gold brought her a kind of pleasure that nothing else could.

People mocked her for being vulgar. She mocked them for being ignorant.

Lü Qingluan could hear the delight in her mistress’s voice, and laughed along.

“Mistress, it sounds as though you’ve met your match.”

“Not a match.”

Shen Ruzhan thought about it carefully, then said, “The same kind. The first one I’ve found, in all my years.”

—

Elsewhere, at the General’s Residence in Luo Jing.

The young general who knew no equal on the battlefield sat in the training yard watching his soldiers roast a lamb. The smell had already drifted over from a distance, whetting the appetite.

Luo Geng, however, was deep in thought. How was he to handle Zeng Ling?

Zeng Ling was sure to make a move, but with Luo Geng’s own judgment, he couldn’t yet determine what the move would be, nor when it would come.

What he was currently weighing was whether Zeng Ling might simply tear away all pretense. If Zeng Ling ordered the Jizhou army to surround and attack his Tiger and Leopard Cavalry right now, Luo Geng might not be able to fight his way out of Jizhou City at all.

His Tiger and Leopard Cavalry could range freely across open plains and cut through enemies like harvesting crops. But inside a city — a stuffy barrel of a place — they would be pinned down and crushed by overwhelming numbers of Jizhou soldiers, however fierce they were.

Just then, a soldier on watch came striding over, a letter in hand. He ran up before Luo Geng and gave a military salute.

“General, a letter has arrived. The man who delivered it says it was sent by Li Chi, proprietor of Yongning Tongyuan Carriage Company.”

At those words, Luo Geng’s eyes lit up. He had known it — he had known Li Chi would contact him.

The enemy of my enemy may well be my friend.

He opened the letter and read. And the light in his eyes grew brighter.

“Someone come here.”

Luo Geng gave his orders: “Two tasks. First, send someone to the carriage company to say that I will call on them in person tomorrow. Second, send someone to purchase gifts — make them generous.”

With that, he rose and stretched out his arms, feeling the tension leave his body all at once, and walked toward where his soldiers were roasting the lamb.

—

Back at the carriage company.

Xiahou Yili and Gao Xining came through from the rear courtyard. From a distance they could already see Li Chi and Tang Pidi with their arms over each other’s shoulders, making a hasty exit — the look of men who had scored a point at someone’s expense and were now bolting.

Yu Jiuling was crouched alone on the ground staring at his feet, looking rather pitiful, as if someone had relieved themselves on his shoe.

The divine eagle was twisting its magnificent backside into the distance — clearly done with Yu Jiuling as well, and making no effort to hide it.

If Gao Xining and the others had known that the eagle had in fact relieved itself directly on Yu Jiuling’s foot just moments ago, they would probably have understood immediately that Yu Jiuling had said something to provoke it.

Li Chi and Tang Pidi had fled. Even the divine eagle had responded to Yu Jiuling’s words with urination.

At that moment Yuan Jiabei and Liu Yingyuan returned from a shopping errand, and seeing Gao Xining and Xiahou Yili, the two girls broke into smiles and came running over like a pair of happy swallows.

Gao Xining’s close companion Ruoling had just finished washing some of Mister Yan’s clothes left behind at the company and was heading to his room to put them away. She reached this spot and saw the four girls standing there watching Li Chi and Tang Pidi stroll off arm in arm, all of them laughing without a care in the world.

Ruoling felt something stir.

“The mandarin ducks embrace — when will it end?” she murmured to herself. “While another duck watches on the side and smiles.”

She shook her head, cradled the clothes, and walked on.

Then after a moment she added under her breath, “Four ducks watching, actually.”

—

Meanwhile, at Siyi Academy.

In Dean Gao’s study, Mister Yan stood upright before him, waiting for the dean to speak. Dean Gao seemed to be thinking about how to begin.

“Qingzhi.”

“Your student is here.”

Hearing the dean speak, Yan Qingzhi immediately answered.

Dean Gao smiled. “Don’t be so formal — sit down and let’s talk. It’s nothing too serious, just something I’ve had on my mind. I wanted to ask your thoughts.”

In that instant, Yan Qingzhi wondered what matter it was that had the dean so hesitant. Surely it couldn’t be… something about him? And if something about him, something serious enough for the dean to handle personally — could it be something about the dean too?

Surely it wasn’t — surely it wasn’t that the dean had somehow heard about Miss Ruoling.

Miss Ruoling was indeed gentle and capable, but there was truly nothing between him and Miss Ruoling.

He began repeating it to himself: please don’t mention Ruoling, please don’t mention Ruoling, please don’t mention Ruoling.

“Regarding Ning’er…”

The moment those words left the dean’s mouth, Yan Qingzhi let out a breath of relief. A very obvious breath of relief.

He quickly followed up, “What about her?”

Dean Gao said, “Li Chi has come to propose in person, which is all well and good, but it ought to be made formal through a proper matchmaker. So I was thinking—”

Yan Qingzhi immediately understood. “You mean for me to act as the matchmaker — to arrange the formal proposal, and afterward the engagement and the wedding.”

Dean Gao nodded. “As you can see, those two — one will marry no one but her, and the other will marry no one but him. But propriety matters, and words travel. If there’s no formal arrangement, and people hear that Ning’er has been living at the carriage company all this time, they will talk.”

“Your student understands.”

Yan Qingzhi said, “I still have a few classes today, but tonight when I return to the carriage company, I’ll sit down with the two of them and sort this out properly.”

Dean Gao nodded. “With you handling it, my mind is at ease.”

He also visibly let out a breath of relief. A very obvious breath of relief — because in his heart he was thinking: I didn’t mention Ruoling, I didn’t mention Ruoling, I didn’t mention Ruoling.

The two men looked at each other. Then both smiled — and both felt the same thing: now that the real business was done, it would be a bit awkward to simply part without a bit of conversation.

So the now-relaxed Dean Gao, in a very relaxed tone, asked:

“I understand that Ruoling seems to treat you rather well? In the days I’ve been staying at the carriage company, I could see she looks after you greatly — even your clothes she often takes to wash for you?”

Yan Qingzhi: “……”

At this moment, what could Yan Qingzhi possibly say to steer the conversation away in one clean stroke? It had to be quick — if he didn’t hit the mark at once, the dean would likely circle back before long, and in his eyes, Miss Ruoling was family.

Gao Xining and Ruoling had grown up together. Something very close to sisters. The dean understood this perfectly well.

So after a moment’s silence, Yan Qingzhi looked up at Dean Gao and asked, “Dean — have you ever thought about remarrying?”

Just as he had calculated, the dean’s expression immediately changed.

“What nonsense are you talking! I’m at my age — what kind of thoughts would I have about that!”

Yan Qingzhi saw that reaction and was delighted. Genuinely delighted.

“Actually, the dean is not that old. And if there were someone to look after you, your students — and the younger generation — would all have peace of mind knowing you were cared for.”

The dean’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Is it that since Ruoling has been looking after you recently, you’re speaking from personal experience?”

Yan Qingzhi: “…?”

—