By the time they returned to the inn, it was already midnight. Secretary Hao, responsible for entertaining guests, had drunk himself senseless and was carried back to his room by two shop assistants. Gu Pingyuan’s mind was calculating: twenty thousand taels of silver—ten thousand given to An Dehai, eight thousand to be paid to the Ministry of Revenue for participating in the Grand Tea Competition, and with miscellaneous expenses calculated, there was barely anything left. It seemed this was yet another desperate last stand with no way back. If he lost, he would truly have no face to return and meet the elders of Jiangdong.

As he paced while thinking, he walked to the corridor between the eastern and western courtyards, when his heart suddenly stirred. He had drunk quite a bit too, and now with his thoughts wandering, he thought of Bai Yimei, then remembered Chang Yu’er. After hesitating for a moment, he resolutely turned west and stepped into the western courtyard.

Only one room inside had its light on—naturally Chang Yu’er was inside. Ever since that day when she saw Chen Laizi outside the inn, she had shut herself in her room and hardly come out. Gu Pingyuan hesitated repeatedly before stepping forward to knock on the door.

“Who is it?”

“…It’s me.”

The room fell silent for a while, then the door creaked open. Chang Yu’er opened the door and stood there without saying a word. He could see her face still bore tear stains, like pear blossoms wet with rain. Her eyes were red, clearly showing she hadn’t stopped crying. Seeing this, Gu Pingyuan felt even more guilty.

Before Gu Pingyuan could speak, Chang Yu’er spoke first, her tone immediately resolute: “Boss Gu, rest assured. Saving you back then was my willing choice. As for marrying you, just consider it a joke from my father. From now on, we owe each other nothing. The friendship between you, my father, and my elder brother is your business. I’ll return to Shanxi tomorrow.”

“Miss Chang, I’ve wronged you.” The more she spoke this way, the more Gu Pingyuan felt sorry in his heart.

“Don’t say that. There’s no matter of wronging or not wronging. After we part today, let’s just consider ourselves strangers.” Chang Yu’er said coldly, but unexpectedly thought again of “that night’s” circumstances. In the past when she thought of this matter, she would always secretly curse herself for shamelessness, her face reddening like evening clouds, yet she couldn’t help thinking about it again. Today when she thought of it, it was like sharp needles piercing her heart—beautiful thoughts had turned to desolation, and she felt life had no flavor at all.

Gu Pingyuan was choked speechless. If it were someone else, they probably would have turned and left. But he had a nature that persevered through difficulties and refused to retreat. Seeing Chang Yu’er speak so absolutely, he boldly asked: “Miss Chang, you know my heart already belongs to another. If you married me, would your heart be happy?”

“I…” Chang Yu’er hadn’t expected Gu Pingyuan to speak so directly, face to face like this, and was momentarily stunned. After thinking, her expression had already softened, and she said gently:

“I’m not wanting to marry you just because of that incident. You saved Father, so naturally I’m grateful to you. Later I—I saved you, but I never thought I must marry you for it. At worst, I’d stay with Father and be an old maid. But I discovered I missed you terribly, hoping with all my heart to see you again, even if just once, so I came out with Father…” As Chang Yu’er spoke, she became so embarrassed that her neck turned red, her voice like a mosquito’s buzz, keeping her head down without looking at Gu Pingyuan.

Gu Pingyuan had originally been three parts drunk, but hearing this, his wine had completely sobered. Chang Yu’er’s feelings for him ran so deep—this was definitely not merely about defending her reputation. He hadn’t expected Chang Yu’er to pour out her feelings so completely. How should he respond to this?

“Elder Brother Gu, you have a woman you love, so go back to Huizhou and marry her. I know how painful it is to wait for someone, and I don’t want you to suffer the same heartache. As for me, you can forget me completely. Being able to see you again and say these words to you, I’m already completely satisfied.”

Chang Yu’er stood there pitifully, her gentle words making Gu Pingyuan’s heart ache with pity and tenderness. Unable to help himself, she stepped forward and grasped her hand. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Heita burst into the courtyard at that moment, shouting at the top of his voice: “Elder Brother Gu, where did you run off to? I’ve been busy all day and have lots of things to discuss with you!”

As his voice arrived, so did Liu Heita, stepping inside and immediately freezing in place.

“This—this, you—you two…”

Chang Yu’er, embarrassed, pulled her hand away and stepped back half a step, closing the door and hiding inside, refusing to come out again. Gu Pingyuan also flushed red, turning his face aside as he walked past Liu Heita in several steps.

After this delay, only a few days remained before the Grand Tea Competition began. Gu Pingyuan directed everyone according to his arrangements in intense, non-stop preparation. He was truly overwhelmed with busyness and didn’t see Chang Yu’er again. But he learned from Liu Heita that she hadn’t returned to Shanxi and was still staying in the western courtyard of the inn, only rarely leaving her room.

This matter truly made both Old Chang Si and Gu Pingyuan feel awkward. Both men shared the same thought: wait until after the Grand Tea Competition to deal with it. Thus they reached a tacit understanding to never mention it.

The few days passed in a flash, and finally the day of the Grand Tea Competition arrived.

From early morning, exquisite carriages driven by handsome servants could be seen coming in streams from the guild halls and inns throughout the capital, arriving at the competition venue—Prince Chun’s Mansion. The passengers in the carriages were undoubtedly the elite of merchants from various regions. This was a grand gathering of merchants from across the realm, everyone beaming with joy.

Though the Grand Tea Competition was nominally organized by the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry only collected the silver—all arrangements and hospitality were handled entirely by the Beijing merchants. Since they already knew they would claim the title of “World’s Greatest Tea,” Li Wantang instructed Li Qin to spare no expense in decorating the ten alleys around Prince Chun’s Mansion with colorful lanterns and streamers, making them brilliantly illuminated.

These lanterns were made by master craftsmen using the finest red gauze, adorned with emerald feathers and tassels. The colored banners were all of the highest quality Suzhou silk, embroidered with flowers, birds, fish, insects, figures, landscapes, rare treasures—everything wonderfully complete and lifelike. Hundreds of zhang of precious Suzhou silk were casually hung at street corners and alley entrances. Though they couldn’t sprinkle clean water on the streets or lay yellow earth, the Beijing merchants innovatively used pure white wool felt to cover the entire street in front of Prince Chun’s Mansion. In the early summer weather, from a distance it looked like heavy goose-feather snow had fallen, causing people to marvel in amazement. Just this display of luxury alone attracted countless common people to watch. Some traveled all the way from Fengtai Military Camp in the suburbs just to see these extraordinarily wealthy merchants and magnates.

Gu Pingyuan paid eight thousand taels of silver and could bring two people with him besides himself. He had originally planned to bring Secretary Hao and Old Chang Si, but Liu Heita stubbornly pestered him to enter the prince’s mansion to see the excitement. Apparently he had a peculiar hobby of touring royal mansions—when he was seriously injured in Mongolia, he still insisted Gu Pingyuan take him into Prince Korke’s mansion. Today he kept calling him “brother-in-law,” just wanting to go into the mansion to see the rarities.

Gu Pingyuan had no choice but to have Old Chang Si wait outside. However, he wouldn’t be idle outside either—he was responsible for arranging Gu Pingyuan’s “preparations” properly.

On the morning of the Grand Tea Competition, in the储秀Palace of the Western Six Palaces of the Forbidden City, cries of anguish could be heard. Eunuch Chief An Dehai hurried into the hall, and a young eunuch had already told him: “The mistress has lost her temper again and caught an unlucky one who’s being beaten with sticks.”

An Dehai nodded. This was arranged by him beforehand. He understood this “Western one’s” temperament best—young and widowed, she often had a fit of temper in the morning. At such times, it was best to tell her some fresh and interesting stories to divert her attention. This was also when she most liked to hear news.

Speaking of fresh news, nothing could compare to the “Grand Tea Competition” being held in the capital that day. Sure enough, upon hearing this, the Western Empress Dowager’s expression softened slightly as she asked: “Such grand display? And it’s being held in the Seventh Prince’s mansion—who has such great ability?”

“It’s…” An Dehai pretended to hesitate, “This slave dares not say.”

“What is there you dare not say to me? Speak!”

“Yes, Mistress, think about it—who could command the Seventh Prince but…?”

Cixi frowned, “You mean the Sixth Prince?”

“This slave dares not speak ill of the Prince Regent behind his back, but I heard the Beijing merchants sent several million taels of silver to the national treasury, and the Prince immediately promised them the title of ‘World’s Greatest Tea.'”

Hearing this, Cixi smiled coldly without sound, thinking to herself: Sending silver to the national treasury? That’s probably just a smokescreen. The silver likely went into Prince Gong’s mansion instead—otherwise why would Prince Gong be so enthusiastic about helping the Beijing merchants? Recalling how a few days ago she had mentioned wanting to renovate the gardens, Prince Gong had stubbornly refused, saying if the Imperial Household Department had money they could renovate, but they couldn’t touch the national treasury. So all the money had gone to his own mansion instead.

Cixi had always suffered from liver qi stagnation and couldn’t bottle up her anger—when angry, she felt pain. Now she couldn’t help frowning again, thinking how boring her life was in the deep palace while outside it was lively and bustling. The more she thought, the angrier she became. An Dehai was like a tapeworm in her belly—seeing this, he understood what this young Empress Dowager was thinking. Feeling the timing was about right, he tentatively said: “Today happens to be a day when the Six Ministries weren’t summoned. Perhaps this slave could accompany the mistress to visit the Seventh Princess Consort?”

The Seventh Princess Consort was Prince Chun’s primary consort, who was also Cixi’s younger sister. Saying they would visit the Seventh Princess Consort was actually to go see the excitement of the Grand Tea Competition. Hearing this, Cixi’s eyes lit up, but then she waved her hand and pointed toward the eastern wall.

An Dehai understood—she was afraid the Empress Dowager living in Zhongcui Palace in the Eastern Six Palaces would find out. Though both dowagers held equal honor, after all, the “Eastern one” had been the legitimate empress consort, so her position was still above the Western Empress Dowager’s. If she heard about secretly leaving the palace, even a word or two of reproach would be face they couldn’t afford to lose.

“Without bringing guards, this slave will protect the imperial carriage. We’ll quietly leave through the Xihua Gate and return in the afternoon. I guarantee no one will know.” An Dehai encouraged her, as Gu Pingyuan’s ten thousand taels were now taking effect.

“Mm.” Cixi pondered, already eight or nine parts decided.

“Even if someone knew, it wouldn’t matter much. A sister visiting her sister—could anyone gossip about that?” With An Dehai’s words, the matter was settled.

What no one expected was that An Dehai and Cixi’s movements all fell under the eyes of the Beggar Gang’s “pole-standing” beggars spread throughout the imperial city. They all recognized An Dehai, but as for that woman, no one could identify her. Regardless, having taken someone’s silver, even if a mouse emerged from the Western Empress Dowager’s palace today, they had to deliver the message.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen.” Li Wantang stood on the steps of the flower hall in the mansion’s rear garden, bowing with cupped hands to the merchants from across the nation gathered in the garden. “To be able to hold this grand gathering in the Prince’s mansion today, I and all of you are thrice blessed. Let me first thank the Prince on behalf of all merchants under heaven.”

Having said this, he turned around and crisply performed a kowtow to the Prince. Prince Chun, seated in the center of the flower hall, merely nodded slightly. As a prince, according to Qing dynasty protocol, he was exempt from reciprocal courtesies—even when ministers paid their respects, he need not return the courtesy, much less to this group of money-obsessed businessmen whom he looked down upon from the bottom of his heart.

Speaking from his heart, Prince Chun fundamentally disagreed with holding any Grand Tea Competition in his family’s garden. Prince Gong had pressured him with his status as “Sixth Brother” and mentioned the Beijing merchants’ contributions to the national treasury, asking him to prioritize national affairs. With such a big hat placed on his head, he had no choice but to reluctantly agree, feeling as disgusted as if he’d swallowed a fly.

But that was two months ago. Now Prince Chun was quite pleased. Though the title of Prince sounded impressive, his annual stipend was only five thousand taels of silver and five thousand hu of grain. The mansion’s expenses were large, and he was an idle prince. If not for relying on a few estates granted by the late emperor, he would actually be spending more than he earned.

The mansion’s private tutor, Mr. Li, knowing his troubles, had used the Grand Tea Competition to suggest an idea: charge ten thousand taels of silver for entering the flower hall to taste tea with the Prince. With this arrangement, Prince Chun’s mansion easily collected over two hundred thousand taels of silver.

Prince Chun was delighted in his heart but maintained a bland expression on his face, though he secretly marveled at these businessmen’s vast wealth.

There was another matter that pleased him greatly, which Prince Chun had told no one about. Only when his eyes occasionally met those of the seated Mr. Li did both men show knowing smiles.

At this time, tea merchants from various regions in the garden began discussing in low voices.

“By what right do the Beijing merchants represent all merchants under heaven in thanking the Prince? Their tone is too arrogant.”

“Exactly. I think Li Wantang is so pleased he doesn’t know which way is up.”

“Haven’t you heard? The Beijing merchants have already secured the ‘World’s Greatest Tea’ title.”

“But the Beijing merchants don’t have any good tea in their hands. What will they use to claim the world’s best?”

“Yes, I’m puzzled too.”

Though each person spoke quietly, with over a hundred people in the garden, this discussion created some commotion. Prince Chun frowned, and Li Wantang quickly bowed again to the assembled tea merchants: “Gentlemen, since you’ve come, you naturally all know the rules. Three recognized tea-tasting masters are in the pavilion on the artificial mountain to taste tea—they’ll judge the second through tenth best teas. As for this ‘World’s Greatest Tea,’ naturally it must be judged by the noble Prince Chun of imperial blood.”

He glanced toward Li Qin standing below the platform. Li Qin nodded, and only then did Li Wantang say: “It looks like everyone’s arrived. Let’s begin.”

Number plates had been distributed beforehand according to registration order, and the tea-tasting sequence followed these numbers. Not only the Prince and the three tea-tasting masters, but every seated merchant in the garden had a cup of tea to drink.

Round tables were arranged throughout the garden, each seating six people in exactly two groups. Gu Pingyuan, Secretary Hao, and Liu Heita sat together with Interpreter Lin and his two assistants at a table positioned on the pebbled path between the artificial mountain and flower hall, naturally surrounded by many strange rocks and exotic plants.

Ever since entering the mansion’s rear garden, Liu Heita had been full of praise for this exquisitely crafted garden. Being a crude man, his vocabulary was limited to “beautiful” and “really beautiful.” Interpreter Lin couldn’t help asking: “You say it’s beautiful, but what exactly makes it beautiful?”

“This, this.” Liu Heita scratched his head and after holding back for a long time said: “Look at those flowering trees I’ve never seen before—isn’t that beautiful?”

“No wonder you haven’t seen them. Some of these flowering trees aren’t naturally grown but are the handiwork of the capital’s garden master Zhuo Sansan. This man has devoted his life to studying horticulture, and his skill in grafting flowers and trees has reached perfection—truly supernatural. The mansion invites him three times a year to trim the garden, paying at least one thousand taels each time.”

“Good heavens, so much silver just to trim a few trees? Brother-in-law, how do you even know about this?” Hearing that a few clusters of flowering trees cost three thousand taels annually, Liu Heita was even more amazed that Gu Pingyuan knew such details clearly.

Hearing him randomly calling him names again, Gu Pingyuan couldn’t respond and could only smile bitterly at Secretary Hao.

Three strikes of the bronze gong sounded, and the long-anticipated Grand Tea Competition officially began.

Though many small tea merchants had traveled thousands of li to the capital, upon learning that all participants in the Grand Tea Competition were renowned “formidable opponents,” they weighed their own capabilities. Unwilling to waste thousands of taels of silver just to serve as decoration, they quietly withdrew. Therefore, those who came today were almost all famous teas. Though few in number, each was renowned throughout the land. The first to take the stage was West Lake Longjing brought by Zhejiang merchants.

Everyone had anticipated that though it was called a tea competition, what they were really judging was tea artistry. As expected, a young man dressed in white robes with a black sash quickly stepped onto the temporary high platform built with large stones in the center of the garden. After taking the stage, he bowed in all four directions with a full circle salute, his face beaming with smiles. His technique was even more praiseworthy. With both hands moving left and right on the table, everyone’s eyes blurred as tea spoons, tea strainers, tea trays, tea canisters, tea tongs, tea paste, tea needles, and tea mortars were neatly arranged on both sides of the tea tray.

“Excellent!” The garden was full of connoisseurs, and seeing the young man’s display, several people were already calling out praise.

Next, fragrance cups and tasting cups were placed before him. The young man’s every movement was swift as flying, fast but not chaotic: appreciating tea, appreciating spring water, washing cups, cooling water, adding tea, moistening tea, offering tea, smelling tea, tasting tea—all in one flowing sequence. A servant with a loud voice beside him called out with the movements: “First Meeting the Immortal Beauty—Quietly Appreciating Sweet Dew—Washing Away Worldly Dust—Jade Lake Great Harmony—Jade Moistening Lotus Heart—Phoenix Nodding—Gently Holding Jade Bottle—Spring Waves Displaying Flags—Smelling Fragrance to Know Charm—Together Tasting Fragrant Tea.”

Some people recognized this young man, knowing he was the eldest son of the Nangong family who had operated tea gardens by West Lake in Hangzhou for generations. Despite barely reaching adulthood, he unexpectedly possessed such excellent tea artistry—truly showing scholarly family tradition. The young man was also handsome and well-dressed, earning even more favor as everyone praised him endlessly.

Young Master Nangong was young after all. Hearing all the praise, he felt proud and his face seemed to glow golden, inevitably showing some arrogance. Gu Pingyuan had initially thought this young man was capable, but now seeing him somewhat frivolous and impetuous, when the tea cup reached his hand and he tasted carefully, it was indeed as he suspected. The tea leaves were beyond reproach, but the person brewing the tea was too hasty, making the taste in the mouth somewhat lacking, appearing insufficiently mellow.

Everyone present was a tea-tasting expert, so except for the Zhejiang merchants who continued praising, others gradually fell silent.

Next, many fine teas took the stage in succession: Lu’an Guapian, Jintan Sparrow Tongue, Putuo Buddha Tea, Xiuning Pine Carrot, Lushan Cloud Mist, Enshi Jade Dew, Mengding Sweet Dew, Northern Fujian Narcissus, and others, consecutively displaying their tea artistry. Indeed, as Secretary Hao had previously said, though the steps were largely similar, it all depended on the tea master’s technique. But these techniques were also quite similar—those who came here to display their skills had all undergone thousands of refinements and rarely made mistakes.

At first, everyone watched the artistry together and tasted tea carefully. After more than an hour passed, they gradually lost interest. Except for the Fujian merchants’ Wuyi Da Hong Pao, which invited the renowned Southern Fujian monk Master Cuan Yun whose transcendent tea artistry shocked the entire audience, other teas’ artistry could hardly arouse everyone’s interest.

Others were fine—though they found tea tasting flavorless, they could still sit and watch. Only Liu Heita didn’t care for this. He only loved drinking wine, not tea. After reluctantly drinking a few cups like a cow drinking water, seeing the stage’s continuous brewing with no fresh variations, he couldn’t help complaining repeatedly: “If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have come in. Sitting here all day would drive me crazy.”

Secretary Hao held a cup of “Bashan Sparrow Tongue” in his left hand and “Taiping Monkey Chief” in his right, chatting and laughing with Gu Pingyuan about how these two tea names formed a perfect “emotionless couplet.” Hearing Liu Heita complain, he turned his head with a smile and teased: “Oh, which one was it who shamelessly insisted on coming in to see rarities? Now you don’t want to watch? Do you know bringing you alone cost twenty-seven hundred taels of silver?” He was dividing the eight thousand taels by three.

Liu Heita swallowed his saliva, knowing he was in the wrong, and stopped talking. But his good behavior only lasted a moment before he couldn’t sit still again, twisting in his chair, scratching ears and head, then suddenly standing up. Gu Pingyuan quickly pulled him back: “Brother Liu, this is a prince’s mansion, not like other places. You mustn’t act rashly.”

“Don’t I know that? This, this—isn’t it that people have urgent needs!”

Liu Heita wasn’t lying—nature was calling urgently, and he needed to relieve himself. Gu Pingyuan was worried about letting him go alone and had to follow behind.

Speaking of latrines, whether poor households or great mansions, they were all necessary facilities. One couldn’t wander freely in the prince’s mansion, so servants had already pointed the way—beside the flower garden was a screen wall, and behind it was that “unseemly place.”

When Gu Pingyuan and Liu Heita approached, good heavens—there was a long queue of people waiting outside. This was a tea-tasting competition, and everyone had bellies full of water. After a while, they all headed for the latrine.

Liu Heita couldn’t wait—he lacked such patience. Looking around, his eyes suddenly lit up as he nudged Gu Pingyuan.

“There’s a small door in the wall over there. Let me go see.”

Having said this, he took off running. Gu Pingyuan was startled and dared not shout loudly in the prince’s mansion, so he could only chase behind. But Liu Heita had long legs and was through that door in two or three steps.

Gu Pingyuan groaned inwardly. This Liu Heita was truly a troublemaker. If he barged into the inner residence and startled the mansion’s women, that would be a capital offense.

“Halt! Where’s your waist token?” With so many people entering and leaving the mansion today, the mansion guards were naturally insufficient, so soldiers from the Shenji Battalion under Prince Chun’s command were naturally called in to guard. Leading the team at the main gate was Commander Yi Sang’a. He heard a soldier loudly questioning a maid-dressed woman but initially paid no attention. However, when his eyes swept over, he felt blood rushing to the top of his head.

“Let me ask. You all go check over there.” Yi Sang’a forced himself to remain calm as he walked over.

Several soldiers, seeing that woman was stunningly beautiful, thought Commander Yi was young and lustful and planning some dalliance, so they tactfully moved far away.

“How did you come here?” Yi Sang’a asked urgently.

“Why shouldn’t I be able to come?” Su Zixuan had everything prepared. Upon receiving the beggar’s report, she changed into women’s clothing she hadn’t worn in ages and headed for Prince Chun’s mansion. As she had predicted, the guard was indeed Yi Sang’a.

“This is merchants’ Grand Tea Competition. What are you doing here?” Yi Sang’a knew Su Zixuan’s arrival boded no good and was determined not to let her enter.

Su Zixuan looked at him once and immediately saw through his thoughts. She asked nonchalantly: “You only ask about me—why don’t you ask where my personal maid is at this moment?”

“Where?”

“At the gate of the Ministry of Justice’s main hall. If you dare block my entry or ruin my plans, she’ll take that thing into the Ministry of Justice.” Su Zixuan spoke with finality.

Yi Sang’a had met her several times and fallen into disadvantage each time. The anxiety in his heart had stretched his taut nerves almost to breaking point. Now unable to bear it anymore, he grabbed Su Zixuan’s shoulders with both hands and glared at her furiously: “How long will you keep forcing me? Believe it or not, I’ll kill you right now!”

“If you have the courage, then do it. My life alone in exchange for your entire family’s execution—too worthwhile!” Su Zixuan stared into Yi Sang’a’s eyes. Seeing sweat beading on his forehead and his hands involuntarily loosening, she smiled disdainfully and walked past Yi Sang’a.

Yi Sang’a slowly turned back, watching Su Zixuan’s calm and composed figure gradually disappearing in the distance, his eyes full of suspicion and fear.

Gu Pingyuan had indeed guessed correctly—the door Liu Heita had squeezed through was indeed a side door leading to the inner residence. But why was no one guarding it? First, the rear garden itself was part of the inner residence, and there was traditionally no need to guard between inner residences. Second, though the mansion’s steward knew the rear garden would host the Grand Tea Competition, he assumed the Beijing merchants would handle everything including security. Li Wantang assumed the important responsibility of mansion security should be borne by the mansion guards. Both sides made assumptions, resulting in overlooking this most crucial matter.

Though the door to the inner residence was unguarded, no one dared casually enter. Everyone knew this was a prince’s mansion—the slightest misstep meant losing one’s head.

But Liu Heita just couldn’t think of this. In his urgency, he charged in headlong without a care.

Inside was a small alley. The mansion had many courtyards connected either by courtyard gates or connecting passages, with left and right forks every few steps.

By the time Gu Pingyuan arrived, Liu Heita had long vanished without a trace—who knew where he’d run off to.

Gu Pingyuan was dumbfounded, his heart immediately turning cold, knowing Liu Heita would surely cause a tremendous disaster this time!

What to do? Should he retreat, or continue searching? Gu Pingyuan’s mind raced. Actually, without much thought, he knew that if he couldn’t find Liu Heita or if others discovered him, it would be an unthinkable crime.

He had to find him, and quickly. Gu Pingyuan hurried down the left alley in pursuit.

After walking about forty-some steps forward, there was another moon gate in the right wall. Looking inside, there was actually another garden. Gu Pingyuan thought Liu Heita must have run here seeking “convenience” and stepped through.

This garden was built imitating Jiangnan gardens, with several “thin, hollow, and transparent” Taihu strange rocks scattered throughout. A circle of cotton roses was planted along the walls, with corridors surrounding and flying eaves at the corners. In the center was a pond with rippling blue waves.

Because trees and strange rocks blocked his view, only when Gu Pingyuan walked around to the pond’s edge did he see there was also a stone arch bridge connecting to a small island in the lake’s heart, with an exquisite pavilion on the island.

At this moment, Gu Pingyuan was horrified to discover there was someone in the island pavilion—and it was a woman!

He didn’t know this was actually the small garden behind the principal consort’s quarters, where the consort came to enjoy cool air and relax morning and evening. Though Gu Pingyuan didn’t know what this place was, seeing a woman there, he immediately turned around, wanting to withdraw.

“Stop!” The woman in the pavilion spoke, her tone carrying an unquestionable authority.

This flag-dressed woman was none other than the current Emperor Tongzhi’s birth mother—Empress Dowager Cixi!

She had come quietly to Prince Chun’s mansion early that morning, accompanied by An Dehai, and was secretly received by her sister—the mansion’s principal consort—for conversation. This was done with extreme secrecy; even Prince Chun didn’t know the Empress Dowager Mother had arrived at his mansion.

The two sisters hadn’t seen each other for some time and chatted in the small garden about not only family matters but also some imperial family secrets. Therefore, only An Dehai remained to serve, with orders that no one else could enter the garden.

The principal consort, having just heard of the Empress Dowager’s sudden arrival, had become flustered and sweated. Sitting in the pavilion, she caught wind and her chronic headache flared up painfully. Unable to bear it after trying to endure, Cixi felt sorry for her sister and had An Dehai help the consort inside to take medicine.

After the consort left, except for Cixi, there wasn’t another soul in the garden. It was precisely at this moment that Gu Pingyuan rushed in frantically.

Seeing an unfamiliar man walk in with a panicked expression, looking around in all directions, Cixi was initially puzzled, but quickly realized this person was definitely not from the prince’s mansion. After thinking it over, she understood somewhat and found it amusing, so she asked: “Are you a tea merchant here to participate in the Grand Tea Competition?”

“Indeed.” Since she had asked, Gu Pingyuan couldn’t avoid answering. Seeing this woman had a pretty face and gentle demeanor, half his anxiety subsided. “I’m unfamiliar with the paths and mistakenly entered the inner residence. I hope the young lady will forgive me.”

“You—what did you call me?” Cixi was startled.

“You… aren’t you a daughter of the prince’s mansion?” Seeing her luxurious dress, composed bearing, and young age, Gu Pingyuan assumed she was a princess of the mansion playing in the garden.

Actually, Cixi wasn’t young anymore. Born in the fifteenth year of Emperor Daoguang’s reign, she was already twenty-eight this year. But she maintained herself well. Every morning upon rising, young eunuchs would first roll a jade rod made from Hetian mutton-fat white jade across her face and neck three hundred times, followed by milk cleansing and flower baths. She also took pills made by the Imperial Medical Academy using perilla, antrodia camphorata, evening primrose and other medicinal materials refined according to ancient methods with honey, called “Immortality Pills.”

Therefore, though Cixi was approaching thirty, her skin remained tender as jade, so delicate it could break at a breath. She appeared like a young maiden, no wonder Gu Pingyuan mistook her identity.

Cixi was delighted in her heart. Though eunuchs and palace maids always praised her after she dressed and adorned herself, a hundred such praises couldn’t compare to this unintentional comment from a complete stranger.

In her happiness, Cixi couldn’t help but ask more questions, continuing: “You’re from Anhui?”

Gu Pingyuan was slightly startled, not knowing how this prince’s mansion young lady had learned of his origins.

Actually, Cixi was extremely familiar with the Anhui accent. Her father Huizheng’s last official position had been as Circuit Intendant of Anhui’s Huining-Chizhou-Guangde Circuit. Cixi had accompanied her father to his post and lived in Anhui for a full two years. These two years happened to be the last free time of Cixi’s maiden days—after this, she was selected to enter the palace. So her days in Anhui were very good memories for Cixi. Hearing that Gu Pingyuan was a Huizhou tea merchant, and seeing he was tall and crane-like with vigorous spirit, she immediately felt favorable toward him.

“What’s your name?”

“My humble name dare not pollute the young lady’s pure hearing.”

“I’m the one asking you—what’s there to fear?”

“Yes, I am Gu Pingyuan.”

“Oh.” Cixi nodded. Others all knelt when speaking to her, wearing servile expressions. Now encountering a man who didn’t know her identity, she found it quite interesting. “I hear the rear garden is very lively now. Tell me about it.”

Gu Pingyuan’s heart was as anxious as a house on fire—how could he have the mood to chat idly with her? But he dared not offend her either, so he spoke a few sentences absent-mindedly.

What kind of person was Cixi? She quickly saw through this and smiled lightly: “It seems your soul has left your body, only thinking about the Grand Tea Competition over there. You merchants only have money in your hearts. No wonder Bai Letian had a line of poetry: ‘Merchants value profit over parting.'”

Gu Pingyuan didn’t like hearing this. He thought to himself how could a prince’s mansion young lady born into luxury understand merchants’ hardships traveling north and south? “The world says ‘scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants,’ ranking merchants last, calling them profit-seekers. This is completely wrong!”

“Oh, so is the saying ‘no merchant is honest’ also wrong?” No one had ever dared say Cixi was “wrong” before. She found this quite fresh and wasn’t offended.

“Of course it’s wrong.” Gu Pingyuan said seriously. “This is a popular misunderstanding. It should actually be ‘no merchant lacks generosity.'”

When rice merchants measured rice, they would use a wooden ruler to level the protruding rice in the measuring vessel to ensure accurate weight. After completing the silver-for-goods transaction, merchants would take additional rice from the basket and add it on top, making the leveled rice surface bulge into a small “peak.” This had become custom. The so-called “no merchant lacks generosity” spoke of business principles—namely, that all who do business always give customers a little extra, thus retaining repeat customers.

Cixi nodded approvingly. “I didn’t expect your knowledge to be so broad, and you speak quite like a scholar.”

“Scholars aren’t really that remarkable. Even if they pass examinations and become officials, when foreign guns and cannons come, aren’t they still helpless?” Gu Pingyuan answered casually.

“What did you say!” When the Anglo-French allied forces had attacked Beijing, forcing Emperor Xianfeng to flee to Rehe where he died at the Summer Resort, the proud Cixi had always considered this a great humiliation. Inadvertently pricked by Gu Pingyuan’s words, her face immediately changed color.

Seeing her eyebrows rise and display a trace of killing intent that women shouldn’t possess, Gu Pingyuan secretly marveled. He felt somewhat regretful for speaking too much, but having already spoken, he might as well finish: “How many people were in the Anglo-French allied forces total? Yet they could rampage into Beijing City unchecked, relying on nothing more than strong ships and powerful cannons. But where did their guns and cannons come from?”

Gu Pingyuan spoke eloquently, repeating what Interpreter Lin had originally told him, concluding: “The court either looks down on merchants, treating them like grass, or exploits merchants, seizing their wealth as if it were their own property, either burning forests to hunt or draining ponds to fish. So merchants dare not unite with the court. Actually, only when merchants are wealthy can the nation be wealthy. If only the Qing could produce a queen like Britain’s Victoria, that would be wonderful.”

This discussion was unheard of for Cixi, who murmured: “Merchants establishing the nation…”

Having spoken to this point in one breath, Gu Pingyuan felt somewhat thirsty. He casually picked up a cup of freshly brewed tea, but as soon as the aroma entered his nostrils, he sensed something wrong. He turned back to look at the maid who had brought the tea, but only saw a familiar silhouette hurriedly disappearing outside the garden gate.

Even this silhouette was familiar. Gu Pingyuan frowned in thought, then turned back to see Cixi lifting the tea cup with three fingers, about to drink. He blurted out: “Wait a moment.”

“Hmm?” Cixi stopped and frowned, looking at Gu Pingyuan without speaking.

Gu Pingyuan had initially detected this was Taiwan Prefecture’s Dongding Oolong tea, then realized that while Dongding Oolong was indeed a famous tea, it was usually best consumed after the Great Heat solar term. The prince’s mansion naturally paid attention to food and drink—how could they serve unseasonable tea? Could it be the wrong tea? Having this slight doubt, he sniffed carefully and detected the tea’s aroma seemed mixed with some other scent.

“This is…” Gu Pingyuan’s expression suddenly changed. Without a word, he took his own cup and reached for Cixi’s tea cup as well. Standing up, he walked two steps to the pond’s edge, bent down, and sank both cups and tea into the water.

Cixi neither startled nor questioned, just watched him with interest.

“Human hearts in this world are unpredictable. Even a prince’s mansion probably can’t be an exception. Young lady, be careful yourself. I, Gu, take my leave.” Having finished this matter, Gu Pingyuan dared not linger and walked toward the exit.

As soon as he stepped one foot outside the garden gate, he came face to face with An Dehai hurrying toward him. Both men froze upon seeing each other. An Dehai hadn’t expected Gu Pingyuan to emerge from this garden, while Gu Pingyuan, seeing An Dehai come here to serve, immediately realized who the woman in the garden was. He instantly felt like cold water had been poured over his head, shocked into wooden stillness.

“Boss Gu, this isn’t where you should be. Leave quickly.” For the sake of the ten thousand tael banknote, An Dehai quietly reminded him while pushing Gu Pingyuan.

Only then did Gu Pingyuan recover his senses. He cupped his hands in salute, turned, and left. This time his mind was unsettled—he dared not search anymore, thinking: Liu Heita, oh Liu Heita, if you don’t cause trouble, fine, but if you do, we’ll all lose our heads together.

An Dehai carefully walked into the garden. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Cixi frowning as she gazed at the pond. Following her gaze, he was immediately frightened out of his wits.

“Summon a team of Imperial Guards.” Cixi’s face was covered with a layer of frost.

Gu Pingyuan quickly returned to the rear garden along the original path. Entering the rear garden and looking toward his seat, Gu Pingyuan was so angry his nose nearly twisted—there was Liu Heita sitting in his chair, dozing!

“Where did you go?” Gu Pingyuan woke Liu Heita, asking through gritted teeth.

“Just took a turn, relieved myself, and came back.” Liu Heita was still drowsy from sleep.

Gu Pingyuan realized he had pursued the wrong path. Secretary Hao leaned over asking: “What happened?”

Gu Pingyuan helplessly waved his hand, then suddenly focused on the scene in the arena. Not only did he pay attention, but other tea merchants also perked up.

The Dongting merchant group’s Biluochun had taken the stage!

Biluochun became famous over a hundred years ago during Emperor Kangxi’s reign. Ever since Emperor Kangxi changed “Frighteningly Fragrant” to “Biluochun,” Biluo Peak on East Mountain of Taihu Lake’s Dongting became imperial tea grounds. All the finest wild tea produced annually on the stone cliffs was tribute to the palace. The Biluochun that ordinary families could taste wasn’t actually the supreme grade, but even so, Biluochun’s tea fragrance still had universal acclaim.

Since the Dongting merchant group obtained commercial rights to Biluochun, they had made enormous profits for decades, relying on this “world’s number one” reputation. Now that the court was holding the Grand Tea Competition, it was a great opportunity to convert “reputation” into a “golden signboard.” Unexpectedly, the Beijing merchants emerged sideways to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth. How could the Dongting merchant group yield without a fight? So everyone was holding their breath, wanting to see how they would respond.

The Dongting merchant group had truly put in great effort. While other groups’ tea arts were passed down from elders through generations, only they had specially created a tea art set for this Grand Tea Competition, called “Four Seasons Heavenly Fragrance.”

“Spring spirals bright jade, summer rain flies clear, autumn pools swell with rain, winter snow drifts down.” When “Four Seasons Heavenly Fragrance” reached its final step, clouds and mist could be seen rising from the cups, tea leaves hidden in emerald spirals with dense white down, falling into the cups like scattered snowflakes. After a brief pause, they immediately descended, white down unfolding with silver light sparkling—truly beautiful to behold.

Discerning people could see this tea art actually integrated various schools’ techniques, but whoever created this set was absolutely a master, taking the best from each school with slight modifications. Every transition between steps was natural and smooth, synthesizing various schools’ greatness while innovating, truly surpassing the original. The brewing timing was also controlled perfectly.

The tea merchants held cups in hand, and upon careful tasting, all nodded continuously, thinking this tea art combined with tea fragrance was truly flawless. They wondered what the Beijing merchants would use to claim the world’s number one. If they lacked real skill and relied solely on the Prince’s word for the title, it would not only fail to convince everyone but become a laughingstock.

Thinking this way, everyone sipped tea while casting glances from different parts of the garden toward Li Wantang in the flower hall.

Li Wantang appeared neither flustered nor hurried, his expression even carrying some leisure. He picked up the Biluochun beside him, took a sip, then spat it back into the cup, showing extremely disdainful expression.

Sitting opposite him was Gao Kui, deputy leader of the Dongting merchant group participating in this Grand Tea Competition. He was a decisive man of action. Seeing the tea merchants’ rave reviews of Biluochun, he was feeling proud when he suddenly saw Li Wantang’s arrogant behavior. His anger exploded, eyes blazing—if not for the Prince’s presence, he would have jumped up to confront Li Wantang long ago.

Li Wantang ignored Gao Kui’s hostile gaze. He had deliberately arranged for the Beijing merchants’ recommended tea to appear immediately after Biluochun. Now he stood up, first bowing to Prince Chun, then walked out of the flower hall onto the high platform.

Seeing Li Wantang personally take the stage, the garden immediately fell silent.

Li Wantang stood steadily on the platform, cupping his hands: “Everyone must be wondering what fine tea my Beijing merchants recommend? No matter—I’ll tell you all right now.”

Having said this, he beckoned toward the stage: “Please come up!”

Following his words, a smiling fat man walked up from below. This person wore silk and satin, had five rings embedded with gems on his ten fingers, especially a thumb-sized diamond embedded in his hat that dazzled the eyes when sunlight hit it.

“Friends in the capital probably all know this shopkeeper. As for colleagues from other provinces, allow me to introduce him. This is the owner of Duobaozhai on Liulichang, also president of the Longyou Merchant Association, Beijing’s acknowledged top expert in appraising antiques, calligraphy and paintings—Yan Henian, Master Yan.” Li Wantang pointed to the fat man.

“I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.” Master Yan’s smile never diminished by the slightest, bowing and saluting in all directions, nearly greeting everyone individually.

Everyone knew the Longyou Merchant Association was famous for their “three axes”—they were undisputed leaders in “jewelry, printing, and antiques,” but aside from these three trades, they basically did no other business and had never been heard to deal in tea.

Li Wantang repeatedly claimed he would reveal the mystery, but with Master Yan’s appearance, everyone became more confused. No one understood what medicine the Beijing merchants were selling in their gourd. What was an antique shop merchant doing at a perfectly good tea competition?

Those with sharp eyes had already seen Master Yan holding a long wooden box, knowing there must be something fishy inside.

Indeed, after Master Yan finished greeting everyone below and saw Li Wantang nod in indication, he carefully opened the wooden box and took out a hanging scroll.

Someone had already brought a painting rack to the platform. Yan Henian gently hung one end of the scroll on the rack, then slowly unrolled it.

His series of actions were extremely slow, whetting everyone’s appetite. Many people, fearing they couldn’t see clearly, stood up from their seats and gradually moved toward the platform.

When the scroll was completely extended, everyone discovered it was a piece of calligraphy five feet high and three feet wide with only five characters. Someone had already unconsciously read aloud: “Tea Xinyang Number One.”

Looking at the signature, everyone couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed—the signature read “Dongpo Scholar Su Shi.”

Scholar Su’s calligraphy had been priceless treasure since the Ming Dynasty. No one expected the Beijing merchants could get their hands on such a thing, but what did this mean?

Just as everyone puzzled, Master Yan spoke.

“Gentlemen, I, Yan, came here today for nothing else but to say one thing: I’m willing to guarantee with Duobaozhai’s reputation that this calligraphy scroll has been authenticated by myself and the owners of eighteen calligraphy and painting shops on Liulichang, and is undoubtedly Su Dongpo’s authentic work.”

Li Wantang wanted exactly this statement. As soon as Yan Henian finished speaking, he continued: “Everyone must know that Su Dongpo, after Tea Saint Lu Yu, was the refined gentleman who tasted all famous teas under heaven. If he says ‘number one,’ then it’s truly deserving of first place. Therefore, I humbly bring Xinyang Maojian tea for everyone’s appreciation.”

Once these words were spoken, they shocked the entire venue. This matter was of great concern to all the tea merchants present. At this time, Gao Kui of the Dongting merchant group had also walked out of the flower hall, standing below the platform looking up to question: “Li Wantang, what does Henan’s Xinyang Maojian have to do with your Beijing merchants?”

“That’s right.” Many people below responded.

“Hehe.” Li Wantang laughed, raising a contract in his hand. “This is a contract signed between Beijing merchants and fifty major tea households in Xinyang. Just like your Dongting merchant group monopolizing Biluochun, from now on, Xinyang Maojian will be exclusively sold by us Beijing merchants!”

“Ah!” Everyone below was greatly shocked. Xinyang Maojian was a famous tea that had enjoyed reputation since the Tang Dynasty. No one expected it to be secretly bought out by the Beijing merchants. This would likely cause earth-shaking changes in the national tea trade.

“So that’s how it is.” Gu Pingyuan didn’t leave his seat. Watching the Beijing merchants’ maneuvers from afar, he slowly nodded in realization.

“What kind of tea is this Xinyang Maojian? And who is Su Dongpo?” Liu Heita was completely confused.

Gu Pingyuan let out a long sigh: “Xinyang Maojian is fine tea. In terms of reputation, it’s definitely among the top ten famous teas. Add Su Dongpo’s calligraphy, and it’s just… just…”

Secretary Hao said from the side: “Just what?”

“Just that this calligraphy is fake.” Gu Pingyuan lowered his voice.

“Fake? Brother, I can’t believe that. First, Master Yan of Beijing’s Duobaozhai guarantees it with his reputation. Second, appraising calligraphy and paintings isn’t your strength—how can you tell it’s fake from such a distance?”

Gu Pingyuan still spoke quietly: “I’ve read Song Dynasty notes. Su Dongpo did indeed praise Xinyang Maojian and also wrote ‘Xinyang Number One.'”

“Then that settles it.”

“Don’t rush, let me explain slowly. What Su Dongpo wrote was ‘Huainan Tea Xinyang Number One.’ Tea Saint Lu Yu divided tea into eight circuits and forty-three prefectures. Huainan Circuit was one of them. What Su Dongpo meant was that among teas produced in Huainan Circuit, Xinyang Maojian could rank first.”

“You—you mean…”

“The Beijing merchants cut off the first two characters. In a blink, the old hen became a duck—didn’t it become ‘Tea Xinyang Number One’?”

Secretary Hao was so shocked he touched the back of his head: “Good heavens, such skillful forgery—even I, a secretary, was fooled.”

“So anyone looking at this calligraphy would find it authentic, but what Su Dongpo said wasn’t this meaning at all. This Li Wantang is also taking advantage of these tea merchants not having read ancient texts and rare books—otherwise someone would have stood up to expose him long ago.”

“Then go expose his true colors!” Liu Heita couldn’t stand it after listening so long.

Gu Pingyuan hesitated repeatedly but still shook his head.

“No evidence—the Beijing merchants kept the news tightly sealed beforehand precisely to prevent someone from producing evidence to expose them on the spot. Where can we find Song Dynasty notes in such haste? By the time we find them, this Grand Tea Competition will long be over.”

“No wonder the Beijing merchants worked so hard—they got exclusive rights to Xinyang Maojian.”

“Exactly.” Anyone in the tea business couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this news. Gu Pingyuan also knitted his brows tightly. “Xinyang Maojian is good tea. Add Su Dongpo’s calligraphy, and the Beijing merchants have given the Prince the best reason to bestow the title ‘World’s Greatest Tea.’ Now the Beijing merchants will make huge profits, but other tea merchants’ business paths will narrow considerably.”

“They must have spent considerable extra silver to buy out Xinyang Maojian, plus the six million taels sent to the Ministry of Revenue…” Secretary Hao rolled his eyes.

“That doesn’t matter. With exclusive operating rights, anyone wanting to drink this ‘World’s Greatest Tea’ will have to accept the Beijing merchants’ pricing. When that time comes, several million taels… hehe, it won’t take long to earn back.”

Secretary Hao sighed: “I never expected the Beijing merchants to be so calculating. Like a master setting up the board—by the time you realize something’s wrong, the dagger is already revealed.”

Gu Pingyuan sighed: “From now on, even the Dongting merchant group will probably have difficulty doing business, let alone small tea merchants like us.”

Over there, Gao Kui was choked speechless by Li Wantang. He glared viciously at the “Tea World Number One” scroll, looking as if he wanted to spit on it.

Seeing everyone had nothing more to say, Li Wantang asked Master Yan to put away the calligraphy. The two men descended the platform, while Xinyang Maojian’s tea art expert had long been waiting below to perform.

The Beijing merchants were indeed thorough in all aspects. Their presented tea art also had unique features, but everyone had lost interest in watching. That Su Dongpo “Xinyang Number One” calligraphy was equivalent to announcing in advance that the Beijing merchants had won first place. Only Gao Kui still looked indignant, deliberately saying in a voice Li Wantang could hear: “What’s Su Dongpo compared to His Sacred Ancestor?”

Li Wantang heard this but his smile didn’t diminish. He had brought out “Scholar Su” precisely to suppress the Dongting merchant group. Though Sacred Ancestor Kangxi had bestowed the name Biluochun, he never said it was the world’s best. Now with evaluations from previous dynasty sages and Prince Gong’s approval, Prince Chun’s judgment would appear well-founded. As for whether Su Dongpo could overshadow Emperor Kangxi, Li Wantang had no intention of arguing this point with Gao Kui.

Regardless of how the tea merchants discussed it, the Grand Tea Competition continued. After Huangshan Maofeng, it would soon be Lanxue tea’s turn.

“Brother Hao, Brother Liu, please sit for a moment. I’ll go prepare.” Though Gu Pingyuan appeared calm on the surface, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat nervous inside. He walked to the west corner gate of the rear garden, where Old Chang Si was already waiting.

“Old Father, is everything ready?” Gu Pingyuan asked.

“Mm.” Old Chang Si nodded. He was already so nervous he could barely speak.

“It’s nothing. Even if we can’t win full applause, it’s merely no loss, no gain.” Gu Pingyuan’s words were meant more to comfort himself than Old Chang Si.

The steward at the gate was already calling: “Gu Pingyuan from Huizhou, presenting Lanxue tea.”

“Present!” Gu Pingyuan responded and walked toward the high platform.

“Gentlemen, I am Gu Pingyuan, a tea merchant from Huizhou. Coming to this grand gathering today, I present a new tea called ‘Lanxue,’ a masterpiece created by tea master Master Min using ancient methods. I humbly request your guidance.”

Though Gu Pingyuan spoke politely, the tea merchants below were all worried about their business becoming difficult once the Beijing merchants claimed the “World’s Greatest Tea” title. Their spirits were low, and hearing the name “Lanxue tea”—an unknown wild tea they’d never heard of—some couldn’t help but speak sarcastically.

“Bah! What kind of day is this? How did all these cats and dogs come crawling out?”

“Heh heh, even nobodies dare show their faces. Really not afraid of losing face.”

“Isn’t this the guy who acted crazy at the Guandi Temple a few days ago? What a waste of time—I might as well go take a piss.”

With all this chatter, Liu Heita was furious. If Secretary Hao hadn’t held him back desperately, he would have stood up swinging his fists.

Li Wantang in the flower hall took a breath, leaned back in his grand chair, and silently cast his gaze upon Gu Pingyuan.

Li Qin already knew Chen Laizi had failed, which actually relieved him. But seeing Gu Pingyuan take the stage, he felt his heart burning with anxiety, glaring at Gu Pingyuan with complete disdain written across his face.

“Come.” Ignoring the tea merchants’ sarcasm, Gu Pingyuan maintained his composure. After introducing himself, he waved toward the stage. Four burly men struggled to carry up a “mountain” from below, placing it in the center of the platform before turning and descending.

The tea merchants had been making sarcastic comments, but seeing this display, they all froze and fell silent. Looking more carefully, they realized it wasn’t a “mountain” but an enormous flower pot.

This flower pot was gigantic—square-shaped, with each side longer than a grown man’s outstretched arms. Placed on the platform, it was even larger than the biggest square table at Beijing’s famous restaurant “Tianranju.”

The flower pot wasn’t empty—it contained a tree.

A tea tree with luxuriant branches and leaves!

Everyone present was in this business and wasn’t unfamiliar with tea trees, but they couldn’t identify what variety this tea tree was.

Looking at Gu Pingyuan again, he cupped his hands: “Fellow merchants and colleagues, I’ve traveled thousands of li to reach the capital and can meet you all here—this can be called fate. Please allow me to use the Lanxue tea from this tree to toast you all.”

His words confused everyone even more. They’d never heard of picking tea leaves directly from a tree to brew tea. Without stir-frying and drying, just plucking these tender green leaves, putting them in cups, and pouring hot water—could that be drinkable?

“This kid must have lost his mind.” Gao Kui’s comment drew laughter from the crowd.

Li Wantang frowned slightly, watching Gu Pingyuan. Despite his deep scheming, he couldn’t understand what Gu Pingyuan intended to do, but he knew Gu Pingyuan was definitely not a reckless person.

Gu Pingyuan seemed oblivious to the crowd’s laughter. He raised his hand and clapped three times, then four more people came up from below the platform.

These four were actually women, dressed as tea-picking girls, wearing bamboo hats with gauze veils around the brims.

When these four women positioned themselves around the large flower pot at the four cardinal directions, Gu Pingyuan nodded to them. They simultaneously lifted the face veils on their hats, revealing their faces.

This caused an uproar! Not only the tea merchants, but the guards at the garden gate, the servants bustling about, and even the three judges in the pavilion on the artificial mountain—everyone was dumbstruck.

Even Li Wantang in the flower hall and Prince Chun stood up in great shock.

Beneath the gauze veils were not the water-like faces of Jiangnan women as the assembled guests had expected, but rather high-nosed, deep-eyed “strange faces” with golden hair and blue eyes.

They were actually four young foreign women in their prime!

At this time, China had long conducted trade with foreign countries, and the embassies of Britain, France, America, and Russia were all established on East Jiangmi Lane beside Yuhe Bridge. But ordinary people rarely saw foreigners, and foreign women were even rarer. The tea merchants all stood up, staring intently at the platform while whispering among themselves.

“This—what’s happening! How did foreigners get into my mansion?” Prince Chun was shocked and then furious. Unlike Prince Gong, nicknamed “Devil Six,” he detested foreigners most of all. His mansion didn’t even allow anything with the word “foreign” in it, let alone let foreigners enter. Now this was perfect—four had entered at once, and they were all women. Prince Chun felt both disgusted and angry, immediately wanting to order their expulsion.

Tutor Li quickly approached: “Your Highness, please don’t be angry. Foreigners cannot be offended. Have you forgotten why the late emperor passed away?”

“That—that, sigh!” Unable to deal with foreigners even in his own mansion, Prince Chun angrily sat down and slammed the table hard.

By this time, tea artistry was being demonstrated on the platform. This tea artistry was truly novel—it actually began with tea picking! The four foreign women swayed their graceful waists, following pre-learned movements, using their fingers to pluck tea leaves from the tea tree and place them in small baskets held in their other hands. They moved elegantly, perfectly imitating tea-picking girls’ charm, causing the audience below to marvel in amazement.

Even more amazing was that what they picked from the tea tree wasn’t green leaves, but fine, already stir-fried and processed tea leaves.

“What kind of magic trick is this?” Someone couldn’t understand and boldly approached for a closer look. Only then did they discover that this tea tree had undergone extremely skillful and ingenious horticultural grafting, with finished dried tea leaves attached beneath the green leaves. The foreign tea-picking women appeared to be plucking leaves, but were actually reaching beneath the leaf blades to retrieve the grafted tea leaves.

“My, who has such great skill to perform such miraculous craftsmanship?” People couldn’t help but marvel.

Secretary Hao on the side knew the truth. Following Gu Pingyuan’s instructions, he had sought Beijing’s most famous horticulturist. After careful inquiry, he learned the most skilled one was the garden master Zhuo Sansan, who specialized in tending royal mansion gardens.

Gu Pingyuan had Secretary Hao make “three visits to the thatched cottage,” resulting in Secretary Hao making five complete trips and enlisting Beijing acquaintances to plead before finally securing Master Zhuo’s help. The tea tree was a northern exotic variety from Master Zhuo’s own garden, slightly pruned so no one could identify its original form. Thanks to Zhuo Sansan’s skillful hands, these dead tea leaves hidden beneath living ones appeared completely flawless.

As for the four foreign women, they naturally came through Interpreter Lin. He had originally thought this would be extremely difficult, but unexpectedly, at the British embassy, after finding a fellow countryman working as kitchen help and revealing his intentions, seven or eight servant girls actually competed for this part-time work.

Foreign servant girls were like Chinese maids—all were servants. Having crossed oceans to serve ministers, counselors, and their noble ladies, they didn’t consider themselves particularly prestigious. Moreover, foreigners lacked concepts of male-female propriety, didn’t mind showing their faces in public, and had profit-seeking natures. As long as there was money to be made, they didn’t care whether they were employed by their own countrymen or hired by Chinese people. As a result, Interpreter Lin easily completed his assignment.

Gu Pingyuan had taught these four foreign women tea picking and tea serving in the small residence on Qianshi Hutong. Despite the language barrier, since these weren’t profound skills, within a few days they had practiced until thoroughly proficient.

Today’s performance indeed shocked the entire audience. Gu Pingyuan was also pleased, knowing the goal of gaining fame had definitely been achieved. But he constantly reminded himself not to become carried away with success, lest he follow in the footsteps of young Master Nangong.

After the foreign women poured the picked tea into tea canisters, Gu Pingyuan began brewing according to the tea artistry personally taught by Master Min. Speaking of his technique: first was steadiness—steady as Mount Tai, with each tea utensil moved and positioned with millimeter precision; second was accuracy—adding tea and pouring water, each cup exactly right; third was orderly pacing—neither rushing nor missing the slightest timing. After demonstrating the complete tea artistry, though no one applauded, everyone knew in their hearts and nodded in approval.

After brewing the tea, Gu Pingyuan had the foreign women serve tea to the Prince and all the tea merchants for tasting.

The tea merchants had never seen such a spectacle. They’d always heard foreigners were extremely fierce, with sharp cannons, ready to fight at the slightest disagreement—even Emperor Xianfeng had been chased by foreigners to Chengde Mountain Resort. Now suddenly seeing four beautiful young foreign women with lovely eyes and charming smiles respectfully offering them tea, the tea merchants panicked, not knowing what to do.

Someone accidentally fell while trying to avoid them, and several others, seeing foreign women approaching with tea, kept bowing and saluting but dared not accept the tea. Even Prince Chun, when a foreign woman approached and said in halting Chinese, “Your Highness, please have tea,” was at a loss, not knowing whether to accept or not.

This couldn’t really be blamed on everyone in the garden. They all knew foreigners were unreasonable and particularly protective of their own, so upon seeing any foreigner, regardless of what they did, they called them all “Foreign Masters.” In coastal areas, there had even been the laughable incident of a provincial governor bowing to foreign sailors.

Despite the commotion in the garden, everyone eventually drank the cup of Lanxue tea handed to them.

As soon as the tea touched their lips, everyone was startled. These tea merchants had drunk many famous teas from across the realm, but had never tasted such flavor. Some couldn’t help but ask for another cup, and even Gao Kui drank two cups consecutively.

Actually, to say Lanxue tea was vastly superior to Biluochun, Longjing, or Xinyang Maojian wouldn’t necessarily be true, but this was newly created tea, and its fragrance indeed had extraordinary qualities. Everyone present was tasting it for the first time, and they’d been dazzled by the “foreigners picking tea” spectacle, whetting their appetites. When this “precious tea that required foreigners to serve it” entered their mouths, it was truly like drinking immortal nectar. Smacking their lips and savoring, they all nodded involuntarily.

“Master, this is extraordinary!” An Dehai, having completed his task of conveying the imperial edict, hurried into the small garden. Cixi had originally sent him to secretly observe the Grand Tea Competition and report back to her. An Dehai dared not forget this matter.

“What happened? You’re not someone who hasn’t seen the world—why are you in such a panic?” Cixi glanced at him.

“Master, you didn’t see—four foreigners came to the prince’s mansion’s rear garden, and they’re women!” An Dehai knew Cixi loved hearing fresh news. As soon as Gu Pingyuan finished presenting his tea, he immediately ran back to “offer treasure.”

“Oh my, you didn’t see wrong, did you? My prince brother hates foreigners most—how could he allow foreign women into the mansion?” The primary consort looked uneasily at Cixi. Having taken medicine, her illness had improved somewhat, so she came to accompany her sister again.

“This slave wouldn’t contradict the primary consort, but right now the entire rear garden is in an uproar. I heard a tea merchant from Huizhou brought foreigners into the courtyard without permission. The Prince is furious and will probably punish him after the Grand Tea Competition ends.”

“Huizhou…” Cixi’s mind conjured the image of the young merchant who had burst into the garden earlier. “What’s his name?”

“Ah? This slave can’t understand foreign names.” An Dehai was startled and said with a worried expression.

Cixi was amused: “Foolish slave, I’m asking the name of that Huizhou tea merchant.”

“Yes, yes, this slave deserves death for not understanding Master’s question clearly. That tea merchant is surnamed Gu…”

“Gu Pingyuan.” Cixi hadn’t expected it to really be that young man.

“Exactly.” An Dehai dared not ask how Cixi knew this name.

“Tell me what exactly happened.”

An Dehai was eloquent, and soon recounted how Gu Pingyuan had “grafted tea trees and employed foreign women” to perform tea artistry that shocked the entire audience. Finally he said: “This slave deserves death for taking the liberty to get some tea leaves that merchant Gu brought and brewed a pot. I don’t know if Master wants to drink it or not?”

How could she not want to? After hearing An Dehai’s account, both Cixi and the primary consort were already itching with curiosity, hurriedly ordering the tea be brought. This time Cixi dared not be careless—she first had someone taste it, and only after seeing no abnormality did she feel at ease to taste the tea. “Sister, what do you think of this tea?” After tasting, Cixi nodded and asked the primary consort.

“Replying to the Empress Dowager, it’s truly fine tea. I can’t even describe its wonderful qualities—I only feel wind rising under my arms, like drinking from a jade pot of ice.” The primary consort was Cixi’s biological sister—how could she not know what was in her sister’s heart? Understanding this tea had won imperial favor, she hurriedly heaped praise upon it.

“Yes, I taste several different flavors within it.” Cixi had drunk famous teas from across the realm and was also skilled in appreciation. Speaking of Wuyi Da Hong Pao, when the ancestral tree was half-destroyed by lightning, the remaining half produced four liang of tea annually. Before the Taiping Rebellion, a full two liang had reached Cixi’s Chuxiu Palace.

“What’s this tea called?” Cixi asked An Dehai again.

“Replying to Master, the name is quite pleasant-sounding. It’s called Lanxue—lan for orchid, xue for snow white.”

“Lanxue…” Originally this name was merely pleasant-sounding and not unusual, but unexpectedly, upon hearing it, Cixi became lost in thought as if pondering something.

The Grand Tea Competition in the rear garden was nearing its end. The three tea-tasting masters in the pavilion on the artificial mountain were discussing the final rankings. Tea merchants with hopes of being selected were all anxious, their hopes and fears clearly visible, while those who knew they had no chance appeared relaxed. Gu Pingyuan was among the latter.

“Boss Lin, you needn’t worry. To speak bluntly, this is the Top Ten Famous Teas of China—your Ceylon black tea couldn’t possibly be selected no matter what.” Seeing Interpreter Lin also craning his neck toward the artificial mountain, Gu Pingyuan, fearing he’d be too disappointed later, offered this advice.

Indeed, hearing this, Interpreter Lin’s expression immediately showed some dejection.

“I say, brother, this isn’t right of you. Knowing this, why didn’t you advise against it beforehand? Isn’t this just wasting eight thousand taels of silver?” Secretary Hao reproached Gu Pingyuan.

“Then I also know my own Lanxue tea has no hope of selection—why did I still spend these eight thousand taels and go to such great effort?” Gu Pingyuan’s counter-question was followed by: “Boss Lin needn’t be despondent. After today, this Ceylon black tea’s reputation will become even more resounding. Many tea merchants will certainly come to do business with you—how could you worry about not making big money?”

These words cheered Interpreter Lin up again. He smiled: “Boss Gu is truly skilled at business. Your Lanxue tea has become famous throughout the realm this time.”

“What becomes famous throughout the realm are the Top Ten Famous Teas. I only hope the tea merchants’ impressions of Lanxue tea will be deeper, so future sales needn’t be worried about.”

“Then I congratulate Boss Gu in advance.” As the voice accompanied the person’s arrival, Gu Pingyuan looked to the side to see the handsome Su Zixuan. Unexpectedly, she had also come to this Grand Tea Competition.

Su Zixuan extended her hand to the side, inviting Gu Pingyuan to the flowering trees in the courtyard, away from the tea merchants who were looking up hopefully. Gu Pingyuan didn’t understand her intention and quietly waited for her to speak.

Su Zixuan had now changed back into men’s clothing, playing with a folding fan in her hand. After a moment of silence, she asked: “Did she drink that tea?”

“Ah!” A thought flashed through Gu Pingyuan’s mind. From Su Zixuan seeking him out to offer advice, he instantly thought of that silhouette from earlier. He understood everything, staring dumbly at this woman disguised as a man, pointing at her with a trembling finger.

“You—do you know who she is!”

“Of course I know. She’s someone even more important than Prince Gong. You truly have ability—you actually managed to invite her here. Even I must admire you.” Su Zixuan nodded.

“You’re using me!” Gu Pingyuan angrily lowered his voice.

“Yes, I’m using you, because you’re a useful person.” Su Zixuan smiled slightly. “Boss Gu, do you remember what I said to you on the loess plateau? Like you, I also have revenge to take!”

“Is poisoning people your method of revenge!”

“You only heard me ask this, so you guessed, right?” Su Zixuan smiled coldly.

“Wrong.” Gu Pingyuan answered with two words, and Su Zixuan’s smile had already become somewhat unnatural.

“You tasted it?”

Gu Pingyuan continued shaking his head: “I threw your two cups of poisoned tea into the pond.”

Upon hearing this, Su Zixuan’s face truly changed color. Though the poison she’d hidden in the rouge box’s secret compartment was slow-acting, its toxicity was fierce. After consuming this poison, a person would show no abnormality for half a day, but once it took effect, there was no antidote. However, fish in water couldn’t withstand this toxicity—they would immediately die from poisoning. Su Zixuan had thought herself as secure as Mount Tai, but now realized she was already in unpredictable danger. She immediately walked toward the rear garden’s exit.

How could Gu Pingyuan let her leave so mysteriously? He followed closely, wanting to ask more, when he saw Su Zixuan suddenly stop, her gaze fixed intently on the gate.

At the gate, the Shenji Battalion guards had somehow vanished without a trace, replaced by over a dozen palace guards wearing yellow riding jackets. Their strict inspection was obvious at a glance—sneaking out would be impossible. Looking at where Liu Heita had broken in earlier, two guards with hands on their sabers were also standing there—the path to the inner residence was also sealed.

The garden was only a small space—nowhere to hide or escape. This was truly catching a turtle in a jar. Su Zixuan’s face instantly paled, but she quickly smiled with sudden understanding.

“Thanks to you, I can’t leave now.” She spoke in a bland tone.

Gu Pingyuan also saw those palace guards and stood dumbly, not knowing what to say.

“I found you and used you to lure my enemy here, but things were ruined by your hand—this is all heaven’s will.” Su Zixuan’s voice carried some bitterness. “If I succeed, she dies; if I fail, I perish—quite fair. As for you, if you’d drunk that tea, you’d have become a wrongful ghost. Now you’re fine but ruined my plans—let’s call us even.”

Speaking thus, she flipped her palm, revealing a small paper packet between her fingertips. “I kept a little, originally thinking it would be kept but not used. I didn’t expect it would really come in handy.”

She was about to shake the packet’s contents into her mouth when Gu Pingyuan struck quickly, knocking it from her hand. Su Zixuan tried to grab the medicine powder scattered on the ground, but Gu Pingyuan grasped her hand and held it tightly.

“You!” Seeing the medicine powder blown away by the wind, Su Zixuan said urgently: “Why stop me? My death would be most advantageous to you—you needn’t worry about me not enduring torture and implicating you as well.”

Gu Pingyuan hadn’t thought much about it—he simply felt he couldn’t watch someone die before his eyes. In her desperation, Su Zixuan’s voice carried a trace of feminine tone. Only then did he realize Su Zixuan’s hand, soft and boneless, was being held by him. With the impropriety between men and women, this was too unseemly.

“Young Master Su, I apologize.” Gu Pingyuan stepped back.

Su Zixuan was both angry and resentful, glaring at him fiercely, momentarily not knowing what to do.

Just then, a gong sounded. A tall, loud-voiced palace guard stood on a protruding rock on the artificial mountain, holding a list and calling out: “Tea merchants, listen carefully! The three masters have reached consensus and selected the top ten famous teas of this Grand Tea Competition.”

Gu Pingyuan was concerned about this matter. Glancing at Su Zixuan who stood silent as wood, he hurried back to his seat.

“The teas selected as the top ten famous teas are: tenth place, Lu’an Guapian; ninth place, Anxi Tieguanyin…”

They were actually using the imperial examination method of announcing results in reverse order, starting from tenth place and working up: nine, eight, seven, six, five…

Tea merchants from across the nation involuntarily stood up, staring at that guard, hoping to hear their own names from his mouth.

Hearing “Huangshan Maofeng” selected as the fifth famous tea, Gu Pingyuan turned to nod congratulations to Master Hou Er representing Tailai Tea House. But Master Hou Er pretended not to see and instead smiled and acknowledged others nearby.

In the blink of an eye, they had announced down to second place. This second place was won by Wuyi Da Hong Pao, and the Fujian merchants cheered thunderously. However, before long, everyone in the venue thought of the same question and couldn’t help but freeze.

Only the “World’s Number One” slot remained, but neither the Beijing merchants’ “Xinyang Maojian” nor the Dongting merchant group’s “Biluochun” had received rankings yet!

Li Wantang sat in the flower hall, his expression gradually changing. He had originally assumed that since the Beijing merchants’ tea had Prince Gong’s personal promise of “World’s Number One,” second place would certainly go to Biluochun, which would at least give some account to Sacred Ancestor Kangxi. However, events had taken an unexpected turn. Could it be that Biluochun would actually fail to make the “top ten famous teas”? Even considering actual strength, this seemed unreasonable.

As Li Wantang pondered, he looked up and caught a glimpse of a mysterious smile on the seemingly rough face of Gao Kui from the opposing Dongting merchant group. Li Wantang’s heart jumped—he knew something must have gone wrong somewhere. Things were definitely not so simple.

He was right—there were changes within changes, schemes within schemes!

A month ago, Prince Chun had been sitting in his mansion’s small study, sulking. He was one hundred and twenty percent unwilling to host the Grand Tea Competition in his own rear garden, even less willing to serve as judge, feeling it greatly beneath his dignity. Just when his mood was most irritated, the mansion’s Tutor Li lifted the door curtain and entered. Seeing the Prince’s state, he first smiled, then bowed.

“I congratulate Your Highness.”

“Congratulations?” Prince Chun was puzzled. “What cause for celebration do I have?”

“Your Highness is about to make a fortune—isn’t that cause for celebration?” Tutor Li straightened up. “Your Highness, people from the Dongting merchant group just approached me, hoping Your Highness would award them first place at the Grand Tea Competition.”

“Hah, isn’t that just a pipe dream? Don’t you know first place has already been promised by Prince Gong to the Beijing merchants?”

“I naturally know this, which is precisely why the Dongting merchant group came to Your Highness. However, the Beijing merchants contributed to the national treasury, while the Dongting merchant group is willing to put one million taels into Your Highness’s private coffers.”

Money moves hearts, and princes are no exception. Hearing one million taels, he couldn’t help but be tempted, but after thinking, he shook his head: “Can’t be done, can’t be done. The silver is considerable, but I don’t have the final say.”

Tutor Li grinned and pulled out a thick stack of fresh banknotes from his bosom, each one worth ten thousand taels.

“Your Highness, they’re quite sincere—they’ve already paid the banknotes here.”

“What? You—you accepted them?” Prince Chun was first shocked, then angry, pointing accusingly: “Audacious! I can’t even accomplish this matter—how dare you accept banknotes?”

“Your Highness, it can be accomplished!”

“It cannot. Prince Gong is the Prince Regent—one word from him outweighs a hundred of mine. Who can overturn an established situation?”

“Who said anything about overturning it?” Tutor Li had long held the wisdom pearl in his grasp and now spoke unhurriedly: “The Dongting merchant group’s Biluochun received its tea name from Emperor Kangxi’s imperial bestowal—it naturally deserves first place. Since Prince Gong has promised the Beijing merchants, let’s simply have a tied first place. If Prince Gong questions this, just use these four words: ‘Revering Heaven and Following Ancestors.’ Since the Beijing merchants also got first place, I think the Prince Regent won’t blame Your Highness.”

“Two teas sharing the crown”—this was indeed a clever plan, and it would invisibly equalize his status with Prince Gong’s. Prince Chun gladly adopted it. Now, pleased with himself as he looked at Tutor Li, he stood up, cleared his throat, and was about to announce the final result.

Just then, a duck-like voice called softly from behind the flower hall’s screen.

“Your Highness!”

Prince Chun started, turned back to look, and saw palace eunuch An Dehai bowing slightly and nodding to him.

“Why has the Western Empress Dowager’s personal eunuch come to my mansion?” Without time to think further, Prince Chun stepped toward the screen.

In less than the time for a cup of tea, he emerged again. Tutor Li, standing nearby, was startled to see the Prince’s lips pressed extremely tight, his face frighteningly ashen. He hurried forward, and just as he was about to speak, Prince Chun waved him silent and positioned himself on the flower hall’s steps.

The garden fell silent as crows, with all tea merchants staring at the Prince, waiting for him to announce the final first place winner.

Normally there should have been some ceremonial words, but the Prince didn’t elaborate, directly announcing loudly: “At this Beijing Grand Tea Competition, first place goes to Lanxue tea recommended by Huizhou merchant Gu Pingyuan!”

Even if the Thunder God himself had appeared and struck a thunderbolt in the garden, it wouldn’t have shocked everyone so much! Even if the earth had split open and a living ghost had jumped out in broad daylight, it wouldn’t have caused such an expression of ultimate horror! Though “World’s Greatest Tea” had been announced, the rear garden remained silent, with no cheers or congratulations to be heard. Everyone’s mind was turning the same thought: “Did I mishear?”

With only ten slots available, Lanxue tea taking first meant both Xinyang Maojian and Biluochun had failed to make the list. People from both the Beijing merchants and Dongting merchant group stared at each other, all dumbstruck. Gao Kui was deathly pale, his facial muscles twisted into a knot. Li Wantang also lost his usual composed demeanor, his face alternating between green and white. Several times he wanted to speak but, intimidated by the Prince’s authority, swallowed his words.

Here, Secretary Hao looked at Gu Pingyuan in disbelief, Liu Heita shook his big head, and his hands shook Interpreter Lin beside him: “Did you hear? Did they say Lanxue tea? Did they?”

Interpreter Lin was also dumbstruck, the full teacup in his hands spilling all over himself from Liu Heita’s shaking without him noticing.

The tea merchants slowly turned their gazes to their table, their eyes full of suspicion and disbelief.

Gu Pingyuan stood up stiffly like a marionette, mouth half-open, staring unblinkingly at the Prince in the flower hall, his face full of amazement. This sudden news had left him completely bewildered—stunned, stupefied, dazed. He could never have imagined that his own Lanxue would ultimately claim “World’s Greatest Tea.” Such a thing was previously unthinkable even in dreams. If anyone had said “Lanxue” could win first place, Gu Pingyuan would have considered them mad. But now it was the Prince himself announcing it before tea merchants from across the realm—how could this be false?

Secretary Hao pushed Gu Pingyuan, who walked to the center like a sleepwalker and knelt to thank the Prince.

After he gave thanks, Prince Chun extended a scroll forward: “This is from the Empress Dowager’s own hand. Gu Pingyuan!”

“This commoner is present!” Gu Pingyuan was in a daze as if dreaming, kowtowing upward.

“Receive it.”

“This commoner kowtows in gratitude for imperial grace.” Gu Pingyuan respectfully performed the full ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows, holding the scroll high with both hands. With trembling hands he unrolled it, and the five large characters “World’s Greatest Tea” leaped from the paper, with the “Tongdaotang” seal stamped below.

The Empress Dowager’s personal imperial bestowment! This was worth countless times more than Prince Gong’s personal promise or Prince Chun’s personal evaluation. Even Li Wantang, who had originally designed this Grand Tea Competition, had never dared dream of such honor. Now it had truly fallen upon Gu Pingyuan’s head. Momentarily, gazes from all directions focused on Gu Pingyuan—some envious, some jealous, some hateful, especially Li Qin, whose teeth chattered with rage. He wanted to rush forward and tear up that paper, but he dared not, only glaring at Gu Pingyuan with bloodshot eyes.

Normally, the top ten tea merchants should have been invited into the flower hall for personal commendation. However, after Prince Chun’s announcement, he turned expressionlessly into the inner residence, abandoning the crowd of tea merchants without another glance.

At this time, Secretary Hao, Liu Heita, Interpreter Lin and others all crowded over.

Secretary Hao said: “Brother, this is tremendous good news—why aren’t you saying anything? Say something!”

“Brother-in-law, speak up!”

Everyone looked at him. Gu Pingyuan took a deep breath, looked around, as if his soul had just returned. He suddenly embraced Liu Heita, laughing through tears, shouting with wild joy: “First place! Lanxue tea is the world’s number one!”

No one had seen him so beside himself. Thinking of his difficult experiences and unyielding perseverance, that he could now claim the world’s top honor in one stroke, they all felt happy for him.

Only then did the various merchant groups come to their senses. The rear garden immediately boiled over like a pot, with tea merchants chattering about everything.

“Boss Dong, who is this Gu Pingyuan? Do you know?”

“Don’t know, never heard of him.”

“What right does his so-called Lanxue tea have to claim world’s number one? Absolutely unreasonable!”

“Shh, this is a prince’s mansion—lower your voice. Need you ask? He naturally stuffed silver into Prince Chun’s pockets. Didn’t you see how Prince Chun gave him special treatment, even securing the Empress Dowager’s personal calligraphy? That silver must have been astronomical.”

“Astronomical? The Beijing merchants put up six million taels—looking at that kid, he probably couldn’t produce even sixty thousand taels.”

“Not necessarily—you can’t judge by appearances.”

The garden was in chaos. Palace guards came to clear the scene. Gu Pingyuan, surrounded by Liu Heita, Secretary Hao, Interpreter Lin and others, holding the scroll with the Empress Dowager’s personal inscription, was preparing to leave when he saw Su Zixuan standing motionless in the garden’s center.

She couldn’t get out! Eight thousand taels for three people—the gate was checking according to this, and not one unauthorized person could slip through. Though Su Zixuan had countless schemes, she wasn’t Sun Wukong with seventy-two transformations. Seeing fewer and fewer people in the garden, she knew it wouldn’t be long before she was exposed.

“Young Master Su!” Someone nearby suddenly spoke.

“Mm.” Su Zixuan was somewhat distracted but noticed someone had placed something in her hand.

“Come with me.” The person said softly.

Only then did Su Zixuan look up to see the speaker was Gu Pingyuan, and in her hand was the scroll inscribed “World’s Greatest Tea.”

Gu Pingyuan and Su Zixuan each held one end, as if displaying the Empress Dowager’s calligraphy. If anyone carelessly let the scroll fall to the ground, it would be the crime of great disrespect. Naturally, no one dared stop them, and they easily left the mansion gates.

“We part here.” Gu Pingyuan looked deeply at Su Zixuan. Over there, Liu Heita was already calling out like a great bell to Old Chang Si approaching them, laughing loudly: “Brother-in-law won the World’s Greatest Tea! Ha ha ha!”

Su Zixuan let out a long breath, feeling for the first time as if all strength had been drained from her body. The sun was setting in the west, her shadow fell on the ground, pointing obliquely toward Gu Pingyuan’s departing direction—the same direction her gaze was fixed upon.

“Your Highness, how—how could you award ‘World’s Number One’ to that so-called Lanxue tea?” Tutor Li followed Prince Chun into the study in complete bewilderment.

“Stop talking!” Prince Chun angrily pulled off his crown embedded with red gems and Eastern pearls on all sides, slamming it on the table.

“Your Highness…”

“Return that one million taels to the Dongting merchant group.” Prince Chun’s spirits deflated again, like a defeated rooster.

Tutor Li asked in puzzlement: “I truly don’t understand, Your Highness—what’s the real reason?”

“Sigh, I’ll tell you the truth. Today the Western one came to the mansion. She specifically named that fellow surnamed Gu to receive the World’s Greatest Tea title. Could I disobey?” Prince Chun felt this matter was utterly humiliating.

Tutor Li was also greatly shocked, stammering: “A small Huizhou tea merchant could actually trouble the Empress Dowager to personally visit—isn’t this too incredible?”

“Yes! When I heard the head eunuch Little An from Chuxiu Palace relay the message, I was completely stunned. I still can’t figure out what this is about!”

“Ah!” Tutor Li suddenly thought: “Could it be Little An took money and falsely transmitted the imperial edict…”

“No, no, you’re thinking too much.” The Prince waved his hands repeatedly. “The ‘Western one’ and the primary consort are biological sisters. When she came to the mansion, naturally the primary consort entertained her. If Little An were playing tricks, wouldn’t it be exposed immediately? He lacks such audacity.”

“That’s true—this is truly strange…” Even the scheming Tutor Li couldn’t understand the reason, but he suddenly remembered something.

“Your Highness, forgive my boldness, but you acted rashly in one matter.”

“What matter?”

“You should have publicly announced at the Grand Tea Competition that awarding Lanxue tea the world’s number one was by imperial edict. Now that you were vague, outsiders will certainly spread rumors that you accepted bribes. Moreover, there’s no way to explain this to Prince Gong! Isn’t this getting all the trouble without any of the benefits?”

“Sigh!” Prince Chun was truly vexed and let out a long sigh.

In the Forbidden City, Cixi sat in the palace with An Dehai standing in attendance. Earlier at the prince’s mansion, his gall bladder had nearly burst from fear. He had accepted ten thousand taels to lead the Empress Dowager to Prince Chun’s mansion, only to have someone take this opportunity to offer poisoned tea. Fortunately, this master, for the primary consort’s sake, hadn’t made a great fuss. But he was already under tremendous suspicion—if not for relying on his merit from the Xinyou year that had earned Cixi’s deep trust, he would probably be suffering torture in the Judicial Department by now. Even stranger was that Gu Pingyuan—unexpectedly, Cixi, with the dignity of Empress Dowager, had actually managed such a trivial matter, bestowing upon his tea the title of world’s number one. An Dehai didn’t know how deep these waters ran and simply kept silent to avoid disaster.

Though he didn’t mention it, Cixi brought it up herself.

“Little An.”

“This slave is present.” An Dehai quickly knelt.

“Everyone says you’re the worm in my belly. I want to ask you—why did I bestow that title on Lanxue tea today?”

Bringing up exactly what shouldn’t be mentioned, An Dehai silently reminded himself to be careful not to say anything wrong and bring trouble upon himself.

He said with a face full of smiles: “Oh, Master’s sage wisdom—how could this slave guess it?”

“I’m asking you to guess, so guess. Why so much nonsense?” Cixi looked displeased.

“Yes, yes.” An Dehai was expert at reading the wind and adjusting sails. Seeing Cixi truly wanted him to guess, he immediately assumed a thoughtful expression. After intense consideration, he said: “This slave heard the Seventh Princess Consort say Master lived in Huizhou for several years. Master is most kindhearted—probably remembering Huizhou’s kindness, you gave the world’s number one to that Huizhou tea merchant.”

“Slippery—that’s the Seventh Princess Consort’s guess, though not wrong.” Cixi scolded. “What else?”

An Dehai’s eyes rolled, and he said with a grin: “This slave doesn’t know if this is right—if it’s wrong, please don’t be angry, Master.”

“Speak.”

“I guess Master probably heard that Gu Pingyuan employed foreigners and felt pleased…” He deliberately drew out his voice. Seeing Cixi’s approving expression, his heart immediately settled, and his words flowed smoothly: “Foreigners are most hateful. Every time Master recalls how the British and French barbarians burned the Old Summer Palace, causing the late emperor to die in Rehe, you feel heartbroken. This slave watching from the side also feels grief and indignation. It’s rare that this Gu Pingyuan could actually command four foreign women—it’s like venting anger for Master. Shouldn’t this be rewarded?”

“Well said—you really did guess correctly.” Cixi smiled slightly. “But there’s another reason. If I don’t tell you, probably none of you could guess.”

An Dehai didn’t know whether to ask, tentatively saying: “Master’s thoughts are infinitely ingenious—even if this slave guessed for a hundred years, I couldn’t figure out any one of them.”

“Sigh.” Cixi sighed deeply. “When I first entered the palace, I served at ‘All Under Heaven One Family Spring’ in the Old Summer Palace. Through the late emperor’s favor, I became Noble Lady, then advanced from Concubine to Consort to Noble Consort. When the late emperor favored me most, he gave me an eight-character evaluation: ‘Orchid heart and intelligent nature, ice snow cleverness’…”

Before Cixi finished speaking, An Dehai already understood clearly. No wonder—it was the tea name “Lanxue” that touched the Empress Dowager’s heartstrings. Women’s thoughts were truly incomprehensible—just for this old memory from years past, she had casually bestowed the “World’s Greatest Tea” title. If the Beijing merchants and Dongting merchant group knew this was the reason their secured first place had slipped away, they would probably weep without tears.

Seeing Cixi staring out the window in a daze, he knew this wasn’t the time to disturb her quiet contemplation, so he backed out step by step, half-bowing. He was completely satisfied, feeling his understanding of this master had deepened further. But he didn’t know that in the deepest part of Cixi’s heart lay a secret no one could guess and that she could never tell anyone.

Gu Pingyuan’s conversation had already made a deep impression on Cixi. He had also inadvertently saved her life—this “World’s Number One” was his reward. But even without this incident, Cixi hadn’t planned to let Prince Gong have his way. She was a woman with extremely strong desire for power. Since beginning to rule from behind the curtain, she had heard rumors that many princes and ministers in the capital were quite dissatisfied with a female ruler, considering it a violation of ancestral law. Cixi was resentful and wanted to use this opportunity to vent her anger.

Her action both denied Prince Gong face and swept aside the imperial name established by Sacred Lord Kangxi, while her personally chosen Lanxue tea rose supreme. The implication was naturally self-evident. No matter how clever An Dehai was, he couldn’t imagine Cixi’s ambition of “using feminine to suppress masculine.”