As the new month began, the merchants’ association prepared for another meeting. The assembled gentlemen waited for Madam Cui from the Yushao Porcelain Workshop to arrive, intending to confront her about obstructing their route.
The gentlemen arrived early, having prepared their words to intimidate Madam Cui into conceding. However, the main subject of their discussion, Madam Cui herself, was nowhere to be seen.
Growing impatient, Master He sent his servant to inquire at the Yushao Porcelain Shop. The servant returned, reporting that the mistress wasn’t at the shop but at her residence on North Street. When he went there, the door opened slightly, revealing a dark-faced old woman who said curtly, “Our mistress says it’s inappropriate for her to speak with the gentlemen. She won’t come to make a fool of herself. She’s feeling unwell today and asks not to be disturbed!”
When the servant relayed this message to the assembly hall, the gentlemen first exchanged bewildered glances and then erupted in anger. They cursed, saying the Cui woman was unreasonable and wondering how her husband managed her, allowing such arrogance and disrespect to offend their entire trade.
Despite their outburst, the gentlemen remained at a loss on how to resolve the issue of transporting large quantities of clay. Previously, they had a few boats at their disposal, but recently, the Water Authority had inexplicably requisitioned the remaining vessels. With the pottery kilns running out of raw materials and facing shutdown, Master He was beside himself with worry.
While the imperial commission was enviable, any mishap could result in a capital offense. He Zhen, sitting quietly to the side, understood that Madam Cui was deliberately retaliating for their previous slight.
It seemed they had no choice but to soften their approach and appeal to Madam Cui for a compromise, allowing the clay to pass through Shuangling Village’s shortcut. However, asking her father to bow down would severely damage the He family’s reputation. Naturally, the third Miss He would have to step in and mediate.
The next day, He Zhen prepared a box of ginseng, a bird’s nest from the Southern Seas, and several boxes of honeyed fruits to visit the “ailing” Madam Cui at her North Street residence. This time, the dark-faced gatekeeper, Mama Li, opened the door. He Zhen entered with a warm smile, approaching the bedridden Liu Niangzi, who had a headband wrapped around her forehead as if they were long-time sisters. She took Liu’s hand, expressing concern for her health.
“Madam Cui, it’s only been a few days since we last met. How have you fallen so ill?” He Zhen asked, her face full of concern.
Mian Tang, with her hair half-tied, lay languidly in bed, genuinely appearing unwell. She sighed, “This is an old affliction of mine. When it flares up, I get terrible headaches. We spent a fortune treating it in the capital, nearly bankrupting my husband’s family. Fortunately, we found a good doctor who prescribed a treatment. However, the herbs are quite particular. They must be grown in a place with lush vegetation, far from the dust and noise of carriages and horses, to preserve their efficacy. It’s by sheer luck that I recently acquired a suitable plot of land. I’m just waiting for the medicinal herbs to grow and save my life… Third Miss He, you’ve taken time from your busy schedule to visit me. I’m truly grateful!”
He Zhen forced a smile, looking somewhat uncomfortable. She hadn’t expected Liu Niangzi to shut down the conversation so thoroughly with just a few words.
From Liu Niangzi’s implication, the land in Shuangling Village was for growing life-saving herbs, requiring peace. The subtext was clear: anyone insisting on passing through would be threatening Liu Niangzi’s life.
After Liu Mian Tang finished describing her suffering, she thoughtfully asked He Zhen if there was anything else she needed. Even the usually glib Third Miss He found herself at a loss for words.
However, delaying the imperial commission was too serious a matter. The lives of the entire He family hung in the balance. She had no choice but to press on, saying, “Madam Cui, you must be aware that with the canal construction underway, all boats have been requisitioned. Our town’s porcelain workshops are struggling with clay supply, causing quite a headache. We heard your shop has ample clay. If possible, could you spare some for the He family business to help us through this crisis?”
Hearing this, Mian Tang furrowed her brow slightly, appearing troubled. “If Miss He were asking for anything else, I’d be happy to oblige. But this request is particularly difficult. To be frank, our Yushao Porcelain Workshop has recently taken on a large order and needs all the clay we have. If we give it to you, we won’t meet our deadline, tarnishing the reputation we’ve worked so hard to build.”
He Zhen had anticipated this refusal and quickly replied, “We can negotiate the price. We’re willing to pay a premium.”
It was clear that Liu Niangzi intended to capitalize on the scarcity. He Zhen decided to acquiesce for now to resolve the He family’s urgent problem.
After all, once the canal was completed next year and shipping routes reopened, Liu Niangzi would lose her leverage. The He family, with their substantial resources, could weather this storm, but other merchants might not have the capital to buy the Cui family’s expensive clay.
While the Cui family could profit from this scarcity, they would also completely alienate other merchants in Lingquan Town. He Zhen wondered how they would maintain their position afterward.
So, regardless of Liu Mian Tang’s price, He Zhen was prepared to agree, sacrificing money to ruin the Cui family’s reputation and drive these outsiders from Lingquan Town without a fight.
However, when He Zhen mentioned buying clay at a high price, Liu Mian Tang smiled gently and said, “Listen to yourself, Third Miss He. My husband is an educated man. How could we be so unscrupulous as to profit from our neighbors’ misfortune? Besides, we sell porcelain, not clay!”
He Zhen found herself unable to grasp Liu Niangzi’s intentions. After nearly half a day of persuasion, Liu Mian Tang finally hinted, “If our shop could earn more money, we could buy the life-saving herbs elsewhere… It’s just that our current orders are too small. If only we could secure some imperial commissions like your He family or other merchants…”
He Zhen finally understood. Liu Mian Tang was ambitious, wanting a share of the lucrative imperial supply contracts!
Now that both parties had laid their cards on the table, everything became easier to manage. He Zhen said this was a significant matter that required consultation with her father.
Despite her apparent weakness, Liu Niangzi personally escorted He Zhen to the door, warmly urging her to discuss the matter with Master He quickly. She added that once the medicinal herbs in their Shuangling field grew larger, they would be reluctant to uproot them to make way for carts.
When He Zhen relayed this to her father, Master He slammed the table in anger, exclaiming that the Cui family had some nerve, thinking they could handle imperial commissions without proper foundations.
However, He Zhen persuaded her father, suggesting that if Liu Mian Tang wanted to earn imperial silver, they should let her. Moreover, the coloring techniques at Yushao Porcelain Workshop were indeed impressive. If they could use those skills for the He family’s benefit, wouldn’t it make them even stronger?
Master He understood his daughter’s point. After all, any porcelain pieces subcontracted by the He family would still bear their brand. No matter how talented Liu Mian Tang was, she would merely be working for the He family. After completing the emperor’s wedding commission, they could deal with the Yushao Porcelain Workshop at their leisure.
Master He knew his daughter was cunning and more thorough in her planning than he was. For now, they had no choice but to invite that Liu woman to join them to overcome the immediate crisis.
Thus, breaking with tradition, the Lingquan Town Merchants’ Association held another meeting just two days after He Zhen’s visit to Liu Niangzi.
This time, Liu Niangzi did attend, albeit arriving a full hour late. She apologized profusely upon entering, explaining that as a woman, she had many preparations to make before leaving the house, and her grooming had taken considerable time.
The assembled gentlemen greeted her with smiles, saying that Madam Cui’s careful preparation showed her respect for the association, and it was perfectly understandable.
The merchants of Lingquan Town then amicably discussed the allocation of the imperial commission once more.
The most profitable task of coloring fine porcelain was assigned to the Yushao Porcelain Workshop. This piece of the pie had originally been the He family’s exclusive domain, and Master He was naturally reluctant to give it up. However, Liu Niangzi wasn’t interested in any other shares, demanding only this one with a lion’s appetite.
The other proprietors, relieved that Liu Mian Tang hadn’t set her sights on their portions, actually joined in persuading Master He to concede.
Master He’s face turned purple with suppressed rage. If not for his daughter He Zhen constantly stepping on his foot under the table, he would have erupted in anger.
In the end, the He family made their concession, and Liu Mian Tang naturally softened her stance. She first spoke mournfully of her illness, then sincerely expressed that for the sake of Lingquan Town’s merchants, and more importantly, out of loyalty to the emperor, she would not hesitate to uproot her life-saving herbs even at the cost of her health.
Liu Niangzi was naturally charming, and having stayed indoors for several days, her face was powdered a pristine white. With her worried expression and delicate appearance, one might easily believe she was truly a beauty destined for an untimely end!
As the old gentlemen nodded in agreement, they once again sincerely thanked Maiden Liu for her broad-mindedness in considering the bigger picture. However, Lord He inwardly cursed, wondering what nonsense this was about medicinal herbs. He had sent someone to check, and it was a field of cabbage and leeks! How could that treat any terminal illness?
After the discussion concluded, Maiden Liu received an advance payment for the rush order of imperial supplies. Just for this batch of colored porcelain, she received a silver note worth 800 taels. Upon completion of the entire order, she would receive half of the remaining payment.
Previously unaware of the substantial sums involved in imperial commissions, Maiden Liu finally understood why the shopkeepers had been so obsequious towards the He family. The profits were enough to make one’s eyes turn red with envy!
Meanwhile, in the military camp, Cui Xingzhou heard reports of the recent progress at the Water Department. Satisfied, he relaxed his expression and dismissed the reporting official with a wave of his hand.
However, the official had one more matter to report. He cautiously asked, “Your Highness, you previously ordered all boats within a hundred li to be requisitioned. Now that the work is mostly complete, can those boats be released from corvée labor?”
In truth, the Water Department didn’t need to requisition fishing boats so urgently. Cui Jiu hadn’t given it much thought at the time. A fleeting memory of the empty hole under the bed in the North Street residence crossed his mind, and out of a moment’s kindness, he had wanted to make things a bit easier for the young woman preparing to pay her way out.
It had been a casual decision at the time, one he hadn’t dwelled on afterward. Now, hearing the official mention it, he suddenly remembered the matter, wondering how Maiden Liu’s situation had progressed.
Acknowledging that requisitioning the fishing boats for too long would indeed affect people’s livelihoods, the Prince of Huaiyang waved his hand, indicating that some of the boats could be released from corvée labor.
Later, during a casual meal on North Street, he learned from Mian Tang that she had successfully extorted the money. However, when he heard that Liu Mian Tang had taken on affairs for the He family, he frowned slightly.
Truthfully, he had initially bought the shop merely to put her mind at ease. He hadn’t expected that in just over a month, she would expand the business so significantly.
“Aren’t you afraid that the He family might sabotage the porcelain in your shop, using some pretext to deal with you?” he asked.
Mian Tang responded with a sweet smile, “My lord is so thoughtful. But our shops are working for others, operating under the He family’s name. If they were to sabotage the porcelain, they’d be damaging their reputation. How could they avoid being implicated? We’ve just established ourselves on North Street and need to manage well. It may be beneath my lord’s shop to be under others for now, but one day, our shop’s name will be proudly stamped on the imperial porcelain!”
As Mian Tang made her bold declaration, Cui Xingzhou smiled slightly. “If you enjoy it, do your best. But don’t do it for me. Do it for yourself, manage it properly, and consider it earning your assets.”
After all, once matters here were concluded, the shop and house would be given to her. If Maiden Liu managed well, she would be the one to benefit.
Cui Xingzhou rarely took the time to guide someone like this, but to Mian Tang, it sounded like her husband was encouraging her to act boldly.
Receiving such trust from her husband, her eyes sparkled, gazing at him with a look as clear as autumn waters.
Cui Xingzhou, accustomed to her looking at him this way, calmly picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl. “Eat quickly. Didn’t you say you needed to return to the shop to check the delivered porcelain?”
Mian Tang, realizing her gaze had been too brazen and unbefitting a virtuous wife, smiled playfully before hurriedly eating her meal.
She did indeed need to go out soon, but seeing her husband return, she had wanted to eat with him, which had delayed her.
After finishing her meal and rinsing her mouth with bamboo salt, Mian Tang prepared to leave.
Cui Xingzhou also needed to go out. He had come to Lingquan Town not only to eat Mama Li’s cooking but, more importantly, to pay respects to a retired high official who had returned to his hometown. Noting the time, he decided to leave as well.
The prince’s carriage was passing by the Yushao Porcelain Shop. Cui Jiu hesitated for a moment, feeling it wouldn’t be right to ignore her since they were going the same way, so he invited Mian Tang to join him in the carriage.
This was Mian Tang’s first time going out with her husband. Her heart fluttered as she sat properly beside Cui Jiu, surrounded by his faint bamboo-like scent.
As the carriage drove out from North Street, the area was still quiet, with people not yet returned from their midday rest. The carriage slowly made its way towards the porcelain shop along the stone-paved road.
However, as they turned into a secluded street corner, several burly men suddenly leaped down from the high walls on both sides of the road. Two of them grabbed the carriage driver by the neck.
A few others stood guard at the alley entrance, their roles well-coordinated, clearly experienced in highway robbery.
One of them ripped down the carriage curtain, ignoring Cui Xingzhou completely. He pointed a sharp sword at Liu Mian Tang’s throat and said menacingly, “Miss Liu, you left, but why did you secretly take the money our young master had worked so hard to gather? Now that the accounts show a discrepancy, the young master has a message: if you return it, he’ll let bygones be bygones!”
The words made no sense to Liu Mian Tang, who listened in confusion. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Who is your young master? What did I take? You must have mistaken me for someone else.”
Seeing that Liu Mian Tang wouldn’t admit it, the large man let out a cold laugh. Not bothering to waste more words, he moved to drag her out of the carriage and tie her up.
As for the man sitting beside Liu Mian Tang, the thug hadn’t even glanced at him. Yun Niang had told them beforehand that Miss Liu had married a mere merchant, a useless dandy who lived off his wife. A businessman would surely value his life more. If he dared to move, they’d put a hole in him immediately!
However, just as his hand was about to touch Liu Mian Tang, the supposedly useless dandy beside her spoke leisurely, “How much did she take from you? I’ll repay it for her.”
The lead thug, hearing this, almost laughed himself to tears. He sneered menacingly, “Three million taels of silver! Can you afford that? Get out of the way!”
As he spoke, he swung his sword, intending to slash the dandy’s face. But as the thug’s wrist moved forward, the supposed dandy extended two fingers, pinching the thin blade. With a skillful twist, he pulled the large man into the carriage.
Liu Mian Tang had already grasped a pair of bronze bells that Mama Li had placed nearby—these bells were sent by the divine doctor Zhao Quan for her to exercise her wrist and rebuild muscle strength when idle.
Now, these bells came in handy. She raised them high and, taking advantage of Cui Xingzhou pulling the thug in, struck the man’s head twice.
Mian Tang’s knowledge of acupoints was precise. Although her hands lacked strength, it was enough to make the large man roll his eyes and faint.
This was the first time Cui Xingzhou had seen her fight in person. Her strikes indeed looked soft but hit the acupoints accurately.
Just then, sounds of fighting erupted outside the carriage. As Mian Tang leaned out to take a look, she felt a dull pain on the back of her neck and everything went black.
After knocking Mian Tang unconscious with a swift chop, Cui Xingzhou’s hidden guards sprang into action, subduing the remaining attackers.
“Your Highness, we’ve captured them all!” a guard reported, kneeling before Cui Xingzhou.
The Prince of Huaiyang waved his hand, instructing them to take the men away for questioning.
Although he had only heard fragments of conversation, it was enough for Cui Xingzhou to piece together the situation.
This Liu Mian Tang was truly audacious. When she fled, she hadn’t just taken a box of jewelry and silver notes—she had also made off with a large sum of ill-gotten gains from that Young Master Zi Yu!
Three million taels of silver was no small amount. That Young Master Zi Yu must have been quite patient to wait until now to reclaim it.
Cui Xingzhou’s long-standing trap on North Street had finally caught some substantial fish, making his patience worthwhile.
He postponed his visit to the retired high official and, since specialized interrogators would handle the captured thieves, he didn’t need to oversee the questioning personally. Instead, he took the unconscious Mian Tang back to the residence.
As the carriage arrived at the door, they saw Zhao Quan, the Marquis of Nan, peering around with his servant.
When Zhao Quan saw Cui Jiu carrying the unconscious Liu Mian Tang from the carriage, he was startled, thinking her old illness had resurfaced. Upon learning that Cui Jiu had knocked her out, he became furious.
The Marquis had long considered the young woman as part of his household. How could he tolerate Cui Jiu’s rough treatment? He glared, “Your Highness, you may be used to beating and scolding soldiers in the military camp, but how could you raise your hand against such a delicate woman?”
Cui Xingzhou had expected Mian Tang to wake up during the journey, but she remained unconscious, her breathing erratic as if trapped in a nightmare. Concerned, he frowned and said, “I only used a light touch to make her sleep for a while. My hand wasn’t heavy. Please examine her and see what’s wrong.”
With that, Cui Jiu strode into the house carrying Liu Mian Tang, rolled up his sleeve to reveal a jade-like wrist, and asked Zhao Quan to check her pulse.
However, just as Zhao Quan’s fingers were about to touch her, Cui Xingzhou’s brow furrowed. He felt that even a fallen woman shouldn’t be casually touched by others.
He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and covered the pale wrist.
Zhao Quan found this unnecessary and glared at him, intending to remove the handkerchief for a more accurate reading. But meeting Cui Xingzhou’s slightly narrowed gaze, he dared not push further and checked her pulse through the handkerchief.
Mian Tang’s pulse was somewhat irregular, indicating that her previous blood stasis condition hadn’t fully dissipated. It seemed she would need stronger herbal treatments.
After the examination, Zhao Quan wrote a new prescription and handed it to Mama Li to brew for Liu Mian Tang. He then solemnly instructed Cui Xingzhou that women were naturally delicate, and today’s actions must not be repeated.
In the past, the Prince of Huaiyang would have merely smiled coldly. How could someone like him, who didn’t hesitate to use any means necessary, show mercy to a fallen woman of a rebel?
But this time, the Prince of Huaiyang listened in silence, then slowly nodded.
As Zhao Quan left North Street, he felt perplexed, sensing that something was different about his long-time friend. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on what had changed.
Mian Tang sank into a dream as muddled as thick sludge. In the dream, someone showed her an account book and asked, “Miss Liu, what do you think we should do?”