The pacification of the Northwest was imminent, and his return wasn’t far off. He would pass through Xizhou then, providing an opportunity to see her.
He only hoped she wouldn’t have thoughts of remarrying by then… Cui Xingzhou didn’t realize he had used the term “remarry,” as if she had once been married to him.
At that moment, someone entered the military tent to report that the Chaxi tribe leader wanted to introduce someone to the Prince of Huaiyang. Cui Xingzhou asked, “Whom does he wish to introduce?”
The guard hesitated, “It’s… a veiled woman…”
The Prince of Huaiyang hadn’t expected the Chaxi leader to be so persistent in his matchmaking efforts. He frowned slightly and said, “Don’t see them!”
The guard immediately went to convey the prince’s wishes.
But just then, a woman’s clear voice came from outside, “I am the daughter of the late Kesi Shanyu of the Wang Qi tribe. I’ve come to seek an audience with the Prince of Huaiyang!”
Cui Xingzhou’s interest was piqued. Kesi Shanyu was the old chieftain who had been murdered by his adopted son, Agu Shan.
Had he still been alive, the border wouldn’t have seen this conflict.
Thinking this, he said in a deep voice, “Let them in.”
When the Chaxi leader brought in a veiled woman, she removed her headscarf and looked up at Cui Xingzhou, exclaiming in surprise, “How… it’s you?”
The visitor was Lin Siyue, the daughter of the late Shanyu. She had come to see the Prince of Huaiyang to seek support for reviving her tribe.
She never imagined that the man sitting in the commander’s high seat would be Liu Niangniang’s divorced husband – General Cui!
Cui Xingzhou was also startled to see Miss Lin. He hadn’t expected the abandoned merchant’s wife whom Liu Mian Tang had helped to be the daughter of the barbarian old Shanyu!
The two were momentarily stunned, leaving the Chaxi leader bewildered.
A few days ago, he might have boldly speculated that the Prince of Huaiyang was interested in the old Shanyu’s daughter. But after seeing such a beautiful girl emerge from the prince’s tent after a night of writing, the Chaxi leader felt he couldn’t understand these Han noblemen.
Cui Xingzhou was the first to speak, “You say you’re the old Shanyu’s daughter. What proof do you have?”
Lin Siyue was prepared. She ordered her attendant to present the old Shanyu’s eagle-head seal, a gift from the founding emperor when the barbarians were on good terms with Da Yan.
Agu Shan, who had usurped power, had searched everywhere for this seal without success. The seal he now used was merely a privately engraved gold seal, lacking legitimacy.
This was why Agu Shan had been frantically searching for the old Shanyu’s daughter.
Seeing this seal, along with the introduction from the Chaxi leader of a major barbarian tribe, Lin Siyue’s identity was indisputable. Cui Xingzhou now understood why Lin Siyue could send so many capable warriors to help when Liu Mian Tang sought her assistance, leaving Fan Hu, hidden in the shadows, with nothing to do despite receiving his pay.
However, Lin Siyue was very doubtful of the Prince of Huaiyang’s identity. She looked directly at him and asked, “Are you the Prince of Huaiyang, Cui Xingzhou?”
Cui Xingzhou replied slowly, “This prince is not being pursued, why would I need someone to impersonate me?”
Lin Siyue raised an eyebrow and said, “Then are you saying that you disguised yourself as a chiliarch at Wuning Pass, deceived a young lady, and then abandoned her?”
Hearing this, Cui Xingzhou’s face darkened. Mo Ru, standing nearby, angrily said, “How dare you slander the prince! How can the noble Prince of Huaiyang be insulted by the likes of you?”
In his view, it should be the opposite. Although their prince had indeed deceived the young lady, he had never said he wouldn’t take responsibility!
The Chaxi leader beside them was also anxiously signaling to Lin Siyue with his eyes. They had come to seek help from the Prince of Huaiyang, but she had suddenly said such a thing, wouldn’t it ruin everything they had worked for?
Lin Siyue knew she shouldn’t have asked like that, but thinking of Liu Niangniang’s dirty face as she labored in the cold wind, transporting and selling goods, she couldn’t help but speak up for her.
However, after Cui Xingzhou’s face had darkened for a while, he calmed down and said indifferently, “She and I merely quarreled… But I still must thank the princess for taking care of Mian Tang, sending people to protect her to Jintuo Town.”
Hearing Cui Xingzhou say this, Lin Siyue became uncertain. Since Cui Xingzhou knew about Liu Mian Tang transporting black-tailed sheep, could it be as he said, that they had just quarreled and had now reconciled?
But having been educated in Han culture since childhood, she knew the complex etiquette of the Central Plains. Given Liu Niangniang’s background, she couldn’t become the Princess of Huaiyang.
So was this prince so stingy towards his concubine? As the supreme commander of the Northwest, did he need his concubine to rely on opening a pharmacy and privately buying goods to earn money to support the family?
Lin Siyue’s heart was full of indignation for Liu Mian Tang, but she had come bearing the great responsibility of reviving her tribe. So she could only suppress her anger, lower her eyes, and order someone to present the petition she had written.
Because her father had been granted a title by the founding emperor, while Agu Shan was merely a usurper. Now that Agu Shan’s power was waning, Lin Siyue wanted to seize this rare opportunity to revive the Wang Qi tribe.
Cui Xingzhou read the petition, which essentially requested that the court grant an official title to the old Shanyu’s daughter, allowing her to legitimately challenge Agu Shan while preventing further fragmentation of the barbarian tribes.
In fact, before this, people had tried to sound out the Prince of Huaiyang’s stance, but he had never responded.
Da Yan had no obligation to maintain the prosperity of the barbarian tribes. Moreover, the Prince of Huaiyang no longer needed external help to defeat Agu Shan.
If he hadn’t seen Lin Siyue today, Cui Xingzhou wouldn’t have even considered such requests.
So, when he finished reading the petition and was about to flatly refuse, he suddenly thought of Liu Mian Tang.
This young lady, though slick, wasn’t a model to emulate. But occasionally, Cui Xingzhou could learn some life insights from her. For example, Liu Niangniang often reminded him: “Leave some leeway in your dealings, it’ll make future encounters easier.”
Thinking carefully, whether in her porcelain business or her medicinal herb business, she had maximized the network she had built in a very short time.
The old Shanyu’s daughter before him had a good reputation among the barbarians. Refusing her outright now wouldn’t matter much. But it would offend tribes big and small across the grasslands.
Thinking of this, Cui Xingzhou softened his tone and said after some thought, “I understand the princess’s intentions. The old Shanyu was appointed by the late emperor and was highly respected. It’s commendable that the princess now wishes to reestablish good relations with Da Yan. I will submit your petition to the court and await His Majesty’s decision on a new appointment…”
Lin Siyue had earlier sent people to sound out the Prince of Huaiyang’s stance but had been repeatedly rebuffed. She hadn’t held much hope coming today. But she hadn’t expected Cui Xingzhou to be so amenable this time, which was truly surprising.
To show his sincerity, Cui Xingzhou personally wrote a memorial to His Majesty in front of the princess and the Chaxi leader and sent it off by express courier.
Mo Ru, watching from the side, felt that his prince had become much more diplomatic in his dealings. This way, the Prince of Huaiyang had done his utmost. If His Majesty rejected the matter, it wouldn’t be the Prince of Huaiyang’s fault. But if he agreed, the future queen of the grasslands would be deeply grateful for Cui Xingzhou’s benevolence.
Indeed, when Lin Siyue left, her initial aversion upon recognizing the Prince of Huaiyang had diminished considerably, and her face showed some respect.
However, before leaving, Lin Siyue still asked about Liu Niangniang’s whereabouts out of concern. Cui Xingzhou said with an unchanged expression, “When I have time in the future, I will bring Liu Niangniang to visit Wang Qi and taste authentic horse milk wine from the grasslands.”
Hearing him speak so confidently, Lin Siyue was reassured. She then had her guards bring out specially made beef jerky, large chunks of dried cheese and unique herbs from the grasslands that ward off cold.
“These are all prepared for Liu Niangniang, but she left in a hurry last time and I forgot to give them to her. If the prince could deliver them for me, that would be best. Especially the herb, it’s a unique cliff flower from the grasslands that only bear fruit every five years. The ground fruit shell is excellent for her cold syndrome and good for damaged meridians and bones when used medicinally.”
Cui Xingzhou ordered Mo Ru to accept the gifts and said to Lin Siyue, “Please rest assured, princess. I will certainly deliver them!”
After that day, the prince was in a rare good mood and instructed Mo Ru to carefully preserve the items entrusted by the princess.
Mo Ru wanted to ask impertinently, “My lord, have you finally found an excuse to go see Liu Niangniang?”
But seeing Cui Xingzhou’s iron fist, formidable in the moonlight, he shrank back and decided it was better to feign ignorance.
On the grasslands, the Northwest Commander had employed Liu Niangniang’s business acumen to the fullest.
However, when it came to the originator of slickness, Liu Mian Tang, she encountered a not-so-small problem.
The difficulties faced by Shenwei Escort Agency were far more severe than she had imagined.
Her grandfather had accumulated quite a fortune over the years. Even after compensating a large sum for her father, it shouldn’t have led to bankruptcy.
But the old man valued benevolence and had too many veterans to support. With the escort business in sharp decline, it resulted in expenses exceeding income. In recent years, they had relied on the eldest son risking his life to bring in money, and when the Northwest stopped providing income, they could only maintain their livelihood by selling off properties.
But even a large camel couldn’t withstand such constant gnawing. If grandfather sold off his last estate, there wouldn’t be much left of the Lu family’s assets.
After resting for two days, Mian Tang asked the accountant to copy a list of the veteran escort masters who were still receiving monthly pay from the Lu family.
The accountant had roamed the jianghu with old Master Lu in his youth. By seniority, Liu Mian Tang had to call him Uncle Zhang Er.
Liu Miantang approached Zhang Er Yeye for a list. He looked up from his thick account book and asked bluntly, “Little Liu, what do you need this for?”
Miantang had Fang Xie bring her a stool. Sitting by the charcoal brazier in the accounting room, she warmed her hands and explained, “With the New Year approaching, I haven’t visited the Lu family in a while. I’m no longer a child, so I can’t skip the necessary courtesies. I don’t want to trouble my grandfather, so I thought I’d ask you, Er Yeye, to help me make a list. Based on their monthly allowances, I can prioritize these uncles and elders, visiting them one by one with New Year gifts. It’s a way to maintain social connections on behalf of my grandfather.”
Zhang Er Yeye appreciated her words but still offered some advice, as elders often do: “Those who helped Lu build his empire are all capable and reliable. There’s no need to prioritize. It’s not about the quantity of fruit and wine you bring; if your heart is in the right place, all these uncles and elders will appreciate your gesture.”
Miantang smiled, rubbing her hands together. “That’s exactly right, but I’m not as eloquent as you, Er Yeye. If you’re busy, you could just give me the usual expense ledgers, and I’ll copy the information myself.”
This suggestion pleased Zhang Er Yeye. Given his age, he wasn’t keen on doing such detailed work, and there was nothing to hide in the monthly profit ledgers. He asked an apprentice to fetch three thick volumes and hand them to Fang Xie.
As Liu Miantang left the accounting room, she passed by her second uncle’s residence. Glancing through the moon gate, she noticed not only new window paper but also new lanterns under the corridor. These were made of thin silk with plum blossom patterns, which would cast delicate plum shadow patterns on the ground when lit. Such fashionable lanterns were expensive and not available in Xizhou.
After observing this, Miantang returned to her room. She had Fang Xie grind ink and Bicao light incense as she prepared to copy names from the account books.
Bicao didn’t understand why incense was necessary for writing. In truth, Miantang didn’t fully understand either. It was a habit she had picked up from Cui Jiu during her time writing in North Street. Some habits become ingrained, leading Miantang to light incense even for copying account books.
Reminded by Bicao’s curiosity, Miantang realized she had adopted another extravagant habit from the prince’s mansion. Back in Xizhou, she needed to practice frugality. She asked Bicao to extinguish the incense after writing only a few characters.
However, without the incense, her writing seemed to lose its form. Puzzled by this, Miantang had Bicao relight the incense.
Bicao, exasperated by her mistress’s indecision, said while lighting the incense, “This is just mosquito-repelling incense from the mansion. It’s not as harsh as earth incense, but it’s nothing precious. Don’t worry, young miss. At worst, I’ll buy you a box with my monthly wages. It would be enough for copying an entire scripture!”
Fang Xie glared at Bicao from the side. “Watch your tongue, or the young miss might dock your wages. Then you won’t be able to act so generously in front of your mistress!”
Bicao stuck out her tongue and quickly knelt by the table, arranging Miantang’s finished lists on the mat on the floor, waiting for the ink to dry before collecting them.
It took Miantang nearly half a day to finish accounting for all the Lu family’s veteran retainers. The tally came to 160 households, including both living and deceased members. For those who had passed, leaving behind widows and orphans, Lu Wu still provided monthly allowances to care for the bereaved families.
After Miantang finished the list, Bicao asked, “Young miss, should we order fruits and pastries next? We don’t have enough wrapping paper in the house for the pastries, we’ll need to buy more…”
Miantang, flexing her sore wrist, replied, “No need. From tomorrow, we’ll be making discreet house calls to each family.”
The two maids exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of their mistress’s intentions.
The next day, Miantang indeed disguised herself. She styled her hair like a married woman’s, wore a veiled hood, and led her two maids out, pretending to be a merchant’s wife from out of town looking to buy a shop. They visited each address on the list, one by one.
Miantang gathered information mainly through conversation. In every street, when the sun was high, there were always groups of old women chatting together. Under the pretext of looking to rent a house or shop in the neighborhood, Miantang skillfully extracted information about the neighbors.
Her talent for casual conversation honed on the benches of Lingquan North Street wasn’t wasted. She easily connected with the old women.
However, the results of her investigations over the next few days left Miantang feeling frustrated and angry.
Most of these veteran retainers, who received monthly allowances, were living quite prosperously.
For instance, Cao Ye, who used to manage water transportation for her grandfather, had once come to the Lu family crying poverty. He claimed he had lost his first wife and was struggling to raise three children alone, so her grandfather had given him two extra monthly allowances. However, when the escort agency business was slow, he set up his operation, using low prices to attract the old clients of Shenwei Escort Agency.
Although his water transportation business initially lacked capital, by relying on the Lu family, he gradually built up his enterprise. Perhaps fearing the Lu family would find out, he didn’t use his name but had his nephew manage the business as a front. However, his nephew, originally a farmer from the countryside, couldn’t speak properly and had to consult his uncle on everything.
Neighbors often heard Cao Ye hurriedly walking by, berating his nephew for his incompetence.
Then there was Zhan Ye, who had once braved the bandit’s lair of Lishan with her grandfather. He frequently boasted about his life-and-death experiences with Lu Wu and received one of the highest monthly allowances. It turned out he had acquired numerous properties in the countryside. Although Zhan Ye himself was low-key, his wife loved to show off. Once, while making shoe soles with the neighbors, she accidentally let slip that they employed over ten tenant farmers!
Such wealthy households were common among the top names on the list. Her grandfather valued loyalty, but these veteran retainers he supported at the expense of his family’s wealth had mostly found their sources of income. They lived prosperous lives while still drawing blood from the Lu family.
There were indeed some who truly needed the Lu family’s support, but they numbered only about a dozen households.
After her investigation, Miantang felt deeply sorry for her grandfather. Truthfully, when her grandfather had fallen ill, his energy waned, and there were oversights in management. Those so-called brothers who had shared life and death with him had mostly developed their schemes, quietly hollowing out the escort agency from the inside out. They were making fortunes in secret while still collecting pension money from the Lu family.
When Miantang returned from her outings, she called her eldest uncle and told him about her findings, asking if he knew about the situation and why they hadn’t reduced these people’s allowances.
Lu Xian, upon hearing this, waved his hands anxiously. “My dear child, you’ve nearly stirred up a hornet’s nest! Whatever you do, don’t mention reducing allowances in front of your grandfather!”
It turned out that Lu Xian was aware of these people’s private dealings. When he had once suggested stopping the allowances, those veteran retainers had conspired together. They knelt en masse at the Lu family’s gate, crying that they had dedicated the better part of their youth and energy to the Shenwei Escort Agency. They lamented that the agency had disbanded without considering their welfare, and now the master was accusing them of embezzlement, looking for excuses to discard these useless old men. They declared they might as well die at the Lu family’s doorstep to prove their loyalty, having served the Lu family to the bitter end.
Her grandfather, valuing loyalty, couldn’t bear to hear such things. He flew into a rage and nearly beat Lu Xian to death in front of the family shrine. Since then, no one in the Lu household dared to mention the words “reduce allowances” again.
Miantang remained calm and asked, “What does my second uncle say about this?”
Lu Xian sighed deeply. “Your second uncle is skilled at managing relationships. He advised me not to be too calculative, saying these veteran retainers had indeed risked their lives for the escort agency. Supporting them was proper. Besides, the Lu family could afford it, so why provoke a group of people to kneel at our gate, tarnishing the old master’s reputation with accusations of disloyalty…”
Miantang frowned slightly, surprised that her usually meticulous second uncle would speak up for outsiders.
Her grandmother had passed away early, and her eldest uncle’s wife, Madam Shen, was honest and straightforward, unlike her second aunt, Madam Quan, who was more socially adept. Consequently, Madam Quan now managed the Lu household affairs, including all accounts and the distribution of monthly allowances.
Since returning home, Miantang had observed everything closely. Her eldest cousin, Lu Qingxia, had already married, reportedly with a modest dowry. Her eldest male cousin, Lu Zhirong, had a rather understated wedding. The second male cousin, Lu Zhihua, was still unmarried and had abandoned his studies early to learn business from Madam Shen’s brother.
In contrast, the second branch of the family exuded an air of wealth. Their daily food, clothing, and lifestyle were distinctly different from the rest of the household.
Madam Quan justified this confidently, claiming it was all supplemented by her dowry. Coming from an official family, she argued, she couldn’t be expected to live a harsh life just because she had married into a merchant household.
However, based on Miantang’s understanding of her second aunt, she wasn’t the type to use her private funds to support her husband’s family. Moreover, Miantang had observed that Madam Quan was exceptionally attentive and trusting of her second uncle.
Only a man who could earn money from outside sources could speak with such confidence and authority to a wife from an official family, as her second uncle did!
That evening, as it wasn’t the beginning of the month, the whole family didn’t gather together. Miantang, as usual, was to dine with her grandfather.
As she looked at her grandfather, she couldn’t help but sigh. Lu Wu put down his soup bowl and asked why she was sighing.
Miantang answered honestly, “When I was young, my mother told me that grandmother was a formidable person, and you were somewhat afraid of her. I just thought, if only grandmother were still here…”
Lu Wu nearly choked on his soup, his granddaughter having exposed his old reputation of being henpecked. He glared at her and said, “You little rascal, are you trying to be the death of me? As I see it, you’re just like your grandmother! I don’t know who’ll be unfortunate enough to be under your thumb in the future!”
Miantang grinned, “I don’t care to manage other people’s affairs! But grandfather, I’m determined to look after yours!”