Seeing the situation unfold, Zhen Niang immediately understood what was happening. She wasn’t sure what game young master Luo was playing by following her secretly, but thankfully this kind-hearted woman had spotted him. Despite her frail appearance, the woman possessed a righteous spirit, which led to this confrontation.
“Thank you, Aunt,” Zhen Niang bowed respectfully to the woman.
“Think nothing of it,” the woman waved her hands repeatedly.
After nodding, Zhen Niang turned to face Luo Wenqian with a composed expression and asked, “Since ancient times, propriety dictates that men and women should maintain proper distance. Master Luo, wouldn’t you agree that your behavior is unbefitting of a gentleman?”
“Bah, what are you all thinking? Do you know who I, Luo Wenqian, am? I could have any woman I desire, why would I stoop to such despicable behavior? I merely saw you leaving Si Bao Street after I left Mo Xuan, and I happened to have something to discuss with you. I could hardly shout across the street, so I followed quietly. Who knew I’d encounter this meddlesome woman? How unfortunate!” Luo Wenqian frowned, speaking with evident irritation while rubbing the back of his head.
“Then what business does Master Luo have with me?” Zhen Niang asked calmly.
“I have a business proposition to discuss with you,” Luo Wenqian continued rubbing his head. Fortunately, the woman hadn’t hit him too hard—it was painful but didn’t seem serious.
“What kind of business?” Zhen Niang’s curiosity was piqued. Perhaps he truly wanted to invite her to work as a supervisor at the Luo family ink factory.
Luo Wenqian glanced at the woman standing nearby.
By now, the woman had realized that the young lady and the young master were acquainted and that she had misunderstood the situation. “This humble woman was mistaken. I’ll take my leave,” she said.
“Aunt, Zhen Niang has a small request,” Zhen Niang stepped forward.
“Please speak, young lady.”
“I believe I have nothing to hide, and Master Luo here is the young master of Luo Mo, a respectable person. I doubt he has any ill intentions. However, given this secluded location and the need to avoid misunderstandings, would Aunt be willing to stay as a witness?” Zhen Niang bowed again to the woman, feeling grateful for her earlier intervention.
“Of course,” the woman nodded with a smile, her eyes showing approval. She stepped back a few paces to give them space to talk.
“Does Miss Li always handle matters so thoroughly?” Luo Wenqian asked with interest, recalling their first meeting during the coal bidding when she had been willing to help them test the coal without payment, just to maintain the Li family’s reputation.
Now she was showing the same careful consideration. It was truly remarkable to find such a young lady who handled matters with such thoroughness. Li Zhen Niang seemed to possess an extra measure of wisdom compared to others.
“Isn’t it better to avoid unnecessary rumors when possible? Surely Master Luo understands the importance of a young woman’s reputation, especially since I’m already the subject of much gossip,” Zhen Niang replied.
Recently, with the news of the Tian family discussing marriage arrangements with Official Yan, and Tian Benchang’s recovery and intention to marry Official Yan’s adopted daughter, the rumors about Zhen Niang being an ill-fated match and her broken engagement had become fodder for gossip.
Though she was of marriageable age, no matchmaker had come calling. Kind-hearted people sighed in sympathy, while others waited eagerly for more drama to unfold.
Such was the way of the world.
“Why care about the idle gossip of bored housewives?” Luo Wenqian dismissed carelessly.
Zhen Niang waved her hand, “Let’s not discuss this. Please state your business, Master Luo.”
Luo Wenqian nodded and pulled out a stack of paper slips from his robes, handing them to Zhen Niang. “I want to exchange these for the coal formula in your possession.”
Zhen Niang was startled but shook her head. Truly, there were no secrets in this world. It had been barely a day since Ninth Uncle had produced the ink using that coal, and somehow the news had already spread.
Taking the stack of papers, her heart skipped a beat when she saw they were all gambling debt notes left by her father, with high interest rates that had probably accumulated to several hundred taels by now. Just days ago, her mother had been worried about debt collectors coming to their door, and now all these notes were in young master Luo’s hands.
This young master Luo certainly planned his moves carefully. He had gone to the trouble of buying up all the debt notes from her father’s creditors, which must have cost him quite a sum.
“No,” Zhen Niang said firmly after some consideration.
“What’s the matter? Has the Li family earned enough from selling the formula to repay these debts? Or perhaps Miss Li would prefer I send debt collectors to your door?” Luo Wenqian’s eyes narrowed, his tone losing its pleasantness.
He was determined to obtain the coal formula. The Li family’s foundation and reputation were well-established, though they had been overshadowed by Luo Mo for years due to a combination of bad luck and lack of opportunity. Now, this new coal formula represented just such an opportunity, and when it came to suppressing competitors, Luo Wenqian never held back.
Therefore, spending some extra silver was nothing to the Luo family’s wealth.
“The money isn’t enough, and I don’t want debt collectors at our door, but one must keep their word. The formula has already been sold to Li Mo, so I cannot sell it to you. Besides, I am still a Li,” Zhen Niang replied. Inwardly, she felt helpless. She wanted to exchange the formula with Luo Wenqian to resolve the huge burden her father had left behind.
However, if she made the exchange now, it would be another betrayal of the Li family, and their eighth branch would likely be expelled from the clan entirely.
“This is troublesome then. Miss Li seems quite naive, wanting neither to sell the formula nor have debt collectors visit. You can’t have both the fish and bear’s paw, as they say,” Luo Wenqian clicked his tongue.
“Since this is a business negotiation, surely there’s room for bargaining,” Zhen Niang continued.
“Oh? How does Miss Li propose to bargain?” Luo Wenqian’s interest was piqued.
“I’ll trade you an uncertain piece of information for these debt notes.”
“How can uncertain information be worth such an exchange?” Luo Wenqian was puzzled, unable to grasp her intentions.
“Some matters are better believed than doubted. If you believe, you merely need to make some preparations. If you don’t believe, it could lead to complete disaster,” Zhen Niang looked at Luo Wenqian with an expression that suggested he should consider carefully.
“Isn’t Miss Li being a bit dramatic? Are you suggesting my Luo family faces such a disaster?” Luo Wenqian’s expression darkened as he stared at Zhen Niang, warning her to choose her words carefully.
“Though not exactly, it’s not far from the truth,” Zhen Niang replied.
“In that case, I must hear what you have to say,” Luo Wenqian said.
“Then does Master Luo agree to this exchange?” Zhen Niang confirmed.
“I agree, but let me be clear—if the information isn’t worth the price, don’t blame me for being unpleasant,” Luo Wenqian said harshly.
“The value of information isn’t always immediately apparent. Let’s agree for one year. If after a year, Master Luo feels the price wasn’t worth it, I will repay double,” Zhen Niang proposed, internally certain that before the year’s end, by the twelfth month, the Luo family would be no more.
“Very well, Miss Li has spirit. It’s a deal. Now tell me, what disaster awaits my Luo family?” Luo Wenqian decisively agreed.
“Recently, in a teahouse near the city gate, I overheard people mentioning someone named Luo Longwen, saying he was collaborating with the Wokou,” Zhen Niang said.
In the Ming Dynasty, collaborating with the Wokou pirates was a capital offense.
Yan Shifen had ultimately been condemned for both treason and collaborating with the Wokou.
Zhen Niang wasn’t worried that revealing this would change anything. Some events were like a runaway train—once on the tracks, they couldn’t be stopped.
Of course, she had been extremely careful in deciding what information to reveal. She didn’t mention anything about Yan Shifen—that was far beyond what someone of her status should involve themselves with. As for the Luo family, since they were fellow ink makers and Huizhou natives, mentioning this much shouldn’t cause too much trouble.
Moreover, from her two encounters with Luo Wenqian, she found that while somewhat spoiled, he was a man of character.
Therefore, she didn’t worry about future consequences.
Hearing this, Luo Wenqian’s expression darkened, and his heart grew heavy. This Luo Longwen was his uncle, and although family members avoided discussing it, he had vaguely sensed that his uncle had some unclear connections with the Wokou.
But such matters were kept secret even within the family—how could outsiders know? If news of collaborating with the Wokou spread, it would indeed spell disaster. However, thinking of his uncle’s backing from Yan Shifen, he thought they should be safe.
Yet with such matters, one couldn’t be too careful.
Indeed, as Li Zhen Niang had said: if believed, it merely required preparation; if ignored and something happened, it would be catastrophic.
“Fine, one year it is. We’ll see how this plays out,” Luo Wenqian agreed with a dark expression. It was just a year after all. He then turned and left abruptly.
Zhen Niang watched his retreating figure and let out a long breath.
“Young lady, I’ll take my leave as well,” the woman who had been standing aside spoke up after Luo Wenqian had gone far enough.
“Thank you again, Aunt. I’ve troubled you so much,” Zhen Niang expressed her gratitude once more, then added with a smile, “May I know your surname and where you live? I’d like to visit you sometime.”
“Think nothing of it. My surname is Zheng. If not for my ill fate, we would have been relatives by now,” the woman said, slightly hunched as she walked away.
Surname Zheng? Zhen Niang was startled as she realized who this woman was—she was the former fiancée of her eldest uncle Jingkui.