Chen Dasheng looked at the list with a grave expression, and finally asked Bai Ruyi: “You’re saying the one buying realgar in bulk near Yanjing is a palace eunuch?”
Bai Ruyi nodded and confirmed it was so.
Chen Dasheng sat up and looked at She Qingling.
Although he’d long since stepped back from managing affairs, the Twenty-Four Directorates had been founded by his own hand. He couldn’t claim credit for everything, but of the twenty-four chief eunuchs, twenty had been raised up by him personally.
Such a major matter, and he knew nothing of it at all?
She Qingling was shocked too, unable to believe it no matter how he looked at it — that there were eunuchs buying up massive quantities of realgar in Yanjing, in Qingfeng, and other places? And openly hauling it into the palace, no less?
He was utterly puzzled, and after a long moment finally said: “Though medicine use within the palace is strictly regulated, realgar is just an ordinary drug for reducing internal heat and warding off plague — why would there be any need to purchase it in bulk outside the palace?”
“Not just realgar, Father. Look at this list.”
Chen Dasheng solemnly handed the list to She Qingling. She Qingling glanced down at it and broke into a cold sweat, sucking in a sharp breath.
The list clearly stated, in plain writing: mica, cinnabar, realgar, alum stone, malachite, stalactite pyrite, rock salt, Solomon’s seal, gypsum-yu-liang mineral, Beiting sand… It was remarkable that this child had recorded it all so clearly — he had no idea how dangerous these things were, but She Qingling knew all too well. This was… a Daoist immortal-ascension elixir formula.
Daoist practitioners also had their own varieties of medicinal pills, commonly using rehmannia, Solomon’s seal, peony, poria, and licorice as ingredients. The formulas used by the Imperial Physician’s court also included compounds like Five Ginsengs, Eight Flavors, and Insect-Fine Pills, which had their uses.
Famous physicians of ancient times mostly came from Daoist backgrounds — this was common knowledge. But the moment mineral substances like mica were mixed in, it would be a catastrophe so severe that even chopping off hundreds of heads in a row couldn’t appease the wrath of the Emperor.
Seeing his father’s expression more grave than he’d ever seen before, Chen Dasheng gently called out: “Father? Is this serious?”
He hadn’t been taught this kind of knowledge, so he didn’t understand the danger involved — he was only shocked that the realgar had been hauled into the palace.
She Qingling looked at him, set the list down on the table beside him, and Chen Dasheng could even see clearly that his father’s hand was trembling.
Forcibly suppressing his emotions, She Qingling forced out a faint smile toward Bai Ruyi: “Good child, it’s remarkable how sharp your mind is, and how close you are to your uncle. Who else has seen this?”
Bai Ruyi answered respectfully: “Reporting to the old sir, only I have found this out — I compiled the list quietly myself. Even my mother doesn’t know.”
Letting out a slow breath, feeling a bit more at ease, She Qingling asked again: “Did you personally see that person, and confirm he was a palace eunuch? And confirmed he carried these things into the palace?”
Bai Ruyi shook his head: “Reporting to the old sir, I saw the former drill instructors and followed along, overhearing a few bits of conversation, and seeing them visit quite a number of shops, I deduced this and began investigating on my own.”
She Qingling leaned forward slightly, brows furrowed tightly, and asked: “So you investigated this entirely by yourself?”
But Bai Ruyi answered with certainty: “Yes! I investigated it myself. But my way of doing things is different from the drill instructors’. You’ve forgotten, sir — my family makes its living as chief beggars. The shops in Xingye Ward, Xitu Street, Yinchuan Gate area, and the North Craftsmen’s Wards One through Ten — whatever their different goods, whenever it comes to things like mica, saltpeter, dried lacquer, or realgar, they all have to go to the Western Grand Warehouse in Honghua Market and buy from the southern wholesale merchants there.
My mother happens to get a share of the profits from the Western Grand Warehouse, so a few days ago I quietly investigated once — I went in my mother’s place to check the chief beggars’ accounts, and while checking the warehouse ledgers, I specifically looked at the stock levels of these several items. As it turns out, whatever’s on this list, there’s currently none left in stock.”
She Qingling nodded and asked further: “Since you say that, then you must know the original stock levels?”
Bai Ruyi nodded: “Yes, I know. Take mica for instance — there’s gold mica, white mica, black mica. It can dye cloth, be used in medicine, even made into rouge and powder, and is even used for wrapping corpses along with camphor when someone dies. Just this one item — the Western Grand Warehouse had over two thousand catties of it, and it isn’t cheap either. The warehouse sells it at thirty strings of cash per catty, yet someone bought it all up from various shops individually at a hundred strings per catty, which has left the rouge shops and even the furniture shops scrambling for stock now.”
She Qingling nodded and asked again: “Then how do you know it was a eunuch who bought it?”
Bai Ruyi said with conviction: “Reporting to the old sir, this part is even simpler. Honghua Market is quite chaotic — there are people lingering there who fled the palace from the previous dynasty, and, um… old sir, I pretended to be just playing around and asked a few of them. They’re all the same — they, well, they never mistake one of their own…”
Bai Ruyi paused here, quietly watching She Qingling’s expression.
She Qingling didn’t mind at all — by now he’d composed himself, and with encouraging eyes he smiled at Bai Ruyi and said: “You clever child, sharp and shrewd beyond your years. Go on, go on, it’s fine.”
Only then did Bai Ruyi continue: “Yes. Those eunuch officials, though disguised, don’t realize there are no secrets in the marketplace — everyone knows everyone else’s business. Not to mention other places, but on my street, if some family bought two liang of meat to cook today, the neighbors would know all about it.
You don’t know this, sir, but the poorer the place, the more idle time people have. They did split up among different shops, buying a bit here, half a catty there, spreading out their purchases over different days — but there are plenty of old neighbors lingering around outside the shops, and one glance is all it takes to know what’s going on.
They were careful, disguising themselves with fake beards, wearing tall clogs, carrying shoulder poles, or driving mule carts, going in and out of the city gates, moving through the streets and alleys… but the manual laborers who rest and drink at the inns at night all stay together in the same places.
If they can’t afford it, if they don’t stay at inns, they still set up shacks against the outer city walls of Yanjing to live in — the shoe repairmen stick together with other shoe repairmen, partly for mutual support and courage too.
Going home at night, talk naturally turns to what deals you made today, who you saw at whose place today — everyone knows. Old sir, in Yanjing… among us chief beggars, there are no secrets.”
This last sentence was Bai Ruyi’s own sigh about the way of the world.
Hearing this small child speak with such a heavy tone beyond his years, She Qingling laughed: “You little thing, worrying about so much despite your size.”
Bai Ruyi looked a bit bashful, his face reddening. He deeply admired She Qingling — this admiration went back to his roots. This figure so lofty and unreachable, whom even his own grandfather constantly spoke of with reverence, was now so close to him, and had even become a relative — how could he not be happy? So he naturally had a lot to say.
Hearing She Qingling tease him, he felt secretly delighted, and even explained further: “Sir, I’ve grown close with the uncles and aunts on my street, and I know how hard their lives are. I also know they’re all good people. But in the previous dynasty, the commercial tax on Yanjing’s big oil presses was thirty strings a month, while under our dynasty it’s fifty strings — so their days have gotten harder.”
It was rare for She Qingling to be able to converse with this child as an equal, so he patiently explained to him: “But the agricultural tax has been lowered. Our dynasty doesn’t suppress merchants the way the previous dynasty did — if a family has been in trade for three generations, their children are allowed to enter the official schools and even sit for the imperial examinations.”
Bai Ruyi’s eyes lit up, and he said happily: “So that’s how it is — that’s wonderful news. It’s just a pity they don’t read and don’t understand official documents. When I go back, I’ll be sure to tell them the good news often, and then the neighbors won’t have to struggle anymore, only be happy.”
Truly a rare child, clear-headed and sharp-witted, a promising young sapling.
Hearing all this, She Qingling was astonished, and after being astonished, found it rather amusing.
He shook his head helplessly, and after sighing, said to Chen Dasheng: “You’ve recognized a good sister-in-law here, and this child is good too. Teach him well, don’t let his future be delayed.”
Then, seeing that half of Bai Ruyi’s face was covered by a mask, he said gently: “I know about your situation. Let the past be the past. Don’t take it too much to heart either. Yanjing has such a huge population, who’s going to pay attention to a small child like you? You’re still young, in a few more years it’ll all be fine.
At my residence there’s a good physician who has some family-passed-down skills for treating blade wounds. Later, have your uncle bring you to see him. Whatever needs treating should be treated, whatever needs fixing should be fixed. Still, studying hard is the way to a bright future.”
But Bai Ruyi said: “Old sir, I don’t want to study anymore. I just like being a chief beggar, and I like being my mother’s son.”
He didn’t know how to address the person in front of him either — since no one had told him to call him “in-law grandfather,” he could only call him “old sir.”
She Qingling meant well, but since the child didn’t want to study, he couldn’t force it either. So he smiled, patted the list, and said: “Then never mind that. Today’s matter is of grave importance. It wasn’t easy for your mother to build up what little family fortune she has — so you must forget about this matter!”
Chen Dasheng’s expression turned solemn too, and he said to Bai Ruyi: “Do you understand? Remember this.”
Bai Ruyi nodded: “Yes. Today I just came to visit relatives.” He smiled and looked at his two little cousins: “I missed my little brothers too. The uncles and aunts on my street all know I used last month’s pocket money to have very expensive little wooden clogs made for my brothers, and said I was foolishly wasting money.”
Chen Dasheng laughed and shooed him off: “Take your little brothers out to play. Keep your own money for yourself — your brothers don’t need your help.”
Watching Bai Ruyi happily take his two younger brothers out to play, Chen Dasheng said with a laugh: “These three children really do have a special bond. An’er doesn’t easily let just anyone lead him off.”
Having said this, he received no reply from his father.
Looking up again, he saw She Qingling’s face set in an extremely serious, grave expression.
Chen Dasheng set aside his smile too, and asked cautiously: “Father, is this matter… serious?”
She Qingling took a breath: “My son, remember this — if it’s simply that someone inside got hold of the three Daoist treasure herbs, rehmannia, Solomon’s seal, licorice, that would be nothing at all. But once you see cinnabar and minerals like that… you should blind yourself on the spot and consider yourself a blind man from now on. This matter is enormous — even I, your father, cannot shield you from this!”
Having said this, he took the list and burned it over the candle flame.
Chen Dasheng was slightly startled: “This matter isn’t to be investigated?”
She Qingling shook his head: “Investigate it! Not only investigate it, but flay the skin and dig to the bone, three feet deep! In the six years of Great Liang, in the hundred-plus years of the previous dynasty, this kind of sign has only appeared once. If I find out who’s behind it! I’ll grind their bones to ash and scatter them!”
Chen Dasheng was startled, and looked at his father in silence for a long while.
His father had always been a gentle man, rarely using phrases like “I” in such a formal, weighty tone; he cherished life and all living things especially deeply. To see him this enraged now showed that this matter had truly touched something he could not bear to have touched.
Chen Dasheng stood, poured him a cup of tea, and urged: “Calm down first. I’ll go investigate tomorrow…”
Before he could finish speaking, She Qingling grabbed his hand, his eyes showing undisguised sternness as he instructed: “This matter — from this moment on, you’re to forget it too. As for what comes after, I’ll arrange it myself.”
Chen Dasheng didn’t want his father to take the risk, and said gently: “Everything in your hands — didn’t you already hand it all over to me? I’ve studied under you for so many years too — don’t you trust me?”
She Qingling shook his head: “Matters within the palace stay within the palace. Those little brats were placed there by my own arrangement too. Though I no longer concern myself with the Twenty-Four Directorates these days, when it’s a matter that could cost everyone their heads, giving those chief eunuchs a few leads is enough — they’ll be more anxious about it than we are. My son, just watch quietly, and see just how murky this whole mess really is.”
…
Outside the courtyard, Qiqian’er watched with a face full of smiles as Bai Ruyi, holding one child on each side, sat astride the courtyard wall, showing off the little wooden clogs to Chou Gu next door.
To make it convenient for the children to play, the household had long kept a permanent ladder set up against the wall.
Chou Gu felt very wronged, and started crying again.
Qiqian’er, caught between laughing and crying, could only have someone go to the storeroom and fetch a set of small silverware newly sent over from the Tan River region — little plates, little bowls, little spoons, and the like — to send to the neighboring courtyard to comfort Chou Gu.
They weren’t children’s toys either, but small foreign wine vessels.
Boys were never interested in such delicate things, so Chou Gu made peace with them and each showed off their own things, and harmony was restored.
Once Chou Gu had “brewed medicine” over the wall on her side and sent it up to them, the two young masters drank it all down without so much as a frown.
Watching from the other side of the wall, Huo Wu Rong said with a laugh: “Your family sure is generous, giving away silverware so casually.”
Qiqian’er waved her hand and pulled her sister close to whisper something in her ear.
Huo Wu Rong looked surprised: “Really?”
Qiqian’er nodded seriously.
Huo Wu Rong looked at Bai Ruyi, half his face smiling, unaware of anything, and said in a low voice: “But this one of mine is stubborn as a mule.”
Qiqian’er lowered her head: “A mule that doesn’t sleep for twelve hours straight?”
Huo Wu Rong suddenly understood: “That’s true. If her family really had good medicine, I’d give up everything I own to get it. Ugh, you don’t know — remember that master’s wife of mine I mentioned?”
Qiqian’er nodded.
In Huo Wu Rong’s words, even the beggar women pleading in the marketplace were lovable, but there was exactly one woman in this world who was truly detestable — her master’s wife.
A servant brought over a plate of fried fish skin, Huo Wu Rong’s favorite thing to eat with wine, and while eating she said with a laugh: “Back then people used to mock me endlessly for being born a bond servant, and later once I’d made something of myself, she started spreading that I was born a craftsman’s slave instead…”
This was infuriating. Qiqian’er asked her: “If she spread rumors like that, didn’t your adoptive father do anything about it?”
Huo Wu Rong pursed her lips: “My adoptive father is cursed to lose wives — he’s a chief beggar, and it wouldn’t do to go make an offering to some woman scholar for him. We’re too close, so it’s just a bit awkward!”
Qiqian’er laughed: “Whatever she said you were, did people outside actually believe it?”
Huo Wu Rong laughed: “Why wouldn’t they believe it? You know where I live — Yanjing has a hundred and eighty thousand craftsmen’s slaves, where the sons inherit the father’s bondage, and slaves serve forever. She was my master’s wife, so if she said I was one, then I was one. In the old days it got me in trouble with the authorities more than once — luckily I could say the Huo family’s gate faced that direction, or it would have been real trouble!
And it’s not like it’s been that long since you and I reunited and I gained a wealthy relative — this time, she’s changed her tune. A few days ago she brought her younger brother’s child and knelt outside my courtyard, insisting on giving the child to me as my son! I said I already had a son, and she said my Ru Yi was damaged goods and couldn’t become an official! Hah… she really thinks highly of herself.”
Her voice was loud, and Bai Ruyi heard it — he was standing on the ladder and said: “Auntie doesn’t know this, but that woman is truly shameless — she comes every day with her nephew and kneels at our door forcing the issue.”
The relatives, having reunited, spent the night together warmly, and it was only the next day that Huo Wu Rong left, taking Bai Ruyi with her.
Qiqian’er had originally thought that the legendary shameless woman was far removed from her own life.
Who would have thought that not even three or five days later, this woman who feared nothing and had incredibly thick skin, carrying a basket of eggs and having somehow gotten word from who knows where, actually found her way to Imperial Guard Lane.