“What? I am the world’s greatest slave trader? Yun Ye, I’ll have you torn limb from limb!” Li Er’s frantic roar echoed from the Hall of Two Principles. He never would have imagined that the business the Empress managed was actually human trafficking.
This was a very ancient trade. Ever since primitive humans developed class consciousness, this business had existed. Along with flesh trade and assassin dealings, it was nearly considered one of the world’s three oldest businesses—it just sounded rather unsavory. Li Er knew that many Goguryeo and Silla maidservants had suddenly appeared in Chang’an. He had assumed that Great Tang’s prestige had caused these foreign women to travel ten thousand li to make a living in Chang’an. He never expected the Empress to be vigorously promoting this.
“Your Majesty has misunderstood completely. This slave trade is something I personally demanded from those boys. My brother, along with the Cheng and Qin families, nearly came to blows over this business. You don’t know—Great Tang has flourished under your management these past years. I’ve heard commercial taxes already account for half of all tax revenue. As long as commercial taxes increase further, you can reduce corvée and taxes, lightening the burden on farmers throughout the realm and letting everyone taste the prosperity of this golden age.”
“But while merchants have increased, those who farm cannot decrease. So everyone is eyeing the surrounding countries. When you conquered Gaochang and returned victorious from Xueyantuo, why did those generals prefer to compete for prisoners of war rather than gold, silver, and precious shells? The reason is their workshops at home lack laborers.”
“Guanzhong people are unwilling to engage in commerce, so workshops cannot find labor. Selling Great Tang subjects would get you beheaded, so they had no choice but to sell people from other countries. I am stockpiling labor for the massive quantities of wool that will arrive in spring. Only women—when the time comes, wool will pile up like mountains in Chang’an from the grasslands. What will you do? Without manpower, surely I can’t personally lead the palace staff to do it myself.”
“Since ancient times, the great grasslands have been the chief culprit plaguing the Central Plains. You are a generation’s heroic ruler—your iron-fisted methods have made those barbarians submissive. But your descendants cannot all be heroic rulers. Eventually we’ll need to rely on interests to bind them firmly to our family’s wagon. When there are external enemies, they go forth; when there are disasters, they block them. Only then will we give them a full meal to eat.”
“So I had no choice but to take on this damnable business regardless of face. Moreover, only under my protection will those women from Goguryeo and Silla not suffer too miserably. Look at your subordinates—besides me, can you find one kind person? Yun Ye is kind, but while this boy treats Great Tang subjects well, look at his actions in Lingnan and you’ll know—this boy isn’t really a good person. I’ve heard he nailed people to wooden frames and filled an entire island with them.”
After hearing Empress Zhangsun’s words, Li Er felt much more comfortable. She was doing this purely as charity. Cheng Yaojin? Zhangsun Wuji? Qin Qiong? These people were all covered in battlefield blood—they truly couldn’t be considered kind.
“Don’t speak anymore about Yun Ye nailing people to wooden frames. Any army that dares to enter our Great Tang territory without permission—this treatment is lenient. If I had encountered them, their fate would have been a hundred times more miserable. So this matter was not wrong—only meritorious, without fault. If anyone wants to discuss it, let them come talk to me. Hehe…”
Empress Zhangsun bit through the silk thread in her hand and draped a soft robe over Li Er’s body. She crouched down to adjust the hem, then stepped back two paces and clapped her hands: “You look extremely well-fitted in this cotton robe. Chengqian sent fifty bolts of cotton cloth into the palace, saying to make outer robes—both warm and light. With this, you won’t need to wear those heavy furs. It truly is a fine thing. Why doesn’t Great Tang have such good things?”
“You are the Son of Heaven—properly ask Heaven why it gave potatoes, corn, and cotton—all these good things—to the barbarians. We good people who want cotton must go to war for it.”
Empress Zhangsun’s playful words made Li Er laugh heartily. He reached out to grab her hand and dragged her outside, turning back to say with a smile: “Let’s also have a good New Year. Consort Yin and the others have arranged song and dance performances. I’ve heard they used three hundred palace lanterns just for lighting. Let’s properly enjoy this—tonight we won’t return until we’re drunk…”
When Xi Tong sobered up, he demanded with a thick tongue that Yun Ye prepare three of the fastest horses for him. He wanted to gallop back to Hebei without stopping—his nineteenth concubine was about to give birth any day now, and he couldn’t delay.
Naturally, any of the Yun family’s horses except Wang Cai were his to use. Besides a large bag of milk candy and four gold ingots, he wanted nothing else. Wearing Yun Ye’s bearskin cloak, he vanished in a flash.
Today was the second day—the day for daughters to return to their natal homes. Auntie came back with her big belly again. Yun Ye looked disapprovingly at Lishi. Lishi’s old face rarely turned red as he lowered his head to drink tea, while Auntie pinched Yun Ye’s arm hard.
Yiniang also came. Upon entering, she immediately removed all the jeweled ornaments from her head and changed back to a daughter’s appearance, dragging Daya off to her former embroidery chamber. This room had always remained vacant. The Yun family had few people and the house was large, so they simply left the rooms of married daughters exactly as they were, giving them something to look forward to when returning home.
Runniang cried as soon as she got home, as if she’d suffered great wrongs. The furious Yun Ye grabbed Second Qin to inflict violence but was quickly pulled away by Runniang, who kept saying she hadn’t suffered any wrongs—she just missed home terribly.
“Every morning I have to pay respects to Father and my eldest mother—that’s fine. But I also have to pay respects to Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law, then to Second, Third, and Fourth Mothers, and only finally to my birth mother. I overslept a bit and was late, so Second Mother said I lacked proper upbringing and that our family hadn’t taught me well—that I lacked family education. Eldest Mother disliked her gossiping and slapped her across the face. Then she tried to jump into a well, saying she was bullied by a junior, and said the hairpins on her head weren’t worth as much as a single one on mine. When I gave her my hairpin, she threw it away.”
After hearing Runniang’s tearful complaint and seeing Second Qin standing with his head lowered saying nothing, Yun Ye said: “Huaiying, this is your family matter—I won’t interfere. Runniang truly was negligently taught by me. After the New Year, I’ll apologize to the old master.”
Qin Huaiying’s face flushed red as he waved his hands repeatedly and bowed to Yun Ye before saying: “Elder Brother, this doesn’t blame Runniang. Runniang was raised in the Yun household as a young lady of a great family. Though only a cousin, her treatment was the same as Daya and the others. She never suffered wrongs at home. It’s this younger brother who’s useless—not valued at home. Second Mother only saw that I married better than Third Brother, so her jealousy flared up. It will pass in a few days.”
Yun Ye nodded: “Your perspective is good. You’ve also studied at the Academy for three years. I think it’s time for you to gain experience in a local posting or the military. Not the navy—if you want to enter the military, what about the Right威Guard? After the examination, I’ll speak to Old Master Yuchi. You don’t qualify for hereditary protection—you can only serve as Xuanjie Colonel according to regulations. This is already an Upper Eighth Rank position—already a special case. What do you think?”
Qin Huaiying had just stood up joyfully to express his thanks when he saw Runniang tugging at Yun Ye’s arm: “Elder Brother, Huaiying is an outstanding Academy graduate. If he wants to enter the military, he’d be Xuanjie Colonel anywhere. Little sister wants Huaiying to join the navy under you—just follow the ships. I don’t want him going to the battlefield.”
Yun Ye smiled without speaking. Qin Huaiying said to Runniang: “Don’t bother Elder Brother anymore. Entering the Right威Guard is already very difficult. What would I do in the navy? You’d put Elder Brother in a difficult position. This matter is settled—I’ll go to the Right威Guard, stationed in Luoyang. Uncle Hou and Uncle Yuchi are both there—they won’t shortchange me. You’ll also go to Luoyang. We’ll establish our home there.”
Hearing they could live their own small life, Runniang became happy again and pulled Qin Huaiying off to her boudoir. Only Old Grandmother glanced at Runniang without speaking, seeming quite displeased.
“Grandmother, great households have many rules—many people, many matters. No need to争 over momentary gains and losses. Just avoid them. Go to Luoyang and establish your own household. I’ll help where I can. Huaiying is talented—he’ll stand out wherever he goes. You know Runniang’s temperament—she’s been like this since childhood, carefree and thoughtless.”
Seeing the two had gone far away, Yun Ye quietly consoled Grandmother not to be angry.
“One after another they all come troubling you. Grandmother worries this will bring you bad influence. You’re the family’s pillar—you can’t be damaged by these small matters. As for the other young ladies, help if you can. If you can’t help, they’ll accept their fate. Having endured poor days, surely they can’t fail to live through prosperous ones?”
Yun Ye helped Old Grandmother to the gatehouse, where several old women and grandfathers were already sitting drinking tea. Grandmother’s health had become much more fragile. She rarely went to the Buddhist hall these days, but had grown fond of sitting with these old people drinking tea and chatting. Sometimes Yun Ye would politely sit with them for a while, listening to their wild tales from all directions, discussing amusing incidents on the estate—whether founded or unfounded, they always spoke with great liveliness…
In Yun Ye’s study, Lishi was flipping through his many turtle paintings, occasionally picking one up and nodding to show satisfaction. He had never figured out why Yun Ye specialized exclusively in painting turtles.
Not having seen him paint for two months, this turtle-painting skill had truly become increasingly exquisite. Previously Yun Ye had told him that some people spent their lives specializing in painting tigers, some painted dragons, some painted donkeys, some painted shrimp—as for those who painted oxen, they couldn’t even make it to the table. He had decided to specialize in painting turtles. When the time came, people would extend their thumbs in praise: “Marquis Yun’s turtle paintings are truly unparalleled. Would you kindly bestow a turtle painting upon this subordinate?” With a flourish of the brush, a lifelike turtle would leap onto the paper, looking simple and charming—the meaning was also auspicious, an invaluable gift for friends and relatives.
He always felt Yun Ye’s expression when saying these words was strange—seemingly somewhat mocking, with a hint of petty triumph. Yet in Great Tang, giving someone a turtle truly was a symbol of longevity and good fortune—nothing improper about it. Even the Emperor could be given one.
Flipping to a turtle painting with a poetic inscription, he finally seemed to gain some insight. It read: “Lying on the beach for three and a half years, today the waves turn me over.”