“It’s a long story,” Xu Yangui said with a complex expression. “But you must believe that I’m not a bad person.”
Hearing this, Taohua chuckled and took a step back, looking at him.
“Oh, don’t be like that. I came here to clear up misunderstandings,” Xu Yangui said, embarrassed, rubbing his nose. “Last time was just a joke. I hope you’ll remember my good deeds and forget my mistakes.”
“Mr. Xu coming here in the middle of the night shows he’s not one for propriety,” Taohua narrowed her eyes. “If someone sees, and accuses my Zhengchun Pavilion of privately entertaining an outsider, who will bear this crime? You or me?”
Xu Yangui was stunned. He looked around and whispered, “Surely it’s not that serious? It’s so late, and we’re in your territory. Who would discover and report this?”
“Walls have ears,” Taohua shrugged, pulling on the window string. “You’ve said what you needed to say. I’ll remember your kindness in fetching water, but now our debts are settled. Please leave quickly.”
With that, she slammed the window shut.
For a moment, Xu Yangui was confused. When he realized what had happened, he quickly used his lightness skill to return to his room and grabbed a mirror to look at himself.
“It’s still the same face, no mistake. But why would she react like that?” He pinched his chin, unable to understand. He had charmed over a hundred women but never encountered one so difficult. Could it be that she truly liked Shen Zaiye and thus kept her distance from other men?
That would be strange. Who would be so devoted to a gloomy man like Shen Zaiye? He couldn’t sweet talk and was boring. How could he be more interesting than himself?
The next day, as Shen Zaiye took Xu Yangui out on business, he felt the man staring at him intensely the whole way.
“What are you doing?” Shen Zaiye frowned slightly, displeased. “Watch the road, not me.”
“I’m looking closely, and you’re not as handsome as me,” Xu Yangui muttered. “It must be about status then…”
Glancing at him, Shen Zaiye lowered his voice, “I’ve told you, don’t even think about her.”
“Are you jealous?” Xu Yangui raised an eyebrow.
“No,” Shen Zaiye said seriously. “I still have many things unfinished. I don’t want to spare time to visit your grave.”
Xu Yangui was speechless.
It couldn’t be that terrifying, could it? He had already raised his guard and wouldn’t fall for her charms again! As long as he wasn’t bewitched, what could a mere woman do to him?
“Let’s focus on the task at hand,” Shen Zaiye reined in his horse, stopping outside a money house. He dismounted and headed inside with Xu Yangui and Zhan Lu following. Xu Yangui pouted but still followed reluctantly.
All three were dressed in plain clothes and quickly blended into the crowd, not drawing attention.
The two largest money houses in the Great Wei capital were Ronghui and Guantong. Ronghui was known for its vast silver reserves, while Guantong was praised for its ingenious system, with branches in three major countries allowing deposits in one place to be withdrawn in another.
Shen Zaiye had come to Guantong. Upon entering, he lowered his head and said to the manager, “From Prince Yu’s mansion, to check on silver.”
The manager was startled but saw the man produce Prince Yu’s token. He respectfully invited them inside.
Guantong had a large warehouse for storing valuables – women’s jewelry, officials’ gold and silver, and all sorts of things. Due to corruption charges, Prince Yu’s property had been confiscated, leaving him with only monthly allowances. However, he still had hidden assets, which were finally traced here after half a month of investigation.
Prince Yu had given Shen Zaiye trouble once, so it was time to return the favor and reassure Prince Jing to maintain his trust.
When the cabinet was opened, there was a large stack of silver notes and property deeds inside. Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow and counted: twenty residences and two million taels of silver.
Their Prince Yu was truly wealthy.
Putting everything back without a change in expression, Shen Zaiye looked up and earnestly instructed the manager, “This is Prince Yu’s nest egg. Make sure no one touches it, understand?”
The manager nodded repeatedly, “Rest assured, sir. We only require the token to view the silver but to withdraw it, one must match Prince Yu’s jade seal. Others can’t take it away. Moreover, our business relies on trust. We absolutely won’t breathe a word of this to outsiders. Please inform Prince Yu that this month’s interest will be sent to his mansion soon.”
“Good,” Shen Zaiye smiled, closing the cabinet door and turning to leave.
“What are you doing?” Once out of the money house, Xu Yangui spoke up. “Are you trying to destroy Prince Yu?”
“Prince Jing is already regent. If it were time to destroy him completely, why would I keep Prince Yu around?” Shen Zaiye chuckled lightly. “But we must eat one bite at a time, take things step by step. We can’t rush.”
Shuddering, Xu Yangui frowned, “I don’t understand your thoughts. Do as you see fit. What’s next?”
“Oh yes, return Prince Yu’s token,” Shen Zaiye tossed it into Xu Yangui’s arms. “Don’t let him notice, or it will ruin everything.”
“Prince Yu’s mansion is heavily guarded now!” Xu Yangui glared. “You want me to return the token in broad daylight?”
“I have full confidence in Master Xu’s skills,” Shen Zaiye clasped his hands. “Take care.”
Xu Yangui thought to himself that if they weren’t on the same side, he would have strangled this man long ago.
The two parted ways. Shen Zaiye took Zhan Lu to the capital’s yamen, while Xu Yangui made a trip to Prince Yu’s mansion. While returning the token, he happened to notice a pair of mandarin duck jade pendants.
The pendants were exquisitely carved, depicting intertwining mandarin ducks with particularly expressive eyes. Yet Prince Yu had carelessly tossed such premium jade pendants in a corner. What a waste!
After some thought, Xu Yangui pocketed the pendants and returned to the Chancellor’s mansion.
Taohua sat drinking tea in the garden. Qingtai beside her asked softly, “Miss, did someone come to our courtyard last night?”
“How do you know?” Taohua raised an eyebrow.
“There were footprints in the backyard. Xilou discovered them,” Qingtai pursed her lips. “The footprints looked like a man’s. I warned her not to speak of it and wanted to ask you what happened.”
Taohua shrugged, “It was nothing. Someone came to talk to me briefly in the middle of the night.”
“Miss,” Qingtai frowned, “People in the mansion have already started gossiping about you. Why are you still talking to someone?”
“I didn’t want to talk. He insisted on coming,” Taohua said helplessly. “He doesn’t seem good when trying to be good, nor bad when trying to be bad. But he hasn’t harmed me yet, so I don’t want to fuss about it. As for those gossiping about me in the courtyard… even if nothing happened, they would still gossip.”
Qingtai grew anxious, “Haven’t you noticed the Chancellor hasn’t been coming to our courtyard lately?”
“I’ve noticed. He hasn’t gone to other courtyards either. He’s probably busy with work.”
“I’m afraid being busy is just an excuse. The truth might be that he’s disappointed in all the courtyards. If you lose his favor, you…”
“Qingtai,” Taohua looked at her teasingly, “I never realized before how suitable you’d be as a palace maid for a concubine. Look how worried you are.”
“Miss!” Qingtai stamped her foot. “I’m just anxious for you.”
The eunuch is more anxious than the emperor. Blinking, Taohua took her hand and said, “We can only wait for the Master’s favor, not force it. What we need to do now is protect ourselves and establish our place in this rear court. Don’t misdirect your anxiety.”
Protect ourselves? Qingtai frowned, “Aren’t we fine as we are? Your status in this courtyard is second only to the First Madam. What is there to worry about?”
There was no point in trying to communicate with someone so naive. Taohua shook her head, resting her chin on her hand as she silently watched the servants coming and going in the distance.
With Shen Zaiye not showing favor, the women in the rear court were lonely. When women get too lonely, they start causing trouble. For instance, someone had begun spreading a story that she and Mr. Xu were old acquaintances with a tragic past romance. Supposedly, she had chosen wealth and status, abandoning Mr. Xu, which explained the complex looks he often gave her.
This story made Taohua yawn. She thought they could at least make up something more plausible. She was from Zhao, while Mr. Xu was from Wei. She had married into the Chancellor’s mansion as soon as she arrived. Where was the time for a tragic romance with Xu Yangui?
However, there were too many foolish people in this courtyard. Many chose to believe this story, and their gazes towards her became strange.
Taohua didn’t bother with the stupid servants, but when she went to pay respects at Linghan Court, even Qin Jieyu spoke with sarcasm, “Lady Jiang seems to be in low spirits lately.”
Rolling her eyes, Taohua smiled sweetly, “With the Master not visiting the rear court, which sister could be in high spirits?”
“Indeed, with the Master not coming, everywhere feels empty,” Qin Jieyu covered her mouth, looking at Taohua. “But emptiness is just emptiness. It’s best not to do anything improper to fill the void.”
The others whispered among themselves. Taohua glanced at Qin Jieyu, “What do you mean by that?”
“Some things can’t be said too plainly. It would shame our Master,” Qin Jieyu said. “But since you’ve entered the Chancellor’s mansion, I hope Lady Jiang will be more mindful of the rules. It’s best to forget what happened in the past.”
Rumors weren’t frightening; what was frightening was this kind of half-true, half-false, ambiguous framing that was difficult to argue against.
Taohua shrugged, saying frankly, “Although I don’t understand what Madam Qin means, I’ve never done anything improper, so naturally, I’m not afraid of shaming anyone. Forgive my directness, but one should have some brains and not blindly follow others, taking rumors as truth.”
“Who are you calling brainless?” Qin Jieyu frowned.
“Coming here to argue so early in the morning, you might not be tired, but I’m tired just listening,” Mei Zhaoxue finally spoke up. She glanced at Qin Jieyu, then looked at Taohua. “If you have something to say, say it plainly. Don’t beat around the bush.”
“Yes,” Taohua nodded. As she raised her head, she swept her gaze across the room, her eyes deep and thoughtful.
(End of Chapter)