Shaoshang leaned against the carriage window, one hand lifting the curtain and the other pressing her veil, continuously gazing outward—this had already become her newly formed habit. Wherever she went, as long as it was a road she hadn’t traveled before, she always had to watch along the way so her heart wouldn’t feel so empty.
Fortunately, the current social customs didn’t restrict women from showing their faces in public. What was annoying, however, were the poor roads: yellow dirt roads were stable but hateful for the wind and sand blowing in one’s face; stone-paved roads were clean but required enduring bumps all the way. Alas, how she dearly missed asphalt and cement!
Sitting opposite, Cheng Yang watched her, slightly lost in thought.
She had heard from Musu that the first time the brothers took Niaoniao out, they didn’t go to the bustling and prosperous markets or to see the magnificent and imposing palace city. Instead, they had someone drive the carriage close along the inside of the city wall for a complete circuit, spending a full several days. Each day they left at dawn and didn’t return until lamplight time. On the final day, Aunt nearly lost her temper again but fortunately held it in.
“…Cousin, do you know?” Shaoshang suddenly turned her head back from the window, saying with a beaming smile, “Whenever establishing a capital city, one must examine one mountain, two waters, and three terrain features. That is to say, it must have a great mountain at its back, extensive water systems, and terrain that is flat yet grand and expansive.” Ideally, there should also be strategic passes in front and defensive positions behind, convenient for stationing troops, storing grain, and sustaining population growth.
Seeing her excitement like a child, Cheng Yang smiled and said: “Not just capital cities—when you go outside the capital in the future, you’ll see that the fortified compounds built by those aristocratic clans are all like this.”
Shaoshang’s face showed envy: “Our family doesn’t have a fortified compound. Father only rebuilt the ancestral home in our old hometown.” Up to now, the Cheng family was just at the level of a landlord wealthy family with someone serving as an official. Actually, thinking about it, her simple and crude numerical assessment of those families was superficial—there were many marginal factors she hadn’t considered.
Shaoshang made a playful face at Cheng Yang and continued leaning out the window.
Looking down at this magnificent and enormous capital city, it was a vertical rectangle with thick city walls on all four sides—east, west, south, and north—towering into the clouds, with over a dozen city gates unevenly distributed. To this day, she still hadn’t gone outside the city gates.
The Cheng family had risen to prominence late. Just like with the family residence, the most central and bustling locations had already been claimed by other families. The Cheng family warehouse was almost against the city wall. It took nearly an hour and a half by carriage to get there, mostly on broken roads—even more troublesome than when she’d circled the city walls before.
Establishing this warehouse was naturally Madam Xiao’s idea. The Cheng family had few members, and quite a bit of captured spoils and gifts piled up at home were pure waste. Better to sell them to shops for profit. Moreover, according to price fluctuations, they could stockpile cloth, charcoal, and other goods in advance. Simply put, it was for distribution, stockpiling, and transit purposes.
When the two young ladies of the master’s family honored them with their presence and came to inventory goods, the warehouse manager was naturally extremely respectful. He opened all four connecting doors at the front and assembled over ten servants to wait on the side, exactly like the ribbon-cutting ceremony at that hair salon at the town’s end.
Cheng Yang had been jostled until her face turned greenish. Musu wished she could carry her entire person down from the carriage. However, Cheng Yang didn’t want to diminish Madam Xiao’s prestige, so she forced herself to get down from the carriage on her own. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she rallied her spirits and was led by the manager to the back to inventory goods. Shaoshang didn’t care about all this. Her small frame had only just recovered its health—she couldn’t let anything go wrong again. So she had Lian Fang attend to her as she sat down in the front hall to catch her breath.
After a few mouthfuls of warm milk with ginger went down her throat, Shaoshang finally felt she’d recovered her energy and looked around.
In the center of the warehouse’s front hall, a large square earthen heating stove had been built, warmly radiating heat throughout the room. Shaoshang sat alone in the seat of honor. Looking to the left, seven or eight warehouse servants knelt in a row, their expressions eager. Looking to the right, the slaves and maids who had accompanied them from the residence knelt in a row, their demeanors attentive. Her heart filled with great pleasure—this grand array, she wouldn’t even trade being student council president for it!
Shaoshang was just about to stand up when suddenly the sounds of shouting at horses and reining them in rang out from outside. Following a series of wheel-rolling sounds, a square covered carriage with brocade canopy stopped in front of the warehouse. Two plump and healthy tall horses neighed continuously, their nostrils spraying white misty breath. Two boys dressed in satin jackets leaped down from the carriage to stand on either side. Behind them, a tall and elegant young gentleman in fine robes slowly descended from the carriage.
Shaoshang’s eyelid twitched. How did this fellow get here?
One of the boys stepped forward and loudly said: “My young master saw the emblem here from afar. Dare we ask if this is the warehouse established by General Cheng’s residence of the Marquis of Quling? Because the journey is long and our preparations insufficient, we wish to request some charcoal and firewood.”
Shaoshang kept a stern face and said nothing. The deputy manager beside her, seeing this, thought the young lady was shy. He ran to the entrance and loudly replied: “Is this the carriage from the Yuan Marquis residence in Jinyang Ward? The weather is freezing cold—young master, why not enter the hall to rest? This servant will go prepare it right away.” That carriage also bore obvious family emblems, which old servants who had long resided in the capital naturally recognized.
However, Yuan Shen neither stepped forward nor spoke. He continued standing leisurely in front of the carriage, but his gaze looked into the hall, sweeping intentionally or unintentionally over a certain person. Shaoshang bit her lip. He had come to collect on a debt.
Seeing Shaoshang play dumb and not respond, Yuan Shen’s elegant long eyebrows lifted. He raised his foot as if to enter the warehouse. At this moment, Shaoshang suddenly rose, cupped her hands in a bow, and said with a forced smile: “So… so it’s Young Master Yuan. It’s been several days since we last saw each other at the family banquet. My brothers greatly miss you, young master. I wonder when there will be another opportunity to compose and sing poetry together…” Damn it, she couldn’t keep making this up!
The deputy manager showed admiring approval, feeling that their young lady’s words were appropriate, her posture graceful, and her attitude neither distant nor close—unlike those young girls in the capital who, upon encountering Young Master Shangjian, were like bears encountering honey.
Yuan Shen smiled broadly and said: “The young lady must be mistaken. That day, Brother Zisu said what they would discuss next time was rhapsodies, not poetry.” He deliberately paused on the last word, his meaning pointed.
Shaoshang suppressed a mouthful of old blood: MMP!
Seeing her not speak, Yuan Shen took another step forward and said: “According to what Brother Zisu said, doesn’t the young lady also greatly love the rhapsodies of Kuai Tong?”
The deputy manager and the circle of servants around all looked toward Shaoshang with N faces of admiration.
Everyone thought: Outside they all spread rumors that Madam’s youngest daughter was spoiled by Ge Shi—how crude and domineering she was. Who knew she could discuss rhapsodies together with Young Master Shangjian, whose talented reputation filled the entire capital? Indeed, dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes—with good roots, no matter what, one can’t turn out bad!
Shaoshang’s face burned from everyone’s stares. She wanted nothing more than to grab Yuan Shen and beat him with the Seven Injuries Fist. Inwardly she cursed continuously: What Kuai Tong—I only know Shentong, Yuantong, Zhongtong, and complete nonsense… Fine, she understood this fellow’s meaning!
A wise person doesn’t fight a losing battle. She closed her eyes and admitted defeat: “Young master is correct—it’s rhapsodies, not poetry.” The last few words, she practically squeezed through clenched teeth.
Knowing she had yielded, Yuan Shen smiled like spring bursting forth, which further set off his red lips and white teeth, his person like fine jade. This way of smiling was too irregular—it startled the middle-aged man who had been sitting in the driver’s position. Having followed his young master for so many years, he could still distinguish real smiles from fake ones. He hurriedly looked at the young lady standing in the hall—indeed a small beauty carved and polished like jade.
At this time, the people the deputy manager had just dispatched returned carrying a large bundle of fine charcoal. The middle-aged man leaped down from the carriage, grabbed the hemp sack, and voiced his thanks, then presented a pouch of gold ingots as payment. The deputy manager waved his hands repeatedly: “For such trifling items, if we took young master’s money, the master’s family would scold this old servant severely. Absolutely not, absolutely not!”
The middle-aged man then put away the money pouch. However, Yuan Shen still didn’t leave. He turned his neck to gaze ahead, then looked deliberately at Shaoshang before finally cupping his hands in farewell.
After the person left, ripples remained. The deputy manager continuously praised how Yuan Shen indeed had distinguished bearing and stood out from the crowd, and so on. The other servants also whispered among themselves, either praising or admiring.
Shaoshang lowered her head in thought.
She felt she had made a very big mistake that urgently needed correcting. After pondering for a moment, she asked the deputy manager: “What families are on the left and right of our warehouse, and do we usually have dealings with them?”
The deputy manager answered: On the left was an old shop making tangerine peel sauce that supplied all the major eating houses in the capital year-round. On the right was also a warehouse, but it stockpiled wood and stone materials for construction business. After that was an alley leading directly to the city wall.
Shaoshang understood in her heart, then said she wanted to look around everywhere.
After barely strolling around, she dismissed the warehouse servants, taking only her own maids toward that back alley, saying she wanted to see the scenery on the left and right. Walking to the alley entrance, she left behind the other strong maids. Walking forward another ten or so zhang, she indeed saw an abrupt corner. Shaoshang left behind Lian Fang and A’Mei as well, instructing them: “If you hear me call out, immediately come and have everyone search for me.”
Turning the corner, she saw the Yuan family’s magnificent and imposing covered carriage conspicuously stopped there. Yuan Shen wore a snow-white fur cloak, his hands cupped around a small exquisite white jade hand warmer, his fingers slender and jade-like as if indistinguishable from the jade furnace itself.
He stood smiling in front of the carriage, quietly waiting. Those two boys and the driver had disappeared to who knows where.
The warehouse’s location was already secluded, and this alley was even more deserted and empty. Shaoshang looked at him coldly for a while, then walked straight over. Maintaining at least three meters of distance, she stopped: “What instruction does Young Master Yuan have?”
This time Yuan Shen also didn’t beat around the bush, asking directly: “Has the young lady already passed on the message to Madam Sang?”
“No.” Shaoshang said frankly, “I never wanted to pass on your message.”
Yuan Shen rarely lost his temper in his life, but he couldn’t help feeling secretly angry: “If that’s the case, why did you promise me that day? Does the young lady know the principle that once a word is spoken, even a team of four horses cannot overtake it?”
Shaoshang’s eyelashes didn’t even flutter: “I went back on my word—so what?” Could you actually beat me up or something?
Yuan Shen frowned as if seeing the girl before him for the first time, carefully examining her—with such a gentle, delicate, and charming appearance, yet possessing such perverse and eccentric temperament. Probably couldn’t find more than a few like her in the entire capital.
Actually, he didn’t absolutely have to pass on that message. But after waiting several days without any word, he guessed she had no intention of keeping her promise at all. Then a surge of anger rose, and instead he became stubborn about it.
After the attendants watching the Cheng family gate reported back early this morning, he himself had endured the bumpy carriage ride following all the way, actually just wanting to question her face to face. Now that things had come to this, even he couldn’t distinguish whether he simply wanted to help his elder with worries or was just angry at this cunning and beautiful little girl. If his peers knew about this matter, they would laugh from the court hall all the way down to the stairs.
Yuan Shen thought carefully and decided he shouldn’t be the only one feeling uncomfortable.
Thus, he darkened his face and took several steps closer to Shaoshang, saying coldly: “In worldly matters, there are only three things: earnest entreaty, coercion, and inducement. Since the young lady is unwilling to speak properly, I have other ways to make you comply!”
Shaoshang was startled and retreated several steps. She considered herself and Yuan Shen to be of the same age, but once the two came closer, she could immediately feel the oppression from this young man’s height and imposing presence. Just now when he approached, she immediately smelled the faint pine branch incense on him and discovered she had to crane her neck to converse face to face.
She naturally heard the threatening intent in Yuan Shen’s words, which was also what she worried about. She herself was just a little girl with no social resources whatsoever, while this Yuan Shen was an accomplished figure who had mixed in court and palace for several years. If she truly angered him and he became petty-minded and insisted on revenge, what should she do?
Shaoshang was just worrying when Yuan Shen’s expression changed, and he smiled again: “Speaking of it, it’s all my fault, imposing on the young lady to pass on a message. How about this—I have some small reputation and skills. If the young lady passes on the message for me, in the future I’m willing to do something for the young lady as repayment.”
Shaoshang became interested: “Anything works?”
Hearing his tone soften, her mind became active again. She wasn’t Zhao Min or Guo Xiang—she would definitely use this promise well.
Seeing the fish had taken the bait, Yuan Shen smiled: “Naturally. Except for three things—treason and rebellion, betraying trust and abandoning righteousness, and marrying you—everything else is possible.”
Shaoshang was just about to nod when she nearly choked to death at the last point: “You—!”
Her small face flushed bright red as she glared viciously at Yuan Shen like a small wolf. She wasn’t truly an ignorant little girl—how could she not hear that this statement was pure teasing and mockery? She held back her anger and sneered: “Young master has probably heard too many flattering words on ordinary days. When and where did I ever say I wanted to marry you! I advise young master to be more clear-headed and not take people’s courtesy seriously, truly believing yourself to be a star descended from the heavens…”
Before she finished speaking, Yuan Shen cut her off with a smile: “So the young lady never had such thoughts—that truly surprises me. Wasn’t today’s meeting arranged by the young lady to lure me here?”
Shaoshang’s face was about to burn up. She stamped her feet repeatedly, so angry she even stuttered: “You, you’re talking nonsense—it was clearly you who…”
“If the young lady has no such thoughts toward me, then why promise first then break your word? Wasn’t it to string me along and lure me to come meet you? If the young lady truly didn’t want involvement with me, why not straightforwardly pass that message to Madam Sang, and from then on you and I would mind our own business like well water not interfering with river water!”
—What he said made so much sense, she had no words to counter it.
Shaoshang was stunned. If she weren’t the party involved, she might also think this was a method for hooking rich men.
Seeing the girl dumbstruck like a wooden chicken, no longer displaying that earlier proud and mocking manner, Yuan Shen felt quite satisfied. But in the blink of an eye, seeing her completely bewildered expression, she seemed quite weak and pitiable.
His heart softened, and he said gently: “Why exactly are you unwilling to pass the message to Madam Sang? Could it be there are difficulties? Tell me properly and see if I can help.” He thought of how Shaoshang’s childhood had been quite difficult—perhaps there were hidden circumstances among the inner chamber women that he didn’t know about.
However, if others heard such understanding and considerate words, probably from the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers down to household guests, all jaws would drop in shock—Yuan Shangjian actually understood how to cherish fragrant jade and pity tender flowers?
Who knew that upon this question, Shaoshang became even more dazed.
Should she say: Actually there’s no particular reason—it’s just that she’d had a terrible character since childhood and didn’t like helping others with pleasure? Helping old grandmothers cross the street was like an Arabian Nights tale to her. Even if an eraser fell right in front of her, she could step over it. The one rare time she acted righteously and bravely, didn’t she end up dead? Transmigrating to this terrible place to re-eat all the bitter hardships of growing up.
“Or perhaps you worry that the message-bearer would be unfavorable to your uncle and aunt.” Seeing the girl staring blankly in a daze, Yuan Shen’s voice became even softer. “You can rest assured about this too. Past matters are all in the past. The elders are all advanced in years now—it’s nothing more than old friends’ feelings of concern.”
—So that sad Orchid Terrace and palaces south of the city wasn’t about buildings but about feelings? Shaoshang was now not only bewildered but also embarrassed. She only regretted not asking Cheng Yang a few more questions back then.
However, among Shaoshang’s few merits, one point was quite praiseworthy—she was reasonable. She hesitated for a moment, organized her thoughts, then opened her mouth: “It is my fault.”
She had indeed erred.
She hadn’t adjusted well to her new identity, still considering herself that small-town girl from the 1800th tier. In her previous life, both her parents were deceased and her uncle was just a sesame-seed green-bean official, so she could act shamelessly, could go back on her word, could do many improper things.
But now it wouldn’t do. Old Man Cheng was at least a mid-to-upper level official within the national scope. Moreover, here they valued promises, made light of life and death, recommended the filially pious and incorrupt, and advocated loyalty and righteousness. In this era without the imperial examination system, people with especially good virtue would even be directly awarded official positions—regardless of whether this virtue was real or fake, at least social customs were thus. Yet she actually acted against the prevailing wind, breaking her promise face to face!
Shaoshang calmed her emotions, respectfully raised her arms in a bow, and said: “Young master conducts affairs meticulously and has presumably heard about my family’s circumstances.” Old rule—push everything onto Ge Shi.
“Since childhood I’ve feared trouble—the more you do, the more mistakes; do nothing, make no mistakes. I had never met young master before. That day’s sudden encounter left me quite uneasy in my heart. To escape quickly, I carelessly agreed to young master’s request. Thinking back afterward, it’s not that I never regretted it.”
Shaoshang’s face showed sincerity, every word and phrase extremely genuine.
“Just now Young Master Yuan’s admonishments made this little woman suddenly see the light. When entrusted by others, be loyal to their affairs. How about this—I’ll go back today and pass the message to Third Aunt. Young Master Yuan need not thank me, and please forgive this little woman’s rudeness. Let this matter be concluded thus—how about it?”
Back when she reformed her ways and resolved to study hard, her former colleagues from her street-roaming days had come to school looking for her. The school leadership had been moved by her determination to make a clean break with the past. Bringing out the same intensity of resolve, Yuan Shen might not insist on pursuing the matter.
Yuan Shen’s expression was calm as he said heavily: “If in the future I still need you to pass messages, what then?”
Shaoshang’s heart full of sincerity felt like it had been clubbed on the head. This fellow actually wasn’t moved?!
She forcefully suppressed her urge to complain and answered: “If Third Aunt doesn’t mind, in the future if young master still needs to pass messages, naturally I won’t decline. But if Third Aunt doesn’t like it, then…” Her face showed complete seriousness. “Then I must naturally respect my elders. If it’s like that, then in the future between you and me, young master, let’s just not meet in the jianghu.”
Having spoken such an upright and noble speech, Shaoshang let out a great sigh of relief, suddenly feeling her image had become considerably more elevated. Then without waiting for Yuan Shen’s response, she bowed very properly, turned around, and left.
Walking all the way to that abrupt corner, she still hadn’t heard any sound from behind. She couldn’t resist turning her head for a glance, only to see that Yuan Shen stood motionless in place. Because of the distance she couldn’t see the expression on his face clearly—only the cold wind in the alley blowing his raven-feather-like long hair, gently stirring.
Shaoshang shook her head, deeply feeling this fellow’s level was somewhat high. He looked refined and cultured on the surface, but cut him open and he was black inside. His face changed like flipping through a book. Really not easy to get along with—better to flee early for safety.