With the city gates now closed, it was already past lunchtime in the afternoon. There were few customers left in the main Bamboo Note shop. Up on the second floor, when Nie Yunzhu asked that question, Ning Yi paused for a moment. The woman sat down across from him, reaching up to smooth a strand of hair by her temple, and smiled faintly. “A few days ago I heard about what happened with the Su family—that the head of the household was attacked. I heard the young mistress and her husband were both there at the time, so I’ve been worried these past few days, wondering if you were all right…”
Jiangning had no shortage of wealthy merchants, and business of every kind flourished there; though the Su family held a prominent position in the textile trade, tensions had been running high these past few days, and with an assassination attempt in the mix, outsiders had little chance to hear much about it—after all, it wasn’t their concern. Even a thousand years later, in an age of far more advanced information flow, news of some merchant being attacked wasn’t exactly something an ordinary person would casually hear about either.
Nie Yunzhu, however, had always paid particular attention to matters concerning the Su family, which was how she’d come to hear of it through casual conversation. Not seeing Ning Yi these past few days had left her anxious, worried he might have been caught up in it, that something might have happened to him.
Hearing her out, Ning Yi nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Though… things at home got pretty tense, and I got pulled into it these past few days, been busy the whole time.”
Hearing his confirmation that he was all right, Nie Yunzhu’s worried expression finally eased, and she smiled again. “Is the head of the Su household… all right?”
“Just barely out of danger, but paralyzed—won’t be able to walk again. If he’s to have any real chance at recovery, it’ll probably take several months.” Ning Yi took a bite of food and shook his head, though his tone stayed casual. “It’s still being kept quiet for now, hasn’t been made public.”
“Hm? Why’s that?”
“The assassin’s been caught, currently in custody at the magistrate’s office, insisting it was the Su family who drove his own family to ruin first… someone’s manipulating things behind the scenes. Whether the victim lives or dies affects the case in the end, so they’re stalling for now—though how long that can hold, who knows…”
“Someone… wants to frame the Su family?” Nie Yunzhu’s eyes went wide.
Ning Yi smiled and gave her a brief rundown of the whole affair, his tone tinged with a note of genuine regret over his father-in-law’s injury, but otherwise entirely level throughout. Their conversations had generally carried this same easy tone in the past, but this time Nie Yunzhu found herself growing worried again, before also privately reflecting that surely something like this wouldn’t affect a mere son-in-law too badly. After a moment, she asked casually, “And… that Tan’er girl in your household, can she handle all this?”
“She happened to come down with a chill and collapsed.” Ning Yi sighed. “So I’ve been holding things together lately.”
“Uh…” Nie Yunzhu had asked mostly in passing, but now she paused, unsure what expression to wear, and finally just repeated, “Is she all right?” Not entirely clear herself whether she meant Su Tan’er’s condition or Ning Yi’s.
“She’s fine, just needs some rest. Part of it’s the strain too—a stretch of recovery should sort her out.”
After exchanging a few more words of concern, Nie Yunzhu smiled. “So does that mean you’re the one looking after the Su family’s business these days, Liheng?” She’d always felt Ning Yi had genuine talent that simply hadn’t had room to show itself—Bamboo Note itself had only run so smoothly thanks to his guidance. Now that this kind of opportunity had finally come, as a friend, she naturally felt glad for him.
Ning Yi shook his head with a rueful laugh. “Eh, not exactly. It’s just that right now, the Su family business needs someone in that role, that’s all. I don’t actually know much about the specifics—these past few days I’ve just been fumbling around, putting on a show for everyone. Oh, and something funny happened a couple days back—I mistook some incense herbs and camphor they stored with the cloth for dyeing materials, told them not to waste it and had it all swept up, ha, nearly got laughed to death over it…”
Ning Yi went on recounting his own mishaps as he ate. Nie Yunzhu listened, halfway through not quite sure what expression to wear, before finally laughing despite herself. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you, Liheng?”
“Tch, of course. As impressive as I am, how could I possibly mess up something that simple, right?” Ning Yi blinked. “None of them even realized I was doing it on purpose to mess with them—shh, don’t tell anyone about this…”
“Now that you say it that way, I don’t believe you at all anymore.” Nie Yunzhu laughed, frowning slightly. “Still, now that you’ve stepped up, Liheng, everything’s bound to work out fine, right?”
“Ha, maybe. Either way, I’ll probably be out and about the next few days, checking in on the shops in the morning… mm, I’m overseeing quite a few shops now, bigger operation than this place of yours. Might come by for a meal at noon or in the afternoon sometime—there’s not much pressing to do, the managers are all sharp enough, don’t need me teaching them anything. So, one of these days, let’s find time to go see Old Master Qin together… I’d already promised, but there was no time these past few days. Actually meant to come apologize about that today.”
Nie Yunzhu looked at him, then pressed her lips together. “If you’re busy right now, Liheng, there’s no need to rush finding time for that…”
“I’m not busy, nothing much going on.” Ning Yi settled back into his usual composed manner, shaking his head as he took a bite of rice. “The Su family situation isn’t too serious, and sorting it out isn’t much trouble either. Someone’s got half a foot already stuck in a hole—I just need to dig the hole a bit wider, and wait to see who falls in.”
His tone stayed light, no different from their usual runs together or idle chats, and he went on with a smile, telling her about a few small things he’d seen around the textile shops these past few days. Yunzhu rested her chin on her hand across the table, listening; when he asked, she in turn told him a bit about how things had been in the days since the city gates closed. Though the mood had been tense, with a few incidents big and small happening around the city, on the whole, she and the others hadn’t run into any real safety concerns.
Ning Yi glossed over the Su family matter, not saying much more about it, and Yunzhu naturally didn’t press further. But once Ning Yi left, she couldn’t help but wonder to herself about how he was actually handling things now that he was formally running the Su family’s business—she was certain that once Ning Yi set his mind to something, it would surely impress people. Regardless of the outcome, as a friend, she simply enjoyed hearing about it, the same sense of shared pride she felt whenever Old Master Qin praised him. That evening, Yuan Jin’er, who’d gone to teach dance at the Swallow Jade Pavilion, came by, and upon hearing Ning Yi had visited earlier, teased her with a grin.
“Oh, he finally showed up. Guess Sister Yunzhu doesn’t have to worry all day anymore, huh?”
When she heard Nie Yunzhu mention the Su family’s crisis, though, Jin’er’s eyes went wide. “That wife of his is supposed to be really formidable, and she’s collapsed sick? How could Ning Yi possibly handle it…”
“I don’t know either, he didn’t say much. But since Liheng’s stepped in to handle it himself, it’s bound to be fine. And he said it too—not a big deal, he’ll take care of it.”
“Words to put your mind at ease, that’s all.” Jin’er gave a skeptical look. “Every trade has its own expertise, Sister Yunzhu, I know that much myself. That Ning Yi… sure, he’s impressive, but there’s no way he understands everything. When it comes to running a business, I’d bet money he’s nowhere near as good as that wife of his!”
Jin’er had a point, and Yunzhu, thinking it over, couldn’t help but look faintly uncertain. Yuan Jin’er glanced at her and sat down beside her. “It’s not really our business anyway, nothing we can do to help. The Su family has so many people—it’s not like he’s the only one carrying the whole thing, he just needs to be the one out front holding things steady. Don’t worry too much… hmm, tell you what, tomorrow I’ll ask a few of my sisters who know the Su family well, see what’s actually going on over there…”
Though Yuan Jin’er had redeemed herself by now, those old connections hadn’t quite been severed yet, and she was always looking to drum up business through them. The next afternoon, Ning Yi came by Bamboo Note again for a meal, chatted with Yunzhu a while, then left. That night, Jin’er finally shared what she’d found out with Yunzhu, the two of them lying in bed.
“Tch, so it turns out the Su family’s after the imperial merchant position—it’s been quite the talk lately. Now the Xue and Wu families, plus some Chen and Lü families too, all see them as rivals. Oh, and apparently the Su family’s fighting among themselves too, but if they actually pull this off, all of it will sort itself out… that Ning Liheng of yours, though, he’s going about it in the most bookish, impractical way possible…”
“What do you mean, my Ning Liheng…”
“Fine, someone else’s Ning Liheng, happy now? These past couple days he’s been trying to get an audience with some Master He Fang, and he’s barely even using connections—not that connections would do much good anyway. But he’s just gone straight over and asked to see the man directly. Yesterday, today, wore out the poor gatekeeper for over an hour each time before leaving, so persistent about it. Word is he’s planning to go again tomorrow—just two days in, and people at the textile houses are already talking about it… probably going to keep bothering the man an hour a day until this He Fang finally agrees to see him. So silly—doesn’t he have that prince consort connection? A word from that would settle it easily enough.”
“Using someone else’s connections for something he can handle himself would just make people think less of him later.”
“Tch, whatever… such a foolish man, though you’d never guess it from how sharp he is when we argue…”
The two of them lay there in their sleeping robes, and Nie Yunzhu laughed. “That’s called having principles, not foolishness. That Master He is bound to see him eventually—you’re always so fixated on pulling connections…”
“Hmph, if it weren’t Ning Liheng, you’d call him foolish too, Sister Yunzhu! And even if he does get to see the man and the man’s unhappy about it, there’s no way he’ll be able to talk him around—in the end it’s still connections that matter. Tell you what, let’s make a bet!”
“Not betting on this. I bet Liheng will definitely get this sorted out.”
“Fine, then I’ll… then I’ll bet he can’t!” Jin’er thought about it, then suddenly broke into a mischievous grin. “What’s the stake? I’ve got it—if he can’t solve it, I win, and Sister Yunzhu, you have to confess to Ning Yi that you like him!”
“I—I don’t… that’s not…” In the dim light, Yunzhu’s face suddenly flushed hot. She turned toward Jin’er beside her; Jin’er tilted her chin up, blinking provocatively. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, Yunzhu frowning with a mix of embarrassment and irritation—she genuinely didn’t like Jin’er always teasing her about this. She took a deep breath. “And what about you? If Liheng does solve it?”
“If he’s really that impressive, I’ll like him along with you, Sister Yunzhu, and never say a bad word about him again.” This was clearly Jin’er’s mischievous streak acting up, and she looked rather pleased with herself, still tilting her chin toward Yunzhu beside her. Yunzhu’s eyes widened, then she turned to stare up at the top of the mosquito netting. After a long moment, she said, slowly and deliberately, “Deal!”
“Tch…” Jin’er’s bravado deflated somewhat. The room fell silent for a moment; she scooted closer to Yunzhu, who edged away, and she scooted closer again, until Yunzhu finally laughed, then sighed. “There’s no chance of that happening anyway. Get away! You’re the worst…” She reached out and gave the shameless Jin’er a shove. “Always causing trouble!”
“I was just joking, Sister Yunzhu, how could you actually take the bet seriously…” Jin’er curled up into a ball, grumbling a little. “Win or lose, either way that Ning Yi comes out ahead—I’m not putting myself on the line for that…”
“Win or lose, how could I possibly say something like that out loud—if I did, how would things even work between us afterward? What kind of person do you take Liheng for anyway?”
“Men all love hearing things like that… and honestly, I really do think you like him, Sister Yunzhu. Watching you like this sometimes makes even me anxious for you…”
“I…” Yunzhu thought for a moment, then sighed, staring up at the netting.
“What is it?”
“I…”
“…”
“…I do like him.”
After a long silence, Yunzhu finally said the words, her feelings a complicated tangle. Jin’er stayed quiet for a moment, looking at her, then held up both hands and made a crossing gesture. “All right, just kidding, bet’s off…”
Yunzhu crossed her own hands in the air in response, then flicked a finger against Jin’er’s nose. Jin’er laughed and snuggled in closer. The room fell quiet for a while, then the rustling sounds started up again as Jin’er shamelessly scooted back over, wrapping both arms around one of Yunzhu’s hands. “Sister Yunzhu, I was just letting you off the hook earlier, you know…”
“Hm?”
“I mean, even though I think it’s unlikely, I do hope Ning Yi actually manages to pull it off, since he’s someone we know, after all. But I know you’re rooting for him, Sister Yunzhu, so I figured I’d just take the other side. Mm, Jin’er’s letting you win, okay…”
“I know.”
“Still, I really don’t think he can do it…”
“…”
The mood settled into something quieter, the two of them falling into a faint silence in the bedroom…
Even as Nie Yunzhu and Yuan Jin’er kept watch on Ning Yi’s movements from their end, plenty of other people across the city were, in their own ways, keeping an eye on developments too. Ning Yi himself wasn’t really the crucial factor—no one genuinely believed he had much to offer on his own—but with Su Tan’er sidelined behind the scenes, any clues about the Su family’s real strategy would now have to be gleaned from Ning Yi’s actions instead.
The small blunders he made around the shops didn’t matter much in themselves—at most they added a bit of comic relief. But behind that comic relief, the managers were working diligently to build momentum for the imperial merchant bid, and that, naturally, reflected Su Tan’er’s real intentions. And when Ning Yi suddenly went to pay a visit to Master He Fang at the Weaving Bureau—seemingly nonsensical, and rebuffed at the door—people like Xue Yan and Xue Jin had all grown more alert regardless, watching closely to see whether he’d actually make any progress, or paying attention to whatever the Su family did next, trying to glean Su Tan’er’s true intentions.
It wasn’t just rivals like the Xue family, either—even within the Su household’s own system, managers like Xi Junyu found the current situation hard to read. They couldn’t tell whether Ning Yi’s sudden fixation on this He Fang connection was simply his scholarly naivety at work, genuinely believing that meeting the man in person would be enough to win him over, or whether Su Tan’er’s own will was actually operating behind it, with some deeper intent at play.
“What in the world is he trying to accomplish…” On the evening of Ning Yi’s second rebuff at the He residence, Xi Junyu sat drinking with a familiar manager in his own courtyard, discussing exactly this. As for Ning Yi’s actions, he could only shake his head and laugh, but as for Su Tan’er’s true intentions—with this Ning Yi stirring the pot in the mix now—he genuinely couldn’t guess anymore.
“Whatever Young Master’s doing might just be a smokescreen—like that business with the incense mistaken for dye, harmless enough. But this business of going to Master He’s residence, that really was reckless. No progress would be one thing, but if he ends up offending Master He, that’s real trouble…”
“Ah, well, let’s just assume it’s all under the second young lady’s direction and intent. As for you and me… for now, let’s just focus on this imperial merchant business and leave it at that. Either way… he’s got that scholar’s impulsiveness, and once he’s made up his mind, it’s not really our place to interfere…”
Meanwhile, on the other side of Jiangning, there were also some people simply watching Ning Yi’s own actions, without giving much thought to Su Tan’er or Su Yu or anyone else in that regard.
“Two days of getting turned away at the door now—is he planning to go back again tomorrow?” In the pavilion of the Prince Consort’s residence, Kang Xian listened to Lu A’Gui’s report, laughing. “This boy—what’s he actually trying to do? Does he really think seeing the man in person is enough to talk him around?”
Nearby, the young sister and brother, who’d recently taken an unexpected interest in these matters, exchanged a glance and slipped off to one side to whisper together…