Some things, if left unnoticed, would simply pass by — but the more attention one paid, the more thoughts multiplied, and certain impressions grew only sharper.

That was a formidable woman.

The lanterns flickered, the music on stage swirled, dancers moved in a soft haze. Gu Yanzhen watched the scene and formed a judgment of the woman apparently named Su Tan’er.

Having earlier looked into Ning Liheng’s background, he already knew the man was a matrilocal son-in-law, married into a merchant family. He hadn’t given much thought before to what the wife might be like, but now, watching her, a picture was gradually forming in his mind — a rather clear one, in fact, since the impression she gave off was genuinely striking.

At first glance, it might have seemed nothing more than a beautiful, gracious wife sitting beside her husband watching the performance — the kind of bearing and refinement one might find in a well-bred, well-educated young lady from some prominent household. But what caught Gu Yanzhen’s attention wasn’t merely this, but rather how the couple interacted with others around them.

Whoever came over to speak with them addressed themselves, almost without exception, first to Ning Yi’s wife. Even the ne’er-do-well Su brothers he’d seen before, and various others who came and went, all spoke to the wife first before turning their attention to the husband. Even though Ning Liheng had, just days before, stepped in to smooth things over for the Su brothers at the Wenmo Tower, when they came over now, their attention still went first to Su Tan’er — a clear enough sign of just how formidable this woman was.

Gu Yanzhen was rather confident in his own judgment of people in this regard, and past experience had largely borne this out. In this world, for a woman to be truly formidable was hard enough — but to fold that formidable side inward to this degree, to blend an outwardly gentle bearing so seamlessly with an underlying strength, was something that commanded genuine admiration. And watching the harmonious, cheerful atmosphere over there, it was clear this woman was directing everything — maintaining her own presence and the regard others held for her on one hand, while skillfully ensuring the man beside her wasn’t reduced to a mere accessory either. It was masterful handling, to an extraordinary degree.

This was a woman… Gu Yanzhen thought to himself. If a man like that had become his rival and won Yunzhu’s heart, he might well have had to accept defeat with genuine respect. But by comparison, the man serving as the mere accessory beside such a formidable, accomplished woman…

He couldn’t dwell on the matter for too long, occasionally chatting with those around him, applauding here and there. The first round of performances proceeded properly enough, each of the four leading courtesans showcasing her own strengths and specialties. Luo Miaomiao’s ribbon dance was vivid and dazzling; Yuan Jin’er’s dance lively and spirited; Feng Xiaojing’s Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix remained dignified and grand as ever; and finally Qilan performed an antique-style dance reenacting the meeting between Confucius and Laozi, her ink-black robes with wide sleeves, an air of otherworldly refinement about her as she danced unhurriedly — truly evoking the lingering fragrance of ink and scholarship, bringing her own scholarly aura to its fullest expression.

Of the four, Gu Yanzhen didn’t actually care much for Luo Miaomiao. Her dance was vivid and dazzling, striking enough at first glance, but lacking real depth compared to the composed grace of the other three. His original choice of her had, in truth, been tied to the matter with Yunzhu — that kind of vibrant, colorful dance style made for easy poetic subject matter, which to him was simply a perfunctory gesture. After this dance concluded, he’d originally meant to pick up his brush and compose a verse, but for some reason, after glancing over toward Ning Yi, he never did write it after all — instead calling over the attendant responsible for recording flower counts and buying five hundred blooms for Luo Miaomiao.

Five hundred blooms meant five hundred taels of silver — a fairly substantial expense for him — but since he hadn’t written any verse, he simply handed it over outright. Not long after came the time for expressions of thanks, with some of the young women going up to perform interludes. When the announcement rang out that “Young Master Gu Yanzhen presents five hundred blooms to the lady Miaomiao,” he cupped his hands and exchanged the usual pleasantries with those around him. Meanwhile, Su Tan’er also waved someone over, and the tally of pine-blossom eggs kept climbing on the large wooden board behind the stage — any count over a hundred was announced aloud — until that voice rang out again.

“Young Master Ning Liheng presents two thousand blooms to the lady Qilan!”

At this announcement, another wave of noise swept through the crowd. Two thousand blooms was, indeed, a jaw-dropping display of generosity — typically, such supporters would wait until all three dance rounds had concluded before making their move. The name Ning Liheng sounded familiar enough — that somewhat mysterious “foremost talent,” both gifted and evidently well-off, was more than enough to become the talk of the moment. But Gu Yanzhen understood well enough that this was, in fact, the wife’s doing — making such a gesture at an event like this on behalf of her matrilocal husband. Beneath that gentle exterior, this woman really was terrifyingly formidable and self-assured.

He thought back to the matter of the century eggs — his own investment there had amounted to less than a hundred taels. Compared to the scene before him now, what that Ning Liheng had done there seemed almost laughably trivial by comparison.

Just as he was thinking this, Shen Miao leaned over from beside him, looking in the same direction. “Quite the display… Yanzhen, you’ve been staring over that way for a while now. Could it be you’ve truly grown curious about that Ning Yi’s talents? If so, tonight’s courtesan banquet should make for quite the spectacle — dragons and tigers clashing.”

Gu Yanzhen was silent for a while before laughing. “Brother Zishan, do you happen to know who the man behind Yunzhu really is?”

“Wasn’t it—no, wait.” Shen Miao caught on. “Could it be… that Ning Yi?”

“Ha, the very same.”

“He… he’s a matrilocal son-in-law.”

Gu Yanzhen said nothing, his expression something between a smile and not. Shen Miao laughed and shook his head.

“In that case, if this were exposed, wouldn’t it make for quite a show? What does Yanzhen think?”

Gu Yanzhen looked at him for a good while before finally sighing. “Brother Zishan, if this were exposed, what would follow?”

“That couple would, at the least, develop some resentment between them — and at worst, that formidable merchant wife of his would go straight to Miss Yunzhu’s door, and then… well, seeing Yanzhen seems reluctant, I suppose you have a soft spot for a beautiful woman after all. Such magnanimity is admirable.”

Gu Yanzhen smiled. “To be honest with you, Zishan, that’s not the reason at all. Everything you say is true enough — at best some friction, at worst a confrontation at Yunzhu’s door — but even if it played out to the fullest, even if it all came to a head, you and I would merely have watched a spectacle. But tell me, Zishan — would that get me Yunzhu?”

“Uh…”

“Those who pursue great ends don’t fuss over trifles. Men like us shouldn’t let ourselves be distracted by petty details, and should face our true purpose directly. Even if I went through with something like this, in the end I’d gain nothing from it — only have it spread around and earn me scorn. I’ve no interest in doing such a thing…”

His words carried a certain pride, though his tone at the time remained humble enough. Shen Miao thought it over, then cupped his hands in acknowledgment. Gu Yanzhen smiled and changed the subject, turning to comment on the performance onstage, glancing now and then, amid the shifting lantern light, at Shen Miao beside him.

Shen Zishan — nothing more than an ordinary fellow, all scholarly bravado, never destined for great things…

…

“Two thousand blooms — quite the display.”

When the announcer up on stage called out Ning Liheng’s gift of two thousand blooms, Ning Yi shook his head with some amusement, maintaining an air of having nothing to do with it amid the murmuring crowd — after all, few people actually knew him personally. He merely turned his head as Puyang Yi came over from that direction, hands cupped in a gesture of gratitude.

“I don’t know much about poetry myself, but since she gave my husband face, I gave her silver in return — that’s really all there is to it.”

Su Tan’er, head lowered, spoke gently and demurely, smiling with practiced sweetness. Ning Yi naturally understood the real reason behind it, and simply laughed along. The couple, of course, had no way of knowing that off to one side of the venue, a man named Gu Yanzhen was watching their every move. Meanwhile, off to the side of the stage, upon hearing news of the two thousand blooms, Yuan Jin’er froze for a moment as well, glaring furiously before going to complain to Nie Yunzhu.

“Sister Yunzhu, he’s bullying people!”

“Ha, that was his wife’s gift of flowers — what does it have to do with him?”

“I don’t care! Using his money to throw his weight around… I won’t help sell century eggs for him later.” She sulked for a moment, then dragged Su Tan’er off toward the dressing room. “Sister Yunzhu, I need to touch up my look — I want to dance better later and save some face.”

Although she’d already decided not to compete for the title, saving face was still a serious matter worth fighting for.

But since she hadn’t originally planned to compete, her performance had been arranged with modest expectations, and no amount of last-minute effort now was likely to change the final outcome much. The competition continued, the dances dazzling, each with its own distinct style, and by the end of the final round, Qilan’s piece — titled “Mountains of Books, Seas of Ink” — outshone all the rest. Though she had the Puyang family’s backing behind her, that family, so concerned these days with its reputation, had clearly put real effort into this particular performance. After this piece concluded, Puyang Yi finally, and quite rightfully, presented fifteen thousand blooms, elevating the white-robed woman on stage to the position of Courtesan of the Realm.

Some, like Su Tan’er, had already anticipated this outcome, but since the Puyang family had taken two full years to bring this about, it was seen as a matter handled with considerable restraint and good judgment — those who’d foreseen it held little objection. Tonight’s performances had been splendid, and though somewhat shorter than the previous two nights, a grand courtesan banquet still remained to follow as an epilogue — a customary event held after the pageant, presided over by the prefect, with the four leading courtesans in attendance, thanking everyone who had supported the contest over the past three days. The four would also prepare carefully rehearsed dances for the occasion, with scholars and merchants seated together, often becoming the talk of the town afterward.

Gu Yanzhen had spent the entire evening unconsciously searching for Nie Yunzhu, but hadn’t found her — not until he arrived at the banquet hall together with Shen Miao, when he happened to glimpse a figure off to the side of the hall. That figure, dressed as a servant, appeared to be blending in among the household staff, hiding behind a tree outside the hall as if waiting for something. He recognized the figure at a glance, being all too familiar with her.

It was only after entering the banquet that he suddenly understood what that figure outside had been waiting for so expectantly.

“Who would have thought… Miss Yunzhu’s already brought her business all the way here so quickly…”

Shen Miao remarked with some admiration. At this courtesan banquet, it turned out, every table had been set with a few shelled century eggs at its center, their marbled patterns distinct, glistening and translucent. Over the past two months, though the century egg business had continued expanding, Nie Yunzhu had kept things fairly low-key, hiring a few hands to help but otherwise making no major new moves beyond supplying the various restaurants. It seemed that, starting from this very evening, she was finally ready to push the business out into the open.

That woman — had she come to a banquet like this in the past, she would at the very least have been an honored guest; even keeping a low profile and staying out of the pageant competition, she would still have found herself the center of attention. And yet here she was now, hiding outside like a servant for the sake of something so small, watching the crowd inside drink and mingle, pinning her hopes on this modest little venture… I wonder if she’s even noticed me yet…

He suddenly recalled the events of that afternoon. He’d never cared much for the century egg matter to begin with — a business worth less than a hundred taels seemed hardly worth his attention. But seeing that expectant look on her face now, he couldn’t help a wry laugh. What a coincidence this was — after all the effort she’d apparently put into getting this off the ground, filled with such hopeful anticipation, how would it feel to learn tomorrow that she’d unwittingly done all this legwork for someone else’s benefit?

I, Gu Yanzhen, care nothing for such a petty little act of retribution… he told himself. Still, running into it by such coincidence, he couldn’t help but find it rather amusing.

So he turned to Shen Miao with a smile. “This thing looks interesting enough — the process probably isn’t all that complicated, and it’s already been a few months now. I’ll wager ten taels with you, Zishan, that within half a month, imitations of these century eggs will surely appear on the market. She’s put in all this effort, only to end up doing the legwork for someone else, I’d wager… The marketplace is a battlefield too, after all — not nearly so simple as it looks.”

In theory, winning this particular wager required only waiting until the next day; losing it would take proof spanning a full half month. The two of them chatted and laughed as they took their seats, and gave the matter no further thought after that. But as though some unseen force had long ago sealed this outcome, barely a quarter of an hour later, Gu Yanzhen found himself, with some dismay, having already lost the ten taels ahead of schedule…