The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 107
The golden fan had only been delivered that morning. Since the Emperor was still in his mourning period, Wen Shuse hid it the whole way. Only when her husband came before her did she pull it out from her wide sleeve. After they boarded the carriage, she deliberately fanned it toward him. “Husband, are you hot?”
After the seventh month had passed, the weather in the mornings and evenings was no longer so hot. When the wind blew, there was even a faint chill on the body.
“Not hot.” Her husband knew her purpose was not truly to fan him. His gaze moved toward the golden fan in her hand. They had rushed the work rather quickly.
“Then did you feel the wind?” With a whoosh, whoosh, she fanned his face several more times. The golden fan looked dignified, but in the hand, it was heavy. It was not even as easy to use as a palm-leaf fan. Very soon, her wrist began to ache. Seeing this, her husband took it from her and gently wafted the golden fan beside her head. “Cooler now?”
Whether it was cool or not, it did not matter. This thing had not been made for fanning. Its use was for showing off. “Does Husband think the carving is beautiful?”
Xie Shao held the fan under the lamplight for a closer look. The openwork carving on the fan depicted the God of Wealth. Given the craftsmanship, it was probably worth more than its weight in gold. “Beautiful.” How could the God of Wealth be anything but?
The young lady then said, “The restaurant’s dividends have entered the account.”
As expected, it invited wealth.
“During the month of national mourning, the restaurant will be affected. Let your father and brother keep the money for now to tide things over. We can discuss the split after the mourning period.”
“It’s not a huge impact. We can’t slaughter livestock or serve wine, but we’ve prepared. The restaurant prepared in advance and stocked many vegetarian dishes and desserts. Today, the new Emperor ascended the throne and also conferred the title of Crown Prince. The day before yesterday, the Crown Princess ordered a large batch of pastries from Mixian Tower.”
Xie Shao looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to move so quickly.
The young lady’s expression was calm. “A’Yuan has already become Crown Princess. If I cannot even take advantage of this little bit of convenience, would I not have spent all these years with her for nothing?”
There truly was no money the young lady could not earn. He wondered if Zhou Kuang’s treasury would be emptied. Why worry about him? The young lady belonged to his family now. If she could fish money from other people’s hands, that meant she had ability.
“Remember to collect the debt.”
Cui Nian had crossed mountains and rivers from Fengcheng to ask Zhou Kuang to repay what he owed, but in the end, he got only a few shops, no silver. With no silver on him, he also did not dare go to Mixian Tower, afraid Wen Huai would put it on his account. He could only depend on the Xie household and Pei Qing’s household, taking turns freeloading meals.
Once the seven days of national mourning passed, Pei Qing would take up his mission and station himself in Fengcheng. Cui Nian could freeload his boat ride back as well.
Knowing Xie Shao had returned, Cui Nian came knocking early the next morning. He was not looking for Xie Shao, but for Wen Shuse. “After I return to Fengcheng, I will have to trouble Sister-in-law to help me look after the shops.”
Ever since the last time, when Cui Nian learned that Wen Shuse had shorted grain and moved all her silver to the Eastern Capital, he admired her wholeheartedly. If he had had her awareness back then and moved the Cui family’s property to the Eastern Capital early instead of having it requisitioned by Zhou Kuang, then that Mixian Tower in the Eastern Capital might now belong to his Cui family.
Before Wen Shuse could speak, Xie Shao answered first. “She has so many things to do every day. She has to look after the two Old Madams on both sides, manage the Xie household affairs, and also take care of Mixian Tower. Where would she find the time?”
One could not catch a white wolf with empty hands. Cui Nian could only hire her for pay. “Twenty taels a month, as Sister-in-law’s errand fee.”
“Is this a matter of silver? I already said she has no time. Twenty taels for errand fees, she might even have to pay out of her own pocket. The meal you eat today alone costs more than that.”
Cui Nian gritted his teeth. “Two hundred taels a month.”
Wen Shuse said, “Deal.”
After leaving the Xie household, Cui Nian’s expression was ashen, cursing them under his breath all the way, “Adulterous husband and thieving wife, taking advantage of people in danger, greedy for profit…”
In order to get the shops ready before Pei Qing returned, Cui Nian was so busy these days that his feet barely touched the ground, hanging signboards, hiring people, purchasing goods… At night, he slept only two hours.
During the national mourning, it was not suitable to make a grand display. On the day the shops opened, they only placed a statue of the God of Wealth in front of the doors, lit a few sticks of incense, and after paying respects, hurriedly put it away.
On the day the iron shop opened, it very quickly welcomed its first customer. She was a girl of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in coarse blue cloth and wearing men’s clothing, with a bundle slung over her shoulder. Her skin was fair and clean, and her face was full of smiles. “Boss, how much is this piece of pig iron?”
Last night, he had settled accounts with Pei Qing for the expenses of several shops and stayed up until midnight. At this moment, Cui Nian could barely keep his eyes open. Seeing that she was an individual customer, he had no mind to receive her and casually said, “Six taels.”
The girl did not bargain. “Fine. Wrap it for me.”
Cui Nian wrapped it for her. The girl took out a hundred-tael banknote and asked him to give change.
After being squeezed dry by Zhou Kuang, Cui Nian was so poor he jingled. Since coming to the Eastern Capital, he had saved whenever he could, freeloading on food and lodging. He had not spent much of the silver he carried on him. He took out all his loose change and counted it. After finishing, he was still short one tael.
The girl took it and counted it once. It was indeed one tael short. Magnanimously, she said, “Forget it. For one tael of silver, just give me another piece of scrap iron.”
Cui Nian especially liked dealing with customers like this, straightforward. He quickly had someone go to the storehouse to fetch out a small leftover piece of iron and gave it to the girl. The girl was also easy to speak with; she took the things and left.
Only after Cui Nian returned to the counter and prepared to record the account did he belatedly realize that the girl had never given him that one-hundred-tael banknote at all. Not only had she taken two pieces of iron from him for free, but she had also cheated away his change.
A chill ran through Cui Nian’s whole body. His drowsiness instantly vanished. He hurriedly chased after her, but was there anyone on the street? She had long disappeared without a trace.
He had been doing business for so many years. His abacus had always been sharp, and he had never been the one to suffer a loss. Today, he had actually fallen into the hands of a girl.
Angry and resentful, he stomped his feet and sighed. He lost all mood for the entire morning. At noon, he went to Xie Shao’s place to freeload a meal. After several days of vegetarian food, today there were finally several buns with meat filling. Cui Nian did want to eat them one by one and make up for his losses, but unfortunately, there was a breath stuck in his chest. Even drinking water felt as though it caught in his throat.
“That damnable girl. Just wait until I catch her. I will peel off a layer of her skin.”
But the Eastern Capital was vast. Finding her in the crowd wouldn’t be easy. And he had no time to look. Two days later, after the seven-day mourning period, Pei Qing set off for his fief.
After the Imperial Grandson was conferred as Crown Prince, Pei Qing, now Zhou An, was soon after conferred as Prince Ning and given command of Zhongzhou.
On the day he left, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess personally saw him out of the palace.
On the second day after his wedding, the Crown Prince had put on mourning clothes. For grandchildren, the mourning period was one year. Although he had already married the Crown Princess, for the next year of mourning, they could not share a bed.
On the day the late Emperor passed away, the Crown Prince had moved out of the wedding chamber and returned to his own sleeping palace.
During the first few days, he was still immersed in grief and had no mind to think of anything else. But once the seven days passed and he returned to the Eastern Palace, seeing his own Crown Princess sleeping in a separate bed from him, he finally felt the impact.
For someone who had tasted sweetness, only to have it suddenly interrupted, and then to be made to abstain for another year, by the time it ended, he might forget what everything felt like and have to start over again.
Seeing the trace of loneliness beneath his eyes, before boarding the carriage, Pei Qing spoke a few words with him alone. For the first time, he properly called him Imperial Brother.
“Imperial Father has just ascended the throne, and the several powers in court have not yet balanced. Although the Xie family supports him from behind, most matters will still require Imperial Brother to make decisions yourself. Imperial Brother’s intelligence and talent are not inferior to anyone else’s. Only your depth of schemes has not yet reached maturity. In the future, Imperial Brother should restrain yourself more, lest people with ulterior motives see a weakness, use it, and trap Imperial Brother in a difficult position.”
The brothers of the past had become one family. Their relationship was, after all, different from before. Their hearts were both thinking of the future of the Zhou dynasty.
Zhou Kuang knew what he meant.
On the second day after he came to the Eastern Capital, Noble Consort Yang came to see him once. He had heard the hints within her words. Without a prince, to secure the Yang family’s standing, the best way was to forge a tie with the future emperor. Having produced one Noble Consort, could they not produce another? But his father showed no interest in a concubine, and his mother was not an easy person to provoke. Unable to target the old, they turned their attention to him, the younger one.
Although he was betrothed to the Ming family, as a member of the imperial family, his rear palace could not possibly be empty. Moreover, he was the only one in Father’s line. Noble Consort Yang intended to give him the Sixth Young Lady Yang.
He had heard of that Sixth Young Lady Yang. From Crown Princess, he learned that at Mixian Tower, she had originally wanted to embarrass his Sister-in-law, but not only had she failed, but she had been countered by Sister-in-law and lost her own reputation as well. Compared to the Yang family, the Mings stood no chance at all. If such a person came to his Eastern Palace, would A’Yuan not be bullied?
He refused.
The Noble Consort Yang mentioned several other young ladies to him, all from the Yang family. He did not take a liking to a single one. He always felt that those girls’ eyes were filled with schemes. Rather than burying a threat beside Ayuan, it was better to let his descendants remain few. But these words absolutely could not be spoken aloud.
Pei Qing was right. Once a person entered the palace walls, he could no longer be as free as before, saying whatever came to mind. Now, whenever he opened his mouth, every sentence and every word had to be measured carefully, so the other side could not grasp his thoughts. In this palace, if he took even one wrong step, his hands and feet would be bound.
“Do not worry. I know what I am doing.”
Imperial Father had just ascended the throne. At present, the only thing others could calculate against them was women. At this critical point, keeping one year of mourning for Grandfather might not necessarily be a bad thing.
In court, with Imperial Father and Imperial Mother present, others could not stir up too great a storm. Instead, Zhou Kuang reminded Zhou An, “There was unrest in Fengcheng. The news of Imperial Father’s ascension has likely already reached Liao. The Liao army has long been eyeing Great Feng like tigers watching prey. I expect they will soon come to test us. You must be careful and guard the Qingzhou area more closely.”
“Understood.”
…
After speaking with Zhou Kuang, Pei Qing turned and looked toward Ming Wanrou, not far away. He respectfully bowed to her, then turned back and boarded the carriage.
The official ship at the harbor had long been prepared. There were three decks in total. The hull was over one hundred and twenty chi long and twenty chi high. A single ship occupied half the harbor. At the bow was carved a mighty eagle, impressive and grand.
Cui Nian lifted his head and looked up, sourness continuously bubbling out of his heart. “Sure enough, it is all fate. How much would it cost me to build something like this? He just had to find a father…”
Before he finished speaking, a sharp pain came from the tip of his foot. He cried out in pain. Expressionless, Pei Qing walked past him. His heel even ground down on Cui Nian’s foot. Cui Nian howled in pain, clutching his foot and hopping forward several steps. “Did you get heavier again? Why are you so heavy?”
After coming to the Eastern Capital, without Fengcheng’s rules restraining him, Pei Qing practiced martial arts in the courtyard every day without pause. Now his abdomen and arms were all muscle. Not only had he gained weight, but he had also grown more imposing.
Pei Qing was too lazy to bother with him. He walked forward to say farewell to Xie Shao and Wen Shuse.
After exchanging courtesies, Wen Shuse knew the two had words to say and took the initiative to step aside. Once Wen Shuse had walked farther away, Pei Qing asked Xie Shao, “What are your plans from now on?”
After the late Emperor passed away, Xie Shao’s position in court did not change. He was still Commander of the Imperial Guard. Even if the Emperor wanted to make heavy use of him, without a proper reason, he could not promote him or grant him nobility. If Xie Shao wanted to rise, he would need either merit or ability.
A few days ago, Pei Qing had unintentionally heard someone mention something, so he asked, “Are you truly going to take the imperial examination?”
Xie Shao nodded. “I will take it. Since things have reached this point, I can’t turn back.”
Indeed. Since he had already stepped onto the track, he could only rush forward.
“And after the examination?”
With his current identity and status, even if his literary talent were outstanding, to avoid giving people grounds for criticism, he most likely could not become the top scholar. Even if he did well, he’d only get a minor promotion, from third-rank, second-class to third-rank, first-class. A full third-rank post in the Three Departments and Six Ministries would still not hold as much power as his current commander post.
Xie Shao said, “After former Crown Prince Zhou Yan died, Dongzhou was merged into the Eastern Capital. But the two princes, Hexi and Hebei, were not.”
When Zhou Yan was alive, there had already been problems with the taxes in Hexi and Hebei. The local officials’ explanation to the court was that after the war, reconstruction required manpower and wealth. But after the reduction of princely power, the court had issued quite a number of funds to the affected regions, and the taxes had also been reduced accordingly by half.
Now, nearly two years had passed. Not only had the taxes failed to arrive properly, but the border generals had repeatedly submitted memorials requesting the court to allocate grain and fodder to resist Liao invasions. The amounts they requested grew higher and higher. The late Emperor had sent people there several times to investigate, but there had never been a result. Some people disappeared after arriving there. Some could not even enter the city.
This was the lingering consequence of the former Crown Prince’s insistence on weakening the feudal princes. Although the Zhou family’s two princes had also been corrupt, no matter what, their surname was still Zhou. No matter how greedy they were, they would not do something like selling out the country. Once power fell into the hands of outsiders, it was different.
Today, he had heard quite a few rumors saying that soldiers in Hexi and Hebei had close dealings with people from Liao. There was suspicion that they were staging fake battles to earn grain and fodder. The new Emperor had just ascended the throne. Those old foxes below more or less had the intention of testing his ability. Once the late Emperor entered the mausoleum, this matter would have to be resolved sooner or later.
If the Xie family wanted to stand firmly in court, relying solely on the favor of having supported the Emperor would not carry them far. They had to have their own achievements. Besides, looking across the court, there was no one more suitable than him.
After the provincial examination ended, he would request instructions from the new Emperor to go to the Hebei and Hexi area.
Pei Qing was stunned. That place had been controlled by the two princes for many years. It was a heap of loose sand, with everyone only pursuing their own interests. Without the Xie family’s connections there, this trip would likely be nine deaths and one life.
He turned his head and glanced again at Wen Shuse, who was currently speaking with Cui Nian, then asked him in a low voice, “Does Sister-in-law agree?”
He wanted to charge into a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den. How could his little wife possibly agree?
“Act first and report later. Recently, she has been fussing over the silk business. Hebei and Hexi connect directly to the Western Capital. I can even bring her some business back.”
Pei Qing drew in a deep breath. “Have you gone mad?”
He had not been like this before. He had once been lazy through and through, sitting whenever he could avoid standing, drifting along as things came. Now, had Sister-in-law opened his governing and conception vessels? Was he planning to grasp both the official field and the business field with two hands?
Pei Qing advised, “The wealth of the world cannot be earned completely. Why not seek an easier path?”
Xie Shao smiled and asked in return, “What is an easier path?”
By stopping here, would things be peaceful and smooth? Not necessarily.
At this position, the more wealth one had and the higher one’s office, the more one needed to guard it. Only by making himself stronger could he force those who had designs on them to retreat and not dare harbor wicked thoughts. Moreover, the Xie family’s official path was currently in its prime. Who would miss such a chance?
Pei Qing said no more.
With this parting, each of them had their own life, future, and mission to run toward. The thousands of words in his heart turned into a single sentence.
“Brother Xie, take care.”
Xie Shao patted his shoulder. “Brother Zhou, take care.”