Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Setting out on a mission, yet dying before success.

During times of war, they had never experienced such suffocating humiliation. Now, in a time of peace under the empire, as members of the imperial family, they were being toyed with like pawns by the young mistress of a treacherous merchant’s household.

Could they endure it?

They had no choice but to endure it; the life of the Young Master Song was still held tightly in the other party’s hands. As the carriage rocked beneath them, Shen Che stole several glances at the Young Master Song amid the oppressive atmosphere.

Like a bright moon, the young nobleman’s dark eyes were as deep as a cold pool, his skin pale as moonlight, lips vividly red, and his brows and eyes inherited the regal bearing of the Princess Royal, while his features bore the handsome refinement of the Marquis of Song.

Beyond that, the Young Master Song carried his own unique dignity and reputation. A talented scholar of Jinling, a handsome general with both literary and martial skills, and as the heir to the Marquis’s household and son of the Minister of Revenue, he was one of the hottest figures in Jinling today.

Ordinary kidnappings were motivated by “wealth and beauty.” They had none of the former, dressed as they were in rags and therefore easy prey.

That left only one motive—“beauty.”

Shen Che recalled how the female thief had gone to great lengths to inquire about the Young Master Song’s marriage prospects. He now had a suspicion as to why they had been targeted. He had said before, even if the Young Master Song wore a sackcloth, his appearance would still captivate any young lady.

His gaze lingered too long, and the Young Master Song looked toward him. His dark, piercing eyes, filled with heroic spirit, immediately dispelled all of Shen Che’s ill intentions.

Shen Che hurriedly asked, “Brother Song, do you feel unwell anywhere?”

The Young Master Song shook his head. The venomous insect within him was now dormant; the numbness had faded, and he felt no different from usual. He asked, “Have you identified the woman’s identity?”

Compared to horse racing or cricket fighting, Shen Che disliked using his brain the most. “Whoever she is, once we find Prefect Lan, we’ll force her to hand over the antidote, then slaughter her.”

Song Yunzhi remained silent.

Seeing his silence, Shen Che realized his words had been ill-chosen.

At this point, they had become a laughingstock. To brandish their imperial connections—the emperor’s nephew and the empress’s nephew—was only to alert their enemies and reveal their own incompetence.

Before coming to Yangzhou, the two were not well acquainted. When the Princess Royal married the Marquis of Song, the emperor was still leading his straw-shoe army in Shuzhou. At the same age, Song Yunzhi sat in school listening to lectures, while Shen Che struggled to keep up behind a horse’s tail.

Their only interaction was during the annual Spring Festival.

Every year at year’s end, the Princess Royal would bring Song Yunzhi to Shuzhou to visit his uncle. Shen Che often followed his uncle and enjoyed chatting with this noble youth from Jinling.

Though the replies were rare, it never stopped him from boasting to others that he had a noble brother in Jinling.

After the emperor ascended the throne, Shen Che was assigned to the Ministry of Rites, and Song Yunzhi became Minister of Revenue, so their interactions were few.

What Shen Che admired most was Song Yunzhi’s composure. Even the emperor said that with the Young Master Song around, no task was impossible.

Shen Che retracted his earlier reckless words. “I know this mission cannot afford a single mistake. Let’s put this matter aside for now. Once we have the antidote and have skinned her alive, Brother Song, do you have any clue who she is?”

Song Yunzhi had some leads but was not entirely sure.

Among the four great families—the Park family had no daughters; the Lu family’s daughters were all married off, and the remaining juniors were children, not matching the young lady’s age.

That left the Cui family and the Qian family.

The Cui family had the most descendants, so was the likeliest.

The Cui estate lay to the west of Yangzhou. They had arrived at the southern dock; at the carriage’s speed, it would take about half an hour to reach the Cui mansion.

But the carriage stopped after only two quarters of an hour.

A familiar maid’s voice came from outside: “Two young masters, please take the back gate. You will be led to the lady’s courtyard.”

Shen Che’s temper flared again. “I’ve never gone in through the back door in my life!”

Just as Song Yunzhi pressed his shoulder to restrain him, the maid sneered coldly outside, “Though the lady favors the young master, I advise you to be sensible—restrain your pride and don’t lose yourself.”

Shen Che had never met such an arrogant woman. Fire seemed to shoot from his nostrils as he turned to the Young Master Song. “Brother Song—”

The Young Master Song’s usual composure was like unseen ice beneath his eyes. “A dying man, why bother with her?”

It was not the Cui family, but the Qian family.

Yangzhou’s salt merchants for generations, the current head was Qian Minjiang, who had a single daughter named Tong.

Qian Tong.

A fitting name.

——

Qian Tong’s carriage stopped before the Qian family’s main gate.

Two black lacquered doors stood open on the stone steps, gilded beast heads holding solid brass door rings, casting a golden, serene glow beneath the sunlight.

Inside the threshold was a natural Hetian jade screen carved with a Hundred Sons motif. Passing around the screen opened onto a lush garden bursting with life—weeping crabapple, magnolia, pomegranate, and golden osmanthus trees lined in succession, blooming according to the season. Now, crabapple and magnolia vied for splendor, their subtle fragrance lingering deep into the estate.

Steward Cao greeted them from the left-side rosewood corridor. “Madam, the Prefect’s wife has arrived and is speaking with the lady in the courtyard. Shall I announce your arrival?”

Qian Tong frowned. “Wasn’t it agreed that the next spring banquet would be the time?”

Cao looked uneasy, hesitating. “The lady originally promised to discuss with the Prefect’s wife next time, but there was some trouble in Young Master Lan’s courtyard... When the lady left, she was waylaid by a pregnant woman who caused a scene. It turned out the woman was a cousin living in the Prefect’s house.”

The Prefect’s pregnant cousin had blocked the Qian family’s wife, who had come to discuss a marriage with Young Master Lan.

An age-old headache in the back courtyard.

Young Master Lan had been stringing along the Cui and Qian families for years. At his age, it was natural for him to start a family. But…

Qian Tong said calmly, “Mother knows.”

Her tone was light, not a question. Cao looked up anxiously but saw no emotion on her face—no joy or anger. He quickly said, “The Prefect’s wife promised that before you entered, this woman would not remain in the house.”

Was that even a question? Fuyin’s face stiffened. “The marriage is not settled. Who says I’m going to set foot in the Lan family’s door?”

Cao disliked this match as much as anyone but it was the Qian family’s only way out. The head and his wife clearly did not want to give up.

In the moments of awkwardness, Qian Tong spoke up, “I’ll go see.”

On the way to the main hall, a series of moon gates appeared in staggered sequence. Passing through, one could see the moon’s waxing and waning. At the end of the moonlight path stood a nine-bend bridge made of She stone, spanning a stream with clear water, beneath which several koi swam visibly.

By the creek stood a noblewoman dressed in Shu brocade, watching a maid feed the fish. Her voice was slow and heavy. “How many in this world have the wisdom to foresee the future? During the war, the palace had two princes, each commanding fifty thousand troops. Over eight years, they were both worn away, while the emperor, cornered, fought his way through, reclaiming Jinling from the Celestial Wolf. Such fate was beyond not only the Qian family’s expectation but even the seasoned court ministers’ foresight…”

The woman standing beside her nodded gratefully. “Yes, yes… Madam, you are so insightful.”

“The emperor’s heart is broad, but he was rejected at his most difficult hour. Who could swallow such a grievance? Blame my husband for growing attached here after his long stay in Yangzhou. Risking his life to navigate through the middle kingdom, he gained five years’ respite. Now, it’s impossible to hold down the storm. For the sake of our sisterhood, I’ll tell you: among those sent to investigate in Yangzhou is the empress’s own nephew, that Young Master Shen from the Shen family…”

“This young man has campaigned alongside the emperor for years. Youthful fire leads him to ruminate on old grievances.”

The other woman paled.

The noblewoman asked, “The Qian family made its fortune from salt mining and depends on the court. I hear their salt license expires this year?”

The woman’s face turned even paler.

The noblewoman glanced at the fine sweat on her forehead, smiled, then changed her tone. “But there may still be a way to turn things around…”

The woman quickly promised, “If the Prefect can help us through this, the Qian family…”

“Madam is back,” a maid’s voice interrupted. The noblewoman looked up just as Qian Tong hurried across the stone bridge, relief flooding her tense expression. She wiped sweat from her brow with a silk handkerchief and ingratiated herself, “Didn’t Madam say she wanted to see this girl? Here she comes.”

As she spoke, the young lady had stepped onto the bridge and warmly greeted the visitors. “The Prefect’s wife has arrived.”

Against the girl’s radiant smile, all the garden’s flowers seemed to lose their color.

The Prefect’s wife was not meeting her for the first time, yet her gaze always lingered a moment longer than polite, regretting that if the girl were not a merchant, she would be a perfect match for her son.

If she had to marry a merchant, she preferred this young lady from the Qian family over the Cui family’s daughters. Smiling, the Prefect’s wife said, “The spring is in full bloom these days. Where has Seventh Lady gone to enjoy the scenery?”

Approaching, Qian Tong bowed slightly, answering softly, “Mother likes deep-sea yellow croaker. This morning, I went to the docks to see if there were fresh catches.”

The Prefect’s wife envied her devotion and turned to the other woman. “Madam Qian has raised a good daughter—see how filial she is.”

This gave Madam Qian some confidence. She put on the demeanor of a proud mother and softly complained, “I’m hardly one to indulge in food’s pleasures. Steward Cao searched for you long and wondered why you just returned.”

Qian Tong did not look up to see Madam Qian’s expression and explained, “I met Sixth Miss Cui on the road.”

Though the Cui and Qian families were allied by marriage, their relations had not warmed, especially recently. They competed secretly for the Prefect’s youngest son and were on the verge of open hostility.

With the Prefect’s wife present, Madam Qian dared not ask if a quarrel had broken out again.

Qian Tong continued, “I wanted to invite Miss Cui to the manor, but she said she was busy, rushing to redeem a saddle for a young master.”

The Prefect’s wife’s face changed in an instant.

Her reckless youngest son had lost a bet to the Park family and owed them a saddle. Unwilling to accept defeat, he declared that if the Qian family redeemed the saddle, he would immediately accept the marriage proposal.

So, he turned back to the Cui family.

Fool.

How much could one saddle be worth?

The Prefect’s wife had been negotiating between the Cui and Qian families, smoothing over old disputes to secure the best terms. Yet he let a single saddle sell him out.

She had no desire to linger. “You two mother and daughter enjoy your reunion. I won’t interrupt.”

Madam Qian had heard about the saddle and feared the Cui family would seize the chance, hastily inviting the Prefect’s wife to stay for a meal, “Madam, didn’t we agree you’d stay? The banquet is ready…”

“Another day. Don’t we still have plenty of chances to meet, sister?”

Madam Qian was uneasy and followed her, “Prefect’s wife, we did agree…”

Qian Tong watched the two figures slowly disappear, unhurriedly taking fish feed from a nearby maid and teasing the koi in the stream.

After Madam Qian saw the Prefect’s wife off and returned, she found Qian Tong crouched by the creek, laughing and playing with the maids and fish. She stamped her foot in frustration. “You still have the leisure to feed fish while your marriage is being snatched away!”

Qian Tong did not look back. “Let her take it if she wants. I never said I would marry.”

Madam Qian was stunned. “You won’t marry? What about the Qian family? Do you know who the court sent this time…”

“Who?” Qian Tong suddenly stood, nearly bumping into Madam Qian’s face as she stepped forward. Before she could protest, Qian Tong said seriously, “Did the Prefect’s wife come today to threaten you with the salt license?”

“The fact that the Qian family’s salt license is expiring is well known, not a secret. If the court wants to make things hard for us, can a mere prefect protect us?”

Madam Qian knew this truth, but said, “What else can we do? He’s already the highest official in Yangzhou. The Prefect’s wife said the Lan family carries weight at court…”

Naive.

Qian Tong shattered her illusions. “The Lan family is only trying to make a profit before the four great families fall. If the Qian family wants to keep the business, it’s not by clinging to power but by cutting off its own wings to avoid the storm.”

Madam Qian asked blankly, “How do we avoid it?”

Qian Tong said simply, “I will marry.”

She alternated between refusing to marry and planning a wedding. Madam Qian did not know what she intended.

“Not the Prefect’s family, but some down-and-out man.” Qian Tong looked at the stunned Madam Qian. “I’ve already chosen the man. When father returns, I will report it.”