Chapter 35: Placard

Once the waiter, serving food, had left, only the three of them remained in the private room. Chen Xun gazed at this youthful Emperor before her, and, hesitating repeatedly, still spoke to explain. "Anhe's young; she isn't proper when speaking. When encountering matters, she's easily moved; I beg you for tolerance."

Jiang Changbai didn't speak, only watching her. Frustration flashed in Chen Xun's heart; having precariously managed Honghailou alone until now, this was the first time the sensation of terror had risen in her when interacting with others. But she couldn't not say it, and so she breathed a deep breath, and asked, "What more do you want to know? I'll not hold anything back."

Yet Jiang Changbai smiled. "I don't want to know anything; I only wanted to take a look at what the foremost business in the capital looks like."

For a while, Chen Xun fell into silence. Jiang Changbai, not minding her, continued speaking. "Although Qin Anhe is young, she truly has some skill. Those with skills need not be too careful when doing things; when she speaks, I believe her. Others say the waters of the capital are deep, and without nobility to assist, it's quite hard to do business. And yet, look here—this famous, first-rate establishment of the capital was formed by a single person fighting alone."

"Those are all rumours," Chen Xun said lightly, unable to make out what it was Jiang Changbai was thinking of doing. "The governance of the Great Li is well-ordered, and there's certainly not those sorts of dirty matters."

Jiang Changbai waved a hand. "It's you who have what's needed."

Hearing this, Chen Xun stilled, her mouth opening repeatedly, yet unable to speak, and only after a while did she manage to say, "You flatter me."

"Actually, the Great Li's governance can't be counted as being well-ordered, such that even We are willing to say it's visible, and the invisible corruption and rot are easy to come by." Jiang Changbai sighed, and looked at Chen Xun once more. "Since it's a struggle to make progress, We will hold out an umbrella for you. If We wanted you to become an imperial merchant, would you be willing?" Now, Jiang Changbai actually brought back the airs of the Emperor; if one didn't know this was the inside of Honghailou, and only looked at this posture of hers, others would even assume that this was some side palace in the Palace.

Jiang Changbai had chosen this room especially just then; adjacent was a group of military members, door wide open as they drank and chatted merrily, and, having come up to the second floor, their voices could be heard. But having sat here for this long, the sounds from next door seemed to have disappeared. Now, the doors and windows were closed tight, and there was actually no fear that the walls had ears.

Chen Xun, hearing the word "We", fell to her knees, yet the joy that Jiang Changbai had expected didn't appear on her face, but rather, an expression of worry was still exposed, hesitant and not daring to speak.

"Don't hesitate to speak; regardless of what you say, We won't punish you."

The single sentence set Chen Xun's mind at ease, and she finally dared to speak. "Honghailou is a family business my mother passed down to me. This lowly one lost her mother in youth, and this entire life, I haven't sought high position or great wealth, only to spread Honghailou's name to every part of the Great Li, and finish the life mission my mother left to me. As for anything else, this lowly one doesn't have such ability, and I beg Bixia to forgive me."

Jiang Changbai persisted. "It's just gifting you a title; if this can't be done, then We naturally won't force you to do so. Ah, this title, if another were to seek it, they couldn't obtain it."

If it were some other time, Chen Xun couldn't be certain whether she'd truly consider it. It was just, in the title of Imperial Merchant, the profits that could be brought up weren't little. But though the court of now didn't have any difference from before on the surface, there was no one who didn't know how much Emperor Tai had taken when fleeing South, and how little remained in the state treasury now. Taking on this burden now, nevermind the profits, it wasn't certain how much money would be lost in the following days. More than that, being close to a sovereign could be as perilous as lying with a tiger; it was nowhere near as comfortable as she was now.

So, she said, "This lowly one really only has the skill to do such small business; the rest, she wouldn't dare to have hopes for."

Hearing this made Jiang Changbai laugh, and carelessly, she pointed at the blanched vegetables on the table. "This dish alone costs two liang of silver; if this is small business, then how many great business would there be in the world?"

Chen Xun realised the omissions in her own words, and hurriedly added, "Those who have dealing with this lowly one are all the rich."

Having finished speaking, she approached the inner window, and extended a hand to push it open. With the opening of this window, it was like the switch for silence had been turned off, and the noise from in the great hall rushed in towards them. However, the loudest were still those men in the hall of the second floor, adorned with gold and jade, and the leader stepped onto the table with one foot, calling out in a loud voice, "Today, this master is cheerful—put everyone's bills on my tab!"

Chen Xun pointed at him, and lowered her voice. "Honghailou receives who knows how many patrons like him each day. The lowest value of one of their accoutrements are at least a few thousand liang of silver; on comparison, naturally this two liang silver dish can be called petty business."

Jiang Changbai's gaze followed to where Chen Xun was pointing, and unexpectedly, she felt that person was somewhat familiar. So, she asked, "Who is that?"

Chen Xun, hearing this, looked at her with astonishment, yet she still answered. "That's Liu-daren, Liu Zihe's, only son, Liu Leilei; he's a frequent patron of Honghailou."

Only now did Jiang Changbai suddenly understand, realising where this sensation of familiarity originated from. After all, Liu Leilei's aquiline nose was cut out exactly the same as Liu Zihe's.

Liu Leilei seemed to have heard someone calling him, and turned his head to look in this direction. But Xun Zhu was a step faster, and, with furrowed brows, closed the window. As a result, the raucousness of the great hall was once more cut off, and the quiet of a few minutes before was once more restored to the room.

Jiang Changbai's expression also chilled. "He comes frequently?"

"Practically every day," Chen Xun nodded, not saying anything more.

Yet there was still a disturbance in Jiang Changbai's mind. Honghailou's prices weren't low, and its scope was great. On only a single floor, collecting together all the dishes laid on each table had to reach nearly a thousand liang of silver. There, Liu Leilei was throwing away money like dirt, and there, the silver Liu Zihe owed the treasury hadn't been returned. This family truly saved where it ought to save, and spent where it ought to spend. So, she asked, "Has he ever bought anything on credit?"

At first, Chen Xun was startled, and only after thinking for a while did she realise Jiang Changbai was speaking of Liu Leilei; she said with a smile, "Of course he hasn't; the money Liu Leilei gave in advance is ten thousand liang more than this amount; how could there be such a thing as buying on credit?"

Jiang Changbai's expression grew darker, and she didn't say anymore, merely cursing about wastrels to herself. A single bite of the food hadn't even been eaten when she waved a hand, and Xun Zhu pulled back the cloth covering the surface of the thing in the corner.

Atop the dark background of the placard, written in gold lettering, were written the three characters of "Honghailou" in astonishingly bold calligraphy. In the corner, there had even been carved Jiang Changbai's seal. Yet Jiang Changbai saw Chen Xun's expression reveal a great deal of unwillingness, and she asked with a smile, "What is it, you aren't willing to hang it?"

"This lowly one wouldn't dare."

"Just say it and it'll be fine; We said We won't punish you."

Chen Xun drew a deep breath, still silent. Jiang Changbai, looking at Chen Xun, merely felt that, without interest, she wasn't willing to wait longer. "You fear that, after you hang this placard outside, there will be some people unwilling to come again?" Seeing Chen Xun nods, Jiang Changbai sneered. "Yet this was requested by your younger sister; We certainly don't have the intent to take back an order."

"Naturally this lowly one knows this," Chen Xun said, sighing, as if having made some sort of decision. "It's just, I'd still like to request Bixia waits a bit longer; there are a few signature dishes which haven't been served yet; this lowly one will go urge them along."

Jiang Changbai blinked, her gaze sweeping across the surface of the table. The dishes she'd just ordered were clearly all arranged atop the table, not a single having yet to be served. Thinking it over further, she understood the implication in Chen Xun's words, and didn't make things difficult for her, merely nodding. "Go, then."

So, Chen Xun pushed the door open and left, but this time, Jiang Changbai saw Song Juguang, in her seat nearby the window. By coincidence, Song Juguang was just looking in their direction at that moment, and the gazes of the two struck each other in the air, a faint smile curling at their lips.

Originally, Jiang Changbai had worried that Chen Xun would make some petty manoeuvres, and had arranged for guards to disguise themselves as patrons, and mix in with those in the second floor's great hall. But these worries all disappeared the moment she saw Song Juguang; even if her mind was still guarded against Song Juguang, she still dimly felt that, among those outside, Song Juguang would be far more preferential towards her.

Song Juguang didn't have the intent to come over to Jiang Changbai, still sitting in the spot by the window and drinking tea. Actually, she didn't know why she herself was sitting here in this moment and time. In the early morning, she'd learnt that Jiang Changbai wasn't in the Palace, and she'd only asked about a bit and learnt that she'd come to Honghailou. But if it were be said that she'd initially worried for Jiang Changbai's danger, this worry ought to have disappeared when seeing the guards disguised amongst the great hall, as if Han soldiers in Cao Cao's camp.^[1] And yet, even though she knew clearly that Jiang Changbai had arranged for imperial bodyguards as guards, she still sat here up until now.

Chen Xun left and came back; when she came back, she brought along a line of waiters. Each of them carried a food box, and, only on receiving Jiang Changbai's permission, came in. However, once the food boxes were laid out on the table, no one opened them. Chen Xun waved a hand, and said, "You all, leave."

So, the waiters left once more as they had entered, and only the three of them remained in the private room. "This lowly one doesn't have hope the Bixia will not take the order back," Chen Xun said as she opened the boxes. "I merely hope that Bixia can give this lowly one some time; after all, the matter of switching out the placard isn't at all a small matter to Honghailou."

The brown boxes were opened; within the boxes what was packed wasn't any sort of signature dish at all, but leaf after leaf of silver banknotes. Jiang Changbai's pupils expanded faintly; regardless of if it were when she'd been in Prince Ling's residence before, or in the Palace now, she'd never seen this amount of money before. But the status and prestige of the Emperor still called her to suppress all sorts of emotions, and her face had no expression at all. "I won't force you; we're leaving." Jiang Changbai, having finished speaking, rose, pushing the door open and heading directly out. Only Chen Xun remained on the spot, looking at the table, and then looking at the retreating Jiang Changbai, unable to leave nor to stay, only moving once she heard the sound of "Bring it all along".

The bodyguards, dressed as patrons and mixed amongst them, hearing this, walked into the private room all at once, picking up the boxes and following after Jiang Changbai. Chen Xun remained standing in the doorway, and watched them come and then leave, not the slightest bit of surprise in her expression, as if she'd foreseen this from early on. Only once they'd all gone far did Chen Ling come to Chen Xun's side, asking hesitantly, "Zhangguide?"

Chen Xun shook her head lightly; it seemed as if a stone in her mind had only now fallen. She pointed at the cloth-covered placard, and said, "Call some people to come, and have this moved upstairs."

---

The sunshine spilt into the courtyard obliquely, the warm, yellow light interweaving with the mottled shadows of the trees, yet it was unable to bring any sort of warmth to the courtyard. The study was the same; a few, bare threads of light struggled to break through the half-opened window lattice, and were cut apart by the fragments of floating dust. Shen Yanyi's complexion was wan, her eyes sunken in, and she sat dazedly before the table. Yet the book spread out before her hadn't been leafed through in a long, long while.

She'd already not left the residence for three or four days; these past few days, this courtyard's great gates had been locked tightly, and hadn't been opened once—besides when the imperial edict had been brought in. As a result, even though she hadn't stepped a foot outside, even if she'd not had any dealings with anyone, she knew of the punishment Xie Qianbing had received, and even the charge of the reform of the keju had fallen onto her own head.

Actually, Shen Yanyi wasn't sick at all; her entire person was in good health. Claiming illness was only fearing that Qin Anhe had brought the matter of her and Chen Xun's secret collusion before Jiang Changbai's eyes, and for a while, not daring to face it had caused her to make a rash decision. And the imperial physician who had come wasn't any sort of upright person; with merely thirty liang of silver, he'd been bought into perjury for her. Being promoted to officialdom and gaining wealth, she ought to have been thrilled. But from the moment she'd received the imperial edict, Shen Yanyi had grown more and more depressed; it was as if a single breath had been amassing in her chest. Faintly and indistinctly, she knew this wasn't the result she herself had wanted.

It seemed as if she'd wronged Xie Qianbing.

Suddenly, a burst of wind blew in, abruptly throwing the window open. The sunshine which had been blocked outside followed along with the wind inside; Shen Yanyi's hair fluttered in the breeze, and the light she suddenly faced caused her to be unable to open her eyes. Yet, it was also as if Shen Yanyi had been awakened by the blowing of the wind, and in a flash, she pushed aside the open book on the table, grinding ink and raising a brush, writing rapidly on the paper.

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Translator's notes:

[1]: Specifically Guan Yu, who despite spending time in Cao Cao's camp, remained loyal to Liu Bei.