Chapter 104: Sounding out

The maid had only just finished speaking when the expressions of those in the room all chilled. Bi Yushuang's fingers unconsciously tapped against the table, making a soft pattering sound. Assuming that it had been that she'd been too hasty on the way here, leading the Envoy's people here, Liang Jiwen's gaze immediately concentrated on Tao Li and He Miao.

But Bi Yushuang only lightly raised her hand, and said to the maid, "Let's go and meet the guest in the front courtyard."

"A Shuang—" Liang Jiwen raised a hand, about to obstruct her, but before she'd even finished speaking, she was cut off by Bi Yushuang.

"Set your mind at ease and stay here; when is there ever such a coincidence? You're being as guilty as a thief." Bi Yushuang turned her head to look at her, and saw that Liang Jiwen's complexion was as pale as a sheet of paper, and the panic in her eyes was even harder to mask. But when she realised that Bi Yushuang was looking at her, Liang Jiwen rapidly restrained the panic.

Though she'd said these things, Bi Yushuang's mind was also apprehensive. There weren't many people she was familiar with, and there wouldn't be anyone who would come to her residence looking for her at this time. Though this residence wasn't large, Bi Yushuang had never ordinarily felt it was as small as it was now. She felt that she'd only taken a few steps when she arrived in the front hall. That unexpected guest was sitting securely in a wooden chair.

"Taipin-niangniang." The person, seeing Bi Yushuang, immediately rose and made obeisance.

But Bi Yushuang waved her hand, and said, "I haven't lived in the Palace for a long time; there's no need for excessive formality."

As she spoke, Bi Yushuang's gaze wandered over that person's figure. She hadn't been born of a high status, and in the Palace, she'd never received anything excellent. But though she hadn't eaten pork, she had seen a pig run,^[1] and in only a single glance, she was able to recognise that the clothes this woman was wearing had been made using Fuyun Brocade.^[2]

This material was incredibly precious, and before, even the noble consorts could only receive one or two bolts during the New Year's festivities. So this person before her, able to wear such an outfit, must have some incredible background.

Liang Jiwen let her gaze fall on the person's face once more. But even though her gaze had only passed over this person's face for a second, it was enough to overturn her previous guesses. Merely looking at her features, there wasn't the faintest aristocracy of having lived in luxury, but rather she looked like—a maid.

The person before her, seeing that she wasn't speaking, took initiative to say, "Niangniang may call me A Ling; my master had this servant come to invite you to her residence to talk. She said, the problems you're facing now, she can solve all of them."

Bi Yushuang sat calmly at the main seat, casting A Ling a glance. She extended a hand, her fingertips brushing away the nonexistent dust on A Ling's shoulder. "I must have remained at home too long to not know that even the maids in the capital can now wear Fuyun Brocade as well."

A Ling, hearing this, lowered her head to look at her attire, and said with a smile, "This Fuyun Brocade is a rarity in the Imperial Palace, but for this servant's master, it couldn't be counted as such. If Niangniang likes it, in all likelihood, my master wouldn't be miserly. Once you've gone to the residence with me, there'll be many materials you can choose from."

A Ling's tone was understated, as if the Fuyun Brocade was as ordinary as the rocks on the streets that no one wanted.

"Impudence!" Bi Yushuang suddenly grew imposing, her handkerchief thrown onto the table, startling a few newly-settled sparrows into flight. "Since your master knows this princess' identity, how come she only had a minor maid such as you come to make the invitation? Even Xie-daren and Xu-daren must give obeisance to this princess, and the matters that this princess can't resolve, how could your master resolve them? More than that, currently this princess has no thorny issues that need to be resolved."

Yet A Ling's expression didn't carry the slightest trace of surprise, as if she'd long since expected that Bi Yushuang would react this way. She merely knelt down, spine straight, and said, "This servant ought to be punished, but I beg Niangniang forgive me. But everything this servant said is true; with my master's might, you'll understand as soon as you look at this."

As she spoke, A Ling took a box from her breast, and on opening, the Luminous Pearl sitting on the soft pillow within shone. Bi Yushuang had never seen such a fine Luminous Pearl even in the Palace, and her heart suddenly fell.

But since Bi Yushuang had put on arrogance, she couldn't let it go so easily. She didn't take initiative to let A Ling rise, but sat upright in the chair, looking down on her from on high. "Go home and tell your master, if she really is sincere, she can come meet this princess herself. If she isn't willing to come herself, then there's no need for you to come again in the future."

Seeing A Ling wasn't speaking, Bi Yushuang added, "See her out!"

When she finished speaking, she turned, heading directly towards the rear courtyard. As for the Luminous Pearl that A Ling had pulled out, she naturally hadn't taken it either. Liang Jiwen, hidden behind the curtain, had heard everything the two had said to each other clearly. Now, seeing Bi Yushuang coming over, she'd just thought to avoid her, but she hadn't imagined that Bi Yushuang would, as if having grown a second pair of eyes, make a detour by her, and grab onto her shoulder.

"I—"

"Shh—" As Bi Yushuang dragged Liang Jiwen backwards, she raised a finger to her lips. Liang Jiwen obediently ceased speaking, and only continued once they were deeper in the courtyard and she'd received Bi Yushuang's permission.

"How did you know I was there?" she asked, eyes wide and shining and filled with bafflement.

Bi Yushuang scoffed. "Haven't you been into the front hall? Don't you remember its layout? With a single glance in the mirror I was able to see you; if not for the fact that I intentionally grew angry and drove her away, then that A Ling would have seen you as well."

"So what if she'd seen me? I'm not someone who can't be seen," Liang Jiwen muttered, head dropping at her scolding.

"Someone who can be seen," Bi Yushuang said, her gaze cutting into Liang Jiwen, "does someone who can be seen need to sneak in through the back door?"

Liang Jiwen was left tongue-tied by her, and with the flicker of her eyes, she changed the subject. "Do you know who that was?"

"I don't," Bi Yushuang said, shaking her head and raising her hand to massage her aching temples. "But she was sincere. If it was someone proud and arrogant, and she was insulted by me so, she would probably have long since grown angry."

"Since you thought she'd grow angry, then why did you?" Liang Jiwen asked, not understanding.

"It was because of you," Bi Yushuang replied, crossly, and raised a hand to grab Liang Jiwen's nose. "Did you think you'd hidden well behind the curtain? Just now you came in through the back door, and I'd assumed you didn't want others to know you and I had a connection, so naturally I had to cover for you. If I hadn't grown angry, and that A Ling had bothered me asking this and that, sooner or later she would have seen you."

Yet Liang Jiwen blinked, and extended a hand, tugging at Bi Yushuang's sleeve. "How could it be? Everyone knows that you're the first friend I made in the Great Li."

Bi Yushuang's gaze concentrated on Liang Jiwen's face for a second, and in the daze, it was as if she'd seen her own deceased younger sister, who'd died young; the little girl had had the same clear eyes as Liang Jiwen, and liked to tug at her sleeve and pout. It was a pity that she'd passed of pneumonia, and now, even in recollection, Bi Yushuang couldn't remember her appearance much.

"What is it?" Seeing the person before her faintly lost in thought, Liang Jiwen couldn't help but ask.

Bi Yushuang didn't have the intent to recall the past, and drew a deep breath, changing the subject. "It's nothing. We aren't entirely without benefit either; someone whose maid can wear Fuyun Brocade and produce a Luminous Pearl finer than those of the Palace's, yet still has to bow and bend the knee before me…someone with money but no status—that so-called 'master' must be a merchant."

"A merchant…" Liang Jiwen mumbled along with Bi Yushuang.

"That's right, and not an ordinary merchant." Bi Yushuang pursed her lips, and gave her own inference. The merchants in the capital who could show off like this could be counted on a single hand.

A fragmented figure rose in Liang Jiwen's mind as well; she hadn't met this person, but she'd known she'd existed the entire time.

The sound of footsteps suddenly rose in the hallway, and the two looked in the direction of the sound, and saw Bi Yushuang's maid once more hurrying over, coming over to Bi Yushuang's ear to say something. Bi Yushuang's complexion, hearing this, grew heavy, and she asked, "She's come again?"

The maid, seeing that Bi Yushuang didn't have the intent to hide it from Liang Jiwen, didn't lean into her ear again either. She nodded, and then immediately shook her head, and said, "Rather than saying she's come again, it would be better to say that she never left. This servant personally saw A Ling-guniang get into the carriage, and thought to wait for the carriage to depart before returning to report to you. But I hadn't imagined that the carriage didn't have the intention of leaving at all, and after remaining inside for a while, A Ling-guniang got out and had me come report again, saying—saying her master wanted to see you, and that she's in the carriage now."

"That master's been in the carriage the entire time?" Liang Jiwen couldn't help but ask.

The maid shook her head. "This servant—this servant doesn't know."

"Alright," Liang Jiwen said, patting Liang Jiwen's shoulder, "don't give her a hard time; with me here, you don't need to worry about such matters. I'll go and take a look."

Though she'd said that, Bi Yushuang's mind was still somewhat apprehensive. The cold sweat that had risen on her back just now had only just disappeared, and now, it reappeared uncontrollably in an instant. Having her maid act as the vanguard, and remaining in the carriage herself…capable of both offence and defence, this person most certainly wasn't a simple figure.

I'm afraid this person didn't come looking for me, the thought suddenly rose in Bi Yushuang's mind. After all, she'd lived here ever since she'd moved out of the Palace, and her address wasn't any sort of secret, so if a former acquaintance wished to reminisce, or if someone with aspirations wanted to visit, they would have come long ago; what need would there be to wait until now?

Thinking this, she turned her head to look at Liang Jiwen, and in her heart rose suddenly a few degrees of intolerability. In Bi Yushuang's eyes, Liang Jiwen wasn't her blood sister, but she surpassed a blood sister. She felt Liang Jiwen was pitiable.

Actually, in age, the two of them were more or less equal; Bi Yushuang knew her own birthday, but Liang Jiwen couldn't even say her own date of birth properly. Liang Jiwen had arrived in the Great Li solitary and impoverished, and she'd lost her closest nanny, and hadn't had a single person to rely on. It was only through great pains that her current situation had improved, and now she was being bothered by these envoys.

Bi Yushuang felt that, since there was the tenderness of sisterhood between her and Liang Jiwen, she'd bear these matters together with her. And if it really wouldn't work, she'd have Liang Jiwen call her "jiejie", and an older sister protecting a younger sister was reasonable.

Thinking thus, Bi Yushuang strode to the gates, and sitting down on the chair, she watched herself as this mysterious person came before her. This person wore the attire of a shopkeeper, but the characters of "riches and honour" truly were carved onto her fave.

The woman wore an outfit of crimson, and walking in the small courtyard, she was rather eye-catching. Bi Yushuang was knowledgeable about goods, and could see that the fabric of her clothing was equally expensive. If Bi Yushuang could name the Fuyun Brocade that A Ling wore, she couldn't even put a name to the fabric that this woman was attired in.

Perhaps even her majesty's treasure room might not even have a bolt of this fabric!

The woman walked directly towards Bi Yushuang, her fox-like eyes staring at her, causing one's fine down hairs to stand erect. Bi Yushuang felt if she weren't able to get ahold of herself, the next moment, all her belongings would be stolen away by this person.

"Taipin-niangniang." The arrival finally came before Bi Yushuang, and made respectful obeisance. "I'm Honghailou's proprietor; you can call me Chen Xun."

Honghailou. Of course Bi Yushuang knew of this place, and she thought to herself, no wonder. No wonder both master and servant were so richly attired, and no wonder they could find this place at this time.

After all, the placard above Honghailou's main entrance had been stamped with the Emperor's personal seal.

"Since her highness the Princess is here as well, don't hide behind the curtains. It's by chance that this humble one has matters to discuss with you, so let's all speak together."

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Translator's notes:

[1]: 没吃过猪肉，总见过猪跑 (mei chiguo zhu rou, zong jianguo zhu pao), an idiom that indicates that one still has some knowledge of things.

[2]: 浮云锦, a type of precious silk brocade made of undyed threads and woven with multi-coloured threads to form patterns of dragons and phoenixes, and further embellished with many-hued pearls.