Chapter 82
Shen You smiled and shook her head. Twenty taels, or the collaboration that would come afterward. She believed that customers who could find the mysterious entrance would not make the wrong choice.
“After I finish the work, should I still deliver the goods to the abandoned temple outside the city gate?” Liu Erniang asked uncertainly.
She had wanted to sell a couple more handkerchiefs at the night market, but then it started raining and the night market dispersed. With little silver on her person and nowhere to go, she could only take shelter in the abandoned temple first. Then she saw that strange door.
Shen You spoke: “When the time comes, bring the cloth into the city and deliver the goods to Bluestone Alley. If I’m not there, just leave the items at the general store next door and say they belong to Shopkeeper Shen. Someone will deliver them.”
That general store belonged to Liu Zheng, and the manager was also a trusted aide from his household. After hearing the name Shopkeeper Shen, he would naturally inform Liu Zheng.
“I saw you got caught in the rain earlier. This is brown sugar ginger tea that I bought just two days ago while making up an order. Take two packets back with you to brew.”
Shen You took out two individually wrapped small packets, explained to Liu Erniang how to open them, then handed them over.
“This is too valuable.” Brown sugar made so delicately and exquisitely must definitely be expensive.
“Take them.” Shen You smiled gently.
Liu Erniang stood stunned for several seconds before accepting them. Before leaving, she nodded solemnly to Shen You in acknowledgment: “I will definitely complete the young lady’s order properly.”
When she left the shop, the rain had nearly stopped.
She didn’t know whether it was because of that cup of hot water or because she carried two packets of brown sugar and twenty taels of silver in her bosom, but she felt that the coldness in her body had lessened considerably. In an instant, her strength returned, and carrying her bundle, she walked for half an hour before reaching home.
The several flatbreads left on the table had already grown cold. As soon as her younger brother and sister saw Liu Erniang enter, they hurried forward to help put things away and handed her a handkerchief to wipe the water stains from her body.
“Big sister, I don’t want to go to school anymore. Tomorrow I’ll go out and find work.” Liu Wensheng said with forced casualness. “I heard that a tavern in the city is hiring assistants. Since I can read and write, perhaps I could even help the accountant with miscellaneous tasks.”
How could he not want to attend school? Reading books and practicing calligraphy was the only way out for ordinary families. However, the silver required for schooling was not something ordinary families could afford. If they didn’t pay the rent soon, they would be evicted.
“What are you talking about! You’ve finally gotten into school. How can you not study!” Liu Erniang scolded hastily.
“My natural aptitude is shallow, so I’d rather save the family some money.” Liu Wensheng said, looking toward his young and frail little sister beside him.
Hearing that it was about money, Liu Erniang breathed a sigh of relief: “Don’t worry. Big sister received work today. The silver that young lady gave me, after buying silk thread, will still leave quite a bit, enough for us to live on for some time.”
Liu Erniang took out those two ingots of silver, and the eyes of Liu Wensheng and Little Sister Liu widened immediately.
“So much money?! Whose order is this?”
“Now you can rest assured about going to school. Tomorrow when I go into the city, I’ll buy a chicken and we’ll have a proper feast!”
Liu Erniang carefully wrapped the two silver ingots in old cloth and hid them under the bed: “You must never let outsiders know that our family has received such a large sum of money, understand?”
Liu Wensheng and Little Sister Liu nodded vigorously. Thinking about eating chicken tomorrow, both their eyes sparkled with excitement.
Since their parents passed away, their family rarely ate meat. Only during New Year could they taste some meat, and normally adding a bit of lard to their rice or eating an egg once was already considered good.
Liu Erniang heated some water and boiled the two square-shaped brown sugar ginger tea packets. The three of them each had a bowl to ward off the cold.
This item was beautifully packaged and contained goji berries, pitted and sliced red dates, and ginger shreds. At first glance, it was something only wealthy families could afford to use. Even the sweetness was richer than what they usually bought.
Liu Erniang thought about Shopkeeper Shen’s clothing. She had never seen anything like it before. Perhaps she really had encountered a fairy.
Meanwhile, inside the Great Qi Imperial Palace.
The emperor, who was rumored outside to be gravely ill, now sat in the hall with a sinister expression on his face. The banquet had just reached its end when an official was sentenced to exile with his entire family to a place a thousand li away after just three sentences.
The remaining people all kept their heads down, afraid of being implicated. Two who tried to plead for mercy nearly went along with him. The crown prince was also scolded severely.
This was an open scheme. Minister He, who had angered the sage by submitting a memorial of advice, was a loyal minister. Not pleading would lose the people’s hearts, but pleading would result in having power stripped away. There was simply no choice.
The sage’s temper had grown increasingly strange, and even the Noble Consort, mother of Prince Cheng, had become much more low-key.
Those who had taken sides, those who remained neutral, and those who wanted to bet on both sides were all mixed together in great chaos.
Only the person sitting above the court officials, to the lower left of the sage, maintained a casual expression, as if watching the excitement unfold.
Great Qi honored the left, so his seat was even higher than that of the crown prince across from him.
The crown prince’s expression remained humble, showing not the slightest dissatisfaction with the earlier scolding and power seizure. However, when he looked at the man sitting calmly at the table, whom even the emperor treated with deference, a hint of something unusual flashed in his eyes.
He had deployed all his intelligence networks but couldn’t investigate this National Preceptor’s background, nor did he know what the man really wanted.
After the banquet ended, the ministers had to leave before the palace gates were locked, and the princes were the same. The National Preceptor, however, did not move. He waited until the area was cleared and all around was quiet.
“Which prince does the National Preceptor think can shoulder great responsibility?” The aged voice seemed to carry a rich aura of decay.
“Haven’t you already chosen? Yourself.” Wen Zhi spoke carelessly.
Even knowing he wouldn’t live much longer, he still refused to relinquish the power in his hands.
The old emperor laughed silently: “That item, even if the National Preceptor knows where it is, you cannot obtain it. As long as you’re willing to eternally protect my Great Qi’s rivers and mountains, you will forever be the National Preceptor who shares the realm. How about it?”
“Your thinking is quite optimistic.” Wen Zhi rose and walked outside.
His face wore a smile, but his eyes were cold.
Indeed, the Great Qi emperor had prepared two contingency plans from the beginning. This person was poor at governing the country, but quite skilled at political maneuvering. Otherwise, after so many years of indulging in elixirs and favoring alchemists, he couldn’t have maintained his throne so steadily. Even when there was dissatisfaction in the court, it never stirred up any storms.
The carriage drove out of the palace gates. Even though they were already locked, no one dared to stop it.
Many officials deliberately walked slowly, hoping to find out what else the sage had said afterward. Marquis Zhao was one of them. He was aligned with the crown prince.
However, watching the National Preceptor’s carriage pass by from the side, he couldn’t strike up a conversation either.
Just as the situation in Great Qi was turbulent with rising winds and surging clouds, Shen You nestled in her room, munching on fried chicken while catching up on her TV drama.
The next morning, she first drove to pick up Professor Li.
Unexpectedly, Professor Li had also brought along another prominent figure from the museum, Professor Tu Guangsong, saying he came to support her.
This was quite an honor. The workshop hadn’t even been set up yet, but two industry leaders had already come as guests.
When they arrived outside Xi Garden, Gu Shaoyu was already waiting there.
Knowing that today’s visitors were all big shots, even if his legs were broken, he would still arrive early and wait.
Shen You exchanged greetings with the gatekeeper uncle. Gu Shaoyu was also part of the workshop, so getting familiar would prevent the uncle from refusing entry in the future.
“This courtyard is excellent. The garden layout is Song Dynasty style.” Professor Li said, looking at the stone lanterns by the roadside. “These are authentic pieces.”
Coincidentally, Shen You had the same style in her courtyard, although hers was a reproduction she had bargained for on Antique Street.
This one was truly weathered by years, with patterns somewhat blurred. An effect that couldn’t be achieved through artificial aging alone.
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