Chapter 27: The Stewards
The luggage of the five Li family siblings was extremely simple to pack.
In the five large tiled houses of the Li Xiucai family, there were only two looms, one spinning wheel, two beds, a table with a broken leg, and a broken bamboo chair. If these few pieces of old furniture were to be taken, the copper coins needed to hire a cart would be worth more than the furniture itself.
Li Jinzhu calculated the expenses, gritted her teeth, and abandoned these pieces of furniture, leaving them for the clan members who would farm the fifty mu of land.
Besides several large baskets of newly harvested rice, seven or eight chickens that had been killed and preserved, and half a basket of eggs, the Xiucai scholar and his four sisters had, in total, only two medium-sized boxes and one not-so-large cloth bundle for all their other luggage.
One of the two boxes contained books, and the other contained writing brushes and ink. Both the boxes and their contents were gifts from the Hong family.
Li Wenliang went to Gaojiaji to ask Mr. Gao to accompany him in sending Li Xuedong to Pingjiang City for school.
Early in the morning, Li Wenliang, with two young men from the Li family, drove two carts. They first went to Gaojiaji to pick up Mr. Gao, and then they all headed to Xiao Li Village.
The two young men drove the carts, while Li Xuedong, Mr. Gao, and Li Wenliang rode in one cart, and Li Jinzhu and her four sisters rode in another. Amidst the extremely envious gazes of the entire village, they left Xiao Li Village and headed for Pingjiang City.
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This was Gu Yan’s second visit to Prince Rui’s Mansion’s Pingjiang Villa. The first time was when he was seven years old and accompanied his father on an inspection tour of Jiangnan, staying one night at the Pingjiang Villa.
That trip, they arrived just as dusk was falling and left early the next morning.
This was already a very distant memory. He only remembered that there was a bridge in front of the main gate of the Pingjiang Villa, and the bridge was extremely wide. He remembered nothing else.
On his previous trips, he had gone to Linhai Town countless times. To save time on the round trip, each time he would cross the river directly from Yangzhou, stay in that stone beast, and handle official business even while eating.
At that time, he had always thought the Pingjiang Villa was a place for enjoyment and had never visited it.
The attendant led the way. The group of people and horses passed through a lush forest and stopped beside a patch of dark green hills. A wide bluestone staircase rose from the hills, winding out of sight after about ten steps.
“Is this the main gate? Where is the bridge?” Gu Yan asked casually as he dismounted.
“Our villa has five gates in total, including two water gates. The five gates are not distinguished as main or side gates. The bridge the Young Lord mentioned is the closest gate to Pingjiang City, and it is located to the east of this gate, with this one to the west,” the attendant replied hastily, bowing.
Gu Yan gave a soft “oh” and strode up the steps.
Just as they rounded the hill, from a distance, the Villa Steward, Uncle Hong, along with over a dozen stewards, came running to meet them.
“Tell them to slow down, there’s no need to rush,” Gu Yan stopped and instructed.
Shi Gun quickly raised his voice to relay the message.
The more than ten stewards quickly stopped their running and, changing to a brisk walk, approached.
“You know my temperament; I’ve always acted on impulse and come when I please. I wouldn’t blame you for not greeting me, so why are you so flustered?” Gu Yan said with a smile as the old steward, Uncle Hong, reached him.
“It is the Young Lord’s consideration for us. The old servant received word at noon the day before yesterday. I thought the Young Lord would come through the west gate and stayed there the whole time.”
“The last time I saw the Young Lord, he was only this tall. Six years and four months have passed in the blink of an eye,” Uncle Hong said, looking at Gu Yan with tears in his eyes.
According to the rules of Prince Rui’s Mansion, the stewards in Hangcheng and the Pingjiang Villa were to grow up in Hangcheng or Pingjiang City from a young age. They would serve in the Prince’s Mansion in the Capital City from fifteen or sixteen years old, and after forty, they would return to Hangcheng or Pingjiang Villa to take up their posts.
The chief stewards of the two villas were people who had served Prince Rui or Gu Yan for many years.
Uncle Hong, the chief steward of the Pingjiang Villa, had been assigned to serve Gu Yan from the moment he was born and had watched him grow up.
“You’re still the same as you were six years ago, not looking any older at all. It seems this Pingjiang Prefecture is truly a place that nurtures people,” Gu Yan said with a smile, circling Uncle Hong and examining him from head to toe.
“The Young Lord flatters me,” Uncle Hong chuckled.
Gu Yan followed Uncle Hong, touring more than half of the Pingjiang Villa before returning to his own courtyard.
Just after finishing his meal, a servant came in to report: “He Chengzhe, the steward from Linhai, and his son He Ruiming request an audience with the Young Lord.”
Gu Yan had just picked up his cup. Without even lifting his eyelids, he took another sip of tea and gestured for them to be admitted.
He Chengzhe led the way, with his son He Ruiming following behind, entering through the hanging flower gate.
Gu Yan sat on the couch by the south window. Through the gauze window, he coldly watched He Chengzhe and his son, who walked with small, hurried steps after passing through the hanging flower gate.
This father and son always appeared so respectful and cautious whenever they saw him, including when he was arrested and escorted out of the capital overnight. Even when they saw him off outside Weizhou Gate with those three cups of farewell wine, which were then spilled on the ground, they were still so respectful.
“He Chengzhe, steward of Linhai, and his son He Ruiming, pay their respects to the Young Lord.”
He Chengzhe entered the room with his son and knelt respectfully to kowtow.
“Get up quickly, there’s no need for such ceremony. How did you know I was at the Pingjiang Villa? I just arrived, who sent you the message?” Gu Yan asked with a smile of feigned confusion.
“The restaurant where the Young Lord ate in Linhai Town is also one of our Prince Rui’s Mansion’s properties. Wu Shi, the restaurant steward, accompanied me to the capital to deliver a festival gift once. He saw the Young Lord from afar and didn’t dare to recognize him, so he reported it to me.
“I received word from Steward Hong the day before yesterday, saying the Young Lord would be staying in our Pingjiang Prefecture for a day or two. I also know the Young Lord has been assigned the task of inspecting local customs in the south. When the Young Lord inspects the south, Linhai Town is a place he will definitely visit. So, I thought Wu Shi probably recognized correctly that it was the Young Lord, and I hurried over with my son. I didn’t expect it to truly be the Young Lord.”
He Chengzhe replied in great detail, respectfully.
“That restaurant is good. The dishes are colorful, fragrant, and delicious, clean and attentive, and the decor is also very pleasing. Later, find Uncle Hong and get five taels of silver to reward Wu Shi,” Gu Yan said with a smile, listening carefully, appearing surprised and taken aback.
“Yes, I thank the Young Lord on behalf of Wu Shi for the reward,” He Chengzhe said, also looking very pleased. “I was in a hurry to see if the Young Lord had truly arrived, so I came hastily and only brought the main accounts for the Linhai properties. I’ll have Ruiming rush back tonight, and tomorrow…”
“There’s no need to rush. I’ll be staying here for a year. When I have free time, I’ll go to Linhai and look at your main and detailed accounts there,” Gu Yan said casually and leisurely. “If you’re not busy, let your son serve by my side for a while. The task I’ve been assigned as Imperial Inspector…”
Gu Yan frowned, looking very troubled.
“Alas, everything else in Jiangnan is fine, but the sea tax is truly complicated and difficult to understand. It would be best to have an expert by my side to watch over it and guide me from time to time.”
“We dare not accept such praise!” He Chengzhe and He Ruiming bowed together, repeatedly saying they dared not.
“You can accept it. When three people walk together, there must be one who can teach me. Besides, when it comes to the sea tax, no one understands it better than you father and son. By the way, do you have a courtesy name?” Gu Yan asked with a smile, pointing at He Ruiming with his folding fan.
“Replying to the Young Lord, I do not yet have a courtesy name,” He Ruiming replied hastily, bowing.
“If you don’t mind, how about I give you one? You and your father are both capable chief stewards. If you are by my side, it would be inappropriate for me to call you by your given name. Having a courtesy name would be much more convenient,” Gu Yan said, frowning slightly as if in deep thought.
“That would be my honor,” He Ruiming replied with a respectful smile.
“How about Xiang Sheng?” Gu Yan frowned, thinking for a moment, and then smiled.
“Thank you, Young Lord, for bestowing this name!”
“He Ruiming, He Xiang Sheng. I will trouble Xiang Sheng for this period,” Gu Yan said, unfolding his folding fan, appearing quite satisfied with the courtesy name Xiang Sheng that he had chosen.
Shi Gun, standing by the door, cast a somewhat envious glance at He Xiang Sheng.
Alas, the courtesy name Xiang Sheng, while not exactly unpleasant, was still better than his own name…
Thinking of his own name, Shi Gun felt a wave of sorrow.
