Chapter 20: Turning the Tables
He Hua nodded and left solemnly.
Spring days are long.
The land of Jiangnan, birds chirping, green grass and red flowers intertwined.
The wine shop by the Grand Canal, exuding the aroma of wine, mingled with the fragrance of spring flowers, making people stop. The wine banners fluttered in the wind, carrying soft Wu dialect, carrying a half-drunk, half-awake Jiangnan.
At the dock, craftsmen were busy.
Goods from the south and north adorned the busyness and prosperity of the ferry terminal.
The sun gradually set, and dusk gathered. He Hua hurried to call Wu Bi, “Shopkeeper Wu, there are some discrepancies in the accounts at the counter on West Street. The Second Young Mistress has summoned you to reconcile them.”
Wu Bi looked at a large ship docked on the riverbank and said with difficulty, “This… can it wait a bit longer? There’s an important shipment tonight, ordered by ‘Yu Hu Chun’ from Guangzhou Prefecture. Yu Hu Chun has been our biggest client every year. I’d like to supervise the loading before I go…”
He Hua shook her head, “No. The Second Young Mistress said the shopkeeper from Taixing is in a hurry. If you don’t go, this servant woman cannot complete her task.”
Bai Zhou, who was nearby, heard this and quickly said, “Shopkeeper Wu, please go. I’ll watch things here, and I guarantee there will be no mistakes.”
He Hua looked at Bai Zhou and said earnestly, “Brother Bai is right. He has worked for the Cheng Family for so many years, aren’t you still at ease, Shopkeeper Wu? Let’s go.”
Wu Bi was still hesitating.
He Hua urged him repeatedly.
He finally turned to Bai Zhou and said, “Then… I’ll leave this to you. Be extremely careful.”
Bai Zhou patted his chest, “I guarantee there will be no mistakes. Since the Master of the Cheng Family gave me food twenty years ago, allowing me to survive the famine. The Cheng Family has been greatly kind to me, how can I not do my best?”
Wu Bi, looking back three times in five steps, followed He Hua.
Bai Zhou watched their receding figures, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
The light veil of night unknowingly concealed everything near and far.
The branches of the dense foliage gently combed. The boats on the Grand Canal were like being put into a large black pot.
The night was as soft as water, as hazy as mist.
I sat in a nearby restaurant, looking in the direction of the dock. He Hua and Wu Bi stood beside me.
“Is the news reliable?” I asked.
“Reliable. At noon today, Bai Zhou secretly went to Hua Yu Lane on the west side of the Grand Canal. There are three houses in Hua Yu Lane used as temporary warehouses. Inside is the moldy aged tea from the thirteen shops in the city that the Second Young Mistress had disposed of at the end of last year,” Wu Bi replied.
“He had already planned to act on this shipment tonight. If I hadn’t asked He Hua to call you over, he would have found other ways to send you away,” I said.
“Yes. But if the Second Young Mistress does this, he will become even more confident and bold.”
“Where are the people you called now?”
“In the water grinding workshop downstairs, waiting for the Second Young Mistress’s command.”
I smiled, “Good. Did Lu Yu’s letter to the owner of Yu Hu Chun get carried?”
“It’s here. They certainly wouldn’t have thought that the letter would be intercepted by Young Master Qin.”
“Later, remember to send a servant boy to call Lu Yu over and tell him that Bai Zhou instructed that three-tenths of the goods in Hua Yu Lane were stolen, and ask him to think of a solution.”
“Yes.”
Everything was in order.
I said, “Then let’s wait for them to load the ship.”
He Hua poured me a cup of tea.
I said, “They say the Peach Blossom Drunk in this restaurant is delicious. Pour me a cup.”
Drinking a cup of wine in the darkness of the night, my heart rippled slightly.
The singing girls in the restaurant sang 《Peach Blossom Stream》, lingering and beautiful: A guest boat drifts from the north, the younger sister is newly married and does not smile. Peach blossoms follow the flowing water all day, where is the cave on the clear stream…
An hour passed.
The cargo ship bound for Guangzhou Prefecture was fully loaded, had obtained the “Tea Permit,” and was about to depart.
I waved my hand.
Wu Bi blew a whistle downwards.
A group of agile thugs rushed towards the dock.
I said to Wu Bi, “The gong has been struck in the play, it’s time to go on stage.”
Wu Bi and I exchanged a look.
We got down from the restaurant and unhurriedly headed towards the dock.
Bai Zhou had already been apprehended. Lu Yu and several other tea merchants were also bound.
I approached with a smile.
The evening breeze at the dock stirred my skirt.
Bai Zhou shouted in panic, “Second Young Mistress, it’s a false accusation, a false accusation…”
Lu Yu, on the other hand, rebuked, “We are both merchants, why are you arresting people without reason? Just because we were chosen for tribute tea, can you be so arrogant and bullying! Does Madam Cheng still have the law in her eyes!”
“The law?”
I clapped my hands, “A good law. I, a mere woman, how can I know the law? I will have to go to the yamen. With witnesses and evidence, let the local magistrate teach me what the law is.”
Lu Yu’s eyes flickered, and he argued sophistically, “What witnesses and evidence? I was merely passing by here, going to a tea house by the river to talk business. I have servants as witnesses, and the owner of the tea house as a witness.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, Master Lu is truly smart and eloquent. I almost believed you. However—”
I gently patted my forehead, “However, what do you have to say about the letter Master Lu wrote to the owner of Yu Hu Chun? Wu Bi, read it.”
“My dear brother, I have recently discovered that the Cheng Family is acting improperly, intending to pass off moldy aged tea as good quality and sell it to you, my brother. I am deeply pained…”
Before Wu Bi finished reading, Lu Yu’s face changed.
I smiled, “Whose name is on the land deeds for those houses in Hua Yu Lane? I don’t need to point it out, do I?”
As soon as I finished speaking, the tea merchants beside Lu Yu also panicked.
“As the saying goes, harmony brings wealth. I have no past grievances with any of you, nor recent enmity. It is only because we are in the same trade that you are jealous and resentful, colluding with my employees to ruin my reputation and smash my livelihood. But have you ever heard a saying? Wealth does not enter a hasty door, and fortune does not enter a crooked door,” I said slowly.
Lu Yu looked up and glared at me hatefully.
I instructed Wu Bi, “Send them to the yamen.”
“Yes.”
Lu Yu was unwilling. As he was being dragged away, he turned his head and shouted, “Zhu Sangyu, don’t get too pleased with yourself! Your fate is strong, you are destined to be a widow! When you married the spirit tablet back then, it was destined that you would be a widow your whole life! You will eventually bring about the death of Cheng Lao Er!”
Wu Bi slapped him across the face.
Perhaps it was because I had a few cups of wine at the restaurant earlier, but hearing such words, I felt a tremor of unease.
He Hua quickly said, “Second Young Mistress, don’t listen to his nonsense.”
From afar, a goose-yellow figure approached the dock.
“Second Sister-in-law—”
It was the Third Young Miss.
At this hour, what was she doing at the dock?
She walked closer and smiled, “Second Sister-in-law, you’re not returning home so late, I was curious what you were doing, so I looked for you everywhere. So you’re at the dock.”
I said, “Qing Shi, you should go back quickly.”
She saw the bound Bai Zhou, and her curiosity grew even stronger.
She walked forward and said, “Second Sister-in-law, Uncle Bai Zhou has been working for the Cheng Family for decades, and he used to follow our father. Why did you tie him up?”
A thought flashed through my mind, and I quickly shouted, “Qing Shi, don’t come closer!”
It was too late.
Bai Zhou kicked away the servants on both sides and, with quick hands, grabbed the Third Young Miss.
He took out a short knife from his sleeve and held it to the Third Young Miss’s neck, “Let me board the ship and leave, otherwise, I will take her life. Let’s see how you explain this to the Old Madam when you return!”
The Third Young Miss was the Old Madam’s youngest daughter, always doted upon, like the apple of her eye.
I quickly said, “Don’t hurt her, I’ll have someone prepare a ship right away.”
The Third Young Miss cried out, “Second Sister-in-law, save me! Save me! Uncle Bai Zhou, do you think you’re worthy of Father? You watched me grow up…”
Bai Zhou spat on the ground and said, “Make another sound, and I’ll stab you immediately!”
The servants were busy preparing the ship.
The tip of the knife was against the Third Young Miss’s neck.
I was afraid of hurting her.
At this moment, a person suddenly emerged from the water and fiercely hooked Bai Zhou’s neck from behind, subduing him.
Bai Zhou, who was only vigilant in front, never expected to be attacked from behind.
Qing Shi was rescued and cried out “Wah!”
The person who emerged from the water was Lu Gui.
He must have jumped into the Grand Canal from the distant bank, which is why Bai Zhou didn’t see him. He swam all the way from the water, attacking by surprise.
In a moment, Lu Gui tied Bai Zhou up tightly, like a bundle of zongzi.
Qing Shi, startled, kept patting her chest, but seeing Lu Gui, she forced herself to speak defiantly, “Who needs you, you annoying ghost, to save me!”
Lu Gui rolled his eyes at her, “Fine, I’ll throw you into the river to feed the fish.”
“You!” Qing Shi’s face turned red, and she angrily left.
As she passed by me, she whispered, “Second Sister-in-law, have someone quickly find him some dry clothes. He’s all wet, if he catches a cold, it will be bad.”
I said, “Let him catch a cold. Who told him to always displease my sister-in-law?”
“Second Sister-in-law! You should at least consider that he’s been calculating accounts for you for so long…” She stopped halfway, realizing I was teasing her, and quickly ran off.
I instructed a few servants to escort her back to the residence.
Lu Gui said to me, “Second Young Mistress, once disloyal, never to be used again. This person has harbored rebellious intentions, he cannot be kept.”
Then, he added, “Tomorrow, I will escort him to the various branches and let all the employees know what the consequences are for betraying the company. Shopkeeper Wu should not be involved in this matter. He has been at the counter for ten years and knows many people, so he likely has many reservations. I am a newcomer, and I am most suitable for this task.”
I nodded.
This Lu Gui has courage, intelligence, and is adaptable and resourceful.
It was exactly what I wanted.
After the events of this night, the entire Yangzhou Prefecture spread rumors about the Cheng Family’s Second Young Mistress’s ruthless methods and astute business acumen.
No one dared to plot against the Cheng Family again.
All the shop employees were obedient.
The business became even more prosperous.
The Old Madam, I don’t know from where, heard about Lu Gui and specially sent for him to come to the residence twice. She told me how this child Lu Gui knew what was good for him and how eloquent he was, but unfortunately, his family background was a bit lacking.
I didn’t say much, only saying that everything would be decided by Mother.
It was already April.
The apricot buds on the tips of the branches broke their fragrant buds, pale red fading to white, smudged like rouge.
A small building overnight, the wind and rain lingering.
In the city, there were flower girls carrying small baskets selling apricot blossoms.
One morning, when I went to pay my respects to the Old Madam, I only heard the magpies chirping incessantly on the branches.
At noon, there was a clamor of gongs and drums outside.
Officials on horseback rode to the Cheng Residence.
I quickly helped the Old Madam out to greet them.
The official in charge had a face full of smiles, “Great joy for the residence, great joy for the residence, the Second Master of the Cheng Family has passed the imperial examination!”
Because the results were announced during the apricot blossom season, it was called the “Apricot List.”
The Old Madam exclaimed, “Oh my,” and tears streamed down her face, “My Huai’er, my Huai’er passed?”
The official said, “It is absolutely true. The first fast horse to report said that the Second Master is third on the first list!”
The Old Madam chanted Buddhist scriptures incessantly.
All the servant women and servant boys in the residence knelt on the ground in unison, “Congratulations to the Old Madam! Congratulations to the Second Young Mistress!”
