Chapter 59: Ancestral Recipe for Flower Wine
I felt a moment of embarrassment and said, “I’ll yield it to Young Master then.”
After speaking, I turned and left.
Qin Mingxu exchanged a few words with the man named Zheng and followed me.
“Sang Yu—” he called out to me.
I said, “The Zheng family is a new power in the Imperial Court, highly favored. I wonder what business he intends to conduct with this shop.”
Qin Mingxu said, “The current Imperial Consort Zheng has only this one younger brother, named Zheng Tai. The court has bestowed upon him the honorary title of Cloud Cavalry Captain. He indulges in debauchery and spends money lavishly, so his official salary is naturally insufficient. Leveraging his connections, he has opened underground gambling dens and brothels in Yangzhou to amass illicit wealth. Even the government offices show him deference. Today, he was drunk, and we couldn’t reason with him to any avail. Let him have the shop. Sang Yu, please don’t take it to heart. I will find you another suitable place.”
In just a short while, he had already gathered so much information.
I said, “I saw him nodding with satisfaction just now. What did you say to make him so happy?”
Qin Mingxu said, “I told him that from now on, all the seasonal clothing for the women in his establishment, Chu Guan, will be supplied by Tiansheng Tower, free of charge.”
In this way, in the eyes of outsiders, Tiansheng Tower would have an inextricable link with the Zheng family. Perhaps even the dissolute Maternal Uncle Zheng did not consider this. He merely thought it was a sign of submission and tribute.
With the downfall of Prime Minister Zhang, the Qin family lost its political leverage of the past twenty years. Officials and merchants, officials and merchants, are inseparable. Qin Mingxu seized this accidental dispute to keenly secure new political leverage for Tiansheng Tower—the deeply favored Maternal Uncle Zheng.
Brilliant.
A faint smile played on his lips, as if he were still pleased that Maternal Uncle Zheng mistook me for his wife.
“Sang Yu, I’ll accompany you back to the Zhu Residence. Master Zhu has been waiting for you.”
Along the way, he told me about the current situation in Yangzhou.
With the rise of Imperial Consort Zheng, the Zheng family rapidly ascended in Yangzhou, earning the moniker “Zheng Half-City.”
On the outskirts of Yangzhou City, the Zheng family owned a vast estate of one hundred thousand mu of fertile land.
A local minor official once submitted a memorial to the throne, mentioning the harm caused by imperial relatives. His Majesty said to his ministers, “I only have this one connection by marriage; you need not bring it up again.”
Unlike the harshness and strictness of Prime Minister Zhang and Empress Dowager Li, Imperial Consort Zheng and her family offered His Majesty a familial closeness and care, making His Majesty feel the warmth of kinship. His leniency towards the Zheng family was unprecedented.
The Yangzhou of today is not the Yangzhou of yesterday.
The Imperial Court of today is not the Imperial Court of yesterday.
I lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the bluestone road and the Jiangnan streetscape outside.
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the Zhu Residence.
Qin Mingxu had put considerable thought into arranging a place for the Zhu family. It was quiet amidst the bustle. The gatehouse was unassuming, but within lay a hidden world. All the potted plants and flowers were arranged in the style of Dongchang Prefecture.
A Servant Woman stood at the entrance to welcome me.
She was Granny Zhao, a trusted confidante from my Mother’s dowry and the steward of the inner quarters of the Zhu Residence. After my Mother passed away, Lin Yue took charge, and Granny Zhao was relegated to the kitchen to tend the fire. Today, my father had her come to the entrance to receive me. Looking at her, I was reminded of my Mother, and instinctively, I felt a sense of old affection for the Zhu Residence.
“Eldest Miss—” Granny Zhao called out to me emotionally.
I stepped forward and said, “You’ve come too?”
She wiped her tears with her sleeve and said, “Not only this old servant, but all the old servants who used to attend Madam, the Master has brought them all to Yangzhou.”
Qin Mingxu followed me, walking behind Granny Zhao, through the corridors and courtyards, as we went further in.
I asked, “Granny Zhao, why isn’t my father staying in the Main Courtyard?”
Granny Zhao bowed and replied, “Eldest Miss, the Master said that the Main Courtyard is reserved for you to stay in, and it has already been prepared. All the furnishings and vessels are old items from when Madam was alive. The Master is staying in the East Courtyard, and Young Master Xifeng is staying in the West Courtyard.”
When did my father ever become so thoughtful?
I looked at Qin Mingxu, and he smiled gently.
I knew this was likely his idea.
He was making an effort to return me to how I was before I was married, to make up for what was missing in my maiden years.
As we reached the East Courtyard, we heard my father’s violent coughing.
Granny Zhao announced, “Master, Eldest Miss has returned.”
My father quickly said, “Sang Yu, come in quickly.”
I stepped over the threshold, and my father struggled, trying to get up from the bed: “Sang Yu, you’ve returned. I knew you were my Zhu family’s daughter, and you cared for the Zhu family…”
He was indeed ill, his body hunched, his hair and beard all white. His face was flushed red from coughing.
The death of his second wife and Zhu Xifeng’s escalating recklessness had been a huge blow to his twilight years.
He was no longer indifferent to me as he had been before.
His face was flustered and insecure; seeing me was like grasping a life-saving straw.
I stepped forward and helped him lie back down, saying, “Father, you are ill, you don’t need to get up.”
“Yes, yes,” he said obsequiously, “Young Master Qin is not an outsider, so I will lie down.”
Qin Mingxu bowed to my father and then sat by the bedside.
My father seemed to like him very much, holding his hand and refusing to let go.
“Sang Yu, my end is near, and there are many things I must say. Father is useless. The Zhu family has declined to this point under my stewardship. Father has no face to face your mother, no face to face our ancestors…” he choked out.
I said softly, “Father, whatever you have to say, just say it directly.”
“The formula, the formula…” he said, and then coughed again.
I knew he was referring to the Zhu family’s ancestral flower wine formula.
“Sang Yu, although Father has been foolish, no matter how difficult it was, I held onto the Zhu family’s formula tightly; it did not leak out. Lin Yue asked me for it repeatedly before, but I never gave it to her. This is the lifeblood of the Zhu family. With it, the Zhu family has hope for a comeback.”
My expression softened slightly.
My father was not entirely useless.
At least, he had guarded the formula.
“Sang Yu—” he looked at me, “Father is in a difficult position. The Zhu family’s formula is passed down to males, not females. However, I don’t trust Xifeng with it. I fear he will act recklessly. Father trusts you, but… Father and Xifeng’s remaining lives… what is to be done…”
He spoke very indirectly.
But I understood immediately.
I lowered my head and said, “Father, if you give me this formula, no matter how well I manage the business, from now on, I will give you and Xifeng three hundred taels of silver each month. I will take care of your old age and see you off. I will manage Xifeng’s future.”
My father heard what he wanted to hear.
Three hundred taels was not a small sum.
Currently, as we were planning the start-up, it was uncertain whether we could even turn a profit.
Receiving my assurance, he was greatly relieved.
In the end, he was still calculating.
I got up and asked Granny Zhao to bring paper and brush: “Father, I, Zhu Sangyu, will write this down as proof today.”
My father said, “No need, no need. Does Father not trust you?”
Although he said that, he did not stop me.
I carefully wrote the promissory note and handed it to my father.
My father put the note away, took out a small black box from under his pillow, and solemnly handed it to me: “Sang Yu, everything is entrusted to you.”
I took it.
The formula was the foundation of the flower wine, and also the foundation of the business.
With this, I felt more confident.
At this moment, Zhu Xifeng rushed in from outside, his face full of grievance: “Father! Someone bullied me!”
My father coughed and said, “You scoundrel, where have you gone to stir up trouble again?”
Zhu Xifeng saw me and Qin Mingxu.
He was no longer as imperious towards me as before. He sidled up to me and said, “Elder Sister, someone bullied me. You must stand up for your younger brother. Our Zhu family has just arrived in Yangzhou. If even a wild girl from the countryside can bully me, how can the Zhu family establish itself here in the future? Won’t we be laughed at by others?”
I paid him no mind.
He turned and pleaded with Qin Mingxu, “Brother-in-law, you must help me.”
I reprimanded him, “What nonsense are you spouting!”
Qin Mingxu, however, was very gentle with him and said, “Xifeng, what happened? Tell me.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Xifeng eagerly said, “Brother-in-law, I went to the market today and saw a girl selling mountain goods. I merely went up to say a few words to her, and she got angry and tried to set a snake on me! She had a Flower Viper hidden in her sleeve! I was so scared that I ran back immediately, dropping my money pouch without even bothering to retrieve it. Brother-in-law, you must help me settle this with that girl! I need to get my money pouch back; it contains a lot of silver you gave me last time! Also, that money pouch was embroidered by my mother. Father! Father! I must get back the keepsake my mother gave me!”
I said, “You must have seen that she had some beauty and went to flirt with her. You deserve to be beaten.”
Zhu Xifeng seemed to have been struck by my words and stopped talking to me, instead pestering my father.
My father, unable to bear his nagging, said to me, “Sang Yu, go and see what happened.”
I thought for a moment and ordered Zhu Xifeng, “Hurry up and lead the way!”
Qin Mingxu stood up and accompanied me.
“Hey!”
Zhu Xifeng was delighted, thinking we would finally help him vent his anger.
The market was bustling with people.
I walked to the stall pointed out by Zhu Xifeng and saw a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, selling a few mountain goods.
Her face carried an air of ferocity, and the wildness and untamed spirit in her brows were unlike any woman I had ever seen. Her clothes were tattered, and her eyes were as sharp as blades.
She saw Zhu Xifeng behind me and immediately looked at me with great vigilance.
The Flower Viper flicked its tongue.
She seemed ready at any moment to engage in a life-or-death battle.
I said, “Young lady, please do not be alarmed. I am here to apologize on behalf of my foolish brother.”
She remained silent, still glaring at me.
Zhu Xifeng incited several servants to step forward, intending to lay hands on the girl.
I sternly said, “Who dares!”
Those servants quickly retreated.
I squatted down and looked at the mountain goods, saying, “Young lady, how much are these mountain goods? I will buy them.”
She did not answer me.
Her gaze remained sharp.
I said calmly, “It is already evening. If you cannot sell these mountain goods, you will have no money to go home today. Can you bear to see your loved ones buried without a coffin?”
I had noticed a white sash around her waist earlier.
She did not seem like someone who frequented the market. She must have a death in the family and was raising money for the burial.
She hesitated for a moment and replied, “One tael and three qian of silver.”
I took out two taels of silver and said, “I don’t have any change, and you don’t need to give me the difference. Young lady, you may go back. Today’s matter was our Zhu family’s fault. I apologize to you.”
I bowed deeply to her.
She took the silver and ran off without looking back.
Zhu Xifeng said, “Elder Sister, you see? This person is greedy for money. Why are you so weak!”
I fiercely grabbed his ear: “Father said your future is my responsibility. I don’t have such a good temper. If you cause trouble again, I will enforce family discipline. Don’t think I don’t know, your money pouch was not lost at all; it’s hidden in your embrace.”
Zhu Xifeng begged for mercy repeatedly.
The group left the market and headed back.
After a while.
Qin Mingxu said, “Someone is chasing the carriage!”
I lifted the carriage curtain and saw the girl from earlier desperately chasing the carriage, her straw sandals stained with blood.
I quickly ordered the coachman to stop.
The girl caught up and handed me some broken silver.
Exactly thirteen qian, no more, no less.
One tael of silver was sixteen qian. This amount was what she owed me as change.
I smiled and said, “Didn’t I just tell you, young lady, that you don’t need to give me the change?”
She shook her head and said, “The teacher said that if a person’s heart becomes greedy, it is ruined.”
I took the broken silver, and she let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, I became very interested in her.
“What is your name, young lady?”
“Hua Lian.”
Hua Lian, the name of a snake. I couldn’t help but smile.
“You just mentioned ‘teacher.’ Have you studied?”
Most impoverished families could not afford to send their children to school.
She nodded: “I can only recognize a few characters. The teacher taught me. The teacher teaches in the village and doesn’t charge money. Many children in the village can recite the Thousand Character Classic.”
Qin Mingxu and I exchanged a smile.
There were still such noble and upright people in the countryside.
This woman, full of fierceness, yet so upright and honest, was a good material.
That maid Xiao Yin was incapable of handling important matters, and He Hua, after all, was from the Cheng family.
I had no one close and reliable by my side.
After a moment of thought, I said, “I am in need of a steward. Would you be willing to follow me?”
