A sudden gale and torrential rain in the afternoon blew away the summer heat, but it also overturned the mourning canopy outside the funeral hall, soaking the monks and Taoists who were chanting sutras for the late Second Master Song until they looked like drowned rats.
The steward in charge of the funeral shouted at the top of his lungs. One moment, he was telling a page to clear out the eastern wing to house the chanting monks and Taoists; the next, he was sending another page to buy new robes for the holy men to change into. Then, he was ordering the coarse-work maidservants to boil ginger tea and bring out snacks, all while calling for craftsmen to re-erect the mourning canopy. He kept the servants spinning in circles.
The courtyard was a cacophony of noise and shouting.
By contrast, the study of Second Master Song next door was exceptionally quiet. Perhaps because its master was gone, the small courtyard did not even have a guard. The garden, usually lush with flourishing plants and flowers, had lost its former vibrancy and felt lonely and desolate.
Song Jiyun stood in the middle of the courtyard for a moment with her eyes downcast before slowly pushing open the black lacquer doors adorned with Wanshouwen and stepping inside.
The study remained as it had always been.
There was the large Huanghuali wood desk, the black lacquer Luodian curio shelves, and the blue and white porcelain hanging screen depicting “Flowers Blooming for Wealth.” In an azure Bingliewen Ruyao flower vase sat a horsetail whisk with a rosewood handle.
However, everything was already covered in a thin layer of dust.
When Song Jiyun’s fingertip brushed past, it left a clear trail.
Her father’s gentle and honest voice echoed in her ears.
“Little Cloud, come, Papa will show you how to hold the brush. You’re going to be an artist in the future, the one who paints the great dragon jars!”
“Little Cloud, you mustn’t look around while learning to use the abacus. If your abacus skills are poor, how will you calculate accounts? How will you understand the ledgers? How will you help Papa manage the family shops and estates?”
“Little Cloud, cheer up! Follow Papa and finish making this hand-pressing cup, and I’ll put it in the kiln to fire it. Then you can give it to Papa as a birthday gift, alright?”
Song Jiyun covered her mouth and began to weep silently.
She had become the eldest daughter of this family with memories of her previous life.
Before this, she had just endured a massive, protracted battle over a family inheritance.
Although she had emerged the final victor, the ugly faces of parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, and friends—who would turn heartless, treacherous, and ungrateful at any moment for the sake of profit—were deeply etched into her mind.
She had not wanted to live another life at all.
She had resisted starting over.
But her father in this life had used his indulgence, warmth, tolerance, and kindness to gradually thaw her frozen heart.
He had allowed her to slowly integrate into this family and this new life.
Yet at this very moment, her father had suddenly passed away.
He died on his way home from auditing accounts.
The carriage had reached the front gate before the accompanying steward realized anything was wrong.
There had been no family by his side to see him off, and he left no final words.
They didn’t even know exactly when he had breathed his last.
She wept, unable to control herself.
A hesitant knock came from the door.
Song Jiyun wiped away her tears, her posture becoming as upright as a green pine. She said calmly, “Come in!”
Her milk-brother, Zheng Quan, walked in. He bowed respectfully and asked, “Eldest Miss, you called for me. What are your orders?”
Song Jiyun sat in the grandmaster’s chair her father usually occupied when receiving subordinates. She removed a silver-mounted bluestone ring from her middle finger and handed it to Zheng Quan, whispering, “Take this ring and set off immediately. Go to the Poyang Lake docks and find the Chief Manager of the Suzhou Main Store. Retrieve a Tihong lacquer sunflower-shaped box carved with bird and beast patterns from him. It should contain eight hundred thousand taels in silver notes.”
“Ah!” Zheng Quan let out a low cry, his eyes filled with shock.
He was one of the people Song Jiyun trusted most, so she had no intention of hiding the truth from him. “While the news of Father’s death hasn’t spread yet, I entrusted the Chief Manager of the Suzhou Main Store to liquidate all of Father’s businesses in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and other places.”
“I estimate it should be around one million taels.
“But we cannot expect the horse to run without letting it graze. You only need to bring back eight hundred thousand taels. The rest will serve as a fee for the Chief Manager and his men’s hard work.
“The Chief Manager will take on a new identity and travel far away; he won’t be coming back.”
Having said this, she instructed Zheng Quan further, “If the amount is incorrect, do not argue with him. Simply tell him that ‘the green mountains do not change, and we shall meet again.’
“If the amount is correct, tell him that I remember his kindness. If he ever needs the Song family to testify for him in the future, I will certainly not refuse.
“If there is more than eight hundred thousand taels, return the excess to him. Tell him that great kindness cannot be repaid with mere thanks, and as long as I, Song Jiyun, am here, he will have a place.”
“But, if you cannot find him,” Song Jiyun paused, pushing a scroll and a name card across the desk toward Zheng Quan, “then take this card and the portrait to report it to the authorities. Say that he has absconded with his master’s property and betrayed our trust. Tell the officials exactly how much silver he took.
“Wealth moves the heart. One million taels is enough to make the officials exert themselves.”
If the fish dies, the net breaks—no one would walk away unscathed.
Zheng Quan listened until he was drenched in a cold sweat. He nodded repeatedly and, fearing he might forget, repeated Song Jiyun’s words twice. Only when he was sure there were no mistakes did he heave a long sigh of relief.
Song Jiyun added, “Go and return quickly. I also plan to convert Father’s land holdings in Nanchang, Shangrao, and other regions into silver. I’m afraid I’ll need you to make a trip to those places as well.”
Zheng Quan’s head was spinning.
He understood dealing with the Second Master’s private businesses, but how would she handle those lands that couldn’t be carried or hidden away?
He scratched his head.
Song Jiyun said, “We’ll talk when you return. The important thing is for you to be fast. The longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for us.”
Hardly had her voice fallen when a sharp snap—the sound of a foot snapping a branch—came from outside the study.
The expressions of Song Jiyun and Zheng Quan changed instantly. By the time she stood up, Zheng Quan had already lunged out like a bolt of lightning.
The sound of a physical struggle erupted outside.
Song Jiyun frowned.
Zheng Quan was a protector her father had left for her. Even as a young boy, he was born with divine strength, which was why her father had sent him to Mount Longhu to study martial arts under the Zhengyi sect. When he left the mountain, Zheng Quan’s master had been extremely reluctant to see him go, saying he was a natural talent and that it was a waste for him to be a servant, even offering to buy out his contract.
However, the Song family had saved the Zheng family’s lives, so Zheng Quan naturally refused.
Song Jiyun’s father had then given her the Zheng family’s indenture contracts, telling her to find an opportunity to show them grace and release them from their bond as a way to secure Zheng Quan’s loyalty and protect her interests.
She knew exactly how skilled Zheng Quan was.
Anyone who could trade blows with him was no amateur.
Song Jiyun watched from the doorway.
Beneath the wisteria trellis, a young man in a dark blue cotton Daoist robe and a hairnet stood facing Zheng Quan.
He appeared to be no more than twenty-one or twenty-two years old, roughly the same height as the eight-foot-tall Zheng Quan. His face was as fair as jade, with thin lips and a refined nose. He possessed a pair of almond eyes rarely seen on men—large eyes with slightly upturned corners and dark, bright pupils. He was strikingly handsome.
However, his gaze was cold and sharp; one look told her he was not someone to be trifled with.
The wind swept through the trellis, shedding a shoulder’s worth of wisteria blossoms upon him.