“It was General Ye,” the young eunuch said. “General Ye happened to be hosting guests at Spring Breeze Pavilion. The manager casually mentioned that the bamboo leaf herbal tea came from the Princess’s Mansion, and General Ye immediately had the manager give twenty taels as a reward.”
Su He understood at once. Ye Lang must have heard the words “bamboo leaf herbal tea” and guessed it was something she had taken to sell, so he wanted to help her out. Ye Lang had secretly given her money before. She had accepted it twice, but for some reason, Madam Ye always found out the moment she took the money and would come each time to scold her. Once, the scolding had been particularly harsh, and she never dared accept Ye Lang’s money again.
“Miss, it seems your tea truly is delicious,” Qiu Yun said, unaware of the history with Ye Lang, smiling as she handed the money pouch to Su He.
Su He held the pouch, her brow furrowed.
If she accepted this, would Madam Ye storm over here to berate her?
“That jar could at most fill twenty bowls. Including the porcelain jar, it should cost no more than one tael,” she said, taking one tael from the pouch and handing the rest back to Qiu Yun. “Find someone to return this to the restaurant and give it back to General Ye.”
“Ah?” Qiu Yun was stunned again. Earlier, Su He had been so desperate for money her eyes were practically red, but now that the money was in her hands, why was she refusing it?
“I earn money; I don’t steal it,” Su He replied.
Qiu Yun couldn’t understand Su He, but since she refused to accept it, returning it was the right thing to do. She found a guard and hurriedly sent him back to the restaurant, lest the guests disperse and the money couldn’t be returned.
Su He kept the one tael, placing it in a small pouch and carefully storing it in her cabinet.
This was the first time she had earned a whole tael of silver all at once.
Though it was a favor from an acquaintance, Qiu Yun had praised the tea as delicious, which meant her herbal tea still had promise!
…
At the restaurant.
Pei Yan sat by the window, his long fingers holding a white jade teacup as he gazed down at the pedestrians passing by on the street below.
Bai Jian sat across from him, observing his expression, and chuckled softly. “Having taken a concubine really does change a man.”
Pei Yan had a covert organization known as the Shadow Garret, which handled matters that couldn’t be dealt with openly. Bai Jian was the master who managed the Shadow Garret for him.
“How has it changed?” Pei Yan asked lazily.
“It’s been several days since we could get you to come out for a drink,” Bai Jian said, taking a sip of tea. He then reminded him, “But you’re someone afflicted with Sinking Poison. That poison targets men who remain chaste. Once you lose your virginity, the Sinking Poison becomes far more aggressive. How is that Miss Su holding up?”
“She’s fine,” Pei Yan replied, his mind flashing to the image of Su He softly pleading for mercy in his arms the night before. A faint itch began to stir somewhere in his heart.
Zhang Jiulu pushed the door open and entered, speaking quietly. “Sir, the person has been brought.”
Pei Yan’s gaze drifted lazily toward the door, where a thin man in a blue robe stood, looking anxious as he met Pei Yan’s eyes before quickly lowering his head.
“This is the medicinal herb you requested, sir,” the man said, bowing as he entered and presenting a wooden box with both hands.
Zhang Jiulu took the box and respectfully placed it before Pei Yan. Pei Yan lifted the lid and looked at the brown plant inside. It was a strange-looking plant, with snow-white roots and stems covered in brown patterns that, when held up to the sunlight, took on a glaring, blood-red hue.
“Where did you obtain this?” Bai Jian asked.
This is the Sinking Angelica Herb used to concoct the Sinking Poison. This highly toxic herb grows deep within mountain caves and is extremely difficult to find. Three years ago, Pei Yan was poisoned with Sinking Poison. Bai Jian exhausted every means to detoxify him, but the poison was not completely eradicated. It has remained dormant in his body ever since, with the risk of flaring up at any moment. Three years ago, they had already offered a hefty reward in the Ghost Market to find the Sinking Angelica Herb, but this was the first time someone had come forward with the herb to claim the reward.
“It’s in the Cave Mansion Mountain,” the man quickly produced another neatly folded cloth. Unfolding it, he revealed a drawn map of the route. “Your Excellency, please allow me to explain. I also obtained this Sinking Angelica Herb by chance from a herb gatherer who had entered the mountains. At the time, this herb was mixed among other medicinal plants, and the gatherer himself hadn’t noticed it. I had seen illustrations of the Sinking Angelica Herb in the Ghost Market, so I recognized it. Later, I specifically went to the cave the gatherer mentioned and searched inside and out, but I couldn’t find a second plant.”
“Give him the reward,” Pei Yan closed the lid and signaled to Zhang Jiulu with a glance.
Zhang Jiulu led the man out. As he pushed open the door, he saw Ye Lang passing by the entrance, holding a porcelain jar, followed unexpectedly by a guard from the Princess’s Mansion.
“I’ll go take a look,” Zhang Jiulu said immediately.
A dark glint flashed in Pei Yan’s eyes. He couldn’t figure out why a guard would be looking for Ye Lang. If Princess Chang was sending someone about the marriage proposal, she wouldn’t dispatch just a guard to find Ye Lang.
After a while, Zhang Jiulu returned, holding a money pouch.
“Your Excellency, today Miss Su sold a jar of herbal tea to General Ye. General Ye paid twenty taels of silver, but Miss Su refused to accept it and had it returned. General Ye said that Miss Su is living in hardship and insisted that the silver be sent back to her, as if adding to her dowry.”
The room fell silent for a moment before Pei Yan sneered, “The Ye family is laughably poor, offering only twenty taels.”
“But the young lady’s surname is Su, not Ye,” Bai Jian reminded him.
“Let’s go back,” Pei Yan glanced at the money pouch and casually took it in hand.
“This subordinate respectfully sees Your Excellency off,” Bai Jian stood up and bowed to Pei Yan.
Pei Yan lazily grunted in response and strode out of the room.
By the time he returned to the Bamboo Garden, dusk had settled.
Su He was not in the courtyard. On the table lay the Book of Songs he had left there the previous day, along with a stack of newly written characters.
Qiu Yun hurried forward to greet him with a bow. “Your Excellency.”
“Where is Su He?” He picked up the characters Su He had written and asked in a low voice.
“The young lady is resting. She has a severe stomachache,” Qiu Yun replied softly.
“Has Physician Liu examined her?” Pei Yan’s eyes turned cold as he looked at Qiu Yun.
“He has. She ate too much greasy food yesterday and drank too much herbal tea today,” Qiu Yun frowned slightly. Thinking of how Su He had only been able to consume livestock-grade herbs whenever she fell ill in the past, her heart ached with pity. She added, “The young lady’s constitution is weak. It would be best to nourish her gently.”
“She’s spoiled,” Pei Yan said, displeased. Why would she drink herbal tea when she already had a stomachache?
He strode back to his own room, called for attendants to help him change clothes, and then went to the study to review official documents. Candlelight flickered in the east wing. From the window, he could see Qiu Yun going in and out several times, but Su He never emerged.
Pei Yan had spent the past few nights with Su He. Tonight, without her constant chattering, he felt oddly unaccustomed.
Could it be that the little thing’s stomachache was truly severe?
He was just about to get up and go check when he saw the opposite door open. Su He, dressed neatly, walked over with a cup of tea in hand.
Was his stomach better now?
Pei Yan leaned back in his chair, watching Su He cross through the moonlight and step over the threshold into the study.
“Sir,” Su He lifted his small face, widening a pair of eyes as red as a rabbit’s to look at him.