In Yangzhou Fu, the Yan and Zhang families were two leading dragons in the business world. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. No matter how harmonious the two families appeared on the surface, their private competition was certainly not a pretty sight.
This competition manifested in every aspect. Apart from business, they contended over family background, connections, backing, and both outward appearances and inner substance—everything was up for grabs.
Most things could be managed, but having a powerful backer depended on fate.
It had always been true that officials and merchants were inseparable. Whichever family had a stronger backer would have greater confidence in their commercial ventures—this was an indisputable fact. Thanks to Lady Yao, a revered Buddha, the Yan family’s connections reached directly into the top aristocratic circles of Beidu. In this regard, the Zhang family fell short by more than just a little.
Thus, in recent years, the Zhang family had begun maneuvering in this direction. They encouraged their sons and nephews to study for the imperial examinations and arranged marriages with official families, doing everything possible to squeeze into the upper echelons.
Marrying into official families, especially local officials, would at most allow them to mingle in the outer circles of the aristocracy—still worlds away from Lady Yao’s level. But if they could climb up to a duke’s household or even a prince’s, that would be an entirely different story.
Yan Changfeng thought to herself, the Zhang family really had a clever plan. A merchant family with little foundation actually wanted to reach the heavens in a single step—weren’t they afraid of falling to their deaths?
She had no time to serve as a stepping stone for the Zhang family’s social climbing. She declined, “If it’s about eating crabs, that’s easy—I’ll have someone pack two baskets for you to take back. Today, my family has distinguished guests, so we won’t be receiving you.”
Zhang Ruyan seemed not to understand the implied dismissal in her words. She whispered, “What distinguished guests, Sister Xueyi? Could you introduce them? You know my brother is pursuing an official career—it’s always good to meet more influential people.”
Yan Changfeng glanced at Third Miss Zhang’s face, which was so thickly coated with powder and rouge that its original complexion was indiscernible. She imagined that if she slapped it, a layer as thick as a city wall might flake off.
She put on a troubled expression. “Is that so? Then I’ll ask for you. However, distinguished guests are precious and have many particularities. They might not be willing to share a table with us for a meal.”
Relying on the thickness of her makeup, Zhang Ruyan was quite confident. “It’s all right, Sister Xueyi. Perhaps we’ll catch the distinguished guests’ eye. Even if we can’t share a meal, getting acquainted would still be good.”
Just as she finished speaking, Yan Chuanxing led the Prince of Shu and Pei Xiu into the flower hall. Before he could say anything, Yan Changfeng addressed the Prince of Shu, “Young Master, the son and daughter of my Uncle Zhang’s family have heard of your arrival and have come specifically to pay their respects. Would it be convenient for them to join us for a simple meal?”
Before the Prince of Shu could respond, Second Young Master Pei beside him coughed out a winding melody, as if traversing eighteen mountain bends. “My apologies… cough cough… a c-cold… please excuse me… cough cough cough…”
The corner of Yan Changfeng’s mouth twitched.
The Prince of Shu was so distressed by Pei Er’s coughing that his own lungs ached. He had no time to deal with the people in the flower hall and anxiously patted Pei Er’s back while muttering, “I told you not to expose yourself to the wind, but you wouldn’t listen. How harsh the Jiangnan wind is—how could your frail constitution withstand it casually… Ahem, Uncle Yan, my brother’s old ailment has flared up. Should we arrange a room for him to rest first?”
Yan Chuanxing was an old fox. He saw through the subtle maneuvering among these young people at a glance and played along, “Third Sister, take them down to rest.”
Yan Changqing had been staring at the new embroidery pattern on Zhang Ruyan’s shoes and was startled by the instruction. All arrangements for the distinguished guests’ rooms were handled by Mother. Having just returned home, he knew nothing—where was he supposed to take them?
But he had learned to read people's expressions from a young age. Seeing that his father and mother had not spoken up, he guessed there must be some inconvenience, so he decided to lead the two distinguished guests to the West Flower Hall first.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard Young Master Zhang catch up and say, "Esteemed guests, please wait a moment. I wonder what ailment the esteemed guests are suffering from? My family runs a pharmacy with renowned physicians in attendance…"
"How dare you!"
Before he could finish, he was stopped by Prince of Shu's attendants. "How could you presume to inquire about the esteemed guests' illness?"
The Zhang family was one of the most prominent clans in Yangzhou Fu, and Young Master Zhang held considerable prestige in the area. Even officials had to show him respect, so he had never been subjected to such a rebuke before. Instantly, he felt embarrassed and unable to save face.
At this moment, Zhang Ruyan gracefully approached her brother. First, she gave Prince of Shu's attendants a sweet smile, then shyly glanced at the two distinguished guests behind them.
Just as she was about to explain on her brother's behalf, the attendants stiffly raised their hands to stop her. "Miss, please stay where you are!"
Zhang Ruyan's face, caked with three pounds of powder, flushed red instantly. She couldn't understand why she was being treated with such disdain.
The young ladies of Jiangnan naturally possessed a gentle and charming demeanor, and Third Miss Zhang had an added touch of innocent sweetness, making her quite popular on ordinary days. Unfortunately, one of the two distinguished guests was coughing as if on the verge of ascending to heaven, while the other, like an old nursemaid, was solely focused on patting his back. Neither had the patience to listen to her speak, and they had already strode away.
The attendants naturally followed their masters closely, each wearing an expression of official duty and responding with indifference.
The Zhang siblings faced successive cold shoulders, and neither could maintain their composure. Their faces visibly darkened.
Yan Changqing led the two distinguished guests to the West Flower Hall, personally opened the door, and said, "Your Highness Prince of Shu, Second Young Master Pei, please rest here for a moment."
He then instructed the maidservants waiting there to arrange tea and, bowing respectfully, guided the two distinguished guests to their seats.
Pei Xiu continued to cough with utter abandon, while Prince of Shu's head buzzed with annoyance. Seeing that Pei Xiu showed no sign of stopping his act, Prince of Shu had no choice but to increase the force of his pats, giving Pei Xiu's back a firm slap to convey the message: "That's enough. A few coughs would have sufficed. It's not like I didn't understand the hint."
Second Miss Yan had mentioned that the Zhang siblings had specifically requested an audience, implying that the Zhang family was fully aware of their movements. The two of them had escorted Yan Chuanxing back to Yangzhou Fu without revealing their identities publicly—even the local authorities were unaware. Yet the insignificant Zhang family knew about it, which was undeniably suspicious.
"Cough, cough… Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Pei Xiu slowly took his seat, coughing twice more as if it were genuine, then took out a small porcelain bottle from his person, poured out a pill, and swallowed it, as though he truly suffered from a chronic ailment.
Prince of Shu watched him in astonishment, momentarily unable to tell whether his illness was real or feigned.
In the main hall, the distinguished guests had hurriedly departed, leaving the Zhang siblings both embarrassed and somewhat confused.
"This… the esteemed guest seems rather frail?" Zhang Ruyan had genuinely never seen someone bundled up so thickly still catch a chill from the August winds of Jiangnan.
After delivering her verbal slap, Yan Changfeng kindly helped smooth things over: "Indeed, just a gust of wind brought this on. In the future, he might not even be able to leave the house."
The implication was that the esteemed guest was essentially an invalid, and marrying him would likely mean a life of loneliness. Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruyan felt somewhat relieved. Such a person, no matter how noble, was not worth marrying.
As for the other one, his status was somewhat lacking—Zhang Ruyan had mistakenly taken Prince of Shu for Second Young Master Pei, as Master Pei appeared more distinguished.
After comforting herself in this way, she no longer felt so regretful. After all, Father would arrange for her to go to Beidu by the end of the year. With her looks, was she really worried about not marrying into a prominent family?
“Well, never mind then. Since the esteemed guest is unwell, we won’t disturb them any further.” Zhang Ruyan once again put on a sweet smile, took her brother by the hand, and bid farewell.
Yan Changfeng had someone pack two baskets of crabs for them to take along. As soon as they left, her expression immediately darkened.
She asked Yan Chuanxing in a low voice, “Father, did the Prince of Shu and his companion reveal their identities publicly during their journey to Yangzhou Fu?”
Yan Chuanxing was also pondering this matter. “No, which is why I’m puzzled about how the Zhang siblings happened to arrive at such a coincidental time.”
Yan Changfeng frowned. “Could it be that someone from our own entourage leaked the information?”