By the calendar, the people sent from the Marquis’s household would arrive in late spring, around the third month. That left her two months.
In those two months, Shen Qingluo visited all three shops and one estate her grandmother had left behind.
Her grandmother’s family had risen through the cloth trade. The three shops were located in the east, south, and west of the city, while in the north there was an embroidery house and a dye workshop. The shops relied on long-standing patrons, their reputation excellent.
Silks and embroideries were transported from the northern lands, passing through Jinxi City, then on to the northern tribes. There, silk and embroidery were rare commodities, fetching more than triple the price they would in Nanchen.
Manager Liu explained to Shen Qingluo: “The north is at war. Border trade has halted. The silks cannot be shipped out, and the warehouses are piled high with unsold stock.” He spoke with a worried expression. An old retainer who had followed her grandmother from the Li family, Manager Liu had devoted himself wholeheartedly to their affairs.
Shen Qingluo had learned bookkeeping and shop management from her grandmother, but only superficially. Harboring prejudice against merchants, she had never involved herself in business matters. Manager Liu sighed often, convinced the Li family’s sky was about to collapse.
Summoning his resolve, he spoke with a trace of disappointment: “Miss, you need not trouble yourself with the shops. Before her death, the old madam instructed that you must return to Shengjing. When the shops can no longer be sustained, sell two of them. Take the silver with you.” He added: “I’ve already found buyers for the warehouse stock. The price is fair enough.”
Manager Liu had made his plans. He would fulfill the old mistress’s final instructions, then retire to his hometown.
Unexpectedly, the once-proud young lady bowed her head to him, her voice courteous and sincere: “Uncle Liu, these years the shops have survived thanks to you. But the shops cannot be sold.”
Manager Liu looked up in astonishment. Shen Qingluo’s expression was calm, not at all like jest: “Miss, you don’t understand. This northern war will last a year at least. Most of our liquid silver is tied up in that warehouse stock. If we don’t sell, we won’t be able to keep the business afloat. We may lose everything.”
That was one concern. The other was his belief that the Li family had no successor—Shen Qingluo was ignorant of such matters, and ruin was inevitable.
But Shen Qingluo replied firmly: “Manager Liu, don’t be anxious. Wait one more month. After a month, the northern war will end, and border trade will reopen.”
Her tone was resolute. Manager Liu, however, did not believe her. This war was unlike the usual skirmishes. Even if it ended, the reopening of border trade was far from certain.
Manager Liu still wanted to argue, but Shen Qingluo cut him off, her tone firm: “Manager Liu, these three shops were left to me by Grandmother. I will never sell them. Let’s wait a little longer—there’s no harm in deciding later.”
She had already checked the accounts; sustaining the business for another month would not be a problem.
Speaking with both reason and sincerity, she persuaded him. Manager Liu agreed at last, though half in doubt. Still, he was comforted that Shen Qingluo seemed to understand her grandmother’s intentions. The young lady appeared to have grown sensible.
Shen Qingluo returned to the old residence by carriage, with Suyue following. To her, the young mistress now seemed unfamiliar, colder than before. All her questions lodged in her throat, unspoken. The memory of Nanny Wang’s death was still vivid.
The little maid sat trembling at one side. Shen Qingluo’s cool gaze fell upon her: “Suyue, you’ve been with me since you were eight. Have you been loyal to me as your mistress?”
The sudden question startled Suyue. She dropped to her knees: “Miss, I was wrong! Nanny Wang forced me to falsely accuse Nanny Bai. I was wrong—I will never betray you again!” She swore by the life of her only younger brother.
Shen Qingluo’s expression softened slightly: “Get up.”
Suyue returned to her seat, still not daring to meet her eyes. Shen Qingluo continued: “Once unfaithful, never to be trusted again. But I’ll give you one chance. If you betray me again, Nanny Wang’s fate will be yours.”
Suyue’s back was damp with cold sweat. “I will never dare betray you again!” she swore.
The heavy snow had just ceased. Street vendors hurried out under the faint morning light to set up their stalls, eager to make up for a winter without income. Their cries rang out with vigor.
Shen Qingluo heard one hawking honey-fried pastries carved into delicate patterns. Remembering that Douzi loved them, she stopped the carriage and sent Suyue to buy some.
Nearby, in a teahouse, a few scholars were discussing the northern war, their voices impassioned.
“The northern army is fierce, and their deployments are masterful. Winning with fewer against many—this war may end sooner than expected.”
“We always knew the Grand Minister of the Privy Council held the frontier secure for ten years without mishap. Who would have thought his talent in strategy and troop movements was even greater?”
“He is a prodigy of his generation. Yet fate is never perfect—only thirty years old, and already afflicted with an illness that leaves him without heirs…”
Suyue returned, and the carriage rolled back toward the residence. Shen Qingluo did not hear the rest. Instead, in her mind flashed the image of a cold, resolute face— and those deep, forceful eyes she dared not meet whenever she called him “Uncle.”
Shen Qingluo shook her head, as if to scatter the memory. Plague god, begone.
By noon, Shen Qingluo had finished inspecting the three shops. With stern words to establish authority and reassuring words to calm fears, she persuaded the three managers to abandon thoughts of leaving for other opportunities. In her past life, upon returning to the capital, she had listened to Manager Liu’s advice—sell the shops, convert them into silver. Within two years, the Marquis’s household squandered it all. This time, she built her own private treasury, selecting several of her grandmother’s trusted retainers to serve her. It was a plan for the long term.
“Miss, it’s getting late. Shall we return?” Suyue reminded.
Shen Qingluo nodded.
As the carriage passed Baohe Hall, the sound of commotion reached them. Several burly men, clubs in hand, stood menacingly at the entrance.
Onlookers whispered:
“They say someone was harmed by treatment?”
“Impossible. Doctor Chen’s skill is renowned. He’s being harassed by bullies.”
“Lower your voice. That thug has connections. If he hears you, you’ll be in trouble.”
“True enough. A pity for Doctor Chen’s young daughter—the brute took a fancy to her, proposed marriage, was refused, and now wants to seize her by force.”
“Is there no law?”
“What good is the law? He drags a patient into Baohe Hall and claims that Doctor Chen ruined them. Even if the magistrate comes, it’s hard to untangle. If this continues, who will dare seek treatment here?”
The crowd sighed, muttered a few words, then drifted away, unconcerned.
Shen Qingluo ordered the carriage to halt. With Suyue at her side, she stepped through the gates of Baohe Hall.
Inside, on a chair to the side, sat a man in a sapphire-blue robe, his waist hung with sachets, his face bloated. When he saw them enter, his eyes lit up.
Shen Qingluo was dressed plainly, a small white flower pinned in her black hair—the mourning ornament worn when an elder had passed. The bully swaggered up to her, eyes sweeping from head to toe, then tried to lift her chin with the fan he used to feign a rakish air.
“Stop! How dare you touch my mistress? How many hands do you have to spare for chopping?” Suyue snapped, her gaze cold. Born and raised in the Marquis’s household, protecting her mistress without fear was instinct. “My mistress’s surname is Shen. You’d better find out how many in Shanyang County bear that name!”
“Shen?” The bully faltered, cowed by the little maid’s boldness. He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and his face changed. “Could it be… the Shen family of the Marquis’s household in Shengjing?”
Suyue lifted her chin proudly. “Good that you know. Doctor Chen is the physician my mistress relies on. If you come here to stir up trouble, you’d better measure whether you’re strong enough to bear the consequences!”
Shanyang was a small place. Everyone knew the Shen family. Who could possibly outweigh their power? Though unwilling, the bully could only curse under his breath and slink away.