“Perhaps it was a letter from Yan’er.” Zhao Si returned the letter to Yun Qing, sat down on the edge of the bed with a chuckle, pulled Yun Qing into his arms, and had her sit sideways on his lap. “What is this, wife? You’ve barely been apart from me for half a day and you’ve already learned how to brew vinegar? Splendid, splendid! I was just fretting over where to buy some vinegar.”
“Was this truly not from someone else, Husband?” Yun Qing asked, unconvinced.
Zhao Si hugged Yun Qing tighter, leaned close to her ear, and murmured, “If it genuinely were from an admirer, what would my wife intend to do?”
Yun Qing pushed Zhao Si away, stood up from his embrace, and declared with unyielding resolve, “Yun Qing would request a letter of divorce and become a total stranger to you, Zhao Tianjiao.”
“Is my wife truly so cold-hearted?” Zhao Si pulled Yun Qing back into his arms, locked eyes with her, and said, “It is merely a letter, yet you are so quick to cast me aside as a stranger without even bothering to ask how I feel about it?”
“How do you feel? Naturally, you think to yourself that there are charming maidens in the temples and lovely wives outside the manor! What am I, mere Yun Qing, supposed to amount to? I…” Yun Qing turned her face away in anger, her tears instantly tumbling down in a flurry.
Seeing Yun Qing cry completely took Zhao Si aback.
From her perspective, it was merely a love letter—even if it truly had been addressed to her, what harm was there in it? Could it be that her precious wife was actually the jealous type?
“What is my wife afraid of, exactly?” Zhao Si gently wiped away the tears at the corners of Yun Qing’s eyes, her gaze filled with a mixture of bewilderment and heartache. “You and I are a couple who have already performed the wedding ceremonies, a pair of devoted lovers in the eyes of the people of Cenzhou City. I have also introduced you to Magistrate Hu and Tenth Master Liu. Surely you don’t think I went out today to fool around with the person who wrote this letter? If so, you have wronged me entirely. I have spent these past few days going to the Qinshou Residence exclusively with Ying’er, and I even brought back a copy of ‘Blessed Residences.'”
“Here, take a look and see if there is any estate you fancy.” Seizing the moment, Zhao Si slipped her hand into the front of her robe, felt around, and then peered sideways, stealing glances at Yun Qing. Seeing that Yun Qing’s eyes were already reddened as she stared fixedly at her hand, Zhao Si simply turned slightly toward her and chuckled playfully, “After wandering around with Ying’er all day, I am quite exhausted. If my wife wishes to see the ‘Blessed Residences’ booklet, it is right here. Come and get it yourself.”
“Hmph.” Yun Qing turned around, presenting her back to Zhao Si.
Zhao Si tilted her head slightly and noticed that a faint flush had crept across Yun Qing’s cheeks.
“Very well, very well. I shall tease you no longer! The ‘Blessed Residences’ is right here, please accept it with my compliments, Wife!” With an upward curl of her lips, Zhao Si pulled out the booklet and handed it to Yun Qing.
Yun Qing accepted it, tucked it beneath her pillow, and told Zhao Si, “Very well, I shall trust Husband this time. But remember this: if any loose or improper women dare to hand you love letters in the future, you are under no circumstances to accept them.”
“How does my wife know this was handed to me by a woman?” Zhao Si was utterly baffled. Counting from the moment she woke up in Wangjia Village, she could only recall encountering four women on her fingers: discounting her wife, there was just Ying’er, Yan’er, and Shiqing.
“Did Shiqing write me a love letter?” Zhao Si muttered to herself. “That’s impossible. Wife, why on earth would Shiqing write a love letter to me?”
“Husband is overthinking. This love letter certainly wasn’t written by Shiqing.” Yun Qing unfolded the letter, brought it close to Zhao Si’s nose, and urged, “Husband, take a whiff. Isn’t there a faint trace of peony fragrance?”
Zhao Si followed her instruction and inhaled, whereupon a sharp pain struck her forehead. Immediately afterward, vast fields of blooming peonies flashed before her eyes. Amidst the sea of peonies stood two women: one dressed entirely in black with a veiled face, carrying a sword like an assassin, and the other wearing a married woman’s hair bun adorned with nine golden hairpins, looking much like an imperial concubine.
Enduring the pain, Zhao Si continued to inhale the peony scent from the letter. The fragrance grew more intense, and the imagery before her eyes became sharper and clearer. Gradually, Zhao Si watched as the two women began to quarrel, after which the woman dressed as a concubine lost the upper hand, and the woman in black departed first.
What on earth were they arguing about?
Enduring the throbbing ache, Zhao Si held the letter close and sniffed at it for a long while, but alas, only the lingering peony fragrance remained swirling at the tip of her nose.
Squinting her eyes, Zhao Si folded the letter, handed it back to Yun Qing, and offered her expert appraisal: “This fragrance is quite intriguing.”
“Intriguing is an understatement. This stationery was unquestionably manufactured by royal decree in the Prince Duan’s Manor.” Yun Qing revealed the secret behind the letter paper to Zhao Si.
A sudden realization dawned on Zhao Si, who chuckled, pulled Yun Qing into an embrace, and said, “I understand now! It turns out a princess from Prince Duan’s Manor wrote me a love letter.”
“Nonsense!” Yun Qing was amused in spite of herself. “Prince Duan is twenty-two years old this year. How could there be a princess capable of writing you a love letter?”
“Very well. Then what is my wife still worrying about?” Zhao Si entwined her fingers with Yun Qing’s, pressed them against her lips for a gentle kiss, and said with feigned casualness, “I have forgotten my past entirely. Right now, my heart holds room for my wife alone. Should you ever encounter any of my old acquaintances, feel free to meet them in my stead. And when you do, be sure to tell them that you are my wife.”
“Husband, Husband… are you starting to remember things from the past?” Shock drained the color entirely from Yun Qing’s face.
Zhao Si scratched her head and replied vaguely, “I wouldn’t quite call it remembering. It’s just a vague feeling that I might have been a gardener in the past. Once we find a residence and settle down, perhaps I can look for a livelihood selling flowers.”
“Wife, if I were to become a flower-seller, you wouldn’t look down on me, would you?” Zhao Si looked down at Yun Qing, her cheeks burning slightly. Indeed, which husband in the world would spend three days dreaming of becoming a general only to pivot to selling flowers?
“I would not. Yun Qing loves flowers above all else. If Husband enjoys growing flowers, we shall plant wisteria all over the courtyard.” Half-leaning into Zhao Si’s embrace, Yun Qing held up the letter containing the love poem and tossed it into the candlelight to burn away.
Zhao Si gazed as the letter vanished into the flames, slowly withdrew her gaze, pulled an exquisite porcelain bottle from her sleeve, gently placed it into Yun Qing’s lap, and said softly, “Wife, Ying’er gave me a bottle of medicine, saying I should have you take a pill when it’s time for bed. Would you like to take one?”
“Husband, go ahead and sleep first. Yun Qing has not yet dined; once I finish eating, I will take a pill myself. Do not fret over me, Husband.” Stretching out her neck, Yun Qing kissed Zhao Si, got up to tuck away the porcelain bottle, and departed the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Chamber via the stone path.
When Yun Qing left, Zhao Si remained completely immersed in the lingering warmth of that kiss. It was only after Yun Qing had walked some distance away that Zhao Si remembered she perhaps ought to have accompanied Yun Qing. Yet, considering that Yun Qing might take the porcelain bottle and confront Ying’er directly, Zhao Si simply decided to get up, secure the wardrobe doors, pull over the straw mat, cross her arms, and close her eyes to sleep.
As Zhao Si drifted off, her thoughts rested entirely on her agreement with Yan’er to rise early the next morning and head together to the Qinshou Workshop.
When Zhao Si opened her eyes, it was because she sensed a flickering flame right before her.
“Wife?” Zhao Si called out to Yun Qing and snapped her eyes open in a rush, only to see Ying’er holding a lit candle holder, inspecting her up and down.
Ying’er’s eyes were filled with absolute fascination as she inspected her and called out, “Miss, come quickly! Master Husband is right here in the room! She just fell asleep leaning against the wardrobe!”
“How could this happen?” Yun Qing frowned, hurried over to Zhao Si’s side, and leaned down to help her up. “Why didn’t Husband go sleep in the bed?”
“I… I…” Zhao Si stood up, fixed her gaze on Yun Qing’s eyes under the candlelight, and stammered, “I was simply too tired.”
“How shameful! Master Husband must have thought Yan’er’s bed was too small, which is why you refused to sleep in it!” Ying’er made a playful grimace at Zhao Si.
“I…” Zhao Si averted her gaze, not daring to meet Yun Qing’s eyes.
With a cold tone, Yun Qing stepped in to defend Zhao Si. “Ying’er! My husband has a thin skin; you are not permitted to tease her further.”
“Understood! Understood! Ying’er will never dare do it again!” Yan’er obediently acknowledged Yun Qing’s words, then turned her face toward Zhao Si and chimed in, “However, Yan’er is already up! Master Husband, have you washed up yet?”
“I’ll go right now!” Acknowledging Ying’er, Zhao Si leaned down to press a quick kiss to Yun Qing’s cheek and whispered softly, “Wait for my return, Wife. I will certainly secure a grand residence for the two of us.”
With that, Zhao Si headed off to the Mouchun Pavilion to find Yan’er. To her surprise, Yan’er was already waiting at the entrance of the Mouchun Pavilion holding a ceremonial offering tray. The moment Zhao Si drew near, Yan’er immediately welcomed her into the pavilion, summoned a maidservant, and together they helped Zhao Si change into a fresh set of garments.
“Was this arranged by Yun Qing?” Zhao Si flicked her sleeves to inspect the newly changed black attire, then stepped into the black shoes prepared by Yan’er.
Yan’er nodded in confirmation, and Zhao Si chose not to dwell on it further. Once changed, she stepped out of Yulu Tower alongside Yan’er. Just as Zhao Si intended to go over her mental notes on how to persuade the carriage driver, Yan’er moved a step ahead, gently guided Zhao Si into a four-bearer sedan chair, and whisked her all the way toward the Qinshou Workshop.
When the sedan chair arrived at the Qinshou Building, the sky was already fully illuminated.
“Master Husband!”
Hearing Yan’er’s call, Zhao Si stepped out of the sedan chair and looked up to find the entrance of the Qinshou Workshop densely packed with people. Whether standing or lying down, male or female, old or young, each person was holding a circular wooden placard and shouting at the top of their lungs toward a thin man in brown garments standing beneath the plaque.
“It’s me! It’s me!”
“Choose mine! Choose mine!”
Zhao Si concentrated her gaze on the brown-robed man. She saw that he held a stack of envelopes in his left hand, while a young boy stood beside his right hand. The boy was holding a bamboo-strip basket tied with a red ribbon; through the gaps in the wickerwork, a few scattered wooden placards could be seen resting inside.
What on earth were they doing here?
Zhao Si turned her head to look at Yan’er. Yan’er stood dazed for a moment before turning her gaze toward the sedan-chair bearers. Meeting Yan’er’s look, the four bearers first exchanged glances among themselves. Once a silent consensus was reached between them, they turned and dashed toward the young boy all at once, retrieved six wooden placards, selected one of them, bowed, and handed it respectfully to Zhao Si.
“What purpose does this object serve?” Zhao Si stroked the six wooden placards. On the reverse side, they were all carved with the characters “Qinshou Workshop,” while the obverse sides bore the cyclical characters Jiazi, Jiasi, Yiwei, Guihai, Dingchen, and Gengyou.
The bearer who presented the treasure lowered his head and reported, “Master Zhao may not know this, but although Jiang Sanhu, the master of the Qinshou Workshop, possesses wealth rivaling a nation, he lacks virtue and delights in malicious schemes that ruin honest people’s livelihoods. The ‘Smooth Sailing Placards’ that Master Zhao now holds are precisely one of Jiang Sanhu’s vicious plots. Three years ago, when Jiang Sanhu established the Qinshou Workshop here, Cenzhou City still had three other districts, Laifu District, Wanfu District, and Anye District—that sold and exchanged residential properties. Today, relying solely on these placards, Jiang Sanhu has squeezed those three out of business and monopolized the rental and sales market for homes and shops throughout Cenzhou City.”
“How was she able to accomplish such a thing?” Zhao Si failed to understand.
The bearer sighed and replied, “It sounds simple enough. The Qinshou Workshop distributes sixty placards every day, and the lottery official opens and verifies six envelopes. The first four placards exempt the holders from rent to move into a two-compound courtyard for a year. As for the final two, one grants the recipient a three-compound courtyard as a gift, while the other entitles the holder to share a ‘Qinshou Banquet’ with Jiang Sanhu herself.”
Zhao Si understood now. “Does that mean we actually have a chance to attend the banquet today?”
“Master Zhao, you must not harbor such thoughts. That is precisely where the poisonous schemer Jiang Sanhu’s trap lies.” The bearer lowered his voice further. “Why is it that everywhere Master Zhao passed along the way, this place alone is bustling with such clamor? It is because the common folk of Cenzhou have all fallen prey to Jiang Sanhu’s sinister trap of ‘getting something for nothing.’ I ask you, if one could simply draw a placard and wait to receive a mansion, who would ever be willing to toil day in and day out to earn an honest living?”
“Yet I have a strong feeling we stand a chance at attending this banquet today! Am I right, Yan’er?” Holding onto the Dingchen placard, Zhao Si tossed the remaining five over to Yan’er, instructed her to keep one for herself, and had her distribute the rest back to the four sedan-chair bearers.