Chapter Five

Shi Lingyao chose to refer to the person only as a certain imperial concubine, briefly explaining the hidden trickery behind the scented powder to Zhou Jun and the others. She concluded by saying, "This concerns the dignity of the Imperial House, so naturally, it did not spread through the streets and markets. I only learned of it by sheer luck. As for those mines in Jizhou, they are naturally stuck in the hands of those people."

It was rumored that the then-Governor of Jizhou had suffered greatly because of this incident.

As for the gifts presented to the Governor of Jizhou, intended to make the Jizhou scented powder a rare commodity and to have Consort Sun mention its virtues among the noble ladies of Bianjing—their schemes had naturally come to nothing.

Shi Lingyao did not know what the situation in Jizhou was like ten years later, but judging by the expressions on Zhou Jun and his companions, she suspected they had realized they were the fools targeted by that group of people.

The "fools," Zhou Jun and the others, exchanged glances. The man who had first spoken to Shi Lingyao was named Wang Ming; after hearing her explanation, he felt incredibly distressed.

They realized they had been cheated, but they were unwilling to admit it—such a large sum of silver!

Just like that, it had all been sunk into this, without even a ripple to show for it?!

Thinking of what Shi Lingyao had just said, Wang Ming felt a sense of panic.

If a lady of noble birth used their scented powder and developed a rash on her face, the consequences would be far more severe than just losing money.

If it reached that point, none of them would be able to escape a prison sentence!

Wang Ming’s tightly clenched fists trembled slightly.

Yet, he forced himself to maintain his composure and said, "You are just a young girl, how can I believe what you say?" What if this young woman was just playing a prank, trying to swindle them?!

The others followed Wang Ming’s lead and looked at Shi Lingyao.

It was not that they wanted to make things difficult for a woman, but truly... this batch of goods was their last hope. If they failed, they would have no face to return home.

Facing the men’s expressions, which were a mix of ferocity and desperation, Shi Lingyao glanced at him. "Why don't you open a box, apply plenty of it to your own face, and try it for a few days? You’ll find out soon enough."

Wang Ming’s face darkened. "You—"

"Wang Ming, sit down!" Zhou Jun, who had been silent until now, barked a stern order. He paused, then looked at Shi Lingyao, his tone softening slightly. "Mistress Shi, you mentioned earlier that you have a way for us to make a handsome profit."

"I will not hide it from you, Mistress Shi, that we have come to Bianjing as a last resort. If this batch of scented powder is problematic, it doesn't matter if we men go hungry, but the old and young at home cannot bear such hardship." Zhou Jun gave a bitter smile, stood up, and said solemnly, "Please, Mistress Shi, help us. If things succeed, we will surely offer a generous reward."

As expected of a businessman, he certainly knew how to talk.

Shi Lingyao felt a secret sense of relief at Zhou Jun's words.

She could have finalized the business with them immediately, but they hadn't personally seen the symptoms caused by the Jizhou powder on human skin. Although they seemed to believe her words, there remained a lingering doubt in their hearts.

It was better to let them see the truth for themselves. By then, they would be even more panicked, and they would naturally have more use for her.

Shi Lingyao made her decision silently.

If her parents saw her current money-grubbing, calculating self, they would likely be both angry and amused, chiding her for having no trace of the dignity of her noble upbringing.

There was no help for it; that bastard Xie Zongwei could not be relied upon. For now, she had to pave her own way and raise her children; there was no shame in that!

"Seven days from now, we will meet here again. I will give you what you want."

Looking at the young and excessively beautiful woman, Wang Ming couldn't help but feel suspicious. Just as he was about to speak, a sharp look from Zhou Jun silenced him.

Zhou Jun nodded in agreement.

"Seven days is neither long nor short. Brother Zhou can also try that batch of powder to see if I am merely playing tricks."

Zhou Jun smiled. "Mistress Shi is not one to speak empty words; we understand."

Though he said this, Zhou Jun and his companions were indeed anxious to find a safe place to test the powder they had once pinned their hopes on. As they parted ways, Zhou Jun asked politely, "May I ask where Mistress Shi is staying? If it is on our way, we could give you a ride."

Shi Lingyao knew that through Zhou Jun and his group, she could enter Bianjing.

But what then?

Her parents were not in the city, and she did not know the fate of her former close friends. As for Xie Zongwei...

Her husband, after ten years, had become the powerful Chief Counselor.

Judging from what Wang Ming and the others said, there seemed to be a deep-seated grudge between their brother-in-law and Xie Zongwei.

What would time and power turn Xie Zongwei into?

Shi Lingyao did not want to gamble on a man’s conscience.

She had to have the skills to establish a life for herself before she could go to see the twins, and only then could she think about reuniting with her parents in Jiangzhou.

She could not let the two children bear the responsibility of supporting her at such a young age.

Seeing Shi Lingyao shake her head in refusal, Zhou Jun and the others did not delay further. After a few polite exchanges, they settled their bill and hurried off with their carts of cargo toward Bianjing.

Fang Futou was a bit puzzled as to why Mistress Shi did not accept their offer to travel into the city together.

"Brother Fang, I must trouble you to make one more trip for me."

Fang Futou looked at the golden hairpin she held out to him and stammered, "Mistress Shi, you have already paid me."

"One thing is one thing," Shi Lingyao said with a smile. "I set the seven-day appointment without consulting you first, and I will have to trouble you and Sister Taohong for these next few days. It is truly my fault. This hairpin is both a reward for the days I will continue to impose on you, and I also need you to purchase some things for me in Bianjing."

Fang Futou’s face flushed red. "...This is too valuable."

A golden hairpin and a golden bracelet—this was enough to build two large houses with blue bricks!

Mistress Shi was a truly kind person. Fang Futou was determined to do something for her, and he listened very carefully when she began to list the fragrance materials she needed to buy.

Shi Lingyao thought for a moment and handed the jade pendant from her waist to Fang Futou, asking him to help sell it as well; she needed some silver to keep on her.

She couldn't keep wearing this same set of clothes, could she?

Shi Lingyao looked down at the delicate lily patterns on her skirt and felt a bit depressed.

Now was not the time to be fastidious. When she passed by the town later, she would just buy two sets of clothes to make do.

Knowing that Shi Lingyao had a use for the money, Fang Futou visited several pawnshops and chose the one offering the highest price to sell the items. With the silver tucked in his pocket, he didn't dare show it off, and following Shi Lingyao’s instructions, he bought the things she needed before hurrying back to the teahouse outside the city.

The two of them took the donkey cart back to Shanshui Village.

Walking into the Fang family’s small courtyard again, Shi Lingyao felt a bit embarrassed. "Sister Taohong, I must trouble you for a few more days."

Taohong wiped her hands and took the bags from her husband. "What trouble? Having a noble guest stay in my home only brings good fortune; I am more than happy." She gestured toward the little girl standing to the side, "Daya, come, pay your respects to Mistress Shi."

Daya looked to be only eight or nine years old. She was fair-skinned and cute, her features resembling Taohong’s, and she smiled with a touch of shyness.

Taohong was very happy. After Shi Lingyao and Fang Futou had left in the donkey cart, she had quickly closed the house and gone to the town to bring her daughter home.

A stroke of luck had provided enough money to build a new house, and Taohong could no longer bear to let her daughter wake up early to work at the stall.

Seeing Mistress Shi, who should have returned to her home in Bianjing, back again, Taohong felt some confusion, but her warmth was genuine.

Seeing her daughter greet the guest properly, Shi Lingyao praised her a few times. As Daya ran to pour tea for her, Taohong looked on with pride. "The child is just diligent. Her father and I are busy with the fields and don't have much time to manage her. Fortunately, she is more sensible than her younger brother."

Looking at Daya standing quietly to the side, and thinking of her son Goudan who was off playing somewhere, Shi Lingyao remembered the pink silk ribbon the shopkeeper had given her when she bought the clothes.

It was thin and long, originally meant for tying clothes, but now Shi Lingyao had a new idea.

"Daya, come here."

Daya looked at Taohong, and seeing her nod, she stepped forward, blushing.

Shi Lingyao smiled and took out the pink silk ribbon. Her fingers, long, slender, and soft as pearls, moved nimbly. In a moment, the thin pink ribbon was transformed into a flower, which she tucked into the girl’s slightly yellowed hair bun.

"Let your mother see if it looks pretty."

Shi Lingyao had loved beauty since she was a child.

When she was pregnant, the doctor told her she was carrying twins, and she had longed for one boy and one girl—that would be perfect.

If she had a little girl, mother and daughter could spend time dressing up together; the thought alone made her happy.

Daya carefully touched the silk flower in her hair. The texture was very special, softer and smoother than anything she had ever felt before. For a moment, she was filled with both joy and nervousness.

Shi Lingyao looked at Taohong. "Sister Taohong, please don't be so formal with me. I am occupying Daya’s bed, and I feel quite guilty about it. Let the child keep it to play with."

Taohong nodded, looking embarrassed. "You are spending too much on us, Mistress Shi... Daya, hurry and help Mistress Shi into the room to rest."

Daya knew she could keep the silk flower and nodded happily. When her eyes met Shi Lingyao’s pearl-like face, she couldn't help but feel shy and didn't dare to touch her, only saying in a soft voice, "Mistress Shi, this way."

Such a cute little girl.

Shi Lingyao stroked her head.

Daya’s face turned even redder.

Shi Lingyao went inside to tinker with the things Fang Futou had bought for her.

Fang Futou, meanwhile, whispered to Taohong about what had happened that day. She paused in her kneading of the dough. "This..."

Taohong couldn't help but sigh. Even though Mistress Shi’s mind was not quite right, she was a kind-hearted person.

If Daya could learn even a fraction of her grace and poise, she would have no trouble getting married in the future!

Such a wonderful person, how could she have lost her way home?

Looking at the bulging bag Fang Futou handed over, Taohong had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed the weight. She opened it and froze upon seeing the gleaming silver inside. "This—"

Country folk were not used to using banknotes, so Fang Futou had hesitated before exchanging everything for silver. He had been nervous the whole way back, hiding it carefully.

He honestly told her about how Shi Lingyao had given him the golden hairpin, and how he had gone to a pawnshop in Bianjing to exchange it for silver.

Though Taohong was happy, she also felt a sense of panic. "This is too much, Daya’s father, my heart is fluttering!"

Fang Futou also felt uneasy. "If there is anything Mistress Shi needs help with, we will do our best! If she truly cannot find her home, we will have Goudan kowtow and call her godmother, and we will look after her for the rest of her life!"

Although Fang Futou had seen how Shi Lingyao spoke to those merchants today and felt that even if she couldn't find her family, she could live very well on her own merits.

Taohong nodded. "That is the right way to think! We must not forget our place."

The couple busied themselves with preparing a spread of delicious food for their benefactor. Shi Lingyao, looking at the pile of items on the table, drifted into a trance.

She had grown up in Bianjing and knew how much the noble ladies under the imperial city spent on their appearance. To capture their hearts in one fell swoop—to be honest, Shi Lingyao did not have much confidence.

But she had already made such bold claims...

She pressed her lips together and resolutely rolled up her sleeves.

For the sake of reuniting with her children, she would give it her all!

...

While Shi Lingyao was striving for their reunion, on the other side, Xie Junting was still angry over his father’s suspected plan to remarry.

Seeing that he hadn't returned home for a day or two and had been wandering about, Jieming, who had been sent by the eldest son to find him, smiled and said, "Second Young Master, please don't make it difficult for me. The Eldest Young Master is your own brother; surely you wouldn't disregard his face?"

A thin layer of coldness appeared in Xie Junting’s eyes. "Do not bring up my mother so casually."

What kind of older brother! Xie Junyan and their father were cut from the same cloth—cold and heartless. If he knew their father was going to bring a stepmother into their home, he wouldn't even blink; all he knew was studying for a government position so he could inherit their father’s legacy!

His grandmother and the others were far away in Jiangzhou, and his aunts hadn't returned to Bianjing in a long time. The people around the Old Matriarch were tight-lipped about his mother’s affairs and unwilling to speak of her.

The rebellious youth looked up at the gray, overcast sky, feeling in a terrible mood.

In this vast city of Bianjing, was he the only one who missed his departed mother?

Seeing the youth’s dejected appearance, Jieming felt a twinge of sympathy and wanted to offer a few more words of persuasion, but Xie Junting waved his hand impatiently. His figure moved like the wind, and in the blink of an eye, he had disappeared somewhere else.

Jieming looked at the bustling crowd on the street and sighed.

Chasing the Second Young Master was truly a thankless task.

Xie Junting wandered aimlessly for a long time. As the sky turned even gloomier, the clouds, heavy with moisture, could no longer hold their burden, and soon raindrops began to pelt down.

Xie Junting watched the crowd on the street scatter in a panic, and only after a pause did he react, slowly walking toward the eaves of a shop to take shelter from the rain.

Everything about today was terrible.

Xie Junting lowered his eyes, but his gaze was drawn to a flash of light.

The light came from a pair of mistress and servant also taking shelter under the eaves.

The maid looked delighted. "Heaven bless us, we are so lucky today to have found such a good thing! Although the style is a bit old, if we polish the golden hairpin and bracelet later, they will look bright and beautiful."

The lady in yellow nodded. "Good Cuicui, you are so clever. While the style of this pawnshop jewelry cannot compare to the Manyu Pavilion, but..." She didn't finish the thought about her own empty purse, but she felt a secret sense of relief.

The mistress and servant admired the golden bracelet and hairpin in their palms for a while. Just as they were about to put them away, they were stopped by a slightly hoarse male voice.

Huang Yulan looked up and saw a very refined-looking youth staring at her, and her face flushed slightly.

When she heard him ask about the origin of the jewelry, Huang Yulan was embarrassed but told him the truth.

"Someone brought them to the pawnshop to be sold..."

Xie Junting repeated the words in a low voice, his heart suddenly pounding wildly.

Everyone assumed he was too young to remember, that he had long forgotten the time he spent with his mother.

But he remembered the warmth of her hands, the light clinking sound of her bracelets when she raised her arms, and the smile on her face.

And the last time he saw her, she had raised her hands to stroke his and his brother’s heads. Her wrists were slender, and the red gemstones on the lotus bracelet had sparkled with her movements. He had liked it very much and had grabbed it and bitten it several times.

Once, he had used too much force, and a shallow tooth mark had been left on the lotus bracelet. He had cried as if the world were ending, as if all his baby teeth had been knocked out, and he had only stopped crying after his mother held him and coaxed him in a flurry.

The precious and scarce memories he had replayed in his mind for ten years were now flashing rapidly before his eyes.

Xie Junting pressed his lips together and, after gaining Huang Yulan’s permission, slowly took the lotus bracelet.

He looked at it very carefully.

In a corner, very inconspicuous beneath a lotus petal, was a tiny tooth mark.

His eyes suddenly reddened.