CH 12

Lou Jing was the eldest legitimate son of the Lou family, and when Lou Jianyu married him off, he was supposed to get a share of the family assets over and above the forty thousand taels of silver in his dowry.

“I will manage the other accounts carefully,” Cheng Xiuru said, understanding Lou Jing’s intention. He picked up the account books in his arms again. “Oh, one more thing. Guogong ye sent people to Jinzhou yesterday.”

Lou Jing’s eyes flashed coldly, but a smile remained on his face. “He can do as he will. He won’t be able to get a single cent without presenting my token of authentication.”

Cheng Xiuru left, and Lou Jing summoned Gao Yi again. “Have we received the reply from Lingnan yet?” he asked.

“Yes, I was just about to tell you,” Gao Yi said, pulling out a letter from the folds of his clothes. “Hou ye asks you be patient and remain calm.”

Lou Jing took the thick envelope from Gao Yi. This letter had been sent using people who were specially trained to transmit messages quickly. It had only taken half a month to get a reply even though there were thousands of li* between him and Lingnan. He treated this letter with utmost importance, not just because of the strenuous efforts that had been expended to get this letter to him at speed, but also because the person who sent the letter was his eldest maternal uncle – the Pingjiang Hou*.

*T/N: This is a Chinese unit of measurement for distance. One li is now taken to be about 500 metres, though the distance it represented has varied considerably throughout history.

Recap also that a hou is a type of peerage, roughly equivalent to a Marquis.

The Pingjiang Hou and the Anguo Gong were similar in that they were both military peerages that had produced mighty generals over the generations. Lingnan was fraught with turmoil in recent years, and the Pingjiang Hou had been sent there to quell the unrest. Lou Jing’s maternal uncles and their families had all gone along to Lingnan as well, and he had not seen them in a long time, though they did send each other letters every two to three months or so. When Lou Jing had been mistreated by his father before the wedding, there wasn’t much he could do without seeming like an unfilial son, so he had no choice but to ask his Jiujiu* for help.

*T/N: Jiujiu is how you would address your mother’s brother.

Lou Jing broke the seal on the letter and opened it to read. After reading it carefully three times over, he exhaled in one long breath, smiled, and then kept the letter in the folds of his clothes.

His uncle’s letter could be summarised in three points. First, your eldest Jiujiu is furious; second, your other Jiujius are also furious; third, the eldest and second Jiujiu will reach the Capital very shortly.

In the front hall of the main residence, Lou Jianyu was smiling as he introduced Xiao Chengjun to his relatives.

“This is Zhuoyu’s eldest maternal uncle, the Yongning Bo*,” Lou Jianyu said, gesturing toward the Yongning Bo, Wei Yan.

*T/N: A Bo is another type of peerage, lower than the Gong and Hou peerages. It’s roughly equivalent to a Viscount.

Wei Yan immediately smiled and came forward. “This humble official, Wei Yan, greets the Crown Prince,” he said.

Xiao Chengjun looked at the Yongning Bo. “I was under the impression that my Consort’s maternal relatives were the Pingjiang Hou family, not the Yongning Bo family,” he said.

The Yongning Bo’s face immediately turned red as a tomato.

Lou Jianyu also nearly choked on his own saliva. The Pingjiang Hou indeed were Lou Jing’s true maternal relatives, and the Yongning Bo were his stepmother’s relatives. It was not actually appropriate for Lou Jianyu to have introduced the Yongning Bo as Lou Jing’s maternal relatives, but what could he do now? The words had already been said; it would be incredibly embarrassing for him to now backtrack and say that the Yongning Bo was actually the elder brother of Lou Jing’s stepmother.

Lou Jiangyu’s younger brother, Lou Jianzhang hurriedly came forward to try and defuse this awkward situation. “Dianxia, the Yongning Bo is the current furen’s elder brother, and the Pingjiang Hou are the first furen’s relatives.”

The Crown Prince didn’t respond to this. He sipped languidly at his tea, and the atmosphere continued in its original awkward state.

“Yes, yes. Even though he is Lou Jing’s stepmother’s brother, he is still considered Lou Jing’s maternal uncle, right?” Lou Jing’s third uncle, Lou Jiannan supplied, trying to be helpful as well.

The slight smile that had begun to form on Lou Jianyu’s face when Lou Jianzhang spoke disappeared immediately when Lou Jiannan piped up. He nearly died of embarrassment right then and there.

The Yongning Bo’s face had taken on the colour of a pig’s liver. His ancestors had fought alongside the Taizu Emperor at the founding of the dynasty, but had not made any outstanding contributions, and as such they only received a Bo peerage. In later generations, the Yongning Bo family rarely produced any great generals, and its standing amongst the nobility had fallen greatly over the years. It had only recently recovered somewhat, after his sister had married into the prestigious Anguo Gong family as his second wife.

The other nobles who were related to the Anguo Gong by marriage were all just standing around idly, watching the show. They clearly had no intention to help alleviate the situation.

The situation at the front hall soon reached the ears of the women gathered in the back hall. The Anguo Gong furen, Mdm Wei, was so angry that she upset the teacup in her hand. She glared angrily at her third sister-in-law, Lou Jiannan’s wife.

Her third sister-in-law shrank back and looked at the second sister-in-law for help.

The second sister-in-law pursed her lips, then smiled at Mdm Wei. “Furen, don’t be angry. Third uncle (Lou Jiannan) was probably nervous because it’s his first time meeting the Crown Prince. Please be understanding of him,” she said placatingly.

Mdm Wei’s young face was still not good at hiding her emotions. “Third uncle’s attempt to get on the Crown Prince’s good side at the expense of the Lou family’s face will only make the Crown Prince look down on him,” she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“How- how is this at the expense of the Lou family’s face?” The third sister-in-law was immediately put off by what Mdm Wei said. “Getting on the Crown Prince’s good side is good for the Lou family’s face, you know that right?”

Mdm Wei’s eyes swept over the circle of women. They were all her relatives, the Anguo Gong’s relatives, or the senior servants of these relatives. She sniffed haughtily. “Shizi has been married off as the Crown Prince’s Consort. There will be a new Shizi in this family at some point, and these attempts to curry favour with the Crown Prince may not be viewed favourably by the new Shizi,” she said.

The banquet started at noon. Lou Jing didn’t return to the main residence, but had a pleasant meal alone in Zhuque Hall. He finished his food very quickly because he didn’t have to observe any dining etiquette when eating alone. Zhuque Hall’s affairs had all been set in order, and so it was that Lou Jing found himself with nothing else to do. He decided to go and have a look at his storeroom.

There were some things he didn’t manage to bring with him when he was married off because of how quickly things happened, and also because he couldn’t get out of bed without help then.

Mdm Wei had not invited any non-relatives to the banquet. It was inappropriate to do so because the bride in this case was a man. Mdm Wei didn’t enjoy her food at all; she was too irritated and annoyed to do so. The second sister-in-law made the excuse of going to the bathroom, and sent a maid to go and see what was happening in the front hall when no one was looking.

“Second sister-in-law, where did you disappear to? I had a hard time looking for you,” the third sister-in-law said. She was very reliant on the second sister-in-law, and when she saw that the latter had left, she went out to look for her.

“I’m not going to sit there and suffer Mdm Wei’s sour face,” the second sister-in-law said, flicking her handkerchief disdainfully.

“Exactly,” the third sister-in-law agreed, clenching a handkerchief in her fist. “My husband didn’t say anything wrong. And this Mdm Wei – she’s just a second wife. Puh-leeze!”

“Hmpf. She wants to be recognised as Zhuoyu’s mother, but she conveniently forgets how she treated him in the past. When she just married into the family, she was so busy fighting for power to manage the family’s finances that she didn’t even remember to order winter robes for the Shizi,” the second sister-in-law said irritably.

“Second sister-in-law, weren’t you the one who recorded that the Shizi’s winter clothes were ordered in the account books?” the third sister-in-law asked in a low voice. When Lou Jing’s mother passed away, the second sister-in-law took on the management of the Anguo Gong’s family finances. After Mdm Wei married into the family, she had not been happy about handing over the books to her, and she had tried to create some problems for Mdm Wei by recording that the Shizi’s winter clothes had been made when they actually not been ordered at all. She thought she would get to see Mdm Wei wrong-footed when she had to rush to make the Shizi’s clothes. Unexpectedly, that audacious Mdm Wei had gone with the flow and actually refused to order winter clothes for Lou Jing, letting him go without. When the old Anguo Gong found out about it, he scolded all three of them soundly.

“Hmpf. Basically, this second wife is not going to make life easy for us. The earlier our families split the assets and move out, the better,” the second sister-in-law said, pursing her lips. “You heard what Mdm Wei said today. Once she’s given birth to a child, it’s obvious that there won’t be a place for us in this household any more.”

“How about we…” the third sister-in-law looked at the second sister-in-law. “Let’s go look for the Shizi ye. He and Mdm Wei have always had a bad relationship, and the Shizi at the end of the day is a child that we watched grow up. We should help our own.”

The second sister-in-law swished her handkerchief as she thought for a moment, then stamped her foot down decisively. “Let’s do it. I still have a copy of the accounts from last year. We’ll give this to Zhuoyu, and when the time comes for the family assets to be split, he can decide what to do.”

Xiao Chengjun sat in the main hall, his expression still as calm as the deep blue sea. When people came to offer him a toast, he only sipped a little in a dignified manner. He was the Crown Prince, after all, and no one dared to force him to empty his winecup even though they themselves had to drink the usual three cups in toast to him. Even when the banquet was halfway done, the Crown Prince’s face wasn’t flushed at all. The guests, on the other hand, were as red as lobsters.

Lou Jianyu excused himself from the banquet, saying that he needed to go and change. He called a servant over. “Where’s the Crown Prince Consort?” he asked.

“He’s been in Zhuque Hall all this while. He didn’t come out,” the servant answered promptly.

Lou Jianyu nodded. “I’ll head to Zhuque Hall. You watch things over here. If anything happens, come get me immediately,” he instructed.

“Certainly,” the servant said, nodding quickly.

Meanwhile, Lou Jing was happily looking through the shiny valuables in his storeroom. He had no idea that so many people in the main residence were making plans involving him at all.

Lou Jing had learnt his family’s gongfu since he was a little boy. His family’s gongfu had an emphasis on archery, and accordingly, he wasn’t particularly attached to any other types of weapons. He recalled that he needed to curry some favour with the Empress in a few days’ time, and so picked out a rare sword of fine make. This sword’s name was Scarlet Cloud. Its namesake, the real Scarlet Cloud, was a famous, ancient weapon made of bronze; the Scarlet Cloud in Lou Jing’s possession was a replica made two hundred years ago by a revered master swordsmith.

The sword was a work of art. Its scabbard was carved with a beautifully complex design, inlaid with jewels of seven colours, and its hilt was decorated with jiuhua jade. Lou Jing gripped the hilt and slowly pulled out the sword. Its sharp edges gleamed menacingly in the light.

“Does Shizi want to pick out another brush washer?” Gao Yi quipped, grinning. He knew about Zhao Xi’s “theft” of Lou Jing’s favourite green jade brush washer.

Lou Jing looked at the burly, simple-faced man. “You’re getting cheekier,” he said drily.

Gao Yi rubbed his nose. “My older brother always says I’m dumb,” he said. “He always tells me to look a bit livelier.”

Gao Yi’s elder brother was Gao Yun. They were actually a pair of twins, but the two were as different as night and day. Gao Yun was much smarter than Gao Yi, and was the person Lou Jing trusted to guard the country estate he owned outside the Capital. That was where his shadow guards lived and trained. To him, ensuring that his country estate was well-maintained was far more important than the happenings in the Anguo Gong residence.

Lou Jing didn’t reply to Gao Yi. He walked over to a shelf where he remembered storing a brush washer made by the same jade carver who carved the “stolen” brush washer. The one stored in his storeroom was actually better than the one Zhao Xi had made off with, but that was also precisely why he didn’t have the heart to use it. He thought it would make a good gift for Xiao Chengjun. As he picked up the green jade brush washer, he had the sudden thought that he should bring the Crown Prince to visit his country estate. Since they had agreed to work together, he should show Xiao Chengjun some of his trump cards, or he might just take him as a simple Consort without more.

“Reporting to the Crown Prince Consort, the Anguo Gong has entered Zhuque Hall,” Le Xian said.

What was he here for? Lou Jing raised his eyebrows, handed the two things he’d picked out to Le Xian, and went to the main hall of Zhuque Hall.

“You’ve only been gone two days, but I see your injuries are much better. They’ve healed quickly,” Lou Jianyu said. He noticed that Lou Jing’s movements looked natural and was secretly surprised.

Lou Jing was surprised himself. He had not realised earlier that he indeed was able to walk easily on his own until Lou Jianyu mentioned it. That medicine had really worked like a charm. “Thanks to you, I managed to escape becoming a cripple,” he said sarcastically.

“What do you mean by that?!” Lou Jianyu flared up immediately. “I am your father. You mean to say that I have no right to discipline my own son?”

“Father, you shouldn’t be asking me this question. You already had me beaten. How can it be that you don’t know the answer?” Lou Jing said. He sat down and drank some tea in a leisurely manner.

Lou Jianyu was about to have a fit. He was so angry that he nearly forgot what he had originally come here to do. He took two deep breaths and collected himself. “You’ve married out of the Lou family. The assets your grandfather left you in Jinyang should be given back to us. Ask Cheng Xiuru to prepare the accounts. I’ll be asking him to settle the accounts on the eighteenth of this month,” he said.

Lou Jing smiled faintly when he heard this. He put down his teacup and looked straight at his father. “The country estate and commercial property in Jinyang belong to me. Grandfather made it very clear that they were my personal assets when gave them to me a few years ago. My name is clearly written on all the title deeds,” Lou Jing said.

“You bastard!” Lou Jianyu slammed a fist onto the table. “The Lou family has done business in Jinyang for generations! You can’t be telling me that the things in your name are all there is?”

“In the third year of the Chunde Emperor’s reign, the Tartars invaded Jinyang. The supplies from the Capital were all intercepted, and Grandfather sold off a number of family holdings to feed and maintain the troops in Jinyang,” Lou Jing said. He still wore a breezy smile on his face, and his tone was warm and pleasant. “If you don’t believe me, you can go and ask around in Jinyang. Even the peasants there know about this.”

“You…” Lou Jianyu jumped up in anger. “Those are obviously the Lou family’s generational assets! The head of the family is me, and those assets are mine! You unfilial creature! How dare you say that those generational assets are your personal assets?” With that, he raised a hand and made to slap Lou Jing’s face.