Are All of You… Mad?
“Vice Minister Su.”
Hearing the voice, Su Ruhe turned around and bowed in greeting toward Chu Yuan. “This official greets the Prince Consort.”
“There is no need for such empty formalities here. Vice Minister Su, please sit.”
Su Ruhe took his seat and said apologetically, “This official came uninvited. I hope the Prince Consort will not blame me.”
Chu Yuan smiled lightly. The expression opened like morning mist dispersing to reveal brilliant dawn clouds. “If Vice Minister Su continues to stand on ceremony like this, then I truly might blame you.”
Su Ruhe was first taken aback. He raised his eyes toward Chu Yuan and saw that the sincerity in Chu Yuan’s gaze did not appear false. His expression changed slightly. A faint smile appeared upon his refined and upright face.
“Very well. Then I shall not stand on ceremony with the Prince Consort.”
“Mm. Su-gongzi may speak freely.” Chu Yuan saw that he no longer seemed restrained and likewise changed the form of address.
“I… have encountered some trouble recently and wish to ask the Prince Consort for assistance.”
Chu Yuan said, “What sort of trouble?”
Su Ruhe parted his lips. He hesitated several times before finally forcing the words out. “Recently someone has begun watching me. The person is proving very difficult to shake. I… can scarcely endure the harassment.”
Chu Yuan was greatly surprised. “Su-gongzi is a court official. Who is this person, daring to behave so boldly?”
Su Ruhe sighed. “The young master of the Nie family. Nie Siran.”
A question mark slowly appeared in Chu Yuan’s mind.
Chu Yuan looked at Su Ruhe. The latter’s face carried an obvious look of distress. He seemed to have been tormented by this matter for several days already.
“Young Master Nie? Could there be some misunderstanding in this?” he asked hesitantly.
“There is none. This official did certain things that damaged Young Master Nie’s reputation. Those matters were indeed done by this official. There is no misunderstanding.”
Chu Yuan: “??”
The more he listened, the more confused he became.
Su Ruhe recounted the entire matter from beginning to end. After Chu Yuan heard it all, the expression on his face changed through a variety of colors.
“You mean to say that His Highness asked you to write storybooks about Young Master Nie and the Crown Prince, and those storybooks circulated throughout the capital. Then they reached Young Master Nie’s ears, and he discovered that you were the one responsible?”
Su Ruhe nodded.
Chu Yuan suddenly asked, “Why would the Prince ask Young Master Su to write such storybooks?”
Su Ruhe explained openly, “Because those storybooks about the Prince Consort and the Prince were also written by me. The Prince seized upon this weakness of mine and forced me to fabricate romantic scandals about Young Master Nie and the others.”
“…”
“Are all of you… mad?”
At this moment he could hardly look directly at Su Ruhe.
Su Ruhe admitted frankly, “This official had gone a little mad with wanting to earn silver. As for His Highness, perhaps he simply lost his senses for no reason.”
“…………”
“This official believes Young Master Nie may wish to kill me.” Su Ruhe paused, then added another sentence. “His Highness dug a very large pit and dropped this official into it. At present only the Prince Consort can save me.”
“Young Master Nie will not kill you.” Chu Yuan sighed wearily.
“…No, his eyes have been most unkind. This official is frightened.”
“Then what does Su-gongzi wish me to do?”
“I…”
“Master, Young Master Nie has arrived.” Xian Yu suddenly appeared at the doorway, interrupting Su Ruhe’s words.
At once Su Ruhe’s pupils contracted sharply.
“He has not… followed you here, has he?” Chu Yuan suddenly felt the urge to laugh.
Su Ruhe struggled to maintain his composure, his face turning pale. “Does the Prince Consort have a place where this official may hide for a moment?”
Chu Yuan directed him behind a folding screen. Before long, Nie Siran walked in with his usual unhurried stride.
“Good morning, Prince Consort.” Nie Siran greeted him with a pleasant expression.
Chu Yuan smiled. “Why has Young Master Nie come so early in the morning?”
“Ah. Recently I have been chasing a little troublemaker and somehow failed to catch him this morning. A few neighbors happened to mention he had been seen coming to Mingguang Alley.”
Chu Yuan feigned curiosity. “This little troublemaker Young Master Nie speaks of, who might he be?”
“This fellow appears rather fair and proper. It is just that the heart is rather black.” Nie Siran spoke with a smile, though the corner of his eye seemed to glance casually toward one side.
Chu Yuan lowered his head and coughed lightly, asking with a faint sense of guilt, “Has Young Master Nie found this person?”
“Not yet. Has the Prince Consort seen him?”
“…No.”
Nie Siran did not appear anxious. He sat and drank a cup of tea. He even spoke with Chu Yuan about several interesting events that had occurred in Ye Jing. There was not the slightest sign that he intended to leave.
“I heard from His Highness say that Young Master Nie obtained first place in the spring Imperial examinations and became the huiyuan, yet you did not participate in the palace examination?”
“Mm. I have already declined His Majesty’s summons. I do not wish to become an official.”
“If Young Master Nie has no aspirations in this direction, why take the examination at all?” Chu Yuan asked.
Nie Siran sighed, his smile tinged with helplessness. “When I was young, I lost a wager with my father. Taking the examination was his demand.”
“Since Young Master Nie has abandoned the civil examinations, what did Prime Minister Nie say?”
“My grandfather respects my wishes.”
The two conversed for quite some time.
Only when the sun had climbed to the height of the treetops and Nie Siran finished his fourth cup of tea did he slowly rise and take his leave.
Chu Yuan stood at the doorway and watched him depart. Only then did he turn back and call toward the screen. “Su-gongzi, he has gone. You may come out now.”
After a good while Su Ruhe finally emerged from behind the screen. His manner of walking appeared somewhat stiff.
His legs had gone numb from standing too long.
“Su-gongzi, from what I observed just now, Young Master Nie did not seem particularly angry. You need not be overly alarmed,” Chu Yuan comforted him.
“Perhaps I could arrange a day for the two of you to meet and speak plainly. What do you think?”
Su Ruhe said, “There is no need. I have only one request.”
“Mm?”
“Please ask the Prince to lend me several subordinates skilled in martial arts so they may protect me.” If he spoke directly to Prince Li, that man’s vile disposition would not only refuse to help but would likely worsen the situation.
Chu Yuan said, “That can be arranged though it is not a lasting solution.”
Su Ruhe exhaled. “This official is aware. Yet wealth must be sought amid danger. I still rely upon those storybooks to earn silver. I would rather offend people than make peace with poverty.”
Chu Yuan sent him off with an expression caught between laughter and exasperation.
Speaking of silver, he himself had recently accumulated some funds. Lu Ronghuai had entrusted the management of the Prince’s residence to him, and each month he also received a considerable stipend.
“Xian Yu,” he called toward the doorway.
Xian Yu entered. “Master, what instructions do you have?”
“Earlier the Prince asked you to look for a shop. Have you found a suitable one?” Chu Yuan had once mentioned to Lu Ronghuai that he wished to open a shop dealing in calligraphy and paintings. Yet too many matters had arisen afterward, and the idea had nearly slipped his mind.
Xian Yu smiled and nodded. “Master may rest assured. The shop has already been chosen. It is on Baifang Street in the West Market. Would you like to go and see it today?”
Chu Yuan had precisely that intention.
“We shall go in the afternoon. I will first return to Fuju Courtyard.” Chu Yuan had remained in the front hall for most of the day. He was still feeling somewhat unwell, and now he only wished to return and rest for a while.
That afternoon, after his midday nap, Chu Yuan felt much better. He took Xian Shuang, Xian Yu, and Le Shu with him and went out toward the West Market.
“This shop was previously a cosmetics and powder store. The location is excellent. It has two floors in total. The owner fell into debt and was eager to transfer it. When this subordinate heard the news, I immediately bought it.”
Le Shu exclaimed, “Wow, this shop is so large.”
“Mm. The location is indeed good. How much silver did it cost?”
Previously Chu Yuan had left one thousand taels with Xian Yu, instructing him to purchase any suitable shop he found.
“Eight hundred taels. If the owner had not been in such haste to transfer it, a shop in this location would cost at least a thousand taels or more,” Xian Yu said.
Chu Yuan raised his head to look at the building. Its exterior appeared quite new. The previous owner must have spent money renovating it. A smile curved upon his lips.
“Let us go inside and take a look.”
“Very well.” Xian Yu took a key from his sleeve and stepped forward to unlock the door.
At the same time, in a jewelry shop across the street, Xu Zhizhi removed a jade bracelet she had been trying on and spoke with extreme impatience. “Enough. I will not try any more. They are hideous.”
The shopkeeper kept his smile in place and said with careful tact, “Miss Xu, please wait a moment. The finest goods in the shop are still in the storeroom. This humble one did not know you would visit today. Otherwise they would have been prepared earlier for your inspection.”
“Hmph.” Xu Zhizhi lifted her chin and gave a light, dismissive sound.
Standing beside her was Liu Yun, the second young lady of the Duke Liu household. Concealing arrogance in her brows, Liu Yun deliberately said while twisting her embroidered handkerchief, “You are simply taking advantage of the fact that Zhizhi has not returned to Ye Jing for a long time. That is why you bring out such rubbish to deal with her.”
The shopkeeper hurriedly protested his innocence. The jewelry he had brought out all possessed excellent quality. Any single piece cost more than a hundred taels of silver. They were by no means cheap goods.
After hearing his explanation, Liu Yun spoke disdainfully. “My elder cousin is the Crown Princess. I frequently enter the palace. What fine objects have I not seen? The items in your shop would only be used by the lowest palace maids. Their designs are long outdated.”
The smile upon the shopkeeper’s face grew increasingly awkward, yet he did not dare to argue further.
The jewelry in his shop was crafted in styles currently fashionable throughout Ye Jing. They could not possibly be outdated designs.
Liu Yun spoke thus merely to flaunt her family background. The shopkeeper had conducted business for many years. How could he fail to read the small vanities of a young lady’s heart? He simply chose to swallow the loss and refrain from disputing with her.
Xu Zhizhi said, “Forget it. I only came out today to stroll about. If I find nothing I like in this shop, I shall visit another in the future.”
“Ah, Zhizhi, look there. Is that not the Prince Consort of Prince Li?” Liu Yun suddenly tugged at Xu Zhizhi’s arm.
Xu Zhizhi looked outside. Chu Yuan happened to be entering the shop across the street.
Liu Yun’s eyes turned with a quick calculation. She took Xu Zhizhi’s arm again and said with a sweet smile, “Zhizhi, shall we go over and greet him?”
Xu Zhizhi’s face fell. “Why should we go? I am not acquainted with him.”
Liu Yun said, “Ah, but did you not once favor Prince Li? If your grandfather had not intervened, the position of Prince Consort might well have been yours today.”
Xu Zhizhi stared at Chu Yuan’s departing figure. Something strange flashed quickly within her eyes.
“I am already betrothed to Young Master Fang. Speak no more of such things.”
Liu Yun said, “How is that nonsense? You do not even like Fang Shuyu. Moreover your grandfather has been visiting the Crown Prince frequently of late. Even my father says your grandfather intends to turn his allegiance to the Eastern Palace. I suspect your engagement to Fang Shuyu will soon be dissolved.”
Xu Zhizhi said nothing.
Liu Yun stared at her. “When Prince Li humiliated you before everyone, can you truly swallow that grievance? I just saw that the Prince Consort brought only two or three attendants. Let us go and give him a taste of humiliation.”
Xu Zhizhi refused. “Prince Li humiliated me. I should settle accounts with Prince Li. What is the point of making trouble for his spouse?”
Liu Yun stamped her foot in anger at the straightforward remark. “Can you honestly say you feel no jealousy?”
Xu Zhizhi licked her lips, unwilling to answer the question. “Enough. Once we finish trying the bracelets, we shall return.”
Liu Yun would not accept this. “The last time I visited the Eastern Palace to see my cousin, she said this Prince Consort is especially fond of putting on airs and looking down upon others. I do not care. Today I must give him a lesson.”
“What are you planning to do?”
When these two young ladies of noble households went out shopping, they were accompanied not only by maidservants but also by household guards. Liu Yun gave a contemptuous little laugh and turned to instruct her maid.
“Go and inform the Prince Consort that I invite him to drink tea at the teahouse next door. Tell him to come promptly.”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Lu Dog: So love does fade after all, does it? I have not even appeared in this chapter.
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