Shen Zhongming’s gaze was calm, his voice steady and resonant. “The Shen family has always conducted itself honorably. We are merchants, nothing more. We do not seek great wealth or glory—only a peaceful life.”
He turned to Shen Guanting. “Let them investigate. There’s nothing we have to hide.”
Fang Qian nodded slowly, tapping his fingertips against his knee. “I naturally have complete faith in the Shen family…”
As he spoke, he raised a hand to rub his brow and sighed. “When all is said and done, the Fang family is the one that has dragged you into this. Business in the capital has grown more difficult by the day. The Zhou family has secured ties with one of Noble Consort’s relatives, and their influence is at its peak.”
He shook his head, though his brow had relaxed and his tone had lightened. “Still, this gives me the perfect excuse to come to Huzhou and enjoy a few days of peace and quiet.”
Shen Guanting smiled indifferently. “Uncle Fang was talking about coming to Huzhou last year. It seems you’ve finally gotten your wish.”
“Indeed. The Zhou family has made such a commotion that no one in the capital has had a moment’s peace. From the inner city to the outer districts, everywhere is noisy and bustling. Huzhou is still the best—quiet and secure.” Having said that, Fang Qian lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Speaking of which, the Zhou family could hardly be called a major household in the capital. For three generations, their ancestors had run a single shop in the marketplace. It was not a large establishment, selling only mid- and low-grade silk and cloth. In a place like the capital, there were hundreds upon hundreds of small merchants like the Zhou family. They were nothing unusual.
But things had changed since last year.
Somehow, the Zhou family had managed to form a connection with one of Noble Consort’s relatives. The two families had become related by marriage, and from then on, the Zhou family’s fortunes had risen with the tide. The shop was still the same shop, but the customers coming and going were an entirely different crowd. Even the volume of their voices seemed to have grown louder.
Yet no matter how much they rose, they still could not compare with the Fang family.
The Fang family had spent generations establishing its roots in the capital. That foundation was not something the Zhou family could catch up to in just two or three years. The two families had clashed openly and covertly several times. The Fang family had not wanted to make an issue of it, but the Zhou family was determined to bring them down.
Bringing down the Fang family was no easy task.
The Fang family had the Shen family behind it. The Shen family provided the goods, while the Fang family handled the routes. Working together, the two families stood firmly within the capital’s silk trade. Even with the Noble Consort’s connections, the Zhou family could not shake that foundation. The relationships among the capital’s nobles were intricate and deeply rooted. Without a powerful maternal family to support her, the Noble Consort had never been able to take the position of empress.
The Zhou family was not foolish. They knew they could not win through direct confrontation.
The capital’s small merchants had been born and raised at the foot of the imperial city. They were accustomed to seeing high-ranking officials and noblemen, and as a result, they carried a certain arrogance in their bones. They could not reach those above them, yet they looked down on those beneath them. In their eyes, merchants who came from elsewhere were still outsiders, no matter how large their businesses were. Their roots were not in this soil, and they could never stir up much of a storm.
So their eyes turned toward the Shen family.
However powerful the Shen family might be, it was still the Shen family of Huzhou. If something happened to the Shen family, the Fang family’s source of goods would be cut off. Once that supply was severed, the Fang family would not be able to hold on in the capital.
It was a clever calculation.
And so, the struggle that had begun in the capital spread all the way to the Shen family.
The Zhou family began sending people to investigate the Shen family.
Over the years, they had built up connections throughout the silk trade in various regions. They had people follow the commercial routes and investigate downward, and they truly managed to dig up a few things.
The caravans of the Shen family’s Zhiyun Trading House had often offered assistance to the condemned people in Nan’ya. This was nothing unusual. The caravans of Zhiyun Trading House had always been benevolent, helping the poor whenever they could. It was a meritorious deed.
But after digging further, they unearthed something else.
The Shen family had established a kapok workshop in Nan’ya and hired quite a number of workers there. Among them were even some of those condemned people. And Young Master Shen seemed to show particular consideration toward members of the Gu and Chen families.
As it happened, Noble Consort had always favored kapok. She had once ordered people to try cultivating and harvesting it on the outskirts of the capital. The Shen family’s actions could therefore be considered a response to her wishes—a good deed, in itself.
But when these matters reached the Zhou family’s ears, they did not care whether they were true or false.
What the Zhou family focused on was the fact that the Shen family had grown close to the condemned people of Nan’ya. If that rumor spread, it would be more than enough to make the Shen family suffer.
Merchants feared investigations above all else. There was no merchant family that could withstand a truly thorough inspection. Even if no serious wrongdoing were uncovered, minor offenses could always be found. A collection of small faults could eventually become a major crime. And even if nothing at all came of the investigation, the process alone could consume a year or more.
A year or more would be enough to delay the business of both the Fang and Shen families.
Using its connections with Noble Consort, the Zhou family passed the matter up the chain.
After Fang Qian finished speaking, the room fell silent once more.
Shen Guanting lightly tapped the armrest twice with his fingertip. His expression remained composed, giving no hint of what he was thinking.
“The capital is the capital, after all. Its horizons are so broad that even a small household like ours in Huzhou is worthy of their careful attention.”
His voice was cool, like the tender shoots that had just emerged on the branches outside the window, chilled by the morning dew.
Spring had arrived, and the pale green leaf buds had appeared before anyone noticed, scattered like tiny stars across the branches. They seemed insignificant, yet possessed a lively vigor of their own—much like the Shuangmu Pastry Shop at the turn of the main street. Tucked away in an inconspicuous corner, its storefront was small and unassuming, yet it carried on its own lively bustle.
By noon, the dew on the branches had long since vanished. Bathed in sunlight, the new shoots were quietly, little by little, growing larger.
Shen Guanting had only just returned to his own courtyard and had not yet had time to change clothes when the steward came to report.
“Shopkeeper Qi of Pillow-River Tower has sent someone to invite Young Master Shen over.”
They said the tower had introduced some new dishes and wished to invite him to sample them. They had also heard that Shopkeeper Fang had come from afar, and if the new dish could be used to welcome him, that would be even better.
Shen Guanting did not believe Qi Xuan’s explanation in the slightest.
He knew Qi Xuan far too well. If there were truly some novel and delicious dish, Qi Xuan would never think of him first. Either the dish was so unpalatable that it needed someone to test it—such as steamed fish with crabapple or stir-fried cilantro with citrus, the sort of bizarre concoctions Qi Xuan came up with—or there was some serious business to discuss.
But Qi Xuan knew that he had been busy these past few days. He would never be so oblivious as to disturb him at a time like this without good reason.
That meant there was something going on.
Shen Guanting changed his clothes and went all the same.
He climbed all the way to the top floor of Pillow-River Tower. By the time he pushed open the door to the innermost private room, he already had a fairly good idea of what was happening.
Qi Xuan was leaning against the window. When he saw Shen Guanting enter, he looked him up and down. “Judging by Young Master Shen’s complexion, I’d say your uncle and aunt have been lecturing you again?”
Shen Guanting sat down across from him and replied unhurriedly, “You’re judging a gentleman with a petty man’s heart. It’s your uncle and aunt who lecture you. My father and mother have no time to spare for such things.”
Qi Xuan pulled out a chair and sat down, his teasing smile fading. “I called you here today to complain about myself.”
Shen Guanting raised his eyes to him. “Go on.”
Qi Xuan was silent for a moment before speaking. “Shopkeeper Qian of the Cloud Banquet Tower in the capital should be arriving in Huzhou within the next few days. They say he’s here to look for new dishes.”
Shen Guanting did not respond. His gaze merely rested on Qi Xuan’s face.
Qi Xuan continued, “The Cloud Banquet Tower belongs to that lady in the capital. Tell me, why would its shopkeeper leave the capital, where everything is already at hand, and come all the way to a place like ours in search of new dishes?”
Shen Guanting let out a quiet breath and leaned back into his chair.
Outside the window, the sun was inching westward. Slanting rays of light streamed through the lattice and fell across him in alternating patches of brightness and shadow.
“There’s no need to guess,” he said, his voice indifferent. “He’s here for me.”
He simply had not expected that lady to extend her hand this far as well.
The current dynasty had always been on guard against imperial relatives.
It was a rule established when the dynasty was founded. Members of the imperial clan were granted only empty titles, never real authority. Maternal relatives of the imperial family were forbidden from interfering in government or involving themselves in affairs of state.
Back in the founding emperor’s day, he arranged marriages with several distinguished meritorious families, making them his in-laws before turning around and stripping them of their military authority. Once they became imperial relatives, they were actually farther removed from power. This was a truth known by everyone, from the imperial court to the countryside.
That was precisely why marriage into the imperial clan, though it looked glorious, was not a coronation of real power. It was, in fact, a surrender of power.
Duke Gu was a ready example.
When the late emperor was still a prince living in his own residence, Duke Gu had served as his tutor and was a true confidant. After the late emperor ascended the throne, he remembered Duke Gu’s contributions in helping him secure the succession and promoted him steadily. He had seemed destined for the position of chief minister.
Yet, by coincidence, his daughter was chosen as the crown princess.
From that moment on, everything changed.
He was ennobled as a founding commandery duke, appointed Academician of the Duanming Palace, and placed in charge of the Ministry of Works. It all sounded incomparably illustrious, but in truth, he was being pushed farther and farther from the centers of power.
Shen Zhongming had seen the situation clearly. Not long afterward, he cited the recurrence of an old illness as a reason to request relief from his military post.
The Shen family withdrew from the political stage after that, while the Gu family remained at court. From then on, the fates of the two families took different paths.
And now, those paths had crossed again in the lands between Huzhou and Nanya.
Shen Guanting lowered his eyes. He held a teacup in his hand but did not drink, merely turning it slowly between his fingers.
The manager of Yuyan Tower was only a manager. He could not stir up much trouble in Huzhou. Yet he had come under the pretext of seeking out new dishes, while his attention had actually fallen upon the Shen family. There was no guarantee he would not take a look at the Shuangmu Pancake Shop as well.
Qi Xuan fell silent for a moment after hearing Shen Guanting say, “He’s come for me.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked suddenly, raising his eyes to Shen Guanting. “Zhenhe Tower would also like to seek some advice from the manager of the famous Yuyan Tower.”
Shen Guanting set the teacup down on the table with a soft click.
“Thank you.”
“Remarkable. To think that one day I’d actually hear the words ‘thank you’ from you.” Qi Xuan paused, then continued, “Shopkeeper Qian should arrive in Huzhou in about three days. He’ll probably stay at our Zhenhe Tower. If I hear anything, I’ll keep an eye on it for you.”
“All right. Zhenhe Tower is famous throughout Huzhou. I imagine Shopkeeper Qian will be pleased with it.”
After saying this, Shen Guanting suddenly added, “Bring out the dishes.”
Qi Xuan stared at him. “What dishes?”
“Didn’t you say you invited me here to sample your new creations?” Shen Guanting’s voice was mild. “I’ve arrived, and I even changed into a fresh set of clothes. You can’t expect me to go home on an empty stomach.”
Qi Xuan was so exasperated that he laughed. He rose and headed outside, saying as he went, “Fine. New dish—garlic-steamed persimmons. Young Master Shen is in for a treat today.”
When Shen Guanting emerged from Zhenhe Tower, the sun had already sunk to the treetops. Golden afterglow spilled across the storefronts lining the street. Pedestrians moved through the long thoroughfare, weaving between light and shadow, while the hawkers on either side continued to shout their wares at the tops of their lungs.
His pace was unhurried, his footsteps falling between brightness and shade—one moment in the light, the next in shadow.
As he walked, he raised his head and looked toward the end of the main street. The shop sign with its bright colors still fluttered in the breeze, visible from far away. Yet the little shop tucked around the corner was mostly hidden beneath the slanting shadows of the setting sun.
Especially as the sun dipped westward and the shadows stretched long, the shop seemed to shrink into the darkness.
Shen Guanting slowed his steps.
An inconspicuous carriage was heading toward the corner. It came to a steady stop.
The curtain was lifted, and a small figure hopped nimbly down.
His little topknot bobbed with the movement, and the book satchel on his back bounced along with it. Once he had landed, he turned around and took his little cloth bag from the carriage floor. Only then did he stand properly and bow to the driver.
“Thank you, Uncle!”
With that, he spun around and scampered into the shop, his small back radiating eagerness.
Shen Guanting watched the tiny figure disappear from view.
He raised his head again and looked at the shop sign. Two crooked little trees, leaning against each other, could just barely be seen upon it, swaying in the breeze.
He withdrew his gaze. People came and went along the street, passing him on either side. He stood there for a moment, then turned around.
Ever since childhood, he had acted entirely as he pleased. The elders in his family were all capable people, his family had ample means, and he himself was far from unintelligent. He had always followed his own heart and never known the meaning of restraint.
But now…
He continued walking.
Now, he had to think twice before doing anything.
The moment Lin Jing entered the shop, he placed his little cloth bag on the counter, then expertly circled around to the back.
“Mother, was business good today?” he asked with great solemnity, even as his little hand was already reaching toward the cash box.
Lin Wu was bent over, scrubbing the griddle. Without turning her head, she replied, “Count it yourself and see whether you can figure it out.”
“All right!” He pulled the box in front of him and lifted the lid. After peering inside, he let out a loud “Wow!” “We sold this much today!”
Liang Peilan was flipping through the account book nearby. He chimed in, “That’s right. The rice pockets sold very well once we added them today. Everyone likes adding the crispy pork strips, too.”
As Lin Jing counted the coins, he said, “I told my classmates about our rice pockets at the academy today. They all want to try them. They’ll definitely come to buy some tomorrow!”
Mrs. Sun was tidying up the stove. “Little Jing has gone to the academy to do business.”
“Exactly…” Lin Jing blurted out.
Then he realized that did not sound quite right. His hands stopped moving among the coins. He blinked, then hurriedly corrected himself. “I’m studying at the academy. They’re my classmates, and of course I should tell my classmates about good things. That’s… that’s called sharing blessings!”
Liang Peilan closed the account book after finishing it. “You’re putting what you’ve learned into practice quite well.”
“Of course.” Lin Jing patted his little chest, then lowered his head and resumed counting the coins. “Once I’ve learned enough, I’m going to come back and open a shop.”
Mrs. Sun squatted down and soaked the steamer basket in a basin of water. As she scrubbed it, she laughed. “Isn’t Little Jing studying so he can take the examinations and earn an official position? How did that turn into opening a shop?”
Lin Jing frowned and shook his little head while his tiny hands continued rummaging through the cash box. The copper coins clinked and rattled.
“I don’t want to take the examinations. I want to open a shop.”
He set down the coin in his hand and began counting on his fingers. “Once I learn archery and horsemanship, I’ll be stronger and can help the shop carry water and sacks of flour. Once I learn to read, write, and calculate, I can help with the accounts.”
Liang Peilan closed the account book in his hands. “Then you’ll just be doing our jobs.”
Lin Jing puffed out his chest and lifted his little chin high. “In the future, our shop will keep getting bigger and bigger, and we’ll earn lots and lots of money. When that happens, you won’t be able to handle the accounts by yourself, Peilan-ge, and Auntie Sun won’t be able to carry all the water by herself either!”
As he spoke, he pointed at himself with one little hand. “Then we’ll have to rely on me to help!”
Little Shopkeeper Lin Jing had long since planned out the grand future of their pancake shop. He had even assigned every person their duties with perfect clarity.
Lin Wu set the washed griddle upright to one side and laughed. “Then from now on, our shop will be counting on Little Shopkeeper.”
Lin Jing gave a happy little chuckle. Then he lowered his head and continued wrestling with his pile of copper coins.
