West of Huzhou City.
A cargo ship slowly broke through the river mist and sailed into the wharf.
The wharf was slick with rain. The bluestone paving was wet, and dust mixed with water beneath people’s feet, turning the ground to mud. Looking toward the river, white mist rose from the surface and drifted slowly, spreading over the low houses until even the hawkers’ cries sounded blurred and indistinct.
Before long, a carriage came to a slow stop in front of Jizhen Pavilion.
The curtain was lifted, and a tall man jumped down. He had a high nose and deep-set eyes, with a thick beard covering half his face from his sideburns to his chin. Several jeweled rings adorned his fingers, and jeweled earrings hung from his ears, standing out sharply against the gloomy sky.
“Shopkeeper, long time no see.” His speech was halting and his pronunciation awkward. One listen was enough to tell he was a foreign merchant from the western frontier.
The shopkeeper came forward with a smile and clasped his hands in greeting, showing no trace of unfamiliarity.
“The young master happens to be here,” the shopkeeper said, stepping aside to lead the way. “Bring everything in and let him have a look.”
The foreign merchant waved a hand and instructed the workers to carry in two heavy wooden chests.
They passed through the front hall, went around a screen, and arrived at the antechamber of the storeroom in Jizhen Pavilion’s inner courtyard.
Shen Guanting was reclining in a chair by the window, a silver cup in his hand, though his gaze was fixed outside. When he saw them enter, he casually set the cup down on the small table beside him.
“Master Shen, I’ve brought quite a few fine things this time.” The foreign merchant stepped forward and waved for the workers to open the chests.
The lids were lifted, and the goods were taken out one by one and arranged on a long table covered with velvet.
First came a stack of colorful glazed tiles, each roughly half a foot square. Their colors were rich, and the intricate patterns were elaborate without appearing disorderly. Next came several gilt-silver vessels—a plate, a ewer, and a cup. Their surfaces were embossed with lions, hunters, and other figures in varied poses, surrounded by sun and moon motifs, with vines and flowers twining among them.
At last came several rolls of woven carpets, which the workers spread out one by one. The patterns were so elaborate they were dazzling: birds, sacred trees, flowers, and strange beasts whose names no one knew, all woven together in layer upon layer. The colors were deep and vivid. Once the carpets were unfurled, the entire room seemed to brighten.
Shen Guanting’s gaze passed over the objects, but his expression remained unchanged.
The foreign merchant stepped forward and took a wooden box from the bottom of the chest, opening it with care.
Inside was a set of glassware. Jars, cups, and bowls were arranged neatly in velvet. The glass was so thin that light passed straight through it, carrying a pale golden sheen, clear and luminous as though sunlight had been sealed within.
“This glassware was specially collected by me,” the foreign merchant said in his halting voice. “It is the finest, made with unmatched skill. Even in our homeland, only princes, nobles, and other members of the royal family can afford to use it.”
Shen Guanting accepted the glass cup he offered and held it up for a closer look.
Outside, the sky was gray and dim. Through the walls of the cup, even that light took on a soft, warm glow.
He set the cup down and smiled. “You came at just the right time, and the goods are quite good. I’ll take them all.”
The foreign merchant’s face broke into a broad smile. “Master Shen is generous. If I find anything good next time, you’ll be the first person I bring it to.”
After the foreign merchant left with his workers, Shen Guanting casually placed the glass cup back into its box. “Keep one set of the glassware. The woven carpets have a fine pattern, so keep one as well. Put the rest on display in the pavilion.”
The shopkeeper acknowledged him and instructed the workers to clean everything up.
The carriage slowly departed from Jizhen Pavilion and headed toward the Shen residence.
Shen Guanting had just stepped down from the carriage when the gatekeeper came to greet him. “Young Master, the old master is receiving a guest in the tea room.”
He paused, then turned and walked toward the tea room.
Inside, Shen Zhongming was conversing with a man. The man appeared to be about thirty years old. He sat upright in his chair, his back straight, dressed in a dark-gray round-collared robe. His face was stern, and his skin was dark.
When Shen Zhongming saw him enter, he smiled and beckoned. “Guanting, you came at just the right time. Come over here.”
Then he turned to his guest. “This is my eldest grandson. He spends his days idling about and has no proper manners. He disappeared first thing this morning.”
Shen Guanting stepped forward and clasped his hands toward the man.
Shen Zhongming continued, “This is Commandant Zhao, who has come from the capital. His father once served under me. He has made a special trip to visit these old bones of mine.”
Commandant Zhao returned Shen Guanting’s greeting before looking back at Shen Zhongming. His voice was steady. “Master Shen is too kind. My father spoke of your kindness until the day he died. He instructed me that if I ever had the opportunity, I must come and pay my respects.”
Shen Guanting sat down nearby. “Grandfather must have seized the chance to use me as a bad example the moment he saw Commandant Zhao. If I were really the sort of idle man he describes, I’d still be lying in bed asleep at this hour. I went to take care of business at Jizhen Pavilion early this morning.”
Shen's father shot him a glance. “Take care of business? Don’t tell me you used the business as an excuse to move the pavilion’s treasures into your own courtyard. You’re not running a shop—you’re collecting treasures for yourself.”
Shen Guanting leaned back in his chair. “This time, there really was a treasure. A foreign merchant from the western frontier arrived with quite a few good things, including a fine set of glassware.”
At that, he seemed to take a sudden interest. Turning toward Commandant Zhao, he said, “Since you happen to be here, why not take a look as well?”
Shen Zhongming shook his head with a laugh. “The boy loves collecting rare treasures. Once he has collected them, he also loves showing them off. You’ve had the misfortune of walking right into it today, Nephew.”
“Master Shen is joking,” Commandant Zhao replied. “I’m grateful to Young Master Shen for allowing me to broaden my horizons.”
Shen Guanting said nothing further and called out for someone outside.
Before long, Steward Zhou entered carrying a brocade box and placed it gently on the table.
When the box was opened, it seemed as though all the light in the room had been gathered inside. The glassware lay quietly within, its bodies golden and translucent, glittering brilliantly.
Shen Zhongming rose and leaned closer to examine it. He picked up the rather substantial glass jar and clicked his tongue in admiration. “This color and clarity are truly rare.”
Shen's father also came over for a closer look and nodded. “The craftsmanship is exquisite as well.”
Commandant Zhao’s gaze passed over the glassware before finally settling on Shen Guanting. His voice remained calm. “Young Master Shen has an excellent eye. Even in the capital, glass of this quality is rarely seen.”
At that, the corners of Shen Guanting’s lips curved upward, and his eyes revealed an unmistakable hint of pride. “Commandant Zhao flatters me. I merely happened to come across it. I thought it looked nice, so I bought it. It has nothing to do with having a good eye.”
Shen's father teased him, “You have at least two sets of glassware like this in your courtyard, not to mention four or five. That green set from last year—I don’t even know which corner you’ve stuffed it into by now.”
Shen Guanting paid no attention. “A thing like this is meant to be seen and displayed, isn’t it? Once it’s been looked at and displayed, naturally it gets put aside. What else should I do—hold it in my hands every day and worship it like an ancestor?”
At once, Shen Zhongming’s voice grew more severe. “You’re becoming more insolent by the day.”
As he spoke, he looked toward Commandant Zhao and shook his head with a sigh. “I have no idea who he inherited this behavior from.”
Commandant Zhao lifted his teacup and took a sip. “Young Master Shen’s carefree nature is quite rare.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Commandant Zhao rose to take his leave, saying that he still had to visit the provincial government office.
The steward led him through the wall gate, around the covered corridor, and toward the main entrance. Commandant Zhao’s pace was neither hurried nor slow, and his gaze swept over the courtyards of the Shen residence. The furnishings were plain, with only a few ordinary flowering plants. Nothing about them was particularly eye-catching. The grounds were spacious, but the scenery was unremarkable—much like that of any comfortably well-off household.
At noon the following day, Commandant Zhao came again to speak with Shen Zhongming.
Shen Zhongming had little to occupy him these days. His sons and grandsons managed the family business, leaving him with plenty of leisure. Commandant Zhao served in the Imperial Guards and was also the son of an old acquaintance, so it was hardly unusual for him to come by and seek his advice a few times.
That day, just as he finished speaking with Shen Zhongming and stepped out of the courtyard, he happened to meet Young Master Shen.
A rare, faint smile touched Commandant Zhao’s face. “Young Master Shen, yesterday you said that set of glassware came from the Western Frontier?”
Young Master Shen smiled. “Does it interest you, Commandant?”
Commandant Zhao nodded. “It isn’t that I wish to buy it. My father once served along the border and knew a great deal about the goods from the Western Frontier. I grew up listening to his stories, yet I’ve seen very few of those things with my own eyes. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, Young Master Shen, might I take another close look at that set of glassware?”
He spoke earnestly, and a trace of reminiscence showed on his face.
Young Master Shen agreed readily. “What trouble could that be? My courtyard is not far from here. We can go and have a look together. This way.”
Commandant Zhao followed him to his courtyard.
He had walked through various parts of the residence the day before and had thought that although the Shen family was wealthy, it could hardly be called extravagant. Only after entering this courtyard did he understand what it meant for a place to hold hidden wonders.
Spring had arrived, and fresh green had appeared on the branches. Several clusters of flowers bloomed among them. Bronze pieces and gilded ornaments of every kind were arranged alongside the plants, scattered with deliberate elegance beneath the trees and along the covered walkways. Wisps of incense drifted from a censer, its delicate fragrance mingling with the splendid view before him and leaving him scarcely able to take it all in.
The furnishings in the tea room were even more dazzling than those in the courtyard. The shelves were packed with a dazzling array of treasures, each kind crowded together with the next. The precious set of glassware lay casually on the table by the window, beside several bronze ornaments that looked rather unremarkable.
Commandant Zhao had come from an ordinary background, but after serving in the palace for so many years, he had developed a discerning eye. Most of these objects came from the Southern Cliffs or the Western Frontier, and every one was worth a considerable sum. Even wealthy families in the capital would have difficulty finding a single such piece, yet here they filled an entire room, set down casually as though they were nothing more than common household objects.
Young Master Shen walked to the table, picked up a glass cup, and handed it to him. “Commandant Zhao, have a careful look.”
Commandant Zhao accepted it and went over to the window.
The sunlight passed through the walls of the cup, and the glass seemed to come alive, golden halos flowing across its surface. As he gazed at the cup, the corner of his eye fell instead on Young Master Shen standing by the window.
The man stood bathed in light, dressed in a plain robe that lent him an air of refinement. Yet on closer inspection, the bamboo patterns woven into the fabric shimmered beneath the sunlight. Like the glass cup, they revealed no ostentation at first glance, but concealed a quiet splendor within.
“My father said that the glass craftsmen of the Western Frontier rely entirely on their eyes and their sense of touch when firing their wares,” Commandant Zhao said, weighing the cup in his hand. “A single cup must be fired for three days and three nights. If the heat is even slightly off, the whole piece is ruined.”
Young Master Shen was examining a glass bowl. At this, he looked up and smiled. “From the sound of it, Commandant Zhao, you seem almost like an expert.”
Commandant Zhao shook his head and gently returned the cup to the table. “It’s all something my father told me. Thank you, Young Master Shen, for allowing me to fulfill this long-held wish.”
“You’re too kind, Commandant.” Young Master Shen set down the bowl, then turned and removed several gold and silver pieces from the display shelf. “These also came from the Western Frontier. Would you like to look at them as well?”
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
Commandant Zhao stepped forward.
After examining each piece in turn, Young Master Shen escorted him outside.
As they crossed the courtyard, Commandant Zhao’s gaze passed over the rare treasures and unusual stones filling the grounds. He could not help sighing. “Young Master Shen, this courtyard of yours looks as though you’ve gathered all the world’s treasures in one place.”
Young Master Shen followed his gaze and glanced around the courtyard. He smiled. “You flatter me, Commandant. They’re merely toys for amusement, things I occupy myself with in my spare time. They hardly deserve to be called treasures.”
Commandant Zhao nodded and said no more. He lifted his foot and walked toward the exit.
