The drizzle gradually let up.
Though “let up” was perhaps not quite the right way to put it. The fine rain had fallen so lightly that it was almost impossible to tell when it had begun or stopped. The pedestrians in the street continued on beneath their umbrellas, only realizing after a few steps that the rain had ceased. They folded their umbrellas, shook them twice, and hurried on.
The clouds slowly parted, and sunlight spilled through, making it seem as though the day had only just dawned.
The wharf was at its busiest. Porters hauling cargo and peddlers hurrying to collect their goods streamed toward the river, shoulder to shoulder, filling the road.
A mule cart, however, was making its way urgently against the flow of people, heading toward Zhenhe Tower.
The cart stopped at the small gate in the rear courtyard of Zhenhe Tower. Young Zhang jumped down, his trouser hems still damp and speckled with mud from the wharf. He paid no attention to them, hurrying inside with increasingly hurried footsteps until he was practically running.
He crossed the covered corridor and climbed the stairs. At the door of Shopkeeper Qian’s guest room, he stopped to catch his breath before raising his hand to knock.
“Come in.”
Young Zhang pushed open the door.
Shopkeeper Qian was already fully dressed and looked as though he was about to leave.
“Shopkeeper,” Young Zhang blurted out, still struggling to catch his breath, “the cargo ships from Zhiyun Trading House and Jincheng Trading House have left. They just departed from the wharf.”
“I know.”
Shopkeeper Qian merely nodded when he heard this.
Young Zhang stared at him. “You already knew, Shopkeeper?”
“These past two days, porters have been going in and out of the wharf, carrying box after box onto the ships. How could anyone keep a merchant convoy’s departure a secret?” Shopkeeper Qian sat down beside the writing desk, lifted his teacup, and took an unhurried sip.
“Oh.” Young Zhang paused, then asked, “When are we returning to the capital? Since the Shen family’s young master has already left, anyway.”
The hand holding the teacup trembled. Tea nearly spilled over the rim.
Shopkeeper Qian hurriedly set the cup down and looked up at Young Zhang. “What did you say? Shen Guanting has left?”
His reaction startled Young Zhang, who quickly nodded. “Y-Yes. I saw it with my own eyes. He was standing on Zhiyun Trading House’s ship. People from the Shen and Qi families were at the wharf to see him off—quite a lot of them.”
Shopkeeper Qian did not respond.
He simply sat there in a daze, as though those words had frozen him in place.
Outside the window, the clouds had completely dispersed, and sunlight fell across the latticework. Rainwater still dripped from the eaves, one drop after another, striking the ground with a clarity that made it seem as though the rain had not truly stopped after all.
At the Huzhou post station, Commandant Zhao stood by the railing on the second floor, his gaze fixed on the main street below. The Shen family’s carriage was coming from the direction of the wharf, heading north of the city.
The soldier who had just delivered the report stood behind him with his head bowed. “My lord, Young Master Shen left with the merchant convoy for the capital. I failed in my duty. Please punish me.”
Commandant Zhao shook his head, his voice calm. “It wasn’t your fault. No one expected him to leave Huzhou with them.”
He pondered for a moment before continuing, “But when you think about it, it isn’t all that surprising.”
Over the past few days, they had only known that Shen Guanting had been busy at the warehouses, leaving early and returning late. As a result, they had had few opportunities to encounter him at the Shen residence. Looking back now, it was clear that Shen Guanting had personally overseen the warehouses because he intended to accompany this shipment to the capital, which was why he had taken such care with everything.
Commandant Zhao turned and walked downstairs. “Go to the prefectural office. Ask the tax bureau what Zhiyun Trading House is transporting to the capital this time—what could be important enough to warrant Shen Guanting making the journey himself?”
After the rain, the sky had cleared. Puddles in the streets reflected the light of the heavens. The shops on both sides had already lit their stoves, sending white steam drifting into the streets.
The tax clerk spread out the thin register he had made that very morning. “The goods shipped by Zhiyun Trading House and Jincheng Trading House this time are considerably more plentiful than usual. Besides silk, satin, and bolts of cloth, there are frankincense, gemstones and other precious treasures, lacquered wood carvings, and the like. They’re all the valuable goods Young Master Shen brought back from Nanya before the New Year.”
Commandant Zhao took the register and turned through it page by page.
“Before the New Year, Young Master Shen went to Nanya for experience and personally handled quite a number of these transactions,” the tax supervisor said from the side. “By delivering them to the capital himself this time, he’s seeing the matter through from beginning to end.”
Commandant Zhao closed the register and handed it back.
By the time he left the prefectural office, the sunlight was already somewhat glaring.
The soldier followed behind him and asked in a low voice, “My lord, are we to continue the investigation?”
There was nothing left to investigate regarding the Shen family or Shen Guanting. They had spent all these days going over the matter again and again. The accounts balanced, the transactions were clear, and there was nothing suspicious about his movements. They had even visited the academy. Although Yun Jianshan had not shown himself from beginning to end, Headmaster Xu had personally led them through every corner of the academy, and there was not the slightest connection to the events in Nanya.
Their superiors had not issued an order for them to pursue the investigation in Nanya. Everything that could be checked in Huzhou had been checked, and what they had gathered was more than enough to report back to the capital. As it happened, Shen Guanting had left, bringing this assignment to an end. There was no need to remain in Huzhou indefinitely. As for what Shen Guanting did after entering the capital, that was for the authorities there to worry about.
Commandant Zhao did not look back. He simply lifted the carriage curtain and climbed inside. “Pack up and prepare to return to the capital.”
The following day, the sky was clear and bright.
Commandant Zhao went to the Shen residence early in the morning to bid farewell to Shen Zhongming before making his way to the wharf.
The wharf was busier than usual. A large passenger ship bound for the capital happened to be departing that day, and the next one would not leave for another five days. Although they had set out in haste, they could only depart on this date; any further delay would make the journey far too long.
Commandant Zhao brought two attendants with him. Traveling light, each carried only a single bundle as they walked toward the moorings.
After a few steps, Commandant Zhao came to a slight halt.
Not far ahead, a group of people was boarding the passenger ship. Leading them was none other than Shopkeeper Qian. Several assistants followed behind, carrying large and small packages. They looked very much like men who had truly found a great many good things during their stay in Huzhou.
Commandant Zhao’s gaze swept over them, and he pretended not to see them.
He naturally knew who Shopkeeper Qian was—the manager of Cloud Feast House in the capital. And Cloud Feast House was an establishment belonging to the Noble Consort. On the surface, this trip to Huzhou was to seek out new dishes. As for what they were doing in secret, both sides understood without needing to say it aloud.
They would each follow their own path and leave the other alone.
They had been slow to set out, not leaving until after the New Year, but they were making a hurried return.
Commandant Zhao boarded the deck and watched the city recede into the distance along the shore.
Huzhou grew smaller and smaller. The wharf, the streets, and the houses all merged into the dazzling sunlight of early spring.
At the Shen residence north of the city, Shen Zhongming sat in the tea hall with a teacup in his hand.
“Have they left?” he asked.
Steward Zhou bowed and replied, “They have. They’re already on the ship.”
Shen’s father sat nearby. Hearing this, he let out a long breath. “At last, they’re gone.”
Several ships bound for the capital had departed that day. Besides the large passenger ship, a few smaller vessels had also set out at the same time. The journey from Huzhou to the capital covered more than two thousand li. The ships of Zhiyun Trading House and Jincheng Trading House led the way, with arrangements made for them at checkpoints and wharves along the route. The passenger ship followed a day behind. It neither competed for passage nor traveled entirely alone, making it perfectly ordinary for them to journey together by water.
As for the large passenger ship, although it carried many travelers, arranging a few empty places for Commandant Zhao, Shopkeeper Qian, and their companions had not been difficult.
Only then did Shen Zhongming take a sip of tea. “It’s good that they’ve left.”
Shen’s father, however, gently shook his head and gazed out the window. The sunlight was warm and clear, and new shoots had begun to emerge from the branches in the courtyard.
“I never thought Guanting would leave with them, too.” He sighed again. “He only came back from Nan’ya last year, and now, not long after the New Year, he’s off to the capital again.”
Shen Zhongming gave a disdainful snort. “It’s the season of the Spring Examination. The capital is bustling, with candidates from all over the country flocking there. There are all sorts of people and all sorts of trouble. I only hope that rascal behaves himself and doesn’t cause another uproar.”
Shen’s father rarely had anything good to say about his son. “Come to think of it, these past few days that Commandant Zhao has been in Huzhou have been the longest stretch Guanting has ever spent working diligently.”
He could not help laughing. “He went to the warehouse every single day—so diligently that it made people uneasy. Now that he’s gone, when I think back on those days, I actually find myself missing them.”
Not far from the Shen residence stood Canglang Academy.
Lin Wu climbed down from the mule cart and made her way up the stone steps. The rain had stopped the day before and had not returned. The spring sunlight was warm and gentle, and after walking for a while, she began to feel a faint sheen of sweat.
But the moment she entered the grounds of the academy, cool green and a breeze rushed toward her. The branches on either side of the path overlapped in thick layers, blocking out the sunlight. Rays slipped through the gaps in the leaves and dappled the ground, swaying with the wind. The breeze moved through the woods, carrying the clean scent of grass and trees along with a faint floral fragrance. It brushed against her skin, cool and refreshing.
Lin Wu slowed her steps. Listening to the wind, she felt the warmth on her body gradually fade, and even her heart grew quiet with it.
Spring was deepening.
She lowered her head and saw several pale pink petals blown onto the stone steps. She walked around them without stepping on them and continued upward.
The noon sunlight was bright and pleasant. From somewhere in the distance came the clear murmur of students reciting their lessons, mingling with the rustle of branches and leaves. The words were indistinct, yet the sound seemed all the more prolonged and serene.
Dismissal was still a long way off. She had come on impulse today, closing the stall early because she wanted to pick up Lin Jing and take him home.
The day before, as usual, she had been selling scallion pancakes at the stall.
Rain had fallen in a fine, steady drizzle, and several customers had crowded beneath the awning to take shelter. With nothing else to do, they began chatting.
“Hey, how long do you think the Shen family’s young master will be gone this time?”
“Young Master Shen has left again?”
“That’s right. The cargo ship from Zhiyun Trading House left for the capital this morning. He’s on board.”
“Again? Didn’t he just come back before the New Year?”
“What’s so strange about that? I remember Young Master Shen held his capping ceremony last year. From now on, won’t the Shen family’s businesses gradually be handed over to him?”
…
At the time, Lin Wu had kept her head lowered, her hands never pausing.
She spread the batter, cracked an egg, sprinkled on chopped scallions, and flipped the pancake.
The customers’ conversation was separated from her by the sound of rain and the hiss of the griddle. Their words drifted into her ears one after another, yet it was as if something stood between them and her. They could not sink in, nor could they remain.
It was only after she closed the stall and walked toward Qingshui Alley that those words floated back into her mind.
Shen Guanting had already left Huzhou.
She had known nothing about it.
The rain had stopped, and the slanting sunlight behind her spilled across the road. It was almost dazzling, like the shallow puddles left behind by the rain, their surfaces gleaming.
She suddenly remembered that glimpse in the rain—the carriage passing along the main street, the wind lifting the curtain, and those eyes looking toward her through the veil of rain.
Perhaps because they had not seen each other for so many days, the impression had grown blurred. It was as if several rains had washed it again and again, fading the outline and softening the features until only a vague shadow remained.
She walked forward, stepping on her own shadow, her heart filled with uncertainty.
Back then, Shen Guanting had asked Lin Jing to stay temporarily with Yun Jianshan, saying that he needed to keep out of sight for a while.
But now that Shen Guanting was gone, when could Lin Jing return?
As for the capital’s Shopkeeper Qian and Commandant Zhao, she had never even seen them, much less knew whether they had left. Whom Lin Jing was hiding from, or how long he was meant to stay away, she knew nothing about.
She knew nothing at all.
The next morning, the sky was a pale blue, and the spring light was bright and lovely.
Little Zheng came to the stall to buy a scallion pancake. As usual, he ordered one with crispy flakes but no egg.
He took the pancake but did not leave right away. Instead, he sat on the bench beneath the awning and ate slowly. “The sun’s been out these past two days, and the roads have dried up, too. I went to the academy to deliver something, and the stone steps were completely dry. They felt solid underfoot. Those patches of moss from before were slippery enough to make your heart jump.”
He chewed his pancake and added, “It’s much better now. The road is easy to walk.”
The road is easy to walk.
