Luoyang City, the Governor's Estate.
Huo Mingji stood in front of the window, looking at the scenery outside the courtyard through the clear and transparent glass pane.
With the arrival of the new year, the snow melted and a hundred flowers bloomed in the spring. Delightful tender green buds sprouted in the corner of the courtyard, swaying gently in the passing breeze. Soft sunlight passed through the glass and shone into the room, illuminating a bright and clean space.
After the victory at the Battle of Wangchangba, Huo Mingji returned to Luoyang City from the provincial border.
His father's injuries were gradually improving, and he was no longer needed in the army. Meanwhile, affairs in Luoyang City had piled up significantly. Aside from replacing the local factions in Luoyang City, the Pei Merchant Guild's newly released goods were also about to be put on the shelves for sale.
The young man raised his hand, his fingertips touching the glass in front of him.
The touch was slightly cool, smooth, and hard, somewhat similar to a wall, except it didn't block the view like a wall did. It could block the howling wind and the pouring rain, but it could not block the bright light.
"Eldest Young Master, everything is arranged properly. The sale of glass will begin at noon," a guard reported.
Huo Mingji smiled. "Excellent. Proceed with everything according to Mother's plan."
Noon.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
A bronze gong was struck in front of the main doors of the Pei Merchant Guild, drawing the attention of passing pedestrians.
"Make way, make way quickly."
"Stop pushing! I was clearly here first. Aha? You're still pushing? Do you know who my master is? If you know what's good for you, step aside."
The onlookers included not only commoners in plain clothes but also the servants of various wealthy families. The nobles and dignitaries had previously received news that the Pei Merchant Guild would be selling a novel item today, so every household had sent out their servants.
This was the Pei family, the renowned Pei family. Their goods were always sold out, never left unsold.
Have you heard of fragrant soap? Have you heard of white sugar and brown sugar?
What, you haven't heard of any of them? Then you absolutely must not call yourself a member of the upper class, lest you make a total laughingstock of yourself.
Before today, the Pei Merchant Guild had let slip that a wondrous new item was about to be released. This item was crystal clear and could be made large or small according to the owner's wishes. If inlaid into the windows of a pavilion or courtyard, it could block the wind and rain while simultaneously allowing sunlight into the room without obstruction.
Hearing the latter part, the crowd couldn't help but be filled with renewed doubts.
If it blocked the wind and rain, it meant there must be a physical barrier. But if it was a barrier, how could it still let the sunlight in?
Many people instinctively found it absurd. However, the Pei Merchant Guild had presented too many "absurdities" in the past, each of which had nearly made people's eyes pop out of their heads. It didn't seem impossible for them to do it again.
At this moment, a man in green robes walked out of the Pei Merchant Guild. He had a pair of innocent, deer-like eyes and a very approachable aura. Standing at the entrance of the guild, he raised his voice and said, "I am Murong Shu, the current manager of the Pei Guild's Luoyang branch. I thank you all for gracing us with your presence today."
Someone couldn't wait any longer. "Manager Murong, what exactly is this wondrous new item being released today? Could you bring it out and let us broaden our horizons?"
"Manager, please stop keeping us in suspense. Let us see the treasure quickly."
"I also want to broaden my horizons and see if this item can uphold the Pei family's consistent style of novelty."
The Pei Merchant Guild never lacked buyers, so Murong Shu didn't string them along before revealing the secret like other shops might. He smiled and clapped his hands. "Someone, roll up the blinds and welcome our guests."
As soon as he finished speaking, several rustling sounds rang out simultaneously. It turned out that the bamboo blinds on several street-facing windows of the Pei Merchant Guild were being rolled up at the same time. As the bamboo blinds were rolled up and put away, the crowd saw young servants standing behind the windows, one positioned behind each window.
The onlookers were initially confused, but then they saw these young servants smile in unison. They stretched their arms out to the sides, grabbed hold of something, and then pulled their arms back in.
"Look, there are golden characters floating on it!" someone exclaimed in an uproar.
The golden character this person spoke of was a flamboyant "Pei", glittering with gold, exuding a sense of domineering wealth and prosperity.
Someone standing in a rather clever position, right at the refraction point of the glass, saw things differently. While others merely saw it as transparent at first glance, he knew clearly that this wasn't the case. "It's not floating; it's stuck on it. They first wrote the character on paper, then pasted the paper on the window. There is something inlaid in those window frames."
With his reminder, the crowd looked closely and immediately cried out in amazement.
"What is this? How strange. It looks somewhat similar to colored glaze."
"It's not like colored glaze at all. Colored glaze has never been this massive, nor has it ever been this crystal clear."
"It truly is incomparably clear. With that young servant standing behind the window, I can actually see his expression clearly. No wonder the Pei family publicly claimed earlier that it could bring sunlight into the room. With a treasure like this, letting light in is not difficult at all."
"Manager, how much does this item cost? If I place an order today, when can it be delivered to the estate? My master is from the Wang family, and he wishes to order this item. Please register it quickly."
"I want to place an order too."
...
The area in front of the guild suddenly exploded into a frenzy. Voices of people making reservations, asking questions, and expressing admiration overlapped, filling the ears with a cacophony of sound.
At this time, on the second floor of the teahouse opposite the Pei Merchant Guild, the window of a private room was pushed open. From here, one could see the street scene and the grand spectacle at the Pei Merchant Guild across the way.
Watching the fiery scene unfold, Huo Mingji curled his lips into a satisfied smile.
Just as everyone had expected, the debut of glass shocked the entire upper-class circle of Luoyang City.
Orders for glass fluttered into the Pei Merchant Guild like snowflakes. For the same size, the price of a piece of glass was equal to, if not greater than, that of gold.
Xuzhou, Prince Jiang's Estate.
"...Now that places like Yi, Yong, and Jing have been taken by the imperial court, coupled with the fact that Ji Xianbai is holding the young emperor hostage, he can command the various provinces and do many things with complete justification," Ke Zuo said seriously.
Chen Shichang nodded. "Their military campaigns have a righteous cause."
Take Jiaozhou, for example, which was currently under the Jimi system of loose control. Because of its weak power, it could only attach itself to the strong. Although the imperial court existed in name only, at least it still had the "name," didn't it?
It came as no surprise to them that Jiaozhou would choose the imperial court.
Huo Tingshan sat at the head of the room. "According to what Quanshui says, what brilliant ideas do you have?"
Ke Zuo twirled his goatee and remained silent for a long time. Then, he suddenly smiled meaningfully. "The young emperor is only ten years old this year, right at an ignorant age where it is difficult to distinguish right from wrong and easy to be bewitched. Having a treacherous sycophant like Ji Xianbai by his side truly affects the young emperor's upbringing. As a loyal and righteous subject of Great Chu, My Lord ought to drive away the wicked men beside the emperor."
Translated, this speech actually boiled down to a simple concept: purge the emperor's side.
You hold the Son of Heaven hostage to command the feudal lords, using the emperor as a front; then I will use the emperor's young age as a reason, claiming the need to eradicate traitors and drive away evil on his behalf.
Huo Tingshan carefully considered this for a moment and said with great joy, "Quanshui's excellent strategy sets my mind completely at ease."
"Report—!" A sudden, urgent report came from outside the door.
As soon as the word was spoken, the guard didn't even wait to be summoned. He strode directly inside: "Great General, the Governor of Yangzhou, Xue Hongxing, proclaimed himself emperor on the day of the Spring Equinox."
The Spring Equinox was already five or six days ago. This was clearly news that the hidden spies in Yangzhou had just obtained and immediately sent back via fast horses.
The study fell silent, everyone struck with astonishment.
Huo Tingshan's eyebrows shot up high.
Ke Zuo twirled his goatee over and over again. "He really couldn't wait, could he..."
Now that Xu and Qing provinces had been brought under their lord's control, the upcoming marriage alliance between You and Yu provinces was no longer kept a secret. Anyone who cared to ask around would know about it.
With the northern provinces of Bing, Ji, and You linked together, it was no exaggeration to say that the entire North now belonged to Huo Tingshan.
As the saying goes, "A state without three years of food reserves is not a state." Guangling City in Yangzhou was a true granary. Located south of the Huai River and north of the Yangtze River, it boasted a pleasant climate, flat terrain, and fertile soil, making it the perfect place to stockpile grain.
In truth, it was only good for stockpiling grain. Unlike the mountainous terrain of Jingzhou, Yangzhou's geography meant it was not a strategic stronghold.
"I suppose Governor Xue knows this too. If he doesn't declare himself emperor now, he'll never have the chance," Ke Zuo sighed, shaking his head.
The imperial court's forces, led by Ji Xianbai, were already entrenched in the central and western regions, while the rest of the territory was largely under their lord's control. A bipolar standoff was beginning to take shape.
For Yangzhou to pop up at a time like this, Ke Zuo could only think that Governor Xue, who wanted to leave his name in history, had gone mad. Perhaps he was hoping to play the fisherman who catches both the snipe and the clam while they fight each other, or perhaps...
Did he have some other scheme in mind?
Well, it was unknown for now, but Ke Zuo didn't believe he would meet a good end by jumping out at this juncture.
Huo Tingshan had already made his decision. "We can ignore Yangzhou for the time being. I will send a letter to Lei Chengshuang later and leave this region for him to handle."
"Creak." The study door opened, and the counselors, having finished their discussion, filed out one by one.
After stepping out, Ke Zuo stood to the side of the door and looked back at the glass inlaid in the windows. His goatee twitched with delight.
This material was excellent. It would bring in another massive fortune.
With elite soldiers and ample provisions, even if they stretched the front line further, they would not fear the danger of running out of food.
As the golden sun set in the west, a brilliant orange hue blanketed the sky. Plumes of cooking smoke began to rise from the households in the city. The hawkers gradually packed up their stalls, heading home with satisfied expressions and the silver they had earned that day.
Huo Tingshan personally went to the craftsman surnamed Tao to pick up a box before heading back to the main courtyard. On the way, he ran into a guard rushing into the estate and received a thick bundle of letters from home, brought all the way from Jingzhou.
Carrying an item in each hand, the man stepped into the main room.
Hearing the footsteps, Pei Ying looked up from a pile of account books. "Nannan and Chen Yuan went to the market in the city and won't be having dinner at the estate. We'll eat in our room tonight."
"Alright, whatever my lady says goes." Huo Tingshan handed the letters to her. "Huo Er wrote to us. Hah, this boy's letters get thicker every time. A dignified and manly fellow being so clingy, how improper."
This winter, Huo Zhizhang had sent letters home three times. Initially, they were worried that someone might exploit the time gap and use the rumor of "Huo Tingshan's death in battle" to stir up trouble, so they took the initiative to send a letter to Chenyuan Pass.
The letter was co-written by Pei Ying and Meng Ling'er. Aside from discussing important matters, it included some of Pei Ying's daily reminders and amusing anecdotes that Meng Ling'er wanted to share with her second brother.
As a result of this letter, Huo Zhizhang, who already loved writing home, felt greatly encouraged. He sent letter after letter, each bundle larger than the last.
Pei Ying opened the parcel, and nearly ten letters slid out with a rustle. Each one was bulging, clearly containing more than just two or three pages. The envelopes were marked with specific dates, and Pei Ying began to read them in chronological order.
Huo Zhizhang wrote about everything. Sometimes, if he saw beautiful scenery outside, he would write it down to share with his family, eloquently filling an entire page.
However, upon reading one of the more recent letters, Pei Ying raised her delicate brows and turned to look at the man nearby. "Huo Tingshan, Zhizhang says he rescued a young lady a few days ago, and she later claimed to be a daughter of the Shi family from Jiaozhou..."
Halfway through her sentence, Pei Ying realized he didn't seem to be listening attentively. He was tinkering with the wooden box he had brought back.
The wooden box was quite large. Like a food carrier, it was divided into several tiers, with each tier containing one to three compartments. With five tiers in total, there were over a dozen compartments.
Pei Ying: "?"
What was this man doing? She was talking to him about serious business, so why was there no reaction?
Perhaps because Pei Ying paused for too long, the man finally turned his head to look over. "A daughter of the Shi family from Jiaozhou. And then what?"
Pei Ying's brow relaxed.
Oh, so he was listening after all.
So she continued, "Zhizhang said he met the young lady while leading his troops on patrol. She was being chased by a group of men. Thinking they were just bandits causing trouble, he rescued her from danger. Only later did he find out that the group didn't seem to be bandits, and the young lady didn't seem to be an ordinary girl either. Eventually, the young lady surnamed Shi confessed on her own accord, claiming to be a daughter of the Shi family from Jiaozhou who had run away from home to escape an arranged marriage. However, Zhizhang is skeptical of her words and wants to ask you what to do."
Jingzhou was vast from north to south, and moreover, it was not Huo Tingshan's territory. Traveling across the entirety of Jingzhou to Jiaozhou just to verify the identity of an unrelated young girl would be too much of a waste of manpower and resources. Huo Zhizhang felt it was unnecessary.
"Huo Tingshan, is the Shi family of Jiaozhou very famous locally?" Pei Ying asked curiously.
"The South is led by clans, holding supreme prestige. This Shi clan is the premier noble family in the region. If her father is the clan leader, you can compare her status to that of Third Lady Lei," Huo Tingshan said with a smile. "But I'm guessing it's highly unlikely."
Pei Ying: "Why is that?"
"Why would anyone give up a comfortable life and travel thousands of miles to leave their homeland?" he reasoned.
From Jiaozhou to northern Jingzhou, it was not just a journey across thousands of mountains and rivers, but one fraught with countless dangers. In these chaotic times, even strong men traveling in groups might lose their lives on the road, let alone a young lady.
Unless, she had no other way to survive.
But how could the daughter of a clan leader be unable to survive in her own domain?
Pei Ying looked thoughtful, spacing out for a moment. When she snapped back to reality and wanted to ask Huo Tingshan what to do and get his opinion, she found that he had gone back to tinkering with his wooden box.
The wooden box was placed on a cabinet, with Huo Tingshan standing beside it. Restricted by her viewing angle, Pei Ying, who was sitting down, couldn't see what was inside the box. Even when Huo Tingshan pulled out a tier, she still couldn't get a glimpse.
"What's in your box?" Pei Ying rarely saw him cherish an object so much.
Huo Tingshan paused slightly, then calmly closed the wooden box. "Just some small trinkets. I'll let you take a look at them later."
His tone was flat, so Pei Ying's curiosity subsided.
It was already mealtime, so Pei Ying had the servants set the table, leaving the rest of the matters to be discussed over dinner.
Huo Tingshan brought it up himself, "My lady, in five or six days, we will set off and return to Jingzhou."
Xu and Qing provinces were already in the bag, and after a long winter of purging, the situation had largely stabilized. As for Governor Xue, who had declared himself emperor in Yangzhou, he would be left to Lei Chengshuang and required no further attention from him.
Now, their focus was on the central region.
Pei Ying, however, thought of something else. "That's good. Zhizhang is twenty this year. It's time for his coming-of-age capping ceremony."
For such an important event as a coming-of-age ceremony, how could his parents not be by his side?
Hearing Pei Ying mention the coming-of-age ceremony, Huo Tingshan could not help but smile. "It is a good thing you remember so clearly, Madam. I had almost forgotten."
Pei Ying was speechless. "...You actually have the nerve to say that."
"On this trip to Jingzhou, we will hold the boy's coming-of-age ceremony along the way." Huo Tingshan put the matter on the agenda.
Normally, a coming-of-age ceremony required inviting a prestigious scholar. Such figures were not easy to find, usually requiring one to pull strings and schedule well in advance. However, this posed no difficulty for the current Huo Tingshan; he had a group of top-tier scholars right within his army.
Pei Ying murmured in agreement, then asked him about the matter of the noblewoman. "How do you think we should handle that?"
Huo Tingshan picked up a chopstick-full of river shrimp for her. Spring river shrimp were fresh and delicious; stir-fried in an iron wok, they were so savory you could swallow your own tongue. "Since she fled from her wedding, she is definitely still unwed. If any officer or soldier in the army takes a liking to her, there is no harm in them marrying. After the wedding, she can temporarily stay in a nearby town, or return to Youzhou."
There were still young men in the army who had not yet settled their major life events. Having a young lady come and be a wife to one of them was not a bad idea.
Hearing his tone, which sounded no different from picking out cabbages at a market, Pei Ying's mouth twitched.
Here we go again.
His male chauvinism was rearing its head once more.
What did he mean by "if any soldier takes a liking to her, there is no harm in them marrying"? Did he even ask for the young lady's opinion?
But Pei Ying could not be bothered to argue with him. It was still too early to say; perhaps by the time they returned to northern Jingzhou, the young lady would have already left. Even taking a step back, if she had not left, it would not be too late to intervene then.
Once the meal was finished, Pei Ying had Xin Jin clear away the dishes. Turning her head, she saw Huo Tingshan fiddling with that multi-tiered wooden box of his again.
"Just what exactly do you have in there?" This time, Pei Ying's curiosity could no longer be contained.
Huo Tingshan beckoned her over. "Come take a look, Madam. Do you like it?"
Pei Ying approached in confusion, only to see him pull open a small drawer on one of the tiers.
The fading light of dusk slanted into the room and fell into the box, illuminating its contents until they sparkled and gleamed with radiant colors.
It was that exceptionally beautiful gold necklace.
The main band of the necklace was inlaid with various colored gemstones. Beneath each gemstone hung slender tassels of twisted gold wire, which connected to one another to form a delicate, openwork net. Because of the exquisite craftsmanship, and the fact that the parts other than the main band were not thick, the necklace did not look clunky at all. In fact, the tassels flowed like water, incredibly smooth and supple.
It lay quietly in the box, capturing a small patch of the brilliant sunset in its net.
"Is it beautiful?" he asked.
Pei Ying did not overthink it and nodded, saying it was beautiful. It truly was stunning. Even though this ancient era lacked machinery, it still possessed artisans of unparalleled skill.
He smiled, then proceeded to pull open the other tiers. Pei Ying saw a multitude of gold ornaments.
Gold-woven hairbands, pearl-inlaid gold bracelets, slender gold chains of unknown decorative purpose, and two multi-looped gold armlets...
Pei Ying's brow twitched, and she instinctively turned to look at him.
The last ray of the setting sun seeped into the man's eyes, blending with the dark depths of his gaze to form a blazing crimson-gold, like a roaring wildfire.
