Zhao Wujiu had a face that spoke of stern integrity, yet who would have thought he'd engage in favoritism and bend the law in private.
Ever since Bai Shiqi met Tian Zongping, she knew he was a dog that could never be sated. Relying on his marital ties to the current Director-General of Grain Transport, Xun Bai, he had lined his pockets to the brim. For him to stop early today was truly rare.
Although she was somewhat curious about Zhao Wujiu's identity, she was a child of the jianghu, unbound by trivial formalities. When she first met Zhao Ziheng, she thought he was just a wealthy young master; they simply got along well, and she never probed into his family background. Today, she was fortunate enough to benefit from his connection, but she had no intention of clinging to Zhao Wujiu because of it, so she remained at ease.
She tucked the prepared banknotes back into her robe and cupped her hands in thanks to Zhao Wujiu, finally adopting a somewhat proper demeanor: "Today, I owe you a favor, cousin. How about I treat you to a storytelling session?" The next sentence, however, slipped back into her usual rakish air: "In Huai'an, there's a Fourth Miss Song. Not only is she beautiful and clever, but she's also full of wonderful tales. Her recitals of historical texts are absolutely unparalleled."
Zhao Wujiu felt an urge to give her head a good knock: "Do you have no proper business all day, thinking only of food, drink, and entertainment?"
Zhao Ziheng shrunk his neck, trailing behind without a word, afraid the conflict would spread to him and earn him another scolding from his elder cousin.
Bai Shiqi pushed the wheelchair off the boat, defending herself as they went: "What kind of talk is that, cousin? Escorting the tribute grain north was official business, and I've already completed that task. What's left now is indeed food, drink, and fun." Zhao Wujiu's attitude reminded her vaguely of the workaholics from her past life, who were accustomed to relentless diligence, dedicating all their time to official duties, with personal time nearly non-existent, living like a bowstring stretched taut, missing much of life's joy.
She half-joked, "Seize the day when life is good, don't let the golden cup stand empty under the moon. Cousin, you're too tense; you should relax a little."
Zhao Wujiu slowly chewed over her words, actually tasting a sense of untrammeled freedom in them. Unbidden, scenes from his years at the frontier surfaced—his comrades-in-arms, having narrowly survived, the exhilarating burn of strong liquor rushing down their throats.
Just as this lad said, he probably hadn't fully adapted to the tranquil, deep-flowing days after washing off the dust of campaign, nor had he completely relaxed.
He yielded a rare step, saying, "Relaxing is one thing, but no mischief allowed."
Bai Shiqi giggled, "What counts as mischief?"
Zhao Wujiu: "..."
Zhao Ziheng didn't dare make a sound even more. In his elder cousin's eyes, all his usual pastimes would likely be classified under "mischief."
The party disembarked, where members of the Jiangsu Grain Transport Brotherhood stationed in Huai'an were already waiting at the dock. They were all strapping young men who stepped forward respectfully to pay their respects. The leader, Yu Si, beamed with joy: "Young Chief, you've had a hard journey. We calculated you'd be arriving in Huai'an around now, so I had a welcoming feast prepared early."
"Apologies for keeping you waiting, Uncle Yu Si." She introduced the two cousins: "These are my friends from the capital. They've come south with me this time, hoping to find Old Huang for medical treatment. Send word out to inquire about Old Huang's whereabouts, see which 'immortal mountain' he's run off to for leisure recently."
Huang Youbi, in addition to his exceptional medical skills, had befriended a group of old Taoists and Buddhist monks to discuss pharmacology. He usually had no fixed residence. According to Bai Shiqi, he "often freeloads meals and drinks at Taoist temples and monasteries."
Yu Si immediately ordered two gang members: "Go spread the Young Chief's order to locate the whereabouts of the Immortal Elder Huang."
Having arranged this matter first, Bai Shiqi invited Zhao Wujiu into the carriage.
The carriage prepared by the Brotherhood was nearby. Shu Changfeng and Yu Jinsheng lifted Zhao Wujiu into it. He lifted the curtain to look, seeing the young man standing tall and graceful, discussing Brotherhood affairs with the ship's overseer, Uncle Guan. The gang members around her all stood with hands respectfully at their sides, clearly holding her in high esteem, listening attentively to her arrangements. He surmised this must be her demeanor when handling business and couldn't help but feel surprised—this appearance finally carried some of the authority befitting a Young Chief.
Bai Shiqi urged Uncle Guan to first take the purchased goods back to Suzhou, as she intended to linger in Huai'an for a couple more days.
Uncle Guan wore a worried frown: "Young Chief, if you don't return to Suzhou with the ship, I'm afraid the Chief will fly into a rage in a few days. How am I to explain to him?"
Bai Shiqi's eyes sparkled as an idea came to her: "Go back and tell my father I'm staying in Huai'an to accompany distinguished guests."
Seeing he couldn't persuade her, and considering Zhao Wujiu's indeed noble status—able to make Tian Zongping give up a juicy piece of meat—it was indeed worth fostering good relations. Uncle Guan could only offer a few more admonitions and also instructed Yu Si: "You stay with the Young Chief. Don't let her drink and cause trouble!"
Yu Si repeatedly assured him: "Don't worry, Uncle Guan. I'll be with her. Besides, the Young Chief isn't one to act recklessly!"
Uncle Guan also knew this group's attitude towards the Young Chief. Not indulging her mischief was one thing, but would they ever criticize her faults?
He sighed: "Anyway, Young Chief, try to return to Suzhou as quickly as possible. Don't wait until the Chief loses his temper."
Bai Shiqi expended immense effort to finally hustle Uncle Guan onto the ship. Qiu Yunping clung to the bow, pleading tearfully: "Young Chief, take me with you too!"
"If you're willing to stay and work as an errand boy for me, then you can stay."
Overjoyed, Qiu Yunping abandoned the account books and jumped ship, infuriating Uncle Guan who nearly beat his chest in frustration: "Young Chief, you're taking the accountant too? How am I supposed to submit the accounts to the Chief later?"
"The account books are all in my cabin, Uncle Guan. Just hand them over. I'll keep an eye on the Young Chief for you. Any issues can wait until I return."
Zhao Ziheng, Shu Changfeng, and the others, seeing Qiu Yunping would rather work as Bai Shiqi's servant just to follow her out for fun, felt their admiration for the yet-unmet Master Yunping utterly shattered—though it had been crumbling throughout their journey together anyway.
Scholars value moral integrity. Master Yunping had penned tales of countless heroes and legends. They had originally thought they would surely meet a generation's eccentric genius of unyielding character. Who knew he'd turn out to be such a mercenary, money-loving true scoundrel? It was utterly speechless.
Having avoided Tian Zongping's inspection, the Brotherhood's fleet slowly left the shore, heading towards Suzhou.
Bai Shiqi got into the carriage and met Zhao Wujiu's scrutinizing gaze. Thinking he was worried about the search for Huang Youbi not going smoothly, she reassured him: "Don't worry, cousin. Although Old Huang roams all over, he's not unfindable."
Since meeting her, this was the first time Zhao Ziheng felt his good brother was reliable. His eyes almost sparkled: "Shiqi, if we can really find Old Master Huang and cure cousin's legs, I'll remember this favor!"
Shiqi patted his head like a dog's: "You being so polite with me feels strange. Let's skip the false pleasantries between us brothers." She then eagerly recommended to him: "Ziheng, you absolutely must listen to Fourth Miss Song recite history. She's truly a beautiful and eloquent young lady. Every time I pass through Huai'an, I invite her to my place to tell stories."
Zhao Ziheng's heart itched with curiosity. He wanted to lean in and discuss with Bai Shiqi just how beautiful Fourth Miss Song was, but catching Zhao Wujiu's eye, he immediately shrunk back, privately pondering the possibility of ditching his elder cousin to go out and have fun with Bai Shiqi.
Bai Shiqi lifted the front carriage curtain and asked Yu Si, who was sitting on the shaft: "Fourth Uncle, has Fourth Miss Song already arrived?"
Yu Si had been dreading her bringing this up all day, primarily because among all the female entertainers in Huai'an, the Young Gang Leader favored this Fourth Miss Song the most. Every time he passed through, he would spend a couple of days with her. The brothers in the gang had even speculated that Fourth Miss Song might one day become a concubine in the Gang Leader's mansion. Yu Si himself had considered personally redeeming her and sending her to Suzhou, but held back for fear of acting against the Gang Leader's wishes.
He stammered, "...Miss Song isn't feeling well. She was afraid you'd be disappointed, Young Gang Leader, so she invited Miss Lu, the scripture storyteller, for today."
"Miss Song isn't feeling well?" She grew angry: "Why didn't you say so earlier? We're not going back. Head to Fourth Miss Song's place first."
Fourth Miss Song had been abandoned by her birth parents when she was four or five. Later, she was found and taken in by Song Wenjue and his wife. After washing the grime from her little face, they discovered she was actually quite pretty with delicate features. The couple discussed it and decided to sequester her in a secluded room, control her diet, hire tutors to teach her singing, dancing, reading, and writing, subjecting her to strict training. By twelve or thirteen, she formally began appearing in public. Coupled with her intelligence, she quickly gained fame and made a name for herself among the female entertainers of Huai'an Prefecture.
Yu Si inwardly groaned but still tried to dissuade her: "Young Gang Leader, you've brought an honored guest with you today." What sense did it make to visit an old flame while bringing a guest along?
Bai Shiqi apologized to Zhao Wujiu: "Cousin, my apologies. Fourth Miss Song is an old friend of mine, and the Song family's banquets are also first-rate. How about we go to the Song residence for drinks today?"
After Fourth Miss Song became famous, the Song Wenjue family began living a life of luxury, clinging tightly to this cash cow and refusing to let go. They even hired a famous chef to entertain distinguished guests at home.
Zhao Wujiu originally wanted to reprimand Bai Shiqi for being reckless, but seeing her earnest eyes looking at him, he couldn't help but be lenient. He thought to himself that perhaps she just had a fondness for listening to stories, and gave an almost imperceptible nod: "As you wish."
Zhao Ziheng almost cheered inside the carriage.
Yu Si felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Steeling himself, he ordered the coachman to change route, thinking privately: After going through this today, maybe she'll finally give up?
There were hundreds, even thousands, of famous entertainers in Huai'an city; one Fourth Miss Song wasn't irreplaceable. If Miss Song left, there were still Miss Lu, Miss Shen... it wasn't that big a deal.
The coachman soon turned the horses towards the Song residence. When they were still half a street away, they heard the deafening sound of a wedding procession, completely blocking the road.
Bai Shiqi lifted the carriage curtain to look. She saw a man with a scar on his face leading the procession, followed by a column of wedding attendants. In the middle was a small sedan chair, and it was coming from the direction of the Song residence.
An ominous feeling inexplicably rose in her heart, her voice tense: "Fourth Uncle, why is Hu Xian here? He's not dressed like a groom."
Yu Si said with difficulty, "Hu the Third is here to fetch the bride on behalf of their Young Gang Leader. Their Young Gang Leader has taken Fourth Miss Song as his fifth concubine."
"Son of a bitch!" Bai Shiqi flew into a rage: "That bastard Wen Tao, daring to snatch a woman from me! Stop the carriage!"
Yu Si had known this would happen. He turned to persuade Bai Shiqi, but before the carriage even came to a full stop, she had already jumped down and blocked the wedding procession right in the middle of the street.
