When drinking with Wen Bao, Bai Zhenting once joked, "Seventeen is incorrigibly naughty. Sometimes when I get angry, I really wish I could break her nerve so she'd stop causing trouble in the future."
At that time, Wen Bao downed his cup and laughed heartily, "Mischievous lads are the ones who make something of themselves! Do you want to raise a son who's all girly and meek? Could someone like that command the respect of the rough men under you?"
Bai Shiqi certainly lived up to expectations. Although born with overly handsome features, her personality was forthright and unrestrained. Through a mix of soft and hard tactics, she won over the rough men under Bai Zhenting's command. However, facing her ever-evolving, increasingly bold mischief, Bai Zhenting felt a vague unease in his heart. As she grew older, this unease finally turned into anxiety, thrust right before his eyes—this little rascal had actually taken concubines!
That year, Weng Jian, the leader of the Zhejiang Grain Tribute Gang, came to Suzhou. The two men drank merrily, and in the heat of their lively conversation, Weng Jian gifted him a beautiful concubine. No sooner had the beauty stepped through the Bai family's front gate than Bai Shiqi, in a fit of pique, went and took four beautiful concubines for herself in one go. Each skilled in singing, playing instruments, or other arts, they were all famous beauties of Suzhou.
Four pink sedan chairs lined up outside the side gate of the Bai residence, drawing quite a crowd of onlookers. Not wanting to make too big a public scene, Bai Zhenting, face dark as thunder, had no choice but to let the four beauties enter.
Those four beauties, likely having been privately egged on by Bai Shiqi, used all their lifelong skills to amuse Lady Su and Bai Shiqi. Every day when Bai Zhenting returned home, he would see mother and son hosting banquets, listening to music, surrounded by sweet, chirping voices attending to them. Their air was no different from that of wealthy lords enjoying themselves outside, which was particularly grating to him.
Bai Shiqi was one thing; she often went out for social engagements and had long since perfected the manner of a young master. But even Lady Su seemed to ignore her husband, spending her days drinking and enjoying music for pleasure. Until one day, Bai Shiqi suggested right in front of him to Lady Su, "Mother, a new opera troupe has recently arrived in the city. The young male lead, called Yun Shuyue, is handsome and gentle, with a voice so smooth and captivating it makes one's bones go soft. Why don't we invite him to our home? I'll keep you company for some fun."
Bai Zhenting, with his back to Lady Su, glared furiously at Bai Shiqi in silent threat: "...You dare, you brat?!"
Bai Shiqi pretended not to see, smiling brightly as she coaxed Lady Su, "Anyway, Father enjoys all sorts of beauties at banquets outside, and after having his fun, he can even bring them home. Mother shouldn't suffer too much of a loss. Inviting a handsome young actor to sing at home will lift your spirits, and you might even eat an extra half-bowl of rice!"
Bai Zhenting: "..."
Lady Su gave her a light tap on the forehead, laughing and scolding, "How dare you tease your mother!" But she finally agreed, "Alright then, have the troupe come in and let me see. If he's not as good as you boast, I'll break your legs!"
Her "break your legs" was limited to verbal intimidation, and even that was in the gentle, soft Suzhou dialect style, carrying no deterrent effect whatsoever. It sounded more like playing with a child, unlike Bai Zhenting's "break your legs," which was a true action-oriented threat.
Bai Zhenting could afford to provoke Bai Shiqi, but with his wife, Lady Su, he could only raise his hands in surrender. He repeatedly insisted he hadn't even gotten close to the hem of the beautiful concubine's skirt. While he felt constrained by social courtesy and couldn't refuse the gift, Lady Su was playing for real, actually preparing to invite Yun Shuyue to the mansion to sing.
Outwardly, Lady Su displayed noble virtue and the magnanimous wisdom befitting a proper wife: "What are you saying, my lord? You can take whomever you wish, get close to whomever you wish. If she can bear branches and leaves for our Bai family, I'd even be willing to enshrine her!" But inwardly, she laughed: Only a clever spirit like Seventeen can handle Bai Zhenting!
Bai Zhenting argued, "...I never intended to take anyone!"
Bai Shiqi sowed discord: "You brought a concubine in even without intending to. If you really intended to, wouldn't you bring eight or ten home?"
"Get lost, you little rascal!" Bai Zhenting swung his hand, and Bai Shiqi scurried away smartly.
Bai Zhenting continued, putting on an ingratiating face to discuss with Lady Su, "Once Weng Jian leaves Suzhou, I'll send that concubine far away. Please don't invite Yun Shuyue to sing at our home, alright?"
After arriving in Suzhou, Yun Shuyue became an instant hit. His delicate, nuanced singing and handsome appearance quickly won him a large following of adoring ladies and young misses, almost making him the sworn enemy of the men of Suzhou Prefecture.
Lady Su: "I'm merely listening to some songs. When you go out, my lord, aren't there women singing and playing instruments at the banquets?"
Bai Zhenting expended tremendous effort to dissuade Lady Su from inviting Yun Shuyue. No sooner had he sent Bai Shiqi off on a grain tribute boat than he, without a moment's hesitation, dismissed her four beautiful concubines.
Who would have thought that several years later, Bai Shiqi would take another beautiful concubine? But that wasn't even the most distressing part. What made him most restless and uneasy was that man, Zhao Wujiu, who had shared a bed with Bai Shiqi for a night.
After giving the little rascal a beating, he took advantage of her temporary docility to interrogate her about Zhao Wujiu's identity and leg injury. To his surprise, Bai Shiqi knew nothing, answering "I don't know" to every question. His anger flared up instantly, and he wished he could give her another thrashing: "...You really don't know his identity? You don't know his identity, yet you casually call him 'cousin'? Is that proper?"
Having just been beaten, Bai Shiqi looked listless, "What if I did know? Should I try to climb the social ladder? Calling him 'cousin' was just following Ziheng's lead."
Bai Zhenting was quite agitated: "He and you... that night... did anything improper happen?" For a father to ask such a thing was truly somewhat embarrassing.
Bai Shiqi, slow on the uptake, widened her eyes: "Cousin is a gentleman! Besides... besides, his leg was injured, what could he do?" Her eyes accused him: How could Father's thoughts be so vulgar?
It made Bai Zhenting so angry he wanted to hit her again, but fortunately, she slipped away quickly.
Bai Zhenting inwardly mocked her naivety and ignorance. If a man truly harbors improper intentions, what wouldn't he do?
Another day, he specifically invited Zhao Wujiu for a drink. During the meal, he probed with his words: "Seventeen has a rash and willful nature. Thank you for taking care of her along the journey, Mr. Zhao. I am immensely grateful!"
On his way there, Zhao Wujiu had asked Bai Zhenting's personal attendant, Qi Rong, and learned that only he had been invited. He instantly thought of that matter.
As the art of war states: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
While Bai Zhenting wanted to probe Zhao Wujiu, Zhao Wujiu, for his part, very much wanted to ascertain Bai Shiqi's true gender.
Adopting a mindset of accepting the situation as it came, Zhao Wujiu went to meet Bai Zhenting. He responded to Bai Zhenting's pleasantries appropriately: "Seventeen is clever and capable. On the journey, it was she who took care of us brothers. Her thoughtfulness and attentiveness are no less than that of a woman. Master Bai, you are too modest!"
Bai Zhenting's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before he smiled again, "She's forgetful and careless. How can she be compared to a woman? You're overthinking it, Mr. Zhao."
Zhao Wujiu took in his expression, becoming even more certain in his heart about Bai Shiqi's gender. However, Bai Zhenting obviously wouldn't tell the truth, and he, Zhao Wujiu, didn't need to rush. He simply made small talk about the customs and sights of the capital.
Bai Zhenting had traveled north to the capital many times over the years escorting grain tribute; he was no country bumpkin who'd never entered the city. When it came to matters of the common people, he was more familiar than Zhao Wujiu. After going around in circles with this gentleman a few times, he had a good idea—this man probably wasn't very familiar with the capital's ways. Either he came from a noble family and wasn't familiar with common affairs, or he wasn't from the capital at all.
It was one or the other.
Just as the two were mutually probing each other, Qi Rong came to report: "Master, Lord Tian Zongping from the Grain Tribute Transport Governor's yamen is here to visit."
Bai Zhenting was taken aback, quite surprised by Tian Zongping's visit: "What is he here for?"
Tian Zongping was a man who appeared amiable on the surface but was inwardly wolfish and tiger-like in nature, exceedingly greedy. When inspecting vessels on the canal, he never left empty-handed.
Muttering to himself, Bai Zhenting asked Zhao Wujiu to make himself comfortable and went out personally to greet the visitor. From a distance, he called out, "Master Tian, with your busy official duties, you could have just sent word for whatever you need. What matter is important enough to trouble you to come in person?"
Tian Zongping's tone was even more effusive than usual, his face wreathed in smiles as he cupped his hands in greeting. "I was born to a life of toil. The lads below are unreliable, so I had to come myself."
Bai Zhenting's heart skipped a beat, wondering silently if this old fox had come to "borrow silver." Otherwise, why would he make a personal visit?
Before his random thoughts could finish, Tian Zongping's square face was already leaning in close, his voice lowered to ask, "I heard... that gentleman is staying at your esteemed residence?"
Bai Zhenting: "Which gentleman?"
Tian Zongping's attitude today was truly strange. He warmly threw an arm around Bai Zhenting's shoulder, smiling obsequiously. "Brother Bai, we've had a good rapport in the past. No need to hide it from me. His Highness the Prince of Zhou is in your mansion. It was I who inspected the canal boat. Why must you still keep it from me?"
"Pri... Prince of Zhou?"
Seeing Bai Zhenting's expression of utter shock, which didn't seem feigned, Tian Zongping was immediately stunned. "Surely not? Brother Bai truly didn't know?"
Bai Zhenting finally found his voice. "His Highness the Prince of Zhou... Master Tian means the Prince of Zhou who returned to the capital after a great victory? How could he be in my home?"
Tian Zongping felt a slight displeasure. In the past, it was always the Bai father and son trying to curry favor with him. Who would have thought that once they had connections with the Prince of Zhou, their demeanor would change entirely? "Brother Bai, don't hide it from me. Your son arrived in Huai'an on the same boat as His Highness the Prince of Zhou and even accompanied him on a stroll through the market. What's the point of this?"
Bai Zhenting tightly gripped Tian Zongping's wrist, his voice even becoming strained. "Master Tian is saying... that gentleman in the wheelchair, Master Zhao, is... is His Highness the Prince of Zhou?"
—The Prince of Zhou, born of the current Empress, who held military command for ten years, single-handedly ended the border turmoil, and established peerless meritorious service... was in his own home?
Bai Zhenting suddenly remembered Zhao Wujiu's aloof, handsome face, the commanding air about him as his long, powerful fingers turned a white porcelain cup, his cursory knowledge of the capital's sights and customs... All the oddities suddenly had an explanation.
A realization dawned on him. "I see! So Master Zhao is His Highness the Prince of Zhou!" He paced in a circle on the spot, then sought confirmation from Tian Zongping again. "There's no mistake? He truly is the Prince of Zhou?"
Seeing his near-frantic state, Tian Zongping realized Bai Zhenting truly hadn't known the Prince of Zhou was staying at his house. He felt much more comfortable inside. "Brother Bai, why not introduce me to see His Highness now?"
Bai Zhenting hurriedly said, "Master Tian, please!" while secretly forming a plan: Regardless of whether that Prince of Zhou had any designs on Bai Shiqi, he must keep the two separated.
Sharing a bed was already dangerous enough. He had only this one precious child, who absolutely must not be led astray by someone with ill intentions!
Before Zhao Wujiu's identity was exposed, Bai Zhenting had merely been probing. Upon learning the other's true status, he now wished Tian Zongping would immediately invite the Prince to the Tian residence to serve as a guardian presence—the Bai family moved in the lowest social circles; the men eking out a living on the canal boats were mostly destitute, belonging to a world utterly separate from the top-tier nobility of the capital. It was best for each to keep to their own, well away from the other's affairs.
