Chapter Six
After days of rain, the skies finally cleared, and roses bloomed one after another along the corridor, their delicate pink petals swaying gently in the spring breeze.
At this moment, Cui Lanyin particularly wished for a stained-glass window—how delightful it would be to bask in the sunlight by the window while admiring the flowers.
Just then, she heard Sangzhi dismissing the cleaning maids in the courtyard, which puzzled her.
Turning her head, she saw Sangzhi rushing in like a gust of wind. "Miss, Qinglin from the Prince of Wei’s residence is here—he’s perched on the tree by the courtyard wall and says he has something to tell you."
Cui Lanyin nearly dropped the teacup in her hand. What business could someone from the Prince of Wei’s household have, climbing over walls to see her?
She quickly tidied herself up and invited him in.
Qinglin entered without glancing around, bowed to Cui Lanyin, and handed her a stack of papers. "This concerns the Meng family."
Cui Lanyin was taken aback. How did the Prince of Wei know about this?
She took the papers and read them carefully, only to feel exasperated. The Meng family was truly a mess.
Before the tangled affairs of the Min and Luo cousins could even be resolved, Meng Zhen’s favored concubine from Shanxi was now scheming to send her own cousin into Meng Huaizong’s bed—and Meng Zhen had no objections.
If this succeeded, father and son would share concubines who were cousins. How utterly shameless.
A family with such chaotic morals was not worth considering, no matter the benefits.
Cui Lanyin curtsied to Qinglin. "Please convey my gratitude to His Highness for his kindness. Once my family matters are settled, I will personally visit to pay my respects."
Qinglin sidestepped slightly to avoid the full gesture. "No need for formalities." Recalling the prince’s usual demeanor, he added, "His Highness dislikes being indebted."
This made Cui Lanyin overthink. She had brought pastries as a courtesy, and now the Prince of Wei was returning the gesture with information about the Meng family. If she visited again, wouldn’t it seem like she was angling for more favors? Perhaps this was the prince’s subtle way of declining further interaction.
Her thoughts were in turmoil when she suddenly noticed three words scrawled at the bottom of the last page—"Wait one year." The bold, sweeping strokes stood out starkly against the otherwise neat script and had no apparent connection to the rest of the message.
Pointing at the words, she asked Qinglin, "What does this mean?"
Qinglin replied honestly, "His Highness added it just before I left, but he didn’t explain."
After watching Qinglin leap back over the wall, Cui Lanyin returned to the page, studying the words intently. The Prince of Wei was not one to scribble idly—those three characters surely carried weight.
Resting her chin on her hand, she pondered. What would happen in a year? March… next March was the year of the imperial examinations!
Was he suggesting she wait to choose a husband from among the new scholars? Was that his meaning?
From childhood, Lady Tan had taught her that "you can’t have your cake and eat it too"—gains came with losses. So she had always aimed for modest prosperity, never daring to aspire to brilliance.
If the Prince of Wei truly meant what she suspected, she would have to decline his well-intentioned advice.
For now, though, dissolving the engagement with the Meng family took priority.
This wasn’t a matter for an unmarried young lady to handle directly, so Cui Lanyin summoned Geng Shun’s wife and instructed her to relay the decision to Lady Chang of the second branch.
Nearly an hour later, Geng Shun’s wife returned. "At first, the madam questioned me repeatedly, but once she realized there was no room for negotiation, she sent for the master. He agreed swiftly, and she promised to formally reject the Meng family tomorrow. She assured the second young lady need not worry about it further."
Not long after, Sangzhi returned from the teahouse, and Cui Lanyin set the matter aside.
Aiye brought tea and snacks, and the three of them chatted as they ate.
"Zhang Gui and I settled on two meal sets—one vegetarian, one with meat, and another with two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish. Each comes with four flatbreads. The customers love them—we sell about thirty sets a day."
After deducting costs, they could earn nearly a hundred taels of silver a year. For a newly opened shop, this was beyond Cui Lanyin’s expectations.
Yet something felt off. "Is it exactly thirty sets every day?" she asked.
"Yes," Sangzhi confirmed.
"And are the customers the same people?"
Sangzhi shook her head. "A few foremen are regulars, but the laborers and boatmen change. It’s been different groups over the past two days."
Cui Lanyin’s expression darkened. "We’ll visit the shop early tomorrow."
Different customers, yet the same exact number daily? That couldn’t be a coincidence.
The next morning, after breakfast, Cui Lanyin and Sangzhi dressed in coarse cotton robes and veiled themselves with wide-brimmed hats before boarding the oxcart driven by Geng Dayou to the teahouse.
The East Water Gate wharf was a rough area where respectable young ladies never ventured—let alone unmarried ones. If word got out, her marriage prospects would be ruined, and her younger brothers’ futures would suffer too.
This was why she sought a wealthy, idle husband—to secure capital, gain influence, and have a man by her side when she needed to appear in public. With a husband present, gossip would be kept at bay.
No matter how desperate, she would never exploit a spouse’s wealth for her family’s sake.
Carefully avoiding attention, Geng Dayou brought the cart to the teahouse’s rear courtyard, and Cui Lanyin entered through the kitchen’s back door with Sangzhi.
Since the shop only opened for lunch, Cui Lanyin took the precaution of meeting Zhang Gui in an upstairs private room to question him in detail.
By the end, she was certain—these customers had ulterior motives.
"Prepare to close the shop," she told Zhang Gui.
Though inexperienced, Zhang Gui quickly grasped the situation.
Hesitantly, he said, "The East Water Gate is indeed treacherous. Many gangs operate here, and shops must pay monthly tributes. But outlaws fear the authorities—even a lowly yamen runner can intimidate them. Our family may have declined, but summoning a runner is no trouble. I merely hinted at our connections, and the collectors stopped bothering us. Could they be trying to curry favor?"
"Whatever their motive, we can’t be involved."
Remembering Cui Lanyin’s unmarried status, Zhang Gui nodded gravely and agreed.
Once they finalized the plan, Zhang Gui informed the dock foreman that the shop would close after the midday customers left.
Before he could step out to investigate the heavy footsteps approaching, the private room’s door swung open. A tall, burly man strode in and bowed to Cui Lanyin.
"Greetings, miss. Might I trouble you for a favor?"
Dressed in a plain brown robe with a dark complexion and narrow eyes, the man smiled amiably, but his actions betrayed his true nature. This was no harmless visitor.
Zhang Gui and Sangzhi immediately shielded Cui Lanyin. "How dare you intrude? Leave at once!"
The man maintained his ingratiating smile. "I mean no offense, miss. I’m merely desperate and beg your assistance to plead for mercy on my behalf. In return, I’ll ensure thirty patrons dine here nightly henceforth."
So it was his doing.
"Zhang Gui, calculate the accounts from these past days and refund this guest." Cui Lanyin hoped to resolve the trouble by returning the money.
"Though I may be a crude man, I’ve never taken back what I’ve given away." As he spoke, the man casually picked up a teacup from the table. Without any visible effort, the cup crumbled into sand-like fragments in his hand.
"A petty trick of the trade, forgive my showing off." He dusted his hands, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes. "Miss Cui, please take a seat. Once that person arrives, it’ll only take a few words to settle things."
Hearing him reveal her identity, Cui Lanyin knew things had taken a turn for the worse. Her worst fear had come true—this man was using both soft and hard tactics, clearly aiming to exploit the fact that a young lady from a respectable family had been seen frequenting the docks. His goal was to manipulate the Cui family’s eldest branch into serving his purposes.
Sangzhi, her face pale, steadied her with trembling hands. "Miss?"
"Like a fish on the chopping block, we have no choice but to endure what comes." Confronting him now would be like throwing an egg against a rock. Cui Lanyin stopped Zhang Gui from calling for Geng Dayou in the backyard.
She refused to give such a man any gossip to spread. Straightening her posture, she faced him squarely.
The man paused, visibly reassessing her.
"Miss, you’ve got courage." His tone grew more respectful. "I genuinely wish to establish goodwill with your family. In time, you’ll see."
"Master Zhao, this way!" Someone below called out loudly, revealing that this man had brought backup waiting outside.
At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, the man abruptly stood, then reconsidered and sat back down.
Raising his voice, he called out, "Is that Master Zhao? Liu Heipi has been awaiting your arrival."
As soon as he finished speaking, one of his men ushered two figures into the private room.
"Landlord, bring some fine tea and snacks. If you’re short-handed, feel free to use any of my men outside."
Liu Heipi’s words left Zhang Gui no room to act rashly. After a hesitant glance at Cui Lanyin’s silent signal, he gritted his teeth and went downstairs to arrange things.
"Master Zhao, please." Liu Heipi finally clasped his hands in greeting, though his smile was painfully forced, betraying his tension. The two newcomers clearly put him on edge.
Neither responded. The one in white robes pulled out a chair and gestured for the black-robed man to sit, then stood attentively beside him.
Evidently, the white-robed man was the subordinate.
Both appeared to be in their twenties—the white-robed one handsome and upright, the black-robed one even more striking in appearance, though his drowsy, half-lidded eyes made him seem less imposing at first glance.
These refined figures bore no resemblance to rough-and-tumble martial artists.
After a brief, surprised glance in their direction, the white-robed man averted his eyes. The black-robed one never even looked their way. Compared to Liu Heipi’s demeanor, Sangzhi’s tension eased slightly.
"Liu Heipi, get to the point. Our master hasn’t got time to waste on you."
The white-robed man’s words reminded Cui Lanyin that appearances could indeed be deceiving.
Though Liu Heipi felt victory was within reach, he dared not overstep. Suppressing his irritation, he said, "Master Zhao, we were blind not to recognize your eminence and offended you. As recompense, we’re willing to offer ten percent of our annual profits as tribute. We beg your magnanimity to let this matter pass."
"Who do you think hasn’t seen silver before?" The white-robed man scoffed. "When the road is uneven, someone levels it. When injustice arises, someone sets it right. I advise you to follow the path our master has laid out—or else..."
Meanwhile, Master Zhao leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, as if he’d only come here to find a quiet spot to rest, indifferent to everything else.
