Chapter 78
Cui Lanyin sought out Geng Dayou and asked whether he intended to continue working for her or follow Cui Su into the military.
The Geng family had originally served as Cui Xin’s personal guards. Before this, Geng Dayou simply hadn’t had the opportunity to advance. Now that Cui Su had a promising future and needed capable men around him, Cui Lanyin thought that if Geng Dayou was willing, she would let him go and work under Cui Su.
She spent most of her time in the palace, leaving Geng Dayou with little to do, and she didn’t want his abilities to go to waste.
Geng Dayou, however, answered without the slightest hesitation, “I’ll continue following Second Young Lady.”
“You’ll have better prospects following Su-ge than following me.”
“Then I’ll still follow Second Young Lady.”
Cui Lanyin thought for a moment. “The Qilin Hall will be getting busier soon. For now, you’ll be in charge of liaising with Liu Heipi. Anything that comes up on his end should be reported to you, and you can then send word to me.”
The two carrier pigeons Xuanlin had given her would finally come in handy. She handed them over to Geng Dayou. “If I haven’t replied within half a day after you send a message by pigeon, ask Uncle Qian when you get back whether there’s another way for you to send word to me in the palace.”
Geng Dayou nodded repeatedly, his spirits lifting at once.
Ever since Cui Lanyin had entered the palace, few assignments had come his way. Recently, he had returned to the Cui family’s main branch. His father, Geng Shun, had even suggested that he ask Cui Sheng whether he should go and follow Cui Su.
The Geng family had a martial arts tradition, and Geng Dayou was very skilled himself. He was naturally better suited to following Cui Su.
Geng Dayou was stubborn by nature. He believed that a servant should serve only one master. Since he had already acknowledged Second Young Lady as his master, he felt he ought to follow her through good times and bad. How could he look elsewhere simply because she had no use for him at the moment?
Geng Shun had been so exasperated that he had laughed. He told his son to do whatever he wanted and stopped concerning himself with the matter.
Now that he saw Second Young Lady had actually continued to keep his situation in mind, Geng Dayou felt even more certain that he had made the right choice.
Cui Lanyin then had him summon Liu Heipi, just as he had done the previous time.
On his second visit to the former princely residence, Liu Heipi was somewhat more at ease than before.
After motioning for him to sit, Cui Lanyin got straight to the point. “First, compile a list of the major merchants of note in the southern regions. After that, you’ll take the Qilin Hall and collect protection fees from them. As for how much you charge, it must not be less than what Jiutong Exchange charges.”
Liu Heipi was so shocked that his mouth fell wide open, and his jaw nearly dropped off. “Just collect protection fees from them? Will they… will they actually pay?”
This was different from the Qilin Hall stepping in to settle disputes among the martial world. In those cases, they contributed both manpower and their reputation. Merchants, however, were not people of the martial world. They had no use for the Qilin Hall and would hardly pay it any attention. Was Second Young Lady suggesting they use force to take the money?
Cui Lanyin instructed him, “Spread the word that the Qilin Hall has secured a connection with me. Then, when you approach those merchants, tell them that regardless of whose patronage they previously operated under, they may abandon it. As long as they pay the Qilin Hall its protection fee and conduct legitimate business, I will guarantee that they can travel and do business without obstruction. If any fool deliberately gives them trouble, I will personally step in and settle the matter.”
Liu Heipi’s face flushed with excitement. If the Qilin Hall could act under Second Young Lady’s banner, what could possibly stand in their way?
He felt that once the word was spread, many merchants might come knocking on their door of their own accord.
Take Jiutong Trading House, for instance. They had still been dragging their feet aboard the pleasure boat, but after going back, they must have learned something. Within two days, Young Master Fang came looking for them. He said that Jiutong Trading House’s next fleet would arrive in Ying City around the middle of the tenth month, and that it would bring half a year’s worth of profit shares at once. In other words, ever since Qilin Hall had settled the matter for them, they would calculate their shares at twenty percent.
At this rate, Qilin Hall would have plenty to do—and it would become a dock that merchants across Great Ying would have to pay their respects to. The Canal Gang was nothing but a fart by comparison. Though Qilin Hall was a civilian organization, Second Miss stood behind it, and behind Second Miss stood the Emperor. This truly had enormous potential.
It really was true: listen to one’s wife and prosperity would follow. His wife had told him to follow Second Miss with absolute loyalty, and now good fortune was raining down on him one blessing after another.
Second Miss was his one and only great benefactor. No matter what, he had to hold on tight.
Cui Lanyin added, “Whenever you need people to lend you presence, I’ll have some of the Uncle-generation Qilin Guards stand behind you.”
Thinking of the imposing manner of Uncle Qing, Uncle Xuan, and the others that day, Liu Heipi’s spirits soared. They were the Uncle-generation members of the Emperor’s secret guards—surely any one of them would rank at least fifth grade if sent out on his own?
When Liu Heipi left, his chest was puffed high, as though the whole world lay before him, waiting for him to make his mark.
Although the chief steward had been leading the people from the former princely residence in making preparations, as the hosts, they could not remain ignorant of everything.
After the afternoon rest on the twenty-seventh, Cui Lanyin had Geng Dayou bring Lady Jiang, Cui Lanzhi, and Hong Ji to the former princely residence. She also sent word to Cui Sheng and his three sons, telling them to come to the residence after work and school.
First, they needed to familiarize themselves with the venue for the banquet. Second, there would always be guests who arrived early. It would be awkward if the guests arrived before the hosts. So the whole family would stay at the former princely residence for the night, allowing them to handle matters calmly the next morning.
This was a former princely residence—hardly somewhere one could casually stay. Not only Lady Jiang and Cui Lanzhi felt constrained, but even Hong Ji was hesitant to step inside.
Yet when they saw the chief steward bustling in and out, attending to Cui Lanyin as though she were the mistress of the residence, they could not help wondering whether this was truly appropriate. He was a sixth-rank chief steward of a princely household, and Cui Lanyin gave him orders with perfect composure.
The chief steward was quick-witted. He told the three of them directly, “His Majesty instructed me to serve Second Miss well, and I too hope to remain at Second Miss’s side for a long time.”
After Lady Jiang and Cui Lanzhi murmured, “His Majesty’s grace is vast,” their nervousness eased considerably.
Hong Ji, however, thought more deeply. For a princely steward to be willing to follow his sister-in-law so wholeheartedly, there had to be a future in it. His sister-in-law had unexpectedly become a force to be reckoned with in Ying City.
What no one had expected was that the first guest to arrive early would be Princess Yongjia.
Cui Mian had brought everyone from the second branch of the family over early as well. They had intended to familiarize themselves with the banquet grounds before any guests arrived—and, if possible, perhaps take a look around the former princely residence.
Cui Sheng, his sons, and Hong Ji came out to receive them. As the two groups were speaking at the main gate, Princess Yongjia’s carriage procession turned into the lane, leaving everyone at a loss.
Fortunately, the chief steward was there. He hurried forward, bowed before the princess’s carriage, and led the way as he said, “We did not expect Your Highness to arrive so early. Our Second Miss has not yet come out. I shall send someone to inform her at once. Would Your Highness please follow me to the inner gate first?”
Princess Yongjia had something of a reputation for being overbearing in Yingcheng. Apart from members of the imperial family, she treated everyone else with indifference. It was said that even when her parents-in-law visited her princess’s residence, they had to bow formally before her.
Yet now, she spoke in an exceptionally amiable tone. “Chief Steward, please don’t disturb Lady Yinyin. She and I are practically family, and I’ve never considered myself a guest here. Her headaches cannot bear the strain, so I came early to help her receive the guests. Just show me the way, and I’ll go find her myself.”
Through Princess Yongjia, the chief steward realized that there would likely be many unexpected developments today. He was also worried that another distinguished guest might arrive later and leave the Cui family unable to cope. Thus, he did not insist any further. He pointed out an attendant to guide Princess Yongjia’s carriage through the second gate.
He had indeed guessed correctly. Not long after Princess Yongjia had gone inside, a carriage from Prince Duan’s residence arrived. Since there was only one four-horse carriage, the chief steward assumed that Prince Duan and his wife were riding together.
But when he went forward to greet them, he found only the Princess Consort of Prince Duan inside. Treating him without the slightest reserve, she explained, “Our prince is unwelcome wherever he goes, so I didn’t let him come.” It was plain that she feared Prince Duan might make Cui Lanyin uncomfortable.
As the princess consort’s carriage proceeded inside, the men from the two branches of the Cui family stood there for a long while, unable to recover from their astonishment.
When Prince Duan had originally sent over the five-tailed phoenix hairpin, the entire family had prepared for the worst. No one had expected matters to turn out this way. To avoid upsetting Cui Lanyin, Prince Duan himself had to keep his distance, while even the princess consort had come early to help receive guests.
First a princess, then a princess consort—both had arrived early to help entertain guests, as though they were longtime family friends. The womenfolk of the two Cui households were equally stunned.
Lady Chang, who had been planning to show off her abilities, no longer had the nerve to step forward.
For this banquet, the chief steward had prepared Yifang Hall, which was normally reserved for the princess consort. The female guests would sit there for a while to chat before the banquet, while their meal would be served at Zhuli Pavilion in the rear garden of the prince’s residence.
Since everyone thought it would be some time before the guests arrived, the womenfolk of the two Cui households had all gathered in Yi’an Hall, chatting with Cui Lanyin.
When Princess Yongjia arrived, she went straight inside, leaving the attendants no choice but to lead her to Yi’an Hall. Li Yijin arrived afterward and was brought there in the same manner.
Seeing that there was indeed no need for her to receive the guests, Princess Yongjia sat down. She had never been one for formalities. Taking Cui Lanyin’s hand, she said, “Lanyin, I have you to thank for this. That Wei fellow found a censor to submit an impeachment memorial against me, and it reached His Majesty. He only glanced at it before throwing it onto the floor, then asked, ‘Do the censors have nothing better to do?’ That was seven characters. His Majesty usually says no more than five at a time, so this shows just how angry he was. No one lacking sense will bring it up again, and the matter is over.”
“It was only because my imperial uncle was mindful of our family ties. It had nothing to do with me,” Cui Lanyin said, unwilling to claim any credit.
“Don’t be modest. His Majesty did it for your sake.
“Do you think the Benyuan Palace is still what it was in the late emperor’s time? Qian He has it secured as tightly as an iron barrel now. There’s no way for anything happening inside to leak out.”
His Majesty handled state affairs in a way that was entirely unlike anyone else. No matter how many memorials there were, he seemed able to remember them all after merely scanning them once. Thus, every morning he would arrange them in order and have the ministers responsible for each matter come and collect the memorials he had already reviewed. Memorials that His Late Majesty had sometimes been unable to finish in several days could be sorted through and assigned by him in half a day. Not the slightest detail could escape his notice. The court officials now no longer dared to play any tricks.”
Cui Lanyin did not understand. What Princess Yongjia was saying had nothing to do with her.
“Let me explain slowly,” Princess Yongjia said with a smile. “I want you to understand that if the court officials had not been present, I would have had no way of knowing anything about what happened in the Benyuan Palace.
“So, after hearing what the officials were saying, I too thought that His Majesty had shown me a measure of protection. Naturally, I had to let him know that I was grateful. So yesterday, I entered the palace and went to the Benyuan Hall to thank him for his grace. But guess what? His Majesty did not even let me through the doors of the Benyuan Hall.
“Later, from a distance, I saw Buyan, the close attendant always at His Majesty’s side, come out and give some instructions to two palace eunuchs. After I returned to my mother’s palace, it was not long before one of the eunuchs there came to tell us that, according to what had come from the Benyuan Hall, His Majesty had decided to show me leniency only because he had heard that I had gone to Danyue Residence to speak with you.”
“Rumors cannot be trusted,” Cui Lanyin could only say.
Princess Yongjia gave her a sidelong look and smiled. “There is more being said than that. They say that Buyan and Gufeng, the men at His Majesty’s side, and even His Majesty’s mysterious Dark Qilin Guards all regard you as their second mistress. They also say that Qian He was made Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department because Wen Song had shown you disrespect. His Majesty believed that only someone whom you acknowledged as ‘Uncle Qian’ would not slight you, so he promoted Qian He. Though he did take Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s feelings into consideration, his decision had even more to do with you.
“You must know that, unless the few men in charge at the Benyuan Hall had given the hint, who would dare spread such words? Were they tired of living?
“If those men in charge dared to say such things, then even if His Majesty had not explicitly ordered it, they must have been acting according to his wishes.”
Thinking of all the Emperor’s actions over the past two days, Cui Lanyin could find no reason to refute her.
Li Yijin, who had been listening silently beside them, tugged at Cui Lanyin’s sleeve. “I did come here shamelessly to ask for your help.” After a pause, she added, “Of course, even if I had no favor to ask of you, I would still have come to help today.”
That day, afraid that Princess Yongjia might say something reckless, Li Yijin had hurriedly pulled her away. Cui Lanyin had consequently developed a favorable impression of her.
Now, she did not refuse. “Tell me. If it is something I can help with, I will do so.”
Li Yijin was somewhat surprised. Because of the matter involving Prince Duan, she had not held out the slightest hope for today. Yet if she did not make this trip, she would feel that she had not done everything she could. After much deliberation, she had decided that she still had to ask.
She had not expected Cui Lanyin to agree so readily. Although she knew that Cui Lanyin would probably refuse once she heard what the matter was, Li Yijin was still very grateful for her willingness to help.
“Then I’ll ask you plainly. If you can grant it, you will; if you can’t, I’ll understand you have your reasons.” Li Yijin laid out her request first. “You saw it at the family banquet that day. The Grand Empress Dowager Li wants Empress Dowager Xu to bring the late emperor’s consorts and live with her. Others may be able to stay there, but it wouldn’t be right for Empress Dowager Xu or my aunt to go. The Li family used the Xu family, then turned around and schemed to have the whole family exiled. To make Empress Dowager Xu serve her now would be a bitter ordeal, even if the Grand Empress Dowager did nothing else to her.
“And as for my aunt, in the Grand Empress Dowager’s eyes, she’s a traitor to the Li family. Once my aunt goes to Fuan Palace, I’m afraid the Grand Empress Dowager’s quiet, cutting cruelties will all be turned on her.
“His Majesty said they needn’t move palaces just yet, but that can’t last forever. Could you ask him to make an exception for the two of them and assign them somewhere more secluded?”
Cui Lanyin asked, “Why are you pleading on Empress Dowager Xu’s behalf? It may be difficult to get him to agree for both of them.”
“I don’t mind you knowing. After everything that’s happened, my aunt deeply regrets and blames herself for the way she treated Empress Dowager Xu when she was young and headstrong. She told me that if Empress Dowager Xu is sent to Fuan Palace, she’ll go with her. She wants to stay by Empress Dowager Xu’s side from now on, and share whatever hardships come.”
If Li Yijin were only pleading on Concubine Li Shu’s behalf, palace affairs were not something she ought to meddle in. She had already said she would help only if she could, and she would have refused without hesitation.
But now she understood that Concubine Li Shu meant to stand by Empress Dowager Xu. Though Li Yijin hadn’t said so outright, Concubine Li Shu intended to go to Fuan Palace and shield Empress Dowager Xu from whatever awaited her.
Cui Lanyin thought it over, then said, “I can’t promise you anything, but when I’m back at the palace, I can ask my uncle.”
