Though Zhenzhou had recently undertaken significant improvements to its water conservancy infrastructure, few among the populace comprehended the potential for dramatically increased land values resulting from the interconnected inland waterways. If her master were genuinely a merchant, they could simply bide their time and watch this currently remote shop appreciate substantially in worth.
As Liu Miantang enthusiastically expounded upon this strategy, a teasing laugh echoed from beyond the shop's threshold. "Ninth Lord, with such an excellent wife, you'll soon be as wealthy as a nation!"
Liu Miantang raised her gaze to discover Doctor Zhao, who had previously treated her illness, standing in the company of her husband Cui Jiu. Both were impressively tall, strikingly handsome men adorned in brocade robes and jade crowns—truly arresting figures. Fortunately, this location remained relatively secluded; otherwise, Cui Jiu's presence alone would have commanded the rapt attention of every passing young woman.
Having not laid eyes upon her husband for several consecutive days, Liu Miantang experienced a surge of pleasant surprise. She hastened forward and offered respectful bows to both gentlemen, inquiring, "How did you and the doctor find your way here, my lord?"
Zhao Quan responded with alacrity, his smile disarming. "Cui Jiu and I were visiting a friend in the neighboring county. On our way back today, we happened to see you leading craftsmen this way, so we followed to take a look."
Zhao Quan found Liu Miantang increasingly captivating with each encounter. Though his household boasted numerous wives and concubines, they proved uniformly skilled at depleting his coffers while remaining woefully incapable of managing household affairs with any competence.
His primary wife, daughter of the illustrious Duke of An'guo, possessed a maddeningly dull wit and, heavily influenced by her pious mother, had developed an all-consuming obsession with Buddhist teachings. Were it not for her father's vehement opposition, she would have abandoned worldly life to become a nun before their marriage could even be solemnized.
Buddhists were purportedly calm and open-minded souls, yet his wife had embraced these principles to such suffocating extremes that she neglected all earthly concerns. After their marriage, marital intimacy remained an entirely foreign concept; in her eyes, Zhao Quan possessed less appeal than a wooden prayer fish.
With the household's mistress spending her days sequestered within the Buddhist shrine, the affairs of the marquis's residence had descended into complete disarray. Consequently, Marquis Zhao harbored thoughts that if circumstances permitted bringing Liu Miantang into his household in the future, her evident intelligence would surely prove invaluable in managing domestic matters.
Hearing the marquis's observation, Miantang smiled with becoming modesty. Concerned that her husband might require the shop's use with some urgency, she had retained craftsmen from the western market to renovate the building immediately upon securing the property.
To economize wherever feasible, she and two elderly women were personally handling many of the less physically demanding tasks. As a consequence, the shop's interior remained somewhat chaotic and decidedly unsuitable for receiving distinguished visitors.
Observing her husband's immaculate white robe, entirely inappropriate for the smoke-filled shop environment, Miantang suggested diplomatically, "I'll have Mama Li return to the residence to prepare a meal. My lord, you can take Doctor Zhao back to rest at home."
However, Marquis Zhao harbored certain ulterior motives, and his gaze toward Miantang now carried an unmistakable quality of familial concern and personal interest.
Witnessing her return to the shop and personally ascend to tear away the antiquated oiled paper from the walls, the marquis immediately rolled up his elegant sleeves with purpose. "Madam Liu, please come down and rest. I'll do this for you."
He rushed forward with surprising enthusiasm to strip away the oiled paper. Observing the marquis climb up to assist, his attendant naturally couldn't remain idle and joined the effort.
Mo Ru, Cui Xingzhou's personal servant, retrieved a chair from within the shop and positioned it strategically at the entrance for the prince's comfort.
Cui Xingzhou declined to sit. Though the morning remained early and the alley quiet, if he seated himself comfortably, wouldn't that potentially interfere with Liu Miantang's supposed purpose of serving as bait to lure their enemies?
Yet as he coldly observed Zhao Quan's conspicuously unusual eagerness and helpful demeanor, he found himself understanding the Marquis of Zhennan's underlying intentions with crystalline clarity. The man had genuinely become captivated by Liu Miantang.
Contemplating this development, he elevated his voice deliberately. "Brother Zhao, we'll be late for the chess meeting…"
Cui Xingzhou's tone wasn't particularly loud, yet those intimately familiar with him recognized immediately that he had become displeased. Only then did comprehension dawn upon Zhao Quan—he and Cui Xingzhou were traveling incognito today specifically to meet the visiting Winter Creek Hermit.
The Winter Creek Hermit possessed notoriously eccentric tendencies but commanded respect as an undisputed chess master. His agreement to grant them an audience was exceedingly rare, extended solely out of regard for his longstanding friendship with Cui Xingzhou. They absolutely couldn't risk arriving late.
Consequently, Marquis Zhao hastily tore away two additional sheets of oiled paper before turning to Liu Miantang with an apologetic smile. "I'm busy today, but I'll come to help you another time."
Liu Miantang smiled warmly, adjusting the green scarf adorning her head. "Doctor, you're too kind. How could I trouble you with such rough work?"
Zhao Quan descended from the table, accepting a dampened towel and tea from his attentive servant. He spoke with evident sincerity, "I'm like brothers with the Ninth Lord, and you keep calling me 'doctor' so formally. Just call me by my courtesy name, 'Jiayu'."
Liu Miantang smiled knowingly, recognizing it wouldn't prove proper to continue addressing her husband's intimate friend by his professional title. She replied with gentle humor, "It seems your destiny lacks water, Mr. Zhao. Your name and courtesy name complement each other well."
Zhao Quan laughed appreciatively, experiencing renewed conviction that this woman possessed truly refined and perceptive qualities. He privately reflected that his destiny most certainly lacked a gentle, understanding beauty precisely like her.
After the two distinguished men boarded their carriage, Marquis Zhao appeared distinctly reluctant to depart, repeatedly glancing backward at the captivating beauty standing before the shop, respectfully seeing her husband off with proper deportment.
Only when the carriage executed its turn around the corner did he finally withdraw his lingering gaze.
Cui Xingzhou felt it incumbent upon himself to enlighten his misguided friend regarding the situation's realities, so he spoke with deliberate calm. "The Marquis is kind-hearted, but you needn't go too far. Remember, that woman is still a relative of rebels. Once involved, you'll inevitably be implicated."
Zhao Quan demonstrated pronounced displeasure at hearing this assessment and glared with mild reproach. "A good woman kidnapped by bandits – how does that make her a rebel's relative? When this matter is settled, Your Highness, you must uphold justice and give Miss Liu fair treatment!"
Cui Xingzhou perceived his friend as somewhat naive regarding worldly complexities and declined to pursue the argument further. He retrieved a book positioned nearby and, while casually flipping through its pages, stated with studied mildness, "Her father and brothers have all been convicted. She has no home to return to and bears a tainted reputation, unwelcome in society. If she helps me achieve a great merit, I'll reward her with some silver to become a nun in a temple, living out the rest of her life in peace."
Zhao Quan, thoroughly tormented by his Buddhism-obsessed primary wife, now experienced pounding headaches at the mere mention of terms like "temple" and "nun." He couldn't help wondering what karmic debts he owed the Buddha in previous lifetimes to warrant such a profoundly troubled marriage in his current existence.
He had finally encountered a woman who genuinely moved his heart, yet Cui Xingzhou proposed consigning her to a temple!
Experiencing considerable displeasure, Marquis Zhao speculated that perhaps his friend simply failed to comprehend the depth of his feelings for the woman, hence his apparent cold-heartedness. He attempted a more direct approach, offering subtle hints. "Ninth Lord, you're about to have a joyous event yourself, marrying your second cousin Lian. You'll make a fine couple. But although I bear the name of being married, no one cares for my daily needs. I truly lack someone as charming as Miss Liu…"
Unfortunately, his carefully crafted words met with absolutely no response whatsoever.
The Prince of Huaiyang reclined against the carriage's luxuriously cushioned interior, supporting his forehead with one elegant hand while seriously absorbing himself in his book. He demonstrated remarkably little interest in discussing his impending nuptial celebration.
The Second Miss Lian whom Zhao Quan referenced was the niece of Cui Xingzhou's mother, the venerable old Princess Chu.
Years previously, the old prince had been an unrepentant philanderer, and the old princess had endured a profoundly unhappy marriage following her entrance into the household. Throughout six years of matrimony, she had produced only a single daughter and no male heir.
Growing increasingly impatient with this perceived failure, the old prince had taken three noble concubines in rapid succession. Over four subsequent years, they engaged in competitive fertility attempts, ultimately succeeding in delivering eight sons among them.
In the seventh year, perhaps genuinely moved by the substantial incense money the old princess had donated with desperate fervor, the Child-Giving Goddess finally blessed her with pregnancy, and she gave birth to a legitimate son, Cui Xingzhou.
Thus, though Cui Xingzhou proudly bore the distinguished title of legitimate son, he occupied the ninth position in birth order among his brothers within the family hierarchy.
The noble concubines all originated from respectable backgrounds and maintained sons within their respective chambers. The open conflicts and insidious hidden struggles pervading the prince's mansion rivaled those of the imperial palace itself, providing sufficient material to occupy storytellers until their voices went hoarse from extended narration.
The old princess possessed an inherently gentle disposition, and her ability to maintain firm standing amidst the concubines' relentless power struggles derived primarily from her family's profound roots, her exceptionally capable brothers, and the formidable backing they provided.
More significantly, her son proved himself utterly exceptional in every regard.
In summary, when the old prince finally passed into the afterlife and Cui Xingzhou inherited the princely title, only four of his elder brothers remained among the living. The bloody turmoil characterizing that transitional period remained something everyone within the prince's mansion studiously avoided mentioning.
Having witnessed firsthand the chaotic nightmare his father's harem had become, replete with arrogant and domineering noble concubines, when circumstances necessitated Cui Xingzhou's own marriage, the selection process for the new princess proceeded with extreme caution. The paramount requirement was a gentle, compliant disposition—absolutely not arrogant or domineering under any circumstances.
There existed no alternative; his mother possessed insufficient strength of character, and if he married someone with a forceful personality, she might prove entirely incapable of fulfilling her responsibilities as mother-in-law.
He harbored no particular interest in women and entertained no desire to accumulate concubines or accept chambermaids into his household. The prospective bride simply needed to demonstrate modest temperament, capability for filial devotion toward his mother, and the ability to bear children for continuing the family lineage.
Ultimately, yielding to his mother's insistent recommendations, he selected his cousin Lian Silan, whose temperament bore remarkable resemblance to his mother's own.
Lian Silan was the second daughter of the old princess's younger sister, Zhao Chu-shi. Her father was Lian Hanshan, who also served as Marquis Zhao Quan's maternal uncle.
Consequently, the Second Miss Lian shared both maternal cousin relations with Cui Xingzhou and paternal cousin connections with Marquis Zhao.
Cui Xingzhou and Zhao Quan thus enjoyed doubly reinforced kinship ties, their bonds as intimately entwined as marrow within bone.
During the selection period, the Second Miss Lian, surrounded by an impressive assembly of excellent cousin suitors, had found herself almost paralyzed by superior choices. Ultimately, she selected the exceptionally handsome Prince Cui Xingzhou, provoking intense envy among other eligible young ladies throughout the region.
Unfortunately, absolute perfection proves eternally elusive. Two years previously, the Second Miss Lian's grandmother had suffered sudden death after tragically choking on a peach. This unexpected calamity caught the family entirely unprepared, rendering them unable to circumvent the mandatory mourning period through expedient advance marriage arrangements.
As a direct consequence, the wedding between Lian Silan and Cui Xingzhou required postponement for three full years.
Presently, two years had elapsed. After one additional year's passage, the Huaiyang Prince's mansion would finally welcome its new mistress with appropriate ceremony.
However, the old Princess Chu frequently experienced profound longing for her future daughter-in-law and, experiencing acute loneliness without suitable companionship, regularly invited her to maintain extended residence at the prince's mansion.
Cui Xingzhou never questioned his mother's decisions but remained unwilling to expose his cousin to potential criticism before her official entrance into the family. Therefore, whenever Lian Silan visited the prince's mansion, he deliberately avoided returning home to prevent scandalous rumors of clandestine meetings during the mourning period, which could irrevocably tarnish both their reputations and provide abundant ammunition for censorious court officials.
By his careful reckoning, half a year had elapsed since his last return to the prince's mansion. Following this chess engagement, he would necessarily need to return promptly to attend his mother's birthday celebration.
The chess meeting with the hermit proved thoroughly enjoyable. Cui Xingzhou was acknowledged as a masterful chess strategist. Beyond his official governmental duties, he actively disliked boisterous banquets and vastly preferred this manner of contemplative, silent entertainment.
Recently, court officials had begun criticizing him with increasing frequency for amassing excessive military forces and accumulating dangerously excessive power. The emperor himself awaited his voluntary surrender of the military seal and disbandment of the regional army.
Cui Xingzhou had grown thoroughly weary of managing the verbose probing of bureaucrats and discovered far greater pleasure in interacting with free-spirited individuals like Zhao Quan and the Winter Creek Hermit.
After half a day devoted to chess, the customarily reserved Winter Creek Hermit offered effusive praise. "It's been just a few days, yet the Prince of Huaiyang's moves have become even more cunning. Playing against you is truly exhilarating!"
Pronouncing this assessment, he produced an incomplete set of chess manuals with considerable reverence. "A bet's a bet. I lost to you three times today, so I'll give you these Lanke chess manuals. However, this peerless chess manual is incomplete, with only this version remaining. If you can find the latter half in the future, I hope you'll let me have a look."
Cui Xingzhou smiled with understated grace and naturally offered his agreement to these reasonable terms.
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