Chapter Four: A Commoner Who Studied for Two Years

A delicate fragrance seemed to drift directly from the Celestial Jade Capital painting into Chen Zhi’an’s mind. Though no one else could detect it, it gradually cleared his thoughts.

He lifted his head and looked toward Zhou Xiujing.

Zhou Xiujing held a cup, leisurely sipping his tea. The indifferent look in his eyes irritated Chen Zhi’an.

“I’ve already died once. I thought this life would be peaceful, yet I still have to suffer at the hands of this wealthy young master?”

He thought this to himself, but as his mind became clearer, he gradually calmed.

“That ginger wrapped in mist within the Celestial Jade Capital painting must be extremely precious… Perhaps… I can also embark on the legendary path of cultivation?”

“Dying over such a thing is not worth it… As for the silver, how much does this rich young master intend to offer?”

Chen Zhi’an’s thoughts raced. Yet when he saw the disdain and haughtiness in Zhou Xiujing’s manner once more, his inherited stubbornness from his past life made him dislike this Zhou young master even more.

“If he likes to put on airs, then let him pay more.”

Taking a deep breath, Chen Zhi’an finally bowed his head and spoke: “Young Master Zhou, you worry too much.”

“Hm?” Zhou Xiujing looked up.

“Everyone has their own ambitions and desires. There’s no need for Young Master Zhou to promise me great rewards. I have already declined the Xu family of Lianzhou yesterday. I have no wish to marry into the Xu household.” Chen Zhi’an smiled, but his tone was somewhat anxious.

Before Zhou Xiujing could respond, Zheng Liu and Wu Peilin’s expressions changed.

Zheng Liu’s face grew serious: “You little servant are quite interesting. Do you not know the reputation of the Xu family of Lianzhou? Do you not know of Miss Xu Xiyue’s famed beauty?”

Wu Peilin, however, merely thought this young painter’s apprentice was scared and tempted by the promises of the Zhou young master. He believed the boy was just trying to save face—nothing more than youthful pride.

He laughed heartily and nodded: “That’s just right. A man should know his own worth. Young Master Zhou promises you great riches, enough for a comfortable life. If you don’t appreciate it, you’ll only suffer in the end!”

“You misunderstand, Sir Wu.”

Chen Zhi’an suddenly interrupted Wu Peilin. Wu Peilin, angered by being cut off by a mere apprentice, was about to rebuke him.

Chen Zhi’an said, “Although I am but a lowly painter’s apprentice, without fame or martial skill, I still have my own desires. I have heard of the Xu family’s prestige—rich beyond measure, with medicinal trades spanning all of Suwuzhou. But great families have great troubles, great sorrows. For an ordinary person like me, entering such a household only means better food and clothing, not a happier life than on Qihuang Street.”

“That is precisely why I refused the Xu family.”

“This is no lie. Young Master Zhou offers me silver and the position of chief craftsman in the painting studio—it is generous. But I have already declined the Xu family. If Young Master Zhou does not seek me, I cannot accept his silver either.”

Zheng Liu grew more astonished. He marveled that this young boy had somehow nurtured a backbone amidst the merchants of Qihuang Street.

He wanted to praise him but glanced at the sullen Zhou young master and fell silent, merely watching with interest.

Zhou Xiujing finally set down his cup.

“You refuse the silver I offer?” Zhou Xiujing leaned forward.

Chen Zhi’an shook his head: “My father is a scholar who taught me from childhood: ‘No merit, no reward.’ I refused the Xu family of my own accord. How could I then accept silver from Young Master Zhou?”

“Moreover… yesterday Miss Xu came to meet me. Though she promised much silver for my marriage into the Xu family, I did not accept it… I am not fond of wealth…”

“There are still those who dislike wealth?” Zhou Xiujing laughed. “You painter’s apprentice are too naive. You don’t know the extravagance of great families, nor what sums of silver mean. How much did Miss Xu offer you?”

“Fifty taels of gold.”

Chen Zhi’an answered directly, his eyes clouding with a hint of melancholy, no longer so resolute. “Fifty taels of gold… Miss Xu’s private, secret offer. Such a sum, I have neither seen the like nor even heard of it.”

“Fifty taels of gold?” Zheng Liu and Wu Peilin exchanged glances, growing more surprised.

Fifty taels of gold could be exchanged for four hundred taels of official silver at the government treasury, or five hundred if quietly cashed at private banks.

Fifty taels of gold—five hundred taels of silver—was roughly equal to decades of salary for a painter’s apprentice like Chen Zhi’an!

“Is Chen Zhi’an foolish, or truly steadfast? Unmoved by fifty taels of gold?” Wu Peilin swallowed hard.

Chen Zhi’an continued: “I refused the fifty taels of gold, and I refused Miss Xu. She only said she would come again tomorrow, but she does not know that although I am inexperienced, I would never become a son-in-law for a mere fifty taels of gold. After all, I am the only heir of the Chen family. If I marry into another family, the Chen family line would end.”

At this moment, Chen Zhi’an seemed to be speaking to the three men in the hall, yet also struggling against the temptation of the fifty taels of gold, his words barely above a whisper.

“I will give you one hundred taels of gold,” the Zhou young master suddenly said, still smiling, the arrogance in his gaze unmistakable.

“One hundred taels?” Chen Zhi’an’s eyes became more unfocused, but he was surprised inwardly. “So easy to fall for the bait?”

At that moment, Chen Zhi’an heard the wind blow, the rustling of garments.

Zheng Liu and Wu Peilin also looked toward the workshop’s entrance, wondering who had arrived.

Chen Zhi’an murmured to himself: “One hundred taels of gold? If I accept this money, wouldn’t that go against my father’s teachings? Besides, from Miss Xu…”

“Two hundred taels,” the young master’s tone grew impatient.

“Chen Zhi’an!” The senior official Wu Peilin could no longer hold back. “Do you know how much two hundred taels of gold is? Enough to buy a mansion, marry a wife and two concubines, and live comfortably for the rest of your life. Why don’t you quickly thank Young Master Zhou?”

“Two hundred taels of gold? Such a sum…” Chen Zhi’an was baffled why the Zhou young master was so easily deceived. His spiel had barely begun, not yet half spoken, and the young master had already yielded?

Yet he still feigned shock, his eyes wide with astonishment, swallowing hard. “Young Master Zhou, are you tricking me?”

Zhou Xiujing laughed heartily, stood, and drew a silver note from his sleeve. With a flick of his hand, the note flew across the hall, almost landing at Chen Zhi’an’s feet.

Chen Zhi’an’s eyes flashed gold as he stepped forward and grasped the note from midair.

He examined it carefully; the note was as large as an adult man’s palm.

“Great Yu Suzhou Bank!”

“Redeemable for two hundred taels of official gold bullion!”

“Two hundred taels of gold on a silver note? And official gold at that!”

Chen Zhi’an’s heart bloomed with joy, his expression becoming more entranced.

Zheng Liu laughed aloud, turning to Zhou Xiujing: “It seems gold and silver do have their effect. This youth’s father taught him all sorts of principles, but faced with two hundred taels of gold, those principles mean nothing.”

“I detest these common folk who’ve read only two years of books,” Zhou Xiujing sneered, not looking at the two officials but staring beyond the workshop’s entrance. “Take this painter’s apprentice, who acts as if money is dirt, preaching ‘no merit, no reward,’ claiming to be ordinary. But the moment silver and gold appear, his eyes light up. How ridiculous. Such commoners do not deserve Miss Xu.”

“Don’t you agree? Miss Xiyue?”

“Miss Xiyue?” Chen Zhi’an, having seriously tucked the note into his sleeve, was surprised. He turned his head and saw three figures standing under a candlelight outside the workshop’s entrance.

On the far right stood a man dressed in a blue official’s robe, much like the official Zheng Liu.

On the far left was a young woman with a long braid, adorned with several gold hairpins and pearl ornaments, wearing a peach-pink embroidered silk jacket and an emerald-green embroidered skirt, holding a handkerchief.

This girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, remarkable in appearance. Elsewhere, she would be seen as a young lady of the inner chambers. Yet here tonight, Chen Zhi’an instantly recognized that despite her refined looks and expensive clothes, this girl was a maid.

Because ahead of her stood another woman.

That woman walked gracefully, wearing a suit embroidered with golden peonies on a jade-green silk dress. The skirt fluttered softly in the spring night breeze, like ripples stirred by a gentle wind.

Her hair was styled high, with delicate wisps framing her face. A finely crafted jade hairpin was set into her coiffure, and a few strands of black silk fell over her shoulder. Coupled with her smooth skin and dazzling beauty, only the phrase “icy skin and jade bones” could describe her.

Walking side by side, anyone could tell who the true lady of the house was.

“So this is the Miss of the Xu family?”

Only then did Chen Zhi’an realize he had originally planned to say more, to carefully craft the image of himself as someone who spoke grandly but secretly intended to marry into the Xu household if the offer improved, to lure Zhou Xiujing into raising his bid.

Yet he hadn’t expected that after just a few words, the Zhou young master had already thrown down two hundred taels of gold.

“I suppose Miss Xu has been eavesdropping here, and Zhou Xiujing is eager to expose my ‘hidden agenda’ so bluntly,” Chen Zhi’an thought. “Perhaps he also wants to impress Miss Xu.”

Miss Xu no longer looked toward the workshop and headed to the door.

Zhou Xiujing, Zheng Liu, and Wu Peilin watched her leave.

“The official in attendance beside Miss Xu is the warehouse steward. It seems the Xu family has reached an agreement with the magistrate’s office to supply medicinal herbs,” Zheng Liu stroked his beard and smiled. “Young Master Zhou must hurry. Even in Su Nan Prefecture, women like Miss Xu are exceedingly rare.”

“Chen Zhi’an, you may leave now. But do not forget your promise to Young Master Zhou. To promise and then go back on your word will surely bring trouble,” Wu Peilin warned at the right moment.

Zhou Xiujing didn’t even glance at Chen Zhi’an.

Chen Zhi’an, clutching the silver note worth two hundred taels of gold, left the government compound.

He walked through the middle gate street.

It was already midnight. Though Su Nan Prefecture was bustling, most streets except a dozen or so near the smoke willow lanes were deserted.

Chen Zhi’an, holding the silver note close, felt uneasy.

He knew well the dangers of possessing such wealth.

“If Zheng Liu or Wu Peilin have ill intentions… Young Master Zhou would want to keep me alive for Miss Xu’s sake, so he wouldn’t harm me.”

“I’d better take a detour—go from the government compound to Wuzhi Gate, then Luochang Street, Yan Hua Lane, Luozhong Street, Drum Tower, and finally back to Qihuang Street. It’s much farther, but I don’t believe anyone would dare kill someone openly on the streets.”

“Master Chen.”

Just as Chen Zhi’an’s paranoia grew, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows not far away.

It was the lavishly dressed maid.

“My lady requests your presence.”