Chapter Thirty-Four: Plum Blossom Manor!

Everyone who lived in the City of Chang'an knew the saying: east is rich, west is noble, south is poor, north is empty.

The eastern riches referred to the district along the Chan River, the Ba River, and the Guangtong Canal. With thriving water transport and convenient roads, merchants and travelers from all directions gathered there, making it the most prosperous area around Chang'an.

The western nobility referred to the region along the Feng River. The land there was lush with grass and trees, the scenery lovely, and it was ideal for nourishing body and mind. Thus many powerful officials and aristocrats built estates there, coming in their leisure to enjoy themselves.

The southern poverty referred to the area around Zhangba Gully, where only the poor lived, surviving by means of humble trades.

The northern emptiness referred to the Imperial Hunting Park. For more than two hundred li in all directions there was not a single household, but instead many rare and exotic beasts were kept there for the exclusive use of the imperial hunt.

...

Plum Blossom Estate stood by the bank of the Feng River, occupying a most excellent location. And the quality of a private estate’s location rose and fell in direct proportion to the rank of its owner.

The grounds were planted with countless plum trees. Whenever the winter months arrived, with auspicious snow drifting down and plum blossoms in full bloom, their fragrance would waft in all directions and the scenery was beyond beautiful. For this reason, the people nearby all called it Plum Blossom Estate.

Plum Blossom Estate had once belonged to Mei Wuniang, one of the four great gods of wealth under heaven. Sadly, two years earlier, that legendary merchant woman had passed on. Now the owner of the estate was her only daughter of nineteen, the new female god of wealth: Mei Shuying, the young Mistress Mei.

A single tune of plum blossoms stirs sorrow, reflecting moonlight and vexing the dawn glow. Delicate and lovely are the clouds at sunrise. Sipping jade dew, fragrance lingers deep; wanting to hide, yet still half revealed, shy and tender of heart.

A second tune of plum blossoms stirs autumn tears. Auspicious clouds drift, and blue birds come to peer and linger. When the moon arrives, shadows dance and fragrance fills the upper stories; pink clouds and white snow moisten the eyes.

...

In the central pavilion of Plum Blossom Estate, Miss Mei sat upright, plucking the zither while singing softly in accompaniment. Her voice was graceful and moving, truly like celestial music. She was performing Plum Blossom Three Variations, one of the ten great classical melodies.

The piece had been composed by the renowned Eastern Jin scholar Huan Yi. It had originally been a flute melody, later adapted for the qin. Through the plum blossom's purity, fragrance, and endurance against the cold, it praised those of noble character. Structurally, it used a cyclical form, repeating the entire main theme three times, each repetition using harmonics, and thus it was called the Three Variations.

Had there been anyone here well versed in music, they would surely have heard that the piece was played rather poorly, with several wrong notes along the way. This was not because Miss Mei lacked skill, but because her mind was unsettled.

The culprit was the scroll painting hanging on the wall. It depicted a handsome youth with bright eyes, fair teeth, and a sly smile on his small face, unmistakably resembling Li Zhao.

The ink was still not fully dry, clearly meaning it had been painted not long ago.

With her hands on the zither and her eyes on the handsome young man, how could Miss Mei’s heart remain unmoved? And once the heart was in turmoil, the melody naturally followed suit.

Beside the jade zither there also lay a folded paper fan, the very one Li Zhao had left behind.

It turned out that this Miss Mei was the person who had fallen into the water at Great Ci'en Temple. After returning to the estate, she had painted Li Zhao’s likeness from memory and sent her people to investigate his background in order to repay her life-saving debt. As for how a woman repays a favor, well, it is usually...

...

"Miss, good news. We’ve found out the background of that lecherous rogue. Who would have thought he actually had some history to him."

"Bring it here quickly. Let me see."

The pavilion door opened, and the maid Xiaoman ran in carrying a stack of papers. They were all detailed reports on Li Zhao that had been gathered from various sources.

The Mei family’s commercial houses were spread everywhere, with tens of thousands of clerks and workers of every rank. To dig up a little information was quite easy.

Miss Mei took the papers and studied them carefully. So the little fellow had an extraordinary origin: he was actually a member of the imperial clan of Tang, a true dragon’s descendant of the phoenix line.

Alas, his life had been a hard one. He had no close kin, no one to rely on, and his family property had been seized by others. Yet the young man had some ability: by his own efforts alone he had actually taken back his estate, and he had even discovered a kind of distilled liquor.

Several months earlier he had come to Chang'an to take part in the Ministry of Personnel’s selection examination, only to be falsely accused of cheating. In order to prove his innocence, Li Zhao had composed seventeen poems in public, all within the span of seven steps, a feat of undeniable genius. And yet, for reasons unknown, he had been granted only the petty post of district constable.

More than a month ago, the mysterious case of the missing Wang family glassware had also been solved by this little fellow, and it had taken him only two days. Impressive.

...

Miss Mei read it through twice in succession, committing Li Zhao’s origins and background to memory. She had found her savior; now came the question of how to repay him.

She had money in abundance. Should she immediately send him more than a dozen carts loaded with gold, silver, and jewels?

That seemed somewhat improper. Miss Mei picked up the fan beside the zither and glanced at the poem of resolve written upon it:

Alone I sit by the pond like a crouching tiger,
Basking in spirit beneath the green shade of the trees.
When spring comes, if I do not speak first,
Which insect would dare make a sound?

At first glance, this poem seemed simple, teasing, and amusing, almost like the naïve work of a young boy. Yet upon closer savoring, it possessed a flavor all its own.

Especially the final two lines: they were full of bold spirit, forceful and overbearing, with even a faint air of kingship about them.

Anyone capable of writing such lines must be the kind of person who would rather break than bend. If she were to simply send gold and silver over, the little fellow would surely not accept it. He might even regard it as an insult to his dignity. A little man is still a man, and men have strong pride; how could he possibly accept a woman’s money?

Li Zhao: Wronged indeed. I do not fear insult in money matters. Please insult me thoroughly... the more the better. But send it secretly, and for heaven’s sake, do not let anyone see it.

If directly sending wealth would not do, then she would have to think of a more flexible plan. She could also take this chance to see just how capable the little fellow truly was.

"Xiaoman."

"Yes, miss?"

"In six days it will be my birthday. I plan to hold a banquet at Qujiang Pool and invite my relatives and friends. When you send out the invitations, remember to send one to this Young Master Li Zhao as well. Make sure he comes. And remember, send a gilded invitation."

"Understood."

Having served together for many years, master and maid knew each other extremely well. Xiaoman understood perfectly the meaning behind her lady’s words.

Her young mistress had been born into wealth and had looked down on people from childhood. There were truly few men she could even dignify with a glance. As for this lecherous rogue, by some strange twist of fate he had broken into her field of vision. Not only into her field of vision—he had probably slipped into her heart as well.

The more this was so, the more carefully his character and abilities had to be tested. This birthday banquet would serve as that trial. If Li Zhao passed smoothly, it would mean he was a capable man, one worth continuing to know.

If he could not get through the hurdle, then it would mean he was merely an ordinary mortal. In that case, she would give him a fortune and treat it as repayment for the earlier life-saving favor, after which they would have no further contact.

Lecherous rogue, you must do your best. Do not let the young mistress look down on you.

...

"Xiaoman, has the matter at Great Ci'en Temple been investigated clearly?"

"Replying to Miss, it has all been found out. That day, the notorious dandy Wei Renzha was indeed inside the temple, but for reasons unknown, his jaw and the joints of his limbs had been dislocated, and then he was thrown into a cesspit in the bamboo grove. When his vile servants found him, he had already been soaking in filth for most of the day and was vomiting himself into weakness. Had it been any later, his life might truly have been in danger.

"Now the dandy is recuperating in his residence, unable to eat properly and too weak to move. He can only drink a little porridge water, and if he sees anything yellow, he begins vomiting uncontrollably."

...

"Haha... thrown into a cesspit, he got what he deserved."

Miss Mei was so clever that she immediately guessed what had happened. That day, when the dandy went to Great Ci'en Temple, he must have intended to act against her. Instead, he failed to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice as well, and was thrown into the cesspit. As for the one who struck, it was eight or nine times out of ten that little fellow.

So she owed him another favor.

"That dandy has harassed you again and again, Miss, like a greenbottle fly buzzing endlessly. Should we not teach him a lesson, lest he take us for soft persimmons to be squeezed?" Xiaoman said through clenched teeth, suggesting revenge, showing not the slightest fear simply because the other man was the Prince Ning’s brother-in-law.

One must know that the reason the four great gods of wealth could roam the seas of commerce and earn endless fortunes was not only their business acumen, but also the strength of the backers behind them.

For example, the foremost god of wealth, Wang Yuanbao, frequently entered and exited the imperial palace, and also managed many estates and businesses for the royal house. His backing was none other than the reigning Son of Heaven.

The second god of wealth, Guo Wanjin, was on extremely close terms with the Right Chancellor Li Linfu, and it was said that the two families even had marriage ties.

The third god of wealth, Yang Chongyi, came from the Hongnong Yang clan, an ancient aristocratic house that had produced many major figures, among them the former Prince of Shou’s consort, now known as Yang Taizhen.

...

Likewise, the Mei family also had a backer, and an exceptionally powerful one at that, residing within the imperial palace.

"Forget it. It is only a trivial matter. It is not worth troubling my aunt over. Besides, if we make a great fuss of it, it will not reflect well on His Highness Prince Ning either." Miss Mei thought for a moment and gently shook her head. It was not that she feared that lecherous dandy, but that she had other considerations.

After all, she was a young lady. If the matter were blown too wide, it would damage her reputation.

Still, this matter could not simply be let go. When the chance came later, she would make sure to teach that dandy a proper lesson.