Chapter Eleven: Seventh Miss Gu

Early the next morning, Li Xubai arrived at the Lulutong Carriage Agency, burdened with heavy thoughts. Business in the second-floor private rooms had been slow all morning, and the other attendants were gathered in small groups, gossiping idly. Only Li Xubai, lost in his own world, had wiped down every table twice; as lunch approached, he was already on his third pass.

One of the attendants noticed his odd behavior, exchanged a glance with another, and teased, "Second Brother Li, you're going to rub the finish right off those tables. Watch out, or they'll dock your pay."

"Ah? What? Dock my pay?" Li Xubai snapped back to reality, offering a slightly honest and bashful smile. "It's just been a quiet morning, hasn't it?"

Seeing his foolish expression, the other attendants chuckled. Li Xubai knew exactly what they were thinking and smiled inwardly. It seemed these fellows had no concept of what it meant to be "brilliant but appearing dull."

He looked around and asked, "How come I don't see Steward Fang today?"

An attendant took a sip of tea and replied, "Eighty percent of the dignitaries in Bianliang who need carriages have gone to the Thousand Buddha Temple. Look around—is there anyone left in this city? Steward Fang took the day off."

Li Xubai felt a surge of secret delight. It was fortunate that the man surnamed Fang was being lazy today; otherwise, he wouldn't have found such a perfect opportunity to curry favor with Shopkeeper Su.

He wandered downstairs, and suddenly hearing light, measured footsteps, he looked up to see two young women crossing the threshold. One wore a white veil hat that completely obscured her features, while the other, dressed as a maid, supported her gingerly. Their bearing was unmistakably that of a young lady from a prestigious household.

Li Xubai hurried to greet them, asking softly, "Are you two ladies looking to rent a carriage or buy one?"

Hearing this, the maid blocked her mistress as if shielding her from a snake, staring straight at Li Xubai. "Who are you? Where is Steward Fang? Why isn't he here?"

Li Xubai quickly introduced himself. "Steward Fang is off today. I am the new attendant for the private rooms, Li Xubai."

"New? You've got some nerve for a newcomer, charging up here like that. Aren't you afraid of offending our mistress?" The maid shot him a look of disdain.

"Xiaojing, don't be insolent." The lady in the veil gave a soft reprimand. "Li Xubai, your name is quite interesting. Are you literate?"

*Who are you calling illiterate?* Li Xubai thought to himself, though his expression remained perfectly calm. "Yes, I have studied."

"Everyone can brag. If you've studied, why aren't you taking the imperial examinations instead of working as an attendant?" The maid, convinced that Li Xubai was just another toad lusting after swan meat, spoke with increasing hostility.

Li Xubai’s temper flared. *We’re both here to serve others; who is nobler than whom?* He sneered, "You’re a young woman yourself—how come you didn't end up a lady of the house?"

"You!" The maid’s face flushed with rage.

"Xiaojing," the lady interrupted, her interest piqued. She chuckled softly from behind her veil. "If you can compose a couplet using your name, I shall let you handle this transaction today."

Li Xubai raised an eyebrow. He wasn't great at writing poetry, but he was an expert at reciting it. He paced for a few steps, feigning deep thought. To the maid, his expression looked like the awkward struggle of someone trying to conjure a miracle. She put her hands on her hips and scoffed, "Look, Miss, he’s just puffing himself up to hide his incompetence. He can't do it."

"Xiaojing," the lady said firmly.

The commotion at the entrance had already alerted Shopkeeper Su and the other staff, who gathered in the main hall to watch.

"Hey, do you think the newcomer is just talking big?"

"Hard to say. He was quite sharp when he exposed that family trying to swindle us the other day."

"A quick mind doesn't mean he's well-read."

"I think he's a fraud."

Shopkeeper Su’s eyes flickered as he watched Li Xubai intently, though his thoughts remained unreadable.

"I have it," Li Xubai said after walking a full circle. "The blue sky breaks through the clouds to brighten the stars; the Cowherd constellation half-submerges into the river—Xubai." He turned to the lady. "Is this couplet to your satisfaction, Miss?"

"The blue sky breaks through the clouds to brighten the stars; the Cowherd constellation half-submerges into the river—Xubai." The lady recited it as if it were a rare treasure, then nodded. "You truly are a learned man. Very well, I shall trouble you with this business."

"Excellent. Let us head to the private room upstairs to discuss the details." Li Xubai gestured, leading them up. Shopkeeper Su watched Li Xubai’s retreating back, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"No need for formalities, let us keep this brief," the lady said, removing her veil and setting it aside.

The face beneath was not necessarily one to topple empires, but it was undoubtedly that of a delicate beauty. However, Li Xubai was accustomed to beautiful women and had recently been quite rattled by the stunning Song Shiyu; he showed no extraordinary reaction to this lady's refined appearance.

The lady was pleased by his composure, yet a trace of disappointment flickered in her eyes. She let out a nearly imperceptible sigh. "I need to rent a carriage. The horses must have great stamina, and the driver must be highly skilled, capable of traveling through the night. Additionally, can you provide me with a guard?"

Li Xubai calculated quickly in his mind. "None of those are difficult, but Miss, the agency has rules. Anyone renting a carriage for night travel must pay a deposit equal to double the rental fee. Furthermore, if the client is a woman, the agency must know her identity."

The lady and the maid exchanged a troubled glance.

"Must we really tell you?" the lady asked, looking distressed.

Li Xubai nodded without hesitation. "This is for your own safety, Miss. We are talking about night travel, and judging by your request, the journey seems quite long."

The lady weighed her options and finally made a decision. "Very well. Your shop has its rules and concerns, and I should not make things difficult for you." She paused. "However, you must keep this matter strictly confidential. You are not to reveal it to anyone."

Li Xubai replied, "Please rest assured, Miss. We run an honest business and would never carelessly leak a client's private affairs."

The lady whispered, "I am the Seventh Young Lady of Grand Tutor Gu's household. I need to rent a carriage to travel through the night to the Thousand Buddha Temple."

"Grand Tutor Gu?" Li Xubai was taken aback. "Weren't the women of the Grand Tutor's household already sent to the Thousand Buddha Temple yesterday? Why did you not go with them, and instead find it necessary to rent a carriage to travel through the night today?"

This series of questions touched a nerve. The Seventh Young Lady's eyes reddened, and she looked as though she might cry. "You do not understand. I am a daughter born to a concubine, and I am despised and feared by the Madam. The Empress Dowager issued an edict that all the women of the household must go, but the Madam claimed I had caught a cold and needed to recuperate. She used the excuse that she feared I might pass the illness to the Empress Dowager to forbid me from going."

"So, the Seventh Young Lady is not actually ill, correct?" Li Xubai asked.

"Exactly! Our mistress is in perfect health," the maid chimed in, displaying her loyalty to her mistress by daring to insult the head of the household. "That old hag just saw how the Empress Dowager favored our mistress when we last entered the palace, and she feared our mistress would outshine her own legitimate daughters this time. She insisted on pinning a fake illness on us to keep us from going."