Chapter 36: Descending the Mountain
Page 1 of 3
The moment Clever Tongue saw what was happening, she hurried forward with a smile to smooth things over.
“Steward Yang, since that is the case, why not let our Sister Qingmei accompany you? Sister Qingmei is exceptionally quick-witted. She can calculate accounts even faster than an old accountant, and she is remarkably skilled at reading people and situations. With Sister Qingmei by your side, should you happen to encounter a troublesome farmer or a slippery manager, she can always lend you a hand, can’t she?”
Suo Chanzhi cast her a cool glance and said with a faint, unreadable smile, “Clever Tongue, you may not be very old, but you certainly understand a great many things. You arrange everything, inside and out, from top to bottom, with perfect clarity. It seems my household truly cannot do without someone like you.”
Clever Tongue’s expression changed. She hurriedly bent at the waist and stammered, “Young Madam, I only… only wanted to say a word on Sister Qingmei’s behalf. I also… also hoped to please you…”
“So it seems I am the one who failed to appreciate your good intentions,” Suo Chanzhi said with a light laugh.
“No, no, of course not…”
In her panic, Clever Tongue gently slapped herself and pleaded, “This servant knows she was wrong. I beg Young Madam’s forgiveness.”
Suo Chanzhi’s voice turned cold. “Clever Tongue, you have overstepped your bounds.”
Qingmei said, “Young Madam established the household rules only two days ago. What is the punishment for a transgression such as yours?”
Clever Tongue answered hesitantly, “Twenty slaps to the mouth…”
“Very well.”
Suo Chanzhi’s voice remained soft and delicate, cool yet carrying a trace of feminine charm. But the words themselves held a chill that sank straight into the heart.
“Remember this. I have no need for anyone at my side who does not understand the rules.”
Clever Tongue dropped to her knees, trembling as she said, “Yes. This servant knows she was wrong.”
Suo Chanzhi flicked her sleeve lightly. “Kneel in the courtyard and administer the twenty slaps yourself. Qingmei, supervise the punishment.”
Clever Tongue did not dare disobey. She hurried into the courtyard and knelt beneath the sunlight.
As one of the people who served at the Young Madam’s side, she had held a fairly high position within the inner residence. Yet at that moment, she could only kneel there before the passing maids and older servants, striking her own mouth without daring to hold back in the slightest.
Qingmei followed her out to supervise the punishment, leaving only Yang Can and Suo Chanzhi in the room.
Although the doors remained open, the two could speak in low voices without worrying that anyone would overhear them.
“Why do you want to inspect the estates?” Suo Chanzhi asked quietly.
“I have to go eventually, and it is impossible to delay until autumn,” Yang Can replied. “Since that is so, it is better to go sooner rather than later. Besides…”
He paused before continuing, “The outer estates are relatively stable, which makes them difficult to influence from within. In particular, I still have a senior steward above me. If I can take control of several farms and ranches, I will have outside support to draw upon.”
Suo Chanzhi nodded. “Let Qingmei go with you. Once she is with you, I will have an excuse to send guards from the Suo family to assist you. And with Qingmei there, if anything urgent happens, you can contact me through her. She is my most trusted confidante. I will give her proper instructions.”
“Very well. I will return and make some preparations. I should be leaving for the mountain foot within the next few days.”
Suo Chanzhi nodded, then brought her delicate hand down with a sharp slap against the table and called out in a clear, imperious voice, “I have said that Qingmei is going with you, so she is going with you! Steward Yang, there is no need to say another word!”
“I take my leave!”
Yang Can’s voice was no less loud, and resentment lay concealed within it.
He flung his sleeve and stormed out of the reception hall.
In the courtyard outside, Clever Tongue was still kneeling rigidly on the ground, striking her own mouth again and again.
Qingmei stood beneath the veranda, her sweet, palm-sized face tilted slightly upward.
Beneath a covered corridor some distance away, several maids and older servants were huddled together, whispering among themselves.
They had not only witnessed Clever Tongue’s punishment, but had also heard the heavily charged exchange between the Young Madam and Yang Can.
Yang Can stopped at the steps. Qingmei rolled her bright eyes toward him, a smug smile playing at the corners of her lips.
“Steward Yang, no matter how unwilling you may be, you and I will be traveling together in the end.”
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Yang Can gave a cold snort and swept down the stone steps.
Clever Tongue did not dare lessen the force of her own blows. Had one of the Suo family’s older servants been assigned to carry out the household punishment, she would have suffered far more.
Her delicate, lovely face had already swollen purple-red, and blood seeped from the corners of her mouth.
Yang Can sighed. Suddenly, he tossed a small medicine gourd from his sleeve. It landed on the lotus-leaf-shaped spread of her skirt.
“You serve at the Young Madam’s side. Your face is the household’s front curtain. What would people say if it were ruined? This medicine disperses bruising and stops bleeding. It is highly effective. When you have finished carrying out the punishment, remember to apply it to your face.”
Clever Tongue looked at Yang Can gratefully. It was obvious that Steward Yang was protecting her.
He and I both belong to the Yu family. We are on the same side. Every one of those Suo family people is rotten to the core!
Yang Can cast another sidelong glance at Qingmei and said sarcastically, “These days, the person supervising the punishment looks more like a clown on a stage than the one receiving it. Strange, isn’t it?”
With that, Yang Can walked away without looking back.
Today’s fierce confrontation with Suo Chanzhi and her maidservant would certainly reach the ears of those who cared to listen, further confirming the impression that he was at odds with the Suo family.
“Yang Can!”
Qingmei stamped her foot furiously at his retreating back.
That vile man! Now that he had no chance to bully my mistress, he had decided to make tormenting me a habit, had he?
Although little Qingmei knew that Yang Can was only putting on an act, she still could not help feeling angry.
…
Li Youcai descended the mountain with eight personal attendants.
Since he would be gone for at least two or three months, all the stewards of the senior branch had come to see him off.
As the second steward, Yang Can stood at the front beside Madam Pan Xiaowan.
“The salt and iron trade is second only to agriculture in importance to the Yu family,” Li Youcai said. “Though I cannot bear to part with you, our young master has only just passed away. I must go and inspect the estates to reassure everyone.”
“My husband is going to fulfill his duty to the clan lord and serve the senior branch. How could I allow private feelings to interfere?” Madam Pan replied.
Her face was full of reluctance. “I will take good care of everything at home. You need not worry, my husband.”
Li Youcai smiled and nodded. Then he turned to Yang Can.
“Steward Yang, agriculture is the foundation upon which our Yu clan stands. You must devote yourself to it and take care not to disappoint the clan lord or the Young Madam.”
“Rest assured, Senior Steward,” Yang Can said. “I shall also be leaving for the mountain foot soon to inspect the various estates. When the time comes, I will make the senior steward’s teachings my guiding principle and handle everything properly.”
Li Youcai gave him a knowing smile and patted him on the arm. After exchanging a few more light remarks with the other stewards, he mounted his horse.
Holding his riding crop, Li Youcai cupped his hands toward them.
“Everyone, return. I shall be on my way.”
He urged his horse down the mountain, leading the eight attendants behind him.
After rounding several bends and crossing two ridges, they reached the entrance to Phoenix Mountain.
There was an orchard here dedicated to supplying Phoenix Mountain Manor with fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and poultry.
The orchard steward was one of Li Youcai’s trusted men. He had been waiting there for some time, with a carriage parked behind him.
The moment Li Youcai saw the carriage, his heart blossomed with delight.
He immediately dismounted, waved briefly to the orchard steward, and climbed into the carriage with undisguised impatience.
With a swish, he lifted the curtain and saw a pretty maid in green seated inside.
The carriage contained a couch large enough to serve as a small bed, yet the girl had curled herself up in one corner.
When the curtain rose and sunlight entered, her body flinched like a startled sparrow.
Li Youcai narrowed his eyes as he looked her over. She appeared to be sixteen, with a slim waist so delicate it seemed scarcely large enough to encircle with one hand.
Her hair was black as a crow’s wing and tied with a red cord. The slender stretch of neck revealed beneath it was pale as milk.
Most striking of all were her eyes: clear, limpid black, filled with the watery light of bewilderment.
A look of satisfaction spread across Li Youcai’s face.
As expected, Zhang Yunyi, the master of Feng’an Estate, knew how to conduct himself. The pretty little maid he had chosen was truly pleasing to the eye.
In fact, Zhang Yunyi had sent the girl to him two days earlier.
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
But Li Youcai had not allowed him to send her up the mountain. Instead, he had arranged for her to wait here.
Senior Steward Li intended to take the pretty maid along on his inspection tour, where she could warm his bed and attend him at night.
By the time he returned to the mountain, the deed would already be done. No matter how unwilling his wife might be, she would have no choice but to accept it.
“Go! Go!”
Li Youcai issued the order impatiently, then plunged headfirst into the carriage.
This mountain road was the main route between Phoenix Mountain Manor and the world beyond, so it was regularly maintained.
Even so, the carriage could not avoid a certain amount of jolting as it traveled.
At some sections, or at certain moments, the shaking became especially violent.
Just as it was now…
Fortunately, the fierce jolting did not last very long.
In ancient times, when a great army charged into battle, the general would have the war drums beaten as a signal. The drums were struck in three successive rolls.
It took roughly two minutes to complete all three rolls.
Today, Senior Steward Li had given a full demonstration of what it meant to begin with one burst of energy, weaken with the second, and be exhausted by the third.
Of the three rolls of urgent drumming, he managed only one and a half before the carriage began traveling as steadily as a level road.
…
After seeing Senior Steward Li down the mountain, the group of stewards returned to the manor with Yang Can and Madam Pan.
When they reached the entrance to Steward Li’s small courtyard, Pan Xiaowan suddenly stopped and smiled at Yang Can.
“Steward Yang, the senior steward has a bottle of fine wine for you. Come with me and collect it.”
“Ah… thank you, Madam.”
The other stewards were all present, and Madam Pan wore an entirely proper expression. Yang Can could not refuse.
Otherwise, the stewards would inevitably grow suspicious.
The two entered the courtyard. Madam Pan still looked dignified and composed, but she suddenly let out a soft, breathy laugh.
“What is it? Are you afraid to enter my residence, Uncle? Surely you do not think it is some dragon’s lair or tiger’s den?”
Yang Can gave a bitter laugh.
This woman was practically beating gongs and drums to announce to the whole world that she wanted to seduce him. How could he fail to understand her intentions?
In truth, once he had confirmed that Suo Chanzhi was pregnant, he had no choice but to use the senior branch as his foundation and begin building his future.
Even with Suo Chanzhi’s position as the Young Madam of the senior branch, it would be difficult for her to cleanse the outer estates of that branch, let alone for Yang Can, an outsider newly appointed as second steward.
Pan Xiaowan was Li Youcai’s wife, and Senior Steward Li was deeply afraid of his wife. If Yang Can could bend Madam Pan to his will, it would clearly be of immense benefit to him.
Besides, Li Youcai had plainly intended to ruin him. Yang Can had no need to burden himself with any moral qualms concerning the senior steward.
Even so, he did not want to provoke this enchantress. He always had the instinct that she was someone beyond his control.
He feared that taking her for himself would not lead to fortune, but to calamity.
The raft you believe will carry you safely across the river may instead be the coffin that buries you beneath the waves.
“Lucky, Lucky.”
At Madam Pan’s call, Lucky came running out from the side room.
Pan Xiaowan said, “I just had the kitchen stew a bowl of bird’s nest with rock sugar. It must be simmered slowly over a gentle fire. The kitchen staff are not paying much attention, so go and watch over it. It will be ready only after a full hour and a half.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Lucky answered cheerfully and ran outside.
Staying in the kitchen always offered opportunities to pick up a few tasty scraps here and there. He liked this assignment.
Pan Xiaowan ushered Yang Can into the main room. Her alluring eyes drifted toward him like strands of silk as she pressed her back against the door and slowly closed it.
“Please sit, Uncle. I will fetch the wine.”
She cast Yang Can a languid, suggestive glance, then swayed toward the inner room.