Chapter 01 (Revised)

Chapter 01 (Revised)

The 20th Year of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Early winter.

Xie Hong, dressed in a crimson official robe, walked along the side of the palace wall and turned to speak with a colleague.

"Ah, Brother Xuan," the colleague said, "we should move out of the way."

A phoenix-drawn carriage approached, passing by the court officials.

The scarlet canopy was adorned with beaded curtains, intricately embroidered with orchids and bamboo. Each tip of the bamboo leaves was adorned with tiny jade beads.

Xie Hong glanced briefly, assuming it was some royal noble. He turned slightly, tucking the ivory tablet behind his back.

Just then, a cold wind blew.

The wind lifted the sedan curtain, and Xie Hong unexpectedly met eyes with the noble lady inside.

Xie Hong was taken aback.

Her lips curved into a faint smile.

Her gaze shifted away from him, focusing instead on the white bird nestled in her arms.

The small white bird nestled against her chest, almost disappearing into the snow-colored sable fur trim of her collar. Its dark, beady eyes looked at the gilt hairpin adorned with bats and red coral by her temples, and its tender beak affectionately rubbed against her sleeve.

It was a face that he remembered as serene and lovely, and with the living creature in her arms, the scene had an oddly striking beauty.

Xie Hong blurted out, "You—"

In an instant, many names crossed his mind, but he couldn't find the most appropriate one to respond with.

His colleague was already anxiously tugging at his sleeve.

Judging by the noble lady's attire, those more informed had already realized.

The white bird was a tribute from Lingnan, and the Empress Dowager had the only one. Palace rumors said it was eventually bestowed upon the Empress Dowager's most beloved daughter, Princess Rongyun.

No one would have expected the usually composed Chief Minister, Xie Hong, to be so stunned.

Ye Rongyun lowered her eyes, without a ripple of emotion.

"Xueyi, let's go," she said gently, her slender fingers lightly stroking the white bird, not looking back.

The 13th Year of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Late spring.

*

May in Yunzhou, after continuous rain, the water shimmered in the new clear sky.

The printing workshops in Yunzhou were customarily built by the streams due to the large amount of water needed. At that moment, the post-rain wind carried a coolness that made the hanging printed papers on the south wall flutter noisily. A gust of wind lifted some papers, and seeing a stack of still-wet printed papers about to be blown into the stream, the young woman swiftly grabbed a thin slate to use as a paperweight.

"Miss Ye is indeed quick," the workshop owner said, entering the backyard and witnessing this with a smile.

The smell of burning ink materials at the stove gradually turned into the familiar scent of slightly scorched oil. Ye Cailing knew the ink-making process had reached the right level of smoke and heat, so she turned to extinguish the fire.

While waiting for the soot to settle, she rolled up her sleeves a bit higher and bowed to the workshop owner.

"I don’t dare to accept that."

She hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Shopkeeper, I know this is improper, but my mother is waiting for her medicine. May I ask if I can receive this month’s pay today?"

The shopkeeper looked surprised. "Didn’t your brother mention this to you?"

Seeing Ye Cailing’s confusion, he continued, "Your brother came by two days ago and said he had already discussed this with you, mentioning that your mother urgently needed medicine. So I advanced him the money."

Ye Cailing gritted her teeth.

She knew all too well that her brother had probably gone off to gamble again.

"It’s fine," she said. "I’ll find him today. Mother urgently needs the money for medicine. I assume he wouldn’t dare to spend it recklessly."

If he did, she would make sure he gave it back.

The shopkeeper nodded, thinking that Miss Ye may look gentle, but she’s surprisingly decisive when it comes to getting things done.

The bamboo curtain at the entrance of the printing workshop rattled as it was pushed aside.

Ye Cailing looked towards the sound and was startled. "Brother?"

Just as she was about to go find him, he appeared on his own, trailing behind a group of people, looking like a scared rabbit, dragging his feet into the workshop.

The people Ye Da was with all looked fierce.

"Ye Da, for once, he wasn’t lying. His sister is indeed clever," the leading lean man said, looking her up and down before snorting.

"Here’s our new croupier. Take her away."

Ye Cailing felt a sharp pain in her wrist as a thug grabbed her without a word and started to drag her away. Her elder brother, Ye Qingshan, just stood there with his arms crossed, wearing a smirk.

"Sirs, sirs—" The printing workshop shopkeeper, always used to maintaining harmony for profit, was extremely flustered.

He waddled forward with his chubby body, trying to mediate.

The shopkeeper smiled apologetically at the men and said, "This girl is usually clever. If she has unknowingly offended you, I apologize on her behalf."

"Miss Ling, why don’t you explain if there’s been a misunderstanding?"

"Cough... cough." She felt the grip on her loosen slightly.

Fresh air rushed into her nose and mouth, and after choking for a moment, Ye Cailing, knowing time was of the essence, quickly said, "Sirs, I didn’t mean to offend, but I am from a clear and proper household on Xiama Ling. May I ask if you’ve mistaken me for someone else?"

With no choice but to comply, she forced herself to remain calm and polite.

The lean man sneered and glanced at Ye Qingshan. Ye Qingshan understood and hurriedly held out a document in front of her.

Looking closely, she saw her elder brother’s crooked handwriting on the document selling her to pay off gambling debts.

Since her father’s passing, according to the Da Zhou laws, her elder brother had become the head of the family.

"Ling'er, just go with them. Actually, that gambling house isn’t bad." Ye Qingshan mumbled.

For a moment, everything seemed to spin, and she gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her tears.

The tense atmosphere was abruptly shattered by a clear, bright voice.

A quick-witted young servant entered, still small in stature, dressed in a neat short jacket, and crisply said, "Excuse me, could I speak to the shopkeeper?"

The shopkeeper of the printing workshop was overwhelmed with the situation at hand and had no time to attend to business. He grimaced and said, "I am the shopkeeper, but—"

"We ordered some ink cakes from your workshop and agreed to pick them up today."

The young servant smiled and said, "Could you please help us out? My master is waiting outside."

The shopkeeper recognized the servant and knew he was an important guest, but he was caught between two pressing matters and could only say hurriedly, "It's you, Zhu Ming. Please wait a moment, just a moment."

"I'll go let my master know."

Zhu Ming did not get upset and turned to leave.

Ye Cailing, who was being pulled by her hair, could only hear this conversation when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her.

They were talking about the printing workshop's ink cakes? If she could link her fate to the printing workshop, maybe she could find a way out.

"Sir, I understand now. It was my older brother who sold me."

Suddenly, Ye Cailing looked at the thin man and spoke frankly.

The thin man raised his eyebrows. "Then come with me back to—"

Ye Cailing nodded but turned to ask Ye Qingshan, "Older brother, but didn't you mention to this sir that I had already made a contract with the printing workshop to deliver ten taels of finely crafted ink to the Xie estate?"

"Only I can make this ink. If the ink-making deadline is missed, the Xie family might hold us responsible, which would be troublesome."

For now, use the ink-making as an excuse to buy some time.

"Oh? Is that really the case?" Ye Qingshan, who was unaware, panicked at this moment.

The thin man's face darkened.

He looked at the girl in front of him. Indeed, she appeared quite clever and presentable. Ye Da had gambled recklessly the day before and pawned this girl to pay off his debts. They, Jinbaofang, had gladly accepted. But if this girl really worked for the Xie family making ink, he felt a bit uneasy.

The Xie family has deep roots in Yunzhou, with family members involved in both politics and commerce. They even produced the youngest Tanhualang of the dynasty, who had recently returned to Yunzhou from the capital.

No one wants to cross the Xie family, even over something as minor as ink-making.

But could this girl really handle the ink-making for the Xie family? The man pondered.

Under the man's scrutinizing gaze, Ye Cailing gritted her teeth and forced herself to look calm and composed.

"It is indeed the Xie family."

She said.

Heaven knows how much a teenage girl could understand about high-ranking noble families. At this moment, she pulled the name of the Xie family out of thin air, recalling that the printing workshop had previously handled the printing of classic books for the Xie family.

At that time, the Xie family had been extremely generous with their payment, but the requirements were also very stringent. Even the ink cakes used for printing were specially delivered to the workshop.

Neat stacks of ink cakes were placed at the workshop's entrance.

"This is genuine Huizhou ink," her master at the workshop had marveled at the ink. "Truly top-quality pine soot ink, smooth as lacquer on paper, with each character distinct and elegant."

The Xie family servant who delivered the ink had smiled and said, "Master is truly an expert. The eldest young master of our family will return next month after completing the imperial examinations. The young master is accustomed to this ink, so we prepared it in advance."

In Da Zhou, there are two types of ink sticks. Ordinary people use oil smoke ink, which is black and clear, perfectly suitable for everyday use. Pine soot ink, on the other hand, has a more complex production process and requires high-quality pine wood, hence the rumor that one tael of pine soot ink is worth one tael of silver. The eldest young master of the Xie family uses pine soot ink for printing books, which clearly shows the family's high status.

She was listening at the side and thus had some impression of the Xie family's pine soot ink.

The lean man still didn't want to let go of the prize that was within his grasp. His eyes shifted, and he said, "Then come with us first. If you really need to make ink, we'll give you a space in the gambling house to do so."

It was over—Ye Cailing's heart sank.

*

At that moment outside the courtyard, the young servant Zhu Ming approached an ornate carriage and whispered inside.

"Young master, there seems to be some noise inside the courtyard. Something might be happening."

"Should we head back to the estate now, or wait a bit longer?"

There was a moment of silence inside the carriage.

"The library renovation needs ink sticks, so please return and wait."

Inside the carriage, the young man casually flipped a page of his book and spoke calmly.

Zhu Ming bowed and left.

As he was about to enter the courtyard, he encountered the group inside.

The lean man ruthlessly pulled the girl in his hand, his face smiling insincerely as he said, "Still trying to hide? I said come with us first—can't you make the ink when you get back? Later, we'll ask around at the Xie family ourselves!"

The Xie family? Zhu Ming's eyes twitched slightly. He thought to himself that his master had a cold demeanor, so how could he tolerate these disreputable people coming to the estate?

"I am Zhu Ming, working at the Xie family estate. There's no need to go to the Xie family. If you have anything to say, speak here."

He gave a quick bow, subtly blocking the path of these gambling house thugs.

"Well, isn't that convenient?"

The lean man pointed his chin toward Ye Cailing and said, "This girl was brought in to settle a debt of five taels of silver. Now she claims to have taken on the ink-making for your estate, saying that only she can make that damn ink."

Ye Qingshan, who had been stunned for a moment, fearing that this wouldn't cover the gambling debt, hurriedly asked with a fawning expression, "Indeed, this girl is good at lying. Has the estate ever asked her to make ink before?"

Zhu Ming was taken aback. "I don't know about this. I'll have to ask my master."

The lean man said, "Go ask."

After a short while, Zhu Ming asked in a low voice and then turned around, his expression showing a hint of reluctance.

He said, "There isn't..."

Ye Cailing took a deep breath, her heart sinking.

Of course, there wasn't. But she knew that the Xie family in front of her was now her only chance to escape.

The more urgent the situation became, the clearer her mind had to be.

Her memories of the printing workshop suddenly became vivid.

At that time, what else did the master say?

A soft and gentle voice suddenly echoed in everyone's ears.

The girl interrupted Zhuming, her eyes as bright and sweet as lychees, her expression calm.

She spoke as if they were old friends.

"Zhuming, the other day, the Xie Mansion was looking for a master ink maker. They've been using a large amount of ink recently, so we need to bring in some new artisans."

"This maid was selected because she is originally from She County in Huizhou. I’ve been exposed to the craft of making ink from pine soot since childhood."

Zhuming thought to himself that she was clearly making things up, but looking at the girl in front of him, who looked a little pale, he couldn't bring himself to say no.

He echoed her words, "—*The method of pine soot ink-making?*"

Ye Cailing's eyes were clear and bright as she nodded with a smile.

"Pine soot ink... when applied to paper, it's as black as lacquer, with each character distinct."

*

The sound of rustling fabric came from the green oiled cloth canopy, and the soft clinking of a jade pendant reached everyone's ears.

A gentleman always wears jade, a symbol of elegance.

The young man inside the carriage, his eyes half-lidded, spoke lazily yet with a light, certain tone.

"—She is indeed the ink maker I've chosen."

His gaze was deep and steady, and he exuded an air of noble elegance and calm.

Though his voice was clearly that of a young man, it carried the calm confidence of someone in charge.

"Zhuming, since you've encountered her here, take her back to the Xie Mansion."