Chapter 09

Chapter 09

Ye Cailing looked down and saw another excellent piece of flower-and-bird ink, along with a stack of neatly cut Xuan paper, all piled in the package.

"Did the eldest young master say anything?" Ye Cailing asked Shi Qing after a moment of thought.

Given Shi Qing’s youthful nature, he sometimes forgot things, which could lead to misunderstandings later on.

Shi Qing scratched his head. "He said something about using it however you like."

He added, "It was probably about copying books and the like."

Ye Cailing understood immediately.

After seeing off Shi Qing, there was no one else in the room. Yue Qian, eyeing the expensive stationery, finally couldn't resist and reached out to touch the exquisite ink stick engraved with the words Xi Ming Pavilion.

"Such a beautiful thing, I've only seen it once before!" she said. "The eldest young master is quite partial to you, Ink Sister."

Her envy was clearly genuine.

Ye Cailing felt a slight bitterness in her heart but still smiled. "What favoritism? Do you remember the noble lady we saw in the library that day?"

Yue Qian hesitated. "I remember… but who was she? She didn’t seem to be from the estate."

Ye Cailing said, "She needed to copy the manuscript to take back. The eldest young master probably thought our paper and ink were too modest."

"If anyone is favored, it’s her, not me."

"Ah, I see." Yue Qian was left speechless for a moment.

The afternoon light was soft and blue, and no one came to look for books.

Ye Cailing used this time to hurriedly copy the manuscript, thinking to herself that it was fortunate she hadn't finished copying it before, otherwise she would have to redo it now. She copied until her wrist ached, and then, looking at the book *Zhe Shan You*, she sighed in relief.

It was another day when Ye Cailing was on duty, and she was wondering how to find Wen Daoying.

She heard the curtain rustling.

A maidservant lifted the curtain, and the noble lady Wen Daoying, whom she had seen that day, entered the room.

This time, Wen Daoying wore a hairpin adorned with diancui and coral beads, the colors strikingly vibrant.

Wen Daoying, given her noble status, naturally didn't speak. Her maidservant, already familiar with her mistress's habits, asked,

"Has my lady's manuscript been copied?"

"It's done, and it's with me," Ye Cailing replied, bowing her head slightly and handing over a book wrapped in fine cloud silk.

Wen Daoying took it from her maidservant's hands and casually flipped through the pages with her slender fingers.

As she turned to a page, her brow furrowed slightly, and she examined it closely.

"Is this 'Yan Mao' character copied incorrectly?"

Ye Cailing had carefully reviewed each word while copying and sincerely replied, "It wasn't copied wrong. I checked it carefully while transcribing."

Unsure what had displeased her, Wen Daoying chuckled lightly. "Copying is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly. It requires careful attention to detail."

"I’m not sure, noble lady. Could you please clarify?"

Wen Daoying nodded. "Please fetch the original *Folding Mountain Travel* and compare it carefully again."

Seeing the maidservant bow and retreat, Wen Daoying felt a bit relieved.

Last time, she had found this girl to be overly calculating. Servants should be calm and obedient; the others under her would follow her orders without question. Yet this one had dared to tell her that certain materials could not be borrowed.

At this moment, seeing that the maidservant had followed her instructions, she no longer gave it much thought.

Ye Cailing and Yue Qian retrieved the book and heard the voices of two people talking.

They saw Wen Daoying and Xie Hong standing together. Xie Hong was quietly speaking to her.

Noticing the book on the tray in Ye Cailing's hands, Xie Hong stopped speaking and looked toward her.

Ye Cailing stepped forward, offered an apology, and handed the ancient text to Wen Daoying's maidservant, who then passed *Folding Mountain Travel* to her mistress.

Proud of her reputation as a talented woman, Wen Daoying intended to display her knowledge in front of Xie Hong. Without opening the book, she said, "In the third chapter, the section about Qi Cloud Mountain mentions that the peaks and ridges extend over three hundred miles. You wrote 'Yanmao' instead of 'Yanmao.' Did you copy it wrong because you commonly use this term?"

Ye Cailing pondered for a moment and slowly shook her head.

"I believe this sentence describes the continuous mountain range, so it’s not a mistake. If there’s no definitive conclusion, why not check the Princess’s original text?"

Wen Daoying remained silent and lowered her head to flip through the book, her expression unchanged.

Ye Cailing knew in her heart that it must have been her own error. She had carefully checked every word while copying, but Wen Daoying simply didn’t trust her instinctively.

Wen Daoying turned to Xie Hong with a smile. "Your maidservants are quite learned."

She no longer mentioned the mistake.

Her fingers brushed the cover, and her eyes sparkled as she remembered something. "However, the Crown Princess has always preferred delicate and intricate works. I’m afraid the ink and paper of this book might not meet her standards."

Seeing the maidservant in front of her freeze, she continued, "It’s fine with me, but if I take this book back and the Crown Princess becomes displeased, the blame might be hard to bear."

"What does the noble person mean..."

Ye Cailing seemed to understand the implication behind her words.

Wen Daoying casually said, "It’s not exactly my idea, but I think re-copying it on ciziqing paper would be more suitable."

"After all, in a few days, when we return to the capital and present it to the Crown Princess..."

Ye Cailing thought to herself that if it were truly for the Crown Princess, it would be fine. However, Wen Daoying’s reaction clearly showed that this was just another whim of hers.

The current paper and ink were given by Young Master Xie as a reward; how could they be replaced?

Wasn’t this putting Xie Hong in an awkward position?

But as a mere maidservant, she couldn’t say such things. In a low voice, she said, "Could you tell me what kind of ink and paper you prefer? I’ll fetch them right away."

Wen Daoying lightly touched her forehead and replied without hesitation, "These small matters naturally don’t require asking me—of course, it should be the best in this estate. How dare we neglect when presenting items to the imperial family?"

Ye Cailing paused. "But I was just about to say—"

She was about to explain that the Flower and Bird ink and the raw xuan paper used for this transcription were of extremely high quality and were specially sent by Young Master Xie, but her words were suddenly cut off.

Suddenly, a male voice interrupted.

Xie Hong spoke again, his tone still mild, but there was a hint of something unyielding beneath it.

He said calmly, "Chi Yue, you’ve always had a good relationship with the crown princess."

Wen Daoying turned her gaze towards him, a hint of embarrassment in her beautiful eyes. "Ah? Xuan Cen exaggerates."

"It’s just the usual banter between noble women. Why bring this up suddenly?"

She still didn’t get what he was getting at.

Xie Hong tilted his chin slightly, his long, slender fingers tapping the table once, as he spoke unhurriedly, "If you’re worried about offending the crown princess, you could always make a copy yourself."

With a smile playing on his lips, he continued, "Use the best brush and ink you can find. Surely the crown princess will appreciate it. Don’t you think so, Chi Yue?"

Who would have thought Xie Hong would use her nickname in such a situation! Wen Daoying felt a twinge of annoyance, but his words left her speechless for a moment.

She could only stare in surprise, first at Ye Cailing, then back at Xie Hong.

Biting her lip in frustration, she said, "Then I shall make a copy."

Ye Cailing watched the entire exchange and suddenly felt that the eldest young master’s smile was sly and playful, like the little furball she had rescued at the foot of the mountain that year.

But in the blink of an eye, he was once again the picture of noble detachment.

Xie Hong stood with his hands behind his back, but his words were directed at Ye Cailing.

"Let’s go."

When did he start acting so familiar with her?

The noble ladies and their maidservants left. Yue Qian nudged Ye Cailing.

"You were talking about the third young master, but today the eldest young master was clearly protecting you."

She grinned mischievously, "Come on, have you been in contact with the eldest young master?"

Ye Cailing’s eyelashes fluttered, hiding a fleeting pang of bitterness. "Where did your mind go?"

She said gently, "Qing Shi brought the ink when you weren’t around. I used all that paper and ink to copy *Folding Mountain Travel*."

"That Wen noble lady used the crown princess as an excuse to nitpick the paper and ink provided by the eldest young master. Do you think he would agree to her demands?"

Yue Qian blinked, "So those materials were from the eldest young master?"

She slapped her arm, "No wonder the Wen noble lady looked so awkward. I could tell her visit to the library wasn’t with pure intentions. By being so picky, she ended up offending the very person she was trying to impress."

"So he and I have no relationship."

Ye Cailing half-lowered her eyelids but didn’t follow up on Yue Qian’s comment about the Wen noble lady.

There was a lingering astringency in her heart, like eating unripe plums.

As the spring rain fell in a fine drizzle, two people sat in the lakeside pavilion.

*

Xie Hong idly picked up a chess piece but did not place it on the board.

The young man sitting opposite him gazed at the chessboard for a long time before finally unable to hold back, shifting his gaze away from the game and saying, "Xuan Cen, another letter has come from the capital, summoning you back."

Xie Hong rested his hand on his cheek, as if immersed in the chess game, and commented, "Jiang You, your chess skills have been improving."

Jiang You shook his head, his brows furrowed with worry, and advised, "This time when you left the Hanlin Academy, you knew nothing about the situation in the capital. A few days ago, the Saint became furious and issued an edict to raid the residences of several high-ranking officials."

"The further you are from the capital, the less you know. I’ve thought about it and still find it unwise."

"If that were the case, I wouldn’t have come today," Xie Hong replied.

Xie Hong said, "The one being raided is the Governor of Shuntian. Although he is skilled at fawning over others, as a minister, it is his duty to share the Saint’s worries."

Jiang You’s eyes brightened, and Xie Hong continued, "Wang Qiwei is trying to cover all bases but failing to focus on what truly matters. This is not the way of a minister. Even a third-rank official can fall at the Saint’s whim."

Jiang You’s worried expression finally eased.

"Good, it seems I was overthinking. Incidentally, how did you know Wang Qiwei is aligned with the Crown Prince?"

Xie Hong finally placed the white piece he was holding. At this point, the white pieces on the board began to show momentum against the black pieces.

He said, "The *Chess Classic* speaks of those who are skilled at losing without losing composure. Some days ago, the Crown Prince held a Crane Appreciation Banquet in the palace, which displeased the Saint. At this time, the Governor of Shuntian allowed his servants to rob people. He got himself involved in the situation, so how could the Crown Prince not use him? Wang Qiwei was sacrificed to calm the Saint’s anger."

"But this time, it’s just a seesaw change and hasn’t shaken the foundation."

"Just wait and see, there will come a day when this person rises again."

Jiang You pondered carefully, and soon someone reported, interrupting their discussion.

"Young master."

Outside the water pavilion, Yun Bai stood with his hands by his sides, coming to report to Xie Hong.

"Still no news of that noble person."

Xie Hong asked, "Not even from the neighbors?"

Yun Bai shook his head. "These past few days, I’ve inquired with the households on that street and the surrounding streets. Most of the old folks have moved away, and the rest said they didn’t know."

Knowing that the eldest young master always required thoroughness, Yun Bai also reported the other information he had gathered.

"Besides visiting the local households, I went to the pawnshops in the city to ask about any delicate women’s items, such as jade pendants, hairpins, and rings."

"Be cautious not to draw attention from anyone with hidden agendas," Xie Hong warned.

Yun Bai replied in a low voice, "Don’t worry, my lord, no information has leaked. I only said that my young miss is going to the capital and needs to buy some fine items to make a good impression."

"What did the pawnshops say?" Jiang You asked.

Yun Bai said, "Among the items in the shops, there were no signs of that noble person. Only one shop mentioned that a woman had pawned a white jade plaque there. But she didn’t sell it, so the shopkeeper has no further information."

Xie Hong said, "Was there a crane engraved on the jade plaque?"

"The shopkeeper said he didn’t remember."

Xie Hong nodded. "It’s alright, you’ve done well. You’ve searched Yunzhou thoroughly, and I’ll send more people to the surrounding counties another day."

"But the latest deadline is until the Bathing Buddha Festival. After that, we must return to the capital to report to Prince Jing."

Yun Bai said, "Yes."

*

When Yun Bai found the Ye family's small courtyard today, Ye Da was visibly flustered.

He thought that because he had been staking out the Xie Mansion's gate for the past few days, he had drawn the attention of the Xie family's master.

The person who came today was dressed in fine fabrics, exuding an air of nobility. Presumably, a Xie family master was here to cause him trouble.

In reality, Ye Qingshan was quite short-sighted. He mistook Yun Bai, a well-dressed servant, for the master.

But of course, Ye Qingshan had no clue.

So when Yun Bai politely questioned him, he could only respond with repeated assurances.

"My home? Oh, no, I mean, this humble abode has always been here. But I’ve never seen any out-of-town women or children, ah, yes."

He scratched his head.

"I’m just a simple worker, please let me off, sir."

Yun Bai was puzzled; the man in front of him seemed vaguely familiar. His words were jumbled, and his hands trembled.

But no matter how many times Yun Bai asked, the man couldn’t provide any useful information.

"Forget it, let me ask you again, have you ever seen an object engraved with a long-legged crane?"

Suddenly, it dawned on Ye Qingshan. They were after the jade pendant in their home, looking for traces of the previous dynasty! Even his clouded mind knew he had to deny it at all costs.

"No, no, my humble home is empty, how could we have such a fine item."

Yun Bai shook his head helplessly, "I didn't ask if you had it at your home, just if you've seen it. Forget it."

On the day Xie Hong rescued Ye Cailing, the young servant by Xie Hong's side was Shi Qing, while Yun Bai was only sent to fetch some silver.

So he had no real impression of Ye Da.

He left the Ye family courtyard and moved on to other households.