Chapter 253: Unyielding

Chapter 253: Neither Soft nor Hard

Meng Wan guessed correctly; Prince Lian’s advisors would not give up easily.

The key points in the struggle for the crown were money and power, and lychees were like a piece of fat meat within reach. These advisors, serving Prince Lian, knew well that a good dog does not need its master’s prompting to step forward.

They were determined to tear a crack in the Zhen Guan Workshop of West Wu Prefecture by any means necessary.

While the Song family was having breakfast, Gui Cheng came from the front courtyard. “My lord, someone has sent a letter from outside.”

Song Tingzhou was still eating. Meng Wan took the letter, opened it, glanced at it, and placed it on the table in front of him. “It’s for you—must be those people from the capital.”

“Mm, no rush. Letting them wait a bit is fine; they’re the ones in a hurry now.” Song Tingzhou picked up a mushroom meat bun and put it in Meng Wan’s bowl. “Have another.”

“Alright, but don’t push them too hard.” Meng Wan picked up his chopsticks, poked at it a couple of times, then slowly bit into the bun.

After breakfast, Song Tingzhou headed to the government office. Chang Jinhua was also taking Jin Gu to the shop for work. Seeing Meng Wan leisurely sipping his soup, she asked curiously, “Not going out today?”

Meng Wan finished the last of the soup, stood up, and stretched. “Not just today—I won’t be going out for a while.”

He said to Chang Jinhua, who was about to leave, “Mother, if anyone suspicious comes to the shop these days, don’t say good things about me.”

“I don’t know what’s good or bad; I just won’t say anything when people ask.” Chang Jinhua didn’t understand the ins and outs of his and Song Tingzhou’s dealings, but one thing was certain: whether in the village, later in the town, or after the whole family moved to the prefectural city, she had never spoken out of turn outside.

The family went their separate ways—some to the office, some to the shop, and the children to school. Meng Wan was left alone at home, enjoying the peace and quiet.

He tried to paint in the study but couldn’t settle his mind. “Luo Jining?”

The ink-black brush tip hovered above the painted figure’s face. Meng Wan irritably wrote those three characters over and over on the paper.

The Xian’ge Luo family was tied to Prince Lian’s faction, and their intentions were unclear. Just from their stance alone, they were clearly enemies, not friends.

When Song Tingzhou returned at noon, Meng Wan had already fallen asleep on the table, half his face smeared with ink, and even a strand of hair was stained.

Song Tingzhou brought a basin of clean water into the room, wet a cloth, and carefully wiped the ink off his face and hair. The open window let in warm sunlight, casting a glow on the heavy wooden furniture, making it seem renewed.

Meng Wan’s eyelashes fluttered, and he reached up to grasp Song Tingzhou’s wrist. “What time is it?”

Since he was awake, Song Tingzhou quickened his movements, lifting Meng Wan’s head to rest against him, then cleaned his face and hair. “A quarter past noon. Want to sleep a bit more?”

Meng Wan let himself be handled, yawning with his eyes closed. “No, it’s surprisingly boring being home alone. I kind of miss A Yan.”

Song Tingzhou tossed the cloth into the basin. “Want me to call him home this afternoon to keep you company?”

“Heh.” Meng Wan buried his face in Song Tingzhou’s shoulder and chuckled softly. “He’s not our pet, to be summoned and dismissed at will. Doesn’t he have school?”

The two ate lunch at home, rested a while, and chatted. Chang Jinhua, because the shop was busy, ate with the workers and cook at noon.

Jin Gu was a very attentive person. Chang Jinhua noticed she worked hard and had a talent for cooking, so she assigned her to the kitchen, making her own work much easier.

In the afternoon, there were few customers. Everyone was eating at the tables outside the shop when two people came over to ask for directions. “Auntie, how do we get to Shijian Post Station?”

Chang Jinhua looked up and saw a courteous young gentleman (xiaoge) with two servants asking for directions. She pointed toward the street ahead. “The banner for Shijian Post Station is right down that street. It’s not far.”

The young man saw they were eating rice noodles and looked up at the shop sign. “Is this place a food shop? Could you serve us three bowls of whatever you’re eating?”

A worker, seeing a potential customer, got up from his seat with his bowl and smiled. “Young master, what we’re eating isn’t noodles—it’s rice noodles. Plain ones are four wen, meat ones are seven wen. Would you like plain or meat?”

Luo Jining replied without hesitation, “Three meat bowls.”

While waiting for the noodles, he pretended to casually chat with Chang Jinhua. “Auntie, I noticed many towns have post stations along the way. I heard they were established by the Prefect’s Lord?”

“Post stations?” Chang Jinhua suddenly recalled what Meng Wan had said that morning. It was like Wan Geer was a fortune teller—he warned her just that morning, and now someone was really asking.

Normally, she wouldn’t bother responding to such queries, but…

“The Prefect’s Lord, being a xiaoge, doesn’t have that much ability. The post stations were built together by many merchants in the prefectural city; he just had his name attached.” It was Chang Jinhua’s first time lying, and the more she spoke, the more awkward she felt. She silently regretted it—better to have pretended not to hear.

Luo Jining said thoughtfully, “That makes sense. The merchants of West Wu Prefecture have fruit preserve jars; of course they’d need post stations to facilitate long-distance shipping.”

The rice noodles came quickly. Luo Jining had initially planned to probe for information about the Song family from Chang Jinhua, but his thoughts soon turned to the noodles in front of him.

Forcing himself to maintain composure, he ate the noodles slowly and neatly until none was left. “Auntie, your shop’s rice noodles are amazing. Who came up with the recipe?”

This time, there was no need for Chang Jinhua to answer—the shop’s worker piped up and recounted how Aunt Qin, due to famine, had come from her hometown in Xing’an to West Wu Prefecture to find relatives, only to end up homeless on the streets. Chang Jinhua took her in and gave her work, and she then popularized the rice noodle recipe from her hometown.

Looking at Aunt Qin’s aged and shy face, Luo Jining felt a stir in his heart. Since his transmigration, he had been complaining about his bad luck. But seeing the rise of rice noodles and the simple wisdom of the ancients, his mood suddenly calmed.

“Aunt Qin, how about I take you to the capital to open a shop? I’ll pay you five taels of silver a month.”

The worker exclaimed, “Five taels!”

Aunt Qin was taken aback, glanced instinctively at Chang Jinhua, and then refused without hesitation. “Thank you for your kindness, young master, but my grandson and I are doing well here in West Wu Prefecture. Our master hasn’t shorted us our wages. I don’t want to go to the capital.”

“Then how about I buy your recipe?” Luo Jining asked.

Aunt Qin looked even more confused. “Recipe? Does making rice noodles need a recipe?”

The steps weren’t too complicated; it was just that no one had thought of it before. With a general idea, any chef could easily replicate it.

Luo Jining had only asked out of a momentary impulse. After Aunt Qin explained the method, he paid for the meal and gave her an extra ten taels of silver as payment for the recipe.

That evening, Chang Jinhua told Meng Wan about the incident. Meng Wan was sitting on the soft couch in her room, peeling dried longans, with a look of no surprise on his face. “As my husband’s official rank rises, more people will try to pry into our family. From now on, we must also discipline the household servants strictly. What Qiuse did in West Wu Prefecture was harmless, but in the capital, it could be fatal.”

Everyone in the room—except A Yan and Tong’er, who didn’t understand—looked solemn. Chang Jinhua asked, “Wan Geer, who was that person today?”

Meng Wan said ambiguously, “Maybe… a fellow townsman of mine.”

He had been taken from Lin’an Prefecture to Changping Prefecture by human traffickers and then sold to the Song family. Only a very few people knew about this.

A Yan asked curiously, “Papa’s fellow townsman? Does Papa want to go back?”

At this, Song Tingzhou and Chang Jinhua both turned their heads toward Meng Wan.

Meng Wan patted his son’s head and said calmly, “No. The place where our family is together is my home.”

Song Tingzhou for some reason felt a subtle relief in his heart.

Ever since they married, no matter how strange Meng Wan’s ideas were, he had never thought of restraining him. If Meng Wan wanted to go back to his hometown in Lin’an, neither he nor Chang Jinhua would oppose it. Yet when A Yan asked if Meng Wan wanted to return, he somehow felt tense.

Meng Wan glanced at him. “It’s been so boring staying home these days. Husband, please bring me some pastries and snacks tomorrow. Mother, I want to eat Aunt Qin’s rice noodles for lunch tomorrow. Xiao Ci, isn’t there a new stall selling stone flower jelly at the entrance of the prefectural school? Remember to bring me one on your way home.” Meng Wan placed his orders one by one.

“Me! Papa, me!” A Yan looked at Meng Wan with eager eyes, waiting for his task.

“You can massage my back,” Meng Wan said cooperatively.

A Yan was very enthusiastic. “A Yan will do it right away!”

After A Yan’s very professional massage, he successfully fell asleep in Meng Wan’s arms.

"Husband, carry A Yan to the bed. My legs are numb, because he's been pressing on them." Meng Wan said, holding A Yan's neck, struggling to ask Song Tingzhou for help.

A Yan also had a bed at Chang Jinhua's place, and both Tong'er and he would sleep here tonight.

After Meng Wan stayed at home for three days, Prince Lian's group of advisors could no longer hold back. Seeing that invitations couldn't get him to come, they personally went to the government office to invite Song Tingzhou.

Song Tingzhou went with them to the restaurant, listening to the advisors' circuitous hints while sitting silently and aloof.

Chi Yu brought a teapot from the government office and brewed tea for Song Tingzhou in front of everyone.

"Lord Song, you don't touch this table full of fine wine and dishes, and you even bring your own tea. Don't you trust us?" The eldest advisor showed displeasure.

Song Tingzhou calmly lifted his teacup and took a sip. "I've already eaten at home. Gentlemen, please help yourselves."

His attitude was indeed disrespectful, and Prince Lian's advisors looked grim, but they couldn't let it show.

Initially, they were confident because they had Prince Lian behind them, planning to force a deal if Song Tingzhou didn't cooperate. Now that they knew Song Tingzhou also had the Crown Prince behind him, they came, unwilling to give up, to beg him to secretly cooperate with Prince Lian behind the Crown Prince's back, so they had to humble themselves.

After all, when their backers were roughly equal, the other side was a promising fourth-rank official, while they were just a few advisors.

Now they were still on his turf. If they really offended Song Tingzhou, and he used the Crown Prince's power against them, they might not even know what hit them.

After much pleading, Song Tingzhou still wouldn't budge. The advisors gazed at the cold dishes and untouched wine, mulling over the temptations of wine, women, wealth, and power.

Song Tingzhou didn't lack wealth, and he didn't drink, so only lust was left.

In the capital, schemes were endless, while the merchants of Xiwu Prefecture always crudely sent people straight to the Song residence as gifts. But these advisors, who used all kinds of dirty tricks, were different.

After leaving the restaurant, they exchanged polite words and went their separate ways. Chi Yu followed behind Song Tingzhou, carrying half a packet of tea leaves that had been used a few times.

"Help! Help!" As the two rode back, they suddenly heard someone calling for help when passing an alley entrance.

Chi Yu was skilled in martial arts; he heard it before Song Tingzhou did. "My lord, someone is calling for help in the alley!"

Song Tingzhou dismounted alongside him. As the local county magistrate, he couldn't turn a blind eye to someone in distress.

Chi Yu rushed into the alley first. Inside, two burly men were viciously grabbing at a ge'er wearing an apricot-colored long skirt.

The ge'er waved his hands constantly, his fair face filled with terror and fear. When he cried "Help!" tears trembled in his eyes, glimmering like light, about to fall.

A vivid red pregnancy mole at the corner of his eye added a touch of allure to his pure features, making him look both innocent and seductive, extremely captivating.

"What are you doing!" Chi Yu shouted.

The two men said brashly, "What are we doing? None of your business. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

"Help! Save me!" The ge'er looked at Chi Yu with a pleading look for rescue.

Song Tingzhou stood at the alley entrance. Hearing the two men's foolish provocation, he ordered Chi Yu, "Arrest them first."

The two men laughed loudly. "Him? A ge'er?"

After Song Tingzhou spoke, Chi Yu didn't waste words. His moves were bold and straightforward; he stepped forward and twisted one man's arm. With a crisp crack, a miserable howl echoed in the alley.

Only then did the two realize they had picked a fight with the wrong person. They turned to flee from the other side of the alley. As Chi Yu was about to chase, the ge'er in white let out a soft hiss. He had twisted his ankle while trying to escape earlier, and now it started to hurt.

The moment Chi Yu turned around, the two men had already fled. The ge'er in white breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second Chi Yu dropped a line, "My lord, I'll be right back!" and ran off to chase them, making the ge'er's heart clench again.

But then he thought, the alleys were intricate; as long as the two men ducked into someone's yard, Chi Yu would surely not find them. This would allow him to spend some time alone with this man.

Thinking this, the ge'er in white turned to meet Song Tingzhou's dark, calm eyes and couldn't help shivering. He swallowed secretly — the 'living king of hell' of Xiwu Prefecture, could he really handle him?

"B-Big brother, thank you... I mean, thank you..."

"My lord! I'm back."

The ge'er was already nervous, and he was caught off guard by Chi Yu returning so quickly from the chase. He saw the two burly men, who had been lively just moments ago, being dragged back like dead pigs by Chi Yu. As a ge'er himself, Chi Yu wasn't even out of breath or flushed.

"Take all three to the government office and get to the bottom of this." Song Tingzhou turned and left, not even sparing a glance at the ge'er in white.

The ge'er said frantically, "L-Lord, that's not necessary. My family is waiting for me at home. If I'm late, they'll worry."

"How did you know that this lord is a lord?" Chi Yu asked in his poor official language.

The ge'er had a quick idea: "I heard you call him that just now."

With three more people in the alley, it felt a bit more lively. The ge'er grew bolder and pleaded pitifully with tears, "My lord, thank you for saving me, but I came to Xiwu Prefecture to visit relatives. I asked these two villains for directions, and they led me into the alley to assault me."

"Mm, understood. Chi Yu, take all three to the government office and have Tao Jiu interrogate them one by one." Song Tingzhou turned and walked out, leaving these trivial matters to his subordinate, and rode to the pastry shop to buy thousand-layer cake for Meng Wan.