Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Eighth Return

How could this be acceptable?!

Lian Cheng handled each of the gifts, recognizing them all as extraordinary items. He liked them all and wanted to keep them, but as the elder brother, how could he be so easily swayed by material gain?

This was also a perfect opportunity to show Lian Xiusheng what kind of noble and pure character this third brother truly was!

With that thought, Lian Cheng flicked his sleeves. "One should not accept rewards without merit. Take them back."

The servant boy indeed began to repack the items, tucking two under his arm and holding several in his hands, leaving without turning back.

Lian Cheng let his sleeves fall back into place, staring at the now-empty eight-immortal table. It seemed the gift-giver wasn't truly sincere about offering presents.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut heavily. Qiong Hua spat outside, "What is there to be proud of? The higher the climb, the harder the fall. I just hope this wretched cur doesn't drag our young master down with him when he crashes."

Lian Cheng shot a glance at Qiong Hua. A prophet?

"Sister Tong Xue," Lian Cheng considered, "please go and inquire whether Lian Xiusheng has sent similar gifts to the other courtyards."

Huqiu interjected, "Didn't Jin Cai just say it was only for our courtyard?"

Jin Cai? Good heavens, as expected of Lian Xiusheng—his servants were named Man Cai (Full Fortune) and Jin Cai (Enter Fortune). They were utterly obsessed with wealth!

Qiong Hua cut in, "What business is it of ours, young master? What gifts he gives to whom has nothing to do with us. At most, they're just daily necessities. We have more than enough of our own—why should we covet his? If he hadn't secured that official post, where would he have gotten those fine things? He probably just acquired some novelties and brought them over to show off to us!"

Lian Cheng couldn't tell them that it wasn't out of envy. He simply believed that, given Lian Xiusheng's universally adored early reputation, the other couldn't possibly have sent gifts only to his courtyard.

"Perhaps the gifts for other courtyards are different from ours..."

Fortunately, Tong Xue was not as talkative as Qiong Hua. She made a polite bow and said, "Just wait, young master."

Meanwhile, Tong Xue left the courtyard, and next door, Jin Cai also carried the gift box back to Yiqiu. After returning the rejected items to the storeroom, he went to report to Lian Xiusheng.

Lian Xiusheng had managed a deep sleep in the afternoon, looking much better. He saw Jin Cai and asked, "Was he pleased?"

Jin Cai was a man of few words and replied simply, "Third Brother didn't accept."

Lian Xiusheng leaned against the couch, setting down the book in his hand upon hearing this. He adjusted his posture leisurely and asked, "Why?"

Jin Cai kept his hands respectfully in front of him and answered, "Third Brother said, 'One should not accept rewards without merit,' and returned everything. I have already put them back in the storeroom."

"One should not accept rewards without merit..." Lian Xiusheng murmured these words. It wasn't that he had no merit at all, but if he were to tell his waste of a third brother the real reason, he could well imagine what a loathsome expression the other would put on—one he had no desire to see.

He hadn't expected, however, that his third brother would actually understand the principle of not accepting unearned rewards. Lian Xiusheng couldn't help but laugh, though his eyes were cold, and his tone even colder, "If he won't accept it, so be it."

But Jin Cai frowned and said, "Don't you find Third Brother different from before, young master?"

Lian Xiusheng's fingers rested lazily on the pearwood armrest of the couch, his other hand propping up his forehead. He appeared nonchalant, but Jin Cai could tell he was waiting for him to continue.

So Jin Cai went on, "Third Brother has always been arrogant and domineering, accustomed to using his legitimate birth to oppress others. Ordinarily, if you so much as spoke a word to him—no, even half a word—he would leap onto the roof and curse you. I heard last night that you punished him, and on top of that, he knelt for a whole day. I thought for sure he would come to cause trouble for you, or at least go to the Master to complain. The Master dotes on him like a pearl in his palm, and would likely scold you for his sake. But today, the Master came home, and there was peace and quiet all day long."

Jin Cai continued, "I felt uneasy, so when you sent Man Cai, I took over the task, thinking to go and see for myself. But I saw that Third Brother's demeanor and expression were nothing like before."

Lian Xiusheng found it amusing and asked, "What was he like before?"

"Like a demon or a ghost—fierce and terrifying."

"And now, what do you think?"

Jin Cai replied, "I heard from Sister Jin Chai that Third Brother said the Goddess Guanyin enlightened him during the night."

Lian Xiusheng laughed, "You're comparing him to Guanyin?"

"I'm just rambling," Jin Cai said. "I don't believe a grown person can change completely in a single day. Perhaps Third Brother truly encountered the merciful Goddess Guanyin, or maybe he's finally come to his senses and learned to cherish his mother."

Lian Xiusheng listened with lingering interest, "Or perhaps some spirit hiding in the ancestral hall has possessed the third brother?"

Jin Cai's face turned pale, and he shivered, "Young master, you're saying some very frightening things."

Lian Xiusheng said nothing more, his gaze drifting to the distant amber lamp. When he neither smiled nor spoke, the sharp, straight line of his eyelids was icy, and his prominent brow bones pressed down on his eyes, making it hard for others to look at him for long.

Jin Cai's voice rang out again, "But if it's not some trick, I wonder what scheme Third Brother is playing now. Young master, you must be careful. Even though he can't come up with any tricks you can't handle, he's still a nuisance."

After a moment, Jin Cai continued, "Man Cai mentioned earlier that you received several invitations to watch opera and taste tea. What are your thoughts, young master?"

Lian Xiusheng's eyes drooped, "Which mansions are they from?"

Jin Cai went to check them one by one. When he returned, he rattled off the names of eleven young gentlemen from prominent families without pausing for breath. Man Cai had slipped in at some point and heard the entire list. He sneered at one name, "The son of Grand Master of the Imperial Academy Lin is a good-for-nothing, and he's always short of money. He's borrowed silver six or seven times, totaling over two hundred taels, and never returned a single one. How does he have the nerve to send our young master an invitation?"

"Keep your voice down," Jin Cai scolded him, "if word gets out, people will say our young master is arrogant and dares to insult anyone."

Then he asked the reclining figure, "Young master, what's your plan?"

Lian Xiusheng asked, "Is there an invitation from Master Ye's son?"

"Yes, but..."

"Then accept only Master Ye's invitation. Decline the rest."

Jin Cai and Man Cai exchanged glances, both looking troubled. Jin Cai said, "Young master, the son of the young gentleman Third Brother offended the other day is the beloved son of Xia Dan, the Left Vice Minister of Works. And Minister Xia Dan is Master Ye's favorite student. This gathering hosted by Master Ye's son will definitely include the Xia family. If you go and there's a scene, it will cause more trouble."

Man Cai couldn't help but complain, "Third Brother is nothing but trouble. Why can't he just be a carefree idle young master and stay out of trouble? Those invitations from Master Ye's son aren't easy to come by. How many people in the city send gold and silver but can't even get through the gate!"

"It's fine," Lian Xiusheng said nonchalantly, "I'll go. If there is a scene, I'll apologize on behalf of Third Brother."

Jin Cai glanced at Man Cai, "Save your temper, or you'll die of anger."

Lian Xiusheng said blandly, "He only talks big at home. Last night, he got scolded by the maid from Penglai Pavilion and came back crying."

Man Cai's face reddened, "Young master! I was letting her have her way. Why are you teasing me like this?"

After a while, Lian Xiusheng stopped joking. His expression turned cold as autumn frost, aloof and unworldly. "Just do your work well. Don't worry about Third Brother. He's not important."

Whether a spoiled wasteland turns into a lethal poison or a flourishing spring... perhaps, as Jin Cai said, he had transformed into an immortal last night, blessed by heaven.

Tong Xue returned at nightfall.

-

"You were right, young master," she said. "I first went to Eldest Brother's courtyard. Next door, they had given him tea cakes and a tea set. Then I went to Second Brother's courtyard and sought out Wu Ming. Wu Ming refused to tell me at first, so I gave him a few silver coins, and he said that Sixth Brother had sent Second Brother only some ancient texts and paper and brushes. Fifth Jieer and Seventh Jieer's courtyards received satin and incense. Eighth Brother and Ninth Brother got study supplies. The young masters and misses from the aunt's household also received gifts. Except for Fourth Jieer, who hasn't returned home, Sixth Brother didn't miss a single brother or sister in the family."

"Second Brother has always been the most fond of Sixth Brother. So I spent some more silver to personally inspect the gifts sent. Upon closer examination, none were as fine as what was given to you. That priceless Duan inkstone—Second Brother's courtyard didn't have one."

At the hour of rest, most of the servants in Penglai Pavilion had already extinguished their lamps and gone to sleep. Only the young master's room still had a single lamp lit, just enough for him to move about.

Lian Cheng wrapped himself in a blanket and reclined on a beauties' couch, holding a book he couldn't quite understand, listening to Tong Xue...

"Why?" In the book, the original self's relationships with the siblings at home were not good. Eldest Brother took care of him only because Eldest Brother was inherently a kind person; even if the original self were a pig who only knew how to eat and sleep, Eldest Brother wouldn't look down on him or neglect him. But even Eldest Brother had never given the original self any particularly valuable gifts; the common ones were just snacks and drinks like wine and cakes.

Tong Xue said, "Perhaps Sixth Brother still remembers punishing you, too worried to help himself, and thus had prepared and sent all these gifts here?"

Lian Cheng still felt it shouldn't be so. He had seen people skilled at putting up fronts, but such people always consider maximizing benefits in everything they do. To put it bluntly, before Lian Xiusheng sent him those things, he would have surely anticipated losing everything. So why still send them?

Could it be because he was his brother? What a joke!

There were plenty of elder and younger siblings at home. If they found out the gifts they received were far less valuable than his, who knows how jealous they'd become.

At this thought, Lian Cheng suddenly realized: Lian Xiusheng must have done this to make all the family members resent and ostracize him due to this unequal treatment, thus driving a wedge between him and his family.

Without such people, they'd starve. Fortunately, he hadn't accepted those gifts. Lian Xiusheng's move was truly malicious.

Seeing Lian Cheng's expression shift incessantly, Tong Xue leaned against the daybed and tucked the loosening blanket tightly around him. "Duan inkstone is hard to find in the market, the purple-tipped brush is from a master's hand, and the Ge kiln tea set is also rare. Master got a Ge kiln teapot last year and still hasn't found a suitable teacup. Yet Sixth Brother offered a whole set in one go. Perhaps he truly wishes to mend his relationship with you."

"But you can't fully trust him either. You and Sixth Brother are not born of the same mother, and your past relationship hasn't been close. Vigilance is necessary. Just keep up appearances to avoid others saying you don't know how to show respect."

Tong Xue was three years older than the original self, now twenty-three. There were no old maidservants in Penglai Pavilion, so she had always managed it alone.

Lian Cheng looked at her under the dim oil lamp. Thinking that ancient women often discussed marriage after reaching the age of fifteen, and maidservants were no exception; the master also had to help consider such matters. So he asked, "Sister Tong Xue, do you wish to marry?"

Tong Xue was startled, then knelt down, her face pale but not flushed. "Young master, please don't speak of marriage. I have never thought of such a thing. In this life, I only aim to serve you well. If you bring it up again, I'll jump into the pond outside!"

Lian Cheng quickly shut his mouth, scrambled off the daybed, barefoot retrieved a wooden box from the room, counted out a handful of loose silver, and crouched to hand it to her. "You must have spent quite a bit going out tonight. Take these."

Tong Xue looked up, accepted the silver, tears still on her face.

After sending Tong Xue away, Lian Cheng was alone in the room. He didn't return to bed but lay back on the daybed. Tong Xue's words had reminded him that there were still many people in the Lian family he hadn't met.

One more question puzzled Lian Cheng: where did Lian Xiusheng get all those good things he sent?

Had he started grabbing and hoarding as soon as he entered officialdom? That wasn't Lian Xiusheng's style—too flashy and foolish.

Perhaps he wanted to launder money through him?!

Speaking of which, how did they launder money in ancient times?

The dim light fell on the frowning face of the handsome young master lying on the daybed. His loose robe was already disheveled, his dark hair spread like clouds, light dancing on his fluttering eyelashes until those bright, burning eyes closed completely.

After a while, someone came in, extinguished the lamp, covered the young master with a blanket, and left quietly.

Just before the Hour of the Tiger (3-5 AM), while Lian Cheng was still sound asleep, the gate of the neighboring courtyard opened. Man Cai walked out carrying a lantern, a black gauze cap and a tablet in his other hand. He stood at the entrance, waiting for his master.

Lian Xiusheng soon emerged. He fastened his cloak himself, beneath which was the red official robe specially granted by the current emperor. He had slept well the night before, his complexion clear. He said in a low voice, "Let's go."

Under the green eaves, in the thick autumn fog, a master and a servant with a lantern made a scenic tableau in the deep mansion.

"Wait." Near the gate of Penglai Pavilion, Lian Xiusheng suddenly stopped.

From the gutter under the eaves, he picked up a familiar wooden strip. Wasn't this the treasure Lian Cheng had turned the room upside down looking for yesterday?

A moment later, a hint of helplessness and mockery flickered deep in Lian Xiusheng's dark pupils. His good third brother—why did he only play his act halfway?