050 [Retreating]
“Do not misunderstand me. I never intended to interfere in your personal life.”
No matter how exalted her status, Jiang Li was still only a sixteen-year-old girl who had yet to marry. She could not help feeling embarrassed when speaking of certain matters. Fortunately, Xue Huai merely listened in attentive silence, displaying none of his usual expressions, and this gradually put her at ease. Her voice became calm and unforced.
“Sooner or later, you will marry, have children, and establish a household and career. But there is no need to rush. At present, you have more important things to attend to.”
Jiang Li spoke earnestly. “I know you intend to seek a provincial appointment next year, so before leaving the capital, you should do your best to put your connections in order. That way, when you return someday, you will not find yourself utterly without friends or allies.”
Xue Huai hesitated briefly before finally voicing the question in his heart. “Your Highness, I wonder if you have misunderstood something.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Li tilted her head slightly as she looked at him.
Xue Huai put it tactfully. “Your Highness, the Shen family of Jiangnan and the Xue family have been family friends for generations. This is no secret; many people throughout the court and the realm know it. Miss Shen’s journey north to the capital this time was not undertaken solely to visit me. The Shen family’s Guangtai Trading Company is opening a branch here. She came to the Xue residence to pay her respects to my mother, and I escorted her back to Yongye Ward. These are merely ordinary courtesies and social obligations. There is no romantic involvement between us.”
He would never be so presumptuous as to think Jiang Li had grown jealous because of Shen Qingluan’s arrival. But since she had clearly expressed her displeasure, he naturally had to prevent any greater misunderstanding, lest it harm Shen Qingluan’s reputation.
“Is that so?” Jiang Li asked with some suspicion. “If this is merely a matter of trade, why would Shen Qingluan come to the capital at the end of the year? Could it not be because she heard that things had been difficult for you and traveled all this way especially to see you?”
Xue Huai could not decide whether to praise her for her perceptiveness or for possessing a naturally discerning eye. He smiled and shook his head. “That is not the case. In truth, Guangtai has run into serious trouble in the capital. Uncle Shen is unable to spare the time, so he had no choice but to send Miss Shen here.”
Jiang Li looked doubtful. “What sort of trouble?”
Xue Huai took the opportunity to give her a brief account of Guangtai’s predicament, then continued, “The Shen family has already invested a great deal of silver in the early stages. They spent an unknown sum merely cultivating connections with the tax supervisors of the Inner Court. Yet now the Ministry of Revenue has blocked them at the final hurdle. If they cannot obtain a license for their bank, they will not only suffer enormous losses this time; they will also lose all hope of claiming a share of the capital’s banking trade.”
“I see. I had thought…” Jiang Li suddenly changed tack. After a moment’s thought, she said, “This is indeed troublesome. The Ministry of Revenue has dozens of reasons for refusing Guangtai’s bank entry, and none of them would give outsiders anything to criticize. Is that what you were discussing today? Do you have a way to deal with it?”
Xue Huai shook his head. “I have no connections within the Ministry of Revenue. My teacher is currently occupied with the longstanding problems in the Ministry of Works, and I would not wish to disturb him with such a private matter.”
Looking at his sincere expression, Jiang Li gradually realized what he was getting at and could not help rolling her eyes at him.
“If you want my help, just say so. Why go around in circles?”
She cursed him inwardly. On the surface, this man appeared aloof and proud, forever affecting the manner of an upright scholar before others. In truth, his thoughts were anything but simple.
Perhaps he had already devised a way to draw her into the matter before he even set out for Green Verdant Villa.
Xue Huai asked, seemingly delighted, “Your Highness can resolve this?”
The corner of Jiang Li’s mouth lifted. “If I said I could not, would you believe me?”
The matter might appear troublesome, but to her it was hardly a difficulty.
If she wished to order the Ministry of Revenue to act on behalf of the Princess’s Residence, then regardless of whether it complied with regulations, she would certainly have to pay a considerable price. But if she personally asked only that the ministry show some leniency, the shrewd and experienced Minister Wang would not refuse too forcefully.
Xue Huai rose and bowed. “I thank Your Highness on behalf of the Shen family.”
“Do not thank me just yet.”
Jiang Li motioned for him to sit and spoke slowly. “This is not, after all, your Xue family’s proper concern. I am acting only for your sake, but I do have a condition. You want me to plead with the ministry on behalf of the Shen family. I can send someone to the Ministry of Revenue, but you must agree to one thing as well.”
Xue Huai understood. “Please state it, Your Highness.”
Jiang Li lifted her teacup and took a sip before saying unhurriedly, “Today is the second day of the twelfth month. I am confident that I can make the Ministry of Revenue relent within three days. Once Guangtai receives its banking license, give Miss Shen a few days to settle her affairs. She must leave the capital before the tenth.”
Xue Huai was taken aback. He had never imagined that this would be her condition.
Jiang Li looked faintly displeased. “What is it? You cannot bear to see her go?”
“Where does that come from?” Xue Huai replied solemnly. “Guangtai is opening both a cloth shop and a bank in the capital this time. There are countless complicated matters to sort out. How could a few days possibly be enough?”
Jiang Li gave a soft snort. “Do not try to deceive me. Do you really take me for a three-year-old child? I hear that the Shen family is one of the wealthiest in Jiangnan and employs no small number of seasoned, reliable managers and clerks. Would they act so hastily merely because they have come to the capital? Guangtai’s people managed perfectly well before Shen Qingluan arrived. They were simply sabotaged by the Shanxi merchants hiding behind the Ministry of Revenue. Shen Qingluan has not come because only she can untangle this knot; she has come because the matter is important enough to require her personal authority.”
“Now that I am helping her remove the obstacle at the Ministry of Revenue, whether she remains in the capital will not affect the subsequent progress. Surely Guangtai’s veteran managers do not become incapable of working the moment their young mistress leaves? Besides, although the capital and Yangzhou lie far apart, the Grand Canal has not frozen this year. The Shen family is not short of money, and she can take a favorable current south by boat and still return to Yangzhou before New Year’s Eve.”
A smile gradually appeared on her face as she looked at Xue Huai with leisurely composure. “I have considered the matter so thoroughly on your behalf. What more could you possibly object to?”
It was indeed thorough—so thorough that Xue Huai was left speechless.
Seeing this, Jiang Li added, “Of course, I will not force you to accept the arrangement. If you think it unsuitable, I can simply leave the matter alone.”
“Your Highness must be joking. How could I find it unsuitable?”
Xue Huai knew when to yield and when to stand firm. Compared with the brief and hurried reunion he might otherwise have enjoyed, the most important things were to resolve Guangtai’s troubles as quickly as possible, minimize the Shen family’s losses, and allow Shen Qingluan to give her family a proper account.
“Very well. I will send someone to see Minister Wang shortly. He happened to owe me a favor from last year because of that useless grandson of his. This will settle our accounts.”
Jiang Li’s tone remained indifferent. In her view, a favor left unused was a favor wasted. Only by calling upon one another from time to time could a deeper bond be forged.
The doubts in Xue Huai’s heart grew stronger. Unable to restrain himself, he asked, “Your Highness, did Miss Shen or the Shen family offend you in the past?”
Jiang Li shook her head. “I have never even left the capital. The Shen family is merely a merchant household from Jiangnan. How could they possibly have offended me?”
“Then…” Xue Huai hesitated.
Jiang Li’s hostility toward Shen Qingluan was far too obvious. Her condition plainly showed that she did not want Shen Qingluan to remain in the capital.
Hearing the unspoken question, Jiang Li answered without the slightest hesitation. “Is it not because of you?”
The air abruptly grew still.
It was as though a taut string had suddenly snapped.
Jiang Li silently clenched the fingers hidden within her sleeve, while keeping her expression composed. “I know that you and Shen Qingluan have known each other since childhood. Though you have been separated for many years, the fact that she traveled all the way to the capital to see you shows that your relationship is far from ordinary. But do not blame me for meddling. At present, you cannot devote your attention to anyone else. And apart from everything I have just told you, you will face a true test in a few days.”
Xue Huai studied Jiang Li’s face. Seeing no trace of romantic feeling there, he asked seriously, “What test?”
“You are a Reader in the Hanlin Academy. It is your duty to lecture the Emperor and the princes on the classics and histories. Of course, you are not yet qualified to appear before His Majesty.”
Jiang Li did not keep him in suspense. She said plainly, “The Crown Prince will summon you to the Eastern Palace within the next few days and have you lecture him on the classics and histories. You had best prepare in advance.”
Xue Huai’s expression remained unchanged.
Though Crown Prince Jiang Xuan was the rightful heir to the Eastern Palace, his presence at court had not been particularly strong over the past two years. On the one hand, he understood the importance of concealing his锋芒; on the other, the other princes were no easy opponents. Even the youngest, the Prince of Dai, would occasionally make things difficult for him.
Xue Huai quickly set aside thoughts of love and romance and began considering the Crown Prince’s intentions.
“What do you think?” Jiang Li asked.
After some thought, Xue Huai replied, “His Highness wishes to assess me in person. I publicly reported the Prince of Dai before His Majesty, and given his temperament, he certainly will not let the matter pass. Sooner or later, he will settle the score with me. In the Crown Prince’s eyes, I have a grievance with a prince, and I also enjoy my teacher’s protection. That makes me someone worth cultivating and winning over.”
“And how do you intend to respond?”
The two of them tacitly avoided mentioning the matter from before—the time Jiang Li had used the Crown Prince’s supposed instructions as an excuse to look after Xue Huai.
Xue Huai sat upright and answered without haste, “The Crown Prince has summoned me. Naturally, I would not dare neglect him. I need only fulfill my duties.”
Jiang Li asked with a smile, “What if His Highness directly seeks to recruit you?”
Xue Huai replied calmly, “The heir to the throne is also my sovereign.”
Jiang Li said languidly, “Once you board the Eastern Palace’s ship, the Crown Prince’s mark will be stamped upon you. It will be very difficult to disembark afterward.”
The statement was indeed blunt and audacious. As an appointed official of the court, if he did not support the Crown Prince, could he possibly support someone else?
Such situations were not uncommon in reality, but they were normally understood without being spoken of. Few people would ever declare their position openly.
This showed just how far Jiang Li’s trust in Xue Huai had risen.
Xue Huai smiled faintly. “Your Highness is mistaken again. I am a student of the Son of Heaven, and in all matters I act according to His Majesty’s will. Besides, I wish to gain experience in the provinces as soon as possible. When that time comes, I shall pray for the Emperor and the Crown Prince every day.”
The implication was clear: he would do whatever the Emperor ordered him to do.
The Emperor’s favor was what truly mattered.
“What a sly man.”
Jiang Li wrinkled the tip of her nose, then softly cautioned him, “Be careful. The political situation is complicated and perilous. Do not stumble into disaster through some hidden misstep.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness.”
The two exchanged a smile, and everything was understood without another word.