Chapter 151 – The Hundred Crafts

He Lan Baoshi was quite surprised when she received Bai Bi’s message, asking Bai Bi, “Why does Madam need my help to do business with foreigners?”

Bai Bi smiled and said, “Our Madam is very experienced in business, but this deal was brought back by our Prince. He’s currently in Jinhai, and he’s just returning home to make the connection. After the Longevity Festival, he’ll immediately head back. The rest will have to be handled by Madam herself. She already has a lot on her plate, so she’s simply looking for someone reliable to share the load.”

“She thinks that Lady He Lan has exquisite taste, and for the design patterns of these enameled porcelains, it would be great if you could take charge. Moreover, since you’re with General He Lan, you have extensive knowledge. This foreign trade doesn’t require cash; it’s all barter. We’ll need someone to appraise the military equipment and supplies we receive in exchange. With Lady He Lan around, Madam feels reassured.”

“Our Madam said that anyway, you’re idle at home, so it’s just a way to pass the time.”

Bai Bi was naturally eloquent, and she spoke tactfully.

He Lan Baoshi asked, “Are the foreigners willing to conduct business with us women?”

Bai Bi laughed and replied, “I was also surprised, but then I found out that they’re from the Kingdom of Lyre. They have a princess who inherits the throne and is called a queen. It’s said that at their banquets, men and women mix together to dance and socialize. Noblewomen have inheritance rights, though slightly lower than those of men of the same bloodline. There are also many women who are estate owners and merchants.”

He Lan Jingjiang added, “I’ve heard the same thing; it’s true.”

He Lan Baoshi smiled and said, “Madam is virtuous. Please convey my gratitude to Madam. I’ll definitely arrive on time at your residence this afternoon.”

Bai Bi bowed and then left.

Holding Madam Sheng’s invitation, He Lan Baoshi felt a myriad of emotions and said to He Lan Jingjiang, “It seems I’ve misjudged Madam Sheng. I’m ashamed.”

He Lan Jingjiang was surprised by her sentimentality. “What happened? From what I can see, Prince Xu’s plan isn’t bad. He’s managed to establish connections with the imperial kilns. In the future, he can continuously buy goods from the West to sell here. Business will surely thrive. The Sheng family, with their maritime trading background, indeed has deep roots. Since you’re idle anyway, it might be good for you to broaden your horizons.”

But He Lan Baoshi said, “I feel guilty. My brother originally wanted nothing more than to serve on the frontier, but now he’s temporarily taken up an appointment in the Ministry of War, most likely because he’s worried about me wandering on the border and wants to find me a lifelong partner.”

He Lan Jingjiang sighed. “Everyone on the border is descended from exiled sinners. There aren’t many decent, outstanding individuals suitable for my sister.”

He Lan Baoshi’s eyes reddened slightly. “Ever since I returned to the capital with my brother, the people who came to visit him to propose marriage either wanted me as a concubine or were impoverished officials wanting to elevate their status by taking me as a secondary wife. Some of his subordinates wanted to cheer him up and sought marriage for me, but few were sincere. My brother, for my sake, simply refused to engage in social interactions, knowing that I would be upset.”

He Lan Jingjiang was momentarily speechless.

He Lan Baoshi continued, “Later, the Duchess of Jingguo invited me. I knew that my brother must have shamelessly asked the duchess to find a match for me. However, which high-ranking household in the capital would dare to take a woman who had been a courtesan as their main wife? A fallen flower and withered willow, how could she command respect in the inner quarters and manage the household, educating children? Which noble family would want their children’s mother to have been a courtesan? I’m no longer young, my beauty has faded. It’s too much for even the Duchess of Jingguo, let alone that she’s still in mourning for the Duke of Jingguo. She merely invited me daily to alleviate her boredom.”

He Lan Jingjiang coughed lightly. “The duchess truly invited you herself. My brother didn’t ask her. At the time, he was only thinking that if worst came to worst, we’d sell the capital residence and never return.”

He Lan Baoshi said, “The duchess treated me well, and I got along with their daughter. However, although the duchess’ daughter was intimidated by her mother’s authority and pretended to be friendly on the surface, she would change her attitude once the duchess wasn’t around and became quite distant.”

He Lan Jingjiang felt uncomfortable. “If that’s the case, don’t go there anymore.”

He Lan Baoshi’s eyes welled up with tears as she smiled. “I’ve spent many years in the pleasure quarters and seen countless people who speak sweetly but harbor ill intentions. I thought that Madam Sheng was only acting out of temporary kindness but looked down on me deep down. Now, she’s enduring to befriend me because she wants to pave the way for her son, to get close to my brother, and there’s the layer of past kindness. We must remember her goodness. You’ll be a valuable asset to Prince Xu.”

He Lan Jingjiang said, “The duchess didn’t say anything to me. Seeing that she used to conduct business as a woman, I assumed she’s unconventional and not like ordinary women confined to the inner chambers. She’s chivalrous. That’s why I hoped you’d get closer to her.”

He Lan Baoshi’s eyes welled up with tears. “I was being petty. I thought that the Jingguo Mansion is indeed favored by the emperor right now. The emperor is using the Duke of Jingguo’s heir and the Sheng family, naturally to open sea routes. Our He Lan family is in such a state now. Without talking about restoring our family’s glory in the future, my brother is weak and isolated, with no one helping him in court. If he stays on the border, sooner or later, history will repeat itself. I thought of it as repaying kindness. I was willing to become Prince Xu’s concubine. Prince Xu is young, probably soft-hearted, easy to control. The duchess is a rare good mother-in-law.”

He Lan Jingjiang said, “You’re confused. No matter how bright his prospects are, my sister, He Lan Jingjiang, cannot be a concubine.”

He Lan Baoshi said, “I only thought about what would be best for my brother. Of course, when I met Third Master Sheng, I saw his handsome appearance and keen gaze on me. Also, the Sheng family is wealthy, and he has a promising future. His current position is low, but I could see that he was captivated by my beauty. It would be easy to handle him in the future. Rather than marrying him, I’d be a support to my brother. But at that time, I might offend the duchess, so I only praised him casually.”

He Lan Jingjiang sighed. “Sister, you’re obsessed. What is the Fan family? What is Grandmother’s family? The He Lan family has been famous generals for generations. When choosing a wife, we look at character and virtue, not whether she can provide assistance or not. As martial officers, we rely on real achievements, not connections made through marriage to wives and sisters.”

He Lan Baoshi said sadly, “That’s why the entire He Lan family suffered injustice. Only the border generals pleaded for justice, with no one speaking up in court. When my brother and I were 沦落风尘 [fallen into prostitution], how many sons of high-ranking families in the capital wanted to see the precious cargo of the He Lan siblings?”

He Lan Jingjiang’s face paled.

He Lan Baoshi sternly said, “Another Fan has become a third-place Jinshi! He’s the emperor’s own cousin! Empress Dowager Fan is still alive! Even if the emperor needs you now, using the He Lan family’s reputation, treating you better. Which family is closer to him, ours or the Fan family? The current emperor has no heir! Who will the new emperor be closer to, the Fan family or us? Do you think the Fan family, a family of scholars for a hundred years, will recover faster, or our He Lan family, whose entire family was executed except for the two of us?”

“Even if we don’t scheme against them, will they spare us? Once they have the chance, they’ll continue to eliminate us completely! Brother! I took a crooked path because there are few righteous people in this world! There are indeed people who don’t fawn over the powerful, but there are none who fear neither the powerful nor the wicked! This world is one where good people are afraid of evil people!”

She sobbed uncontrollably. “I don’t want my brother to worry every day after getting married and having children, slandered and wrongfully accused, our children suffering… Elder Brother is reluctant to marry, isn’t it because there’s a knot in his heart that won’t dissipate? I must live better so that Elder Brother can be at ease…”

He Lan Jingjiang fell silent.

He Lan Baoshi whispered, “I never expected that instead of wanting to take me as a concubine for the prince, Madam genuinely wanted me to do business with her. Our family originally didn’t have much wealth. The confiscated property returned to us was just an empty mansion. My so-called talents, learned in the pleasure quarters, are nothing. Painting a few orchids and writing some sour poems, all to attract customers. I thought my only reliance in life was my fading youth.”

“If Madam Sheng needed an assistant, wouldn’t she have capable managers under her command? Or she could teach her illegitimate children, who would truly be her assistants. I never imagined she would pull me in to help, sincerely wanting to give me a hand, allowing me to stand on my own, not having to look at others’ faces.”

“Thinking about it, I underestimated Madam in all my previous thoughts, taking a crooked path myself. It’s the Duchess of Jingguo who’s upright and makes a living with her skills. She’s engaged in foreign trade. In the future, buying some Western military equipment and tactics can also help my brother. This is the right path. I never thought I could take such a path.”

She choked up, and He Lan Jingjiang felt uneasy, whispering, “It’s my incompetence, brother.”

But He Lan Baoshi suddenly smiled through her tears. “Brother, I’m happy. I sincerely thank Madam Sheng. I was self-deprecating, pitiful, and hurt. I hated, resented, and was proud. I never thought I could take such a path.”

He Lan Jingjiang said, “Brother supports you. If you want to invest, it’s fine. All my money is in your hands. Take it to invest.”

He Lan Baoshi looked at him with her beautiful eyes. “Brother will do whatever I want?”

He Lan Jingjiang replied, “Of course.”

He Lan Baoshi looked at him and said, “What if I want to go abroad with that Wright merchant to see? I want to see what a country ruled by a woman is like. Furthermore, since we’re doing business with foreigners, seeing it firsthand is better than being kept in the dark.”

He Lan Jingjiang didn’t expect that Bai Bi’s brief words would spark his sister’s desire to go abroad. He hesitated and awkwardly said, “Do as you wish, sister. Just be happy. But I think we haven’t been overseas before, so it’s better to have reliable people with you. Also, there’s the language barrier. If you really plan to go, learn the language first and cultivate your own trustworthy people. That way, you won’t be harmed or deceived when you go abroad.”

He Lan Baoshi said, “Brother is very thoughtful. Learning the language, cultivating my own people, and learning everything I can from the duchess, there’s still so much I need to do… Brother! Yesterday, I was still thinking about marrying a powerful man to help you. How shallow!”

He Lan Jingjiang saw his sister’s radiant eyes, still wet with tears, but filled with determination and dazzling beauty. He was delighted and deeply grateful to the Duchess of Jingguo and Prince Xu.

Xu Chun, however, was unaware that his casual action had ignited boundless hope in He Lan Baoshi’s heart and filled her with longing for the unseen foreign lands and seas.

He was respectfully kneeling in his seat, listening to Shen Mengzhen lecture him, “You didn’t submit many policy essays, and the ones you did were about things like farming, steamships, and naval tactics. It’s a headache! I couldn’t even understand them! I specially found a knowledgeable teacher to review them for you, and he said you copied them from books! You read a wide variety of books, copying from one here and another there, but you didn’t refine your own viewpoint!

“As for the classics, there’s no need to mention them. I just tested you, and you know yourself that you’ve forgotten almost everything you learned. You stammered a few lines. The words of the sages should not be forgotten!”

Shen Mengzhen was parched from scolding him, reached for his teacup, and realized it was empty. Xu Chun quickly poured tea for him, obediently saying, “Teacher, please calm down. The policy essays are things I don’t understand, but they’re related to my duties. I excerpted some while reading, but I haven’t figured out how to write them yet. That’s why I showed them to Teacher. Teacher, please polish them for me. I’ll slowly revise them when I go home!”

“As for the classics and poetry, I’ve never been good at them. Indeed, I’m rusty. I’ll find time to get familiar with them again.”

Seeing Xu Chun’s humble attitude and lack of excuses about his busy work, Shen Mengzhen softened his tone after venting his anger. “I know you’ve only been there for two months, and as a new official, you must be swamped with work. Moreover, I heard that both your deputy examiners were dismissed, which must have caused you a lot of trouble, making it hard for you to focus. Although the policy essays are terrible, at least you read the books. Just keep revising them. In any case, official duties should come first.”

Xu Chun agreed wholeheartedly, and Shen Mengzhen was satisfied. Just as he was about to dismiss him, he suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, I heard earlier that Li Meiyi was giving you a hard time at the gate of the mansion? And before that, I heard rumors that you two are enemies? What’s going on? I remember when you took office, Li Meiyi praised you to me, saying you were rustic and straightforward, naturally kind, and unrefined, needing proper education.”

Xu Chun coughed a few times and said, “Nothing major, just a small misunderstanding. Outside, it’s all rumors. Don’t believe them, Teacher. I’ll send a generous gift to Lord Li when I go back.”

Shen Mengzhen said, “What’s the point of sending gifts? If you really want to apologize, you should do it publicly or personally visit his house to clear up the misunderstanding. With these rumors flying around, how will he know you sent a gift? He’s like a rabid dog, biting everyone. Don’t provoke him. Last time, a student from the Imperial College went to a brothel, and he reported me for failing to discipline him properly. It infuriated me.”

Xu Chun thought to himself, that’s exactly what I want—the rumors to spread. Sorry, Lord Li, I’ll make amends another day. He said seriously, “Teacher, he reported that? Indeed, it’s too inappropriate!”

Shen Mengzhen said, “Forget it. He’s favored by the emperor now. Let’s not provoke him.”

Xu Chun secretly chuckled, comforted Shen Mengzhen a few more times, declined the offer to stay for dinner, citing matters at the embassy that needed handling, and excused himself.

After leaving, he first went to Qianqiu Workshop, where Sheng Changtian was waiting with Jiang Mei and Wright. They had prepared a lavish lunch, awaiting the arrival of Eunuch An from the Office of Palace Workshops. While waiting, Xu Chun briefly explained the future arrangements in the capital to Wright. Hearing that Sheng’s mother would be responsible for the subsequent affairs in the capital, Wright was quite approving. “Before, I was worried that if Lord Xu wasn’t in the capital, no one would be able to handle this matter properly, and it would go awry. Since it’s your mother in charge, there’s nothing to worry about.”

He praised Xu Chun. “Lord Xu is indeed responsible. Before, I was considering whether to request Mr. Jiang to stay behind and help me, but I thought it was too presumptuous. I learned the story of Lu Buwei’s speculation on rare goods. Lord Xu has lofty aspirations. Impressive, impressive!”

Xu Chun could tell from Wright’s expression that he still had doubts, but now the initiative was on his side. Wright had to rely on him to introduce the imperial kiln line, so he could only appease him for now. Smiling inwardly, he thought that once Wright met his mother and saw that she was more capable than him, he would naturally be relieved.

Soon, Eunuch An Yanian of the Office of Palace Workshops arrived with two junior eunuchs. Seeing Xu Chun, he hurried forward to pay his respects. “This servant greets Prince Xu.”

Xu Chun smiled and invited him to take his seat. “Eunuch, there’s no need for formalities. Today, I have a business matter to discuss with Eunuch. I’ll trouble you in the future.”

However, An Yanian was very humble. “If Prince has any requests, just instruct me to handle them. I’ll do my utmost to satisfy your needs. How could I dare trouble you personally? Just send someone to relay the message whenever you need.”

Xu Chun had heard that palace eunuchs were arrogant, especially those in charge of procurement, who were extremely greedy. Now, seeing that An Yanian was in his early twenties, with a clean and scholarly appearance and dressed in simple blue robes, he seemed like a scholar, devoid of arrogance. He even spoke to Xu Chun in a low voice, with a gentle and modest demeanor, which puzzled Xu Chun greatly.

Therefore, after taking their seats, Sheng Changtian and Wright detailed their plans to burn enameled porcelains to An Yanian.

An Yanian showed no signs of difficulty and only smiled. “It turns out to be such a trivial matter. This is simple. Mr. Wright, just send the blueprints over. After we test-fire a kiln and estimate the costs, we can then discuss the cost-sharing details. What does Prince think?”

Xu Chun said, “Okay, I’ll have someone draw up the blueprints and send them to Eunuch An later.”

An Yanian asked, “When the samples are ready, I’ll order someone to deliver them. But Prince Xu will soon return to Jinhai, right? Who should I contact for the subsequent matters, Third Master Sheng or Mr. Wright directly?”

Xu Chun said, “Once you’re done, Eunuch, just send someone to the Duke of Jingguo’s mansion and deliver them to my mother. My mother will arrange for Mr. Wright to liaise with your craftsmen to confirm the designs.”

Initially, An Yanian had assumed he would have to deal with foreigners and was wondering how to proceed. Hearing that the Duchess of Jingguo would be involved, his eyebrows relaxed slightly. “If the Duchess of Jingguo is personally in charge, it couldn’t be better. This servant will personally deliver the samples to the duchess for her inspection.”

Xu Chun said, “Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch.”

After a round of toasts, they finalized some details. An Yanian dared not drink too much and only had a few cups before smiling and excusing himself. Sheng Changtian personally saw him off and gave him gifts, which were carefully arranged and quite generous—valuable jewels that eunuchs usually liked.

Unexpectedly, An Yanian refused to accept them, politely declining. He told Sheng Changtian, “Third Master, there’s no need to be polite with me. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future. Such a good opportunity to make money, it’s an honor for Prince and Third Master to think of Yanian. How could I dare accept gifts? Just consider Yanian a business partner, and don’t be so formal.”

Seeing his sincerity, Sheng Changtian was puzzled but personally saw An Yanian off to his carriage, watching him leave before returning upstairs.

The carriage jolted as it left the market area and headed towards the palace. An Yanian picked up the snacks on the carriage table and ate them.

His attendant eunuch, who was serving him, asked in confusion, “Eunuch An, weren’t you not full at the banquet? I saw many expensive dishes at the banquet, but you didn’t eat them. Also, didn’t you say before that Su Huai, relying on his position as chief eunuch, abused his power and privately accepted foreign business? We have more work than we can handle. Now, the emperor doesn’t favor these luxurious items. Why did you agree to everything today?”

An Yanian snapped, “In the palace, don’t ask what you shouldn’t! Just shut up and do your job! Why think so much?”

The junior eunuch hastily fell silent, not daring to ask further.

An Yanian wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking, the emperor doesn’t favor these luxurious items and hasn’t inquired about the Office of Palace Workshops for thirty years. It was all Su Huai passing messages and ordering people to do this and that. This year, he particularly 折腾 [zheteng – cause trouble or hardship] people to make glass fish lanterns, strange and exotic things, inevitably raising suspicions of abusing power for personal gain. Although he indeed rewarded them generously later, it was too troublesome.

However, in all the years he had been in charge of the Office of Palace Workshops, it was the first time he had seen an imperial painting. The jade material, worth as much as a small mountain, was personally chosen by him for the emperor. The double dragon pendant carved by the jade carver was now hanging from Prince Xu’s waist!

I, An Yanian, am just a eunuch without a family. If I dare to reject the face given to me, I might accidentally lose my life!