Chapter 150 – Encounter on the Road

Xu Chun wandered around and sneaked back to the estate, only to be caught immediately by Sheng Changtian: “I knew you’d run off again. Even last night’s heavy snow couldn’t stop you?”

Xu Chun chuckled, his face flushing red. Sheng Changtian grabbed his arm and said, “Your family’s estate has been flooded with invitations. General Helan also sent one, inviting both you and me.”

Xu Chun said, “Great, when did he set the date? Tomorrow? Why don’t we bring some gifts and pay him a visit.”

Sheng Changtian hesitated for a moment, then asked him quietly after avoiding others, “Aunt probably doesn’t want to arrange a marriage between you and Lady Helan, right?”

Xu Chun firmly denied it, “No, don’t say things that could ruin her reputation.” His eyes flickered as he realized something, “Are you interested in Lady Helan?”

Sheng Changtian stammered a bit, “She’s truly beautiful, and she’s extremely reserved. Yet her eyes look at people like ice and snow, completely unevasive. She’s the first woman I’ve ever seen like this.”

Xu Chun saw a tender, longing expression on Sheng Changtian’s face for the first time, and couldn’t help but laugh, “My mother said she’s very well-educated.” He didn’t try to persuade Sheng Changtian, since he was embarrassed; after all, the Helan family wasn’t like other families.

He patted his shoulder, “A house full of loyal martyrs, the orphan of a hero, you have to think about it carefully.”

Sheng Changtian muttered, “When I went to Nanyang, the women there were passionate. They would sing when they saw handsome men, saying they had found their lovers, just like birds pierced through the heart by arrows, unable to fly away.”

Xu Chun burst out laughing at his exaggerated words, then flipped through the stack of invitations, “I’m not going to court today. I’ll go see my teacher Mr. Shen first. In the afternoon, you and I, along with Mr. Wright, will go to the Workshop of a Hundred Crafts to arrange the details for the overglaze color kiln.”

Sheng Changtian was taken aback, “You’ve already made contact?”

Xu Chun said, “Yes, I asked Eunuch Su for help. He said it was no big deal. This afternoon, I should go directly to the Workshop of a Hundred Crafts and find Eunuch An, who’s in charge of porcelain. Then we can also arrange a responsible person from our side. You tell me, who among us would be suitable for this position here? We need to discuss and finalize everything with Wright. We have to choose carefully for this role.”

Sheng Changtian thought for a moment and said, “There are managers, but I think it might be difficult for any of them. Unless I stay here personally, or Second Brother takes charge, because otherwise, the person in charge must know how to deal with the eunuchs from the palace and the imperial kiln artisans. Although Eunuch Su is helping you make connections, devils are easy to see but hard to avoid. One must handle all these connections well, carefully balancing their importance, as the managers may not be able to handle it in front of the eunuchs.”

“Secondly, dealing with foreign merchants like Wright, and hearing that it will involve other goods later on, such as firearms, it’s somewhat taboo. We need someone clear-headed, someone who is truly our own person to take charge.”

Xu Chun said, “Brother Changyun is now managing family affairs in Minzhou, right? Brother Changzhou is now an official and very busy. You’re here to help me, so we can’t ask Brother Changyun to come over again—unless I call Sister Qingqian back… or my mother’s attendant Bai Bi…”

Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration, “Oh, why did I forget? Instead of envying my mother’s attendants, why not ask my mother to take charge of this matter?”

Sheng Changtian was taken aback, “Let Aunt do it?”

Xu Chun said, “Yes, as the Duke’s wife and a noble lady, it’s convenient for her to meet with eunuchs. Her esteemed status means the eunuchs wouldn’t dare to make unreasonable demands. As for Wright’s side, coming from a country ruled by a queen, they shouldn’t find it inappropriate to work with my mother.”

The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was a good fit, and he laughed, “My mother is now idle every day, obviously feeling lonely. Look, she even wants to invite Miss Helan over to keep her company…”

He suddenly looked at Sheng Changtian and laughed, “I forgot again, with Miss Helan’s great talent, helping my mother would be even better.” Saying this, he winked at Sheng Changtian and grinned mischievously.

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changtian remained silent. Xu Chun got up and said, “I’ll go talk to Mother first. You find two interpreters.” With that, he took out Wright’s previous proposal and headed for the inner quarters, indeed finding Lady Sheng.

Lady Sheng was indeed greatly interested upon hearing this, “This profit isn’t particularly high, but it’s a long-term business. As you said, the key is to establish connections, and then slowly plan for the future. Having a woman take the lead is also good. Others will only assume it’s a small business dealing with cosmetics and such, and won’t pay attention to these matters. I’ve heard that Western cosmetics and bone china have some appeal, so it’s worth trying. Let me meet this Mr. Wright first?”

Xu Chun said, “Sure, I’ll visit Mr. Shen first, then in the afternoon, I’ll pick up Mr. Wright and go see the manager of the Workshop of a Hundred Crafts. Afterward, we’ll visit you. I suggest, Mother, that you invite Lady Helan over to meet together. That way, you’ll have support.”

Lady Sheng was taken aback, “Lady Helan?”

Xu Chun whispered with a laugh, “Brother Changtian asked me early on if you intended to propose Lady Helan as my wife. Naturally, I denied it. I think Brother Changtian might be interested. Mother, why not play matchmaker for them? If it works out, it’ll be a good thing. If it doesn’t, it’s only business dealings, and it won’t be awkward. Lady Helan will have something to do, and probably won’t worry about trivial matters of marriage.”

He whispered to Lady Sheng, “I see that you don’t care about Father, isn’t it because you have money and something to do? Money can solve many problems, isn’t that right, Mother? Since Queen Lioness Country, where Mr. Wright is from, is ruled by a queen, she certainly wouldn’t feel uncomfortable doing business with a woman.”

Lady Sheng said, “You’re right, I’ll send Bai Bi to pass on the message to Lady Helan.” She glanced at Bai Bi beside her, who slightly curtsied and replied, “Yes, this servant will go deliver the message.” Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, “Doing business with foreigners, this is interesting. The Prince has found a good job for Madam.”

Xu Chun laughed, “Only Mother can make me feel reassured. There will definitely be many confidential goods handled later. It requires keeping secrets and not being blinded by profit. Other than Mother taking charge, who else can I rely on?”

These words made Lady Sheng happy, and she reached out to pinch his mouth, “Go see Mr. Shen. To still act spoiled and cajole your mother to work for you, even after becoming an official.”

Xu Chun chuckled, feeling that he had arranged a major event. Seeing that it was getting late, he hurriedly came out with his servants and rushed to Mr. Shen Mengzhen’s residence to visit his teacher. However, he bumped into Li Meiyai right outside the gate, who was just coming out of the Shen residence and was about to get into a sedan chair. Seeing him, Li Meiyai shouted, “Xu Yuanlin! Stop right there! I’m going to settle accounts with you!”

Seeing Li Meiyai, Xu Chun felt guilty. Hearing his shout, he knew that he had found out that he had used him as a shield. Smiling apologetically, Xu Chun gave Li Meiyai a distant salute but didn’t dare approach. Dismounting quickly, he darted inside the gate. The Shen residence was accustomed to his unannounced visits and didn’t stop him, instead stopping Li Meiyai with a smile, “Whatever misunderstanding you have with Prince Xu, please resolve it later. Give our lord some face.”

Seeing this, Li Meiyai could only stomp his foot angrily, “Rascal! I’ll settle accounts with you one day!”

It happened that there were quite a few officials paying respects at the Shen residence’s gate that day. They all witnessed Li Meiyai scolding Xu Chun, and they all pondered—the rumor that the Imperial Censor Li Meiyai and Jingguo Duke’s son Xu Chun had a grudge was true.