Chapter 099
Chapter 99: Sister Xiao Man, I Take Seven, You Take Three
In the Capital City, a strange trend was sweeping through. At the center stood the Eldest Grandson of the General’s Manor, Lin Qing Xuan, hailed as “Buddha’s Chosen.”
From nowhere, Yunlang Studio had appeared with a series of portraits of Buddha’s Chosen. The painter’s skill was superb. Whether it was him seated on a cushion, rolling his prayer beads in solemn peace, or him standing by a window looking toward far mountains and drifting clouds in lonely quiet, every mood was captured deeply. His clean, ascetic air pierced straight through the thin paper.
Any well-off young lady in the city had one. Devout believers even treated the portraits like sacred objects and offered incense daily.
At the studio door, crowds formed day after day: “Give me the side profile of Buddha’s Chosen,” someone called. “I want the one facing the wind and watching the clouds. It has the best spirit,” another said.
A simple portrait cost one or two taels. If it came with a landscape background and a fine mood, it cost five. Even at those prices, the paintings could not keep up with demand.
Hype grew into fever, and a Black Market of scalpers sprang up. They somehow found what they claimed were sutras hand-copied by Lin Qing Xuan. They bundled these with the portraits and sold them as a “Buddha’s Chosen Consecration Rite” that promised long-lasting blessing. One set was pushed up to a sky-high price of five hundred taels, take it or leave it.
The gale finally blew back to its source, sweeping into the General’s Manor and into the ears of Lin Qing Xuan’s three cousins.
“It must be that shameless Zhao Lv Liu,” cried Lin Yu Jiao, slapping the table, willow brows raised. “That day in the garden I saw her holding a scrap of handkerchief, sneaking looks at Elder Cousin and sketching. I knew she was up to no good.”
Second Miss Lin Yu Wan sipped tea and only spared her a cool glance. Third Miss Lin Yu Ning did not respond at all. Her eyes flashed bright. Two fingers tapped the air as she murmured her sums, already lost in her own world: “One portrait with one copied sutra sells for five hundred taels. Ten sets make five thousand. A hundred sets make fifty thousand.”
She looked up, starry almond eyes burning as if she had spotted a mountain of gold: “No, I have to find Elder Cousin and get some of his hand-copied sutras.”
She jumped to her feet and paced: “I will draw a small portrait myself to tuck in. Who cares if it looks good? It is Elder Cousin’s face anyway. Even if I sell only ten sets, that is five thousand taels. Pure profit.”
The more she thought, the better it sounded. She even planned a faster “supply line”: “Or I could go straight to Xiao Man,” she plotted. “She is Elder Cousin’s personal maid. She is closest to the source. Getting a few sutra booklets from his rooms should be easy.”
“When the money comes in, I will split it with her half and half. She will be thrilled.”
Her two sisters heard every word and laughed without mercy. “Look at you, stuck in a money pit,” Lin Yu Jiao scolded.
Lin Yu Wan set down her cup and frowned, pouring cold water with calm sense: “Ning Ning, your abacus is clacking loud, but think it through. Maybe Zhao Lv Liu did those portraits, maybe not. As for Elder Cousin’s hand copies, how many exist in the world? They are not cabbages.”
“That price of five hundred taels is nine out of ten a bubble blown by scalpers. How many true pieces could they have? Your tens of thousands of taels are ink on paper and dreams in daylight.”
“Oh please, Sister,” Lin Yu Ning protested, stung. “I am not greedy. I do not believe that if I ask Elder Cousin, he will refuse me even ten booklets. I will also ask Zhao Lv Liu to draw ten portraits. The money will land for sure.”
Her nature was to act as fast as thunder. At dawn the next day, she appeared outside Auspicious Cloud Residence with her personal maid, Chun Cao. She stood at the gate peeking in, not daring to enter right away, and nudged Chun Cao: “Go ask Shi Tou what my Elder Cousin is doing now.”
“Yes, Miss,” said Chun Cao. She strolled in, heading straight for the side room where the servants stayed. At the door she saw Old Chen sitting on the threshold, puffing dry tobacco. “Uncle Chen, where did Shi Tou go?” she asked brightly.
Seeing the most capable maid of Third Miss, Old Chen knocked ash from his pipe on the stone step and stood up: “Ah, Miss Chun Cao. Shi Tou went out with the Eldest Grandson Young Master at first light. By now they have likely left the city.”
“Thanks, Uncle Chen,” said Chun Cao. Hearing the Master was away, she brightened and ran back to report: “Third Miss, Buddha’s Chosen Young Master is not at Auspicious Cloud Residence. He went out on business.”
At once Lin Yu Ning’s eyes lit up. Heaven itself was helping her. A huge chance.
Her courage swelled. She straightened her back and walked into the courtyard openly. Standing there, she cleared her throat and called in a voice sweet enough to drip sugar: “Sister Xiao Man.”
“Ning Ning came to play with you,” she sang.
“Sister Xiao Man, come out.”
Xiao Man was making the bed. Hearing Third Miss’s voice, she lifted the curtain with a warm smile: “Third Miss, today is unlucky timing. I did not prepare any snacks for you.”
“I did not come to eat,” Lin Yu Ning said, rushing forward to grab Xiao Man’s hand with a little too much warmth. She pulled her to the stone table: “Ning Ning is here to discuss serious business with Sister Xiao Man.”
They sat. Lin Yu Ning leaned in, dropped her voice, and stared at Xiao Man with bright eyes: “Sister Xiao Man, I came to show you a road to getting rich.”
“Getting rich?” Xiao Man blinked, lost at her sudden claim.
“Yes, really rich,” Lin Yu Ning said with a hard nod. Then she told, with added color and sound, everything she had heard yesterday about the portraits of Buddha’s Chosen and the hand-copied sutras being pushed to sky-high prices.
Xiao Man listened closely. From that excited and slightly messy story, she sorted the facts. [So she wants to do business off Lin Qing Xuan’s name and turn the image into money.]
[For someone so young, she does have a head for money. A good seed for making cash.]
Amused, Xiao Man also looked at the usually pampered Third Miss with new respect.
Seeing she had Xiao Man’s attention, Lin Yu Ning started drawing a bigger pie: “Sister Xiao Man, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.” She leaned closer, voice lower and coaxing: “All you have to do is slip into Elder Cousin’s study, the inner room, and take ten booklets… no, just ten booklets of his hand-copied sutras.”
She grinned and set the hook: “If it works and we make money, you three and I seven.”