Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Stewards
The Li family siblings had little to pack.
In Licentiate Li’s five tile-roof rooms there were only two looms, a spinning wheel, two beds, a lame table, and a battered bamboo chair. If they dragged that broken furniture along, the cart hire would cost more than the lot was worth.
Li Jin Zhu did the math, gritted her teeth, and left it all behind for the clansman who would tenant-farm the fifty mu.
Aside from several big baskets of newly threshed rice, seven or eight chickens already slaughtered and salted, half a basket of eggs, and a few odds and ends, the licentiate and his four sisters had only two medium trunks and one small cloth bundle.
One trunk held books. The other held brush, ink, paper, and inkstones. Both trunks—and everything inside—had been provided by Hong Family.
Li Wen Liang went to Gao Family Market Town and asked Teacher Gao to accompany him. Together, they would escort Li Xue Dong to Ping Jiang City to enroll.
At dawn, Li Wen Liang brought two Li family young men and two carts. They first went to Gao Family Market Town to pick up Teacher Gao, then drove on to Little Li Village.
The two young men drove. Li Xue Dong, Teacher Gao, and Li Wen Liang rode in one cart. Li Jin Zhu and the three sisters rode in the other. Under the envious gaze of the whole village, they left Little Li Village behind and headed for Ping Jiang City.
—
This was Gu Yan’s second visit to Prince Rui’s Ping Jiang Estate.
The first time, he had been seven, traveling with his father on an inspection through Jiang Nan. They arrived at dusk, stayed one night, and left at daybreak. It was a memory so distant it barely felt like his own. He remembered only that a wide bridge stood before the estate gate—and nothing else.
He had been to Lin Hai Town countless times since then. To save travel time, he always crossed the river straight from Yang Zhou, lodging in that stone beast of an office and handling official business even over meals. In those years, he’d assumed Ping Jiang Estate was meant for pleasure. He’d never bothered to come.
Now, led by an attendant, his party rode through dense green woods and stopped beside a small, lush hill. A broad flight of bluestone steps began at its base. After a dozen steps, the path curved behind the hill.
“Is this the main gate?” Gu Yan asked as he dismounted. “Where’s that bridge I remember?”
“Our estate has five gates, including two water gates. There’s no ‘main’ or ‘side’ here,” the attendant replied, bowing. “The bridge you remember is at the gate closest to Ping Jiang City. That gate lies east. This one lies west.”
“Oh.” Gu Yan strode up the steps.
The moment he rounded the hill, the estate’s head steward, Uncle Hong, came running out with more than ten stewards.
“Tell them to slow down,” Gu Yan said, stopping. “No need to rush.”
Shi Gun called out the order, and the group immediately slowed from a run to a hurried walk.
“You know my temper,” Gu Yan said with an easy smile as Uncle Hong reached him, breathless. “I come when I feel like it. I wouldn’t blame you for not greeting me. Why the panic?”
“This is the Heir Apparent being considerate of us servants,” Uncle Hong said, voice shaking. “I received word the day before yesterday at noon. I thought the Heir Apparent would come through the west gate, so I waited there. Last time I saw the Heir Apparent, you were only this tall…” He lifted a hand, then choked. “In a blink, it’s been six years and four months.”
Tears slid down his face.
By Prince Rui’s Manor rules, the estate stewards of Hang Zhou and Ping Jiang were raised in Hang Zhou or Ping Jiang City. At fifteen or sixteen, they went to the capital to serve at Prince’s Manor. After forty, they returned to Hang Zhou or Ping Jiang Estate to take up postings. The head steward of each estate was always someone who had served Prince Rui or Gu Yan for many years.
Uncle Hong, head steward of Ping Jiang Estate, had been chosen the day Gu Yan was born and placed at his side. He had watched him grow.
“You look exactly the same as six years ago,” Gu Yan said, circling him once, eyes amused. “Not a bit older. Ping Jiang Prefecture must be a fine place to nourish a man.”
“The Heir Apparent flatters me,” Uncle Hong managed, laughing through tears.
Gu Yan toured more than half of Ping Jiang Estate with Uncle Hong before returning to his own courtyard. He had only just finished eating when a page came in to report, “Lin Hai Steward He Cheng Ze has arrived with his son He Rui Ming. They request an audience with the Heir Apparent.”
Gu Yan lifted his teacup, took a slow sip, and made a small gesture. Let them in.
He Cheng Ze entered first, his son following. The moment they passed the inner gate, they moved with quick, careful steps—too careful, too practiced. Gu Yan watched them through the gauze of the window screen, his gaze cool.
They had always been like this. Even the night he was seized and dragged out of the capital, they had seen him off outside Wei Zhou Gate with the same trembling caution. Even when the three cups of farewell wine spilled onto the ground, their backs had stayed bent just so.
He Cheng Ze and He Rui Ming dropped to their knees and kowtowed. “Lin Hai Steward He Cheng Ze, bringing my son He Rui Ming, pays respects to the Heir Apparent.”
“Get up. No need for ceremony,” Gu Yan said, smiling as if genuinely puzzled. “How did you know I was at Ping Jiang Estate? I only just arrived. Who sent you word?”
“The restaurant where the Heir Apparent ate in Lin Hai Town is also an asset of Prince Rui’s Manor,” He Cheng Ze replied, each word measured. “The restaurant steward, Wu Shi, once followed this humble one to the capital to deliver festival gifts. He saw the Heir Apparent from afar before. This time, he didn’t dare be certain, so he reported to me.”
“I also received word yesterday from Old Steward Hong that the Heir Apparent would stay briefly in Ping Jiang Prefecture today or tomorrow. I knew the Heir Apparent had taken the duty of inspecting the south, and Lin Hai Town is a place you would certainly visit. So I thought Wu Shi likely hadn’t mistaken it. I brought my son and hurried over—only to find it truly was the Heir Apparent.”
Gu Yan listened with interest, then laughed. “That restaurant is excellent—clean, attentive, well-arranged. The dishes are good too. Go to Uncle Hong later and draw five taels of silver. Reward Wu Shi.”
“Yes,” He Cheng Ze said, relief flashing across his face. “This humble one thanks the Heir Apparent on Wu Shi’s behalf. I came in haste and only brought the overall ledger for the Lin Hai operations. I was going to send Rui Ming back overnight and bring the detailed accounts tomorrow—”
“No rush,” Gu Yan said lazily. “I’ll be here a full year. When I have time, I’ll go to Lin Hai myself. We’ll look through everything there.”
He flicked his fan open, then frowned as though struck by sudden misery. “If your affairs allow it, let your son stay at my side for a while. This post I’ve taken—this inspector envoy duty…” He sighed. “Jiang Nan is fine in most ways, but the maritime tax matters are a headache. I’d rather have an expert near me, someone who can point out what I’m missing.”
“We would not dare,” He Cheng Ze and He Rui Ming said together, bowing.
“You do dare,” Gu Yan replied, amused. “Three men walking together—one can always be my teacher. Besides, when it comes to maritime tax, there’s no one better than you two.” He tapped the fan lightly toward He Rui Ming. “Do you have a courtesy name?”
“Replying to the Heir Apparent, this humble one does not yet have one,” He Rui Ming said.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll give you one,” Gu Yan said, considering it with theatrical gravity. “You and your father are both capable stewards. If you remain at my side, it won’t do for me to call you by your personal name alone. A courtesy name will make things easier.”
“That would be this humble one’s honor,” He Rui Ming said, smiling with restrained delight.
Gu Yan’s eyes narrowed in thought, then he smiled. “Xiang Sheng.”
He Rui Ming’s breath caught. He bowed deep. “Many thanks to the Heir Apparent for bestowing a courtesy name!”
“He Rui Ming. He Xiang Sheng.” Gu Yan looked pleased with himself. “For this next while, I’ll have to trouble Xiang Sheng.”
At the doorway, Shi Gun stole a glance at He Xiang Sheng, envy plain on his face. Xiang Sheng might not be the prettiest courtesy name in the world… but compared to Shi Gun’s own, it still felt like someone had handed him a jade cup and left Shi Gun with a chipped bowl.