Scions of the Zhao Family (Part One): It's You I Want

The summer sun was relentless, its burning rays scorching skin and baking the exposed clay. Freshly mined clay was still damp and unusable for the next step. To make Liuli, the clay had to undergo a lengthy refinement: baked under the summer sun, soaked by autumn rains, frozen by winter winds and snow, then thawed in spring's warm sunlight. Only after all these steps could one produce a single piece of glass. Zhou Yao had been through this before and knew how precious it was. At present, glass products were simple in design and not as expensive as one might imagine.

If the glass cups didn't sell well in the future, she could enhance their design and make them more exquisite. She personally instructed the first group of servants on selecting premium clay, demonstrating how to crush it and explaining the process in simple terms. That step alone took nearly a month. She then moved on to the second group; sun-drying and crushing raw materials was straightforward, and after a thorough inspection, she found no major issues. She always handled the crucial glass formula herself, so even if others learned the techniques, she wasn't concerned.

As the days grew hotter and many labored outdoors, Zhou Yao couldn't help worrying about their health. She called Cuiwei over and handed her five taels of gold. "Go to the shops and buy some cooling food, and also purchase ice blocks for the servants' quarters. Give each person three pieces. Count the headcount at the Golden Curtain Pavilion and the Jiuyao Kilns. If you need extra help, go to the Golden Curtain Pavilion and summon a few guards to assist." "Since it's so hot now, pause work during the midday heat and rest." Zhou Yao had been speaking to Cuiwei, but she turned and noticed a boy standing in the corner. She recognized him immediately—the boy who had whispered during her speech days earlier. She hadn't seen him in the first or second groups, so he must be from the third.

"U-um..." He scratched his head, frowned, and nervously twisted the hem of his clothes, looking embarrassed. Hesitantly, he said, "Honored lady, someone in our group has collapsed. Some say he's dead, others say he's just slacking off..." The boy thought glumly, *We're all bondservants under death contracts. If someone dies, it's just a worthless life. The masters wouldn't bat an eye. Telling her would be pointless, and I might even get a beating... But since this thankless task had fallen to me, I have no choice.* Hearing this, Zhou Yao's heart skipped a beat. It was exactly what she feared. She had just mentioned ice, and now someone had fainted.

Zhou Yao shot Cuiwei a meaningful look, and Cuiwei understood instantly, nodding. She silently instructed Cuiwei to fetch the ice while she dealt with the situation. Cuiwei took the gold and hurried out of the kiln. Zhou Yao then instructed the boy who had reported: "Go quickly and fetch a physician. Don't delay." Seeing the boy still standing there stupefied, Zhou Yao urgently tapped his forehead. "Hurry, go!" Thus, the three went in different directions: one to buy ice, one to find the physician, and one to check the scene and stabilize the situation.

The working environment for the third group wasn't too bad. Although they were outdoors, Zhou Yao had already arranged for the kitchen to prepare plum drink chilled in the well. Yet she hadn't expected someone to still collapse. That was indeed beyond her expectations. If she didn't calm the crowd immediately, the morale she'd just stabilized might crumble again, making things harder to handle. Arriving on the scene, Zhou Yao saw a throng surrounding the collapsed man from afar, packed tightly like a fortress. Even without looking closely, she knew no one could squeeze through. "Move aside! Don't crowd him!" Zhou Yao shouted. The chattering crowd fell silent and slowly dispersed. Breathless from rushing, she paused to steady herself, and everyone's gaze fell on her. She pushed through the crowd. The unconscious man lay sprawled on the scorching ground, dust and dirt clinging to him, sweat still on his forehead. She reached out to check his breath, rolling up her sleeve. But a man beside her suddenly shoved her to the ground.

"Get out of here! You're not welcome! If it weren't for you making these things, how would he have collapsed?" Zhou Yao didn't want to waste words. She glanced at the man, dusted off her hands, and moved to check on the unconscious man. "I told you, don't go near him! Who knows what you're scheming? Are you planning to kill him to silence him, and then use that to shut us up?" The man was agitated, looking like a cornered rat. At this moment, Zhou Yao was outnumbered, and the servants were all furious, so she didn't dare act rashly.

To temporarily calm them, Zhou Yao spread her hands slightly. "None of you can help him, so you glare at me with suspicion. How about this: from now on, follow my instructions, and I guarantee that all of you will leave safe and sound today." They hesitated, but no one replied. Zhou Yao pressed on. "I won't do anything to him right now; I just need to check his breathing. If we don't help him now, even when the physician arrives, it'll be too late..." Of course, this was half-truth and half-bluff, but Zhou Yao wouldn't say that. "Who knows if you're telling the truth or not? Don't think you can fool us!"

Zhou Yao shot a piercing glare at the man, then stood up, walked to a corner of the yard, picked up a porcelain shard, and threw it at the troublemaker. The shard grazed the man's neck, leaving a bright red line on his fair skin. If Zhou Yao had aimed even slightly differently, it would have killed him on the spot. Zhou Yao swept a warning look over the crowd, then fixed a cold gaze on that man. "From this moment on, anyone who dares to contradict me will not get off so easily." Indeed, no one dared to be arrogant or hinder her again. "I know you're not convinced, but there's one thing you should understand: those of low birth are not common citizens. Life and death are merely at the whim of the master."

She knelt and felt the man's neck. When she felt a faint pulse, her racing heart began to calm. She determined the man was alive, not slacking off as the boy had said, but suffering from the extreme heat. "Those among you with strength, move him to the shade first. Don't leave him here to bake." She stood and looked around for the nearest shade. A couple of people were still displeased, rolling their eyes and sneering: "This honored lady doesn't care whether we live or die. We've worked hard all day without any reward. Now that this man is dead, I'm quitting even if I'm paid more. I'd rather not work myself to death for nothing. I'd say this money is earned but not spent!" "Exactly. In this heat, who can carry him? I'd end up all sweaty. I'm not doing it!" Hearing this, those around exchanged glances, seeming wavering. Indeed, the heat was so intense that no one had the energy to step forward and deal with this mess. But with Zhou Yao there, they had no choice but to stand.

Seeing that she couldn't command them, Zhou Yao was troubled. Before she could single out the instigator, the boy nearest the heatstroke victim shouted, "It's bad! It's bad! He... he's not breathing anymore..." Then came a dull thud, like someone fainting and hitting the ground. Zhou Yao hurried over to check. It was the shouting boy who had fainted. Perhaps because he was young and had never seen such a scene, he had been frightened into fainting at the sight of the man on the ground. "This... this..." With two people collapsing in succession, any enthusiasm for work evaporated. Everyone now wished they could leave this place immediately.

"Help... help! Someone help!" "This Nine-kiln is a cursed place! This woman should stay at the Qi mansion, but she's always out meddling and harming us servants!" The man who had earlier declared the man dead was now hiding in the crowd, fanning the flames and trying to pin all the blame on Zhou Yao. Among the crowd, someone was swayed by his words. The man angrily shouted at Zhou Yao: "You vile woman who abuses your family status and kills people with impunity! I'll throw away my life today and drag you down to the underworld with me!" He clutched a sharp piece of porcelain shard that he had picked up from somewhere and lunged at Zhou Yao. The space was limited; Zhou Yao narrowly dodged several times to avoid being cut. She gritted her teeth. Seizing the right moment, she kicked him to the ground, pinned his arms, and wrenched the shard from his grip.

"Fool! Lured by a few whispers and you turn against your master." Zhou Yao said through her teeth. "I won't deal with you myself today. After I've settled this, I'll personally take you back to the Qi mansion to face judgment!" "Let's see how the Qi mansion you yearn for handles a rebellious slave!" Zhou Yao plunged the shard into the pinned man's palm and slashed through his tendons. The man let out a scream of agony that echoed to the skies, audible even several streets away. The sound annoyed Zhou Yao. "Shut up." She pushed the shard deeper. "If I hear another sound from you, I'll take back my word and kill you." Zhou Yao cast a fierce glance over the crowd. "If you don't want to die, stand still and behave yourselves!" The tactic worked. At least no one dared to be the first to act up.

Instead of issuing a general order, she directly pointed at two men. "You two, move him to the shade. The rest of you, go to the well and fetch water immediately." "If anyone disobeys, this will be the consequence." Zhou Yao gestured to the man on the ground who had fainted from pain. They promptly went to do their tasks in silence. Soon, they brought water from the well and set it in the shade. Taking the bucket, Zhou Yao poured water over the heatstroke victim's clothes. Though it wouldn't take effect immediately, it was the fastest way to cool him down. As time passed, his temperature indeed dropped a bit. While Zhou Yao delegated the rest to others, hurried footsteps approached. She turned to see the boy she had sent out returning with the physician.

The white-haired physician carried a wooden medicine box. Both he and the boy were covered in sweat from rushing. The heat was indeed fierce; even Zhou Yao, after a short time, felt her lips crack and her throat parched as if smoking. She raised her hand to signal a servant to bring the chilled plum drink and distribute it to everyone. The dark purple plum drink shimmered with a pale yellow in the sunlight. Though it had been chilled with well water, the time taken to carry it from the kitchen and distribute it had already let the coolness fade. By the time they drank it, the iced drink had become lukewarm. It was really hot. This weather was truly vicious...

Before Zhou Yao could recover from the heat, the physician had already taken out silver needles and inserted them into the man's Hegu point, pricked Shaoshang point to let a drop or two of blood, then punctured Quze, Neiguan, and Chize on his arm, and finally used a flying-needle technique on Weizhong point on his leg. After this operation, the man woke up within half a joss stick's time. His revival startled everyone, for they had thought he was dead. Though these people had all signed death contracts and their lives were in the master's hands, no one would care if one or two died, but Zhou Yao didn't want that. At that moment, Cuiwei returned in haste with the ice. They carried the supplies into the room, and the fainted man recovered under the effect of the ice.

"From tomorrow, you have three days off to rest. Divide today's ice among yourselves; from now on, you'll get some every day. For meals, if you have any requests, report to..." Zhou Yao's gaze swept the crowd and landed on the boy at the back. "Report to him. Tell the kitchen to make something good. For monthly expenses, report to Cuiwei, and she will allocate the funds." Someone hesitated and asked, "Can we really eat whatever we want?" "Yes." "Can we have refined rice and white flour for once?" Zhou Yao glanced at him, saw he was short and thin, and said, "Yes, you can eat meat, fine rice, white flour—I'll cover all expenses. But you must do the work assigned at the Nine Kilns well and meticulously. If you serve me faithfully, I won't shortchange you." "The summer is scorching, and the kiln's environment is harsher than elsewhere. Henceforth, when working, avoid the hottest hours. During the hours of Wu and Wei, go back to your rooms and rest. I won't forbid you from going elsewhere during that time." "Of course, if anyone dares to act as boldly as today, I will punish them severely." She signaled to Cuiwei with her eyes to take the attacker and the instigator to the Qi mansion for sentencing.

When the servants had dispersed, Cuiwei leaned in and asked, "Madam, they were so disrespectful to you, yet you spared their lives. Isn't that... too merciful?" Due to the urgency, she hadn't noticed, but now that things calmed down, Zhou Yao discovered a cut on her palm from the porcelain shard, oozing blood. Cuiwei gasped. "Madam, how did you get hurt? Didn't you say you were fine?" She grabbed Zhou Yao's hand to check the wound and turned to call the physician back. "Don't go." Zhou Yao stopped her. "This wound is nothing. As for those servants..." Zhou Yao didn't finish the sentence, instead sipping tea from a glass cup, as if it masked her subsequent plans. Cuiwei looked at her in confusion, tilting her head.

Since she had given the kiln workers rest, she would have to make the glass herself. This time she didn't need to go to the mountain to mine and transport clay, but she still had to do the other steps one by one. The various preparatory steps, the mixing... Zhou Yao started from shaping the clay body. She took the raw materials that had been sun-dried, crushed, and washed, made them into paste, placed it in a container, and then pounded it repeatedly. Over time, her hand strength had increased from practice. But in this step of kneading the clay, she needed to pound it repeatedly to increase the stickiness and blend the various powders evenly, producing a fine clay. Before Zhou Yao could finish mixing the powder for coloring the glass, the wooden gate to her courtyard was hurriedly pushed open. Su'er rushed in, looking around frantically as if being chased, then quickly shut the door and bolted it.

She leaned against the door, breathless, and said, "Madam, something terrible has happened." "What happened? Why are you so flustered?" Zhou Yao brought her in, handed her a cup of water, and urged her to speak slowly. Su'er took the cup, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "The Golden Curtain Pavilion is surrounded by soldiers. They say you're harboring a slave girl, and they're searching for you everywhere!" She choked up and said, "It's all my fault. It's my fault for getting you involved." "I think it's because my father discovered I ran away and reported it to the authorities." She twisted a handkerchief in her hands and said anxiously, "I'm sorry, madam. If this implicates you, just hand me over." "I don't blame you; I only blame my own bad luck for delaying you." Su'er made to kneel. "Thank you for taking me in and helping me these past days. I'm afraid I'll never be able to repay you in this life. Now the officials are after you because of me... I've let you down..." "If it's possible, I'd rather die to atone for my sins!" Su'er then slammed her head hard on the ground, then stood up and made to dash into a pillar. Zhou Yao quickly stopped her, took out a clean handkerchief to wipe the dirt off her forehead, and asked, "How did you find this place?" "I... I met Sister Cuiwei on the way out of the Golden Curtain Pavilion, and she told me to come to you." She hung her head, not daring to meet Zhou Yao's eyes, and stood there weeping silently, looking utterly pitiful.

"I understand. Don't cry for now." Zhou Yao frowned, calculating how to handle this, but seeing Su'er's remorseful tears, her heart softened. Since taking Su'er to the Golden Curtain Pavilion, Zhou Yao had also placed Bige there. Earlier, Cuiwei had complained that Bige often howled 'wer-wer-wer-wer' in the dead of night, disturbing their rest. Su'er had been wandering before; even after coming here, she still couldn't sleep well. Zhou Yao felt somewhat guilty about this and believed she should help Su'er resolve the matter, especially since she had promised to sort out Su'er's household registration. "If I tell you to get up, then get up." Zhou Yao reached out to help her up. "This is not a big deal. Come with me to the Golden Curtain Pavilion."

By the time they drove from the kilns to the Golden Curtain Pavilion, it was already dusk, and the sun had not yet set. From a distance, Zhou Yao could see the torches held by the soldiers. As the carriage approached and stopped, it attracted the attention of the soldiers and their leader. Zhou Yao had already instructed Su'er not to get off the carriage when they arrived. Su'er stopped crying and sat quietly, occasionally glancing at Zhou Yao with concern. Knowing that words couldn't comfort Su'er, she patted the back of her hand reassuringly. "I will protect you no matter what. Rest assured." The carriage gradually came to a halt, and Zhou Yao straightened up.

"Quite impressive, aren't you? If you're searching for someone, fine, but now you dare to make trouble on my doorstep? Aren't you afraid of offending the Qi family?" She reached out and lifted the brocade curtain, taking a single glance... and with that one glance, she recognized him. The leading man was puffing out his chest with pride, looking just like a strutting chicken she had once seen in the mountains. This man was the Young Master Zhao whom Zhou Yao had slapped during the Golden Curtain Pavilion's grand opening. Recalling that day, Zhou Yao had been plunged into a low mood because of him, and it had also caused a falling out with Qi Yanhan. It was also because of him that she had met Su'er. And now, he was the cause of this commotion again.

Seeing it was him, Zhou Yao snorted first. "I thought who it was. Isn't this the realgar powder Master from the opening of the Golden Curtain Pavilion? What, you weren't satisfied with the realgar powder that day? Are you here to cause a scene again?" She laughed contemptuously. "I'm sorry, but realgar powder costs money. I sell it to others at the original price. As for you... oh yes, including the collateral relatives of the Zhao and Xu families, I could give you a one percent discount." "After all, cheap goods match cheap goods." Seeing the Zhao official's face darken, Zhou Yao tilted her head as if thinking, then shook her head. "No, it's my fault." Because she paused for a long time, many people thought she was bowing to authority and about to apologize to the Zhao official. For a moment, the scene fell silent.

The Zhao official, without moving, straightened his chest and set up his posture, ready to get revenge for that day. But no one expected... Zhou Yao stepped out of the carriage, and immediately a guard from the Golden Curtain Pavilion ran over and knelt on the ground to serve as a footstool. She stepped down using the guard's back, but instead of an apology, she delivered a mocking remark. "Comparing realgar to Master Zhao is indeed inappropriate. Realgar is a precious medicinal herb since ancient times, warm in nature, bitter and pungent in taste, but excellent for treating mosquito bites in summer. As for you, who only got this position by spending money and using family connections, comparing you to realgar is truly an insult... to realgar. What a pity, what a pity."

"Hmph! You lowly merchant woman, how dare you mock a court official?! You must be tired of living!" He grabbed the token at his waist and yanked it off to show Zhou Yao. "Today I've been ordered to arrest you criminals and take you back to the yamen. Let's see how you'll twist things with your words now." "Who do you think you are?" Zhou Yao said slowly, word by word. "Arrest me? You're not worthy!" "Hmph, obstinate." He raised his hand in a gesture, and the torch-bearing soldiers prepared to search the Golden Curtain Pavilion. "Once I find that runaway slave, I won't let you off either." He ground his teeth. "I'll settle last time's grudge today!" "Who dares!" Zhou Yao raised her voice to scold them. "For a slave girl, you dare to disturb my place? It seems you're the ones who've lived too long." Zhou Yao ascended the steps of the Golden Curtain Pavilion, drew the sword from a nearby guard's scabbard, and said nonchalantly, "If you want to arrest that runaway slave today, fine. If you want to enter the Golden Curtain Pavilion, also fine. But we'll see if you have such good luck, and whether any of you has the life to do so."

"Pfft, trying to fool ghosts? Do you think I can't see this is a stalling tactic? Waiting for that useless Qi lad to come save you?" He rolled his eyes at Zhou Yao in disdain. "Today, the owner of the Golden Curtain Pavilion hides a runaway slave—crime one. She dares to obstruct the yamen in performing its duties—crime two. She speaks arrogantly and insults court officials—crime three." "Once I catch you and bring you back, I'll have you hanged immediately. I won't let you die an easy death!" He let out a long breath as if greatly relieved. Then, as if thinking of something, his tone turned mocking. "If you kneel down now, beg me, and lick my shoes, perhaps I'll spare your life for the sake of that pretty face." Instead of getting angry, Zhou Yao replied, "If you fail to find the so-called 'fugitive' in my establishment today, then I'll have your head!" She looked down upon this arrogant collateral descendant of the Zhao family, smiling secretly. "Do you dare to bet?"