Chapter: The Zhao Family Descendants (Part 2) - The Winery Deed
“You seem pretty confident, so you must have moved the prisoner ahead of time. I've changed my mind—I'm not just searching the Golden Curtain Pavilion.” He pointed directly at the carriage Zhou Yao had arrived in, a smug smile curling his lips. “This time, I'm searching your carriage too!”
A flicker of panic crossed Zhou Yao's face, but she suppressed it almost instantly. Yet that fleeting expression didn't escape the collateral Zhao's notice, and his confidence only grew.
“Search!”
At his command, the officers who had long surrounded the Golden Curtain Pavilion filed inside to conduct the search. Before long, a loud “awoo—awoo” pierced the air. Bige's cries carried an extraordinary intensity that made everyone freeze in their tracks.
The ornaments inside the Golden Curtain Pavilion were carelessly flung to the ground by the officers. The colored glaze pieces displayed on the counters for customers were also knocked and broken, and the floor was soon littered with fragments of glass and scattered shards. Meanwhile, the carriage was searched personally by the Zhao family's own bailiff and two or three yamen runners.
He stepped closer step by step. As he approached, Zhou Yao could feel her heart thundering in her chest. In a matter of moments, he flung open the curtain and discovered Su'er hiding inside the carriage.
“Caught red-handed! What do you have to say for yourself?” He raised an eyebrow, gloating as he looked toward Zhou Yao, waiting to see her discomfiture.
Instead, she unhurriedly adjusted her sleeve. “And how do you conclude that she is a runaway slave?”
“The portrait of the fugitive is right here. What else have you to plead?” He felt a wave of vindication. “Take them all away!”
“Everyone, halt!” Zhou Yao stopped the bailiffs before they could act, her voice frosty. “Who told you she was a runaway slave without proper papers? She is a maidservant of the Golden Curtain Pavilion. Do you really think you can just take her away as you please?”
“I can't take her away? Hmph!” He waved his hand, and the officers who had paused pinned the Golden Curtain Pavilion's people back down onto the ground, forcing them to kneel.
“The proprietor of the Golden Curtain Pavilion defies the officials in the execution of their duties—an offense punishable by death!” He pointed at the longsword in Zhou Yao's hand, with deliberate insinuation. “And now she means to seriously wound a court officer? That crime alone is enough to exterminate your entire clan. Take her!”
The officers drew their swords from their waists—a flash of white steel as they directed the blades at Zhou Yao. “Forgive us!”
Zhou Yao tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. Before she could make a move, however, the tense atmosphere was shattered by the sound of riders approaching at full gallop. Beyond the torchlight, everything was obscured. Zhou Yao couldn't make out the face of the figure who vaulted from his horse.
She thought to herself: *That man looks familiar... where have I seen him before?*
“Stop!” the newcomer bellowed, sprinting to Zhou Yao and dropping to his knees in a formal obeisance. As he passed the Zhao bailiff, he shot him a vicious sideways glare. His voice was sonorous enough for everyone present to hear clearly: “This humble official pays his respects to the Ninth Highness!”
The moment those words left his mouth, every person present let out an involuntary gasp, the first thought flashing through their minds being that their lives were forfeit.
A dull “thud” reached Zhou Yao's ears; she turned her gaze to see the collateral Zhao collapsing to his knees, his legs having given way.
In their hearts, they all understood that kneeling like this was a plea to royal authority. If Zhou Yao reported today's events to the court—to His Majesty—then this would no longer be a matter of mere impeachment or dismissal. When that happened, every person here, along with their entire clans, would face death!
Zhou Yao withdrew her gaze. She looked at him until he lifted his head from his bow, and only then did she recognize the newcomer's face.
It was Zhao Wenhua, the eldest legitimate son of the Zhao family's main branch. Previously, at Qingyun Terrace, Zhou Yao had used him to drive a wedge between him and the Second Young Master of the Qi family.
“So it's the eldest young master Zhao. Arriving belatedly—is this your way of making amends?” Zhou Yao lifted her sword to rest an inch from Zhao Wenhua's throat, letting out a mocking laugh. “Good of you to rush to the rescue, but you're a little too late. So many people are standing around here, and the words spoken moments ago were heard by plenty.”
“A son of the Zhao family perpetrates outrageous treason, insulting the royal house and daring to attempt a coup. Today it's my Golden Curtain Pavilion, but tomorrow—why not the imperial palace? This is—” Zhou Yao paused midsentence, a glint of calculation flashing in her eyes. She leaned down and whispered something into Zhao Wenhua's ear.
From the onlookers' perspective, a visible shift came over Zhao Wenhua's demeanor.
He dropped his casual air and straightened into a formal bow, addressing Zhou Yao with deference. “This humble one, along with Zhao Xunwen, has been rash and offended Her Highness. Would Her Highness be willing to... speak in private?”
Earlier, in another part of the city, Cuiwei—upon receiving Zhou Yao's message—had immediately gone to the Qi Mansion to find Duyun, requesting that he report the matter to Qi Yanhan.
By the time Qi Yanhan received word and arrived, the crowd at the Golden Curtain Pavilion's front had already dispersed. The supposed troublemakers were nowhere to be seen, and Zhou Yao and Zhao Wenhua had vanished as well.
Outside the window, moonlight rippled over gently flowing water. Inside the room, the silhouettes of two people in conversation were cast upon the folding screen by candlelight. On the wooden table lay a Go board with a match halfway through; between the black and white stones, black clearly held the upper hand.
“Young Master Zhao's skill at the game truly is second to none,” Zhou Yao said, a faint, elusive smile playing at the corner of her lips, her eyes lowered so that one could not easily guess her thoughts.
“Your Highness flatters me. I am no master—in fact, I am still behind by a single stone...” He held a stone in his hand, hesitating as he looked at Zhou Yao. “May I ask what terms Her Highness has in mind? Pray speak plainly.”
“Young Master Zhao is a clever man. Why not give further thought to the terms I mentioned earlier?”
Zhao Wenhua's stone suddenly slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the wooden floor—
*pat-pat-pat*—a sharp, crisp sound.
“If that is the case, I beg Her Highness to forgive my insolence.” He moved as if to kneel before Zhou Yao once more.
“No need to rush—we haven't finished this game yet.” A smile lingered at Zhou Yao's lips, lending her an air of immense confidence.
“I'm only asking you to inherit Chancellor Zhao's current position. It's not like I'm trying to kill you.” Zhou Yao casually captured a stone from the board, speaking slowly. “I won't pressure you now. If you agree, I'll give you a handsome gift when you take the chancellor's seat.”
“But if you refuse, remember—when the day comes that your family is executed and your nine kin exterminated, you, your father, and the rest of your brothers and sisters will all be caught in the net.”
“Your Zhao family has repeatedly been constrained by the Qi family in court. They back the Crown Prince; your Zhao family's days are not easy as they are. It would be far better to come and work for me.”
“I can ensure your future promotion, and I can guarantee that today's affair stays sealed away without a single word leaking to outsiders.”
Zhao Wenhua's gaze remained somewhat unsettled, but Zhou Yao reckoned the stakes laid out on this board were more than sufficient.
“Now that the Ninth Highness has married into the Qi family, she naturally stands with the Qi. Why should I trust you?”
Zhao Wenhua looked at Zhou Yao with skepticism, only to see her unhurriedly toss her piece back into the stone bowl, lean back in the armchair with casual ease, and regard him lazily.
“Trust or not, what conditions do you still have to bargain with me?”
“You can go home and think it over carefully—will that father of yours, who dotes on his concubine and neglects his wife, pass the chancellor's seat to you? Or will he hand it to the son of your favored stepmother?”
Zhou Yao noted the fist clenched at his side and gave a light snort. “You want that position, yet you lack the ability to seize it.”
“I accept.” Zhao Wenhua was silent for a long moment before speaking. “But then, what would you have me do for you?”
Seeing that he had finally come around to the point, Zhou Yao looked up from the Go board to meet his eyes. “A wise man submits to the times, and Young Master Zhao is clearly a man of sense. Rise, then—no need to kneel.”
Only after receiving her leave did Zhao Wenhua hesitantly rise from the ground.
“Sit down. No need to stand there like a carved post.” Zhou Yao did not mince words. “Today I'll open the skylight and speak plainly: our arrangement will be kept entirely confidential—not a syllable will I reveal. The man who insulted me in front of the Golden Curtain Pavilion, however, I cannot keep.”
Her meaning was clear: she wanted Zhao Wenhua to take the man back and deal with him.
He lowered his head and considered for a brief moment before nodding. “Agreed.”
“The losses at the Golden Curtain Pavilion will be itemized on a ledger. See that they're repaid in due course.” Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow at him. “Since you're prepared to clean up the mess for him, I naturally won't refuse your goodwill. Only... the pieces I display here are all priceless colored glass.”
She affected a look of helplessness. “It's only that the price of colored glass has been widely discussed throughout Chang'an these days, as Young Master Zhao must have heard.”
“This...” Zhao Wenhua, who had never lacked for money, now found himself truly at a loss. He glanced hesitantly at Zhou Yao. “Your Highness, the treasury is stretched thin at present, and the court has been slow to pay all the officials' salaries. To suddenly produce such a vast sum even my father would be hard-pressed to promise it!”
“No matter.”
The moment she had been provoked outside the Golden Curtain Pavilion, Zhou Yao had already worked it all out. Though the Zhao family was no ordinary household, they were nonetheless a family of clean officials.
Unable to survive on the court stipend alone, they had opened several shops throughout Chang'an to make ends meet.
“Does Young Master Zhao's father own five wine shops?”
Zhou Yao looked at him with a smile. “If I'm not mistaken, one of them lies close by the Golden Curtain Pavilion—an excellent location.”
“I won't ask for much—just give me that one shop.”
Zhao Wenhua hesitated. “This... I'm afraid that's not quite right...” He paused briefly before adding, “A wine shop is no ordinary business. Wine is a product directly managed by the royal—” He stopped mid-sentence, catching himself, and looked up at Zhou Yao. What he saw in her eyes was naked ambition, and he understood. With a nod, he said, “I will go back and discuss this with my father.”
Zhou Yao watched him, hiding the expression in her eyes.
*At least he knows which way the wind blows.*
After he had taken his leave, Zhou Yao played out the unfinished game with a single stone to its end.
She thought to herself: *If this wine shop of the Zhao family could be mine, I could expand my premises. Though the shop is small, it has supported no small portion of the Zhao family's expenses.*
Trading her colored glass for a mere shop—that was being lenient with Zhao Wenhua.
————————
Meanwhile, at the Qi Mansion, the servants had clustered together to slack off, gathered in little groups of twos and threes.
One young manservant said, “Have you heard? That princess who married into our household a few years back—she got surrounded by the authorities out on the street today! I hear they were going to cut her down on the spot. Tsk tsk tsk—what a tragedy!”
A maidservant exclaimed in surprise, “They have that much nerve? They'd dare to kill a princess?!”
“Exactly! And what was the charge? Harboring a runaway slave?”
“A runaway slave?!” Another servant gasped, mouth agape, afraid to speak further. They hurriedly glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before whispering, “Wouldn't noble folk like them harbor a runaway slave? Are you sure you heard right?”
“Absolutely true. Isn't our young master rushing off to save her right now?” She adopted a mysterious, knowing air. “And apparently, that distant cousin of the Qi family is none other than the woman who runs the Golden Curtain Pavilion. The two of them were fighting over our young master right on the spot!”
“You worthless lot—how dare you gossip about your masters behind their backs!” Duyun stepped over the threshold. “All of you gossiping servants, put to death.”
The moment the words left his mouth, black-clad figures dropped from the rooftop, and with a flash of steel, the ground was littered with bodies.
“Clean this up. Don't let the master find out.”
The shadow guards clasped their hands in acknowledgment, awaiting Duyun's further orders. He turned his gaze toward the main gate of the Qi Mansion, a pensive look on his face. “As for the Jiuyao Kilns—make sure no one there lives either.”
“Understood!”
At that very moment, Qi Yanhan walked in slowly from outside. He was already displeased about going to the Golden Curtain Pavilion only to find Zhou Yao gone. And then, upon returning home, he had to hear the servants gossiping. If even the servants of his own household were this way, then those sent to Jiuyao Kilns were likely the same.
“You failed to manage the servants properly. Report yourself for punishment.” Qi Yanhan did not spare even a second's glance at the bodies as he strode away toward his own courtyard.
In the pavilion of his courtyard, a figure sat waiting for him. The man wore a pale blue long robe, appearing from behind to be a refined and gentle scholar. Yet Qi Yanhan's expression twisted with displeasure upon noticing him.
Qi Yanhan's gaze turned as cold as ice, his manner distant, his tone irascible. “What a rare guest. What brings you to my doorstep?”
“After so many years, you're still acting like everyone owes you money. Even if someone really did owe you, you shouldn't treat me this way. Surely the vast Qi estate hasn't fallen to coveting my paltry scraps?” The man's voice carried laughter, his languid bearing giving him a roguish charm.
“Speak your business quickly, then leave.” Qi Yanhan finally deigned to cast him a glance.
The man who had been joking with him was none other than Chen Yuwen, who had not shown his face at the Jiuyao Kilns for days. Holding a folding fan in one hand, he leaned idly against the pillar of the pavilion, his eyes crinkled with a smile as he looked at Qi Yanhan.
“It's been so long, and you're still so cold. I did the thing you asked of me the other day—now when are you going to do what you promised me?”
Chen Yuwen watched Qi Yanhan, who had taken a seat on the stone bench at some point and was slowly brewing tea, and felt a surge of irritation.
“You said before—if I accepted her as my apprentice, you'd do the task for me. I finally made it back, and now you've called me all the way to Chang'an. What do you mean by this?” Seeing that Qi Yanhan remained indifferent, Chen Yuwen grew so exasperated that he slapped his sandalwood folding fan against the stone table several times.
“Since I've deigned to acknowledge you, you should get to the point.” Qi Yanhan lifted his teacup and shielded it behind his broad sleeve as he took a small sip.
“Isn't this the point?”
“I told you I'd do it, and I will.” Qi Yanhan set the cup back down. “The timing is simply not ripe yet.”
“Sending Zhao's eldest son to the Golden Curtain Pavilion today—that was well done. Go pick up your sister in a few days.” Qi Yanhan rose to leave.
Chen Yuwen hastily called out to stop him, sidestepping to block his path. “I'm not finished! Wait!”
“Whatever it is, say it all at once—don't waste my time!” Qi Yanhan frowned in annoyance.
He had been restless for days from not being able to see Zhou Yao. Chen Yuwen could go to the Jiuyao Kilns and visit her every few days, but Qi Yanhan couldn't get near her no matter what. Even if he wanted to go, he needed a decent excuse...
If Chen Yuwen hadn't handled today's matter so smoothly, perhaps he might have gotten to see her.
Qi Yanhan thought: *If I could have staged one of those “hero saves damsel in distress” scenes from the storybooks, maybe her Highness would have taken pity on me again for a while, and I could have followed the flow of the current.*
Pity... truly the heavens were uncooperative. Why did Chen Yuwen, who was always unreliable, have to succeed so perfectly today?
Why was it that whenever it concerned Her Highness, this Chen Yuwen was so eager? Could it be that he too had developed feelings for her Highness?
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. He glared at Chen Yuwen, who still stood in his way, and his manner grew even more hostile.
“Move!”
Qi Yanhan shoved past his supposed “rival in love” and stalked straight toward the study, leaving Chen Yuwen standing in the little pavilion, utterly bewildered.
“Hey! I wasn't finished!” Chen Yuwen shouted at Qi Yanhan's retreating back, trying to stop that lovesick fool in his tracks.
But it was all in vain. The more Chen Yuwen called, the faster Qi Yanhan's steps became.
“Has he gone mad?” Chen Yuwen muttered under his breath. Receiving no response, he had no choice but to leave the Qi estate first. To step out after curfew would be suicide.
Not that he believed Qi Yanhan would be so kind as to let him stay the night at the Qi Mansion.
As time wore on, the pale moonlight reflected off the water's surface, and also illuminated the Zhao family's courtyard.
“Father, everything I witnessed today is true. The proprietor of the Golden Curtain Pavilion is not, as the rumors say, a distant cousin of the Qi family—she is none other than the Ninth Princess Zhou Yao, who married into the Qi Mansion a few years ago.”
Zhao Wenhua knelt on the ground, his head bowed as he performed the formal kowtow before speaking. “Today, Zhao Yong took officers without authorization to make trouble, and happened to cross the Ninth Princess. His words were reckless, and he offended Her Highness.”
“If she were to return to the Qi estate and report this to Qi Yanhan, then on the morrow's court session, those men of the Qi family will certainly bring accusations before His Majesty...” Zhao Wenhua raised his head in agitation, staring directly at Chancellor Zhao. “That would truly be to our Zhao family's detriment!”
His gaze shifted to Zhao Yong, who had caused all this trouble and was kneeling nearby, and he let loose an indignant tirade. “Thank heavens I reacted quickly. If I hadn't obtained Her Highness's pardon today, the Zhao family wouldn't have a hundred heads left to lose!”
“Publicly insulting the royal family in front of so many—it seems you're tired of living! You do realize the Zhao family's station isn't already low enough!”
Though Zhao Wenhua put on a show of righteous fury, deep down he was scheming about other things.
He gave a heavy sigh and said, “Father, I bear responsibility in this matter too. I failed to properly guide my aunt's son. This is also my fault! I beg you, Father, to be lenient and not punish my cousin. If you must punish someone, punish me...”
“Cousin was only thinking of helping Second Brother inherit your position, Father. In his fervor to succeed, he merely strayed down the wrong path.” With that, he kowtowed three more times to Chancellor Zhao.
“Every wrong in this matter is my wrong. Do not punish him further.” Seizing the chance afforded by his bow, Zhao Wenhua snuck a glance at Zhao Yong, who was kneeling nearby, and took secret delight.
“This... this... how could it be? How could this be!” Zhao Yong muttered to himself. “How could she be a princess? I saw it with my own eyes that day—she was personally busy inside the Golden Curtain Pavilion, doing all the work herself. If she were truly a princess, why would she do her own chores instead of ordering servants around?”
“Impossible, impossible!” Zhao Yong's nonsensical raving made Chancellor Zhao sigh deeply.
Chancellor Zhao snorted, violently flicking his broad sleeve back. “You fool—you've brought such great disaster upon us. Get out of my sight!”
Zhao Yong hurriedly bowed and stumbled out of the hall, leaving Zhao Wenhua and Chancellor Zhao behind.
Chancellor Zhao pointed at Zhao Wenhua. “Tell me the whole matter again, in detail.”
Half an incense stick later, Chancellor Zhao finally nodded.
“She truly said she will not pursue this matter further?” He looked at Zhao Wenhua with skepticism. “All she asked for was a shop?”
Zhao Wenhua nodded in confirmation, telling Chancellor Zhao a version of events that was half true, half false.
“But... even as reparation for her losses, how could one wine shop possibly compensate for so much colored glass?”
“Ah...” Chancellor Zhao gave a long sigh. “Enough, enough. I'm old now. Let you young ones make what mess you will.”
“Tomorrow take the deed and have it transferred at the yamen before handing it to her. Our Zhao family has always stood upright and walked straight–losing one shop merely means tightening our belts for a while.”
“But now...” Zhao Wenhua seemed about to add something, but Chancellor Zhao cut him off.
Ever since the Qi and Zhao families had struck a delicate balance in the court, the Qi family's shops outside the court had begun targeting the Zhao family in every possible way.
In matters of food, clothing, travel, and daily necessities, everything beyond what the court supplied had risen steeply in price. And Chancellor Zhao was fond of charitable deeds.
Every month, no matter his own circumstances, he would send food and clothing to the poor. And so, over the years, there had been occasional periods of hardship.
“Since we owe this debt, this shop must be repaid. Say no more!” Chancellor Zhao snorted and, leaving the ancestral hall, departed as well.
Zhao Wenhua watched Chancellor Zhao's retreating figure, his heart a whirlwind of mixed emotions.
A pity that Chancellor Zhao, so distinguished in his prime, had to wind up trapped like this in his old age.
But that was hardly Zhao Wenhua's concern. What he cared about was only the position of chancellor.
———————
The next morning, Zhou Yao received the deed to the wine shop, delivered by Zhao Wenhua in person. That single thin strip of silk cloth held more weight in her heart than all the shattered colored glass of the previous day.
After carefully examining every word on it, Zhou Yao nodded. “Very well. I'll let the matter of the colored glass go. And what of your family's collateral cousin? What's become of him?”
Zhao Wenhua hesitated before speaking. “My father is a gentle man who abhors killing. Now that he has committed such a terrible offense, of course it will naturally—”
Before he could finish, Zhou Yao swept the glass vessel from the table, shattering it on the floor.
“It is this official's failing.” Zhao Wenhua hurriedly rose and bowed. “My father will not kill, and refuses to pursue the matter, but this official is willing to share Her Highness's burden—to eliminate the threat once and for all!”
He bit off those last four words with emphatic force, drawing a mocking laugh from Zhou Yao. “Share my burden?”
“Hmph. From where I stand, it's more like removing your own threat. Don't forget—this was agreed upon between us long ago.”
She fixed her gaze on him. “With your cousin serving as an official in the yamen, even if you performed brilliantly, you would never outshine his second son in Chancellor Zhao's eyes.”
“Simply because you weren't born of your aunt.”
At those words, Zhao Wenhua's hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Even if my father refuses to kill him, I will kill him all the same!” Gnashing his teeth, he turned and left.
Watching him go, Zhou Yao could not help but mutter, “Fool.”
“If Chancellor Zhao truly passes the seat to him, he must have lost his mind...”
Turning her gaze away, she lifted the thin strip of silk, holding it up to the light streaming through the window and examining it again. Then she said to herself, “Time to go see the new shop!”
In fact, Zhou Yao had long intended to open a wine shop. The trouble was that salt, iron, and wine were all strictly controlled goods—opening such a shop would normally require the use of her seal as princess to authorize it.
But her princess seal was not in her possession, so the matter had been postponed all this time.
Only when Zhao Yong brought the yamen officials to her doorstep to cause a scene had a good opportunity to claim that wine shop finally presented itself.
This Zhao's Wine Shop happened to sit right next door to the Golden Curtain Pavilion.
It had seemed like a distance before only because the Golden Curtain Pavilion occupied such a large parcel of land that people thought a gap separated the two properties.
The moment Zhou Yao stepped inside, the aged aroma of fermented rice wine struck her in the face. The shop stocked a wide variety of spirits, including the standard such as shaodao liquor and rice wine.
But none of these were what Zhou Yao had in mind. When she had been sent to the Western Regions previously, she had tasted a certain “grape wine” there. She had asked about the brewing process, and the ingredients were simple enough to be almost unremarkable.
If she added grape wine to the shop's offerings, then stabilized its production over time, and extended it to her Golden Curtain Pavilion, business was certain to grow even further!
So she walked all around the wine shop and discovered that the shop's back wall could be connected to the Golden Curtain Pavilion's rear courtyard...
That discovery was enough to keep Zhou Yao happily occupied for days. If the back courts could be joined, it meant that in the future, the wine brewed at the shop could be sent directly through to the Golden Curtain Pavilion.
“Oh, miss! What kind of wine are you looking for?” The shopkeeper, beaming broadly, stepped forward to greet Zhou Yao, a wooden ladle still clutched in his hand.
She turned toward him but did not state her purpose directly. Instead, following his lead, she pointed at the wooden placards above and asked, “It's my first time here. Do you have any recommendations?”
The shopkeeper chuckled. “Well, now! I don't mind telling you—our shop here sells the finest selection of wines in all of Chang'an!”
Author's note:
This story welcomes readers to point out mistakes at any time. All information in the text concerning porcelain and colored glass crafting techniques, methods, and production requirements is sourced from the internet. As this is not a professional work, please do not scrutinize it too closely. Thank you for following along!
TL Note:
A wise man submits to the times (识时务者为俊杰) = a proverb meaning a sensible person recognizes when to yield or adapt.
opened the skylight and spoke plainly (打开天窗说亮话) = to speak openly and without beating around the bush.
colored glass (琉璃) = a traditional Chinese decorative glass/glazed material used for fine ornaments and prized vessels.
collateral cousin (旁氏子) = a relative from a side branch of the family, not the main line.
yamen (衙门) = a local government office or courthouse in imperial China.