Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 304

Chapter 304: Bath

“Is there a new merchant at the dock?” An Zhi asked.

“Yes,” Zhang Lan sighed. “I sent someone to investigate yesterday. The new captain seems to have some connection to the Fifth Prince.”

Hearing this, An Zhi thought of the Seventh Prince’s assassination. It seemed Li Da was about to make a big move.

Things were tough this year, and prices had risen for everything. If An Zhi’s cargo were detained, she would lose over fifty thousand taels of silver.

“Fusheng, find a secluded teahouse,” An Zhi instructed the coachman, then looked at Zhang Lan. “Let’s not talk about this for now. Let’s talk about it once we’re somewhere quiet.”

After arriving at the teahouse, An Zhi requested a private room in the far corner of the second floor and had Fusheng watch carefully outside.

Zhang Lan was anxious. “Madam, what should we do now?”

“Since they’re the Fifth Prince’s men, we can’t do it alone.” An Zhi pondered for a moment, remembering Pei Que’s attempts to sow discord between the Fifth Prince and the Yun family. This was a perfect opportunity. “It’s not just us doing business at the docks. All major businesses in the capital do business there. I just saw that the docks haven’t just detained our cargo, but others’ as well. They’re just flattering the powerful and taking advantage of the weak.”

Zhang Lan had been doing business with An Zhi for over a year and was well versed in the business world. “If the docks are charging excessive fees, there will naturally be people more angry than us. Let’s pick someone else to take the lead, and we can just follow behind and shout.”

“That’s right, that’s it.” It wasn’t that An Zhi couldn’t step in now; it was just a habit from the past. Besides, using someone else’s hand would save her a lot of trouble.

That was the deal regarding the docks.

An Zhi and Zhang Lan left the teahouse separately.

On the way back home, An Zhi, thinking they still needed time, asked Fusheng to go east to the city, hoping to see Pei Que.

However, as soon as she exited the east city gate, she was met with a cloud of dust and the sounds of workers working.

“Cough.” As soon as she lifted the carriage curtain, An Zhi choked on the incoming dust.

“Madam, why don’t we go back first?” Binglu, seeing the chaos outside, grew worried.

An Zhi asked Fusheng to ask for directions first. Since everyone was out, they still had to look for Pei Que. Unfortunately, after three visits, they didn’t see him, so they had to return home.

When they returned, everyone’s clothes and hair were covered in dust.

An Zhi entered the courtyard and called Chunlan to get some hot water. As soon as she finished speaking, her third sister-in-law, Madam Meng, emerged from the living room.

“Third Sister-in-law, why are you here?” An Zhi asked.

Madam Meng smiled and said, “I heard you’re a good scholar. Now that our third branch has returned to the capital, we’d like to hire a tutor for Xuan’er, so I wanted to ask if you have any recommendations.”

Pei Xuan was Madam Meng’s eldest daughter, thirteen years old, and it was almost time for her to find a husband. Madam Meng was looking for a tutor to gild her reputation and, through the tutor’s mouth, spread a good reputation for her.

An Zhi sighed, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the moment. She asked Madam Meng to go to the living room for some tea while she changed her clothes. Madam Meng also noticed An Zhi’s dusty appearance. Since the etiquette of a large family emphasized proper appearance, she smiled and said it was nothing. She followed the maid back to the hall. When she learned that An Zhi had gone to the east of the city to visit Pei Que, she couldn’t help but purse her lips and smile, “They are a young couple after all.”

After a while, An Zhi returned, having changed into clean clothes, and began to answer Madam Meng’s previous question. “Third Sister-in-law, you should know that my mother’s two brothers died on the battlefield in the northwest, right?”

“Yes, the border was unstable that year. The chaos lasted for over two years, and many people died,” Madam Meng sighed.

“So from then on, my grandfather wanted my mother to marry a scholar and never let her handle swords again.” An Zhi remembered that her mother’s dowry still included a box of swords, but her mother only occasionally looked at them and never practiced with them. “So my studies, poetry, painting, and etiquette were all taught to me by my mother personally. I never studied with a female tutor, so I can’t offer any advice to my Third Sister-in-law.”

Since birth, because of her engagement to Pei Yu, An Zhi has been learning the etiquette of aristocratic families and various social skills from her mother.

Her mother was a very kind and gentle teacher, and with An Zhi’s own strong character, she learned everything well.

Hearing An Zhi’s words, Madam Meng followed suit and praised Madam Bai. She hadn’t come here today for the female tutor’s matter but had simply come to visit after receiving some snacks from An Zhi the day before.

The two sisters-in-law chatted for a while, and Madam Meng tactfully didn’t stay any longer. She said she would bring Pei Xuan here another day to study with An Zhi, and then she left.

An Zhi escorted Madam Meng to the courtyard gate before returning to take a bath.

Binglu helped her young madam add water and fetch things. Thinking of the Third Madam’s cheerful smile as she spoke, she praised, “Third Madam is a rare and amiable person.”

As An Zhi soaked in the water, her fatigue gradually washed away. She curled her lips and said, “Yes, very amiable.” She understood etiquette and social interaction and knew when to advance and retreat. She was a very intelligent person.

~

Pei Que had been busy at the construction site all day. When he returned to the construction department that night, he heard from a colleague that An Zhi had come to see him. Only then did he realize what had happened.

However, it was already late at night, and thinking that An Zhi was already asleep, Pei Que sent Shunzi to fetch some water and did not return.

After washing up, Pei Que sat down at his desk.

Shuo Feng, standing aside, replied, “Master, the Yun family has already taken action against the Fifth Prince and secretly sent people to the Southwest Iron Mine.”

“Send someone to follow the Yun family. If they encounter Li Da’s men, help the Yun family, but don’t reveal your identity,” Pei Que said.

“I understand,” Shuo Feng added. “There’s another thing. The Fifth Prince not only extended his influence to the iron mines but also controlled the shipping and docks in the capital. The goods in Madam’s shop have been seized.”

Shuo Feng not only protected his master’s safety but also served as a sounding board. He relayed all the news from the other sects to his master.

Pei Que frowned slightly when he heard that An Zhi’s goods had been seized. “Do you know how Madam plans to resolve this?”

“Madam planned to kill someone with a borrowed knife,” Shuo Feng replied.

“Then lend Madam a few more knives.” Pei Que leaned back in his chair. “Li Da’s reach is so long; we need to cut some of it off. We can’t let him get too arrogant. By the way, has Li Da realized he’s been drugged?”

“Yes, the Fifth Prince has replaced his attendants,” Shuo Feng replied with a smile. “But even if he did, he wouldn’t have guessed we’d smeared poison on the floor and other small areas where he frequented.”

In Li Da’s palace, in those areas where only Li Da would go, Pei Que secretly had diluted poison applied. Although the amount was small and only lasted two or three days, the more Li Da touched them, the more the toxins would accumulate in his body.

“He must be going crazy now,” Pei Que said with a satisfied smile.