Commander Shen ultimately left Prime Minister Su some dignity and did not press further, but his attitude was clear enough:
I know that when Zhu Helin was still a young boy, he already had designs on you and behaved shamelessly. I also know that you and he spent over a year in Nanjing, practically relying on each other for survival. But now that you have returned to the capital, he is the ruler and you are the subject, and with Emperor Jinglong also involved, you can no longer indulge him. Otherwise, one day he may truly lose his head and do something irreparable.
Su Yan himself felt deeply conflicted.
On one hand, he and Zhu Helin had spent a long period in close daily companionship, whether chatting freely or petting cats together, it had all been relaxed and pleasant. If he deliberately distanced himself now, he would regret losing that natural ease. That was the lesser concern, he feared more that Zhu Helin might react psychologically, even flare up in rebellion. With both internal and external tensions high, conspiracies and the scent of gunpowder ready to ignite at any moment, Zhu Helin, as the ruler of a nation, needed above all to maintain a stable state of mind.
On the other hand, he also knew that Shen Qi’s concerns were not without reason. The greatest difference between Zhu Helin and his father was that Zhu Helin was far too young and hot-blooded, impulsive and uninhibited, unwilling to restrain his emotions and desires. Even when the greater good demanded that he suppress his personal feelings, doing so was difficult, and maintaining that restraint over time was even harder. The closer Su Yan stayed to Zhu Helin, and the longer they spent together, the more likely it was that this blazing fire would eventually spread to him. By then, it might already be too late to put it out.
Su Yan let out a silent sigh. “Across the street, the stinky tofu vendor’s mother cat has just had seven or eight kittens. I’ll ask him for one later and bring it home to raise.”
Shen Qi immediately understood what he meant, that having a cat would reduce any excuse for Zhu Helin to seek him out in private. Smiling faintly, he said, “No need to ask for one. I’ll give you a well-trained Western cat. Long-haired, green-eyed, pure white from head to tail, it’s exceptionally beautiful.”
Su Yan guessed he was referring to a Persian cat. They were still extremely rare these days, only occasionally brought into the capital of Great Ming by merchants from the Safavid Empire in the Middle East. The wealthy and powerful adored them, and they were almost impossible to buy, no matter how much money one offered.
He didn’t want Shen Qi to spend so lavishly on him, but since Shen Qi had already mentioned it, he assumed the cat had already been purchased. So he accepted the offer without refusing, thinking that when the opportunity arose, he would give Shen Qi an equally valuable gift in return.
By the time the carriage left the Northern Surveillance Bureau and returned to the Su residence, there was an extra fluffy white ball resting on Su Yan’s lap.
It was a male cat. Because of its precious pedigree, it had not been neutered, yet its temperament was remarkably gentle. Su Yan could rub and knead it however he pleased, unlike Huali, who was proud, fiery-tempered, and loved stepping on people’s chests. Moreover, its long, silky fur felt like a soft cloud, making it even more satisfying to pet.
Su Yan genuinely liked this Persian cat. Yet, for some reason, he still felt that Huali was unlike any other cat in the world.
That had been their cat.
The cat that had accompanied him… accompanied both of them… through the darkest, most uncertain period of his life, when they had endured together, supported each other, and waited with unwavering perseverance.
— Snow had fallen softly beyond the window. The palace on that spring night had been silent. The Crown Prince leaned closer, and it was impossible to tell whether he was reaching across the Shilang to pet the cat, or across the cat to draw nearer to the Shilang himself. The Crown Prince said, “Only because spring is coming to an end do I keep it to accompany the Hualis. Qinghe… this is our cat.”
Su Yan fell into a daze.
Only when the carriage stopped before the steps of the Su residence, and Su Xiaojing came out from the gatehouse carrying a mounting stool for him, did he finally come back to himself.
As Su Yan stepped down from the carriage with the cat in his arms, Su Xiaojing exclaimed, “Wow! What a beautiful cat!”
Smiling, Su Yan placed the Persian cat into his arms. “Want to pet it?”
Su Xiaojing carefully stroked it several times, his face lighting up with delight.
Seeing this, Su Yan laughed. “You like it that much? Then how about feeding it, brushing its fur, and cleaning its litter box, all your responsibility?”
At the mention of cleaning cat litter, Su Xiaojing frowned slightly.
Truthfully, he had never liked keeping animals.
When his mother was still alive, she’d secretly raised a laying hen inside their rented room so he could have eggs to strengthen his health. The chicken ate and slept in the same room as they did, leaving droppings all over the floor and bedding. The stench had been unbearable. Grumbling all the while, he’d had to wash the bedding himself. Eventually, he twisted together a rope of straw and tied the hen to one of the dining table’s legs. The table had only three legs. One day it lost its balance and collapsed, crushing the chicken to death. Secretly, Su Xiaojing had even felt relieved. Although there would be no more eggs to eat, at least he would no longer have to endure the noise and foul smell.
Thinking back on it now, he couldn’t help but conclude that he had always been different from ordinary commoner children. Even when starving, there were certain things he simply could not tolerate.
Perhaps…
Perhaps it was because, in his very blood and bones, he had never truly been meant to be a commoner.
“My lord…” Still carrying the Persian cat, Su Xiaojing forgot all about unloading the carriage and hurried after Su Yan into the courtyard. “My lord… if I were to take the imperial examinations… do you think I’d have any chance of passing?”
Su Yan looked back at him in surprise. He almost blurted out, You’ve only just learned to recognize the common characters. You can barely piece together a letter home, let alone compose an examination essay…
But unwilling to hurt the young man’s pride, he answered tactfully, “The imperial examinations are extremely difficult. Why not study for a few more years first? I’m rather busy these days and don’t have time to teach you personally anymore. Later, I’ll hire a tutor, not just for you, but for Xiaobei and any servants in our household who want to learn reading and writing. What do you think?”
Su Xiaojing didn’t want some literacy class meant for servants. Although such a kind master was rare, he was no longer the ignorant boy he once had been, who would burst into grateful tears just because someone taught him a few characters or gave him a pair of cloth shoes.
His thoughts drifted to the cup of peach blossom wine he’d drunk that morning… It had been delicious. Yet he’d only been allowed a single cup. Commander Shen had looked at him as though he were nothing more than an insignificant servant who didn’t know his place.
I, Su Xiaojing…
No.
I am Zhu Xian.
I am not a servant!
Seeing Su Xiaojing’s expression shift unpredictably, Su Yan assumed he was merely discouraged by the slim prospects of passing the examinations. He comforted him, “The imperial exams aren’t the only path in life. For example… if you’re interested in business, when you have time you could ask our steward in charge of the accounts to teach you a thing or two.”
Among the traditional four occupations, scholar, farmer, artisan, and merchant, merchants ranked only slightly above entertainers and prostitutes, who belonged to the despised social classes.
Su Xiaojing’s face darkened even further.
Lowering his head, he didn’t want anyone to see the look in his eyes.
Unlike most people of this era, Su Yan wasn’t constrained by such social prejudices.
Had he not transmigrated into the body of a young scholar from an aristocratic family, he would gladly have relied on the formulas he remembered from his previous life to make a fortune and become a wealthy merchant.
Come to think of it… Hadn’t Sister Ruan’s shop opened just last month?
He should find time to visit and see whether the recipes he’d invested as his share of the business were proving useful.
Especially the formula for monosodium glutamate.
Compared to the research projects at the Heavenly Works Academy, MSG production was much simpler, and the raw materials were easy to obtain. Using wheat gluten as the primary ingredient, then carrying out hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid, decolorization with activated charcoal, and further reactions with caustic soda, it could be mass-produced.
Hydrochloric acid wasn’t difficult to acquire. European alchemists had already developed a primitive but practical method of distilling it from common salt and vitriol.
As for caustic soda, that was even easier.
Soap already existed in this era. It was produced by reacting alkali with slaked lime to create sodium hydroxide, which was then used to saponify fats.
Lost in his own thoughts, Su Yan failed to notice Su Xiaojing’s unusual mood.
Suddenly…
“Meow!”
The Persian cat let out a cry, leapt from Su Xiaojing’s arms, and darted swiftly down the corridor.
Realizing that he’d unconsciously squeezed the cat too hard while his emotions were in turmoil, Su Xiaojing hurriedly said, “I’ll gather a few servants to help catch it. My lord, please go inside and rest first.”
Knowing full well that he couldn’t even outrun a cat, Su Yan wisely decided not to join the chase.
After washing his face inside his room, he heard a knock. Jinghong Zhui entered, holding the Persian cat by the loose skin at the back of its neck. Suspended in the air, the cat had gone completely stiff, not moving an inch.
“My lord,” Jinghong Zhui asked, “is this the new Western cat you bought?”
Su Yan stepped forward to catch the cat and said, “How could I afford to buy one? Shen Qi gave it to me.”
Jinghong Zhui fell silent for a moment, then asked again, “Does Your Excellency like dogs? I can train them.”
… I already have several! Su Yan gave a dry laugh and said, “No need, Ah Zhui. Cats and dogs will fight; I don’t want my house full of noise.”
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Su Yan went to work at the yamen, with Jinghong Zhui driving the carriage to take him there. Su Xiaojing said he was going to the market to purchase ingredients, greeted Xiao Bei, and went out.
But before reaching the market, he turned at a street corner and instead went to a large residence in the eastern outer city.
Fan Momo worked in this residence, but with the master of the house old and the young still small, she held multiple roles, tutor, steward, and more, so she was essentially the one in charge of the entire household.
Seeing Su Xiaojing come to her on his own initiative, Fan Momo was overjoyed. She invited him inside, bowed in greeting, and kept calling him “Young Master.”
Su Xiaojing asked, “Do you have peach blossom brew here? The kind made by hand.”
Fan Momo was taken aback and replied, “There is, but it wasn’t brewed in the residence, it was bought from a wine shop outside.”
“No matter. Bring one bottle… no, bring me a whole jar.”
Very quickly, a maid brought over a jar of peach blossom brew. Su Xiaojing took a large wine cup and drank cup after cup. Though the brew wasn’t particularly strong, Fan Momo worried he might drink too quickly and harm himself, so she advised, “Young Master, drink more slowly. How about I have someone bring some dishes and pastries as well, so you can line your stomach and not get drunk so easily?”
“No need.” Su Xiaojing was already half drunk and shook his head forcefully. “I just want to drink this wine… I’ll drink as many cups as I want!”
Fan Momo sighed. “This old servant knows the sorrow in Young Master’s heart… How about we stop concerning ourselves with matters in the capital and go seek refuge with Young Master’s uncle, Ning Wang?”
Su Xiaojing let out several loud drunken burps. “He’s a… burp… a prince. Even if he acknowledges me, this wild nephew, why would he support me? First I have to clear my Royal Father’s name… burp… restore his reputation.”
Fan Momo said, “Then how about we first write a letter to His Highness Ning Wang. To be honest, his fief is far away in Henan, and I’ve heard he suffers from tuberculosis, he’s like a clay Buddha who can hardly take care of himself. But he and His Highness Xin Wang have been close since childhood, so he certainly wouldn’t ignore you, Young Master. Even if he can’t immediately bring you over, he could at least send money and goods. Then you could acquire property and establish yourself, and this old servant will notify the old retainers of Xin Wang’s residence to return. We can set up our own household. Young Master, what do you think?”
Su Xiaojing set down the cup, hugged the small wine jar, and drank straight from it. Suddenly the jar slipped from his hands, and he slumped onto the table, his face flushed and his eyes unfocused.
Fan Momo righted the jar and, seeing he was nearly completely drunk, asked, “Young Master, could it be that you still intend to remain at Su Twelve’s residence as a servant?”
“A servant… not a servant… I’m not a servant!” Su Xiaojing muttered incoherently.
“Then this old servant will take the liberty of writing that letter on your behalf. Before His Highness Ning Wang replies, I ask that Young Master endure a bit and stay temporarily at the Su residence.” Fan Momo bent down, leaned close to Su Xiaojing, and asked in a low voice, “By the way, nothing has happened at the Su residence these past two days, has it?”
“What happened… My lord just got a beautiful white cat…”
“And what else?”
“Nothing…”
“Shen Qi hasn’t come to see him? And His Majesty, I remember you said that when he was still the Crown Prince, he often came to the Su residence in disguise. Does he still come now?”
“He hasn’t come… My lord went to the Northern Surveillance Bureau this morning, came back holding a cat…”
Fan Momo wanted to ask more, but Su Xiaojing gave no further response and fell fast asleep, snoring thunderously.
After pondering for a moment, Fan Momo called in two maids and had them help Su Xiaojing onto the bed. She lowered the bed curtains and was about to leave when she suddenly glanced at the two maids and ordered, “You two, take off your clothes and get into bed to attend to him properly.”
The maids, as if well-trained, obediently acknowledged and began to loosen their garments.
Fan Momo left the room and closed the door behind her. As she passed through the corridor, the servants coming toward her all bowed and stepped aside. She walked straight ahead to the master’s room. Inside the hall, an elderly white-haired man who had been seated in the place of honor drinking tea immediately stood up and bowed to her.
“Remember, you are the old and ailing master of the house. There’s no need for you to show your face in front of him,” Fan Momo instructed. “If he happens to inquire about you from the servants, you must prepare your explanation in advance.”
The white-haired old man agreed to everything one by one. Only after she left did he finally let out a small sigh of relief.
***
In the morning, Su Yan worked at the Ministry of Personnel; in the afternoon, he went to Wenyuan Pavilion, and on the way had a palace attendant deliver a brief report to Zhu Helin explaining the matter of Qi Jingtang.
Because the messenger he had sent came back empty-handed, reporting that Qi Jingtang’s whereabouts were unknown, Zhu Helin had been planning to issue an edict to Dengzhou ordering them to track the man down. After receiving and reading the report, he burst into laughter. “Even Xie Gelao can show such boldness! This surnamed Qi is rather interesting.”
He turned and instructed the attendant, “Bring the sedan chair. I am going to Wenyuan Pavilion.”
Though he said he was going to the Inner Cabinet to attend to affairs, he didn’t enter the main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion at all. The imperial carriage instead stopped directly at the vacant East Pavilion beside it. Su Yan was summoned to an audience and saw Zhu Helin sitting on a couch, holding Lihua in his arms.
The moment Lihua saw Su Yan, it jumped off Zhu Helin’s lap and wound itself around him.
Su Yan couldn’t help but bend down and reach out to pet the cat. Lihua sniffed at his hand, then suddenly let out a sharp cry, turned its head, and ignored him. Somewhat surprised, Su Yan picked it up, intending to bury his face in its belly.
But Lihua suddenly lashed out, swiping a claw across Su Yan’s face.
Zhu Helin cried out in alarm. Fortunately, Su Yan reacted quickly and tilted his face to the side, so the swipe only left three bloody scratches along his jaw and neck.
The scratches were shallow and wouldn’t leave scars once healed. But Zhu Helin was furious, he leapt down from the couch, rushed over, grabbed Lihua, and threw it onto the floor.
The cat was light and agile, so the throw didn’t hurt it. Lihua seemed to get angry too, raising its tail, not at Zhu Helin, but at Su Yan, meowing furiously as if to say: You have another cat outside! You don’t love me anymore!
“This beast!” Zhu Helin cursed angrily. He gently lifted Su Yan’s chin with his fingers to examine the wounds on his neck, and then called for Fubao to bring the medicine box.
A minor flesh wound, Su Yan didn’t care. Which cat owner hasn’t been scratched by a cat? But Zhu Helin insisted on pulling him onto the luohan couch to apply medicine. Two kinds of medicine were needed: the first was a thick liquid, and to keep it from running down and staining his collar, Su Yan had no choice but to lie flat, turning his face to the side so Zhu Helin could first disinfect the wound, then apply the second, ointment-like medicine.
After the medicine was applied, he took a mirror and looked, on his side jaw and neck were streaks of bluish-purple medicinal marks, which looked even more alarming than leaving it untreated. Zhu Helin said, “Shall I have gauze brought to wrap it?”
Su Yan laughed. “It’s not like my throat was slit, why bandage it so dramatically? Just leave it like this; it’ll scab over by tomorrow.”
After tending to his wounds, Zhu Helin felt relieved and turned to settle accounts with the unfilial beast. Unfortunately, Lihua was very clever, knowing it had done something bad, it had already fled the hall. Zhu Helin, still fuming, ordered the attendant, “Go find her. Once found, lock her in the cat house. She’s not to come out for a whole day.”
Su Yan advised, “Young Master, it really isn’t necessary. It’s very common for people who keep cats to get scratched.”
Zhu Helin said, “How can that be allowed? She’s grown arrogant from being spoiled. Before, when she had a temper, she even tried to scratch me, but didn’t succeed, so she turned her claws on you. If we don’t punish her, she’ll only bully the weak and fear the strong even more in the future.”
Su Yan: …I’m the weak one?
Zhu Helin said, “By the way, you said you plan to promote Qi Jingtang to be Yu Chezhi’s deputy? If Xie Shiyan finds out, nine times out of ten he’ll bear a grudge against you.”
Su Yan said, “I know doing this will offend Xie Gelao, but we can’t just let him behead Qi Jingtang, can we? Before the appointment, I’ll have Little Qi go to his residence to apologize in person. Xie Gelao has always had a soft temper, he should be understanding.”
Zhu Helin shook his head. “Although Xie Shiyan likes to smooth things over and play peacemaker, in truth he’s narrow-minded. This matter won’t pass so easily with him.”
Su Yan smiled and said, “Then there’s nothing I can do. I must use Qi Jingtang, Young Master, you decide what to do.”
Zhu Helin also smiled. “What else can I do? Whatever you say, goes. Later I’ll send an imperial physician with some tonics to visit Xie Shiyan, to give him a hint and tell him not to pursue the matter further.”
And so the matter was pleasantly settled. As for whether Xie Gelao was pleased or not, our Lord Su still felt a bit apologetic, but the new emperor didn’t care. After all, it was Xie Shiyan himself who had been greedy for efficacy and taken too much aphrodisiac; that the emperor would even send an imperial physician to treat him was already an act of great imperial grace.
Before Su Yan left, Zhu Helin recalled a detail from the messenger’s report, that previously there had been a group of black-clad assassins who seemed to have gone to assassinate Qi Jingtang, but had also come up empty.
Black-clad assassins? Su Yan became alert.
Having once been bitten by a snake, he now feared ropes for ten years. But when he mentioned it to Qi Jingtang later, the latter, accustomed to troubles, answered nonchalantly, “In Dengzhou, there are plenty of people who want to kill me, bandits, ronin, and even pirates. Over the years I’ve seen quite a few assassins. Those more skilled than me didn’t have my luck; those with better luck weren’t as skilled. So I’ve managed to stay alive until now. Lord Su needn’t worry.”
Hearing this, Su Yan rather admired how open-minded he was. Although the matter wasn’t investigated further, Su Yan didn’t forget to inform Shen Qi. Shen Qi didn’t say much after hearing it, only nodded to indicate he understood.
The new anti-bandit deployment was being carried out at full speed. Zhu Helin issued an edict appointing Yu Chezhi and Qi Jingtang to oversee military affairs, commanding the garrison troops and the capital army to intercept the Liao and Wang allied forces that would converge in Beizhili.
Zhu Helin attached great importance to this counteroffensive. From the three major camps of the capital army alone, he deployed the strongest Five Armies Camp, specifically the left, right, and central divisions, seventy thousand troops in total. He also personally bestowed imperial wine to see Yu Chezhi and Qi Jingtang off.
Important as it was, compared to the guerrilla-style “righteous army,” the ever-spreading rumors across various regions troubled him even more.
As that demonic book continued to be banned without success, the capital too fell into a cloud of suspicion; even some officials couldn’t help but discuss it in private. The fearless censors began once again to plan a direct remonstration, intending to ask the Grand Empress Dowager to come forward and clarify the truth.
How could Zhu Helin possibly allow the Grand Empress Dowager to appear in court again? Moreover, she might not speak, and even if she did, people might not believe her.
To come up with a solution, he went to his Royal Father’s bedside for three consecutive nights to mutter to him. Unfortunately, this major issue concerning the legitimacy of the throne did not seem to be stimulating enough for his Royal Father.
Chen Shiyu reported that the emperor’s condition had indeed improved, at times his eyeballs could be seen moving rapidly beneath his eyelids, and his fingertips occasionally twitched, but these might simply be unconscious bodily reactions, which were quite common in comatose patients and not necessarily signs of waking.
Zhu Helin could only give up on seeking help from his Royal Father. Then he went to the Ancestral Temple, burned incense for his mother, and asked whether she had any strategy, perhaps she could send him a dream and give him a hint of inspiration.
But even his mother paid him no heed. Perhaps she was angry that he was competing with his own Royal Father for a man, utterly improper, Zhu Helin thought gloomily.
After returning to the palace, he wiped away his troubled expression and once again appeared sharp and spirited, only if he, as the ruler, remained composed could he steady the doubts in the hearts of his officials and people, Zhu Helin told himself.
As for Su Yan, in trying to think of a countermeasure, he had already tossed and turned for two nights.
