Undercurrents
During the period of national mourning, music and banquets were suspended in the capital region, and all was dressed in white.
The vermilion gates of the Marquis of Anping's mansion were tightly shut, with white banners hanging in front, refusing all visitors and congratulations. The once bustling and lively mansion was now as silent as an empty house. Everyone inside had changed into plain clothes, their faces devoid of smiles, and they moved with a sense of caution.
However, in this oppressive silence, Su Wan, the manager of the "Jingchen Pavilion" and "Chenji Grain Shop" under the Bo family, was an exception. Instead of lying low, she frequented the mansions of various high-ranking families even more often, and socialized among the women of the Huo and Jiang families. She was invited by many and became the center of attention.
But every time she stepped into those grand mansions, a string in her heart was taut, reminding her that beneath the glamour lay an abyss.
The perfumes and cosmetics from Jingchen Pavilion are luxury items that noblewomen in the capital vie for, seeking both extravagance and understated elegance.
Shenji Grain Shop has now become an important channel for secretly distributing porridge and medicine and gaining a good reputation. It needs to have a sufficient supply of goods and reasonable prices, but it cannot lose money.
"She's just a woman, yet she's navigating between wolves and tigers. Her mind is too quick to adapt, so she's ultimately in danger."
Shen Yan frowned as she looked at the ever-increasing turnover in the accounts. She said to Ling Zhan, "When you have time, go and find her and give her a few words of advice. It's okay if business is slow. Especially the grain shop, it's fine if it doesn't make money for the time being. Don't let people flatter you and make you forget your roots. Don't become a pebble in the sand without even realizing it."
Ling Zhan nodded.
She knew Su Wan's clever mind and her suppressed desires. Now the situation was unpredictable, and beneath the glittering facade lay a raging fire.
She changed into a slightly worn, casual blue cotton dress, and without applying makeup, she left the mansion alone.
The first time I went to my own family's "Jingchen Pavilion," a place that made a fortune every day and was famous throughout the capital.
Jingchen Pavilion is located in the most bustling street of the capital. It is a three-story carved and embroidered building, fragrant with incense, and constantly filled with carriages and horses. Even during the national mourning period, many understated but undeniably luxurious carriages are still parked in front of it.
As Ling Zhan stepped onto the gleaming steps, he was stopped by a middle-aged female steward dressed in silk with shrewd eyes. The steward looked her up and down, a hint of contempt flashing in her eyes. Her tone was polite enough, but it carried a sense of distance: "This...madam, we are entertaining distinguished guests today. If you do not have an appointment, please come another day."
Ling Zhan didn't stop walking, only glancing at her indifferently: "I'm looking for Su Wan."
The steward, seeing that she addressed the owner by his name and possessed a cold and aloof demeanor unlike that of an ordinary person, felt a slight suspicion. However, considering that her attire did not suggest that she could afford to spend money here, he steeled himself and stepped aside: "Madam Su is currently enjoying incense with several wives of ministers and is probably unavailable. May I ask your honorable name, Madam? May I go in and inform you?"
Ling Zhan, not wanting to get entangled with the servants, was about to speak when he heard a surprised yet delighted, but also slightly flustered, cry from the stairs: "Madam?! What brings you here!"
Su Wan was dressed in an elegant yet noble lotus-colored silk dress, the color of which was in line with the solemnity of the national mourning period, while the collar and cuffs of the inner garment still exuded understated refinement.
She was seeing several bejeweled ladies downstairs when she spotted Ling Zhan. She immediately hurried down to greet him, her face instantly plastered with a genuine yet slightly obsequious smile, and she subconsciously straightened her already neat sleeves.
Upon seeing this, the manager's face turned deathly pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
Su Wan didn't even look at him. She affectionately tried to take Ling Zhan's arm, but her movement paused slightly because of Ling Zhan's indifferent gaze. She then made a gesture and smiled at the ladies who looked curious, saying, "Please forgive me, ladies. My master has arrived. Please excuse me for a moment."
Upon hearing this, the ladies all looked at the simply dressed Ling Zhan with surprise, their eyes filled with inquiry and scrutiny.
Su Wan invited Ling Zhan into an extremely elegant and secluded incense room on the third floor, personally serving him the finest tea. Her tone was perfectly ingratiating and flattering: "Why didn't you let me know you were coming, Madam? Look at that clueless fool at the door, she actually offended you! I'll send her away right away!"
"It's alright."
Ling Zhan waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit down. "She was conscientious and did nothing seriously wrong. I'm here today to talk to you about something."
Seeing her solemn expression, Su Wan also suppressed her enthusiastic smile, carefully sat down, leaned forward slightly, and adopted a listening posture: "Please speak, Madam." She secretly pondered to herself, feeling a little uneasy.
Ling Zhan looked at her calmly and bluntly said, "Now that the mansion gates are closed and you are the only one traveling outside, you must have been quite adept at receiving invitations from the Huo and Jiang families, right?"
Su Wanxin's heart skipped a beat, but her smile remained unchanged, even carrying a hint of grievance: "Madam, you are wise. How could I dare? It's just that business dealings are a matter of personal relationships that I can't refuse. Many of them are people I've known since the time of the old emperor... Now they are mostly testing me. I'm trying my best to manage things, afraid of making a mistake and ruining the important matters for you and the Lord."
She cleverly interpreted "scenery" as "struggling to maneuver" and "testing the waters".
“I know it’s not easy for you, and maintaining these relationships is crucial to the Earl’s estate.”
Ling Zhan's tone softened, yet carried a sharp insight into people's hearts, "But we must also see clearly that the throne has changed hands. Huo and Jiang wield immense power, seemingly living a life of luxury, but in reality, every step they take is a step into an abyss. Associating with them is like holding a hot potato; it may be warm, but it can easily burn you. The Anping Marquis's mansion cannot withstand any storm now."
She leaned forward slightly, lowered her voice, and every word struck Su Wanxin's heart.
"Especially in the palace. No matter which lady extends an olive branch, bestows a gift, or invites you to the palace for a talk, decline if you can. If you can't decline, be extremely cautious and remember not to get too involved. That's the deepest murky water. Once you're in, you can't get out just because you want to. Don't forget, everything you have is rooted in the Earl's mansion."
Su Wan's palms began to sweat slightly as she listened.
Ling Zhan's words were like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing the fleeting elation that had risen within her from being adored. She enjoyed the limelight, but she cherished her life even more, and was even more reluctant to give up everything she now controlled. In particular, Ling Zhan's last sentence, "The foundation lies entirely in the Earl's Mansion," struck at her deepest fear—the fear of losing everything she had.
She immediately suppressed all her ulterior motives, her face showing a mixture of lingering fear and gratitude. She nodded vigorously, "Madam's words are invaluable; they have awakened me from a dream! I was blinded by flattery these days and forgot how perilous my situation was! Thank you for your timely reminder, Madam! I would never dare to put myself and the Earl's mansion in danger for the sake of empty fame and fleeting profit! I will be even more careful in the future, keeping my distance from those two families, and I will never get involved in palace affairs!"
This statement seemed all the more genuine, because she truly felt afraid.
"It's good that you understand." Seeing the alertness in her eyes, Ling Zhan said no more. "Keep the business going, it's fine if it's a little slower, just be more clear-headed. If you have any questions, you can always come back to the manor to discuss them."
Su Wan respectfully agreed and personally saw Ling Zhan to the door. Watching his simple yet upright figure disappear around the street corner, she stood before the magnificent Jingchen Pavilion, taking a deep breath of the slightly cool air. The fervor she had just felt from being fawned over had completely faded. Ling Zhan's words were like an icicle, piercing through the superficial glamour and revealing the dangers lurking beneath. Fear and vigilance instantly gripped her.
Yes, one wrong step could lead to utter ruin, and everything you have now could vanish into thin air.
The Earl's Mansion is her foundation, and Ling Zhan's warning is by no means an exaggeration.
However, amidst this lucid fear, another image flashed into her mind at an inopportune moment—it was yesterday when the eldest mistress of the Huo family held her hand, speaking intimately and implying that if she were willing to "get around more," not only would it be difficult for Jingchen Pavilion to become a royal merchant, but it would also be easy for her to gain some prestige.
To give her dignity... this is an honor that no amount of gold or silver can buy.
The bait thrown out by the Huo family precisely struck her deepest, most hidden, and most painful desires.
The thought flashed for only a moment before being suppressed by stronger reason.
Madam Ling Zhan saw things clearly. No matter how powerful the Huo family was, their wealth was currently hanging by a thread. To be too closely tied to them was tantamount to playing with fire. Moreover, the Earl and his wife… She recalled Shen Yan’s seemingly lazy but actually insightful eyes, and Ling Zhan’s cold and ruthless methods, and her heart trembled again.
The relative importance and disadvantages are clear.
She took another deep breath, forcefully suppressing that tempting delusion back into the deepest recesses of her heart.
Her face once again wore an impeccable, yet more cautious and distant, business-like smile. She turned and returned to the glamorous world of fame and fortune, but her state of mind was no longer the same.
However, as she moved among those wealthy women, listening to their flattery, whether sincere or insincere, and feeling the meaningful gaze cast by Madam Huo, the turmoil in her heart that Ling Zhan had just forcibly suppressed ultimately left a crease that was difficult to smooth over.
She knew that once some temptations are exposed to the light of day, it's hard to pretend they never existed.
The road ahead will require us to tread even more carefully.
After comforting Su Wan, Ling Zhan returned to the Marquis's residence, feeling somewhat at ease.
However, news from the northern border made everyone's hearts hang in suspense once again.
Holding a secret letter, Shen Yan strode into the study with a grim expression and handed it directly to Ling Zhan: "Xiao'er has sent a letter from the Northern Frontier. The new emperor's actions are faster than we expected!"
In the letter, the eldest son, Shen Xiao, reported that General Huo, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Frontier Camp and the pillar of the Huo family, had been suddenly transferred away from his long-established base, ostensibly promoted but actually demoted to the malaria-ridden Southern Frontier. The new commander-in-chief who was about to take over was none other than Grand Secretary Jiang's prized student.
"This is to thoroughly cleanse the Northern Frontier, cripple the Huo family, and also to show those of us who are connected to the old emperor and the Huo family," Shen Yan said coldly.
He immediately replied, instructing Shen Xiao: He must remain calm, be cautious in his words and actions, feign compliance with the new commander, temporarily conceal his brilliance, and observe the situation. At the same time, he must strengthen ties with Shen Hong in the new city of the valley and the old Taoist Xuan Chenzi; the three must form a triangular alliance, supporting each other. In particular, he must listen to the opinions of the veterans settled in the valley; they are experienced, loyal, and reliable, and are the most important foundation in this chaotic situation.
In the capital, "order" seemed to have been quickly restored under the iron fist of the new emperor and powerful ministers.
But the undercurrents were growing ever more turbulent.
Decrees of promotion, demotion, and transfer were issued in rapid succession.
Today this family is raided, tomorrow that family is reprimanded; people are living in constant fear and cannot live a peaceful life.
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