Chapter 81 The First Signs of the Golden Calamity (Part 1) What did the master originally think I was...?
In front of the Lujiang Prefectural Government, Yu Qiu braved the light snow to get off the carriage carrying a lacquer box. Wrapped in a fur coat covered in snowflakes, he gently knocked on the gate's animal-shaped door knocker.
"The Deng family of Wancheng, pay this year's market tax." She handed the tax collector a plain silk cloth stamped with Deng Zhao's private seal.
As the tax collectors were verifying the taxes, a burst of laughter erupted from inside the mansion. Wu Gaozheng, the owner of Wu's Rice Shop, stroked his beard as he emerged.
"Isn't this Madam Yu? You're still as radiant and beautiful as ever. Are you here to pay taxes too, Madam?" Wu Gao cupped his hands, and half a gold certificate slipped from his sleeve. Its color was clearly warmer and softer than the gold certificates circulating in the market. "I've heard that your household's grain and silk turnover has been extremely fast recently. You truly deserve to be the leading merchant in Lujiang!"
Yu Qiu reached out and lightly flicked the gold certificate in his sleeve: "Mr. Wu, you flatter me. Your gold certificate has been circulating throughout the county and has become more popular than the five-zhu coin. Everyone wants the gold certificate and not the copper coin. Yet you can still guarantee the production. That's what you call skill."
"Oh dear!" Wu Gao suddenly lowered his voice, "Your Deng family has more bonds in their treasury than we do! If Madam doesn't accept them, how can this business possibly succeed? After all, you are my boss!"
Yu Qiu's smile suddenly turned cold. These words sounded like flattery, but in reality, they were trying to drag the Deng family onto a pirate ship. If the Wu family ran away, who would the Deng family collect their debts from?
Such was the will of the people, and his own business was powerless to reverse the situation. If it weren't for the need to maintain cash flow, who would care about his "golden vouchers" made of who-knows-what scrap metal?
She touched the gold bracelet on her wrist, a surge of resentment rising in her chest. Just as she was about to retort, she suddenly saw Deng Zhao approaching, draped in snow, "Madam!"
Deng Zhao caught a glimpse of Wu Gao, quieted down, and stepped forward to put his arm around Yu Qiu, saying, "Mother is calling us back."
Mother is usually fine, but Deng Zhao's words must mean he has something urgent to discuss.
Yu Qiu understood, bowed to Wu Gao and was about to leave when she saw a maidservant hurrying out of the mansion. It was Lu Yu, the head maidservant of the Lu family, carrying account books.
Before Deng Zhao entered the city, Gan Ning led the river pirates to rob the official grain that Lu Kang wanted. At that time, Gan Ning robbed Lu Yu, but Deng Zhao was quick to take it back.
"The Prefect requests that the Deng family, the owner, move to a side room," she glanced at Wu Gao, paused, "and says that there is an error in the account books, and requests that the owner verify them."
In the side room, there was only a charcoal brazier burning brightly, but there was no sign of Lord Lu.
Lu Yu glanced at the outer courtyard, quickly closed the doors and windows, and turned to bow to Deng Zhao and his wife to apologize: "Please don't be offended, my two masters. It was I who took it upon myself to invite you here."
He unfolded the ledger and showed it to the two of them. "There's something fishy about the Wu family. The amount of gold certificates they've issued is more than ten times the amount of grain stored in the granary. The Prefect has already strictly ordered them to stop producing any more. But the end of the year is just around the corner. If there isn't enough grain to exchange for them, I'm afraid..."
Upon hearing this, Deng Zhao quickly chimed in to Yu Qiu, "I was just about to tell Madam about this. These past two days, our rice shops have been receiving large amounts of grain in exchange for gold vouchers. I've already ordered each shop to increase the exchange rate from three bushels of grain to two vouchers, and there are still quite a few people coming to exchange!"
Yu Qiu frowned, not expecting this disaster to come so quickly. She first cautiously asked Lu Yu, "Why did you tell us about this, Miss? What does the Prefect want our Deng family to do?"
Lu Yu lowered her head slightly: "Lord T is unaware that I summoned you two to discuss this... My intention was to persuade the Deng family to sell off the gold certificates as soon as possible, but I didn't expect it to be too late..."
"Oh? It was the girl's own idea?"
Yu Qiu narrowed her eyes, an expression that made Lu Yu feel a little flustered. She hurriedly explained, "Previously, when Lord Deng entered the city, he saved my life and helped the Lu family a lot. Besides, Madam does good deeds while doing business in the city, so I should inform the master in advance, both publicly and privately!"
Yu Qiu turned her gaze to Deng Zhao, who nodded frankly. Yu Qiu responded with a slight nod. She took off a gold bracelet from her wrist, grasped Lu Yu's hand, and slipped it onto her wrist. Startled, Lu Yu hurriedly tried to remove it, but Yu Qiu pressed her down, saying, "Don't panic, sister. Since you're willing to help us, please accept this small token of our appreciation. We already know the matter. After we return and discuss it, we'll surely need the Prefect's intervention again. At that time, please go along with it, sister."
Lu Yu pressed down on the bracelet. Although he really wanted to return it to her, he realized that if he didn't accept it, she wouldn't trust him, so he could only nod heavily.
The couple left the Lu residence, bowed to the interior to bid farewell, and Deng Zhao draped Yu Qiu in his cloak to shield her from the snow. Yu Qiu leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his waist, teasingly saying, "My husband is quite resourceful, managing to plant spies even in the Lu residence?"
Deng Zhao lowered his arm and covered her body with the cloak, letting Yu Qiu's head peek out: "What is Madam blaming me for? Fengxiao was there at the time and can testify for me!"
Seeing his anxiety, Yu Qiu laughed and said, "Just kidding, I know your temper. But, we still need to figure out what to do with this hole..."
Lu Yu watched the two leave, a hint of reluctance in her eyes, before finally taking off the gold bracelet and putting it into her sleeve.
When the snow stopped, Deng Jie rushed to the herb garden to tend to her herbs. The hem of her plain linen shirt was stained with mud from the snowmelt. She was not stopped by Guo Jia until before Shen Jiaoji.
When she looked up, a few strands of hair clung to her forehead, and beads of sweat glistened at her temples, making her look like a wild girl who had just returned from the fields.
"Miss, have you forgotten? Madam wants us to go to the embroidery shop to choose patterns for new clothes." Guo Jia squatted down by the herb garden and watched her.
He had changed into a dark robe today, which was unusual for him. He was even holding the hem of the robe in place to avoid getting it dirty, which made Deng Jie look sloppy.
Deng Jie exclaimed "Oh dear!" only then remembering Yu Qiu's instructions before he left that morning. He casually patted the dust off his clothes, washed his hands by the well, and was about to leave.
Deng's mother, wrapped in a fur coat and warming herself by the stove, watched Deng Ming playing in the snow in the courtyard. When she saw Deng Jie's figure flash by, she hurriedly stopped him: "At least change into a clean dress!"
Seeing that she was about to refuse again, the old man gave Guo Jia a pleading look.
“It’s still early, Jia can wait.” Guo Jia chimed in knowingly.
Guo Jia quickly caught up, couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, and laughed out loud.
"Why are you laughing, sir?" Deng Jie asked irritably. "Are you laughing at how slovenly I am?"
Guo Jia waved his hand repeatedly to deny it, "I just remembered that on my first day here, the young lady had to change her clothes even during lunch, but she didn't seem to find it troublesome."
"It's all because of my sister-in-law's fuss, insisting that important guests are coming." She pouted. "Besides, I finally got my makeup done that day and didn't want to ruin it, so of course I had to change it."
Guo Jia couldn't help but chuckle; this unkempt appearance actually suited his own personality.
"What kind of person did you originally think I was?" Deng Jie asked with great interest.
Guo Jia was speechless for a moment, then frowned and bit his lower lip: "It's fine as it is now." Walking side by side like this felt easy and comfortable.
Guo Jia followed Deng Jie into the embroidery workshop. The silk lamp under the eaves swayed gently, and the jade pendants tinkled. A young woman gracefully emerged from the inner room, and Guo Jia's gaze was drawn to her.
The woman was dressed in a magnificent Shu brocade robe, with dogwood patterns outlined in gold thread on the lapel. She wore a crimson brocade belt with a mutton-fat jade pendant hanging from the end. The white jade ornament above her hair, along with the jade hairpin and earrings below her ears, shone with a warm, radiant light.
On the way here, Deng Jie had told him that Liu Lanzhi, the embroidery lady, was the best embroiderer in Lujiang, but he never expected her to be so young and elegant.
Guo Jia was secretly surprised. He had seen embroiderers who made clothes for the gentry in the Xun and Yuan families, but he had never seen any embroiderer with such demeanor.
Even after all this time in Wancheng, apart from Madam Yu, the wife of Deng Zhao, it would be difficult to find another woman who could compare to her.
The girl beside him couldn't even match a fraction of the poise she displayed on her first day... Guo Jia couldn't help but steal a glance at Deng Jie and chuckle to himself.
"My sister-in-law said she's going to make new clothes for the workers for the New Year, and she asked me to pick out the patterns and fabrics." She took the pattern booklet that Liu Lanzhi gave her and listened to what Liu said about the styles and fabrics.
When the topic turned to the newly arrived dark blue silk, Deng Jie was very interested, but Liu Lanzhi paused and said tactfully, "Miss, the material is indeed fine and thick, and the color is elegant, but... even the steward of the Lu family wouldn't use such material to make outer robes. To tailor clothes for the workers, I'm afraid it's a bit too much."
She didn't explicitly say it was inappropriate, but by bringing up the Lu family's name, Deng Jie could understand.
Deng Jie glanced at Guo Jia standing by the window and noticed the sunlight filtering through his thinned sleeves. She slightly curled her lips and called out loudly, "Isn't it a bit too much for a scholar to wear this? Why don't you try it on, Mr. Fengxiao!" Deng Jie asked Liu Lanzhi to bring the actual item so she could examine it carefully.
Guo Jia subconsciously took a half step back: "Miss, you've gone to so much trouble. I'm used to wearing old clothes..."
Before he could refuse, Deng Jie unfolded the fabric and held it up to his shoulder: "This color suits you, sir."
Guo Jia, looking at the color, recalled Xun Yu's attire in Ye City. Although the subtle patterns weren't as exquisite, they suited the demeanor of a scholar. He remembered that Deng Zhao had offered to make him new clothes, which he had declined. He asked softly, "This...this isn't appropriate, is it? Did Brother Yuanming assign you this task, young lady?"
But then he heard a soft hum behind him, "I made my own decision."
The two couldn't see each other's slightly reddened ear tips when a loud bang from outside the door broke the momentary silence.
A young accountant dressed in a gray-green linen robe stumbled in, scattering his account books all over the floor. Liu Lanzhi happened to arrive just in time and nearly stepped on his bamboo slips.
"What's the rush?!" Liu Lanzhi scolded playfully.
"I am Jiao Zhongqing, the accountant of the Deng family!" The young man's ears turned red. "Madam Yu ordered me to come and verify the year-end expenditures of the embroidery workshop..." He hurriedly picked up the account books, but his sleeve caught a piece of plain silk on the rack.
Liu Lanzhi grabbed the fabric: "This is for making a spring shirt for the young master of the Lu family! If you tear it, how will you compensate me?"
Jiao Zhongqing stood up stiffly, sweat beading on his forehead: "Madam said that the accounts for this month do not match. Last month, 34 bolts of plain silk were used, but the embroidery workshop only reported 28 bolts of materials and workmanship..." As he spoke, he pulled out the records to show her.
"It's not that other companies raised their silk prices, and the silk they delivered was 30% less than the contracted amount, so I had to give you 40 jin of silk to make up for the shortfall. I already told the owner about this."
She pulled out a contract from under the embroidery frame. "Look for yourself. The owner himself signed it. It should belong to your embroidery workshop."
Jiao Zhongqing carefully examined the contract, scratching his head and muttering, "Madam didn't explain clearly to me whether it's income or expenditure... I'll go back and ask her clearly before bothering you again, Miss..."
Liu Lanzhi couldn't help but chuckle at his dazed look. How could such a simpleton be an accountant? Her tone softened as she said, "They still use 'gold coupons' to pay for the materials for the Wu family. If you sort out the accounts and come back to pay for the materials, remember to give them some grain or meat. These days, it's more practical to receive grain than cash."
She then pointed to the weavers busy weaving inside: "It seems your Deng family sells their silk fabrics quite frequently; you should raise the price of my sister's silk fabrics too!"
Jiao Zhongqing repeatedly promised, "I will definitely clarify the accounts today... but I'm afraid you'll have to talk to the owner about the price increase yourself..."
As she was putting the account book into her bosom, she accidentally pulled out a corner of a handkerchief, which Liu Lanzhi quickly grabbed and pulled out. She laughed and said, "Isn't this the batch of handkerchiefs that the master brought in last month? They were supposed to be for the maids in the house. How come the accountant got some too? Or did someone in the house have a sweetheart who gave them to you?"
Jiao Zhongqing blushed as he snatched it back, managing only to utter the words "No."
Deng Jie knew about this.
Jiao Zhongqing was also present when the handkerchiefs were being distributed. When he distributed them to the maids, he explained to each of them what patterns were embroidered on the handkerchiefs and what stories they had. Seeing his enthusiasm, Yu Qiu simply let him choose the one he liked best.
Since it was a gift from his employer, Jiao Zhongqing didn't think much of it at the time. But after thinking about it carefully, it seemed inappropriate for a man like him to carry such a thing. If his mother saw it, he would definitely be scolded. So he had no choice but to keep it close to his body.
Liu Lanzhi raised her hand to cover her face, her eyes revealing a hint of surprise: "You have good taste. Of all the embroidery pieces in this batch, this handkerchief is the most meticulously crafted."
Jiao Zhongqing exclaimed, "This is actually the young lady's work? The carp tail... it looks like the embroidery technique from Kuaiji County?"
"You actually know how to read needlework?" Liu Lanzhi was slightly taken aback. The man in front of her, who had just looked clumsy, actually knew some embroidery skills.
"Qi silk emphasizes fine weave, Lu silk focuses on lightness, and each region has its own unique embroidery techniques, with stitches to follow..." Jiao Zhongqing was completely unaware, and began to explain in detail, his fingers tracing the direction of the stitches in the air.
The girls in the embroidery workshop also came out from the inner room and gradually gathered around, all listening intently.
Sunlight filtered through the silk lantern's gauze, casting soft shadows on his handsome profile and making his eyes appear even clearer and brighter.
Liu Lanzhi stared at him blankly. Few men could describe her work in such detail; even the girls in the embroidery workshop couldn't all speak of such intricacies. But seeing the crowd gathering, she hurried them back to their work.
When Jiao Zhongqing realized his lapse in composure and hurriedly stopped talking, he met her burning gaze. His ears instantly turned bright red, and he stammered, "I...I was just showing off, please forgive me, young lady..." The girls behind Liu Lanzhi, who were returning to their rooms, whispered and chuckled at the two's predicament.
Liu Lanzhi quickly blinked as if trying to wipe away the blush on her face, shook her head, and said softly, "Sir, you truly understand."
Jiao Zhongqing nervously rubbed his fingers together: "My late father once served as the Prefect of Kuaiji Prefecture, and his family possessed some Yue embroidery. I have been learning to identify some of it since I was a child..."
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence. His mother had always disliked his father's hoarding of things, and when they were young, it was the father and son who secretly took them out to admire behind his mother's back. Moreover, now that they were so destitute, these past events sounded like boasting.
“Since you have such discerning taste, why don’t you come and appraise my newly embroidered ‘Pine and Crane Longevity’ painting? It’s a birthday gift for the Prefect, and I’d like to have someone knowledgeable to give me some pointers.” Liu Lanzhi became interested and led Jiao Zhongqing toward the embroidery room.
Deng Jie, clutching the fabric in his hand, sidled up to Guo Jia and chuckled in a low voice, "Mr. Fengxiao, look at them, they seem to be completely oblivious to everyone else when they're chatting."
Guo Jia smelled the fragrance of medicine approaching, withdrew his gaze from the two of them, and looked down at Deng Jie's amused expression, secretly chuckling to himself. He wondered if others had also seen them comparing their figures so naturally just now. He simply replied, "Indeed, we are kindred spirits."
His fingers casually brushed against the fabric in her arms. "I'm afraid we can't choose anything today. How about we come back another day?"
Deng Jie suddenly felt a warmth on the back of her hand. Looking down, she saw his fingertips gently pressing against the back of her hand, the soothing warmth emanating from the fabric. She abruptly looked up, their eyes meeting, and immediately recoiled as if burned: "Okay, okay..."
Guo Jia watched as she jumped away, her neck flushed, just like that wild cat that would dart away at the sight of her, and couldn't help but chuckle.
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