Chapter 34: Sanniang, you...

On the other side, while Shao Xiangjun was granting Ye Jingtang a few days of leave, she began preparing for his "recognition of ancestry and entry into the family shrine."

The Red Flower Tower was a vast organization with branches scattered across the land. It had originated as an alliance of various boatmen’s guilds, with the Shao family acting as the primary leaders. After evolving into the "Red Flower Tower," the branch headed by the Shao family became known as the "Azure Dragon Hall."

As the capital was the core of trade for the entire Great Liang dynasty, the Red Flower Tower could not afford to be without a presence there. Thus, since the founding of the dynasty, the Shao family had moved the Azure Dragon Hall to the capital. However, as a martial arts family, the Shaos dared not flaunt their status under the emperor's nose and had always remained hidden among the common folk, operating from the shadows.

At midday, in the main hall of the Shao mansion, three incense masters—two men and one woman—who had traveled from afar were seated at the table. The men were two elders named Li Sanwen and Wang Ren, and the woman was Madame Huang Zhu; all were incense masters of the Azure Dragon Hall.

Shao Xiangjun and her aunt-in-law, Madame Zhang, sat in the hall, listening to Madame Huang Zhu's grievances: "It is one thing for the Zhou family to come to the docks and steal our business, but even second-rate characters like the Baoyuan Sect think they can get a slice of the pie. If it weren't for the sake of the bigger picture, I would have gone to Baoyuan Mountain myself to teach them a lesson..."

Li Sanwen, the eldest and most senior "uncle" of the Azure Dragon Hall, whom even Shao Xiangjun addressed with respect, shook his head while holding his teacup. "Li Hunyuan’s 'Baoyuan Force' is masterful; he is a recognized grandmaster throughout Yun Prefecture. A mere incense master like you—what leverage do you have to go and 'teach him a lesson'?"

While this sounded like a critique of Madame Huang Zhu’s overestimation of herself, the subtext was dissatisfaction with Shao Xiangjun’s inability to keep the martial arts figures in check.

Madame Huang Zhu retorted, "My business has been snatched; can I not even voice my complaints? You are an elder of this family; this is a matter you should be handling. Instead of stepping up, you sit here making snide remarks..."

*Clap—*

Li Sanwen slammed his hand on the table.

Shao Xiangjun raised a hand to stop their argument. "Enough. I have called you here today to introduce someone to you. Yuan Feng left behind a foster son named Ye Jingtang. He arrived in the capital a few days ago, and he is quite capable..."

"How old is Ye Jingtang?"

"Eighteen. A bit young..."

Li Sanwen, being blunt, stated directly, "At eighteen, his foundations aren't even solid. What can he do? If the Tower Master has gone to the trouble of summoning all the external incense masters, is it because you intend to step down and just pick any random Shao family member to fill the spot? If that is the case, you might as well let Shao Luo take the position of Tower Master..."

Madame Zhang said with dissatisfaction, "Luo'er is not a person of the martial arts world; he should not be involved in these affairs. Besides, with his idle nature, if he knew the family had so much money, what would happen? He would probably buy the White Horse Academy tomorrow just to play teacher himself..."

Shao Xiangjun knew the incense masters did not trust the youth, so she continued, "Though Jingtang is young, he is methodical in his conduct. His martial arts may not be at the peak, but he can certainly be counted as a first-rate expert. You will see for yourselves when you meet him; you will definitely not be disappointed."

Upon hearing this, the three incense masters grew solemn. In the rumors of the streets, the martial arts world starts with the Eight Great Grandmasters, and first or second-rate experts are often dismissed as insignificant. But the reality was far from that. In an organization as large as the Red Flower Tower, there were only three people recognized by outsiders as grandmasters; even those as strong as She Long or Shang Jianli were considered "disgraces to the grandmaster rank." One could imagine how high the threshold for a first-rate expert truly was.

Wang Ren looked skeptical, but since he hadn't met the person yet, he didn't argue. He nodded and said, "Since the Tower Master holds him in such high regard, once all the incense masters have arrived, bring him to us. If he is truly as you say, it would be a fortunate event for both the Azure Dragon Hall and the entire Red Flower Tower."

Li Sanwen pondered, "Tower Master, you have called us all here—are you planning to formally name Ye Jingtang as the Young Master?"

"I do have that intention."

"How can that be? With the Red Flower Tower currently facing internal and external troubles, the White Tiger Hall is already eyeing the helm. If you name a Young Master now, you won't be able to command the respect of the masses..."

Shao Xiangjun said solemnly, "I have made this decision because I am confident. Once you have seen Jingtang, you will not feel that I am being overly hasty."

Seeing that Shao Xiangjun’s mind was made up, Li Sanwen said with displeasure, "Very well. I would like to see what kind of young man could make the Tower Master so resolute. If I happen to give the young man a hard time, I hope the Tower Master will forgive me."

Shao Xiangjun said nothing more. To earn the submission of subordinates, praise from the leader is not enough; one must rely on one's own abilities.

After chatting for a while, Wang Ren brought up another difficulty. "Last time I went to the Zhou family, I only saw a steward. I didn't even get to see the uncles of the Zhou family's second branch. They truly showed no respect. The business at the Qingjiang docks is declining day by day. If we don't negotiate with the Zhou family and draw a clear line..."

"Old Master Zhou is celebrating his birthday soon. I will pay a visit to offer my congratulations and take the opportunity to discuss this matter. If they don't give you face, they will have to weigh their options when I go in person."

The three incense masters clearly disagreed with this, as there was no precedent for a sect leader of a martial arts family to personally go to another house to negotiate minor business.

Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, Madame Huang Zhu tried to smooth things over. "Old Master Zhou is a famous sword smith. He has forged over a thousand weapons in his lifetime. For his eightieth birthday, famous figures from the martial arts world across Ze Prefecture will be attending. It is said that even the wife of the Pingtian Sect leader will be there. It won't be a loss of face for the Tower Master to go..."

Shao Xiangjun did not want to dwell on these vexing matters and changed the subject. "I have yet to meet the Goddess of the Toad Palace. I hear she was once the greatest beauty in the martial arts world..."

Madame Zhang smiled. "Your disadvantage is being the helmsman of the Red Flower Tower; you cannot show your face. If you were to dress up beautifully and attend, sitting alongside the Goddess of the Toad Palace, the title of the greatest beauty in the martial arts world might well fall to our Red Flower Tower."

"Sigh," Shao Xiangjun shook her head. "Being the helmsman of the Red Flower Tower and relying on one's appearance to be famous—if that got out, I fear even fewer people would take the Red Flower Tower seriously..."

***

The next morning.

The rain had cleared, and the people began to step out of their homes. The streets along Tianshui Bridge were bustling, filled with the endless cries of vendors.

Ye Jingtang had been on leave for a few days, spending his time wandering around with Luo Ning, to the point where he had almost "forgotten his aunt" and neglected Sanniang. It wasn't until Yang Chao ran over that morning to say Sanniang had something for him that he remembered he still had to work.

Although he had only been there for a few days, he hadn't been doing menial tasks, and most people near Tianshui Bridge recognized him. Along the way, he could hear greetings from various shops:

"Young Master Ye."

"Young Manager is here..."

...

After exchanging greetings, Ye Jingtang arrived outside the Shao mansion at the end of the alley.

Sanniang was dressed in a goose-yellow waist-length skirt, standing at the door with her maid, Xiuhe. She was looking into the distance, her gentle and quiet appearance resembling a young woman waiting for the return of her lover.

"Sanniang, why are you waiting outside again?"

"Chirp!"

Shao Xiangjun had been pestered by the incense masters all day yesterday and felt a bit of resentment. She hugged the bird that flew over and frowned, looking like a wronged young wife. "I gave you a few days off, hoping you would treat the Shao family as your own home. But instead, you didn't show your face for anything important, and even the bird didn't fly back. You really treat the Shao family like outsiders, sigh..."

"Chirp."

The bird also acted aggrieved, showing its innocence.

Ye Jingtang felt a bit ashamed. He entered the house with Shao Xiangjun and explained, "I have the Prince of Jing's token, and since I had nothing to do these past two days, I went to the Black Office to build connections and help handle some business."

"You really are capable, even catching a Wingless Owl. It seems I should give you a raise; otherwise, if you take on a random case, you'll earn more than you would working for the Shao family for half a year, and you'll be even less likely to come home."

"Handling cases is licking blood from the blade; the risks are high. It’s far more stable here with you, Sanniang. There's no need for a raise. With my current wages, I already feel like I’m eating for free..."

While chatting, the two passed through the corridor and entered the hanging flower gate.

Past the hanging flower gate was the inner courtyard. Because the young master, Shao Luo, was away, the residents were the aunt, Shao Luo’s concubines, maids, and others—all women.

As a man, Ye Jingtang felt it was inappropriate to enter further and asked, "Sanniang, you called me here, is there something the matter?"

Shao Xiangjun stroked the bird, unhappy. "Can't I call you over to sit for a while if there's nothing wrong?"

"..."

Ye Jingtang could not refute this. He kept his eyes straight, walked past the lotus pond by the koi pond, and arrived at the main courtyard where the eldest branch lived.

Ye Jingtang had thought Sanniang would take him to the tea pavilion to sit, but as they walked, he realized the direction was wrong—Sanniang walked gracefully to the door of her sleeping chamber and ordered, "Xiuhe, you go and rest first."

Xiuhe, who was following behind, hurried away.

"..."

Ye Jingtang scanned the empty courtyard and the swaying, mature, and beautiful back in front of him. He naturally let his thoughts wander and hesitated to speak: "Sanniang, you..."

"Come in."

*Creak—*

The door opened. Sanniang entered the elegant bedroom, looking around to see if anyone was paying attention.

?

What was this for?

Ye Jingtang looked at Sanniang, who was acting as if she were about to have an affair, and felt truly strange. He asked, "This is your private chamber, Sanniang; is it appropriate for me to enter?"

Shao Xiangjun withdrew her gaze. She could see that Ye Jingtang had misunderstood, but she did not explain. "Come in. I just want to talk to you about something. No one is watching."

Ye Jingtang hesitated for a moment but finally entered the bedroom.

*Click.*

After Ye Jingtang entered, Shao Xiangjun tossed the bird out and closed the door, leaving only the man and woman alone in the room.

"Chirp?!"

Ye Jingtang turned back, his eyes full of surprise as he gazed at the charming and alluring Sanniang.

"Uh..."

Shao Xiangjun sat on the edge of the bed, her posture soft and elegant, and patted the space beside her. "Jingtang, come and sit down."

"Sanniang, this is..."

"Sit down! Stop letting your thoughts wander!"

?

She’s already on the bed, and she’s telling me not to let my thoughts wander?

Ye Jingtang saw that Sanniang’s brow was slightly furrowed and she was a bit displeased, so he had no choice but to sit down beside her.

"I... holy crap!"

As soon as Ye Jingtang sat on the edge of the bed, he felt a void beneath him. The bed board collapsed, and he fell backward.

*Thump—*

In the blink of an eye, the two fell into a pitch-black space underground. The ornate bed above closed, leaving no light at all.

Ye Jingtang had not expected this at all. With lingering fears, he looked around. "Sanniang? What are you doing?"

"What did you think I was doing?"

"Uh..."

Ye Jingtang had thought Shao Xiangjun was going to do something to him, so he explained, "I thought Sanniang was going to introduce me to the family business; I didn't expect to be introduced to it in a place like this... Where is this?"

"Humph."

*Hiss...*

The sound of a flint igniting rang out, and a faint glow illuminated their faces.

Shao Xiangjun brought the flint to an oil lamp on the stone wall. The lamp flickered to life, and then one after another, the lamps ahead lit up. At the end of the tunnel, a door appeared.

Shao Xiangjun shed her soft and fragile demeanor, straightened her clothes slightly, and walked along the tunnel toward the door.

Ye Jingtang’s wandering thoughts, which he had just suppressed, rose up again—after all, bedrooms, secret passages, and basements were very easy to associate with illicit activities...

"What kind of place is this?"

*Creak—*

As he spoke, the door opened, and a brightly lit hall appeared before their eyes...