Chapter 62

Xue Defu felt the oil-paper packet in his hands weighed a thousand catties. “I’ll deliver this to the village head. There are too many people in my house, so it’s too easy to lose something.”

He’d already decided to move out with Cheng Qiao’er. Things this valuable were better kept safe.

Xiao Wanling nodded. “Alright.”

The group buried the seeds and covered them up before heading back.

No sooner had they left than someone snuck into the field and began digging with bare hands. They dug nearly half a meter deep and found nothing. Realizing they’d been duped, the thief fled without hesitation.

Shen Qing and Yin Sheng had been hiding behind the house. They came at the thief from both sides and pinned him to the ground. The man refused to admit he was from the Jin family and even claimed he was sent by the palace, his tone arrogant to the extreme.

Shen Qing frowned and told Yin Sheng to report it to the authorities.

He couldn’t help but feel suspicious—if His Majesty wanted the seeds, why not issue an imperial edict? Why go through all this trouble?

Then it hit him: Madam Ji!

The Prince of Jin had already shown displeasure at Madam Ji’s meddling in military and grain affairs. Several court officials had even exposed her for hoarding food and profiting from it instead of sending it to the frontlines.

A flash of clarity struck Shen Qing: Was Madam Ji targeting Xiao Wanling?

At that moment, Xiao Wanling had been invited into a carriage. With people bustling by on the road, no one noticed anything suspicious.

Just then, she saw Jiang Ting passing by in a cart and calmly asked the woman before her, “Did you want something?”

Consort Jin lifted a bamboo tube of tea, curled her lips into a sneer, and said coldly, “Madam Ji has been back for days, yet you haven’t gone to pay your respects. Do you hold her or this consort in any regard?”

Xiao Wanling sized her up. The woman was around twenty, and she had assumed she was the Prince of Jin’s favorite concubine; no, now it was His Majesty. “If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

Someone with Madam Ji’s temperament would’ve summoned her directly. This elaborate ruse only made Xiao Wanling more wary. Her hand inched toward the pouch at her waist.

“Impudent!” “Consort Jin!” shouted.

Suddenly, a puff of white powder filled Xiao Wanling’s vision. She inhaled some and immediately began coughing, her head dizzy. When she went to punish the woman, she realized—there was no one in the carriage.

Xiao Wanling covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Only after stepping far away did she wave the air clear, finally taking a deep breath.

Jiang Ting had pulled the cart to the roadside and ran toward her anxiously. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Xiao Wanling replied. “Give that woman in the carriage some water.”

The violent coughing inside the carriage hadn’t stopped. Jiang Ting took the bamboo tube from Xiao Wanling, opened the curtain, and handed it in.

After a few sips, Consort Jin glared at Xiao Wanling and shrieked, “You tried to poison me! Guards!”

People nearby turned their heads in curiosity. Consort Jin wobbled and pointed at Jiang Ting. “So you think I won’t punish you just because you’re an agricultural minister?”

Jiang Ting smacked her hand away. “You’re crazy!”

The Jin family people hiding in the crowd were stunned. Their consort had gone completely mad in public, and the Emperor already disliked her. They could only wail internally, “It’s over.”

How did this all go so wrong?

Xiao Wanling took Jiang Ting’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Jiang Ting supported her as they walked back to the cart. Looking back, she saw the “crazy woman” being restrained. With a sigh of relief, she reported, “Agricultural Minister, we sold out of matcha again today. The Grand Tutor’s household reserved tea for half the month.”

Xiao Wanling nodded. “Make as much milk tea as you can with the milk we have.”

Too much milk tea makes people gain weight. Light matcha would be favored by noble ladies.

Just then, a cartload of goods was delivered, and Xiao Wanling caught a whiff of vanilla. A lightbulb went off. “Let’s add a vanilla pearl milk tea.”

More and more shops were opening, offering an increasingly wide range of goods. At a vendor’s stall, she noticed discarded coconut shells. The coconut water had been sold to the nobles, and the shells were treated as scrap.

She asked about them and learned that the vendor’s family grew coconut trees. The palace loved the coconuts and regularly ordered them. Since it was hard to transport everything back, he was happy to sell off the leftovers cheaply.

Eager to make a sale, he said nervously, “Just give me what you think is fair!”

There were at least a few hundred shells. Xiao Wanling estimated a price of one wen each, bought the lot, and told him he could deliver directly to the teahouse in the future.

The vendor bent over repeatedly in thanks, wiping away tears. This was a huge help.

He hitched the cart’s rope over his shoulders and began walking up the mountain path. Everything today felt blessed. A kind, wealthy young master had told him to try selling here, and it worked!

Just then, Jin Jiaran sat on horseback nearby, watching the vendor leave. He urged his horse forward toward the food street.

Xiao Wanling heard hoofbeats and turned around—Jin Jiaran! He looked weathered from travel but was in good spirits. He dismounted and approached, clutching a bundle that held the seeds he had brought from faraway lands.

Xiao Wanling’s eyes lit up. She took the bundle with both hands. “Come sit inside.”

She led him into a nearby shop. A few customers were inside enjoying tea. Jiang Ting brought Jin Jiaran a matcha tea and a peach blossom pastry.

Its pink shell and deep red sugar filling looked like a blooming flower. One bite revealed sweet red date paste inside.

Jin Jiaran sipped the tea—it was different from before. This time, tea was the main note, with milk as a subtle backdrop. It was far less sweet.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wanling had gone to the back. She opened the bundle and found oil-paper packets of corn seeds, cumin, and small, flat white seeds that looked like tomato seeds.

She unpacked everything and had Jiang Ting deliver pastries to Jin Jiaran along with instructions for dyeing cloth.

Relieved, Jin Jiaran hoisted the bundle and left. The burden on his shoulders now felt light.

But as soon as he exited the market, a carriage blocked his way. Consort Jin lifted the curtain and glared. “Jin Jiaran, you came to see that Xiao woman before even greeting your father?”

“Mind your own business,” he replied coldly.

His eyes swept over, and the driver quickly steered the carriage aside. Consort Jin yelled after him, but Jin Jiaran had more urgent matters; he needed to return to the palace and save his family. He was already two weeks late.

Furious, Consort Jin’s chest heaved. “Xiao Wanling! You’re just a peasant woman!”

She told her attendant, “You know what to do.”

Passersby stared at her in disbelief. Was she seriously plotting in broad daylight?

She didn’t notice their fearful, bewildered gazes.

One of the “passersby” was Shen Qing. Did she really just say she was going to poison the teahouse? Does she think Qishan Village is her palace?

When he reached the teahouse, the first thing he said was, “Someone’s planning to poison us.” I’ve arranged to keep eyes on them.”

Xiao Wanling asked, “Was it the woman wearing the pearl crown?”

“Yes,” Shen Qing said.

Jiang Ting mentioned the madwoman she’d encountered earlier and shared what happened.

Shen Qing slammed the table. “I’ll throw her out myself!”

But Xiao Wanling said, “If she belongs to the Emperor, wouldn’t it be better to have His Majesty summon her back?”

Shen Qing paused. “His woman?”

The Emperor had no known consorts; rumors even claimed he preferred men. The only women in the palace were those of the retired emperor. “Ah… she’s a consort of the former Emperor.”

The only Empress Dowager was Madam Ji. Xiao Wanling was shocked, as that woman looked no older than twenty, and Emperor Zhu was said to be in his sixties.

Now understanding her identity, Shen Qing sent a letter stating that a certain imperial consort had fallen ill.

By midday, a messenger from the palace arrived and took Consort Jin to a convent.

Madam Ji was furious. How had a perfectly fine woman gone mad? And Xiao Wanling still hadn’t come to see her.

Pregnant with the imperial heir, Madam Ji believed everyone—especially the emperor—was plotting against her. Trapped in the palace, she grew more anxious by the day.

When guards blocked her way, she shouted, “I am the Empress Dowager! Who dares imprison me?!”

“It’s the Emperor’s orders,” they replied.

Her fury surged, and she stormed off.

Nanny Xun whispered, “My lady, this must be handled delicately. Jin Jiaran has returned to the palace.”

***

Shen Qing received a decree from the Emperor: protect the Agricultural Minister and safeguard the seeds. Assuming he meant the corn, Shen Qing quickly wrote back, promising he had a plan.

That night, Xiao Wanling opened the box and laid out the seeds. “Take two of each and plant them in the mountains.”

“Got it,” Shen Qing said, planning to hunt along the way and find a secure spot.

Xiao Wanling refreshed the water in the large bowl. The corn seeds had swollen slightly. She wrapped half in yellow paper and placed them in a cool, dark spot.

Shen Qing hugged her from behind. “Don’t overwork yourself. Get some rest.” He removed the gold hairpin from her head and laid her gently in bed.

She kicked off her shoes, and he guided her legs under the blanket. His warm chest pressed against her, and he tucked her head to his chest.

As they lay entwined, Xiao Wanling said, “Tomorrow, exchange all our silver for banknotes.”

Shen Qing’s heart sank. Is she planning to leave again? His arms tightened around her. “Don’t even think about it.”

“If I did want to leave one day… would you come with me?”

“Of course,” he said without hesitation.

Now that the emperor ruled the land, it was time to return the tiger tally—the seal that authorized military command. He had almost forgotten.

Shen Qing exchanged their silver for four thousand taels in banknotes and headed to the Prince of Jin’s residence. The new palace wasn’t finished yet, so the emperor was still living there.

The supervisor led him to the study, where the Emperor was practicing calligraphy. Shen Qing offered the tiger tally with both hands and recited what Xiao Wanling had taught him: “Congratulations, Your Majesty, on unifying the realm. I return the tiger tally to its rightful owner.”

The Emperor gestured, and an attendant took the tally and placed it in a wooden box on a display shelf before leaving.

Shen Qing gave a brief update on the crops in Qishan Village and asked to retire as a hunter.

The Emperor smiled. “Minister Shen, you value your wife more than power. But when the nation needs you, you must not refuse.”

Shen Qing bowed low. “As Your Majesty commands.”

Just then, the supervisor outside announced, “Your Majesty, the Princes of Zheng and Yong request an audience.”

Shen Qing took his leave. Outside, the two princes greeted him politely, pretending to have forgotten he’d recently trounced them in battle. “General Shen.”

Shen Qing gave a perfunctory salute and strode away.

Out on the street, he happened to see a few familiar faces who were people released from prison.

He suddenly recalled the Li family and those men who once tried to harass Xiao Wanling. He handed some silver to the gate guards and asked them to keep an eye out.

The guards, seeing the portraits, pounded their chests confidently. “Leave it to us!”

TL’s Food Notes:

peach blossom pastry:

vanilla pearl milk tea: