The siblings carried on with their quarrel until Pei Shi ordered them to cease at once. And when the night fell, Lu Shiming had come back and the family happily dined together after days of being incomplete.
The next day, Ye Zhen took Dai Mei to accompany her in finding Teacher Shan.
When Pei Shi told her about Teacher Shan’s residence, Ye Zhen knew where it was as soon as she heard it. In Dongcheng’s Liuqing Lane, the houses, although not large, stood on peaceful grounds, away from the bustle of the city. Places such as this were likely the dwellings of a teacher would prefer.
In her previous life, Ye Zhen used to visit her here. Teacher Shan’s courtyard had a vine and a pomegranate tree carefully tended to by her servants. The grapes were fat and sweet, which was her favorite.
Teacher Shan already knew Ye Zhen would come today so she had a table set up in the bamboo pavilion in her courtyard early in the morning,
Yesterday, it had snowed heavily, and the weather was still a bit cold today. Therefore, Ye Zhen came wearing a fox fur cloak in defense of the nipping cold, making her look like a fox spirit that had decided to bless the place with her presence.
“Teacher.” Ye Zhen bowed and looked at her with bright eyes.
At the sight of her, Teacher Shan was a bit distracted. She almost thought it was the original Ye Zhen who came to her just now! Before her eyes,, Lu Yaoyao had truly become more like her former student.
The same agitating feeling struck her, despite knowing the facts, she again doubted whether there was any relationship between them.
“Come, sit down and have a cup of hot tea.” She told her with a weak smile, pointing to the vacant seat opposite her.
Willingly, Ye Zhen sat down and with vigor, informed her former teacher about the purpose of her visit. “Teacher, I have come to give you good news!”
Before she knew it, a small smile had started to form on Teacher Shan’s lips. “I heard yesterday that you got four A’s.” She then poured her a cup of tea, her long fingers elegantly held the small teapot.
“I was just lucky.” She gently shook her head.
At this, Teacher Shan looked at her and straightforwardly informed her. “I’ll be your teacher then.”
The tea was suddenly forgotten, as Ye Zhen stared at her in surprise. “Teacher, do you mean you will go back to the academy?”
“Um.” Teacher Shan raised one thick eyebrow. “Don’t you want me to?”
Ye Zhen’s face lit up instantly. When Teacher Shan left the Academy for Women and became her private teacher, many people had begged her to return. Ye Zhen even heard that even the dean had personally come to see her.
But back then, the imposing teacher didn’t change her mind despite the dean’s persuasions and pleas. What made her change her mind this time?
Teacher Shan smiled lightly. It was because of her master’s request after all.
“I was not used to some of their practices, so I left. But now that I have gained some years, I see things differently.”
Differently?
Her answers were vague, and Ye Zhen, if given permission, would like to ask her thoroughly. But she knew her well, Teacher Shan wouldn’t say anything unwillingly.
She felt a little confused and suspected that what Teacher Shan was doing now had a purpose. As for what purpose, Ye Zhen couldn’t tell.
“Why did Teacher Shan choose to stay in the School of Medicine?” Ye Zhen asked.
She remembered that Teacher Shan used to teach in the academy but not in its affiliated schools like the School of Medicine.
“It just happens that I know the curator of the School of Medicine.”
Ye Zhen saw that she didn’t want to say much about it, so she stopped asking.
*
After leaving Dongcheng, Ye Zhen didn’t want to go back so soon. She wanted to go to Qingyu Lane to find Hong Ling but couldn’t do so in the presence of her maid.
“Third Miss, aren’t we going back?” Dai Mei asked her when the carriage seemed to take a longer route.
“Don’t worry, I just want to see the capital for a little longer. It’s not every day that I get to go out like this.”
Looking outside with lonesome eyes, Dai Mei seemed to have something she wanted to say to her mistress but was too overwhelmed with nervousness. She squirmed in her seat and glanced at Ye Zhen’s serene face occasionally.
“What’s the matter?” Ye Zhen noticed her maid’s unusual behavior and asked.
“Third Miss… This servant’s younger brother has been ill recently. My mother came to me the other day but Chen Wei will not let me go home to visit him.” Dai Mei stammered and looked at Ye Zhen morosely.
Chen Wei was Old Madam Lu’s personal maid and had been ever since in charge of the family’s servants.
“Where do you live?”
“In Shajing Lane, Third Miss.”
Shajing Lane? It’s on the North Street of the capital!
Ye Zhen visibly frowned as she imagined how far it was from Qingyu Lane where her former servant Hong Ling lived!
After a fleeting moment, her eyes widened in pleasant realization. Her shop was located on the same street and she could go there to have a look!
“Then go, but not for more than an hour.”
Dai Mei nodded and was grateful to Ye Zhen beyond words.
Without further delay, Ye Zhen ordered Quan Fu to take the carriage to North Street. There, she saw a formidable shop that was hard to miss. The plaque read, “Qianjin”1.
As an abandoned wang fei, Ye Zhen had started this shop herself. Back in the day, her idol, Qi Yanling too had one such shop here in Jinkou City with the same name. The city’s prosperity today is inseparable from the existence of Empress Duanhui’s shop. However, with the disappearance of the Jing Dynasty, the enterprise also submerged in history.
For Ye Zhen, the venture meant more than following in the steps of the woman she idolized—she too wished to do something, leave behind a legacy… etched in the pages of history. Thus, she had put her heart and soul into establishing the business, albeit in the shadows.
“What goods does that shop offer?” Ye Zhen pretended not to know.
“Oh, Third Miss, almost anything the people need! This is the largest and most complete commodity store in the capital, which sells things that are brought back from overseas. It is an excellent place.”
“I see. Then I must go shopping there. You go home and look for me in the store later.”
Dai Mei couldn’t contain her happiness, her eyes locked with Ye Zhen in doubt. “Third Miss, is this really okay?”
“Why not? You are my maid, naturally, I have the final say, not Chen Wei. Go quickly.” Ye Zhen urged her to leave with a soft smile on her face.
“This maidservant truly thanks the third miss.” Dai Mei bowed before she hurried down from the carriage. Her home was not far from here. She would visit her brother and say a few words to her mother. One hour was enough.
Left alone to herself, Ye Zhen stared at the shop in front of her. Ironically, this was her first time visiting the shop since she had opened it. Usually, she would just let others deal with it, leaving the accounts in Hong Ling’s care.
There were rows of shelves in the shop where goods were displayed neatly. Around her, people were busy doing their purchases. Ye Zhen wore a simple veiled hat over her head to obscure her face. She slowly walked around the shop and sure enough, she saw many interesting things.
However, none of it was new to her. When these overseas goods were sent to the capital, her assigned shopkeeper used to send one to her first.
“Shopkeeper Sun, a new batch of goods has arrived today! Have you checked them?”
Just as Ye Zhen was thinking about what to do next, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.
It’s Hong Ling!
She looked at Hong Ling standing next to the shopkeeper and walked slowly past them.
When Hong Ling felt someone approaching her, she raised her guard and looked back vigilantly at the woman wearing a hat.
Ye Zhen lifted one corner of the veil and nodded slightly to her.
“Miss, did you find something to your liking?” Hong Ling took a deep breath and smiled politely.