Delicate Flower – Chapter 151

Chapter 151 – Requesting Help

Once Yu Tang returned home, she wrote a letter for Ah Cam to send to the Zhang family.

Ma Xiuniang received Yu Tang’s letter and went to check on the progress of Zhang Hui’s paintings. Meanwhile, Yu Tang was troubled about her meeting with Pei Yan the following day.

She couldn’t bring up the case in Rizhao, as she had no way of explaining how she knew about it. Thus, the only way right now was to focus on that fifty acres of paddy fields.

Fortunately, the Li family left enough cracks.

The next day, Yu Tang changed into a newly made dark green woven silvery-pink four seasons embroidered Ruyi flowers made of Hangzhou silk, and wore the pale-yellow magnolia silk flowers she made a few days ago and went to the Pei residence.

Pei Yan looked tired and a little frazzled. Instead of detracting from his handsomeness, he felt more approachable as he lacked his usual air of reserved dignity, and thus seemed more friendly and cordial.

“Why are you looking for me with such urgency?” He casually leaned back and sat on the Luohan couch in the warm pavilion. He pointed to the fruit plate brought up by the serving maid, saying, “Try it, it’s Fujian’s fortune cookies. Reportedly, they’re quite tasty.”

Fujian’s fortune cookies were a type of persimmon cookie made in Fujian. The cookies were bright red in colour, sweet yet not greasy. They also had the effect of removing heat and relieving coughs and wheezes. They were nice as snacks on its own. You could also soak it in warm water and drink it as a shake. It had numerous benefits and thus was aptly named “fortune cookies”.

However, fortune cookies normally were only available in the market during the last month of Lunar New Year, this time …… it was a little too early.

I wonder where he got them from?

Yu Tang couldn’t help but ask, ”I heard that you went to sell tangerines? How did it go? Were they delicious?”

Pei Yan raised an eyebrow at her question and stared at Yu Tang with a frown, “Selling tangerines? Where did you hear that I went to sell tangerines?”

Yu Tang knew at once things were not going well, but she too didn’t know how word reached her and it became “selling tangerines”. No matter who gave her the wrong information, with Pei Yan’s temperament, he might really investigate this matter if he got upset. At that time, wouldn’t it cause trouble for everyone?

With an attitude of making amends, she hurriedly interjected, ”It’s me who said it wrongly! What I meant was, I heard that the tangerines grown in Ji’an were ready to sell at the market, and you went over to check them out. I just assumed that since you started harvesting oranges early, you must have already thought of a good way to sell them. I spoke too fast, so it became selling tangerines.”

Yu Tang felt that she had given Pei Yan a good, diplomatic reply, but Pei Yan only raised his eyebrows as if he was deliberately making things difficult for her, and retorted, “Who told you that I didn’t go to sell tangerines? A total of five thousand pounds of tangerines, all sold to ShangLin Court. We also sold five thousand tree saplings.”

If it weren’t for him, could the people of Shanglin Court have been so honest as to hand over the payment and receive the goods simultaneously?

The tangerines were sold to the imperial capital?

Yu Tang’s jaw dropped in shock as she exclaimed, “Shanglin Court actually buys tangerines?”

She was incredibly envious.

Why didn’t their family have such a skill?

However, even if they were for the imperial family to enjoy, that would be the business of the eunuchs in the twenty-four magistracies, so why did it became that Shanglin Court, which grew various trees and flowers for the imperial family, was buying it instead?

“This is something you don’t understand, right?” Pei Yan casually remarked, “If the imperial gardens generated income, the emperor will be happy too, no? Not to mention tangerine trees that bore fruit so early.”

That is to say, Shanglin Court was taking credit for the Pei Family’s harvest!

Yu Tang stammered, “They, aren’t they afraid of being discovered? What if the Emperor wanted to check out the tangerine trees?”

The emperor is busy with his chinese alchemy (TL: finding ways to achieve immortality), so how would he even have the time to care about the number of tangerine trees planted in Shanglin Courts?” Pei Yan said derisively, “In the unlikely event that he actually goes, they only need to move a few tangerine trees from my orchard over in Tongzhou. Otherwise, why would Shanglin Court buy tangerines from my family? It’s because my family’s orchard in Tongzhou also grows tangerines. It’s only that they’re not as sweet.”

Yu Tang was already lost in this chain of actions. From her perspective, this was a complete and utter waste of labour and funds. However, it wasn’t the first time that officials performed such useless and wasteful deeds, so she didn’t intend to criticize or say any more on this.

However, it was shocking that Pei family also had fields in Tongzhou!

Were there even anywhere else that the Pei family did not own lands or fields?

Yu Tang thought exasperatedly and changed the topic, saying, “These fortune cookies wouldn’t also be a product of sun-dried persimmons from your orchards, right?”

Pei Yan noticed Yu Tang’s rosy cheeks when she first entered. Thinking over what Pei Man told him, not only had she gotten into his mother’s good graces, she was also getting along quite well with several of his nieces. On their first meeting, they chatted for half a day, discussing the various styles of clothing to be made, and she was also bestowed with gifts from his mother.

His mother was not an ordinary madam of the house, and not just anyone can win her favour.

Originally, he just wanted her to come and keep his mother happy and entertained, but he never thought that things would proceed so smoothly.

Looking at it from another perspective, while he was swamped with work in Ji’an, she was living a carefree and relaxed life in his home.

Inexplicably, Pei Yan felt wistful and wanted to tease Yu Tang and shake her composure a little.

He scoffed lightly, saying ”My family’s reach isn’t as far as you think. Fujian is where the Peng, Yin, and Li Families reside. I’m not planning to make enemies of those families all at once. These fortune cookies were sent over by the Li family. It’s said that they were made to be enjoyed by their own family and thus, taste different from the ones they sell in the market. Try it and see what’s the difference.”

Judging by his tone, it seemed as though he didn’t really like sweet things, so where had the peanut brittles she made gone?

Could it be that it was all just a pretence?

She couldn’t help but ask, ”Then what do you like to eat? If my mother can make it, I’ll do it for you next time.”

Pei Yan shrugged, ”I don’t have any particular favourites or dislikes. If it’s something novel and interesting, I’ll try it. The main reason why I dislike fortune cookies is because Grand Madam heard from others that eating more fortune cookies can cure coughs. Ever since I was a child, she has been soaking persimmon fortune cookies in warm water for me to drink every day without fail, and so whenever I smell it now, I feel nauseous.”

Yu Tang felt as though she met a kindred spirit, and enthusiastically agreed, “I’m just like you! My mother felt that children didn’t have good digestive systems and thus had to drink congee. Ever since I was little, my mother always wanted me to have congee. Now, after I grew up, every time I looked at congee, I didn’t even want to pick up the bowl.”

Grew up?

She was still so young, no matter how old she was, it was only ten years plus or so.

Pei Yan was happily listening to her chatter on, and occasionally added a few words of input. It was only until Chen Qi who came to deliver the accounting ledger for Pei Yan to peruse, that Pei Yan remembered, and asked Yu Tang, “What is the reason for your visit?”

Chen Qi who was standing at the side then glanced at Yu Tang several times.

Third Master disliked engaging in idle talk the most, but today, he was so happily engrossed in casual conversation with a little girl?

However, this young lady although young, she spoke and acted with proper form and character, so could it be that Third Master has taken a fancy to this young lady?

After he left the study, he went to enquire about Yu Tang’s background.

The fact that Yu Tang accompanied Grand Madam wasn’t a secret. Although the matter was not publicised, but it wasn’t deliberately hidden, so Chen Qi quickly found out about the circumstances that led to her entering the house.

Everything seemed excellent, except that her status was a little low.

Chen Qi mulled over this in his heart.

Unlike Chen Qi, Yu Tang and Pei Yan didn’t think so much about this. Yu Tang told Pei Yan about the reason for this visit, saying ”Previously, you mentioned that the Li family was in dire need of silver for their operations in the capital. At that time, I felt that the Li family was a little too hasty. Given that it was a temporary emergency, with the reputation of the Li family, even if they carried an empty box and affixed their family seal to it and took it to the pawnshop to do a ‘live’ pawn, there would definitely be several pawnshops willing to provide them with the silver on account of the Li family’s name. So why was there a need to sell these 50 acres of paddy fields? However, a few days ago, I heard that Li Jun was ordered by his father to transport back several things from Rizhao, things that weighed down the carrying wagon deep into the soil. I’ve been mulling over this at home for the past few days. Say, do you think it is a money laundering scheme? Other people may not know the depths of the Li family’s fortunes, but the people of Lin’an city would know, given that they watched their family grow from rags to riches. If Li Yi really embezzled silver in Rizhao, he must be finding a way to launder that silver, right?”

As Pei Yan listened, the light-heartedness on his face slowly dissipated, and by the time Yu Tang finished, Pei Yan was sitting upright, looking at Yu Tang with a solemn expression, “What do you mean by that? Do you wish to push Li Duan into the mud and pin him down again?”

Yu Tang’s face flushed red.

She had indeed meant this.

But Pei Yan said it too bluntly.

Anyone else listening would think that the two of them were conspiring to kill people for their money!

She batted her eyelids and said, ”I’ve heard that the Li family will soon be moving to Hangzhou City. Li Duan is also preparing to go to the capital along with his father to study. If they really leave Lin’an City, wouldn’t the Wei family’s second son’s death not be properly avenged?”

Pei Yan couldn’t quite understand. “Li Duan has already carried out mourning rites for the Wei family’s second son, and Li Duan’s marriage to the Gu family has also fallen through… are these not enough?”

He felt Yu Tang was a little too persistent.

She had only met that Wei family’s second son once, and they hadn’t even agreed on the marriage.

Could it possibly be that Lady Yu had a crush on the Wei family’s second son?

Pei Yan stroked his chin.

Yu Tang retorted, ”What is the point of repaying wrongdoing with kindness? Even if I hated someone intensely, at most, I would only privately curse them to suffer a painful death. The fact that the Li family unhesitatingly murdered the Wei family’s second son solely to benefit themselves shows that their family is truly wicked! As for our family, if it wasn’t for your protection, we might have ended up with the same fate as the Wei family, or possibly even worse! Such a family, why should I let them off?”

Pei Yan looked at her fuming little face, and suddenly recalled that when he was bullied as a child due to his classmates’ jealousy. Not only did he strike back, but he also severely taught them a lesson, which made the people who bullied him never dare to mess with him again, and even the people who watched on at the side-lines feared his wrath as well. On the other hand, his father felt that he was not magnanimous enough, and even reprimanded him severely for this …… When he thought about it this way, he felt that Yu Tang seemed to be justified in doing so.

After all, Yu Wen was only an insignificant scholar. If he could bring down an official family like the Li’s, in the future, others would definitely be afraid to pick on their family without first considering the consequences.

“State your request! How would you like me to help you?” Pei Yan said briskly, “I’ll have to match the accounting figures with the accountant later on.”

His words implied that Yu Tang should not waste his time.

Yu Tang smiled shyly and asked, “Can you help me check what Li Duan’s father did when he was an official in Rizhao? It’s impossible for an average person to be an official in Rizhao and obtain so many material possessions right?”

Actually, she wanted to ask why was it that only the Li family’s two hundred acres of paddy fields could grow Bi Shi rice. If he wanted to, she could let the Pei family investigate the thirty acres of land and perhaps the Pei Family could also grow the same Bi Shi rice.

However, with Pei Yan’s earlier words, if she were to mention this matter now, it would be easy for him to misunderstand that she wanted to exchange favours with Pei’s family and this would be a betrayal of Pei Yan’s sincere intentions to help her.

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