Chapter 39: Distinguishing

Ningyuan Marquis Prefecture

Sun Shi was inside the room with her two daughters, Pingmei and Anmei, along with Bai Shi, and a two-year-old girl whose features closely resembled Bai Shi’s.

But her eyebrows were an exact replica of those of Marquis Gu, Gu Yan Kai.

“Sister, these are items brought back by last year’s sea vessel. Father said many of them are rare in our Great Zhou, so I asked you to come take a look.”

We are all women of the inner quarters; as for vision and insight, I can't compare with you. My family in Bianjing was a humble household.

Gu Tingyu and Gu Tingye were both boys, old enough now, so they weren’t with the womenfolk,

but were playing hu tou in the courtyard with Xu Zai and his two brothers.

Just as they were enjoying themselves, Gu Tingye’s servant Zhi Que entered the courtyard and said: “Ye Ge, Lord Bai has sent over several more pots of flowers rare in Great Zhou.”

“Ah? Bring them in quickly.”

Soon, servants carried six potted plants into the courtyard.

The three boys moved the pots into Bai Shi’s room.

Three remained in the courtyard,

all containing flowers none of Xu Zaijing and the others had ever seen before.

Xu Zaijing’s face lit up as he gazed at one of the plants called a “flower.”

Gu Tingyu noticed Xu Zaijing’s expression and asked: “Jing Ge, do you like this flower?”

Xu Zaijing looked at Gu Tingyu and said: “Yes, this is the first time I’ve seen such a flower.” — (this life).

“According to texts, this is called ‘Bai Die,’ also known as ‘Zhi Bei,’ commonly grown along the northwestern frontier of the previous dynasty; today it grows in the north of Bai Gao. According to my Fifth Uncle’s guest scholars, there’s a large island off the southern frontier of Great Zhou where this flower is also abundant.”

Xu Zaijing: “Yu Ge, you’re truly learned.”

He thought to himself: “I thought I was the first to discover this cotton.”

Gu Tingyu smiled shyly.

“Yu Ge, has anyone ever used this flower for spinning and weaving?”

“I’ve never heard of it, but the flowers seem tightly woven—perhaps suitable for textile use.”

Beside them, Gu Tingye said: “Jing Ge, you like this flower? I’ll ask my maternal grandfather to send you more pots.”

“Thank you, Ye Ge. I appreciate it.”

“Come on, let’s keep looking—Grandfather sent us many other things too.”

Xu Zaijing and his brothers followed Gu Tingye into the room.

The table held many items: massive ivory, exquisite tortoiseshell, smooth rhinoceros horn, and strings of southern pearls strung into necklaces.

Xu Zai Duan and the others, though living in a declining marquis household, were not so covetous of these treasures.

At most, they were merely curious, broadening their horizons.

After some murmured admiration, Xu Zaijing and the others left the room.

In the courtyard, a servant was sweeping the ground with a broom.

Seeing the young masters, the servant stopped sweeping and stood aside, afraid the dust would disturb the guests.

As they walked on, their eyes casually caught sight of several yellow-and-white specks on the ground.

As they drew closer, Xu Zaijing realized these objects increasingly resembled seeds of a plant from his past life.

He stopped, crouched down, and his eyes widened suddenly.

Noticing Xu Zaijing’s movement, Gu Tingyu turned to look.

“Jing Ge?”

Xu Zaijing picked up the dusty seeds and stared at the servant with an unsettling gaze: “Where did these come from?”

The servant, startled by Xu Zaijing’s expression, bowed hastily:

“Young Master, these fell from a crate that tipped over when we moved the exotic flowers.”

“What’s wrong, Jing Ge?”

Xu Zaijing quickly thought: “Nothing. I just find these little specks yellow-and-white and quite pretty—do you have more?”

“That’s easy—Zhi Que, go ask.”

Xu Zaijing carefully picked up the few seeds and placed them in his palm.

“Corn! Corn—the plant from my past life that yields grain even on barren soil! Corn leaves and husks feed cattle and sheep; stalks and cobs serve as firewood.”

Xu Zaijing opened his palm, revealing the seeds to Gu Tingyu beside him:

“Yu Ge, I wonder what would grow if we planted these seeds in the soil.”

“I’ve never seen such seeds in any text.”

As they spoke, they returned to the outer door of Bai Shi’s room.

Zhi Que ran back, panting, clutching four more seeds:

“Young Master, I searched through the wooden crates holding the exotic flowers—only these few remained.”

“If Jing Ge likes them, take them.”

The group stayed at the Gu household until the Shen hour before taking their leave.

After seeing off the Xu family, Bai Shi and Chang Mama returned to the inner courtyard accompanied by their maids.

“Miss, why does our Lord insist we grow closer to the Xu family?”

“I don’t know, but Father always has a plan. Since that day we attended the Xu family’s banquet, things have indeed become smoother.”

“How is that the Xu family’s doing? You’re the Marquis’s First Lady—your life should naturally be smooth.”

“But in these past years, how many noble families invited me to banquets? How many replied to my invitations? How many times has Lady Yang come to visit?”

“Miss, don’t worry—our Lord is still in Bianjing; he’ll surely arrange things for you.”

“Father is already old, and he still has business to manage in Yangzhou—how can I let him bear such burdens?”

The Gu household’s affairs were set aside for now.

In the Bai family’s residence in the capital,

Lord Bai sat in the seat of honor,

listening to his servant’s report from the Marquis Prefecture.

Beside Lord Bai Bai Wanshu sat the Yuan Daoist; below him stood a sturdy, dark-skinned man.

After the servant finished speaking, Bai Wanshu waved him out.

“Jiu Lang, do you recall those yellow seeds just mentioned?”

The man below sat in silence for a long while, as if recalling something.

The two above did not press him.

After half a watch, the man spoke clearly: “It was somewhere on the southern seas—our ship once encountered a terrifying storm.”

Bai Wanshu said nothing, continuing to listen.

“That was truly a dire situation—waves towering, winds howling. If not for our crew risking their lives to save the mast, our ship would’ve been lost.”

The man’s face showed lingering fear; he drank tea and continued:

“During the rain, it wasn’t just water falling—it was other things too. Fish two feet long rained down onto the deck.”

The Yuan Daoist also looked astonished.

“When the storm passed, our ship was nearly broken apart. Fortunately, our Lord had prepared extra supplies before we sailed—otherwise, disaster was certain.”

Lord Bai, seated above, trembled slightly in his eyes.

Since ancient times, fortune and misfortune are intertwined; even the most auspicious omen demands surviving the trial before its arrival.

His own ship that brought him wealth had faced even greater peril.

The man continued: “On deck, many of these yellow seeds were mixed among the fish. Some were washed into the cabin by rain; others were swept overboard by the crew. Perhaps a few fell into the crates.”

“And those exotic flowers?”

The Yuan Daoist stroked his beard: “They’re not rare plants—just ancient Zhi Bei. But the soft, tightly woven texture sent to the Gu household is uncommon.”

Lord Bai tapped his fingers lightly and glanced at the Daoist: “What’s so special about them?”

“Tell your niece to pay close attention—and send them more gold and silver. Such noble households have plenty of seasoned farmers.”

Lord Bai Bai Wanshu said: “The Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou has already been appointed.”

“Oh?”

“He has some connection to the Xu family. Tomorrow, Minister Sheng will come to pay his respects.”

“Did your niece tell you?”

“Yes. She says the Xu and Sheng families have rekindled ties, no longer severed as before.”

“Good, good. I’ve been friends with the Prefect of Yangzhou for years. With this new ally from the Sheng family, things will only improve.”

(End of Chapter)