Chapter 38: Following

Zhou Jianyu saw off Feng Zhu and the other two, then came to the table. Looking at the three items laid out on it, his heart was filled with unease.

After the initial panic came a sigh of relief, but in the end he had left a bad impression before his "master"—whether that boded fortune or disaster, he could not tell.

He thought for a long while, then wrapped up the three items and hid them away. Only then did he call Han Yi in and say, "No one is to enter this room. Wait for me to return."

Han Yi felt the shopkeeper was acting very strangely today, and nodded gloomily. "Very well, shopkeeper."

Zhou Jianyu left the shop and went to an antique pawnshop in the city that he knew well.

"Old Zhao." The moment Zhou Jianyu entered, he called out to the appraiser he knew at the shop.

Old Zhao was a man past fifty, somewhat portly, with half a head of white hair. Seeing Zhou Jianyu, he gave a refined smile and said, "Old Zhou, what brings you to see me?"

Zhou Jianyu paused, then smiled and said, "An old client of mine—the patriarch of his family is celebrating his birthday, and he asked me to help hunt down a few things. So here I am, coming to you."

Hearing this, Old Zhao's face lit up with delight. "Business coming in—good. Tell me, what does your old client want as birthday gifts?"

Zhou Jianyu described the three items, then said, "My old client is no ordinary man. As long as the things can be found, silver is no object."

Old Zhao frowned slightly at first, then looked at Zhou Jianyu and probed half-jokingly, "Old Zhou, can you let slip one thing—your old client must be at least a third-rank official, wouldn't you say?"

Zhou Jianyu was taken aback. "What makes you say that?"

Old Zhao smiled faintly, with an air of inscrutable wisdom. "These three things you describe—you wouldn't be able to learn of them anywhere else. But as it happens, I know. These were tribute goods from the kingdom of Annan, bestowed upon Her Majesty the Empress in the second year of Tianqi. They should be in Kunning Palace now."

Zhou Jianyu's heart shuddered violently. He gritted his teeth and strove to keep his composure, yet his emotions were laid completely bare.

Old Zhao sensed something amiss and asked in confusion, "Old Zhou, what's the matter with you?"

Her Majesty the Empress, Her Majesty the Empress...

Zhou Jianyu's heart roared like towering waves, surging without end.

He had long been guessing how noble his patron could be—never did he imagine there was no nobler height to reach!

Zhou Jianyu's heart was filled with immense panic, and equally immense excitement. He was handling affairs for the Empress—he was the Empress's man, shielded by Her Majesty's protection...

Countless thoughts flashed through Zhou Jianyu's mind, and he could not settle himself at all. Suddenly he stood up, eyes bloodshot as he looked at Old Zhao. "Old Zhao, I have matters to attend to. I'll come another day to treat you to tea. I must be going."

With that, ignoring everything else, he turned and hurried out the door.

"This Old Zhou, what madness has seized him today?" Old Zhao watched with a strange expression as Zhou Jianyu stumbled and staggered out the door.

The moment Zhou Jianyu returned to the back courtyard, he shouted at Han Yi, who was standing guard at the door, "Stand watch at the entrance. Without my permission, no one is to come in." Having said this, he went inside and—slap—shut the door.

Zhou Jianyu carefully took out the three hidden items and laid them on the table. He stared at them blankly for a long while, then suddenly fell to his knees, prostrating himself on the ground as he murmured in a low voice, "Your humble subject Zhou Jianyu kowtows before Her Majesty the Empress. May Her Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

After finishing his obeisance, Zhou Jianyu rose as if a great weight had been lifted, and sat at the table. His mind was still a muddle as he stared fixedly at the three items, not saying a word.

To win the favor of Her Majesty the Empress—that was something earned by burning incense through several lifetimes...

Only when the sky was darkening did Zhou Jianyu stride out of the room with an air of vigor. Looking at Han Yi, who had been standing guard not far from the door the whole time, he smiled and said, "Didn't you want to be a shopkeeper? This time, never mind a mere shopkeeper—even a grand shopkeeper like me, I might just grant you that!"

Han Yi had been on the verge of dozing off, but at these words his whole body jolted. He darted to Zhou Jianyu's front and said urgently, "Shopkeeper, are you telling the truth?"

Zhou Jianyu gave a carefree laugh and tossed two letters over. "Alright then. Here—take these two letters and deliver them."

Han Yi caught the letters but still did not believe it. "Shopkeeper, are you feeling all right today?"

"Scram!"

Zhou Jianyu was in such a splendid mood that he kicked out directly at him.

Han Yi dodged with a twist of his waist, glanced at Zhou Jianyu again, and with a disbelieving chuckle, took the letters and headed outside.

Zhou Jianyu watched Han Yi's retreating figure, narrowed his eyes, and looked up at the sky. He murmured softly to himself, "Boy, from now on, never mind a shopkeeper's post—even my position, I can give you right now if you want it. It all depends on whether you have the ambition."

"Your Highness, do look—do have a taste."

In the courtyard east of the city, Li Deyong took a knife and cut a whole cake of red-and-green alternating pastry on the table into small pieces, handing them to Zhu Xu.

Zhu Xu took a bite—it was refreshing on the palate and whetted the appetite. He nodded with a smile. "Little Li, well done. How long can this be preserved?"

"Your Highness," Li Deyong said, standing before Zhu Xu with an excited face, "this is wrapped in oil paper—it will keep for at least half a month without spoiling."

Zhu Xu's eyes lit up. "Good, well done. Starting today, begin producing it in large quantities and store it up."

Li Deyong's face immediately shone with vigor. "Your Highness, do we have a customer now?"

Zhu Xu smiled mysteriously and wiped his hands. "You'll know in time."

Zhu Xu strolled around the courtyard for a good while longer. Many things could not be accomplished in a short time. Fortunately, no one was keeping watch over him at present. Once he was older and moved into the Ten Princes' Mansion, things would not be so easy—there would be eyes watching from above and below.

Cao Wenzhao had been following him the whole time. Leaving the courtyard, he looked at the sky and sidled up with a mischievous grin. "Your Highness, shall we go see the looks on Zhou Yingqiu and the others' faces?"

Zhu Xu instantly pictured the scene in his mind, then gave a low chuckle and shook his head. "Nothing worth seeing. I still have matters in store for them later."

Hearing this, Cao Wenzhao promptly said, "Your Highness, this matter must be handled by me." He could tell that Zhu Xu had methods in store to teach Zhou Yingqiu and Ni Wenhuan a lesson.

"Very well." Zhu Xu agreed without hesitation.

Cao Wenzhao's expression brightened with excitement for a moment, but then he quickly thought of Wei Liangqing and said hesitantly, "Your Highness, are we truly going to save Wei Zhongxian?"

Zhu Xu also looked at the dimming sky. "We don't need to save him. Madam Ke will surely find a way—their fortunes rise and fall together; she won't let anything happen to Wei Zhongxian. Besides, speaking from the heart, my imperial brother may not truly wish to punish Wei Zhongxian either. Most likely he'll just drag it out."

As for Wei Zhongxian, Zhu Xu believed that Zhu Youxiao himself did not know how to deal with him, and was currently employing the tactic of delay.

Cao Wenzhao nodded thoughtfully as well. The Emperor's relationship with Zhu Youxiao was out of the ordinary. Back then, Zhu Youxiao had not been valued, and had lived a hard life in the palace with his mother, Consort Wang. Wei Zhongxian had served with utmost dedication at that time, and had rendered merit in supporting the Emperor's ascension—surely the Emperor would be reluctant to kill him.

Zhu Xu carried a large box toward the carriage not far away. "Let's go, back to the palace. I'll bring some for my imperial sister-in-law to taste."

Cao Wenzhao immediately brought out the mounting stool and lifted the curtain for Zhu Xu to enter.

Cao Wenzhao drove the carriage, swaying along toward the imperial palace. If they did not return soon, the palace gates would be closed. Lately, Empress Zhang had been keeping a fairly tight watch on Zhu Xu, generally not permitting him to leave the palace. If he did not behave more properly, it might become difficult to leave the palace at all in the future.

"Your Highness, someone is following us."

Suddenly, Cao Wenzhao, up front, turned his head and said in a low voice to Zhu Xu inside the carriage.

Zhu Xu had been dozing off while hugging the box. He snapped to alertness at once, furrowed his brows, and with a solemn expression replied in an equally low voice, "Don't slow down."

Cao Wenzhao understood, and drove the carriage at a steady, unhurried pace toward the palace gates.