Chapter 120: Two Little Followers (Part II)

"Don't cause trouble, you two are not allowed to follow me..."

In a small alley by the side of the road, Ning Yi felt a slight sense of helplessness regarding this sudden turn of events. He shook his head, but the two "little imps" before him were clearly not the type to be brushed off with just a gesture.

"Why not?" This time, it was Zhou Pei who spoke.

"It's a business secret. Do you think I can just talk about it? You'll understand in the future. It’s not what you think it is."

"Then... then what does Teacher intend to do? How can you persuade He Fang?"

"Didn't you see that he wouldn't even meet me? What persuasion is there to talk about?"

"Then... we can find a way to help you meet He Fang..."

Ning Yi narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the child. Zhou Junwu also looked over with a smile, though after a moment, he looked a bit confused: "Uh, is that not allowed?"

Ning Yi laughed: "You two—a little prince and a little princess—are quite bored, aren't you? Why do you care about these things?"

"It's not like that, really. Although we are called a little prince and a little princess, in reality, we are just spendthrifts and playboys; we are quite useless," Zhou Junwu explained. He turned to look at his sister, then looked back and blinked, feeling he had belittled himself too much, so he corrected, "Uh, it’s not that we are useless, it’s just that... our father doesn't manage things either, and we won't have anything to do in the future. My sister and I don't want that. We want to accomplish something great, so we wanted to learn from you, Teacher, how to threaten people—uh, no, I mean, how to negotiate."

"But I have no intention of threatening anyone."

"Ah? Then how will you obtain the imperial merchant status?"

"That is complicated..."

In the alley, the one adult and two children negotiated with each other. After a while, they seemed to have reached some sort of agreement. Ning Yi left the alley and nodded to a guard from the Prince's estate whom he recognized. Shortly after, the two siblings emerged and boarded a carriage, following from a distance. As they rounded the corner, Xue Jin and his companions, who were sitting by a window on the second floor of a nearby teahouse, caught sight of Ning Yi and began to chat and laugh.

What Ning Yi was doing was not the point; it was just that his persistence over the past few days as the manager of the Su family’s main branch, visiting He Fang as if he would not give up until his goal was met, had finally attracted some attention. Fools doing foolish things—sometimes, with enough drive, they might actually succeed. Xue Yan had business elsewhere today and hadn't come, so Xue Jin and the others sat in the teahouse, chatting and guessing whether Ning Yi would be able to get in to see He Fang today, or if, even if he did, he could actually accomplish anything.

...

Who could have expected that the developments of this third day would defy everyone's expectations? Or, in a sense, perhaps it was exactly as expected...

...

"Ha, you're saying he... gave up? Left after only half an hour?" That night, at the Yan Cui Pavilion, Xue Yan, Xue Jin, and the others discussed the amusing events of the afternoon. Xue Jin shook his head with a smile: "Originally, I even made a bet with A-Xiang and the others, saying that since today was the third day, perhaps He Fang would have decided to see him. I bet that he would manage to see Minister He, though he wouldn't be able to do much. I ended up losing five taels of silver. No one expected him to stay for only half an hour and then just leave, without even saying he would return tomorrow. He just gave up like that..."

A cousin beside him also laughed: "The funniest part is, we went to inquire about it later. Minister He already knew about Ning Yi’s visits. Although he felt that a live-in son-in-law like him didn't have much authority, his persistence over the past few days showed genuine sincerity. So, this morning, he had instructed the doorman that if he waited for an hour today and still didn't give up, the doorman should bring him in to hear what he had to say. Who would have thought... haha..."

"A scholar is a scholar, after all," Xue Yan said, shaking his head. "When they want to do something, their ambitions are always sky-high, but they understand nothing, have too many ideas, and are the most headache-inducing people. I imagine Su Tan'er must be troubled at home right now. He’s like Liu Shan—he has talent, so he should just stay home writing poetry and enjoying the scenery. It’s like those poets and lyricists who lament the state of the nation and their own lack of opportunity; they are great at complaining, but if you really let them serve the country, they don't lack the heart, they lack the ability. Hah, mediocrity is mediocrity—all talk and no action..."

Xue Yan paused slightly and then laughed again: "But having such a mediocre person in the Su family is a good thing for us. We should get close to this Ning Liheng in the future. By the way, Jin, if there's a chance, help me invite him. We are all in the weaving trade; business is business, but friendship still matters. Last time here, there was a bit of a dispute, and A-Xia and I were perhaps in the wrong. We should have a meal together, and I will personally apologize to him, hahahaha..."

While Xue Jin, Xue Yan, and others were discussing the afternoon's events, Su Tan'er was not actually troubled by this. The ones who reacted most strongly to the news were the other two branches of the Su family. It was said that Su Zhongkan slammed his table that evening and nearly broke something.

"Absurd! He is just a scholar who understands nothing! If he had kept at it and left a stubborn impression on Minister He, that would be one thing! But what is this! How will Minister He view our Su family from now on! He is... he is simply holding everyone back!" This sentiment spread from the second branch of the Su family. Throughout the night, people in the large mansion were talking about it. Of course, neither the second nor third branch explicitly expressed this attitude to the old patriarch or went to confront Su Tan'er, because the biggest issue at hand was that Su Tan'er really wanted to secure the imperial merchant status, which was a threat to both the second and third branches.

That same night, even Nie Yunzhu and Yuan Jin'er, who had heard the news, were confused. When Ning Yi brought the pair of siblings to eat that afternoon, he seemed completely unaffected. Perhaps at that time, Ning Yi didn't even know that Minister He had been prepared to see him.

"Sigh, Sister Yunzhu, I bet he must be very unhappy tonight."

"I... don't think so. Liheng has a broad mind."

"Even with a broad mind, he would be unhappy... and... it was only half an hour away. It’s a real pity. Why didn't he persist..."

"Maybe he felt that Minister He really didn't want to see him, or maybe that pair of siblings were waiting outside and he was in a hurry to leave..."

"Who are those two siblings anyway? Could they be children he had elsewhere?"

"Nonsense, Liheng is only in his early twenties, how could he have children that old..."

"Maybe he had a child bride before he became a live-in son-in-law..."

Despite their good intentions, their thoughts were not far off. In the current city of Jiangning, the only ones holding a different theory were perhaps those in the Prince Consort's residence on the other side of the city.

"Was he doing it on purpose?" In the pavilion, Kang Xian listened to the siblings' account and was slightly stunned. The siblings had come over after dinner and bathing. By this evening, Kang Xian had already heard that Ning Yi had lost his chance to meet He Fang because he hadn't persisted through the final half-hour of the third day.

Pei nodded. The young girl wore a fresh autumn dress, her face flushed with excitement, as if she had participated in something grand. When they arrived that evening, she and her brother had already guessed many times in the carriage. "Grandfather Prince Consort, why did this Ning Liheng do that?"

"Heh, I can't figure it out either." Kang Xian thought for a while and eventually shook his head in confusion. "He didn't tell you?"

"Mm, he refused to say. Junwu said he could help him meet He Fang, and he immediately refused. This person... he never intended to meet He Fang from the very beginning. What I can't figure out is how he knew He Fang would see him today, so he just left half an hour early."

"He didn't know, but today was the third day..." Kang Xian sighed. "Liheng... he probably calculated the number three. If it were an ordinary person, they would usually persist for three days. After all, He Fang doesn't really refuse to see anyone; he just refuses to discuss imperial merchant business. If he really wanted to see someone, he could, as the Su family is a major weaving merchant.

"He wasn't seen on the first day. If he were to be seen later, it would be to show that he was moved by the man's sincerity, likely waiting until the third day or later. He deliberately pretended to give up halfway, so he chose the third day and left half an hour early. Heh, this guy..."

Kang Xian shook his head and laughed, but his eyes remained puzzled: "But what is his reason for doing this? To leave such an impression on He Fang—how could he still solve the imperial merchant issue? Xiao Pei, Junwu, what else did you say to him?"

"We made a trade," Junwu said with a smile.

"A trade?"

"Mm. He wouldn't let us in and wouldn't let us help. We thought it was strange. We asked him if he could really solve the Su family's crisis because you said he was very capable. He was probably afraid we would cause trouble, but in the end, he said he was working on it, but it would take a long time and things in the business world were unpredictable, so he couldn't tell us exactly what he was doing. We made a trade: we won't cause trouble, but for the next month, we will often go and follow him to see what he is actually doing at the Su family. He eventually agreed, as long as my sister and I don't cause trouble. We plan to disguise ourselves as little shop assistants for the cloth shop, or perhaps pages. I’ll be Page A, and my sister will be Page B. Oh... well, sister, you can be Page A..."

Little Junwu chattered on with innocent sincerity, until he was tapped on the head by his sister and quickly corrected himself. Kang Xian’s gaze narrowed: "You two little imps, because I haven't let you go out lately and have kept you studying in the residence, you did this on purpose, right?"

"Not at all, we just wanted to see for ourselves how capable this teacher you praise so highly really is..."

The little boy was full of sincerity, pulling at his sister's clothes. Zhou Pei nodded quickly: "Yes, Grandfather Prince Consort, if I know he is truly capable, I can willingly accept him as my teacher. You said the problem the Su family is facing is very difficult to handle, and if he can solve it without asking for help, then Junwu and I will admit he is truly capable... We promise not to cause trouble and not to run around."

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm..." The little boy acted like a chick pecking at grain.

Kang Xian squinted at them for a long time before laughing helplessly: "Fine. Everyone has their own field of expertise. If he can't solve it, that is to be expected, but if he really does, you might as well see how he does it. Since he agreed to this, I suppose he won't lead you astray. But remember one thing: once you go out, you are never to leave the sight of Guard Mu and the others. I will also frequently send people to check on you. If there is a single incident, you will both be forbidden from leaving the residence until the city gates open. Understood?"

Four heads nodded vigorously. Then, the siblings looked at each other and smiled. They were finally free.

...

After all, the Su family was one of the three giants of the weaving industry in Jiangning. What Ning Yi had done in these first few days began to spread throughout the weaving industry in Jiangning over the course of a day and a night. Setting aside the impact for now, on the afternoon of the second day, Ning Yi went to Zhuji to meet with Nie Yunzhu, and then they headed toward the Qin residence. This was to fulfill the promise he had made to go and apologize to Elder Qin.

A few days ago, Yunzhu had been looking forward to this; Ning Yi taking her to apologize at the old man's home seemed to carry some sort of symbolic meaning. But today, she didn't feel much excitement or agitation. Because of her conversation with Jin'er last night, she had many other emotions in her heart. Occasionally, she would look at Ning Yi walking ahead, considering some words of comfort or reassurance during their casual, disjointed conversation.

However, in the end, those words remained unspoken.