Chapter Twenty-Five: Turning the Hand, Clouds Emerge

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"In truth, as we were nearing Jiangning, I already heard people praising your prowess. They said that, in recent days, you’ve so easily taken down the He family, turning your palm to summon clouds and rain, as if possessed of supernatural abilities. Father said that the He family’s supply line was never the most crucial, but they’ve been following the Xue family these past two years—an utterly unchangeable situation. Now that you’ve taken them, the distribution of goods in the surrounding regions for next spring will be twice as flexible, if not more."

As they walked onward, her cousin chatted with Su Tan’er about these matters. Being the daughter of a merchant family herself, married to a husband who now managed the Su household, she was no stranger to such affairs. If an emergency arose, she could almost serve as half a steward herself. Hearing her mention this, Su Tan’er smiled.

"Hong-jie, let’s not talk about this anymore. Even now, we still don’t quite understand why the He family changed their mind. Besides, negotiations are still ongoing these few days—who knows if things are truly settled?"

"It’s settled. When I saw Steward Xi Junyu and Steward Luo just now, they’d come to bring the good news."

After exchanging a few words, the two women entered the courtyard ahead. It wasn’t the residence where Su Tan’er and Ning Yi usually lived, but only separated by a wall. It was used to receive guests connected with Su Tan’er, and sometimes, when urgent matters arose, a few stewards would be summoned here for discussions. As Su Tan’er and Su Danhong entered, Chan’er was in the drawing room holding a tea tray and laughing with two stewards. Upon seeing Su Tan’er, she hurried out to greet her.

Of the two stewards, one was old and one young. The elder, surnamed Luo, was a veteran of the Su family, having apprenticed under Old Master Su in his youth, then worked with Su Boyong, and was later assigned to assist Su Tan’er. Experienced and steady, he was one of her most reliable aides. The younger man, only slightly older than Su Tan’er, was scholarly and handsome, with an air of quiet confidence. His name was Xi Junyu, and he was exceptionally capable in business. Since becoming a steward at the Su residence, he had assisted Su Tan’er in several major deals. It was said that the Wu family had tried to recruit him, but he declined. He was Su Tan’er’s outstanding right-hand man, and it was widely believed that once Su Tan’er was firmly established, Xi Junyu would immediately become a chief steward in his own right—no doubt about it.

Her cousin was familiar with the two men and had already exchanged greetings. They all took their seats in the drawing room. Xi Junyu took out a contract from his sleeve and, smiling, explained the main business at hand to Su Tan’er.

"The deal with the He family is settled. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to go so smoothly; they were quite straightforward. The pricing follows last year’s standard, but with raw silk prices set to rise next year, it means we’re pressing them for half a percent. The contract’s been signed—so it’s done."

"That’s excellent. Steward Xi, Steward Luo, you’ve worked hard."

Xi Junyu shook his head with a broad, open smile. "I can’t take the credit—the success is all yours, Miss. But to speak the truth, if you hadn’t gone in person that day, the He family might have come to us themselves. They’d already begun to suspect the Xue family was planning something, and perhaps it was something you said that made them so amenable this time."

The girl in her silver-white fox-fur cloak looked at the contract and smiled, shaking her head. "I’d guessed as much, but it’s still strange how they suddenly made up their minds."

Xi Junyu laughed, waving his hand. "We’ve been analyzing the Xue family’s moves these past days, and we’ve come to a conclusion. The rumor that the Xue family is going to abandon Luzhou and focus on Shouzhou... heh, it’s almost certainly false. They’ve made some adjustments lately, but nothing major—certainly nothing they’d inform the He family about. Yet He Jun is famous for his caution and sensitivity in business. I only know so much, but Steward Luo would know more."

Steward Luo nodded. "That’s right. In the early days, the He family struggled. There was one time when, fearing risk, they declined a deal worth nearly fifty thousand strings of cash. Everyone mocked them for lacking boldness, but half a year later, those who took the deal were all implicated in trouble. If the He family had accepted, they’d have been bankrupt. That’s He Jun’s character—he’d rather earn less and keep risk to a minimum. That’s why, though they’re not the richest, they’ve always been the steadiest."

The old man chuckled. "But this time, they were overly cautious. If we’d waited a few more days to negotiate, they might have figured things out and the contract would’ve fallen through."

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Xi Junyu continued, "That’s why, when negotiating, I pretended to be ignorant—just eager to settle. I imagine He Jun believes he got the better deal and is secretly pleased. Ha, in a few days, the Xue family will probably be cursing."

The matter was rather amusing—a business deal where each side thought they had outsmarted the other. Imagining the Xue family’s faces when they learned the truth, everyone in the room laughed heartily, though the actual origins of the affair remained a mystery.

After a few laughs, Steward Luo seemed to recall something, his smile fading faster than the others. Su Tan’er noticed and asked him about it. He glanced at Xi Junyu, then at Su Tan’er, hesitating before finally speaking with a subdued smile. "Concerning this deal, I happened to hear something yesterday."

"Oh?"

"I ran into Steward Liu from Jisu Workshop at the tavern in the East Market. We chatted and, naturally, the He family came up."

Hearing the mention of Steward Liu, Su Tan’er nodded. "Yes, he was at the He residence that day, though he left a little earlier with the steward from Xingqing Workshop. Does he know something about this?"

"It’s odd—I’m not sure if it’s true. Yesterday, Steward Liu said that you, Miss, went to the He residence with the young master. After you went out to admire the snow, He Tingguang was rather disrespectful to the young master, with much provocation in his words..."

At this, Su Tan’er frowned. "I didn’t notice that..."

"He’d never dare in front of you, Miss. But the young master is even-tempered—his words were proper and his demeanor unruffled. Though it was only a brief exchange, He Tingguang found no opportunity to take advantage, but he kept on chattering afterward. The young master, however, casually remarked on something—he asked whether the He family’s business was in Shouzhou..."

"Ah..." Su Tan’er was slightly startled, exchanging a confused look with her cousin. Xi Junyu, who had been quietly listening with a smile, narrowed his gaze, shifting his posture without drawing attention.

"As for the specifics," Steward Luo continued, "the young master merely mentioned the Xue family and asked about Shouzhou. He Tingguang mocked him for knowing nothing about the silk and cloth business, saying their business was not in Shouzhou but in Luzhou. The young master then feigned realization, admitting he’d made a mistake. According to Steward Liu, he didn’t seem to be pretending—just mentioning it casually. Yet after he spoke of the Xue family and Shouzhou, He Jun’s expression became very complicated, and he later spoke to his manager. If this is true, perhaps the young master’s unintentional remark is what made the deal possible..."

The room fell silent, save for Chan’er, who stood by with the tea tray, perfectly calm. After a moment, Xi Junyu spoke slowly, "Could it be... the young master saw through it all and did it on purpose?" He watched everyone’s faces as he spoke.

Su Tan’er furrowed her brow more deeply and looked to Steward Luo for guidance. After all, she, her cousin, and Xi Junyu were all around twenty—no matter how capable, they couldn’t match Steward Luo’s decades of experience. But he shook his head.

"I don’t think so. As Junyu just said, the Xue family’s supposed move to swap Shouzhou for Luzhou was itself a fabrication, so there’s no way he could’ve heard it from anyone else. Even if it were true, the whole matter was so secretive that none of us caught on. It was only because the He family was so involved and He Jun so cautious that he even imagined it. I’ve heard the young master never showed much interest in business. He only accompanied you these days and picked up a few stray comments from others. For someone to grasp the situation as an outsider, from mere gossip, and then, at just the right moment, say the one thing that would alert He Jun—such a person would have to be..."

He thought a moment and shook his head. "It’s simply beyond belief."

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Everyone present was well-versed in commerce and knew just how fantastical such a possibility was. If everything had been deliberate from the start, the one responsible would be nothing less than superhuman. Of course, they could never imagine that, in that particular moment, Ning Yi had simply made an offhand, careless remark. After contemplating for a while, Su Tan’er broke into laughter. "If only such coincidences could happen a few more times."

The others joined in her laughter, and, thinking it over, agreed that this was the most sensible explanation. They chatted a while longer, discussing other matters, such as closing the annual accounts and verifying the ledgers. Steward Luo also inquired about Su Yun Song's situation before preparing to leave. It was then that Juan’er came running breathlessly into the snowy courtyard, nearly slipping as she approached.

Clearly, something urgent had happened. Juan’er ran so fast that she clung to the doorpost, gasping for breath, too rushed for formalities. Yet her face bore a smile, though she seemed faintly disappointed as she looked around at those inside. "Miss... Miss Chan, where’s the young master... where is he..."

Dressed all in silver-white, Su Tan’er had already come outside with a smile. Seeing how out of breath Juan’er was, she gently patted her back to soothe her. Only after she’d caught her breath did Su Tan’er laugh and ask, "What is it? If you’re looking for the young master, he’s probably at the library in front, isn’t he? Weren’t the magistrate and the others testing essays today? He should be there."

"No, no..." Juan’er shook her head. "I just came from there. The old master said he wanted the young master to come over..."

"Eh..." Su Tan’er’s expression tightened. "What’s the matter?"

"Maybe he’s finally going to get a scolding," her cousin said with a quiet laugh from behind. She’d heard earlier from Su Tan’er about Ning Yi’s teaching methods—spending half the time chatting and telling stories. Clearly, he was trying to win the children’s hearts. Since ancient times, strict teachers produced outstanding students, and the rod made dutiful sons. With such loose teaching, how much progress could be expected?

Beside her, Juan’er shook her head vigorously, her chest heaving under her lake-green jacket. "No, no... the magistrate said Xiao Heizi and the others are very clever. Miss, it’s not that..."

Some thoughts had already crossed Su Tan’er’s mind many times. Even before Juan’er finished speaking, she was frowning, wondering if she should intervene or simply say that he wasn’t around. After a long moment, as some message finally came through, the little maid was tugging at her, shaking her head with all her might.

"Uh... ah?"

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