After Xue Fenglin returned to his courtyard last night, he secretly sent someone to inquire about Bai Shi's arrangements for Shen Xuan.
Although Bai Shi ostensibly managed the Marquis's estate, Xue Fenglin had fought with her for many years in the mansion, so he naturally had his own servants.
Xue Fenglin's personal attendants, Wuwang and Wuxin, were house-born servants chosen from the Ye family since childhood.
Their entire family's indentures were held by Xue Fenglin and the Ye family, making them absolutely loyal to him.
Xue Fenglin sent Wuwang to gather information, and he soon learned that Bai Shi not only had Shen Xuan stay in an ordinary guest room in the West Courtyard but also treated him with great neglect.
She merely sent people to give him some cloth clothes and silver hairpins, and assigned two low-ranking ger usually assigned to rough cleaning tasks, with no formal rank, to serve him.
One should know that the Xue mansion had countless capable maids and young servants. Although ger were fewer, according to the mansion's rules, those allowed to serve in a master's inner courtyard were generally at least second-rank servants or higher.
However, after some investigation, Xue Fenglin learned that the families of those two ger were not Bai Shi's trusted associates, but just ordinary servants of the Xue mansion.
This suited his intentions, so he didn't replace them, to avoid alerting Bai Shi. Xue Fenglin knew Bai Shi too well; although she intended to use Shen Xuan against him, Shen Xuan was just a country ger with no one to back him up, so Bai Shi wouldn't treat him well.
Everyone believed the shizi disliked Shen Xuan, and Bai Shi also ignored him.
As expected, that very night, due to the masters' attitudes, the servants in the mansion began to Shift with the wind.
Xue Fenglin, who had anticipated this, arranged for his own courtyard's small kitchen to prepare meals for Shen Xuan, then had Wuxin find a way to deliver them daily. It had to be done secretly, without Bai Shi's people knowing.
"From now on, you two will be responsible for Shen ger's daily life in the mansion. You must treat him as a master,"
Xue Fenglin instructed Wuwang and Wuxin carefully. After doing all this, he returned to the Imperial Academy for his studies.
The provincial examination was next spring, and he was determined to pass it in one go and successfully enter officialdom, not letting his agreement with the Second Prince be in vain.
Though he hadn't seen Shen Xuan for half a month, Xue Fenglin genuinely missed him terribly and wished he could see him immediately.
However, the Marquis's mansion was far from as free as Yunshui Village. The more he valued Shen Xuan, the less he could go to him. In truth, Xue Fenglin didn't particularly want to involve Shen Xuan in the intrigues of the Marquis's mansion.
So, after Shen Xuan refused him, he left candidly. He only thought that once he entered officialdom and found his footing, he would quietly support Shen Xuan from behind, letting him remain a simple, happy businessman in Lezhou.
However, fate seemed to have other plans, perhaps a mysterious connection between them. After many twists and turns, Shen Xuan was still brought to the capital by Bai Shi and settled into the Marquis's mansion.
Xue Fenglin closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then picked up a brush and began to draw on white paper. Before long, a handsome ger appeared on the paper.
Judging by the brows and eyes in the painting, who else could it be but Shen Xuan? After finishing the drawing, Xue Fenglin looked at it, feeling it was only seventy percent accurate. Shen Xuan was more captivating when in motion; his every frown and smile was natural and unrestrained, far beyond what merely depicting his features could convey.
He crumpled the drawing paper on the table into a ball, threw it into the nearby bronze basin, ignited a fire starter, and tossed it in. Soon, the portrait was completely burned away.
Xue Fenglin called Wuxin in and opened the doors and windows to air out the room. Xue Fenglin had always been cautious in his dealings within the Marquis's mansion, often burning papers and letters in his study, so his servants were long accustomed to it.
Wuxin carefully served Xue Fenglin until he lay down, and after closing the door, he quietly glanced at his master.
Everyone in the mansion said the shizi was furious about that country ger today, but only he knew how much the shizi secretly cared for that ger. And looking at Xue Fenglin's expression, Wuxin knew he was in a very good mood today.
The next morning, Xue Fenglin returned to the Imperial Academy for his studies. The servants in the Marquis's mansion openly speculated that he had fled back to the Imperial Academy because he didn't want to see ger Shen.
Only Wuwang and Wuxin knew how many things Xue Fenglin had entrusted to them before leaving, and they quickly prepared breakfast and the clothes and ornaments Xue Fenglin had personally selected, sending them over.
However, by noon, the maid who went to deliver food reported that Jingui and Jinzhi had pestered her with many questions.
It was only because she was quick-witted and fast on her feet that they couldn't trick any information out of her.
***
Meanwhile, Jingui and Jinzhi had received Shen Xuan's orders to inquire about the identity of the person delivering meals each day.
However, after their first inquiry, the subsequent deliveries were made by unfamiliar faces they had never seen in the mansion before.
When they asked again, the person claimed to be a young servant hired by an outside restaurant to deliver food.
Jingui secretly followed them out and saw the person indeed leaving the Marquis's mansion through the back gate. Jingui found it very strange and reported the matter to Shen Xuan.
Shen Xuan was silent for a moment before saying, "Forget it, you don't need to press them about their identity anymore."
Since the person sending the items was clearly determined to remain unknown, he probably wouldn't find out by pressing further.
However, having someone look after him in the Xue mansion was indeed very convenient. Although he didn't know the person's true intentions, Shen Xuan was still grateful for the help.
Shen Xuan had left Yunshui Village in a hurry that day and hadn't been able to bid farewell to Shopkeeper Mei of Guiyun Tower.
Now that he had settled in the capital, he decided he needed to give Guiyun Tower an explanation. Staying in the Xue mansion daily, he certainly couldn't make honey scholar tea.
Even if he made it himself, he couldn't send it a thousand miles away to Lezhou. However, since he had promised Guiyun Tower monthly tea deliveries, he couldn't break his word.
The most important thing in business was integrity. If he left the Xue mansion in the future, he might return to business, and he would inevitably have dealings with Guiyun Tower.
Thinking of this, Shen Xuan decided to give the honey scholar tea recipe to Guiyun Tower, considering it a favor.
"I want to go out for a bit," Shen Xuan said to Jingui and Jinzhi, having made up his mind.
"Does Shen Ger need anything?" Jingui asked somewhat puzzled.
"Now that I've settled down, I'm thinking of sending a letter to my friends back home at the posthouse. So they can help me look after the house and not worry about me," Shen Xuan explained.
Shen Xuan couldn't possibly leave without informing Bai Shi. Jingui went to Mama You to report and request approval. Unexpectedly, Mama You directly denied the request and even came over personally.
After sending Jingui and Jinzhi out, Mama You closed the door and said to Shen Xuan, "Shen Ger, it's not that Madam doesn't want you to move around. It's just that you and the Eldest Young Master are not yet married, and the Ye family is naturally eyeing you like a tiger. What if something happens to you if you go out alone? Fortunately, the Mid-Autumn Festival is in three days. The Marquis's mansion will host a night banquet as in previous years, inviting friendly noble families as guests."
"Once Madam introduces you to everyone that day, your status will be openly recognized, and you'll be safe in the capital. After that, if you want to go out, Madam won't stop you."
Shen Xuan found this amusing, thinking that the Ye family might try to attack his reputation, but they would never harm his life.
Otherwise, if something happened to him, the capital would first suspect them, which would be detrimental to them. He knew Mama You was clearly trying to scare him.
Although Bai Shi had already brought him back to the capital and spread the news, she hadn't yet had time to let him meet people.
Bai Shi was afraid that something might go wrong in the meantime. Causing her to miss the opportunity to embarrass the shizi, which was why she wouldn't let him out.
However, despite knowing this internally, Shen Xuan couldn't show it on his face. He still put on a frightened expression and timidly said to Mama You, "Mama makes sense. Then I won't go out for now, but what about the letter..."
"I'll find someone from the mansion who knows how to write to help you," Mama You said "generously."
"Then thank you, Mama You," Shen Xuan said, feigning gratitude, and saw her off.
As expected, a short while later, a maid named Luoluo, who managed the accounts in the mansion, walked over with some paper and ink.
With an impatient look, she said to Shen Xuan, "I am Luoluo, the account-keeping maid. Mama You told me to come help you write a letter. If Shen Ger has anything to say, please tell me quickly."
Shen Xuan, however, put on a troubled expression and said, "I can't think of it all at once. Why don't you leave the paper and brush, and once I've thought it over and drawn it on, I'll call you to write."
Luoluo secretly rolled her eyes, muttering that this country ger was quite demanding. But seeing as he was a guest in the mansion, she couldn't openly refuse. So, she left the paper and brush and departed.
Shen Xuan then dismissed Jingui and Jinzhi. He pulled an item of clothing from his box, took up a brush, and skillfully wrote the secret recipe for honey custard tea on the inside of the garment.
He also added a few simple instructions for Shopkeeper Mei, merely explaining he couldn't continue tea deliveries due to circumstances and was gifting the recipe to Guiyun Tower to keep his word.
Afterward, he took out another piece of paper and casually drew a mule and two tiled houses on it before stopping.
Shen Xuan folded the clothes with the secret recipe, wrapped them in a small cloth pouch, and called Jinzhi and Jingui back in. He quietly counted out half a guan of money and handed it to Jinzhi, saying,
"I have an old piece of clothing here. Later, quietly help me send it to the place I told you. Just say you're sending it yourself, and you can keep the rest of the money."
In those days, sending an item from the capital to Lezhou cost about three hundred wen. Jinzhi would still have two hundred wen left after sending the item.
Jinzhi was astonished that Shen Xuan, a country ger," was so generous. His monthly allowance was only one hundred wen, so he was overjoyed to receive such a good task.
After Jinzhi left, Jingui watched enviously, secretly thinking, Did Shen Ger not give me the good task because I went to Mama You to report his desire to go out earlier?
He pondered it repeatedly and concluded that he must be right. So, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward, saying, "Shen Ger, I shouldn't have reported your desire to go out to Mama You earlier."
"In the future, whatever instructions you have, I will definitely confirm with you first before acting."
Shen Xuan had deliberately intended to test Jingui. Seeing that he was quick-witted, he nodded and said, "Since you've followed me, we are one in this mansion. If I become the shizi's husband in the future, I will also need trusted people."
"It's always necessary to inform Madam about my going out today, so I don't blame you," Shen Xuan paused and continued, "However, from now on, whenever you need to report anything to Mama You, you must tell me first. You can only go if I agree, understood?"
"This servant understands," a drop of sweat trickled down Jingui's forehead. He hadn't expected the usually easygoing Shen Ger to have such a strict side, which was different from what he had imagined, but it made him respect Shen Xuan even more.
Seeing that he had disciplined Jingui enough, Shen Xuan then had him call Luoluo, the maid from earlier. This time, Jingui went obediently and soon brought the maid back.
Shen Xuan then handed her the paper with the mule and houses drawn on it and said, "I have a mottled mule and two tiled houses back home. I'm worried they'll have problems if no one looks after them for too long."
"Please help me send a letter to Old Lady Tian's family in Yunshui Village, near Lezhou City. Ask her to remember to feed my mule and also help me look after my houses, fix the roof, and clear the weeds in the yard."
Luoluo listened to Shen Xuan talk for a long time about rural matters, feeling even more disdain. She casually wrote the letter as he requested, then took it to Mama You.
After Mama You inspected it and found nothing amiss, she had someone send it to the posthouse to be mailed.
When Jinzhi returned, he reported to Shen Xuan about sending the package. Shen Xuan then praised him in front of Jingui.
Seeing this, Jingui recalled what Shen Xuan had told him, and a sense of competitiveness arose within him. After that, he consistently vied with Jinzhi to do tasks, serving Shen Xuan even more meticulously.