Chapter 6: The Young Master

The fine rain whispered softly, quietly falling upon the silent courtyard.
Ye Jingtang’s room was extremely humble, and the continuous night rain only worsened his already difficult situation.
He opened his oil-paper umbrella to shield the leak in the roof, cradled his long knife, and lay down, glancing sideways—Birdie’s fluffy figure sprawled awkwardly beside the pillow, sleeping in a rather unbecoming posture.
Though this little creature was usually mischievous, it never neglected its duties when trained for "standing guard and scouting."
During their past escort missions, Birdie had always been responsible for vigilance, never making a single mistake.
But now, with only the two of them left, it would be too harsh to make Birdie work around the clock. So when Ye Jingtang woke in the middle of the night, he took over Birdie’s post to let it rest.
In this era, there were no nighttime amusements; the surroundings were pitch-black, and lying alone in bed inevitably bred loneliness.
In the prime of youth and having trained in martial arts for years, Ye Jingtang found himself longing for the warmth of a woman.
Not long after lying down, images of Shao Xiangjun standing by the window, the enticing curve of her collar, surfaced involuntarily in his mind...
Half asleep, half awake, faint voices pierced through the rain and reached his ears:
“Huh? Who’s living here? They must be so poor.”
“Maybe they’re students coming to the capital for exams, too poor to stay at inns, so they’re sheltering from the rain here... Yunli, let’s go...”
Ye Jingtang snapped back to attention, focusing sharply—the voices came from the alley entrance, seemingly from the rooftop.
They sounded like two women, one with a youthful voice, no older than eighteen; the other’s voice was mature, age indeterminate, but from the tone, they appeared to be mother and daughter.
Clutching his knife, Ye Jingtang waited silently until the voices faded, leaving only the sound of raindrops hitting the bamboo hat, receding into the distance.
They were evidently passing travelers from the martial world.
Ye Jingtang understood then, realizing the source of the hair he had found while tidying his bed earlier.
The Shuanggui Alley was remote and seldom visited, a good hiding place; it was no surprise that wanderers of the martial world chose it as a refuge.
Since these two had left and the chance of encountering others was slim, Ye Jingtang decided not to change his lodging.
This disturbance naturally put an end to his earlier fantasies.
Wiping his face and setting aside distracting thoughts, feeling restless, Ye Jingtang rose and took up a broom to practice the spear technique of the "Red God of Wealth" inside the room.
After half an hour of diligent practice, dawn gradually broke.
He tidied his attire, donned a raincoat and bamboo hat, hid the still-sleeping Birdie beneath the coat, and led his horse out of the alley.
It was just dawn, still raining, and the streets were nearly deserted.
After eating a basket of meat buns, Ye Jingtang walked just over two miles along the street until he reached Tianshui Bridge.
The area around Tianshui Bridge was the Shao family’s business district, bustling with shops—rice merchants, cloth stores, escort agencies, taverns—all had opened for the day.
He approached the Zhenyuan Escort Agency, intending to greet the bodyguards who were washing up, but caught sight from the corner of his eye of a maid holding an oil-paper umbrella in a nearby alley—the same maid from yesterday belonging to Third Madam.
"Young Master Ye, you’re here so early?"
Ye Jingtang was surprised, approaching with his horse:
"Just came to see. What are you waiting for here?"
"Last night, Head Escort Yang said you wanted to find something to do at home. Third Madam is waiting for you there. Come, I’ll take you."
The maid, Xiuhe, took the reins and tried to pick up Birdie.
But half-awake, Birdie glanced at the fold of her dress... utterly uninterested.
Ye Jingtang handed Birdie over and followed Xiuhe deep into the lane.
The entire alley was enclosed by the walls of a single household, with buildings arranged in an orderly manner, clearly the residence of a wealthy family.
However, merchant families were usually low-key; the gate was not grand, just a high wall and a small door, with a lantern bearing the character "Shao."
Following Xiuhe inside, Ye Jingtang had just turned past the screen wall when a cluster of maids poked their heads around the corner of the corridor, curiously eyeing him and whispering:
"This must be Young Master Ye, right?"
"Yes, not only handsome but highly skilled. Yesterday, I saw him knock down Head Escort Chen with a single move on the street."
"Compared to the eldest young master, it’s like night and day..."
"No, I heard from Sister Xiuhe that Young Master Ye is older. In the future, the eldest will have to call him the second young master..."
Hearing this, Ye Jingtang asked Xiuhe a few questions and learned that his "uncle," Shao Yuanming, had died in a business accident, leaving behind only a son, Shao Luo, the sole heir currently studying at the academy. There were no other male heirs in the family.
As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the Shao residence’s main hall.
Shao Xiangjun was already waiting there, not alone—opposite her sat two men in their fifties, brows furrowed as if discussing a thorny issue:
"Such scoundrels aren’t worth our attention..."
"Indeed, if we give them an inch, they’ll take a mile..."
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang stopped in the corridor, waiting for Shao Xiangjun to finish.
However, the Shao family had been forewarned of his arrival; the two elders rose and bowed from afar upon seeing him:
"Young Master Jingtang."
Though reluctant to admit his status as a Shao family young master, he was the adopted son of Shao Yuanfeng, so he nodded in return:
"No need for formalities. Third Madam, who are these two?"
"They are the family’s chief stewards, longtime servants."
Shao Xiangjun wiped the worry from her face:
"You may leave now."
"Yes."
The two stewards took their leave.
At the sight of their busty lady, Birdie’s sleepiness vanished instantly. Flapping its small wings, it flew to land on Shao Xiangjun’s lap, looking up with shiny black eyes in a charming plea.
Yet its view was blocked by her collar.
Birdie tilted its head, curiously jumped, and nudged with its head.
With two soft thuds, the collar wobbled slightly, revealing an alluring glimpse.
Shao Xiangjun hurriedly restrained Birdie, holding it close while feeding it melon seeds and scolding gently:
"How can you be so naughty?"
Ye Jingtang seemed oblivious to the scene. He took a seat at the tea pavilion and asked:
"Third Madam and the stewards seem troubled. What’s the matter with the shops?"
Shao Xiangjun sighed deeply, resembling a melancholic Lin Daiyu from a classic tale:
"Business is never smooth. With no male head of the household, those local ruffians see only orphans and widows here and think we’re easy to bully. They frequently stir up trouble..."
"Oh?"
Ye Jingtang frowned, sitting opposite her:
"What kind of trouble?"
"The thugs at Jiang’an Wharf demand 'tribute' from businesses at Tianshui Bridge. The Shao family conducts legitimate trade under the emperor’s gaze, so we refuse to bow. As a result, these people cause disturbances every few days—complaining today that the vegetables made them sick, tomorrow claiming the cloth is substandard. They make a fuss all day, crippling business."
Ye Jingtang understood well; having worked in an escort agency, he was familiar with such matters:
"Does the Shao family have no ties with the government? Or do these troublemakers have powerful backing?"
"They belong to the Qinglian Gang at Jiang’an Wharf, colluding somewhat with officials. Businesspeople like us build relations with the authorities with real gold and silver, so it’s not worth calling in favors over petty disputes. We have to handle it ourselves. As you saw, even Head Escort Chen is powerless; it’s just a stalemate."
Shao Xiangjun rested her forehead on her hand, casting a plaintive look at Ye Jingtang:
"They only disrupt business but dare not cause real harm in the capital. The mistress endures some grievances; it will pass. You needn’t worry..."
Her plaintive look was almost a silent plea.
Ye Jingtang naturally understood and stood:
"I’ll take a look. Hmm... I’ve just arrived in the capital and don’t have connections yet. Once this is settled, I’ll work as an escort for the Shao family. You can decide my wages, Third Madam..."
Having discussed this with Ye Jingtang the previous night, Shao Xiangjun said no more and rose to straighten his collar:
"A man wants to be self-reliant; I won’t force silver upon you. But when you go out, you should do so as the Shao family’s second young master. You’re your second brother’s adopted son; if you go as a hired escort, people will gossip."
Leaning close, her fragrance enveloped him. Already beautiful, she had applied vermilion rouge; her slightly parted lips revealed pearly teeth, and her gentle, mature charm was like a weapon aimed straight at a young man’s heart.
Ye Jingtang’s resolve was decent, but faced with her tender assault, he staggered back a step, straightening his own clothes:
"Understood. I’ll go handle things now."
"Change your clothes; you look nothing like a scion of a wealthy family in that outfit. Xiuhe, take the young master to change and notify Chen Biao and the others to prepare to depart."
"Yes..."
Soon after, outside the Shao family gates, old head escort Yang Chao waited by the carriage with two bodyguards.
Chen Biao had also brought two men, chatting casually with Yang Chao:
"The leader of the Qinglian Gang is your relative, Yang Guan, trained by a master. Have you heard of the ‘Three Immortal Sages’?"
"The Three Immortal Sages Guang Hanlin? The martial world master who once gave a cryptic tip at Fengguan City?"
"Exactly."
A young bodyguard behind Yang Chao, Xiao Liuzi, asked curiously:
"Is a single tip worth bragging about? Is a martial world master really so cheap?"
"What do you know?"
Yang Chao stroked his beard and explained:
"Fengguan City is undisputedly the best in the world. Once a master emerges there, none can rival him in the martial world. Seeing this master even once is a privilege for the top heroes..."
As they spoke, the maids’ chattering came from inside:
"Wow..."
"Young master, walk slower..."
Several bodyguards glanced back to see a figure hastily emerge from behind the screen wall, holding an umbrella.
He wore a black brocade robe, inner and outer garments both black, made from priceless Shuiyun brocade. As he moved, the hem flowed like water and clouds, the silky texture visible to the eye, faintly shimmering with a dark golden hue in the light.
His long hair was neatly tied with a jet-black jade hairpin, exuding an immaculate, refined elegance. The only discord was the knife he carried in his hand.
Bodyguard Liuzi didn’t recognize him at first; even old Yang Chao was taken aback and scrutinized:
"Young master, your attire is truly extraordinary. If you said you were a prince incognito, no one would doubt it."
Ye Jingtang quickly stepped out and jumped into the carriage:
"Let’s go. These women, sigh..."
As he spoke, a group of maids hurried out, peeking around the screen wall, almost asking if they needed to accompany him.
Chen Biao chuckled and climbed into the carriage, sitting outside the compartment to drive:
"Young master, mind your words. It wouldn’t do if the ladies overheard."
"Indeed, dressed like that, you should carry a fan, not a knife."
Amid their laughter, six horses pulled the carriage out of Shiqi Lane...