Chapter 35: He Did It on Purpose

"He didn't have his men seize me? He didn't even beat me up?"

Jiang Nian stood under the eaves of the main hall, watching Wang Ziteng depart with a group of personal guards and Xue Pan, a sigh escaping his lips.

Although the original novel did not describe Wang Ziteng's personality, and this was their first meeting, Jiang Nian had already deduced that Wang was likely an arrogant, perhaps even overbearing, man.

Jiang Nian had expected that his forceful defiance and humiliation would have enraged Wang Ziteng enough to order his guards to arrest him or beat him on the spot.

In fact, he had been deliberately provoking him!

If Wang had arrested him, He Yun would have gone to Prince Zhongyi or perhaps even sought an audience with Emperor Taishun. Either the Prince or the Emperor would have intervened; Wang Ziteng might have faced punishment, would have been forced to release him, and would never have dared to interfere with matters concerning Xue Baochai again.

If Wang had ordered his guards to beat him, Jiang Nian would have allowed a few blows to land before shouting that he was a close associate of Prince Zhongyi. He assumed Wang would have called off his men. Then, he would have had He Yun go to the Prince to report that Wang Ziteng had led troops to trespass on his property and had ordered them to beat him.

If Wang had still refused to stop his men even after he claimed his association with the Prince, he would have screamed that his father was Emperor Taishun! If the Emperor blamed him, he would show his injuries and claim he would have been beaten to death had he not shouted it out. This way, Wang Ziteng would be even more likely to face punishment, and even if the Emperor did not yet acknowledge him as an imperial son, he would likely not punish him severely.

Under any of these three scenarios, Wang Ziteng would likely face retribution—especially in the third case, where the likelihood of punishment was extremely high.

Today, Wang Ziteng had threatened him aggressively, trying to force him to abandon Xue Baochai. Jiang Nian had already resolved to see Wang Ziteng punished and to ensure he never dared to meddle in Xue Baochai's affairs again.

Yet, this was only one of Jiang Nian's goals.

His other goal was to use this incident to draw the attention of Emperor Taishun to his son who had already arrived in the capital; to draw attention to the dilapidated little house where he lived in the East Suburbs; and to show how easily he had been bullied by Wang Ziteng.

In Jiang Nian's view, if he wanted the Emperor to acknowledge him as his son, the first step was to increase his presence in the Emperor's heart.

As it turned out, Wang Ziteng had simply flicked his sleeves and left, neither arresting him nor ordering his guards to strike.

Jiang Nian knew Wang Ziteng would not let the matter rest.

He was not worried about Wang sending men to arrest him; he was worried about Wang sending assassins to kill him in the dark.

It is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the shadows.

Fortunately, he had his "Gold Finger" of luck; surely, he wouldn't be killed by Wang Ziteng just a few months after transmigrating, would he?

Suddenly struck by a thought, Jiang Nian hurriedly hid the twenty thousand taels of silver notes in the lining of an old padded jacket. It belonged to Xiangling, who could not bear to throw it away. Of the twenty thousand taels, ten thousand came from the Xue family, and the other ten thousand had been given to the original owner by Jiang Xuelian on her deathbed.

Jiang Nian did this to prevent his assets from being stolen or looted.

...

As evening approached, the still-bright sunlight bathed the two adjacent, dilapidated little houses.

A carriage slowly approached, its wheels creaking as they ground against the dirt road. It passed the Jiang residence first and then stopped in front of the Qin residence.

The servant driving the carriage pulled back the curtain and helped Qin Ye climb out.

Qin Ye was dressed in somewhat worn official robes; his face was gaunt, his expression weary, and his hair and beard were both streaked with white, showing the clear marks of time.

He brushed the dust off his clothes and walked into the Qin family courtyard.

Qin Keqing and her younger brother, Qin Zhong, greeted him at the inner courtyard gate.

Qin Keqing wore a sky-blue dress, embroidered with delicate flowers at the hem, which made her look all the more charming and moving.

Qin Zhong was still young, slender and delicate, with fine eyebrows, bright eyes, a fair face, and red lips; he was shy and timid, possessing a somewhat feminine grace.

Qin Keqing followed Qin Ye into the main room.

After Qin Ye had changed his clothes and sat down to drink tea, Qin Keqing said, "Father, a new family moved into the house next door today."

Qin Ye was slightly taken aback, then realized, "So that’s it. Just now, passing the gate, I wondered why it was open. I wonder what kind of family they are?"

Qin Keqing smiled sweetly and recounted the situation of the Jiang family. Her voice was gentle, flowing like a clear spring, melodious and pleasant to the ear.

Qin Keqing added, "About half an hour ago, the butler and his wife from next door came over to bring us gifts."

Qin Ye nodded. "Since they have moved in next door, it is only proper etiquette to give us a gift. We must also provide a congratulatory gift in return to maintain good neighborly relations."

Qin Keqing said, "The problem is, the gift they brought is truly too valuable. It is a pair of celadon vases they brought from the South, along with two bottles of the finest tea. This gift must be worth a great deal of silver."

Qin Ye’s eyes widened, his expression filled with surprise. "Is that so? Where are the items?"

Qin Keqing replied, "They are kept in my room; I shall go get them now."

With that, she led Ruizhu to the west wing to retrieve the items.

Qin Ye was a clean and upright official who did not live extravagantly, but as a seventy-year-old official of the fifth rank, he naturally possessed considerable discernment.

He carefully examined the pair of celadon vases. The glaze was as smooth and lustrous as jade, and the landscape paintings on the body were rendered with delicate, minute brushstrokes, conveying a deep and profound artistic conception.

He then carefully inspected and smelled the tea; the color was vivid, and the aroma was elegant and refreshing.

Turning to Qin Keqing, he said, "This gift is indeed too valuable. I estimate the two bottles of tea are worth about twenty taels of silver, and the pair of celadon vases at least two hundred taels! How could you accept such a precious gift?"

Qin Keqing lowered her head and said, "When the butler and his wife came, they saw you were not home, and the woman gave the items to me. Since they were all wrapped up, I couldn't check them in front of them, and I didn't expect them to be so valuable. After I found out, it felt inappropriate to send a servant to return them, as that would show disrespect. If they were to be returned, it should wait until you returned to do it personally."

Qin Ye fell into deep thought.

As a Vice Minister in the Ministry of Works, he held a post where corruption was easy, yet he was an honest man. While he could afford two or three hundred taels, he really did not want to spend such a large sum to buy a return gift for the Jiangs. If he spent that money, the dowry for his beloved adopted daughter, Qin Keqing, would be far too meager when she eventually married.

Seeing Qin Ye frowning in contemplation, Qin Keqing suggested, "Father, I have an idea. Let us keep the two bottles of tea. Since the celadon vases are so valuable, you can return them. You could send over that inkstone you collect. It would serve as both a congratulatory gift and a return for the tea. Although that inkstone is not a famous one like the Duan or She inkstones, it is still worth more than ten taels. An inkstone is one of the Four Treasures of the Study, so gifting it to the young Master Jiang next door would be both elegant and appropriate."

Qin Ye’s brow smoothed as he heard this, and he nodded in approval. "That is an excellent plan."

Immediately, Qin Ye took a servant, carried the pair of celadon vases and the inkstone, and set off for the Jiang residence next door...