Chapter 3: Withholding the Charcoal

Watching Wang Ruofu’s retreating figure, Sheng Hong composed himself before steering the conversation to the main point.

"I wonder, my dear nephew, when do you plan to set off for Bianjing?"

"In reply to Uncle Sheng, I intend to depart after the New Year."

From Yangzhou to Bianjing, the journey by a combination of water and land routes would take no more than a month at the latest.

Sheng Hong nodded. "I have read every essay you have written over the past few years—each one is as smooth as flowing clouds and as precious as pearls. You will surely earn a place on the list in the upcoming imperial examinations."

"However, Bianjing is not like Yangzhou; the social complexities are vast, so you must remain cautious."

Zhao Han bowed respectfully, hands clasped. "Many thanks for your guidance, Uncle Sheng. I shall keep your words close to my heart."

"I have served as an official for decades and have several old friends in Bianjing. Should you encounter any difficulties, you may present my personal calling card to seek their assistance." With that, he ordered Dong Rong to fetch the card he had already prepared.

Zhao Han stepped forward and accepted it with both hands. Sheng Hong stroked his beard and smiled. "Speaking of which, you are at the age to marry. Do you have any young lady in mind?"

Hearing this, Zhao Han was startled. Could it be that the Sheng family was truly considering him?

He smiled faintly and replied, "As the saying goes, one should establish a career before starting a family. I believe it is better to focus on my prospects first."

Sheng Hong raised an eyebrow. "Are you planning to wait until after the examinations to discuss marriage?"

"Indeed. My parents have both passed away, and I have little in the way of family property. Without a scholarly title, I fear I would be unable to uphold my family's status, and more importantly, I would not wish to squander a young lady's youth."

Sheng Hong’s expression softened. These words reminded him of the time when he had gone to the Wang family to propose after achieving success in the imperial examinations, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him.

Behind the embroidered screen, Hualan bit her lower lip, twisting her handkerchief. Through the fine stitches of the screen, she could faintly make out Zhao Han’s features.

"Miss, we should go. If my master sees us, we will certainly be punished," whispered Caizan, her personal maid, tugging at Hualan’s sleeve.

Hualan’s eyelashes fluttered as she replied softly, "It is fine; they cannot see us here. What do you think of this Master Zhao?"

Caizan pondered for a moment. "He appears to be a man of upright character and great ambition. Are you taken with him, Miss?"

"You reckless girl, have you no shame?"

Hualan did not deny Caizan's remark, a faint blush creeping across her porcelain-like cheeks. She decided to find an opportunity to ask Changbai about him in the coming days.

"You are a man of foresight and high aspirations, my nephew. In that case, I shall await your good news."

Sheng Hong chuckled, secretly weighing the options in his heart. He concluded that, compared to Yuan Wenshao, Zhao Han was undoubtedly the superior choice.

He had previously focused only on Yuan Wenshao’s own character, overlooking the rest of the Yuan family. If Lady Zhang was not a person easy to get along with, Hualan would surely suffer if she married into that household. Furthermore, the Sheng family’s status was far below that of the Yuans; should Hualan be wronged in the future, they would be in no position to make a scene at the Yuan residence to demand justice.

However, Sheng Hong did not yet fully reveal his intention to propose a marriage alliance with Zhao Han. After all, he had a short-tempered and impulsive wife at home. This matter required further discussion with Wang Ruofu before a decision could be made.

After giving a few more instructions regarding the journey, Zhao Han saw that the time was growing late and rose to take his leave. Led by Dong Rong, he passed through the corridors and around the folding screens, reaching the gate before long.

"Go carefully, Young Master."

Dong Rong bowed respectfully. Having served Sheng Hong for many years, he could already tell that Zhao Han would, in all likelihood, become the family’s son-in-law.

The walk was quiet. Just as he was about to turn the corner toward his own residence, he encountered a delicate-looking young woman walking toward him, dressed in simple cloth clothes with a wooden hairpin, carrying a bamboo basket on her arm.

The girl’s brows were tightly knit, her eyes rimmed with red, and traces of dried tears still stained her cheeks. The blue stone path was uneven from years of wear, and she accidentally tripped over a raised edge, stumbling forward.

Zhao Han frowned, suddenly recalling that this appeared to be Liu Xiaodie, a maid serving Concubine Wei. He quickly stepped forward and caught her.

Once Xiaodie regained her footing, she thanked him repeatedly, not forgetting to check if the charcoal in her basket had shattered.

"Are you a maid from the Sheng household?"

Xiaodie raised her clear, autumn-water eyes, looking puzzled. "Yes, I serve a concubine in the manor. How did you know, sir?"

Zhao Han smiled lightly. "I have just come from the Sheng residence, and your attire is very similar to the maids there." He cast his gaze upon the basket. "It is growing late. Where are you taking that charcoal?"

Facing Zhao Han’s question, Xiaodie pursed her lips. She feared both losing face for the Sheng household and being mistaken for a thieving servant. After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her head. "I am planning to sell this cooking charcoal to exchange it for some high-quality charcoal to take back to the manor."

Zhao Han knew that the lives of Concubine Wei and Minglan were currently quite difficult. He sighed softly and shook his head intentionally. "The Sheng family in Yangzhou is known as a scholarly, prestigious household. I did not expect their circumstances to be so dire."

"No, no, it is not like that," Xiaodie quickly refuted.

"Then why must a servant like you be the one to exchange charcoal to bring back?"

Looking at the handsome young man in the brocade robe, Xiaodie, who had been bottling up her frustration, hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and saying, "To tell you the truth, the kitchen matrons are withholding the charcoal for our courtyard."

"We were allocated eight pounds of charcoal daily, but now we only receive four pounds every three or five days. It is freezing cold, my mistress is pregnant, and the young lady is still just a child."

"I went to demand the charcoal today, but the matrons gave me the lowest grade of fuel, which fills the entire room with smoke when burned. I had no choice but to resort to this."

"Thank you, sir, for your help just now. If the charcoal had shattered, I fear I wouldn't have been able to exchange it for even a single pound of quality fuel."

The Sheng family had a long-standing tradition of favoring concubines over wives. Sheng Hong had always doted on his concubine, Lin Qingshuang, going so far as to hand over the management of the household to her, causing Wang Ruofu to lose all face and become a laughingstock among the official families in Yangzhou.

Concubine Wei had originally been purchased by Wang Ruofu to counter Concubine Lin, and now that she was pregnant, Lin Qingshuang feared that the birth of a son would diminish Sheng Hong’s affection for her. Thus, she instructed the head matrons to withhold food and resources from Concubine Wei.

Zhao Han’s gaze darkened. He did not want to see Xiaodie framed by Lin Qingshuang and driven out of the manor for trying to exchange charcoal, nor did he want to see Concubine Wei suffer a tragedy during her pregnancy.

He said softly, "With the end of the year approaching, Magistrate Sheng is busy with many affairs and likely cannot attend to the matters of the inner courtyard."

"A pound of charcoal will not last long. I have some silver here; take it and buy more fuel."

With that, Changqing, who had been following behind him, took twenty taels of silver from his sleeve and offered them to Xiaodie.

"I am a stranger to you, sir; how can I accept so much silver? If my mistress finds out, she will surely blame me." Xiaodie waved her hands in refusal. Her monthly allowance was only five hundred copper coins, and Concubine Wei received only two taels, which was often skimmed by malicious servants.

"As you said, your mistress is pregnant and the young lady is young. What will happen if they fall ill from the cold due to a lack of fuel?"

"If you truly feel uneasy, you can return it to me once your finances are more stable."

Changqing added, "My master is the kindest of men. You should accept this to resolve your immediate crisis."