Chapter Forty
Qi Xiao stayed at Fenghua Palace until the si hour before he finally managed to leave. With no official duties ahead, he went directly to the Lingnan Prince's residence.
By now, everyone in the imperial capital believed that Qi Xiao and Bai Ren had grown close because of Roujia and the He's household's marriage arrangements. Thus, their relationship had cleared official channels, and their interactions were no longer as secretive as at the beginning. As Qi Xiao put it, the more proper and open they were, the less gossip would circulate.
Qi Xiao didn't send word ahead of his arrival. When he reached the Lingnan Prince's residence, the doormen were startled to see him. Qi Xiao helped himself out of the sedan chair, smiled faintly, and said, "I came to see your young lord. No need to announce me—I'll find him myself."
The servants were all on edge. Qi Xiao's last visit, when he had purged the entire Lingnan residence from top to bottom, was still fresh in their memories. They all thought this Yama was back to cause trouble for them. Trembling with fear, none dared to speak up when told not to announce his arrival. They stood properly at attention.
Knowing that Bai Ren was in the account room, Qi Xiao didn't need anyone to show him the way. He adjusted his fox-fur cloak and carried his hand warmer as he made his way there.
In the account room, Bai Ren sat at the desk listening to the old steward go through the month's accounts item by item. The steward's expression was grim. He forced a bitter smile and said, "There are plenty of good things in the storeroom, but... we can't exactly sell those off, can we? The day before yesterday, I took the liberty of exchanging one hundred taels' worth of gold ingot-like ornaments from the treasury for one thousand taels of silver. Only then did we manage to cover the losses from these past few days. We've just reached Little New Year, and there are still so many expenses ahead. But there's nothing left in our treasury we can exchange for cash. Your Highness, this..."
Bai Ren examined the account book carefully. When he had first arrived in the capital, he had spent a fortune investigating matters concerning Roujia. What remained had been used up by now, and the household's accounts had outflows but no inflows. He held no official position, so he had no salary and received no "gifts" of tribute. Even his five-hundred-household fief still belonged to Lingnan. The Lingnan Prince's residence here had no estates. Such a grand mansion, yet it had absolutely no source of income. When he came to the capital, the Lingnan Prince had only given him ten thousand taels of silver. Though there was also what the Princess Consort had given him privately and what he had saved over the years, after more than half a year, it was almost all spent.
The capital was different from Lingnan. There were far too many ceremonial gift exchanges during the holidays. Though it was rare that Bai Ren, who had never handled such affairs before, managed everything properly, even the most capable cook couldn't make a meal without rice. Here it was, the end of the year, and they were out of money.
Bai Ren flipped directly to the last page of the account book. Everything sent from Lingnan half a month ago was recorded clearly—furs, fabrics, toys—but no banknotes.
Knowing full well that year-end was precisely when money was needed, they had sent nothing more than these trivial items. Bai Ren didn't need to think to know whose idea this was.
Bai Ren closed the account book, pressed his lips together, and after a long moment said, "I just remembered—there are still a set of gold lamps in the treasury. They have no pattern that violates regulations, so they can be pawned. I recall that set of goldware weighs several dozen taels. The quality isn't great, but it should fetch five hundred taels of silver. Pawn them."
The old steward looked at Bai Ren's youthful face and couldn't help but feel heartache. Here they were, approaching the New Year, and the old man was moved by the scene. He couldn't hold back the tears welling in his eyes. "The Princess Consort is thousands of miles away and can't see this. If she knew our young lord was suffering like this here, her heart would break..."
Bai Ren paused, then laughed helplessly and said, "Don't say such things..."
Bai Ren actually didn't think it was a big deal. He was used to hardship. This bit of suffering was nothing compared to the anxiety he had felt when he thought Roujia was going to marry Qi Xiao. It was just living a bit more straitened. Worst case, he could swallow his pride, stop rewarding the servants, and敷衍了事 with the New Year gift exchanges. After all, it was the entire Lingnan Prince's residence that would lose face, not just him. If his father wouldn't consider his situation, he saw no reason to grit his teeth to maintain appearances for others.
But hearing the old steward say that, Bai Ren couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. It was New Year's, and he wondered how his mother and sister were doing.
When Qi Xiao walked into the account room, he happened to overhear the steward's words. He raised an eyebrow and said, "What hardship is the young lord suffering now?"
Bai Ren froze, then stood up and frowned toward the door. "Why didn't anyone announce the Crown Prince's arrival?"
"Don't blame them. I wanted to surprise you." Qi Xiao walked closer, took the account book, and flipped through it. When he saw the final balance, he burst out laughing. "Where's all the silver from your residence?"
Bai Ren didn't want to lose face in front of Qi Xiao. He took the account book back. "It's not there. That's not the main ledger."
Qi Xiao didn't believe a word of it. He turned to look at the old steward. "Your residence has only him as master, with limited expenses on food and clothing. How could there be nothing left?"
The old steward glanced at Bai Ren. After weighing his options internally, he pretended not to see Bai Ren's warning look and lowered his head. "Our young lord's spending truly isn't large, but we keep spending without any income. At year's end, the ceremonial gift exchanges alone are a huge sum. And we haven't even counted the money needed to reward everyone in the residence for New Year. Those are still the minor expenses. After the New Year, when the princess arrives—if there's still no income, then..."
Qi Xiao looked at Bai Ren's expression, then thought of the words he had just overheard. Understanding dawned—this must be another instance of that concubine from Lingnan giving Bai Ren a hard time.
Qi Xiao casually set the account book aside and turned to the servant who had accompanied him. "Go back to the residence and have them send five thousand taels of silver over."
Before Bai Ren could speak, Qi Xiao smiled first. "Don't argue. Can you conjure silver out of thin air?"
Bai Ren was speechless. The old steward's heart leaped with joy. He expressed profuse gratitude, and Qi Xiao smiled. "In the future, if you need anything, just come to my residence and say so. Your young lord here has thin skin. You should help him manage these things better."
The old steward never expected Qi Xiao to be so approachable in private. He left with countless thanks.
Qi Xiao smiled at Bai Ren. "Alright, that's settled. Won't you invite me to the warm pavilion for some hot tea, young lord?"
Bai Ren's face flushed faintly with shame. He bit his lip and said nothing. Qi Xiao knew he couldn't get over the embarrassment. Smiling, he said, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Come here. I have something important to tell you."
Bai Ren nodded and followed Qi Xiao to the front hall. Once inside the warm pavilion, Qi Xiao dismissed everyone. Smiling at Bai Ren, he said, "It's Little New Year. You rewarded all those servants until your treasury ran empty. Shouldn't you reward me with something too?"
Bai Ren was still thinking about what had happened earlier. After hesitating, he said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for helping me in my urgent time of need. I... I'll have them send my fief income from Lingnan next year..."
Qi Xiao couldn't help but laugh. "Your fief? How much is that?"
Bai Ren knew Qi Xiao wasn't mocking him. He lowered his voice. "There's some."
Qi Xiao gave a sardonic smile. "For that bit of silver, I'd advise you not to even bring it up. You might as well let that concubine of yours keep it to buy medicine... Don't change the subject. I'm asking you—did you prepare something for me?"
Bai Ren was stunned. After thinking, he turned and went into the inner chamber. After a while, he came back with a half-old gold-lacquered carved wooden box and handed it to Qi Xiao. "This... this is what my mother gave me before I came to the capital. It's not an antique, but it's something. If Your Highness doesn't嫌弃, please accept it."
Qi Xiao had only been teasing Bai Ren. He hadn't expected him to take it seriously. But since the man had already offered the gift, whatever it was, he had to accept it. Qi Xiao opened the box. Inside lay a piece of green jade bi disc. The jade was of excellent quality, warm to the touch. Dense Sanskrit characters were carved on its surface—neither quite words nor quite images. Qi Xiao didn't recognize them, but he supposed they were something like characters for wealth and good fortune. Smiling, he said, "When I get back, I'll have someone string it with a tassel and wear it."
Bai Ren seemed to want to say something but held back. After a long moment, he nodded. "This brings peace and safety. Your Highness... please wear it."
Qi Xiao smiled. He stood and moved to sit beside Bai Ren. Softly laughing, he said, "You gave me such a grand gift—don't you want to ask what I prepared for you?"
Bai Ren looked at Qi Xiao. Knowing he wasn't the type to joke around, he stopped teasing him. Smiling, he took a letter from his breast pocket and handed it over. "Read it yourself."
Bai Ren took the letter. The moment he saw it, his eyes suddenly reddened. On the envelope were four characters: *To My Son, To Be Opened by Himself*—this was unmistakably the handwriting of the Lingnan Princess Consort!
Bai Ren's hands trembled slightly. He pressed his lips together and carefully opened the envelope, afraid of tearing the letter inside. He slowly took out the paper and read it word by word.
Qi Xiao watched with a pang in his heart. He sighed softly. "According to the people who went to Lingnan, the Princess Consort is doing well now. Princess Roujia has gotten engaged, and because of the First Princess's face, the Lingnan Prince has been much kinder to the princess. Because of that, your mother has been faring much better in the residence as well."
"This letter was brought back by the First Princess's people when they delivered New Year gifts to the Princess Consort and the princess. If you ever miss your mother, I'll just ask the First Princess to send someone to visit again." Qi Xiao smiled affectionately. "Your father won't know about any of this. If there's anything you want to say, you can write freely."
Bai Ren read the letter over and over, several times. He held back the tears with all his might and said in a hoarse voice, "Th-Thank you... Your Highness..."
Qi Xiao suddenly remembered the steward's words from earlier. Softly, he advised, "Things like what happened just now—just tell me directly, openly. You know that money is never something I lack. If you just say the word, I can handle it for you right away. Why not take the help? Even though I like to tease you, you know in your heart that I truly take your affairs to heart, don't you?"
Bai Ren nodded, eyes red. Qi Xiao smiled. "So, if only for your mother's peace of mind, you should be more obedient. When you suffer injustice in the future, just think of your mother. For every bit of suffering you endure, she will worry three times as much for you..."
Bai Ren was afraid that if he opened his mouth, his voice would crack. He pressed his lips tightly shut and simply nodded. Qi Xiao sighed gently. "Alright... don't be sad. Crying during New Year brings bad luck."
Bai Ren nodded and let out a long breath. "Th-Thank you, Your Highness."
Qi Xiao took Bai Ren's hand and squeezed it. Softly laughing, he said, "How do you intend to thank me?"
Bai Ren froze. He didn't know what he was thinking, but his face flushed slightly. Fighting down his embarrassment, he gripped Qi Xiao's clothing, leaned in close, and kissed Qi Xiao on the lips. Their lips met and parted in an instant. Qi Xiao pulled him around the waist, not letting him escape, and laughed lightly. "Today is Little New Year. I'm bored all alone in my residence. Why don't you come keep me company? Consider it your thank-you gift. How about it?"
The two were extremely close. When Qi Xiao spoke like this, his breath would brush against Bai Ren's face. Bai Ren's cheeks flushed red. After a pause, he nodded.