“Clang—”
“Clang—”
“Clang—”
The gong struck three times, and the tea whisking match between the Fang and Lin families officially commenced.
Dressed in a pale glaze-colored robe, the head of the Lin family bowed to the left and right before lightly clasping his hands toward Hu Yunshan in a gesture of friendliness. He was not old but had married early; the young eight-year-old gentleman from the tea tasting match was his son. Wang Xiuhe had once told Hu Yunshan that the Lin family head’s tea whisking skills were second only to Fang Zesheng’s from eight years ago. Since the incident with the Fang family and Fang Zesheng’s crippling, the Lin family head had become the preeminent figure among the younger generation of the tea market. Over these eight years, the entire Lin family had grown their wings alongside him, finally gaining the strength to climb to the summit of Mount Yuming and compete with the Four Families.
Wang Xiuhe did not have absolute certainty of winning this match. It would be best if the hermit she recruited won; if not, she would settle for maintaining her current position as falling out of the ranks of the Four Families was strictly forbidden. As for that imperial matter of a hundred thousand piculs, it wouldn’t be her turn this year; once she had secured her footing, her opportunity would come sooner or later.
The Fu family had already unwittingly fallen into her trap. On Second Madam Liu’s side, having once been rendered unconscious with rage by Fu Jingxuan, she was undoubtedly scheming how to exact her revenge. Fu Shangyi, for his part, wore an expression of deep regret; ever since Fu Jingxuan had won the tea tasting match, he had grown absent-minded, often taking a long time to respond even when Old Master Tao addressed him. Caught between consoling his mother and watching his father’s expressions, Fu Jingye was failing on both fronts and had no choice but to vent all of his volatile temper onto the tea master traveling with them this year.
The tea master the Fu family had hired this year was a newcomer, reportedly a direct disciple of Cheng Xiqiu’s younger cousin named Pu Ling. Being young and inexperienced, and having been ordered about by the eldest young master of the Fu family for the past two days, resentment had likely already taken root in his heart. There was no telling what mistakes he might make during the competition.
Cui’er fanned Wang Xiuhe while watching the match, whispering, “Madam is indeed brilliant. You knew the Fu family brought a newcomer for the tea whisking this year and needed extra guidance, so you deliberately let the Second Young Master Fu show his face in public, throwing the Fu family into a mess and leaving them with no heart for business.”
Wang Xiuhe glanced at Liu Ruyan standing opposite and smiled. “The Fu family’s luck has run out. Without Cheng Xiqiu at the helm, I’m afraid they can no longer achieve great things.”
Cui’er followed with a smile, “Others say that Lady Liu has the same level of ability as you, Madam, but I see she is still far behind.”
Wang Xiuhe arched her slender brows and happened to lock eyes with Liu Ruyan. She nodded with a smile; regardless of what she thought internally, she had to maintain a polite facade.
Liu Ruyan’s gaze toward her was quite calm as she pointed toward the match in progress, signaling her to take a quick look.
Wang Xiuhe unhurriedly turned her head toward Hu Yunshan. She watched as he prepared the tea cake, timed the boiling water, whisked the tea, and finally poured it until a layer of thick, white froth; one that did not dissipate for a long time and surfaced on the bowl. Her eyes slowly widened.
Fang… Zesheng?
How is that possible?!
Hu Yunshan’s entire sequence of tea whisking techniques just now actually all originated from the Fang family?! Wang Xiuhe might not be able to distinguish the techniques of other families, but she had watched Fang Zesheng grow up. His precise kettle-lifting technique, as accurate as if measured by a ruler, was something ordinary people simply wouldn’t know how to execute!
Hu Yunshan hadn’t originally whisked tea in this manner; how had he come to master Fang Zesheng’s techniques now?
Lord Song, looking as if he hadn’t witnessed such an exquisite tea whisking match in years, had already stepped up to Hu Yunshan and watched him whisk the tea powder with a silver spoon, his gaze unwavering. The pale green tea powder swirled in the boiling water, each stir varying in the strength of the wrist and fingers. As the tea was whisked, the boiling water had to rise and fall three times, with adjustments made each time to match the precise temperature the tea required. The flow of the water and the speed of the infusion both have a critical impact on the tea; a single misstep means the froth is ruined, and one must start over. The tea whisking match has a time limit with only two chances to restart within an hour. Although Hu Yunshan’s technique was still unrefined, he moved steadily, step by step, and succeeded on his very first attempt.
The thick white froth floating in the night-sky-deep hare-fur bowl slowly dissipated, leaving continuous water marks encircling the inner walls like a magnificent scene of misty waves stretching for miles over a rainy landscape within the vessel.
“Excellent tea! Excellent tea!” Lord Song exclaimed loudly as he looked at the bright, pale tea infusion in the cup. “Truly worthy of the Fang family’s tea-whisking art; every step calculated to such precision! It has truly broadened this old man’s horizons!”
Wang Xiuhe stood frozen in place for a long time, only snapping back to her senses when the cheers of the crowd erupted.
Fu Jingxuan.
It must be Fu Jingxuan!
She searched for Fu Jingxuan’s shadow among the crowd. Second Master Fu made no attempt to conceal himself either; one arm folded while the other propped against his cheek, he had, at some point, shifted from Tao Xianzhi’s side to Hu Ruosong’s. He was currently chatting and laughing animatedly with the head of the Hu family without sparing her so much as a glance.
Sure enough, despite all her calculations, she had overlooked this move. All that talk of not speaking to one another, and their fading passion was nothing more than a trick to deceive her!
She blamed her own momentary carelessness; she had been so focused on using Fu Jingxuan against the Fu family that she forgot he was a drawn, double-edged sword; one best left untouched.
Seeing that Wang Xiuhe still hadn’t moved, Cui’er hurriedly said, “Madam, we won! We should go present the tea to Lord Song.”
“Present the tea?” Wang Xiuhe’s dull eyes shifted as she gave a soft sneer. “By using my hand to present Fang Zesheng’s tea?”
Cui’er was confused: “What do you mean, Madam?”
Wang Xiuhe took out a handkerchief to wipe the light sweat appearing behind her ears and scoffed, “It’s nothing. Let them have their way this once. I want to see what kind of tricks a cripple like Fang Zesheng can play on me.”
There were three days left until the end of the Tea Tasting Convention, and these final three days would be the battle for the top spot among the four families.
Hu Yunshan’s “white froth” shocked everyone, helping the Fang family secure the top position and, by extension, helping Wang Xiuhe clinch the imperial business of a hundred thousand piculs.
As the crowd dispersed, only two figures remained behind the mountain pavilion.
Hu Ruosong stood with his hands behind his back, facing his younger paternal half-brother. “I have already written to Grandmother to inform her of the results from these past few days. Although you relied on the Fang family’s techniques to win the tea whisking match, it cannot be denied that you do possess a measure of talent.”
Hu Yunshan furrowed his brow. “I will defeat everyone using the Hu family’s own techniques sooner or later.”
Hu Ruosong said sternly, “It would be best if you used genuine skills. If Second Master Fu hadn’t stepped in to help you this time, you would have surely turned to underhanded methods again, bringing disgrace upon the Hu family’s name.”
“I…”
“Yunshan, I am not trying to lecture you; I simply want you to know that the reason Grandmother hasn’t allowed you into the family home all these years isn’t because your skills are poor but because your intentions are impure. In the Hu family’s business of tea, the first principle is purity and the second is tranquility. Under no circumstances should you act like a common thief, resorting to deception and fraud.”
Hu Yunshan hadn’t expected Hu Ruosong to know about his plan to use white jade powder for tea whisking. His face turned various shades of pale and flushed; he wanted to defend himself but didn’t know where to start, finally muttering, “Fu Jingxuan didn’t do it to help me. I am merely a pawn in his hand. We are just using each other; it’s not a matter of helping or not helping.”
Hu Ruosong said, “His original intention is not important. If it weren’t for him, you would have surely brought utter shame upon the Hu family’s name.”
Hu Yunshan remained indignantly silent, turning his head away.
Though Hu Ruosong was the elder brother, he found it difficult to discipline him. After a long pause, he asked, “Has Wang Xiuhe’s treatment of you changed?”
Hu Yunshan said, “No, it’s the same as always, as if nothing happened.”
Hu Ruosong pondered for a long moment and then nodded.
“There is one thing I don’t understand.” Hu Yunshan had heard some rumors regarding the Fang family, yet one matter remained a mystery to him. He pulled two sheets of white paper from his robe detailing the Fang family’s tea whisking techniques. The methods written there were exceptionally detailed; anyone with a basic foundation in tea whisking could produce a fine soup simply by following the steps one by one. Hu Yunshan himself possessed decent natural talent, and after practicing the steps on the paper a few times, he had mastered it. He had met with Fu Jingxuan privately several times and knew he understood nothing of tea whisking, so the steps on this paper must have come from the hand of the Fang family head, Fang Zesheng.
“Why would they use my hand to help Wang Xiuhe win? If she wins now, won’t this business of a hundred thousand dan fall entirely into her hands? Once she actually secures this deal, can that figureHead Merchant of the Fang family ever makes a comeback?”
Hu Ruosong glanced at the westering sun and did not answer. How the Fang family intended to play out their chessboard was not something an outsider like him could hope to discern. For now, he only needed to carefully consider whether the business deal Fu Jingxuan mentioned to him two days ago was truly profitable.
The Tea Tasting Convention, which had lasted half a month, finally drew to a close today.
The ranking of the Four Families remained unchanged: the Fang family took the top spot, while the Fu family ended up at the tail end. This current situation differed somewhat from what Wang Xiuhe had envisioned. First, Hu Yunshan had won; second, Fu Shangyi actually had the ability to squeeze out the Lin family and preserve their current position.
After the convention ended, Lord Song was in no hurry to leave. Perhaps the bowl of “white froth” tea presented by Wang Xiuhe had whetted his appetite, for he unexpectedly proposed to visit the Fang residence to see the current Head Merchant of the Fang family. The stewards of the other three families went along as well, each bringing gifts as they followed Wang Xiuhe in a grand procession into the inner courtyard of the Fang mansion.
It had been a long time since the inner courtyard of the Fang house had been this lively. Wang Xiuhe stood at Lord Song’s side, leading the group all the way to the flower hall. Fu Jingxuan lingered lazily at the back of the line, glancing at the courtyard he hadn’t seen for half a month before shifting his gaze toward the study.With the Summer Solstice approaching, the originally dilapidated scenery of the courtyard had already begun to show a spark of new life. The several pots of emerald orchids Fu Jingxuan had brought back from the flower and bird market a while ago had secretly bloomed once while he was away; now, several new buds had sprouted, poised to bloom yet held back, as if waiting for a gentle new rain to knock open the doors to their hearts.
The window of the study was halfway open. If one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t see the person sitting behind it. Fu Jingxuan locked eyes with that person for a long moment, then suddenly gave an ambiguous wink, startling the individual into a flustered panic as they stiffly turned away.
