In the span of a mere blink, ten days slipped by, and Second Madam Liu came for a visit.
She was accompanied by Hu Ruosong, Tao Xianzhi, and Pu Ling; the Fu family’s young tea whisking master. These were all familiar faces; it was hardly surprising that they would stop by the Fang residence for a visit after delivering their tea products.
What was most surprising was that, in addition to them, a prominent figure had also come along: the current Head of the Procurement Bureau.
Lord Zhang Ruiping.
Lord Zhang was a protege of Lord Song Kun, and even his manner of speaking and bearing carried a faint likeness to Lord Song’s. Dressed in a plum-purple official robe, he had clearly come on official business.
Fang Zesheng and Fu Jingxuan had received word early on and went to the main gate together to greet him. As expected, Lord Zhang held an imperial decree passed down from the emperor. He first rewarded their merits by bestowing a thousand taels of gold, then moved on to the main business, proclaiming according to the imperial decree, “Tea matters are tranquil, refined, and elegant. With ‘Auspicious Carved Lotus’ at the forefront, ‘Floating Clouds Emerging from the Mountains,’ ‘Pine Clusters Crane Rain,’ and ‘Sweet Dew Flower Nectar’ are all fragrant teas whose reputations have spread far and wide, drawing endless praise from those beyond our borders. Therefore, the Prince of the Northern Territory has earnestly invited the tea masters of our dynasty to his country for a tea-whisking competition. This time, Fang Zesheng, the Head of the Tea Merchants’s Guild, is specially appointed as the Fragrant Tea Envoy. Within a few days, four tea masters shall be selected to travel to the Northern Territory to demonstrate the wonders of boiling and whisking tea.”
After Lord Zhang finished the proclamation, he looked at the crowd kneeling on the ground and then at Fang Zesheng, who sat in his wheelchair with his head bowed to receive the decree. He smiled and handed the imperial decree to him. “Since Head Merchant Fang suffers from a leg ailment, His Majesty will not require you to go in person. However, you must select several capable individuals from the Four Great Families to go and compete. His Majesty’s verbal instructions were nuanced, describing it as a ‘tea-whisking exchange’, yet he made it clear. This is not merely a matter of sharing skills. You must emerge victorious; and do so brilliantly, to humble the Northern Prince’s pride.”
Fang Zesheng bowed his head to receive the imperial decree, closing his eyes as he held the dragon-patterned silk scroll.
The Fragrant Tea Envoy specially appointed by the emperor, as well as the Chief of the Tea Merchants’ Guild.
This explained why Prefect Feng had been so polite, taking the initiative to return all the leased land.
However, choosing the four individuals to travel to the foreign territories for the tea competition would be difficult; while the other three could be nominated by the heads of each family, what about the Fang family?
If he did not go, who else could go in his place?
Lord Zhang sat in the Fang residence for a short while before departing for the capital, leaving only Tao Xianzhi, Hu Ruosong, and the others to gather in the inner hall to discuss the matter.
“I was wondering why a common reward would warrant Lord Zhang coming in person; it turns out there is this grueling task of being dispatched to the Northern Territory!” Tao Xianzhi sat in his chair while flipping through a map found by the mute uncle. His finger traced the Chuzhou official road upward, crossing mountains, ridges, and rivers. It took him a long while to reach Linhuang Prefecture, a territory belonging to the northern foreign kingdoms. The journey would take at least three months; if they encountered extreme weather like ice and snow, it would take several months more. A round trip would take at least a year.
Hu Ruosong sat beside him while listening to his complaints and smiled. “Brother Xianzhi, if you feel it is a grueling task, you are more than welcome to give the Tao family’s quota to our Hu family. We people of the Hu family do not find it arduous and are willing to do what we can for our great dynasty.”
Tao Xianzhi refused before hurriedly rolling up the map and looking toward Fang Zesheng, who sat in the seat of honor.
“Regarding the selection of the tea masters, what are the Head Merchant’s plans?”
Ever since Fang Zesheng received this imperial decree, he had not uttered a single word. As an elder, Second Madam Liu seated herself beside him, cast a glance at the accompanying Pu Ling, and exhaled a long, weary sigh.
State affairs were not to be trifled with. If the Fu family truly had to dispatch someone, this lowly tea whisking master was the only one capable of the tasks. She had originally wanted Fu Jingye to go; after all, no matter how arduous the journey, he would return gilded with prestige and bring honor to the ancestors. If one achieves a brilliant victory in the tea-whisking competition, who knows what rewards the emperor might bestow. However, Fu Jingye was a total incompetent; not only would he fail to save face, but he might also even lose his head as well.
Utterly exasperated by her own son, Second Madam Liu glanced at Fang Zesheng and followed Tao Xianzhi’s lead, saying, “How about we decide based on the results of the previous Tea Tasting Convention?”
Fang Zesheng remained lost in thought, sitting in complete silence.
The competition results depended solely on each house’s whisking technique. This year’s winners were Pu Ling of the Fu family, Hu Ruosong of the Hu family, a junior personally trained by the Tao family’s cousin, and Hu Yunshan, whom the Wang clan had enlisted on behalf of the Fang family.
As the head of his household, Hu Ruosong obviously could not be away from the Hu family for an extended period. Both Pu Ling and the Tao family’s junior were close in age and skill, so sending them together would be somewhat unsuitable. The Fang family, meanwhile, had no one at all. Apparently, the current emperor was unaware of the Fang family’s current situation, knowing only that they were the head of the four great houses, and had thus appointed Fang Zesheng as the Chief of the Tea Merchant Association, charging him with selecting the tea masters.
Among the four, Pu Ling was unquestionably required to go. If the Hu family had no other suitable candidates, they could temporarily return Hu Yunshan for a few days; after all, matters of state took precedence over personal interests. Hu Yunshan had studied whisking techniques with the Fang family for several days and made great progress, enough to display his skills in the Northern Territory. As for the Tao family, Tao Xianzhi could go by himself. Although Young Master Tao’s tea skills were abysmal; unable to taste or brew, he possessed a rare knack for business. If this journey could secure a trade agreement for the Imperial Family, the standing of the dynasty’s tea merchants would undoubtedly rise even further.
As for the Fang family’s candidate…
Fang Zesheng looked at Fu Jingxuan, then said in a deep voice, “Everyone, give me one night to consider. We will finalize the specific arrangements tomorrow.”
Fu Jingxuan had long noticed that something was wrong with Fang Zesheng; ever since Prefect Feng left that day, he seemed to have anticipated this turn of events. After seeing Tao Xianzhi and the others to the guest rooms, Fu Jingxuan went to the study and sat across from Fang Zesheng.
Fang Zesheng was absentmindedly dividing the lands returned by Prefect Feng. These fields were to be handled by maternal relatives and clansmen for the winter, then leased back to the former tenant farmers once the spring bud-picking season passed next year.
Fu Jingxuan called his name twice, and seeing no response, simply pulled up a chair to sit beside him before snatching the brush from his hand. “What are you thinking about so intently?”
Fang Zesheng’s tightly furrowed brows did not relax; he only shook his head in silence, looking as if he had encountered a monumental difficulty.
Fu Jingxuan smiled. “Did you predict this turn of events long ago?”
Fang Zesheng said, “Close enough. Between Prefect Feng’s reaction that day and the arrival of the foreign envoys in the capital, I did indeed guess some of it.”
Fu Jingxuan asked, “Do you know that Northern Prince?”
Fang Zesheng replied, “I wouldn’t say I know him, but by a stroke of coincidence, I know that he is proficient in the Way of Tea and has always wanted to compete with the tea masters of our dynasty. I imagine he was the one who raised the suggestion to His Majesty this time. After all, you and I are merely small tea merchants; aside from tea matters, we wouldn’t be able to earn much merit in any other field.”
Fu Jingxuan said, “Then what are your plans regarding the candidates?”
At the mention of this, Fang Zesheng fell silent again.
Fu Jingxuan asked, “How old is this Northern Prince?”
Fang Zesheng said, “He should be of our generation.”
“So, we can’t send the elders? Among our peers, Hu Ruosong absolutely cannot go. The Tao family junior and Pu Ling are comparable in skill, so sending just one of them will suffice. Hu Yunshan’s skills have been improving lately, so he could go in his brother’s stead to gain some experience. Tao Xianzhi can also go along; not for anything else, but to feel out the foreigners’ tastes; he might even land a massive business deal.”
Their thoughts aligned perfectly. Fang Zesheng was just about to speak when he heard Fu Jingxuan add, “And count me in. That makes four people, doesn’t it?”
Fang Zesheng said hurriedly, “How can you go?”
“Why can’t I go? Does the foreign tea competition do not have a tasting round?”
“Naturally, it does.”
“If it does, is there any better candidate than me?”
Fang Zesheng furrowed his brows reluctantly, locking eyes with Fu Jingxuan for a long moment. Among their peers, there truly wasn’t a single person who could beat Fu Jingxuan in a tea tasting round. Even Fang Zesheng himself could only manage a draw against him and would occasionally even lose by half a cup.
“In any case… you cannot go.”
“Why?”
Fang Zesheng was uncharacteristically firm. “You just cannot. There is no need for so many reasons.”
Fu Jingxuan laughed out of sheer exasperation. “You can’t find any other candidates, yet you won’t let me go. Are you planning to just admit defeat and lose face for the Imperial Family?”
“Of course not.”
“If not, then you must also give me a proper reason too, right?”
Fang Zesheng endured it for a moment before snapping, “The Northern Territory is freezing; it snows nearly nine months out of the year. You are so sensitive to the cold; if you end up hiding under the covers, refusing to eat or drink, who will look after you!”
Fu Jingxuan blinked. It suddenly occurred to him that the reason Fang Zesheng had been wearing such a deep frown lately was that he was worrying about this. He couldn’t help but smile. “Rather than worrying about that, Head Merchant, you should consider that if I travel to the Northern Territory, I will be apart from you for an entire year.”
That was naturally part of it but compared to the thought of him suffering on the road, the separation was hardly worth mentioning.
“I will consider it for one more night. Perhaps there are other candidates.”
“There is no need to consider; besides me, there is no suitable candidate.” Fu Jingxuan stood up and took him into his arms. “I promise to eat well and dress warmly. I won’t let myself freeze or go hungry.”
Fang Zesheng was still quite reluctant and made a move to push him away, but then he heard Fu Jingxuan say with utmost seriousness, “If I go to the Northern Territory, there is only one thing that will be weighing on my mind.”
Fang Zesheng asked subconsciously, “What is it?”
Fu Jingxuan said, “We’ve been married for some time but have yet to perform the formal wedding rites. Perhaps waiting another month or two would be feasible, but if we wait a whole year, I’m afraid I won’t be able to wait that long.”
Fang Zesheng hadn’t expected him to suddenly bring this up. His earlobes turned crimson as he stammered, “In-in broad daylight… You-you must stop being so… so unrestrained with your speech.”
Fu Jingxuan let out a sudden laugh. He said boldly as he pressed his forehead against the other party’s, “I want to be intimate with you. How about tonight?”
