The two stayed that way with one lying down, the other sitting and locked in a long stalemate.
It was not until Fu Jingxuan opened one eye that Fang Zesheng hurriedly withdrew his hand and sat upright in his wheelchair, no longer looking at him.
Knowing when to stop, Second Master Fu took out a silver water flask hidden under the quilt, tossed it aside, and began discussing serious matters with Fang Zesheng. “Do you have a comprehensive plan?”
Fang Zesheng said, “No. I’ve merely been waiting for the moment she steps into the tea market.”
Fu Jingxuan nodded, having already guessed some of it. His chess game with Fang Zesheng that day had been nothing more than a bluff to test his theory; he suspected that Fang Zesheng’s current demeanor was the result of years of restraint, and that he had never truly abandoned the Fang family business.
Who would have thought the bluff would be ninety-nine percent successful? Not only did he draw out Fang Zesheng’s intentions, but he also managed to get himself entangled in the process as well.
“So, what are the plans now?” Fu Jingxuan leaned back on the bed in a good mood. Seeing that Fang Zesheng had finally spared him a glance, he arched an eyebrow.
Fang Zesheng gazed at him for a long moment before finally closing his eyes. When they opened again, the faint traces of emotion were gone, replaced entirely by a look of clear-headed composure.
“The key lies in who she intends to invite this time.”
Fu Jingxuan said, “She doesn’t come from a high-status background and has relied on your Fang family for years. Even if she could invite a high-ranking official, it would have to be someone connected through your family’s side as well.”
Fang Zesheng said, “The prefect of Chuzhou is surnamed Feng; he has a distant relative by marriage surnamed Li.”
“Li? There seems to be an official surnamed Li within the current Department of State Affairs. Could it be him?”
“No. Lord Li is an official of the Ministry of Personnel. Even if he enjoys a few cups of tea in his leisure time, he cannot manage matters of great importance.”
“Could it be someone from the Ministry of Revenue?”
Fang Zesheng shook his head.
Fu Jingxuan said, “It couldn’t truly be a member of the imperial family or a relative of the emperor, could it?”
Fang Zesheng said, “The rank of the person coming is not what’s important. What matters is whether this person can help her gain a firm foothold in the tea market or not. She wants to grasp official government trade to do business in the capital, so who holds the largest business in the capital?”
Fu Jingxuan pondered for a long moment, then pointed toward the sky.
Fang Zesheng nodded. “Doing business with the imperial family isn’t simple. If the princes and nobilities want to amass wealth, they won’t turn to a minor tea merchant. When officials and ministers at every level can’t even figure out how to offer their bribes, how could she possibly be allowed to exploit a loophole?”
“If it’s neither a high-ranking official nor a member of the imperial family, then it must be the bureau in charge of the imperial household’s everyday supplies—tea, rice, and the like?”
“En.”
“Could it be the Procurement Bureau?”
Fang Zesheng said, “If I haven’t guessed wrong, it should be the former head of the Procurement Bureau, Lord Song.”
Fu Jingxuan asked, “Why the former head?”
Fang Zesheng said in a deep voice, “Wang Xiuhe approached Prefect Feng, who in turn went to Lord Li, and the person Lord Li knew best in the Procurement Bureau was Lord Song; so naturally, he would be the first to be consulted. Lord Song’s passion for tea borders on obsession, so he would naturally take a keen interest in the Tea Tasting Convention. Having retired just last year after many years of service, he should be idly passing his days at home, so he would surely be eager to join when encountering such a grand event.”
Fu Jingxuan asked, “Does Wang Xiuhe have the ability to invite him? Can your Fang family’s ‘Carved Lotus’ be used as tribute tea again?”
Fang Zesheng shook his head. “Its current grade falls a bit short.”
Since taking over the Fang family, Wang Xiuhe’s attention has not been solely on tea. Although she retains the formulas for “Auspicious Carved Lotus,” she has replaced the team that handles the cultivation and processing of the tea. The old tea masters possessed unparalleled skill; though they were forced to write down their methods for rolling leaves and pressing cakes, the results still deviated once the hands performing the work changed. The higher the grade of the tea cake, the more critical the skill of the craftsman becomes; even the slightest error is unacceptable. One must account for every day of sunlight from the moment the seedlings are planted. Wang Xiuhe doesn’t understand tea cultivation, and the newly appointed tenant farmers are just as lazy as the current Fang family servants. Although they manage to deliver a batch of new buds on schedule every year, the quality is far inferior to the previous grade.
Fu Jingxuan said, “I only know that the current tribute tea is divided among three veteran families. The Fu family managed to snag it for two years before being cut. It seems the Lin family of Yiyang also secured a slot; the tea used in the capital this year is all theirs.”
Fang Zesheng said, “The Lin family’s ‘Pine Clusters Crane Rain’ has always been a fine product. If the Fu family didn’t have Madam Cheng presiding over it, they would have likely been pushed out of the Four Great Families long ago.”
Fu Jingxuan shrugged. “It’s just that First Aunt’s health is failing, and Second Madam Liu is scrambling fiercely, eager to take over her position.”
Fang Zesheng seemed to understand the state of the Fu family even better than Fu Jingxuan did. Had the Fang family’s “Carved Lotus” not dropped in grade, the other three families would never have had the chance to provide tribute tea to the capital. Each year, the Procurement Bureau selects more than a hundred types of tea, choosing only the finest to supply the imperial household. When Fang Changru was alive, the Fang family’s tea was always used; whether fresh or aged, it all came from that one estate. Now that Fang Changru has passed, the quality of tea from the Fang family has dropped and is no longer acceptable. Yet after years of trial and error with other suppliers, no suitable replacement has been found, leaving the leader of the Four Families still indecisive.
Wang Xiuhe holds a few government contracts, but that is far from sufficient. If she doesn’t reassert control over the tea market now, she will soon be pushed out by merchants from outside the Four Families. Should that happen, even though she has secured the Fang household, the business would be entirely lost. Would all her years of scheming not be in vain?
“However, since she dares to invite someone from the Procurement Bureau this time, she must have a way to achieve a surprise victory at the Tea Tasting Convention.”
Fang Zesheng nodded.
Fu Jingxuan asked, “What is your plan?”
“Presenting tea.”
“Presenting tea?”
Fang Zesheng said, “Although Lord Song has retired, he still maintains his status within the Procurement Bureau. He is an upright man, but his standards for tea are exceptionally high. Therefore, when he comes this time, we must present him with a cup of truly fine tea.”
Fu Jingxuan asked knowingly, “How will you present it? Wang Xiuhe surely won’t allow you to appear in public, and even if she did, she wouldn’t let you whisk the tea yourself either.”
“That is why I need you to help me.”
Fu Jingxuan suddenly laughed before moving to the edge of the bed to lean close to Fang Zesheng’s face. “So overbearing?”
Fang Zesheng remained expressionless, though his hands hidden within his wide sleeves curled slightly.
Seeing his stiffness, Fu Jingxuan smiled. “Just teasing me. But I only know how to identify and taste tea; I don’t know how to whisk it.”
In a tea competition, it ultimately comes down to those whose brewed tea is the most aromatic. A pure white froth is considered the highest standard, though no one has managed to produce it for many years. Fu Jingxuan had only ever seen white froth tea once in his life, and that was many years ago when Fang Zesheng brewed it for him to see.
“I can teach you,” Fang Zesheng said after a pause. “However, Wang Xiuhe probably knows you understand tea, and she may not necessarily allow you to appear at the contention.”
Sitting on the bed with his clothes in disarray, Second Master Fu didn’t forget to pull a newly bought folding fan from beneath his pillow. He flicked it open and fanned himself while smiling with narrow eyes. “No need to worry about that. Wang Xiuhe knows a great deal about me, and it’s not only that I understand tea.”
