Chapter Twelve: A Sudden Breeze Stirs, Rippling the Spring Pond

Chapter Twelve: A Sudden Wind Ruffles a Pool of Spring Water

He had known perfectly well that the maids and servants had taken away his clothes, belt, and shoes under the pretext of laundering them, and that there was surely something fishy going on behind the scenes. Yet he did not expose their ploy, largely out of consideration for the earnest help of the little chubby Ren Cong. But when Miss Ren Yingying stormed in at dawn, accusing him without so much as a question and attempting to treat him as a servant for punishment, she touched his raw nerve. Thus, whatever face he had intended to save for Ren Cong was now impossible to preserve. He tore the lid off at once, forcing Ren Yingying to open her eyes wide and see for herself who was scheming against whom.

As soon as his words fell, the three household guards—Ren Quan, Ren Wu, and Ren Liu—immediately shrank their necks, lowered their heads, and fixed their eyes on their noses, their noses on their hearts, unwilling to meet his gaze.

They had been the first to notice that Master Zhang's clothes were no ordinary wares, and all three had participated in every plot against him. Each knew full well that those rare garments and shoes had been deliberately sent by the manor's chief steward, Ren Fu, to Chang'an, handed over to the managers, buyers, and craftsmen of the Ren family's shops, to investigate their craftsmanship, materials, and sources. There was no way they could return anytime soon.

Yet Miss Ren Yingying, utterly ignorant of these twists and turns, assumed that Zhang Qian's mention of clothes and shoes referred merely to silk robes, satin trousers, gauze socks, and leather boots—luxuries commonly found in the market. Thus, she perked up, placed a hand on her slender waist, raised her chin, and commanded loudly, "Ren Quan, return his rags to him. The Ren family may not be wealthy, but we certainly won't covet a few pieces of his clothing. Ask the maids where they put them after drying—bring them back to him! If he insists he’s not a fraud, hurry up and return his rags, and send him on his way!"

"This..." The three guards, Ren Quan, Ren Wu, and Ren Liu, blushed deeply, wishing the floor would open up and swallow them whole.

"Why aren't you answering? Have you gone mute? Or did you really steal his..." Hearing no response from the guards and servants, Ren Yingying finally sensed something amiss. Her voice dropped sharply, "Impossible! There must be some other reason. Was it my brother, did he instruct you to make excuses—did he?"

"Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang, I'm back! I've sorted out your travel permit and household registration, and even secured a parcel of permanent farmland for you!" At that moment, the voice of the little chubby Ren Cong rang out from the courtyard, as eager as ever. "Your registration is in Weinan County. Everything is officially recorded; no one will find fault with it..."

Suddenly, he caught sight of Guo Shaolan, the girl in green, wiping her tears at the door, along with four dust-covered maids. His voice cut off. He rushed into the outer room in three strides, anxiously asking Ren Yingying, "Second sister, when did you arrive? Why didn't you tell me? You—you didn't hurt Brother Zhang, did you? He is my honored guest..."

Ren Yingying had already calmed down somewhat, but upon hearing her brother enter and immediately inquire about the outsider rather than her own safety, her anger flared anew.

She raised her willow brows and snapped, "Honored guest? How so? Without a Tang household registration, how honored can he be? Just half a month ago, heads were rolling in the city—have you forgotten? To bring a vagrant of unknown origin into the house—are you tired of living, or do you resent father, mother, or me?"

Her words cut deep, each one striking at Zhang Qian's most vulnerable spot.

Tang Empire was the richest nation under heaven, and Chang'an its capital. These days, Koreans, Japanese, and Persians all flocked to settle in Tang, like fish in a river. Anyone lucky enough to gain a Tang household registration—even as a farmer—could have their parents boasting proudly back home.

Yet only half a month ago, Crown Prince Li Chongjun had failed in his attempt to purge the court, committing suicide in disgrace. Hundreds of officials had lost their heads. At such a time, every household avoided strangers; only fools would bring unknown people into their homes. If one accidentally harbored a prince’s supporter, not only would the fool lose his head, but the whole family would be exiled and conscripted!

Thus, after speaking, Ren Yingying felt triumphant, waiting for her brother to apologize as he always did when she exposed his foolish guests.

But today, Ren Cong seemed possessed, his eyes wide as he retorted loudly, "Nonsense! Brother Zhang is no vagrant! He simply lacks a Tang household registration! If he were truly a supporter of the prince, how could he not even speak Tang language? Father entrusted me with managing this manor, and here, my word is law! Whom I invite needs no guidance from you!"

"No guidance from me! If not for my oversight, this manor would have long been swindled out of its doors and windows!" Ren Yingying, shocked by her brother's uncharacteristic assertiveness, felt her tears well up. "All those 'wise men' you brought here before only tricked you out of money, living in luxury..."

"The past is past, now is now!" Believing firmly in Zhang Qian’s uniqueness, Ren Cong stood his ground for once, face dark, interrupting loudly, "This time, I don't need you to worry!"

He then turned swiftly to Zhang Qian, bowing deeply, "Brother Zhang, my sister was disrespectful. Please forgive her!"

"Ren brother, you exaggerate. I am the one who has overstayed my welcome," Zhang Qian, still resenting the scorn of lacking a capital registration in Tang, forced a smile and waved lightly.

"You..." Seeing her brother siding entirely with the outsider, and the outsider refusing to yield, Ren Yingying grew anxious and tears streamed down her face.

Just as she was about to step forward to argue, hurried footsteps echoed in the courtyard. Ren Si, his face pale and beard bristling, burst into the guest room, "Young master, young lady, bad news, the master (father) is here at the manor!"

"What nonsense! What's bad about father coming to the manor?" Ren Cong, his belly full of frustration, glared at Ren Si and snapped.

"No, that's not it!" Ren Si, bent over and panting, hurriedly explained, "The master was injured, so he came to the manor halfway. He should have returned directly to Chang'an, but on the road, he fell unconscious, so the second steward decided to bring him here first..."

"Ah—" Before Ren Si could finish, Ren Cong shot out like a rabbit, racing toward the inner hall.

"Why not call a doctor? How was my father injured? Who did this to him?!" In the crucial moment, Ren Yingying was calmer than her brother; she grabbed Ren Si’s arm and demanded.

"Already..." Ren Si glanced warily at Zhang Qian, then gritted his teeth and replied in a hurried, muddled tone, "The second steward sent someone ahead to Chang'an to summon Imperial Physician Sun; he should arrive soon. Master was ordered by Duke Baoguo to fetch a batch of red goods from the west. On the way back, the caravan was ambushed near Jincheng. It was only a minor wound at first, but the villains had smeared feces on their arrows!"

"Imperial physician... duke... ambush... arrows..." As expected, given Zhang Qian's limited command of Tang language, he caught only a few scattered words. Yet those few words stirred up a storm in his heart.

What was the true background of the Ren family? How could they summon a physician who treated the Emperor?

Who was Duke Baoguo? Why would a merchant’s journey end in an ambush?

The attackers even used bows and arrows! To do business and face such threats—could this Ren manor possibly be an ordinary place?

"Brother Zhang, this is for you!" Just as suspicion clouded his mind, the voice of the little chubby Ren Cong called out again. Looking up, Zhang Qian saw Ren Cong, drenched in sweat, hurrying back. "Here are your travel permit, household registration, and the deed for twenty acres of permanent farmland. With my father injured, I am too anxious to explain everything now. Don't rush to leave; once he is out of danger, I'll take you to Weinan to complete the final procedure!"

With that, he slapped the documents into Zhang Qian's hands, turned, and sped away like the wind.