SEHE Chapter 41

Buying Property 

Pei Yanci had been dealing with Zhang Huairu and Steward Zhao’s affairs before being summoned by Tang Xizhui for an entire night. When he returned, Gu Jiuqing was worried he might be exhausted and wanted to have others temporarily take over his duties. Pei Yanci then suggested Wuli’s name and had him replace Steward Zhao’s position, making him the front courtyard steward.

When Wuli heard this news, he nearly jumped right up from beneath the window outside the room. Fortunately, his reason remained intact, and he quickly covered his mouth.

Until his head was hit by two melon seed shells from above.

“Hey, how long are you going to keep trembling there?” Pei Yanci leisurely threw more melon seed shells at him.

Only then did Wuli realize that Gu Jiuqing had left at some point.

“Getting this excited over being a head steward?” Pei Yanci teased. “Stop holding back your laughter, or you’ll get internal injuries from suppressing it.”

“I really became the front courtyard head steward?” he asked dazedly.

“How promising.” Pei Yanci shook his head and withdrew his body that had been leaning out the window.

Wuli hurriedly went around to the door to enter the room, excitedly pacing back and forth inside.

“Do you think they’ll also bring me silver to curry favor? Invite me for drinks every now and then?”

“No, I’ve never even been a steward before, and now I’m directly a head steward. Won’t they refuse to submit to me?”

“I should have told you earlier to keep some honest, hardworking people. Now these remaining people – which one of them is willing to work hard on ordinary days? Looking at their hands, you can’t tell who’s the master and who’s the servant.”

He complained while feeling happy about potentially receiving more monthly wages and respect in the future, yet also worried about his prospects. Where did he have the makings to manage people? He was only good at stirring up trouble behind others’ backs and causing problems for his superiors.

“Don’t I still exist? Why are you worrying about this?” Pei Yanci called him over. “You just need to pass down whatever I instruct you to do, and they’ll naturally sort themselves into different ranks.”

“What’s the reasoning behind this?” Wuli asked in confusion.

“Those who only knew how to work diligently have left. The remaining ones are each more cunning than the last. The more cunning ones will initially try to push tasks onto those who are relatively less cunning. The latter aren’t like the simple-minded ones from before – they’ll find ways to report this to you. You just need to take advantage of this situation to scold and beat those who shirk responsibilities, while also giving some rewards to the group that actually completed the work. From then on, your position as steward will be smooth sailing.”

Pei Yanci took a sip of water and continued, “Keep repeating this method, and within a month, your subordinates will naturally divide into two factions, or even more. They’ll become much more obedient. This method works well, but remember – going too far is as bad as not going far enough. You’re only responsible for maintaining balance, rewarding one side while punishing the other. Don’t mix in personal grudges.”

Wuli nodded obediently, then had a thought, “You’re the chief steward now. Who do you want me to oppose?”

“I don’t need that.” Pei Yanci rubbed his wrists and gestured for him to clean up the pile of melon seed shells on the table. “I still prefer subordinates who work together as one, applying their strength in the same direction – it makes things go more smoothly.”

“But what you just taught me wasn’t…”

“That’s because you lack experience. First, you currently have no way to unite a group of crafty people. Second, you couldn’t control united subordinates.”

Wuli thought about it carefully and realized this made sense. It would already be remarkable if he could get those people to do their jobs properly.

“Occasionally, if there are one or two people you can’t control, I’ll help you deal with them. But remember, don’t come to me every time you encounter a problem. If it happens too often, they’ll see your weak image clearly. Once that impression is established, order begins to collapse. No matter what you say afterward, your words will be like wind passing by their ears, and your steward position will come to an end.”

Wuli’s expression became serious as he nodded thoughtfully.

“Tomorrow, help me handle Zhang Huairu’s funeral arrangements first.” Pei Yanci leisurely lay back on his bed. “As for Steward Zhao, give his family fifty taels for burial expenses and let them take him back.”

There were distinctions based on relationships.

Zhang Huairu held great significance for Gu Jiuqing. Holding his funeral in the mansion could demonstrate the Crown Prince’s loyalty and righteousness, while also giving a eunuch great dignity. The remaining eunuchs in the mansion would all take note.

Steward Zhao was just an ordinary servant in the mansion. Letting his family take him back for burial would fulfill their final reunion as a family. They also received a large sum of money, which would only make them more grateful, while also setting an example for the other servants.

Those who wholeheartedly served the Crown Prince’s mansion would receive such honors even after death – both they themselves and their families.

****

After Wuli completed these two tasks as ordered, Pei Yanci then had him take over the dismissal of the advisors and death warriors. Fortunately, Yue Ting and others had long since packed and prepared. Without much trouble, they bid farewell to Gu Jiuqing and left the Crown Prince’s mansion.

From the previous bustling three to four hundred people, only about forty remained. The mansion suddenly became much quieter.

Yunsheng had been sent to work on the estate, and Steward Zhao’s death occurred after the mansion’s servants had been sold off. Now with such a shortage of personnel in the mansion, losing even one person wouldn’t work. When Pei Yanci mentioned this matter, Gu Jiuqing readily agreed.

When the human trader arrived, he personally came out from the back courtyard.

Looking at rows of servants of various heights and builds, he accurately identified Tang Xizhui’s people among them.

“Chief Steward Pei, just these two?” The trader smiled so widely his eyebrows disappeared, asking respectfully.

“Yes.” Pei Yanci turned to ask Wuli, “What generation character are we using in the mansion now?”

People who entered the mansion in the same batch all shared the same generation character. For example, Wuli and Wu Can, Wushu and Wu Luo, all carried somewhat negative connotations in their names.

“Wei.” Wuli said, then whispered in his ear, “Our Crown Prince is just pretentious, always melancholy and sentimental. I always feel my name is inauspicious. Since only two people are coming this time, why don’t we just not change their names?”

“Receiving a name from the master is a blessing, though they probably don’t care for this blessing either. I’ll ask His Highness about it later.”

Pei Yanci discussed this matter with Gu Jiuqing. Since Gu Jiuqing was now completely focused on Eastern Palace political affairs, he was too lazy to bother with such trivial matters and let Pei Yanci decide.

He was also too lazy to change their names, so “Shuang Jiang” and “Chun Sheng” continued to use their original names.

That evening, they quietly came to Pei Yanci’s sleeping quarters to pay their respects.

“What tasks has your master recently assigned to you?” Pei Yanci asked with concern.

Chun Sheng replaced Wuli in the kitchen as an assistant, a gatekeeper steward took over Yunsheng’s duties, with positions shifting level by level. Shuang Jiang became a gate attendant. By placing him here, both he and Tang Xizhui could know who came and went from the mansion daily.

“For now, we await Chief Steward Pei’s orders,” both said in unison.

Pei Yanci felt a slight stirring in his heart. That dog eunuch still had some conscience, sending him two people he could actually command.

“You know martial arts?” He could see that even when the two men bowed, they maintained proper form, their bodies always taut with energy.

“This subordinate ranks third in the Elu Bureau’s ‘Shadow’ division, specializing in assassination.”

“This subordinate ranks seventh in the Elu Bureau’s ‘Scout’ division, specializing in intelligence gathering.”

“To assassinate Gu Jiuqing?” Pei Yanci immediately thought of this possibility.

“No, the Chief Overseer’s orders were for me to secretly protect the Chief Steward,” Chun Sheng said. “The reason the Daren chose this subordinate is that aside from those who follow closely by the Daren’s side, my martial arts skills in the Elu Bureau are unmatched.”

Pei Yanci couldn’t help but laugh.

What danger could he possibly face within the mansion? Rather than protection, this was more like surveillance.

However, since they both had other identities in the mansion, could they really monitor him so conveniently at all times?

****

The next day, Pei Yanci used the excuse of going out to buy medicine and left the mansion with Wuli.

“What are you looking at?”

“Checking if those two eunuchs followed us.” Wuli’s mung bean-sized eyes kept looking around.

“Not everyone in the Elu Bureau is a eunuch,” Pei Yanci said. “Only the Chief Overseer and a few key officials are. The rest are all normal people.”

“No wonder those two lackeys don’t have that peculiar yin-yang smell about them,” Wuli said, his eyes brightening. “Xin Hai and the others are over there.”

Pei Yanci met with Xin Hai and his two companions at a fish shop. After waiting a while, they saw Jiang Yi arrive alone.

After searching for nearly half a month, Xin Hai and his group had covered almost all of Anjing City, finding no fewer than thirty properties – courtyards and shops – that they thought suitable.

They rented a horse carriage.

In the carriage, Pei Yanci held a thick stack of rough-edged papers, looking through them one by one. Finally, he praised: “You put a lot of thought into this – the descriptions are so detailed.”

“It was all written by Cui Nan.” Xin Hai said in his hoarse voice, claiming credit for his brother.

Pei Yanci gave some of the papers to Jiang Yi, who looked them over and said, “Wouldn’t this be too big? Buying something the size of a tavern would be sufficient.”

“It would be best if it’s a tavern in front with a courtyard behind.” Pei Yanci analyzed. “The tavern could be converted into a theater, and the courtyard behind could house those failed scholars temporarily. They could write plays while preparing for the next examination.”

“Just let them live upstairs.”

“That won’t work. Street performances are extremely loud. When moved to a theater stage to let the noble guests in the upstairs private rooms hear clearly, the noise would only be louder. This would greatly interfere with the scholars’ studies.”

“Actually, I think most of those scholars will probably return to their hometowns anyway. Three years isn’t short – what could they do staying here the whole time?”

“Even if only one scholar lives there, we should still provide him with a comfortable study environment. Who knows, in three years, that person might pass the imperial examination.”

“You really are considering their welfare.” Jiang Yi couldn’t help but sigh, gaining another measure of appreciation for Pei Yanci’s character. “I’m a rough person and can’t think through such details. You handle it as you see fit. I’ll just provide manpower when the time comes.”

Pei Yanci smiled and arranged the stack of papers in order of his preference.

When they got off the carriage, Xin Hai and his two companions had already learned from Wuli about Zhang Huairu’s death and that Pei Yanci was now serving as the Crown Prince mansion’s chief steward. They couldn’t help but be overjoyed. They also knew that their former drinking buddies had now scattered to different places, which made them somewhat sentimental.

Originally, they had thought they could spend many comfortable years in the Crown Prince’s mansion until the Crown Prince ascended the throne, when they too could benefit and perhaps become captains or similar positions – that would be a great honor for their families.

Pei Yanci and Jiang Yi got off the carriage and began inspecting properties.

Xin Hai watched his retreating figure and secretly exchanged glances with his two brothers.

Pei Yanci remained completely unaware. They looked at five or six places in succession, each having some unsatisfactory aspects – either the surrounding shops didn’t fit well, or the location was poor, or the building structure was problematic. If they were to buy such properties, they would probably have to spend a large sum on repairs.

When it was about time, they found a place that satisfied everyone.

It was a relatively new three-courtyard compound. Next to the main gate were five reverse-facing rooms. Through the covered walkway, there were five or six more rooms on each side. The main building had two floors with six rooms each on the upper and lower levels. Behind the main building was a small garden, and the rear building had seven or eight more rooms. It was a very proper, orderly, and grand residence.

What made Pei Yanci even more satisfied was that the back gate opened onto a small alley that connected front to back. Going forward led to the main road by the front gate, while going backward and turning right a few steps brought you to a tavern that was recently up for sale. The location was near West Market, not far from Yuechong River – the only river flowing through Anjing City. At the harbor, merchant ships often loaded and unloaded cargo, and many foreign merchants frequently sought entertainment there. Song and dance brothels filled almost the entire street.

This compound and tavern were what Pei Yanci had initially favored from the papers – his most satisfactory choice among all the options.

Of course, if he had suggested going there first without visiting the other thirty-some places, it would have been unfair to Xin Hai and his companions’ half-month of hard work and would have caused unnecessary displeasure.

“How much is this residence?” Pei Yanci asked.

“Two million wen, and the tavern is priced at eight hundred thousand wen.” Gu Xing looked somewhat troubled when he finally asked about the price. “It is a bit expensive. This residence previously belonged to an official who was convicted of crimes. The seal was only recently removed for resale. I heard that people died here before and it’s haunted, which is why it’s priced like this – otherwise it would be even more expensive.”

It had to be said, the location was indeed very good.

“Should we look at more options?” Jiang Yi felt intimidated by the price.

“Daren, you can’t afford it?” Gu Xing exclaimed in disbelief, immediately getting scolded by Wuli.

“How can you talk like that!”

Jiang Yi touched his nose. “Isn’t it normal not to be able to afford it? I’m a fifth-rank official with a monthly salary of only 3,200 wen. Including food allowances and miscellaneous expenses, it’s still only 4,600 wen per month.”

Not counting rewards or other income, just looking at the official accounts, he couldn’t save this much money in a lifetime.

Pei Yanci watched his troubled and tongue-tied expression, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

There was something strange about the Crown Prince mansion’s accounts.