Chapter 4: An Appointment with the Left Prime Minister?

The Prince of Shu's Manor

"A-Wu, you've finally arrived!" Dressed in light purple robes, Du Minghui, the elegant Consort of the Prince of Shu's Heir, rose joyfully to greet Xie Wu the moment she saw her.

Xie Wu smiled and said, "Greetings, Consort."

Du Minghui quickly grabbed her hand and said, "We haven't seen each other for a year, and you're already treating me like a stranger?"

Xie Wu smiled faintly. "Minghui, it has been a long time. How have you been in the capital?"

"That's more like it," Du Minghui said with a satisfied smile, pulling Xie Wu aside to sit down. "Not bad. I grew up in the capital, so I actually find it a bit more comfortable than Shu."

When the Great Qing dynasty was founded, several Border-Guarding Princes were enfeoffed, and the Prince of Shu was one of them.

In recent years, the imperial court had increasingly tightened its grip on the power of the royal princes. Now, aside from the few princes who helped the Founding Emperor establish the dynasty, none were granted fiefdoms.

Take Prince Xin and Prince Rong, for example; let alone having a fief, they found it difficult even to leave the capital without the Emperor's decree.

Of the seven original Border-Guarding Prince Manors, only three remained. Although the court had not officially stripped them of their titles, they held no military or political power whatsoever; even the heirs were required to come to the capital for their education.

Calling it "education" was a euphemism; in reality, they were essentially hostages.

The term "Border-Guarding" had become a mere formality.

Du Minghui was originally the second legitimate granddaughter of the current Left Chancellor, Du Yan, and was granted marriage to the Heir of the Prince of Shu three years ago. The couple lived in Shu for only a little over a year before Du Minghui followed the Heir back to the capital. It was during that single year that Xie Wu and she had met.

A maid served tea and withdrew. Du Minghui smiled and said, "Try this. It's Mengding Yellow Bud tea brewed with spring water from the back mountains of the Great Xiangguo Temple. You gave it to me when you returned to the capital last year."

Xie Wu took a small sip from the teacup and praised, "I have long heard that the spring water behind the Great Xiangguo Temple is reputed to be the finest in the world. It truly lives up to its reputation."

Du Minghui toyed with the round fan in her hand. "Truly?"

Xie Wu sighed helplessly. "Fine, I can't taste the difference."

To be fair, even though she had come from a good family in her past life, if asked whether the spring water from the Great Xiangguo Temple or the mountain spring from her family's backyard in Shu made better tea, she really couldn't tell.

"Leave these refined and elegant matters to you all; I am a worldly person."

Du Minghui said, "Who isn't a worldly person? Can we really live on wind and dew? By the way, didn't Young Master Shen go to the Western Regions? Why aren't you managing things at home and instead ran all the way to the capital? When I received the news yesterday, I thought someone was joking."

Xie Wu looked up. "Don't you listen to any gossip in the capital?"

"What gossip?"

"The Duke of Ying's Manor."

"The Duke of Ying's Manor?" Du Minghui's eyes suddenly widened. "You... you are the eldest legitimate daughter of the Duke of Ying's Manor?"

Xie Wu nodded. Du Minghui tilted her head to study her, saying in surprise, "Come to think of it, we met when we were children. No wonder... when I first saw you, I thought you looked somewhat familiar."

"You are actually the eldest legitimate daughter of the Duke of Ying's Manor?"

Xie Wu said, "My memories were blurry before, and I only remembered clearly at the end of last year. After my eldest brother left home last year, I bid farewell to my mother and wanted to visit Guangzhou first. On the way, I encountered bandits and happened to be rescued by Prince Xin and Prince Rong."

Du Minghui had heard many of the rumors circulating in the capital these past two days. She gripped Xie Wu's hand and said with concern, "The Xie family left you stranded outside the city for three days without a word of inquiry. I fear... A-Wu, you must be careful."

Xie Wu patted the back of her hand soothingly. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Du Minghui gave a light snort and said through gritted teeth, "Do not let your guard down because of family ties. I heard some things from Qin Zhan yesterday, and in just these two days, the rumors outside have painted you in a most disgraceful light. Who would believe it if someone wasn't fueling the fire? I think that Qin Mu is a piece of work!"

There were vague rumors outside that A-Wu had been clinging to Prince Xin along the way. Previously, because she didn't know who the eldest Miss Xie was, she had been skeptical, but now that she knew A-Wu's identity, she could assert that A-Wu would never have any interest in that Prince Xin.

Not even the Xie family in the capital had seen A-Wu yet; where were these rumors coming from?

Xie Wu chuckled, feeling immensely comforted in her heart. "I know, don't worry. Let's talk about you instead. How are things with you and the Heir..."

Du Minghui's expression darkened slightly as she said indifferently, "It's the same as always. He lives his life, and I live mine. We simply do not interfere with one another."

Thinking of the couple's situation, Xie Wu could only sigh inwardly.

Du Minghui and the Heir of the Prince of Shu, Qin Zhan, had been married for three years. It wasn't that there was no affection between them, but since Du Minghui's grandfather and father were both high-ranking officials and the marriage had been personally bestowed by the Emperor, the people in the Prince of Shu's Manor viewed Du Minghui more as the Emperor's informant than as the Consort.

Consequently, Qin Zhan had always been lukewarm toward her and had even taken several concubines one after another. Du Minghui was a top-tier noble lady; how could she endure such treatment?

The couple had clashed for quite some time, but eventually, Du Minghui grew tired of managing Qin Zhan's affairs and let it go, which is how the Prince of Shu's Manor finally settled into peace.

"Was it my mistake to say that talking about men is a mood killer?" Xie Wu laughed. "I received your letter saying that Danning Residence's business is flourishing, so I made a special trip to visit today. It really is quite impressive; I imagine you're raking in gold?"

At the mention of money, Du Minghui immediately cast her vexing husband aside and smiled. "Speaking of which, I should thank you. Danning Residence has top-tier tea, fine zithers, beautiful melodies, and great storybooks, all thanks to you. We agreed before that I would give you a twenty percent share. However..."

"However what?"

"The best spring tea this year must be given to me first," Du Minghui said.

"Having taken your money, how would I dare not give my all? Rest assured, aside from the tribute tea in the palace, I guarantee there is no better tea in the entire capital than what Danning Residence offers," Xie Wu said. "The Mengding Yellow Bud for this year might already be on its way."

Du Minghui smiled lightly. "Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. Danning Residence has already earned the reputation of being the number one establishment in the capital; naturally, everything must be the best. It would be quite embarrassing to be surpassed."

"Look at you. Is this still the elegant and refined number one talent of the capital? You're almost as full of the scent of money as I am," Xie Wu teased.

Du Minghui showed no shame at all, using her round fan to hide her face, leaving only a pair of mischievous eyes visible.

"Elegance and refinement are all built upon piles of silver, after all." The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

After their playful banter subsided, Du Minghui's expression turned more serious. She lowered her voice and said softly, "Previously, I didn't know you had returned for the sake of the Duke of Ying's Manor, so I had already told my grandfather about your arrival in the capital. My grandfather says he wishes to meet you."

Xie Wu froze, momentarily unable to process the information. "The Left Chancellor... wants to see me? Why?"

If one set aside the Duke of Ying's Manor, she was merely the adopted daughter of a minor merchant family from the Shu region.

Even though the Shen family's business had grown somewhat and she possessed a modicum of ability herself, it should not have been enough to attract the attention of the illustrious Left Chancellor.