Chapter 37

Pei Du rose early to attend court, and the equally early-rising Shen Jiujiu sharpened his little bird claws before charging straight into Sui Ziming’s room. He slammed one claw right onto Sui Ziming’s forehead.

“Chirp!!”

Get up!!

Sui Ziming, sprawled on the bed, didn’t so much as twitch.

Shen Jiujiu lowered his voice into a menacing growl. “Chirp chirp!”

Get up now, or I’ll scratch you!

Eyes closed, Sui Ziming’s face wore a picture of perfect serenity. “Ah, I hear a little chick chirping somewhere.”

Shen Jiujiu: “…”

His claws went rigid.

He ground away at Sui Ziming’s forehead for a good long while before flying out of the room in a huff. Feeling deeply aggrieved, he fluttered over to nuzzle against A Sa, who was still recuperating on the eagle perch.

“Chirp chirp~ chirp chirp chirp~”

【A Sa~ good A Sa~ look at him!】

The little bird dumpling wriggled determinedly into the gap beneath A Sa’s uninjured wing. That tiny ball of fluff tucked itself perfectly under the haidongqing’s handsome, imposing feathers. After a couple of affectionate rubs, he poked his little head back out through the gap.

“Chirp chirp chirp~”

【A Sa is the handsomest, most awesome bird~ please, A Sa~】

“Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp~”

【Help out this pitiful Jiujiu~】

“Chirp, chirp chirp chirp!”

【Little Bird is doing this for his own good—people ought to sleep early and rise early!】

A Sa, the battle-tested steel eagle who struck wherever he was pointed and never missed his mark, simply couldn’t hold out against this onslaught.

Before long, the fierce predator had been melted into pliancy by the sticky, clingy little bird dumpling. He swooped down from the eagle perch and strode into Sui Ziming’s room.

Perched high on the eagle perch, Shen Jiujiu stared solemnly at the door to Sui Ziming’s room.

Moments later, Sui Ziming came tumbling out in total disarray. He hadn’t even had time to straighten his clothes or boots, clutching his outer robe to his chest.

Sui Ziming was never one to stand on ceremony. He plopped down on the doorstep steps and grumbled as he wriggled into his garments. “You little bird! Such a fiery temper! And now you’re corrupting my most obedient A Sa!”

From atop the eagle perch, Shen Jiujiu gazed down at Sui Ziming with great dignity. Straining to deepen his voice, he let out a low, rumbling chirp.

Sui Ziming: “…”

Sui Ziming glanced at the little bird dumpling, who looked utterly diminutive next to the eagle perch. Survival instinct finally won out, and he bit back his skepticism about the bird’s imposing image.

A Sa hopped out of the room with Sui Ziming’s hair ribbon dangling from his beak, offering it considerately to his master, whose hair was still unbound.

What could Sui Ziming do?

He could only resign himself to his fate.

Shen Jiujiu swooped down and burrowed back into A Sa’s wings, lavishing him with another round of chirpy praise.

Then the big bird and the little bird hopped and scampered around Sui Ziming.

Big or small, when birds couldn’t fly, they got around on the ground with bouncy little hops.

By the time Sui Ziming finished washing up and making himself presentable, daylight had fully broken.

Sui Ziming returned A Sa to the eagle perch, running his palm gently over his sleek eagle feathers.

Ah, little birds had their perks—they were portable.

A Sa belonged in the vast expanses of the borderlands, but trailing after him meant he spent most of his days cooped up in courtyards.

Shen Jiujiu caught the melancholy in Sui Ziming’s eyes and swatted him with a wing.

“This little bird dumpling packs a punch,” Sui Ziming muttered, even as he crooked a finger at Shen Jiujiu. “C’mon. The morning market’s gotta be open by now. Let’s grab some breakfast.”

…

Just as Shen Jiujiu had predicted, Shen Yuan showed up for real—wearing a bamboo hat pulled low over his face, limping along with a bundle clutched tight, ready to throw his gold away at the blind box stall.

If anything, Shen Jiujiu suspected that someone as proud as Shen Yuan had donned the hat more to hide his battered, bruised face than to conceal his identity.

Sure enough, as planned, Shen Yuan took a shortcut on his way back and overheard the buzz about the blind boxes and the glazed lamp.

Sui Ziming lounged under the eaves of the woodware shop’s spacious rear courtyard, growing drowsy in the warm sunlight.

The woodware shop wasn’t just a simple retail front; the backyard was expansive—officially for storing all manner of wood carvings and wares, but in truth, it doubled as a modest intelligence relay point.

As an intel hub smack in the middle of the action, the layout’s key feature was its design for spotting anything unusual around the shop.

Sui Ziming knew the place like the back of his hand. He’d gathered and funneled plenty of intel from various sources straight to Pei Du.

Otherwise, with Pei Du’s distrustful nature and his need to micromanage everything, the man would work himself to death.

That morning, the blind box stall had barely set up when it was mobbed by servants from every major household. Sui Ziming and Shen Jiujiu, tired of the racket, had ducked into the woodware shop.

The late-sleeping Sui Ziming had pried his eyes open just long enough to catch sight of Shen Yuan at the stall, fists clenched in excitement. Then he’d hissed and shut them again.

After a pause, Sui Ziming recalled the ledger he’d peeked at earlier—the stall’s impressive profits. Suddenly, he felt he needed to seriously reevaluate this little bird of his.

He turned to the smug-looking bird beside him. “So, how can you be so sure Shen Yuan will bite when he hears about the glazed lamp?”

Shen Jiujiu had stationed himself on a latticework wooden rack, poking his little head into the flowing silk ribbons of an immortal wood carving. His eyes were glued to the scene outside the shop, unblinking.

It was the perfect perch for a bird. The carving’s billowing robes cradled his rear just right, letting him relax his talons. His head even had a soft spot to rest against. The artisan had added plum blossom branches arching around the immortal, their protruding twigs ideal for a quick scratch wherever it itched—just shift position and rub.

Sui Ziming’s question earned no more than a glance over the shoulder.

“Chirp chirp chirp chirp.”

The little bird doesn’t mind telling you, but you wouldn’t understand anyway.

The chirps had barely faded when Shen Jiujiu felt a chill down his spine. His feathers nearly puffed out in alarm.

He yanked his head free from the ribbons and whipped around—right into the eager stares of two humans.

Jia Shisan was already holding a little bird brush and a stack of paper cut into tiny squares!

Sui Ziming prodded Shen Jiujiu’s wing. “C’mon, spill it.”

“And while you’re at it, explain this blind box stall of yours.”

Sui Ziming was mildly curious about Shen Yuan, sure—but that paled next to his hunger for coin.

“This thing’s a cash cow. If it keeps printing money like this, it’d be a golden toad spitting wealth nonstop.”

Jia Shisan, meanwhile, bore the collective curiosity of the entire Dark Guard contingent. He was ready to compile a full little bird observation manual.

Although they were dark guards, Pei Du’s training methods weren’t the brutal dead-man approach. With the exception of their leader, Jia Yi, who was perpetually icy and curt, the other dark guards held various roles around the Pei Mansion and truly possessed a wide range of personalities.

Thus, the sprawling Pei Mansion might seem to lack a proper back courtyard, but its true makeup was far more intricate.

Shen Jiujiu mulled it over and decided the blind box venture needed clarifying.

He hopped down from the wooden carving. Little Bird landed on the rice paper, held flat by small stones, spread his wings, and had Jia Shisan affix the brush for him.

【Blind boxes are just a short-term moneymaker. You can only pull it off once.】

【At the latest next month, similar ventures will pop up everywhere.】

Sui Ziming opened his mouth to speak, but Jia Shisan was quicker. He snatched an apple from nearby and shoved it right between Sui Ziming’s lips.

Shen Jiujiu shot Jia Shisan an approving glance.

Little Bird approved.

Little Bird was thoroughly pleased.

Jia Shisan flashed the dimpled grin of a top-tier dark guard.

Sui Ziming bit down on the apple with deliberate force, the crisp crunch echoing loudly.

As far as he was concerned, they were the pioneers of the blind box trade. If some other merchant aped their idea, they could simply pay a visit and collect their cut.

Shen Jiujiu slanted a look at the skeptical Sui Ziming and wrote slowly.

【Blind boxes are all about novelty. Which noble house in the Capital is hurting for curios?】

Sui Ziming, a Capital noble himself, suddenly chewed far more quietly.

【The hype lasts a month at most. Don’t kid yourself about turning a quick fortune into a steady stream. Cash in once and bow out.】

【We think it’s easy pickings, but others aren’t idiots. Everyone smells profit and wants a piece.】

【If word gets out that the Pei family is behind it, the issue won’t be the business itself.】

None of them bore the Pei surname, but they all belonged to the Pei household all the same.

【It’ll be what the Pei family is really after.】

Pei Du was a cabinet minister whose influence loomed over the court like a single vast hand. For him to rake in wealth on this scale—what else could it mean but rebellion?

Sui Ziming went quiet, watching as Little Bird continued stroke by deliberate stroke.

Jia Shisan had long suspected that the Pei Mansion might one day gain a pint-sized avian steward, so he raised no objections to Shen Jiujiu. He merely sighed.

The dark guard, disguised as a household servant, thought of the mansion’s ledgers. He eyed Little Bird’s tiny wings, tiny head, and tiny claws—too small even to write swiftly—and slowly lifted a hand to clutch at his twinging conscience.

Shen Jiujiu paid Jia Shisan’s gesture no mind.

The brush was soft by nature; a single slip meant an ink blot. With wings for control, one lapse in focus would ruin the page. Thus, Shen Jiujiu wrote without so much as a glance elsewhere.

【The smart play is to pull back at the peak. We’ve already claimed the lion’s share.】

【Besides, there’s Shen Yuan.】

【He’s the petty sort. Back at the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, there was a Glazed Lamp he coveted, but I snagged it instead. He stewed over it so fiercely he couldn’t sleep and smashed three petals in spite.】

【In Shen Yuan’s mind, that Glazed Lamp might as well be the heir’s seat he hasn’t claimed.】

【It’s no one-of-a-kind imperial tribute, but it’s still a rare treasure.】

【Shen Yuan can’t splash silver like water—not yet, anyway. Not until he’s the Heir of Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.】

By this point, Shen Jiujiu was worn out. He plopped down on the floor, his wings aching from the effort. Twisting his neck, he used his beak to knead the sore muscles.

Jia Shisan murmured in agreement. “So when he sees a chance to draw from a blind box for a single copper coin—with a shot at winning a Glazed Lamp—he won’t be able to resist.”

It was the gambler’s eternal logic.

Once you’re at the table, once the itch takes hold, everyone wonders: What if I’m the lucky one this time?

Why couldn’t it be me?

If it is, it’s pure profit—a windfall for next to nothing.

Who wouldn’t chase that dream?

From one angle, blind boxes were little more than a casino gimmick. The only difference lay in what they meant to each patron.

For the others, vying for bragging rights on luck alone, it was all pride on the line—a breath held, nothing more. Shen Jiujiu had even imposed purchase limits on them.

But for Shen Yuan…

Shen Jiujiu caught his breath. Since he’d come this far, he might as well finish. Perking up his wings, he pressed on.

【Loop in some connections later. Have the shop clerks link up with Shen Yuan’s men and waive the limits for him.】

【Or upgrade him to a fancy carved box and hint the odds are better for the Glazed Lamp.】

【He won’t just buy one. He’ll keep coming back.】

【The more he spends, the deeper he sinks, desperate to recoup his losses. When the money runs dry, he’ll turn to Madam Zhou. If she stonewalls him, he’ll start hawking whatever he can lay hands on.】

【And right now, the easiest haul from the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion is that batch of antiques and curios we sold them.】

To anyone else, a blind box was harmless fun. To Shen Yuan, it was a tantalizing abyss—visible, insatiable, forever out of reach.

Shen Jiujiu couldn’t quite recall Madam Zhou’s temperament, but she struck him as shrewd. Shrewd enough, at least, not to rein in her one pampered, arrogant son.

And she doted on that boy fiercely.

What Shen Jiujiu proposed wasn’t some shadowy plot. It was brazenly upfront.

That was the beauty of an open stratagem: utterly innocuous on the surface, beyond reproach. You might sense something off, but the lure proved irresistible—the gains always seemed to dwarf the cost. Like moths to flame, you’d plunge right in.

【There are endless ways to turn a profit. Ditch the blind boxes; plenty more where that came from.】

【Business boils down to shipping tea south to north, pearls east to west. Silk, tea—we’re already in those trades. Low-key, reliable. Tweak the model, and they’ll thrive.】

【If Benefactor has ambitions, we could even dip into money house drafts.】

【No sense fixating on blind boxes and stirring up trouble.】

Sui Ziming stared at the dense script filling two sheets of rice paper. The apple in his hand hung forgotten, the next bite indefinitely postponed.

The blind box scheme had already minted a fortune. It was on track to triple the profits from Shen Jiujiu’s wager with Pei Du—and that didn’t even count Shen Yuan’s inevitable share. In just one month, a single brainstorm had avenged Sui Ziming’s grudge and stuffed their coffers to bursting.

He lingered over Little Bird’s elegant script for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Shen Jiujiu’s head.

Sui Ziming swallowed hard, then spoke in a small voice. “Jiujiu…”

Shen Jiujiu had just used his beak to set aside the Little Bird Brush and was about to give his wings a rest. He tilted his head and shot Sui Ziming a glance.

Why was he calling for the Little Bird?

Time to talk business!

Sui Ziming glanced at the half-eaten apple in his hand, then hurriedly set the fruit aside. With pious movements, he wiped his fingers clean, untied the bulging pouch from his waist, and carefully selected the meatiest strip of jerky from within. He tore it open with utmost care and offered it up to King Jiujiu.

Shen Jiujiu: “!”

The little bird jerked backward, his chirpy little face etched with wariness as he eyed Sui Ziming.

What was this? Fawning for no reason!

Up to no good again?

“Though I offended our Jiujiu many times before, I know the Little Bird has a heart big enough to hold a boat. Our Jiujiu must be the most magnanimous, warmhearted, and loyal little bird around.”

Sui Ziming’s bootlicking was plain as day on his face, and his tone dripped with fawning humility.

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes brimming with sincerity and anticipation. “Jiujiu, could you help me out with something?”

Shen Jiujiu: “…?”

Oh ho.

He needed a favor from this bird, did he?

That made things simple.

Shen Jiujiu stretched out his wings, shoving Sui Ziming’s looming face a respectful distance away. With elegant poise, he lifted his beak.

“Chirp?”

Spit it out. What’s the deal?

The little bird would think it over.

Sui Ziming rubbed his hands like a fidgety fly for a good long while. He must have figured his request was a real stretch for the little bird, because this usually blunt, no-holds-barred straight shooter was uncharacteristically hesitant and awkward.

But what if Shen Jiujiu actually had a way? He couldn’t just let the chance slip by.

So after letting the words roll around in his mouth several times, and under the little bird’s increasingly impatient wing-flaps, Sui Ziming finally mumbled in a low voice, “I… I’ve got a bunch of folks under me with some health problems.”

The moment the words were out, he raised his hand in a solemn oath. “But I swear! Every last one of them is obedient, dependable, and a hardworking pro! One’s worth three regular hands!”

“Jiujiu, well… that is, do you have any way to give them a proper livelihood?”