Chapter 46

After inexplicably sealing a perfect lifelong pact between one person and one bird, Xie Jingtang let Shen Jiujiu burrow into Pei Du’s palm—handkerchief, bird, and all—his little beak opening wide as he chirped coquettishly: cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep.

Tsk!

A grown son can’t stay forever under his mother’s wing. Fine, whatever.

Jiujiu’s situation had cropped up out of nowhere, but Xie Jingtang’s real reason for seeking out Pei Du today was to reclaim Shen Xinian’s body—and to muddy the waters enough to throw off the rabid dogs Prince Wu kept on his leash, the ones snapping at her heels.

So when Pei Du scooped up the Little Bird Dumpling and earnestly suggested he had already prepared a banquet at his mansion, in hopes that she would do him the honor, Xie Jingtang agreed without hesitation.

Even if he hadn’t brought it up, she had wanted to see her son’s living quarters for herself.

The two of them, along with the one bird, left the restaurant and boarded the carriage from Pei Mansion.

The moment Shen Jiujiu heard his mother was headed to Pei Mansion, he transformed into a bundle of excitement, hopping back and forth between Xie Jingtang’s and Pei Du’s shoulders the whole way. He pestered her so much while she was lost in thought that she finally snatched him up and gave him a good squeeze.

Shen Jiujiu wriggled his beak out from between her fingers and kept on with the cheep-cheep-cheep-cheep.

When Xie Jingtang showed no reaction, he strained to look over at Pei Du instead, trying to convey his message through sheer force of eye contact and activate Benefactor Translation Mode.

Pei Du hadn’t caught on at first, but he patiently studied Shen Jiujiu for a good long while. Just as the bird’s frantic signaling was on the verge of giving him a twitchy eyelid, Pei Du finally came through: “Madam Xie, Jiujiu wants to know if you plan to leave the Capital again after this visit.”

That wasn’t quite what Shen Jiujiu had meant—Little Bird just wanted the scoop on Mother’s future plans—but it was close enough. He gave Benefactor an enthusiastic nod of approval, then fixed his hopeful gaze on Xie Jingtang.

The carriage rolled toward Pei Mansion, the muffled clamor of the bustling streets on either side drifting in from outside.

Xie Jingtang gave the springy furball in her hand another squeeze. “Lord Pei, you can actually understand what Jiujiu’s saying?”

Pei Du answered with perfect honesty. “Most of it’s guesswork. Fortunately, he’s pretty straightforward.”

Xie Jingtang recalled how Shen Xinian, as a boy, would sneak treats and scrub his mouth spotless—yet she’d wheedle the truth out of him in just a few words. She nodded in profound agreement.

Shen Jiujiu, called out right to his face, let out a loud burst of chirps.

Xie Jingtang considered for a moment before replying to the bird. “I still have to leave eventually. But not until everything’s squared away.”

Shen Jiujiu wasn’t surprised by the answer. He simply let his head droop in quiet disappointment.

Xie Jingtang’s soul was the freest bird Shen Xinian had ever known.

She loved Shen Xinian with all her heart. After leaving Zhenguo Marquis Mansion behind, she had cast off the shackles of managing mere backyard enterprises.

She soared unbound, like a wild bird in the open sky, constantly bringing home oddities from every corner of the world for her sweet, stay-at-home Jiujiu. Xie Jingtang loved Shen Xinian, of course—but she would never chain herself to the role of mother just to raise him.

Shen Xinian had taken it all in stride.

Because he knew she loved him.

Without this wrenching separation of life and death, Shen Jiujiu wouldn’t have felt the sting of loss at all.

Xie Jingtang hooked a finger under Little Bird’s sagging head and lifted it. “I already told you, that’s for later. Right now, the priority is you and me teaming up to bring down Zhenguo Marquis Mansion. Got it?”

Shen Jiujiu’s eyes went wide. He jabbed the tip of his wing at his own fluffy chest.

Huh?

Jiujiu… too?

That was Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, after all.

Sure, it was a bit faded these days, and the family head was something of a fool—but it was still a hereditary marquisate!

Beyond the chasm in power and prestige, what truly set old noble houses apart from upstart merchants was that unkillable pedigree: a scrawny camel still outweighed any horse.

Countless rising official clans fell short by just that one noble title. Even with posts at court, they remained forever a rung below.

Shen Jiujiu’s gaze flicked involuntarily toward Benefactor.

…Only for Xie Jingtang to twist Little Bird’s head right back around, none too gently.

Her tone turned perilous. “What’s that look? One trip to the Capital, and you’ve forgotten every trick I ever taught you?”

Memories flooded back of Xie Jingtang drilling him from childhood on ledgers and abacuses. Shen Jiujiu whipped his head side to side like a rattle, then raised a claw to mime sliding beads—even as he flapped a wing insistently toward Pei Du, who watched the exchange with an amused smile.

Little Bird hadn’t forgotten!

Little Bird was making money, crunching numbers!

If Mother didn’t believe him, just ask Benefactor!

Pei Du chimed in right on cue. “Xinian made a bet with me earlier: turn fifty taels into triple the profit within a month. Yesterday, the shop sent over the ledger.”

Shen Jiujiu nodded furiously, like a pestle in garlic, urging Benefactor to elaborate—to heap on the praise.

“Triple fifty taels in a month?” Xie Jingtang was a shrewd businesswoman; she brushed aside any shady dealings and grasped it instantly. “That Blind Box stall was Jiujiu’s brainchild?”

Shen Jiujiu kept bobbing his head like a chick at feed, batting his eyes in eager anticipation of applause.

Half a month in, the Blind Box craze had spread beyond the Capital. The Western Regions Envoy Group had seen copycat stalls popping up in every town closer to the city along their route.

Xie Jingtang had looked into it, naturally.

It screamed short-term hustle: massive profits, but good for maybe one or two months at most.

She had puzzled over it at the time—who could dream up such a clever workaround, only to play such a shortsighted game?

Now it all clicked.

Shen Jiujiu had planned to cash in quick and bail from the start.

“Nearly a month in, and only tripled?” Xie Jingtang wondered aloud.

Shen Jiujiu wondered too.

Little Bird had been too busy playing spy to check the books lately.

“Thanks to Young Master Shen Yuan’s generous repeat business.”

Among friends and family, Pei Du occasionally let a wry quip slip.

“But in twenty-seven days, the profits have multiplied…”

Pei Du splayed his fingers, then held up three.

Thirteenfold.

Whoa.

Shen Jiujiu clapped his wings together in silent applause for himself.

Little Bird had figured Shen Yuan wouldn’t be able to resist—but he’d never imagined the man would go this berserk.

Just a few days!

Last time he’d tallied the books, it was only triple.

Zhenguo Marquis Mansion’s back courtyard must be buried in empty Blind Box shells by now.

It was a bit of clever scheming, true—but the business savvy was real. Xie Jingtang wasn’t one to skimp on praise. She unleashed a torrent of flattery on Shen Jiujiu, crowning him the unrivaled genius of birds under heaven and beyond.

Unlike Pei Du’s restrained compliments in the refined style of a scholar, Xie Jingtang’s praise was utterly direct. She lauded Shen Jiujiu from the feathers on his head right down to the tips of his claws—and she had the perfect touch, zeroing in on his proud talent for business with lavish enthusiasm.

Pei Du watched as Little Bird Dumpling puffed up all over from the flattery, chest thrust out and tail held high. He fell into thought.

It seemed he had discovered a new way to smooth a certain bird’s ruffled feathers.

Shen Jiujiu was still floating in a daze from his mother’s praise, having completely forgotten to ask about her plans, when the carriage pulled up at the main gate of Pei Mansion.

Zhong Bo was already waiting off to the side.

Xie Jingtang scooped Shen Jiujiu down from the carriage and glanced up at the vermilion gates before her. There was no plaque from the National Duke Mansion.

Pei Du and Zhong Bo exchanged a look. Their steps, which had been about to carry them inside, paused; they fell back a few paces.

Xie Jingtang: “?”

Shen Jiujiu paid no mind to any of that. He barreled straight ahead, and the moment he rounded the front courtyard’s decorative screen wall, he slammed headfirst into a gong that thrust out from nowhere.

“CLANG—”

The booming crash left Xie Jingtang’s face blank.

Pei Du shut his eyes for a moment, questioning whether he’d made the right call in having Zhong Bo summon Sui Ziming.

Shen Jiujiu, shaken to his core by the gong and trembling all over, clutched his little head. He scampered da-da-da to Sui Ziming’s feet, yanked at the hem of Sui Ziming’s trousers, clambered up, and delivered a flying kick straight to Sui Ziming’s skull with one claw.

What—in the hell—are you—doing, Little Bird!

Sui Ziming floundered in panic. “Ow ow ow, stop kicking! That hurts! Haven’t you kept track of how long it’s been since you clipped those nails?!”

“I was just trying to give our Aunt Xie a proper welcome!”

Sui Ziming stashed the offending gong—the one that had whacked Little Bird—behind his back, all while keeping up the chatter.

“Hey, Jiujiu, c’mon. We’re brothers who’ve stared death in the face together. Your mom’s basically my mom too!”

Shen Jiujiu emitted a chirp drawn out in a questioning “Eh-re?” lilt.

Did Little Bird not see through this dead-broke schemer’s game?

Mother was Little Bird’s mother. What did she have to do with you!

What did she have to do with you!!

Sui Ziming had his cousin’s special blessing to be here, all for the sake of making Madam Xie feel right at home—so much so that she’d want to linger awhile at Pei Mansion.

He wasn’t the least bit scared when it came to stirring up a little chaos.

Scooping Shen Jiujiu aside, he squatted down and wheedled in a low voice: “Think bigger picture, Shen Jiujiu!”

“I already shared my cousin with you. Can’t you share our mom just a tad?”

“With a capable, money-making whiz of a little bird like you running the household now, cousin’s set. But I’m still flat broke! Boo hoo, you don’t want your one true ride-or-die brother scraping by on cousin’s charity past his coming-of-age, do you?”

Sui Ziming’s mock sobs were pure theater.

Little Bird, though, recalled the near-empty halls of Sui Mansion. He sulked for a beat, then let out a soft, agreeing chirp.

“Good brother!” Sui Ziming shot him a thumbs-up.

“C’mon! Let’s give Aunt Xie the welcome of her life. Make her never want to leave. Then you’ve got Mom on one side, Benefactor on the other—pure bliss!”

Shen Jiujiu was sold hard on Sui Ziming’s rosy vision. Man and bird swiftly fell into alliance.

They leaped back out into view.

One brandished the gong; the other spread his wings, craned his neck, and hammered out a rhythmic barrage with his sturdy beak.

Thud-clang, thud-clang, thud-clang—the racket exploded through the front courtyard and hung in the air.

“Oh my goodness,” Xie Jingtang said, rooted to the spot with genuine awe. “Lord Pei, I can scarcely believe it. You’ve somehow raised two such handfuls of trouble.”

What sort of wildly entertaining life did he lead on the daily?

Pei Du paused, as if taken aback. He mulled over her words, then broke into a smile.

“Not quite,” he said.

Xie Jingtang arched a brow.

Pei Du let out a sigh and gestured off in another direction.

A bunch of Dark Guards were dangling from the trees, sneaking peeks at Sui Ziming and Shen Jiujiu. They whispered in little clusters of two or three, tossing something down to the ground below.

Flocks of sparrow balls had been fluttering in from Sui Mansion off and on these past days—no telling whether they were after Sui Ziming or Shen Jiujiu. Now they clustered under the trees, hopping and squabbling over the scattered feed.

“Your Pei…” Pei Du gave a helpless little smile. “…has raised a whole flock.”

Xie Jingtang threw her head back and laughed.

She had to concede: the man before her might not be the most generous soul, but—

he was a good man, through and through.

As the little bird’s thud-clang, thud-clang symphony rang on, Xie Jingtang caught Pei Du’s voice at her side. “Xinian’s body must be stashed in Marquis Shen’s mansion ice cellar, no doubt to strong-arm Madam Xie into yielding her Jiangnan trade routes. Has Madam Xie devised a plan?”

“That phrasing suggests…” Xie Jingtang watched the little bird ramp up his antics with the young man, her smile fading. “…Lord Pei has thoughts of his own?”

Pei Du’s fingers idly smoothed the embroidery along his sleeve cuff, his tone as mild and upright as ever. “Why not retrieve Xinian and bring him back to the mansion first?”

Xie Jingtang turned to eye this power broker who was far too young for the role.

“I have no wish to meddle in Madam Xie’s designs.”

“Only…” Pei Du’s eyes drifted half-shut. “…the ice cellar is far too cold.”

The words pierced Xie Jingtang straight to the heart.

Of course she yearned to have Xinian back by her side without delay.

But for all her cunning, she could only chip away slowly—wielding her mastery of commerce to squeeze Shen Mingqian dry, penny by penny.

Pei Du was another story.

Whatever motives drove him, he’d sought her blessing first, affording her every courtesy.

Xie Jingtang’s hand clenched at her side, then eased open. She let go of her stubborn pride. “On what pretext will Lord Pei step in? Xinian shares no history with you, after all.”

Pei Du’s gaze fixed on Shen Jiujiu—who’d taken an accidental gong to the noggin and was now airborne, dive-bombing Sui Ziming with pecks. His voice came level, laced with quiet steel.

“No pretext required.”

“If I demand it, he won’t dare refuse.”