chapter 4
If life had kept going like this, it would have been nothing short of serene days and abundant profits.
But in this world, there are always people who can’t stand to see others get rich.
That day, Li Jingzhou was dressed to the nines as usual, ready to go to work at Prince Qi’s manor.
The sedan chair had just left the gate when a procession blocked the way.
At its head stood a eunuch with a beardless face and fair skin, holding a roll of imperial yellow edict. He looked at Li Jingzhou with a half-smile.
“The heir of the Jing’an Earl, receive the decree.”
Our whole family was stunned, and we hurriedly knelt down.
“By the mandate of heaven, the Emperor decrees:”
“It has come to Our attention that the heir of the Jing’an Earl, Li Jingzhou, excels in both talent and art, is especially skilled in Kunqu opera, and is much favored by Prince Qi. The Empress Dowager has recently been in low spirits. We therefore summon Li Jingzhou into the palace to perform for the Empress Dowager’s amusement. Respect this.”
I knelt on the ground, my heart sinking.
Perform in the palace?
This wasn’t performing—this was treating Li Jingzhou like an entertainer.
It was one thing for Prince Qi to enjoy opera in private; that was a personal hobby.
But going into the palace to sing before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor changed everything.
It meant ripping the Jing’an Earl Manor’s face off and grinding it into the dirt.
From now on, Li Jingzhou wouldn’t be able to hold his head up in noble circles—even walking down the street, people would point and call him a court jester, a singing heir.
Li Jingzhou understood this perfectly well.
His hands were shaking as he received the decree, his face pale as paper.
The eunuch who had read the edict smiled and said, “My lord, if you please. The sedan chair is waiting at the gate. Don’t keep Her Majesty waiting.”
Li Jingzhou turned to look at me, his eyes full of despair and pleading.
I stood up, brushed the dust off my knees, and my mind raced.
This wasn’t simple.
Prince Qi was dissolute, but he still looked after Li Jingzhou. He wouldn’t push him into a fire. Someone behind this was pulling strings.
Most likely it was those stubborn old sticks in the Censorate, or political rivals who had it in for Prince Qi, using Li Jingzhou to attack the Prince for debauchery and crush the Jing’an Earl Manor in the process.
But if he went, he’d be ruined. If he didn’t, he’d be defying an imperial decree—and the whole household would be executed.
“Please wait a moment, sir.”
I stepped forward and slipped a five-hundred-tael banknote into the eunuch’s sleeve. “His Lordship’s current robes are his everyday attire for visiting the Prince. It would be discourteous to appear before the Emperor like this. Allow us to go in and change into formal dress and bathe, to show proper respect to the Empress Dowager.”
The eunuch felt the thickness of the banknote and softened his tone.
“I’ll wait right here. Be quick about it.”
I pulled Li Jingzhou into the inner courtyard.
The moment we were inside, he collapsed into a chair and burst into tears.
“It’s over, Ruyi. This time it’s really over. I’ll never be able to show my face again. Our ancestors are going to rise from their graves to strangle me…”
I ignored his wailing and pulled a dusty wooden box from under the bed.
“Stop crying. Save your strength.”
I opened the box. Inside was a set of extremely rare attire.
Not stage costume—a robe of exceptional workmanship, somewhat old-fashioned: a Daoist priest’s robe.
It had belonged to the old Earl. They said that in his youth, he had genuinely considered going to Dragon-Tiger Mountain to become a Daoist.
“Listen,”
I grabbed Li Jingzhou by the collar and stared into his eyes. “When you get into the palace, you will not sing *Farewell My Concubine*, and you will not sing Kunqu.”
“Then… then what do I sing?” Li Jingzhou hiccupped.
“Daoist chants.”
“Ah?”
Li Jingzhou was dumbfounded. “That’s what beggars sing…”
“Shut up and listen!”
I spoke rapidly. “Your father is a Daoist devotee. You grew up surrounded by it. You must know a few lines of Daoist verse, right?”
“Wear this robe. When you get before the Empress Dowager, tell her you’ve recently gained insight into the Way of Heaven, and that you’ve composed an *Incantation of Long Life* especially to pray for her longevity.”
“I’m not making you an entertainer. I’m making you a sage.”
Li Jingzhou was still confused. “But… the Empress Dowager wants to hear opera…”
“The Empress Dowager is sixty-three, and she’s not well. What does she fear most? Death!”
I said coldly. “More than opera, she wants to hear how to prolong her life, how to live forever. Prince Qi loves beauty; the Empress Dowager loves longevity. This is what they call playing to your audience, get it?”
Li Jingzhou’s eyes slowly lit up.
“And,”
a cold smile curled at the corner of my mouth, “since someone wants you to be a court jester, let’s play a bigger game. We won’t be an ordinary jester. We’ll be a national preceptor who can commune with spirits and divine fortune!”
“This… this is treason against the emperor!” Li Jingzhou’s legs went weak with fear.
“Defying a decree is death too. Gamble, and maybe we can turn it around.”
I dressed him in the robe, smoothed his hair, and powdered his face a shade whiter, giving him an otherworldly, immortal air.
“Remember, once you’re inside, say little and look profound. Your eyes should be vacant and pitying, like you’re looking down at a bunch of fools.”
“If anyone asks you anything, tell them heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed.”
Li Jingzhou stared at his ethereal reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath.
“Let’s go all in!”
That night, I paced the manor in agony.
I couldn’t concentrate on the ledgers, couldn’t even work the abacus.
We were betting our entire family’s heads on this.
I waited until midnight before word finally came from the palace.
The eunuch returned—this time his attitude was respectful, and he bowed to me on sight.
“Congratulations, my lady! Congratulations!”
“The heir is a god descended to earth! His *Incantation of Long Life* had the Empress Dowager feeling refreshed and ten years younger on the spot.”
“The Emperor was delighted. Not only did he reward countless treasures, he also bestowed upon the heir the title of Daoist Master Tongwei, along with a golden plaque allowing him to enter the palace to lecture on the Way at any time.”
The stone that had been crushing my chest finally fell back into place.
He’d turned living off his wife’s fortune into a golden career.
Not long after, Li Jingzhou returned in the imperial palanquin.
He wore the Daoist robe, held a Daoist whisk, wore a placid expression and inscrutable eyes—he really did look like an enlightened master.
It was only once he was in the bedchamber, behind closed doors, that the facade cracked.
He immediately hugged me, bouncing with joy like an idiot.
“Ruyi, it worked! It really worked!”
“You should have seen it—those censors’ faces turned green with envy. The Empress Dowager even held my hand and called me her little immortal, hahahaha!”
I pushed him away with disgust. “All right, all right. Tone it down. How much did we make tonight?”
Li Jingzhou eagerly pulled a stack of banknotes from his robe, along with a few jade pendants of excellent quality.
“The Emperor rewarded ten thousand taels, the Empress Dowager gave a box of night pearls, and all those palace consorts—trying to get me to predict when they’d bear a prince—stuffed me with so much I couldn’t even carry it all!”
My hands trembled as I counted the money. This wasn’t a money tree; this was a treasure trove.
We were rich, rich!
“Ruyi,”
Li Jingzhou suddenly grew quiet, looking at me. “You were right. I used to think face was everything. Now I understand—money and power are the real face.”
“And,”
he paused, his gaze turning profound, “I see it now too. This court is just a bigger stage. As long as you play your part well, who cares whether you’re a real immortal or a fake priest?”
I looked at him—the useless heir who used to only mope and moan, seeming to have grown up overnight.
Or rather, turned dark.
But as long as he was my money tree, what did a little darkness matter?
“Since you understand, then do your best.”
I tucked away the banknotes and patted his face. “Tomorrow I’ll give Lü Qi and Hong Xiu raises too. Our Jing’an Earl Manor is going to monopolize the capital’s entertainment and mysticism industries—grow big, grow strong, and make history!”
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.
I knew this was only the beginning.
In this vast capital, as long as you wanted to make money, there was no money you couldn’t make.
Even soft living, I could fry into golden wealth.
After all, my name is Shen Ruyi.
Ruyi—everything as one wishes.