The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 071 My Senior Brother Is About To Ascend To Immortality
In the garden, by the pond, a bright full moon reflected in the water, and a gentle breeze stirred the ripples.
Tang Shen placed the pastry box on the table, and Wang Zhen gestured for him to sit, “Have a seat.”
Tang Shen sat on the stone stool.
Since ancient times, gentlemen have loved elegance, and beauties have been skilled in the arts of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. This doesn't mean that gentlemen cannot excel in these arts. In this era, there are many talented scholars skilled in both the arts and scholarship; the most famous one now sat before Tang Shen. If it were chess, calligraphy, or painting, Tang Shen could imitate a little and pretend to appreciate the finer things. But when it came to playing the qin, Tang Shen was utterly clueless.
He had transmigrated over five years ago, and spent almost all his time studying for the imperial exams. He had no time to learn the qin.
Tang Shen obediently sat on the side, watching Wang Zhen tune the instrument. After testing the sound, Wang Zhen asked, “What would little Junior Brother like to hear?”
Tang Shen blurted out, “'High Mountains and Flowing Water.'”
You couldn’t blame Tang Shen for being unrefined. 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' was too well-known in the modern world—it had even become an idiom. Tang Shen had never heard any other ancient qin melodies and could only name 'High Mountains and Flowing Water.'
Wang Zhen immediately chuckled and sighed, “'High Mountains and Flowing Water' are two separate pieces—'High Mountains' and 'Flowing Water.'”
Tang Shen was startled: “Oh, really? Will Senior Brother play both?”
“The qin score for 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' was lost during the wars in the era of the first emperor. What remains today is just a fragment.”
Wang Zhen didn’t ask Tang Shen any further. He simply began playing 'Guangling San.'
Tang Shen rubbed his nose, knowing that his senior brother had realized his lack of cultural knowledge and didn’t want to embarrass him further by asking. As he listened to 'Guangling San,' Tang Shen honestly couldn’t tell what piece it was; he just found the melody somewhat pleasant. As a modern person used to pop songs, Tang Shen had never listened to such elegant ancient qin music and couldn’t appreciate it.
However, watching Wang Zhen play under the moonlight, Tang Shen gradually understood.
“Perhaps when playing the qin, it's not just the melody one listens to, but the person playing it,” Tang Shen thought to himself.
Senior Brother had truly reached a new height of elegance and transcendence!
At this moment, if a breeze were to blow, perhaps Wang Zifeng would ascend into immortality with the wind.
After finishing 'Guangling San,' Wang Zhen instructed the page boy to put the qin away. The two young men sipped tea and admired the moon. Wang Zhen asked, “What brings little Junior Brother to my residence today?”
Tang Shen thought to himself, you already know why I’m here. I told you when I arrived that I had received your gift and knew you had given the glass bottle of the Golden Wisp to the emperor, granting me the position of imperial merchant. Wang Zifeng was truly one to beat around the bush. One could have made it clear in a single sentence, but instead, he made you spell everything out.
Tang Shen could only complain inwardly, but outwardly, he looked at Wang Zhen with admiration and said, “Today, His Majesty called me to Chuigong Hall and showed me the glass bottle.”
Wang Zhen sighed, “It was a coincidence that the emperor saw it that day. He was very pleased, so I had no choice but to gift it to him. Little Junior Brother, you don't blame me, do you?”
Tang Shen: “...”
What a big-tailed wolf, still pretending!
Tang Shen immediately replied, “Of course not. I’m grateful to you, Senior Brother. His Majesty has ordered me to use this translucent glass to replace all the windows of Chuigong Hall. From now on, this glass business will belong exclusively to my family.”
Wang Zhen smiled and poured himself some tea. He looked up at Tang Shen, who pushed his own cup over.
Tang Shen said, “But I still don’t understand... how did Senior Brother manage this?”
“What kind of person am I, little Junior Brother? Have you forgotten?”
Tang Shen was puzzled. “Senior Brother?”
Wang Zhen took a sip of tea, his expression calm: “I am the current Minister of Revenue, little Junior Brother.”
Tang Shen suddenly realized.
For others, arranging for an imperial merchant and allowing the Tang family to enter the emperor’s view was no easy task. But for Wang Zhen, who oversaw these affairs, it was natural. However, even though Wang Zhen spoke lightly, given the emperor’s suspicious nature, achieving this must have required means beyond Tang Shen’s imagination.
Two months of planning and strategy couldn’t be brushed off with just a title of 'Minister of Revenue.'
Tang Shen wanted to ask more, but Wang Zhen said no more.
After a moment’s thought, Tang Shen understood Wang Zhen’s meaning. He had gifted Wang Zhen a glass bottle of Golden Wisp, and in return, Wang Zhen had given such a generous gift. Tang Shen was already grateful, and with Wang Zhen’s attitude, he felt even more indebted. The emperor governed with both grace and might, and of course, powerful officials did the same. Wang Zifeng was truly the most skilled at and suitable for being an official, as Liang Song had once remarked.
However, even though Tang Shen understood, he was still deeply grateful to Wang Zhen.
Perhaps winning his favor was just one of Wang Zhen’s objectives. But on the other hand, Wang Zhen’s kindness towards him was evident. Simply to gain the favor of a fourth-rank official, Wang Zhen had no need to go to such lengths. He had strategized and plotted for him because he genuinely considered him his junior brother.
Tang Shen said, “That bottle of Golden Wisp is now in the emperor’s hands and may never return. Shall I make another for Senior Brother, then?”
Wang Zhen’s eyes sparkled with a smile, those words were exactly what he had been waiting for: “That sounds good.”
The two chatted a bit more before parting for the evening, as they both had court the next day. A servant came in to clear the table of snacks and tea.
Wang Zhen said, “Even though it’s two months late, does little Junior Brother like the New Year’s gift I gave you?”
Huh? Not pretending anymore?
Tang Shen couldn’t figure out Wang Zhen’s game. After thinking for a moment, he decided to speak honestly: “I like it!”
Wang Zhen smiled, “I’m glad.”
Contrary to Wang Zhen’s expectations, Tang Shen didn’t leave right away. Instead, he went to Wang Zhen’s study and said, “Senior Brother’s calligraphy is strong and vigorous, and wherever the brush falls, it’s like dragons and phoenixes dancing. Even though I’ve been studying your style, I’m far from mastering it. I’d like to request three characters from Senior Brother.”
Wang Zhen raised an eyebrow. “Which three characters?”
“Baibao Pavilion.”
Wang Zhen gave Tang Shen a meaningful look, then picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in ink, and swiftly wrote the three characters “Baibao Pavilion.”
Tang Shen examined the calligraphy and saw that it was indeed exceptional. Once the ink dried, he quickly took it.
Before leaving, Tang Shen took a small, exquisite brocade box from his sleeve and handed it to Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen looked at him in surprise, and Tang Shen said, “A small gift for Senior Brother.”
Wang Zhen smiled, “Little Junior Brother always gives me gifts and insists it’s not a bribe. In that case, I’ll have to think of a suitable return gift again. It looks like I’ll be tossing and turning tonight, trying to decide what to give.”
“Didn’t Senior Brother already give me a gift?”
“Oh?”
Tang Shen waved the calligraphy in his hand and said, “See you at court tomorrow, Senior Brother, no need to see me off.”
Watching Tang Shen’s departing figure, Wang Zhen waited until he was far away before turning back to his residence. After changing clothes and washing up, he sat behind his desk and opened the brocade box Tang Shen had handed him. Upon opening it, Wang Zhen was astonished and stilled in place for a long time before finally sighing, “I thought it was a jade pendant or sachet, but it turns out to be a contract.”
A contract for a 10% stake in Baibao Pavilion lay on the desk, and before going to bed, Wang Zifeng placed it in a secure box in his bedroom.
Meanwhile, Tang Shen returned home but found it difficult to sleep.
He lay in bed, tossing and turning.
Today, he had given Wang Zhen a major gift: a 10% stake in Baibao Pavilion!
Others might not understand what this 10% stake represented; even Wang Zhen might not yet realize the amount of wealth it represented. But Tang Shen had given it away easily. He didn’t mind the money. Firstly, gifting a share of Baibao Pavilion to Wang Zhen was his way of thanking him. More than once he saw how Wang Zifeng treated him well, and he had no way to repay him other than with this share. Secondly, Wang Zhen was like a local tyrant in the capital, and as the Minister of Revenue, he was in charge of merchants. With him as a backer, Baibao Pavilion would be unstoppable.
What kept Tang Shen awake was the image of Wang Zifeng playing the qin earlier.
The bright moon glows, robes of blue and a crown of jade.
If everyone said that Wang Zifeng was handsome, with outstanding looks and extraordinary temperament, Tang Shen would absolutely agree: his senior brother was practically a celestial being, far beyond the reach of mere mortals. But tonight, Wang Zifeng had reached an even more sublime state.
“Playing the qin really is a great way to look charismatic and attractive. Should I learn to play the qin too?”
Tang Shen thought for a moment and quickly gave up on this unreliable idea.
Wang Zifeng played the qin like it was celestial music. If it were him, it would probably sound more like the wails of the dead. Better not to mess around with that.
After some idle thoughts for nearly half an hour, Tang Shen finally fell asleep.
At the beginning of March, three adjacent shops on Zhengyangmen Street were simultaneously bought by a mysterious buyer and closed for renovation.
Shengjing was the political, cultural, and economic center of the Song Dynasty, and the prosperity of Zhengyangmen Street was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Yet even on Zhengyangmen Street, it was rare to see someone buy out three shops at once to open a single store.
“What kind of business could need such a large space?”
A waiter at a restaurant across the street wondered, “Could it be a dye shop for fabric?”
The shopkeeper was speechless and said, “Who in their right mind would open a dye shop on Zhengyangmen Street? This is prime real estate, worth its weight in gold. No one would be foolish enough to put a workshop here!”
The waiter chuckled, “So, shopkeeper, what do you think they’re going to do? They’ve bought out all three storefronts—what’s the plan?”
The shopkeeper said, “Whatever it is, it’s none of our business. With so many restaurants on Zhengyangmen Street, even the famous Qianli Tower wouldn’t take such a bold step to open a place this big. It’s definitely not a restaurant, so let them do whatever they want.”
People in Shengjing who passed by Zhengyangmen Street all saw the three adjacent shops being renovated. If the shopkeeper and his staff were curious, so were the passersby. But after half a month, there was still no sign of what these three shops were up to.
On the second day of April, someone saw Shopkeeper Lu from Xixia Tower walk into one of the shops.
“Huh, isn’t that Shopkeeper Lu from Xixia Tower? Could it be that he’s opening another boxiagong restaurant on Zhengyangmen Street?”
“That’s definitely not the case. After Xixia Tower, several other restaurants in Shengjing have also started selling boxiagong. Although their flavors don’t compare to Xixia Tower, and their service is much worse, Shengjing already has plenty of restaurants offering boxiagong. There’s no way Shopkeeper Lu would open another one so large!”
“Then what exactly is it?”
What exactly did Xixia Tower intend to do?
Or rather, what was Tang Shen planning?
Holding a 10% stake in Baibao Pavilion, even Wang Zhen couldn’t help but become curious.