A mere commoner, yet neither servile nor haughty

Inside the Literary Gathering Pavilion-

Having finished speaking, Jia Heng fell silent.

He was no rigid pedant, but having given his word, going back on it would hardly be proper. That did not mean, however, that he would refuse to renegotiate with the Ink and Brush Studio once he had a finished manuscript in hand.

If they were reasonable and willing to reconsider the price, everyone would be happy.

If they refused and insisted that he honor his promise, he would still... honor it. But there would be no further opportunities for cooperation.

Besides, fame and fortune had always followed each other like a body and its shadow. Once the book was published and his name resounded far and wide, word would spread that his promise was worth a thousand pieces of gold. Then, when he wrote another book...

Conversely, breaking his word would make him an easy target for public criticism.

Song Yuan frowned. "But... Ziyu, even if you renegotiate and raise the price, it still won't compare with having the academy's printing workshop publish it. There, you could keep eighty percent of the profits."

"Thank you for looking out for me, sir," Jia Heng said. "But it won't be too late to decide after I've spoken with the Ink and Brush Studio."

Song Yuan was considering his interests and worrying that he would lose out. Jia Heng could hardly fail to appreciate that kindness and put on a sanctimonious air, spouting sayings about a gentleman's word carrying the weight of nine tripods or a promise being worth a thousand pieces of gold.

That would show far too little social sense.

At this, an unusual gleam stirred in Han Hui's eyes. After a moment's thought, he said, "Ziyu, there may be a way to satisfy both sides."

When he had seen Master Song at noon, the latter had mentioned Jia Ziyu's talent for managing affairs. He had intended to ask about it, but before he could raise the subject, this matter had come to his attention as well.

Both Jia Heng and Song Yuan turned surprised gazes toward him.

"If you're going to negotiate, Ziyu," Han Hui said, "then negotiate with the person behind the Ink and Brush Studio."

Yu Zhen's gaze shifted slightly, and his brows drew together. "The owner behind the Ink and Brush Studio? That exalted personage isn't easy to deal with. Besides, would someone of her standing concern herself with such a trivial matter?"

"I don't know whether she will," Han Hui said, "but you should at least try."

Looking puzzled, Song Yuan asked curiously, "Zisheng, Wendu, whom are you two talking about?"

He had spent more than ten years in the Divine Capital and knew that the owner behind the Ink and Brush Studio possessed considerable wealth. But the two men were being so guarded, referring to an exalted personage. Could it be a prince or princess?

If so, no wonder the agreement stipulated no penalty for breach.

Jia Heng knitted his brows slightly and likewise directed an inquiring look at Han Hui.

"The owner behind the Ink and Brush Studio is our Great Han's Elder Princess, Her Highness Jinyang," Han Hui said.

Jia Heng frowned. Amid the mottled pages of history, a title like the Great Han's Elder Princess always brought Liu Piao to mind. Generally speaking, titles such as Elder Princess tended to appear in historical accounts alongside words like arrogant and domineering.

Hmm... and male favorites.

Han Hui explained, "Her Highness is the emperor's younger sister. Before she established her own household, her gift for poetry and prose had already made her famous in the Divine Capital. Later, the Retired Emperor arranged her marriage to Li Zhi, the imperial son-in-law and commandant. Sadly, he passed away not long after their marriage. She now has a daughter, Commandery Princess Qinghe. Her Highness often dresses as a man and associates with literary officials of the Hanlin Academy and celebrated scholars in the capital, discussing poetry. As for her temperament... some say she is rather stern and reserved, while others call her bold and magnanimous. But I've never had the fortune to meet her and don't know her personally, so hearsay is hardly reliable."

Jia Heng's expression grew inscrutable as he listened. A widow with nothing to occupy her, yet such a broad circle of acquaintances... could she be another Taiping or Anle?

Han Hui smiled. "Still, there is one thing about Her Highness that is widely known and universally praised: she values refined men of letters above all. Those whose writing is splendid as brocade can often secure an audience behind a screen by sending a written request to her residence. She discusses poetry with them and even gives silver to impoverished scholars. With your literary talent, Ziyu, you should be able to meet her if you submit a letter requesting a visit."

Even he, the son of the cabinet's second-ranking grand secretary, had been called a vulgar fellow and turned away at her door. This widowed Elder Princess certainly had a rather eccentric disposition.

After some thought, Jia Heng said, "Once I've written all fifteen remaining installments, I'll take the manuscript along and discuss the matter."

Han Hui did not know that, through a chance encounter two days earlier, he had already met several members of Chen Han's imperial family. How should he put it? His impression had been neither good nor bad.

Han Hui said earnestly, "Ziyu, if you intend to visit the Elder Princess and renegotiate the price, you should do it sooner. I think three to five installments would be enough to demonstrate your skill. If the Elder Princess changes her mind, you can free yourself from the contract's constraints earlier."

Yu Zhen frowned. "Once fifteen installments are ready, the Ink and Brush Studio can begin carving blocks and printing. If the book sells well, there's no guarantee its manager won't be tempted by the profits and stir up trouble behind the scenes. With only three to five installments, however, once the studio sees you visiting the Elder Princess to renegotiate, it might even take the initiative to release you from the contract."

Clearly, Yu Zhen favored Song Yuan's approach and hoped that the Ink and Brush Studio would voluntarily terminate the agreement.

Han Hui, meanwhile, wanted to avoid offending the Elder Princess as much as possible.

Jia Heng considered for a moment. "Then I'll write two more installments. The day after tomorrow, perhaps."

With that settled, Han Hui smiled. "Earlier, Master Song told me that you had devised a way to search the pavilion's book catalog?"

Jia Heng nodded. "I've made some wooden tablets for searching the catalog, to make it easier for the academy's students to find books. I call it the Book-Searching Compass."

In this era, a compass was called a "south-pointer."

Sure enough, Song Yuan smiled at his words. "A fitting name."

Han Hui smiled too, praising him. "An excellent method indeed. Where is it now?"

"The wooden tablets are still being made," Jia Heng said. "For now, I only have the hemp paper with the entries written on it."

As he spoke, he took the papers out of a standing cabinet.

Han Hui and Yu Zhen accepted them to look over. Yu Zhen smiled. "Ziyu is like an awl in a sack-his point shows at once."

Han Hui nodded repeatedly as well. Raising his eyes to the young man, whose expression remained unruffled by praise or slight, he found his thoughts unsettled.

The two stayed in the pavilion a little longer before taking their leave.

Jia Heng remained in the pavilion and asked Song Yuan about passages in the commentaries on the classics that he had failed to understand over the past two days. Time hurried by in this fashion, and soon evening arrived.

As arranged the previous night, Jia Heng rode with Song Yuan in his carriage to visit his home.

Master Song was not a native of Wannian in Jingzhao, but came from Datong in Shanxi. His family was comfortably off. After becoming a Recommended Man at twenty, he had gone to the capital to sit the examination. He failed that year and remained in the capital afterward, taking every subsequent examination and failing each time. Now, twelve years had slipped past.

During that time, he had bought a house and land in the capital and married the daughter of an elderly Hanlin Academy scholar. They now had a son and a daughter.

By the time they reached the Song residence, food and wine had been laid out in the main hall. They took their respective seats as host and guest, and drank until they were pleasantly flushed.

Song Yuan raised his cup and drained it, then said with a smile, "Since joining the academy, I've seen quite a few gifted young men. Yet among those who've entered it, you alone struck me as different, Ziyu."

Jia Heng set down his wine cup and smiled. "Perhaps that is because... I have no scholarly rank and am merely a commoner, whereas everyone you usually meet is either a nominated scholar or a tribute student. That may be why I seem refreshing."

Song Yuan smiled. Clearly somewhat tipsy now, he said with shining eyes, "Though merely a commoner, you associate with the second grand secretary's son without a trace of servility or haughtiness. As for Wendu..."

"You're drunk, sir." Jia Heng smiled and placed a hand on Song Yuan's arm, cutting him off.

Even if it was only idle talk over wine, one should not casually discuss another person's merits and faults.

Of course, Jia Heng could not guess what Song Yuan had intended to say next.

Whether he meant to lower one man while raising another by saying that Yu Zhen used humble words to flatter Han Hui, or to say that Yu Zhen could associate with him at ease only because his father was a prominent official, neither remark would sound pleasant or be easy to answer.

Still, over the past few days, Jia Heng had indeed discerned something of Han Hui's and Yu Zhen's temperaments. Of the two, Han Hui naturally took the lead.

But Han Hui's manner of dealing with people was very much that of a scion of an established family. Put plainly, he was overly calculating, assessing a person's worth and adjusting his treatment accordingly.

The fact that Song Yuan had not even known who owned the Ink and Brush Studio gave some indication of the difference between Han Hui's attitude toward Jia Heng and his attitude toward Song Yuan.

Of course, relationships varied in closeness, and that was hardly grounds for reproach.

After more than ten years of examination failures, how could Song Yuan's inner anguish be difficult to imagine? He simply did not usually show it.

As for Yu Zhen, had he ever betrayed disdain for Song Yuan in their everyday dealings? Or was Song Yuan sensitive and prone to suspicion? Jia Heng could not tell; he would need to observe further.

Jia Heng's thoughts raced, these notions flashing through his mind one after another.

Such were human relationships: tangled and intricate.

Song Yuan came to his senses then. A flicker of awkwardness crossed his wine-reddened cheeks, and he laughed at himself. Sincerity entered his gaze as he said, "Ziyu, you have an old head on young shoulders and a practiced understanding of human affairs. Given time, your prospects will be boundless."

Jia Heng raised his cup. "Thank you for those auspicious words, sir. But I'll still have to trouble you for help with the county and prefectural examinations."