The Earl of Zhongqin's Residence
Zhao Ruxi turned to Ge Wu and said, "Master Ge, may I see your cooking skills?"
Ge Wu hesitated, seemingly having something to say but unsure how to begin.
Recalling the father and son's wariness and the couple's unusual expressions, Zhao Ruxi knew that something must have happened in their family.
She asked, "Have you... encountered any difficulties?"
Broker Zheng looked somewhat uneasy.
It seems he didn't have a complete understanding of Ge Wu's situation. Judging from the current state, he's probably gotten himself into trouble.
Ge Wu seemed somewhat agitated. He lowered his head, took a deep breath, and then raised his head, giving Zhao Ruxi a stiff smile, "It's nothing difficult. But Miss Zhao, if you came here to ask me to be a jade craftsman, then please go back. I've already accepted offers from other jewelry stores."
Zhao Ruxi glanced at Ge's wife, saw her mouth open and close, then lower her head, seemingly giving up the struggle.
She turned to Ge Wu and said, "If you've found a good place, Master Ge, I won't say anything. After all, everyone has their own ambitions, and you've made a promise to someone, so you should keep it. But you all don't seem to be alright; something must be making things difficult for you. You know I was introduced by your senior brother, Master Ge. Even if you can't work for me, if I can help, I'll lend a hand for Master Wang's sake."
"Thank you so much for your kindness, Miss Zhao. But this matter..." Ge Wu shook his head, "I won't trouble you with that, Miss Zhao."
When Broker Zheng heard that Ge Wu had gotten into trouble, he was inclined to back down and did not want Zhao Ruxi to invite trouble for the sake of a craftsman.
But now that he saw Zhao Ruxi seemed determined to get Ge Wu, he spoke up, "You probably don't know the identity of the Layperson Zhiwei, do you? The Layperson Zhiwei is not only the daughter of the Earl of Suiping's Residence, but also the disciple of Mister Kumu."
Seeing Ge Wu's puzzled expression, clearly unaware of who Mister Kumu was, Broker Zheng explained, "Mister Kumu is His Majesty's maternal uncle, a master painter; his eldest disciple is the Minister of Ministry of Personnel, his second disciple is the Vice Minister of Ministry of Works, and his third disciple is the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
He gestured to Zhao Ruxi: "This Layperson Zhiwei is the fourth disciple of Mister Kumu."
Ordinary people elsewhere might not understand the hierarchy of court officials, but it's different for the people of the capital. Living right under the emperor's nose, they have some understanding of the ranks and titles of officials.
Upon hearing the string of official titles recited by Broker Zheng, especially the phrases "the Emperor's cousin" and "his second apprentice is the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works," Ge Wu and his wife became excited.
Ge's wife had wanted to speak ever since she heard that Zhao Ruxi was "the young lady of the Earl of Suiping's Residence," and now she finally couldn't hold back any longer. She knelt down in front of Zhao Ruxi and begged, "Please, young lady, save us!"
Ge Wu quickly got up and pulled his wife up, saying, "Don't do this, don't make things difficult for Layperson Zhiwei."
He smiled apologetically at Zhao Ruxi, "I'm sorry, I'm just a woman, I don't know anything, please don't take offense."
He had worked in the jewelry store for several years and was more worldly-wise than his wife, who stayed at home.
He had offended a powerful figure, and perhaps this young lady was of even higher status and more influential than him. But why would she stand up for a mere craftsman and risk offending a powerful figure from her own camp?
He's not an irreplaceable, crucial figure.
Seeing Ge Wu pull his wife up, Zhao Ruxi did not stop him.
After the couple sat down in silence, Mrs. Ge lowered her head and silently wiped away her tears before asking, "Could you tell me what happened? If I have the ability, I will lend a helping hand, because I've heard that Master Ge's skills are no less than Master Wang's, and I hope Master Ge can work in my jewelry shop."
Her words rekindled Ge's wife's hope, and she looked at her husband with anticipation.
A glimmer of hope also rose within Ge Wu himself.
He said, "It is the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence."
He raised his head and looked at Zhao Ruxi: "I used to work in the silver shop owned by the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence's family. Later, someone in the silver shop falsely accused me of stealing jade. The Heir of the Earl of Zhongqin and the shopkeeper didn't believe me. They made me compensate for the losses and even put me in jail for two years. After I got out, the shopkeeper of the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence's silver shop came to invite me again, but I immediately refused."
"Later, through my senior brother's introduction, I got a job at a jewelry store. But then people from the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence went to my new employer and spread rumors that I was dishonest, so I was fired immediately. The same thing happened at another store. They couldn't find a suitable master craftsman, so they tried to force me to go back using these methods."
He lowered his head. "I had already resigned myself to my fate, thinking I could take on some jobs at home, or process some cheap jade materials and sell them at the market. Although the income was very low, it would at least be enough to make ends meet and support my family. Who would have thought that a few days ago, the Heir of the Earl of Zhongqin suddenly came to my door, seemingly showing me respect and personally inviting me back to work, but in reality, he offered extremely low wages. He even said that I was being forced to drink a forfeit."
Seeing that he paused here, Zhao Ruxi asked, "You agreed?"
"How could that be?" Ge Wu raised his head, his face full of resentment, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists. "It's all his family's fault that I'm like this. Now they want to use dirty tricks to force me, to hire me for an extremely low price. How could I accept that? Of course I refused."
"But..." His lips trembled, his face turning from resentment to helplessness and despair, "He threatened me, saying that if I didn't agree, my senior brother wouldn't be able to stay in the Ministry of Works, and the other senior brothers wouldn't be able to work peacefully in the jewelry store either."
"My fellow apprentices have helped me a lot. They were the ones running around when I got into trouble, and they've been supporting my family for the past three years. How can I burden them?" He buried his head in anguish, clutching his hair tightly with both hands. "So I'm sorry, Miss Zhao, I can't work for you. Please go back."
"Since you didn't specifically choose to go to the jewelry store of the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence's family, then there's no problem," Zhao Ruxi said.
If it were someone else, she might have to think it over and investigate the situation before making a decision. After all, she wasn't alone; she had to consider the Earl of Suiping's Residence, her master, and her fellow disciples, and she couldn't cause them any trouble.
But upon hearing about the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence, she accepted the case without hesitation.
The Earl of Zhongqin's Residence was, after all, the place where the original owner lived for several years, and the description of the Earl of Zhongqin's Residence in the original book was quite detailed. Zhao Ruxi was very familiar with that family's network of relationships.
The Earl of Zhongqin is a fourth-rank general of the Palace Guards. On the surface, he is a royalist who is loyal only to Emperor Xiao Ge. However, during the coup three years later, he was clearly a man of the Third Prince, Xiao Lingheng. At Xiao Lingheng's command, he raised his sword against the powerful families.
When the Earl of Suiping's Residence fell, the Earl of Zhongqin drove the original owner out of the mansion, leaving her to freeze and starve to death. This was not only because he disliked the original owner, but also because he was pledging allegiance to the new emperor and showing that they had severed ties with all those involved with the former crown prince's faction.