Chapter 40: Punishing Oneself with Two Pots of Wine

Huai'an, bordering the salt fields to the east and connecting to the Central Plains to the west, controlled the throat of the Grand Canal and the Huai River. Merchant vessels were bound to dock here, making it the vital hub of the "Nine Provinces Thoroughfare."

It was the autumn exchange season; sails on the river blotted out the sky and the sun, the dock chants rang with endless vigor, and even the breeze carried the rich, hearty scent of new rice and salt sacks.

To the east, the fish market had not yet dispersed, and the tea houses were wreathed in white steam with the pleasant sounds of Pingtan storytelling; to the west, shops stretched on continuously, the clicking of abacus beads bouncing from this counter to that accounting room, and shop signs with gold leaf pressed against gold leaf.

Pushing open a window on the second floor of the Duiyu Wine Pavilion offered a panoramic view of this scene. Leaning against the window to drink made one feel as though they possessed the entire prosperity below, overlooking the bustling and scuttling of mundane mortal ants. With the sound of stringed and wind instruments and dancing lingering behind one's back, a sense of supreme, peerless privilege naturally arose.

In the triple-bay hall designed in the shape of the character "Pin," a lavishly dressed man wearing a red-gold crown on the eastern side tapped his silver chopsticks against a Yue kiln cup, making a chaotic clinking sound, and called out loudly: "With the river as our theme for poetry, tonight's poetry champion shall embrace Susu!"

The beauty sitting and playing the pipa curved her smiling eyes, her vermilion lips captivating souls.

The crowd burst into uproarious laughter, scrambling and eager to try, their faces flushed red from the charcoal braziers.

The man poured wine for the distinguished guest seated beside him. As the two laughed and watched the amusement, a servant suddenly came running from outside to report that a young Master Zhang from Gusu wished to pay his respects to Young Master Chen.

Pan Ji looked displeased, waved his hand to dismiss the visitor, and said, "What nameless nobody is this, daring to disturb the refined mood of all you gentlemen? Is my poetry gathering a place just anyone can attend? Drive him away, drive him away!"

However, the guest beside him said with considerable interest, "Hey, never mind where he's from; we are just here to have a good time today. If he can add a little entertainment, why not welcome him?"

Knowing what this person wanted to do, Pan Ji helplessly twisted his mouth and told the servant to invite the guest in after all.

Before long, a handsome young scholar bundled in fox fur stepped in over the crisp sound of the lifted door curtain, cupped his hands in a greeting, and said, "The young master of the Gusu Zhang clan has come specially to pay respects to Young Master Chen at the docks!" Behind him followed family guards and attendants carrying gift boxes, exuding an imposing air of nobility that instantly captured everyone's attention.

Hearing this, Pan Ji realized this was a peer in the trade. Only then did he lift his eyelids to take a closer look, and then gave a cold chuckle: "Whose wet-nosed brat is this, not even fully grown and yet learning to crash a poetry gathering?" Laughter boiled through the full hall.

The newcomer was precisely Xu Qi. Recognizing Pan Ji's face, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the maids filing in to carry the golden tray and cups, and replied without panic, "It is I who have acted impudently before you all."

She pointed to the wine pot: "I naturally ought to be punished with a pot of wine. I wonder what you gentlemen think?"

"Does this pot hold nearly a dou?"

"I am entirely willing to accept the punishment."

"Wait a moment," before Pan Ji could speak, the distinguished guest beside him said loudly, "If you can heartily drain two pots of Golden Pan Dew, this seat right here is yours!" He patted the folding camp stool between his legs with enthusiastic interest.

Two dou—enough to fill one's stomach with water alone, let alone wine!

Facing such blatant and humiliating bullying, Xu Qi should have backed down, but instead, she smiled and reached out: "Bring the wine!"

Seeing this, Pan Ji also curved the corners of his mouth and clapped his hands. A maid on either side stepped forward and brought the Golden Pan Dew that had just been served directly to Xu Qi.

Just as they were about to pour it into a cup, she stopped them. "What need is there for such trouble?" With that, she picked up the wine pot and poured it directly into her mouth. The liquor flowed like a spring straight down her throat. Without even seeing her throat bob, in the blink of an eye, not a single drop remained.

Everyone was stunned. Before they had even reacted, the second pot met the same fate and was emptied.

Xu Qi gently exhaled a breath of warm, rich wine fumes and turned the empty wine pot upside down to display it.

Someone suddenly shouted "Bravo!", and the hall finally erupted into lively commotion. Accompanied by applause and cheers, Pan Ji burst into sudden laughter, forcefully patted the shoulder and arm of the man beside him, and said, "Brother Cui, it seems your seat as the distinguished guest is about to change hands!"

Cui Mao was immediately displeased. He had wanted to watch someone make a fool of themselves, but hadn't expected the other party to pull it off so effortlessly. Unable to save face, his expression darkened slightly as he remained silent.

Xu Qi, however, was quick-witted. She cupped her hands and excused herself, saying, "Being young and of low rank, I am already content to have the honor of meeting you all. My father instructed me to pay respectful visits upon first arriving in Huai'an. Now that I have recklessly crashed the poetry gathering and delivered my modest gifts, I dare not ruin your poetic inspiration any further. I take my leave, I take my leave."

"Hey, who allowed you to leave? If you walk out like this, once word spreads, won't our tongues be chewed to bits for bullying others by abusing our power?" Pan Ji raised a hand, and two sturdy guards stepped out from the doors, blocking the exit tightly.

He smiled and pointed to the lowest-ranked seat on the western side. "Someone, set a seat."

In the blink of an eye, a complete set of wine and dining utensils was arranged there, as if that spot had belonged there all along.

Xu Qi suppressed the slight upturn of the corners of her mouth. Things had gone exactly as she anticipated; this strategic retreat had proven exceptionally useful. Feigning that the kind offer was too difficult to refuse, she removed her fox fur and officially took her seat.

Cui Mao drank his wine in sullen silence and refused to look at her, but Pan Ji grew interested. Leaning across the better part of the banquet table, he asked her, "I heard that a batch of cargo from Gusu arrived at the Hexia salt warehouses in the past couple of days. Could it be that this cargo belongs to you, the sharp-eyed young master of the Zhang family?"

The sharp-eyed young master? What kind of random nickname was this man making up?

Xu Qi answered politely and courteously, "Young Master Chen has eyes and ears everywhere; it is indeed my family's cargo."

"That's quite a large quantity, isn't it? I've heard of your family's banners, so why am I only seeing you in person today?"

"Favored by my father, who saw that I was young and could not bear for me to travel far, it was only after repeated pleas that I was finally able to come out and broaden my horizons. I have long heard of Huai'an's prosperity, and how the Jiang-Huai salt trade dominates northern Huai'an. Seeing Young Master's grand style today, it truly lives up to its extraordinary reputation!"

"Ha, flattery!" Pan Ji shook with laughter, the light dancing on the cat's-eye gemstone atop his red-gold crown. Though he scolded her in words, his expression clearly showed he was in high spirits. However, he did not ignore the poor complexion of Cui Mao beside him, and turned to say, "Brother Cui, how boring is it to drink alone? Little brother will find someone to keep you company."

With that, he clapped his hands three times. Xue Susu once again began to strum her pipa, and accompanied by the music, a young maiden stepped gracefully through the doorway. She moved with slender, willow-like grace, her face as peach-blossom pink as spring.

Cui Mao's eyes immediately lit up. "This is?"

Pan Ji raised his wine cup to clink it lightly against Cui Mao's, saying, "Little brother heard that your honorable mother's health has been somewhat frail lately and she cannot bear to be left alone. Little brother happened to pick someone with nimble hands and sharp eyes; let her go to your honorable brother's mansion to serve. How about that?"

Hearty laughter naturally arose around them, and the two men drank heartily together.

Witnessing all this, Xu Qi could no longer smile. She had guessed that this man surnamed Cui must hold a certain amount of power. Judging by his physical appearance and demeanor—broad-shouldered and possessing brute strength—he was undoubtedly a military officer. Coupled with the Chen family's sky-shaking business ventures, the possible candidates were very few.

Surnamed Cui. Before coming, she had intentionally gone over the potential guests of this so-called poetry gathering roughly with Tan Jiuding and Bai Tingyi. They had precisely identified a Garrison Commander named Cui Mao, who was in charge of canal boat inspections under the command of the Grand Coordinator of Water Transport. This was most likely the man.

As for the woman Pan Ji was giving him, at a single glance, she was clearly a cultivated concubine intended for sale. Whether she was being sent into the household to serve Madam Cui or Commander Cui went without saying.

Engaging in prostitution and offering bribes in broad daylight—it was utterly lawless.

Xu Qi was so angry she felt the wine rising back up her throat. She suppressed it again and again until she managed to keep herself from standing up and walking out right then and there.

After a while, the poetry gathering, which was in reality a drinking party accompanied by courtesans, progressed to the segment of composing poetry and presenting treasures. It was exceedingly boring.

Xu Qi casually cobbled together a few doggerel lines to muffle her way through and avoid punishment, while her mind kept churning over how to find a way to get closer to Pan Ji again. After several failed attempts amidst the laughter and frolicking of the crowd, Pan Ji himself suddenly brought up a topic, complaining about the newly implemented salt taxation reforms.

For some reason, his sharp eyes suddenly fixed on Xu Qi at the lowest-ranked seat, and he called her out by name to ask:

"As for you, the sharp-eyed young master of the Zhang family, your household also lives off the salt trade. What is your view on this 'warehouse salt discounting' method promulgated by His Excellency the Grand Secretary?"