This Quality is Good; Even as a Stutterer, He’s Worth at Least Six Liang of Silver
For the past few days, Lin Xizhao had been alone at the Prime Minister Lin’s Residence. Logically, she should have rested well, but without Qu Sheng’s company, the smallest sound would startle her awake. She knew it was because she was worried about Qu Sheng.
She had only just recovered, and already she was out the door again. Even though Qu Ting and Qu Yu were with her, the memory of their assassination attempt on the way to the Haichao Kingdom left Lin Xizhao’s spirit in a constant state of unrest.
Qu Sheng had been hunted, and all of this misfortune was because of her. Just because Qu Sheng didn’t speak of it didn’t mean Lin Xizhao had forgotten or didn’t care. In the months they had been away, the Imperial Noble Consort1 in the palace had given birth to a prince. With her status elevated by her son, the Emperor had commissioned grand construction projects for her, including an Imperial Villa2 outside the palace walls. He had also posthumously promoted the deceased Earl Yongshen,3 restoring his original title of Marquis, which was then passed on to his illegitimate younger brother.4
Such an honor was something not even the Empress had ever received. Lin Xizhao was certain Qu Sheng knew all of this, and she was terrified that Qu Sheng would, for her sake, seek revenge on the Imperial Noble Consort.
The consort’s influence was at its peak. If something were to happen, the Emperor would undoubtedly investigate it to the very end. She feared the Qu Family would be dragged into the disaster.
A few hours later, Lin Xizhao was curled up in Qu Sheng’s arms. That small, narrow embrace was not just a physical comfort but the anchor for her spirit.
Qu Sheng looked down at Lin Xizhao’s sleeping face. Exhausted and defenseless, her gentle, water-like features made Qu Sheng’s lips curve into a smile. She pressed a soft kiss to her brow and held her a little tighter.
The next day, the sun was already three poles high.5
After waking, Lin Xizhao had the servants prepare a generous spread of food and wine. Yesterday’s meeting with Qu Sheng’s Biaojie6 had been rushed, but as the master of this courtyard, it was her duty to host a proper welcoming feast to wash the dust from her journey.7
Lin Xizhao arranged the banquet in the dining hall and went with Qu Sheng to invite their guest.
Standing before Jin Mingyi’s8 room, Lin Xizhao glanced back at Qu Sheng, who offered an encouraging nod, a slight smile on her lips.
Lin Xizhao’s brows curved in a soft arc. She turned back and raised her hand to knock.
Knock, knock, knock.
After the first round of knocks, Lin Xizhao worried she’d been too quiet for the person inside to hear, so she rapped on the door again, a little harder this time.
Qu Sheng waited patiently behind her. A moment later, the door swung open, but it wasn’t Jin Mingyi. It was the man she had brought back with her yesterday.
He had changed into fresh clothes and tidied himself up. He now looked quite handsome, with clear brows and beautiful eyes,9 though there was an inexplicable softness to his features.
When the man opened the door, he was stunned to see Lin Xizhao. He stared at her for a moment before asking, “Who… who… who are you?” He had a severe stutter.
Lin Xizhao froze for a second and took a step back. Qu Sheng moved forward to stand beside her and looked at the man. “Is Jin Mingyi not awake yet?”
“Oh, g-g-greetings, bene… bene… benefactress. Sh-sh-she’s still sleeping.”
Qu Sheng didn’t react much to his stuttering, but Lin Xizhao looked at him with confusion. She hadn’t heard that Jin Mingyi had brought a man back with her.
“Please go wake her. My Jiejie10 has prepared a banquet to welcome her and wash the dust from her journey,” Qu Sheng said, her words deliberate, as if she were trying to convey something specific to Jin Mingyi.
The man bowed. “G-good, I’ll—”
“Just go wake her,” Qu Sheng interrupted, seemingly finding it a little difficult to listen.
The man nodded, glanced back, and went inside.
Not long after, Jin Mingyi crawled out of bed. The news that Lin Xizhao was hosting a welcoming banquet for her chased away the last dregs of sleep. She had lost face at Lin Xizhao’s place yesterday; today, she had to pull herself together.
Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao waited outside for a while. When the man came out and called for the serving maids to help with grooming, Qu Sheng murmured to Lin Xizhao, “Jiejie, let’s go wait for them.”
Lin Xizhao nodded, and the two of them went to the dining hall first.
About half an hour later, Jin Mingyi entered with the man in tow. Lin Xizhao rose to greet her, but Jin Mingyi hurried forward, her voice crisp and bright. “My Biaomei11 has told me so much about Xizhao-jiejie, seeing you today, you truly are, as she said, a great…” She stopped before finishing “great beauty,” feeling the term was a bit crude. She quickly corrected herself, “…a sister born with the beauty of a celestial fairy. It is truly Mingyi’s fortune to meet you today.”
Lin Xizhao’s eyes curved into crescents. “Biaomei, please don’t flatter me,” she said, her voice gentle. “Come, have a seat.”
Jin Mingyi sat and stared at Lin Xizhao a little too long, earning a soft cough from Qu Sheng’s direction. Jin Mingyi shot her a glare and silently grumbled about how petty Qu Sheng was.
The three of them began to eat. Lin Xizhao poured some clear wine for Jin Mingyi. “This is a light wine, perfectly fine to drink in the morning. Biaomei, please try some.”
Jin Mingyi placed her hand near the cup, waiting for Lin Xizhao to fill it. “Then I’ll have to drink a lot,” she said with a grin. “Jiejie, you don’t know, but I nearly starved to death on the road these past days. Don’t even mention wine; I couldn’t even get a glimpse of it.”
Qu Sheng took a sip from her own cup, her eyes lifting to meet Jin Mingyi’s. She still hadn’t asked what had happened to put her in such a state.
Jin Mingyi drank a mouthful, her eyes brightening. “This wine is delicious,” she said to Lin Xizhao.
Lin Xizhao smiled and poured her some more. “This vintage is best for young women. It won’t harm the body.”
Jin Mingyi nodded, then glanced at the man standing behind her. “You try some, too,” she said, holding the cup out to him.
The man looked at the cup, clearly trying to signal that this was inappropriate, but Jin Mingyi pushed it closer. “Hurry up.”
Lin Xizhao watched her, a little confused by her behavior, while Qu Sheng observed them with great interest.
Seeing the man glance nervously at them, Lin Xizhao said warmly, “There are no outsiders here. Have him sit with us.”
On the way back, Lin Xizhao had asked Qu Sheng who the man was. Qu Sheng had said he was a servant Jin Mingyi had bought, but to her, it didn’t seem that simple.
“How could I impose?” Jin Mingyi replied, turning back. It was their first meal together; she had to observe proper etiquette. How could she let her servant sit at the table?
“It’s fine, let him sit,” Qu Sheng said, backing Lin Xizhao’s invitation. Besides, the man appeared to be very well-mannered.
Jin Mingyi looked between the two of them, then turned back to the man. “Xizhao-jiejie and Biaomei don’t mind. Come and sit.”
There was already a chair nearby. A maid, hearing the exchange, immediately brought it over. The man bowed to them all and sat down.
At the table, Jin Mingyi talked as she ate, while the man beside her constantly served her food. Across from them, Qu Sheng was eating the food Lin Xizhao placed in her bowl.
Jin Mingyi recounted the year she and Qu Sheng had spent in Shoulin, claiming that half of the ten sentences Qu Sheng spoke were about her. She kept feeding Lin Xizhao stories of how much Qu Sheng adored her.
Lin Xizhao listened with a smile blooming across her face. With every sentence from Jin Mingyi, she would glance at Qu Sheng, her expression shifting from initial surprise to a sweet, contented glow.
So my Sheng’er already liked me that much back then.
“You don’t know, but this stuffy gourd12 spent all day, every day thinking of returning to the capital. If I hadn’t persuaded her to stay, she wouldn’t have even lasted the year,” Jin Mingyi said, providing a new reason for Qu Sheng’s stay in Shoulin.
It did sound illogical, to miss someone so much yet not go back to see them.
Qu Sheng listened as Jin Mingyi added oil and vinegar13 to the tale, then cleared her throat and shot her a look, signaling her to shut up. But when their eyes met, Jin Mingyi simply raised an eyebrow as if to say, I’m helping you.
The truth was, during her year in Shoulin, Qu Sheng couldn’t just return to the capital whenever she pleased. Since she had always stayed in the capital, none of the generals in Shoulin knew her. Qu Jinian had sent her there to be tempered for two or three years. But Qu Sheng had managed to strike into one piece14 with the Shoulin forces in just a year, making all the commanding generals rub their eyes and look at her anew.15
That was why when she wrote asking to return, Qu Jinian had agreed.
The entire meal consisted of Jin Mingyi fanning the wind and lighting the fire,16 first praising Qu Sheng and then making Lin Xizhao feel how much Qu Sheng cared for her.
After eating, the four of them lingered in the courtyard for a while before Qu Sheng took Lin Xizhao back to the Marquis Qu’s Residence.
Qu Sheng had already informed Jin Yunfei that she had found Jin Mingyi, but that her cousin refused to come to their residence. Qu Sheng assured her she had arranged a place for her to stay, so Jin Yunfei needn’t worry.
Now, she had to find out why Jin Mingyi wouldn’t return to her own home or stay with them, and why she claimed the Jin Family wanted to drag her back.
It was almost noon when Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao left. Despite having woken up late, Jin Mingyi hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in days and was still exhausted.
She sat in the shade of the courtyard, looking up at the sunlight dappling through the leaves. She let out a huge yawn and leaned her head against the man’s shoulder.
“Go… go… go back inside to sleep,” he stuttered.
“Don’t bother me,” Jin Mingyi mumbled, waving a hand weakly. She had already drifted off.
The man sat still, letting her rest against him. Half an hour later, the chirping of birds finally woke her. She squinted, her brow furrowed with irritation.
“Go chase them away.”
The man looked at the head still resting on his shoulder but didn’t speak or move.
Jin Mingyi repeated herself, but he remained motionless. The birds chirped relentlessly, grating on her nerves. “Go on!” she snapped.
“F-fine, fine, I-I’ll go.”
The moment he stood, Jin Mingyi’s body slumped sideways onto the long wooden bench, the jolt shocking her fully awake. By the time she raised a hand to her head, the man was already back.
He looked at her frowning face, his own expression one of innocent confusion. “I-it’s d-d-done,” he stuttered. “Chased… chased them… away.”
The irritation from the birds was gone, replaced by the throbbing ache in her head. She took a deep breath, suppressing her temper. “I know. Let’s go back inside.”
As Jin Mingyi left the pavilion, the man remained standing there, looking utterly baffled as to why she was angry again.
Back in the room, Jin Mingyi took off her outer robe and climbed onto the couch. Prying open one sleepy eye, she said, “You come sleep for a while, too.”
The man considered this for a moment, then removed his own outer robe and joined her.
Jin Mingyi rolled toward the inside of the couch to make room for him.
They lay side by side. She studied his handsome profile, a small smile playing on her lips as she wrapped her arms around him.
“You’re so good-looking. Why do you insist on pretending to be a man?”
“I… I… it’s… it’s more… con-convenient for travel.”
“Convenient for what? Let me tell you, someone as delicate and fair-skinned as you is exactly what men prey on. You’re lucky you ran into me, or you would have really suffered.”
The person lying with Jin Mingyi was not a man, but a girl.
Jin Mingyi recalled fleeing her home with a bit of silver and a fast horse. After just two days on the road, she had spotted the delicate-skinned Zhu Ming’an17 on a city street.
“Boss, how much for this one?” Jin Mingyi asked, eyeing the blade of straw18 stuck in Zhu Ming’an’s hair.
The human trafficker seemed to have just brought his wares out, as no crowd had gathered yet. Jin Mingyi led her horse over, then backed away slightly. This person looked familiar.
Seeing a potential customer, the owner greeted her enthusiastically. “Miss, which one has caught your eye?”
Jin Mingyi lifted her chin. “The thinnest one.”
The owner glanced over and held up his hand, forming the number eight.
“Eight liang?19 Why don’t you just rob me?” Jin Mingyi exclaimed.
“He… he-he-he…”
“You, shut up!” the owner barked, cutting off the person he was selling.
“What’s this? Sounds like a stutterer,” Jin Mingyi said, raising an eyebrow.
The owner knew he couldn’t hide it and admitted it frankly. “This quality is good; even as a stutterer, he’s worth at least six liang of silver.”
“Tch. Then I just won’t buy, how about that?” Jin Mingyi said, turning to leave with her horse.
“Hey, hey, don’t go!” the owner cried. “Miss, if you’re sincere, I can give you a discount.”
Jin Mingyi didn’t turn around, but she did cast a sideways glance at the ropes binding Zhu Ming’an’s hands. “Why is only she tied up?”
None of the others were bound.
The owner smiled. “Jade, if not carved, cannot become a useful object.”20
The owner’s words left Jin Mingyi lost in clouds and fog.21 “How much?” she asked, frowning.
“Five liang.” The owner held up one hand and walked over to her. “How does five liang sound?”
“Three liang. Not a fraction more,” Jin Mingyi stated, her tone as sharp as chopping a nail and slicing iron.22
The owner’s face fell instantly. He looked at Jin Mingyi’s clothes and her horse—she clearly wasn’t from a common family. He thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. “Deal!”
Having brought the price down so quickly, Jin Mingyi was ecstatic, a flicker of glee on her face. She quickly composed herself as the owner led the person over.
He offered the rope binding Zhu Ming’an to Jin Mingyi, but just as she reached for it, he pulled it back, making a weighing motion with his other hand.
Jin Mingyi rolled her eyes, took out her coin purse, and gave him three liang of silver.
The owner accepted the silver, tested its weight, and then handed over the rope.
Jin Mingyi took it and saw that the wrists of her newly bought, fair-skinned servant were rubbed red. She moved to untie the bonds.
“Can you lead a horse?” she asked as she worked on the knots.
Zhu Ming’an nodded. “Y-y-yes, I can.”
“So you really are a stutterer,” Jin Mingyi remarked, glancing at her. She plucked the straw from her hair and tossed it to the ground. “From now on, you’re with me. I guarantee you won’t go hungry.”
Jin Mingyi handed her the reins, then mounted her horse. “Find an inn. We need to rest.”
Zhu Ming’an looked up at her, her gaze appraising, then nodded. “F-fine, fine.”
As Jin Mingyi sat on her horse, Zhu Ming’an led it through the bustling streets. Jin Mingyi watched as her new servant began to look east and gaze west,23 and the instant she let go of the reins, Jin Mingyi whipped out her long whip, snaking it around the fleeing girl’s waist and ankle and yanking her back.
Zhu Ming’an crashed to the ground. She looked back at Jin Mingyi, seemingly in disbelief that she knew martial arts.
Jin Mingyi raised an eyebrow and grinned. “If you run, I’ll have lost my silver.”
Seeing she couldn’t escape, Zhu Ming’an thought for a moment, then got to her feet, lowered her head, and took the reins again.
Jin Mingyi found it amusing to see Zhu Ming’an was quick to accept the reality of her situation.24
They found an inn, and Jin Mingyi booked a single room, worried her new servant might try to run again.
She ordered food for herself and a portion for Zhu Ming’an. Watching her eat without any particular hurry, Jin Mingyi figured she probably hadn’t been starved.
After they finished, she had the waiter clear the table and went to lie on the couch. She had been traveling relentlessly for two days, and now that she finally had a chance to rest, she had to guard her ‘silver’ from running away.
“Here, you sleep there,” Jin Mingyi said, tossing the quilt from the couch to Zhu Ming’an, gesturing toward the chairs.
Zhu Ming’an caught the quilt, glanced up at her, and obediently walked over to the table and chairs. She pushed the chairs together, placed the quilt on top, looked at Jin Mingyi one last time, and lay down.
“What’s your name?” Jin Mingyi realized she had never asked.
Zhu Ming’an looked over. “Zhu… Zhu… Zhu Ming… Ming… Ming,” she stuttered, not giving her full name.
Jin Mingyi, lying on her side, nodded. “From now on, I’ll call you Xiao Mingzi.”25
Zhu Ming’an glanced up at Jin Mingyi but didn’t reply, lowering her gaze.
Darkness fell outside. Jin Mingyi’s sleep was restless. She opened her eyes at the sound of a window creaking.
In the dim room, she saw her new servant carefully opening the window, glancing back in her direction.
I knew it. She’s running again.
Jin Mingyi watched her jump from the window, and suddenly the trafficker’s words echoed in her mind: Jade, if not carved, cannot become a useful object. So this one knew martial arts. No wonder her hands were tied.
Jin Mingyi watched Zhu Ming’an escape from the window, a smirk playing on her lips, then jumped down after her.
Jin Mingyi followed her all the way to an abandoned courtyard in the city before revealing herself.
“Y-y-you—”
“Enough with the ‘you.’ You really made me search for you in the middle of the night.”
The next morning, as soon as they left the city gates, Jin Mingyi tied Zhu Ming’an’s hands and tethered her to the back of the horse, forcing her to run.
An hour later, Zhu Ming’an was completely exhausted. Even a draft animal couldn’t endure this; running like this would eventually kill someone. Jin Mingyi didn’t torture her excessively.
She dismounted and untied her wrists. “Still going to run?”
Zhu Ming’an was panting, her mouth dry. She couldn’t answer.
Of course, she wanted to run, but only if she could get away. She knew martial arts, but only some qinggong.26 In a real fight, she could tell Jin Mingyi was an experienced martial arts practitioner; she might not be able to win. She couldn’t risk getting beaten up, and besides, Jin Mingyi was a woman, so she couldn’t bring herself to strike her.
“Here.” Jin Mingyi held out a waterskin.
Zhu Ming’an’s throat felt like it was on fire. She took it without hesitation and drank greedily.
“Still going to run?” Jin Mingyi asked again with a smile, not seeming angry at all about the escape attempt.
After drinking, Zhu Ming’an looked up at her, her eyes now wary.
“I’ll give you two choices. Either you give me three liang of silver and I let you go, or you stay by my side and serve me for one year. After a year, even if you want to stay, I won’t keep you.”
Both options sounded perfectly reasonable.
Zhu Ming’an knew she couldn’t have escaped from the human trafficker; he had a dozen thugs on hand. She had been captured, not sold by her family.
Now, Jin Mingyi had bought her. Aside from when she tried to run, she hadn’t been mistreated. In fact, Jin Mingyi had generously given her a full meal that morning. And she had no silver.
Zhu Ming’an stared at Jin Mingyi for a while, as if making a decision. Finally, she said, “I’ll… I’ll… follow you.” A girl couldn’t do much to her. Following her wasn’t a bad deal.
Jin Mingyi grinned. “So it’s true. Jade, if not carved, cannot become a useful object.” You had to be disciplined before you’d behave.
As for their disheveled state when Qu Sheng found them, it was all because they had drunk too much. While they were asleep, someone had used bewitching incense27 on them and stolen their bags at the inn.
Their coin purses were gone, too.
They had planned to ride to another city, but their horse fell ill after a day and died the next. It was only then that Jin Mingyi thought of seeking refuge with her Paternal Aunt’s28 family.
By the time Qu Sheng found them, they had been starving for three days.
Through their shared hardship, they had supported each other, begging for food, eating and dashing, and being chased along the way.
One day, they were caught in the rain. Huddled in a ruined temple, their clothes soaked, Jin Mingyi finally discovered that Zhu Ming’an was a girl.
She remembered developing a fever. Zhu Ming’an had gone to beg for medicine but was chased away empty-handed. When she returned, dejected, she had held Jin Mingyi and cried helplessly. It was only then that Jin Mingyi noticed.
Later, her fever broke on its own. After repeated questioning, Zhu Ming’an finally admitted she was a woman.
Having shared the sweet and bitter together,29 and now knowing they were both women, Jin Mingyi no longer treated her as an outsider or a servant. They became like sisters. Whatever food Jin Mingyi had, she would share half with Zhu Ming’an.
By now, it was not the first time they had shared a bed. They had become accustomed to holding each other for warmth at night, with the heavens as their quilt and the earth as their mat.
Qu Sheng returned to the Marquis Qu’s Residence and asked Jin Yunfei a few questions.
Qu Sheng’s inquiries left Jin Yunfei’s head full of fog.30 “Your Eldest Maternal Uncle31 only wrote to say that Yi’er would be visiting. He didn’t say anything was wrong.”
Qu Sheng lowered her eyes for a moment. “Has anything significant happened at my uncle’s estate recently?”
Jin Yunfei thought for a moment, then recalled something. “There is one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Yi’er’s marriage.”
The moment she heard this, Qu Sheng seemed to guess why Jin Mingyi wouldn’t go home. A woman’s marriage was decided by her parents’ command and the matchmaker’s words.32 Jin Mingyi must not have approved of the man.
She had fled her wedding.
The Jin Family intended to form an alliance with the northern Marquis Zheng,33 and Jin Mingyi was the link.
Qu Sheng and Lin Xizhao returned to their own courtyard. They had only just sat down when Feng Qi34 came with a message: Qu Ting wanted her to come over.
Lin Xizhao’s heart dropped when she heard Feng Qi’s words.
Usually, Qu Ting would come find Qu Sheng himself. Now, he was summoning her. And when Feng Qi finished speaking, Qu Sheng instinctively glanced at her.
Noticing the change in Lin Xizhao’s expression, Qu Sheng looked at Feng Qi and said, “Tell Third Brother35 to wait a moment. Jiejie and I will go together.”
Problems had to be faced. Since it was something she had to do, there was no point hiding it from Lin Xizhao. It was better for her to know exactly what was happening than to let her suffer through anxious speculation.
They went to Qu Ting’s courtyard, where Qu Yu was also waiting. The brothers were stunned for a moment to see Lin Xizhao arrive with her. As the two women approached, Qu Sheng asked, “Third Brother, for what reason did you summon Sheng’er?”
The brothers exchanged a look. Qu Sheng saw this, glanced at Lin Xizhao, and said to Qu Ting, “It’s fine. Jiejie can know.”
Qu Ting met Qu Yu’s gaze, then looked at Lin Xizhao before turning back to Qu Sheng. “Yan Fengwu,36 the Hanlin Academy Scholar37 we’ve been watching, has had many merchants visiting his residence recently, staying for the entire day. The day after tomorrow is his birthday, and it’s said he’s invited many high-ranking officials.” He was the one who kept a parrot that screeched about killing the three Qu brothers.
“Is Father on the guest list?”
Qu Ting shook his head. “No. But Uncle Lin38 is.”
Qu Sheng’s brow furrowed. She turned to look at Lin Xizhao, who now seemed to recall that this man had sent an invitation to their residence a few days ago.
She had personally given the card to Lin Jianhai, but his response had been ambiguous,39 leaving it unclear whether he would attend or not.
The author has something to say:
A-begging Jin Mingyi: “Does anyone understand? A rope breaks at its thinnest point; misfortune seeks out the unlucky.40 A leaking roof meets with continuous rain,41 and a broken ship runs into a headwind.42 My life is bitter.”
Qu Sheng: “Alright, alright, I won’t look down on you.”
Jin Mingyi: “What about your great beauty?”
Qu Sheng: “???”
I haven’t been feeling well recently, so I’ve been updating less. I’ll write more once I’m better. Thank you to all the little darlings for subscribing, sending hearts~
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