Chapter 767 — Three More Clauses
CHAPTER 767
Three More Clauses
“Clause one,” Shi Feng read. “From tomorrow, the Tang family ends all price cuts on Deity Transformation pills in every market in Tianjing where the princess’s pavilions trade.”
The lane murmured. A woman by the well nodded hard.
“Clause two,” Shi Feng read. “Master Shi Feng, as owner of the Black Sand Root method, will not sell it, teach it or publish it to any person, house or sect.”
“Clause three,” Shi Feng continued. “In gratitude for his discretion, the Tang family will pay Master Shi Feng three hundred thousand a year, privately, for as long as clause two is kept.”
Somebody in the crowd choked on a bun.
“Clause four,” Shi Feng read. “All matters between the Tang family and Master Shi Feng before this day are closed.”
Shi Feng lowered the paper.
“It’s a good paper, Steward Tang,” Shi Feng said. “It’s honest about what it wants. There’s only one thing wrong with it.”
“Which is?” Tang Wenbo asked.
“Clause two,” Shi Feng said, holding out his hand toward the courtyard, and Ji Yuanhe put a brush in it without being asked. “It says I’m the owner of the method. I’m not.”
Tang Wenbo’s calm face went still.
“The morning the lotus broke, I gave the method to the Phoenix Tail Pavilion,” Shi Feng said. “Freely. It’s written in Her Highness’s ledger, with the date and two clerks’ signatures. I can’t promise you I won’t sell a thing that doesn’t belong to me. Nobody can. A promise like that is worth nothing.”
He struck out “Master Shi Feng” in clause two, and wrote “Her Highness’s pavilions” above it in small neat characters. Then he blew on the ink.
“There,” Shi Feng said. “Now it’s correct. And now the rest of it’s addressed to the wrong gate.”
The lane burst out laughing.
“He gave it away! Three hundred thousand a year, and he gave it away!”
“No, listen, he gave it away before! Days ago!”
“So the Tang came to the wrong house to bribe!”
“…Isn’t that worse for the Tang?”
It was much worse for the Tang. A frontier alchemist could be paid off privately with three hundred thousand. A princess couldn’t. She could demand terms that protected all her pavilions. Worse, Shi Feng was putting the paper in her hands before the Tang could approach her privately.
“Master Shi could have kept quiet,” Tang Wenbo said, very low. “The money would have been real.”
“So would the lie,” Shi Feng said. “I gave her the method. I won’t sell you a promise I can’t keep. I’ll walk you there, Steward Tang. I want her to read the same paper you brought me.”
In her tea room, Long Caili read the corrected paper once, in silence, her eyes moving above the veil, with Tang Wenbo standing before her table and Shi Feng sitting by the window with his sling.
Then she held out her hand without looking up, and Ke Lianshu put a vermilion brush in it.
“Clause one is acceptable,” Long Caili said. “Clause two, I’ll take, but not forever. Forever is a price nobody can count. Three years. After that, my pavilions sell the method to whoever pays.” She wrote the change. “Clause three stays. Three hundred thousand a year, paid to my pavilions, through my ledger, in public. Not privately.”
Tang Wenbo’s hands tightened on his empty box. “Your Highness, the elders—”
“The elders sent you to bribe my candidate behind my back,” Long Caili said, without raising her voice in the least. “They’ll accept paying me to my face. Clause four is between you and Master Shi. I’ll leave it.” She dipped the brush again. “And I’m adding three.”
“Three, Your Highness?” Tang Wenbo said faintly.
“Clause five,” Long Caili said. “The Tang family sells its hoard of Red Flame Lotus to my pavilions at today’s price.”
“Today’s price is—” Tang Wenbo began.
“The price of a flower. Yes,” Long Caili said, writing the clause. “Clause six. Every Tang pill shop in Tianjing posts the appraiser’s cloud count beside its label. Let the customers read both, the way they read them in the West Market.” She wrote again. “Clause seven. If the Tang break any clause, they pay me ten times the year’s sum.”
She turned the paper round and pushed it across the table.
Tang Wenbo read it slowly. His face didn’t change, but the sweat had reached his collar now. He’d tried to buy Shi Feng away from the princess. Now he had her terms to answer. The man had come out that morning to buy one alchemist cheaply. He was going home with seven clauses and a princess’s vermilion all over the family seal.
Clause six would sting the Tang more than all the money. Every Tang shop in the city would have to stand its labels beside the truth every day.
“The one who tied the bell has to untie it,” Tang Wenbo said quietly.
He took the brush from Ke Lianshu, signed beneath the princess’s corrections, and pressed the Tang seal a second time beside her vermilion. Ke Lianshu took the paper, bowed to it, and bowed to Tang Wenbo with real sympathy.
“A thousand thanks, Steward Tang,” Ke Lianshu said. “This servant will have the lotus collected tonight. So sorry for the trouble.”
Tang Wenbo bowed to the princess and then to Shi Feng. He left without another word, and his back was as straight going out as it had been coming in.
Long Caili set the vermilion brush down and finally looked at Shi Feng.
“You could have taken three hundred thousand a year for yourself,” Long Caili said. “Privately. I’d never have known.”
“You’d have known by the second year,” Shi Feng said. “Too many people knew I gave you the method. Taking their money wouldn’t have stayed private.”
“I would,” Long Caili said, looking at him a moment longer than she needed to. “Three hundred thousand a year, and you walked it to my door yourself. I’ll remember that, Master Shi.”
“Then remember why I brought it,” Shi Feng said. “I gave you my word before he offered me anything.”
Long Caili’s eyes gave nothing away, but she did pick up the brush again.
By evening, the red Tang price boards had come down in all five markets of Tianjing. The market war was over.
When he got back to Willow Ford, a third red card was tied to the gate. There was no jar with it this time.
Wine, tomorrow. The Drunken Crane. I’ve thought of something.