(5) Entrusting the Stone Seal

Time slipped by, and more than a month had now passed since arriving at the General's residence. As night fell this particular evening, a sky full of stars scattered brilliant splendor across the darkness, bright as day. Yueying accompanied Tian Xu on a walk to aid his digestion, and after a loop around the garden, they made their way back toward the Locust Garden in the western wing—only to hear signs of movement there from quite a distance away.

Sure enough, Guo Huilian had once again been unable to resist the pull of "climbing high to gaze far," the shadow of her recent fall from the tree having faded completely by now. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say her lingering unease had never really been about the fall itself, but rather about landing on someone and being punished by her mother for it. As for the fall itself, she'd walked away entirely unharmed—it was someone else who'd gotten hurt, so what was there to fear? And so, after "holding back" for more than ten days, she once again slipped out under cover of darkness to climb her tree in the Locust Garden. This time, however, Guo Huilian happened to notice Tian Xu and his attendant approaching, and in her fright, scrambled down in a hurry. Both mistress and maid appeared thoroughly flustered—Xiaocui quickly helped Guo Huilian back into her shoes and socks, and the two of them were just preparing to make a hasty retreat when, without warning, Tian Xu's voice rang out: "Fourth Daughter, please wait a moment."

Guo Huilian froze at the sound, frowning, silently cursing her luck—Oh no—before turning around stiffly and forcing out an awkward smile at Tian Xu.

"Tenth Brother... is there something... something you need? What we're doing here... doesn't seem quite... quite proper. If Mother finds out... I'm afraid I'll be... in for another beating..." Guo Huilian stammered through her words, playing every bit the innocent victim.

"Well, heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know, and these two here know—so who else is there left to find out? Don't worry, Fourth Daughter. Whether it's the tree-climbing or this chance encounter with me, both Yueying and I will keep it in strictest confidence."

"You'd better keep your word on that." Guo Huilian's eyes darted about as several thoughts flickered through her mind, then she added, "And that makes yet another promise you owe me."

Off to the side, Xiaocui had already broken out in a cold sweat, alarmed at how boldly her young mistress was behaving, lingering here so recklessly. Growing more panicked by the moment, she tugged at Guo Huilian's sleeve, signaling her to leave at once—but in front of Tian Xu, a mere servant like herself had little room to speak up, and she had no idea that Guo Huilian had simply brushed her hand away, with no intention of paying her any mind.

"Very well," Tian Xu agreed readily.

"So, tell me quickly—what did you want to stop me for?"

Aside from her boldness, Guo Huilian's mind worked remarkably fast as well. This youth before her wasn't a complete stranger to her, after all—he was the "good person" who had promised to send her preserved fruit. In her young, straightforward heart, once a good person made a promise, that promise could be trusted. She had never been the type of proper, rule-abiding young lady to begin with—if she had been, would she ever have snuck off under cover of darkness to climb trees in the Locust Garden? The only thing that had ever truly held her back was fear of her mother. And so, with Tian Xu's assurance now secured, all her hesitation vanished at once—after all, they were still within her own family estate, so what real trouble could possibly come of it?

"I wouldn't dare call it trouble—there's simply a matter I'd like to entrust to you." As he spoke, Tian Xu drew out a small round stone seal that hung at his waist. "Tomorrow I must bid farewell to the General's residence, and I've been worrying these past few days over how to handle this matter. Then, quite by chance, I happened to run into you tonight—truly, it's as the saying goes: 'I searched high and low in vain, only to find it without the slightest effort.'" With that, Tian Xu walked over to Guo Huilian and held the small seal out to her.

"What is this for?" Guo Huilian asked, puzzled, as Tian Xu held the small seal out to her.

"Keep it safe for me, and remember—never leave it anywhere in your room, not even somewhere you think is well hidden. And you must not hand it to anyone at the General's residence—only you may look after it, and you must not speak of this matter to a single soul."

"Why on earth would I? This seems terribly strange. This little seal looks like a personal item of yours—wouldn't it be more fitting for you to keep it yourself? And why can't your own family know about it? What exactly are you scheming here? If I can't even keep it in my room, and you're the master of Zhenbao Tower yourself—aren't you worried I might just turn around and use it to claim the entire store for myself?"

"That's not a bad idea, in theory—but it wouldn't be a wise course of action." Tian Xu spoke with a tone both gentle and firm. "Zhenbao Tower could never compare to help given in a moment of true need. Treasures worth a fortune mean nothing much to me—what I value most is General Guo's open-hearted, upright sense of honor. If not for the General's warm generosity, extending a helping hand to a complete stranger, would Tian Xu even be standing here before you today, safe and sound? As the saying goes, one drop of kindness deserves a fountain in return. I've imposed on the General's household for over a month now, and I feel this debt deeply in my heart. So allow me to grant Fourth Daughter a promise—a pledge to help in whatever moment of true need or urgent trouble should ever arise. Should the day come when Fourth Daughter brings this seal to the Four Seas Inn and seeks out Steward Han, then so long as what you ask lies within my power to grant, I would walk through fire and water to see it done. But if Fourth Daughter would rather bring it to Zhenbao Tower instead, that works just as well—you may choose anything at all from the store, and I shall never say a word against it. This promise I make, I shall absolutely honor."

Hearing this whole explanation from Tian Xu, Guo Huilian looked only half-convinced, still not quite understanding.

"I'm the youngest child in this household, Tenth Brother—something this important really ought to go to Father instead, especially since it was Father who saved you, not me."

"That's true in principle. But General Guo's temperament is so open and generous that he would surely refuse any repayment for a kindness given freely. Even if he did accept it, he likely wouldn't think much of it afterward—he might simply set it aside somewhere, and by the time there was ever real need for it, he'd have long since forgotten where he'd put it." Tian Xu's tone remained gentle and unhurried as he explained patiently.

Guo Huilian listened, still a little confused, and asked again, "Father has always been utterly devoted to his duties, faithful and diligent in everything—what kind of urgent trouble could our family possibly face that would need saving?"

"As the saying goes, the heavens bring unforeseen storms, just as people meet with unexpected fortune and misfortune alike. Take myself, for example—my mother passed away without warning, and Shen Wan at Zhenbao Tower tried to seize the moment of chaos to take advantage, joining forces with Hong Tailai of the Splendid Silk Shop to bully a mere thirteen-year-old proprietor like myself. Doesn't this string of sudden misfortunes prove exactly that saying true? Perhaps such urgent troubles won't ever come to pass—but it's always better to be prepared, just in case."

"I understand what you mean, Tenth Brother, but the conditions you've set are far too strict—why can't anyone else know about this? And I can't even keep it inside my room—am I supposed to bury it in the ground, then?" Guo Huilian's brow furrowed slightly; this was really asking too much of her. "What if I just bury it under this very locust tree?" she asked, pointing at the tree beside them.

"This little seal has my name carved into it, and it's plainly a man's possession—if others learned that Fourth Daughter was keeping a man's private belongings, it might damage your reputation. As for where to keep it—somewhere up in the tree would be far more suitable than down at its base." Tian Xu paused, then pointed toward a spot on the branch where Guo Huilian often liked to perch, and continued, "There's a hollow up there, just the right size, quite well hidden—rain can't reach it, wind can't blow into it, and even a bird small enough to fit inside couldn't possibly carry off a stone seal. It really would make an excellent 'hiding place.'"

Hearing Tian Xu describe that tree hollow in such precise detail, Guo Huilian looked at him with obvious surprise.

"You... how do you even know there's a hollow up there? And... you seem to know it in such... such detail?"

Seeing Guo Huilian's reaction, Tian Xu found the moment rather amusing, and gestured toward Yueying standing behind him. "Yueying has practiced martial arts since he was five years old, with extraordinary lightness skill—climbing a tree to check something like that would be nothing at all for him."

Tian Xu, worried that his little scheme of causing Guo Huilian to fall from the tree might be exposed, made sure to conveniently omit the fact that he himself had been the one to climb up and check first, with Yueying merely following behind—cleanly distancing himself from the whole affair, never once mentioning his own martial skill, and simply shifting the blame onto Yueying instead. Yueying, hearing this, immediately bowed respectfully toward Guo Huilian, lending credibility to what his young master had just claimed.

There was nothing to be done about it—when it was his master's mess to clean up, Yueying had no choice but to shoulder the blame himself.

"I... I suppose that makes sense..." Guo Huilian found herself thoroughly convinced. She could only imagine that tree hollow must have accumulated some extraordinary fortune over countless lifetimes, to have earned the favor of Zhenbao Tower's own proprietor, entrusted with something so precious to him. Perhaps, she reasoned, people with great wealth simply did things differently from ordinary folk. Her young, naive mind could only make sense of it this way.

"Are you worried someone might discover you're also the true owner behind the Splendid Silk Shop and the Four Seas Inn? Is that why you're keeping everything so mysterious... Actually, come to think of it, could it be that you're secretly the true proprietor behind every one of Chang'an's most thriving shops?" Guo Huilian teased Tian Xu, struggling to hold back a smile. It had to be said—Guo Huilian's knack for stumbling onto the truth by sheer accident was genuinely remarkable; had she only been a bit older and more worldly-wise, she likely would have puzzled out a great deal more besides.

Hearing this, Tian Xu froze for the briefest moment before quickly recovering his composure. This little Fourth Daughter Guo might be young, but she was remarkably sharp, her quick little mind catching him off guard time and again. He gave a fake cough to mask his own unease, then, mimicking the tone Guo Huilian had just used, replied, "I... suppose... that's right... so you've discovered my little secret, Fourth Daughter?"

"Did I guess right?" Having heard Tian Xu confirm it himself, and delighted further by the way he'd mimicked her own manner of speech, Guo Huilian broke into a bright, joyful smile, her eyes suddenly sparkling, reflecting the starlit sky above and shining all the more brilliantly for it.

"Don't worry! I can be quite the loyal friend, you know! If you'll help me keep my secret, I'll help you keep yours too—how does that sound?"

With that, Guo Huilian happily accepted Tian Xu's rather peculiar request. That the proprietor behind so many of Chang'an's most thriving shops turned out to be nothing more than a thirteen-year-old boy who hadn't even fully grown up yet made perfect sense to her now—of course he wouldn't want to draw attention to himself or become the subject of gossip. And so, she reasoned, his concern about protecting her reputation was probably just a convenient excuse; what he truly feared, most likely, was simply having his real identity become common knowledge. Or so she thought to herself.

"Deal," Tian Xu agreed readily.

"So then... should I keep it, or would you rather have Yueying place it somewhere safe?" Tian Xu asked, seeking Guo Huilian's opinion once more.

"Just leave it with me. I'll come back again tomorrow night..."

At that point, Guo Huilian trailed off deliberately, leaving the rest unsaid—some things were better left unspoken, and the two of them understood each other perfectly well without further words. She held out her hand, palm open, signaling for Tian Xu to hand over the stone seal, and without another word, Tian Xu obliged at once.

"Tomorrow, when you leave the General's residence, I imagine you'll be off to handle matters at Zhenbao Tower and the Splendid Silk Shop?" Taking the stone seal, Guo Huilian looked at Tian Xu and offered a respectful bow. "I hope everything goes smoothly for you, Tenth Brother."

"Tian Xu thanks you, Fourth Daughter, for everything." Tian Xu returned the bow, and in that moment, he suddenly felt both amusement and warmth stirring together within him—a feeling entirely unfamiliar to him until now.

After bidding Tian Xu farewell, Guo Huilian led Xiaocui back toward her own courtyard, their two figures in yellow blouse and crimson skirt gradually receding into the distance amid soft, whispered chatter between mistress and maid, until at last they vanished from Tian Xu's sight. Only then did Yueying step closer and ask quietly, "Why not simply give it to General Guo directly? After all, Fourth Daughter Guo is still so young—how could she possibly grasp what storms your private seal might stir up across all of Chang'an?"

"What worries me is that my identity as a member of the Weibo Tian clan might bring misfortune down upon the General. Court politics are unpredictable enough as it is—who's to say some scheming person, someday, might not seize on this very seal to falsely accuse the General of secretly colluding with the military governor of Weibo? The General's nature is far too upright and open-hearted for him to ever guard against such a scheme. Setting aside the fact that he refuses any repayment for his kindness in the first place—even if he did accept my seal, it might one day become exactly the kind of evidence a political enemy could twist to slander him as being in league with the Weibo governor. So the only truly safe course is to hide it cleverly, somewhere that even a raid on the household could never uncover."

"The Manor Lord thinks of everything," Yueying said, bowing respectfully.

"Tomorrow's great performance is about to begin—is everything ready?"

"Thanks to the Manor Lord's careful planning these past several days, all that remains now is to catch Shen Wan and Hong Tailai completely off guard tomorrow."