Volume 2: Rumors: A Woman's Weapon

And that's precisely how it happened. Young Miss Qing Ge was hysterical the next morning, weeping and wailing at her Father and making a huge fuss in front of everyone. Naturally, if any of what she said had happened, there should be some evidence. But many had seen her wandering around the palace gardens when she said she was being tortured and drugged. And there wasn't a single scratch on her. In fact, she even had an unusually healthy glow about her and some snidely commented she looked more beautiful for the supposed torture she'd received.

Gong Nui had never been more embarrassed. He'd seen the dress and received the jade ring early that morning. The Palace servants had even prepared a special concoction that had healed his hangover instantly. Before they'd left, Shan Hui himself had come to inquire after his daughter's wellbeing, acting the perfect gentleman, only to get screamed at by his daughter and treated like a criminal.

The chubby merchant wished he could beat her to a pulp for her behavior. If it'd been any of his other daughters, he definitely would have. But her Mother had the Han Family's backing, and he couldn't touch her without suffering severe blow back from them. If he wanted her punished, he'd have to convince his wife to do it.

Either way, there was no way he could marry her off to Shan Hui. What man would accept a wife who'd made those kinds of accusations? And he doubted the Young Master would look well on the Gong Family from now on because of her behavior. His plan to gain an advantage over the Wu Family had backfired on him horribly. He severely regretted trusting this stupid nitwit of a girl.

He regretted the whole episode even more when a few weeks later he discovered Wu TengFei had raised the entrance fee on all his merchants. It was enough that it bite into his profits, so he personally went to Wu TengFei to complain.

"Gong Nui," Wu TengFei said in cold fury, "you've gotten arrogant ever since you became Head of your family. Don't think I'm unaware that your wife is related to Han Royalty and that's how you bullied Old Gong into giving you a position you didn't deserve. I never commented because it wasn't my business. But now you've made it my business! Did you think you could scheme to get one over me and use the Mountain Lord's family as a stepping stone to do it and I wouldn't find out? Fool! Your connections means nothing here, NOTHING. Get out and be thankful I'm not banning you completely."

From then on, the Gong Family and their associates steadily withdrew from Wu TengFei company and began depending more heavily on the older routes once again. Obviously Gong Nui was never invited to Mei Hua's yearly birthday party. Even if he had been, he wouldn't have attended. He'd lost too much face to be even in the same room as Wu TengFei.

The Eldest Daughter of Gong Nui did not sit idly by despite losing her Father's favor and being punished (though only lightly) by her Mother. Where ever she went, whoever she talked to, she spread vicious rumors about the Mountain Lord's family and eldest son. She targeted Shan Hui specifically, making him out to be a perverted monster who lusted after married and unmarried women, men and children. He was wild tempered and violent, greed and malicious. Or so the story went.

Because she was related to Han Royalty her words carried greater weight; bored ladies and madams spread her 'stories' more willingly. In the Han Nation the Mountain Lord and Lady were viewed as ruffians and bandits, while Shan Hui's reputation was completely destroyed and unrecoverable by the end of the following year.

The rumors spread beyond the Han Nation in short order due to their scandalous and salacious nature, eventually covering the entire East. Young Misses from Merchant families who once begged to attend the Lady's Birthday Party suddenly began to decline direct invitations. Some of the wives of the Merchants also began staying home. Fights broke out in families as wives and daughters argued and begged not to go. If Royalty said Mountain Lord and Lady were uncouth, who were they to argue?

Luckily, Merchant Family Heads were practical people when it came to money. No matter the rumors, businessmen took note that the Gong Family lost favor with the Wu Family, causing their shipping rates to rise and now they rarely used the mountain paths. Level headed Merchants thus suspected this rumor was the Gong's getting back at the Wu's and not reflective of reality. And even if there was truth to the rumors, that had nothing to do with getting goods to the other side of the mountain in a speedy and safe manner.

As for Jin, Mei Hua, and Shan Hui… the Lord and Lady were only vaguely aware of the bad rumors in the East. But since they were fairly isolated and no one was stupid enough to speak such rumors to their faces, they weren't aware of the specifics or where they had started. Certainly, the lack of the Gong Family was not missed, as Jin didn't like Gong Nui to begin with. Jin also didn't value outsiders opinions and Mei Hua was protected from the worst of the rumors by her husband and her friend, Pei Zhi.

Shan Hui couldn't care less about what strangers thought of him either… he had, after all, been the person who'd informed Wu TengFei what Gong Nui had been trying to do and started the feud between them. He hadn't bothered telling the Old Man or his Mother about what he had done. He didn't feel the need to. His Mother had entrusted him with the task and he'd believed he carried it out flawlessly.

The rumors did make their way to the West eventually, but were rebuffed by the very well networked Wu Family. Pei Zhi squished rumors among the women while Wu TengFei stopped rumors among the men. Between the two of them and their connections, the rumors were reduced to nothing more than malicious silly gossip that shallow people with nothing better to do talked about and eventually died out completely.

But in the East, there was always a sense of unease towards the Mountain Lord and his family ever after.

——

Jin was sitting on a rock cliff, watching the caravan of Merchants and goods below. He liked to keep an eye on things from above and then eavesdrop while he was at it. Often the Merchants and their servants would only talk about interesting things if Jin wasn't there.

"Old man," His eldest son greeted lazily from behind.

The brat hadn't made a sound on his approach. He had been trying, since he was young, to sneak up on Jin and scare him. Shan Hui was much more subtle about it now that he was older, perhaps not even realizing that he was still doing it. But since he never succeeded, Jin just ignored his behavior rather than point it out.

Jin only gave a slight nod by way of acknowledgment.

Shan Hui came over and sat next to him, and for a while neither spoke. They both listened to the chatter below.

"So the Chin Family Head is retiring soon." Shan Hui suddenly commented on what he heard below.

Jin gave his son a side glance, feeling suspicious.

"Apparently he had an episode and lost the use of his right side. His assistant is taking his place for now."

Shan Hui hummed and shook his head sadly.

"Growing old must be awful. I think I'd rather just die than grow old and wither away like that."

"How fortunate for you that this 'Old Man' made you immortal."

Ignoring Jin pompous comment completely, Shan Hui asked, "Who do you think will take over as the family head?"

Jin "tsked" at his son for being so ungrateful but didn't dwell on it.

"Third Son, I believe."

"Really? Not the first?"

"The Chin Family Head seems to value loyalty and results. The oldest son is loyal, but doesn't have the talent. The second son joined the army. The Third Son you've met. Hardworking fellow, honest."

Shan Hui nodded. The one thing Father and Son valued equally was honesty. Liars could just die in a pit of fire as far as they were concerned. (If there was irony in two chronically dishonest men hating liars, they studiously ignored it.)

"The Chin Family has sense. Much better than the Gong Family."

"Are you referring to that Fatty Nui?"

"That's the one."

"Ah… even if his mouth is made of gold, just looking at him should have tipped the Gong Family off that he was unsuitable for the Family Head. I'm glad Wu TengFei scared him off, so now I don't have to look at him or his kin."

"His First Wife is related to Royalty, did you know?"

Jin raised an eyebrow.

"So Old Gong was practically forced into making Fatty the Head."

"Yes, exactly." Shan Hui took a random rock and flicked it, shooting it straight ahead and scaring a flock of nearby birds. "Did you know his daughter was planning to seduce me?"

Jin had only been told by Wu TengFei that Gong Nui had caused him trouble. The issue of the party and Nui's daughter had never been brought up, so this information surprised Jin.

The older man laughed for a few seconds before realizing his son was serious.

"What, really?!"

"En."

The older man could only sit there extremely puzzled for a few minutes.

"…have you met her before?"

"No."

Jin's forehead turned into a giant crinkle from the absurdity of what he was hearing.

"Then why would she—?"

"Money and power, of course."

"Money and power?"

"Yes, apparently Fat Nui wanted to tie us to him through marriage. Perhaps gain the upper hand on the Wu Family."

Jin's face smoothed at this while his eyes glinted darkly.

"So that's why Wu TengFei was furious at him. As if we'd trade the Wu's for the Gong's with Fatty Nui as the Head." Jin commented with a snort. "Even if you were stupid enough to marry Fatty Nui's daughter, that's got nothing to do with our business deals."

"I know. But that's not how humans think. To them, marriage is to the family, not to the individual. If Mother's family was alive, you'd be bound to her family and not just her."

Jin snorted callously. "Then it's good they're dead."

"Shall I tell her you said that?" Shan Hui grinned maliciously.

"Brat—!" Jin raised his hand to smack his eldest, but the boy side stepped quickly.

"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Shan Hui said when he saw his Father give him a dark glare. "Only Mother would suffer if I told her you said that!"

Jin relaxed knowing that Shan Hui really wouldn't say anything. Mei Hua's happiness was always on the forefront of the boy's mind and the only real thing that could keep him in line.

"When will you give Mother a new child?"

Jin blinked, confused by the change in topic.

"It's… It's not like I have complete control over that."

Shan Hui knew that many of Mei Hua's pregnancies ended early. He did not understand the particulars of why, but he knew his Father had meddled with him in the womb to keep him alive (and therefore begrudgingly admitted he owed the Old Man his life). It was only logical that Jin could do something like that again if he liked and it somewhat puzzled him that Jin never did.

"But you've got a pretty good idea what is needed for the pregnancies to stick, right?"

"Just because I know why they fail doesn't mean I can fix them. When I interfere, there are consequences." Jin admitted begrudgingly while looking at one such consequence, and then squinted. "Why do you care? I thought you didn't want more siblings?"

Shan Hui looked at the sky thoughtfully.

"I'm going to leave home soon, I think."

Jin perked up immediately. Who knew his son could bring him good news!

"Don't drink all the wine when I leave or anything.*" Shan Hui said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

(*Author: Aka, 'don't be sad about me leaving'. Though obviously Jin won't be sad, thus it was said with sarcasm.)

Jin coughed lightly. "I'll at least drink a cup with you."

"In celebration, I'm sure." Shan Hui laughed, not the least offended since their antagonism was mutual and half-way to loving at this point.

"Since you're telling me in advance, I take it you'll also tell me why?"

"Hm…" The young man was quiet for a moment, watching the people below him as he did. "Gong Nui was the first but won't be the last. Now that I'm considered old enough to be married, other Merchant families will think to marry their daughters off to me."

Jin rubbed his chin. "You dislike such attention?"

"Wouldn't you, Old Man? Having greedy men throw their daughters at you, without regard to your own thoughts, using or misusing your family as leverage to get what they want? Even if I destroyed my own reputation, they'd still do it just for the hope of grasping the mountain's riches."

"I suppose… humans do get strangely greedy over rocks…"

"When my brothers come of age, you might suggest they leave as well, if only for a while. I suspect I won't be the only one who's targeted."

Jin gave a slow nod. "I'll pass on your message."

"For now, as long as I'm gone they won't have anyone to throw their daughters at."

"Your Mother won't like it though."

"She won't but… I'm doing this for her sake. She's the one who will be heart broken by such political maneuvering and any retaliation needed to stop it."

"Even so, you're running away."

"So? Strategic retreats have their place. Eventually they'll forget about me, and then I can come back and visit at my leisure. Aren't you looking forward to your son's eventual return?" At his impish grin, Jin scowled slightly. "Anyway, it'd be better if she had a baby to distract her when I leave."

"…so that's why you brought up siblings…"

"Of course, of course. So, dear Old Man, get to it! I'd like to leave within the next year or two if possible."

The "Old Man" sighed. "I told you, my control is somewhat limited in that area—"

"Why not a girl this time, hm? That's all she's been talking about since Aunt Pei Zhi had a daughter."

"Listen to a person when they're telling you something!" Jin eyed his son angrily.

"What, you can't do it?"

Jin hesitated, looking annoyed. He was extremely unwilling to admit to any shortcomings in his masculinity. He just... couldn't... produce a girl. It was literally impossible for his body to do so. Not a single baby, alive or dead, had ever been a girl. Not one. This brat already knew enough embarrassing secrets to needle him with so he didn't want to tell him about another one.

"Someday, when you want children of your own," He finally said. "You'll understand how difficult what you're asking is to do."

Shan Hui cocked an eyebrow at him.

"So, basically, you can't do it."

Shan Hui immediately ran away with a cackling laugh, narrowly missing his Father's fury.