Zhang Qing inwardly gave a wry smile.
It was truly disheartening; he had only stepped out for a moment to pay his respects, and when he returned, Canglan Court was totally deserted, his people and Master Lian were nowhere to be found. He panicked, frightened nearly to the point of having an accident right there and then.
By the time he ran to the gate of Canglan Court, he saw the Young Eunuch he had instructed to stand guard at the door, looking completely at a loss.
His anger surged on the spot, and he went up and gave that Young Eunuch a kick, demanding why, if he was supposed to keep watch and report back on any activities, was the courtyard now left with just him!
When the Young Eunuch saw him, it was as if he’d been granted amnesty; he began to wail, saying that Master Lian’s movements were too quick, and whoosh, she had summoned everyone away.
The Young Eunuch explained that at the time, no one listened to what he said. He wanted to go find Steward Zhang, but was afraid to leave the gate of Canglan Court unattended; what if someone came in? So, he stayed put, and now finally Steward Zhang had arrived. He asked what should be done.
Zhang Qing felt choked with frustration; once again, he felt that Master Lian truly was his bane, that the tea in Canglan Court really should not be drunk—in fact, not even the pastries should be eaten!
What now? He would have to go find them himself. Could anyone really overpower Master Lian? Not even he was sure of that.
His Majesty had instructed him to watch the people, and if there was anything amiss, to report it immediately. But look at him! He took a moment to relieve himself and lost sight of everyone. What’s more urgent was that Master Lian had even taken his people away to catch fish. My goodness, his spotless record was in jeopardy! Zhang Qing felt like crying.
However, the most important thing now was that Master Lian was safe and sound.
He let out a sigh of relief, approached with a forced smile on his face, and with a bow, asked Lian Hua, "Master Lian, what is this about?"
Hearing Zhang Qing ask this, Lian Hua replied cheerfully, "Catching fish! Look, the fish in Huaqing Pool are indeed very plump. Look at this one, and that one." Steward Zhang’s eyesight really isn’t good, Lian Hua thought, barely stopping herself from inviting him to take a closer look.
The more Zhang Qing looked, the uglier his expression became; there seemed to be a few particularly rare fish among them, ones that had survived to become extremely precious.
He suppressed his thoughts, put a smile back on his face, and gave Lian Hua a thumbs up, praising, "Master Lian is truly remarkable. It’s not easy to catch fish from Huaqing Pool, but you’ve caught so many in one go. Are you planning to keep them elsewhere?"
Lian Hua couldn’t help but smile proudly. It seemed her "Huaqing Pool Fishing Top Ten Techniques" was quite successful and well-received.
She revealed eight evenly aligned small pearly teeth, boastfully saying to Zhang Qing, "Steward Zhang, not to brag, but in this palace, I’m the best at catching fish, followed by Xiao Qing. It’s just that it’s inconvenient for me to catch fish now, sigh..."
She sighed, a mix of disappointment and regret in her expression.
Zhang Qing’s heart skipped a beat, relieved that Master Lian still had some restraint and hadn’t done it herself.
If Master Lian had taken action and, God forbid, had an accident by falling into the lake—spit, spit, spit—whether there was an incident or not, if Master Lian had done it herself, His Majesty would skin him alive!
Now, Master Lian was someone of extremely high status, so precious that even walking by the shore they feared the mist would dampen her shoes or the humidity chill her body.
Thank heavens, though Master Lian was troublesome, she still knew her limits.
Lian Hua, oblivious to Zhang Qing’s thoughts, continued after her sigh, "Isn’t winter approaching? This is probably the last haul of the year. I thought to catch some more to take back and prepare a full fish feast for His Majesty to thank him for the bestowed Ingot, and preserve the rest to eat slowly over time."
Zhang Qing felt inwardly tormented, thinking if His Majesty knew, he wondered whether he could stomach the meal. This token of gratitude was likely the last thing His Majesty would want!
However, he could not say that, could not let down Master Lian, after all, Master Lian was doing this for His Majesty, and besides, if he hurt her feelings, His Majesty would be distressed.
Zhang Qing thought for a moment, a plan forming in his mind. He first praised her against his better judgement, saying, "Master Lian truly has a heart as pure as an orchid, sparing no effort in fishing to repay the emperor’s kindness, I am full of admiration."
Then he reasoned with her, using sentiment and logic, "It’s just that the fish from Huaqing Pool are only delicious when they’re fresh. I fear there won’t be much difference after they are salted. Moreover, the fish in Huaqing Pool are already rare, and catching so many now might mean none will be left for next year. Wouldn’t it be better to catch just one or two for His Majesty’s meal, and leave the rest in the pond to spawn and produce more fish for next year, don’t you think?"
After speaking, he looked intently at Lian Hua.
"Hmm~" Lian Hua touched her chin and thought carefully, the more she thought about it, the more she felt the argument made sense. The fish, like chickens, lay eggs, and from eggs, more chickens are hatched, an endless cycle.
Indeed, indeed, Steward Zhang is very talented, why didn’t she think of that before!
Also, if one wanted to eat salted fish, why use the fine fish from Huaqing Pool? That would be a losing trade, it just couldn’t be done, not appropriate at all, absolutely not!
Leaving them in the pond, they would grow and produce little fish next year. That was a trade that could be made, she decided firmly, very good, indeed!
Having realized these points, Lian Hua couldn’t help but give a thumbs up and said, "Steward Zhang, your words have truly been enlightening, better than ten years of study. Luckily, you reminded me. Then let’s put them back, let the big fish produce little fish, haha."
Zhang Qing breathed a sigh of relief, repeatedly waving his hands modestly and saying, "Not at all, not at all, it’s Master Lian’s intelligence, so clear and thorough. Even if I hadn’t mentioned it, Master Lian would have figured it out sooner or later."
Lian Hua also became modest, saying, "Oh no, oh no, just somewhat intelligent, no need for praise, it is Steward Zhang who is talented..." and began to exchange compliments with Zhang Qing. The two were in good spirits, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
After enough compliments were exchanged, Lian Hua shouted to the people on the shore, "Xiao Qing, take the two biggest and fattest ones, release the rest, and everyone else stop fishing. Hey, Xiao Linzi, what are you doing, hurry up and drop that net."
Xiao Qing responded with an "Okay," and began selecting fish.
Xiao Linzi obediently drew back the net he had just cast, a look of unfulfilled desire on his face, feeling extremely disappointed. He had only caught two or three fish, why stop now, when they had just gotten three buckets, and two more buckets weren’t even filled yet, sigh...
Zhang Qing looked at Xiao Linzi, his eyes narrowing slightly, you cheeky boy. He hadn’t noticed him earlier, but now he would have to give him a stern talking-to. He was supposed to watch over Master Lian quietly and report to His Majesty if necessary. Instead, he seemed to be in cahoots, was this his idea of oversight?
The other Young Eunuchs, upon hearing the orders, also stopped one after another, all of them exclaiming in disappointment and expressing their regrets, for they had not enjoyed themselves enough fishing.
Xiao Jizi came over, greeted Zhang Qing with a bow, and then asked Lian Hua, "Master, are we releasing the rest?" What a pity.
Lian Hua nodded and said, "Right, just select two plump fish for His Majesty’s meal, the rest should be kept in the pond to grow, and we can catch them when we want to eat."
Zhang Qing listened on the side, his eyelids twitching. These were not his words; he had not suggested to Master Lian that they could continue fishing whenever they wanted to eat. If His Majesty raises a complaint, it wasn’t his fault, it wasn’t his fault!
Xiao Jizi gave an "Oh" in acknowledgement. So, they could fish again in the future, great, alright then, let’s release them all back.
Since arriving at Canglan Court, he hadn’t experienced fishing yet, which he found extremely fresh and exciting; following the master surely meant good eating and fun.
The saying went, "to release is to release"; he began directing everyone to release the fish, gather the nets, grab the buckets, tidying up and preparing to close up shop.