In stark contrast to the South District, the West District of the Yue Kingdom's capital was an entirely different world.
Unlike the towering mansions that lined the South, the West District was full of ramshackle, uneven little houses. The people living there were the lowest rung of society — menial laborers, petty merchants, and the like. Of course, there were also idlers and ruffians who did no work whatsoever, as well as families that had fallen on hard times and relocated from other parts of the city.
The East District, situated far across from the West, was home to wealthy merchants and powerful trading families.
Though these households lacked official positions and therefore could not reside within the South District, their mansions and compounds were built with an opulence that surpassed one another in ever more extravagant displays. They spared no expense in making their estates stand out among their neighbors, each trying to outshine the rest.
Of course, there were a few families of genuine renown whose estates put all comparison to shame. Their grounds alone dwarfed others in both size and splendor, and the families within were magnates of immense wealth.
One such super-mansion tucked into a corner of the East District was the Qin Mansion.
Its grounds spanned dozens of mu, a sight that left anyone who knew the capital's land prices slack-jawed for a good while.
The Qin family was not merely rich — they were wealthier than a kingdom, controlling a full quarter of the Yue Kingdom's copper mining business. Moreover, it was said that the family head wielded extraordinary influence, with high-ranking officials at court who spoke on their behalf.
Servants of such a prestigious household naturally carried themselves with an air of authority, and their voices were louder than those of servants at other estates.
The Qin gatekeeper, Qin Gui, was a perfect example of this.
Every person who came to the Qin Mansion seeking an audience with the family head — regardless of their background, status, or official rank — treated this lowly gatekeeper with the utmost deference, not daring to offend him in the slightest.
Over time, this had given Qin Gui something of an inflated sense of his own importance.
As a result, whenever someone delivered a calling card requesting to meet a member of the Qin family, a small "token of appreciation" was naturally expected. Otherwise, Qin Gui would hardly give them a pleasant look — he might even sit on the message for three or four days before relaying it.
That said, if someone of truly significant stature came calling, Qin Gui would behave himself perfectly, playing the role of a dutiful and hardworking servant to the hilt.
As for the young masters and mistresses who came and went regularly, he was particularly attentive and eager to serve.
It had to be said, this approach had won him genuine approval from many of the household's masters. Rumor even had it that he was soon to be promoted to exterior affairs manager, put in charge of overseeing some branch of the family's business. Ever since learning this, Qin Gui had been practically floating on air, his steps light as feathers these past few days.
Now, Master Qin Gui had dragged a long bench to the front gate and was lying on it in the shade, enjoying a pleasant reprieve from the summer heat. The family head had gone out early that morning to discuss business, and the young masters and mistresses had headed off with their friends to visit the nearby Chongshan Temple. Aside from a few of the wives, the only ones left in the mansion were the young widow cousin.
This let him breathe a little easier and steal some leisure time without worry.
Just as the gentle breeze was lulling Qin Gui into a drowsy haze, a timid young man's voice suddenly drifted from in front of him.
"Excuse me, is this the Qin Mansion?"
The drowsiness that had just settled over Qin Gui was scattered in an instant by the sound, leaving him thoroughly irritated. Without even opening his eyes, he flared up and shouted: "What are you yelling for! Are you mourning someone? Can't you see your Lord Qin has just lain down?!"
Only after this outburst did Qin Gui open his eyes with the greatest reluctance, his face a mask of annoyance.
This was because the timidity in the other person's voice had led him to assume, on pure instinct, that he was dealing with some nobody — someone safe to bully.
At last, Qin Gui got a proper look at the person who had spoken. It was a young man of twenty-four or twenty-five, dressed in coarse cloth, with thoroughly unremarkable features. There was an unmistakable air of rustic country bumpkin about him — clearly someone who had just wandered into the city from some backwater village.
Seeing this, Qin Gui felt his confidence surge.
He sat up and without a single word of courtesy launched into a blistering tirade, as if the young man had committed some unforgivable crime by disturbing his Lord Qin's precious nap!
Qin Gui ranted on with such vigor that spit flew from his mouth, the tirade lasting the time it takes to drink a cup of tea and still showing no signs of stopping. The rustic young man, meanwhile, seemed to have been completely stunned by this verbal storm. He stood there with his mouth agape, looking utterly helpless, only knowing to stand and take every word of Qin Gui's rebuke!
After a good while, Qin Gui had finally exhausted his anger and stopped his tirade with lingering reluctance.
Then he cast a sidelong glance at the young man, seeming to remember the original question, and asked casually: "What business do you have at our Qin Mansion? We're not short on errand boys and servants here, so you'd better move along! It's not so easy to become a servant in this household! We don't just take in anyone of unknown origin — go find yourself a guarantor first, then come back!"
Drawing on his years of experience, Qin Gui had immediately concluded that this young man, still smelling of the countryside, must have come with some wild fantasy of landing a job at the Qin Mansion. He had seen plenty of this type before!
"I'm not here looking for work... Qin Yan is my uncle. My family asked me to deliver this letter to Uncle Qin!" The young man seemed only now to have recovered from the verbal onslaught. After hearing Qin Gui's words, he hastily fished a crumpled letter from inside his coat and stammered out an explanation.
"What?! The master is your uncle?!"
Qin Gui had just been feeling parched and was about to reach for a nearby teapot for a sip of water. The young man's words startled him so badly that he spat out a mouthful of tea, his face draining of color.
"This... I'm not sure myself, but my family told me to call him Uncle Qin!" The young man scratched his head, an awkward look on his face.
But this time, Qin Gui no longer dared to mock the other lightly. What if this fellow really was some distant relative connected to the master? He would be the one to suffer for it.
After a moment's hesitation, he asked carefully: "Could I... take a look at this letter? Please rest assured — I only wish to see the envelope. I would never dare to open it!"
To his surprise, the young man nodded in agreement, handing over the letter while muttering under his breath: