"Uncle Fu, what do you mean by 'Young Master Cui is here'?" Fei Qian was still a bit dazed, but he quickly snapped out of it and slapped his forehead. "Ah, I almost forgot! Let me go and welcome him."
Fei Qian stood up and prepared to go out to greet Young Master Cui. Uncle Fu, with a smile, quickly stepped forward to help Fei Qian straighten out his slightly wrinkled clothes.
Though Uncle Fu was quite old, his hands were still nimble. He adjusted the front of Fei Qian's robe, smoothed out the wrinkles on the back, and occasionally glanced up at Fei Qian, his face full of kindness and joy.
Seeing Uncle Fu's smile, Fei Qian couldn't help but chuckle. "Old Uncle Fu, what are you smiling at? Did I wear something wrong?"
"No, no, Young Master, your attire is perfect. I just feel overjoyed whenever I see you…" Uncle Fu's voice trailed off as he spoke, his hands still busy. "…May the old master's spirit in heaven bless you… keep you safe and healthy… free from illness and disaster…"
Fei Qian laughed. "Old Uncle Fu, I'm perfectly fine now. Don't worry, my health is great!" He even patted his chest to emphasize his point.
"Yes, yes, Young Master." Uncle Fu finished adjusting the clothes and straightened up. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, and his smile faded slightly. "Young Master, I probably shouldn't say this, but… although befriending Young Master Cui is good, the Cui family… well, just be cautious, Young Master…"
Fei Qian was puzzled. "Uncle Fu, could you explain a bit more?"
"I've heard some rumors in the marketplace recently… It's a long story. If you want to know more, I'll explain in detail after Young Master Cui leaves. But for now, we shouldn't keep him waiting. It wouldn't be polite… Just be careful, that's all…"
"Alright, I understand." Although Fei Qian wasn't entirely clear on what Uncle Fu meant, he decided to go and greet Young Master Cui first. Keeping someone waiting at the door would be impolite.
Young Master Cui, whose given name was Hou and courtesy name Yongyuan, was the son of Cui Yi. His appearance was almost identical to a certain modern-day celebrity. Fei Qian had once blurted out the name when they met in the market, and coincidentally, Cui Hou's courtesy name was Yongyuan, so they became acquainted.
Cui Hou was the first "official descendant" Fei Qian had met since arriving in the Han Dynasty—though to be precise, he was a descendant of a long-faded official family.
Cui Hou was the eldest son of Cui Yi, who was the younger brother of Cui Lie.
At present, the imperial court did not have a Chancellor position, so the highest civil officials were the Three Excellencies: the Minister Over the Masses (司徒), the Minister of Works (司空), and the Minister of the Guards (司马). Below them were the Nine Ministers, including the Minister of Ceremonies (太常), the Minister of the Household (兴禄勋), the Minister of the Guards (卫尉), the Minister Coachman (太仆), the Minister of Justice (廷尉), the Minister Herald (大鸿胪), the Minister of the Imperial Clan (宗正), the Minister of Agriculture (大司农), and the Minister Steward (少府). On the military side, the highest rank was the Grand General (大将军), equivalent to the Chancellor and even higher than the Three Excellencies, followed by the General of Agile Cavalry (骠骑将军), the General of Chariots and Cavalry (车骑将军), and the General of the Guards (卫将军), which were comparable to the Three Excellencies. Below them were the Four Expeditionary Generals (四征将军) and the Four Garrison Generals (四镇将军), while titles like the Four Pacification Generals (四安将军) and the Four Stabilization Generals (四平将军) were considered miscellaneous titles.
From what Fei Qian knew, Cui Lie had served as the Minister Over the Masses during Emperor Ling's reign, making him a top-tier official. However, after clashing with the Ten Attendants (a powerful group of eunuchs), Cui Lie lost his position, had his family fortune confiscated, and died soon after in anger and depression.
Cui Yi was also implicated and nearly lost everything. Fortunately, someone in the court secretly intervened. After Cui Lie's death, the Ten Attendants were satisfied and didn't pursue further retribution, allowing Cui Yi to survive. Now, the Cui family owned a farm outside Luoyang and ran a pawnshop in the city. Though it wasn't as large as the one owned by Grand General He Jin, it was enough to get by.
It was precisely because the Cui family was no longer influential that Cui Hou didn't put on airs as an official's descendant. Otherwise, Fei Qian would never have been able to befriend him.
Every time Fei Qian saw Cui Hou, he couldn't help but feel amused. Cui Hou's small eyes and round face were almost identical to a certain modern-day celebrity!
Fei Qian stepped outside and stood on the left side, clasping his hands in a polite gesture. "Brother Yongyuan, I apologize for the delay in welcoming you. Please, come in." Although he wanted to laugh at Cui Hou's face, he knew he had to maintain proper etiquette.
Cui Hou also smiled, his small eyes narrowing even further. "Haha, Brother Fei, no need to be so formal. You look even better than the last time I saw you!" As he spoke, he naturally reached out and took Fei Qian's hand.
Although Fei Qian knew that holding hands was a common way to show affection in the Han Dynasty, he still felt a bit uneasy about a man doing this to him.
"Brother Yongyuan, please come in—" Fei Qian subtly withdrew his hand and turned to instruct Uncle Fu to bring some dried fruits and tea for their guest in the main hall.
Cui Hou didn't seem to notice anything and continued smiling. "Ah, Brother Fei, there's no need to be so formal between us. Let's keep it casual—oh, by the way, I heard that the Fei family of Heluo is known for its scholarly heritage and extensive book collection. If you don't mind, could we have a chat in your study?"
"The study?"
Cui Hou nodded with a smile. "I have no other hobbies except reading new books. Would you grant me this presumptuous request? Ah, of course, if it's inconvenient for you…"
"Not at all, not at all. Please, Brother Yongyuan, this way." Although Fei Qian didn't fully understand why Cui Hou wanted to go to the study, he decided to oblige.
The two moved to the study and sat down. Uncle Fu brought in some dried fruits and tea, then stood respectfully to the side.
Cui Hou looked around and praised, "It's said that the Fei family of Heluo is a scholarly family, and now I see it's true. You have so many books here—impressive! Oh, by the way, a distinguished guest was very pleased with the item you gave me last time and took it. This guest was quite generous, so your share will be delivered this afternoon."
"Ah, thank you so much for your trouble, Brother Yongyuan!"
"Not at all, I should be thanking you…" Cui Hou suddenly clapped his hands. "Oh, I almost forgot! My farm recently harvested some fresh fruits, so I brought some for you to try—Old Steward, could you fetch them? I've already had them delivered to the back alley."
Fei Qian couldn't refuse and thanked him, instructing Uncle Fu to retrieve the fruits from the back alley.
Once Uncle Fu left and they were alone, Cui Hou leaned in and whispered, "About that treasure… do you have any more? The distinguished guest said they'd take as many as you have…"
The so-called treasure was actually a large glass bead with relief patterns. To be precise, it was a liuli bead, as Fei Qian couldn't achieve the purity of modern glass. Liuli was hard yet fragile, making it difficult to carve. The lost-wax casting method, which allowed for more intricate designs, wasn't invented until the Tang Dynasty. However, Fei Qian, having been a collector of liuli in his past life, knew a bit about the process.
When Fei Qian had just recovered from typhoid fever, his family's finances were nearly depleted from medical expenses. Fortunately, he remembered the primitive method of making liuli and, after several attempts, managed to produce a few decent beads using the lost-wax method. By chance, he met Cui Hou in the market and learned that the Cui family owned a pawnshop. He entrusted Cui Hou to sell the beads, which helped him through those difficult early days.
This was essentially Fei Qian's only "cheat" in this world. It was somewhat ironic—in the Han Dynasty, social hierarchies were strictly defined. While there wasn't a rigid household registration system like in the Ming Dynasty, Fei Qian, as a scholar, wasn't supposed to engage in direct trade.
Among scholars, the more acceptable form of exchange was "gifting"—you give me a few singing girls, I give you a few fine horses. Everyone knew it was a transaction, but it was wrapped in a veneer of elegance.
If Fei Qian wanted to monetize his liuli creations, the quickest way at the time was through pawning. It just so happened that he met Cui Hou, otherwise he might have chosen a different pawnshop.
However, making liuli was extremely difficult. Nine out of ten attempts would result in cracks or bubbles, and the success rate was very low. Fei Qian had tried several times, and aside from the first few decent pieces, the recent batches were all failures and had to be smashed.
Moreover, Fei Qian knew that rarity increased value. If he flooded the market, not only would it disrupt prices, but it could also attract unwanted attention. Therefore, he only offered two or three pieces, claiming they were family heirlooms, and had Cui Hou sell them on his behalf. The rest were destroyed and buried.
It was better to be known as a spendthrift than to be coveted by others.
Now it seemed that Cui Hou had tasted some sweet profits from this transaction and had come personally to see if there was potential for further deals.
Fei Qian thought for a moment and shook his head. "Brother Yongyuan, I'm embarrassed to say this, but selling those items was already heartbreaking for me. They were passed down from my ancestors, and now in my hands… sigh…" This was a tricky question to answer. If he said he had more, it would imply he had a steady supply, which was bad. But if he said he didn't, he might cut off a potential source of income, which was also unwise.
Fei Qian covered his face with his sleeve, pretending to be overcome with emotion, and decided to dodge the question for now.
Cui Hou coughed dryly, thinking to himself, 'Just as Father said, there must be more to this. This kid is pretending to be sad, but there aren't even any tears. He's not very convincing—if it were me, I'd be bawling to make it believable.'
However, Cui Hou understood that Fei Qian didn't want to answer, so he changed the subject. "Well, Brother Fei, don't be too sad… Ah, what books have you been reading lately? I see you have over a thousand scrolls here. Could you show me some?" While Fei Qian was still covering his face, Cui Hou casually nudged a bamboo scroll on the table, causing it to unfurl slightly. He peeked at it and vaguely saw the words "…my bow is excellent but useless…"
"Ah, just some ordinary books. Look, Brother Yongyuan, this is the *Qi Lun* (齐论), but unfortunately, I only have eleven volumes here. Many are missing…"
Cui Hou smiled and pretended to listen attentively as Fei Qian introduced various classics and collections. Meanwhile, he racked his brain trying to recall if he had ever come across the phrase he had glimpsed. After some thought, he couldn't place it and silently cursed, "What kind of book is this kid reading?"