When spring arrived and flowers bloomed across Jizhou, a new carriage and escort company opened for business in the city — on the site of the former Yiji Hall. The property, it was said, had been purchased for a full ten thousand taels of silver, and the business would handle not only transportation but also courier escort work.

The company was called Yongning Tongyuan.

As for why that name — the young proprietor Li Chi did not offer much explanation, saying only that he liked the characters.

A few people inside the company, however, were firmly convinced that he did not like all four characters equally — but one of them in particular.

For the opening, even Prince Yu’s household sent someone to offer congratulations, which immediately made everyone in Jizhou take notice.

The reason for this was simple: ten thousand taels of silver had been sent into Prince Yu’s household beforehand.

In Li Chi’s own words: the money that had funded their venture came from what they had obtained in Xinzhou, and Prince Yu would inevitably have objections to that. By returning ten thousand taels, they could purchase a peaceful coexistence.

Prince Yu gave them face in return, sending a household steward to attend in person — all the outward ceremonies handled handsomely.

And because Prince Yu’s household had sent a representative, people with no real connection to Li Chi whatsoever also showed up: various officials, various wealthy merchants, a steady stream of them coming and going.

Li Chi and the others stayed busy the whole day, and that evening hosted all the guests at a banquet that didn’t wind down until nearly midnight before the last guests took their leave.

Yu Jiuling said: “Li Chi’s method was inspired. Sending ten thousand taels into Prince Yu’s household accomplished more than one thing — not only did it make Prince Yu feel that Li Chi had given him his due, it also brought all those important people here to put on a show of support. But most importantly, the question of their standing was settled.”

Then he added: “The problem is that not a single person among all those guests had any intention of actually doing business with us here. Other cart and escort companies in the city are our competitors, and while nobody wants to cause trouble out of deference to Prince Yu’s household, the merchants who have worked with those other companies for years aren’t going to turn their business over to us on a whim. They’re all waiting to see how things develop.”

Li Chi shook his head with a smile. “That’s fine. Our real goal was never to build a thriving transport business — just to give everyone here an honest-looking identity so they can live comfortably in Jizhou.”

Zhuang Wudi could not quite understand this. He had been wanting to urge Li Chi to simply go to Yanshan Camp directly — once there, Li Chi would be third-in-command. Why keep attending the Academy? Why set up some carriage company?

Even if the business turned a profit, could it possibly compare to the life of a third-ranked leader in Yanshan Camp?

Yanshan Camp now had nearly a hundred thousand fighters under its banner. Third-in-command — what authority, what power. One word, and ten thousand men would follow.

That night, Zhuang Wudi raised the subject again.

“This business won’t make money,” he said, looking at Li Chi. “You said you’d go to Yanshan Camp after you graduate from the Academy. I can wait. The Chief can wait too. But setting all this up and putting everyone out in the open like this…”

Li Chi said: “Because we need something in the open.”

Zhuang Wudi didn’t follow.

“Jizhou can’t be easily shaken right now,” Li Chi explained. “Without the inside operative, Prince Yu’s plan to absorb Yanshan Camp has stalled. But Prince Yu will never give up on Yanshan Camp.”

He looked at Zhuang Wudi and said: “By running a business in the city and engaging with people at this level of society, we’ll hear about any shift in the wind early — and get that intelligence back to the Chief at Yanshan Camp.”

Zhuang Wudi finally understood, though he still felt it would be more satisfying to simply go back to Yanshan Camp directly.

Yu Jiuling, sensing the tension between the two of them, laughed and smoothly changed the subject.

“Li Chi — you said you liked all four characters of Yongning Tongyuan, but is it really all four, or just one of them?”

Zhuang Wudi, knowing this wasn’t the day for gloomy talk, smiled along and said: “I think it’s the character ‘ning’ — peace. What a fine character that is: peace, quiet, tranquility. One word, and it holds all the good things in the world.”

Yu Jiuling said: “I disagree. I think what Li Chi likes most is the character ‘tong’ — open passage.”

Zhuang Wudi asked: “How do you figure that?”

Yu Jiuling: “Just… passage.”

Zhuang Wudi turned this over in his mind for quite a while, unable to see how ‘passage’ was better than ‘peace.’

Three or four days passed. Yongning Tongyuan had still not seen a single piece of business, but no one found themselves particularly bored. Over a hundred sharp-edged Yanshan Camp fighters spent their days drilling and training in the courtyard.

Li Chi kept to his usual routine — attending classes at the Academy, then stopping at the Yunzhai Teahouse on his way back. He had made a promise to Madam Sun that he wouldn’t abruptly abandon that business.

Madam Sun spent her days caring for the child; the owner, Sun, was happily absorbed in fatherhood and could barely be bothered to look at the business. They were even considering handing management of Yunzhai Teahouse over to Li Chi entirely.

After returning to the transport company, Li Chi made a round through the kitchen, stepping out the door with a bean-paste bun already stuffed into his mouth.

“It’s been days now,” said Zhuang Wudi, spotting Li Chi. “All those guests were completely insincere — not one of them has come to do business. We can’t just sit here burning through reserves with nothing coming in.”

Li Chi said: “Let me think of something.”

The next morning, Li Chi decided to put Yongning Tongyuan on display. He sent the men out with ten large carts making a full circuit of Jizhou’s main streets, with Shen Diao and the Dog brought along as well, so that the city’s merchants could see just how formidable Yongning Tongyuan’s outfit was.

By that afternoon, someone had indeed shown up.

Yu Jiuling, delighted to see a potential customer, came out to receive them personally. He looked at the richly dressed woman standing before him and the small boy beside her, holding a sugar-coated hawthorn skewer.

“Madam,” Yu Jiuling said politely, “what business brings you to us?”

The woman said: “We’ve come to see the wild boar.”

Yu Jiuling: ????

“We can pay,” the woman said. “The child has never seen one. He saw you all parading the pig down the street earlier and has been pestering us ever since.”

Yu Jiuling said: “As long as there’s payment, you can see whatever you like.”

And so Shen Diao earned Yongning Tongyuan its first income: the princely sum of one tael of silver.

Yu Jiuling was in the middle of accompanying the mother and child on their pig-viewing when Li Chi arrived — with Gao Xining in tow. Gao Xining had known for some time that Li Chi had opened a transport company, but her grandfather wouldn’t let her go out freely. She had begged Mister Yan, who had in turn given Headmaster Gao his personal assurance that she would be delivered straight home after a brief visit. Only on those terms had she been allowed out.

Gao Xining stood in the gateway of the transport company, looking up at the four large characters on the signboard. For reasons she couldn’t quite account for, her lips pressed together and she began to smile.

“What are you smiling at?” Li Chi said, and walked in ahead of her with his hands clasped behind his back.

Gao Xining kicked him in the backside from behind.

Li Chi patted himself down and glanced back. “Didn’t eat before you left?”

Gao Xining raised an eyebrow.

Li Chi immediately softened. “I was genuinely just asking — was it that you didn’t eat when you left the house, because if you haven’t eaten I can go and prepare something right now—”

Gao Xining gave a small satisfied laugh, clasped her hands behind her back, and walked in. Her ponytail swayed from side to side.

“Where’s the Dog?”

A piercing cry answered her. Hearing her voice, the Dog spread its wings and came swooping over. It was fully grown now — pure white from head to tail, without a single feather of any other color.

Gao Xining rather foolishly began to extend her arm. Li Chi immediately grabbed her arm and pushed it down.

The Dog was already descending, and now beat its wings and pulled back up.

“Would you like to keep that arm?” Li Chi said flatly. If the Dog’s talons got a solid grip, anyone with any imagination could figure out what would happen to Gao Xining’s arm.

“Is anyone there?”

While Gao Xining and Li Chi were talking, a few people stepped through the gate. The person at the front was a heavyset man of about thirty, with a somewhat genial face.

Yu Jiuling hurried forward with a smile. “Honored guests — what brings you to Yongning Tongyuan?”

“We need to fetch a cargo delivery,” the heavyset man said. “I’m the proprietor of Shengchang Grain Store — my surname is Su. We have a shipment of grain collected in Pingchang County to the south of the city, but our own carts and horses aren’t sufficient. So I’ve come to inquire whether you take this kind of work.”

Yu Jiuling asked: “How much grain?”

Proprietor Su said: “At least sixty cartloads. We can supply thirty carts of our own. Can you supply thirty?”

Yu Jiuling said at once: “We can — though the transport fee for grain is somewhat higher than for other goods.”

Since the new year, scattered bands of brigands had been reappearing outside the city. Mounted raiders had even been spotted in the vicinity of Jizhou — which said something about how desperate life in the northern territories had become. A convoy carrying silver was less dangerous than one carrying grain.

In this world, silver was worth less than grain.

Yu Jiuling looked toward Li Chi. Li Chi stepped over.

Proprietor Su said: “Five taels per cart for transport, five taels per guard, three days of travel, twenty carts, sixty guards.”

Li Chi listened, then thought for a moment before replying: “Three taels per guard. No transport fee.”

Proprietor Su blinked. His offer had already been unusually low. In times like these, no one would risk their life for two or three taels of silver. Waiving the transport fee entirely meant something was off.

Li Chi continued: “I want five cartloads of grain.”

Proprietor Su’s expression shifted. “You’re in charge here?”

Li Chi nodded. “I am.”

Proprietor Su clasped his hands. “Young proprietor, on those terms, we have nothing to discuss.”

Li Chi smiled. “If the business falls through, at least we can be friends.”

Li Chi glanced at Yu Jiuling. “See him out.”

Proprietor Su’s expression flickered. He hesitated for a moment, then said: “Young proprietor — you’re new to this, aren’t you? You don’t know how to be flexible.”

Li Chi smiled. “What I do know is this: if another transport company were willing to take your business, Proprietor Su wouldn’t be standing in my doorway. They won’t take it because the bandits south of the city are particularly fierce — and because grain collected at this time of year raises questions. Where exactly is this grain coming from?”

Proprietor Su’s expression changed.

Spring had only just arrived. The fields had nothing to give yet.

He was quiet for a moment, then looked at Li Chi and said: “Three cartloads of grain. No transport fee. Two taels per guard.”

Li Chi held his gaze. “Eight cartloads.”

Proprietor Su flared up. “You’re joking!”

“You started it,” said Li Chi.

Proprietor Su gave a sharp sound of contempt — and didn’t leave.

He stood there awkwardly for a moment, and when Li Chi still said nothing, he finally gave a reluctant nod. “Your terms then. Five cartloads of grain. Three taels per guard.”

Li Chi shook his head. “I just said eight cartloads.”

Proprietor Su said: “You think I can’t find anyone else?!”

Li Chi said: “Proprietor Su, this isn’t your only trip, is it?”

Proprietor Su’s expression went through several changes. At last he said: “Six cartloads. Not a single one more.”

Li Chi nodded. “Six cartloads for this trip. If it comes off without trouble, I’ll take five on the next run.”

He asked: “When do you need to leave?”

“The sooner the better,” said Proprietor Su.

Li Chi looked at Zhuang Wudi. “Run tomorrow?”

Zhuang Wudi shrugged. “Let’s run.”

—