Tie Ci returned the cleaver to the cook and very politely apologized for taking it without asking. That cook, with a dreamy expression on his face, hugged the knife and went back, even forgetting to take the bones and meat.

Tie Ci then familiararly toured around the county office, finally selecting an empty room in front of the second gate, saying: “Jixian Street is too far, inconvenient for work. I’ll just live here.”

The clerk finally caught his breath at this moment, his face pale as he said in a flat tone: “Since the noble person doesn’t mind, then please do as you wish.”

Then he led his people out in a panic, presumably to report to the county magistrate.

Tie Ci personally led the two maids to tidy up the room. Just this one empty room, no choice. After entering, they discovered there was only a bare bed board inside, not even a table, let alone the floor which was full of pits and holes without even bricks laid.

No one came to help clean the room, and no one brought anything over – presumably they still hoped Tie Ci would retreat in the face of difficulties.

But in the eyes of these three people, there was nothing difficult. Dan Shuang immediately went to the market to buy bedding, tables, chairs and other items, while Chi Xue went somewhere unknown. After a while she returned, dragging a sack. When she dumped out its contents, it turned out to be decorative bricks.

“Where did these come from?”

“Dismantled from the second gate’s perimeter wall.”

Chi Xue, who had dismantled the decorative bricks from someone else’s wall, asked Tie Ci to go outside. Like performing magic, she dragged out chairs and small tables from who knows where, brewed the tea they had brought, and had Tie Ci sit comfortably outside drinking tea while she worked inside leveling the ground and laying bricks.

Tie Ci was completely at ease with the omni-capable Chi Xue. Squinting her eyes, she sipped the light, exquisite Tanshan Green Robe Rain Needle tea and admired the decidedly unpleasant scenery of the county office.

Suddenly there was a muffled sound beside her, and a bundle appeared.

She picked it up and opened it – inside was actually a clean mattress. Though it was ordinary cotton cloth, it was very new.

She remained composed and placed the mattress under her bottom. She had just been finding the chair painfully hard on her bones.

Behind the flowering tree, someone seemed to draw a breath.

After a while, there was another soft thud.

Tie Ci opened her eyes and saw another box on the ground. Opening it revealed bowls, chopsticks, cups and such – though somewhat crude, they were clean and brand new.

She then used them to pour a full bowl of tea, gulping down the tea leaves worth one or two thousand gold coins like crude wine.

After pouring two cups, she pushed the other one outward.

There was no movement, and she said nothing either, smiling as she drank her tea. The tea bowl’s hot steam curled upward, wreathing around her curved eyebrows and eyes.

After quite a while, she said: “The tea is getting cold.”

The flowering tree shook, and a person emerged – a pale face with very black hair but light eyebrows, the whole person seeming to lack ink. Only a pair of not-large eyes were very deep and bright.

It was that lowly apprentice student who had been behind Old Liu.

Tie Ci stared at him, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity, but didn’t ask more questions. She simply pulled over a stool, indicating for him to sit across from her.

The young man was stunned, as if he had never imagined he could have the privilege of sitting across from a noble youth from the capital. But he didn’t cower either. After thinking, he smiled and came over, first performing proper courtesies with full etiquette, then sat on half the chair. Then he skillfully picked up the teapot to pour tea for Tie Ci, respectfully offering it to her, then used his sleeve to wipe the water stains from the table clean. This series of actions was very smooth, clearly someone accustomed to serving others.

Tie Ci accepted the tea, her gaze falling on his fingers. His fingers were slender, but the joints bore many scars and traces of frostbite.

His clothing was worn, with patches at the sleeves, but the patches were carefully done – you couldn’t tell without looking closely.

She drank her tea without changing expression, while the young man smiled obsequiously: “This humble person is Shen Mi, paying respects to the noble one. In this county office and indeed all of Ziyang County, this humble person is familiar with all matters. Should the noble one have any need to command…”

His expression was somewhat uneasy. Compelled by necessity to come offer his services, he couldn’t be certain whether the person before him was willing to acknowledge him.

He was not someone without worldly experience – he had once been noble and reserved. But years of hardship and struggle had long since trained him in the ability to shamelessly ingratiate himself with anyone. Yet today, before this person, all his slickness and probing could not be deployed. The temperament of the youth before him was both intimate and lofty, like a hundred flowers blooming across the world earning universal praise, yet in the blink of an eye one sees glass flowers blooming on a white jade platform, beautiful enough to steal one’s breath, leaving one unable to speak.

But Tie Ci asked no questions at all, simply pushed her teacup forward and smiled: “Excellent, I’ll put you to work right away. Come, take me to arrest the county magistrate.”

“…”

Half an hour later, on a secluded small street, Shen Mi pointed at a wine shop’s banner in the distance: “Magistrate Tao is in there.”

Tie Ci didn’t approach. After a long while, she saw a middle-aged man with several attendants, half-covering his face, emerge drunkenly and board a carriage. Tie Ci inquired with her eyes to Shen Mi, who nodded. Tie Ci saw that the carriage wasn’t heading toward the county office and questioned Shen Mi again. Shen Mi said: “Oh, he’s going to the next venue.”

Tie Ci: “…”

Under her solitary rule, there was actually such a diligent magistrate – how fortunate indeed.

The carriage came toward Tie Ci. Shen Mi quickly dodged to the roadside, but Tie Ci didn’t move. As the carriage passed beside her, she suddenly reached out and grabbed the horse’s reins.

The cart horse neighed loudly, rearing up with its muscles rippling all over, yet could not advance another step.

The coachman was also drunk and hadn’t reacted yet when Tie Ci’s other hand had already lifted the curtain, questioning the drunkard inside.

“Today is not a rest day. The magistrate neither holds court nor handles official business – what are you doing here?”

The Magistrate Tao inside obviously hadn’t reacted to someone stopping his carriage on the street to ask him such a boring question. He stared straight at Tie Ci, and after a long while let out a wine belch. A wave of foul, turbid air hit her face. Tie Ci turned her face slightly and heard the magistrate say with hiccups: “…None of your… damn business.”

Tie Ci released her grip. The horse had originally been straining against her for control of the carriage. With her sudden release, unable to check its momentum, it charged forward violently. With a crash, the carriage hit the street corner. There was a bang from inside, hitting who knows what, followed by a cry of pain.

Tie Ci dusted off her hands and walked away. Shen Mi followed behind her, constantly stealing glances at her, his eyes turning as he pondered who knows what.

Tie Ci suddenly said leisurely: “What are you thinking? That in the blink of an eye I’ve offended two local big shots, probably won’t last long before being driven away. Considering whether I’m still worth following?”

Shen Mi’s spine stiffened.

“Or are you thinking of following me for a few more days, finding my weaknesses, then going back to offer counsel to the county magistrate, giving him good ways to deal with me properly, hoping to win his favor and maybe become a proper coroner?”

Sweat beaded on Shen Mi’s forehead.

Tie Ci turned around. In the sunlight, those eyes sparkled crystal clear, as if nothing in the world could hide before her.

She looked at Shen Mi, smiling slightly, gathering her sleeves, and said in a casual tone: “Brother Shen, no matter how bitter and deep your background grievances, no matter how much you’re lying low biding your time, no matter who you want to use as a stepping stone to climb up. Today you’ve seen me, approached me – that is your fortune. I advise you to honestly grasp this fortune, because what you’ll be able to obtain in the future will definitely be more than just a coroner position.”

More than a coroner – could that mean becoming a county magistrate? Shen Mi thought blankly at the time.

Many years later, Grand Secretary Shen recalled this scene and for the ten-thousandth time sighed that poverty had limited his imagination, and for the ten-thousandth time thanked himself for firmly remembering Tie Ci’s words through all those years of turbulent ups and downs, remembering Tie Ci’s smile that held all things in her heart, and throughout his subsequent tumultuous life, consistently making the most correct choices.

But that was a story for later.

At this moment Shen Mi didn’t answer, because suddenly several scholarly-looking people walked over. The leader, probably disgusted by Shen Mi’s shabby clothes, was about to cover his nose and pass by when he looked up, saw Shen Mi, and said in surprise: “Eh, isn’t this Brother Shen?”

With this exclamation, the others who were about to leave also turned to look. Someone said: “Oh my, what kind of outfit is the great talent wearing!”

“Perhaps he’s out inspecting beggars and vagrants, planning to write a people’s livelihood rhapsody?”

“Brother Zhang, what kind of talk is that? Even if Brother Shen wrote a hundred people’s livelihood rhapsodies now, he couldn’t get them on the masters’ desks. Who knows if the masters would write a ‘Pitying the Shen Family’ essay upon seeing their prized student in such a state?”

“What’s there to pity? Now he’s working at the government office – who knows, maybe he can even snag a coroner position somewhere. That future is far brighter than ours!”

A round of laughter, during which someone said coolly: “Speaking so much with a lowborn person, aren’t you afraid of soiling your clothes?”

Everyone then declared it unlucky, someone even spat, and they all called out as they walked away.

During this exchange, there was no room for Shen Mi to speak, nor did Shen Mi speak. He simply bent slightly at the waist, still wearing that smile that seemed carved on his face, as if listening to someone else’s joke, peaceful and silent.

So those people, never getting a response, grew bored and dispersed. Only then did Shen Mi straighten up. His face showed no expression of humiliation, as if sharp words and cutting remarks, human feelings cold as snow, were just ordinary parts of life.

Tie Ci watched coldly from the sidelines. She noticed that the scholars from before all wore purple headbands, with decorated sleeves – they were students from the nearby Leap Carp Academy. Leap Carp Academy was one of the most famous academies in the Great Qian dynasty. Her trip to Ziyang had another purpose: she wanted to seek out the great scholar He Zi. He was one of the founders of Leap Carp Academy, though he had long since stopped managing affairs and was now living in seclusion in the mountains.

The premier academy where Confucian culture flourished naturally had considerable reputation and strength, contributing many talents in each imperial examination. She had heard much about it while in the capital.

Looking at it now, she didn’t know about their essays, but their character should definitely be questioned first.

Looking at the expression on Shen Mi’s face, he said nothing, and Tie Ci didn’t want to ask either. People must first save themselves before others can save them – in the end, how to live is each person’s own business.

Both were lost in thought when suddenly they heard wailing cries. Many people surged toward the street corner where the crying came from. Tie Ci had already noticed that area seemed more crowded earlier, so she also followed the crowd to see the excitement.

They saw a woman kneeling on the ground, wearing a white mourning veil on her head with grass markers inserted, head bowed. Before her lay a stiff corpse covered with white cloth, and a man with disabled legs was stroking the corpse and wailing. In front of the woman’s knees was a paper reading “Selling Myself to Bury Father.”

This matter was common enough, but today that little lady, even just sitting there, had an exceptionally graceful bearing. If one could look beautiful in mourning, she did – dressed all in white, with only the tip of her snow-white pointed chin visible beneath the mourning cap, her whole person like piled snow and carved jade, making everyone on the street crowd toward her.

Tie Ci followed the flow of people over, then walked past.

Shen Mi had already prepared to use his body to clear a path for her. Unable to stop himself in time, he turned back in amazement to see her not taking the usual route, not even glancing at that pitiful woman.

After a long while he struggled to squeeze out of the crowd again and catch up. “Young Master! Young Master!”

Tie Ci stopped and waited for him. Shen Mi pointed at that cluster of people, wanting to ask but not knowing if he should. Tie Ci looked at him with a half-smile and said: “Want to ask why I didn’t go over? Then I ask you, why not?”

Shen Mi was about to say how would I know, when he suddenly met Tie Ci’s gaze. His whole body tensed, immediately understanding this was Tie Ci testing him.

If before she had shown intention to recruit him, now she was telling him that it wasn’t that she would take him just because he wanted to follow her – idiots need not apply.

Shen Mi looked back at the center of that crowd again. That little lady still had her head bowed, the disabled man’s crying still had great penetrating power. Shen Mi’s gaze swept up and down before turning back.

He said: “They’re waiting for someone.”

“Waiting for whom?”

“Don’t know. But since they’re waiting for someone, this is a trap.”

“How can you tell they’re waiting for someone?”

“This is Changyuan Street, quite bustling in the county town. This spot where Changyuan and Juxian intersect has the densest foot traffic and would normally be occupied by vendors early on. Today not only are there no vendors, but someone has inauspiciously placed a corpse here for ‘selling oneself to bury father.’ Those local bullies aren’t so accommodating – the other party must have paid money. Since they had money to buy this spot for several hours, how could they lack money to bury their father?”

“Since they specifically paid for this place to stage this act, they’re naturally targeting someone specific.”

“Furthermore, with this woman’s looks, sitting in such a high-traffic area, there are several wealthy households in this city who could buy her in a flash. But looking at all this coming and going, wailing non-stop, no one has actually succeeded in buying her. This defies common sense.”

Tie Ci smiled and said: “Then do you want to know who her target is?”

Shen Mi hesitated for a moment, then said: “Whoever she’s willing to be bought by is her target.”

“Bingo.” Tie Ci snapped her fingers and tossed over a brocade pouch. “So, you go buy her.”