Yingkou was one of the few prosperous areas beyond the Great Wall. Not to mention that the production and sale of sea salt were all conducted here, but just consider the ginseng and deer antler shops set up in the north district of the city—every year, even the Bai Family’s old establishment from the Medicinal Herb Market in the capital would travel thousands of miles to select premium wild ginseng for their medicines. Without this, their famous medicine “Ginseng Nourishing Pills” would never leave the storehouse, never enter the princes’ mansions, and never make it to the imperial palace.

Precisely for this reason, the annual autumn medicine market became the most bustling and prosperous market beyond the Great Wall. Medicine merchants from all over the country came and went, gathering here. If someone had good eyes and skilled hands, they could buy an “eight-tael treasure” mature ginseng at a cheap price from an unremarkable ginseng seller, then turn around and sell it for a steady profit of a thousand taels of silver. The spectacle of overnight wealth was performed almost every year at the ginseng and antler market. As word spread, the stories naturally became more and more miraculous. At this moment, fifty li outside Yingkou city at the edge of a reed marsh near Tian Manor, the reeds rustled in the wind as several young women and new brides pounded and washed clothes while discussing the interesting events at the medicine market.

“I heard that the shop assistant who picked out the ‘Pearl Eye’ from his master’s stock is a distant relative of yours?”

“Hah, we’re barely related at all. When he made his fortune, he didn’t share even a fraction with us.” The woman being questioned had envy in her eyes but deliberately put on a disdainful appearance.

“Tell us, what exactly happened?” asked a spirited young woman impatiently.

“It was just that the shopkeeper at his medicine store had misjudged, insisting that the mature ginseng was a fake ‘pieced-together’ one. In fact, it was a rare variety seen only once in a hundred years, called ‘Pearl Eye.’ Oh my, that shopkeeper’s intestines must have turned green with regret.”

“How much did your cousin sell it for in the end?” At this question, everyone stopped what they were doing and perked up their ears to listen.

“I don’t know exactly how much. The deal was made by handshake, so how would outsiders know the details? But the day after, the clan suspended him from ancestral worship for three years.” This young wife was good at creating suspense. Seeing everyone looking at her, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat pleased with herself and deliberately left her story incomplete, leaving a loose end for others to ask about.

Sure enough, someone asked, “Suspended from ancestral worship? Making a fortune but getting suspended from worship—how does that make sense?” Being suspended from ancestral worship, commonly called “exclusion from ceremonies,” was an extremely severe punishment within a clan, second only to having one’s name struck from the family genealogy.

“Naturally, he violated clan rules. As soon as the money was in hand, he immediately went to the brothel and redeemed the most famous prostitute, bringing her home as his wife. Our clan leader is a righteous man—how could he tolerate such a thing?”

“Oh, so that’s what happened! That redemption fee must have cost a lot, right?”

The young wife steadily held up one finger. “One thousand taels!”

“Good heavens! One thousand taels to redeem a prostitute—how wasteful!” Everyone was dumbfounded.

“You should have seen her—fair and delicate, with a slim waist and long legs. And as for her bosom, ten of you couldn’t match hers.”

“Get out of here! Comparing me to a prostitute—you’re asking for trouble!”

The women laughed and splashed water on each other, dodging and giggling. As they grappled with one another, the white skin of their waists and legs was exposed, captivating several men hiding in the reeds who unconsciously leaned forward for a better look.

A sharp-eyed young wife spotted them and quickly alerted her companions. Although people beyond the Great Wall were not as strict about separation between men and women as the gentry in Jiangnan, it was still embarrassing for women’s playfulness to be witnessed by men. The group had just picked up their basins and was about to leave hurriedly when they heard the spirited young woman suddenly let out a piercing scream.

“A—a dead body!”

Everyone was startled. Looking where she pointed, they saw a corpse slowly floating up from the reed marsh, face down. Most terrifying of all, the corpse was densely covered with bright yellow copper coins…

“Boss! Something terrible has happened!” The men who had been watching the women from the reed marsh turned out to be porters from a merchant caravan resting nearby. They now ran back to report, their heels kicking their backsides as they fled. The merchant boss remained composed, but a stocky, tower-like dark man beside him jumped up with a stern face and asked, “What is it? Bandits raiding us?”

“Bandits” referred to brigands. The porters shook their heads repeatedly. One with a glib tongue explained about seeing a dead body in the reed marsh. The merchant boss thought for a moment and said, “It’s nothing to worry about. No matter what, it won’t involve us. Everyone eat your dry rations quickly so we can get back on the road.”

But the merchant boss had miscalculated. When they tried to continue their journey, they found the road had been blocked—not by officials, but by a group of local people with guns and clubs, their eyes bloodshot with anger.

“Unfortunate, truly unfortunate!” All along the way, the sedan chair bearers had heard what sounded like a plaintive cry coming from inside the sedan. Without asking, they knew that Magistrate Huang inside must have a face dark as iron. Magistrate Huang had started as a scholar and had obtained a seventh-rank official position through donation. Knowing his official career had not come easily, he had served cautiously as county magistrate for three years. He was not without misconduct, but always with the premise of keeping the peace, so his reputation as an official had always been decent. Just as his three-year term was ending with a satisfactory evaluation from the Ministry of Personnel, and while continuation of his post was expected even if promotion was unlikely, he had been enjoying the anticipation when the village chief ran to inform him that people from Tian Manor and Luo Family Hollow were gathering weapons for a violent confrontation. He had hurriedly brought several yamen runners to come here.

Magistrate Huang’s panic was not without reason. The people beyond the Great Wall were fierce, and when it came to armed conflicts, they were three times as brave as the people of Yiwu who had greatly impressed General Qi Jiguang in the past. Sometimes, after a bloody battle, half the women in a village would become widows. If such a thing occurred, the local official would certainly be dismissed and investigated, turning from an official to a prisoner in the blink of an eye. Thinking of this, Magistrate Huang naturally couldn’t help but panic, repeatedly stamping his feet and urging the sedan chair bearers to hurry.

They did hurry, but when he alighted and saw the situation clearly, Magistrate Huang immediately regretted it. His career was important, but in the end, nothing was worth more than his life. The scene before him was hardly a place for the “father official” to mediate disputes—it was clearly a field of death where touching meant perishing and encountering meant doom. He saw a narrow path through the reed marsh with a dripping wet corpse placed in the middle of the road. On both sides, people stood with hair bristling like fighting roosters, their hands gripping sharp knives used for cutting grass, iron-tipped carrying poles for baskets, pointed forks for turning grain, and even half-grown children held jagged stones in their hands. The two sides stood less than five meters apart, glaring at each other with bloodshot eyes. The air seemed charged with gunpowder that could ignite at any moment.

When Magistrate Huang inquired and learned that the corpse before him was the famous wealthy household head Luo Siju from Luo Family Hollow, he instantly shuddered with fear. He understood the cause and effect of this matter as clearly as a mirror. Luo Siju had wanted to control the medicinal materials market with his villagers and had stopped at nothing to achieve this. The people of Tian Manor, who also made their living from medicinal materials, refused to yield. Luo Siju, being ruthless and vicious, had forced the village head of Tian Manor to his death and also caused the death of his eldest daughter. But Luo Siju hadn’t ended well either. It was said that an outsider had helped Tian Manor take revenge, causing Luo Siju to lose all his capital. Now, somehow, he had died in the reed marsh. The dense yellow glittering objects on the corpse were actually a local specialty snail; the spiral patterns on their backs resembled coins when viewed from a distance.

“Alas!” Luo Siju had also been a well-known wealthy man and was usually an honored guest of Magistrate Huang. Seeing him die so miserably, Magistrate Huang felt great regret and said, “Who would have thought that a man who spent his life turning somersaults in money would ultimately die because of it.”

His advisor, standing nearby, heard him sighing unnecessarily and quietly interrupted: “It seems that Master Luo was too ashamed to face people and took his own life. That would be one thing, but unfortunately his corpse just happened to float into Tian Manor’s territory—that’s where the trouble lies.”

Magistrate Huang came to his senses and looked up at the ferocious expressions of the people around him. His head immediately felt twice as large, and he involuntarily asked, “What—what should we do?”

The advisor pursed his lips, thinking that it was the magistrate who held the office, while he was merely a consultant. But since the great master had asked, he had to answer: “Judging by the situation, the people from Luo Family Hollow have come for the body after hearing the news, but Tian Manor refuses to release it. In such matters, finding a peaceful resolution is crucial. If fighting breaks out, it would be disastrous—no fewer than one or two hundred people would die! By then, not only would the Imperial Censors want to impeach you, but even the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner wouldn’t let the matter rest.”

Magistrate Huang smiled bitterly to himself. If it could be peacefully resolved, what more needed to be said? Though “a murder implicates the minister, a family annihilation the county magistrate,” the people before him clearly did not value life and death. When the people do not fear death, what power does official authority hold? Sure enough, Magistrate Huang, protected by several yamen runners, trembled as he managed to move forward and, with the posture of one who “shepherds the people with virtue,” earnestly tried to persuade them for half the day. The result was like farting during a thunderstorm—no one even raised an eyebrow.

Magistrate Huang was so anxious that he disregarded propriety, temporarily casting aside his official dignity as he was about to kneel and beg. At this critical moment, the people of Tian Manor suddenly opened a path, and the crowd fell silent. A woman wearing mourning clothes with an icy face stared fixedly at the corpse on the ground and walked forward step by step.

Someone from Luo Family Hollow recognized the woman and exclaimed, “Isn’t that the youngest daughter of the Tian Manor village head?”

“Fourth Sister,” the Tian Manor people called out. “Now that you’re here, tell us what to do!”

Magistrate Huang stared at Fourth Sister’s lips and heard her bite her lip for a long while before squeezing out a venomous sentence through gritted teeth: “Mutilate the corpse to avenge my father and sister!”

“Alright!” The people of Tian Manor had been waiting for just these words. Upon hearing them, they raised their weapons and charged forward. Those from Luo Family Hollow, unwilling to be outdone, also surged forward with a shout, regardless of age.

“It’s over!” Magistrate Huang’s vision darkened as he was about to collapse. Not far away was the merchant caravan from earlier. The lead merchant was also stunned by the scene before him. He had been calculating the cost of a detour and had just decided to turn back when he saw that armed conflict had become inevitable. Knowing that this fight would result in heavy casualties, he was sweating nervously, standing dumbfounded along with his assistants, watching the scene.

At that moment, a young man came running from the bend at the end of the road, shouting as he ran, “Don’t fight! Don’t fight!”

Who would listen to him in such a chaotic scene? Fortunately, the young man ran into the crowd and spotted Fourth Sister being protected behind others. Without much thought, he grabbed her and said, “Big Brother Gu asked me to bring you a message.”

Fourth Sister paused, then immediately called out, “Everyone stop! Stop fighting!”

Her words were naturally heeded. The Tian Manor people withdrew at once, and the two sides naturally separated. But in just that brief moment, more than a dozen people had already been injured. Groaning and cursing, they writhed on the ground, where several large pools of blood had formed, a heart-wrenching sight.

At this moment, the eyes of the hundreds of people present were fixed on the young man, curious about what he would say. The young man was fair-skinned and shy. Seeing everyone’s attention on him, his face turned bright red. He ignored the people from Luo Family Hollow and only cupped his hands in greeting to the Tian Manor people, then said, “Big Brother Gu heard you were about to fight. He was originally rushing over, but unexpectedly, he was summoned by the garrison officer to return to the main camp immediately, so he could only send me to speak for him.”

Fourth Sister nodded, “Yes, may I ask what Big Brother Gu has to say?”

The young man said, “In his haste, he only asked me to deliver two sentences: ‘Heaven values all life; it is better to resolve enmity than to perpetuate it.'”

Magistrate Huang, who had just been caught in the crowd and had taken some blows, with his gold finial already missing and a large tear in his mandarin square badge, looked expectantly at this young man who had appeared out of nowhere. He had hoped the young man would say something earth-shattering and moving to persuade both sides. When he heard these two plain and unremarkable sentences, he was greatly disappointed, thinking to himself, “Just now I earnestly persuaded them for half an hour, and I covered not only the ‘Analects,’ but also ‘The Great Learning’ and ‘The Doctrine of the Mean.’ If those didn’t work, how could this?”

But contrary to Magistrate Huang’s expectations, after Fourth Sister heard this, she quietly lowered her head and thought for a moment. Then she looked up at the young man and said, “Very well, since Big Brother Gu says so, let it be.” Then she said to those beside her, “Return the corpse to them.” The rest of the Tian Manor people actually had no objections and, without further concern for the corpse lying on the ground, began to leave, supporting their wounded. This left Magistrate Huang staring in astonishment, his eyes fixed on the young man, wondering who this “Big Brother Gu” might be.

As the Tian Manor people were about to withdraw, those from Luo Family Hollow became upset. Their leader shouted loudly, “You think you can leave so easily? Never mind what Big Brother Gu or Second Brother whatever says—Master Luo died in your territory, how can your Tian Manor escape responsibility? You must have killed him!”

“Bullshit! If you have the guts, come over here!”

Seeing that the calmed situation was becoming volatile again, Magistrate Huang’s heart, which had just settled down, instantly rose back to his throat.

“Everyone, please wait!” At this moment, a woman walked out from among the people of Luo Family Hollow. Her face showed grief, and she was holding the hand of a child with an innocent face.

Magistrate Huang recognized her as Luo Siju’s wife. He had been a guest at the Luo residence, so he walked over and called, “Sister-in-law!”

Mrs. Luo came from a wealthy family and understood propriety well. Although tears streamed down her face, she did not throw herself on her husband’s corpse, wailing and crying. After wiping away her tears, she first curtsied to the disheveled magistrate, then took a letter from her sleeve.

With her back to her husband’s corpse, she held up the letter and her first sentence stunned everyone present.

“This matter has nothing to do with Tian Manor. My husband indeed committed suicide. This is his suicide note.”

The leader from Luo Family Hollow was stunned and asked, “Sister-in-law, you—you knew all along?”

“This suicide note has been in my possession for two days, but the person hadn’t been found, so I still clung to hope. Now there’s no need to hide it anymore.”

“What did Master Luo write in his suicide note? Did he ask us to avenge him?” A hot-blooded young man from Luo Family Hollow was unwilling to let the matter rest and wanted to stir up trouble. He pointed at the suicide note in Mrs. Luo’s hand and asked.

Mrs. Luo was silent for a moment. Magistrate Huang felt his heart pounding wildly, his hand unconsciously pressing against his chest.

Mrs. Luo looked at her husband’s corpse, then raised her eyes to look at everyone. Suddenly, she walked up to the young messenger and bowed deeply to him, flustering the young man who hastily returned the greeting.

With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Luo pointed at the child she was holding and said, “Please inform Young Master Gu that before my husband took his life, he entrusted this child to him, with the message that following Young Master Gu, this child would certainly not repeat his mistakes, so that my husband could smile in the underworld. When the child is older, I will send him to seek Young Master Gu to learn the way of commerce.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire gathering was shocked. Whether from Tian Manor or Luo Family Hollow, and even Magistrate Huang and the young messenger, all looked at each other in astonishment. After a long while, someone from Luo Family Hollow finally spoke up: “Sister-in-law, have you lost your mind? How can you say such things? That Gu fellow is the one who killed your husband!”

“These are not my words. They are indeed my husband’s last wishes. If you don’t believe me, the letter is here for verification.”

The people of Luo Family Hollow were speechless, staring blankly at the letter bundle in Mrs. Luo’s hand. This was no ordinary gesture—this was entrusting an orphan! Only the closest of friends would make such a request. It seemed that Luo Siju had genuinely admired and respected this man surnamed Gu.

Although human life is of paramount importance, if the aggrieved party is willing to end the dispute, seven or eight tenths of the matter is resolved. Moreover, when the deceased himself had forgiven past grievances and made such a gesture, even his clan members had nothing more to say. So everyone dispersed in silence, and Luo Siju’s corpse was taken back by his wife.

At this point, a great weight was finally lifted from Magistrate Huang’s heart. His legs weakened, and he sat on the ground, repeatedly muttering “Amitabha Buddha.”

The dark man in the merchant caravan had been held back for too long and was feeling irritable. Seeing that the road was now clear, he called for the porters to load the carts and get moving. Turning around, he saw the merchant boss deep in thought and asked, “Father, what’s wrong?”

The merchant boss was startled by his words. “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that the scene just now was truly hair-raising, yet a potential massacre was defused—quite remarkable.”

The dark man nodded, and then heard the merchant boss continue, “A young man who didn’t even show his face was able to smoothly resolve a matter that even the county magistrate couldn’t settle. Both opposing sides could listen to him and obey him. I wonder who this person might be?”

After speaking, he gave a self-deprecating smile, “I have my own troubles to solve, yet here I am thinking about distant matters.” As he finished, a trace of worry appeared on his face.

This merchant boss’s surname was Chang, and he lived in Taigu County. He was a most honest person, the fourth son in his family, over fifty years old, and the locals all called him “Old Father Chang Si.” Shanxi Province was known as a province where everyone was a merchant. Even straightforward people like Old Father Chang Si did some small business. Thanks to his lack of bad habits and his frugal lifestyle, he had saved up over a thousand taels of silver over more than twenty years. He had also managed to borrow another thousand taels, gathering a total of over two thousand taels to purchase a salt field, planning to make a living selling salt for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, his luck was terrible. That same year, Shanxi Province, which had long suffered from drought, began experiencing torrential rains from the Awakening of Insects period onward. Every three days brought a light rain, and every five days a heavy downpour, continuing with constant rain until the Autumnal Equinox. Salt field owners didn’t fear drought but dreaded flooding. With such rainfall, salt producers across the province complained bitterly, with salt grain production barely reaching one-tenth of previous years.

For others, it wasn’t so bad. Though they weren’t making money, they could still barely maintain their livelihood with savings from previous years. Old Father Chang Si’s situation was different. Half of his salt field had been acquired through loans, and the creditors were all waiting to settle accounts after autumn. Some wanted to withdraw their principal, others wanted to collect interest, causing constant uproar in his household.

The most deadly problem wasn’t owing silver to others, but owing salt to the state. According to Qing Dynasty regulations, six-tenths of salt field production was “official salt,” which had to be delivered in full to the government on schedule. Only the remaining four-tenths “scattered salt” could be sold to salt merchants holding salt permits.

If they had encountered an honest, people-loving official, he would have reported the disaster and proactively reduced various taxes when faced with such weather conditions. Unfortunately, the current Taigu County magistrate was someone who only knew how to smoke opium and “manage nothing,” delegating all county affairs to his head steward and the two advisors in charge of criminal cases and finance. These people were black-hearted and ruthless, completely disregarding the weather conditions. An official document was issued to the salt fields in all townships, insisting that “official salt” must be submitted according to last year’s harvest, not one tael less. If not delivered on time, land deeds would be confiscated, and family property would be seized for the state.

When Old Father Chang Si saw the circulated official document, fire rushed to his heart, and he spat out a mouthful of blood before fainting. He was carried home, and a doctor was called. The doctor said it was a case of acute anger attacking the heart, but not too serious.

Though his physical condition wasn’t serious, the silver debt and salt debt before him were hurdles that couldn’t be avoided. Old Father Chang Si had to invite several relatives to discuss how to overcome this crisis. Everyone had different opinions, but one person’s suggestion seemed relatively feasible, and Old Father Chang Si followed his advice.

The idea wasn’t particularly brilliant. Old Father Chang Si first hosted a banquet, inviting all his creditors, and requested a three-month extension on his debts, promising that if he couldn’t repay by then, he would willingly sell his salt field to settle the debts. Then, using his house as collateral, he borrowed a high-interest loan of two hundred taels of silver. With this money as capital, he led several men beyond the Great Wall directly to the Yingkou salt field in the outer territories. His plan was to transport sea salt from the coastal salt fields to substitute for the official salt, while making some profit to pay the interest on his silver. Although he would still lose quite a bit this way, it was better than losing everything.

This calculation was sound, and the journey from Shanxi to Fengtian was relatively smooth. The group found their contact seller at the Yingkou salt field and purchased a batch of fine sea salt at the price of three parts official salt to seven parts private salt. They hired three large carts, planning to bribe their way past checkpoints to smuggle it beyond the Great Wall.

Old Father Chang Si encountered the armed conflict between the Luo and Tian clans as soon as he left Yingkou, but fortunately, it was a close call without real danger. Traveling along the Dalinghe pastures, they passed through Jinzhou Prefecture, and in a few days arrived at Shanhaiguan. Unexpectedly, it was at Shanhaiguan that they encountered their greatest trouble.

Shanhaiguan was a strategic stronghold guarding the passage between the inner and outer territories, traditionally garrisoned by a third-rank general. Under the general were four garrison officers. The detailed duties of guarding the gate, inspecting merchants and travelers, and collecting transit taxes were the responsibility of these four officers, each responsible for one season—spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

The garrison officer assigned to guard the gate in autumn was certainly the general’s favorite, because the number of merchants passing through Shanhaiguan in autumn was almost equal to the total of the other three seasons combined, making the unofficial income naturally abundant. However, this time, Garrison Officer Cao was different from his predecessors. Not only did he refuse bribes, but his inspections were extremely strict. If any smuggling was discovered, the punishment would be at minimum the confiscation of all property, and at worst, ten days in the pillory at the gate. Wearing a large pillory weighing over a hundred jin on one’s body, standing in a cage for ten days with only one scoop of thin gruel daily—this was essentially slowly grinding a person to death.

After three people had died in the pillory, no one dared to take risks lightly anymore. All large cart caravans carrying private goods stopped to rest at Linghai Town, not far outside the gate, observing the situation while discussing what to do.

But Old Father Chang Si couldn’t wait. He had agreed with his creditors to a three-month extension, and the high-interest loan was also due in three months. Even if he were to set out immediately, he would need to ride hard to make it back in time. Any delay, even arriving one day late, would render all his efforts futile. Even if he brought back the salt, he couldn’t avoid the misfortune of losing everything. So he was anxious, going to the gate every day to gather information.

By late October, the north wind had already begun at Shanhaiguan, and a heavy rain was expected to follow. Linghai Town, situated close to the sea, experienced particularly strong winds. The shop signs along the street were blown about in disarray. Shop owners and assistants from the cart inns on both sides of the street hurriedly collected the fallen signs, drawing loud laughter from a group of poor men sitting idly on the roadside.

There were also many onlookers inside the cart inns, who were much more comfortable than those waiting to be hired in the north wind. Although the cart inns couldn’t compare to regular inns, at least those inside were protected from the wind and rain. The brick benches inside the doorway were filled with mule handlers from the caravan. They unhurriedly drank tea from large bowls while chatting in dialects from all over the country.

“I’m telling you, when will they let us through? My wife and children are waiting for me to return for the Water Official Festival.”

“Hey, isn’t it just that you’re longing for your wife’s warm bed?”

“You fool, being away for three months—don’t you miss your wife?”

This comment drew a round of laughter. A middle-aged handler, somewhat older than the rest, sighed: “Water Official Festival… They say the Water Official dispels misfortune. When will he help us out of our current predicament?”

His words caused everyone to fall silent, each lost in thought. But the silence was quickly broken by the commotion outside.

“Quick, come look! They’re putting someone in the pillory again.”

“Let’s go see, let’s go see.”

Several groups of people poured out from the cart inns on both sides of the road, heading toward the north end of the market.

The mule handlers here were also about to go out to watch the spectacle when they were suddenly blocked by a figure like a black iron tower. The lead handler quickly smiled apologetically: “Boss Liu, you are…”

The black man glared with his bull-like eyes and said in a muffled voice: “Where are you all going?”

The handler lowered his posture: “Going… going… to see the commotion.”

“Nonsense! The old man is so anxious he’s about to hang himself, and you still have the heart to go watch? Get back inside, all of you!”

“Yes, yes.” The handlers didn’t dare make a sound, repeatedly agreeing as they turned to walk toward the back courtyard.

“Wait!” The large black man shouted again. “Have you seen the old man?”

The handlers looked at each other and shook their heads.

“Where could he have gone?” the black man muttered to himself, glancing at the darkening sky outside the window, his rough face showing a trace of worry.

Not far south of Linghai Town was a ten-mile stretch of rocky beach covered with sharp, coarse stones. Few people ever came here. In weather like this, with wind and rain approaching, one would expect not to see a single person. Yet at this very moment, a man was walking unsteadily along the shore, occasionally stopping to gaze at the sea and sigh.

“One wrong move and the whole game is lost. I’ve lost, it’s all over.” He exhaled deeply, as if trying to expel all his frustration.

“Ah!” After reaching a huge rock that rose several meters above the sea, the man stood still for a long time. Finally, he stamped his foot, climbed a few steps up, and reached the top of the rock. Cupping his hands together, he called out loudly toward the sea, “Yu’er, your father has failed you! Your father is useless!” After shouting several times, he made as if to jump into the sea.

“Wait!” Suddenly, a shout came from behind, startling the man who was about to jump. His body stiffened, and he slowly turned around. Only then did he see that the person who had called out to him was a young man.

The young man also clearly saw the person who wanted to jump into the sea: a man in his fifties, with hair and beard more than half white, wearing short clothes and with large hands covered in thick calluses—definitely a businessman who had been traveling and trading for many years.

The young man clasped his hands in greeting: “Uncle, if I’m not mistaken, you’re thinking of ending your life by jumping into the sea?”

This “uncle” was none other than Old Father Chang Si. Just now, he had gone to the gate to gather information and happened to witness a group of salt merchants being caught smuggling private salt in rice sacks. Despite pleading and offering a hundred taels of silver as a bribe, Garrison Officer Cao, with a face as black as ink, had given the order to confiscate all their goods. The mule handlers in the merchant caravan were each severely beaten forty times, and the two managing merchants were each sentenced to ten days in the pillory. Seeing this, Old Father Chang Si felt that his fate was sealed, and his heart grew cold and hopeless. As he walked along the shore, he had contemplated taking his own life.

Unexpectedly, a young man had called out to him just at that moment. Old Father Chang Si raised his eyes to examine the newcomer. He saw that the young man was tall and straight, full of vigor and vitality. Though dressed in coarse, short clothes, there was a natural air of authority about him—clearly not an ordinary person. Looking further, he saw that the young man’s eyes contained a smile, his pupils flashing with intelligence, as if nothing in any direction could escape his notice.

Old Father Chang Si, having encountered countless people in his life, could tell at a glance that this young man was not a villain. After thinking for a moment, with a “thud,” he knelt down before the young man.

The young man, caught off guard, was startled. He quickly sidestepped and reached out to help the older man up: “Uncle, this won’t do. If you have something to say, just say it. There’s no need for this.”

Old Father Chang Si refused to get up and said chokingly: “Young man, you’re right, I was going to end my life. But I was confused just now, about to die without leaving any instructions, which would burden those around me.”

With that, he took a copper whistle from his bosom: “My name is Chang Si, a merchant from Shanxi. Our caravan is resting at ‘Laifu Inn’ in the town ahead. There’s a large black man among my handlers who is my godson, nicknamed Liu Heita. Young man, I’m entrusting you to take this whistle to find him. Tell him I’m dead, and he shouldn’t look for my body. He should sell the goods locally, and no matter how much money he gets, take it back to Shanxi to repay the debts. Then he should take my daughter and find a place to live a peaceful life…” As he spoke, Old Father Chang Si’s tears began to fall.

The young man’s face also showed distress as he tried to persuade him: “Uncle Chang, don’t be so despondent. Everyone has difficult times. Even General Guan once had to retreat from Maicheng. Please ease your mind. No matter what problem you face, there’s always a solution, isn’t there?”

Old Father Chang Si waved his hands repeatedly: “Alas, this time I see clearly—I cannot get through this, I cannot get through.”

Seeing him like this, the young man, out of compassion, became curious and asked: “What exactly is the matter?”

Old Father Chang Si originally had no intention of discussing his affairs, but on second thought, since he was asking the young man to deliver a message, he couldn’t be vague about everything. So he briefly explained what had happened, adding at the end: “Pity me, a man who has done business all his life without ever deceiving anyone. This world truly doesn’t let people live.”

The young man understood. This Garrison Officer Cao was newly appointed and burning with ambition to be promoted, determined to make his mark by seizing the property and lives of smuggling merchants to enhance his position. Trying to pass through his checkpoint would be a thousand times difficult. However, the young man had more to say: “Old sir, so you’re just worried about not being able to pass through the gate. Indeed, I also know that this Garrison Officer Cao is not easy to deal with. But now it’s already the end of September. In a little over a month, another garrison officer named Liu, who accepts bribes, will take over. Most of the merchant caravans in Linghai Town, nine out of ten, are waiting for him. Why don’t you also…”

“Ah, if only I could wait, wouldn’t that be good?” Old Father Chang Si repeatedly slapped his thigh.

Now the young man finally understood. This man and his caravan could not afford any delay—they had to pass through the gate immediately, or they faced the danger of complete ruin.

The young man’s eyes suddenly brightened. He didn’t take the whistle that Old Father Chang Si kept extending. Instead, he walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, lowered his gaze in deep thought, and then raised his eyes to study Old Father Chang Si carefully.

The young man’s demeanor puzzled Old Father Chang Si, who wondered what was happening. This young man seemed even more preoccupied than himself.

After a while, the young man nodded, as if having made a decision. He approached Old Father Chang Si again and cupped his hands: “I’m sorry, I cannot deliver this message for you.”

“Why… why not?”

The young man smiled slightly: “Because you don’t need to die, Uncle. I have a way for you to bring your goods through the gate.”

Old Father Chang Si was initially shocked but quickly realized this was probably just a pretext from the young man. He thought the young man was well-intentioned, trying to calm him down before gradually persuading him not to take his life. As someone who had resolved to die, he merely smiled faintly without responding.

The young man was somewhat surprised but was extremely quick-witted. A moment’s thought made him understand what Old Father Chang Si was thinking. He realized he had spoken too hastily and made promises that seemed too absolute, so it was no wonder the older man didn’t believe him.

“Uncle Chang, my method isn’t foolproof, but if you’re willing to try, it’s still a way to survive. Besides, I’m not asking for nothing in return.”

Old Father Chang Si now seriously considered the meaning of his words, feeling they weren’t just a joke. He hesitantly asked, “You… really have a method? How much silver do you want?”

The young man said, “It won’t cost much money.”

“How can that be…”

“Let’s not discuss that yet. Let me first tell you my condition. If it’s acceptable, then we can talk about the method of passing through the gate.”

Old Father Chang Si nodded, wondering what condition the young man might have. If it was silver, he could gather a hundred or so taels, but more would be difficult.

The young man smiled slightly: “Just now I heard you say your caravan wants to smuggle private salt through the gate. I’d like to ask you to carry one more thing.”

“What thing?”

The young man pointed at his own nose: “Me!”

“You?” Old Father Chang Si was greatly surprised. “If you want to enter the gate, why do you need me to take you? Just go directly to the gate and enter.”

The young man remained composed: “Among the millions of people outside the Great Wall, some can enter, and some cannot. If it were as easy as you say, would I need to make this condition?”

Old Father Chang Si was honest but not at all stupid. Hearing this, a thought flashed in his mind, and he exclaimed, “You… you’re an exile?”

The young man didn’t respond but pulled up his trouser leg to reveal his ankle, which bore a black triangular brand on the outside—the mark of an exile.

Old Father Chang Si saw it clearly and drew in a sharp breath, waving his hands repeatedly: “Young man, you’re absolutely joking. If I don’t help you, only I die. If I help you, my entire family will die. How can I do this?”

It’s no wonder Old Father Chang Si was alarmed. The Qing Dynasty had extremely strict “Fugitive Laws.” Initially, these laws only applied to escaped slaves from various princely mansions and banner lords, but later they were expanded to include exiles as well. The most brutal aspect of these “Fugitive Laws” was that the punishment for those who harbored or helped fugitives escape was even more severe than for the “fugitives” themselves. The principal offender would certainly be beheaded, their family members would become government slaves, and all property would be confiscated. Since the implementation of this law, some malicious individuals even impersonated fugitives, pretending to seek lodging, while their accomplices would use the opportunity to extort, not stopping until they had completely ruined the victim.

Not to mention distant examples, but right now, if someone saw Old Father Chang Si conversing with an exile in such a secluded place, they could be charged with “conspiring to escape,” which would be a serious offense.

It was precisely because Old Father Chang Si thought of this that he became so alarmed, even fearing that this might be some kind of scam. He was already at the end of his rope; if he became embroiled in such a legal case, even his family would be implicated. That would truly mean dying with unresolved grievances.

The young man, seeing Old Father Chang Si so frightened that his lips had turned white, was momentarily stunned. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Uncle Chang, don’t be afraid. I won’t hide anything from you. My surname is Gu, my name is Pingyuan, and I’m from She County in Anhui. Five years ago, I was involved in a legal case in the capital and was exiled beyond the Great Wall. I won’t go into details, but in my five years outside the Wall, I’ve seen all kinds of smuggling methods. Speaking of smuggling salt, I’ve devised an excellent method. I even have a foolproof plan for how to blend into your caravan and enter the gate. If you agree, it will save both of us. If not, I won’t force you.”

Old Father Chang Si kept shaking his head: “No, no, I still say that I cannot implicate my family. Since you’re an exile, I dare not entrust my affairs to you either. Let’s part ways here.”

Hearing this, the young man called Gu Pingyuan’s eyes dimmed. He turned and walked toward the town. After a few steps, he looked back and saw Old Father Chang Si still standing on the rock, his eyes fixed on the sea, clearly still intent on ending his life.

Gu Pingyuan thought, “Being able to save someone but not doing so is still a sin. I have matters of concern thousands of miles away; why not do this good deed, if only to accumulate merit?”

With this in mind, he walked back, calling out, “Uncle, come down first. I have something to say.”

Old Father Chang Si didn’t turn around but said in a hoarse voice, “I’m a person about to die. Please don’t implicate me.”

“Since Uncle fears implication, I dare not ask again. But would you like to hear the method for bringing private salt through the gate?”

Old Father Chang Si trembled at these words and slowly turned his head: “You won’t help me, yet you still want to tell me this method?”

Gu Pingyuan smiled indifferently: “I’m not a merchant; I don’t need to trade one thing for another.”

With that, he simply climbed onto the rock himself and pointed towards the sea: “Uncle Chang, if you had jumped just now, this sea would have been the Yama King hastening your death. Now it’s your lucky star for salvation.”

“What do you mean?”

“My method is quite simple: Buy three carts of the freshest, cheapest live fish tonight, costing no more than twenty or thirty taels of silver in total. Then fill the water tanks with fresh water and pour in the seventy percent private salt, pretending it’s seawater. Others will see you transporting fish, but you’re actually transporting salt. Even the gods wouldn’t guess.”

Old Father Chang Si took a sharp breath and looked Gu Pingyuan up and down again: “This is the method of ‘building a decoy bridge while secretly crossing elsewhere.’ I’m impressed you thought of it. Good! Good!”

Gu Pingyuan smiled: “I just like to ponder things. These days, with nothing to do, I’ve been hanging around the city gate watching the commotion, imagining what I would do if I were a private salt smuggler. After watching their searches for a long time, I noticed some loopholes and came up with this method. I thought I was just passing time out of boredom, but unexpectedly, it’s become useful today.”

Old Father Chang Si nodded repeatedly: “You truly are thoughtful!”

“However, though the method is good, there are two things you must pay attention to. First, the fish can only be put into the water half an hour before reaching the gate; otherwise, if the water is too salty, the fish will turn belly up and expose the trick. Second, the task of mixing salt into the water must be given only to the handlers you brought from Shanxi, not to any mule handlers from outside the Wall. You never know if there might be someone plotting to profit by reporting you to the authorities,” Gu Pingyuan added.

Old Father Chang Si listened, nodding frequently, but then suddenly remembered something else and frowned with worry again: “What about after passing through the gate? These three large carts of salt water would take at least ten to fifteen days to evaporate into salt. We still don’t have enough time.”

Gu Pingyuan nodded: “If you had time, you could sun-dry it into salt. Since you don’t have time, can’t you boil it?”

“That’s right!” Old Father Chang Si slapped his thigh.

There were three methods of salt production: sun-drying, boiling, and pan-frying. The pan-frying method had the highest loss but was the fastest, while the sun-drying method was just the opposite, and the boiling method fell in between. Given the urgency of the situation, the normally unused pan-frying method could now serve a great purpose.

Finding a thread of hope amid certain death, Old Father Chang Si was naturally overjoyed. Then he suddenly remembered what the young man called Gu Pingyuan had asked of him—something he couldn’t do—and felt extremely awkward. However, agreeing to the request would have far too serious consequences, making it truly difficult to decide.

Gu Pingyuan smiled, “Uncle Chang, don’t be troubled. Since I’ve revealed the secret method completely, I naturally won’t use it to pressure you. Please proceed through the gate with peace of mind.” With that, he turned to leave.

“Wait!” Old Father Chang Si was an upright man who had never owed anyone a favor in his life. Seeing the young man about to leave, knowing he would owe this debt of gratitude for a lifetime, he quickly called him back.

“Brother Gu, although I cannot help you escape through the gate, if there’s anything else I can do for you, I will certainly try my best.”

Gu Pingyuan thought for a moment: “Never mind. What I need to do—if I could escape through the gate, I would do it myself, even if it cost me my life. But to have you risk danger for me…” He shook his head.

Gu Pingyuan was indeed a considerate person. Having already shared his method completely, and with Old Father Chang Si unwilling to help him pass through the gate, staying longer would only make things difficult for the older man. So he cupped his hands in salute: “Sir, you should go back and prepare. Be careful in everything. I’ll take my leave now.” With that, he turned and walked back toward town.

“Ah…” Old Father Chang Si’s words caught in his throat before he swallowed them back. He had impulsively wanted to call Gu Pingyuan back and agree to help him escape, but in a flash of hesitation, he could only watch as Gu Pingyuan gradually disappeared into the distance.

“Big Brother Gu! Found you at last! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you for half the day.” Just as Gu Pingyuan reached the end of Carrying Pole Street in Linghai Town, he was hailed by a shy-looking young man coming from the opposite direction.

“It’s Lian Cai. I went to the city gate to watch the pillory, then took a walk by the seaside.” Gu Pingyuan had just passed up a good opportunity to escape through the gate, so he inevitably felt somewhat conflicted.

“Still so strict?” The young man called “Lian Cai” didn’t notice Gu Pingyuan’s current mood at all.

Gu Pingyuan nodded: “They just pilloried seven or eight more people. It seems this Garrison Officer Cao is like a sheet of iron—very difficult to pry open.”

“That’s none of our concern. Would he dare stop the military horses for the Fengtian Main Camp?”

Gu Pingyuan and the young man before him, called Kou Liancai, were inseparable friends. Both were exiles with serious crimes, banished from within the Great Wall to Shanyang Fort in Fengtian, under the jurisdiction of the Fengtian Main Camp. Throughout dynasties, there had always been many clever people among exiles, even scholars. Compared to the illiterate soldier “big brothers,” these scholars were very useful in peacetime. Gu Pingyuan was well-educated, could use the abacus, and could write documents. Within two years of arriving beyond the Great Wall, he happened to step in when the clerical officer returned home for mourning. The camp officers decided not to replace the position and let Gu Pingyuan take it instead. Thus, the work was done, while the camp officers pocketed the clerical officer’s salary as “empty pay.”

But Gu Pingyuan wasn’t at a disadvantage either. This was much easier than working in the deep mountains mining or building bridges and roads, and he had opportunities to help those close to him. Like this time, when he accompanied Garrison Officer Xu to Shanhaiguan to receive military horses procured by Beijing merchants for the Fengtian Main Camp, he brought along his good friend Kou Liancai.

Hearing Kou Liancai say that Garrison Officer Cao wouldn’t dare stop military horses, Gu Pingyuan shook his head, unconvinced.

“What? Am I wrong?”

“Brother, think about it. The Beijing merchants arrived at Shanhaiguan days ago but can’t get through. If these were truly military horses, why would Garrison Officer Xu be so anxious these past few days, as if sitting on fire?”

Kou Liancai blinked his eyes: “Big Brother Gu, are you saying…”

“Among these camp officers, Garrison Officer Xu is the greediest. I wouldn’t be surprised if he colluded with the Beijing merchants to pass off inferior horses without proper verification as military horses. After all, Garrison Officer Xu is the only one who verifies the authenticity of the verification documents. If he doesn’t say anything, who would know?”

Kou Liancai rubbed his forehead and opened his eyes wide: “My goodness! No wonder the Beijing merchants can’t pass through the gate—they don’t dare!”

“Heh, I don’t know what medicine this Garrison Officer Cao has taken—he doesn’t want money, doesn’t care about relationships, and doesn’t even give face to the Fengtian Main Camp. Garrison Officer Xu has no way to deal with him. With the delivery deadline approaching, if they wait any longer, more people will become suspicious, which would be disadvantageous for him.” Gu Pingyuan spoke slowly, but Kou Liancai listened with growing anxiety.

“What can we do? We can’t just keep waiting like this, can we?”

Gu Pingyuan, despite his many concerns, was amused and patted his shoulder: “Brother, why are you anxious? Whether the horses come through or not is our business. If they can’t pass through the gate, it has nothing to do with us. Just be careful to avoid becoming Garrison Officer Xu’s target for venting his anger.”

Kou Liancai nodded in understanding.

The Beijing merchants’ horse team was staying at a pasture ten miles outside the gate. Tents were set up in a circle, conveniently enclosing all the “military horses.” About several zhang away from where everyone had set up their tents, at the windward side of the living area, stood a sturdy, bright oxhide tent. Being far from the horses, it had no unpleasant odors. Of course, the tenant wasn’t an ordinary assistant but the head merchant from Beijing.

These days, with the “military horses” unable to pass through the gate, Head Merchant Zhang Guangfa had received an urgent letter from Beijing, making his mood increasingly irritable. All his assistants were extremely cautious, not daring to leave the campsite or approach Zhang Guangfa’s tent, for fear of incurring his wrath.

But at this moment, a young assistant walked confidently into the camp from outside. He glanced at the assistants diligently working, smiled, and then lifted the curtain and walked straight into Zhang Guangfa’s tent.

“I went to the gate and took a look. I understand now—this Garrison Officer Cao won’t let even a drop of untaxed oil pass through the gate,” the young assistant said as soon as he entered the tent.

“Let’s not talk about that first.” Standing opposite him was a middle-aged man dressed as a merchant boss, his brows tightly knit, seeming somewhat angry. He wanted to point at the young assistant but put his hand down, saying angrily, “You… how could you go out to the gate alone? If something had happened, I…” He looked around and lowered his voice, “How would I explain to the master?”

The young assistant smiled carelessly. He appeared to be not yet twenty, with fair skin, willow-like eyebrows, and star-like eyes. At first glance, he was a handsome youth, but looking closer, his gaze was unfocused, and his lips were extremely thin, as if he always had a contemptuous smile ready.

“Uncle Zhang, what kind of assistants have you brought? They only know how to sleep. When the caravan has a problem, there isn’t even someone to offer advice. If I don’t go to inquire, who can you count on?”

Gu Pingyuan had guessed correctly. These “military horses” were actually inferior horses that the Beijing merchants had bought cheaply from the countryside. Some were old mares that had given birth five or six times, with sagging bellies. Because they had Garrison Officer Xu as an insider, the Beijing merchants were fearless this time, but unexpectedly encountered the “door god” Garrison Officer Cao.

A letter had arrived from Beijing the day before, telling Zhang Guangfa to complete this business quickly and return to Beijing for an important discussion. Therefore, Zhang Guangfa had been extremely anxious these days.

“That’s not acceptable. You just stay put. I’ve already prepared the bank notes. As the saying goes, ‘There’s no cat that doesn’t eat fish.’ I just don’t believe that when this stack of bank notes is presented, Garrison Officer Cao’s face won’t brighten!” Zhang Guangfa said, gritting his teeth. This way, the profit from this deal would be significantly reduced, which would still be difficult to explain upon return.

When the young assistant heard this, he crossed his arms and his face darkened: “You’re just like my father, always stuffing money to officials. I don’t understand, can’t this business be done any other way?”

“Of course not!” Zhang Guangfa became anxious too. “What do you know? ‘It’s easier to cross the river leaning on an official’s boat.’ The master has done business this way all his life with universal success.” After saying this, he grabbed the stack of bank notes and walked out. After thinking, he turned back and admonished, “Young Master Qin, please, for heaven’s sake, don’t wander around. Otherwise, don’t blame me for reporting to the master when we return.”

By midnight, Zhang Guangfa stormed into the tent, defeated. As soon as he entered, he was surprised to see “Young Master Qin” sitting at a small table, brewing some kind of soup in an earthen pot with a very strange smell.

“This is authentic Ceylon tea that I brought back from the foreign firm. It has spices and must be boiled together with the water to get the right flavor. The British drink it this way. It would be even better with a little cream, but this will have to do for now.” “Young Master Qin” tasted it with a ladle, a look of disappointment on his face.

“I’m telling you, stop putting on those foreign airs. The master sent you to Tianjin, not to learn this,” Zhang Guangfa said helplessly.

“Young Master Qin” smiled: “It looks like things didn’t go well, right?”

Zhang Guangfa opened his mouth, but the words he wanted to say were swallowed back.

“The bank notes were confiscated, and there’s no hope of passing through the gate. Am I right?” “Young Master Qin” said with a mocking smile.

“That son of a turtle, I don’t know what beast’s belly he was born from. I had barely said a few words, not even mentioning what goods we were transporting, when the bank notes I handed over were confiscated as stolen goods. At dawn tomorrow, I’m definitely going to the general at Shanhaiguan…”

“Alright, my Uncle Zhang, I knew this would be the result before you went. At this point, bank notes won’t work anymore. If you really want to pass through the gate, you need to use a merchant’s brain.” “Young Master Qin” pointed at his own head.

“What do you mean? What kind of idea could you have?” Zhang Guangfa asked skeptically.

“Young Master Qin” beckoned him to come closer and whispered in his ear. When the plan was revealed, Zhang Guangfa was greatly excited: “Hey, Young Master, this plan will work! It’s really extraordinary—a tiger father doesn’t have a dog for a son.”

“Young Master Qin” had been smiling as he listened, but when he heard the last phrase, his face immediately darkened.

“I am not like my father!”

The next day, close to noon, as the soldiers at the gate were inspecting passing vehicles, they saw an extremely long caravan slowly approaching the gate from a distance. When the caravan came closer, they found that a young man was leading it. This young man rode a tall horse, both he and the horse adorned with red and colorful decorations. Looking behind him, there were dozens of double-hitched carriages, all with red silk around their necks and high-flying colored ribbons, uniformly hung with bright copper bells. There weren’t many enclosed carriages, but there were plenty of carts for carrying goods, all empty—clearly this was a wedding procession.

“I say, what is this…” The head guard at the gate had barely asked half a question when the spirited groom jumped down from his horse and, raising his eyebrows, said, “Gentlemen, thank you for your hard work. We’re from Half-Wall Mountain, going to South Mud Pond Platform to bring my wife home.”

“Oh, from far away, no wonder you have such a strong Beijing accent. But why so many carts for a wedding?” The question was reasonable. Generally, ten large carts for a wedding procession would already be quite impressive, but this caravan had several times more.

The groom smiled and moved closer, saying softly, “My father-in-law is wealthy. He told me to bring more carts to carry the dowry.”

“Who are you marrying?”

“The bride’s family name is Geng, have you heard of Geng Lianzhuang, the great benefactor from Geng family?”

“Oh my!” The head guard was startled. This Geng Lianzhuang was well-known not just in South Mud Pond Platform but throughout the territories beyond the Great Wall. During festivals, he would even invite the general of Shanhaiguan to his home for feasts. The head guard quickly put on a fawning smile, “So you’re the prospective son-in-law of Wealthy Geng. Him marrying off his daughter—that’s something special.” The head guard stood on tiptoe to look and noticed that most of the carts were empty. He walked a few steps and lifted the covers on several enclosed carriages, which were also empty.

“The road is too long, so we didn’t bring any women. It was agreed that the Geng family would take care of everything.” The groom, seeing the guard’s confusion, stepped forward to explain. In fact, this groom was none other than “Young Master Qin” who had suggested the plan to Zhang Guangfa the day before. His idea was extremely clever: rent only carts without horses from several cart inns, agreeing to leave the carts in town after passing through the gate, with the cart inns sending people to retrieve them. Then buy some red silk to decorate the procession as a wedding party, and thus boldly approach the gate.

Zhang Guangfa, disguised as an ordinary assistant, hid in the caravan without showing his face, fearing that Garrison Officer Cao would recognize him from their encounter the previous day. He had been anxiously watching the front, and although he couldn’t hear the conversation between “Young Master Qin” and the gate guard, seeing their expressions, he relaxed considerably.

The head guard, seeing that the newcomers had no smuggling suspicions and were people who couldn’t be offended, waved his hand to let them pass when suddenly a heavy cough came from the gate tower above. Looking up, he saw a hand extending from the arrow slit, beckoning to him.

He smiled bitterly and said to the groom, “Wait a moment. Garrison Officer Cao is calling me. I’ll be right back.”

After less than a quarter of an hour, the head guard hurriedly ran down, his expression changed. He shouted loudly, “Surround this caravan! Search every vehicle! Garrison Officer Cao said who has ever seen so many carts for a wedding? They might be hiding private goods.”

The groom seemed unconcerned, standing with his arms crossed, watching the soldiers at work. He said coldly, “Fine, search all you want. If you find anything, I’ll wear the big pillory and stand in the cage. But if you find nothing and delay the auspicious time, hmph, my father-in-law is not someone to be trifled with.”

Despite his words, the local authority outranked him, and with Garrison Officer Cao watching from above, none of the soldiers dared to slack off. Even after turning the entire caravan upside down, apart from tents and bedding for the journey, they couldn’t find a single item of contraband.

“Satisfied?” asked the groom.

“This…” The head guard wanted to slap himself, thinking he was caught in the middle, making this duty too humiliating. He looked up again, but there was no movement from the gate tower. “Go on, go on, don’t forget to pay the head tax,” the head guard said, turning his head and waving his hand.

The caravan rumbled through the gate and traveled quite a distance before Zhang Guangfa caught up from behind. He grabbed “Young Master Qin” around the waist and lifted him off the horse, exclaiming joyfully, “Your performance of ‘Wenzhao Gate’ was excellent! I must praise you to the master when we return.”

At the beginning of this journey, no one had recognized this young man as “Young Master Qin.” But there are no walls that can keep out the wind, and the young man himself didn’t particularly conceal his identity, always staying with Zhang Guangfa. Gradually, people guessed his identity. As word spread, soon the entire caravan knew that the boss’s only son was traveling with them. Now that “Young Master Qin” had accomplished such a feat, who wouldn’t want to curry favor with him? “Young Master Qin” removed the red silk ribbons, and although he was modest at first, as the caravan assistants gathered around praising him, he gradually showed signs of pleasure.

“Go find the residence of Garrison Officer Xu from the Fengtian Main Camp. Tell him we’ve already brought the horses in, and ask him to indicate the horse pen. We’ll bring the horses in for inspection as soon as possible.” At this point, Zhang Guangfa was in his element. He dispatched assistants to contact Garrison Officer Xu while sending others to find an inn for rest.

By the time dinner was over, the news had spread among the people from the Fengtian Main Camp, most of whom were exiles serving as laborers to lead the horses. Gu Pingyuan and Kou Liancai also heard this news while eating. Kou Liancai scratched his cheek: “Big Brother Gu, this trick really worked well. In the future, others who want to smuggle horses could do the same.”

“The volume of horse transport is very small, especially crossing in and out of the gate. Besides the Main Camp’s military horses, the rest are bred and sold locally. Who needs to smuggle through Shanhaiguan? This trick isn’t useful for ordinary merchants. However, the person who could think of such a method is indeed quite clever,” Gu Pingyuan said, gradually becoming lost in thought.

Kou Liancai was used to seeing him like this. He knew Big Brother Gu had many ideas in his mind and was probably pondering something new, so he didn’t disturb him. After finishing his meal, Kou Liancai went to the roadside teahouse outside the kitchen to listen to storytelling. Today, the teahouse was featuring a robe-and-belt story, the eighteenth chapter of “Romance of Sui and Tang Dynasties” titled “Cheng Yaojin Robs the Imperial Casket.” This part was exceptionally exciting, with the storyteller waving his folding fan as if it were a Xuanhua battle-ax, vividly narrating, while the listeners perked up their ears, afraid to miss any detail.

Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the teahouse, as if people were arguing. At first, Kou Liancai paid no attention, but listening carefully, he realized something was wrong. One of the voices sounded very familiar. Upon closer listening, it was none other than Gu Pingyuan.

Startled, he stood up and ran outside. Arriving on the main street, in the dim evening light, he saw Gu Pingyuan tightly gripping someone’s collar, his eyes bulging, repeatedly shouting loudly: “How could it not be you? If you hadn’t spoken, it would be one thing, but once you did, I’m even more certain it’s you. You… you villain, why did you frame me? Why!”

Gu Pingyuan’s questioning voice was sharp, high, and rapid, already attracting many people. The town was already full of stranded merchant caravans with people bored to distraction—even a cat and dog fight would draw a crowd, let alone a human dispute. Soon, a large group of people had gathered in a circle.

Kou Liancai had been stunned from the start. In his impression, Big Brother Gu was cultured and refined, always using his brain rather than his hands. What had happened today? Who had provoked him? After a moment of shock, he came to his senses and hurriedly pushed through the crowd to enter the circle.

He saw that the person Gu Pingyuan was holding was a man in his forties with a square face and a straight mustache. His clothes and appearance were that of a merchant boss, with the only difference being three gold threads embroidered on his cuffs—the mark of a Beijing merchant. So this person was a Beijing merchant boss. There was a hint of panic in the man’s eyes, though his expression remained unchanged. He avoided Gu Pingyuan’s gaze, repeatedly saying, “Let go of me. I don’t know you. You’ve mistaken me for someone else!”

“Bullshit!” Gu Pingyuan used coarse language for the first time. “Mistaken you? Your face, I remember every moment, and will never forget it in my lifetime!” he said through gritted teeth.

The Beijing merchant boss was accompanied by two assistants who, seeing their boss seized, rushed forward to attack Gu Pingyuan.

“What’s happening? This… this… Don’t fight! Let’s talk this through!” Kou Liancai came over to mediate, but not knowing the cause or consequence, he couldn’t effectively intervene.

“Gu, you’re just an exile—what are you being so arrogant about? Be careful of military punishment!” The Beijing merchant boss, seeing that Gu Pingyuan was being restrained but still wouldn’t let go, spoke viciously.

When Gu Pingyuan heard these words, he suddenly fell silent, but his eyes remained fixed on the man before him. His gaze was intense, with an air of natural authority that was intimidating even without anger. Though Gu Pingyuan was silent, he was more imposing than when he had been speaking. The Beijing merchant felt uneasy under his gaze and mumbled, “What, you’re still not convinced? Should I go find your camp officer?”

“No need, I’m right here!” As he spoke, a short, stocky military officer pushed through the crowd. He had upturned eyes, a lion-like nose, a broad mouth, and a fierce countenance. Two soldiers accompanied him. As soon as he entered, he wore a stern expression, looked around, and then berated Gu Pingyuan, “Have you gone mad from drinking? This is Manager Zhang from the Beijing merchants who’s delivering military horses for us. Why are you grabbing him?”

Kou Liancai knew that among the six camp officers of the Main Camp, this Garrison Officer Xu was the greediest and most vicious. Hearing his words, he was so frightened that his calves cramped. He quickly went to pry Gu Pingyuan’s hands loose, whispering, “Brother, have you really gone mad? Let go quickly, let go!”

Gu Pingyuan slowly released his grip and stepped back. He didn’t look at Garrison Officer Xu but kept his eyes on Zhang Guangfa, asking word by word, “I only ask you this: you say you don’t know me, but how did you know my surname is Gu? And how did you know I’m an exile?”

This question left Zhang Guangfa stunned. Kou Liancai also looked at him puzzled, and the surrounding people thought Gu Pingyuan’s question was reasonable, waiting to see how Zhang Guangfa would respond.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Guangfa’s face changed slightly, and he turned to Garrison Officer Xu, cupping his hands in greeting: “Camp Officer, though I, Zhang, am new to the territories beyond the Great Wall, the Beijing merchants have done business with the Fengtian Main Camp many times. However, I truly don’t understand the customs here—how can an exile interrogate a law-abiding citizen?”

Being questioned in this manner, Garrison Officer Xu felt he was losing face. He glared fiercely at Gu Pingyuan.

“Exile Gu Pingyuan! Kneel and apologize to Manager Zhang!”

Gu Pingyuan acted as if he hadn’t heard, neither obeying nor responding, still staring fixedly at Zhang Guangfa. This enraged Garrison Officer Xu, who pulled out his horse whip from his waist, stepped forward, and began lashing Gu Pingyuan across the face. He was merciless—the whip instantly left bloody streaks across Gu Pingyuan’s face, and his clothes were torn to shreds. The crowd of idle onlookers initially watched with smiles, occasionally whistling, but as they saw Gu Pingyuan gritting his teeth and enduring the punishment, they gradually fell silent.

“Camp Officer, please show mercy, show mercy!” Kou Liancai was terrified. Seeing that Gu Pingyuan neither dodged nor begged for mercy, standing like a stone statue, he knew the situation was turning dire. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed to Zhang Guangfa: “Great Manager, please say something! My big brother has lost his mind today. You’re a great man who doesn’t hold grudges against small people. You are a living Bodhisattva…”

Zhang Guangfa also felt that this couldn’t continue, so he seized the opportunity to de-escalate, coughing once before speaking: “Officer Xu, don’t we still have business to conduct? Don’t get angry over an exile and delay our main purpose. I’ll treat you to dinner at the best restaurant in town later, and let’s consider this matter settled.”

“It’s not settled!” Garrison Officer Xu flung his whip and pointed at Gu Pingyuan, shouting, “I’ll go receive the military horses first, and when I return, I’ll deal with you. I’ll tie you to the hitching post and whip you to death!”

“Ah, let it go, let it go.” Zhang Guangfa persuaded Garrison Officer Xu, and they left together. As they departed, Zhang Guangfa looked back and noticed that the anger in Gu Pingyuan’s gaze had not diminished, making his heart tighten again.

After they left, the crowd gradually dispersed. Kou Liancai rose from the ground and saw that Gu Pingyuan was still staring motionlessly in the direction Zhang Guangfa had gone, with bloody streaks crisscrossing his face and neck. Unable to contain himself, Kou Liancai embraced Gu Pingyuan’s legs and choked up, “Big Brother Gu, what are you doing? Are you trying to scare me to death? This is the first time I’ve seen you like this. What… what exactly happened?”

Gu Pingyuan was silent for a moment. He raised his hand to wipe the blood from his face and said in a low voice, “Do you remember when I was framed?”

“Yes, I do.”

“It was this man!”

“Him?! Are you sure you haven’t mistaken him?” Kou Liancai turned his head sharply, but Zhang Guangfa had long since disappeared.

“No mistake!” Gu Pingyuan’s voice was resolute. “Although he only showed half his face at the time, my impression was too deep. His voice is exactly the same. I’m certain it’s him. Besides, how else would you explain my question to him? Didn’t you see how panicked he was?”

“That’s true.” Kou Liancai nodded involuntarily. “Judging by his reaction, he did seem guilty. But he’s a Beijing merchant manager—with no grudge against you, why would he go out of his way to frame you?”

“Who knows what he was doing five years ago? In any case, this is an opportunity heaven has given me. I must get to the bottom of this.”

Kou Liancai felt somewhat afraid: “Garrison Officer Xu has his eye on you now. Among the camp officers, he’s the only one you have no relationship with. If you truly anger him, an officer dealing with an exile is as simple as an eagle catching a rabbit. Big Brother Gu, I say let it go. You’ve already served half your sentence. The rest, just endure it and…”

“This isn’t about how many years I have left!” Gu Pingyuan realized his tone was too harsh and apologetically lowered his voice. “Brother, I’m not like you. Though your case is also unjust and you’re also resentful, at least you know the cause and effect. What about me? I was confusedly buried in this living coffin beyond the Great Wall. Ten years…” His eyes reddened, and he nearly shed tears.

Hearing this, Kou Liancai fell silent, knowing his friend was moved by thoughts of his elderly mother, younger siblings, and sisters at home. Kou Liancai and Gu Pingyuan were close friends. Gu Pingyuan always treated him like a younger brother, protecting him in everything. Kou Liancai came from a scholarly family with substantial means, but his father had collaborated on a poetry collection that officials had found fault with, labeling it as “rebellious poetry.” As a result, the entire family was sent into military exile, and his parents had died on the journey. Being physically weak, and with many vicious individuals among the exiles, he would have been bullied to death in this foreign land years ago if not for Gu Pingyuan’s protection. Therefore, he was immensely grateful to Gu Pingyuan and deferred to him in all matters. In his eyes, Big Brother Gu was like Song Jiang, the “Timely Rain” from “Water Margin,” with a touch of Wu Yong the “Intelligent Star’s” strategic mind. Only today did he truly glimpse the hidden pain in Gu Pingyuan’s heart.

“Let’s go back to the fire room first. After the evening roll call, I’ll slip out to walk around and clear my mind,” Gu Pingyuan patted Kou Liancai’s shoulder.

“I’ll come with you.”

“Brother, you don’t need to follow. Don’t worry, even though Garrison Officer Xu said he would whip me to death, I won’t seek trouble at this point. I’m just going out to clear my head and think of a plan. I won’t go looking for trouble with that Zhang fellow.” Gu Pingyuan forced a smile.

Kou Liancai finally nodded.

“Uncle Zhang, how is it? I heard from the assistants that you were caught by an exile on the street?” As soon as Zhang Guangfa returned to the inn after handling the military horses and dining with Garrison Officer Xu, “Young Master Qin” confronted him.

“Nothing happened, just a misunderstanding.” Zhang Guangfa didn’t want to elaborate on the topic, but “Young Master Qin” wouldn’t let him brush it off.

“I heard the assistants describe it vividly. It seems he’s an old acquaintance of yours, and you did something that wronged him. Uncle Zhang, you’ve taken care of me since I was little, but I never knew you were so wicked. I’ll tell father when we get back.” “Young Master Qin” said with a mischievous smile.

“You can’t tell the master!” Zhang Guangfa became anxious at once. “This is my personal affair, mind your own business. Hey, where are you going?” He noticed that the young master didn’t seem to be waiting for him in the inn lobby. “Young Master Qin,” dressed in a long gown and jacket, no longer looked like an assistant and appeared to be heading out.

“It’s my first time beyond the Great Wall. I’m going to look around town and broaden my horizons,” “Young Master Qin” said as he walked towards the exit.

“Let someone accompany you,” Zhang Guangfa called urgently.

“No need. There are no tigers in town.” “Young Master Qin” didn’t wait for Zhang Guangfa to call someone and walked away quickly.

“Ah!” Zhang Guangfa sighed, thought of Gu Pingyuan, and frowned deeply, muttering to himself, “When we return, should I tell or not tell?”

“Young Master Qin” left the inn, but his intentions were not as simple as just looking around. While learning business at the foreign firm, he had been deeply influenced by the Western concept of less strict segregation between men and women. Whenever he had free time, he would visit brothels and establishments, from tea houses to brothels. Despite his young age, he was already well-versed in such matters. During this journey, he hadn’t had the opportunity to seek feminine company, which had nearly driven him crazy. Now that they had settled down, partly due to his “natural urges” and partly out of curiosity about how the women beyond the Great Wall differed from those within, he was determined to find a brothel or singing house.

After circling the street twice, he realized the town was quite large. With darkness having fallen and being unfamiliar with the place, he was at a loss. Suddenly, he felt someone tap his shoulder.

“Friend, what are you looking for?”

“Young Master Qin” turned his head to see a scruffy man with a crooked hat and a toothpick in his mouth looking at him with slanted eyes. He brushed off the spot where the man had touched his jacket and said nothing.

“Are you looking for an opium den or a gambling house? I can take you there. Just need a small fee,” the ruffian leaned in to ask.

“Young Master Qin” couldn’t stand the foul smell from the man’s mouth and instinctively stepped back, waving his hand in disgust.

“Oh… hehe!” The ruffian, seeing that “Young Master Qin” was dressed like a wealthy young master and had no interest in opium or gambling, had a sudden realization. “I understand now. Young master is looking for girls, right? I know a place. We have a street here with Chu Xiang Pavilion, Passionate Emotions Inn, and the Treasured Love House—plenty of beautiful prostitutes. How about it, shall I accompany you for a tour?”

“No need for you to accompany me. Where is this street you mentioned?” “Young Master Qin” was very interested.

“Well…” The ruffian glanced at “Young Master Qin” sideways, yawned as his opium craving kicked in, and extended his hand casually.

“Young Master Qin” was generous, slipping him a silver coin. “Speak quickly!”

The ruffian smiled with delight and readily gave “Young Master Qin” directions. However, after the young man walked away, he revealed a cold smile.

“A greenhorn like you wants to mingle in that place? You’ll be stripped clean later.”

After dinner and roll call, Gu Pingyuan had been worried that Garrison Officer Xu would come to cause trouble for him. Later, hearing that the officer had returned to the inn drunk, he knew he was safe for the night and stepped out of the fire room where the exiles stayed. With a heavy heart, he recalled the heart-pounding moment of being framed years ago and thought about how heaven had eyes, allowing him to encounter his enemy beyond the Great Wall—an opportunity he couldn’t easily let go. But without evidence and with Garrison Officer Xu clearly unwilling to help him, he was at a loss as to how to uncover the truth about what had happened years ago.

Lost in thought, he walked without pause, neither fast nor slow. Suddenly, a coquettish voice sounded in his ear: “Oh, sir, I haven’t seen you for so long. Why don’t you come sit with us more often? I’ve missed you terribly. Your heart is so hard, not caring about or missing me at all.”

Gu Pingyuan looked up with a start, only to realize that, without paying attention, he had walked to Bowl Street. Bowl Street was a curved street that resembled an alms bowl, hence its name. It was a famous money pit in town, housing brothels, opium dens, and gambling houses. Most visitors were assistants from merchant caravans or exiles who had managed to get some money. Although the town wasn’t a major commercial center, it was a necessary route for those passing through the gate. With various travelers coming and going, some seeking women, some gambling, and many with “special interests,” where there was demand, there was supply. Over time, Bowl Street had established itself.

Gu Pingyuan had heard of this place but had never visited. Hearing the heavily made-up “girl” say he “hadn’t been for a long time,” he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. As he turned to leave, prostitutes from the neighboring brothel also came to compete for customers, and the two women caught Gu Pingyuan between them. Already irritated, Gu Pingyuan forcefully shook his arms, causing both women to stumble. Not wanting to be entangled, he thought to leave quickly. Just as he turned to walk away briskly, he heard the two women cursing.

Being cursed by brothel women, Gu Pingyuan silently lamented his bad luck. Just as he was about to quicken his pace, a side door was suddenly pushed open forcefully, and a young man with a bare upper body was roughly pushed onto the street, stumbling and falling right in front of Gu Pingyuan.

The door immediately closed, and the young man quickly got up from the ground, shouting loudly: “Bastards! Is this how you do business? Taking advantage of me because I’m unfamiliar with your ways? I’ve been to all nine streets and eighteen alleys in Tianjin, slept with all the famous prostitutes. Your shabby place with ugly hags dares to cheat me? I’ll…”

The young man was so angry he was spinning in circles. Spotting a broken brick on the ground, he picked it up, walked about a dozen steps forward, turned to the front of the brothel, and threw it forcefully, frightening the two girls soliciting customers at the door, who crouched down with a cry of “Mother!” His aim was precise—the brick hit a large red lantern hanging on the left door, knocking it down.

Gu Pingyuan guessed what had happened. Such incidents occurred almost daily on Bowl Street, so he was walking past, with no intention of getting involved. However, hearing the young man speak with a Beijing accent, his interest was piqued. Then, seeing him knock down the red lantern, he was suddenly alarmed.

The lanterns at brothels and gambling houses were like shop signs—the one on the left called “Wealth-Attracting” and the one on the right called “Treasure-Bringing,” hanging from the beginning to the end of the year. Damaging them was considered extremely inauspicious. If damaged by their own people, the person would be expelled immediately; if by an outsider, the consequences were even more severe.

Gu Pingyuan saw the young man still standing bare-chested, defiant and indignant. He knew that once the brothel’s bouncers rushed out, the young man would certainly be beaten severely, if not killed, at least seriously injured. With this thought, he dashed forward and pulled the young man away, running.

Caught off guard, the young man was dragged along for about a dozen steps. When he came to his senses and tried to resist, Gu Pingyuan urgently said, “A brave man avoids immediate disadvantage. If you don’t run, you’ll be beaten to death and thrown into the mass grave south of town!”

The young man was startled. Looking back, he indeed saw bouncers rushing out cursing and chasing after them, confirming Gu Pingyuan’s warning. He quickly ran alongside Gu Pingyuan. Fortunately, Gu Pingyuan had been to this town many times and was familiar with the layout. The two fled, turning this way and that, eventually circling out of town to a small grove at the edge, where they finally caught their breath.

Earlier, the young man had been bold and fearless, running on adrenaline. Now, recalling the scene, he realized that without Gu Pingyuan, he would have suffered greatly for offending the local powers. As night fell, frost formed beyond the Great Wall, and he shivered with his bare upper body. Though grateful, he didn’t know what to say.

Gu Pingyuan, thinking to be thorough with his good deed, took off his outer coat and gave it to him. Seeing that the young man was quite young, probably not yet twenty, he wanted to admonish him but realized that as a stranger, his criticism might not be well-received. So Gu Pingyuan pointed to a small path to the west: “Follow this path forward. When you see the first bridge, you can turn back to town.” Finally, he added, “Just don’t turn onto Bowl Street again.” With that, he turned to leave.

“Sir, please wait.” The young man’s face reddened, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but he forced himself to say, “I owe you greatly for today. I’ll certainly repay you properly when I have the chance. Please leave your name and address so I can return this coat tomorrow.”

Gu Pingyuan had initially looked down on him somewhat, but hearing this, he felt the young man was reasonable after all. He replied, “My surname is Gu, my name is Gu Pingyuan. The coat isn’t worth much, so returning it isn’t important. But if I may ask, your accent sounds like Beijing. Are you perhaps with the Beijing merchants?”

“Well…” This young man was indeed “Young Master Qin,” who had experienced terrible misfortune today. When he left Beijing, he was disguised as an assistant and didn’t carry many bank notes. Yet he insisted on showing off at the town’s premier brothel. What started as ordinary pleasure-seeking escalated when they recognized him as a “fat fish.” They brought seven or eight girls to drink with him, and he recklessly went to bed with several of them. When it came time to settle the bill, disaster struck. They had intentionally set out to deceive him, and the bill included several inflated items. All his bank notes combined still left him short by a hundred taels.

The pimps and madams spoke coldly to him, and he responded with his young master’s temper, cursing loudly. As a result, he was stripped of his clothes and kicked out, with his bank notes naturally left behind as “tip money.” “Young Master Qin” knew well that the Beijing merchants would never stand up for him in this matter. If he mentioned it to Zhang Guangfa upon his return, he would only be asking for trouble.

Now that Gu Pingyuan asked if he was with the Beijing merchants, he knew he had disgraced the merchant group on this journey and hesitated to answer.

Gu Pingyuan observed his expression and guessed most of the situation, continuing to ask, “I heard the person in charge of the Beijing merchants transporting horses through the gate is surnamed Zhang. If it’s convenient, I’d like to inquire about this Manager Zhang.”

When “Young Master Qin” heard him asking about Zhang Guangfa, he was even more startled. He thought Gu Pingyuan knew Zhang Guangfa, which could be problematic. But since the man had just saved him, he had to force himself to answer, “What do you want to know?”

“What was this Manager Zhang doing five years ago?”

“Five years ago?” “Young Master Qin” was puzzled at first, then raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I understand. Aren’t you the person who grabbed Uncle Zhang on the street this afternoon?”

Gu Pingyuan was also startled: “You call him ‘Uncle’?”

“Well, he originally… he… he…” “Young Master Qin” suddenly realized he had misspoken. Not only had he revealed that he was with the Beijing merchants, but he was about to disclose his own background. He quickly shut his mouth. However, having said this much and stopping abruptly, the awkwardness on his face was evident.

On an ordinary day, Gu Pingyuan would never have pressed someone with a difficult secret. But today was different—this matter was too important to him to allow the person before him to evade the issue. So his eyes remained fixed intently on the young man.

“Young Master Qin” was momentarily stunned, then his eyes darted as he suddenly clutched his stomach.

“Ouch, Brother Gu, I’m truly sorry. Being without clothes earlier must have given me a chill. I urgently need to relieve myself. We’ll talk another day, another day…” As he spoke, he began inching away, and when he finished speaking, he ran off.

“Hey!” Gu Pingyuan called after him, feeling both angry and amused. The man claimed an urgent need, and though Gu Pingyuan knew it was an excuse, he couldn’t stop him. Looking down, he noticed something had fallen at the young man’s feet. Picking it up, he was surprised. It was a fine Han jade seal with a carved chi dragon knob. Looking closely at the intaglio characters, they read “Li Qin.” The chi dragon knob was hollow, probably meant to be tied to a waistband or handkerchief and tucked inside, which was why the madams hadn’t found it during their search. Unexpectedly, it had fallen off during his rush.

The jade was translucent and white, clearly valuable. Gu Pingyuan realized this person was certainly not an ordinary Beijing merchant assistant, and murmured, “Li Qin… Li Qin… What is his relationship with Zhang Guangfa?”

Gu Pingyuan had gone out for a long walk, rescued someone, found a piece of jade, and returned more dejected than when he left.

As a “military exile,” he had accompanied the Fengtian Main Camp officer on official business. By custom, officers on duty could stay in inns or local military camps, but nine out of ten would choose inns for their freedom. Though they wouldn’t dare solicit prostitutes, drinking and gambling were acceptable.

Military exiles were different. Their status was between prisoners in jail and conscripted servants, with no qualification to stay in inns. However, since armies on duty always brought exiles with them, over time, naturally, some people made a business of accommodating them. Behind the inn, near a birch forest, was a row of extremely crude small houses known as “fire rooms.” Built with yellow mud bricks, the windows had tattered paper that couldn’t keep out the wind. Inside was a row of large, communal beds with unwashed bedding, from which even dead rats had been found. But compared to Shanyang Fort, where “frost easily forms in cups from the cliff wind, and platform fires can’t melt the frost on blankets,” this place was much more lively and prosperous.

Gu Pingyuan was a man with concerns, and the quality of his accommodations didn’t matter much to him. But having been accustomed to cleanliness since childhood, even in such a crude room, he had managed to clean out a corner for himself. Now, stepping into the room, he saw everyone else playing cards under a bean-sized light, shouting in suppressed voices. He wasn’t in the mood for this and planned to wash up and sleep, when someone called him at the door.

“Big Brother Gu.”

It was Kou Liancai, who had been worried about Gu Pingyuan. Seeing him return safely, he was finally at ease. After exchanging a few words, Kou Liancai remembered something.

“There’s something that will surely make you happy, Big Brother.”

Gu Pingyuan shook his head: “Just tell me. To be honest, even if a gold ingot fell from the sky right now, I couldn’t be happy.”

Kou Liancai lowered his voice: “That may not be true. Big Brother Gu, aren’t you most afraid that Zhang fellow will run away? Let me tell you, the Beijing merchants are trapped.”

“Oh?” Gu Pingyuan leaned forward, immediately alert.

“Didn’t you tell me before that Garrison Officer Xu’s journey had both public and private purposes? The public one was to receive military horses, and we won’t discuss the benefits. The private one was that he secretly arranged a batch of private salt, which he had agreed to sell to a salt runner from Shandong.”

“How many people know about this? It’s not especially confidential. That salt runner saw the strict inspection at the gate and dared not transport this batch of salt. These days, he’s been begging Garrison Officer Xu, willing to take a loss and return the goods. I heard he even knelt down yesterday, but Garrison Officer Xu wouldn’t even look at him properly,” Gu Pingyuan continued.

“It’s been returned,” Kou Liancai interjected.

Gu Pingyuan could hardly believe it: “Returned? That’s impossible. If the salt is returned, it would be left in Garrison Officer Xu’s hands. Would he do such a kind deed?”

“Kind my ass! If he had kindness, tigers in the mountains wouldn’t eat people. Let me tell you, he found a buyer.”

Gu Pingyuan was about to ask who it was when he remembered what Kou Liancai had said about the Beijing merchants being trapped. He realized, “Could it be that this batch of salt was bought by the Beijing merchants?”

“Not bought.” Kou Liancai waved his hand, looked around, and whispered, “Just now, Garrison Officer Xu called Zhang Guangfa to the inn and used this batch of salt to offset the payment for the military horses. I was going to see if he was still looking to cause you trouble, and happened to learn about this.”

Gu Pingyuan’s mind worked extremely quickly. He calculated silently, nodding slowly: “With this move, including the loss taken by the salt runner, he’s made at least a few hundred taels more. This bastard is good at making dishonest money. But what I don’t understand is, the Beijing merchants are known for their shrewdness. This Zhang Guangfa just risked coming through the gate from inside the Wall—he must know whether the salt can be transported out or not. How could he dare to make this deal?”

“Garrison Officer Xu forced them to accept it. I don’t know why the Beijing merchants agreed.”

“I know! Hui merchants believe that ‘law is a tool for business, not a knife for cutting throats,’ but it seems Beijing merchants are just the opposite.” Gu Pingyuan thought for a moment and sighed, “Their military horses are inferior horses—this isn’t a legitimate business. So when Garrison Officer Xu wanted to cheat them, they didn’t dare to speak up. There’s nowhere to report it anyway. This is the result of doing business outside the rules. In fact, the profit from transporting this salt through the gate would be above the money from selling the horses, but it’s useless if they can’t transport it out.”

“Then we won’t concern ourselves with it. I happened to pass by and saw Manager Zhang coming out of the inn, his face alternating between pale and flushed. Needless to say, he’s at a loss for what to do. Garrison Officer Xu plans to set up a pawnshop in town, which will take some time. This way, Big Brother Gu, you can take your time to plan and don’t need to rush.”

Gu Pingyuan nodded. That night, he didn’t sleep well and had a nightmare. In the dream, he went to confront Zhang Guangfa, and they got into a fight after an argument. Zhang Guangfa pulled out a dagger and stabbed him in the waist. Gu Pingyuan cried out, waking from the dream, only to discover it was the Han jade seal in his bosom pressing against his rib. The fire rooms all had communal beds, and his shout disturbed many people, but after cursing a bit, they all turned over and went back to sleep.

As the morning star faded and dawn’s light began to glimmer, with the sky beginning to whiten and the sound of mules and horses moving in the street, Gu Pingyuan gave up on sleep. He rose with a turn and quietly walked out of the room.

His mind was troubled, filled with legal concerns, thinking only of how to make Zhang Guangfa confess the truth. He strolled slowly and unconsciously arrived at the front gate.

At this moment, with the sky barely light, large caravans were already heading toward the gate, preparing to pass through early. Gu Pingyuan noticed that the caravan was flying salt banners, which reminded him of the Shanxi merchant he had saved by the sea the day before, wondering if he had prepared well and safely passed through the gate. Once through, that man would be free as a fish in the ocean or a bird in the sky, but what about himself? Still exiled beyond the Great Wall, and having finally encountered his enemy, he remained helpless.

As he pondered this, a sudden thought struck him, recalling a saying he had heard as a child in his Huizhou hometown—”Money is medicine that saves lives, and also a knife that kills people.”

“Two sides to one matter—since I can use this method to help others, why couldn’t I…” Gu Pingyuan muttered to himself, his eyes suddenly glowing with realization.

“Lianfu” Inn was one of the top inns in the area. Beijing merchant caravans always emphasized grandeur when traveling. Not only the head manager, but also the accountant, head assistant, and caravan leader—the core personnel of the merchant group—would certainly stay in a separate courtyard at the best local inn. This served two purposes: first, to stand out among many merchants, seemingly spending more money but actually attracting major clients; second, for confidentiality, ensuring private conversations wouldn’t be overheard by outsiders.

The Beijing merchants were staying at “Lianfu” Inn. Several local Beijing people who had fallen on hard times had come to seek help, gathering outside the door, unable to enter, waiting for the head manager to come out so they could plead their case, making the inn entrance quite lively. Gu Pingyuan rushed over, finding the inn’s assistants driving people away at the door.

“Go away! You’re not staying here. A bunch of beggars blocking the door early in the morning—what bad luck!”

Among those seeking help, some were genuine, some were fake, but all presented a pitiful appearance, extending trembling hands forward. Some were half-kneeling, half-crawling, their voices unbearably sorrowful. Yet despite calling for a long time, not a single person from the Beijing merchants came out.

Gu Pingyuan watched for a while from the side, shaking his head involuntarily. He recalled that when he had gone to the capital for the imperial examinations years ago, the Hui Merchant Guild had shown great care for Hui people in Beijing. If anyone had difficulties, they only needed to say a word, and help would come with full force—a stark contrast to the scene before him.

Not wanting to watch any longer, Gu Pingyuan pushed forward and said to an assistant, “Young brother, excuse me, I’d like to go in and find Manager Zhang of the Beijing merchants.”

His words caused several people behind him to pull him back, cursing, “Where did this blind fool come from! We’ve been waiting all night, and you just arrived trying to cut in line. There’s no such easy opportunity—wait on the side!”

Gu Pingyuan was furious: “I’m not here to seek help. I have business with Zhang Guangfa!”

His tone was unfriendly as he used the full name, clearly different from those who were subservient. The inn assistant was startled, and just as he was about to ask, someone from the Beijing merchants came out from inside. The inn assistant immediately bowed.

“Sir, did you sleep well? Look, there are several people here looking for Manager Zhang, and one says he’s not here to seek help.”

The person who came out was the head assistant of the caravan, effectively Zhang Guangfa’s deputy. Though a deputy, reaching this position in the Beijing merchants gave him an air that ordinary caravan managers couldn’t match. The previous night, after Garrison Officer Xu paid for the horses with private salt, Zhang Guangfa had returned to the inn and called a meeting with his subordinates to discuss how to transport the salt out. But no one had come up with a good idea. The head assistant was troubled by this matter and raised his eyes indifferently to scan the inn assistant, saying, “The manager is thinking about business matters and has no time to see them! Huh?”

His “huh” was because he spotted Gu Pingyuan. The head assistant had been present when Gu Pingyuan grabbed Zhang Guangfa in the street yesterday, and he glared, “You exile, didn’t you get enough of a whipping yesterday? You dare to come looking for us—get out of here!”

“I can help with the problem you’re facing,” Gu Pingyuan said, swallowing his pride rather than argue.

“A stinking exile like you, who needs your help? What could you possibly help with?!” The head assistant sneered and said to the inn assistants, “The others are one thing, but watch this guy. If he dares to force his way in, tie him up and send him to the Fengtian Main Camp officers’ quarters—someone will deal with him!” With that, he turned and went inside.

Gu Pingyuan saw that the inn assistants were also taking advantage of their position to bully him. Knowing that forcing his way in would only lead to trouble, he temporarily retreated to the side, planning to wait outside the door for an opportunity.

After waiting for a while, another person dressed in silk emerged from the door. This person looked left and right as he came out, clearly undecided on where to go. As soon as Gu Pingyuan saw him, his eyes brightened, and he called out loudly, “Li Qin!”

The person coming out was indeed “Young Master Qin,” who had come out for a morning stroll. Just as he exited, someone called him, leaving him puzzled—how could he have acquaintances beyond the Great Wall? Looking in the direction of the voice, his face immediately changed, but it was too late to retreat.

Gu Pingyuan approached with a smile. The inn assistants shouted to block him, but Gu Pingyuan pointed at Li Qin: “I want to say a few words to this gentleman. Ask him if he wants to listen.”

The inn assistants were shrewd and had learned from the caravan members that the most prominent person among the Beijing merchants on this trip was this “Young Master Qin.” Who would dare offend him? They all looked to Li Qin.

Li Qin had no choice. He walked forward a few steps, pulled Gu Pingyuan aside, and said softly, “Let’s talk over there.”

When they reached a quiet place, Li Qin glared at Gu Pingyuan: “How do you know my name?”

Gu Pingyuan took the seal from his pocket and waved it at Li Qin.

“Is this yours?”

Li Qin instinctively felt his waist, only then realizing his seal was missing. He nodded, seemingly understanding.

“Tell me, how much money do you want?”

Gu Pingyuan was startled, realizing Li Qin thought he had come to blackmail him. He simply took Li Qin’s hand, placed the seal in it, closed his fingers, and pushed it back. Now Li Qin was completely confused.

“What… what do you really want?” He frowned in puzzlement. This person was an exile, yet he didn’t want money—wasn’t that strange?

“It seems you have some status among the Beijing merchants. Can you arrange for me to meet Manager Zhang?”

Li Qin didn’t respond, instead sizing up Gu Pingyuan again. As Li Qin examined him, Gu Pingyuan was also studying Li Qin. Last night had been dark, and they had only seen each other’s general appearance. Now, looking at Li Qin more closely, Gu Pingyuan saw that he had handsome features and slender fingers, suggesting he had grown up in a pampered environment. But perhaps due to his nightly revelry, his complexion was pale, with slight dark circles under his eyes. He had an air of nobility but lacked serenity, especially with that hint of arrogance and haughtiness in his eyes, which was at odds with a merchant’s manner of dealing with people.

After the two had examined each other for a few moments, Li Qin spoke: “Friend Gu, you saved me yesterday, so helping you isn’t a big deal. But there must be something between you and Uncle Zhang. If you don’t explain clearly, I won’t help you. And don’t try to fool me. To be honest, it was my idea to transport the horses through the gate. When it comes to cunning, ten of you wouldn’t be my match.”

Although Gu Pingyuan was displeased inwardly at hearing this, he still cupped his hands in greeting: “You’re right. There is indeed an account to settle between Manager Zhang and me. To be honest, the reason I am in my current situation as an exile beyond the Great Wall is entirely thanks to this Manager Zhang Guangfa. But I had neither offended him nor known him before, so why did he harm me? I intend to ask him face to face for clarity.”

Li Qin, being young and curious, showed a glint of excitement in his eyes upon hearing this.

“Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll take you in to clarify things. But don’t get any wrong ideas. Inside are all our people—if things get ugly, you won’t fare well.”

Li Qin led Gu Pingyuan inside, and naturally, none of the assistants dared to stop them. The two walked through halls and rooms, all the way to the east side courtyard of the inn—the private courtyard rented by the Beijing merchants.

The head assistant was also standing in the courtyard. Seeing Li Qin bring Gu Pingyuan in, he was startled. Inwardly cursing this “Young Master Qin” for his ignorance, he approached and said, “Young Master, why did you bring him in? He’s an exile!”

“I know.” Li Qin glared at him. “Is Uncle Zhang here?”

“The head manager is discussing matters with Accountant Li in the room.”

As they spoke, the door to the main room opened, and a shriveled old man emerged, frowning and shaking his head. He pointed at the head assistant: “I have no good ideas. If you have one, go in and tell him.”

The head assistant also shook his head. Gu Pingyuan, being shrewd, guessed they were troubled about transporting the private salt through the gate. Without further ado, he called out loudly, “I have a way!”

Everyone present was startled and looked at him simultaneously. Footsteps were heard from the room, and Zhang Guangfa appeared at the door. Seeing Gu Pingyuan, his face showed extreme astonishment.

“You!”

“Yes, it’s me!” Gu Pingyuan replied calmly, a change from his attitude yesterday. Seeing Zhang Guangfa about to call for people, he stepped forward and said, “Manager Zhang, do you want to transport the salt through the gate? If not, feel free to call someone to drive me away. But if you do, the person with the solution is already at your door. Shouldn’t you invite me in for a cup of tea?”

Zhang Guangfa drew a slight breath, examining Gu Pingyuan carefully. Seeing no malice in him, and no sign of concealed weapons, he considered for a while before stepping aside.

“Please!”

Gu Pingyuan entered the room, with Li Qin following. Zhang Guangfa looked at Li Qin’s expression, knew he wouldn’t leave, and had no choice but to close the door himself. Then he sat down, staring at Gu Pingyuan without a word.

Gu Pingyuan had already observed yesterday that Zhang Guangfa was a person who appeared simple on the outside but was actually shrewd and reserved. With such a person, there was no need to beat around the bush. So after a moment of silence, he went straight to the point.

“Manager Zhang, five years ago, we had never met. Why did you deceive me, causing me to be exiled for a full ten years?”

Zhang Guangfa smiled slightly: “Is this why you came? I already said yesterday, you’ve mistaken me for someone else!” Though he was smiling, his voice was as cold as ice.