“Young Master Qin, I truly cannot get away at present, yet I cannot stand by and watch the Shanxi merchants grow powerful. No matter which family acquires the vast assets of the Kang family of Shaanxi, their influence will double, and by then it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven to suppress them. Therefore, this matter absolutely cannot be allowed to succeed for the Shanxi merchants.” In the rear courtyard of “Daping Trading House,” Zhang Guangfa was also saying the same words to Li Qin, except his purpose was completely opposite to Wang Tiangui’s.

“Send me to disrupt things?” Li Qin guessed immediately.

“Exactly, disrupt things—the more chaotic the better. In short, not a single Shanxi merchant can be allowed to get their heart’s desire.”

“Well then, I’ll go try it,” Li Qin said indifferently.

“Not try—you must succeed!” Zhang Guangfa instructed earnestly.

“Don’t worry, with me there, it will definitely succeed.” Before Li Qin could speak, a voice rang out. Su Zixuan pushed through the door directly, walking in with Sixi. Today she wore a purple long robe, with a tasseled silk belt around her waist, and her jet-black glossy braid trailing behind her back—she looked extremely spirited.

“You—you’re going too?” Li Qin glanced at Zhang Guangfa and knew this had been arranged between them beforehand. In the past, being able to travel far with Su Zixuan would have been exactly what Li Qin wished for, but now thinking of how the story of being stripped naked and losing his business had spread throughout the streets and alleys, he felt only embarrassment, his face burning with shame.

Su Zixuan glanced at him and said casually: “Han Huaiyin endured the humiliation of crawling between someone’s legs and later resolved to become a marquis; Cao Amang cut his beard and abandoned his robe yet still achieved great success. What does your little setback amount to? If you keep dwelling on it, can you still be called ‘the Li family of the capital’?”

Li Qin’s body trembled, and whereas he hadn’t dared to look at Su Zixuan before, now he slowly raised his head.

“Do you think everyone will remember your trivial affairs? Hmph, people are all short-sighted and have always judged heroes only by success or failure. Who cares what you were like yesterday? If you accomplish something impressive in the future, everyone will naturally only remember you then and forget you now. Or do you think you’re completely defeated? If so, don’t bother going to Xi’an with me—find a warm kang bed, cover your head, and never show your face again!” Su Zixuan knew this trip would be thorny, and if she had to drag along a half-dead Li Qin, things would be even more difficult. Zhang Guangfa had repeatedly requested that she take Li Qin along, even if just to help him clear his mind. Su Zixuan had no choice, and after much thought, she realized Li Qin was suffering from a mental ailment—perhaps a sharp wake-up call would be effective.

Her method really worked. Seeing the light return to Li Qin’s eyes, Zhang Guangfa nodded gratefully at Su Zixuan. He felt most sorry for this young master, and had tried to counsel him several times these past days, but Li Qin was thin-skinned as young people are, always carrying that stubborn resentment inside that wouldn’t go away. Now it seemed to be resolved. Zhang Guangfa had always maintained some wariness toward Su Zixuan, but now he spontaneously stood up and bowed to her: “Master Su, tomorrow at Manyi Restaurant, I’ll host a farewell banquet for you both!”

After leaving Daping Trading House, Su Zixuan lightly tapped Sixi’s head with her ever-present folding fan. “You have something to say?”

Sixi hesitated: “Miss, given our status, traveling so far to help a merchant with business—isn’t that somewhat beneath us?”

“What status do we have?” Hearing this, Su Zixuan’s voice suddenly turned cold again. Sixi quickly lowered her head and dared not speak.

“But you’re right—if I didn’t have other motives, I wouldn’t help him.” Seeing Sixi blink at her, Su Zixuan smiled. When they returned to the inn, she took out a book she’d been frequently reading lately—Wujin Zhi (Records of Recent Events). The book was written by an anonymous author, its pages already yellowed. Sixi recognized it as one of the contemporary literati’s notebooks she had bought from the used book market on the young lady’s orders. Su Zixuan had been reading behind closed doors; she had the ability to read ten lines at a glance, and in a few months had read over a thousand books, finally discovering a clue about the Roaming King’s treasure.

Su Zixuan pointed to a passage in the book for Sixi to read. Without realizing it, Sixi read aloud: “The roaming bandits plundered recklessly, gathering the essence of the Zhu family’s wealth and storing it all in one place, like Dong Zhuo’s Meiwu fortress. When the roaming bandit died, everything went to the Kang family. In a certain year, someone opened a pawn shop near the Kang family’s residence, with constant foot traffic causing great disturbance. One day, someone pawned a golden Luohan statue for fifty thousand taels of silver, and did the same the next day. After more than a month, the capital was nearly exhausted. Greatly alarmed, they inquired about the reason, and the answer was: ‘My family has five hundred golden Luohan statues. This past month we’ve only pawned thirty, and still have four hundred seventy that we haven’t brought in yet.’ The owner investigated and learned it was the Kang family. He negotiated with them, then hastily closed shop and left after the redemption.”

Sixi gasped: “Good heavens, five hundred golden Luohan statues?”

Su Zixuan nodded: “Each one pawned for fifty thousand, which is five thousand taels. Since they were pawned, they were certainly discounted, but gold and silver objects have inherent weight, so the discount wouldn’t be too severe. Assuming the real value was six thousand taels each, five hundred would be…”

“Three million taels! Isn’t that exactly the value of the pure gold that Li Chuang took away?” Sixi exclaimed.

“Keep your voice down.” Su Zixuan glared at her, and Sixi stuck out her tongue.

“But I don’t understand—Miss, why don’t you look for someone surnamed Kang, but instead go to Xi’an?”

“If only I could find them. These past few days I’ve inquired everywhere. The Kang family of Shanxi has had few descendants since the Jiaqing era, then gradually the clan scattered, and their old residence was burned to rubble by a fire. Now you can’t find a single wealthy person surnamed Kang.”

Sixi said disappointedly: “Then there’s nowhere to look?”

Su Zixuan shook her head: “The golden Luohans must still exist! I’ve also discovered that as the Kang family declined, several major wealthy households in Shanxi almost simultaneously rose to prominence, including Qiao Guifa, the founder of Qiao Family Fortress, and Lei Lütai, founder of Rishengchang, and even the Mao clan of the Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses began their rise around that time.”

“What do you mean, Miss?”

“One of these families must have received the Kang family’s wealth—I just don’t know which one. Now they’re all going to Xi’an to spend large sums of money. This is a rare opportunity. I only need to observe coldly, and I’m sure to figure it out.” As Su Zixuan spoke, she snapped her fan shut with a “whoosh.”

Gu Pingyuan departed at dawn. Riding a dappled gray horse, he turned back to look at the gradually receding city gate and secretly made a vow in his heart: he had taken a great fall in Taigu, and now he was leaving Taigu again. Though the road ahead was perilous, there would surely be an opportunity to turn the situation around waiting for him. When he returned, Wang Tiangui would definitely taste the flavor of heavenly retribution!

The assignment Wang Tiangui had given him was unexpected. Gu Pingyuan had originally thought Wang Tiangui’s invitation was to discuss how to handle the pawnshop’s aftermath, but Wang Tiangui’s first words were: “Eat your fill—Shaanxi is experiencing military disasters, and there won’t be any good food on the road.”

He had been stunned at the time. Only after hearing everything did he learn that among the Shaanxi merchants, the famous leader, the Kang family, was for some unknown reason withdrawing from commerce, abandoning all their businesses and selling everything at discount prices. Wang Tiangui wanted him to acquire these businesses no matter what, whether as live or dead pawns, because it seemed the Kang family could no longer redeem them.

Gu Pingyuan had been in business for quite some time. Hearing Wang Tiangui repeat what he’d told Accountant Qu, he knew that trying to snatch food from the jaws of major enterprises like Rishengchang and Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses while hoping to take advantage of the Kang family would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Wang Tiangui naturally knew this too, so his words followed closely: “Gu Pingyuan, listen well. In business, one waxes as another wanes—if you don’t advance, you retreat. If you can’t handle this matter properly and let the Lei family or Mao family succeed, you’re going against me, Wang. Don’t blame me for being heartless then—that old Chang in prison might catch a cold or fever and end up in a coffin. But…” he deliberately drew out the sound, “if you handle this matter beautifully, I’ll not only reward you with silver but also let you become a manager at Taiyufeng, and even…” he drew out the sound again, “releasing Chang Si is not impossible.”

Gu Pingyuan sneered inwardly but outwardly put on an eager expression: “In that case, I thank Manager Wang. As you said, a man lives for nothing more than good wine and women. You’re someone who truly understands life. Though I’ve read some books, I’m ashamed to say I’m not your equal.”

While speaking such words, he felt a different kind of strange excitement in his heart. Through the deaths of Second Ding the Appraiser and Jin Hu, Gu Pingyuan had recognized a fact: harboring illusions about the ruthless Wang Tiangui was tantamount to bargaining with a tiger. To save Old Chang Si and even himself, there was only one path—completely crushing Wang Tiangui so he could never rise again.

But to achieve this, he absolutely could not act rashly, or Second Ding the Appraiser would serve as a warning. Gu Pingyuan already had a vague plan in mind, but this plan lacked the most crucial element, and the assignment Wang Tiangui had given him now might very well complete that missing piece.

“Master Gu.” A woman’s voice from inside a carriage interrupted Gu Pingyuan’s thoughts. He looked toward a carriage beside him, where Ruyi was lifting the curtain with a smile, asking: “How long will it take to reach Xi’an on this trip?”

The address “Master Gu” sounded extremely grating to Gu Pingyuan’s ears. If there was anything about this journey that bothered him, it was that Ruyi had also come along, bringing Chang Yu’er as her only personal maid. He exchanged a brief glance with Chang Yu’er in the carriage and helplessly answered: “It’s a thousand li away. Though we’re traveling light, it will probably take seven or eight days, or perhaps five if we hurry.”

“Why hurry? How unromantic. It would be more interesting to travel slowly!” Ruyi’s words were directed at the driver, but unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, the driver cracked his whip on the horse’s rump, not slowing down but actually speeding up.

“You!” Ruyi hadn’t expected him to dare disobey her, let alone act contrary to her wishes.

“Manager Wang instructed before departure that Pingyao and Qixian are both closer to Xi’an than we are, so we must travel swiftly. If Fourth Concubine doesn’t believe it, please get off and return to the city to ask.” The driver didn’t even turn his head, his voice even more rigid.

Ruyi was so angry her face turned white. Thinking that she ultimately dared not interfere with Wang Tiangui’s proper business, she could only angrily slam the curtain shut and sit back in the carriage.

Gu Pingyuan looked at this driver curiously. They had met just yesterday at Manyi Restaurant, where Wang Tiangui had called over this fellow named “Wang Chi” to introduce him to Gu Pingyuan. Gu Pingyuan saw he was not tall, dark and lean, with restrained energy—a capable young man who made a good first impression. But since he was assigned to accompany him to Xi’an, he must be Wang Tiangui’s trusted aide, so Gu Pingyuan dared not become too close, and Wang Chi also treated him indifferently. Today, seeing him not even respect Wang Tiangui’s beloved concubine Ruyi, Gu Pingyuan wondered what his background might be. Even regarding Ruyi, Gu Pingyuan couldn’t tell whether she truly wanted to sightsee or had other motives. He reminded himself to be extremely careful and attentive on this journey.

Fortunately, the journey was uneventful. As the yellow earth gradually increased along the road and the terrain became more rugged and difficult, they could at least rely on the official road through the eight-hundred-li Qinchuan plain for their carriages and horses. Finally, on the night of the fifth day, they arrived at the foot of Xi’an city, which had been a major transportation hub since ancient times. Xi’an’s city walls were as tall and magnificent as those of Beijing and Nanjing, with forest of watch-fires on the towers and flickering lights that made it look like a towering mountain range.

The carriages stopped outside the city gate. Ruyi, supported by Chang Yu’er, got out of the carriage and immediately scolded Wang Chi: “You wouldn’t stop at that town we passed at dusk, insisting on traveling through the night. Now look—we’re trapped outside the city gate. Are you satisfied?”

Wang Chi held the reins in his left hand and expressionlessly pointed to the roadside: “I’ve been to this city several times before. There’s an inn over there where we can lodge for the night.”

Ruyi looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw a small shop with several low buildings in the courtyard. The entrance wasn’t even paved, and apparently it had rained that afternoon, leaving the doorway muddy and impassable, with one of the lanterns on either side extinguished by the rain.

“That’s not an inn—it’s clearly a common travelers’ lodge. I won’t stay there!” Ruyi threw a tantrum. Throughout this journey of early rising and late sleeping, exhausted by constant travel, it was completely different from the leisurely sightseeing journey she had envisioned. Wang Chi hadn’t even been respectfully spoken to, showing no consideration for food and lodging, feeding her coarse tea and plain rice until she was bitter with suffering. She had long been grinding her teeth in anger, but restrained herself from erupting due to Wang Tiangui’s orders. Now that they had reached their destination without missing the appointed time, Ruyi was ready to settle accounts. She raised her head with a confrontational expression, clearly intending to give Wang Chi a hard lesson.

Chang Yu’er couldn’t persuade her, and Wang Chi didn’t even lift an eyelid, apparently having no intention of responding. The situation became deadlocked, so Gu Pingyuan had to step in to mediate: “Brother Wang, are there any better inns nearby?”

“Company rules—when traveling for business, one must not be extravagant and wasteful. Staying at better inns costs more money, and this money comes from the company account and must be reported. It cannot be spent carelessly.” Wang Chi blocked him immediately. Gu Pingyuan could only smile bitterly. Throughout the journey, he had already seen that Wang Chi was a self-disciplined and dutiful person, but it was strange that someone like Wang Tiangui could employ such a person, and that such a person could actually stay at Taiyufeng.

“What public or private accounts—Taiyufeng belongs to my family. What does spending a few taels of silver matter?” Ruyi retorted sarcastically.

“No!” Wang Chi simply answered with two words, making Ruyi so angry she nearly fainted.

“Master Gu, you’re the leader on this trip—will you just watch him act so wildly?” Ruyi was no naive girl after all. Unwilling to directly confront Wang Chi and lose face, she shifted the conversation to Gu Pingyuan.

Gu Pingyuan smiled slightly: “This is a small matter—let’s not spoil Fourth Concubine’s interest. It’s only one night anyway. Tomorrow at sunrise we’ll enter the city, and Taiyufeng’s branch office will naturally be spacious and bright, sure to satisfy Fourth Concubine.”

He walked closer to Ruyi, bowed slightly with hands cupped, and said gently: “Please give me this small courtesy, Fourth Concubine, and endure for one night.”

“Very well.” Hearing Gu Pingyuan’s courteous address, Ruyi was very pleased and stopped fussing: “I’ll give Master Gu this face and won’t argue with this stubborn stone.” She turned to Chang Yu’er: “What are you standing there for? Go make the bed and fetch two buckets of clean water—I need to wash.”

Chang Yu’er always obeyed her orders without argument, and now went quietly to comply, though Gu Pingyuan looked at her retreating figure with some concern. Seeing Wang Chi leading the carriage and horses to the rear courtyard stable, Ruyi moved forward two steps and said softly: “Heartbroken, aren’t you? Those water buckets are quite heavy—might it hurt your sweetheart?”

“Fourth Concubine is joking.”

“Am I? Even if you won’t admit it, never mind. Yu’er is just a maid. When we return to Taigu, I’ll have the master find her a widower to marry, so Master Gu’s eyes won’t create suspicion and misunderstanding.”

“Fourth Concubine’s joke is getting more outrageous. She’s a servant hired by your honorable household, not an indentured slave—how can her marriage be arranged arbitrarily?”

“Look at that—you’ve given yourself away, haven’t you? If you didn’t care about her, why would you argue with what I said?” With just this casual remark, Ruyi immediately left Gu Pingyuan speechless. He did indeed care about Chang Yu’er, but not in the way Ruyi imagined—though there was no need to argue this point with her. Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard hoofbeats in the night. Several fine horses were approaching from behind, along with a double-horse carriage decorated unusually magnificently, with carved reliefs on the cabin, seven-colored glazed windows, and even the bridle guards made of leopard skin rather than ordinary cowhide. The bay horses pulling it were also magnificent steeds with snow-white hooves, neighing with heads held high.

“Young Master, we’ve arrived.” As the carriage door opened, a handsome page boy jumped down first, then turned back to help, placing his shoulder by the door for the person inside to lean on while alighting.

Gu Pingyuan was startled. Despite the darkness, the carriage had hurricane lamps at its four corners, and he immediately recognized the person emerging from it—it was that jade-like Master Su. How had they also come to Xi’an?

Su Zixuan also noticed Gu Pingyuan and nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then looked at the crude inn and frowned slightly.

“How can we stay here?” Li Qin jumped down from his horse, looking at the inn with disgust. “I never imagined that Xi’an, with its great reputation, would be so inferior to the capital. Not to mention Guangqu Gate or Desheng Gate—even Tongzhou has golden lodges for officials and wealthy merchants. How can this grand Xi’an Prefecture be so shabby? Why don’t we go around to the South Gate and see?”

“Why bother with that trouble? You can stay at this inn.” Su Zixuan waved her hand dismissively.

Li Qin was rebuffed and unwillingly asked: “Then where will you stay?”

Su Zixuan smiled without answering. By now, Sixi was already directing several servants to set up a huge cowhide tent.

What a magnificent golden-topped pavilion—no inferior to those used by Mongol princes. Ruyi was already in a bad mood, and seeing Su Zixuan’s grand style made her even more resentful.

Li Qin had already noticed Gu Pingyuan. When they set out, they had already sent people to investigate the movements of the major trading houses, so seeing Gu Pingyuan here was no surprise. But seeing the beautiful woman beside him, Li Qin was startled. He quickly recovered, strode forward boldly, and lifted his chin.

“You’re here to acquire the Kang family’s assets, right?” He asked bluntly without courtesy.

Gu Pingyuan wasn’t as ostentatious as he was and had no mind to tangle with him now, so he avoided that aggressive gaze and said nothing.

“Isn’t this Master Li? What a coincidence to meet you so far from home—it must be fate.” Ruyi spoke up instead. She recognized Li Qin; Young Master Li of Xiangyun Pawnshop specifically targeting Gu Pingyuan was common knowledge. Out of curiosity, she had specially visited Xiangyun Pawnshop and later learned from her former sisters at Huayue House that he was a young, wealthy, and romantic gentleman. Ruyi was most skilled at handling such men. With seductive eyes and a charming smile, she asked gently, and Li Qin’s arrogance immediately diminished by half.

He still couldn’t figure out this woman’s relationship with Gu Pingyuan, but his lustful nature didn’t change—he smiled and fixed his eyes on Ruyi’s body, until Su Zixuan walked over and coughed lightly, causing him to somewhat sheepishly withdraw his gaze.

“I’ll also ask: Manager Gu, are you here representing Taiyufeng to acquire the Kang family’s assets?” Su Zixuan didn’t even look at Ruyi, only staring at Gu Pingyuan as she asked.

Though Su Zixuan was with Li Qin, whether they were enemies or friends was still unclear, and judging from the fan she carried, this person had significant backing. Gu Pingyuan saw no need to offend her. “Correct,” he answered simply. “What brings Master Su here?”

“To help you.” Su Zixuan’s reply was equally simple. But this one sentence made everyone present widen their eyes in shock.

“Help—help him?” Li Qin’s expression looked as if he’d seen a ghost, and he shouted immediately.

Su Zixuan remained composed and said: “This isn’t the place for conversation. I hear that ‘Tongshengxiang’ restaurant in the city is a century-old establishment. Tomorrow at noon, I’ll host a banquet there and would like to have a proper discussion with Manager Gu. Would you honor us with your presence?”

Since she was being so courteous, Gu Pingyuan naturally had to show respect, and he was genuinely curious about what scheme Master Su was hatching, so he readily nodded his agreement.

This summer in Xi’an was unusually hot. Gu Pingyuan, exhausted from the journey, first fell into a drowsy sleep but was soon awakened by the night’s oppressive heat. Once awake, he couldn’t fall asleep again, tossing and turning while thinking about this business trip.

With Su Zixuan and Li Qin’s arrival, the Beijing merchants would certainly get involved. Originally, dealing with Rishengchang and Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses was already extremely difficult, and now with the addition of the powerful Beijing merchants, Gu Pingyuan felt as if a large stone was pressing on his heart.

What troubled him wasn’t just this. Even if he really had the ability to complete this transaction, Wang Tiangui’s power would certainly expand several-fold—wouldn’t he be aiding a tyrant?

The weather was sweltering, and the more Gu Pingyuan thought, the more irritated he became. He rolled over and got up, only then noticing that Wang Chi, who shared the room with him, had disappeared at some point.

“Hmm?” Gu Pingyuan frowned. What kind of person was this Wang Chi? Throughout the journey, Gu Pingyuan had observed coldly, seeing that Wang Chi was taciturn but diligent and hardworking, recording every expense for reimbursement purposes, reluctant to spend even a single coin unnecessarily. He wouldn’t buy into Ruyi’s account yet was highly trusted by Wang Tiangui—truly puzzling.

As Gu Pingyuan was thinking, the night watchman’s wooden clappers sounded outside the window—it was already the fourth watch, and Wang Chi still hadn’t returned. Gu Pingyuan put on his clothes and quietly walked out of the inn.

The bright moon hung high, casting clear shadows. Not far away came crackling sounds from the two large torches outside Su Zixuan’s cowhide pavilion.

From this appearance, this extravagant Master Su was partnering with the Li family in business. Could he also be one of the Beijing merchants? But even Young Master Li had to defer to him, and among the Beijing merchants, the Li family was number one—who could be greater than the Li family? Gu Pingyuan shook his head in confusion.

“Manager Gu.” Lost in thought, someone suddenly spoke beside him.

“It’s you. Where did you go just now?”

Wang Chi had returned, looking grave. “I walked along the city wall for two hours.”

Why? Gu Pingyuan looked at him questioningly.

“Tomorrow—no, early this morning we must enter the city. I went to gather information about what’s happening in the city. After all, five days have passed, and things might have changed, so we need to prepare early. The area under the city walls has always been where beggars gather, and their information is most reliable. I spent twenty-five small coins questioning more than ten beggars and learned quite a lot.”

Gu Pingyuan nodded with half surprise and half admiration—truly a person who worked with real dedication. Despite the dusty journey and finally finding lodging, while even he had fallen into deep sleep, Wang Chi had been willing to work tirelessly gathering intelligence, and with skill and methods too—truly remarkable. Whether a person is reliable can best be seen from such casual, small details.

“You must be tired. Sit down and speak slowly.” Gu Pingyuan pointed to a large bluestone used by guests to mount their horses outside the inn.

But Wang Chi stood straight as a piece of dark wood. By now Gu Pingyuan had realized that his lukewarm attitude toward him wasn’t from dislike or hatred, but from deliberately maintaining a certain distance.

The news was mixed. The good news was that although the owners of Rishengchang and Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses had arrived in Xi’an a day early, the Kang family hadn’t contacted them yet, apparently preparing to wait until all three major trading houses arrived before “selling to the highest bidder.”

The bad news was that Xi’an currently had one hundred fifty thousand troops stationed there. These soldier-masters rampaged through the city daily, and the yamen officials simply dared not control them, making the marketplace extremely chaotic. Among them were fifty thousand cavalry under Mongol Prince Sengge Rinchen, requiring food for men and horses—a considerable daily expense that fell on the common people, who were thoroughly harassed and prayed daily for their departure. But the army had been stationed in Xi’an for three months without being able to march out.

It wasn’t that Sengge Rinchen was unwilling to fight. On the contrary, he wished he could sprout wings and fly out of the city to slaughter those Nian Army bands who galloped around the city outskirts, making small-scale raids. Prince Seng had always despised Han Chinese, but since the Taiping Rebellion erupted and the long-haired rebels swept through the regions south of the Yangtze River, after Sai Shang’a was granted the “Ebilun Sword” to lead troops against the rebellion but returned in great defeat, there were no more capable generals among the Manchu bannermen who could shoulder regional command. Over more than ten years, military power had fallen almost entirely into the hands of Han Chinese like Zeng Guofan, Hu Linyi, and Zuo Zongtang. Sengge Rinchen was extremely dissatisfied with this, believing it wasn’t that Manchu-Mongol cavalry was incompetent, but that the court nobles were too soft-hearted and had been deceived by the Han Chinese. He was determined to establish his authority in the Northwest and restore the mighty reputation of Manchu-Mongol cavalry, but unexpectedly fate wouldn’t comply—just as he had finished assembling his forces and was confidently preparing to assign generals and dispatch troops, a tremendous catastrophe suddenly occurred.

West of Xi’an city lay a wasteland, supposedly the ruins of the Qin Emperor’s Epang Palace. Because the foundations remained, it was particularly suitable for marking boundaries, and merchants handling military provisions for this campaign used it as warehouse space. Who would have known that last month, on a stifling midnight, a towering fire suddenly erupted, raging like flowing clouds and cascading waterfalls, impossible to extinguish. It was said that all of Xi’an was lit red that night. All the military grain and horse fodder were completely consumed by the fire, along with carts, clothing, gunpowder, medicine, and other supplies stored in a large compound—all claimed by the Fire Goddess. Over a thousand mules and horses used for transport were burned to death.

“Was it an accident, or…” Gu Pingyuan knew quite a bit about local affairs and knew Sengge Rinchen had come to suppress the Nian Army, so if provisions were burned, perhaps the Nian bandits had done it.

“Unknown—they didn’t catch anyone. But this has brought great misfortune to Shaanxi’s merchants.”

Since the provisions hadn’t been delivered, the merchants naturally had to pay for the losses themselves, but if it were only this batch of provisions, though valuable, the merchants could afford compensation even if they bankrupted themselves. The problem was that the supplies were brought by Sengge Rinchen himself and stored in the same empty compound for convenience, unexpectedly suffering this fire disaster. In his rage, Sengge Rinchen also blamed the dozens of large and small merchants responsible for procuring provisions for the army, charging them with poor management that caused the fire and delayed military operations. He gave them two choices: face military justice or compensate for all losses. This was terrible—they couldn’t afford compensation even if they sold their pants, and if they really had to pay, the many rivers of eight-watered Chang’an would surely be floating with the corpses of merchants who drowned themselves.

“Provisions plus supplies totaled no less than one million taels of silver, so the Shaanxi’s wealthiest family, the Kangs, were forced to sell their properties to compensate for all losses.” Wang Chi returned to the main topic.

“Didn’t you say dozens of merchants? How come the Kang family is paying for everything?”

Wang Chi was silent for a moment, then suddenly showed a respectful expression and slowly said: “Master Kang is truly remarkable! For this provision procurement, he could have relied on his government connections to handle it alone, but he didn’t—instead, he divided it among dozens of merchants to do together. Now that trouble has arisen, he’s shouldering it all alone, prepared to take sole responsibility.”

“Is this… true?” Gu Pingyuan asked, moved.

“Absolutely true.” Though Wang Chi was usually taciturn, when it came to business matters, he spoke in great detail. “The court is very dissatisfied that the army wastes military funds but cannot march out to suppress the Nian bandits, frequently sending edicts urging action. This has enraged Prince Seng, who daily enforces military law in the army, and this debt has been placed on all the merchant houses. Sengge Rinchen is pressing hard. The Kang family has already prepared all their property deeds and shop contracts, just waiting for the major Shanxi merchants capable of buying such vast assets to arrive, then the Kang family will be ready for immediate cash-and-carry transactions.”

“So that’s how it is. Eager to sell—this is indeed a good opportunity to drive down prices.” Gu Pingyuan murmured to himself.

Wang Chi hadn’t expected him to say this and couldn’t help but pause, studying Gu Pingyuan’s face carefully.

Noticing his gaze, Gu Pingyuan smiled with somewhat cruel meaning: “What, am I wrong? Hasn’t our Taiyufeng always done business this way—earning one more wen is always better than earning one less.” Gu Pingyuan’s words seemed both mocking and serious. After speaking, he turned with hands behind his back and entered the inn, leaving Wang Chi standing there, pondering the implications for a long time.

The next day they entered the city. Gu Pingyuan sent Ruyi and Chang Yu’er, master and servant, to stay at Taiyufeng’s Xi’an branch office. With arrangements complete, he took Wang Chi to the banquet. Su Zixuan was right—this Tongshengxiang old restaurant was indeed a century-old establishment known to all. With just a brief inquiry, Gu Pingyuan found this two-and-a-half-story grand restaurant near the Sanjin Guild House. Su Zixuan and Li Qin were already waiting at the ground floor common tables. After brief pleasantries, they all went up to a private room on the second floor.

None of them really had much appetite, each harboring their own schemes. Li Qin’s expression alternated between bright and dark, Gu Pingyuan was also muttering to himself, Wang Chi was completely bewildered, and only Su Zixuan chatted and laughed freely, having Sixi serve as host while continuously calling waiters to bring fine wine and dishes.

The wine was local specialty Xifeng wine, produced in Shaanxi’s Fengxiang, hence the name. Fengxiang was where Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled during the An-Shi Rebellion, temporarily making it his “Western Capital.” Tongshengxiang, with its deep pockets, had contracted all the best wine cellars from Liulin Town, the local sorghum-producing area, claiming that to drink the purest Xifeng wine, one must come to Tongshengxiang. Su Zixuan wasn’t afraid to spend money either, using one hundred taels of silver to buy a jar of vintage from the thirty-second year of Qianlong’s reign, showing her sincerity in honoring guests. Indeed, when the mud seal was broken, the fragrance could be smelled for ten li—even pedestrians passing below kept sniffing.

“This is the longest-stored jar of wine in our establishment.” The waiters all had glib tongues—the grander the restaurant, the more they needed articulate staff to retain customers. Seeing Su Zixuan was a generous patron, the waiter perked up his spirits to serve, pouring wine for everyone while continuously praising Xifeng wine’s virtues.

“Xifeng wine vintage has the mellowness of age, new brew has the fragrance of freshness—different tastes, each with its own merits. Distinguished guests, if after drinking old wine you want to try new wine, you must also come to our Tongshengxiang. To be honest, in all of Xi’an city now, only we have newly brewed Xifeng wine.”

“I don’t believe that,” Sixi interjected. “Old wine aside, anyone can brew new wine—why would only your establishment have it?”

The waiter had anticipated this question and calmly replied: “Anyone could brew in previous years, but this year is different. The province’s major grain producers all had their harvests purchased by merchants for military provisions, but unfortunately a great fire turned it all to ash. How can you make wine without sorghum?”

“Then how do you have it?” Sixi pressed.

“Heh heh, to be honest, I, Yang Si, have eaten yellow earth and drunk yellow earth since childhood, following my father as a peddler through villages and towns. There’s not a single gully or ridge within a thousand li that I don’t know—I know which gullies hide families and which ones grow even a single ridge of sorghum. That’s why the manager sent me out to collect sorghum. I just made a small circuit, and with this three-inch silver tongue of mine, I brought back several cartloads. Other establishments don’t have talent like me, Yang Si—no wonder they can’t collect sorghum.”

He boasted there, and everyone laughed, which was exactly the laughter Yang Si was seeking. After the laughter came the dishes. Soon the restaurant’s specialties like “Gourd Chicken,” “Shang Zhi Pork,” “Milk Soup Fish Hot Pot”… were laid out in dazzling array across the table. But the most delicious wasn’t the restaurant’s own cooking, but the famous Old Tong Family’s preserved mutton. The first three pots produced daily were always sent to Tongshengxiang—tender, fragrant, and ruddy red mutton sliced and cubed, so good you wouldn’t want to spit it out even if it meant slapping your mouth. These three pots of mutton couldn’t be reserved without ten days’ advance notice, yet Su Zixuan had managed to obtain one pot, though the reward money she gave the restaurant staff was more than ten times the cost of the pot.

As the host, Su Zixuan smiled continuously while urging everyone to drink. Gu Pingyuan had never tasted Xifeng wine before. Though it was sweet upon entry, he didn’t know its potency, so after three cups he refused to drink more. Su Zixuan didn’t force him, smilingly urging them to eat instead.

Wang Chi couldn’t contain himself and hinted: “Manager Gu, it’s getting late. Right now Rishengchang and other trading houses must be making great preparations. Shouldn’t we also…”

Hearing this, Gu Pingyuan didn’t respond, only glanced toward Su Zixuan across the table.

Su Zixuan knew these words were meant for her and was about to respond when Li Qin slapped the table with a “crack.”

“What are you doing?” Knowing he was about to explode, Su Zixuan quickly darkened her face. Li Qin was indeed afraid of her—a rebuke stuck in his throat for a long time before he stammered: “I—I was testing whether this table is sturdy.”

This one sentence made even the preoccupied Gu Pingyuan laugh. He cupped his hands at the table: “Master Su, my associate was rude—I sincerely apologize. But since we’ve had three rounds of wine, shouldn’t we discuss business?”

“Certainly. I follow my guest’s lead—if you want to talk, let’s talk.” Su Zixuan nodded.

“Manager Gu, as your associate said, Rishengchang and other major trading houses are all preparing. Time is pressing, so we needn’t beat around the bush—we can speak frankly. This gathering of Shanxi merchants in Xi’an’s commercial world is for nothing other than the Kang family’s assets. Do you know how much all of the Kang family’s shops throughout the province are worth?”

Gu Pingyuan and Wang Chi had calculated this figure repeatedly on the journey. Now they exchanged glances, Wang Chi shook his head slightly, but Gu Pingyuan stated it without hesitation.

“Over two million taels of silver.”

“It’s two million, two hundred seventy-four thousand, eight hundred taels.” Su Zixuan followed up. Wang Chi showed amazement—he considered this his exclusive secret, calculated through sleepless days and nights from the Kang family’s recent money transfer records, yet Su Zixuan also knew it.

Gu Pingyuan had already expected that if Su Zixuan dared ask this question, she must have come prepared: “Master Su is brilliant—that figure should be accurate.”

“Then how much silver did you bring?”

At this question, Gu Pingyuan just smiled without answering. Unexpectedly, Su Zixuan took a sip from her fine white porcelain cup and unhurriedly said: “Eighty thousand taels, right?”

This shocked everyone. Wang Chi’s face truly changed—his hand shook, spilling wine drops on the table. He stared at Su Zixuan dumbfounded, truly wondering if this person was human or demon. Taiyufeng had always been bold in business, lending freely whenever substantial profits were possible, so naturally their vault didn’t hold as much reserve silver as the capital-rich Rishengchang or the steady Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses, making it difficult to quickly raise cash. Accountant Qu had worked through the night checking accounts, gathering seven hundred thousand taels in bank drafts from the main office and Taiyuan branch, hiring Taigu’s most famous escort agency to rush it to the Xi’an branch overnight. Adding the local hundred thousand taels made eighty thousand total. This was an undisclosed secret, Taiyufeng’s trump card—how could Master Su know it so clearly? This was truly inconceivable.

Gu Pingyuan was momentarily surprised but quickly recovered, saying indifferently: “Master Su is indeed thorough—you must have been watching our Taiyufeng’s business for quite some time.”

He was right. Li Wantang’s order for Zhang Guangfa to establish Daping Trading House in Taigu wasn’t random but followed detailed research, planning to use Taiyufeng—the weakest of the Shanxi merchants’ “Three Houses and One Fortress”—as a starting point for gradual annexation. So Zhang Guangfa had spent the past half year studying Taiyufeng’s account transactions, daily operations, and even personnel systems very thoroughly, filing and cataloging everything to achieve the goal of knowing the enemy and winning in one strike. It was precisely because of these materials that Su Zixuan could deduce the funds Taiyufeng could raise within days.

Knowing that his opponents were in the shadows while he was exposed, and that continuing this exchange would ultimately disadvantage his side, Gu Pingyuan decided to cut through the confusion quickly.

“Master Su, is this meal a Hongmen Banquet?”

“What are you saying? I said yesterday that I came to help you.”

“I’d like to hear the details.” Gu Pingyuan assumed a posture of respectful attention.

Su Zixuan smiled slightly: “Even if the Kang family’s assets are sold at discount, they won’t go for eighty thousand taels. If you bought them for so little, he wouldn’t be a great merchant but a great fool.” She paused, glanced at Sixi, who produced a silk package sewn with golden thread and placed it on the table. Su Zixuan pushed it toward Gu Pingyuan.

“What is this?”

“Why not open it and see?”

Gu Pingyuan borrowed a small knife from a waiter to cut the threads. Su Zixuan continued: “As I understand it, both Rishengchang and Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses have prepared bank drafts exceeding double your silver holdings. You have no chance, unless…”

She uttered two words: “Cooperation!” Simultaneously, what appeared before Gu Pingyuan’s eyes also stunned him.

A thick stack of bank drafts, all of equal denomination—twenty thousand taels each, appearing to be forty or fifty notes. These notes were rare, but both Gu Pingyuan and Wang Chi recognized them. Those drafts with golden silk borders and colorful patterns weren’t issued by any Shanxi merchant house, nor by Beijing’s Four Great Hengs or southern Hui merchant banks, but were promissory notes from British Jardine Matheson, absolutely payable on presentation with unquestionable credit.

“If our two families cooperate, though I’m bringing more silver, after success we’ll split equally. How does Manager Gu find these terms?”

This enormous sum plus Taiyufeng’s eighty thousand taels could directly compete with Rishengchang and Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses, greatly improving their chances. Gu Pingyuan’s heart raced. While pondering, he pushed the bank drafts forward: “We can discuss matters slowly—money shouldn’t be exposed carelessly. Please secure these first, Master Su.”

“No! If you agree, take these bank drafts now.”

“Now?” Gu Pingyuan was astonished.

“Yes, just say you’re willing to cooperate with us for profit.”

“My word alone is worth so much money?” Gu Pingyuan laughed, somewhat incredulous as he shook his head.

Su Zixuan gazed at him intently: “I trust you.”

Gu Pingyuan’s heart shook as he looked back at Su Zixuan, feeling her eyes held no deception or pretense, but rather complete sincerity.

“Crack!” Li Qin slammed the table a second time. This time he truly couldn’t restrain himself, jumping up and glaring fiercely at Gu Pingyuan: “I don’t trust him! This money belongs to my Daping Trading House—I don’t agree to cooperate with this surname Gu. Trust him? Ridiculous! He’s nothing but a pauper, a stinking convict—why should one million taels be placed in his hands?”

“Moreover,” Li Qin turned his gaze to Su Zixuan, “what did Uncle Zhang send us here to do? What you’re doing is completely contradictory!” He reached for the stack of bank drafts.

Su Zixuan’s face turned cold. Her folding fan snapped down on Li Qin’s hand with a “crack.” “Ouch!” Li Qin pulled back his hand as Su Zixuan said sharply: “Manager Gu, I make the decisions here—his words don’t count.”

Li Qin couldn’t decide whether to break with Su Zixuan, turning red with suppressed anger. Finally, he stamped his foot hatefully and stormed downstairs with heavy steps.

In this brief time, Gu Pingyuan had thought through many things, that instinctive wariness of danger surfacing again. He first thought of Li Qin’s words—”completely contradictory”—meaning Zhang Guangfa had sent Li Qin to Xi’an not to cooperate with him but to hinder or sabotage, while Su Zixuan, being so shrewd, was doing the opposite because she saw greater benefits. He also recalled breaking into Daping Trading House and intimidating Zhang Guangfa with his words, showing those words had hit the Beijing merchants’ purpose—they had come as enemies of the Shanxi merchants. Combining these two matters, Gu Pingyuan’s mind flashed like lightning, vaguely guessing Su Zixuan’s intent, and couldn’t help but feel secretly alarmed.

Su Zixuan ignored the departing Li Qin, fixing her gaze firmly on Gu Pingyuan: “One million taels in bank drafts—Manager Gu shouldn’t doubt my sincerity, should he?”

“Sincerity works miracles,” Gu Pingyuan said carefully. “But I fear my small temple cannot accommodate such a great deity. Farewell!” He threw the bag containing the bank drafts back to Su Zixuan, rose resolutely without hesitation, and strode outside.

“Wait.” Su Zixuan had remained composed throughout, only now frowning: “Manager Gu, I know you have many troubles of your own. If you had me as a friend, I could help you with anything.”

Gu Pingyuan wasn’t unmoved—Su Zixuan indeed seemed like a very capable ally. His own rough journey had been largely due to being isolated and powerless. With Su Zixuan’s help, the situation would immediately change. But thinking of the ambiguous relationship between Su Zixuan and the Beijing merchants, he instinctively shook his head.

“Since that’s the case, I won’t force you. There’s a saying in business: ‘Though the deal fails, benevolence remains.’ If you ever regret this, you can always come find me.”

Standing on the second floor watching Gu Pingyuan disappear, Su Zixuan asked Sixi: “Tell me, is he a madman or a fool?”

“I think he’s a clever man,” Sixi smiled. “He probably guessed what Miss wants to do.”

“No, he’s both a madman and a fool. Soon I’ll make him regret refusing me. Since he won’t accept the toast, let him drink the penalty wine!” This time Su Zixuan had planned a strategy to kill three birds with one stone, one of which was to subdue Gu Pingyuan for her use.

Seeing Su Zixuan’s face covered with frost-like coldness under the blazing sun, Sixi felt a chill in her heart, knowing that with one plan failed, the second plan wouldn’t be as gentle as spring rain.

Indeed, Su Zixuan pointed to the table: “Since Gu Pingyuan won’t drink that half jar of Xifeng wine, find someone to drink it for him.” She lowered her voice and gave detailed instructions.

After listening, Sixi’s face immediately lost all color, stammering: “Miss, this—this is needlessly taking someone’s life!”

“What did you say?” Su Zixuan wasn’t angry, reaching out to lift Sixi’s chin with a half-smile: “Nothing—nothing…” Sixi dared not meet her eyes.

“Listen well. The path I’m taking has been a bloody road from the beginning. The blood on this road is either others’ or my own. If one day I face retribution, I’ll never regret it.” Su Zixuan looked at Sixi with resolute determination.

“I—I just think that person is somewhat pitiable…”

“There are no pitiable people in this world, only people to be pitied!” Su Zixuan raised her hand, and the wine cup she’d been holding fell to the street below, immediately shattering to pieces.

“What’s the background of this Master Su?” Wang Chi followed one step behind Gu Pingyuan. Having remained silent in the restaurant, he suddenly spoke: “I’ll speak honestly—the transaction we must handle this time is truly extremely difficult. Being able to join forces with this person, even splitting half the profit, I think Manager Wang wouldn’t object and should be satisfied.”

Gu Pingyuan didn’t answer his question, instead saying: “It seems you can speak quite authoritatively before Manager Wang.”

Wang Chi hesitated, then finally said: “To be honest, I’m his nephew.”

“Oh… then I’ve been remiss in my respects.” Gu Pingyuan had anticipated this and nodded calmly without showing emotion.

“I’m at Taiyufeng to learn business, not to be a young master nephew. It’s better if you just consider me a clerk.” Wang Chi said solemnly. “Please keep this matter confidential for me, Manager Gu, lest I be expelled from the trading house.”

Why would he say this? After thinking for a moment, Gu Pingyuan understood. Shanxi merchants had always maintained the iron rule of “three no-hires”—they wouldn’t accept “young masters, maternal uncles, or sons-in-law” related to owners or managers into trading houses, to prevent favoritism, unfair rewards and punishments, or even corruption and self-enrichment at company expense. So Wang Chi had concealed his identity to learn business at Taiyufeng, but why was he telling him so easily now?

Gu Pingyuan’s experience in human relations had matured over the years. Thinking back, he suddenly understood. Earlier, Li Qin had thoughtlessly cursed him as a “stinking convict,” which Wang Chi had heard. To prevent Gu Pingyuan from worrying about him revealing secrets, he had voluntarily shared his own secret, creating mutual restraint so Gu Pingyuan could feel somewhat at ease.

From this perspective, this person was truly kind-hearted, and Gu Pingyuan couldn’t help but appreciate it.

“I can tell you that Master Su harbors malicious intent. Those bank drafts aren’t good to take—we’d better make other plans.” Gu Pingyuan saw clearly that Su Zixuan’s purpose was actually based on the principle of “one waxes as the other wanes.” If the Beijing merchants could split the Kang family’s assets equally with Taiyufeng, their strength would certainly surge, making it much easier to deal with Rishengchang and Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses in the future. Even when dealing with Taiyufeng, because both sides split equally, the power balance wouldn’t change—it would remain as before, so the Beijing merchants wouldn’t lose out either. It wasn’t that Gu Pingyuan feared Taiyufeng’s collapse, but he was unwilling to work hard only to make wedding clothes for Zhang Guangfa. Moreover, Wang Tiangui was using Old Chang Si’s life as leverage for this matter, so Gu Pingyuan dared not be careless.

“Now I need to visit the Sanjin Guild Hall to pay respects to the owners of the other two major trading houses. You go to the Kang family’s trading company and inform them that Taiyufeng’s people have arrived.” Gu Pingyuan instructed.

Though Wang Chi didn’t understand why Su Zixuan would harbor ill intentions, since he didn’t know her background clearly, he nodded upon hearing this.

Just as the two were about to separate and go about their business, they heard horses neighing and people crying from across the street, mixed with many wails. The street they were on was an imperial road left from the Tang Dynasty, called Tianning Street—the widest and straightest thoroughfare in the entire city, running directly between the north and south city gates, offering a clear view far into the distance. Gu Pingyuan saw a procession approaching from afar, spread out in a long line that appeared to stretch for a full li. All the mounted figures were government soldiers, while those on foot included both sword-bearing guards and women and children bound with ropes. These people wore no prisoner’s clothing or shackles, only having their hands tied with long ropes connecting them front to back, wearing hemp shoes as they shuffled forward with difficulty.

So many prisoners—several hundred at least—and many were women among them, which drew crowds of onlookers lining the streets, quickly clogging the wide road with people pressing front and back.

In a moment the procession reached them. Looking carefully, Gu Pingyuan saw that though these people looked sorrowful, most had kind faces unlike criminals, and their clothing wasn’t that of ordinary poor families. Wang Chi pointed, and they could see some women still wearing gold and silver jewelry. Gu Pingyuan noticed the eyes of roadside citizens all showed indignation, though they dared be angry but not speak—he couldn’t figure out what kind of people these were.

It was nearly noon, the golden crow displaying its tyranny as waves of heat rose from the road. Even sitting in shade eating melon and fanning oneself would bring sweat, let alone these prisoners with parched mouths and cracked lips, stumbling steps, suffering under the scorching sun until their eyes blurred. Among them, a woman around thirty had been swaying for some time. When she reached near Gu Pingyuan, her body toppled and she fell to the ground with a thud, apparently fainting from heatstroke. Since the prisoners were all tied together, when she fell the others couldn’t continue, and the entire procession stopped.

The crowd immediately became chaotic. A boy of six or seven squeezed out from between people and ran to the woman’s side, crying as he called: “Mother, mother, what’s wrong? Get up!” His tender childish voice mixed with the crowd’s commotion was particularly heart-wrenching.

After calling twice, the child turned and rushed to a tofu shop behind Gu Pingyuan, bowing repeatedly to the shopkeeper: “Please, uncle, give some water, please give some water!”

The shopkeeper hesitated briefly, then turned back and brought over a bowl of water in a rough ceramic bowl, handing it to the child. The boy carefully walked over and was just about to crouch down to feed his mother when a whip suddenly lashed out from the side, striking the child’s arm and immediately opening a bloody line. Naturally he couldn’t hold the bowl, which fell and shattered into eight pieces.

“Tired of living, are you? Who told you to give him water!” The soldier with the whip stepped over, pointing at the tofu shop owner with his whip handle and cursing.

“Yes, yes, this old man knows his error, begging the military master’s pardon!” The shopkeeper’s face turned ashen as he dropped to his knees, kowtowing loudly.

Seeing the broken bowl, the child couldn’t care about his pain, tears streaming from his eyes in anxiety. Though young, he could see that the shopkeeper and others absolutely dared not give him another bowl of water. Looking at the ground, he saw there was still some water in the cracks between the stone slabs. He lay on the ground and sucked with his mouth, getting half a mouthful of water, then crawled on his knees to his mother’s side and fed it to her mouth to mouth. Whether it was this bit of water’s effect or the child’s calls to his mother, the woman actually slowly came to. Looking around and finding the child beside her, she gasped several times and said with effort: “Child, didn’t I tell you not to come? Go home, go home quickly.”

The child was very sensible and dared not disobey his mother’s command. Reluctantly he stood up, looking back every few steps as he walked toward the crowd’s edge.

“Awake and still lying there—looking for a beating?” The whip-wielding soldier came over shouting. The woman tried hard to get up but was too exhausted and weak to support herself. Seeing this, the child bit his lip and finally ran back, putting his hands under his mother’s arms to help lift her up.

“Little brat, get lost!” The soldier pushed the child, sending him stumbling backward to fall on the ground, then bent down to grab the woman’s arm and pulled her up from the ground.

“Ah!” The woman suddenly shrieked. From some unknown source of strength, she actually pushed the tall, strong soldier away hard. Everyone was startled by this unexpected reaction, not understanding what had happened. The soldier stepped back two paces, and a lewd, satisfied smile suddenly appeared on his face—apparently when pulling the woman up, his hands hadn’t been proper, and the woman, suddenly insulted, had reacted this way.

“Heavens, what evil have we committed!” The woman suddenly cried out hoarsely, charging forward with all her strength to strike her forehead against the wooden rack used for selling goods in front of the tofu shop. She had aimed for that sharp corner, and with just one blow blood covered her face as she fainted unconscious.

The crowd became chaotic again. Several soldiers who had been watching with grins, seeing the situation escalate, hurried over to maintain order. The instigating soldier drew his waist knife to cut the rope, abandoned the woman by the roadside, and waved his hand as if nothing had happened: “Move, keep moving!”

After this procession passed, people came over to pull away the child who was lying on his mother’s body, convulsing with sobs: “Child, hurry home to report this. Quickly fetch a doctor—there might still be hope. If you wait too long it’ll be too late.”

The child ran off like the wind, and the crowd sighed and gradually dispersed.

This was outrageous—were these government soldiers or bandits! Gu Pingyuan’s face was full of anger, and Wang Chi beside him was also quite enraged, clenching his fists: “Even if they were criminals’ families, they shouldn’t suffer such humiliation.”

“What criminals’ families—they’re all relatives of local merchants. The woman lying there, not knowing if she’s alive or dead, is the second daughter-in-law of Master Kang. She used to be such a glamorous, respectable person—who could have imagined she’d come to such an end.” The tofu shop owner kept shaking his head and sighing.

“Ah!” Gu Pingyuan was so surprised his mouth hung half open. Wang Chi blinked repeatedly, asking in disbelief: “What did you say? She’s the daughter-in-law of the Kang family, Shaanxi’s wealthiest family, and those people are all merchants’ family members? I—I didn’t mishear, did I?”

The shopkeeper looked carefully left and right: “You two are merchants from elsewhere and might not know the inside story—no wonder you’re surprised. These merchants offended Prince Seng, so they inevitably face this calamity.”

“We know something about it—wasn’t it just a fire that burned military provisions? How did they torture family members to this extent?”

“Prince Seng is forcing these merchants to compensate for all losses. Just paying money isn’t enough—they must replace the goods too. That’s a sum in the millions—who has that ability? When they can’t pay, Prince Seng sent people to detain all the merchants’ family members, parading them through the streets daily until the debt is cleared.”

Though Mongol troops were fierce and savage, they had one good point—they disliked bullying the old, weak, women, and children, and found the daily task of escorting prisoners through streets in the scorching heat unbearable, so they assigned this work to Green Standard Army troops. This made things terrible. The Green Standard Army had the worst discipline. Getting such an assignment, they saw it as a good way to get rich, daily extorting money from those merchants, otherwise abusing the prisoners. Even so, during daily street parades, soldiers would still take advantage of escort duties to molest women. Pitifully, these women had maids and servants at home, generally living in luxury, but reduced to this state, they could only endure humiliation in silence—otherwise they could only choose death to preserve their honor like that woman just now.

“There’s been a new twist these past two days.” The shopkeeper seemed to have something stuck in his throat that he had to spit out, but kept his voice as low as an ant’s whisper: “I hear the Green Standard battalion commander has started selling positions.”

“What positions?”

“I just heard this, but supposedly for ten taels of silver you can get one day’s escort duty, and many local ruffians in the city are competing to buy them.”

“What’s the use?”

“Sigh, isn’t it for doing those unconscionable things? You gentlemen just saw that scene—under normal circumstances, could a common soldier touch Master Kang’s second daughter-in-law? She’s a famous beauty in Xi’an.”

“If I were these merchants, I’d file a complaint with Prince Seng!” Wang Chi’s voice unconsciously grew louder, startling the shopkeeper, who looked around to see if anyone noticed before relaxing.

“It’s useless. Prince Seng already said that Han Chinese are all devious and crafty, and merchants are the most treacherous villains among Han people—their families deserve to suffer. With such words as precedent, would he care about this matter?”

Gu Pingyuan had long been listening with unbearable anger. Hearing this statement felt like being heavily slapped twice across the face, making every pore on his body burn with heat.

Any proper merchant hearing these words couldn’t help but become enraged, even someone as composed as Wang Chi. His eyebrows gradually rose as he opened his mouth and said half a sentence: “How is this different from bandits…” when he suddenly felt a hand press heavily on his shoulder.

Gu Pingyuan’s hand!

In just a brief moment, Gu Pingyuan’s expression had calmed. He slowly shook his head at Wang Chi and said quietly: “Too much talk is useless. This isn’t something we should handle now. Let’s do as we discussed—each tend to our own business.”

Wang Chi sighed and left as instructed, but Gu Pingyuan didn’t leave. He stood there motionless, gazing toward the direction where that procession of “prisoners” had disappeared, his face like a wood carving or clay sculpture, showing no hint of what he was thinking.

“Customer, customer…” The shopkeeper was somewhat afraid, continuously studying this young man.

Gu Pingyuan appeared calm on the surface, using his self-cultivation to forcibly suppress his anger, but his heart wasn’t peaceful. Since being falsely accused in the examinations and having his scholarly path cut off, he had been wondering how to make a living, and if livelihood wasn’t a worry, how to establish a career. It wasn’t until meeting Old Chang Si and making a trip to Mongolia that he decided to enter commerce. He was an extremely strong-willed person—having decided to become a merchant, he wanted to be an upstanding merchant whom no one could look down upon.

However, the scene before him had affected him too deeply! Xi’an was a major transportation hub, and this was a prosperous area in the city. In full public view, merchants’ families could be arbitrarily humiliated, and apparently not only the prefectural yamen but even the governor’s office had tacitly approved this matter. This meant that in these officials’ eyes, merchants were truly lowly people! Gu Pingyuan’s heart felt as if it were bleeding from needle pricks.

But Gu Pingyuan was no longer the rash young man who had foolishly gone to settle accounts with Zhang Guangfa beyond the frontier, nor even the young man from half a year ago who had been manipulated by Wang Tiangui to the point of nearly jumping in the river. The deaths of Second Ding the Appraiser and Jin Hu had taught him the greatest lesson: never act rashly when encountering problems. If you couldn’t release your anger, then forcibly swallow it back. Moreover, the instigator of this matter was Sengge Rinchen—if he carelessly spoke resentful words, he might accidentally lose his life.

Gu Pingyuan forced himself to temporarily put this matter aside, straightened his clothes, and walked along the street to the nearby Sanjin Guild Hall. Going empty-handed to visit guests wasn’t proper, but fortunately there was a north-south goods store right outside the guild hall. He knew the people he was about to meet were all wealthy masters with halls full of gold and jade—with the little money he had, whatever he bought wouldn’t catch their eye, so he simply bought two baskets of local specialty large pomegranates, carrying one in each hand. Gu Pingyuan handed his name card to the gatekeeper, saying he was from Taiyufeng, newly arrived in Xi’an, and had come specially to pay respects to the two managers.

Though just two sentences, the effect was considerable. Soon the main gate opened wide, and the steward ran out first, saying Manager Lei of Rishengchang was personally coming out to greet him. Hearing this, Gu Pingyuan was immediately moved—this was considerable face-giving. Before he could think how to respond, the gates parted left and right, and a person stepped out gracefully, smiling as they said: “Manager Gu, I’ve long heard your great name—finally I get to meet you today.”

Standing before him was a woman in skirts and hairpins!

That it was a woman wasn’t strange. Gu Pingyuan had long heard people say that Manager Lei of Pingyao’s Rishengchang was an remarkable woman among men who, to help her sickly younger brother preserve the family business, had vowed before the ancestral tablets to never marry. Only then had Lei Lütai passed the position of chief manager to her before his death. But no one had expected that this Manager Lei not only preserved the business—she was extremely decisive in her work. To establish the money transfer route to Kaifeng, she dared to go alone to negotiate with Yellow River pirates on their boats. She had also once promoted benefits and eliminated abuses, risking Rishengchang being split in two to dismiss the conservative second manager, who was her own uncle Lei Lü’an, finally unifying authority and letting Rishengchang firmly maintain its position as the leading Shanxi trading house.

Now seeing the real person, Gu Pingyuan couldn’t help but shake his head and smile. Manager Lei pretended to glare at him: “Little brother, what are you laughing at? Do you think a woman like me isn’t worthy to greet you?”

Gu Pingyuan had thought that since Manager Lei had such tremendous courage and thunderbolt methods, even if she wasn’t an ugly woman like Zhongli Chun, she must be heroically spirited like Mu Guiying. Who knew he’d guessed wrong on both counts. Manager Lei looked just like a kind neighborhood sister, most notably with eyes like autumn waters after a rainbow that made people want to share their innermost thoughts upon seeing them. This call of “little brother” was really well-delivered—Gu Pingyuan felt warm all over.

But the woman before him was after all Rishengchang’s chief manager, someone whose stamping foot could make the ground tremble throughout Shanxi’s commercial world. Gu Pingyuan dared not be negligent, composing his expression and bowing respectfully: “Gu dares not presume. Rishengchang is the leader of Shanxi’s commercial world. I’ve long heard of the chief manager’s distinguished reputation—seeing you today, I’m overwhelmed with admiration.”

Manager Lei smiled slightly: “Braving Black Water Marsh to fight the prince’s mansion, expanding pawnshop business throughout the province—your reputation, Manager Gu, has also thundered in my ears.”

Given Manager Lei’s status, when she said this, Gu Pingyuan felt somewhat apprehensive. Looking up and seeing Manager Lei’s composed expression, not seeming to speak sarcastically, he felt relieved.

Actually, both felt the other was quite compatible upon this first meeting. But Gu Pingyuan dared not overstep propriety, while Manager Lei was wary of Wang Tiangui’s methods and maintained some vigilance toward Gu Pingyuan as well.

The two yielded to each other, finally entering side by side. Gu Pingyuan asked: “Is Manager Mao in the guild hall?”

“Yes. Actually he’s also curious and wants to see you, but since I got the jump by coming out first, he can only stay in the front hall appreciating calligraphy and paintings.” Manager Lei found this somewhat amusing.

Why was this? Gu Pingyuan wanted to ask, but involving such important figures, he felt his acquaintance was too shallow for deep conversation, so he swallowed his words.

After a few exchanges, they passed through the archway inscribed “Guan Yunzhang’s Single-Blade Meeting” and came to the main hall with couplets reading “Scripture walls’ brilliance rivals wealth, gazing at soup kitchen walls facing heaven and earth.” To one side of the main hall was the Medicine King Hall—merchants traveling away from home most feared illness, so merchant guild halls all worshipped the Medicine King.

In the main hall stood an elderly man with white hair and beard, leaning on a walking stick by the wall. As Manager Lei had said, he stood half-turned toward hanging calligraphy and paintings, squinting in appreciation. Hearing footsteps, he didn’t turn around, remaining leisurely and composed.

Gu Pingyuan already knew who this was. He stepped forward and bowed: “Junior Gu Pingyuan pays respects to Manager Mao!”

“Mmm, mmm…” The old man finally turned slightly: “Your name is Gu Pingyuan…”

“Yes.”

“The younger generation is formidable, truly formidable. I’m old—future business will depend on you young people.” Manager Mao nodded repeatedly.

Only then could Gu Pingyuan see clearly that this elder of Shanxi’s commercial world, Mao Hongxiang, was nearly eighty years old, with wrinkles piled on his face like a walnut, drooping eyelids, and irregular breathing that seemed somewhat labored.

Someone of such advanced age and status actually praised him so highly—Gu Pingyuan felt grateful and immediately helped Mao Hongxiang sit in the master’s chair in the main hall. Mao Hongxiang wanted Gu Pingyuan to take the head seat, but Gu Pingyuan wouldn’t dare. After much yielding, he took the secondary seat while Manager Lei sat to the side.

Mao Hongxiang praised Gu Pingyuan effusively, while Manager Lei seemed to pay no attention. From the corner of his eye, Gu Pingyuan caught her making subtle hand gestures at waist level while also blinking—clearly reminding him of something.

As Gu Pingyuan was wondering about this, Mao Hongxiang began speaking about the past when he and Lei Lütai jointly founded Rishengchang decades ago. Though old, his memory was good—from major matters like opening branches nationwide to minor details like how to economize on each meal, he talked for a full hour without stopping.

Gu Pingyuan listened attentively at first, but gradually realized that Mao Hongxiang was truly senile, repeating some stories over and over like an old monk chanting sutras. When would this end!

Gu Pingyuan had come to the guild hall to accomplish two things: first, to observe these two opponents; second, inspired by Su Zixuan’s suggestion at Tongshengxiang, he had a proposal to make to the two chief managers. Seeing Mao Hongxiang’s condition, by the time he finished reminiscing, he’d probably be exhausted and need rest—wouldn’t this trip be wasted?

He glanced at Manager Lei somewhat irritably, only to discover that from the moment Mao Hongxiang began speaking, Manager Lei had been listening intently, her eyes fixed on Mao Hongxiang’s face, alert as a fox that had caught the hunter’s scent.

Gu Pingyuan was startled, and connecting this with her earlier gestures, he knew there must be something significant here. With this shift in attitude, he immediately calmed down and continued listening patiently.

Mao Hongxiang spoke for another half hour before finally concluding, sipping his tea: “Each generation has its hardships—now it’s your young people’s turn.”

“These Shanxi trading houses began during the Kangxi era, weathering many difficulties. By the Daoguang period they had actually declined. Without Elder Mao and the Lei family ancestors joining forces, how could they have risen again with the wind and clouds? We merely benefit from the elders’ achievements.”

Gu Pingyuan spoke from his heart. Mao Hongxiang was delighted, continuously clapping in approval, while Manager Lei only smiled without speaking, not joining the conversation.

After praising Gu Pingyuan for a while, Mao Hongxiang suddenly changed expression, his face becoming somewhat haggard.

“Manager Gu, to be honest, I, old Mao, have never asked anyone for favors in my lifetime, but today I have something to request of you, little brother. Could you give me this small courtesy?”

Goodness! Gu Pingyuan truly hadn’t expected that Mao Hongxiang, with his status as chief manager of Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses and most senior elder of Shanxi trading houses, would humble himself to say such words. He immediately stood up in alarm, clasping his hands: “Manager Mao, I’m honored by your regard. Please speak—as long as it’s something I can accomplish, I’ll certainly…”

Just as he reached this point, there was a crisp “crack” as Manager Lei accidentally knocked the teapot from the table, shattering it and spilling tea everywhere. The guild hall staff hurriedly came with servants to clean and replace everything, creating quite a commotion before settling down. Gu Pingyuan had been momentarily impulsive and about to make a light promise, but now realized it was rather hasty. He also noticed that Manager Lei had repeatedly been reminding him to be more careful for some unknown reason.

So after sitting back down, Gu Pingyuan became more cautious, leaving himself some room when continuing: “As long as it’s something I, Gu, can accomplish, I’ll certainly do my utmost to satisfy the elder.”

“There’s something now that Manager Gu should be able to handle. I’m old and plan to make one final show, using this acquisition of the Kang family’s assets to gloriously conclude my life’s career. If I accomplish this, I can return home to enjoy my remaining years. In a few years when I close my eyes, I’ll certainly die with a smile, and future Shanxi business will all be you young people’s affair. I wonder if Manager Gu would be willing to fulfill this old man’s wish?” Mao Hongxiang looked at Gu Pingyuan with eyes full of entreaty.

“This…” Gu Pingyuan truly hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected that when Mao Hongxiang talked business, he wouldn’t discuss money but feelings—this was clearly asking him to withdraw from this transaction. This request was too big and too excessive. Only now did Gu Pingyuan understand the meaning of Manager Lei’s several gestures earlier—she had already guessed that Mao Hongxiang would have such a scheme, and he had unknowingly fallen into the trap. Fortunately Manager Lei had disrupted things earlier, otherwise if his words had been final, facing such an elder, there would truly be no way to turn things around.

Thinking of this, he had a flash of inspiration. Looking apologetically at Manager Lei, he said to Mao Hongxiang: “Manager Mao commands, and Gu should naturally obey, but with three major trading houses gathered here, I dare not act arbitrarily. Shouldn’t we also hear Manager Lei’s opinion?”

“She has no problem with it. If not for the monk’s sake, then for Buddha’s—not to mention the decades of friendship between her father and me, the tables and chairs at Rishengchang are still stained with my sweat, Mao Hongxiang. Remembering this contribution, Hongxiang’s big daughter won’t compete with me, right?”

Eh? Gu Pingyuan was stunned listening. He could understand the other words, but only this last sentence—what did “Hongxiang’s big daughter” mean?

Looking again, Manager Lei’s face also reddened for a moment, and she said irritably: “Yes, after all these years, when has your elderly self ever let the younger generation suffer losses!”

Mao Hongxiang ignored the barb in her words and instead seized the opportunity, immediately following up: “Ai ya, you’re still such a sensible daughter—not in vain that I gave you candy when you were small.” Then he turned to Gu Pingyuan: “So whether I can close my eyes peacefully when I die depends on Manager Gu’s word now. I thank you deeply in advance.”

Mao Hongxiang, nearly eighty years old, tremblingly stood up and actually made as if to kowtow to Gu Pingyuan. With such a display, no one could withstand it. Gu Pingyuan had no time to think and first helped the old man up, saying he absolutely couldn’t let him complete this kowtow—otherwise he might as well turn around and go straight back to Shanxi.

“Elder, elder, everything can be discussed…” Gu Pingyuan half-supported, half-embraced to finally stop Mao Hongxiang, helped him sit in the chair, and broke out in a nervous sweat himself.

Manager Lei giggled: “Manager Mao, you’d really do anything. These old bones of yours, kneeling at will—aren’t you afraid they’ll fall apart?”

Mao Hongxiang gasped for breath: “Who told me to be the chief manager? Humbly serving my position, I can only do my best. Manager Gu, you still haven’t spoken—will you give this old man some courtesy?”

Gu Pingyuan was truly in a difficult position. How could this be easily agreed to? Not to mention anything else, it was connected to Old Chang Si’s life above. At this moment, both Mao Hongxiang and Manager Lei’s eyes were fixed on him. Gu Pingyuan sat with his head lowered in thought for a while, then raised his head with a solemn expression, stood up and said to Mao Hongxiang: “Manager Mao, I cannot do this. I came to handle business in my capacity as manager of Taiyufeng—I cannot show personal favoritism and cause losses to the trading house.”

“Oh…” Mao Hongxiang’s expression was unpredictable as he glanced at Gu Pingyuan without speaking.

“However, I do have a suggestion. Knowing my words carry little weight, I originally wouldn’t dare speak up.”

“No problem, little brother, go ahead. Since you represent Taiyufeng, no one dares take your words lightly.” Having rejected Mao Hongxiang outright, Manager Lei first breathed a sigh of relief and now encouraged him.

“As the saying goes, ‘One fight makes both ugly, one yield benefits both’—could the three families join forces for this transaction? I’ve calculated that each family only needs to contribute about six hundred thousand taels of silver to complete this deal.” Gu Pingyuan spoke with confidence.

Before Manager Lei could respond, Mao Hongxiang, who had been silent, suddenly straightened his back and laughed heartily. His eyes became sharp with an intimidating presence, pressing directly toward Gu Pingyuan.

“Young man, what a fine calculation. You think I don’t know that with Taiyufeng’s strength, you cannot compete with me or the Lei family, so you came up with this method to divide the realm into three and claim one part. Hmph, dream on! Do you think I, old Mao, have eaten flour for nothing these past decades?”

“Elder…” Gu Pingyuan was about to speak further when Mao Hongxiang angrily left his seat, listening to nothing, and headed to the back hall.

“You needn’t say more.” Manager Lei shook her head. “It’s useless to speak. Mao Hongxiang will never join forces with our Lei family. As for Taiyufeng, he never took it seriously anyway—he just wanted to use you as bait to constrain me. Mao Hongxiang has never cooperated with anyone his whole life, because…”

“Because what?” Gu Pingyuan asked curiously, then seeing Manager Lei’s troubled expression, he somewhat regretted asking so impulsively.

Manager Lei smiled: “There’s nothing wrong with telling you. Years ago he cooperated with my father to establish Rishengchang, but in the end, because he coveted the position of chief manager, my father schemed to drive him out of the trading house. He considers it a lifelong grudge and has vowed never to cooperate with anyone again.”

“Ah!” Only now did Gu Pingyuan understand what that so-called decades of friendship really was.

“But speaking honestly, Mao Hongxiang has strengths that others cannot match. You saw his desperate appearance just now—do you think it was for his own family fortune? It wasn’t. Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses belongs to the Hou family of Jiexiu. Mao Hongxiang is just a manager with body shares, not the owner.”

This was again greatly beyond Gu Pingyuan’s expectations. He heard Manager Lei continue: “Seeing him just now, I was truly moved. At such an advanced age, just to fulfill his duty as chief manager, he would even humble himself to kowtow to a junior. Though he used scheming, could you or I do the same?”

Gu Pingyuan involuntarily shook his head. He had originally somewhat disdained Mao Hongxiang’s character, but now felt relieved and even developed a trace of respect.

“Forgive my presumption in asking another question—if I had agreed to Manager Mao just now, how would you have handled yourself?”

“You wouldn’t.” Manager Lei said lightly. “I only worried you might be deceived into giving your word by that deeply cunning old man. As for taking it seriously, you would never treat business as child’s play. You’re a true businessman—I knew it the moment I first saw you.”

“So you used me as a shield to avoid direct conflict with Manager Mao.” Gu Pingyuan suddenly understood.

Manager Lei smiled charmingly and patted his shoulder: “Little brother, don’t be angry—consider that I owe you a favor. How about this—in this transaction, our Rishengchang has the best chance of winning. I’ll give you some dry shares in it to repay this favor.”

This was truly something only the manager of the province’s number one trading house could say—such generous terms. If the Kang family’s assets were purchased by Rishengchang, daily profits would be no problem. Even if Gu Pingyuan only held a tiny fraction, in a year he’d be a wealthy master worth ten thousand strings of cash.

Anyone else would naturally be overjoyed, but Gu Pingyuan’s face darkened slightly: “Manager Lei, though business is business and favors are favors, friends make endless business possible. Though I came this time and didn’t accomplish the three-way cooperation, I made a friend and am truly happy. I never expected you to say this—do you take me for a profit-seeking petty person? I came to handle official business for the trading house. If I privately took the other party’s shares, wouldn’t that be disloyal in my duties? I appreciate the kind intention. Farewell.”

He was about to leave when Manager Lei quickly called out: “I’m sorry—I was wrong.” She bent her knees and curtsied, actually apologizing to Gu Pingyuan.

“I dare not accept this.” Gu Pingyuan quickly stepped aside to avoid it, momentarily unsure how to speak.

Manager Lei didn’t mention this matter again, instead saying: “Your Manager Wang—I really don’t want to provoke him, otherwise just this once, joining forces between our two families would be good.”

Gu Pingyuan’s heart stirred as he seriously considered Manager Lei’s words. If Taiyufeng joined with Rishengchang, Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses would naturally be at a disadvantage. But there was still Su Zixuan and her one million taels of silver. The fear was that though Mao Hongxiang was unwilling to cooperate with others, once he knew he had no chance of victory, facing such enormous benefits, being forced to ally with Su Zixuan on the spot wasn’t impossible—that would put Rishengchang and his side at a disadvantage.

Thinking this, Gu Pingyuan shook his head and cupped his hands: “When we compete for the Kang family’s assets in the future, regardless of the outcome, it won’t affect our friendship—please be assured of this, Manager Lei.”

“I never thought that old fox Wang Tiangui could judge people so well—I’ve always underestimated him.” Manager Lei nodded approvingly. Though she spoke of Wang Tiangui, she was naturally praising someone else.

Leaving the guild hall, Gu Pingyuan saw it was still early and thought to return to the branch office to ask if there was any new news about the Kang family. Just as he was about to step forward, he saw a carriage racing past toward the north of the city. The driver was Li Qin, which wasn’t strange, but the two people sitting in the carriage immediately made Gu Pingyuan’s eyes widen.

Ruyi and Chang Yu’er!

How had these two ended up in Li Qin’s carriage? Worried about Chang Yu’er, Gu Pingyuan’s heart immediately became anxious. Just as he stood staring at the carriage’s retreating figure, he felt someone call from behind.

“Excuse me, are you Manager Gu of Taiyufeng Trading House from Taigu County?”

He quickly turned around to see a handsome servant in blue clothing bowing to him.

“That’s correct.”

“My master requests your presence and hopes Manager Gu will honor us with your visit.”

“Your master is?” Gu Pingyuan asked hesitantly—since there were enemies and opponents in the city, he had to be careful.

“My master is staying at Commissioner Shi’s residence of the Shaanxi-Gansu Land Reclamation Office. You’ll know when you arrive.”

Since it was at a commissioner’s residence, it should be safe. Moreover, anyone who could stay with a fourth-rank official couldn’t be ordinary, and if they specifically requested him by name, there must be a reason. Gu Pingyuan nodded. Seeing his agreement, the servant waved over a sedan chair that had been waiting by the roadside.

It was actually a large green sedan chair carried by four men—obviously borrowed from the commissioner’s household. This was Gu Pingyuan’s first time riding in a large sedan chair, which he found quite novel. Looking around, they unknowingly arrived at a large garden in the south of the city. The servant knocked at the door, and the sedan was carried directly to the moon gate of the second courtyard. Gu Pingyuan alighted, and the servant gestured respectfully, leading him into the garden.

Shaanxi was located on the loess plateau, so the garden’s beauty naturally couldn’t compare to Huaiyang, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, but one could see the master’s painstaking efforts. Ancient trees with iron trunks and copper branches filled the garden—all with emerald leaves and gnarled joints, weathered bark protruding, and angry roots emerging from the earth. The courtyard had no visible pool but hidden springs, with the sound of dripping spring water that, heard long enough, naturally cooled the heart and inspired ancient contemplations.

“What a fine place!” Gu Pingyuan couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“A three-hundred-year-old garden—nothing else good about it except not a trace of hot air, perfect for cooling off.” Someone in the shadows answered while walking out.

At first glance, Gu Pingyuan thought an earthly immortal had emerged. This person was several years older than Gu Pingyuan, wearing blue silk clothing and pants with soft-soled shoes, his queue coiled twice and hanging behind his head, holding a folding fan, with bright, spirited eyes and a carelessly slight smile on his face.

Seeing such an elegant figure, Gu Pingyuan dared not be negligent and cupped his hands: “I am Gu Pingyuan. May I ask your honorable surname and name? What matter brings you to seek instruction from me?”

“Sit, sit—it’s too hot to discuss serious matters right after arriving. First drink a cup of Da Hong Pao to cool off, then we’ll talk.”

The blue-clothed man didn’t answer, pointing to stone tables and chairs under the tree shade, inviting Gu Pingyuan to sit.

“This is authentic Fujian northern Da Hong Pao. Not to boast, but since the Taiping war began and cut off the Yangtze tea route, this year’s pre-rain Da Hong Pao can’t even be enjoyed by the Emperor and Empress Dowager in the capital, yet I happen to have some here.”

This person really loved to talk. Gu Pingyuan tried several times to interject but couldn’t get a word in, so he decided to go with the flow and listen to him continue.

“You’re fortunate to taste this. Authentic Da Hong Pao trees produce only eight taels of tea leaves per year. Since half of it was killed by lightning during Emperor Qianlong’s time, only four taels remain. Now it’s all in my hands—I don’t easily let people taste it.”

With such praise, Gu Pingyuan became genuinely curious. He picked up the prepared tea, touched it with his tongue tip, sipped half a mouthful, slowly savored it, then picked up a tea leaf to chew carefully between his teeth.

“How is it?” the blue-clothed man asked with a smile.

Gu Pingyuan took a deep breath. His hometown was Huizhou, the most tea-producing region, and his teacher was a tea enthusiast. Since childhood, Gu Pingyuan had prepared tea for his teacher and listened to tea theories, gaining deep knowledge of tea. With just a taste, he could tell that the tea leaves in this cup were even better than the half-qian of so-called premium Da Hong Pao his teacher had once obtained through frugal living. Could this really be tribute tea from the ancestral trees?

Then who was this person across from him?

Gu Pingyuan studied the blue-clothed man, who seemed completely unaware, only pouring water into the purple clay teapot and gently stirring a small piece of white charcoal, his movements like a groom adjusting the tassels on his bride’s phoenix crown—both interested and meticulous.

After a long while, he looked up with satisfaction, his first words being: “Do you want to get rich?”

“Yes!” Gu Pingyuan answered without hesitation.

“Very rich?”

“The richer the better.”

“Then there’s an opportunity now. I know you brought some silver to buy the Kang family’s assets, but it’s not enough, right?”

Gu Pingyuan didn’t answer, only quietly observing his counterpart.

“No matter. I can ask Commissioner Shi to guarantee the insufficient amount for you—borrow it first. This way you can use hundreds of thousands of taels to gain assets worth millions.”

“But wouldn’t it have to be repaid?”

“No need to repay! I’ve already discussed it with Commissioner Shi. From the silver gained in this matter, we’ll split it thirty-seventy. After the Kang family sells their assets, they’ll still have to compensate the military camp’s losses in full—afterward they’ll be paupers. What’s to fear from them? At worst, the commissioner won’t be an official anymore. ‘Being an official for a thousand li is only for wealth’—this money would last him several lifetimes.”

What tremendous audacity—to speak so smoothly of such a massive fraud involving millions of taels of silver. It seemed this blue-clothed man was making something from nothing, but thinking deeper, he also needed the connections to reach Commissioner Shi and the ability to convince a fourth-rank official to risk his career for such deception.

In this Xi’an city now, it seemed there were quite a few people who regarded the Kang family’s generational wealth as Tang Monk’s meat, wishing they could swallow it whole.

Seeing him silent and contemplative, the blue-clothed man spoke again: “To put it plainly, the person who negotiates with the Kang family to lure them into the trap can’t be just any small merchant—they need sufficient weight. The three major Shanxi trading houses are naturally excellent choices. I hear that Manager Wang of Taiyufeng has always been flexible and adaptable in business, and Taiyufeng ranks behind the other two trading houses in strength. I think you should have no reason to refuse, right?”

“I have no reason to refuse.” Gu Pingyuan nodded, and the blue-clothed man’s eyes instantly flashed with disappointment.

“But as long as I’m in Xi’an for one day, your fraud won’t succeed. I’ll warn the Kang family to beware of this Land Reclamation Commissioner. And the other two trading houses—don’t bother with them either. I guarantee that when they know, they’ll definitely drag you to the authorities.”

Manager Lei need not be mentioned, and even Mao Hongxiang—Gu Pingyuan was confident of this because he too was a true businessman.

After speaking, Gu Pingyuan turned to leave. Just as he was about to exit the garden, suddenly cheerful, hearty laughter came from behind. He turned back in surprise to see the blue-clothed man gently clapping.

“I told you so—finally my Da Hong Pao wasn’t wasted.”

“Unfortunately, I lost the bet.” Two people emerged from the house, the one with the walking stick being none other than Mao Hongxiang.

“This is because you, old master, misjudged people. I’ve never seen anyone unafraid of death who was a petty person. He dared to brave Black Water Marsh—how could he be a black-hearted, greedy type?” Manager Lei came up from behind, laughing: “This tea is truly tempting. Qiao Zhiyong, you deliberately delayed while making tea just to hook my craving, right?”

Qiao Zhiyong!

Gu Pingyuan’s mind thundered as he stared blankly at this blue-clothed man. The master of Qiao Family Fortress, known as “one fortress equals three trading houses,” who had single-handedly turned the tide in Baotou and revitalized the Qiao family’s prestige, thereafter being praised for years as a business genius, recognized in Shanxi—known as “the province where everyone is a merchant”—as the “number one merchant,” the universally known “Bright Wealthy Master”—was this young man before him who smiled somewhat uncontrollably?

“Don’t believe it, do you? He looks even less like a manager than I do.” Manager Lei seemed to have an excellent relationship with Qiao Zhiyong, casually sitting down and teasing.

Mao Hongxiang sat at some distance, only picking up a cup of tea to smell its fragrance, his face completely serious.

“Gentlemen—several chief managers, I’m truly confused. What exactly is going on here?” Actually, Gu Pingyuan had vaguely guessed, but the situation was so unexpected that his heart was in turmoil.

“Let me tell you. I urged them to join forces to buy the Kang family’s assets, to avoid Shanxi merchants fighting among themselves and being laughed at by outsiders—losing both face and substance. They were persuaded by me, but Manager Mao was unwilling to ally only with the Lei family, and I have reasons why I can’t participate in this matter.” To develop southern tea routes, he had invested all available funds in purchasing tea mountains throughout Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. This was currently the Qiao family’s greatest secret, known only to a few trusted managers.

“Hmph, he named his daughter after me, so I named my grandson after him. Regarding the Lei family, I’ve never been able to suffer even the slightest loss.” With Mao Hongxiang’s explanation, Gu Pingyuan finally understood why Mao Hongxiang had called Manager Lei “Hongxiang’s big daughter” earlier—so this was the “allusion.” Thinking of these two elders competing against each other by any means necessary, he nearly laughed aloud.

“Now the three major trading houses all say Rishengchang is first. If our two families joined forces, those who don’t know would surely say I, Mao Hongxiang, relied on the Lei family’s power. I won’t fall into such gossip.” Mao Hongxiang frowned with an unhappy expression. “Besides, I’m old—can’t you all just accommodate me?”

“Of course, of course—aren’t I hurrying to arrange a partnership for you?” Qiao Zhiyong looked completely helpless, turning to Gu Pingyuan: “So I thought of finding Taiyufeng, but these two don’t trust Manager Wang Tiangui, and the matter was about to reach deadlock.”

Manager Lei continued: “Later we heard that you were representing Taiyufeng in Xi’an. Master Qiao vouched for you, saying there would absolutely be no problems, but we two still had some doubts, so we staged this performance of ‘Zhuangzi Tests His Wife.'”

“Master Qiao, we’ve never met—why do you think so highly of me?” Gu Pingyuan was truly moved.

Qiao Zhiyong pushed forward a hand scroll that had been on the stone table: “Though we’ve never met, we’ve long been kindred spirits.”

Gu Pingyuan took the scroll and immediately remembered that before going to Evil Tiger Gully, at the Taigu market, he had helped a young Qiao family clerk by pawning Dong Qichang’s hand scroll for three thousand taels of silver.

“I sent someone to redeem the scroll long ago, but this isn’t a favor that can be easily repaid. Manager Gu preserved the Qiao family’s face, and I’ve been thinking how to return that face to you. Today I can finally repay a fraction of it.” Qiao Zhiyong said with a cheerful smile.

Mao Hongxiang added: “Profits first yet unmoved—already one in a hundred. Most precious is that young people all care about face. When I used face to constrain you, you could still break free—this is not ordinary quality. Not easy, not easy!” He nodded repeatedly.

“Three chief managers…” Gu Pingyuan’s eyes misted, his throat choked with emotion. After thinking, he really had no words of thanks, so he respectfully bowed to the ground. When he raised his head, however, he said something that astonished all three men.

“I appreciate your kind intentions, but please forgive me—I cannot accept!”

This was a statement no one expected. Qiao Zhiyong and Manager Lei looked at each other in surprise, both thinking they had misheard. Only Mao Hongxiang sipped his tea without showing emotion.

“Manager Gu, in three-way competition, Taiyufeng has the weakest strength. Now joining forces to split profits equally is actually most advantageous for you, while the other two families suffer losses. You must think clearly.” Qiao Zhiyong advised.

“Little brother, didn’t you also suggest three-way cooperation at the guild hall earlier?”

Gu Pingyuan smiled apologetically. Earlier he had been testing whether Rishengchang and Weizihu Five Associated Trading Houses might ally separately. Now it seemed Mao Hongxiang was truly an old fox—he insisted on bringing others in, imitating the Three Kingdoms strategy to form a “Wei-Shu-Wu” three-way balance. Now that Taiyufeng wouldn’t join, Mao Hongxiang would rather take his chances than split profits with Rishengchang—otherwise it would create a two-tiger struggle, and when the time came, with Manager Lei in her prime, Mao Hongxiang might find self-preservation difficult.

Watching Gu Pingyuan’s departing figure, even the usually confident Qiao Zhiyong was stunned for quite a while. Manager Lei drained her cup of tea and set it down heavily on the table, shaking her head in complete bewilderment: “No wonder everyone says he’s a madman…”

“The second time…” Mao Hongxiang suddenly spoke, his gaze toward the distant clouds on the horizon, his thoughts seeming to drift far away.

“Second time?” Qiao Zhiyong turned his head to ask.

“Mmm, the last time I saw someone flatly refuse such generous conditions was forty years ago.”

“What, there are other such fools in the world?” Manager Lei laughed.

“Your father.”

“…”

“Back then he ran a pigment business very successfully. Major establishments throughout the country competed to hire him as chief manager, with any conditions he could name, even allowing him to own half the shares.”

Manager Lei knew the rest—Lei Lütai hadn’t accepted any invitations, instead investing all his savings in the then-unprofitable trading house business.

“At that time, all of Shanxi said he was mad, throwing money into water. But now? Those who called him mad have mostly gone out of business, while Rishengchang…” Mao Hongxiang sipped his tea leisurely as he spoke, but Qiao Zhiyong and Manager Lei grew more alarmed as they listened. Looking outside again, Gu Pingyuan had already disappeared without a trace.