Chang’an city, at the third watch of the night.

The Great Zhou dynasty enforced a night curfew. After the evening drums, people were forbidden to be out in the streets. Violators would receive twenty lashes. As a result, all wards and markets were silent, and the main streets were empty except for patrolling Golden Crow Guards.

Tonight, the fog was unusually thick—one couldn’t see a person ten steps away. The Golden Crow Guards, wearing armor and carrying torches, patrolled in perfect formation. Through the dense fog, six burly men gradually appeared. Their faces were as white as paper, and they moved as lightly as swallows, carrying a palanquin designed like a pavilion. The palanquin was draped with white gauze embroidered with treasure flower patterns, its top adorned with jewels and pearls, appearing quite valuable. The men moved quickly, and in an instant, they were before the Golden Crow Guards.

Strangely, the Golden Crow Guards seemed not to see this mysterious palanquin at all. The palanquin passed by them and was carried to an imposing mansion in Qunxian Ward in the Western Market.

The mansion was luxuriously ornate. Standing outside the gate, one could smell the rich aroma of agarwood, suggesting that the owner had mixed agarwood powder into the soil when building the courtyard walls, allowing for such a rich fragrance. Agarwood was expensive, and land in Chang’an was precious—a property of this size would cost at least one thousand strings of cash. A first-rank official in the Great Zhou earned an annual salary of only one hundred strings, indicating the enormous wealth of the mansion’s owner. However, although the mansion was elegantly built, it was located in Qunxian Ward in the western part of the city. In Chang’an, the west was known for its wealth, while the east was known for its prestige. Moreover, the entrance was merely a door opening in the courtyard wall—an ordinary side door rather than the spacious main gate that only high officials and nobles could use. This suggested that the owner was merely a merchant, not of high status.

From inside the mansion came the sound of string and bamboo instruments. The burly men carried the palanquin directly through the tightly closed main gate, their forms passing through the solid door as if it were air, and into the rear courtyard. There, several fair-skinned and beautiful Western women wearing gauze clothing with half-exposed bosoms were smiling gently as they performed the whirling Huxuan dance. Beside them, a handsome young man sat cross-legged on the ground, bobbing his head and beating a large drum to accompany them.

As the dance grew more spirited, a Western dancer with a flexible waist spun on her toes toward the handsome young man. She extended her delicate jade-like hands, her eyes seductive as silk, seemingly inviting the young man to dance with them. The young man laughed heartily, took the dancer’s soft hand, and joined the women in their dance.

The scene became lively and flirtatious. The young man was dancing the Huxuan dance with his arm around a Western dancer when suddenly, as if he had seen something, he stopped dancing. The dancer asked, puzzled: “Why has the master stopped?”

The young man looked ahead: “Business has arrived.”

The Western dancers looked around in confusion, seeing no one. One of them pouted with dissatisfaction: “Is the master perhaps not wanting to dance with us anymore and making up excuses?”

The young man gave her a suggestive smile and casually pinched her plump buttock: “It’s by doing business that I can support all of you. Be good now, go away.”

The Western dancers were displeased but didn’t dare disobey the young man. They reluctantly left, looking back at the courtyard as they went.

There was nothing there!

But the young man gazed at the large pearl swaying gently at the top of the palanquin in front of him and clicked his tongue: “Looks like this is a big deal.”

He glanced at the palanquin, thoroughly covered with gauze, and then casually looked at the six burly men with paper-white faces who were carrying it. He said: “If you’re seeking my services, why all this secrecy?”

The burly men gently placed the palanquin on the ground. Their waists seemed straight, unable to bend, and their profiles were as thin as paper. They respectfully cupped their hands toward the person inside the palanquin, then floated away without their feet touching the ground.

The young man laughed derisively: “So they were paper figures.”

He observed the palanquin curiously. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, causing the young man to squint. He frowned, raising his sleeve to shield himself, and only lowered it when the wind subsided a bit. He saw that the white treasure flower gauze around the palanquin was fluttering in the breeze, the light fabric flying and floating, revealing the young woman sitting properly inside.

The young woman’s hair was styled in double buns with a celestial-gazing topknot. She had moth-like eyebrows and white teeth, with an elegant and beautiful appearance, dignified and graceful, just like the treasure flowers embroidered on the gauze. The young man was momentarily entranced. When he regained his senses, he murmured: “One glance from her amidst the crowd, and all other beauties become like dust… This deal is worth it, truly worth it!”

The young man’s words were almost disrespectful, but Li Ying did not get angry. She rose from the palanquin, holding a brocade box in her hands, and walked gracefully to the young man. She asked politely: “May I ask if you are Master Yu Fuwei?”

“Master?” The young man seemed to be hearing this title for the first time. He laughed derisively: “I am merely a merchant, the most lowly person in Great Zhou. I don’t deserve to be called ‘Master.'”

Li Ying sincerely replied: “Though you are a merchant, you can traverse between the realms of the living and the dead, helping people solve their troubles and ghosts overcome their difficulties. You’ve amassed this great fortune by yourself and provided shelter for many homeless Western women. Surely you deserve to be called ‘Master.'”

“Don’t flatter me.” Yu Fuwei smiled. He looked Li Ying up and down: “Judging by your attire, young lady, you don’t look like a poor ghost. Tell me, who are you?”

Li Ying smiled slightly: “I am Princess Yong’an, Li Ying.”

As soon as Li Ying finished speaking, Yu Fuwei’s mouth was already agape with surprise. He murmured, “Princess Yong’an? The one who drowned thirty years ago and caused rivers of blood to flow in Chang’an city?”

His words were rather discourteous. A trace of embarrassment crossed Li Ying’s eyes, but she still didn’t get angry. She merely said softly, “Yes.”

“I heard that the Empress Dowager lit eternal lamps in all forty thousand Buddhist temples across Great Zhou. Why hasn’t the Princess reincarnated yet?”

Li Ying smiled and responded neither too harshly nor too mildly: “Doesn’t Master only do business? Is there any need to inquire so thoroughly?”

Only then did Yu Fuwei realize his rudeness. He knocked on his head and apologized with a smile: “I spoke too much. Please don’t be offended, Princess.”

Li Ying said, “I’ve come this time to exchange the money my mother burned for me into currency for the living world. I wonder if Master would accept this transaction?”

“I specialize in business between the living and the dead,” Yu Fuwei said. “Of course I can accept.”

Over the past thirty years, the Empress Dowager had burned countless treasures for Li Ying. Li Ying opened the brocade box, revealing ten gold ingots neatly arranged inside. Yu Fuwei took the box and weighed the ingots in his hand. Each gold ingot weighed one catty, with a bright color and perfect purity. They were engraved with the words “Ingot of Taichang Year 20,” appearing rich and luxurious. Yu Fuwei said, “Although the Princess is of noble status, in business, we must follow my rules. For exchanging ten ghost ingots, I charge a fee of ten percent. In other words, I will return to the Princess nine living world ingots. If the Princess can accept this, then our deal is concluded.”

Li Ying nodded: “Let us follow Master’s rules.”

Yu Fuwei thus accepted the brocade box. He said: “However, business has been good these past few days, and my storehouse of living world ingots has been depleted. I need to gather more. I wonder if the Princess can wait for a few days?”

Li Ying pondered for a moment, then said: “Though I have urgent matters, in Chang’an city, only the Master can conduct business between the living and the dead. I have no other option. But how long will I need to wait?”

Yu Fuwei counted on his fingers: “Before the Princess, there are thirty ghosts from the underworld waiting to exchange for living world wealth.”

This number surprised Li Ying at first, then she smiled bitterly: “I didn’t expect that even during festival time, Master’s business would be so good.”

“Business is especially good during festivals,” Yu Fuwei explained. “There are many ceremonies and sacrifices during festivals. Ghosts who cannot reincarnate in the underworld want to use the divine power of the monks to gain salvation, so they need to bribe the ghost officials to let them attend the ceremonies. The ghost officials, having received these treasures but finding them useless in the underworld, come to exchange them for living world treasures to send to their descendants in the living world.”

Li Ying listened with wide eyes: “Can ghost officials do this without the Yama King’s intervention?”

“The world is like this. If the underworld is not clean, is the living world so bright and clear?” Yu Fuwei mocked. “If that were true, Princess wouldn’t need to come to me to exchange treasures.”

Only then did Li Ying remember that she was looking to exchange ghost ingots for living world ingots to bribe a minor official of the Ministry of Justice. Looking at it this way, the living world was indeed not much cleaner than the underworld. Li Ying smiled bitterly: “Master speaks the truth. Having lived deep in the palace, Yong’an doesn’t understand much about the affairs of the world. I’ve made myself a laughingstock.”

Li Ying’s politeness made Yu Fuwei feel somewhat ashamed. He hurriedly said, “I must apologize to the Princess. I’ve been rude again.”

He thought for a moment, then added: “The Princess is magnanimous and tolerant, making me quite ashamed. How about this: I will prioritize providing the living world ingots to the Princess to show my apology. By early tomorrow morning, the Princess will receive nine living world ingots.”

Li Ying was delighted: “In that case, thank you very much, Master.”

“But where should I send the living world ingots?”

Li Ying said, “Please send them to Junior Minister Cui’s mansion in Xuanyang Ward.”

Now it was Yu Fuwei’s turn to widen his eyes in surprise: “Xuanyang Ward, Junior Minister Cui? Could it be that Junior Minister of the Investigation Department, Cui Xun?”

Li Ying nodded: “Yes, indeed.”

Yu Fuwei was silent for a moment, finding it difficult to speak, but finally said: “The Princess has the beauty of a celestial being. How could you be associated with that… that notorious villain…”

Li Ying simply said, “He can help me.”

“Help you?”

“Yes, he’s the only person who can see me.”

Yu Fuwei was confused: “I can see the Princess too.”

Li Ying shook her head: “But Master cannot help me.”

Yu Fuwei was stunned for a moment but quickly understood. A trace of disappointment crossed his eyes. He said self-mockingly, “Although I can see the Princess, I am merely a merchant. Cui Xun, despite his notorious reputation, is a fourth-rank Junior Minister. So I cannot help the Princess, but he can.”

Li Ying remained silent, but her silence confirmed Yu Fuwei’s words.

Yu Fuwei smiled bitterly, shaking his head and murmuring: “A mere merchant, unable even to take the imperial examinations, let alone become an official. How ridiculous, how ridiculous…”

By the end, he laughed loudly, his tone full of resentment. Only then did Li Ying realize that the man before her, though frivolous and shallow, had spoken in verse when he first saw her, and during their conversation, he could cite classics and explain matters of the underworld and the living world with eloquence. Given his name Fuwei, meaning “to help those in peril,” perhaps this man’s aspirations were not merely to be a merchant.

But no matter how great his aspirations, his social class had been fixed from birth. The Great Zhou continued the Nine-Rank System of the previous dynasty, selecting and appointing officials based on family status. The upper ranks had no commoners, and the lower ranks had no aristocrats. The children of aristocratic families would forever be aristocrats, and the children of commoners would continue to be commoners. Someone like Yu Fuwei, the son of a merchant, could only ever be a merchant.

This Nine-Rank System placed the status of aristocratic families even above imperial power. People said that if one married a woman from one of the five great clans, the glory would exceed that of being a Prince Consort. Each emperor of the Great Zhou had intended to reform this system. During the Late Emperor’s time, the imperial examination system was finally established. Regardless of whether one was from an aristocratic or common family, all could participate in the examinations. Commoners thus gradually gained opportunities to change their fate. However, under pressure from the aristocracy, the examination system still had many flaws. For instance, the examination papers were not anonymized, giving candidates opportunities to cheat. Additionally, the sons of merchants still could not participate in the examinations. Nevertheless, compared to before, the fate of commoners had significantly improved.

Yu Fuwei’s expression gradually calmed. He said, “Although I cannot take the imperial examinations, the gap between aristocrats and commoners is no longer as vast as heaven. This is thanks to the Princess.”

Li Ying was somewhat confused: “Thanks to me?”

Yu Fuwei nodded: “The Late Emperor promoted the imperial examinations to select talents, but the aristocrats opposed this most vigorously. After the Taichang Blood Incident, the aristocrats were severely weakened, and the imperial examinations were smoothly implemented as a result. Therefore, it was the Princess who changed the fate of commoners throughout the realm, as well as the fate of Great Zhou.”

After hearing this, Li Ying was not pleased by Yu Fuwei’s praise. Instead, her mind went blank. Had she changed the fate of all commoners in the world and the fate of the Great Zhou?

So, her death was a tremendously good thing for the world and the Great Zhou?