A night of toil had nearly drained all of Yun Ye’s energy. Taking advantage of everyone viewing the house models, he secretly came backstage, randomly found a reclining chair, and lay down, preparing to doze off briefly before starting to sell off all the houses in Xinghua Ward that were prepared for sale.
Time was tight. Li Er had only given one evening. Come tomorrow, Great Tang’s Chang’an would still resume its original rhythm. This exception was nothing more than tossing a stone into a calm pond.
The chair had a candy-like sweet fragrance—he didn’t know who had slept on it. Yun Ye sniffed, quite liking this scent. Having Yun San guard beside him, he drowsily fell asleep.
It felt as if someone was lowering their head to look at him. This feeling was strange. Yun Ye didn’t know when he had acquired this kind of supernatural ability to sense gazes.
Thinking carefully, his heart filled with grief and indignation. It was all that damned Li Er’s fault. An emperor with nothing better to do loved spying most, harming him until he developed beast-like abilities. However, surely it wasn’t this perverted emperor spying again at this moment?
Opening his eyes, a pair of large eyes hovered before his face, a hand seemingly reaching for something.
A beauty—absolutely a beauty. Large eyes, high nose bridge, oval face, a pair of watery large eyes containing autumn waters.
She was quite embarrassed. Anyone caught stealing a kiss would be awkward, especially a woman.
“If you want to kiss me, you can continue. I’m asleep and don’t know anything.”
Yun Ye’s words were very proper and gentlemanly. His eyes didn’t reveal any anxious eagerness, though his heart sang. He never expected his perfect sleeping posture could make a beauty unable to restrain herself.
To avoid embarrassing the beauty, Yun Ye deliberately closed his eyes, ready at any moment for the beauty to kiss him.
He was thinking too much. The woman covered her mouth and giggled, saying to Yun Ye, “I was just trying to get the bundle from that side of the chair. Who wants to kiss you?” Turning to look, he discovered a light green bundle placed against the wall. Was this woman a singing girl from tonight’s performance?
He had seen big scenes before. Such a small misunderstanding wasn’t enough to make Yun Ye blush. A singing girl? He was now a marquis. Even if he snatched her away, all of Chang’an would only say this was a romantic affair, not consider it a criminal case.
Would a marquis carry packages for people? Impossible. So he could only let the beauty retrieve it herself. The marquis wouldn’t get up from the chair even if beaten to death.
Indeed wonderful—the soft body pressing and squeezing had indescribable delight. The woman was also generous, not minding Yun Ye taking small advantage, even somewhat proactive, with some enchanting meaning within.
Taking advantage was one thing, but Yun Ye took no further action. That woman seemed somewhat disappointed and unwilling, as if impulsively wanting to put the bundle back and retrieve it again.
“The marquis truly doesn’t know how to cherish tender jade, making this humble servant carry such a heavy bundle herself without helping.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to help. I’m afraid that after helping, you’ll run to my home saying something about repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring, and finally repay with your entire self—that would be terrible.”
“Does this humble servant’s willow-like appearance not enter the marquis’s eyes?”
Yun Ye didn’t answer. He stood up, smiled and waved at her, then kicked Yun San standing to the side twice, and prepared to return to the front. Li Jing was probably already going mad.
“My lord, this lowly one just went to prepare tea for you and didn’t notice Lady Guan entering.”
Yun San said to Yun Ye very aggrieved. The Yun Family servants were seriously insufficient. The stall was spread too wide, trustworthy people too few. Only his own family servants could be deployed. Fortunately, each one was争气, going out and guarding the household’s items very strictly. Those stewards who needed to take household goods for personal relations had to verify repeatedly. Very foolish, but absolutely loyal.
Wei Zheng strode over, pulled Yun Ye to a corner of the model, pointed at a house and said, “This old man has taken a fancy to this building. Here’s one thousand strings. Have your steward send over the property deed tomorrow.”
“Lord Wei, this house seems to be marked at two thousand strings. Isn’t what you’re giving a bit short?”
“Then consider it this old man’s debt to you, to be repaid later. Your honorable brother Gui wants to marry. When the time comes, just send fewer congratulatory gifts.”
“Would you dare accept a one-thousand-string congratulatory gift from me?” Regarding Wei Zheng’s bold and open bribery method, Yun Ye was quite surprised. Even the ancient mirror of humanity would accept bribes?
“Other people’s money—this old man accepts with shame, because he’ll take money without doing the work. Your family’s money—this old man collecting more will only add elegant interest. What’s wrong with that? Even if this old man wanted to open great conveniences for you, you probably wouldn’t agree, right?” Having spoken, he slapped the one-thousand-string promissory note into Yun Ye’s hand. Together with his foolish son, he gazed at that house with mutual silly smiles. Seeing Wei Zheng’s loving father side for the first time, Yun Ye felt giving the old fellow a fifty percent discount wasn’t impossible.
That bottle of medicine was domineeringly taken by Li Er, who also forbade spreading the word. Empress Zhangsun said to deduct three thousand strings from the profits for Sun Simiao, forbidding Yun Ye from embezzling this sum, violators to be severely punished.
A bottle of anti-inflammatory injection of unclear efficacy—in Li Er’s eyes it was far more precious than any bear pelt. Li Er, with his military background, had seen too many soldiers die from infected wounds. Not many soldiers actually died in battle; the wounded camp had the most deaths, often reaching a terrifying sixty percent.
He didn’t know how Old Sun controlled penicillin standards. This bottle of medicine—Yun Ye would never use it on his own family even if beaten to death. Only someone like Li Er, desperate when ill, would randomly use medicine.
A noble community must house noble people. One could tell from the name—it wasn’t a place for common folk.
Of course, nobility and vulgarity were only a wall apart. For instance, this chubby fellow covered head to toe with jade pendants who needed maids to support him after two steps was an out-and-out noble person.
“Marquis Yun, though my humble household has several cinnabar mines and generations of enormous wealth, I wish to acquire some literary atmosphere. See if my offering of eight thousand strings can secure a residence for me. If the money isn’t enough, you name the price.”
If such a noble person couldn’t move in, then who could? All Wei Zheng types who gave one thousand strings yet still demanded bribes moving in—that would be Yun Ye’s shame.
“The price is naturally no problem. However, your residence is right next to Lord Wei’s mansion. I wonder if he’ll have objections?”
“If you can allow me to fund furnishing the old Duke’s new residence, what harm in paying ten thousand strings?” Merchants indeed—none were stupid. A ten-thousand-string residence with high officials and nobles as neighbors on all sides. If his family occasionally invited these noble persons to banquets a few times, a mere two thousand strings really wasn’t much.
He most loved the current simple folk customs. As long as they were neighbors, occasionally visiting and inviting guests, no one would rashly refuse. No matter how high your official rank, you couldn’t act superior at a neighbor’s home. The Zhangsun family’s neighbor was a small household. The residence was ancestral, not even half the size of the Zhangsun residence. However, when this family’s son married, they sent an invitation to the Zhangsun mansion. Zhangsun Wuji sat among a group of common traders and laborers drinking until dizzy, returning intoxicated.
Letting in a limited number of merchants was beneficial to community construction. Usually collecting sanitation fees, garbage fees and such, or sponsoring activities—they were all masters who paid readily. Unlike those officials who all wished to squeeze oil from stones. Now buying houses they were enthusiastic, but when the time came to pay management fees they would surely complain endlessly. By comparison, merchants were much more straightforward.
Li Er left, departing silently without even alarming the officials. Though some attentive ones specifically waited at the sky bridge to respectfully see him off, Li Er only nodded and flashed past seated in a sedan carried by palace maids. Not unhappy—only a belly full of pleasure.
When all the houses were settled, rooster crows could already be heard outside. Having the first opportunity to stay up all night, Tang people still cherished it. Taking this opportunity to chat a few sentences under candlelight with old friends not contacted for many days and drink a few cups of fine wine was appropriate.
The Yun Family residence in Xinghua Ward had long been arranged. Xinyue took Old Grandmother back early to rest. The young maids were also taken away. Only Shishi propped her chin drowsily waiting for Master to finish work and go home together.
The royal princes and princesses seemed even more excited. The usually gentle Changle had no sleepiness whatsoever, sitting in the private box watching her brothers play cards. Li Chengqian’s beauty had been taken away by his old father. Lonely and isolated, he resolutely decided to play cards with Li Tai and Li Ke. Unfortunately, he was completely no match for his two brothers who had been cultivated at the academy. His face covered with paper strips—except for his eyes, his nose and mouth could no longer be seen. This was all Changle’s handiwork. As soon as a round ended, she immediately cut paper strips to paste on her three brothers.
Even the longest night must pass. When Chang’an’s bells and drums sounded again, everyone left with reluctance. Last night left too deep an impression on them. Charming singing girls, vigorous dances, wealthy patrons throwing around ten thousand strings, luminous treasures, uniquely styled clothing, magnificent residences, and Yun Ye’s cold-blooded ruthlessness toward foreign tribes—all filled this night with legendary colors.
That strange story narration method entered Great Tang people’s lives for the first time. So stories could be told this way!
Great Tang’s nights were too monotonous. Working at sunrise, resting at sunset. Long nights could only be passed by sleeping, feeling no vitality. Last night overturned this tradition, giving people a kind of pleasure from escaping after breaking prohibitions.
When everyone left, the scene was a mess. Yun Ye yawned, preparing to go home to sleep. Don’t expect him to crawl out of bed for three days.
On the sky bridge, Li Jing stood in the wind, bathing in morning sunlight, clutching a bear pelt in his hand. Seeing Yun Ye emerge, he shook out the bear pelt and asked in a heavy voice, “Where is my third brother?”
Looking at the number on the bear pelt, this was the Zhangsun family’s bear pelt. Li Jing had come to demand answers about it.
“Haven’t seen him. Two hundred people went to that place. Only Xi Tong returned. Even the notorious Tian Xiangzi died there. Your third brother’s circumstances are worrying.”
Li Jing turned around, probably not wanting Yun Ye to see his sorrow. He asked again, “Tian Xiangzi is dead?”
“Of course he’s dead. Otherwise where would I get sarira to auction? This fellow’s body could actually burn out sarira—truly surprising. Could it be this world has changed? Someone said: ‘Those who kill and burn wear golden belts; those who build bridges and mend roads have no corpses.’ The Yun Family does too many kind-hearted deeds, which is why troubles always come knocking.”
“Boy, don’t use words to squeeze this old man. You’re not a kind-hearted person. Give you a tail and you’re more vicious than wolves. You think this old man can’t see through your character?”