“Yes, yes.”
The manager bowed hastily. “If Miss has no further instructions, I’ll go prepare now.”
“Mm.”
Feng Jiu’er waved a hand. “Just prepare two rooms — one for the men, one for the women.”
“Yes.”
The manager bowed again and turned to leave the room.
Qiao Mu, watching the door close, reached over and took the token from Feng Jiu’er’s hand.
“The Empress gave you such a useful token, and you didn’t bring it out sooner?”
“I never meant to keep relying on Her Majesty.”
Feng Jiu’er’s gaze settled on the token.
“It just happened to work out this way — I ran into it the moment I turned around, so of course I had to come in and take a look.”
She looked up slightly, meeting Qiao Mu’s eyes.
“I owe the Empress more and more. This debt — from now on, you’re the one who’ll repay it.”
“Are you unwell?”
Qiao Mu frowned. “Isn’t repaying debts usually your job?”
“You’re heartless, but you’re not wrong!”
Feng Jiu’er rolled her eyes.
“Some debts I can repay myself, but the Empress’s debt — you’re the most suitable one to repay it.”
Feng Jiu’er patted Qiao Mu’s shoulder lightly, smiling. “I promised the Empress I’d bring back a daughter-in-law who’s both beautiful and considerate.”
“This one, I’ll just have to leave to you, won’t I?”
“We’ll see.”
Qiao Mu pressed her lips together lightly.
“What, missing someone?”
Feng Jiu’er looked at her and asked.
Qiao Mu raised her eyes and glanced at her.
“Don’t you miss him? Your Ninth Imperial Uncle?”
“I do.”
Feng Jiu’er rubbed her hands together. “Now that Father’s been found, I want to hurry and give the Ninth Imperial Uncle a child.”
“Oh, and no — I should have two at once, one boy and one girl, how nice!”
“Have you lost your mind?”
Qiao Mu frowned. “They say a woman in labor already has one foot through death’s door.”
“And you want to put both feet through at once? Are you tired of living?”
Feng Jiu’er pressed her lips together and nodded. “Fair enough. Can’t have a caesarean either — better to do it one at a time.”
“What about you?” She looked up. “How many do you want to give my Third Brother?”
“That man — as long as it’s his own child, he’d probably be thrilled even if it looked like a little monkey.”
Qiao Mu set the token back on the table.
“Mm-hm.”
Feng Jiu’er nodded with a smile. “Our brother is the easiest to satisfy in the family.”
“I really want to see what he’d look like holding a baby — would he hold the baby in one arm and hold you while crying in the other?”
Qiao Mu, thinking of something, let the corner of her mouth curve slightly.
At last, she gave a small nod. “I think he would.”
The manager soon returned and took Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu to see the rooms. Neither of them was picky, and they settled on rooms right away.
Told that the shop’s Boss Yuan wouldn’t arrive until at least the next day, Feng Jiu’er made an excuse and went out for a walk.
The two of them went to the nearest city gate and found a commotion underway.
“Why won’t you let us out of the city? Open the gate now!”
“We want to leave the city!”
“We want to leave the city! Open the gate now!”
“Those who pay ‘military funds’ can leave, but the poor like us can’t — is that it?”
“This isn’t fair! Open the gate! I want to go to the capital and file a complaint!”
“No one is allowed to leave! This is the Emperor’s decree!”
a guard captain shouted.
“The city lord has no intention of collecting any extra funds — keep talking nonsense and don’t blame me for what happens!”
After the captain’s shout, things quieted a little near the gate.
Soon, a commoner stepped out from the crowd.
“We saw with our own eyes people leaving the city — what do you have to say to that?”
“Since this is the Emperor’s decree, shouldn’t it apply equally to all the people of the Feng Clan, rich or poor?”
“You’ve gone too far! This isn’t fair!”
“Those loaded with money can come and go as they please.”
“We, who’ll starve as a family if we can’t sell our goods and get cash back today, aren’t allowed to leave — that’s unfair!”
“Not fair!”
“Not fair!”
The crowd raised their hands and pressed forward.
“Quiet! Quiet!”
the captain shouted.
The guards behind the captain even raised their spears.
“Silence! Silence!”
But the crowd, as if unafraid of death, kept moving forward.
It made sense — with their families unable to make ends meet, they truly had nothing left to fear.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves rang out.
The crowd turned and quickly parted a path.
A man on horseback cut through the crowd and arrived at the gate.
The tall man sat on his horse, looking down at everyone.
“What exactly is going on here?”
The man’s deep voice, carrying inner strength, sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
Everyone looked at him, and the scene fell suddenly silent.
The guard captain stepped forward and bowed. “General, the people want to leave the city and are causing a disturbance.”
“Wasn’t the notice posted?”
The general’s brow furrowed.
“General, it was posted.”
The captain bowed again.
The general looked up and swept his eyes around.
“This is the Emperor’s decree. Do you mean to defy the Emperor’s decree as well?”
“It’s not that we want to defy it — someone already has.”
A commoner at the front of the crowd shouted.
“And General, you say this is the Emperor’s decree, but I don’t understand how someone could defy even that.”
“No one is allowed to defy the Emperor’s decree!”
the general roared.
“Someone has!”
The crowd did not back down.
He pointed a finger at the captain, who stood off to the side looking a little afraid.
“Dozens of us saw it with our own eyes — he let two people out.”
“That wasn’t military funds, was it?”
The man glared fiercely at the captain.
“Once they paid him enough, even the Emperor’s decree meant nothing to him. What kind of decree is that?”
“General, I didn’t.”
The captain stepped forward, standing beneath the horse’s hooves.
“He did.”
Another commoner stepped forward. “Dozens of us saw it with our own eyes — don’t try to deny it!”
“We saw it too.”
“General, we all witnessed it ourselves.”
All at once, the crowd erupted in shouts.
“The rich leave the city to make more money, to grow their fortunes.”
The man at the front of the crowd said loudly.
“We poor leave the city to make money too — so our families don’t go hungry tonight.”
“If the Emperor’s decree only exists to oppress us poor folk, why should we obey it? Why should we support it?”
“Right.”
The crowd spoke as one. “Why should we support it?”
With a metallic ring, the general suddenly drew his sword.
The crowd flinched and stumbled back two or three steps.
The general swung his long leg and dismounted.
But his blade wasn’t aimed at the crowd — it pointed straight at the officer kneeling on the ground.
“Is what they’re saying true?”
The officer, terrified, bent low and didn’t dare look up.
“No! General, it’s really not true!”
“It is.”
the crowd shouted.
“Absolutely true!”
“The silver should still be on him.”
Hearing the crowd’s shouts, the general swept his long sword and cut open the pouch at the officer’s waist.
With a clatter, silver and gold of every size scattered across the ground.